Tumgik
#neopet reviews
adobe-outdesign · 5 months
Note
Thoughts on the Aisha? It’s been my favorite neopet ever since I got a mcdonalds plushie of it when I was like 8 before I even knew what neopets was
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Aisha are great because they're almost somewhat normal cat-like creatures—except they have two pairs of ears, one normal set and one set sticking up like antennae. These ears are the most important part of their design, as they're both visually distinct and very memorable.
Aishas also vaguely implied to have some degree of extra-terrestrial origins due to the existence of alien Aishas, which is a nice bit of worldbuilding and helps explain the weird ears even more (not that they're that unusual by Neopet standards, but still, it's neat).
In addition to the four ears, the other main notable thing about Aishas is their near-constant closed eyes (though some Aisha characters do have theirs open), which are punctuated by a ring around the outside. The ring is nice, as it helps break up their otherwise solid body colors a bit.
Tumblr media
I'd also argue that Aishas benefited greatly from customization. First, their old artwork was getting very dated and needed a refresh anyways, and secondly, the only real change is that they're standing now, which doesn't really affect anything.
Tumblr media
But the other big benefit the Aisha received is that their collars became a wearable item that can now be removed. I'm not going to lie, I never liked the collars. First, they're weird because in-universe, Neopets are anthropomorphic, and indeed, no Aisha characters sport the collars. Secondly, as a species, where do those collars come from, and why do Aishas wear them? And thirdly, they tend to add unnecessary color to their designs (like how the blue and green Aishas shown above sport red and yellow collars—though this varies depending on paint job). The "A" tag also feels clunky. They're not the worst, but having the choice to remove the collars or keep them is the best of both worlds.
The only big benefit to the collars is that they do sometimes do some really fun things with them depending on the color, as I've spotlighted below.
Favorite colours:
Tumblr media
Alien: No Aisha review would be complete with talking about alien Aishas, which are absolutely iconic in their own right. Species-specific colors are always enjoyable, and the fact that the alien Aishas have SIX ears is fantastic. I also like the spacesuit/helmet combo, and the red triangle at least accents the red color a bit if you choose to keep it on. I just wish they had done something fun and futuristic with the collar, instead of sticking to the standard version.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Darigan: The converted version of this pet isn't terrible, but the unconverted version is fantastic. The thin body looks great, almost snake-like, and the pointed tail matches the tall ears, which are given a delightful devil-horn look. The spots help break up the body a bit, as does the addition of an underbelly, and the collar changes shape to a D for darigan, which is fun.
Tumblr media
Mutant: Mutant Aishas, my beloved! What a great design. Replacing the second pair of ears with mouths and then accenting the pink lips with floppy, tongue-like spikes on the back is just great, with the pink working great against the blue. Bonus shoutout for the singular eye and the mutated "A" on the collar. My only nitpick is that the collar tag should've been the lighter teal of the stripes on the ears, and the band should've been pink.
Tumblr media
BONUS: I'm cheating by including this, but I have to give a shout-out to the baby Aisha for being downright adorable with its little binky collar and soft blue color. I'm not usually big on baby pets, but this one's actually pretty great.
156 notes · View notes
horse-reviews · 6 months
Text
Neopets Uni
Tumblr media
Rating: ƱƱƱƱƱ (perfect)
Like all good horse games the Uni is customisable in many ways from colour to clothing and you can feed it and pet it. I myself had a lovely Uni on my old account before it was mysteriously deleted. perhaps I should get another Uni now since I have been reminded how wonderful they are
87 notes · View notes
ophexis · 3 months
Text
I've returned from my supply run earlier and I'm happy to say I shall be making not one, but TWO whole recipes from the neopets cookbook! Mostly it's just that the one I really wanted to make was very simple, and would have left me over with ingredients that the second recipe uses, so it works out perfectly lmao.
Anyway I shall now speak of the Neopets Cookbook and what I think of it in between two rounds of Sakhmet Solitaire.
Tumblr media
The Neopets Cookbook came out last year and it was one of those things I: 1) never expected to happen 2) didnt even consider being a possibility 3) makes so much sense
Tumblr media
They only tell you how to make like 3-4 omelettes but it's really just omelette+toppings so you can be creative.
Neopets has a gajillion food items, and while a good chunk of it is questionnable, theres a lot I wanted to eat irl as a kid lmao. I'm happy that all recipes in the book are actual neopets food items rather than just like, neopets-shaped cookies or whatever. I do kinda wish the book was bigger to have more recipes in it. The recipes for main meals are a bit sparse and you will mostly find snacks and desserts.
This cookbook does expect that kids will be picking it up, so the recipes are on the simpler side, and there are several warnings throughout the book about being careful with knives and to not burn yourself. If you're an experienced cook, you're not gonna learn much or discover anything new in this book, but if you've just started cooking on your own (or have kids) this could be a really good starter book! The recipes mostly count on the presentation to be fun rather than the use of unique ingredients and techniques and stuff.
Tumblr media
You go you funky little gay neopets
There are many many recipes that include tips on how to make meaty recipes vegetarian or vegan, on how to make vegetarian recipes vegan, or how to make a lot of the recipes gluten-free.
It's super colorful, has a TON of photos of the foods, and specifically at least one photo for EVERY recipe! Which you may discover through my journey with these books is, for some gods forsaken reason, not always a given! So the Neopets cookbook gets a gold star for the beautiful giant photos of the food on every page, and the cute neopets art spread throughout. There's also some templates you can photocopy at the end to decorate with.
The two recipes I'm gonna make this week are the Hot Dog Burrito, which I might do tomorrow and the Space Quesadilla, which I will do……either wednesday or thursday depending on my mood lmao.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
tl;dr:
GOOD: Great for beginners! Photos on every recipe! SUPER colorful! Really fun presentation! Fun for the whole family! Great party food ideas!
LESS GOOD: Recipes on the simpler side! Tends to depend on store-bought items! (which is fine but less stuff is made from scratch) The food might not be mindblowing but it'll be fun as heck!
Tumblr media
"Let's get cooking!"
If you want to have another look at this book I suggest watching Misohungrie's review of it where he cooks 3 meals from the book and shares his thoughts!
12 notes · View notes
neverbesokind · 3 months
Text
Giving My Unsolicited Opinion on Every Neopet Species (Part 1)
If you haven’t heard yet, let me be the first to let you know that nearly 25-year-old browser-based pet game Neopets still exists in the year 2024. I know I told you about this last year, but recent events have led me to believe, shockingly, that things are actually getting better on Neopets.
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
4 notes · View notes
shoutwiththedevil · 1 year
Note
You are a horrible therapist. All you try to do is put people down.
lol sorry you feel that way from parsing my inactive 12 year old Tumblr account and knowing literally nothing else about me, maybe you should go find a better therapist than me to talk about how much this appears to bother you /:
6 notes · View notes
15tarlit5kyline · 25 days
Text
youtube
0 notes
bookworm551 · 6 months
Text
Take the Edge Off | Part 8 | Pillow Talk
Tumblr media
You finally get a quiet moment of quality time with Miguel.
A/N: wooooooow It’s been a hot minute. I feel like I’m coming back to my neopets after abandoning them for years. Tbh I just needed to take a break, I’ve been working and going to school, so it’s been a lot. Anyways, I’ve come back to feed you before disappearing again for an unknown amount of time. Also, this is pretty self indulgent ngl, so this is for the praise kink girlies. Enjoy <3
Warnings: smut, overstimulation, the usual
Word count: 6.8k
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 9 Part 10
You woke up slowly the next morning. The soft light that flooded into the room caused you to stir lazily from your dreamless sleep. You stretched with a deep yawn, feeling a dull a soreness in your arms and shoulders that reminded you of all the things you had done with Miguel the night before.
You shifted under the covers and blinked your bleary eyes open. As your vision adjusted, you registered the figure of Miguel asleep next to you. He was positioned on his stomach with his face half-way buried in his pillow, and his back moved up and down slowly with his deep, even breaths. He had his arms tucked under his pillow, and there were some loose strands of hair that had fallen over his face. It took every ounce of your strength to not brush it aside for fear that you would wake him and break this quiet moment together.
You watched him for a second with a soft smile. Laying on your side, you admired his resting face. This was the first time you had ever woken up with him still there next to you. Every other time he had either left immediately or after you had fallen asleep. It was a nice change, and as you lay there quietly, you couldn't help but wish you woke up like this every day.
"I can feel you staring," Miguel grumbled quietly, startling you out of your reverie. You smiled sheepishly as he blinked his eyes open to look at you. They were still bleary with sleepiness, and his soft gaze warmed your chest.
"I didn't realize you were up," you stated, your own voice hoarse from sleep. He let out a little huff before closing his eyes again, not saying anything in return. "How long have you been awake?" You asked quietly. He sighed, not opening his eyes. "I woke up with your tossing and turning about 20 minutes ago," he replied finally.
You hummed and offered softly, "Sorry." You had gained a reputation in your life as a restless sleeper, and apparently, it didn’t matter how much he had worn you out the night before. "It's fine," Miguel grunted as he shifted and rolled onto his back. "I should've been up earlier than that."
You smiled. You were glad he had chosen to stay here, to let you see him like this. Knowing he was a busy man, it meant a lot to you. "Full schedule today?" you asked.
Miguel sighed, running a hand down his face. "The briefing for our mission is at noon," he said. "After that, I've got a stack of reports I need to review." That sounded boring to you, but you couldn't help but grin at his words: our mission. You had almost forgotten that he added you to the team, and the notion of working with Miguel again excited you.
"Who else is on the team?" You asked casually, fighting a lazy yawn as you stretched out next to him.
"I don't think you know all of them," he stated. You hummed and replied, "Well, who would I know?" He paused a second to consider. "Me, a handful of Peters," he began. "Malala, Jess, and she's been asking to bring Gwen, too."
You rolled over onto your side, resting your head on your hand with a smirk. "Me," you added smugly. Miguel rolled his eyes. "You," he conceded. "And I think that's it."
You gave a short, thoughtful hum. There was one name you noticed was missing from the list, someone you thought deserved to be on the team as well. You knew trying to change the roster would upset Miguel, but you couldn't ignore the gut feeling you had telling you that there was one more person who should be added to the mission.
Miguel seemed to notice that you were thinking about something. "What?" He questioned, an eyebrow raised suspiciously. You looked up at him and smiled reluctantly. "You're not gonna like it," you told him. His dark eyes narrowed. "What?" He repeated, sounding even more suspicious than before.
"Promise you won't be mad?" You asked. "No," he responded evenly. "You probably piss me off more than anyone here."
You chuckled at that. "That's probably true," you admitted, moving closer to him as you did. He had a few faint scars that were littered across his shoulders and chest, and you began absently tracing your fingers over them.
After a quiet second, he prompted gently, "What is it?"
You didn't reply for a moment as your fingers danced over the faint lines on his skin. Finally, you looked back up at his face and found he was gazing down at you expectantly. With a sigh, you finally said, "You need to add Ben to the team."
Miguel's face hardened immediately. "No," he replied sharply. You sighed again. "I already know what you're gonna say," you stated. Miguel huffed an irritated breath. "He's the reason we're in this mess. He's the reason this anomaly has been able to cause all that damage."
"That wasn't his fault," you defended gently. "It could have happened to anyone, and I know how badly he wants to make it right." Miguel scoffed, and he sat up from the bed. "Nothing he can do will bring back Earth-2319," he stated sharply. "All those lives are gone forever."
He turned his body to step out of bed, and you sat up with him, allowing the covers to slip off your bare torso. You had known he would to be upset by your suggestion, but you didn't want this to turn into an argument.
Reaching a hand out, you gently grabbed his shoulder to keep him from leaving. "And don't you think he knows that?" You pointed out softly. "Can't you imagine how terrible he feels?"
Miguel felt tense under your palm, and he didn't reply. You were afraid that he was going to shrug you off, and you wouldn't have blamed him. You could still remember his haunted gaze when he came to you after the loss of Earth-2319. This mission was personal for him, and you knew Miguel wasn't going to do anything he thought would jeopardize it.
After a silent second, he sighed heavily, and his stiff shoulders sagged under your hand. "I don't have to imagine," he muttered quietly.
A taut silence followed his words. The air around you suddenly felt fragile, and you were afraid of breathing for fear of breaking it. You didn't know what he was referring to, and you wanted desperately to ask, but it seemed almost disrespectful to do so. So instead, you waited.
Miguel seemed to sense your curiosity and breathed out another sigh. "When I first traveled across the multiverse," he began slowly, "I found something I wanted—badly. I thought it was harmless, so...I decided to take it for myself."
You closed your eyes regretfully, understanding that what he was implying broke the canon of that universe. You shifted your body closer to the edge of the bed so you could see his face. His eyes were downcast with the memory replaying in his head, a faraway look on his face.
"I didn't know what would happen until it was too late," he finished softly.
You let his words hang in the air for a moment before taking the hand that was still resting on his shoulder, raising it up to cup his cheek, and turning his face toward yours. His eyes were still fixed downward, but he allowed himself to be guided by your hand.
"You didn't know any better," you said finally. "You can't blame yourself for what you didn't know." He let out a small huff and turned his face away from you again, pulling away from your hand. "It was reckless and stupid," he muttered. "I was stupid."
"You weren't stu—"
"I destroyed a universe," he snapped, his eyes finally flashing up to your face. Grief and anger were etched in his face, and in his eyes, you saw the same pain the night after Earth-2319 was lost. You realized now how much worse it must have been for him that day, and your chest ached for him.
"I understand," you whispered softly. "And I’m sorry, I didn't know." He scoffed. "It's not exactly something I brag about," he stated darkly. "And it's not something I ever plan on repeating. I can't afford to be wrong. Being wrong costs lives."
You didn't say anything for a moment, and Miguel’s shoulders slumped in defeat. There was that quiet openness again, the subtle vulnerability that seemed to be showing more and more. He obviously meant what he said, and you understood that his words came from painful experience.
Your hand raised up to rest on his bare chest, and your thumb brushed his skin gently. "You can't put it all on yourself," you whispered to him. "Nobody is that strong." Miguel didn't reply for a second before whispering back, "I have to be."
You sighed quietly and shook your head. "No, you don't," you insisted. "That's why you have all of us. Jess, Peter, me, everyone—we're all here for you."
Miguel had been staring at the ground as you spoke, but his eyes moved up to meet yours at your last sentence. His gaze was piercing, almost overwhelming. It made you almost nervous to say what you were going to say, but you held his stare as you emphasized your next words: "I'm here for you."
Your statement hovered in the air, leaving the silence that followed to rest heavy around you. Your chest tightened anxiously as Miguel stared at you wordlessly. His eyes were impossible to read. Had you gone too far? You knew he didn't want a relationship. Were your words too close to a confession?
Finally, your worries were allayed when Miguel leaned in and pressed his lips to yours in a tender kiss. It was different than the passionate way he usually made out with you when you were fucking. This was slow, like he was taking his time just to appreciate how your lips felt against his. It almost felt like a token of gratitude.
"You make it easier," he whispered when he finally broke away from your mouth. Your chest swelled as you smiled softly at him. “Good,” you replied quietly. “That’s what I’m here for.” A small smile cracked the grave expression he wore, and you kissed him again.
When you pulled back again, he studied your face for a second. “You still want me to add Ben, don’t you?” He guessed.
You sighed softly and nodded. “Wouldn't you do anything to make it right?” You asked him quietly. His eyes were still fixed on your lips, but you could tell he was thinking about your words. Without replying, he simply nodded his head.
“So would Ben,” you continued. “Please let him come.”
He still didn’t say anything for a moment. He sat quietly for a few heartbeats before letting out a deep sigh. “I'll think about it,” he said finally. You smiled at him, knowing that even him contemplating your plea was victory enough. “Thank you,” you told him, closing the space between you with a kiss. He hummed against your lip before murmuring, “You know, I thought I said I don't want you to talk about Ben around me.”
You smiled mischievously. “Well, we're breaking my rule about not discussing work in bed,” you pointed out. A faint smirk appeared on his lips. “Well, maybe I don't care about your rules,” he stated with a hint of humor in his voice.
“Then why should I care about yours?” You shot back. Miguel shifted from off the edge of the bed to lean forward over you, forcing you to lay down slowly under him. “Because there are consequences to breaking my rules, remember?” He said in a low voice, his eyes darkening with desire.
Your heart began to race as he trapped your body under his. “No,” you replied coyly, “I think I forgot.” Raising a hand to his head, you pulled his face down just above yours. “You'll have to remind me,” you whispered to him before pulling him down into a hard kiss.
You brought your hand around his head to run your fingers through his hair as he deepened the kiss. After a second, he moved his lips down to your neck while one of his hands traveled up your stomach to palm your breast, earning a quiet moan from you. Even after all the things he had done to you last night, you were ready for more.
You pushed yourself up off the mattress, forcing Miguel to roll back over onto his back as you straddled his waist. The seriousness from his face had disappeared when you settled on top of him. A smug grin pulled at his lips as the covers slipped off of your body, and his eyes drank in the sight of your bare body before him.
"Not too tired after last night?" He asked in an amused tone. You leaned forward and planted your hands on either side of his head as you brought your face close to his. "Baby, I could go all day," you purred before pressing your lips to his and slipping your tongue between them.
Miguel's hands gripped at your thighs, and his breathing deepened as he shifted under you. You brought one hand up to run your fingers through his hair, and when you broke away from his mouth, you moved your lips down to kiss under his jaw. He tilted his head back with a soft sigh to allow you better access to the soft skin of his neck.
Before you could go any further, Miguel's watch began beeping, disturbing the growing anticipation you both felt. You groaned, and he sighed regretfully as he raised his arm up to read the message he had received. You lifted your head up slightly to look at his face. He was clearly irritated by the interruption, and his eyes flicked back and forth as he quickly read the message.
"It's Jess," he explained. "She's asking about the meeting later." You rolled your eyes. There was always somebody or something that demanded his attention, and you were sick of it. You didn't want to let him go this time.
"You know," you began slowly, "there's this cool feature on these gizmos." You grabbed his arm and raised it up so you could see the screen. Miguel watched in amusement as you pressed the screen until you found what you were looking for.
"There," you said proudly, pressing the 'silent' button in his watch's configuration. "Much better." His eyes moved from your face to the watch and then back to your face with a raised eyebrow. "Is that why you never respond to my messages?" He asked suspiciously. You gave him a sly smile. "I just like it better when you tell me in person," you defended innocently.
"Mhmm," he hummed in response, a subtle smirk pulling on his lips as you kissed them again. You were eager to pick up the momentum you had lost to Jess's message, and you quickly returned your mouth to his neck again.
"We can't," he murmured, the bass of his voice vibrating against your lips. "I need to get up."
You hummed softly before whispering against his skin, "No."
You heard him breathe out a chuckle, and his hands came up to pull your arms gently off his body. "I know," he replied, sitting up as he did. "But people are going to notice I'm missing."
A spike of determination shot up in you, the frustration at his constant leaving finally showing. With both hands, you shoved him back down against the mattress by his chest, using most of your weight to keep him down. "Let them notice," you told him. "You're not going anywhere."
Under your hands, Miguel's breathing deepened, and his eyes flashed with lust at your assertion. His desire for you was clearly painted on his face, but with a clenched jaw, he sighed regretfully. "I can't stay," he insisted. "There's too much to do."
Despite his words, his fingers were gripping at your thighs, and he shifted under you restlessly. His resolve was hanging by a thread, and you knew exactly how to snap it.
Your mouth curled in a wicked grin as you lowered your face to hover over his own. "You're gonna stay right here with me until I'm through with you," you whispered to him. "You know why?"
Miguel was obviously fighting to keep his breathing steady, and his eyes were fixed on your lips when he managed to ask, "Why?" You lowered your face just above his, your eyes locking and noses brushing against each other. Then, softly, smugly, you said, "Because this pussy is yours, and I know how much you love it."
Miguel's jaw clenched at your words, and when you pressed your lips to his again, he was no longer holding back. His tongue pushed its way into your mouth aggressively as his fingers dug into your hips. From beneath you, his body shifted as he propped himself more upright and pushed your hips down to where his hardened cock was waiting.
You smiled deviously as he kissed you. The feeling of power rushed to your head at being able to distract him from his work with only a few words. Your heart was pounding in anticipation, and with the soft breathy moans you were both making, the ache between your legs was growing almost painful.
You allowed yourself to be guided back by his hard, gripping hands. A thrill ran up through your body when you felt his cock brush against your hot entrance. You could see the unfocused look in Miguel's eyes, like the only thing he could think about was being inside you.
To be mischievous, you teased your pussy around his length. Miguel groaned ever so softly, and his eyes burned with lust. "I don't have time for your fucking teasing," he growled. You smirked, always enjoying getting him riled up. He was even better when he was frustrated.
"You're so impatient," you observed with an amused voice. "I'm gonna have to teach you how to wait nicely one day." Miguel wasn't so amused. "I don't have time for this," he replied, shifting under you to try and align himself to you. You laughed. "That's the point," you said. "You need to learn how to—"
You cut yourself off with a sharp gasp. Miguel clearly had enough of your lecture and finally slammed himself into you, causing you to fall forward so that your head rested against his. The sudden feeling of him stretching you out so unexpectedly had made your mind freeze, and for a second, you couldn't speak.
"You were saying?" Miguel muttered smugly when you opened your eyes again. You couldn't even remember what you were saying. The only thing on your mind now was how badly you needed to fuck him.
With Miguel's hands still on your hips, you began moving eagerly along the length of his cock. You rocked your hips against his, grinding your pussy hard against him. Quiet whines began to rise up from your throat as you raised yourself up and down, slowly at first, but you soon increased your pace as he began grunting from the feeling of you riding him.
Miguel was gripping your waist tightly and gasping quietly as he helped you move up and down his length. You fell forward, planting your hands on his chest as you moved your hips against his. His eyes met yours with an electrifying gaze that only encouraged your movements.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on your face with a lustful sort of reverence as his hands slowly slid up the sides of your torso. "You're so fucking pretty."
Damn him and his words that sent your heart fluttering. Even there, in the midst of riding him, you felt your face grow warm from his praise. Of course, you had heard him say things like that before, but for some reason, it hit you in a different way that turned you into a blushing mess on top of him.
Miguel apparently noticed the effect his praise had over you because his lips twisted in a half-smirk, and he sat up off the bed to bring his face up to yours. "My pretty girl," he murmured, his voice deep as he spoke the words against your lips.
You seemed to forget how to breathe. Your heart was pounding furiously in your chest as you locked eyes with him. His dark, piercing gaze that once seemed like an impenetrable wall was now soft and warm. The way he was staring at you made you feel like he could see into your soul, like he knew what you felt for him, what you wanted from him. And in his eyes, you could almost swear that you could see it, too.
His strong arms wrapped themselves slowly around your torso to hold you against him, and his lips pressed against yours gently. You didn't even realize that he was rolling you over until you were on your back beneath him, and he began driving his hips into yours.
You let out a soft moan and broke away from his lips. Miguel's head fell to your shoulder as he moved steadily inside you, his cock pumping in and out of your soaking cunt. His hot breath fanned against your collarbones, and you could hear how he grunted softly with each thrust.
"God, I can't get enough of you," he panted, his voice hoarse and quiet. "Fucking you is—it's like Rapture."
You nearly came apart right there. His words and his cock had you completely at his mercy. One of your hands gripped at his muscular back while the other slid up the back of his neck to run through his dark hair. It took most of your effort to even form a coherent thought, and speaking felt next to impossible.
"Only you—," you started, cutting yourself off with a moan. "Only you can m-make me feel like this. You fuck me so good."
Miguel groaned quietly at your words. Lifting his face up from your shoulder, he rested his forehead against yours. "You know why?" He asked quietly. You opened your eyes to meet his, not even bothering to respond. "Because you're my pretty girl," he asserted. "And this pussy is mine." As he spoke, Miguel's hand slipped down between your bodies until he found your clit with his thumb.
You cried out in ecstasy as he circled his thumb around while still driving his cock deep inside you. Your hand moved from his back to grip the headboard above you as he fucked you relentlessly. The sounds of his hips slapping against yours were in-time with each whining moan you made. You barely had time to register that you were cumming until it took over your whole body.
You were practically screaming his name as your body shook uncontrollably. You pulled him close to you while his hips continued thrusting into you ceaselessly. Bliss completely overtook your every faculty, and the only thing your mind could process was Miguel.
His eyes never left your face as he watched you completely unravel under him. He gave a long, deep moan at the feeling of you clenching around him. His lips brushed against yours as he slowed down his pace for you, aware of how your body was beginning to grow overstimulated, and he murmured your name under his breath softly.
As you finished riding out your high, your body was still alight with pleasure, and your heart was still beating wildly in your chest, but you finally managed to breathe properly again. Blinking your eyes open, Miguel's dark gaze was hypnotizing. He was clearly proud of how he had caused you to come so undone, and he whispered, "You're so pretty when you cum."
All you could do to respond was moan softly. He never failed to get you off, and he never failed to praise you when you did.
With one hand still entangled in his hair, you pulled his face down to yours in a sloppy kiss. As Miguel's tongue danced against yours, he pulled himself out of you. You were still breathing hard when he sat up off your body. Taking advantage of the fact that you were still recovering from your high, he turned you over so that you were on your stomach and lifted your ass up to him.
Even if you had wanted to resist him, your mind was still hazy from all the pleasure buzzing through your body. Following his prompts, you obediently propped yourself up on your knees, your back arched as you held onto the sheets.
"What a good girl you are," he murmured, running his hand down your back. You hummed softly at his touch and turned your head to look at him from the corner of your eye. "Only for you," you whispered. You heard him give a heavy sigh, and you felt the head of his cock teasing the entrance of your soaking cunt.
"That's right," he purred. "You're my good girl."
That was the last thing he said before slamming his cock back into you. You gasped sharply, startled by his sudden movements as he picked up an eager pace. Still sensitive from your orgasm, you whimpered softly against the sheets.
"It's too much," you whined, gripping the comforter to try and pull yourself forward to escape the sensations overpowering you. "You can take it, babygirl," he assured you gently, his cock moving faster and harder inside you. "I know you can."
You couldn't say anything in response. You were high on his words and drunk off his cock. Your eyes were clenched shut as he pounded into you. The sound of his hips slapping against your ass filled the air, and with each thrust into you, he hit against your G-spot over and over again. Your body felt weak, and you were completely at his mercy.
"Miguel," you moaned, unable to say anything else. He cursed softly under his breath, and his hands gripped your hips tightly to keep you steady. "You're doing so good, cariño," he told you, his fingers digging into your skin. "Just a little more."
His gentle tone contrasted sharply against the almost savage way he was fucking you. Your breathing came in shallow gasps, and your legs started to give out from under you. Miguel dropped one of his hands to support himself on the mattress. His large body seemed to envelope yours, and you could feel the heat from his skin warming your back. His panting breath tickled your ear as he continued ramming into you relentlessly.
You turned your face toward his, your noses brushing against each other. His lips were grazing the corner of your mouth in feather-light touches. Your eyes, blurred and unfocused, met his, and in that moment, a three-word phrase entered your mind that you had sworn to yourself you would never say to him.
"Miguel, I-I—"
You couldn't finish your sentence before your body was racked by another orgasm. You hadn't expected it, and it hit you hard and fast. A strangled cry emerged from your throat as your body trembled under his.
Miguel became desperate when he saw you were cumming again. With each thrust, he grunted loudly, overpowering the sound of your quiet gasping. Your whole body was shaking, and just when it was getting to be too much for you to handle, Miguel grew still with a ragged moan as he came inside you.
For a moment, there was just the sounds of your rapid breathing as you were both lost in the intoxicating feeling of finishing together. His head rested against yours, his skin hot to the touch. The sounds of his panting still tickled your ear while his hand slowly roamed from your waist up your back. Finally, with a gentle kiss to your shoulder, he pulled out of you.
Your hands released the vise grip they had on the sheets as you slumped down against the bed. Your mind was still flooded with the pleasure you felt, and you didn't have the capacity to do anything besides lay there and try to recover your breath.
Turning onto your back, you looked up at Miguel. His hair had fallen into his face in a messy way that made him even more handsome. Raising your free hand up to his face, you brushed his hair back so that you could see him clearly. His eyes seemed unfocused as his mind was clouded with pleasure. After a quiet second of staring at each other, he lowered his face to place a lazy kiss on your mouth.
God, how you wanted this to last. You wanted him to fuck you senseless every day. You wanted him to kiss you every hour, to think of you every minute, to be with you every second. Being together like this, open and vulnerable and comfortable with each other, it was the first time you felt a sense of connection with another person since you became Spider-Woman.
When he broke away from your lips, he slumped down beside you with a deep sigh. You glanced over at his face, a faint glimmer of sweat shining on his forehead, and admired for the millionth time just how good he looked.
As your breathing was finally evening out, you closed your eyes and felt like you could fall right back to sleep next to him again.
"Don't even think about it," Miguel mumbled, breaking the silence between you. "Hmm?" You questioned, opening your eyes to look at him.
"You're not falling asleep again," he said with a pointed look.
You groaned, rolling onto your side to face him better. "Why not?" You asked innocently. Miguel stretched his arms before answering, his muscles flexing in a way that made you crave another round with him. "Because I need to go," he sighed. "And that means you do, too."
You raised an eyebrow at him. "You can't just fuck me like that and expect me to be able to get up and leave after," you told him wryly.
Miguel huffed out a laugh, a cocky smile on his face. "I'm serious," you insisted, unable to suppress your own grin. The rare sight of Miguel's smile paired with the high you were still feeling made you giddy. "I'm sure you are," he replied, "but I'm also serious about needing to go."
You rolled your eyes. "Then go," you told him theatrically. "I won't beg for your company." Despite your words, you did indeed want to beg for his company. Every time he left, it was harder and harder for you to let him go.
He huffed again. "I'm not going to leave you alone in my room," he replied dryly.
You smirked at him. "Afraid I'm gonna steal your stuff?" You joked. Miguel's eyes turned to you with an amused gleam. "It's a possibility," he said evenly. "You still haven't given me my shirt back." You closed your eyes for a moment with a sigh. "Oh, yeah," you mumbled as you stretched out like a cat. "I definitely meant to do that."
Miguel hummed his disbelief, but there was humor in his subtle smile. "If I didn't know any better," he began slowly, reaching over to wrap his arm around you and pull you closer to him, "I would say you're lying."
Your own smile widened as you looked up at him mischievously, and you rolled over so that you rested on his chest. "Oh, you think you know better?" You asked in a sly tone, hovering your face over his.
His mouth was pulled in a crooked grin as his fingers brushed lazily across your bare back. "I know I do," he replied with a deep voice, his eyes fixed on your lips.
You hummed thoughtfully. "Well, maybe you're wrong," you asserted.
"I'm never wrong."
"I don't believe that."
"Name one time."
You paused, trying to think of a time when he did or said something incorrect, but unfortunately, nothing came to mind. You rolled your eyes. "I don't know," you admitted finally, earning a smug look from Miguel. "But one day, you'll have to admit you were wrong about something," you insisted, "and I'll make sure I'm there to see when you do."
"You may be waiting for a while," he remarked. You hummed thoughtfully, tracing a finger over the outlines of his face. "I’m a patient person," you stated simply. "And you never know. That day could come sooner than you think."
He stared up at you in amusement. "If you say so," he replied. "Though, I wouldn't use 'patient' as a word to describe you." You raised an eyebrow in interest. "Oh? And what would you use?" You asked smoothly.
Miguel pretended to think as he slowly stroked his fingers up and down your back. "There are a lot of words I could use," he began. "Stubborn is probably at the top of the list." You rolled your eyes, trying and failing to suppress a smile. "And?" You prompted, feeling genuine interest in how he perceived you.
"And..." he thought for a second, "passionate."
You smirked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah?" You said smugly. Miguel's lips also turned upwards in a subtle smile. "Not just sex," he clarified. "You're passionate about being Spider-Woman, and you care about the people around you. You're...kind."
Your stomach fluttered a little bit. You could tell he wasn't just saying that. The sincerity in his voice as he spoke was perfectly clear.
You smiled softly at him. "Keep going," you urged, though you were still trying to seem aloof at his words. He hummed thoughtfully. "You're strong," he listed. "You're fast. You're smart."
"Don't forget funny," you added.
Miguel gave you a skeptical look. "I didn't," he said. "It's just not on the list."
You couldn't stop yourself from laughing at that. "Shut up," you chastised, lightly smacking his chest as you recovered from his joke. His eyes gleamed as he stared up at your laughing face. There was a brief moment of silence as he looked up at you with half a smile on his lips before he murmured, "You're beautiful."
Two words and your heart was beating furiously in your chest. You were struck dumb, unable to think of what you could say to appropriately respond to him. He had called you pretty a dozen times, and you logically knew that he found you attractive based on your many encounters, but it wasn't just the words he spoke, it was how he said it—softly, earnestly, like it was something too precious to be said aloud.
And there was that three-word phrase again whispering in your mind. You could never say it, you knew that. It would be awkward, uncomfortable, and even potentially ruin your standing in the Society, but none of those reasons could stop you from thinking it when he was gazing up at you with his soft, brown eyes with a subtle smile on his full lips.
Miguel must've realized you were having trouble coming up with a response. Breaking the half-awkward silence around you, he said, "But you know what word I would use to describe you right now?"
You were pulled out of your stupor by his question, your face growing warm in embarrassment. "Hmm?" You hummed curiously.
"Treacherous," he replied simply.
Your eyebrows scrunched in surprise. "Treacherous?" You repeated. "How so?"
He lifted his head up just enough so that your lips were barely touching before whispering, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing right now."
You blinked down at him innocently. "What am I doing?" You whispered back, your lips grazing his softly.
He let you place a ghost of a kiss to his lips before finally replying, "Stalling." With that, he began sitting up off the bed, forcing you to roll off his body. "We have to go.”
You draped your arm over your eyes with a groan. He knew you too well. You had hoped he wouldn't notice you trying to drag on the pillow talk to keep him there with you. Now, it seems you’ve run out of time.
Miguel sat up off the bed and stretched. You watched how the muscles in his back flexed tightly before he stood to get dressed. Sighing, you also sat up, grabbing your underwear from off the floor where Miguel had discarded it the previous night before walking to the bathroom.
When you came back out, Miguel was already dressed in his suit, his hair slicked back in his typical fashion. He noticed you emerging from the bathroom and tossed you your web shooters. Catching them, you placed them on your wrists and watched as your suit enveloped your body.
He must’ve seen the wonder on your face because he said, “I told you it’s cooler than nanotech.” You smiled at him. “It is,” you conceded, stepping over toward him. “I don’t think I ever said thank you.”
He smirked down at you, his gaze flickering back and forth between your eyes and your lips. “I don’t recall that you ever did,” he replied. You placed one hand on his chest and let it wander up to his neck. Even on your tiptoes, he was too tall for you to kiss, so he had to follow your prompting hands and lean over to kiss you.
When you broke away from Miguel, you whispered, “Thank you.” He wore a soft smile on his lips as he whispered back, “You’re welcome,” before pressing them back to your mouth. Kissing him was so addicting, and you regretted having to leave once again.
Pulling away from you, Miguel sighed. “Listen,” he started, “finding the anomaly needs to be our first priority now.” You nodded in agreement, but you could sense there was more he was going to say. “That means,” he continued slowly, “no distractions.”
You studied his face for a second before you understood his implication. “You mean this?” You asked, your stomach tightening anxiously as you thought about him cutting you off. “Yes,” he replied before quickly adding, “until the anomaly is caught.”
You frowned. You had no idea how long that could take. The anomaly, ‘Ghost’ as he had been nicknamed, had already been at large far longer than any of you could have guessed, and he could stay in hiding between universes for far longer.
Miguel apparently could tell what you were thinking, and he raised one of his hands up to hold your chin gently. “You are a distraction for me,” he told you. “Now, I put you on the team because you can be useful, but I can’t be here lounging around with you when I need to be preparing for this, understand?”
You sighed in resignation. It made sense. As much as you didn’t want to admit it, it made sense. He was trying to run this whole operation by himself, and even though you wanted him to stay with you, you knew that you were just being selfish.
“Yes,” you replied reluctantly. He nodded, his thumb running back and forth along your chin gently. “Good,” he said. “I’ll see you at the meeting at 12.”
You sighed again. “Alright, I’ll see you there.” You turned to walk toward the door, but when Miguel called out your name, you paused and turned back around. He stepped toward you purposefully, and your heart leapt as you thought he was going to let you stay a while longer.
With his body hovering close to yours, he reached a hand out to grab your arm gently. You let him lift it up, your eyes never leaving his face as you noted how close his lips were to yours, but he wasn’t looking at you. He was looking down at your gizmo and was tapping away at the screen.
Confused, you looked down to see what he was doing. You watched as he pressed the button marked ‘silent,’ effectively disabling the setting you had it on. “No more of that either,” he told you with pointed look.
You gave a guilty smile. “Fair enough,” you conceded, taking back your arm. “But just so you know, I think this new rule of yours is a good idea, because now I’m going to catch this anomaly so fast, it’ll make your head spin.”
He smiled in amusement at your statement. “If you do,” he said, “I’ll fuck you until you can’t speak.” You raised an eyebrow at him. “You already do that,” you pointed out. He shrugged. “Not anymore,” he countered evenly. You shrugged back at him and replied casually, “But soon enough.”
With that, you turned back to the door with a smirk on your face and the determined notion that you were going to be the one to catch the anomaly.
271 notes · View notes
adobe-outdesign · 5 months
Note
I see all your neopet posts and reblogs, so how a neopet review? What is your favorite neopet design and why?
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Gotta go with the Xweetok for this one. I've always loved this design ever since it came out—it's like the perfect blend of cute and elegant at the same time.
Xweetoks are vaguely chipmunk-esq with the stripes and general head shape, but the actual body anatomy is more like a fox than any kind of rodent. The end result is something that feels like it could be a real animal, even if it isn't.
And speaking of stripes, the use of color on these guys is also particularly good. They have these really pretty thick black lines running from their heads all the way down to their tails, with color often (though not always) constrained to the stripe and the mane. For example, in the basic colors shown above, brown is used as the base with bright pops of color elsewhere, rather than the entire Neopet being a single color.
Tumblr media
In addition to the colors being pretty, the lines also accent the body shape and give it a great sense of movement. This is especially noticeable in their old circle pose, where you get this really nice curved body shape due to them sitting backwards.
It's also worth noting that Xweetoks are one of the only Neopet species to have open eyes that don't have human-like corneas or irises but are also more than just black dots. The deep blacks of their eyes really help to accent the black stripes on their bodies, while the color in the middle helps to pop whatever secondary color is used.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Thankfully, Xweetoks also fared pretty well from customization; the only major change is them now having one paw raised up to hold items (which doesn't look great, but it's not like the fists look good on any Neopet) and slightly different front leg anatomy. Some changes, such as removing the weird thin line above the eye and making the mane thicker, are actually improvements. I do wish it kept the highlight on the mane like it did on the head, but otherwise, Xweetoks look just as good now as they did before if you can get over the fist.
(Also, Xweetoks are one of the only species where female pets look better than males, due to the default pre-customization design being taken as the female design for a change.)
Favorite colours:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Faerie: Faerie Xwees have always been absolutely gorgeous. The light brown base combined with teal and dark brown is beautiful, and the shape of the brown markings accents the body wonderfully. I also love the style of the wings and how the antennae on the head run directly off the stripes, the shape of which are matched by the first set of wings. Unconverted faerie Xwees are super dynamic, but the converted ones still look quite nice if you want to be able to customize them.
Tumblr media
Mutant: What a fantastically sleazy design. Taking what's basically a chipmunk of sorts and making the mutant version a rat is a fantastic concept, complete with buck teeth and a naked tail. The expression is also fantastic (slightly more so in the unconverted art, but the converted still looks pretty good).
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pirate: Unfortunately the UC version of this pet isn't available any more as of the time of writing, but even the converted design is nice, with a nice dull grayish-blue base and some nice red and gold accents that really pop. The old art really went hard though, with the mane basically acting as a beard and the face having a different, tougher expression. I particularly love the ponytail at the back of the mane.
Tumblr media
BONUS: I also have to give a shoutout to the fire Xwee, because I have one. :) The fire mane and stripes against the black base works beautiful; definitely one of the all-time best fire pets.
152 notes · View notes
mellific · 1 year
Text
Year in review
compelled to keep the year-in-review streak alive but the 12-square grid hasn't represented anything useful since... 2016 so we're breaking form! also i simply didn't make enough art to fill 12 squares
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
first complete inktober! things that helped: making up my own challenge... putting stupid joke beetles late in the month that i was excited to show friends (making direct eye contact with the neopets beetle hahaha), having friends BE kind & excited about beetles!
Tumblr media
shortbox comic: really good practical lesson in "if you do something a lot, consistently, you... improve..." this is not really the comic i set out to make (i did.... so much reading on the teleology of natural systems & not even a little bit made it into the actual comic slkdjf) but it DOES have fun borders, which was the other goal. overall, think the art came out nice and the writing could've used some more baking!
Tumblr media
I SPY zine: a little collaborative zine of illustrated I SPY drawings that, imo, turned out really, really nice. free in PDF form! it was always meant to be digital but we formatted for print just in case and then i printed some copies (since it was already formatted!) and god this one is nice to hold in your hands.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
and then i did a lot of little doodles of friends' cats which was very very fun. i love drawing cats and looking at photos of your cats!
it was a good year! two conventions, a handful of ttrpg commissions, really, i cannot emphasize enough, so may cats... i do miss making quick one-off comics and also doing, like, any illustrations at all, so those are the goals for next year
206 notes · View notes
theshadypodcast · 6 months
Text
Happy Halloween! In this special investigative episode, Amanda sets out to review the mother of all dragon series, and goes down a rabbit hole into homophobia, pheromones, and the Neopets roleplay forums.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2011/11/23/142721697/before-there-was-katniss-there-was-killashandra-remembering-anne-mccaffrey
https://phoebenorth.medium.com/on-terfs-and-tent-pegs-fb9f5123575d
https://galenweyr.tripod.com/index.html
https://fanlore.org/wiki/Pern%27s_Renewable_Airforce_(repost)
pern.srellim.org/intro_fandom.htm
https://www.dragonchoice.com/741/news/on-writing-pern-fanfic/
25 notes · View notes
smalltowngnoll · 3 months
Text
A Year in Review
This post commemorates February 13th, the time stamp on my first Neopets cooking challenge. I have certainly stepped out of my comfort zone, tried foods I have never had, and even found some meals to work into our rotations of regular meals. Nothing really sends up this blog’s birthday like my archived album of photos. Have to admit, I have gotten a little better on photography.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
19 notes · View notes
decepti-thots · 15 days
Note
🍓🧩🔪?
how did you get into writing fanfiction?
i've been writing fanfic since i was. god. probably eight? i was reading ff.net religiously by eleven and fully into it. i just started doing it myself spontaneously, i always liked writing and just used to write stuff about things i liked. and then i was given a slightly inadvisable amount of freedom online as a kid, and i wound up finding out about online fandom stuff by way of roleplay on the neopets forums, and then that pushed me in the direction of fan forums and ff.net and so on. but i always just sort of did it!
what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?
formatting being buggered. i absolutely cannot read stuff that is under-formatted (no clear paragraph breaks, etc), tbh. also, anything which uses certain kinds of non-standard punctuation (i'm sorry but if you dialogue involves tildes/~, i am Gone); it massively disrupts my reading experience and i cannot get into fics if that stuff crops up. that's what makes me immediately 'nope' out of a fic i otherwise was interested in.
what’s the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?
the thing is, it's usually the other way around. if something weird winds up in a fic, it's usually because i did the weird research first, haha. i go the other way around! it's not fanfic, but i did however once do a huge amount of reading of 2000s video game review magazines as part of a project that ultimately didn't come to fruition, and god, let me tell you, games journalism used to be so fucking weird sometimes, lol. they really would print basically anything to fill space in a lot of those magazines.
8 notes · View notes
keshetchai · 8 months
Note
ok you can just drop that and not name the graphic novel reimagining of lilith 👀
It's actually in my top posts header thingy still! The book is The Unfinished Corner, and it made me want to cry a few times. It's delightful and charming and heartfelt.
Tumblr media
I've always been fond of children's lit, and I will still occasionally read kid's books for reviews or personal enjoyment. In HS I volunteered at my elementary school library, and later I briefly part-time worked at a comics shop, so I had to know my stuff! Anyways my current local shop had this on the shelf, I saw a star of David on the cover, and it was an instant buy. I might eventually donate a copy to my synagogue, since we have a graphic novels section in the library.
It's about a Bat Mitzvah girl who ends up pulled into a fantastical adventure with friends and classmates all the while keeping a secret from them.
It's um...like it sort of falls into the Percy Jackson/Rick Riordan Presents sort of vibes for Middle Grade books? 13 year old is pulled into a whirlwind fantasy adventure specifically relating to their culture/religion/heritage.
Also yes, Lilith looks like a dark neopets fairy. Yes, this is still the best take on Lilith I've seen:
Tumblr media
Tumblr media
Please by the book to see where it goes. Also cry with me over the Golem.
(it still doesn't justify Lilith worship, lol)
22 notes · View notes
kiriska · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Very grateful to people who take the time to leave reviews on indie shops. They really help add legitimacy to shops that happen to not be on Etsy, etc.
🡆 All Neopets stuff lol
🡆 Rest of the store
13 notes · View notes
bearmemesreviews · 2 months
Text
Skylanders Review: Trigger Happy
Oh yes, my first fave. Let's talk about one of the many "subspecies" of Skylanders: The Gremlins. You see, since a major part of the Skylanders are the collectible figures, they would obviously need a way to make manufacturing them easier. So, while each figure is obviously unique in how it's detailed, they will often use a specific body type as templates for multiple figures. Similarly to how Neopets and their alternate forms work. Spyro shares the "Dragon Template" with several other characters, which we'll see soon, but for now we have the "Gremlin Template".
Tumblr media
[Image: Trigger Happy is a short Gremlin with a Firey orange and sandy tan color scheme. His body is covered in uniformly orange fur, with the inside of his ears and the entire front of his body/the area acting as his face being tan. He has small stumpy feet and muppety three fingered hands with forearms thicker than the rest of his limbs. He has yellow eyes with black irises, almost always crooked, alongside fur around & in-between his eyes that's orange - making a pattern resembling a domino mask. He is almost always smiling with his comically large tongue hanging out, with teeth that are almost human-like with sharp canines. He wields two large pistols designed to fire gold coins, and in this specific image, he's straddling a golden cartoon missile Dr. Strangelove style.]
With Trigger Happy you'll be able to get what the body type is all about. A neckless and round being, more like the head itself is its entire body, supported by four limbs. There's not many of them, but each one is so unique it really does highlight how you can stretch one body type in so many ways.
Trigger Happy is a mysterious little guy, being the token "crazy loose cannon" as his name would suggest. He simply showed up one day, explicitly role playing as a western hero type, and protected frontier towns from bandits with custom-made guns that used coins as ammo. He's a Tech Skylander, as being an engineering savant is basically second nature to all fictional Gremlins, and he can even bring out a Coin Gatling gun as a special move.
He has a high pitch, kinda grating, voice; but in early Skylanders trailers he has an accent that sounded like an incomprehensible mix of Spaniard and Frenchman - almost like he's a Team Fortress 2 character.
In fact, doesn't that game have its own...
Tumblr media
Anyway, I love these reviews because it really does highlight why I love my favorites. Trigger has a simple design, but making one of your playable characters marketed towards children a gremlin packing heat is just instantly hilarious. And it's only today, as I'm writing this, that I realize that the pattern of fur on his face is meant to resemble a domino mask. That really ties together his "Goldslinger aesthetic," though I still think he needed a ten-gallon hat.
Tumblr media
Alternates: I don't know if I'll talk about all the recolors and occasional redesigns some Skylanders get, but I feel like I should tell you guys that Tigger Appy gets to wear an Evel Knievel Daredevil's costume for Superchargers, the game where the Skylanders get to Mario Kart with Bowser and Donkey Kong. Both he and the other two I reviewed by now have another-other form, but they're so weird we'll have to review those things by themselves down the road.
Tumblr media
We'll get to Gimmicks once we get to Giants.
Trigger Happy is a fun exploration of his trope, and it's nice to know that the Skylanders team had bangers right out the gate considering he's one of the first few original Skylanders designed after the beta five.
Motto: "No Gold, No Glory." - Great Catchphrase, even if it's very obvious that it doesn't apply to him specifically. His lore outright states that the townsfolk that he saves get rich from the amount of gold coins his battles leave behind. I think that concept applies to the NPCs of Mario and Sonic games too, considering those two mascots become ATM machines whenever they walk into anything with a sharp corner.
The same thing happens to babies by the way. 4/5.
Trigger Happy gets 5 Chompies. The first of my personal roster.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Those cowards couldn't even be bothered to arm this child.
7 notes · View notes