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#i'll play it exclusively a couple more days still
ofdarklands · 20 days
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level 90 at last!
so! about black mage
i've been thinking how to describe playing black mage, and i think the simile i used this morning in chat works well enough:
black mage feels like trying to run with a pot full of boiling water in my hands. with other jobs i feel light and agile, but black mage plays like how seeing emet selch as solus run would feel. look at that guy go. i didn't know spines could do that! you can hear his knees crunch, also
mechanically, it's really not nearly as bad as i feared it to be, even though i don't think i'd managed to figure out a decent rotation myself on the first or even third try so, thank you internet people for the guides!
anyway, the boiling pot wheezing trot sensation is not unique to it, though it is the most noticeable of all the casting classes i've played. i'd say rdm>summoner>whm>>blm in increasing awkwardness
so, while i acknowledge that blm is an optimizer's paradise to get the Biggest Booms, probably, playing it feels like it's almost fighting against the game instead of flowing with it and due to that it's just not very enjoyable, for me. it's got the same inflexible rotation that makes dragoon my least played class despite it being very canon for mitr'a
and from a physical perspective my fingers are not very precise on the keyboard, so i tend to fuck up the routine by accident quite often and then i have to correct it or start over and eeeehhhhhh. and my can't-remember-to-click-despair situation. dunno what the problem is with that one, to be quite honest. brain said no i guess :( that one's on me
woops this got longer than i thought so have a readmore
the good:
aforementioned big damages, when i manage to keep the rotation on track. sadly not as much of a plus for me, personally, but it's relevant still
against one enemy, getting immersed in the rotation can be pretty fun, until the 5 aoes come, the boss leaves the arena, and i sigh deeply while creakily running around, not casting
lasso spell goes brrr. it's got a very funny sound effect, in my heart
the 'return to leylines' spell is also great. i've used it mostly to instantly dodge when there's more than 2 sequential aoes. you can play around with these two spells
shoutout to the simplified job gauge for letting you actually understand anything about it. sure it's 3.5 things to keep track of, but for 2 of them you get informed about their readiness with convenient sounds and flashing borders so whatever
big staff to hit people with
cone hat funny
big lb meteorites. very good very cackling
the bad:
moving feels heavy, even when using the instant cast abilities. i keep lagging behind the group even in normal content, and sometimes clicking the right person to yeet to can be a bit hard in alliances or wall to walls. this class needs to do some cardio
clicking fire IV 3 times, then 1 fire I then fire IV 3 more times is. very boring. sorry. rotation 40 years long and rigid like the brutalism. the funnest parts are the thunder procs and the ice phase before going back to fire and the occasional instant cast. oh you sneezed and misclicked and dropped your fire badge thingies on the floor? sorry idiot you get to start over from the top, but sadder this time
this one i only noticed here at the end, but i feel it's very important, maybe more than the rotation: the best and biggest animations it has are the ones for the ice spells, which you use the least. xenoglossy, foul and flare are also good. amplifier, manafont and triple cast feel nice and dramatic to use. paradox i just got but it's also nice with the color mix. the rest i don't even remember, had to go cast them on a dummy. it's fireballs and fire columns it's all fireballs! the blm animations have a lot of boom but they need more heft, if that makes sense? more flying shit going from you to the target, shit shrapneling from the target, rings of fire, fiery eldritch runes, anything. if rdm can shoot 50 explosive roses at a guy for some reason and drk can summon shields of runes, blm can do something fancy also. casting a finisher skill called 'despair' should look like i'm sucking their souls out through a straw
also more casting positions. summoner has a lot and they're pretty different! they got floating symbols and shit. blm has 'slightly crouched' and 'staff held high' in variation 1 and 2, and that's about it from what i can tell besides the selfbuff ones. add some evil runes at least. the paradox wide armed one (i think you float a little?) is a good addition though
anyway, final verdict: it's a good class, but it's very rigid and inflexible to get Big Damages, which is not an exciting exchange, for me. i prefer to be nimble and do less damage but have a more varied and forgiving rng based rotation. also more utility skills! i miss peloton or having a group shield or heal, or even rdm's rez; makes me feel actually useful instead of being just a giant cone hat that produces flamethrower on command. i don't think i'll play it too often, i'm afraid, even though it's a perfectly alright class, and i'm sure i'll get better with time
HOWEVER. if dawntrail allows blm to throw meteorites outside of lbs i might reconsider. they can be small! even magical molotov cocktails if we must. but i want physical flamming objects to hit my enemies and i want to see the animations do that with some flair. just ole fire and spite booms and a couple icicles is not enough. i want to flatten them
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billthedrake · 7 months
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Another story idea given by @maturedadsandmen
BIRD IN THE HAND
Cole Walker was about two blocks from his destination when his phone rang. He normally wouldn't answer it, but it was his sorta-kinda boyfriend/fuckbuddy John. Cole still made fun of John for still preferring to call instead of just text, but that's what you get sometimes for dating a man much older.
"Hey," the 24 year old answered. DC weather had moved from cold to brisk and his cheeks were flush.
"Hiya sexy," the said. John's voice was a craggy tenor, with an upstate New York accent. "Just wanted to hear your voice."
Cole smiled. The whole arrangement with John was weird, to say the least. The congressional staffer didn't even know the guy's last name. John was an FBI agent who was VERY closeted. In a town like DC, that wasn't unusual, and Cole himself had only told a couple of close friends that he was gay. But John seemed to want the boyfriend stuff as much as the sex. Cuddling, long talks, dates. All while being crazy protective of his privacy.
"Tough day?" Cole asked. He wished he didn't feel so eager to talk to the man, but it wasn't like he was ready for an open boyfriend either. The fact the federal agent was 47 made something real and public seem impossible to the younger man. He, too, enjoyed the play-pretend nature of their dating if he was honest with himself.
"And how," John breathed. "I'm about to meet a buddy for dinner, but I wanted to call... we still on for date night Saturday? I'll take you somewhere nice." It was only then that Cole could tell the man was in a public place and talking a little quieter than normal.
"Yeah," Cole replied. "And you don't have to go all out. I just enjoy seeing you."
There was a contrite pause on the other end. "I know I've not been good at things lately.. but would it be pushing my luck to have you stay over this time?"
Cole's heart pounded. It was hard to hold a grudge. "No, not at all."
John's volume got lower. "Damn, studly," he hissed. "That's gonna help me get through this week all right."
"Yeah," the younger man chimed in.
"Listen... I gotta go. But see you Saturday?"
"Yep," Cole replied. "Looking forward to it."
After they hung up, Cole felt guilty. It wasn't like he and John were boyfriends, really, not in the conventional sense, and they'd never said anything about being exclusive. If the agent ever asked, Cole would very likely agree to be a one-man guy but until then...
But the real reason he felt guilty is that Paul Ricciardi pushed his buttons in a different way than John. Cole dubbed him the "Head Honcho" is his mind, and while Ricciardi wasn't the number one guy at the Bureau, he wasn't that far down the org chart. In a lot of ways, he was the opposite of John - married and addicted to down-low sex, more dominant in bed, and confident in hooking up with a recently graduated dude despite his high-profile position. He knew Cole Walker was after dick and wasn't gonna blab to anyone.
Paul was just wrapping up a phone call when he heard the buzzer of the apartment. The rental was justified as a place to crash for late nights, but certainly his wife knew her 53-year-old husband kept on an affair, maybe more than one. They just never talked about it. The dont-ask-dont-tell approach worked for the law man.
Ricciardi's gruff face cracked a smile when he opened the door to see Cole. Dudes like this were dime a dozen in DC... congressional staffer, needy bottom, daddy issues galore. But this Walker kid was exceptional: he'd played soccer at Georgetown and his bulking up since graduation had interfered with that youthful jock look. The real deal. No two ways about, Cole was gorgeous. Just the right amount of masculine, the right amount of cute, total boy-next-door who still carried that jock gain as he walked in.
"Hey," Cole's voice said, quietly as he walked in. He respected Paul's need for discretion, it was almost intuitive.
"Hey," the career law enforcement man whispered in a soft growl, shutting the door. "You look hot as fuck."
Cole's eyes swept up Ricciardi's build. Mid-50s and fit as ever, the toned daddy beef filling out Paul's conservative but expensive suit and the short-cropped gray hair setting off the intensity of the man's brown eyes. The tie was loosened but other wise he was a poster boy for Bureau leadership. "You too," he gulped.
Paul grinned and reached up to cup the back of Cole's neck, yanking the younger man into a hot kiss.
Cole moaned into Paul's mouth as that thick tongue conquered him. He could taste scotch and smell the man's cologne. Reflexes kicked in as he reached forward to hold the man's suited waist, enjoying the feel of the Head Honcho's hard body beneath.
The kiss was over as quickly as it started. Ricciardi stepped back and reached down to unzip his suit trousers. The man wasn't overly hung - like John, his cock was meaty, even fat. "Gonna suck Daddy's cock, kid?" Paul roughly growled.
"Fuck yes," Cole said. He's been with only six men since first becoming sexually active at 21. But he quickly realized he was all bottom - orally and anally. He was still surprised he'd bagged two FBI men over the last year and a half. Luck, for sure, but it was also clear the ex-soccer jock had a type. Both Paul and John were strong, silent daddy personalities. His own father was a PA state trooper, and one day Cole would have to analyze the fucked-up part of his head that got turned on by that. Or not. Maybe it was something that could never fully be explained - it's just something about a law enforcement man pushed his buttons big time.
Paul Ricciardi was careful about who he fucked. He had a one-at-a-time rule, for the sake of discretion. By now, he'd had his share of hot young men. He'd met some real sluts and a couple of ex-jocks like Cole. But no one had combined that effortless masculinity with a real bottom eagerness like this kid.
"Fuck yeah," he growled as Cole began deep throating that fat hog. "Swallow Daddy."
More than he realized Cole was worked up that evening. He would have chalked it up to missing this cock, but actually Paul had reached out to him more frequently lately, no longer the once a month booty call. Maybe the more he had it, the more he wanted it.
That hand now clasped the back of Cole's neck and held tight as Paul's hips went into overdrive. Fast hard jabs battered the back of Cole's gullet. It was too much, and Cole coughed some on it, which made Paul pause before starting a gentler, if no less deep, thrusting.
Finally he pulled out, that dick spit wet and rock hard. It was beautiful to Cole. Like with John, he decided he liked the extra girth more than he craved extra length. For as bottomy as he was, the young stud wasn't a size queen. He'd prefer a tool that could use him without too much discomfort.
"To the bedroom, kid," Paul hissed, a hint of a smile cracking on the stern face. He was used to being in charge in every aspect of his life. He was in charge now. But something about this jock stud made him feel a little less in control.
Cole scrambled up. He'd learned to come over to Paul's prepared. Sometimes the two took their time, sometimes the married man seeded him in two minutes flat and sent him back home. As they entered the spare bedroom for the apartment, Cole quickly peeled off his sweatshirt and T in one move and just as quickly kicked off his sneakers and peeled down the jeans. There was nothing underneath and his own hardon stood up erect and excited. Cole may not have had the girth of his boyfriend or this man, but he was hung longer and the sparser crotch hair made his jock bone look even longer.
Paul was taking off his suit and laying it on a chair. He'd hang it up later. For now, his ravenous eyes were on Cole as he got onto the bed, on all fours. They didn't always mate this way but it was Ricciardi's favorite position, and Cole's too, thought they'd never talked about it. They just fucked.
Then watched the Head Honcho step toward the bed, his body tightly dense from dedicated workouts. The chest fur wasn't as silver as his hair, but it was getting there, and it got denser the closer toward that magic cock, which was already dripping.
"Damn, when was the last time you got off?" Cole asked.
Paul climbed on the bed and ran his hand over the ex-jock's dusty haired but half smooth rump. "Fucked the wife yesterday," he hissed. "I'm just a horny guy."
"I'll say," Cole replied. He didn't know what he thought about fooling around with a married man. It probably wasn't the moral thing to do. At least John was single, or said he was single. Maybe the man lied, hence the lack of a last name.
Then Cole felt the nuzzling of the man's face in his clean crack and the contact of that thick tongue. John was actually better at rimming, or at least liked to go longer, but something about Paul's intensity drove him wild. "Yes," he hissed backing his ass back against the man's munching face. A hard slap hit his cheek as the Head Honcho dove in more eagerly. It was gonna be a quick one, but Ricciardi was a grade-A ass man and could rarely resist a taste of Cole's jock hole.
"Goddamn," the FBI man finally said as he leaned up. Cole could feel that hard beef press against his back as Paul reached over for some lube. Just a squirt, not too much... Ricciardi liked a snug ride.
The man quickly fingere Cole and almost as quickly lined up that fat prick to press in.
Cole's deflowering, the night after his 21st birthday, had been by a very patient man, and he'd lucked out to find a couple of tops who knew how to go slow at first. Paul Ricciardi was the first man to show Cole he didn't always need slow.
That dick popped in now, snapping open the elasticity of the young man's pucker.
"Fuck yes!" Paul growled. He leaned forward again, covering Cole's smooth back with his own meaty furry one. "You feel that kid?"
"God yes," Cole hissed. Maybe it was the rank or the badge, but everything about Paul turned him on and made this FAR easier than he'd ever imagine. He even enjoyed the crude way Ricciardi's bone just barreled in further, past his internal tightness. "Fuck me, man."
That was Paul's cue, his green light. Wrapping an arm around Cole's shoulder and neck, he held on tightly and thrust all the way into the hot stud. Barely taking a rest, he began fucking, hard.
"Oh fuck!" Cole whimpered. He wished he could keep his normally deep voice low, but the pitch rose once Paul reamed him like this. "Oh god, oh fuck!"
A hand clasped over his mouth. Paul wasn't overly verbal today, though he could be. Instead he gripped the kid close and rode him hard. It had been a tough week and he needed a fuck like this to channel his stress.
Each mating like this made Cole wonder if it could get better. His prick was now leaking like crazy on Paul's bedsheets and his muscles flexed involuntarily in the man's strong grip.
THIS is what made him feel about going around behind John's back. Cole wished to god that John could fuck like this, or would fuck like this. The Head Honcho was even less available a man than John, but he outmanned Cole's boyfriend in the sack.
BAM, BAM, BAM. Paul's fat cock was relentless now. Some guys couldn't take it. Cole could, and would. The very knowledge had the FBI big-wig's prick getting slick with his own precum.
Cole concentrated and forced himself to quiet his moans. The hand unclasped from his mouth and moved to feel up more of the ex-soccer jock's lean body.
"You're close," he heard. Paul wasn't asking a question.
Cole forced his voice back to its deeper register. "Yah." He felt light headed now. Before Paul he thought hands-free cums were a myth. They weren't though, and he was about to offer proof again now.
"Oh shit," he breathed in a whisper. His dick jerked and the first spray of precum jetted out, matching what Paul was pushing deeper and deep into his guts with each hard jab.
BAM, BAM, BAM. The fucking was harder and faster, if possible, only Ricciardi was starting to lose his cadence. The man was orgasming now.
Cole's dick now jerked again, and the cum flew out. Seven heavy ropes of young cum being pressed out from within. Cole didn't pass out exactly, but he lost focus, like he'd sucked too many poppers at once.
Paul's body slowed and now rested immobile on his back. A light kiss was the one gesture of affection Ricciardi offered him, ever, but the simple act was more powerful for it. Cole wished he could have experienced his partner's cum more vividly, but the payoff of the simultaneous orgasm made up for it. He and John had done that once.
Paul rolled his muscular, FBI-fit body off his sexual conquest and lazily plopped onto the mattress. He was sweaty and handsome as fuck and his prick still twitched in its wetness, semen oozing out of the tip.
Just as lazily Ricciardi reached over to stroke Cole's side as the younger stud gingerly stretched his legs and lay on his back. "Remind me to thank your boyfriend for the hall pass," he hissed.
Cole had told the Head Honcho that he was seeing someone. He's admitted it to put Paul at ease for a discreet hookup, but he regretted sharing that info now. "He doesn't know, actually."
Paul chuckled. "I thought you said you had an arrangement... but that's cool, kid."
Cole felt embarrassed. "I mean, we don't have an exclusive thing, but I guess I haven't gone into details with him."
Normally the Head Honcho would be getting up, going to piss, showering off, or just slipping on some sweat pants in a clear signal it was Cole's time to go. Instead the man's eyes seemed not to get enough of the 24-year old and his hand moved up to gingerly stroke Cole's cute-handsome face.
"Well, I'm glad this works out for you," Ricciardi said. "I know I come on strong, but you're really fucking hot."
"I know," Cole smiled. He knew his worth, but it was also a joke.
Paul got it, chuckling. "As you can tell, I'm a busy man... but I'd love to see you a little more often. If it works out with you and your boyfriend." For a take-charge man, he seemed surprisingly shy in his request.
"That's be hot," Cole said. Paul Ricciardi didn't kiss as much as Cole would like, almost never after the act itself. But it was hard to give up the man's harder approach in bed and his overall sexiness. "You're really fucking hot, too."
"I know," Paul repeated Cole's joke back to him in perfect timing. "Am I hotter than your boyfriend?" he asked with a wink, then patted Cole's chest. "Sorry, that was my male competitiveness kicking in."
Cole nodded. He wasn't going to give Paul the satisfaction of an answer. Besides he didn't know how he would answer. John was sexy as fuck, too, and reminded Cole a lot of Paul in his stature, build, and appearance. "Maybe I shouldn't admit this but he works for the bureau, too."
"Yeah?" he smirked.
"Yeah," Cole nodded. He was glad to see Paul's laid back side. Maybe being married, the man wasn't bothered by hearing about another man. Lazily, the man's fingers caressed Cole's chest muscle. "John. A field agent," Cole said, opening up. He'd not been able to tell a single other soul about the most important development of his life over the last year. It turns out this DL hookup with a DC big shot gave him the only opportunity. He blushed as he added, "Funny thing is I don't even know his last name. He's super closeted. Always going on about how he's married to the Bureau and doesn't have time for anything else."
"Sounds like my brother Jo..." Paul stopped, his face growing beet red and his fingers pausing in their motion on Cole's naked body. "Jesus Christ, you're not fucking my brother are you?"
Cole was taken aback. The idea was crazy and yet once Paul said, he knew it was possible, even likely. The resemblance wasn't dead-on, but it wasn't far apart either. "I dunno," he stammered. "Fuck."
Paul got out of bed and Cole felt bad. Ashamed but also pissed. This guy was probably overreacting. There had to be a thousand Johns in the Bureau. But judging from the Head Honcho's reaction, Cole worried he'd fucked up a good thing.
Only Paul's expression wasn't anger as he walked back in. He had his phone in his hand. He slid back into bed and held it up. There was a photo of John already, probably taken a year ago at the beach, the agent in chino shorts and a casual polo, barefoot in the sand at sunset.
"Is that him?" Paul asked, like he was interrogating a suspect.
Cole nodded, tears welling at the edge of his eyes. "Sorry, Paul," he muttered. "Fuck, I didn't know."
Paul gave a grimace which was strangely comforting as he set down his phone. "I know you didn't, kiddo." He gave Cole a good look, like he was still trying to process things. "Confirmed bachelor, my ass," he laughed cynically.
"I don't know... he's kept things casual with us. Sometimes I think it's more a fuck buddy thing, you know?" Cole was trying to make it sound better, but the more he talked the more he realized it was sounding worse.
Paul had one last shake of the head. "Well, my brother had good fucking taste... I'll give him that." Then, "maybe you should go, OK?"
His tone was surprisingly empathetic, not mean. Cole could tell Paul was feeling concern that he'd encroached in onto his brother's guy and was processing the fact John was very probably full-on gay. And maybe the Head Honcho was worried how Cole was processing all this.
"Yeah," the ex-jock said, quickly gathering his clothes to put back on.
"Don't worry, kid," Paul said, leaning up in his bed, still naked and hunky looking. "This shit happens. Well, maybe not very often, but it's nothing to get freaked over."
"I'm OK," Cole said gamely. A million thoughts were racing in his mind but one worry in particular.
"But what?" Ricciairdi prompted, able to tell something was bugging the young guy.
"I shouldn't admit this," Cole said. "But I'm gonna miss the sex we've had."
Paul's brown eyes sought his and it was like their connection was a spark of energy. "Me, too, kid, me too."
Cole Walker thought about those words the whole walk back to his apartment.
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nonsensical-pixels · 1 year
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MY WEDDING TRAUMA: A SURELY-SIMS x ICE-CREAMFORBREAKFAST COLLABORATION, CONVERTED TO THE SIMS 2 [download - 👰🏽🤵🏽]
are you tired of brides in white dresses and toddlers with perfect pink flower baskets? is cereal packet gameplay just not doing it for you anymore? maybe you'd like your weddings to put the 'strange' in strangetown? search no more, the ingredients for the strangest wedding in sim nation are finally here!
so, since i caught that one virus, i've been playing around a bit more with ts2 cc creation and finally had the time to work on converting a big set again. but then... what to convert? the answer came to me in the links section of a random lookbook... in a sort of fever dream. a set that captures the recent theme on my blog, families, and yet completely destroys it at the same time: my wedding trauma.
everything here is remarkably versatile. i mean, i know for a fact that people aren't just going to use that jumpsuit for a wedding, elvis needs more freedom than that! there are 9 cas items and 6 buy items for a total of 17 items in this set!
the original ts4 collaboration is complete perfection; it has just the sort of trashy, nonsensical vibes that the ts2 wedding department is sorely lacking. my conversion of this isn't perfect, i'm still learning how to do clothing and there are some minor issues mentioned below the cut, but overall i think that it came out pretty good and i hope it invokes some chaos in your game. 💥
credits go to @ice-creamforbreakfast for most of the cas part of this collaboration, and to @surely-sims for the buy mode part!
keep reading for more info, rambles, and preview pics!
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PART 1: BUY MODE (6 items by @surely-sims)
ITEMS INCLUDED ARE: 1 - Fancy Folding Chair - 1.7k polys 2 - Margarita Tower - 3.4k polys 3 - Pizza Party Banquet Table - 1.5k polys 4 - Tiki Mug - 1.7k polys 5 - Toasting Bucket - 2.3k polys 6 - Wedding Arch - 10.2k polys*
individual previews are also to be found in the download!
THINGS TO NOTE: - The wedding arch is quite high-poly compared to other objects (10k) but that is the max for the polycounts. - The collection file included in the 'Surely-Sims' folder should go in the Collections folder in Documents.
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PART 2: CAS (8 items by @ice-creamforbreakfast and 1 by @surely-sims)
ITEMS INCLUDED ARE: 1 - Brandi Dress (YF-AF) - 3.9k polys 2 - Elvis Glasses (TU-EU) - 1.7k polys 3 - Elvis Jumpsuit (YM-AM) - 4.9k polys 4 - Goopy Jacket (TM-AM) - 2.3k polys 5 - Jess Hair (YF-EF) - 5.4k polys 6 - Kelly-Marie Hair (TF-EF) - 9.4k polys 7 - Malborough Dress (YF-AF) - 7.1k polys 8 - Newport Headpiece (YF-AF) 9 - Trashleen's Cigarette Bouquet (YF-EF) note: the Jess Hair is not part of the original set but is included because the Newport Headpiece is meant to pair with it.
individual previews are also to be found in the download!
THINGS TO NOTE: - The clothing may have some bone assignment issues (especially with straps) & mild gaps. - The 'Goopy Jacket' has a mild discoloration around the neckline. - All hairs are in @skittlessims Skittles Hair System - The 'Elvis Jumpsuit' is paired with 4t2 SP01 Pointed Stud. Converted by me :) - The 'Malborough Dress' is paired with Ice-CreamForBreakfast's Jessica Shoes.
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PART 3: THANKS & RAMBLE
have one final pic of the quirky couple and their patchwork family (ex-wife and dog included) 💞
this set was such a rollercoaster to work on, but also so, so much fun! i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i do 🥺
for anyone who's wondering--yeah i'm back for now, requests are still closed, wips depend on whether im in the mood... but from now on releases should be less queued and have a more 'personal touch' 😏
i'll get around to posting the discord-exclusives i released while i was gone... eventually. there's a few that i'm keeping for myself x
anyway... happy simming, hope you enjoy these conversions, and have a lovely day simming! if you use these feel free to @ me, i wanna see the chaos and the cool stuff these are used in 🥰
love,
~ Ky (nonsensical-pixels)
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bambamramfan · 2 months
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Community Building Secrets
A couple weeks ago the SSC reddit had a discussion "If people want a community so much why aren't we creating it?" I found it really odd since it comes from a place of "here is why community building doesn't happen" and you can tell that in the tone of the comments.
But obviously communities are being made, every day. (There is a secondary problem which is that all communities have some problems - drama, eventual collapse, inequitable burdens, exclusivity, cults of personality, problematic members, etc - but they do EXIST, and presumably people want them despite knowing that problems of some form are likely if not inevitable.) It would be like a reddit thread on "why does no one date" despite, you know, a lot of people dating out there.
So a more legit question would be "why are our community efforts not succeeding? What is the difference between our efforts and the communities that are made."
I don't have nearly all the answers to all their questions, but reading it and thinking on the topic let me crystalize some thoughts I've had for a long time. Thoughts that are very important about how communities start, and how they go forward. I'll put them below the fold.
The Golden and Iron Laws of Communities
The Golden Law of Communities is that you need something shiny to start the kernel of any community. It is nominally the thing the community is "about", but even when it's not explicitly that, it's still the hook that gets people interested.
It could be "we have the word of God and this is how to avoid Hell." It could be "we are all descended from this sacred bloodline." It could be "Sharon hosts dinners and her husband is an executive chef so they are amazing." It could be "this famous blogger is part of the community and you'll get to meet them." It could be "we talk about and run alternative theater." It could be "there are lots of sexy young people and who knows what might happen." It could be drugs, going to water parks, arguing about charities, talking about politics, a favorite scifi author, watching black and white movies, speedrunning videogames, a particularly charismatic founder of the group, or any damn thing.
But you can't just say "hey everyone, let's have weekly dinners and help each other babysit or play boardgames, because community is nice." You have to advertise (even if just by word of mouth) a short idea that motivates people to want to get in on that.
Got that? Can you admit that dark truth? Okay we can move onto the second law.
The Iron Law of Communities is that the thing the community is about doesn't matter.
Two seconds after you have enough people in your group to begin enjoying themselves, someone will ask if they can invite their friend "who is totally cool but aren't really into X" where X is the thing in the Golden Law. Or someone will invite the people in the community to a completely generic event that has nothing to do with X - because they're cool people and you're enjoying hanging out.
And that's... fine? Like you might say yes or no to the request, but either way it will start happening, and your group will do the same things and have the same type of people and same discussions as every other group. Your identity that separates you from other people will dissolve away slowly. (In very official institutions, this will take the form of adjacent informal activities.) Congratulations, you have now made a Community with the potlucks and babysitting share-schedules and networking and incestuous dating drama.
There are of course, communities that fight against the Iron Law harder than others, but it just doesn't really matter. They're just as likely to wither and die as any community eventually, and if they had admitted those adjacent people that wouldn't hasten that day. Most of the communities you see have plenty of "members who don't care about X, are just here for the people/stuff."
If everyone was coming to the events just to see some famous blogger or sparkling charismatic leader, they would soon find out they get very little face time with that person, but there are other people around, and they're fun, and they'll start coming back for those other people and the group activities.
There's a running joke that no matter WHAT your Discord server is about, eventually they'll make a #politics channel, then an #nsfw channel, then a #nsfw-hardcore channel, etc etc. And that's where most of the chatter will take place in, eventually.
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salmonskinrolltf · 2 years
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Soulmates
This is a story prompted by random photos that I requested, sent to me by the following kind folks - @beardobession @guytransformedforever @tf-vigilante @dumb-and-jocked @mylifeforeva-blog @usb-cee @sjw-publishings - and inspired by a post I saw months ago that I'd like to link to, but I think it's been taken down :( I'll keep looking for it though.
Hello, my name is Evan. This is me:
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And this is my boyfriend, Paul:
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He's super hot, right? Obviously. There's just one thing. I'm super into muscle, and he is a little lazy. That stubble is sexy, but he only has it because he hates to shave. And of course, he hates to go to the gym too. But get this. I have the power to change the future. I can't change everything that results from a decision that I make, and my magic speeds the process along, physically and mentally changing whoever I use it on to make their life a better match for what I've requested.
That's why I've been a little nervous. I love Paul. I don't want anything to change except this ONE thing. But I've spent too much time scrolling through Instagram lately and seeing post after post from ripped dudes just rubbing it in my face. I think it's time.
WHEN PAUL WAKES UP TOMORROW, HE WILL HAVE THE UNCONTROLLABLE DESIRE TO START EXERCISING AND GO TO THE GYM AT LEAST ONCE A DAY
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Hi, I'm Paul:
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I can't explain it. A couple months ago I woke up with this uncontrollable urge to start working out. I started lifting weights every single day, feeling gains at an unprecedented rate. I would cool down afterward with a dip in the gym's pool, but soon I found that the pool wasn't enough and started taking up scuba diving at my local beach club.
Have you met my boyfriend Evan? He's super adorable, and he loves me so much. But I get so lonely when I'm at the gym without him. But here's the thing. I have the power to change the past. I can make a decision about something in anyone's past, and their present will shift to accommodate my change. But there's always a ripple effect. More changes than just the one thing. It's a whole butterfly effect sitch, you know? So... Should I do it? You know what, fuck it.
EVAN BECAME OBSESSED WITH GOING TO THE GYM RELIGIOUSLY WHEN HE WAS BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL
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Hi, I'm Evan:
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Don't be intimidated by how yoked I am. This is what comes from a lifetime of hard fucking work, my dude. You'll get there if you just put your head down and commit! But here's the thing. I love that my boyfriend Paul and I can be gym buddies and fuck in the showers after a pump. I love licking the salt water off his skin.
But if I want to get serious about entering a bodybuilding competition next year, I need even more time at the gym that I can't afford. Both of us spend way more time here than we do at work. But I think there's something I can do about that.
PAUL WILL GET A MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE JOB STARTING TOMORROW
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Hey guys, I'm Paul:
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A couple months ago, I got an offer to start doing Let's Play videos for one of the top YouTube channels. They discovered I was really good at it, and I started making money hand over fist. I'm so proud to be able to support Evan's bodybuilding dream. He was even able to quit his job and pursue it full time!
I don't get to the gym quite as often as I used to, but I still have a pretty nice body, if I do say so myself. But here's the thing. As I spend more and more time online, I've kinda started to become obsessed with anime, k-pop, and all kinds of Asian pop culture. I've started jerking off exclusively to Asian porn stars. I don't want Evan's life to change too much... but what if my fantasies could become a reality?
EVAN'S PARENTS ARE FROM ASIA
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Nice to meet you, I'm Evan:
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Sometimes, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I can't help but admire myself. I've always looked like this - good genetics, you know? But sometimes I feel like when I get an unexpected look at myself, I'm seeing an entirely new person.
That couldn't be possible, though. The only new people that are created around me are created BY me. Speaking of... I love Paul so much, but I was raised in such a buttoned-up family that sometimes I'm a little frustrated by how polite and gentle he is. I want to be a bit of a rebel. I want someone just a LITTLE edgier who doesn't fall asleep in front of My Hero Academia on the couch by 8PM. Should I...? I should.
PAUL WILL STOP CARING SO MUCH ABOUT BEING POLITE
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Hey motherfuckers, I'm Paul:
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God, my life has gotten so much better since I stopped giving a fuck and got back to the gym more regularly. Sure, the YouTube channel dropped me when I wouldn't stop swearing on mic and showed up wasted to record a couple times. But life is so sweet, man!
Except for one fucking thing. Evan can be boring as shit sometimes. Like, dude needs to take a chill pill, stat. Or... What if he'd taken that chill pill a long time ago? Shit, almost forgot what I could do.
EVAN GOT REAL INTO SKATING WHEN HE WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH
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Sup bros, I'm Evan:
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God, it feels so good to rest my feet after a day at the skate park. But my Black Ops game keeps getting interrupted when Paul keeps wandering in giving me a puppy dog face and asking me to do tequila shots with him, then flipping me off when I say no. I think he's had one too many today, he keeps acting like we're boyfriends or some shit.
I mean, look at me. Do I look gay to you? Ew, now he's on the couch, trying to wrap his arm around my shoulder. Ugh, he's the worst roommate ever. You know what, if he wants to act gay, I can fuckin' help him.
PAUL WILL REALIZE HIS ONE DESIRE IS TO SERVE ME
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Hiya neighbor, I'm Paul:
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Don't I look cute in this? I always want to look cute for Evan. I know my roommate is straight, but sometimes if I clean extra well he'll let me blow him. I know I look a lot different than I used to, but it's hard to find time to get to the gym in between doing Evan's laundry, making him breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and keeping the house just the way he likes it.
He has a girl coming over tonight, which I'm not looking forward to. But if I'm a good boy and stay quiet in the closet all night until she leaves, he says he'll give me a reward. God, I'm gonna be hard all night imagining exactly what it's gonna be...
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akatsuki-shin · 5 months
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So I found this around, can I ask for Gojo/ Geto?
♥ Send a ship and I'll give you who:
- Gives nose/forehead kisses
- Gets jealous the most
- Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive
- Takes care of on sick days
- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day
- Gives unprompted massages
- Drives/rides shotgun
- Brings the other lunch at work
- Has the better parental relationship
- Tries to start role-playing in bed
- Embarrassingly drunk dancer
- Still cries watching Titanic
- Firmly believes in couples costumes
- Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas
- Makes the other eat breakfast
- Remembers anniversaries
- Brings up having kids
Wow some of these questions are real tricky 😂 Because in my head, they actually often think of the same thing, but Gojo may express his thoughts in words or action, but Geto may keep it to himself or express it in such a subtle way that other people don't notice.
But I'll do my best. Let's see...
Gives nose/forehead kisses: Gojo :3 But sometimes Geto will give him forehead kissies to when he wants to spoil him
Gets jealous the most: Geto, but since Gojo's jealousy is much more visible to other people, they often think it's Gojo because Geto is so quiet about it that people don't know he feels jealous until it becomes too much for him to hide
Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive: Geto because Gojo is canonically a lightweight (I think he will avoid drinking as much as he can because he is aware of this, but maybe in a slice of life universe, there will be some occasions where he can't avoid drinking)
Takes care of on sick days: Gojo strikes me as someone who doesn't get sick often so he may be the one taking care of Geto (though when it's Geto's turn to take care of him, he does it better than any mom or auntie Gojo has ever known lol)
Drags the other person out into the water on beach day: That menace named Gojo Satoru will definitely drag Geto into the water before they end up in a water splashing war
Gives unprompted massages: Gojo because I believe his love language comes more from actions that you can immediately see and notice rather than the subtle ones
Drives/rides shotgun: Young Master Gojo Satoru must have a lot of cars at home so he drives and Geto has the exclusive privilege of sitting next to him
Brings the other lunch at work: MOMMY GETO WILL DEFINITELY MAKE AND BRING SATORU HIS LUNCH OKAY
Has the better parental relationship: This one is pretty hard to answer because we know next to nothing about Geto's parents in canon :')) But considering how he could kill them without batting an eye simply for being non-sorcerers, I think Gojo probably has better relationship with his parents because he doesn't seem to have huge family issues (even though I'm sure being the strongest has been a burden for him since a young age)
Tries to start role-playing in bed: Kinky is Gojo Satoru's middle name so yeah, him
Embarrassingly drunk dancer: Gojo lmao
Still cries watching Titanic: Geto because I think emotional scenes will affect him more than Gojo
Firmly believes in couples costumes: Gojo is the one who excitedly suggests the idea; Geto displays a disinterested face but he secretly likes it
Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas: I...don't really understand this question, sorry, but if it's about who gives expensive gifts, I'm pretty sure it will be Gojo and his unlimited money works
Makes the other eat breakfast: Geto will go out of his way handfeeding Gojo if he needs to and Gojo's temper tantrum won't phase him
Remembers anniversaries: Geto of course <3
Brings up having kids: Geto thinks of it first but doesn't say it until one day, Gojo suddenly brings up the topic, surprising him
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queenbananya · 5 months
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So I found this around, can I ask for Kazuki/ Rei?
♥ Send a ship and I'll give you who:
- Gives nose/forehead kisses
- Gets jealous the most
- Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive
- Takes care of on sick days
- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day
- Gives unprompted massages
- Drives/rides shotgun
- Brings the other lunch at work
- Has the better parental relationship
- Tries to start role-playing in bed
- Embarrassingly drunk dancer
- Still cries watching Titanic
- Firmly believes in couples costumes
- Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas
- Makes the other eat breakfast
- Remembers anniversaries
- Brings up having kids
This seems fun, I'll give it go.
- Gives nose/forehead kisses: absolutely Kazuki.
- Gets jealous the most: Honestly, neither. Rei doesn't understand when he's getting hit on and Kazuki would be amused and happy with Rei getting attention. Rei might get a bit upset but doesn't care too much and would never vocalize it. So let me change my answer: Rei.
- Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive: None. Rei won't get drunk at the bar. He also won't pick Kazuki up. If Rei was the type to drink Kazuki would definitely pick him up though.
- Takes care of on sick days: Well, Kazuki. Rei doesn't really know what to do but he does worry a bit, or he might forget Kazuki's dying and only remember when Kazuki calls him and tells him to bring him medicine.
- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day: Kazuki
- Gives unprompted massages: Kazuki might try to and get rejected. Rei awkwardly if he's trying to express something or Kazuki asks him to and catches him in a good mood.
- Drives/rides shotgun. Kazuki pretty canonly almost exclusively drives. Rei only when he has to.
- Brings the other lunch at work: Kazuki snuck into a no-parent schooltrip to bring Miri lunch. I think that answers this question xD
- Has the better parental relationship: as much as Kazuki would hate this answer, Rei.
- Tries to start role-playing in bed: I can't picture them randomly roleplaying in bed, but this reminds me of my fic where Kazuki says they roleplay as hitmen to get out of a tricky situation with Miri's daycare xD
- Embarrassingly drunk dancer: Kazuki again. Rei doesn't dance. I'd like to picture a future where he does go out and dance with Kazuki. Maybe Kazuki drags him outside and they slow dance, or Kaz just grinds on him dirtily and Rei's kind of interested.
- Still cries watching Titanic: ofc Kazuki.
- Firmly believes in couples costumes: when he's single, Kazuki mocks the couple costumes but once he's not he'll see a couple with some corny matching shirts and will make Rei wear one with him
- Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas: What the hell is the expensive gift rule for christmas lol probably Rei because he'd also have no clue
- Makes the other eat breakfast: easily Kaz
- Remembers anniversaries: both really, though Kazuki would be the only one that makes a big deal about it
- Brings up having kids: if we're talking about a world without Miri, Kazuki. It wouldn't occur to Rei. With Miri, I don't believe either would want more children.
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authorsadiethatcher · 11 months
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It's time for another State of the Thatcher address. And this year I do it on the American Independence Day. For those who are celebrating, enjoy the day.
The last couple months have been filled with a lot of work, writing multiple books, as well as my next fantasy novel. There have been a few ups and downs over that time, with Amazon being slow to publish a few books. But overall, everything is going along as planned.
I've got a few special things happening this month. At the top of the list is the books I have in the Smashwords Summer (winter for those in the southern hemisphere) Sale. A bunch of my back catalogue books are available for half off all month. Link below.
I am also participating in the Fantasy Romance Book Fair this month, with all the participating books available in Kindle Unlimited. I know where I'll be picking up my next fantasy reads this month. https://books.bookfunnel.com/fantasyromancejuly/5o7c1hfzq6
Amazon is where most people find my books, so here’s a link to my catalogue: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sadie-Thatcher/author/B00B4MINAC
Smashwords is a great place to buy books, especially if you don’t like Amazon’s evil empire. You can find them here: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/sadiethatcher
Plus, you can find them at the Google Play bookstore: https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Sadie+Thatcher
I’ve added a new way you can get my books. It’s called Ream and it’s a bit like Patreon, but its author specific, made by authors for authors. In addition getting to read all of my new books for a monthly subscription fee, I also give you access to the images that didn't quite make the cut for my covers. You can see my Ream page here: https://reamstories.com/page/lhssployqw
Additionally, my books are available through Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Scribd. I don’t have links to those stores handy, but if that’s where you like to buy books from, my books will show up there, eventually. I distribute through Smashwords and have to wait until the review team there approves my books for distribution. This can take days or even weeks.
If fantasy is your thing, take a look at all of my novels under my other pen name here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Libby-Feron/author/B09PJ9J5RN
And if you sign up for the Libby Feron newsletter, you get exclusive content and updates like cover reveals before anyone else. I have a bonus prequel scene up for the Magic’s Most Wanted Series that will be exclusive to newsletter subscribers. You can sign up here: https://libbyferon.com/newsletter/
With the fantasy novel plug complete, let me also mention some of the cool stories I have coming out in the next month month.
I’ve got two more books in the Bimbo at Home Series to release. There's conversion into traditional gender roles, harems, lactation, and so much more.
I also have a series upcoming that features a society where all women become bimbos when they turn 21 years old by law. If a woman wants to contribute to society in another way, they have until their 21st birthday to make their mark.
There will be a commission later this month that really focuses on the mental side of bimbofication. This should be a fun one.
Finally, I still intend to eventually release Fake It Until You Make It in audio. However, my narrator is suffering from a late bout of allergies that makes recording difficult. As soon as those allergies clear up, expect progress to be made on that front.
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stupendousfoxthing · 4 months
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JK's crazy schedule in Q3/Q4 last year was very interesting to me. He was constantly traveling and would just be in SK for a few days then fly back to the US for few days again. It didn't make any sense to me coz he was tiring himself out and even caught colds multiple times.
I thought it would be more cost-efficient and logical plus healthier option for him to just stay in LA for the whole duration and perhaps bring his family with him if he wanted to spend time with them coz I assume they would have more flexible schedule. Also, they can travel and explore US together on his days off. This was under the assumption that he chose to fly home each time to SK to spend time with his family coz he is enlisting soon.
Now I will enter my delulu theory: he was coming home to SK to someone who can't travel to where he is, and was spending any time they could together before MS. As a TKKR, I will be pointing out that the period where JK was constantly flying back and forth, was Tae's promo period. Tae can't be where he was for many obvious reasons, but he was also busy. When Tae flew to Japan, he was able to come home just few days before JK has to fly again.
Tae went live, played longing songs and shared that JK sings To Find You for/to him. The next day, a man was beside him on his bed on his 3AM live. The same day that JK came home from a long trip to US and Japan. Assuming that was JK bcoz of the series of events leading to this plus the breathing sounding so much like him, JK went straight to Taehyung after his trip. In another JK trip to US, Tae was seen sporting a pair of NY exclusive Moncler shoes the day after JK came back to SK from NY.
With my theory that JK was coming home to Tae, I thought how they probably just wanted to spend whatever private time they can with eo. It didn't have to be a trip or something grand but even just the thought of getting to share the same bed after coming home from work was more than enough.
If JK chose to endure jet lags and crazy schedule to be able to spend time with Taehyung, these are sacrifices we aren't privy of coz it isn't shown nor shared to us.
I know I am reaching with this theory, tho I am also piecing moments that happened within that busy period and I don't think I am far off. 😂
Oh wow! You know there's been plenty of talk about how Taekook always seemed to find time to spend with each other between travel schedules, even if they weren't in SK for long. But I've never seen it framed like this before. I think you could be onto something. I do wonder if after enlistment he won't be spending a lot more time in LA if he's going to keep his career going in this direction. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. We know he's building a home in Seoul, but I wonder if he'll sort of live part-time in LA. I don't think your theory is delulu at all, it's perfectly reasonable and would make some sense of JK's sometimes baffling and exhausting schedule last year. It would fit the pattern we have plenty of receipts for. We know of times they were together immediately before leaving. Bowling with Wooshik's brother for example, I still think the morning JK went live at like 8am and said he'd just stayed up all night and Tae was at the airport a few hours later telling a reporter he had done the same was a hell of a coincidence. We know they often met up when they got back to SK. Paradise Hotel, Tae having plans for JK to cook for him when he was only back in SK for a couple of days for SimInvest, in Tae's apartment the day he got back from Japan in October. Their living situation was a good set-up for this with their apartments being so close to each other. Meeting up whenever they found time would not be difficult. I'll throw my own wild theory out that I haven't shared until now because it's related to this. I was a very amused by the incident in August when I saw the ghost hunters talking about another noise in the background of Tae's live and I popped in my earbuds so ready to roll my eyes again only to hear what was undeniably a man coughing in Tae's apartment after midnight. We knew Jungkook was sick at the time. They really got me that day. It humbled me a little.💀 So I'm letting myself speculate here. I think it's generally agreed upon by Taekookers that when they met up at the Paradise Hotel Jungkook went straight there from the airport because it's right there. When the video of Jungkook at the airport on September 5th last year got posted there was the usual "who was in the car????" discussion. Another thing I normally dismiss, but I thought it was funny that his managers rushed so quickly to close the car door. It wasn't until I realized that Tae was definitely at the Paradise Hotel the night before that I started to sweat a little. 😅 Like, what if though??? We know Tae had been busy filming during Jungkook's birthday...what if???? they found some time???? before Jungkook left???? Tae was at the Paradise Hotel for the Frieze Seoul Art Night event there. He streamed the beautiful sunset for just over a minute on Weverse which a lot of people were saying was him on his way home and I accepted it just assuming they knew something I didn't. But the event happened that night so I think he was on his way there. He also posted the sunset on his IG story. I'll just leave the last dot here.
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cadybear420 · 2 months
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Cadybear's Reviews- The Billionaire's Baby
As of the day I’m posting this, this is the last series on the list of Choices stories that I’ve actually fully completed. So what does this mean for Cadybear’s Choices Reviews?
First of all, I can now upload a review (or re-review, for already-reviewed series) of a series sooner after actually completing it. While taking some time to complete a review does let me think about it more, I would prefer my reviews to be more fresh. And like I said, all reviews are subject to more updated re-reviews if necessary.
Second, there are still quite a handful of series on my tierlist where they consist of multiple books, but I haven’t played all of them– TRR, BOLAS, COP, ID, etc. Some of which are still waiting for more books. While I’d generally prefer to review by series rather than by book, I do still have these books ranked on my tierlist with all the rest, and sharing a review for them will at least provide insight to my thoughts on the books and why I gave them the ranking that I did.
So I may or may not plan to write up reviews for those kinds of books. But if I do, I’ll probably title them differently from the usual “Cadybear’s Reviews” or “Cadybear’s Brief Thoughts”. I’ll probably make them as less formally set up reviews, like a more casual text posts. We’ll see. 
Third of all, as much as I love to share my thoughts on certain books, I also love to hear what other people think. So I may plan a little something bonus for the books where I’ve provided very extensive thoughts on them… stay tuned. 
Welcome to the forty-first official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about The Billionaire's Baby, which I have ranked on the "PooPoo Tier" at 1 star out of a possible 10.
Bruhhhh. This is literally just a TNA clone but with a surrogate instead of a nanny. This is literally the pregnancy plot that PB clearly wanted to have with TNA. Yeah, I stand by my statement that if TNA wasn’t GOC LI, they’d have had Sam accidentally knock up MC at the company gala in Book 1 (hence the Jenny and Aditya subplot in Book 3, to make up for being unable to do that with MC and her LI). And I’m gonna hazard a guess that if TBB wasn’t GOC LI, they’d have had Cole accidentally knock up MC in a one-night stand in the first chapter. Granted they already did the whole “MC gets accidentally knocked up by billionaire LI” thing with BaBu Book 1 Chapter 1, but clearly that wasn’t good enough for PB since there wasn’t an affair involved, just Cassandra acting like she was supposed to be Clint’s future wife. 
Okay, maybe what I’m saying might be a bit far-fetched. But I really do mean what I said about this being “TNA: Pregnancy Edition”. 
Right from her very first appearance, they make LI’s current partner Daphne very irritable and callous and disagreeable, obviously so she can be a straw loser villain and make the MC seem like the “better woman” for the LI. Y’know, just like Sofia and Addison in TNA. 
And of course, said LI’s current partner turns out to have been cheating on the LI all this time. Y’know, just like what happened with Sofia in TNA. 
They even have Joss, a LI-gender-determinant character that MC can be flirty with a little to make the actual LI jealous. Y’know, just like Robin and Jordan in TNA. 
Demi is the MC’s best friend who solely exists to churn out “le girly girl talk” exclusively about how MC totally deserves to be with the LI and to give MC the premium outfits that will totally turn on the LI. Y’know, just like Jenny in TNA. 
Honestly, the only thing that’s surprised me about this book is that Joss wasn’t the one Daphne was cheating on our LI with. Which just makes it worse because now there’s just no point to Joss’s character other than to be Windows Vista Robin. Like, at least actual Robin had some actual character and point to existing in the story.
This book is just so unserious. A lot of Choices smut books try to force “true romantic feelings of love” onto couples that are clearly purely lust-based, TNA included. But this one is the motherfucking GOD of that. It puts TNA to shame in that regard. 
Though, I’m gonna be honest, I think TNA as a whole was leagues better than TBB. 
For one thing, TNA is at least honest about being an affair story. But I guess “The Surrogate Affair” doesn’t sound as marketable, huh? Sure, let’s instead just bait people into thinking the affair story is something actually compelling like FCL did. 
For second, TNA at least had memorable characters like the Twins and Carter, and most of the other supporting characters did at least feel like actual characters. Characters like Robin, Sofia, Addison, Carter, Aditya, Paolo, even smaller ones like Sam’s parents, do genuinely stick with me. Characters like Carmen, Harrison, Joss, Collie’s parents, that one guy that Demi was crushing on… yeah you’ll probably forget they even exist barely an hour after you finish the story. 
Thirdly, I can at least somewhat buy Sam admiring MC for how good she is with the twins. And their attraction to each other was more tolerable too because, as awful as MC was for pursuing Sam, I never got the feeling that she felt entitled to them. Whereas IDK what else Collie sees in MC other than “hee hoo sexy woman”, and it’s worsened by how much MC acts entitled to them, how much she goes on and on about how she should be with them instead of Daphne. 
And last, the first TNA book at least plays up the affair aspect by having Sam and MC anticipate the trouble they’ll be in at the end. Books 2 and 3 were unnecessary garbage for sure, but at least during the first book, they had some sense of humility and self-awareness. TBB not only has none of that, but it thinks it has the fucking balls to throw in this end message about “remember to follow your heart”. If that isn’t just outright stating you want people to take your affair story seriously as being about true love rather than the lust-based affair it actually is, then IDK what is. 
Like… overall, TNA may be pretty derivative and melodramatic too, but it’s at least fun and engaging to some degree? It has its own “so bad it’s good” charm to it. Like the writers actually cared about giving us a somewhat enjoyable affair story, even if it wasn’t very high-quality. 
TBB is just… empty. The only thing it does better than TNA is that it ended after one book.
 Now, this story gets a lot of understandable and deserved hate, but despite that I myself am ranking this on PooPoo Tier, I’m not even sure I can hate it because it’s just… so derivative in every way. Cheating, pregnancy, and billionaire romance is a combination that has probably been done countless times by literally every other VN app like Chapters and Episode that tries to pander to the “Facebook Moms” stereotype. I don’t even play those apps, I never have, but I’m pretty sure they’ve done this whole “OhEhmGee you’re pregnant with the baby of a sexy powerful billionaire isn’t that sooo hotttt???” thing already like a million times now. If MTFL is the equivalent to a dog eating another dog’s shit and then shitting it back out again, TBB is the equivalent to a dog eating its OWN shit, probably mixed with some other dogs’ shit too, and then shitting it all out into a great big steaming mess much worse than its predecessors.  
And one of the worst things about it all is… how tragic this whole story’s existence is. The moment I heard this was about MC being a surrogate for a billionaire couple and you “uncover their scandals”, there was a small period of time when I was hopeful that this story wouldn’t be as cliched and formulaic as the title made it seem. (Of course, that short period of time ended when I learned that the LI was gonna be one of the members of the billionaire couple). Like, this could have been a story where MC doesn’t romance Collie (or even better, has both Daphne and Collie as LI options) and is a surrogate for them, but it turns into a sort of mystery story where you uncover a history of dirty scandalous secrets behind the couple, and your MC starts to feel conflicted about giving them this child and leaving said child in the hands of this couple while knowing all the shit they’ve done. 
But no, we had to go with an affair story and the only “scandal” is that the billionaire couple doesn’t love each other. Oh wow, so spicy amirite? (Haha no)
So, why do I have this one in the “PooPoo Tier”? Seeing as I reserve that tier for books that actively anger me. TBB was originally ranked in the Stone Tier because of how little substance it had and how little emotion it evoked from me. 
But as soulless and substanceless as it was, I eventually figured that it really did deserve to be in the worst list. Because it just does… everything wrong, from the very beginning. It baits us into thinking it’s a good story, only to give us a cheap affair story. It’s a rehash of previous, more mediocre Choices stories. It forces us to take it more seriously than it actually deserves. All of the characters are lackluster and empty. 
Seriously, name me one thing that this story does right. I originally had this book on Stone Tier with books like Ms. Match, Slow Burn, Roommates With Benefits, and the whole TNA trilogy, but at least those books had some redeeming qualities. Heck, even all of the other books on PooPoo tier have some redeeming qualities. Surrender at least explored BDSM acts a bit and tried to normalize kink. FCL at least had some good energy with the road trip setting and all the different places the group explored. Untameable at least didn’t have toxic behaviors glorified as acceptable, heroic, or passable. Granted I still consider those books worse for how badly they fucked things up when they easily couldn’t have– they anger me because there are multiple points where they could have taken their story in a better direction but didn’t, and instead chose to make their story worse. 
But TBB was pretty much doomed from the moment it confirmed we’d be romancing one of the members of the billionaire couple we’re a surrogate for. There’s no point of this story where it could have been even somewhat decent if they changed it, unless they just threw the whole thing out and started over from scratch. 
And that’s why I think I can safely say, it’s among the worst.
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olsenmyolsen · 1 year
Text
Goodbye
Part 19 of On The Inside With Elizabeth Olsen
Word Count: ~8.9K
masterlist
Y/N POV
My mom stayed for four more days.
That first day with my mom in the city consisted of getting lunch in said city because my mother demanded it. So Liz took us to a place called Marc Forgine. It was basically overpriced and deconstructed foods. We enjoyed what we got but catch me missing it next time. I know Liz took us there to try and woo my mother, and it worked. Like a charm.
Next, we walked. Yes walked. To the 9/11 Museum and the memorial pools. Which my mom was grateful for. It was eerily silent while walking around. It's like there was a bubble around us at all time with how quiet it became. Liz talked about how she only came here twice. Once while she was at NYU and again when the museum opened up, that led to a line of questioning from my mother about Liz's time at NYU. Luckily the conversation steered away from the typical "Y/N, when are you going back to school?" Bs that I got.
After that, we decided to make our way back up towards Soho. Like the true tourist my mom was being, she stopped at almost every little bodega and mom-and-pop shop. She claimed they were "cute" and "historic." While she's not wrong, she sure knew how to waste time. But it made me happy to see my mom dawn a smile I hadn't seen in a while.
Even though this was the first day of many we spent with my mom, this day had an excellent memory tied to it. My mom found out about my very famous girlfriend and seemed to deal with it very well. Not that should wouldn't have. I mean, she knows I'm gay. And she loves that Liz got us into some exclusive places for dinner. But it's just nice not to hide someone special to me. I only bring that up because later that Tuesday night, when it was just Liz and I before Max came over for Avengers, Liz shyly told me she'd be speaking to her mom about us soon.
At first, I didn't know what to say. But when the words came to me, I told her I'd be there to support her no matter what.
By the way. Yes, I enjoyed Avengers. I would've enjoyed it more, but from the moment Natasha Romanoff came on screen, Liz's eyes were on me. It didn't help that her first scene is what it is!
Don't worry once Max went home after the movie, Liz made sure to let me know who I should have eyes for.
I have marks to prove it!
Anyways! Every day after the first day played out very similarly. We'd get up early, and either have breakfast at my apartment or join up with my mom and have brunch somewhere in the city. Then we'd visit museums, parks, and other touristy things my mom wanted to do. Times Square and Katz Deli were two bucket list items for my mom, so we made sure to do that as soon as possible.
Without a doubt, this whole thing was a blast, and despite Liz only getting recognized a handful of times, these days were some of the happiest I've had in a while.
And yes, I got the time off for all of this from Max; however, this time, it costed more than a phone call with Chris Evans.
Max: Dude, come on!
Y/N: You can't be serious!
M: Says the employee who has days off like that's her job! Plus, I know you'll be asking for more in the future.
I groaned into the phone, knowingly how frustratingly accurate my best friend can be.
Y: Fine!!!
M: You'll do it?
Y: Yes, I'll ask her.
M: Ask her what?
Y: I'll ask my girlfriend. Elizabeth Chase Olsen. If you, my best friend Max, could get tickets to the premier of Multiverse of Madness.
M: It won't be that hard.
Y: You're insufferable.
M: And yet you love me.
Y: I'm starting to question why.
After a couple more minutes of banter, I end the call promising the whiny redhead that yes, I'll ask Liz and try and convince her to give Max a ticket. How that will happen? I have zero idea.
_
Anyways it's now Saturday. I still haven't asked Liz, and we just got done saying goodbye to my mom after dropping her off at the airport when Liz received a call. I turned the volume for the AUX down and let Liz peacefully take the call as I continue the drive.
Even though I couldn't determine what was happening, it sounded good. My thoughts were only confirmed when I saw my Lizard start smiling. That smile could do wonders. I manage to pull my eyes away since I'm the one driving. I would hate for Liz to end up in an accident and forget who I am.
Could you imagine?
After a few minutes of inching closer to home, Liz ends her call and looks towards me. I glance at her and smile at the sight before me. Liz has her bottom lip pulled into her mouth as she beams a big toothy grin at me.
"Yes, my love?" "I have news!" She squeals. "I can see that! Do you want to tell me now or not when I'm behind the wheel?" I ask that jokingly but Liz takes careful thought of my question before turning back to me. "Now!" She shoots out before kissing me on the cheek. That has to be some news! I reach my hand over and give her thigh a little squeeze. "Good ahead!"
"That was my agent-" "Marla?" Liz lets out a little huff. "No, she's my publicist! Rhonda is my agent." I roll my eyes. It's all the same thing. "Okay, sorry." I sarcastically reply, earning a slap on the arm before she continues. "She told me that HBO is wondering if I'd be interested in being a lead in their new show! Isn't that exciting!"
Oh.
I mean, yes. That's so exciting! But that means the real world is coming back, and Liz will have to be apart. I can feel myself getting worked up, and I'm too busy letting my own thoughts clog my brain that I forgot to even reply to Liz.
"If you don't want me to take it, just say so," Liz says, hurt pulling me from my mind. I turn towards her with panicked eyes. "No, Liz, I'm sorry, I jus-" She doesn't bother listening; instead, she turns up the volume drowning me out. Feeling defeated, I turn and focus on the road letting my dumb brain try to think of ways to explain myself and how to apologize.
_
When we pulled up to my apartment, the tension in the car only got worse.
Liz was quick to unbuckle herself, but I was faster to lock the doors from my side of the car trapping Liz in so we could talk.
"Y/N, let me out." She sternly tells me while not bothering to look at me. "Liz." I reach my hand out to her and calmly place it on her high. I watch her body relax to my touch, but she refuses to turn to me. "I-" Shit. I really should've thought about what to say.
"I- I think this is a great opportunity! It's exciting, Lizard. I meant to respond to you earlier, but I just got so wrapped up in my own head. I love to see you succeed! I love knowing that people want to work with you and have you as the face of their projects. But.. I-" Liz finally turns to face me. She can look into my eyes and see I'm telling her the truth, not just something she wants to hear. "I'm enjoying what we have now. I just don't want you to go back to your life and realize that I can't keep up or.. or worse. You realize that I don't deserve you..." Those last couple of words have been dancing around my mind for a while. I didn't mean to let them slip out. But it's too late now. I open my mouth to say more, but the words I want to say are stumbling over one another.
I didn't notice that I went quiet and was staring at my cup holders until Liz placed a hand under my chin and lifted it so I could see her face. Correction. So I can see her eyes. Her kind green eyes that make me melt. Liz doesn't say anything. Instead, she wraps herself around me and lets our embrace do the talking for now.
I don't know how long we sat like that, but eventually, Liz pulls back and cups her hands around my face. "Why do you think I told you about the gig in the first place?" She asks me in almost a whisper like she's afraid I'll break from loud noises. Silly but caring.
I don't know why Liz asked me, so I answer with a shrug earning a tight-lipped smile from her. "I told you about it because I wanted to talk to you first. I wanted to know what you thought. How you felt? What you think I should do." Okay? Liz knows I'm a little slow today, so she leans in and kisses my nose. "You're my girlfriend, Y/N. I wanted to talk about this opportunity with my girlfriend. I want to know what my girlfriend thinks." I put my hands on top of her hands, which are still resting on my face. "I'm sorry. I just got scared for a second and-" "We're both over-thinkers." I smile. Liz and I get each other. But we're also like Liz said. Over-thinkers. We let ourselves get trapped in our heads. So conversation like this needs to happen.
Liz pulls me in for a soft kiss on the lips. I still smile into her lips from time to time because it's so outrageous who I'm kissing.
After a couple of seconds of silence pass, Liz breaks the air.
"Y/N. I enjoy what we have." I look up at her; her eyes, but to my surprise, their shut. "I don't want you ever to feel or think that I wouldn't. I also never want you to feel or think that you don't deserve what we have. What we're building too." She opens her glossy eyes. "I love you. I feel you. You deserve this happiness that you feel. You deserve to be loved. I am willing to give that love to the stars in the sky and back. You deserve us. You're more than enough. Okay?" I don't trust myself to speak because I know my voice will crack and the tears will start. So instead, I just nod and let my head fall against Liz. She begins to shower me with kisses. "We're in this together."
"I love you, Lizard." I look up to see Liz wipe away some of her tears and chuckle at the nickname she still receives.
It takes a bit more time, but I eventually unlock the car door, and before Liz steps out, I stop her one more time. "Take the job. I'm serious. I don't care where it takes you. I'll be there. We're in this together, my love." I step out of the car before seeing Liz's reaction, but I still catch a glimpse of it when she hops out of the vehicle. She scrunches her nose up and shines a big smile. Yep, this is the woman of my future.
The rest of the morning is spent relaxing and movie-watching in cozy clothes. Liz has slowly been educating me on the things I should've seen years ago. It's been fun! But we've concluded that she's more artsy and old school than I am in our movie choices. We're both still a little tired from earlier, so it wasn't long before we ended up crashing on the couch.
_
When I open my eyes, the sun is still out and shining on us, so I know it's still Saturday. Or I hope it is. I go to lift myself, but my body reminds me of the weight on my chest. I dart my eyes down and see the dirty blonde hair of a certain sleeping beauty. She has her arms on each side of my body and her mouth slightly open. She looks so cute that I take this opportunity for a little "payback." I manage to grab my phone from my pocket and take a picture of her sleeping.
After cooing over the photo, I set it as her contact photo for me and sent it to the Y/N & Twins group chat. Since I'm awake but can't move, I decide to spend some time on my phone catching up on things I've missed since Liz and my mom visited.
Not surprisingly, the news being tailored to me is now full of Marvel news and lifestyle updates.
I didn't even know they were releasing a Black Widow movie! I remember Max crying about Natasha for weeks, but I don't remember why... I bet she's happy she's getting her own movie.
I keep my volume low as I watch the latest trailer for Black Widow. I keep the volume low for two reasons. One, I don't want to wake Liz. Two, I'm not only afraid of what would happen if I woke her but what would happen if she woke up because I was watching a thing about Natasha. However, the question remains Should I since I just watched The Avengers? Probably not. But I'm bored at the moment, and this is here.
However, as soon as I start this New Trailer, it starts showing me scenes from movies I haven't seen. So maybe this isn't a good idea. I watch it cut to multiple movies before it's a scene of her and arrow guy. I quickly close out the video before anything else could happen. Or get spoiled for me.
I open the Y/N & Twins group chat, and before I can even think about what to stupidly do next, I get a call from the MK. Without thinking, I answer it, and before I can even share a greeting, MK interrupts.
MK: Where are you??
Does she sound stressed?
Y/N: At home?
M: With Liz? Why are you whispering?
Y: Yeah, who else would that be? And she's sleeping.
M: Wait, so she's back in the city, and neither of you told me?! Bitches.
I stifle a laugh as I squeeze myself out from under Liz. I make sure she is unbothered and comfortable before heading into my room.
Y: She surprised me earlier this week. We've just been enjoying our time.
M: Wait, did she meet your mom?
Y: Yes, and before you ask, everything is good. It all went well.
I hear MK let out a sigh of relief.
M: How long is she in town?
Y: My mom left this morning
M: Not your mom Y/N.
Y: Oh. Uhhh, it's kind of TBD.
I hear MK let out a small squeal.
M: Okay, the three of us are going out tonight! Wear something nice!
I go to try and argue, but I hear shuffling coming from MK's phone before she comes back.
M: Gotta go! Bye Y/N!
She draws out my name before she hangs up.
The call ends, and my phone returns to my group chat with the twins. They're both awwing over the photo, and MK thanks me for the new piece of blackmail.
"Babe?" I hear a groggy Liz call out. I put my phone away and walk back into the living room. Liz is now sat up. Her hair covering half of her tired pouty face. "Hi, love," I whisper to her as I kneel in front of her.
"Where'd you go?" She asks with a frown. "Your sister called-"
"Which one?"
"MK."
"Why?"
She seems more awake and slightly worried. "She wants us to hang out tonight?" Confusion forms onto my girlfriends face. "Just you two?" I shake my head and sit next to her on the couch. "No. Us three." I pull Liz close to me so she can lean her body onto mine.
Liz thinks about it for a moment before she nods to herself. "Okay." She buries her head into my side, causing me to lift my arm and gently place it down her body. I lean my head back and close my eyes, just enjoying this relaxing aftern-
"Wait.. she knows I'm here?" Liz looks up with wide eyes. I look down at her in a duh-like fashion before the dots connect.
"Oh. Yeah... I might have sent them a pic of you without thinking about it." "Them?" Liz leans up, so she's sitting next to me. "Your sisters?" "How? What pic?" I pull my phone out and show Liz the group chat with the pics. I watch as her eyes scan the words in front of her before she hits the pictures. I see a quick smile appear on her face before she looks at me and tosses my phone at me. The second I catch my phone, a pair of lips are on my own, along with a body straddling me. What starts as a quick kiss turns into a steamy minute make-out session.
Once we pull apart for air, Liz scrunches her face up at me. "Payback, huh?" I smile at her, and without saying anything, I show her that the pic is indeed her new contact photo. Her eyes peer over to my phone, and I watch her face drop. She slowly moves her eyes back to my own and gives me a vicious smile that is happy and shocked. I don't have to wait too much longer until once again I'm being showered in kisses.
Once Liz gives me mercy, she stops and pulls back. "I love it."
"Good, because I love you." I boop Liz's nose earning a laugh from her. "What time did my sister say to meet her?" I tilt my head in thought. "Uhh, I'm pretty sure she didn't give me a time or place." Liz rolls her eyes and slides off me and onto the couch. "Great. That means it's going to be somewhere fancy." "Are you sure?" Liz moves her head to face me. "Positive. But I'll double-check with her."
Liz reaches in her pocket for her phone, but I guess she remembered that she had left it in the kitchen when we returned from the airport. "Need me to call it?" Liz shakes her head. "No, I'll find it." I watch Liz huff before getting off the couch looking for her phone.
Liz POV
I find my phone, and thankfully I only have a couple of texts and none of them urgent.
I click on the texts from Robbie I find myself smiling down at them.
"Got this earlier this week! (picture attached) Thank you for being my worry detective all these years. Your support still means the world.
Now go enjoy your time with Y/N."
I can feel myself getting a little teary-eyed, and I know Y/N felt the air in the room change because, soon enough, I have a pair of arms wrapped around me with a body pressed up against my back.
"Hey, baby, what's wrong?" I turn around to face Y/N. "Nothings wrong." I shove my phone into her left hand so she can see what I see. I bring her right hand into my own and pull myself closer to her.
"Wow." My ears catch Y/N's whisper. "That's amazing." I feel Y/N kiss the top of my head. "I'm proud of him, Liz." I look at my girlfriend. "Me too."
She positions my phone back in front of me. I grab it and look back down at the picture.
Robbie's One Month Sobriety Chip.
I feel Y/N squeeze me, pulling me from my phone. She has her jaw clenched, and I notice she does that when she is holding in a question or a concern.
"What's up?" I put my phone in my pocket and focus my attention on Y/N. "How often do you and Robbie talk?" She asks in a calming tone. We've talked about Robbie still being in my life, but I guess we never did talk about how much he's still in my life. Does that make sense?
"Once or twice a week?" I think about it. "But It's mainly check-up texts on one another. Does that bother you?"
Y/N takes a moment to think about her following words. Which is something I've come to respect about her. She never wants to be rash or rude. Although sometimes she gets trapped in her own mind.
I grab her by her hands and lead her into her bedroom. I bring her to her bed and playfully push her onto it, with me following suit and sitting down next to her. I hope she doesn't think I am cheating or would cheat on her.
"Talk to me, Y/N/N." I poke her forehead. "What's going on up there?" She gives to a small laugh and grabs my hands. "Is he really okay with us?" That wasn't the question I was expecting.
I nod at her. "Of course. He's made it very clear multiple times. Y/N, as long as I'm happy, he's happy. And trust me." I break free of her and put my hands onto her shoulders. "I'm happy. I'm grounded. I'm safe. I'm loved. I'm happy." I look into her eyes, and there isn't a hint of sadness. "Than I am too." She leans forward and places a kiss on my lips that just means more.
When we break apart, I let my hands drop from her and grab my phone. I hold it up to her, causing her to look at me, confused. "You can look if you want."
That look of confusion I got was even worse than the one before. "Liz." She grabs my phone and sets it on her desk beside her bed. "I trust you. I trust your words. I don't need to look through your phone to prove that. All I need is you. Seriously Lizard. Just you. Got it?" I nod my head and let the smile I have hurt my cheeks. "I got it, my Coffee Girl." Y/N grabs my phone and hands it to me. "Text him back. Tell him you're proud of him, and you'll be there for him. And if you want to let him know that I'm there for him too, then that's fine. But no pressure or anything, my love."
I can get over how perfect my Y/N is. Who does this kind of thing for their partners ex? I smile and do what Y/N tells me to. In addition to that, I decide to call MK. I put her on speaker so Y/N and I could both ask questions. It warms my heart how comfortable my sisters are with Y/N. I know MK is closer to her, and I had suspicions for a while, but after this week with Y/N, it all went away. I'll never tell Y/N that, though.
The call went just how I suspected. MK wants us to have a high-end dinner at 7. So that means we have to wear something nice and fancy. Y/N visibly gets concerned when she realizes that as well. I give her a look, but she ignores it. But I know the reason.
Once I'm off the phone, Y/N immediately gets up and starts searching her closet. I instantly follow her into her closet and turn her around, so she's facing me.
"Stop." "But-" "No buts. Step out of the closet." She gives me a cheeky smile making me roll my eyes. "Come on." I stick my hand out to her, and she grabs on. I pull her into the living room, making sure to grab a tote placing our wallets, phones, and whatever else for tonight in it.
"Where are you going?"
"We are going to my place!" I give her a cheery smile while placing her Dodgers hat on her. I admire her and give her a quick peck before she asks, "What for?"
"You were about to spend countless time in that closet going over everything you own. I know what we can wear tonight. But it's at my place, so we're going there. Plus, it'll be good to be there, and who knows, maybe we can stay there tonight."
Y/N POV
Liz gives me a wink and another quick kiss on the lips. "Now come on. Get your shoes on, and let's go." Liz turns her back to me to put on her pair of chacos while I slip on a pair of my vans. Once Liz is done, I scoop her up and spin her around, listing to her squeal and yelling at me to put her down.
Once her feet hit the floor, she tries her best to look upset, but she only ends up looking cuter, earning a shower of kisses from me, causing us both to laugh.
Before I know it, Liz has my keys in her hand as we walk out of my apartment building hand in hand.
_
It hit me while we were on the road that I had never been in a car with just Liz. Like no one else with us. This was also the first time Liz or I had driven each other around.
She's very safe behind the wheel, but I see why she usually has drivers. NY can be hectic, and that's why she prefers LA. Speaking of that, when is she going back?
I quickly get that thought out of my head and keep a hold of Liz's right hand whenever it's not on the wheel. I rub my thumb along her knuckles and catch myself staring at her side profile. She's so beautiful, and I can't believe I get to call her mine.
But the world still doesn't know...
Ugh, why do these thoughts keep invading my head today?
"Y/N." I lift my eyes to Liz's before she shifts them back to the road. Apparently, I was just caught staring at her neck. "You okay?" She asks with a smile. I nod and kiss her hand. "Just thinking."
"About?"
I don't want to bring it up, but I guess I should.
Just as I'm about to open my mouth, Liz curses and yanks her hand out of my own, grabbing hold of the wheel, shifting it quickly to the left, and slamming on the brakes, causing me to make that "hgghhh" noise. 
I didn't have time to register what had happened before Liz was out of the car and running towards a kid that had fallen onto the road.
Once I got out of the car, Liz already had the kid sitting on the curb. I got a good look. I can see that it was a young boy, maybe six or so. He was holding onto Liz's side crying. I was about to rush over, but the number of people yelling and honking at me to get my car "out of the fucking way" was too much to ignore. Luckily I recognized we were near Liz's building, about two blocks down. Liz looked up and nodded to me that I could go. She mouthed a quick "I love you," warming my heart and making me do the same.
_
After I parked the car at Liz's building with help from Mr. Madison, I made my way back to Liz. By the time I made it, the boy was standing next to another woman talking to Liz. I assume this is the boys mother, but I have no clue. I'm just going to guess it's his mother.
The closer I got, the more I could see Liz peering her eyes. She was looking for me. I didn't quite get why until I saw her fidgeting with her rings and fingers. I quickened my short walk and made it to Liz's side before she knew it. Liz grabbed onto one of my hands and gave it a big squeeze.
The little boy seemed frightened by my sudden appearance causing him to grab hold of his mom's legs. My heart broke at that sight. Liz saw this while the mother was completely oblivious. Or maybe she was used to it?
Liz made sure to position herself in front of me while maintaining eye contact with the mom. As the conversation between the two grown-ups was coming to an end, I watched as Liz shined the boy a smile. The boys face instantly lit up before he looked away. I went to move, but Liz stopped me as she crouched in front of the boy.
"Jack, can you look at me?" Liz quietly asked the boy, who I can guess is named Jack. Jack looked up to his mom, who nodded at her son. He turns his gaze to Liz. "Are you feeling better?" The boy shook his head yes while looking away from her. It was then that I noticed that this kid did take a nasty spill. He has a scrap up one of his arms and on his knee. They aren't bleeding at the moment, but I know they probably sting hence why he was bawling earlier. "Now, I know you got scared earlier, but that doesn't mean you should just run away. Okay?" Liz keeps her voice and tone calm and gentle as she talks to Jack. "Jack?" The boy lets go of his mother's leg and hugs Liz. Something the mother and Liz weren't expecting but being the perfect person she is, my Lizard allows the hug to happen.
"I promise I won't run away again," Jack says as Liz pulls him out of the hug. "Thank you, Jack." The boys mother quickly scoops him up and places him on her hips. Liz gets up from her crouched stance and gets in front of me once again. I try to listen to the goodbye between Liz and the boys mother, but Jack is looking at me like he's studying me. I'm not sure what to do in this moment. Clearly, there's something going on behind the scenes with this kid, and I don't want to do or say anything that will be wrong. But something must've gone right because as Jack and his mom start walking away, I get a little wave from Jack. I go to wave back, but Jack has already looked away.
Liz POV
I watch the smile on Y/N's grow as Jack gives her a wave. She raises her hand up to wave, but Jack got bored of her and looks away, making me laugh.
"What?" Y/N looks at me, confused. I shake my head. "Nothing. You're just cute." "Pretty sure that's you." I feel Y/N's arms wrap around me and pull me into a quick hug. "You were amazing." I give Y/N a look. "With the boy. You were amazing." I don't exactly know what to say. "You okay?" Y/N now looks at me with concern.
I nod. Because yes, I am okay. I mean, I was scared that I did hit that kid, but the relief that came over me when I saw how far he was from Y/N's car was astronomical. Before I thought about what to do, my mind took over. I quickly scanned over Jacks body and assessed what was hurt. I knew he was going to cry no matter what I did, so I took him over to the curb as quickly as I could. We couldn't just hang out in the middle of the road. Thankfully he latched onto me. Maybe it was because he thought I was safe, or perhaps he just needed to hold something or someone.
Giving Y/N that nod to tell her to move the car was the scariest part of the whole thing. I didn't want her to leave, but I knew she had to. I also didn't know who this boy was or where his parents were. And selfishly, I was worried about myself. I didn't want anyone to recognize me and for pictures to be taken of this moment.
So eventually, when a worried woman came around the corner calling for her son, I felt better.
I nod to Y/N and pull her into a kiss. "Shall we get going?" I ask as I feel her lips form a smile. "Lead the way."
The walk to my place was quiet, and I think Y/N knew I just needed to destress because the whole walk, she let me play with her hands and fingers as she held me close. Every once in a while, I'd feel a quick peck on the top of my hat. Every time it happened, I'd smile and let a quiet giggle slip out. I didn't even care that we were in public.
Speaking of which, that's a conversation for another time.
_
As I close the door to my apartment, I hear Y/N let out a "wow." She turns to me, embarrassed knowing I heard, but I walk up next to her and rub her back. "It's okay to let an inside thought out." I tease her earning an eye roll. "I'm just saying I forgot how beautiful your place is. It's perfect." Y/N smiles at me, and the look in her eyes is pure. She loves this place, and so do I. "Come on." I smack her ass and set my hat and tote down on the kitchen counter before pulling her into the bedroom.
"I thought we were here for clothes, not this." My mouth drops a bit at Y/N's sassy tone. "Don't be naughty! We are here for clothes! That, however." I point to her and the bed that she is sitting on. "Is for later. Now stay there!" I watch Y/N blush as I walk into my closet, which I haven't seen in a month.
After a few minutes of searching and going through every possible fit for Y/N and I, I believe I have found something suitable. But just to be sure. "Dress or suit?" I yell out from the closet. I get no response. So I ask the question one more time, once again earning silence.
"Y/N!" I walk out of the closet, and my girlfriend is gone. I then try my best to hunt for her. She's not in the living room, kitchen, guest room, or either bathroom. There's only one other place.
I open the door at the top of the steps, and it's like the outside world stops existing. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful sight. I'm watching the woman I love talking to my plants. It's adorable, and damn I'm so happy I asked Scarlett to come by and take of my garden. She's so unique and tender with my plants. It's probably because last year, when she was over, I scared her half to death when she started picking my fruits too early. How and why? I don't know.
I continue watching Y/N. I don't want to disturb her because she looks so happy. She says she has a grey thumb, but I know I will change that.
"It's rude to stare. You, of all people, know that." Y/N turns to me with a wide-ass smile on her. "How'd you know?" Y/N walks to me, extending her arm to pull me up. "I heard you coming up." I place her lips on top of mine. "So, were you just checking on the garden?" I ask with kid-like glee. Y/N wraps her arm around my waist, turning me around so we both face my garden. "I remember that this jungle was up here and you hadn't asked me once to go and check on it, so I was worried that it'd all be dead, but it's thriving more than ever! How?" Y/N turns to me. "I have friends Y/N! But I never asked because you told me they'd die under your care. So that kinda warns me off!" She opens her mouth to argue, but she knows I'm right. "I can learn!" Her saying that makes me happier than she realizes. "I know you will, my Coffee Girl!" I pull her into a long passionate kiss.
"So, did your friend leave this?" Y/N holds up a Black Widow action figure. I grumble at seeing it. "Yes, my friend's kid left it." "Is the friend who I think it is?" Y/N shyly asks. I know Y/N loves me, but there is something that lights a fire in me whenever we've seen Scarlett on screen. And I know Y/N once commented about Natasha Romanoff, but I can't help it. "Yes, it is." I pull away from Y/N, wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible, but Y/N catches my wrist. "Lizard, my love, you know I have eyes for you!" I sigh. "I know. I know. I'm trying." I kiss her cheek before running up to the plant I was talking to the first time she came here.
"Did you name her yet!?" Y/N asks excitedly. "Umm, yes, I did." I'd forgotten the name until just this moment, but yes, I did name it. I named it that day she was last here. "Do you want to guess?" "Planty?" Y/N asks in all seriousness. "Nope." I reply, popping the P. "Leigh?" I smile at the thought that she thought I named a plant after one of my characters. "Nu-uh. Last guess." "Murray?" I shake my head, confused at that last guess. "Noah," I reply. "I think it's a cute name for a boy or girl, so why not give it to a plant." Y/N's face lit up hearing me. "I agree. It's beautiful." Y/N then reaches her hand out to Noah and shakes its leaves. "Nice to meet you, Noah." I laugh and look over at my Coffee Girl, realizing how goofy she is and how lucky I am.
_
Y/N POV
"Are you sure this about this?" I ask Liz for probably the millionth time since exiting the car. I know she's getting annoyed, but she looks back at me, smiles, and reassures me that I look flawless as we leave the elevator onto the restaurant floor. She's fast walking because we may have had a bit of a hiccup getting her, and by hiccup, I mean Liz and I couldn't keep our hands off each other once we both saw each other in our first.
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(Y/N's fit)
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(Liz's fit)
But anyways, it's that kind of fancy tonight. And the restaurant is at the top of a New York skyscraper. What is my life?
I look over Liz as we get closer to the opening of the restaurant, and she takes my breath away again. She must've felt my gaze on her because the next thing I know, I'm getting scolded as she hooks her arm around me and pulls me to a table with an already waiting MK.
"Nice of you two to make it!" MK stands up from the table and sprints to me first. "Y/N!" I can practically feel Liz burning a hole into MK. I politely hug MK back before she moves on to her sister. Liz lets MK wrap her up into a tight squeeze as MK gushes about how much she's missed her. "Okay, let's sit!"
We're sitting at a typical-sized square table. MK is in the middle with Liz and I across from one another. I notice that all the seats have water waiting for them, including the fourth unoccupied seat. Weird.
"So tell me everything! What have you two been up to? How was Y/N's mom, and what is up with your guys' look tonight? Black and White? Bride and Groom?!" Liz chokes on her water at the sound of that. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. It has to be good, right? Meanwhile, MK is nothing but smiles as she looks between the two of us.
"Babe, you wanna take this one?" I wink over to Liz as MK gags at the sound of "babe."
"This is going to be a long dinner, isn't it, Mary-Kate?" Liz bluntly asks her older sister. MK gives a teasing smile and grabs Liz's hand "what are sisters for!"
Liz POV
We're now halfway through our appetizer, and everything is going smoothly. The waiter just left with our orders. MK and I have been hitting it off while catching up. Y/N has been keeping it light and fun. We have also brought up Y/N's mom, and MK was delighted at how much she loved New York City and me. However, that led to this: "So when is Y/N meeting Mom and Dad?"
I physically watched Y/N fix all her attention on me. "Soon," I replied. "I've already texted mom about Y/N, so she knows-" "But not Dad?" I see Y/N shift in her seat as she goes to stop my sister.
"MK-"
"No, it's alright." I hold out my left hand to Y/N. "Dad will find out when I feel comfortable." I calmly let MK know. But I can feel my adrenaline spike. She nods at me, but we both know what might happen when Y/N and my Dad meet. I hope it doesn't. I close my eyes briefly to try and ca-
"What about the world?" "What?" I look at my sister, confused. "When will the world find out about this one?" She points her thumb at Y/N like she can't speak for herself. "I mean, everyone thinks you and Robbie are still together. Don't you think that's a little unfair?"
I glance over to Y/N, who looks just as shocked as I feel. "Where is this coming from?"
"It's not coming from anywhere, Lizzie. I'm just saying tha-"
"That what?! That everyone should know my fucking business all the time?"
I'm getting louder, and I don't mean to. I can feel the lid about to pop off.
"Liz, I-" I once again stop my Y/N. "You hated everyone knowing all your shit all the time. Why would you want that for me?" I spit back to MK, who is surprisingly being calm about this. Or maybe she's doing it for Y/N.
"Lizzie. I understand that, and I'm sorry. You know I don't want the media in your life like that. I just think." She looks from me to Y/N and back to me. "I just think that it's kind of unfair for Y/N to be... hidden? I don't know if that is the right word or not."
What is she talking about? Y/N isn't being hidden from the world. She's just-
"MK." Y/N stops my sister, who turns and looks at my girlfriend. "I appreciate you for always looking out for me. For us. Liz and I. But her and I have somewhat talked about this. Think about it like this." Y/N leans forward in her seat to be closer to the table. "Does the world know about me? No, they just assume. Now, does the world know that Liz is bisexual? Once again, people assume." Y/N takes a pause. "Now would I love to be out and have people know that I'm dating THE Elizabeth Olsen and that she is my girlfriend, yeah to a certain extent, but the bottom line is, is that this is all new for Liz. I'd wait a thousand lifetimes until she was ready to let people know about her, Robbie, us, whatever" I watch Y/N smile as she says that, but she doesn't look at me; instead, she looks down and at her lap almost as if that realization hurts her...
"Plus." Y/N looks up to MK. "She's there for Robbie right now. And I am too. We'd just hate for the news of their separation to happen for him at a time like this. I mean, imagine-"
"The media would tear him apart," MK says as she gets it. Y/N nods and gives her a short smile before darting my eyes to me and then away.
"Fuck. I'm sorry, Lizzie. I wasn't trying to worry you or stress you out or anything. You too, Y/N." My sister looks between the two of us, and we know she means it. She has this twinkle in her eyes right now that she only gets when she's either really drunk or sincere. Wait, maybe that's both at the same time?
The tension has simmered down a bit by the time the waiter comes around and tops our waters and wine off, allowing Y/N to excuse herself.
Y/N POV
I'm happy. I'm happy. Don't cry. Don't cry.
I keep repeating this inside of my head the whole trek to the granite-coated bathroom.
It's so stupid. I don't know why I'm letting myself get so worked up about this. Of course, Liz wants to share me with the world someday. No, this isn't just a phase. She made that clear earlier today, so why am I being an idiot about it now? I said what I said at the table, so why do I feel like that is a lie? Why does my brain do this to me?
It's not too long until I'm standing in the middle of a stall with my head resting on my arm, holding in my tears.
"Y/N?" I lift my head. I didn't even hear the door open up. "Y/N? Please tell me you're here." I stand up straight and wipe whatever water I had surrounding my eyes away before taking a deep breath in and unlocking the stall door.
"Y/N?" Liz appears in front of me, and her smile quickly shrinks when she sees my face. I guess I didn't do a good job at hiding my emotions. "What's wrong?" Liz cups her hands around my face as she pushes us back into the stall.
I bite my lip and look into the worried green eyes of my Liz. "I'm sorry." Liz shakes her head, confused at me. "Sorry, what are you sorry for?" I watch her eyes slowly begin to scan my body, and I didn't know why until I remembered what had happened with Robbie. "For leaving." I clarify so she doesn't have to look for cuts or anything.
"I just thought you really had to pee, but minutes upon minutes went by, and we got a little worried." Liz chuckles to try and lighten the mood.
Minutes? I swore I just got here.
"I'm sorry." Liz grabs hold of my face, so I have to look directly at her. "Stop apologizing and tell me what's going on, my Coffee Girl."
Where do I start?
"Everything I said at the dinner table, I believe. It's just..." I take a deep breath in because I need it, and I'm still holding my tears. "I think what MK said got to me a little. Because I'd be lying if I said that I don't feel hidden." Liz is intently listening, and her eyes tell me what's going through her head. She blames herself.
"But Liz, listen to me. I would wait a thousand lifetimes. Hell, I'd wait a thousand of a thousand lifetimes because I'd be with you. At the end of the day, it's you and I. You got that? I love you. And I won't stop." I chuckle a little bit, making Liz look at me. "What's funny?" She quietly whispers to me.
"I think that's another reason why I needed air or to calm down or to do whatever the hell I'm doing in here." I look around the stall as I say that. "It made me realize how much I do love you." I smile at Liz, who looks like she is about to break. "Does that scare you?" I wrap my arms around her and pull her close to me, kissing the top of her head before moving out of the big, so I'm face to face with her.
"Not at all." Liz crashes her body onto mine to avoid the tears slipping out because we both know that the last thing we want to do is look like a mess when we return to the table, whenever that is.
MK POV
Okay so they've been gone for like fifteen minutes. So either they both fucked off and left me with the bill or Liz couldn't control herself and is having her way with Y/N.
Could you blame her?
Sorry is that inappropriate?
Anyways the waiter is finally placing with our meals and the girls have yet to be seen. I swear if they left.
I'm about to say screw it and dig in when I notice the fourth meal across from me. I know Liz whispered something to the waiter. Did this bitch really order a second meal? This place ain't cheap.
I'm so caught up that I almost don't notice a short haired blonde walking up to my table.
"Seat taken?"
Liz POV
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting to happen when Y/N opened up her bathroom stall but this conversation wasn't one of them. Hearing what she had to say hurt but I completely get it.
Not only is it hard to date a celebrity but it's hard to date one that isn't out and is technically still in a relationship with someone else. It's tricky and hard but hearing her say all the things she said just made one thing clear.
I love this woman with all my heart, and I'll do my hardest to let her know that. She's my rock. My supporter. She's my soulmate.
Which is going to make this next part a little fun.
Before we step out of the bathroom door Y/N and I give ourselves a look over. We definitely don't look the same as when we entered but we look close enough. As long as we don't have make up running down our face and spilled wine on our outfits I think we're okay.
"Okay so." I take a look at my phone to double check the time. Yep. She's here. "Liz what-"
"When we get back to our table there's going to be an additional person there. I called someone when you got dressed earlier and decided to surprise you. This was before how the last twenty minutes have gone but honestly you might need this right. And watching you will make me feel loads better. Just don't be nervous."
"You do realize that makes me even more nervous right?"
I give Y/N a cheeky smile before pulling her into a kiss. A kiss that starts of innocent before my lips leave hers and trail down to her neck. "Liz." Y/N moans out as I start sucking on the skin of her collarbone. "What are you doing?" That's the question I was waiting for. I stop and give Y/N a devious smile.
Y/N POV
"Just making sure she knows what's mine."
I went to pull my shirt closed but Liz slapped my hands away and opened it back up. "Let her see."
What the hell did Liz mean by that. Who is this other person? The fast walk back to the table was filled with questions like these and with the memories of the conversation prior forgotten.
As we got closer I could see MK talking to short haired blonde but that's all I could see the back of this blondes head.
It wasn't until I sat Liz down at her seat and moved to my own that I saw who it was.
"Are you going to introduce yourself?" The raspy blonde spoke to me. She spoke to me!
"Oh uh Y/N." I extended my hand out and try my best to keep my nerves inside.
"Scarlett." The Black Widow herself shook my hand.
I darted my eyes to Liz who just so happens to be in the middle of a conversation with MK.
Once Scarlett and I got done with our pleasantries I made sure Liz had her attention on me when I mouthed the words "you're dead." To which only got an eye roll and a heart she formed with her hands making sure no one saw.
"So Y/N." Oh God Scarlett's talking to me again. "Liz says you're watching the Marvel movies for the first time." I nod. "That's correct."
"So I was wondering if you had a favorite character yet? And don't say Wanda because I'd know you'd lying." Scarlett smirks at me while I look from her to Liz and back.
"You want me to be honest?"
"I'd want nothing more."
Scarlett's going to get me killed.
Part 20
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panelshowsource · 7 months
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sorry this is so long — i let my inbox back up a little but also some of these are so thoughtful and i hate not responding thoughtfully!
remember to block the tag 'long post' if you hate seeing long posts :')
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first of all aww anon thank you so much and second of all you don't watch taskmaster? how can you stand following my blog if you don't? hahahahah especially during taskmaster season i feel so bad the blog ends up being like 70% tm even though if i could have it may way i'd never gif new content and just gif totally random old content like always hehehehehe but it's cute to me how many hog fans are in my inbox these days! i'll try and gif it more for you guys :)
and you should watch taskmaster!!! and come back and tell me what you think!! start with s1!!! it's on the masterpost linked in my bio!
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idk anon you'd have to ask them that but generally they would consider themselves to be irish-american; i wasn't trying to make a statement about that when i said that i think new yorkers understand a person like ed, though i think it's far to say that even diasporic communities will retain (at least) a handful of characteristics and nuances from their homelands
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yesssss we all love ed! i think a lot of us know him from mock the week and his bffship with dara (i have some of their travel buddy series on my non-panel show masterpost!), but of course he's also an accomplished standup!
actually, just last month in an exclusive with metro he said this:
It seems remarkable Ed hasn’t appeared yet in its 16 seasons. ‘They haven’t asked. If they had, I would,’ Ed said, with a dash of longing. ‘There’s really only one slot per series of someone answering my description,’ he mused. ‘We’re kind of the most overprescribed demographic in the industry. There’s no shortage of people who look and sound like me that are ahead of me in the queue for that slot.’ Even so, it would have been nice… Greg? Are you listening?
(ps. that article claiming 8 out of 10 cats is cancelled... 👀 don't get me wrong, i know it's been a couple years since it's been on, but afaik no cancellation was ever announced 👀)
i know a lot of people are very hung up on the fact david mitchell said he wouldn't do taskmaster — and i'm a sure there are a handful of others who either wouldn't or couldn't when they were asked (jack dee had a scheduling conflict back in the day, right? and alex still desperately wants him?) — but one thing that has been consistently reinforced for years, and especially since taskmaster moved to channel 4, is it is far and away the biggest, most in-demand opportunity amongst comedians and light entertainers (— on network television; of course, if you're standup, your own standup special on channel 4, netflix, whatever has gotta be number one, but i disgress). taskmaster is huge: everyone talks about how comedians play 100-seat rooms, go on taskmaster, and then BOOM sell out massive tours. the show can really change your life, so there is hardly a comedian who wouldn't go on if given the chance — especially someone like ed, who i had mentioned a couple months ago being of the jenny eclair variety (an opportunist; professional jealousy ain't no stranger). i know he's waiting for that damn phone to ring!
and i think he makes an incredible point that not many series are gunning for more than one straight white middle-aged man (though it's happened before, of course). actually, i was just thinking about how that role — the white, middle-aged, experienced senior comedian — is chosen; in almost every single case, it's a very famous comedian who will draw viewers and reinforce legitimacy (frank skinner, al murray, hugh dennis, bob mortimer, rhod gilbert, david baddiel, richard herring, lee mack, alan davies, dara, you get the point) or it's a comedian who alex, whether he's friends with them or not, really really likes (tim key, dave gorman, mark watson, tim vine, mike wozniak, i know they're well-known but even ardal o'hanlon and julian clary who alex personally loves). does ed fall into either of those categories? super famous ratings draw or one of alex's friends/comedy heroes? frankly...i'm not sure...and i think that may be what's keeping him mid-way down the list...
still, very cute of the journalist from this article to be gunning so hard for him to be on the show! i have to admit, i know it might seem like i'm biased because i like him, but i really really think he would be really really good on the show. imo — and it's just imo, people will disagree — the most important aspect of the best series of taskmaster is the banter. it's people who speak up, who fight, who tease, who want to win, who want laughs, who play off the audience, who make quick friends, who talk to greg, who talk to alex. ed TALKS. ed wants screen time. ed wants to fuck around. ed wants to win. so i think he would really take advantage of the format and i'd love to see it!
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you are allowed to say i told you so! it was amazing! thanks for reading my bullshit, i tried to take it really seriously so i could just link to it any time someone asks me if i've seen it hahahah who was your fave contestant?
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i could write a really long response to this because it's something i have — or could find lmfao — a lot to say about, but knowing this post is already gonna be long (hahah i hate myself) lemme try to boil my brain down
1) i covered my personal opinion of what makes the strongest series of taskmaster in my (very long) recent taskmaster nz s2 post; 2) recency bias — it's in the name! people are biased because it's recent [shrug]; 3) A LOT of people have not seen every series of taskmaster (gasp! i know...) so they won't have the full taskmaster uk canon in mind when they're making such claims; 4) there is a strong divergence between the comedy nerds who watch taskmaster for comedy and the light entertainment viewers who watch taskmaster for general pleasantness, and you gotta consider who you're talking to when you're listening to someone's opinion; 5) i think there's a very long convo you could have about the reticence of a huge faction of taskmaster fans to criticise the show/tasks/contestants/alex — which is why a lot of people like it and its community, because it's often an echo chamber of positivity — but maybe we won't have that convo now haha
^ me being concise!! wow never thought we'd see that day
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yes totally anon! i'll make massive gifsets of all of them when the season ends, if that works? :)
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wow interesting question! i know a few people who watch taskmaster on and off, and i definitely know people like you who enjoy the odd clip (why is it always bob mortimer on wilty lmfaooo), but otherwise i wouldn't say i spend too much time convincing people to watch stuff. wilty and taskmaster are pretty accessible, but a lot of panel shows are about the uk news, uk current events, have uk c-list celeb guests, etc, and i don't think people would be interested. plus, i have you guys!!! (i don't really have internet friends besides posting here and interacting with you guys :'))
not that long ago, i was at a dinner party and someone said, "have you seen that show taskmaster?" and ... do you know what it's like for me!!! ... i had to take a deep breath and say inside my head 'sarah be cool' and i finally went, "i have! fun show haha" and not start TWITCHING ... they were telling the people around us a little bit about it and getting some of the details wrong and i just sat there nodding like :) and didn't correct them bc being a know-it-all isn't cool and i didn't want to risk it 💀
it's too bad we don't have more of a light entertainment culture here, especially a comedian-driven one :(
(so random but speaking of light entertainment has anyone else been seeing michael barrymore all over tiktok? those kids say the funniest things clips are my wholeeeee fyp)
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hahaha yesss we do know suzi around here!! though she's not been on many panel shows recently-ish so i probably haven't posted her in a while. if your fave taskmaster contestants are wide-eyed, smiley people who radiate optimism and go-get-em attitudes then suzi would definitely be the one!
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did i mention rick edwards or is this just your sly way of bringing up a sexy man? ...i see you anon😏 he has the face of someone who should have been working on that big wall in games of thrones you know the one where jon tory scum snow ended up? that's a specific compliment but just trust me it's complimentary
i'm sorry about your heartbreak :( it's like me with whites, we've all got that one show :(
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yesss it so is! <3
is it weird to imagine joe and mike woz in the same room or is that just me...
WATCH LINKS MASTERPOST / FAQ / TAGS / ASK
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mr2swap · 2 years
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The Great shift: Go to sleep NOW!
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-you are playing YOUNG MAN?! Are you still awake? Have you seen what time it is? It's past your bedtime- Ever since me and my son were affected by the great shift and ended up in very different bodies we've had these fights way too often.
-I'm sorry guys, it's my dad, guys give me 5 minutes- Since James had become an unknown adult and I was in the small 14-year-old body of my neighbor Christian we had decided to exchange our rooms that after all he now needed much more space than me in bed. - I'm sorry, dad, today I had a very hard day at work and I needed to relax a bit. Besides, I'm not sleepy at all.-
-No excuses James As long as you live in my house you will have to follow my rules even when… - Jumping jeans stood in front of me now he was much taller than me he was twice my size his body was fit and he was a mature man while I had the weak body of some child.
-Listen dad I've been thinking and I think we should change the dynamic a little now that I'm the one who pays the bills, right?- He smirked after telling me all that, I think he had been planning it for some time Since he became an adult his behavior was greatly affected and he is no longer the same sweet cuddly child that my son was.
-Okay, young man, calm down, I know this isn't easy for you, but…- I tried to stand firm and speak in a thicker tone with my pre-pubescent voice, but I don't think I'll succeed.
- I think the one who doesn't understand things is you "dad" now the one who sets the rules is me, now the one who is tired from several hours at work It's me and the only one who has passed his bedtime Now it's you like this stop fucking with me if you don't want to see what I'm capable of now-
He took a couple of steps forward showing all the security and power that his new status gave him with his new and mature body, he took me by the arm and dragged me with his new and powerful strength from what before the great shift e was my room, -Waiting! I still don't want to sleep! let me go or I'll...-
-OR WHAT?- He stopped shuffling for a second and looked down at me with a scowl. Yeah, I was pissed.
In the hallway he got down on one knee in front of me to get down to my new tiny level, Looking straight into my eyes he put his now huge hands on my tiny shoulders applying a bit of pressure on purpose - we're going to have a big long talk tomorrow So you better go to sleep NOW-
 it seemed that the most assertive look now only worked for him, then he stood up and walked back to what was once my room he closed the doo,r and as I resignedly walked back to the small colorful boy's room the last thing I heard was - sorry bros I'm back! you know how annoying kids are.-
Sup bros! this is one of my old stories from my patreon I hope you like it, if you want to see more of my stories you can take a look at my patreon page
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kvetchinglyneurotic · 19 days
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Answer the questions and tag five fanfiction authors you know!
Tagged by the amazing @asteria-argo
1. How many fandoms have you written in?
One! Or two if you count original fiction as a fandom. Or three if you also count the couple of sentences of Black Sails fic that I'll hopefully get around to expanding into a full fic at some point.
2. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?
I started writing The Hedgehog's Dilemma on August 2, 2023, so about 9 months. Before that, I exclusively wrote original fic from ages 8 to 22.
3. Do you read or write more fanfiction?
Read, because reading is fast and writing is slow.
4. What is one way you've improved as a writer?
For a long time, I had a terrible case of writer over-complication syndrome, a thing I made up just now: every story I planned somehow ended up with 5+ different story lines which were at best loosely connected and each had their own cast of characters and sometimes world-building. As in, I once put "character goes to space and turns into a demigod(?)" and "ethics of dealing with a slow-acting zombie plague where people gradually transform in to zombies over the course of ~10 years" in the same story, then got overwhelmed and never wrote it. I still have a bit of this tendency, but I've gotten much better at axing plotlines that don't need to be there in the planning stage.
5. What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?
I don't know how weird it is, but I did spent more time than was probably reasonable trying to figure out what type of houseplant Higgins had in his box of office supplies in 2x02. I also found out that there are multiple record-breaking balls of twine in the US (largest ball of sisal twine by a community; largest ball of sisal twine by one person; heaviest ball of twine; largest ball of nylon twine) and figured out the route Ted and Beard could have taken on a road trip to see all of them.
6. What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?
I love the long, detailed type with quotes and literary analysis, but I also love the ones that are clearly just someone's instinctive reaction to the chapter, like the person who commented "oh no" on chapter 5 of THD.
7. What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?
I don't know if anyone's noticed, but I love writing time loop/other time travel stories, and I honestly think it comes from my background studying history. One of the main ideas in history is of contigency: that events aren't the product of a single cause but rather of the confluence of many other events interacting in a specific way. Time travel in general and time loops in specific, where the characters restart each time with a clean slate, let me play around with the cause and effect in stories in a way that I really enjoy.
8. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?
I struggle a bit with fluffy, slice of life-type stories where everyone's mostly happy and everything's basically going well, which is why Flightless Birds is actually the fic that gave me the most trouble.
9. What is the easiest type?
Occasionally I'll write these short, introspective, sort of stream of consciousness fics where it's a bit ambiguous what's going on and the narrator's usually having some degree of a bad time — think All I Have (And a Little More) or Ephemera.
10. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?
I'm currently shopping around for new writing platforms in anticipation of losing access to the university's Word license after I graduate. I'll probably go with LibreOffice since it's free and works decently well.
11. What is something you've been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?
Basically any Black Sails canon divergence fic because of how many moving pieces there are in the plot. I floated the hypothetical on here a while ago of what would go differently if season 1 Flint magically got end of season 4 Flint's memories because I'd love to write something with that premise but am daunted by figuring out an answer to that question.
12. What made you choose your username?
I am not good at naming things, so my ao3 username/username for main, the-sea-anemone, was basically me being like "what's a cool animal? Sea anemones, I guess? Username acquired." kvetchinglyneurotic comes from the fact that I initially created this side blog to complain about the ending to Jamie's arc with his dad, and also from the fact that I was in the hyperfixation stage where you think about the thing a solid 90% of the time while also being like. okay I do actually have other things to do so can we please focus on that instead.
I'm not sure who's been tagged yet so I'll go with @thirteenemeraldcats @jamietarttsnorthernattitude @sighonaraa @abubblingcandle
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ettawritesnstudies · 1 month
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IE your 'what would i pay for poll'. I would pay around $3 monthly feasiblhy but honestly I would be more invested in doing that if you were a bigger presenc3e on here again, over if you had anhy fun treats for subscribers. mostly i just miss seeing you alkl over my dash! i like to support the people who are big involved in the comunity or who post a bunch of fun snippets or moodboards or character rambles. and i dont see that from you very often!
Hey Anon!! That is SO FAIR and honestly I wish I were a bigger presence here too, and one of my concerns about offering memberships is that creating all the ~*exclusive*~ content will take away my time from shitposting and playing tag games and just generally hanging out. The more I'm splitting my energy between several platforms the more my "presence" on each platform will suffer if that makes sense and I miss the days when I only had tumblr and I could just ramble about whatever.
That being said there are a couple reasons why I've changed my approach so I hope you understand where I'm coming from
I'm on Draft 5 of the same book I've been working on for like 3ish years now and if I shared the same snippets for every "find the word" tag I think people would be sick to death of it by now
I'm on Draft 5 of the book I'm planning to publish and if I share too many excerpts of the in-between drafts, those things are both A) subject to change, B) probably spoilers and I want to be very very picky about the excerpts I choose to share from now on
Tumblr (and instagram, and tiktok, and other social media sites) regularly get nuked by the companies that own them so I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket which is why I've doubled down on my website.
I'll share more moodboards and fun snippets and stuff soon! But they'll be in the promotional/marketing vein probably because if I'm going to spend time making that stuff it's going to be multitasking
You raise a really good point. I'd love to be more involved here, and I'll try to set more reminders for things like WBW and STS. That being said, I've been trying to support the writing community through other ways like ARC reviews and interviews!!! I put so so so much work into these every month and they do fine in general, but for some reason they don't get any traction on tumblr. Not for my lack of trying, but I don't know? Nobody wants to reblog a link to a youtube video I guess? It's discouraging because just because it looks different than the old traditional games and things doesn't mean it's not still contributing something to the community - a way to find new authors and promote your newly published books - that's largely going unnoticed and unappreciated.
If you want me to reblog snippets and moodboards for the love of god please send me stuff my queue is empty! I love seeing what people have going on but I'm also following well over 1000 people so sometimes stuff gets lost.
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hydrachea · 2 months
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7, 8, 15, 27 and 29
talk to me about video games
7. A game you’ll never forget?
Probably Breath of the Wild. As you know I wasn't allowed to play video games during my childhood, and BOTW was the second of two games I got for myself after I bought my own console for the first time. It had already been out for a couple years and I'd even already watched a full playthrough of it, because I'd internalized so deeply that I wouldn't be able to play it myself. So actually getting to play it after all... I don't think I'll ever forget the joy and sheer wanderlust I felt playing this game.
8. Best soundtrack?
Oh man, there's a lot of them. Nier Automata has a fantastic OST, Undertale's is iconic, but you know I think I'm going to give it to Genshin Impact here. I love the sheer variety of styles they have across all the areas in the game while still having a coherent soundtrack, and the music is just beautiful while also packing an emotional punch (hello For Riddles, For Wonders). They invest a lot into their OST and it shows - I gasped when I heard La Vaguelette for the first time.
15. Which two games do you think would make an awesome crossover?
One thing about me is that I'll make a Bloodborne crossover with just about everything I can get my hands on. I cannot be stopped and I will not be stopped. Fear the old blood & embrace the lovecraftian gothic drip.
27. Has there ever been a moment that has made you cry?
I don't think I've ever full-on cried, but I've teared up more than once! One occasion I can think of is the Asriel fight in (a playthrough of) Undertale. The OST still gets me to this day.
29. Which is more important, gameplay or story?
Depends! If you want me to actually play the game myself, gameplay is crucial, because I've spent years living off of playthroughs exclusively and still prefer them for some games like Fromsoft games where I'm interested exclusively in the story. If you want me to have an interest in the game in the first place, it'll probably be story unless it's a free mobile or browser game to kill time with.
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