#Citation Favorable

[frimleyblogger]

More Gentleman’s Relish

John Osborn developed #GentlemansRelish in 1828 using #anchovies and a blend of spices and herbs which is still a secret today #Foodhistory

It was Englishman John Osborn, a grocer or provision merchant living in Paris, who developed the recipe for the Gentleman’s Relish. A rather complicated process, it involved taking Spanish anchovy fillets, packing them for eighteen months into barrels of salt to mature, and then brine rinsing them, before cooking them at a simmer, cooling and then blending them with butter, rusk, and Osborn’s…

[unopenablebox]

just discovered that all the wikipedia pages for the protein im studying absolutely suck ass. going on an editing crusade about it

[fireflysummers]

FireflySummers’ Guide to Arguing Against the Use of AI Image Generators

(AKA I hate AI image generators so fucking much that I published a whole ass academic article on it)

Read the Paper: Art in the Machine: Value Misalignment and AI "Art"

Citation: Allred, A.M., Aragon, C. (2023). Art in the Machine: Value Misalignment and AI “Art”. In: Luo, Y. (eds) Cooperative Design, Visualization, and Engineering. CDVE 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14166. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43815-8_4

The purpose of the original paper and now this post is the following:

Provide at least one academic article that you can cite. (Full paper + citation available below)

Make explicit community values that have previously been implicit, in order to better examine your own perceptions of the online artist community, and where you sit within it.

Provide rebuttals to common pro-AI talking points, with the intention of shutting down the conversation and reclaiming the narrative. 

What this paper and post cannot do:

Act as a sole authority about the online artist community and its values. We are not a monolith, and it is up to you to think critically about what, exactly, you want to take away from this discussion.

Provide a way to convince AI Evangelists that what they’re doing is wrong and bad and needs to stop. You will never convince them. Again, focus on shutting them down and reclaiming the narrative.

Final Disclaimer: I'm a very fallible researcher who is still very much learning how to do academia. I cannot speak for the entirety of the online artist community or fanartist community. We all have different lived experiences. I have done my best to include diverse voices; however if you have concerns or critiques, I am open to hearing them.

If you show up to debate in favor of AI image generators, you will be automatically blocked.

Credits:

Editors, Meme Experts, and Annotators: @starbeans-bags, @b4kuch1n, @cecilioque.

Tutorial Examples: @sabertoothwalrus, @ash-and-starlight, @miyuliart, @hometownrockstar, @deoidesign, @cinnamonrollbakery

If you have read this far, thank you very much. I hope that you have found a constructive lens for approaching the war with AI image generators, as well as a new tool for shutting down debate and reclaiming the narrative.

[olderthannetfic]

I always see people reminiscing about the Good Ole Days and about how antis are a new thing but. . .is that really true? Or am I just being autistic and taking things too literally, and they just mean it's way more of a common debate now than it used to be before, and that the landscape of shipwank has changed?

Idk, it's like I constantly hear about fandom wank and shipwars and censorship from decades ago, and yes I know "shipping/doxxing/censorship has always existed" can co exist with "antis are new" but I think there's still a bit of a comprehension gap on my end.

am i just dumb? What am I missing here? FWIW - I do feel like the context of "anti" has definitely changed. Back in early 2010s tumblr (I cannot speak of other website/platforms) I remember that tagging something as #Anti Donkey Kong didn't mean you think DK is an evil abusive monster and that everyone who likes him/mains him is also an evil abusive monster and that Nintendo is pushing the evil abusive monster agenda. #Anti Donkey Kong would just be character bashing, wank, letting out your grievances about how ugly DK is, etc, but it was really just a tag used for your own personal opinions (and for DK fans to filter out). Whereas now #Anti Donkey Kong would mean please go die and delete all your accounts if you support DK.

So I definitely know that "anti" has a way more intense definition now than it used to - but for some reason I find it a bit hard to grasp just how new this whole anti thing even is in the firstplace. It honestly makes me sad that I've never seen a pre-anti internet, assuming there really was a time before antis.

--

Antis are new. Specifically, the "Conservative Protestantism in a gay hat" thing that that one tumblr post pointed out is new.

We had doxxing in the past. We had masses of shipwank. We also had "How dare you write that m/m ship. It's bad!"

The key is that the "Your m/m ship is bad" crowd used to openly be conservative Christian homophobes who objected to homosexuality itself. Nowadays, they're queer 20-somethings who like m/m ships but object to gay sex.

It's the anti-kink, anti-fantasy brigade coming from "our side" instead of the outside, essentially. It's respectability politics about "Sempai will love me if I just sanitize The Community and kick out the icky weirdos". It's personal disgust masquerading as morality where once it would have been masquerading as intellectual superiority.

It's a product of queerness being more public and tolerated overall. In the past, a lot of spaces devoted to m/m shipping had to be aggressively in favor of contentious fiction because the existence of anything m/m was itself contentious. There was plenty of "Well, my gay best friend said ___ is unrealistic, and my slash is good, unlike that of you plebes!" There was much less "Fujoshi means fetishizer".

Of course, I'm comparing the 90s internet to now or the mid 00s Livejournal fandom to Tumblr of this past decade. It really depends on whether Ye Olden Times was five years ago or twenty five.

The modern use of the term 'anti' did indeed grow out of the old habit of tagging your hate. As the default cultural mode shifted from "My NOTP is dumb" to "My NOTP is problematic", the usage changed. At some point, antis started getting offended by their self-applied term and pretending that the other side inflicted it on them. This is revisionism. Fiction-is-not-reality had some writeups with citations in the past.

The big shifts were happening around 2012-2016. The long slide into puritywankers being everywhere has only continued since then, but that's where the tipping point seems to have been. TikTok exacerbates this nonsense, and there are clearly plenty of people who are anti-queer and only weaponizing clueless queer youth.

The big shift is that liking m/m used to weed out most of the worst people, and now it attracts lots of them who will not fucking go away because they like the same ship, just the hand-holdy, no dicks can touch ever version.

They spend their time bleating about how AO3 should have been built for them and how anti-censorship activism doesn't matter... because they've grown up in a fandom world dominated by AO3, which shelters them from the reality that the "Ewww, all m/m sucks!" crowd is everywhere on other sites to this day.

That's probably why the shift is when it is. Certain aspects of mainstream queer acceptance were on the rise just as AO3 was getting big. But at the same time, the world is shit and everyone has anxiety they self-medicate through rage and security theater around sniffing out The Bad People.

[thegoldencontracts]

Is Azul Actually Kind?

I know how it sounds but pleaseee hear me out.

Azul isn't kind. That seems to be pretty obvious, right? His benevolence is clearly a facade, meant to hide the selfish, cunning nature lurking within.

I thought that too. But then I saw something that made me question it.

Namely, Azul's Platinum Suit Vignette, where he looks at the Sea Witch's actions regarding Ariel, and calls it 'tough love'.

He isn't talking about himself, he has no reason to fib. He even brings up his Grandma, making it pretty evident he's being sincere. He views the Sea Witch's actions - punishing deal breakers and setting people on them - tough love.

And the Sea Witch's actions are remarkably similar to his own. He makes deals, and he punishes people who can't fulfill them. But there are some very interesting things that, to be, combine with this to bring about the theory that deep down (or maybe not so deep down) he views it as an act of tough love.

1. Azul almost never harms his clients in a truly crippling manner. The one exception to this is the Prefect, but I feel that's easily explained by the fact that this was shortly before his overblot, and like other characters, Azul too was behaving in a manner worse than usual.

Other than that, though, his punishments are typically servitude, or giving up a talent. Keyword: a talent. Not the thing itself. Someone with a good voice who gives it up doesn't become voiceless, they just start sounding hoarse. This is proven during his backstory.

2. Azul comes from a place where 'survival of the fittest' reigns dominant. This is proven during book 6, where he mentions being hypervigilant and a risk of predators under the sea. This was also heavily implied by the twins.

To him, people who don't understand not to trust others likely seem misguided - especially considering his childhood.

3. Azul and Riddle have a lot of Parallels

This one is interesting. If you look closely, Azul and Riddle share many similarities: Sophomore Housewardens, Honors Students, completely broke down during their overblot rather than still concealing their emotions, tyrannical behavior over underlings, heavily implied eating disorders, incredibly hard-working despite their smug appearance, being short-tempered, the list goes on.

Riddle also truly believed that he was doing a service to the students of Heartslabyul by enforcing the rules the hard way. He likely viewed it as a form of tough love.

And so, Azul being kind in his own, odd way starts to make sense. It would give him another parallel to Riddle. And his 'survival of the fittest', bootstrap-pulling upbringing may be he doesn't actually find his actions that cruel, if anything, he genuinely may believe he's doing them a favor by teaching them early on not to trust others, to only make deals they know they can keep. And he's not exactly crippling them, so it's better him than someone who will.

So yeah, maybe Azul really does think he's being kind - at least, deep down.

Discourse, critique, and requests for proper citation are always welcome!

[thepersonperson]

JJK Yapfest Masterlist

Last Updated: January 7, 2025

I decided to organize this by character focus and chronologically. Newest addition is bolded.

Please be aware that I am heavily influenced by the visual novel Umineko (not the anime do not watch it) and the Baki manga/anime. Consume both of these series in full if you can.

Gojo Satoru

Thoughts on the tragedy of Gojo Satoru and narrative cruelty towards him as of JJK 261.

Relationship with Hanami

Relationship with Toji and Geto

Gojo kind of sucks at being Megumi's dad but he’s definitely his dad. (An analysis of Gojo and Megumi's messy relationship.)

Ryomen Sukuna

Thoughts on Sukuna and Kenjaku’s relationship as of JJK 258.

Sukuna's Loneliness Part 1 (Thoughts on Sukuna's Dehumanization as of JJK 261.)

Sukuna's Loneliness Part 2 (Sukuna is a fraud and it's funny.)

Sukuna's Type (Sukuna favoring Gojo, Jogo, and Uraume)

Sukuna's Loneliness Part 3 (Sukuna's hatred of Yuji is jealousy.)

Sukuna is a human, not a curse.

Backstory Theory

Sukuna’s Loneliness Part 4 (Sukuna’s Negative Rizz)

Sukuna’s You Pronouns

Sukuna’s Tattoos

Sukuna Can't Tell the Time (The unique way Sukuna is damned to eternal miscommunication and existentialism in the modern era.)

Sukuna’s Loneliness Part 5 (Sukuna Did Nothing Wrong in the Heian Era, Probably)

Miscellanous

The Reproductive Horror of JJK Part 1 (The Loss of Bodily Autonomy)

The Reproductive Horror of JJK Part 2 (Dealing with Trauma)

Autism in JJK Part 1 (Isolation and Movies) [ft. Mahito, Yuji, Todo, and Gojo]

Not True Yapfests

JJK and Labor Theory

Gojo's Character Flaws

Sukuna's Wordplay

The day Sukuna and Gojo met.

Is Kenjaku a sicko forcefem enthusiast?

Fubroshis

The Dudebros Did Queer Readings First

Sukuna Loves Gojo

What is going on with r/Jujustufolk?

What is going on with r/GrapplerBaki?

Alternative to JJK's Ending (For those who want some Itafushi angst inspiration.)

Part 1 (Why the hell is JJK 270 called Dream's End?)

Part 2 (Why does everyone feel so out of character in JJK 268–270?)

Part 3 (My prediction was wrong and what we got really sucks.)

Yuji and Megumi Character Songs

Megumi's reaction to Toji is weird.

Yuji made the dream for Gojo too.

More clock symbolism and wonkiness.

The End of YuMeNo

The RikaBus makes no sense.

Other people finding JJK 270 wonky.

Anon I am so sorry.

Notes

If I preface something with “written as JJK Chapter Number” it’s because there are speculations/ideas that are subject to change as the manga updates. Analyses that are unlikely to be impacted by future content don’t have that. (Though the increases in flashbacks makes me nervous as fudge.)

Bullying me is allowed at all times. I am stupid and cannot grow without criticism. (If there are syntax/grammar errors or missing image citations let me know in the replies.)

If you don’t want to see my formal ramblings block this tag: #cactus yaps

If you don’t want to see my informal ramblings block this tag: #cactus yaps?

If you don’t want to see my asides/bad jokes/weird hobbies block this tag: #cactus shut up

Alternate perspectives/commentary that are a direct response to my posts will be tagged as: #cactus gets yapped at

Remember: Without love, it cannot be seen.

[pink-tea]

dumb blonde

☆ pairing: choi soobin x gn! reader

☆ nsfw, 18+

☆ word count: 4.1k (this number was honestly a jumpscare when i checked)

☆ sub! soobin, blonde! soobin, college au!, soobin with glasses <3, dumb blonde soobin, dom! reader, gender neutral pronouns but reader is afab at the time of smut, slut shaming, use of the word "bunny" once or twice, use of the word "slut", praise/degradation kink, nipple play

☆ the smart blonde has kept your attention this entire semester, but it isn't until your friend, yeonjun, offers you up to tutor his friend from work that you realize that really he's just a dumb blonde

you had always thought that the blonde boy in your class had a good head on his shoulders. always in the back of the lecture hall, either staring at his laptop screen or boredly looking through the assigned pages of whatever textbook you were currently reading. always the first one to turn in tests and quizzes, you secretly admired your classmate as he left the room before anyone else. 

‘he must be really smart’ you would always think to yourself before spending almost the entire class time to fill out your tests. whatever method works best though, you always got one of the top scores in the class. it felt good, but you’re sure it would’ve felt better had you been able to finish a test within the first 20 minutes and get the same grade. 

you never really checked or pressed about the scores of your other classmates—really only keeping in touch with two of them anyways—but you had always been sure that the blonde (used to be black haired) boy had done good. and it stayed that way until the first semester was well on its way to being over and finals were starting to plague the student body. 

“[your nameeeee],” a voice cut through your thoughts, causing you to turn around and raise a brow at your older, pink haired friend. 

choi yeonjun was practically a campus heartthrob, with pretty plump lips and irresistible, charismatic charm. you were well aware of that fact all the way up to when the two of you were paired together for a project, where you had almost cost the two of you ten points for forgetting to correctly cite your evidence on a slide of your presentation. you didn’t even get to apologize, promising to finish the slide an hour before the 11:59pm due date before you were on the phone with a hissy pretty boy who had pressed all the right buttons to get the stress you had been building up to burst. 

the call had ended with the two of you calmed but still bitter, silently glaring at each other’s icons on the same slide as you shared the citation work load, and with  a newfound respect for each other. you walked into your lecture the next morning with choi yeonjun holding an iced cup of coffee to you, a silent peace offering. you had smiled and promised to pay for the next one, and ended up leaving the class with a newfound friendship that had many people jealous of your proximity to the otherwise nerve-wracking boy. 

thus, your current predicament, sifting through an otherwise empty library with your friend as you attempted to scavenge for any research material at close to 10pm at night. yeonjun came to accompany you after originally crashing your dorm to have fun and play on your switch before realizing you actually had work to do. 

“yes?” you responded mindlessly, running a finger across the lightly worn spines of the books, worn more by age than actual use. 

“you’re smart,” he started, prompting you to look at him suspiciously out of the corner of your eye.

“yes, you are too,” you hummed, not mad at the praise but more concerned as to why your friend was suddenly pulling compliments out of thin air. your gut told you one thing and one thing only: he needed a favor. 

“i am,” he chuckled in agreement, prompting you to snort at his show of ego. “however, you, have more free time than I do,” he pointed out, which definitely made your suspicions start to rise. 

“just because you do a shit ton of modeling doesn’t mean I have more time to spare,” you shoot back, growing more concerned at the fact that this started to sound a lot like a time consuming favor. he rolls his eyes at your words, mouth opening up to most likely throw a (light hearted) insult your way before he closes it.

fuck, he definitely needed a favor if he wasn't back talking.

"just spit it out already, i know you want something," you huff, perking up at the sight of the crusty textbook you had been looking for. you reached out and grabbed it from where it was smashed between two equally crusty books. you held it in your hand and opened to the title page, wincing at the audible crackle of the spine.

you could hear the eye roll you received, but yeonjun happily took the invitation to cut to the chase.

"one of my coworkers goes here too, and he helped get me my current gig since he knows the photographer," he explained, pausing to laugh at the way you coughed when dust flew into your face after flipping the next few pages. "but the thing is, he's a little stupid," he said bluntly, causing you to chuckle.

"poor bastard," you hummed, closing the book and tucking it into the duffle bag you were carrying with you.

"extremely poor, he's gonna fail the semester if he doesn't get a good grade on his final, which is why i need you to help tutor him," your friend finally finished, causing you to pause in your tracks before sharply glaring up at him.

"an unpaid tutor? are you serious?" you hissed.

"it's just until he gets a good grade on his final! look, i promised and i can pay you back for him," he reassured, pouting at the harshness of your glare. you groaned audibly before turning and beginning to walk away, causing yeonjun to quickly start talking again. "hey, look, it could be worse! he's a total cutie, so at least you get to tutor eye candy!" he tried to persuade, causing you to let out a scoff.

"junnie, you act like i'm gonna be fucking the guy more than i'm gonna be tutoring him," you deadpanned, causing a cheshire grin to spread on the pinkette's naturally pouty lips.

"who says you can't do both?"

-

now you wish you had never listened to this asshole and his promise to buy you takeout whenever you wanted till you finished tutoring his friend. because yes, his friend soobin, was in fact the greatest 6'1 piece of eye candy you ever seen. but he also seemed to share the same black framed glasses and blonde hair as the boy you had been fixated on for the past semester.

"ah," you let the sound slip past your mouth before you could even register it. probably less than a few centimeters away from knocking his head into your doorway stood the model your friend had been talking about. surprise not surprise, he was most definitely the guy from your class.

it took a few more seconds of gawking and the guy doing his best not to look too uncomfortable under your stare for you to snap out of it. "you're choi soobin?" you asked, tilting your head. he nodded hesitantly in response.

"[your name] [last name]," you introduced, watching almost in a trance as a shy smile crawled onto his lips.

"i know," he responded, causing your eyes to widen and your heart to flutter at his boldness. he seemed to catch on to what his words might sound like, eyes quickly widening in panic. "y-yeonjun! he's mentioned you before!" he added, ears burning.

you stared a second longer before smiling, stepping aside to let him into your dorm. "only good things i hope, but knowing yeonjun that probably isn't the case," you joked, watching soobin as he chuckled at your remark and stepped in. you couldn't help but just watch.

god he was cute...

...but damn did studying suck!

after an hour of what felt like running in a circle trying to teach this boy simple concepts that he should've learned like two years ago, you soon found yourself growing frustrated. sighing irritably in a way that had soobin flinching, you tried to put down your erasable pen as gently as you could without slamming it down onto your desk.

"if you're struggling this much with the current coursework, how the actual fuck have you been turning in your shit so quickly in class?" you huffed, patience already thin enough to where you were openly swearing to someone who was practically a stranger.

soobin visibly flinched this time, lips twisting into a sort of grimace/pout as his fingers wrung together. "i usually just guess...most of the homeworks and partner projects lift up my grade," he admits guiltily, quickly shattering whatever ideals you used to have of him in just one sentence/study session.

you laugh in disbelief, looking over his guilty expression as he sits in one of your spare chairs. "so what, you let people carry you through your classes and projects just cause they think you're pretty?" you shoot, soobin's eyes quickly flickering up at you through his lenses.

"what? don't tell me you think people actually help you cause they're nice," you ask in shock, the blonde shaking his head as his gaze drops back down to his lap.

"no, it's just, i didn't think you thought i was pretty too," he admitted softly, making your eyebrows almost shoot up past your hair line. ain't no fucking way.

"seeing that you can't even get 4 questions right, you've gotta be pretty for how much of a dumb blonde you are," you immediately scold, testing the waters to see if you're getting the right signals. soobin seems to shrink even more in his seat, fists curled in his lap as he lets his head drop along with his gaze. the angle lets you observe the soft red beginning to dust the tip of his ears.

"m' sorry," he whispers, the motion of his thighs squeezing together doesn't go unnoticed by you. in a bold move, you slide into his space, forcing your knee in between his and drinking in the startled mewl that rips from his throat at the aggressive motion. he looks up at you again, eyes wide and pupils dilated.

his lips are parted, you swear you can see them tremble a little bit and you don't fight any of your previous urges to touch the pathetic boy. smiling at his state, you press your thumb into his bottom lip, grabbing and tilting his chin up in the process. he gasps, letting his mouth drop open to let your thumb slide on top of his tongue.

it's wet and you bet it wouldn't take more than a few seconds for saliva to start dripping down your knuckle. pressing down on the pink muscle, you tilt your head down at soobin's slightly hunched figure. "you said you're sorry?" you ask, pressing your thumb down so hard that soobin almost has to fight the urge to swallow around it.

instead he nods hesitantly, eyes wide and watery as his glasses start to slip down the pretty bridge of his nose. you almost grin at the action, watching the saliva finally side down soobin's pink lips. removing your thumb, you take the drenched digit and wipe it across his cheek, pressing it hard enough against his skin for his head to turn a little.

he only has the time to close his mouth and swallow the saliva pooling in his mouth before he yelps at the sudden feeling of your hand in his dyed hair. soobin watches your smile turn into something cruel, feels his dick get harder in his suddenly too-tight jeans when he realizes you must think he looks completely at your mercy like this.

"do you even need these?" you huff, reaching to swipe his glasses off his face, making him flinch as you dangle them between your fingers. "i bet they're just for show huh, doing your best to not let anyone know how much of a stupid bunny you are," you accuse.

soobin's mouth opens like he's about to defend himself before it closes and his head droops in your hold, face burning brighter. "t-they're just for looks," he admits, the fact more humiliating than it should be. he should defend himself, bring up the fact that tons of people use non-prescription lenses for fashion, but his mind is still reeling from getting called a stupid bunny.

you do nothing to help, only giving him a short and disbelieving laugh before you're yanking his head back up to look at you. "hey," you call out for his attention, locking your gaze with his in a way that makes him want to squirm. "hurry up and get on the bed if you're really sorry for wasting my time," you say, tossing soobin's glasses to some unknown corner of your room as the gears turn in his head.

he's still frozen to his chair even after you release his hair from your hold, and you harshly nudge his growing bulge with the knee stuck between his legs. the impact makes him fight back a groan as he yolts, looking up at your glare with unmistakable puppy eyes.

"come on," you rush, watching as soobin immediately snaps back into reality and starts to stumble over himself to get up and on the bed. you want to coo at his eagerness, but suddenly grab his wrist as he begins to walk over to your mattress on wobbly legs.

"get naked first," you instruct, releasing your hold on his wrist. "and do it slow, right here," you hum, leaning back into your chair as you watch soobin's face grow pink in humiliation.

"like a strip tease?" he asks barely above a mumble, obviously mortified at the idea.

you laugh at his quivering voice, smiling and nodding eagerly. "mhm," you confirm, taking in his shifty nature and downcast eyes. "don't tell me you've never done one before," you accuse, suddenly looking at him through squinted eyes.

he quickly shakes his head, shaky fingers reaching up to grasp at the ends of hoodie. he keeps them there for a few beats before looking back up at you, hesitant. "s-slowly?" he asks.

this time you can't help but coo, fawning over how shy yet eager to please he is. "slowly," you nod.

soobin gulps before slowly beginning to take the gray piece of clothing off, revealing a delicious stomach that was lean yet slightly toned. as a model, obviously he'd have a pretty face and nice figure. your fingers twitch at your side as he starts to slowly uncover more of his torso, horribly aware of the daggers your stare is burying into his skin.

it's only when the end of the hoodie starts to slip over his nipples that you feel your initial plan to have himself strip crumble. you needed him under your fingers, in your mouth, gasping on your tongue. you stand up and start to close the small distance between you two, making him flinch and start to lower the fabric in his hands.

roughly, you grab the end of hoodie and tug it up past his nipples, making him gasp. holding it to his mouth, it only takes your voice to snap soobin out of his initial confusion. "hold this," you demand, looking at him with a look so predatory he can do nothing but swallow his saliva and close his pretty lips over it.

"good boy," you hum, now using both your hands to trail up from his v-line to his stomach. "knows just what to do, doesn't he?" you ask, raking your fingernails over the sensitive skin of his stomach as he looks down at you.

your gaze flickers up to meet his.

"answer."

soobin nods sporadically, catching the way his mind begins to slip as you fingers trail higher to his hardened nipples. you smile and the boy can only watch as you place your thumbs on your tongue one by one, slicking them up with saliva before putting the pressure on the pink buds. he jolts at both the feeling and the temperature, the saliva immediately catching on the blowing a.c. in your room.

he lets out a muffled moan at the feeling of your thumbs slowly rolling over his nipples, almost releasing the hoodie in his mouth when you add your mouth to kiss between the valley of his pecs. your sweet butterfly kisses trail lower and lower, your hands following down the minimal curves of his side as you go.

it's at this point that soobin realizes he doesn't know what the fuck to do with his hands, keeping them clenched tight next to him as he tries to refrain from touching you. he can't, however, restrain the full body jolt and muffled cry he releases as your lips press nicely against the hardened bulge within his jeans.

you take your fingers to unbutton them and pull down the zipper, the denim falling to the floor around him as you eye the obvious stain of precum against his calvin klein boxers. you don't give him any warning, almost causing him to cry out again as your hand slips into his underwear to tug his weeping cock out.

he's shaking by now, doing his best to hold himself up on wobbly legs as you lazily pump his erection. "pretty," you comment, admiring the flushed pink tip. "i guess everything about you is pretty," you comment off-handedly, making soobin's ears flush red before he throws his head back in pleasured agony.

harshly, you suck on the flushed tip, licking over the head to clean the precum seeping through his slit. you know he's fully expecting a blow job at this point, but with this you get off him with a cute 'pop' and tug his boxers down to meet his jeans.

standing up, you yank the sopping fabric out of his mouth, tugging the hoodie over his head and through his arms while all he can do is follow your movements. his last piece of clothing drops to the ground, and you give a happy hum as you look him over. pretty.

"bed," you say, and soon you have the 6'1 blonde laying down flat on your sheets as you look down at him.

you'd like to give him a strip tease in return, but the sight of him is so delicious that it gives you the patience of a starved man. soobin doesn't seem to mind, however, hazy eyes following your every move as you remove your clothes. when you get to your underwear, you pause at the thought of shoving them into his mouth as you ruin him.

one look at his pouted lips changes your mind; you want to hear every sound he makes.

"where do you want me?" you ask him, patiently waiting through the four seconds it takes him to form a response.

"on top," he admits finally, his fingers now finding themselves tangling in your now wrinkled sheets.

"on top?" you ask, taking your time as settle your naked figure on top of him. only, you settle just a few centimeters short of his chest, making him whine in protest. the weight of your body on him feels so good that he almost forgets to breathe, but this isn't what he asked for.

"what?" you ask, cupping his face as his lips twist into a clearly displeased frown. "is this not where you want me?" you tilt your head in curiosity, but your eyes clearly show how much you're enjoying it.

"i want- i want you lower," he confesses, brows furrowed and hands twitching as he fights the urge to grip your waist and slide you onto his cock himself. but soobin isn't a bad boy. he's your pretty little blonde angel and he knows better than to make you mad.

"lower?" you hum, making soobin's head drop onto the sheets underneath him as you slide your wet pussy down his chest and onto his abs. he can feel everything. he can feel you throbbing on top of him, but one look at your collected face makes him almost cry in frustration. you know where he wants you, you want him there too, but you're just being so so mean.

"[your name]," he nearly begs, eyes watering up as you look at him through your lashes.

"what's wrong now, tell me," you hush, sliding your hands down from his face in order to roll his pink nipples under your thumb once more, causing him to jolt underneath you. so cute, so sensitive. "tell me what you want," you urge, and soobin knows he has to be specific.

"i want you on my cock, please," he sobs, curling his fists tighter around your bed sheets. you smile down at him, feeling the words go straight to your clit. you know he can feel it too.

"how bad do you want it?" you ask finally, taking in soobin's borderline heartbroken expression at the question. but you're pleasantly surprised at the tears that start to slip down his cheeks.

"please please please, i want it! i need you around me, please!" he sobs, his puppy eyes going into full affect as he lightly thrashes in his attempt to lean up to get closer to you.

you stay silent for a few moments, eyes taking in the sight before you shrug. "can't say no to that, now can i?" you wonder aloud, finally grabbing his pulsing dick and sliding down on top.

you both groan at the same time, and when soobin shuts his eyes, you notice the stars in his eyes once he opens them back up.

you set a sweet pace, rolling your hips against his pelvis to get the both of you used to the feeling. you sigh in content, feeling pleasantly stuffed as you press your hands down on his chest for leverage.

"my dumb little blonde takes pussy so well," you coo, feeling soobin's hips stutter under you at the praise. "i bet he gets all his experience from letting any tutor fuck his dumb brain right," you add on, feeling his dick twitch inside your walls as he pouts.

"i d-don't let my tutors f-fuck me," he whines, rolling his head to the side as you start to properly bounce on him.

"oh yeah? am i not your tutor?" you ask, making him glance back up at you. "don't lie about being a slut, you're so fucking good at it, bunny," you scold, grabbing his chin to make him turn to you once more. there's more tears gathering in his glossy eyes.

"i'm not lying," he insists meekly, letting out a loud moan as you slam your hips down onto him and start to go at a painstakingly slow yet firm pace.

"you're gonna start telling me what i know and don't know now?" you question, tilting your head to the side as you keep eye contact. "last time i checked, my dumb slut doesn't know shit," you spat, pulling a whimper from soobin. "needs to fuck every one of his tutors so that they don't slap him silly for being so stupid," you continue, making him sob as the insults go straight to the dick he has buried inside your cunt.

"do you wanna get slapped, huh?" you ask him, taking the hand on his face to lightly tap at his tear-stained cheek. "i know you like getting told how dumb you are, can feel it inside of me," you remind him, making him let out a small 'n-no' as he turns his head away from your hand.

"of course not," you tsk. "you just want to waste my time and have me put you back into your place," you don't expect your words to have the effect they do, but soon you feel soobin's hands on your hips as he tries to lean up to you again.

"m' sorry, i'm sorry for being dumb," he cries, looking oh so cute as he begs for your forgiveness. you can't excuse bad behavior, though, snatching his wrist and pinning them over his head with one hand. you lean forward more, placing your other hand right next to his head to keep you steady.

"can't accept your apology if you're forgetting to keep your hands to yourself," you comment coldly.

"s-sorry," he whispers, shrinking into your mattress.

"wanna know how to make it up to me?" you ask, watching him quickly nod. he's dumb, he's sensitive and emotional, but if he's not the cutest sub--oh so eager to please--you don't know what he is.

"come inside, show me just how much i can fuck you dumb when i make you come over and over again," you explain, soobin's eyes going wide at the vulgarity. his dick aches painfully inside your tight cunt, wanting to fill it up with his orgasm however many times you want him to.

[pandemic-info]

A Review of Filtration Performance of Protective Masks - PMC

With H5N1 reported in at least two* humans in the past month, we need to talk about airborne transmission and how masks work. Again.

(*edit: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/oregon-reports-first-h5-case-farm-worker-california-reports-5-more)

Is flu airborne?

Generally yes. Even if it is not the most efficient mode of transmission for every virus.

Citations:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/testing-transmission-infection-h5n1-cows

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2023/12/clearing-air

"...recently measured how often virus is exhaled by people with the flu. He found that about 80% exhaled some influenza, the virus that causes flu. Most of the virus was found in the tiny airborne aerosols. People didn’t have to cough or sneeze to expel these viruses into the air. The flu virus was detectable in the air after normal breathing and talking."

Do N95 masks protect against viruses smaller than 300 nm (.3 microns)?

Also yes, because masks do NOT work like a sieve:

N95s employ electrostatic filtering to keep viruses stuck to the mask rather than passing through.

Brownian motion (particles moving through fluids / air randomly) also helps them get stuck to the surface.

And this is why you don't want to be touching the front of your mask, nor storing it improperly. For example, if you take it off and put it in your pocket, and then your hand later goes in that same pocket, then wipes your nose...

See also:

For the time being it should be relatively easy to avoid other modes of transmission since we have protective measures for public health — like pasteurization. But certain individuals who entertain "alternative facts" directly state that they want to dismantle such protections in favor of Appeal to Nature fallacy (e.g. "raw milk is best"), and they are currently being picked to lead government agencies.

[sforzesco]

THE (other) 1503 PAPAL CONCLAVE

political alliances, baby!

Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections, Frederic J. Baumgartner

bhghg you might notice ascanio's line about della rovere being the favored candidate clashes with the citation. it doesn't actually matter because it's a comic, but sometimes snappier dialogue and my inability to spell piccolomini's name right on the first try dictates a creative decision

Milan Undone, Contested Sovereignties in the Italian Wars, John Gagné

the panel with the painting insert is of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's Battle of Vercellae

bsky ⭐ pixiv ⭐ pillowfort ⭐ cohost

[librarycards]

do you have any favorite books/articles/etc. on asexuality and/or aromanticism?

this is great timing, anon! @stephen-deadalus and i just recently published an article/webtext rellated to ace/aro rhetorics in a neuroqueer/transMad context. below is a link to that + another piece of mine, and some other works you should check out

First and foremost: check out Carnival of Aces and Carnival of Aros. The former was one of my main sources of info back in the day when I ID'd as ace (starting in 2012ish) and they're still going. Carnival of Aros is more recent, and their posts have been really interesting to read so far.

for articles:

[sarah] Cavar, In praise of -less: transMad shouts from absent (pl)aces (hiiiiiii)

[sarah] Cavar & ulysses c. bougie, port-man-toes: the aroace - queercrip - transmad - neuroqueer erotics of digital collaboration (hiiiiii pt. deux) [also see our references in this piece for more cites]

C. Bougie, Composing Aromanticism

Carter Vance, Unwilling Consumers: A Historical Materialist Conception of Compulsory Sexuality (h/t @queertemporality)

M. Remi Yergeau, Cassandra Isn't Doing the Robot: On Risky Rhetorics and Contagious Autism (a chapter in Yergeau's first monograph, Authoring Autism, also attends to the prefix 'demi' in compelling ways, esp. for those interested in neuroqueerness)

for books:

Twoey Gray, Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. See my review in Feral Feminisms here, and the whole Ace & Aro Reviews Issue here.

Milks & Ceranowski, eds. Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives (the og one is out, but the 10th anniversary ed. is forthcoming this year....with a chapter by Ulysses and I again!)

Ela Przybylo, Asexual Erotics: Intimate Readings of Compulsory Sexuality

I haven't read the Ace anthology yet, so I rec with grains of salt included. But reviewers I respect have commented favorably on it, so I'm putting it here.

This list is pretty short, mostly because I wanted to keep the citations to those actually accessible for free online (apart from books). It is also because the most radical, interesting, and generative discourse happening on ace/aro subjectivity and community, at this time, is happening on Tumblr and other blogs. Genuinely. I recommend searching the ace/aro/loveless/lovequeer tags to get a sense of what is currently happening; these are the spaces where I get a lot of my information and citations, including for the published articles above. hope this helps get you started!

[scretladyspider]

Let’s talk about what demisexuality

Very basically, demisexuality describes a sexual orientation in which a person does not experience sexual attraction to anyone of any gender unless a close bond is formed. This does not mean they are attracted to everyone they are bonded with, nor is it just abstaining from sex.

Abstinence is a choice anyone of any sexual orientation can make, and is a choice about sexual behavior. Celibacy is also a choice anyone of any sexual orientation can make, and is a choice about sexual behavior. Both are often confused for asexuality, but asexuality is a sexual orientation which describes a spectrum of little to no sexual attraction, and sexual behavior for aces can vary from ace to ace.

Demisexuality describes how attraction is formed, rather than who it is towards. For this reason many demisexuals choose to delineate their romantic orientation separately. For example if I’m romantically attracted to the same gender, I would be a homoromantic demisexual.

This is predicated on the idea of splitting romantic, sexual, and even tertiary attractions via the Split Attraction Model, or SAM. While many demisexuals us the SAM, not all do nor is it required.

Demisexuals can be any romantic orientation. This means a demisexual may or may not be aromantic or alloromantic. Demisexuals aren’t necessarily demiromantic; demiromantics aren’t necessarily demisexual.

Demisexuality exists under the spectrum of asexuality because it describes sexual attraction that is only experienced under a specific condition and context. The term originated on forums discussing the gray area of asexuality on @avenpt forums between 2003-2006. The rumor that it was started for a fictional character for a role play isn’t true; the link in this paragraph has citations and screenshots showing where it was originally coined.

Being demisexual doesn’t automatically mean that you’re sex favorable. This misconception stems from the idea that “all women are demisexual”, which misconstrues the spectrums of gender and asexuality, and also robs allosexual women and feminine people of their sexual autonomy. Choosing to not have sex until you trust the person isn’t the same as not experiencing sexual attraction to anyone at all until a specific bond forms, and not with every bond. The perception that only women would ever wait until there’s trust to have sex isn’t true either; anyone of any sexual orientation and gender can make that choice.

The more common misconceptions about demisexuality, and asexuality as a whole, are largely based in ideals around conservative Evangelical Christianity; that is to say the heteronormative notion that women and feminine people are inherently “more” asexual than our male counterparts. This is false. Not only is demisexuality’s existence (and asexuality’s existence) not predicated on gender, it is an experience of conditional sexual attraction, not sexual behavior or action. This view is dehumanizing and plays into seeing women and feminine people as objects whose sexuality only exists for the pleasure of others instead of complex people. In addition it boils men and masculine people down to only desiring sex for its carnal pleasure, rather than viewing them as whole people, and erases the experiences of ace men and masculine people.

Anyone can be ace; anyone can be demisexual. Aces can also have and enjoy sex for a variety of reasons. While many don’t have sex, it’s not true as a rule. Aces can have and enjoy sex, or not have sex at all.

I hope if you’re demisexual, you’re having a great day and you feel valid about yourself! Because you are.

[honey-beann]

💞

Sweet Victory

Connor x Reader Fluff

💕 - Kisses

Note: Okay look, I genuinely thought I hadn't gone that far over on this one until I put it in the word counter, so no judgement allowed! (For those of you who might not know this was supposed to be a 200-600 word drabble and I failed hard at keeping to that limit).

So, with that said, here is this request fulfilled with a word count far higher than I had initially anticipated (sorry, I apparently have no self-control).

A huge thanks to the Anon who requested this, and I hope everyone enjoys this random fluff fic!

Word Count: 2,534

Okay, so maybe you could be a little bit competitive at times. Was that really such a crime?

Sure, this was supposed to be some children's event designed to help the DPD gain favor amongst the younger generation of Detroit Citizens, but what were you supposed to do, just let your teammate down? Hell no, if you were in it, you were in it to win it, and that was a fact.

"Okay, remind me of what we have left to find?"

You asked Louisa, the eight year old girl walking alongside you, who you had only just met twenty minutes earlier.

Prior to the notice you'd received just this morning, you'd had absolutely no idea about the fact that kids were coming into the DPD today, let alone that you would be paired with one for their little scavenger hunt (and that may have showed in how unprepared and unsure you seemed).

That said, somehow, you had ended up with the most understanding third grader of all time, which you found yourself incredibly grateful for.

"Uh..."

Louisa checked her paper before continuing,

"It says we need to get warning citations written by an officer who isn't on duty right now, find where the Captain hides the donuts until after precinct meetings, and get something one of a kind from one of the detectives."

You raised a brow at that last one,

"One of a kind?"

You questioned looking down to see Louisa nodding in response as she looked down at the sheet in front of her.

"Yup. It says that at the end of the scavenger hunt Officers Miller and Chen will decide together who got the most unique item, and that that team will get points for the category."

"Huh, okay then."

You said, shrugging a bit before smiling down at your new friend,

"How about we go grab us some donuts?"

Five minutes and one trip to the storage closet later, and you and Louisa were making your way towards Chris Miller's desk, where you slid him his favorite powdered sugar confection before giving him your best (most pleading) smile.

"Wanna write us some citations, Officer Miller?"

You asked politely, watching as Chris looked down at the treat in front of him before looking back up at you and your partner with a slightly guilty looking smile.

"No can do, judges can't participate in the competition."

You groaned under your breath, shooting a nervous grin down to Louisa before you began scanning the bullpen with your eyes, looking around for another off duty officer while cursing yourself for never paying attention to the officer duty schedule.

That is, until your eyes landed on a familiar face.

Connor, everyone's favorite rk800 (or maybe that was just a you thing) was just sitting at his desk, all but begging to be interrupted by your shenanigans.

Instantly, you started making your way toward him, motioning for Louisa to follow you as you did so.

"Hey, you forgot your donut!"

Chris called after you, causing you to simply shake your head in response, a rather cheeky looking grin spreading across your face as you briefly turned to look at him.

"Don't need it."

Within moments, you were stood beside Connor's desk, hands clasped politely in front of you as you tried your best not to look as devious as you felt.

Immediately, the android looked up at you, a familiarly soft smile forming on his lips as he opened his mouth to speak, though he notably faltered when his eyes fell to the eight year old beside you.

"Good morning Detective, is there something I can help you with?"

He asked politely, his demeanor immediately making you smile ever so slightly.

"Hey Con, can I ask you a favor?"

The android in question seemed to perk up at your words, tilting his head as he turned his chair to face you and your new partner properly.

"Well I can certainly try. What can I assist you two with?"

You blushed ever so slightly at the sight of him as he turned to face you, trying your best not to make how good you thought he looked in that perfectly tailored dress shirt too obvious.

Thankfully, Louisa clearing her throat beside you brought you back to reality, and you quickly answered.

"We need an off duty officer to write us warning citations, but I can't remember the officer schedule for today. Did you happen to take a look at it anytime recently?"

Connor hummed, his LED briefly going yellow before slowly circling back to it's typical stagnant blue.

He nodded.

"According to the schedule, Officers Brown and Person are both off duty for the afternoon."

Your eyes scanned the room once more before they finally fell on Person, who sat at her desk, tapping away at her keyboard.

You grinned at Connor, fighting the urge to hug him as you shifted your weight from one foot to the other.

"Awesome, thanks Con!"

You enthused,

"I'll be sure to pay for lunch tomorrow to make it up to you."

The android in question smiled but shrugged his shoulders,

"I'm always happy to be of assistance, Detective, with or without incentive."

With that, he bid the two of you farewell before turning back towards his desk and continuing whatever he'd been doing prior to your (all too welcome) interruption.

Meanwhile, you and Louisa set off toward Officer Person's desk, which was when Louisa spoke up again.

"Was that your boyfriend?"

She asked, causing you to startle a bit before laughing nervously.

"Uh..."

You trailed off, looking over your shoulder slightly to glance at Connor once more.

The man had super hearing, and would therefore probably hear what you were about to say, but if you thought too hard about that the words would never come, so you just pretended he was too distracted to listen properly.

"Kind of. We've gone on a few dates together."

Louisa smiled and nodded,

"Yeah, I thought so."

Your cheeks reddened slightly at her comment, but you pressed onward nonetheless until finally, you made it to Officer Person's desk, where you were immediately regarded with an almost taunting eyebrow raise.

"Did I see you using lover boy over there to your advantage?"

She teased as she pulled her citation notepad out of her desk, writing your name at the top without even having to ask any of the spelling details.

You blanched.

"Oh hush, Person, who else was I supposed to ask? He has a literal connection to the database in his brain."

The woman in front of you shrugged, but her grin remained persistent nonetheless.

"Whatever you say, Detective, I just thought the first kiss came a stage before asking for personal favors. But hey, I could be wrong."

She finished up your citation and ripped it away from the rest of her note pad with a flourish before handing it to you and shifting her attention towards Louisa.

"Now what's your name?"

She asked.

You rolled your eyes at your friend and coworkers antics, looking down at your citation with a sigh only to be met with an absolutely humiliating sight.

Under infraction, Person had put 'Not kissing by the fifth date despite previously verbalized intentions to do so'.

You groaned internally, glaring down at your still seated friend as she finished up Louisa's warning citation, which cited that she was 'Stealing the hearts of Detroit's finest left and right'.

She handed it to the young girl with a kind smile before turning her attention back to you, satisfaction written all over your face.

"Anything else you need, Detective? I could give you some courage for your next outing with -"

"I think we're all set, thanks Person."

You muttered through gritted teeth, watching as she simply laughed before giving you a nod and waving the two of you off.

"Well in that case you'd better get moving then, the scavenger hunt ends in five."

You felt your eyes widen at that, and you cursed quietly before looking around the room.

Your brain struggled to conjure up the image of anyone who could provide you with that final artifact, something so unique it was guaranteed to win. Something that was truly one of a kind.

At that, your mind abruptly brought your thoughts to Hank, the lieutenant detective like no other (because no other could ever get away with doing the things he did).

Spotting him just outside the break room, you hurried over, offering him a quick greeting before getting straight down to business. The clock was ticking after all.

"Hey Hank, got any unique items on ya?"

You asked, gesturing to Louisa at your side as your only explanation.

Hank sighed, clearly having been asked this question more than once this morning.

You bristled a bit at this, realizing that maybe asking Hank had been a bit too obvious of a choice.

Still, what other options did you have now with only two minutes left?

"C'mon Lieutenant, anything?"

You all but pleaded, watching as Hank sighed and pulled a gold plated DPD pen out of his pocket.

"Jeffrey bought one of these for each high ranking officer like fifteen years ago. As far as I know, he and I are the only ones left that still have one."

You cheered a bit at the win, thanking Hank profusely before walking over to the crowd of waiting students and precinct workers to see who would be crowned the winner once items were handed in.

Except as you stood with your partner at your side, you couldn't help but notice something shiny sticking out of Gavin's pocket.

"Hey Reed!"

You called out without thinking, catching the attention of the aforementioned officer immediately.

"What?"

He replied snidely, never having been your biggest fan.

You ignored his tone.

"What'd you get for your unique item?"

Gavin regarded you with distrust for a moment before he seemed to get over it. He shrugged as he pulled the shiny thing out of his pocket entirely.

"Some pen Jeffrey gave my kid when he asked for a unique item. Said nobody else should have it."

You cursed under your breath, looking down at Louisa to find her staring up at you, the question of 'what do we do now?' obvious in her eyes.

You swallowed thickly, looking around the room at the various officers who were sitting at their desks.

You checked your watch.

Thirty more seconds.

Could you even hope to convince one of them to give you something by then, let alone have them actually find something genuinely one of a kind in so little time?

No, that would take far too long.

So now, you were left with only one option.

"Quick, come with me."

You told Louisa, taking her hand and weaving through the crowd with her, walking as fast as you reasonably could with a child at your side until you reached Connor's desk.

Sensing your urgency, the android stood as you grew closer, worry evident in his expression.

"Detective, is there something wrong? Do you need something?"

He asked, and you fought off the urge to take the additional time to assuage his fears and instead turned to face Louisa.

"Cover your eyes."

You told her firmly, watching as she nodded and did as she was told without question, equally as determined to win as you were, and knowing there was no time for you to clarify.

With that, you turned back to Connor, taking a single deep and shaky breath before speaking.

"Kiss me."

You said, cheeks immediately becoming warm as the man in front of you tilted his head in confusion, his eyes searching yours for any type of answer, or even just an ounce of context.

You looked down at your watch.

10 seconds.

"My apologies, Detective, but what did you just-"

"Con, I swear I'll explain later, but right now I really need you to kiss m-"

You were interrupted by a strong hand wrapping around your wrist and tugging you closer, and then suddenly, there were lips, warm and firm, pressing against your own.

You gasped briefly, shocked despite your previous pleas, before melting into the man in front of you, your arms moving to wrap around his neck as he kissed you so sweetly you could have wept.

By the time he pulled away, your face was beet red and your legs felt lie jelly.

Connor smiled nervously down at you, grabbing your hand to give it a gentle squeeze.

"I didn't think you would-"

"I figured it out."

He clarified before you could finish, glancing down at the pen in your pocket with a slight smirk.

"No need to clarify."

You nodded almost mindlessly, finding yourself crashing back into reality only when you heard your name get called from the other side of the room.

You snapped to attention, looking over to Chris and Tina, who were both holding back laughter.

"Sorry, what did you guys need?"

You asked, your voice slightly higher in pitch than usual as you struggled to contain your embarrassment.

"We need you to hand in your items."

Chris replied, and you nodded slowly before handing everything to Louisa, following behind her as she rushed back over to the group, immediately giving the judges everything the two of you had collected.

It was then and only then, after they scored the groups based on their initial findings, that they asked about the unique items.

And at that point, everyone began to share.

You thought about leaving, or maybe even just falling off the face of the earth altogether, but in the end when they called your name, you steeled your resolve, opening up your mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Louisa.

"She got a kiss from Detective Connor!"

She shouted giddily, all but dancing on her feet as she spoke, eyes gleaming in a way that told you how much the sight of your budding romance had excited her.

"It was their first kiss and everything!"

You felt your eyes widen at that comment, and in an effort to keep her from saying anything more you started to laugh nervously, watching as the whole room looked towards you, some of them grinning while others regarded you with a raised brow.

"Well, I mean..."

Tina began, chuckling a bit as she turned to her fellow judge to share her thoughts,

"I'm not sure if anything can beat that in terms of uniqueness."

Chris shook his head, smirking amusedly at your thoroughly embarrassed expression as he spoke up,

"You know what Officer Chen? I was thinking the exact same thing."

They looked at each other before nodding, choosing without hesitance to extend your misery.

"I guess that means we have our winners!"

They shouted together, causing the entire group to clap as you attempted to sink into the floor beneath your feet, far too nervous to look up and see the expressions of those around you.

Gee, this was gonna be a fun one to explain to the captain during your lunch break today.

'But hey', you thought as you looked down at Louisa's smiling face.

'At least we won'.

masterlist

AO3

[entanglingbriars]

So the idea that a purpose of circumcision is to lessen sexual desire/pleasure is very much part of the Jewish tradition. Quoting from the Guide for the Perplexed:

As regards circumcision, I think that one of its objects is to limit sexual intercourse, and to weaken the organ of generation as far as possible, and thus cause man to be moderate. Some people believe that circumcision is to remove a defect in man's formation; but every one can easily reply: How can products of nature be deficient so as to require external completion, especially as the use of the fore-skin to that organ is evident. This commandment has not been enjoined as a complement to a deficient physical creation, but as a means for perfecting man's moral shortcomings. The bodily injury caused to that organ is exactly that which is desired; it does not interrupt any vital function, nor does it destroy the power of generation. Circumcision simply counteracts excessive lust; for there is no doubt that circumcision weakens the power of sexual excitement, and sometimes lessens the natural enjoyment: the organ necessarily becomes weak when it loses blood and is deprived of its covering from the beginning.

Do you think the sudden outcry against circumcision is rooted in antisemitism? I feel like it is... every person i know who has been circumcised has stated its never posed an issue for them in their life, they've never even thought of it. And I've noticed a lot of these groups are funded by Christian groups, and often even compare circumcision to female genital mutilation, which is in no way ever comparable. I've been trying to help people consider this child be true, but they always say I'm just trying to center Jewish issues too much in an issue that's unrelated.

Oh it's most definitely rooted in antisemitism (also Islamophobia in modern tomes, but anti-circumcision rhetoric wielded against Jews predates Islam). The ancient Greeks and Romans considered circumcised penises to be inferior, and numerous occupiers of Judea placed bans on circumcision to oppress the Jewish people. I wouldn't call the "outcry against circumcision" is sudden at all- it goes back for millennia.

While many cultures practice circumcision, in Western society, circumcision is most associated with Jews. The idea of circumcision as being uniquely barbaric is tied to blood libel which paints Jews as bloodthirsty child molesters and abusers. It is no coincidence that most anti-circumcision groups are funded by Christians- Christianity has demonized circumcision ever since it broke away from Judaism.

Circumcision doesn't really cause significant changes in penis sensation or functionality, and contrary to popular belief, Jews don't circumcise for any aesthetic or sexual reason (like these anti-circumcision "activists" like to claim)- it's purely because it's what G-d commanded us to and because it's our mark of our covenant with Him. And it's absolutely a disservice to victims of FGM to compare circumcision to it.

Anti-circumcision rhetoric cannot be separated from antisemitism.

[brynn-lear]

"Papers, Please" [Thoma/Reader]

note: Thoma is underrated, and we don't talk about him being a fixer enough teehee.

prompt & content tags: Exploring the possibility that the resistance failed, Inazuma's borders became stricter than ever before. Thoma begs the inspector to let (Y/n) in last minute, but it's a far more challenging ordeal for a "fixer". [tw: death]

Teppei is an immigration inspector selected by the Kujou clan in the labor lottery held in October. His designated checkpoint is in Ritou, where most visitors would assemble to submit their required paperwork in an attempt to gain entry into the main city. 

And that's where his importance lies. Teppei is in charge of controlling entry based on the given documentation. Declining on those who gravely need their jobs and family makes him restless, but after several near-terrorist calls, stamping passports with approval makes him equally uneasy. Still, he must perform this task. His family back in Watatsumi is the only thing he thinks about. His grandma is still ill, and the harsh winter has only made her condition worse.

“Hey there, Teppei!” He heard a voice from the other end of his booth. “Can you open up? I need to show you something.”

After the divider noisily rose, a bright young man waved in front of him. They were no strangers to one another. It was Thoma, Ritou's “fixer”.

“Glory to the Shogun.” They both greeted unenthusiastically, but Teppei's eyes trailed to the clunked metal that landed on his booth.

It was a locket.

“I have a favor to ask,” Thoma did not waste a second. “Their name is (Y/n). They're missing some documents. Please let them in.”

Teppei raised an eyebrow.

“I can't have another citation…” Teppei muttered. “If I get another violation, I can't pay for extra heating this week. Finding a job is hard enough with my record. My granny—”

“Please, Teppei.” Thoma gripped the table. 

Horror momentarily seized Teppei's wits as he saw the desperation in the Mondstadter's eyes. Thoma's face was suddenly unfamiliar. Ordinarily, he'd attempt to win him over with a hearty meal or an under-the-table pay. He is not the fixer for nothing. None of the tricks that were once parlor for him were not being used. Just what makes this so different?

Teppei glanced at the time while Thoma glanced at his fortune slip.

He has 5 minutes before officially starting work while he has the words of great misfortune on his hand.

“... What's your proposal?”

Thoma's shoulders slackened in relief. “When the traveler first arrived in Inazuma, she took the Alcor with another person.” 

The traveler…

Inazuma had hopes comparable to Naganohara fireworks upon Lumine's arrival. She had seemingly arrived in various nations to solve their issues. Many were eager to see their dreams come to full bloom, freely soaring in the sky, but they would only spark momentarily before fading into the night. That, to Teppei, was what happened in the failed revolution.

That, to Inazuma, was the dead light that cemented their current state of affairs. That, to the rest of the world, is what made the nation of eternity come to a standstill. 

The resistance no longer nursed their anger but their wounds instead. Upon their disbandment, Teppei nearly found himself charging to Inazuma City with a sketchy vision. But before he could take a foot out the door, his grandmother collapsed. And so too did his delusions of grandeur.

“I'm not going to risk granny's comfort for another pipe dream,” Teppei laughed cynically. “It's time you let it go, Thoma.”

“No, no, you don't understand!” He shook his head, sharply inhaling. “You can't make me let this go— this isn't about the resistance.”

Teppei held the locket's strings between his fingers. 

“I can't see how it can't be about it. Thoma, I fought in the war, I saw the corpses of my friends lying stretched in the city instead of our homeland. None of us would make light about giving up if we escaped scatheless—” 

“It's not! This one's personal.”

Teppei opened it.

There's a folded photograph inside. Upon sensing Thoma's consensual nod, he spread the page to see the full picture— and subsequently, his foolish paranoia.

“(Y/n) isn't Inazuman, but they're not a descender either. They're not interested in starting another war, they just want to see me. Just that. They’re the least greedy person I know and that's their only wish. And it might just be the final one.”

In the picture, Thoma was smiling beside the (Y/n) he spoke of. They were surrounded by dogs and presumably had frosting on their cheek. Thoma held a cupcake in one hand and their back on the other. Playing with food is not an activity the ever-so-grateful Thoma willingly participates in, but the childish grin on their faces made them look as though the rest of the world was secondary.

Teppei had not realized he had been frowning. There he was, holding Thoma's happiness encased in an inked vessel. Based on the wrinkles, he can only guess the number of times the immigrant held onto this fragile solace. 

The sight of this image alone makes Thoma forget his heart's heaviness.

“... You love them.”

“I do.” Thoma looked down, biting his lip. “I do.”

The fixer breathed in shakily. 

“I think about (Y/n) every day… Do you… Do you remember the time you and I talked about our ideal partner at lunch, and you said my tastes seem so hyper-specific?”

“I honestly thought you were just gonna say someone with a good personality, not a list of things you think is pure domestic bliss.” Teppei chuckled.

“Well— I was just describing (Y/n),” Thoma blushed. “I miss the way they'd—”

“Recommend food to try? Link arms together while you walk? Point or gush about when an animal passes by? Smile when—”

“Yes, yes, all that.” Thoma grinned sheepishly, scratching his neck. “You get the point. I'm surprised you still remember those details. I'm… glad. That someone will remember (Y/n) and not just me.”

Teppei didn't quite understand what he meant by that back then.

“Now that I can put a face to those details, it's like I already know who (Y/n) is.” He said.

“Well, you will soon enough.” 

Teppei tilted his head, which urged Thoma to elaborate. He cleared his throat.

“Just last night, I received word that they're finally here in Ritou.” He rambled. “I know this is sudden but our communications were blocked for a long time. Please, let (Y/n) pass, and I will owe you, big time. Honest! Please!!!”

When Teppei was relatively new on the job, he had dealings with the fixer often as to who deserved to enter the country. Some, they both got away with. But in the times they did not, he received warnings. Those warnings turned to salary deductions. Those salary deductions turned to possible dismissal.

And Teppei can't have another M.O.A.

“Are they missing a document?” Teppei said. “Are they on the criminal list? Forged documents? Why are you here, then?”

Thoma slowly got on his knees, which jolted Teppei up in an attempt to stop him. With the booth on his way, Thoma was already on the floor, begging with his entire body.

“Please…” 

“G-Get up, Thoma!”

The sound of soldiers banging on the door alerted them both.

“INSPECTOR, IT'S TIME TO START.”

Thoma scurried off wordlessly and Teppei went back to his booth. With time against him, he pulled the lever and let the people know that it was the start of a grueling day. 

Teppei preferred to separate his work from his heart. Back when the two were the practically same, he had sacrificed so much with little in return. Twice the dreams, but even more than half the payoff. He was not a starving artist off on his craft. Teppei was a fool who thought independence could fill his stomach. 

So when several people had begged to see their family, he turned a blind eye to their suffering and detained them. So when those who secretly slipped a letter in his booth, begging for their passport to be denied for they were being sold off to unsavory services, he spoke nothing. 

If he made a slip-up, another “freedom fighter” might enter with their Fontainian muskets. If he made an outrageous error, more people might die. The last time it happened, one of his Watatsumi friends assigned as a guard got his head blown away. Which is why the only other person he gets to talk to in this monochrome job is Thoma. 

Work life is bleak. His grandmother is what he has left after he threw his life for the resistance. The Kujou Clan might just send him to prison if his performance is terrible this month. He can't lose her too.

And so, he hoped Thoma’s lover could legally pass. The shogun does not take kindly to those who were sent by the breeze of pirate ships. If (Y/n) was one of these stowaways…

“Papers, please.”

“Are you Teppei? I heard you were a friend of Thoma's.”

Teppei stiffened.

(H/c) hair and (e/c) eyes…

He opened their passport.

(Y/N) (L/N)

DOB ████/██/██

SEX █

ISS █████

EXP ████/██/██

- - - - - - - - - -

WJFPQ-K0M1

“H-He said that you are a friend and that you'd help us out…” (Y/n) muttered. “I don't have any family left, that's why I momentarily traveled with Lumine. To see the world. I didn't have anything to live for, until I met him…” 

Teppei's hands trembled as he looked up. 

Think about what you have left...

Think about granny...

“Your entry permit?”

(Y/n) wore a troubled look as they shook their head.

Teppei gulped. “ID Supplement?”

They shook their head again.

Teppei slouched down.

“... Vaccine Certificate?”

Silence.

“I'm… sorry, (Y/n)—”

“P-Please, wait!” (Y/n) teared up. “Please, I don't have anywhere else to go to. My love, I know he's just behind that door, waiting for me. Please, Teppei.”

Teppei sighed. “Why not come around next month with these requirements—”

“There is no next time. I'm…” (Y/n) felt their eyes start to burn up. They told themselves they'd stop crying and face their dilemma bravely, but it's easier said than done.

They are the sand that had already passed through the hourglass. And there's not much left at the top. Even the greatest doctor in Liyue had nothing else left to say about their condition. The only treatment they could receive was a zombie's cold touch of “comfort”— a grim reminder of what (Y/n) will become soon enough.

I'm sorry (Y/n), you're no longer contagious, but…

“I don't have anything left. Just not-enough-boxes-in-the-calendar and so-many-sorries .” (Y/n) gazed at him earnestly. “You… You understand what I'm saying, don't you? I…”

Teppei's eyes widened.

No.

No, he doesn't want to understand.

Stop this, please...

“I… want to spend my days with him. It's… it's all I ask.” (Y/n) smiled, but it was weak, no different from the rest of their body. “And it's my last and final request.”

…

…

“I'm… afraid I'll have to give you another sorry.” 

Teppei looked away. Quickly, he stamped their passport before he could hesitate further.

“I'm sorry, (Y/n), but I can't,” Teppei muttered. “If the world decides who gets their way based on who is the most unfortunate, Inazuma would be an open country. But… but it doesn't work that way, doesn't it?”

(Y/n)’s smile soured from weak to bitter.

“Y-Yes, I… I understand.”

They remained in their positions quietly. The red ink had dried long ago, and (Y/n) could leave whenever they wanted to. But their feet were ingrained on the floor, not wanting them to add more distance between them and Thoma.

“Please… Please tell Thoma I will always love him.”

Teppei harshly shut his eyes, feeling his face wrinkle. If he could do the same for his ears, he would. 

“Please tell him we will be together, in another life.”

Thoma rarely comes to Teppei's workplace.

Even his own. Lady Ayaka, in her increased lonesome, often lets her lips flow out strings of concerned mutterings for her retainer. Thoma frequents bars more often. And at the estate, he would be seen staring into nothing with a broom in hand. No staff trusted him in the kitchen, not out of disdain but heavy worry. On one occasion, the lord of the manor's hand loudly echoed as it landed on Thoma's cheek. They all begged him to snap out of it. 

But he cannot.

“He's already not very good with alcohol and yet he proceeds to down sake as though he could handle it.” Madarame sighed. “He always has a room in the clan, and I would never take that away from him, but…”

“Maybe it's time we let him go,” Furata spoke. “I say that not out of malice. I believe young Thoma deserves to see the world again, like (Y/n) had— maybe we are the ones chaining him down. Our Lady said they're buried in Liyue, perhaps…”

People talk. Their chatter is endless. But they all fail to mention how Teppei's decision had buried (Y/n) in a pirate ship. 

However, Thoma can't bring himself to be angry. Before Teppei could stamp the passport, there was already a truce in this folly. How can he be mad when he cannot offer words of reasonable counsel to persuade an inspector?

In Thoma's eyes, it was not Teppei who failed (Y/n).

It was…

“I'm sorry, (Y/n)...”

Himself. And he will never forgive himself for it.

All (Y/n) has, even when they are long gone, are ticked-off-calendar-boxes and a-grave-of-sorries. 

The blonde man clung to his locket yet again. His breath tasted like alcohol. When was the last time he ate a cupcake? He can't remember anymore. He can't remember the warmth of another human's touch. He can't remember the joy of it all.

He just knew that he "will always love them", too.

“I-I'm so sorry…”

Even if it hurts.

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 43 – ENEMIES TO LOVERS

(First Impressions Are) A Work in Progress by ras_elased

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: M Words: 15,195 Tags: Metaphorical Pigtail-Pulling, Getting Together, Wholesome Steve

Summary: Tony has a point system for the times he can get Steve to be less than perfect.

Reasons why I love it: To me, this fic is one of the corner stones of the Stony fandom. It's one of the first fics that got me into this pairing, so it holds a very special place in my heart. I can quote parts of it from memory, it's that good. So if you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and get right on it. I promise you'll love it just as much as I do.

Citation Needed by elwenyere, FestiveFerret

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: M Words: 30,570 Tags: College AU, Professors Steve and Tony, History Mystery

Summary: Historian Tony Stark has one year to get his book about WWII weapons technology under contract before he goes up for Full Professor at Stanley College. There's only one chapter left to finish, which is supposed to explain Peggy Carter's involvement with something called "Project Rebirth," but there are two problems: his trail of evidence goes cold every time he encounters references to an enigmatic soldier named Steven Rogers, and his stress levels shoot through the roof every time he runs into the endlessly frustrating new hire in Fine Arts, Dr. Grant.

Reasons why I love it: I was following along as this story was posted, and each new update was the highlight of week, every time. The plot is so intricate and well thought out that it feels almost like a murder mystery, and I absolutely adore the ending. This fic is incredible, and you should definitely read it, if you haven't already!

the girl with the modern face by isozyme

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 26,881 Tags: Crossdressing, Internalized Homophobia, Lingerie

Summary: “Nice to meet you.  I’m Steve Rogers,” Steve said, sticking his hand out and trying to wrestle the interaction back into something normal. “I know, sweetheart,” Tony said, ignoring his hand.  “Rescue told me all about you.” “Did you make her?” Steve asked.  It had been implied that Tony was a tech-man, and she said he was her boss.  It would fit together. “Yes, the armor, that was me; she’s my bodyguard,” Tony said archly.  “Impressed?” The only good thing about the future is Tony Stark's bodyguard, Rescue. She's beautiful in her red and gold armor, and Steve will never know who she is.

Reasons why I love it: As always, isozyme's grasp on the prejudices Steve might have due to his background is impeccable. Also, Tony crossdressing as Rescue is such a kickass concept that I wish I'd thought of it myself. The characterizations and dialogues are perfect all the way through, and I especially love the character development in Steve. This fic is one of my favorites, so I really hope you give it a shot!

[cheshirecherry]

Harry Styles has become synonymous with ‟sexiest man alive” and ‟world's sexiest man” simply by existing but at what cost?

DISCLAIMER: I own no pictures, articles, videos, excerpts used citations will follow nor am I affiliated with H / my take

Here I will take you down memory lane magnifying Harry's image from the start of X Factor circa 2010 to present day; with a fine eye pertaining to his sex appeal and womanizer narrative depicted in the limelight and mass media. As boyband 1D began to rise to fame the general public became fixated on Harry's sexual attributes.

Harry Styles appears to be the whole package. He has talent, wit, humor, a sensitive heart and looks but the harsh reality of living in a superficial world is: physical appearances are favored over substance. In result conventionally attractive people like Harry fall subject to heavy sexualization. Harry's professional music career started in 2010 as did the narrative.

2010

April 11th Harry auditions for the X Factor at the age of 16 years old

Harry is selected to be in a 5-part boyband 3 months later in July (birth of 1D)

Sep 26th Harry stars in a X Factor clip that aired with Katie a potential love interest and multiple other female contestants simultaneously

I'M JUST A TEENAGE DIRTBAG BABYYYYY Harry is portrayed to be a manwhore/player multiple women are at his disposal but he gets caught in the end; Harry doesn't pick any of them and male contestant Wagner sweeps him off his feet

Oct 7th The gold thong incident

Harry is exploited in a magazine as a minor (this makes me so angry and sick) and then asked about it in an interview see video Harry is labeled as an exhibitionist which implies Harry likes to arouse the others in the house with his nudeness or derive attention from his habit of being naked Typical child audiences don't know what an exhibitionist is This is a clear indication for adult attention and later grooming

Oct 20th Harry headlines in The Mirror for the first time featuring singer Cher Lloyd and their blossoming friendship

This article is harmless in nature but helps promote Harry and female companionship on X Factor

Oct 21st 1D video diary week 2

Harry's role in 1D is the flirt at this time this is a given and understood (flirts are promiscuous and highly charming)

Oct 31st The Mirror claims Harry denies dating rumors with Cher Lloyd and insists Harry is interested in singer Frankie Sanford

cited: ‟Cher's not really my type. She's a great girl. We've become good friends but that's it.”

A follow up from the first article and the introduction of Harry and love interests in the media (Harry is referred to as a heartthrob - his appearance is emphasized; his sex appeal is apparent) Harry is picked as receiving the most attention within the band and LT of 1D teases Harry about his crush on Frankie Sanford see video (19:27)

Nov 2nd Harry shows some skin on his bunk bed

The boy likes to be nude again why exploit a minor what's the motive?

The boys talk about Harry's nudity

More excessive showing of Harry and nudeness

Nov 11th Harry confesses his worst habit

Getting naked is his favorite (fansite dedication post)

Nov 13th The Mirror uses descriptive language to depict Harry seducing a mystery girl in Simon Cowell's dressing room (STEAMY!?)

Sources state he was caught after kissing-and-telling

Nov 22nd Daily Mail stirs up Harry and Cher rumors with pictures

This is a common tactic in the music industry; articles will be released with a storyline and pictures will be "leaked" or be released to sway the publics opinion regardless of what was previously reported and it successfully added more fuel to keep the fire burning (attention on Harry)

Just in a span of a few months Harry was a subject of news revolving around his looks and women not his singing! That's normal though right?

Dec 7th The Mirror spew more bs 21 year old Peaches Geldof shows interest in little Harry

Harry shows no interest back

Dec 13th The Telegraph makes Harry the center of attention after a supposed naughty lip read to X Factor's winner Matt Cardle

I find it extremely odd Matt won a TV SHOW but Harry was the center of attention for something inaudible and sexual see video

Ask oneself why and how Harry was relevant in the tabloids after losing X Factor

2011

April 11th Sugarscape continues the topic of Harry's nudity streak on X Factor and inquires about UAN tour

Pay attention to how it is a common topic for him; more sexual attention is now on Harry

July 29th 1D appears on Chatty Man for the first time and Harry explains comment made to Matt Cradle

Harry confesses it was completely innocent as he was talking about cats; nobody believes him although it got him grounded for a week (his age is really showing here)

Alan Carr inquires about the girls starring in WMYB

Harry replies twice "the girls were lovely in the video" see video (9:05) Alan Carr pokes at Harry about one of the girls Madison

Alan Carr inquires about Harry stripping on a plane

LP of 1D chimes in and Harry laughs it off as Alan playfully gestures himself opening an imaginary cover to show his body off (this made me uncomfortable; Alan insinuates Harry wants to show his genitals to others unprovoked) see video (6:23)

Sep 19th Yahoo reignites Harry and Frankie Sanford rumors

More clickbait for Harry

Incoming Caroline Flack spam *she is now deceased

Oct 24th Daily Mail claims Harry kisses 32 year old Caroline Flack a X Factor host

Grooming has begun and future potential love interests will now be milked in every media outlet from this time forward

Nov 4th RTE reports Flack claiming she regretted kissing Harry

Follow up article

Nov 17th The Mirror continues hinting at Flack and Harry

The words stop feeling weird to describe the distaste the world had of their arrangement is laughable

Nov 21st The Mirror gets an answer from H

cited: ‟A lot of people write things on the internet and a lot of the time they don't think about what they are writing or how it's going to affect people.”

‟It's a shame people say that. We are close friends.”

‟We are friends. We hang out sometimes but that's about it for now.”

Around this time Flack received death threats for her association with Harry

Nov 25th Harry talks virginity with Glamour

Why is a teenage boys sex life NEWS?

Dec 7th Digital Spy reports one night with Flack

Harry was spotted going to her home and leaving; great timing paparazzi!

Dec 8th Capital FM interviews 1D at their first Jingle Bell Ball and questions nudity amongst the band's first meetings

Everyone's full undivided attention is on Harry as is it is a common topic for him; Harry speaks on skinny dipping at the bungalow see video (40:14)

Dec 10th IBT reports Flack preparing for the holidays with Harry

It cannot be confirmed Caroline met family but was followed by Anne the mother of Harry on Twitter

Dec 11th The Mirror stir up rumors with disapproval from X Factor bosses and Anne

Very interesting

Dec 22nd Daily Mail reports Flack dropping Harry off at a venue for the start of the UK leg

Teenager Harry is referred to as Flack's boyfriend citations are included for opposing and pro viewpoints

Dec 23rd Daily Mail suggests Flack is a FWB

Harry explicitly states he’s single

Jan 3rd Metro reports Harry NYE fun without Flack

At this time Harry lived with LT of 1D and a party was thrown that they hosted together at their shared home This article is a sympathy pull for Flack Metro claims Harry was crying over Flack as he has fallen for her hard (the source: just trust me bro)

Jan 27th The Mirror reports Flack and Harry split

Thank God (in other words I'm sick of this sh*t) The timing is astonishing; Harry's 18th birthday and the USA leg is approaching With a breakup in the media Harry is now on "the market" for the media to rip apart with other love interests pairings as he travels in the USA (It's like he's their puppet)

Exciting things were coming into fruition! One Direction hit it off in the UK for their very first tour to promote their very first album Up All Night. Little Harry is living his dream and enjoying every moment of it with his best 4 mates. A Cheshire bakery boy is now transformed into a teen heartthrob lusted over by all age audiences. As time goes by Harry becomes more famous and speculation about his personal life becomes more intense more invasive and more annoying.

2012