#3) i am also however the necessities person.

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Okay challenge mode. You are a therapist and Eridan Ampora from Homestuck has just walked right out of his intro page into your office. How do you fix him?

put him and karkat in a room with a pile of stuff and tell them they can't leave until they've jumped into it and talked about their feelings

[whoslaurapalmer]

i know kit has like actual folders with her in penultimate peril but i think when she was younger she used whatever book she was reading at the time as a filing system/a folder/a purse. she'd bring it with her everywhere so she could read it, and she'd never forget it anywhere, so of course she'd put important things she needed in it. money and notes and recent assignments and letters from her siblings and reminders she's written to herself and a pen clipped on the cover

beatrice meanwhile is a Big Purse person but it also has No Necessities and isn't even necessarily always Big, it is just Jammed with things. multiple books, pairs of stockings, scripts, a bottle opener, the pocket dictionary, six pens because she keeps stealing them from people, a pocket knife, pretzels she forgot about that went stale that she WILL try and eat later regardless, maybe even a pair of shoes. emergency heels

bertrand has the Seemingly Bottomless Inside Jacket Pockets where he does carry The Necessities. always some sort of snack. that is not stale. definitely some candy too, though

[pinkhairswagtourney]

please consider helping a disabled queer person get their life back together

you've probably already seen a few of my posts floating around. in case you haven't, long story short; i lost my job several months ago and haven't been able to find another one willing to make accommodations for my disabilities. i have diabetes and need insulin every day to survive -- the price of that, along with my other medical necessities (medication, doctor copays, etc), makes simply existing very difficult. i've been relying on commission money and the generosity of others just to survive.

i am so tired of just surviving. i need serious help. i have a few very kind people willing to walk me through the process, but i desperately need out of my current living situation. it's a very toxic + abusive household that is stifling my ability to grow at all. i am in debt with no way to pay it off ($1,000) and i also need to somehow afford a car (which will be several thousands of dollars). just the thought is almost enough to paralyze me with fear. it's very very overwhelming. especially when nowhere in my small town wants to hire me. i have to do all of this before i can even consider moving out. i'm struggling to even keep myself alive, it's nearly impossible to save any money at all.

my commissions are pay-what-you-want, meaning you can pay however much you think the piece is worth, so that it's affordable for you and also helps me! if you can, please consider supporting me!! even a few dollars helps so much more than you know -- it's the difference between me being able to eat or not. also, please boost and reblog this post so that more people see it. thank you so much for reading <3

commission post p-yp-l c-sh-pp

[ros3ybabes]

🎀 Workout Youtubers

I currently do exclusively pilates and yoga workouts from youtube. However, I've done other body weight workouts with various youtube videos and seen results in the past. Here is my list of workout youtubers that you could check out! I will put a * next to my personal favorites! I will include a short list of my current at home workout equipment at the end as well as some items I plan on buying soon!

With any workout program or routine, always be safe, check with your doctor if necessary, and if something doesn't feel good or right, don't do it! No matter what your goals are, it's always important to be safe and stay healthy. Please always take care of yourselves and know how beautiful, worthy and valuable you are no matter what! I love you all <333

🩷 Pilates

Move with Nicole * (also posts occasionally barre and yoga videos as well! I love her videos so so much)

Madeleine Abeid

IsaWelly

Pilatesbodyraven

Lidia Mera

Lottie Murphy

Amanda Blauer

Margaret Elizabeth

Jessica Valant Pilates

Bailey Brown

Dansique Fitness

Flow with Mira

Sivi (she's began posting some pilates inspired workouts and to my knowledge is currently getting certified as an instructor)

🩷 Yoga

Yoga with Adriene *

Yoga with Bird

Boho Beuatiful Yoga

🩷 Bodyweight Fitness/Strength/HIIT

Chloe Ting * (I don't like the click bait, but I like the workouts)

Blogilates

Pamela Reif *

Madfit *

Lilly Sabri * (Some of her videos are titled with pilates, but the older ones I used to do were not pilates, so I categorized her here)

Emi Wong

Shirlyn Kim

Vivian Yuan

April Han

growingannanas

growwithjo * (I love her walking workouts)

Hinafit

Mish Choi

Sami Clarke

Elenifit

Coach Kel (she posts what looks like more barre, ballet, pilates inspored/fusion workouts it seems)

Caroline Girvan

TRAIN WITH GAINSBYBRAINS

Daisy Keech

🎀 Current At Home Workout Equipment I Own

Thick Yoga Mat - since I do mainly yoga and pilates my thick yoga may (amazon brand) has served me well. Even tho I am a heavier woman at the moment, I've never had pain or any issues with this mat, and it came with a carry strap which I love! A good, thick workout mat is definitely necessary for working out at home for comfort, safety, etc. Make sure to disinfect it on occasion, especially if you sweat on it a lot!

Resistance Bands - I have about 3 or 4 at different resistance strengths, and they're incredibly useful for a variety of movements, especially lower body ones. They add some extra resistance and make the workouts a bit more challenging when you need something more advanced. I also got mine from Amazon/Walmart a while back. I prefer fabric over rubber because I like to wear workout shorts instead of workout leggings.

Pilates Ball - not a necessity, but useful with some pilates workouts and movements. I have seen sole videos using this, but am not advanced enough to try it on my own yet. Will use for sure once I'm more advanced.

3lb dumbbells - I thought these would be useful for the pilates workouts that had some upper body focus, and as someone who wants to develop a lean and toned upper body, they are perfect for low weight high rep, controlled movements. Again, not advanced enough to use as I want to master my form, but they're gonna come in handy for sure!

Foam Roller - so so good for stretching and muscle recovery on rest days. I love mine but want one that has the bump things on it to help my muscles more. I can imagine how good it'll feel on my legs during a recovery day when I begin wieght lifting again.

Massage Gun - my holy grail for the days I am sore and needing some recovery. my body feels like jelly after using this, and it's just so nice for the days my muscles feel extra tight and super sore.

🎀 Equipment I Want To Buy

Yoga Blocks - these will help me get deeper into the yoga poses once I get more advanced in my practice

Pilates Ring - this honestly looks so fun and challenging to use, I'd love to add it to my collection of useful workout equipment!

Jump Rope - I used to love this as a form of cardio and as long as I don't move into an upstairs apartment, I'm definitely buying one

Pilates Bar - still iffy on this one, it's supposed to mimic a reformer but I want to get better at mat pilates and see if I even end up ever needing or seriously wanting to buy it, its on my list tho

Ankle/Wrist weights - these are gonna be so useful for workouts where hand held dumbbells aren't useful. Want to buy some low weight ones just to help with resistance and extra strength during pilates workouts

Kettlebell weight - I think this would be useful for a workout at home type situation if and when I switch to not doing just pilates and yoga. I know these are useful in their own right, but not needed in my current fitness stage of life.

Core Sliders - these look fun and interesting. They're on my lost for sure, but not sure about the practicality of their use in my life just yet.

That's all that's currently on my at home workout equipment list! As someone who primarily works out at home, the things I currently own are most useful and most of what's on this list is for fun or extra challenge. Just not necessary yet.

hope you enjoyed this list! if you have any questions about my favorite youtuber workout instructors or favorite videos, please feel free to ask, I've tried so many and can give some guidance from my own experience and research.

til next time lovelies 🩷

[katyspersonal]

The best Bloodborne Wiki is a passion project of a single person, is about to get even better + how it can be sustained for years to come!

Hello guys! So like many of you've learned from the post with super good model view of Winter Lantern, recently, on Twitter, Meph announced ( x ) the plan to fill the wiki with very useful, very comprehensive screenshots of the models for bosses, enemies, NPCs and even cut content! The wiki has already been a huge help for lorediggers and artists, but THIS is what we will get:

This page is for Lady Maria and you can check it yourself here: ( x )! It is broken down in the categories of general close-ups of her model, then very high-quality screenshots of every attack during her boss battle and walking, and then raw model!

(I never was able to capture a good look at her using Arcane too like here, for example!)

Winter Lantern page ( x ) is using similar principle!

This is not a secret that very often in Fromsoft games, additional information can be obtained not through descriptions but through visual hints! For example, some people only learned that Winter Lantern's head is made of melted Messengers only now, after a proper look at her model! So, of course getting a proper look at every single character and creature from the game could always be helpful!

This, however, is just a recent highlight for this Bloodborne Wiki! Even prior that, it has been providing invaluable help for the fans! Examples off the top of my head: comprehensive data on what character has what items used or not, great and comprehensive hints and tutorials on upgrades and farming and builds for the players, making every bit of information on Chalice Dungeons and glyphs easily accessible, making datamined NPC sliders of all characters way more accessible and easy to grab and repeat, access to much more obscure models (like Gratia's model), full list of internal filenames and patches progress, making information from physical Bloodborne tutorial book accessible...

There are probably more things to cover that me and others found a great help in, and sometimes we might not even notice! I am sure many people could name at least one way where this wiki has been very helpful, offering raw facts and 100% valid information (and properly sourced whenever someone else helped!) without any speculating, in the most elaborate manner! We should not take it for granted because all this information, found or reshared, was compiled by just one guy out of raw passion for the game! And although this project is not profit-based and Meph is willing to commit to it and pay as much as needed to keep it living, I really still wanted to share the Ko-fi link that exists for anyone who is willing to help sponsoring it!

This is not necessary, and Meph has stated the same, but this project is not only helpful but also really hefty to sustain. The monthly support is only $3 per month, but every little bit not only helps the sustenance, but also knowing how much fans care and simply feeling their support is very significant and sometimes you don't even know how much. Heck, when Meph learned how excited people on Tumblr were about Wiki improving with full compilation of models from every angle.. the reaction was "I am so glad that people still care"! I think everyone who does their best to be useful for the fellow fans needs confirmation that they ARE, for sure, helping!

I just really wanted to get the word out anyways because honestly, none of my super elaborate theories and detailed fanart would've been possible without Meph's Wiki. and also because I am trapped in a clown country where I can't send any international money transfer so the feeling of 'do what I can't' got to me too fsdhfdhs There is no pressure or necessity, but here is the link to anyone who can help and feels the wish to! You've noticed I didn't tag Meph.... since there is no Tumblr account to tag, but again, the Twitter link is also here: ( x )!

[bunnyluvx]

hsr characters and their love languages! ♡

featuring: natasha, welt yang, asta & sampo x gn!reader.

summary: hsr characters and their favorite love language with their partner! <3

warnings: spoilers about natasha if you are a beginner, and spoilers about welt yang.

a/n: hi there everybody!! this is my first official work here on tumblr and to say that i am nervous is such an understatement bc I AM SO SCARED HAHAHA. please be mindful throughout this post that i am not caught up with the game, and am not completely knowledgeable about hi3 or hsr lore. i'm pretty confident that almost all of the characters are in-character, sampo is really the only one i'm unsure of, so apologies in advance. i wanted to give natasha a break bc man she deserves one udbfoein. not proofread btw so have mercy on me for grammatical errors. i may or may not make different parts of this or make platonic/familial versions of how the characters would show their love for their friends/family, so if anyone is interested in that, please let me know!! this is also my first time doing a post like this so please be kind. ;; i'm excited to hopefully make new friends from this!! enjoy all of the fluff! <3

date started: 7:38PM, april 6th, 2024. date finished: 1:56AM. april 8th, 2024.

wc: 2.2k

natasha ♡ quality time.

natasha is always up on her feet, tirelessly working to tend to her patients and taking care of any necessities around the underworld. it is very rare that this woman is able to get a moment's rest, and as the leader of wildfire, she feels as though she cannot show weakness. she has to set an example for all of the children that she takes care of, and all of the underworld's citizens. if she falters, then they will start to worry and panic. she cannot have that. as stressful as her day-to-day life can be, she is incredibly grateful that she is able to help so many people. she loves to tend to the sick and carry out her duties so that she can guide her people to a better future.

however, when it comes to you, she feels as though she can let her guard down, when all of the children are asleep, and all of her duties for the day are done. she flops down onto your shared bed and softly sighs. you would lay by her side, her eyes closed, but she is content knowing that you are close to her. the nights that the two of you spend together are the nights where she feels most at peace. they are one of the moments that she holds of most importance, for they are the moments where she remembers that she is just oh so lucky to have you. whether if it's snuggling in bed together, which she thoroughly enjoys because she gets to snuggle up into your chest and relax, or sharing a meal, what is most important to her is that it is your time together to spend however you wish.

she feels like she can breathe with you near her; you soothe her in ways that no ordinary person could. there is something about your presence that causes every muscle in her body to ease, and she cannot help but smile whenever she sees you. there isn't much time for date nights given her positions, and you working alongside oleg as acting leader surely makes everything much harder, but you two try to make time for nice outings whenever you can because you both love going out to do things together.

to her, it doesn't even matter if you go out to do something. even if the two of you aren't doing anything together. she is just happy with you reading next to her while she's practicing stitching up her teddy bear. or when she's reading through paperwork and you're reorganizing some of the shelves and drawers around the clinic. being in your presence is all she needs in order to feel loved by you.

welt yang ♡ acts of service.

admittedly, welt is quite the romantic. there has always been a part of him that has been fond of the idea of finding someone right for him in this dimension. he never really made a priority for it, he never actively seeked out a partner. it has always been something that every once in a while, he would think of and smile about. it is a very small, personal part of him, but part of him nevertheless. and it blossomed to life when he met you. the part of him that wanted a person to spoil, to care for and to make their every wish came true really came to light.

anytime you say you want or need something, you better believe that he offers to grab it for you. not to say that he doesn't believe that you aren't capable of doing things for yourself; he just likes offering and if you accept, taking out those tasks for you. you want a drink or something to eat? what would you like? he'll get it for you. you're about to enter/exit any building? he's rushing ahead of you to open the door for you. something hurts? where? he'll give you a massage. your room is dirty and you need to clean it? with your permission, he will clean and organize it for you just the way you like it. he'll make sure to put things where he knows you're going to remember them too. you've been feeling down recently? he puts sticky-notes on the bathroom mirror for you to remind you how wonderful you are and how much he loves you. and it is guaranteed that when you are dating welt, that he has drawings in his sketchbook filled with you. he loves every single detail of you, and wants to commit them all to memory. he even made characters for one of his personal animation projects based off of you and him. when he showed them to you to see your reaction, and to gain your approval to have them in the first place, you were smitten and he received many, many kisses to the face.

welt absolutely worships the ground that you walk on. wherever you are, he always makes sure that you are comfortable, happy, healthy and safe. he does everything in his power to take care of you, even though he knows that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. he firmly believes in "actions speak louder than words". he likes to show his dedication and love for you through his actions. he reminds you every single day through his actions just why you fell for him, and he reminds you everyday how much he loves you. he will continue to do so, until the multiverse falls apart.

asta ♡ words of affirmation.

originally i was going to say that her love language is gift giving, seeing as she has so much money, she wants to be able to give as much as she can. she gives money to the space station to help with repairs, so why wouldn't she want to spoil the heck out of you?! however, upon taking a little peak at her lore, she is actually insecure about her riches. i feel as though she wouldn't want you to think that she's some snobby bigshot just because she has a wealthy family, so while she would get gifts for you, she would worry about what exactly she got and how much of it costed, and what you would possibly think of her if you got something that was deemed "too expensive" by society. she doesn't want you to think less of her. so, after looking at the five primary love languages, my next thought was words of affirmation.

asta seems like the type of girlfriend to enjoy both receiving and giving reassurance, kind words and compliments. in her times of stress, what she really needs is for you to put your hand on her shoulder and tell her that she'll figure everything out and that it will be okay. she looks to you with worried eyes, placing her hand over yours. she wouldn't say a word, her eyes tell you what she wants to say. "how can you be so sure? what if i don't figure this out? what if i get kicked off of the space station? what if-" a thousand thoughts run through her head at all times, and when she's stressed, the volume cranks up to one-hundred. it is only with you telling her that it'll be alright, and that you will be by her side the entire time that she is able to feel more at ease. your words mean everything to her.

she also loves to give reassurance. when you are feeling worried or anxious, she is quick to hop in and listen to whatever may be troubling you. she always tells you that it will all work out, and that she is always going to be there for you. she will never leave your side, she says, and she loves you with every ounce of her heart. she also wraps you up in compliments; when you change up your appearance somehow, whether if it's from clothes, hair, make-up or other changes, she will always point it out to you and tell you that she thinks that you are the most beautiful person in the whole world. or, when the two of you are laying together at night, she will tell you just how good of a heart you have. she will tell you how proud she is of you and of the progress that you have made since she first met you. she will tell you just how enthralled she is with you, and how you make her heart want to squeeze and stop in her chest. she will tell you exactly how she feels about you, and it is overwhelmingly lovely, because you know that every word she speaks, she means it from the bottom of her heart. and in turn, you try your best to do the same when you can. she is always grateful to hear your words of praise and adoration for her, even if it's something small. a simple "i'm here for you" will make her happy, because she knows that you mean what you say. gosh, she just loves you so much that she doesn't know how to handle it. your love is genuine, true and real, and speaking of that love to each other makes asta feel like she's floating in a cloud's soft embrace.

sampo koski ♡ gift receiving.

when it comes to showing his affection for you, he is always buying you things whenever he can. jumping from job to job all of the time can lead to strain with his finances, but he is able to make good money often enough to the point where he is able to buy nice gifts for you. he has become used to taking things from people without thinking twice, so when you first started dating, he gave you stolen things. buuuttt you were very unhappy about it; not because of the gift itself, but because of the fact that he stole it. so you told him very firmly that you would not accept anything that he stole. he respected your wishes, of course, and started to buy you things ethically.

receiving gifts became a regular thing for you. sampo would come home after a long day of working around belobog, hand you whatever little trinket he managed to get his handa on and say, "for you, baby~". you are always grateful for everything that he gives you, and one day, you thought to return the favor. so, while you were out and about one day, you saw a really cute pin of a puppy. when you saw it, it automatically made you think of sampo. so, you bought it, and planned to give it to him when he came home that night.

when nighttime rolled around, he busted the doors open and called, "HONEYYY, IIIII'M HOOOOOOME!!~" in a silly way before laughing to himself and taking his shoes off. you rush up to him, the man opening his arms for you as you hop up to hug him. you share a kiss, then move back out of his arms with a little grin on your face. he noticed the look and asked what was up, then you told him that you had a gift for him. he was caught off-guard, admittedly, as he didn't expect such a pleasant surprise. he tried to act humbly at first, telling you that you didn't need to do that for lil ol' sampo! he's the one that supposed to be spoiling you, after all! but you shut that down immediately and insisted that he takes your gift. he couldn't say no to how excited you looked to give him something, he asked what it was, and you told him to close his eyes. he did, and when he opened them, there it was! in your hands was the cutest little puppy pin he has ever seen in his life.

he took a moment to speak or move as his usual cocky attitude melted away. his eyes became glossy and his lip started to tremble. he was so touched by the fact that you were thinking of him so much that you got him a gift. you asked if he was okay, as he never cried around you before, and he quickly wiped his nose and eyes on his sleeve and sniffled. he assured you that he was okay before taking the pin from you and cooing about how cute it was. seriously, it was so freaking adorable, how did you even get your hands on this??? he asked why you chose it for him, and when you told him that it looked like him, he caved and gave you a bone-crushing hug. his sobs were quiet and he sniffled. the idea of you seeing such an adorable little treasure and thinking that you wanted, no, you needed to get it for him just makes his heart crumble in the best way possible. needless to say, he wears that pin everywhere he goes and never takes it off. it is on him at all times, as are all of the other wearable gifts that you got for him after that. he cherishes every single thing that you give him, and he wants to be able to show you that no matter how big or small it is, he will love it forever. just as he will love you.

@BUNNYLUVX ,, all rights reserved. do not copy/plagiarize any of my works or submit it into ai. any and all support is so very appreciated! <3

[meiliarotten]

could you do demo, sniper, heavy and medic with virgin reader?? I have a hc that medic has a big ass corruption kink and the idea of deflowering someone turns him on oh so much. And other mercs are just find readers shyness cute and trying not to hurt you but make you feel good!

Virgin Reader Headcanons (Demo, Heavy, Medic, Sniper)

🔞Minors DNI🔞

The Masterlist

💥 Demoman 💥

Demo definitely finds your shyness cute as hell, and he’ll let you know it too

He loves watching the way you go red from his gentle teasing

I think this would actually be his way of making you feel more at ease, playfully teasing and poking fun at some of the more awkward aspects of sex and first times

He would talk you through the experience, always making sure you're aware and okay with what he’s doing

He’ll probably make you come at least once before the “main event,” either fingering you or going down on you to help you loosen up a bit.

Definitely let him know that you’re enjoying what he’s doing! Feedback, people!

Not only does he enjoy it (*cough* praise kink *cough*) but it also lets him learn exactly what you like

🥊 Heavy 🥊

Caution is this man’s middle name when it comes to this scenario

Heavy “Caution” Weapons Guy. (This was funnier at 3:00 AM)

I am a massive dick Heavy truther, so obviously that factors in here

Not only are you gonna be having sex for the first time but you’re gonna be tackling that

Lube is a must, of course, and this man is about to become the king of foreplay

Lots of communication, and not just verbal, either. Heavy would be super attentive to your body language, taking note of any tension or signs of pain

Once you’re comfortable though, he starts to relax, probably letting you ride him so that you can control the pace while he lays back, admiring you

He is also the king of aftercare. You’re definitely gonna be sore afterwards, but he’ll make sure you feel thoroughly pampered

🏥 Medic 🏥

I feel like Medic, while he’s definitely aware of the delicacies that come with a person’s virginity, would absolutely treat the encounter like an experiment

How do you react to this kind of stimuli? What sensations do you most enjoy? Do you like pain?

Basically this guy’s head is full of questions and hypotheses

Which, to be honest, is how most first times go. It’s all about trial and error.

However, anon, I see your headcanon, and it has given me thoughts!

I think the initial “deflowering” would be a more calculated and gentle encounter

Afterwards though, Medic would definitely try to slowly introduce you to kinkier things- Exhibitionism, impact play, collars, the list goes on!

And of course, he treats all of this like an experiment too, studying you closely throughout every scene, watching your sexuality change and grow

You are a precious little specimen to him

🦘 Sniper 🦘

Foreplay will instantly become a priority

Even if you would prefer to simply jump right in, Sniper would insist on the importance of it

It’s almost like he has a checklist in his head- makeouts, leading to caressing, leading to groping, leading to… etc etc.

It couldn’t possibly be because he’s touch starved, of course not (/s)

While I don’t think he places much stock in “virginity,” he will respect those who do

As such, he’ll put in the effort to make sure your first time is a good experience

He takes this task seriously, but will occasionally find humor in it, especially if you’re the first to laugh

And of course, aftercare and cuddles are a necessity.

[tierras]

hi! sorry this is so abrupt, but i was hoping that you could boost this gofundme campaign. it has been vetted by gazafunds (you can check by searching "help the helpless mother & her 3 children in gaza" in https://gazafunds.com/all). there are also unique photos and videos in their gofundme description!

al-ameen was a three-year-old with leukemia who passed away on may 14th after his family has unable to afford medical treatment. this campaign is for his mother and remaining three siblings: ahmed, rema and mohammed. they have had no source of income since their father went missing months back. this family has already been through unthinkable loss. it's the least we can do to support them in a time of grief and crisis.

here is the link to their campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/financial-help-for-the-family-of-alameen

the campaign goal is extremely reachable at only £15,000. however, it hasn't even reached a third of the goal. i've been promoting al-ameen's family's campaign on my personal blog, but i simply do not have very much reach. it would mean so much if you could share this link!!

hii! thank you for reaching out 🫶🏽 just donated 10£, looking for people to match my donation and if you can't, pls reblog and share!

as anon🕊️ mentioned above, Al-Ameen was a 3 year old with Leukemia who passed away on 5/14. currently Al-Ameen's mother and 3 siblings have no source of income since their father went missing 5 months ago during the family's effort to flee from South Gaza to Rafah. all donations will completely reach Al Ameen's family and will be used to buy food, water and everyday necessities.

[storytellerslense]

JJ Maybank character analysis

The meaning of the gun

"I got this thing, you know, to protect us" (JJ Maybank, Season 1, Episode 3)

At the start of the Pilot we see JJ Maybank as a funny, imaginative, rebellious guy who, although doesn't really think through the consequences of his actions, seems quite harmless.

However, his personality becomes a bit darker and erratic after he steals a loaded gun. He gets literally obsessed with always carrying it around and, to the dismay of the Pogues, does not hesitate to show it off for intimidation.

The possession of the gun holds a deep symbolic meaning for JJ Maybank, which goes far beyond the simple necessity of self-defense. Psychologically it can be described as "compensation" and a "defense mechanism." These terms describe how individuals use symbolic objects or behaviors to cope with inner conflicts or to make up for a lack of control in their lives.

The gun as a symbol for power and control

For JJ, who grows up in an environment where he has little control over his own life and safety, the gun symbolizes the opportunity to regain control. The gun gives him the feeling that he can protect himself and his friends.

Also, JJ is the one who faces the most oppression from many sides—whether it's from his abusive father, societal stigmas, or conflicts with the Kooks. Owning a gun represents a form of power that he otherwise lacks. It serves as a means for him to defend himself against those who oppress him.

In a powerful scene in Season 1, JJ points the gun at his abusive father and later breaks down crying to his friends: "I can't take it anymore... I was gonna kill him!"

The gun as an expression of JJ's inner conflicts

JJ's decision to possess a gun is an expression of his inner anger and desperation. The weapon represents his deep-seated frustration and his drive to combat the feelings of helplessness that overwhelm him due to his familial and social circumstances. It also expresses JJ's self-destructive tendencies. His willingness to take extreme measures highlights the depth of his emotional pain and despair.

The gun as a proof of coming of age

For JJ, forced to grow up early due to parentification, the gun also symbolizes his claim to independence and maturity. It is a means through which he can prove himself as capable and adult, someone who can protect himself and others.

Because he is often not taking seriously, JJ believes that possessing a gun will earn him more respect. It is an attempt to strengthen his position in the social hierarchy and assert his autonomy.

"(...) Remind you that I am the only one who can properly defend us." (JJ Maybank, Season 1)

The key moment of JJ losing his weapon

In "Outer Banks" Season 2, Episode 4 JJ Maybank finally gives up his weapon. It happens when the Pogues are about to get cornered by the police. JJ brandishes his gun in order to assert control over the situation. Recognizing this, John B steps in by assertively taking the gun out of JJ's hand, letting it fall to the ground, gently reassuring him, that he is going to be ok.

This message was extremely important for JJ, lifting the heavy weight of responsibility finally off his shoulders. JJ, being usually prepared to constantly put his own life on the line for the well-being of his father or his friends in order to "earn" their love and respect, was now protected and guided himself by his best friend.

"It's gonna be alright." (John B., Season 2, Episode 4)

After a short moment of indecisiveness and shock, JJ gives in and completes the act by quickly kicking dirt over the gun, so it stays hidden before the police can find it.

This is one of the most powerful, though underrated scenes in Outer Banks, because it really marks a key moment of JJ's personal development. It signifies his willingness to confront his inner demons: giving up control- for once not relying on himself but really trusting someone else's judgement. He is also accepted and cared for without having to proof himself or fulfill someone else's needs beforehand.

[lonelybiscuits]

Wizard kill count

The wizards of the black circle, canonically, have not killed anyone. Yup, they just locked the fairies away (along with Yllidith but idc about him). Even during battles with the winx, no casualties happened. BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT NABU— he’s comatose, but not dead. I double checked the wiki and found nothing claiming him to be deceased.

However I do think that accidents may have happened along the way. Just my personal opinion though.

1. Duman: this man seems reckless, and was absolutely ready to do the most from episode 1—you know WHEN HE TRIED TO EAT FLORA— anyway, I’m sure there were many times in the beginning he accidentally went too far.

2. Gantlos: no matter how you perceive him, his power is dangerous. Quite literally the wizard of destruction. And I doubt he was always 100% in control of his powers, so I’m sure a good number of people fell to it.

3. Ogron: I am sure Ogron may have intentionally offed a few people. “Do what it takes” is probably how he figured it, but the reason he’s not number one is because he actively tried to avoid a scenario where killing was necessary. Any death he inflicted was calculated and deemed a necessity for the survival of his team or the end goal.

4. Anagan: killed maybe one or two people on accident I’m sure, but not nearly as many as the others. His powers don’t seem built for violence, they seem built mostly for endurance, he also just doesn’t seem as strong as the others.

[hexgaywire]

LUXIEM Bedtime Routine

Writing type: Headcanons

Rating: SFW

Total Word count: 1036≈(before edits)

Other notes: Implied some sort of established relationship with the reader (you can interpret as platonic or romantic, it's up to you)

Featured?: Ike, Myta, Vox, Luca, and Shu

Author comment: HA! with a blog name like mine you'd expect a XSOLEI headcanons first but gotta keep them guessing ig.... Please enjoy;; my headcanons are a stream of my consciousness if anything; I haven't written anything publicly in like a year ahaha (killme)

Disclaimer and Reminder; this is based on the characters made by NIJISANJI, not the people behind the character voicing them. If in the future the person expresses or states that fics of this nature makes them uncomfortable I will 100% remove this or anything I write about the characters involved.

Bedtime routine:

Always has a cup of sleepy time tea before bed

Will force you to drink one too (because you both have no sleep schedule <3)

For nights where you both go to sleep on time, skin care routine

Hear me out.... I'm talking face masks, creams the full sends baby

Once all of that is taken care of y'all will eventually change into whatever you sleep in (Oliver-sensei outted Ike the other day for sleeping in only boxers lmfao but that's not relevant)

He will spend at least an hour reading in bed before falling asleep, be prepared with a sleeping eye mask maybe?

Or start a night time books club with him because he will not change this

He is a novelist after all

Once he's done reading and the glasses come off, one of two things will happen

He will fall asleep immediately

Or you guys will be up for the majority of the night talking about deep stuff

You know those sleepovers you have with your homies where it gets deep, that's what I mean

Regardless what time you pass out you are sure to sleep safe next to Ike!

Extras:

Ike doesn't strike me as a guy who likes to cuddle in bed, if anything you accidently snuggle up to him he'll shuffle away from you

He sometimes will fall asleep at his desk which is a habit he only started since streaming, back when he was novelist he didn't have this problem for some reason

Ike sleeps with like one blanket? I hope you like the cold &lt;3

Bedtime routine:

I feel like Mysta's bedtime routine is a wildcard, you never know what he's gunna be doing to eventually end up in bed

You brush your teeth and he goes "OoOOoh I knew I was forgetting to do something."

Sleeping feels more like a chore to him then a necessity

You'll catch this man up at 3 am playing Minecraft and he'll still be like "Oh shit, is it bedtime?"

He's a piece of work to even get him to start to migrate towards the bedroom

Once he finally changes and lays down; he's kind of like Ike, where he'll immediately pass out or will spend hours talking to you

However the conversations are more like "Why is cheddar cheese orange do you think?"

GOOGLE IT IDK I'M TIRED

Once he finally falls asleep he 100% mumbles in his sleep, you find it endearing as you slip on a pair of headphones or earplug's

Extras:

Opposed to Ike; you will wake up either cuddling or being cuddled by Mysta

Despite the struggle to get this man into bed, he sleeps better next to someone

Known to occasionally sleep walk

You found him in the bathtub one time it was kinda scary

He firmly denies this ever happened

Bedtime Routine:

Vox is very ritualist when it comes to bedtime

He's also a very sleepy demon and enjoys maximizing his sleep to its full extent

So with him it's very "no nonsense"

He takes a shower

Blow-dries and cares for his hair

He brushes his teeth (While still in a towel)

Again h e a r m e o u t....

He's a voice demon that came back to life, he has a skincare routine for bedtime (Still in a towel btw)

All luxury products of course

After that he change into something comfy

For some reason after all of that this man sleeps in mismatched socks like a sociopathy

Once y'all lay down he'll watch some stupid memes on his phone of a bit or do some light reading

There is no in between

Once he's done however he is out like a light, usually within an arms reach of you

Extras:

Similarly to Mysta, you will wake up in his arms

It's funny because he insists it's entirely your doing

On the rare occasions where he can't sleep he'll get up and cook something

He says it helps him relax

The delicious aroma however wakes you up and the two of you share a lovely midnight snack

Bedtime Routine:

Luca tends to stay up really late

This is partial because of old work habits (if no ones awake to see you get rid of a body then it isn't a problem)

Luca like Vox though has bit of a ritualist bedtime getting ready routine though

Shower

Brush teeth

Change

Without fall no matter how late into the night (morning) it is

Once in bed, he crashes

The man is out like a light

I think because his bedroom is definitely his own space he feels at ease and can just doze off

It does help that he has a very nice bed I guess too

Once again you know you can sleep safe next to Luca, he wouldn't let anything disturb you

Extras:

Like Mysta, Luca does occasionally talks in his sleep, but not nearly as loud as Mysta does

He doesn't strike me as the cuddling type either, i think if you tired it wake him up

Despite being able to sleep easily he also wakes up super easily

Again probably due to his pat

Fear not though, once Luca let's his gaurd down again he passses out pretty quickly again

Bedtime routine:

Shu, like Ike, has a big cup of tea before bed

He swears up and down that drinking something warm before bed gets you to sleep faster

He's also diligent with his night time hygiene needs

Once again; for the final time, I'm asking you to hear me out

Skin

Care

Routine

You cannot sit here and tell Mr. Shu Sorcerer Yamino (eyyyyyyyyy) doesn't take good care of his skin

Off track but anyway

Kind of like Luca, once he's in bed he is out

I also feel like Shu snores but like not loud? It's kinda like white noise (like listening to ocean??)

Sleep well sweet sorcerer

Extras:

Shu is also not a cuddler, he's more the type to like accidently fall out of bed if you snuggle up to him

He doesn't like feeling the extra body heat on him while he sleeps

Off topic again but he also has a strict morning routine which consists of him getting up early

He's be trying to get you on board but like sleep ya know?

(My request are open plz send me some)

[where-theres-smoak-2]

HOTD 2X01 Review/Thoughts (SPOILERS!)

Finally got to watch 2x01 of HOTD and I must say, it was an ok episode. I feel like this was more of a catch up episode, establishing where all the characters are after the events of the season 1 finale, but it wasn't my favourite episode, it was a bit slow and underwhelming at times and there were other moments where it was just too rushed, but I am hoping the action will pick up more as the season goes on, as I said I think this episode was just kind of showing us the aftermath of s1 ep 9 and 10. But anyway lets get into my thoughts on the episode, as I always say before every review, these are just my own thoughts and opinions and this is your official spoiler warning.

New Opening Credits

So we got some new opening credits, it was cool, a tapestry that is slowing being soaked in blood and showing what I think were scenes from targaryen history and scenes of the dance itself. Like I said it was very cool to look at. However, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but I think I preferred the original credits with the old valyria model and rivers of blood and I kind of miss that title card. I think the original title card showed the bloodlines more, it was almost like a family tree with each cog representing a character. The new title card is more focused on historical events. I think both are interesting to look at though.

The North

I liked the start of the episode and how it showed us a raven, one the was bearing the news of lucerys' death, flying through the north. It was good to see the north again and I found it really interesting to learn that in the past house stark would send one in every ten of their men to the night's watch to keep their numbers boosted and how it was seen as an honour. It was an interesting comparison to the night's watch in GOT which was mostly made up of criminals who were looking for an alternative to being jailed or executed. It showed how over time as the belief in the white walkers existence faded so too did the fear of them and the belief of the night's watch's necessity.

Another thing I liked was Cregan Stark pointing out that the old king in the north knelt to Aegon the conqueror out of fear. I personally feel like both in the show and in the fandom there's this romanticisation of Aegon the conqueror and people seem to think that the lords and kings of Westeros bent the knee to him because they believed he was a good and just man who would unite the realm if he was king. When lets be honest when Aegon first arrived in Westeros nobody knew what kind of man he was or what kind of king he would be, all they knew was that he and his sister wives had three big ass dragons that would burn them all to ash if they resisted him. I spent years studying history, through school, college and university, and one thing that was always drummed into us is that history is written by the victors, so when looking at historical sources we are taught to assess three things, 1 is the source contemporary ie were they there at the time to witness it themselves, 2 is the source accurate and consistent with other sources and 3 does the source have a bias ie whose side was the source on etc. Considering Aegon the Conqueror was the victor it makes sense that he would have everyone saying that he was a good and just king and that's why people bent the knee and would gloss over the part where he was eradicating entire bloodlines and houses as he went around on his dragon burning anyone who got in his way, he won Westeros with fear, fire and blood. Just to be clear I am not saying that Aegon wasn't a good king but just that we shouldn't forget that he was also a conqueror from another land who invaded on a dragon and did some pretty horrific things in order to get the crown.

So I liked that conversation between Cregan and Jace where Cregan pointed this out and I think he also did it in a very diplomatic way. I also think it makes sense that they both have different views on that historical event, Jace knows the victor's version being an ancestor of Aegon means the sources he had access to were the ones that showed Aegon in a positive light, its possible those sources were contemporary to the time but not necessarily to the place and might not have been first hand witnesses, they also likely would have been written by the supporters of the Aegon so would have a bias. Cregan on the other hand would have access to sources written by the northerners, some who may even have physically been there to witness the event, and so would know that the northern king bent the knee in order to safe his people from being burnt by the hundreds and not the targaryen propaganda that it was because they considered Aegon to be the person to unite the realm. I just thought that conversation was interesting. I do wish we could have spent more time with Cregan and Jace in the north.

The Blacks and Their Grief.

Ok so I'm not going to lie, I was in tears almost every time team black were on screen, they were all really feeling their grief at Lucerys' death and it was so painful to watch. Some moments in particular that really hit me hard were:

When Corlys is given the dagger that he had made for Lucerys, it was such a simple moment but it was played so well, like you can see the grief and pain in Corlys' eyes as he looks at the dagger and its just a gut punch.

When Rhaenyra finds arrax's wing and Lucerys' cloak on the beach and she just sinks to her knees and weeps, this moment I just couldn't deal with it, I was full on weeping right with her. Just the complete despair and heartbreak, emma really did an amazing job. They played it so well. First when she sees the fishermen in the distance you can see that flash of pure rage, then when she approaches the wing she has that moment of realisation that Rhaenys was telling Daemon about earlier, that her son really and truly is dead and you see her grief take over as she just collapses and sobs, then there's the moment when Syrax responds to Rhaenyra's grief and pain by letting out her own roar of grief. Just that whole scene really got to me.

The next moment that had me bawling was the moment Jace returns and goes to meet Rhaenyra. There was that tiny moment between him and Baela were she rubs his shoulder before leaving, but then you have Jace trying his hardest to hold it together while telling Rhaenyra that he got the Vale's support and that Cregan was sending men and he's just slowly breaking down along with rhaenyra and she just comes over and wraps him in such a tight hug. I knew when I saw that still it was going to be tough to watch but it was somehow even more heartbreaking than I imagined it being. I think it was the way Jace slowly broke down as opposed to him just coming in and immediately crying, it was his effort of trying to hold it together for his mother. Also the way he just collapsed into his mother's arms when he couldn't hold it in anymore. Ok I've got to stop because I am getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

Then there was the funeral scene. Just the fact that they were burning his clothes and toy because they didn't even have his body to burn already made it more heartbreaking, but then seeing the grief and pain of all those who loved Lucerys. Seeing Rhaena crying because that was her betrothed and she was so happy when their engagement was announced and she must have imagined them having a happy life together and now that is all gone along with Lucerys. Then there was Jace, I swear Jace really is the main cause of my pain this episode, the way he picked up joffrey to help him throw the toy onto the pyre and the way he held him and cupped his face, I just ahhh, Aemond Targaryen when I find you I swear.

Daemon and His Grief

Ok so I want to talk about Daemon separately here because I haven't been in the HOTD tag yet as I've only just finished watching the episode and I wanted to write this review while it was still all fresh in my mind, but I suspect I already know what I am going to find and it'll be a load of posts talking about how heartless and unfeeling Daemon is about his stepson's death and how all he cares about is the war and he's blaming everyone else la di da di da. But here's the thing, in my opinion its the complete opposite. It not that Daemon is heartless and doesn't care about Lucerys, he cares too much, this is how Daemon processes grief, it was the same when his brother and unborn daughter died. The way Daemon deals with his grief is by going into protective mode, his mind is set on one goal right now and that is to ensure the safety of Rhaenyra and the rest of his family. We saw him do this after Viserys' death his immediate course of action was ensuring there were dragon's patrolling Dragonstone so that his family was safe. His plan here is similar and actually makes sense too, Vhagar is the main threat to his family right now, so going and killing Vhagar and her rider will not only serve to protect his family from that threat but will also allow him to exact revenge on Aemond for Lucerys death. Daemon couldn't protect his brother and he couldn't protect and save his unborn daughter, and he couldn't protect Lucerys, he has, like rhaenyra and the rest of the blacks, had loss after loss after loss, all in the space of a few days. Of course he is reeling from it and is frustrated by it, the thing that Daemon struggles with the most is feeling useless and helpless and being inactive so honestly his actions in this episode make perfect sense for his character.

So let's talk about the whole him blaming everyone else for Lucerys death. Firstly when he tells Rhaenys that if she had acted at the coronation then Aegon's line would have been wiped out and Luke would still be alive. Honestly here he does have a point and lets be honest we were all saying the same thing after that episode aired, I mean there was a collective frustration at that scene because they were right there, one moment, one dracarys and the war would have been avoided. Personally I blame the writing but for arguments sake lets look at it from the character's pov. I did understand where Rhaenys was coming from when she said it wasn't her war to start, she doesn't have foresight so she couldn't have known that Luke's death was coming and I am sure looking back part of her now regrets not acting. But if she had acted she would have been a kinslayer herself and the whole thing is a complicated mess. However I can also understand that in his own grief and pain Daemon is looking for someone to blame, its a natural part of grief to be honest, and so I can see why he was frustrated that Rhaenys didn't take that opportunity to kill the greens.

I think its that same reasoning when he says to Erryk that he had the opportunity to kill Aegon and didn't. Again I can see both sides, because yeah Erryk could have killed Aegon and that might have averted the war or they might have put Aegon's son or Aemond on the throne instead. Erryk also had an excellent point when he said that he swore an oath as a king's guard to protect the royal family so what was he supposed to do when that family turned on each other, again complicated mess of a situation. The point is that its all woulda, shoulda, coulda, and its pointless dwelling on it, however its also a natural response to a situation like this and to grief, so to me it makes sense that Daemon is displaying these very normal, natural and human emotions in his time of grief.

However I think the person who really hit the nail on the head when it comes to Daemon's behaviour is Mysaria. When he turns the blame and anger on her and blames her for not doing anything to stop the coronation and for giving Aegon back to the greens she tells him that he is directing his anger at her because the ones he is really angry at are out of his reach. My god when she said this I was just like, yes exactly. It was so on point with what I was thinking myself. He really blames Aemond and the Greens for Lucerys death, for Rhaenyra's throne being usurped and everything else that has happened, his anger is really with Aemond and the Greens, but at this moment he can't get to Aemond and the Greens, he knows that Aemond, Vhagar and The Greens are a threat to his surviving family too, but he can't get to them and so he can't protect his family and all of this is making him feel useless and helpless and more and more frustrated and, as we all know from season one, a angry and frustrated Daemon is a Daemon that lashes out.

This is also reaffirmed for me when we see Daemon's reaction to Rhaenyra saying that she wants Aemond, this is it, the moment he was waiting for, the moment where he now has permission and orders to go after the person who he is truly angry with and who he truly blames, finally he has something to do and that is why he has that smile/smirk as Rhaenyra is walking away.

Rhaenys

There are a couple of moments here that I want to talk about some good, some bad, or more where I can see where the writers were coming from but it just didn't make sense for me. The first thing is when Rhaenys says that she thinks its a good thing that Rhaenyra isn't acting out of vengeance, this was obviously a dig at Daemon and she was basically saying that he is hot headed for wanting to go hunt down Vhagar and Aemond and he was letting vengeance influence his actions whereas Rhaenyra is showing restraint etc. And I get the message the writers are trying to get across here, revenge bad, revenge leads to more trouble, war bad, think things through carefully blah blah blah. But let's be real here this comment is stupid because the only reason Rhaenyra isn't seeking revenge right now is because she is too lost in her grief and in searching for Lucerys' remains to act on her revengeful feelings, its not a case of Rhaenyra is angry but she is showing restraint anyway situation, I mean the moment she finds arrax's remains and knows for sure that her son is dead she is right in her vengeful 'I want Aemond Targaryen' era.

Another line I didn't think made much sense was the 'if only you were king' line, again I get it is supposed to be a badass moment for Rhaenys, ain't no man going to tell her what to do, the problem is umm Daemon kind of is the king, well the king consort at least, right? Not only that but in the conversation before this line they establish that Rhaenyra is absent/indisposed and as we saw from season one when Viserys was indisposed its usually the hand and the consort who give the commands and run things. So Daemon as consort would be able to give commands in Rhaenyra's absence, so that makes the line fall a little flat, as Daemon gives a command which as Consort during the absence of the ruling monarch is a perfectly reasonable thing to do and Rhaenys response was kind of oh if only you were in a position of power where you could give out commands, except he is in a position of power where he can give out commands. To be clear I'm not saying that Rhaenys wasn't right to refuse to go to King's Landing without Rhaenyra's say so, I just think the line was a little too on the nose. I mean they could have written it differently and still got the same effect, I take no commands but from the queen herself, I'll not act until the queen returns etc. They've done this a few times with Rhaenys where they give her these lines that are kind of like a mouthpiece for their own political views and opinions but it often comes across as too forced in my opinion, kind of shoehorned in. Rhaenys is already a badass female dragon rider they really don't need to force it.

One scene I did really like though was the one where Rhaenys talks about what it was like for her to receive news of Laena's death through a raven and how she spent weeks unable to accept it was true, that it was only once she saw her child's remains that she was able to accept the fact and that was what Rhaenyra was currently going through. I thought it was interesting that you could see the joint grief her and Daemon were sharing at the mention of Laena, I mean you see Daemon's entire demeanour change at the mention of Laena's name. I also thought it was interesting that Rhaenys used such a vulnerable and personal example to help Daemon understand what Rhaenyra is going through. It was a really interesting moment between those two characters and I do wonder if its because Rhaenys can relate to not just what Rhaenyra is feeling at the moment but also what Daemon is, after Laena's death Rhaenys too found people and things to place the blame on, she blamed the maesters of essos believing they weren't qualified enough to save Laena, but she mostly blamed Daemon for not letting Laena come home when really it was just a crappy situation, complications in childbirth and she could have still lost her life even if she was at driftmark. So I think she can understand Daemon's frustration at not being able to do anything and failing to protect Lucerys but also how in his anger he is blaming whoever he can in an attempt to make sense of his loss. But she also isn't going to put up with his crap either and that's what we love about her.

Aegon The Magnanimous.

One thing this episode did make me sure of is despite his best efforts, Aegon is so not cut out to be King. Like it was nice that he wanted to give the sheep back etc, but I didn't get the impression he really knows much about ruling, he didn't seem to think about it much before giving an answer, it was just yes of course you can have your sheep back but then Otto had to remind him that the crown needs those sheep to feed the dragons who are now exerting more energy flying patrols and in the war etc, so Aegon had to take his word back which isn't a great look. Then there was in incident in the small council where he brought his son jaehaerys, who was clearly too young to be at the meeting and just caused distractions. Don't get me wrong the kid was cute and it was kind of funny seeing Tyrell struggling with the kid, but Aegon's suggestion that Tyrell give him a pony ride was not good. As king you don't want to be humiliating members of your small council and this could definitely be seen as an act of humiliation which is why Alicent had to step in to avoid a problem coming up and to diffuse the situation.

We also see that he is rather hot headed as his response to any problems seems to be lets just send Vhagar and our other dragons to burn them all to ash and again Alicent had to interfere and point out that it wasn't the best course of action.

It was also kind of funny to me that you had Larys whispering in Aegon's ear that Otto was controlling him just like he did with Viserys who was seen as a push over and he didn't want to be see the same way as his father, as someone who is pushed around and controlled by others. Yet the whole episode and even in this moment with Larys we see Aegon being controlled and managed by others. I do wonder if he will at any point start pushing back and ignoring everyone else's advice, even if its good advice.

All of that being said one thing I will say is it does seem to me that Aegon at least wants to try and be a good king. But he just doesn't seem to have any idea what he is doing, he thinks he needs to keep the small folk happy, which is true keeping the small folk happy is important but you also have to measure that up against other elements and factors such as feeding your dragons. It's a balance. He also thinks that its important to prepare his heir for when they take the throne, again true, but again he doesn't realise that Jaehaerys is just too young to be at a council meeting and isn't going to learn anything beneficial there just yet and he also removed him from his classes in order to take him to the council meeting when the classes are something that would benefit him right now, small council meetings come later when they are old enough to understand what is actually happening. As cute as it was to see Aegon so happy and delighted with his son, this was a miss-step on his part.

I feel like ultimately Otto and the others spent so much time plotting to put Aegon on the throne and not enough time actually preparing him to be on the throne. Also the fact that Rhaenyra was the named heir is playing a factor in this, because she was the named heir she was the one attending small council meetings and who ruled over dragonstone and so has an understanding and training in how to rule, Aegon wasn't the named heir and so never attended the meeting or given any experience ruling, he was given no formal training at all and I think Otto is starting to realise the repercussions of that.

Alicent and Cole

Honestly I can't say I was that surprised that these two got together, all the way back in episode 1x01 it seemed like Alicent had a bit of a crush on Criston and there was definitely some tension between them in the 1x09 where she says everything you feel for me as your queen scene, however I am in two opinions on this one because on one hand I'm like good for Alicent, she took control of her own sexuality and had a pleasurable experience, or many experiences possibly seeing as we don't know how long this has gone on for, with a partner of her choosing. But then I think about all the times she and Cole slut-shamed Rhaenyra for having sex outside of marriage, of the fact that Alicent is now doing the very thing that she judged Rhaenyra for back in 1x04, something that she then pretty much publicly declared war on rhaenyra at her engagement party over, I remember how Cole reacted so strongly to the suggestion that he and rhaenyra could continue with their intimate relationship in private with anger and accused her of making him her whore and that he had sullied his white cloak and yet here he is conducting an intimate relationship with the queen and I guess continuing to sully his white cloak and I'm like HYPOCRITES! But then I sit and think about it some more and I realise that Alicent and Cole have always been hypocrites and this is old news, honestly that white cloak of criston's is just seeped in blood and hypocrisy at this point, so honestly on point for their characters.

I also think there was an interesting parallel in that in 1x04 we see Rhaenyra helping Criston remove his King's guard uniform and cloak and in this episode we see Alicent helping him put it back on. With Rhaenyra it was him making that choice to shed the uniform and forsake his oath so that he could be intimate with Rhaenyra, almost like he was shedding that identity as a pure, dutiful and honest King's Guard, here he is continuing to forsake his oath and so to me it felt like Alicent was helping him put a costume or disguise back on, like he's getting back into playing the role of a King's guard.

I am curious to see where they take this relationship as it already seems like they feel some conflicting feelings over it, on one side they clearly have an attraction to each other, it feels good when they are intimate and they have that pull towards each other, but they also seem to have that guilt as well, Cole for breaking his oath and Alicent because of her religious views around sex and marriage etc. I feel like that guilt is going to increase even more giving the end of the episode.

Blood and Cheese

Ok so I haven't read the books but I did get spoiled a week or two ago on some of the details around blood and cheese, I am going to put a quick book spoiler warning here because I am going to discuss the book version of Blood and Cheese so if you don't want to know that info skip to the *. What I knew going into the episode was that Aegon's son is killed by assassin's hired by Daemon in an act of revenge for Lucerys death. That was it. After watching the episode I did do a quick google search and read the wiki page covering this event because I was curious to know how it happened in the book. In the book it is so much more horrifying because Helaena has three children not two and has to choose between her two sons as to who dies. She chooses the younger one but blood and cheese instead kill the older, Jaehaerys and so not only does Helaena have to live with this horrific choice she was forced to make but her son Maelor also knows that his mother chose him to die. The whole situation is just awful. However in the show it was really underwhelming.

*Before the episode aired I made a post explaining how I was worried that blood and cheese wouldn't make that much of an impact because the writers didn't spend enough time with Aegon's son and children for us as an audience to gain a personal attachment to them and unfortunately I think that is still true. There were also alot of posts talking about how blood and cheese was going to be HOTD's version of the red wedding which I think made the scene even more underwhelming. With the red wedding we had spent three seasons with the characters involved, we were strongly attached to them and on top of that the scene was brutal and bloody and very, very shocking. This scene didn't even come close to being comparable.

Not only did we not have a personal attachment as an audience to Jaehaerys, we had only gotten a few minutes of him in this episode which were cute but not enough to make a strong attachment, but the scene just seemed very rushed and they removed a lot of the more horrific and shocking elements of the book, it was very tamed down. I kind of got what they were trying to do but they failed massively.

So lets talk about it from the beginning, Daemon's role in it. You know what, after learning about b+c, I was talking to a friend about the show and all the 'accidents' that happened last season like luke's death etc and I joked that if it was team green that had orchestrated blood and cheese then the writers would somehow make it an accident, like they would hire someone to just scare the greens but the guy would trip and accidently cut off Jaehaerys head or something, which didn't happen but they still made it a mistake which I low key find hilarious. I mean the scene is ambiguous I guess. But Daemon is actually after Aemond, which to me does make more sense in terms of getting revenge for Lucerys death as Aemond is the one that actually killed him, so I would think Daemon's retaliation would be against him directly. But then there is that moment where they ask what if they can't find Aemond and Daemon doesn't respond and they cut away so you don't know for sure what he said. They do this alot with Daemon's character, like they cut away from the heir for a day speech so we don't know if he really said it or even how he said. I think Matt may have confirmed that he did say it but it was more in a sorrowful way and to honour his lost nephew and not to celebrate his death, but I am not 100% sure on that so don't quote me. They also cut away when he killed Rhea Royce so we don't know for absolute sure that he killed her, but I mean it seems obvious that he did considering we see him pick up a rock and I think the writers and ryan have said that he did. But now they've done it again here and at first it was kind of interesting and made his character a bit of mystery, but honestly now its starting to feel a bit like lazy writing. But hey that's just may opinion.

As for what I think Daemon's response to the question was, I really don't know. There was one moment where blood, I think it was blood anyway, says you heard the prince no head no money, which made me think ok well then that was what Daemon's response was, what if we can't find Aemond, no head no money, that simple and then Blood and Cheese just decided to kill Jaehaerys because cheese got caught by Helaena and there was a male targaryen there so this will have to do, we've been seen now so we've got to wrap this up quick if we want to also get away and claim our money.

But then we also hear Blood say it has to be a son for a son, which is makes it more ambiguous because again we didn't see this part of the conversation so we don't know if Daemon also said no head no money and then added but if you don't find Aemond any male will do just make it a son for a son. Personally I don't think it really makes sense for Daemon to be happy with anyone else's head, I mean his whole attention up to this point was on killing Vhagar and Aemond, Rhaenyra specifically said she wants Aemond and it was in response to this that Daemon went out and hired blood and cheese in the first place. I personally don't think Daemon would settle for just anyone else's head so long as it was a son. Daemon just does not seem like the kind of person who settles so to me the more likely scenario is this, Daemon goes to blood and tells him to bring him Aemond's head, even goes so far as to describe what Aemond looks like and points out that he shouldn't be hard to spot. He gives him half the money and promises the other half once the deed is done, blood asks what if he can't find Aemond and Daemon's response is basically find him or else you ain't getting no more money and maybe says something like he said to rhaenys like I'm making it a son for a son, or it must be a son for a son, meaning nothing is acceptable but aemond's head and the son part is only in reference to aemond saying an eye for an eye before killing Luke. Blood and cheese enter the keep, cheese stumbles into the children's quarters and is caught by heleana, realising that they have little time now that they've been seen blood figures well Daemon said that thing about a son for a son, completely misinterpreting it and thinking so he'll be ok with it being this son's head instead of Aemond's. I mean I'll be honest blood and cheese did not seem like the brightest bulbs in the box so I could see them thinking Daemon would be happy with this alternative. But as I said the writers made it really ambiguous so who the hell knows what really happened, I mean we as the audience don't need all the details anyway right.

Ok so lets talk about the actual scene itself. As I said above I do kind of understand what they were trying to do here. they still wanted helaena to make a difficult choice and so they added this whole thing about how the twins look exactly alike and so you can't tell which is which, so this creates the situation where Helaena has to choose to tell blood and cheese which one is the boy, so basically they've changed the choice to Helaena has to choose whether to save the boy or the girl, maybe they changed this to make some commentary on how more value is put into boys than girls, I guess. It's still a heartbreaking choice for Helaena to make, she is put into this position because they've threatened to kill them all if she doesn't tell them, so its basically she chooses to tell them which one is the boy and her child dies or all of them die. She tries offering them her necklace and tells them its very valuable which makes sense in that she's aware they've been paid or will be paid and so she is hoping that the value of the necklace will spare her children. However they just take the necklace so she still has to make the choice. I do think they played Helaena's terror and horror at what was happening very subtly, she wasn't screaming or begging really, she seemed very disassociated from the situation but you could still see the terror there in her eyes.

When she runs to Alicent and tells her they killed the boy I did, at first, think it was odd that she said the boy and not like her boy or her son, like she wasn't sobbing saying they killed my boy, she looked shellshocked and said the boy. Then I realised why she said this. When she makes the choice and she points at Jaehaerys, blood says she is lying that she wouldn't give up the heir that easily. Which I think is actually true, I think her actual choice was the girl but she knew that blood and cheese wouldn't believe her, that they would assume she was lying, so she choose to sacrifice the girl but believed that if she pointed to the girl that blood and cheese would think she was lying and kill the other one, the boy. So instead she pointed to the boy thinking blood and cheese would then kill the girl. Hoping that I'm making sense here. But cheese then realises that this is what Helaena is trying to do and they kill the boy. So when Helaena says 'they killed the boy' she actually means it as I chose the girl but they killed the boy. Almost like they killed the wrong one, not that I am saying Helaena wanted her daughter to die obviously she didn't want any of her children to die but I think she was just in shock because she was confronted with this choice save the girl or save the boy, she chose to save the boy but he was killed anyway and so now she's just on the floor rocking the child that lived and trying to process through this trauma and process what just happened, so its more like she's telling herself, they killed the boy and she can't really believe that it really happened, I think the term the boy really is because of that choice she was presented with, the horror of having to choose between her children was so traumatic that its just there in her mind, if I am making sense.

Another possibility is that it seems like Helaena may have seen a vision of this happening, she says to Aegon that she is afraid of the rats and I think this is clearly in relation to blood and cheese, seeing as cheese is a rat catcher and they come in posed as rat catchers. So its possible that she had a vision but it only showed her up to the point of her making the choice. She saw herself in the vision choosing to save her son and sacrifice her daughter so her fear was that her daughter was going to die at the hands of 'the rats'. But then when her vision comes to pass it is actually her son that is killed and so as she is trying to process everything she is thinking about how she had expected and maybe even partly prepared herself for her daughter to die but then they kill the boy and this just completely breaks her mind.

All of this being said, when it comes to the scene as a whole, as I said, it was underwhelming and it felt rushed, the sounds of Jaehaerys being killed as helaena ran from the room clutching her other child was the only moment that particularly had an effect on me when I was watching it. Like that was disturbing to me and I felt that horror starting to creep in but that was then totally thrown away when Helaena runs into Alicent's room and Alicent is literally riding Cole, so Helaena who is already traumatised and is clutching a young child, then panics again and tries to turn away but like where the hell is she supposed to go, her son is literally being murdered as they speak, she's under threat and trying to get her child to safety and then she walks in on that, knows its supposed to be a secret and not something she was supposed to see but can't possible process that right now because of all the other trauma she is currently experiencing and so she just collapses on the ground and rocks her child while Alicent and Cole look on awkwardly. It was a very weird way to end the episode if I am being honest.

I just feel like if I sit and think it over, yes I can see what they were trying to do, I can see how horrifying the choice Helaena had to make between her children was, I can see that a young child being held down in a bed whilst their throat is cut, and possibly their head cut off is truly disturbing, the sounds were horrifying, I can see how Helaena happening upon Alicent and Cole could lead to them both fearing Helaena speaking on it later and revealing their secret and how the guilt will plague them because they were being intimate at the same time that such a terrible act was happening. But it just did not work on screen for me, the concept was there the execution wasn't and in the moment I really didn't feel much. Like I said the only moment when I felt a stirring of horror was when Helaena was fleeing with her child. It was just too rushed and too poorly written I think.

Anyway those are my thoughts on the episode so far. It really was a mixed bag because there were some moments, particularly when dealing with the aftermath of Lucerys death that were really great and really moved me, but then there were others where they fell short. Despite that I am curious to see what will happen next episode and what the repercussions will be, Maybe seeing everyone's reactions to Jaehaerys' death will make it have more of an impact and maybe Daemon's reaction will give as more clarity on whether he did give the go ahead for it to be any male heir or not. We'll have to see.

[alexbraindump]

the optimism of mundanity in sci-fi

[word count: 980]

Mundanity serves my favorite role in worldbuilding. Beyond fictional politics, cultures or races sits the - often overlooked - role of the mundane. The things we do in our day-to-day lives. Where we keep our keys, our routines before going out for the day, the junk we may leave lying around. It’s part of a tiny picture that lingers in the shadows of the vast worlds we build and stories we weave. Yet from that snapshot blossoms a viewpoint dripping with relatability, one that places you into the shoes of a character living in that world to a capacity far beyond that which anything else could even hope to achieve.

When I’m writing a character introduction, it’s about more than just the character’s current position and desires. It’s about integrating the world into their life. If space travel is a commonplace fixture of their world and they own a spaceship, what’s the role of that ship to them? Is it like a car, a mobile home, a flying armory? If it’s like a car, have they left it stock, or have they modified and tuned the way a car lover would in real life? If it’s like a home, what furniture do they deem priority, do they keep it clean, is there any decoration? If an armory, what’s the weaponry of this universe like, what kinds of weapons do they want to keep loaded, how organized is it? (check out the first chapter of my story 501-b, also on this blog, if you wanna see where that though process brought me ;3)

Opportunities for both character and worldbuilding are already pouring out from that simple hypothetical. So many things can be said right away with the mundane relationship between a character and their mode of transport. To them, that’s just how it is, nothing special. The same way you’d look at a car. To the reader, though? That’s a nuclear bomb of information you just detonated in their face and they probably didn’t even realize. If you get how a character views their ship, you already start to understand their personality and the role of space travel in that world right off the bat.

It’s always been alluring to me, an element my mind would hook its foxy paws onto right away. While the lack of it wouldn’t bug me much, I’d always start to wonder about it later. Where does this character live, what’s their home look like? By no means am I arguing that this is an absolute necessity to make a good story. Every story has its own unique needs that can be filled however the creator sees fit. But for me, what I want to see and make more of, is something more down-to-earth. And while a good chunk of that is - admittedly - just me being a neurodivergent nerd, I feel like there’s something more to it. Forgive me for getting a little pretentious from here on out, but-

Mundanity in sci-fi is optimistic. It’s this tinge of reassurance that, no matter what happens, no matter how bad things get or how far we make it away from our home planet, we’re still individuals. Whether its huge, bombastic threats like scary evil aliens, or depressingly real ones like corporate overreach and profit motives, we will persist. There’s comfort in that.

When I get to see a character doing their morning routine in a world separated from our own by anything between decades to centuries, it feels good. Like the artist/writer is patting me on the head and saying “there there, things may be shit, but life isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.” And maybe there’s a nihilistic twist on it, like propaganda on a television or corporate products lining a comfy home’s shelves, but that’s still a television or a home. They may come home from the Sub-Minimum Wage Employee Pulper 9,000™, and that will inherently be sympathetic, but when we get to see them toss their coat aside and go to the kitchen to make a lazy, unhealthy meal and slouch on their sofa and pick up a television remote to flip to their favorite channel, the connection that forms is irreplaceable.

And I feel that it’s severely underutilized. When I watched Andor for the first time (amazing show btw, check it out even if you aren’t the biggest fan of starred wars) and we got to see a character return to their mother’s apartment and eat space cereal with space milk, it was somehow one of the most jarring moments I’ve seen in a Star Wars thing. Living situations are oftentimes such an understated part of popular sci-fi media that I actually felt jarred upon seeing one. And I loved it.

That’s just how uncommon they can be. And I hate that. I hate that sci-fi loves to dismiss the mundanities of life, because those are when I feel the most at-home in a universe. I can immediately feel a character’s vibe if I see them kick their feet up in a messy impromptu living room in their spaceship. While you can put in the work to make me feel that same thing through dialogue and actions, it’s arguably even more work.

So next time you’re making a story, why not save yourself some trouble and show your audience a little snippet of day-to-day life in your world? Show us what a character’s phone looks like and how they use it, or maybe if they have a wallpaper (if applicable) or any stickers on the back of it? Or give us some tiny details about how they get from place to place. Is public transport a thing, do they own their own vehicle of some kind, or do they just walk? Hopefully these thoughts conjure the same kind of inspiration in you as the ones that run around wreaking havoc in my little fox brain.

[lyclikestoroleplay]

Searching for a long term discord roleplay partner (18+)

Hi all. I have not been on Tumblr in such a long time, but I have fallen back in love with roleplaying, so I am looking for some more partners.

Please note the following:

I am not replacing anyone.

Please be over the age of 18 (see below as to why)

I prefer to roleplay on discord, in our own server. I may be willing to make an exception, but that app is where I am most comfortable.

A bit about me:

I am 32 years old, they/she pronouns, and I am located in EST timezone. I have been roleplaying on and off since I was 13. I am very flexible in terms of ships and can adapt to anyone/anything. I have a couple of favorite genres and we can discuss should we start something.

I roleplay in 3rd person paragraphs and generally do my best to match my partner. I also wouldn't mind texting at the start if we were doing a long-term relationship type of plot. And of course, texting is okay if the story calls for it at that time.. I just don't want it to be all texting, yk?

I work a full time office job during the day, but I have my phone next to me to reply. I also am free evenings and weekends as I have no life lol. The longest roleplay I have had is 10 years and yes, it's still going hehe 🙂 Pretty proud of it tbh.

I am currently looking for roleplays in the following (bold - first preference. italics - second preference) :

Link Click (most want; current hyperfocus. plz)

Haikyuu

Given

Horimiya

Bungo Stray Dogs

Windbreaker

Tadaima, Okaeri

Buddy Daddies (Just started to watch and I am in love with them)

I have a long list of animes that I have watched or am in the process of watching. I may even be interested in roleplaying that are not on this list. Just message me and we can talk about it!

As of this time, I don't have any O/C's so I would prefer to do a pairing of people that are in the show. I also have a lot of M/M ships, minus Horimiya. However, I wouldn't mind if you had an O/C and if I feel we can create something great, we can definitely make it amazing :3

As far as the tone of the roleplay and our plot(s), I hope to brainstorm with you to find something great to play. I don't have any triggers; I love anything from angst to cavity-sweet romantic. My absolute favorite genre is omegaverse, but that is not a necessity.

As the title suggests, I would love for this to be long term. If it comes to where you're not happy with our roleplay or are losing interest, please let me know instead of ghosting me. We are adults so we can use our words. I would be more than happy to figure something else out. I am very easy going and understanding as I hope you would be as well.

If you are interested, please add/message me on discord! .lyc. (Both periods are needed)

[spagyricqueen]

Fun thoughts and details

So, I like lore. I love Forgotten Realms. I have a shelf dedicated to adventure modules and game books spanning back to AD&D 2nd ed. I've been in this thing for a while. I played the original Baldur's Gate games when they were new. And Icewind Dale. Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2.

I fell in love with everyone's favorite pale elf. Admittedly, not because of his vampirism (although, sure, I liked it. It was a fun detail). I love elves. (I just think they're neat). I have a thing for white haired characters with youthful visages. It's a mystery, truly. I think I'm beginning to understand that my attraction to Astarion beyond his vampirism might put me in the minority. That's okay. I know I'm not alone in this, at least.

He's interesting. I love his growth as a character. His ability to work through his demons, show genuine and unexpected compassion, and remain delightfully sarcastic and hilarious.

All this to say that when I approach the writing of my ridiculously long fic, I meticulously keep in mind the world Astarion lives in, as if I were a DM running a Forgotten Realms campaign. I ask questions about the distances between locations, the topography, the climate, the socio-economic structure of different cities, history, alliances, enemies, religions, ecology. I subscribed to Ed Greenwood's (creator of the Forgotten Realms setting) YouTube channel and joined his discord, just to have more resources for information. I have the wiki open constantly (I really want to insert flumphs somewhere in the story - they deserve more recognition. Especially the cloisters, they seem cute). And hey, I may get a few things wrong here in there, as many DMs do, and that's okay too. If it works for the story, who cares?

As much as I love fun head canons, my brain screeches with, "But would that exist in Faerûn? Is that how it works?" and proceed to look up medieval/historical equivalents. Keeping in mind, too, that it's a magical world, where gods exist and they are flawed.

I keep a separate file open so that I can copy/paste words that have stresses in them, even!

Selûne

Faerûn

Ancunín

I like words.

Because I take so much time with such details, I have also gone ahead and rolled up a character sheet for Astarion in my narrative. While he is now mortal, he remains an arcane trickster rogue at level 12. In my story, he's blind, so he occasionally has a disadvantage to attack rolls and his perception (which is rather high) is limited to sound, touch, and smell. However, because of his adaptations, he's cleverly learned to use the Darkness spell to his advantage.

Starting at 4th level (subsequently 8th, 10th, and 12th), he got an ability score increase, plus a dual wielding feat (I flubbed this for story reasons). I used the level 1 character sheet that came with the deluxe edition of the game, and used those as his base stats (ignoring that there were probably already applied modifiers).

Here are the new stats I gave him.

STR: 8 (-1)

DEX: 19 (+4)

CON: 14 (+2)

INT: 17 (+3)

WIS: 15 (+2)

CHA: 13 (+1)

Based on these stats, in my narrative, Astarion has an improved memory (INT) out of necessity, and has become more measured in his decisions (WIS) as a result of his condition, forcing him to think through his actions with caution. His spells are limited to those that don't require line of sight (except I did have him blindly shoot a fire bolt at a barrel during those Underdark shenanigans because PLOT). And he can't use ranged weapons. But I think he's still a very interesting rogue.

Yes, this is a long post to explain how Astarion has grown as a person in my story. Because I am nerd.

[feralmoonlight]

hey hi hello i just found out abt the samuri au and U HAVE MY ATTENTION

OK SO RIGHT OFF I'm gonna throw down a few inspiration sources that have my brain absolutely rabid for this samurai/ronin/old japan AU, with the front-runners being a loose Prince And The Pauper (YN is swapped and used as a decoy body double for an actual 'person of importance'), and the aesthetic styling of but not limited to Samurai Champloo, Blade of the Immortal (manga specifically but also the anime), Rurouni Kenshin, Natsume Yuujincho (for spirit-y things), Inuyasha(also for spirit-y things), Princess Mononoke, and Mononoke(Not to be confused with Princess Mononoke), AS WELL AS a big handful of other shows that I have seen over the years and could not for the life of me drag the names out of my subconscious to site. Mix all that shit up into a blender and you're in the right wheelhouse of vibes for this AU. I am letting my little weeb/romanticized japan fan run wild with this in my head. HARD FACTS SO FAR: Sun, Moon, and Eclipse are 3 separate beings. They are also all three non-human/spirit/demon creatures. They themselves don't differentiate between 'good and bad' spirits per say, as it's usually humans that place labels like that on what is GOOD and what is BAD based on human morality. They are usually seen as 'good' protector beings however. Sun and Moon aren't technically linked to each other in the traditional DCA way. They existed separate from each other before meeting, but their personalities/energies compliment each other so well they formed their bond and began to travel together of their own choice and have been companion spirits for ages. NOW they are linked together, but can exist without each other if the need arises. They'd just be sad about it. Eclipse is an example of two spirits merging (stares at Sun and Moon with intent, but uncertainty. You can see where this is going maybe. I can see where this is going maybe. I don't know where this is going yet but there are IDEAS). I don't know if they merged willingly, by force, one took over the other, or if it was out of mutual necessity. But there are technically two beings sharing one mind. Half of him is very calm and stoic, detached(seemingly) from his emotions, but also incredibly calculated. This half only talks when necessary, moves when necessary, and tends to observe the goings-on around him instead of intervening. The OTHER half of Eclipse is wild and playful, a mischievous trickster that likes to keep his 'companion of the moment' off guard with verbal and physical pokes and prods, holding the upper hand and either forcing them to rely on him for stability/support (again, physical or emotional) or without letting them gather ground for stable footing. He likes to stir the pot and rarely lets a few moments of silence go by without striking up new conversation and rambling on wherever his thoughts may take him, whether or not said thoughts are true or not.

All three of these beings are highly skilled swordsmen (obviously) and can usually 1v1 a human without much thought. A good benchmark for a light challenge would be a 3v1, 5v1 getting a little sketchier, and anything more than 6-7 generally skilled opponents leaving them at a slight disadvantage. However, Sun and Moon are rarely apart, and Eclipse has a few 'secrets' up his sleeve that can still tip these numbers in his favor. DEMON POWERS TBD so far. If anything much more interesting than longer life, generally stronger/more durable than humans/spiritual connection stuff. MORE IN A PART 2 cause it wont let me send it as long as it was