#(no regrets. ZERO. at least not from what I could control)

[help-me-find-a-name-please-lol]

Especially when people decide for a woman that because of course she'll change her mind, or one day she'll have a husband and he'll want and deserve babies, or because her parents will want and deserve grandchildren, she shouldn't be able to make decisions about her own body that will disrupt these plans that aren't her own.

AKA when women with debilitating reproductive system disorders want a treatment that has an effect on fertility (because it's the only one left they haven't already tried and they are sick of "living" in constant agony if there's even a chance of an alternative) but doctors refuse. Because, as my different doctors put it: "Your fertility is our number one priority, regardless of what you want" and "If you were my pretty wife, I'd want you to have my children".

stop telling your teenage daughters who say they don't want kids that they'll change their mind

[gamerwoman3d]

◜ mk1 men kinks & darker motivations part 1 of ?◞

▸ includes: sub-zero [mk1 versions] ◂

[Spicy/Explicit after the cut 🔞]

SUB-ZERO

Bi-han is a man who secretly enjoys being told what to do by a confident lover more than anything else in the world. In his day-to-day life, he feels exhausted from doing the mental labors of ensuring he's made the best leadership decisions possible at all goddamn times because his choices affect everyone's lives. He's sick of being tested and questioned by incompetent whiners. He is constantly surrounded by people who feel insecure in his presence, and that they express their insecurities in grating, passive-agressive ways agravates him beyond belief. Bi-han wants and needs a break from the decision making processes, and longs for any chance to let his hair down. He needs this break the most in the bedroom, with his closest relationships.

For part 1, Reptile, Click Here

When he wants something from a lover, he will *ask* for it. But it is up to the lover to *decide* whether or not to give him what he's asked for. What he wants most from his lovers is the ability to not only articulate what they want, but to *decide* what will be done about it.

Whatever you decide you want, he'll get it to you. And he has no moral qualms about it. Do you fantasize of prostitutes and expensive imports? They're yours, if you only set him to the task of acquiring them. Do you fantasize about that idiot that left you on read and broke your heart long before you met Bi-han? Say the word and he'll go fetch the fuckwit. He'll deliver anything or anyone to you in any state you desire it to be delivered in. You can be merciful or cold-hearted. You can be selfish and downright evil. As long as you're competent, confident, and happy, Bi-han is satisfied.

Because every time you make a decision, in life or in bed, it grants him an opportunity to just make you happy. And if he makes you happy, then to him, he just made the whole world happy, because in those moments when he's with you, you are the world to him.

Your most heinous requests would be met only with a bow of acknowledgement, followed by action.

What you want is important to him, and he'll be very accommodating to your desires. If you want him soft and sweet, or rough and demanding, don't stop at simply expressing it- command him. Every single day, others try to command and control him, and every day he's tempted to just let them have control. No one else has earned that privilege but you, and he's excited when you exercise that privilege.

He has issues with blind obedience. He wants to obey someone who at least considers his wants and takes his needs into account. He wants to obey someone who makes him feel validated. And above all, he wants to obey someone that he has chosen to obey. As long as he's chosen you, he'll open up and trust you with his secrets.

He has buttoned up his own desires and fantasies, and dreams of you commanding him to express them. Telling him "I want to know your darkest fantasies" isn't enough. Demand them. "Tell me your darkest fantasy." Call him out on it if he hesitates. "You're hesitating. I asked you to speak. Don't delay me."

He will tell you that he's fascinated by the fact that the people he killed make the same expressions at the brink of death as the people he pleasured have made at the brink of orgasm. This realization has left him very curious about the way death at his hands must feel.

He confides that he savors the moments spent watching his victims composure fall apart, and that when he kills someone, that he commits their shocked, dying faces to memory. His darkest fantasy is that he could freeze every face at its climax, and kept them stuck in that moment forever, forever watching him as he studied them. The more beautiful the face, the more he regrets not saving the moment.

He admits that after he's been forced to kill powerful people, he sometimes feels aroused for days. He hesitated to say anything because he feels some shame over this arousal - he isn't disgusted with himself over enjoying it, but he feels it is somehow wrong. He *asks* you to keep it in mind in the future; he wants you to take advantage of his arousal, while also placing you in a position to manipulate his shameful feelings. He does this because he trusts you to manage your relationship with each other, while he manages everything else in the world.

After coming home from battle, he wants you to command him - and hopes that you'll command him to fuck until you're both senseless.

He confesses he's into the idea of overstimulating lovers because of how similar their actions are to the dying. The muffled howls, the pleading, the shock in the face, the sudden tension, and the uncontrollable shuddering are the same across the two activities. He dreams of being overstimulated and killed, just so he can know what it feels like.

But until then, he would like to overstimulate beautiful lovers. He wants to be responsible for extreme pleasure, trusted with a lover's body during those moments when their body falls completely out of their own control. Bi-han figures that that is the one thing in common between the dying and the cumming - the loss of command over their own body. The loss is temporary while cumming, but permanent in death.

He makes your expressions the object of his focus. He wants the loss of control to last as long as possible. He asks if he can do anything to make you cum, hard. He asks permission to do things to you that would make you cum, and also permission to keep going. He says if he can make you cum, if he can hit just the right spot, if he can make you howl and contort in pleasure, maybe he can make that moment last for a long time by freezing your body.

The thought of being totally unable to move during orgasm isn't for everyone. Even if it is, there's always a risk of injury. But you don't have to tell him yes. "We are not doing that," is a phrase he longs to hear from you when he knows his desires are unwise or downright evil.

"Harder," "Quiet," "Not yet," "Stop," and "Don't stop" are some of his favorite words, but only when they come from your lips. Not only can you use these terms when he's pleasuring you, you can bring him attractive people and order him to pleasure them, or torture them, for your entertainment.

He might find he loves to hear you say "Stop" when he's on the brink of cumming into someone else, or on the brink of making them cum. Not because it isn't torture; it is. But it also proves that he can be obedient to the ones he's chosen. And above all, it proves that he is making choices when he disobeys others who claim to have power over him.

Every time he obeys you, it's as if he's saying "Fuck you" to everyone else who desires to control him. The harder it is to control himself, the more it pleases him to obey your commands.

"Me first," he wants to hear you say. "Down," he wants to hear you say. He wants to feel your hand in his hair, lowering his head between your thighs. He longs to hear you say "Make me scream your name."

I'd caution against confusing obedience with disrespect. This man is feral - he probably grew up in a wilderness, interacting with more wild animals than tamed peoples on any given day. Any whiff of true disrespect in the form of humiliation or denigration might make him seek to choose another at best, and put you in your place at worst. He wants you to feel like you're proud to have earned his trust; you can gloat that he desires you, chooses you, and respects you, but do not dare to gloat as if you conquered him.

If you call yourself his, you can call him yours in the same way. He will call you "mine" in a possessive way, and he expects you to feel the same about him. You do not belong to any master. You do not belong to any god. You belong to yourself and you choose to belong to him. Just as it might excite you deeply to hear him growl "mine, you are mine, this is mine," he is equally aroused to hear you claim him. He melts to hear your declarations and commands.

"You're mine. If anyone else tells you what to do... kill them."

[Need more MK1 smut? Check the pin 📌]

[howaboutsomeschmolly]

Even if plot-wise - and logically speaking - the transformation was the only viable option for the group to move forward into the story, it still is an incredibly anguishing moment for the unicorn/Amalthea. She is understandably dreading her new form and her now impending mortality, which she feels and fears. Schmendrick however acts weirdly dismissive, defensive, almost annoyed when Molly and Amalthea express their horror at what he has done. He is boasting about having done true magic, while stating at the same time that he had no control over it. In the book, he tries to offer Amalthea his point of view as a mortal turned immortal, as if he is trying to condone what he has done masking it as a sort of favour.

Upon my first reading, it flew over my head. Book-Schmendrick is more mean-spirited than his movie counterpart (justifyably so, since keeping the same personality for movie-Schmendrick without book-Schmendrick's backstory would have made him an unapologetic jerk) but his reactions and his excuses did sound a bit off. Further readings and reflecting between the lines made me think that Schmendrick (at least book-Schmendrick) is essentially trying to normalize trauma.

He has done to the unicorn - in reverse - what Nikos has done to him. Schmendrick was a mortal man who had been turned immortal. The unicorn has previously expressed her contempt to the story of Nikos turning another unicorn into a mortal man, stating that he might as well have trapped the creature into a burning building. Still, what Nikos did to Schmendrick, as well-meaning it could have been, was no better at all. Aside from being an incompetent immortal, trying and failing endlessly, Schmendrick has zero chances for connections and relationships. If he is doomed to stay immortal, he is doomed to be alone, to see people around him grow old and die while he remains a bumbling young man forever. Just as the unicorn is not supposed to be mortal, Schmendrick was not supposed to be immortal.

When he tells Amalthea his story, he is curt and to the point, telling Nikos' speech word for word. His dry way of talking contrast with the visceral response of Amalthea. From "Schmendrick Alone", the novellette about Schmendrick leaving Nikos to begin his solo journey, the reader learns that Schmendrick seems to not be right away aware of his curse. Unlike the unicorn, his must have been a slow, painful realization and hell knows what he must have felt when he has fully understood its implications.

After his self-congratulatory speech, Schmendrick shows signs that he, on an emotional level, has grasped how much he has fucked up. Still he refuses to admit so. Acknowledging it entails acknowledging how Nikos has fucked up, how his master has screwed his life under the pretension of giving Schmendrick the possibility to come into his full power. That is not feasible for Schmendrick, so he comes up with excuses, justifying his act with good intentions. Most interestingly, he shifts responsibility on magic itself, claiming he has not control over it. I don't know how magic exactly works in TLU universe, but it seems to have ties with the subconscious of those who employ it. Schmendrick had no control when Nikos cursed him, now he is in control by lacking control. Sounds weird? Then why, of every creature possible - and Schmendrick himself quips about it in the book - was the unicorn turned into a mortal woman?

Schmendrick's arc in the story does not end when he comes into his full power, but when he acknowledges what he has done to the unicorn, expressing his regret and taking full accountability. Schmendrick's apology to the unicorn is the moment were the trauma-cycle is broken. He has come to terms with his own traumatic event, has accepted it, and is aware that he cannot do anything about it. He - and the unicorn - can only move forward; they are now again what they were meant to be, with additional awareness and knowledge.

[samsalami66]

Tough decision, but "I will hang on (until I can't anymore)" with Dreamling? (Soccer au maybe? 🥺)

🤘five-and-dimes

Shooting for the Sky

Hey my lovely @five-and-dimes! Thank you for the prompt, I had a great time writing this! I hope you don't mind some humour sprinkled in between the usual angst and fluff, the idea suddenly grew wings and took flight and I had zero control over it.

Morpheus is regretting every single decision he has ever made in his tragically short life that led him up to this moment. If only he wasn't at fault for a hundred percent of them, from starting to kick a ball around with Olethros at age ten, to signing his first professional contract and later joining the Fiddlers. 

This blasted team of absolute nutters. 

Team building, Hob has said with a smile and a glint in his eyes that Morpheus hasn't quite been able to place. Now he knows it to be unbridled insanity mixed with a healthy dose of sadism, joy granted by witnessing his best friend's early demise due to the heart attack he would surely suffer in the next few moments. 

Morpheus has heard about team building exercises where a team went to play minigolf or drove around with go-carts or some other safe and ordinary and fun experience. But of course his band of suicidal idiots would go skydiving for such an event. And of course they have all done this before, since they have zero sense for self-preservation and do not care about their personal well-being at all. 

Those words out of his mouth have only caused the other men to burst into laughter when he said them. 

So now he is here. ‘Here’ being an aeroplane about a kilometre above sweet British grounds, strapped like a toddler to Hob Gadling's chest. Apparently you do not jump on your own the first time you skydive, which has never been a thing Morpheus gave much thought to, since he never expected to find himself in this situation. 

But he has done a lot of things he didn't expect himself to do since he has met Hob. Wonderful, amazing Hob, who is currently resting his chin on Morpheus’ shoulder so he can look out the window while Morpheus himself is trying his hardest not to hyperventilate. 

The team would never let him forget it if he had a panic attack over skydiving. Their serious support ends with the after-effects of abuse, everything else will become part of the Terrific Team Tales (what an awful name), which they recap at least once a year on pub night, specifically to torture the other members with embarrassing stories of the past. 

It is a horrifying tradition. Truly grotesque. 

Morpheus will not give them more material by panicking. 

So, instead, he concentrates on Hob. 

Hob, who stands pressed to his back, head to calf, lending to him the warmth Morpheus so rarely feels on his own. Hob, who's scent envelops Morpheus like a hug of comfort and safety, calming him like few other things could these days. And Hob, who's midsection is pressed directly to Morpheus’ backside. Will be pressed to his backside for the whole dive. Together, in the air, putting his life in Hob Gadling's hands. 

Oh dear.

Perhaps the panic attack is the better option after all. These thoughts will only lead him to a single outcome, and he's absolutely not going to face this conversation after falling a whole kilometre out of an aeroplane. Absolutely not. 

Just as Morpheus is about to force his thoughts back onto the ridiculous ideas of his teammates, the voice of the pilot sounds over their headsets.

“We reached the final height for the jump! The door will be opened as soon as we hit the agreed upon coordinates. Have a good way down, gentlemen!” 

Cheers ring out around Morpheus, and ten men, Hob included, jump up and down with barely concealed excitement. Hob's jumping jostles him where he stands, and Morpheus barely catches himself before he would have crashed backwards into Hob. 

“Someone's excited,” he comments with a wry smile, which only turns softer when he looks over his shoulder to see Hob's bright eyes, shining with joy.

“I get to share one of my favourite activities with my favourite person, of course I'm excited!” 

Morpheus softens even further at that answer, Hob’s affection as always so easy to grasp. 

“Ugh, find a private channel to flirt on with your man, Hobert!” Sounds Corin's voice over their headset, and Morpheus can't help but chuckle at how he and Hob stick their tongues out at each other. 

“Ten bucks that I’ll land first!” calls Abel into the round, which Cain immediately meets with “Twenty bucks that you’re full of shit!”

“Fifty that you’ll both be last,” Mervyn murmurs, and the rest of the team laughs at their bickering, as they always do. 

Cain and Abel, the other brothers in the team, have a sort of love-hate relationship going on. Half of the time Morpheus is a bit worried they might kill each other with their antics, but in the end they would never seriously hurt each other. Though if it does happen one day, Morpheus believes the murdered brother would come back to life just so that they might continue their bickering. Mervyn likes to pretend that he doesn't find it hilarious. 

Behind Cain and Abel the door of the aircraft suddenly opens, the wind suddenly overpowering every thought Morpheus might have had. He couldn't look outside, as there were about nine burly football players between Hob and him and the door. But even just the coldness of the air against his face, unnatural in comparison to the cold he has felt so far down on safe ground, wipes his mind clean of coherent thought. 

“Ready?” Hob says, so close to his ear that Morpheus feels his breath on his cheek, clearly to avoid speaking over the open channel. It makes him shiver, but the cold covers the real reason just fine. 

“Absolutely not,” he replies as loud as he dares, while making grabby hands towards Hob's arm to hold onto. The other man complies immediately, and Morpheus digs his fingers deep into Hob's biceps. “But I'll be fine as long as you're there.” 

“If you change your mind, say the word, yeah? We don't have to jump.” 

“Kollité, I would do a lot of things to see you happy. Including jumping out of a plane with only a piece of cloth strapped to my back, like some crazy person.” 

Hob looks increasingly fond the longer Morpheus talks, and eventually he smacks a loud kiss to his cheek, and then another to his forehead and his nose and wherever he can reach from behind Morpheus’ back. It's silly and adorable and so Morpheus laughs, free from the fear of judgement he once had. 

“I like my men a little crazy.” Hob murmurs into his ear then, and Morpheus thinks he might choke on the thin and cold air. 

“Let's go boys!” Corin then calls over their headsets, which suddenly brings movement into the aeroplane. One after another, the Fiddlers jump out of the open door, some head-first, others (Ken) do a flip into nothingness. And all too soon, Hob and Morpheus are the only ones left on the plane. 

“Run. Makes it easier to jump,” Hob calls over the noise. 

Screw it, what is there to lose (except his life, the part of his brain that is not yet totally beyond salvation provides) anyway?

Together, he and Hob run the ten steps towards the door of the aircraft and jump. 

Morpheus regrets it almost immediately. 

Upon falling, his stomach swoops and turns in the most uncomfortable manner possible and when he looks down he sees certain death rushing at him. His heart pounds in his ears and he's pretty sure he doesn't breathe for at least a full minute with how light headed he feels as he finally sucks in his first breath. 

But then broad arms snake around his chest, impossibly warm hands are splayed across his ribs, and Morpheus feels himself melt against Hob. He trusts this man, quite literally with his life, proven as of this moment. After all, Hob is the one that has the parachute strapped to his back and he is also the one who knows how to work it. Morpheus thinks (hopes) that in an emergency he would remember the instructions Hob gave him a few hours ago and pull the right flap, but he prays it won't come to that.

He would much rather enjoy Hob's warmth against his back, the arms that hold him and not open his eyes again until they're on the ground once more. 

“Just hold onto me, love.” Hob whispers into his ear and Morpheus can’t help but snort. 

“Oh I’ll hang on, alright? Don’t think I will let you go though, once we’re on the ground.”

A chuckle, right beside his ear, and Morpheus simply closes his eyes and concentrates on Hob’s warmth, the wind on his face and the adrenaline rushing through his body. After that first moment of falling, the tingling in his stomach almost turns into a pleasant sensation and he feels like every breath fills his lungs up way past the limit. He could run a marathon right now without breaking a sweat, the amount of energy coursing through his veins is just perfect. 

Slowly he starts to understand why the other men were so excited for this team-building activity. 

Adrenaline-junkies, the lot of them. 

Morpheus opens his eyes next when they are suddenly jolted into a slower fall. As he looks upwards he sees the bright green parachute with the Fiddlers’ club crest in the middle that Hob has shown him during their preparation for the jump. Since this is a team building exercise, naturally all gear is sponsored by the club and usually Morpheus would find this incredibly tacky. But looking upon the crest of the Fiddlers only fills him with a sense of pride, to be using or wearing anything sponsored by this team is simply amazing. 

He’s proud of who he works for, who he’s representing, and the thought is so sudden Morpheus feels tears sting in his eyes. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Hob’s voice sounds next to his right ear and Morpheus has to blink a few times before he can see clearly what Hob is referring to. But once he does he lets out a small gasp of surprise. The sun is setting on the far horizon and a few clouds break her light just so that reds and purples and pinks colour the sky around them like the most stunning of watercolour paintings. 

“Oh,” he whispers as the tears suddenly spill over, his throat closed off with emotions he can't quite name. It really is beautiful. The sky, the view, the man behind him. His life, really. He's grateful for so many things in that moment, but he manages to voice one thing.

“Thank you, Hob. For taking me along. And being patient with me.” 

“Anytime, lovey. Anytime.”

[rolfedewolfefan16]

Will rolfe get a redemption ark where he leaved CEC gets replaced with a cuter smaller mouse (the curent modern chuck) and runs away with 90s jasper.

I know it's a dumb question with the jasper thing, but the idea of chuck and jasper being together and rolfe being gay made my imagination think of stupid things. Modern Jasper also looks very different as his face is now tan and much younger instead of white like his 90s design and looking like an old dog

But most importantly, is it possible for rolfe to get a redemption ark.

Okay here’s the thing, not all stories have happy endings but in this case it’s a relief for Rolfe. After he got transformed into Chuck E Cheese, you must remember he had NO and I mean ZERO free will. He was basically Chuck’s conscience but he couldn’t control what he said or how he moved. After some years of being idolized for something he’s not, he decided enough was enough. He still felt regret for what happened all those years ago. Also recall that since the Rockafire members passed away and decayed, the Chuck E Cheese animatronics don’t have any souls and are therefore in demand of Rolfe’s spirit, at least in this AU. So, he decided to concentrate his thoughts and managed to separate his soul from his new shell. He deactivated himself and the other animatronics permanently leaving CEC to have no more animatronics in there locations. Rolfe could finally rest…

[bonearenaofmyskull]

Hi there! I need your thoughts on the Dolce head-sawing scene. I have read different analyses, and the most recent one I read was saying that the reason Hannibal wanted to eat Will was because Will rejected him and eating him is the only way they could be together. Also, some say that he decided to kill Will only after Will tried to stab him. Additionally, was he slowing the process and waiting for someone to show up and stop him? What are your thoughts on this theory?

My thoughts about this can be more or less represented as, Well, yes, kind of, but also not really, and also definitely not. All these pieces are disjointed from the development of the relationship in the context of the season itself, as well as the series as a whole.

First off, I don't think Hannibal was super excited about the decision to eat Will in the first place because the expression on his face when he's talking to Bedelia about it looks pretty sick to his stomach. In the scene itself he has kind of a mournful tone--tender sometimes, cruel others: a little angry, a little bitter, a lot regretful. He talks about it, how he's sorry to be leaving Italy because he would have liked to do some things for himself there, but mostly that he would have liked to show it to Will. So it's not a stretch to believe that Hannibal didn't really want to eat Will very much (except insofar as he's probably curious about eating most people just as a general rule of thumb, and ofc since this is Will eating him would probably be omg so much better than eating anyone, so there is that).

But the decision had been made. After all, he did have the location prepped with a bone saw all ready to go. He made the decision all the way back in "Secondo" when Bedelia helped him draw the connection between how his sister influenced him in ways he could not control to the way that Will influences him in ways he cannot control: from love, to betrayal, and thence into forgiveness. That Will, through his interactions with Chiyoh that reflected Hannibal's interactions with Bedelia, had come to his own version of the same conclusion that Hannibal came to--that each's influence on the other was so sufficiently out of control that the only way to end it was to kill (and in Hannibal's case, eat) the other--was of no particular consequence to Hannibal's choice, at least not in a cause-and-effect fashion.

Thus it is not a rejection on Will's side any more than it is for Hannibal: it is a gesture of their forgiveness. "You dropped your forgiveness, Will," remember? "You forgive how God forgives," he complains, in his usual hypocritical fashion (which Will turns around on him with the comment about God gloating, which of course Hannibal approves of, since they are each God in his mind). This is, God-like, forgiveness through retribution. Seeing it as rejection is far too sane and rational--and certainly far too conventional--for these two delicate creatures. Hannibal eating Will and keeping a part of him inside forever in the Hobbsean style of cannibalism, as he did with his sister, is an acceptance of how important Will is to him. On Will's side of things, choosing to kill Hannibal is the exact same gesture of acceptance: Will cannot reject Hannibal through the choice of killing, of all things, which is exactly what Hannibal influences him to do. As we see later in "Digestivo," Will can only reject Hannibal through choosing not to kill him. What happens in "Dolce" or any other point in time in S3 isn't ever a rejection (including the hug, I might point out)--not as long as Will is playing their zero-sum game. Not as long as violence is involved. Never forget that violence is love and sex and all things in between on Hannibal.

Thus they each must attempt to kill the other simultaneously because they are one, not in spite of it. Bedelia observes that "Will Graham is en route to kill you, while you lie in wait to kill him" as an extension of the conversation about the reciprocity inherent in Hannibal and Will's relationship. Everything they do, they do reciprocally, at least at this point. This is why they can have such a tender meeting below La Primavera before getting down to business: all the deceptions are gone, and they're both seeing each other with not just truly clear eyes, but truly appreciative eyes. They each can see how much they mean to the other just as much as each thinks the only path forward is to subsume the other in order to regain self-control. They each offer the other "understanding and acceptance," Jack explains to Pazzi, right as Hannibal and Will are coming to same conclusion to off each other. Will can no more reject Hannibal in this moment than Hannibal can reject Will because they are the same.

As for whether Hannibal was slowing the meal process to wait for someone to show up and stop him, we have to look at the evidence of both what Hannibal knows and whether what he knows observably influences his choices.

Hannibal may have been able to deduce that Bedelia would give him up to the Polizia just as he would count that she'd give his location to Jack, but he might not have--Bedelia's kind of a wild card in that fashion, and her choice to give him up seems to have been made specifically in exchange for the investigator telling her that he'd let her off the hook for her and Hannibal's crimes in Italy. If she had not been able to solicit that commitment for whatever reason, then there's no reason to think that she'd have betrayed their location. She wouldn't play her card without getting her win. So it seems unlikely to me that that could be something that Hannibal would be able to know confidently one way or another.

Even if he did, it's hard to see it in the scene itself. He does wait for Jack initially, but that's because Jack has an important role to play. Hannibal doesn't seem to be in any particular hurry in the scene even after Jack shows up, but then he never is, so that means nothing in itself. He doesn't really waste any time once Jack is there, either. He incapacitates Jack and drugs him (he needs to do that to ensure Jack will eat), finishes his mise en place while he waits for Jack to become coherent-ish, and then to be fair, it's pretty minimal conversation before breaking out the bone saw. Just a couple minutes. So there's no evidence in the scene itself to suggest delay, and a certain amount of evidence to suggest otherwise. If the show had wanted to demonstrate delay, it would have been prudent to write Jack getting to the table earlier in the episode, and then use their conversation to emphasize the delay, with more than one scene in the episode. They could cut the elevator scene without any significant bearing on the plot. God forbid they speed up a scene with Bedelia in it. xD

But I think the real reason I reject the notion that Hannibal was delaying is because Jack was there. Hannibal is the devil, his punishments are symbolic retribution, the three of them are literally there in Florence acting out their own version of the Inferno. Hannibal may have been eating Will's brain to try to regain his own peace of mind, but he was absolutely involving Jack in the action because Jack deserved it. He played: it's his time to pay. And it isn't like Hannibal to half-ass a murder dinner, especially if he has a guest. How rude that would be!

I think these analyses that you've read tend to fall apart in kind of the same places as a lot of analyses these days, wherein they seem to assume that because the Hannigram relationship is the heart and foremost hook of the show, the only things that are analyzed are the actions of the two men. Where their actions and words don't directly and explicitly explain something, then people fill in the gaps with their own imagination and values, when in fact the other characters' words and actions and the overall context of the show usually explain things pretty clearly. The other characters are important, as is the overall path of the relationship.

[vivid-vices]

hello hi, wanna go off a bit about mori-san? whatever you want to say, just have fun~

hi :) i always wanna talk about mori!!

i can't stop thinking about the disconnect between mori and dazai that comes from mori projecting onto dazai so hard. like when they first met dazai was very much like mori - obviously much more disinterested in life but he didn't have any close human connections and was able to follow mori's commitment to the ideal solution because of it. but through chuuya and ango and especially oda, he came to develop strong bonds with people that mori simply doesn't have. and mori didn't predict that.

dazai's words to fyodor about not trusting anything you can't control could apply equally to mori. he's a chess master and the city of yokohama is the board and the mafia members are his pieces. he treats them well, doesn't carelessly throw away lives, but at the end of the day, they have a purpose to serve. and oda - he was barely a pawn. he was so underutilized. mori doesn't have the kind of relationships that would allow him to prioritize true friendship, to value people outside of their usefulness. he expected dazai to follow his logic and ultimately understand the purpose of the sacrifice.

except dazai loved oda. and oda threw a wrench in all of mori's careful planning by telling dazai to escape to the light.

because maybe, maybe, mori could've predicted dazai going off to sulk and be angry for a while before ultimately coming back to the mafia, because what else did he have in life before oda gave him a purpose? but when he first heard that dazai joined the agency, it had to be a complete shock. a slap in the face, honestly. his greatest tool, his most competent executive, the boy he trained and taught and led for four years, now part of an enemy group because of his own actions.

that had to sting a bit. not even close to enough to regret getting the permit, of course, but for mori as a person, it had to be painful.

but mori would probably never acknowledge that emotion. it was for the good of the mafia, of yokohama as a whole, after all, and that's the only thing that matters. outwardly, at least.

i think mori is a deeply lonely person and dazai was one of the few people who made a dent in that loneliness - part of the reason why elise now copies some of his personality traits. (and i could make a whole post about elise, i love her so much. elise is such a reflection of his loneliness. you don't create an entire person if you have healthy relationships and aren't a control freak, but i digress.) but his biggest failure was in thinking that dazai was equally lonely, equally alone, and equally willing to put the organization over everyone and everything.

because mori has nothing else other than the mafia. it's both his home and his prison. like he said to chuuya, he's both a leader and a slave to the organization. that will never change.

and as silly as it sounds to blame the difference between them on the power of friendship, it's the only thing that separated dazai from ending up just like mori. except dazai has a capacity for cruelty that mori doesn't and if oda hadn't told dazai to leave the mafia, i think we would've seen the results of that immediately after his death.

anyway. i'm insane about mori and dazai. i think about them so much. their dynamic is one of my favorite relationships in bsd because of the range and ambiguousness of it - it's never even close to familial, way too casual for typical boss/employee while still definitely not friendly, dazai was a complete brat to him most of the time while mori was just amused, and now there's this one-sided absolute hatred while mori holds zero resentment towards dazai so you can't really even call them enemies. there's no label for whatever they have going on. and i'm not normal about it. at all.

[andrevalias-tes]

Meet the Character: Bloodies-His-Face

Report for the Elder Council

Compiled by General Alexus Nipia

Frostfall 7, 2E 583

With sincere regret, I cannot make direct contact with the Elder Council as the 2nd Legion still has the lengthy task of securing Bruma and the surrounding area. May this letter find Councilor Lovidicus and the rest of you well, and may I also commend Chancellor Tharn on securing a temporary truce in the Three Banners War. Whatever brief cessation of hostility it may be, know that the 2nd Legion will use every moment to restore Imperial control in Cyrodiil’s north.

Onto the matter at hand, I received a request to keep track of a former Arena Champion by the name of Bloodies-His-Face. Recently, he attended the Varen Memorial Cup held in Kvatch and then again in the Imperial City (Akatosh speed her recovery). It would please the Council to know he spent time up here in Bruma (as recent as last week), and I personally got reacquainted with the champion.

I’d known of Bloodies-His-Face (Red to his friends, a privilege I had the honour of using but will refrain otherwise to maintain formality in this report) indirectly from my time serving under Varen Aquilarios during the Colovian Revolt. He’d fought in several skirmishes alongside Varen’s personal cohort across the countryside and on the Red Ring Road. He was particularly known for his ferocity when fighting against Emperor Leovic’s army; part of a personal vendetta I later learned.

Before he became an Arena Champion, Bloodies fought in the Coronation Cup held in Leovic’s honour a decade prior. Alongside him were a cohort of Argonian servants whom Leovic had conscripted to fight. Despite his best efforts to train his egg-kin, Bloodies outlived them all and was even forced at arrowpoint by the Emperor to fight the second-last of his kin. For this, he sought revenge and joined Varen’s Rebellion.

When we disposed of Leovic in 2E 577, many of us parted ways. Since then, Bloodies recounted adventures had in Blackwood, Morrowind, and even Skyrim. He had ‘kept busy’, as he told me. The Council, of course, knows that a year later was when the dread Soulburst occurred and the Dark Anchors heralding Molag Bal’s invasion appeared. To recount for the Council: during this time, Bloodies had rallied local Imperial guard and citizenry against the initial wave of Daedra, as well as the treachery of Legion Zero.

From what I understand, Bloodies-His-Face formed the Order of the Sacred Ashes after helping many citizens escape the Imperial Isle six months later. Though a brotherhood of pauper knights initially, it serves to remind the Council that Bloodies and his comrades battled Daedra and the Worm Cult across Tamriel. They even, at times, partook in the Three Banners War. However, he insisted that his knights swear to maintain peace and justice first and foremost over any provincial claim to sovereignty. I hope this would satisfy the Council’s curiosity to his allegiance from the start.

I did not manage to learn more of what he has been up to between then and the Varen Memorial Cup, as he spent most of his time in the region at Fort Dragonclaw. Once again: my deepest apology for not compiling a more recent dossier on the Sekiryu clan, but I can at least inform the Council that it would appear Bloodies-His-Face is deeply affiliated with them. In the least, it can only be beneficial that he is of respected standing among their number as the Council knows that the Sekiryu are descended from the Akaviri who fought Reman at Pale Pass.

In summary, my brief contact with Bloodies-His-Face has informed me well of his character and alliances. I can confidently report to the Council that if we seek the services of Bloodies, his Ashen Knights, or his contacts with the Sekiryu, then it can only mean good things for the Empire. And at such a dire time when our citizenry worry for the future, we could always do with more heroes.

P.S: Bloodies wanted to convey his interest in a position as a General of the Imperial Legion that Varen promised him. I leave that proposition to your discretion.

[kiwiana-writes]

hey! I recently discovered your writing and I really love it but I have to ask you a question. you seem to write a lot of kink and I love that but: are you into pet play? it's a boundary for me for authors not to be into kinks that skirt around illegal acts so if you could let me know if your work is safe for me to read that would be great. thanks!

I got this last night and didn’t have the wherewithal to deal with it, and now I’m running on like 4.5 hours sleep, so… I’m going to treat this more as a general PSA than anything else.

So:

1) If your concern is that at some point in some hypothetical future I may write Kink X, Trope Y, Pairing A/Z, or anything along those lines, and me doing so would make you regret interacting with any of my previous work: please assume that I may do so, and curate your experience accordingly. I’ve written a bunch of things that I have, at some point in my life, said “I don’t think I’ll ever write that”—not because I was being a dirty liar, but because things change. There are also things I have written in the past that I have no plans to write in the future. Tastes shift over time, and so does what feels easy/fun to write; not to mention some things just hit different with different ships.

2) If your concern is more rooted in whether I think it’s fine for other people to write Kink X, Trope Y, Pairing A/Z, or anything along those lines—you should ABSOLUTELY assume the answer is “yes” and proceed accordingly. There are a whole bunch of kinks, tropes, and ships I am simply not into that exist on a continuum from “not my jam but if I writer I love tackles it I’m at least willing to give it a go” through to “if I never see evidence that this exists again it will be too soon”, but I do not believe that my personal tastes or sensibilities should be the yardstick by which fics are allowed or not allowed to be written. My personal tastes and sensibilities are the yardstick by which I READ fics, because I am in complete control of my own fandom experience.

3) If the information you need to proceed is what I am personally into, you can in fact fuck off. You are not entitled to this information. Kink writers are not required to disclose their kinks to you, in the same way you shouldn’t be demanding anyone’s sexuality/gender/trauma to determine whether they’re ‘allowed’ to write about a particular topic. I have been dealing with this shit on and off for YEARS, both from a ‘how dare you get turned on by this’ angle and from a ‘how dare you write this if you’re NOT turned on by this’ angle, and both takes are invasive and obnoxious. This is, incidentally, why I really hate the rhetoric of “the hottest fics are the ones the author wrote with one hand haha”—both because it’s really fucking weird to speculate on the sexual proclivities of someone who is usually a stranger, and because in my experience it simply isn’t true. I have really successful kink fics that are kinks I’m into and really successful kink fics that are things that don’t do it for me; I have less successful kink fics that I personally find really hot and less successful ones that I don’t. I have personal kinks and fetishes I’ve never written and probably never will (although, see point 1) because I worry that readers will perceive me a little too much. The only thing you’ll learn about my relationship to kink from reading my fics is the things I find psychologically interesting to write about.

4) I have fundamentally zero interest in debating the ~ethics~ of any particular kink, in fiction or otherwise, but I absolutely recommend perfecting the art of being squicked out or even disgusted by something without attaching any moral superiority to that feeling.

Like… curate your own experience, my friend. If you need to block me, block me. That’s cool. If you’re a regular reader/commenter/someone I interact with on tumblr dot com I’ll be sad to see you go, but you gotta do what you gotta do to make fandom fun and comfortable for you. But I tag my kink fics, so the ones that yuck your personal yum should be pretty easy for you to avoid.

[starkaabii]

Behold, excuses to talk about your OCs

⭐👻🥀📺🪞🧙‍♂️🗣️🎶

(answer however many you want!)

WOOHOO! Buckle up everybody, it's time for a Starkaabii Ramble™! I'll let my main two gals shine here :D

⭐️ If your OC could pick a final weapon from any game to use (such as the Star Rod, Crystal Gun, Triple Star Cane, etc.) which one would they choose and why?

I would imagine Sub-Zero opting for the Love-Love Stick, for no reason other than its effectiveness against Dark Matter. She deeply disdains and fears the things both, so even something to keep around as a ward of sorts would make her feel significantly better. Lavandia, I could absolutely see going for the crystal gun for one reason: rooty tooty point-n-shooty.

👻 Has your OC ever been possessed or mind controlled? If yes, how did it happen?

Sub-Zero has the fortune of not being able to be possessed by Dark Matter—the light within a Kiridan (fancy name for the puffball species I adopted a great many years ago from an old friend who had adopted it from the one who coined the term in the first place) Star Warrior is simply too powerful, and a Dark Matter would essentially be torturing itself attempting to possess one anyhow. It's likely this fact that protected her from Nightmare during the war, considering she was in fact captured and held prisoner by his forces at one point. She's nowhere near as strong as Kirby, but her inner light is still very powerful.

Lavandia's never been possessed or mind controlled simply because she's never even experienced anything related to Dark Matter or the war, growing up in the sheltered, long-forgotten reaches of Floralia. I'd imagine she'd be a bit like Nemona from Pokémon Scarlet/Violet though where she's just too darned energetic and enthusiastic to be kept under full control anyway.

🥀 What is your OC's favorite kind of flower/plant?

Sub-Zero has a particular fondness for irises and orchids, though she's rather fond of all flowers. Lavandia, of course, does not have a single plant she dislikes, but her favorite flowers are almost definitely daisies and yellow roses.

📺 If the anime got a reboot or if there was another Kirby TV show, do you have any ideas for episodes that your OC could appear in? What would the plot be and what role would your OC play?

I actually have Sub-Zero's arrival to Dreamland planned and written out exactly as though it were an entire HnK episode, which will be seen eventually in fanfic form at at least, eheheh. I even made sketches for some scenes! After that I'd imagine she'd become a common supporting character like Fumu. Lavandia, I'm not entirely sure—I have something new to think about now!

🪞 Does your OC have a mirror counterpart? If so, what is their mirror counterpart like?

Indeed; to start with, let me ramble a bit about the mirror doppelgangers. In my headcanons, the Mirror counterparts are not opposites of their normal selves, but rather the reflections of what lies deep within their normal counterparts—that is to say, the Mirror doppelgangers are born of and created purely from the Dimension Mirror reflecting the darkest hidden traits of their regular self when that individual gazes into the Dimension Mirror (or any version of it, like the Black Mirror). For example, Shadow Kirby was born of Kirby's hidden insecurities; Dark Meta Knight was born of Meta Knight's hunger for power; Dark Taranza was born of Taranza's grief and regret, and so on. Because these counterparts are just reflections of their true selves, the only way to truly kill them would be to kill their normal counterpart.

Sub-Zero's mirror world counterpart is known as Shimokage; because Sub-Zero underwent brief ninja training in the GSA before ultimately choosing the path of a knight, her mirror counterpart is a ninja of... mediocre skill. She is the reflection of Sub-Zero's many long-standing grudges that she harbors deep within and finds herself unable to forgive—be it her hatred of Dark Matter for its attempted annihilation of her kind; her hatred of Nightmare and all the misery he caused; her bitterness toward traitors such as Yamikage, Marx and Magolor, or her loathing of HWC for their invasion of Popstar (for which she pins the blame, and anger, squarely on Susie). That said, Shimokage is a vengeful and petty soul, always out on a quest to get revenge for things she's long since forgotten the purpose for, fueled by countless old grudges that have long since become muddied and twisted together. Her bitterness has become a warped envy over the smallest of things, adding more and more grudges to her endless list. She carries none of the honor and dignity in the face of those she disdains that Sub-Zero attempts to uphold.

Shadow Lavandia is the reflection of the wild, untamed force of nature that lurks within Lavandia. If Lavandia is like a blooming garden of flora, then Shadow Lavandia is like an overgrown, untamable jungle. She's unpredictable and vicious, sent into a rage by the smallest offense, and may be smiling at you one moment, then furiously strangling you in her ragged tangle of vines the next. This savage unpredictability lurks within Lavandia, but she masks it well under a cheerful optimism and patience that makes it all the more chilling when her savagery is unleashed.

🧙‍♂️ If your OC had armor and a weapon themed after them for Super Kirby Clash, which of the roles (Sword Hero, Hammer Lord, Doctor Healmore, or Beam Mage) would the armor and weapon be for and what would it look like?

Sub-Zero: Sword Hero

Blade of Fjords — a Kirby-sized version of Sub-Zero's sword, Fjord.

"A frigid blade wielded by the enigmatic Herald of Winter. It emanates a curious icy chill, perfect for keeping it cool when things get heated."

Herald's Helm — a Kirby-sized version of Sub-Zero's mask, pauldrons and wings, without the dark tinted visor that the real mask has.

"War-worn armor resembling that of a certain icy warrior. Donning it fills the wearer's mind with fuzzy memories of times long since forgotten."

Lavandia: Doctor Healmore

Overgrown Flask — a vaguely pentagonal flask with healthy green vines wrapping around it and a mysterious purple potion encased within, capped by a small pale yellow flower.

"Something about this floral flask fills its holder with a ferocious tenacity whenever they enter battle. Nature can be fearsome."

Lavandian Hood — a lavender-colored eared hood complete with a small star-shaped charm dangling from the left ear and blue-and-white striped scarf covering the wearer's mouth, identical to Lavandia's getup. Akin to the Magoloran gear without the attached cape; instead comes with a wig of white hair peeking out from under the hood in the front and back. Lacks glasses, akin to the Sectonia gear.

"Whoever wears this hood may become inclined toward brutal honesty and a deep admiration for the beauty of the natural world. It bears a striking resemblance to a certain traveler from afar."

🗣️ Does your OC speak more than one language? If they do, what languages do they speak and how did they learn them?

Sub-Zero, due to her experience and travels as a knight-errant, can speak a great many languages from various places of origin to a certain degree. Most prominently, she speaks the modern language of her homeland of Frostak, as well as its long-forgotten ancient tongue, and the common language of Popstar. Lavandia fluently speaks only the common language of Popstar, but she can read writings in ancient Halcandran due in large part for having been around for all of Magolor's obsessive studies.

🎶 What is a song that you associate with your OC, and why do you associate it with them?

I first listened to Stand My Ground by Within Temptation several years ago and immediately realized how much it reminds me of Sub-Zero, and haven't been able to associate any other song with her since. She's been through horrors, countless things that nearly cost her life, yet she clings to her steadfast determination no matter what and refuses to give up until she the moment breathes her last. She'll keep fighting until she can't anymore and someone else has to take up the mantle for her.

For Lavandia, I never put quite as much thought into it, but I always find myself thinking of her whenever I listen to The Seed by AURORA. Floralian through and through, she's a fierce whisperer and guardian of nature, and nothing enrages her more than nature being exploited and destroyed for the sake of greed. She abhors what was done to Halcandra in the war between the Mages and Technicians, and it fills her with a sickening dread to think how close Popstar has come at times to bringing the same fate upon itself. She despises all the things that spark the greed in people that causes them to take the beautiful world around them for granted.

[thevindicativevordan]

Regarding the recent Jor-El retcon, I agree with you. I kinda see where Waid is coming from. Jor sentencing people to basically Hell might be a step too far. After all, by the end of the day, we are supposed to like him (at least imo). But there were ways around it without having to make him flawless. Davidmann95 had an idea years ago about making Jor-El like Lex Luthor. I think there could have been an arc where Jor starts of as an arrogant dipshit, the embodibent of the "cold science over compassion" tendency that kryptonians sometimes had, but who changes over the course of his life and because of his relationship with Lara. From championing the Phantom Zone as a solution for Krypton's criminals, to someone who speaks against it, but is ignored by the Council.

Then, when he finds out Krypton is doomed, he tries his best to avoid it, thinking that, if he can save everyone, he can make up for his sins with the Zone. First he sugests, like in the DCAU, to put everyone in the Zone and to rocket someone to another planet, so that this person can free them later, but the Council shuts it down. The Jax-Ur destroys Wegthor and the Council doubles down on banning space travel. Then Jor tries to create an space arc, but Brainiac steals Kandor, where the prototype arc is.

This way, we can see a man who changed for the better trying helplessly to atone for his mistakes and save everyone, but failing. His detractors and the Council might even use his former arrogance as an argument against him, saying he keeps spreading "lies" because he is too arrogant to admit he is wrong. All of this could add much to the tragedy of Krypton's demise.

In the end, Jor-El fails to save Krypton. But he does succeed in saving his son, which will, indirectly, save countless lives. This way, we have a story about someone who changed for the better and tried to do the right thing, ecoing the themes of Superman stories, that people should strive to always do better. Also, as I mentioned above, it mirrors what Clark wants Lex, another arrogant scientist, to do.

Giving Jor a character arc where he starts out being enthusiastic about using the Phantom Zone as a prison, only to gradually realize how messed up the whole concept is, would be fine. That shows character growth, it shows that Jor wasn't ill-intentioned, merely ill-informed about what the negative repercussions of using the Zone like that on people could be. Kicker is: Waid has already done a story like that!

His handling of Reed Richards is perfect for Jor-El! Reed is consumed by regret and remorse over rushing his friends to fly a space ship without taking the time to make sure it's safe! Jor could have had that exact same arc! Waid didn't absolve Reed of all blame for what he did, he used Reed's foul-up to make the reader sympathize with him. As a result Reed became a deeper more interesting character. Contrast that with Jor who is a flatter, more boring character after being scrubbed of flaws.

Anonymous asked: Doesn't the Waid Jor-el change kinda ruin the Phantom Zoners as characters now, especially Zod and Xa-du. "Son of my jailer" hardly hits as hard when Jor-el wasn't in control of the projector, and it kinda ruins the whole dynamic with Zod. Hoping this is ignored going forward given the old take had cemented itself for decades. Less hopeful about Aethyr though, such an incredible concept made to be nothing now

Yes it makes zero sense now! Unless Waid is going to have the Science Council force Jor to be the one to actually use the Projector on people, why would any of them blame him for sending them to the Phantom Zone? That Rox guy is an ass and enjoys lording his power over others. You telling me he wouldn't enjoy being the one to send the prisoners to the Phantom Zone? I don't believe that. Let's hope this gets retconned out with haste.

Aethyr... well I suppose PKJ or someone else could simply ignore what Waid is doing, or retcon this Aethyr as being an avatar of the true Aethyr like Johns did to Brainiac.

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 20 - 616

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Sineala

One of the things I love most about Sineala's writing - other than the general brilliance of it - is how much work she puts into tying her fics into canon. I feel like most of what I know about Marvel Comics I learned by reading the helpful notes she adds to her works, explaining which volumes and arcs each canon element is from. Aside from that, Sineala is one of the best writers in the fandom (in my opinion, but honestly, it's just a fact), and I love everything she's ever written. I've recommended a bunch of her stuff this year already, but honestly, you should just read her entire AO3 catalogue.

Here's some of her work that I think you should check out:

Every Now and Then I Fall Apart

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 6,000 Tags: Truth Spells, Chronic Pain, Secrets

Summary: When Tony gets hit by a truth spell, the consequences aren't what anyone expected. They're sure not what Tony expected. He wishes he could stop telling his teammates about all the medical problems he tries to hide. As long as he doesn't open his mouth and reveal his secret feelings for Steve, or all his secret inadequacies as a human being, though, everything's going to be fine. And Tony's good at keeping secrets... or so he thinks. But maybe Steve knows him better than he knows himself. And just because Tony believes something, that doesn't make it the truth.

Reasons why I love it: I'm always down for a truth serum fic, and this one is absolutely lovely. Tony being a fan of Total Eclipse of the Heart makes me unreasonably happy, and I love how angsty his accidental confessions are. And of course, the Stony in this is wonderful. I love this fic so much, please go and read it!

Down to Zero

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 18,336 Tags: Temporary Amnesia, Extremis, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: After a battle against the Controller goes awry, Steve is bewildered and guilt-ridden when Tony begins to treat him exactly the same as he treats everyone else.

Reasons why I love it: Holy fuck, this fic is good. I love how guilty Steve feels about taking Tony for granted, and how he immediately knows that something is wrong with him, even when nobody else does. The resolution, once Tony gets his memories back, is fantastic and always puts a smile on my face. I adore this fic, and if you haven't read it yet, you absolutely have to!

Trust Fall

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 39,107 Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Coming in Pants

Summary: Tony needs someone who cares about him, bandages, a jacket, ibuprofen, dinner, a lasting romantic relationship, a nice time in bed, and assistance committing federal crimes. He gets them. In that order.

Reasons why I love it: Aaaah, give me all the feels!!! The hurt/comfort is incredible. Steve is so caring, and I want to wrap Tony up in blankets. And oh my god, the smut! It's everything I never knew I needed. This fic was an instant favorite for me, and I've probably read it twenty times since it came out. So yeah, if you haven't read it yet, please go and do that now, you won't regret it!

The Fall and the Rise

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 5,148 Tags: Fix-it, De-Serumed Steve, End of the World

Summary: After the Great Society incursion, the Illuminati refuse to destroy another world. When the next incursion looms, they go to await their deaths in peace. Tony ends up on the doorstep of the last man who ever wanted to see him. At least he's going to die at Steve's side.

Reasons why I love it: This one HURTS, but in a really hopeful way, if that makes sense? The angst is superb, and I love how the bitterness can't quite overshadow the affection they still have for each other. This fic stuck with me for a long time after I read it, so I hope you go and experience it for yourself.

And in Your Head It's Worse

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 30,204 Tags: BDSM, Scene Gone Wrong, Aftercare

Summary: Tonight is Steve and Tony's anniversary. And since they have the night off, it's the perfect time for Steve to tie Tony to the bed and drive him out of his mind, until Tony can barely remember his own name. It is definitely not the perfect time for Ghost to attack Stark Tower.

Reasons why I love it: This fic explores subspace and especially subdrop in a really compelling way. I love how Sine created the perfect awful situation for Steve and Tony to be in, only to fix it with the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff. It's lovely, and cements its status as one of my all-time favorite comfort fics. I love it so much, and I bet you will too!

[sephirthoughts]

3, 15, 19 for vincent and/or genesis :3c

oooh hoo hoo making me choose between my sons, are ya? joke's on you sucker i pick both!!

3. Obscure headcanon Vincent

He's Wutaian. He's Wutaian he's Wutaian he's Wutaian. Half, to be precise, as his father was clearly not. I don't know how this is even an obscure headcanon at this point because he so clearly is (to me) that it baffles me that it's not the widespread theory.

Also I could be wrong but that seems highly unlikely as I have never been wrong ever in my life.

3. Obscure headcanon Genesis

Unlike many kids who get singled out for their hair color or other physical traits they have no control over, Genesis always loved his red hair and refused to feel weird or othered about it. No one else had red hair, so it was clearly an indicator of something special about him. He was prettier and more unique than them, so they were naturally jealous, which motivated their remarks. He believed it so firmly, that the attitude in Banora began to shift toward seeing red hair as a rare and desirable gift, rather than something weird to be mocked (it did help that he was the child of the most influential and wealthy people in the town).

Angeal always loved Gen's red hair, but he kept that to himself, because all the boys that approached Genesis immediately complimented his hair, and it stripped the uniqueness and sincerity out of what would have been a very heartfelt statement about the thing that he adored so much.

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done Vincent

Vincent was a Turk, so he's certainly done some very morally questionable things. For example, disposal of witnesses. Shinra has a strict policy of leaving no evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever. It was up to the Turks to clean up whatever mess had been left behind, in the wake of the most recent PR disaster waiting to happen. Vincent knew that going in. It was part of the job, and if he couldn't do the job, he shouldn't have signed up for it. Once it was done, it was done, and you moved on to the next assignment. Guilt and regret would only lead to hesitation, in the future, and impact your performance. He understood all of that.

It's just that…some of those kids were probably too young to even understand what was happening, let alone remember and tell anyone. Was there really no other choice?

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done Genesis

He did kill his adoptive parents, but he doesn't feel the least bit bad about that, so it doesn't count.

However, in a moment of anger, as a young First, he called Sephiroth a pathetic orphan and told him being the best at fighting wouldn't bring his parents back. Sephiroth just looked thoughtful, and then nodded in agreement. The boy's quiet acceptance of his cruel but not-untrue jab haunted Genesis for years afterward. Sephiroth claimed not to recall the incident, but insisted he wouldn't have been hurt by such a patently accurate statement, anyway.

19. Vices/bad habits Vincent

Vincent smokes!!! Or, more accurately, he did. A long time ago. Most of the Turks take up smoking, to calm their nerves or kill time on shitty stakeouts, or just to socialize with the others. It's pretty much endemic to the job. Vincent was no different. That's why he isn't bothered by Cid's smoking in the least, and actually rather likes the comforting familiarity of the smell. He doesn't smoke as a habit, anymore, because nicotine has zero effect on him, rendering the activity pointless from that standpoint, but he will smoke a cigarette with Cid ever so often, from nostalgia. Sometimes it's nice to pretend to be alive again.

19. Vices/bad habits Genesis

He has a terrible habit of getting riled up, in the moment, and saying the worst/cruelest/most dramatic thing possible. He doesn't mean it, usually, and he's not actually a cruel or vindictive person—and it's not like he hasn't tried to rein it in, he has! But he literally can't control his tongue when his anger runs high (he certainly has an undiagnosed executive function disorder). Without fail, he winds up saying something nasty again, and then regretting it yet again. He always apologizes sincerely and tries to make it up to the person, but they're not always appeased by yet another after-the-fact mea culpa.

In the case that it's too late to apologize…well, those words just echo in his mind, forever, like an ugly litany, memorializing everything he regrets.

Thank you so much for the ask, these ones were really fun!! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[papermint-airplane]

I just wanted to quickly write about a childhood experience I had so I can get rid of it because it's been on my mind a lot recently. You're welcome to read it if you feel like you want to but I warn you, it's not a happy memory and will contain descriptions of child abuse. Read at your own risk.

When I was 8, my parents bought me a bike for my birthday. This was a whole ass surprise for numerous reasons not the least of which being that we were very, very poor. I had never asked for a bike or expressed interest in learning to ride a bike, but they got me one for whatever reason. I still don't know why or how they afforded it.

Well, maybe I do sort of know why. My mom always expressed to me her regret at never learning how to ride a bike in her life, either in childhood or adulthood. I suspect she didn't want that for me so I was going to learn how to ride a bike regardless of how I felt about it. She did a lot of things like that.

Nevertheless, I was pretty excited to learn. It was the cutest little pink and purple Huffy bike with white handles. My mom put streamers in the handles, put those little colorful bead things on the wheel spokes, put a basket on it, put a bell on it...I mean that bike was pimped tf out and I loved it. It took me a while to build up the courage to even sit on it, though. I was very small for my age and bikes were scary. Even though it had training wheels, it was still a lot faster and more intimidating than my thrift store Barbie skates. Eventually, I gained the confidence I needed to ride it and I was doing pretty well with it.

Then my dad decided I didn't need training wheels anymore. I was not ready to take the training wheels off and I said as much repeatedly, but my dad didn't listen to me. He is, after all, the man who, to this very day, thinks that children should not have rights, so my opinion didn't matter in the slightest to him. He just informed me that the training wheels were going away and I had to live with that.

He started trying to teach me to ride my bike in the front yard, on the grass, where there was more traction and less chance of me getting hurt than on the sidewalk. Less chance. Not zero.

Anyway, he was doing that thing dads do where he was running alongside me on my bike, holding onto it, and telling me what to do. Mind you, I knew how to pedal already, but doing it while balancing was new and very scary to me. I was already shaking from fear and feeling very out of control when my dad let go. I didn't realize he had let go at first until he told me.

If you're picturing a cute Hallmark moment of a cute little girl taking off confidently on her bike while her proud father watches on with tears in his eyes, stop. That's not what happened. Predictably, I panicked because I felt unsafe and I didn't know how to stop. I panicked and jerked the handlebars around, which resulted in my front tire hitting a divot in the grass and launching me headfirst into the front porch.

Something of note: our porch was basically a large concrete slab with heavy iron railings. Very sturdy, very strong, very solid. I hit the porch at max force, hitting my side on the iron railing while scraping my knee on the concrete. I think I might have hit my head, too, but fortunately I was wearing a helmet. Needless to say, I was terrified out of my mind, shaken up, bleeding, bruised, and in pain. I did what all little girls do in that situation. I screamed. I cried.

What do you think my dad did? Did he comfort me? Apologize for pushing me to do something I wasn't ready to do? No. He clenched his jaw, grabbed me by the arm, and wrenched me to my feet.

"Get in the damn house," he growled. He picked up my bike and violently threw it into the shed. He was angry. My father's rage was -- is -- something that terrorized our family to no end. I have always likened living with him to living on a minefield. You never knew which step was going to result in a catastrophic explosion that could very well end your life. He was unpredictable and violent. If the batteries died in the remote, he might sigh and replace them. Or he might hurl the remote across the room while screaming curse words at the top of his lungs and then grab my sister by the throat while yelling in her face to get him the G.D. batteries right now or he'd kill her. You never knew which it was going to be.

And this time, I didn't get "sigh and move on" dad. I got angry dad. He hauled me into the house and proceeded to spank me as hard as he could until my butt was numb and I couldn't breathe because I was crying so hard. Then he pushed me out of the kitchen and told me he didn't want to see me again for the rest of the day.

I was homeschooled and this bike excursion was my physical education class for the day, so I had to return to my mom to continue doing my schoolwork while still sobbing and bleeding. I don't know why I expected her to comfort me. She so rarely did. She always took his side unless it benefitted her to do otherwise. "You shouldn't have screamed," she said. "You made a scene in public and embarrassed your father. You got what you deserved." Then she went on teaching me my Bible lesson for the day, the story of Sampson and Delilah.

I moved past that incident because I had to. Nobody took my side. Not my mother, not my siblings who were both older than me and had learned long ago that anything that brings negative attention to our father is worse than a war crime. I pushed my feelings of anger and injustice down like always and just went about life. But I never forgot. It's been 30 years and I still remember every second of that event like it happened yesterday. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened to me nor was it the worst, but it is etched into my memory so deeply, I can still smell the grass and feel my teeth rattling from the impact with the porch. I still feel the fear, first from the loss of control and then from my father's wrath. I still hear my mother's voice telling me I brought this on myself because I had the sheer audacity to scream when I was hurt. I still hear the way my father said "get in the damn house" like he was barely containing his anger. I still feel the hatred burning in my stomach because my father ruined something I had been so happy about. He tainted what should have been a rite of passage for me. And it wasn't even the worst thing he'd done to me by that point in my life.

I will never stop hating that man. Never.

[ohwell-itsme-but-danganronpa]

The age-old question: Is Kokichi the villain?

Ves: this one whiplashes back and forth from objectively correct to SO SO WRONG so much idk how to feel

Me: well, they're right on their main point and simplified some things to get there and at the end he's an anti-hero, not a villain

Ves: i get being frustrated with woobfication but acting like the cast NEVER treated him unfairly is. UHHHHH Kokichi Is An Asshole, But! - my thesis statement also "bragging about how he got two people killed without a hint of genuine remorse" not a HINT!? NOTHING?? YOU CAN'T REMEMBER A SINGLE THING FROM THAT POSTTRIAL THAT SEEMED REMORSEFUL TO YOU!? 'start looking at him as a villain instead of a clueless victim' this is NOT a zero sum game both of those options r wrong

Me: they treated him Like That before he earned it and in his speech at the end of the 4th trial there's a portion when he says he's just stepping up to what's expected from him

Ves: NO LITERALLYYY THE SCENE IN THE DEATH ROAD LIKE….

Me: he was asking to be executed too, but sure, no remorse

Ves: what are we defining as remorse?? because that seems like literally the most remorseful a person could get to me oohhh i forgot remorse can mean REGRET yeah he's not very regretful neither is gonta! they're both crushed w guilt but that's not the same i guess

Me: the whole. everyone believing him when the lies fit what they want to see. bullshit he's a liar until he's saying he's evil, until he's taking something back, because surely he wouldn't lie about lying without saying the catchphrase

Ves: yeag like,,,when it's 'half my lies are told with good intentions' and 'i'm just trying to give gonta good advice, he'll get killed being so naive' and 'monokuma is going to make you suffer for cooperation like he did kaede' and so on and so on…. that's DEFINITELY a lie guys

Me: he left room to be seen through, he gave hints, he gave so many opportunities for them to get it, that he can't be doing it openly, but they went in with pre-packaged distrust specifically for him I love the theory that Tsumugi had them brainwashed to be opposed to him as a default to push him into his role

Ves: you're right but i wouldn't even describe it as HINTS, he has TWO SEPARATE MONOLOGUES about the danger of public cooperation that honestly monokuma should've clocked [sob emoji] but that's getting more into danganronpa writing than kokichi's morals i love giving him stuff that makes them inherently unnerved by him from the beginning

Me: this is also related to how much of "script" I believe there was for the game, I think they were given cues for how they're supposed to feel, little unconscious suggestions, a vague outline set with motives, nothing actually set in stone, the flashback making machine wouldn't need multiple options if there was a whole defined script that's expected to be executed to a t

Ves: i always thought tsumugi's claim that everything was scripted didn't. make sense. but i can never really feel out how much of it was

Me: she gave them roles, and then left them to improvise, she also has a lot of lines that cue you in on what she wants you to think of other characters, she wouldn't need to be doing that if she already controlled what you thought of them, but she's checking in, if you'll agree

Ves: truuuuee the way she talks about gonta always makes me shudder and the way she talks about kokichi always makes me giggle SNDJBHSHF she's sooo bitchy about him i love her

Me: she wants to shoehorn him into being a classic antagonist so bad and he just doesn't fit, like, I could swear she makes a reference to Nagito at least once when talking about him

Ves: THE WAY SHE TALKS ABT RANTAROU FITS THAT REALLY WELL TOO she KEEPS bringing up him being the fanservice character a playboy and he keeps shooting her down

Me: She fucking hates Rantaro and it's so funny, what did he dooo that finally puts her calling him a normie in a context, he ruined a cliché she was trying to pull, that's punishable by death

Ves: it's like when she yells at shuuichi in the FTEs for trying to say she isn't plain

Sini: I will say this, even though he did in fact show remorse in that instance I can’t blame the others for still being bitchy and pissed with him. Even if he had a good reason, which he did, what he did was still majorly fucked up. He was an asshole throughout the whole trial, an asshole to Gonta until that one moment, and then led him to his brutal death. I’m not saying how they treated him at that moment was good, but they aren’t really going to be thinking too rationally after all that. Ig one thing you could say is that they tend to not treat other culprits like Kirumi that way, but in that case I’d say they should’ve overall had written the characters reactions post trial or what not differently in general

Ves: oh no i absolutely think how the characters treat kokichi after ch4 is justified. i just think the op's casual dismissal is. UHHHH shoulda specified i was talking abt them and not the cast, sorry! kokichi was absolutely an asshole and deserved to get treated like one, but i think op fell too in line with the characters

Me: it was a situation where everyone sucked, nobody ever could begin to be equipped to deal with this shit, and so, nobody handled it well the end of the world was involved

Sini: Yeah, like, he’s a liar. Everyone only assumed he must be lying when trying to be helpful or didn’t mean well when he was spitting straight facts. No one bothered to listen to him. I get he’s an asshole, but fuck man, they cozied up to Maki. Wth is her excuse?

Ves: maki is the wall i always run into here maki is just as mean as he is and FARRR more dangerous but. her being an assassin was added later than her being a waifu

Mauri: i love maki. but in canon why the fuck did everyone love her she choked him out after he revealed that she was a fucking TRAINED KILLER and no one was worried abt that ??? kodaka dont make every single female character waifu bait challenge (almost impossible bc miu my love my life)

Ves: they literally cut to the next day when they're all looking through her lab and not ONCE do they comment on how that debacle…ended. DID ANYONE HELP HIM???

Sini: If Kokichi was a girl, I swear, things would’ve been a little different

Ves: if kokichi was a girl but written the same ppl'd say he EATS BABIES if he was written like kodaka likes to write women he WOULD eat babies but it'd be like, fine

Sini: Kokichi literally revealed a threat to the cast. And yet they still treat him like he’s this big villain….WHAT? Okay, but literally people treat Celeste better than Kokichi. Celeste is worse than Kokichi in everyway (personality wise)

Me: Celeste is evil in such a simple way, it's easy to brush over she's just greedy, a materialistic girl in a materialistic world, who could blame her? murder? god forbid women do anything

Sini: She’s very slay, but it’s just shitty cause you know people only excuse her cause she’s a cute girl

[halimpark7]

Episode 2 from Anonymous.

Girl 2

5'10 blk/Puerto Rican

thick: but all the curves in the right places

Spared

   I'm often called in to de-escalate situations. A role I've always played in life. This trickles down into "difficult" (people everyone is scared to confront) terminations.

    She was the "wifey" of a good friend of mine. Maybe 7months prior (at the time) got hit with a RICO charge. Needless to say, he was going to be gone for quite sometime.

  I didn't know their current status, none of business. But I looked out for her, without telling anyone. Made sure she was hired, and smoothed out things with her supervisors when she did "too much" at work. She was sweet but had all the attitude.

  I couldn't protect her all the time. I'm requested to help with firing someone, it's her.  Unless it's a total shit show, I always terminate people and give them job leads, or tell them to have the next job call me directly for references. Even when shitty, people are usually good and at least don't have evil intentions. I treat them like a human who is having a rough day.

   She walks into my office around 1pm. "She's dressed really nice", I think to myself. By now she knows why she needed to come in. It's like getting called to the principal's office.

   I have no choice but to terminate her, she understands. I basically found her a new job and gave her all the information. She's crying, it's been a difficult year. I pass her some tissues, we talk a bit.

  Time for her to go, we both stand up, I go to give her the comforting side hug. She falls into full on hug. Doesn't feel odd.. are you familiar with the type of hug? A soon to be lover gives .. it melts into you. 

Trigger

   I can feel her heart beating.. pounding.. soft. I can hear her inhale, as she takes in whatever pheromones that have saturated the air. Her nose is cool as it grazes my neck ..just behind my ear.

   Shoving down every instinct, I have zero reaction to this. When in fact my dick is throbbing, and of course these fucking slacks can't hide that..does she feel it??

   We separate 5 seconds feels like 5 hours.

   Do I spare her, she doesn't know what she's fucking with. She asks, "Can I hug you one more time?". I'm curious, was all that I thought happened real? Maybe I'm tripping.

Yeah, sure .."c'mere!" Her entire body is pressed against mine.  Her hands exploring every muscle of my back. Moving from the bottom of my back, up my spine, to my shoulders. Her breath on my neck., and she smells so good. Her dreds brush the side of my face.. raspberries and shea butter. Her mouth moves to my ear. Her voice is raspy with the slightest inflection that lets you know Brooklyn is her home .

  She whispers, "I could just fuck you right now". Her fingers between the buttons of my shirt, nails pressed in my chest just enough to let me know she's serious, then she says (to be more clear I suppose) I want to fuck you right now.  She needs this, I know it. And HIM.. well I realize I've been a bit of a backseat driver this entire time.

My breathing slows.. calm.. I'm in control; we make eye contact, she knows. I've learned this is when HE makes his entrance

    I had not gotten direct word that this would be acceptable. Do I need it, no..enough for her to be spared?

   It felt good, I let her hands explore, "as long as she stays above the waist" is the agreement I made with myself.

 

This felt like I would be taking advantage of her. Even for HIM, that's something we don't do.

   "I can't, I really want to.. but I can't". She understands.  I have so many questions I want to ask her . What happens after a woman offers a man her body.. fully. What goes through her mind, what is she feeling? Had she been thinking about fucking me prior? But if she doesn't leave my office now..

Do I regret letting some go.. sometimes, yes. Should I have turned her down? Would other men have turned her down? 

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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