#I am so not used to seeing this person in the mirror or in a photo that I look respectfully

[mayrose713]

Beautifully Cruel World-Chapter 16

Series Masterlist | Previous | Next

ABO Non-Idol Stray Kids Universe Poly OT8 x Reader 18+ MDNI

Warnings in the Series Masterlist as well as any other information needed

Chapter 16

“Are you excited?” Felix bounces in the passenger seat as Jeongin drives, Y/n in the back.

“You won’t even tell me where you’re taking me.” The omega laughs. “All I can be excited about is spending time with you two.”

“Well, are you excited to spend time with us?” Jeongin looks back at her in the rearview mirror.

“Of course I am.” She smiles. “I love doing anything with you guys.”

“Well we’re here.” Felix points to the building that they pull up to.

Y/n leans forward to look between the front two seats for a better look. “A video game cafe.”

“Do you play video games?”

“Hyuk and I would play a lot before I presented.” She smiles. “And one of my friends and I would play in college too. Can’t tell you how many all nighters we did.”

They all step out of the car, Felix waiting for her before shutting the door behind her and grabs her hand as Jeongin comes around the car.

“Another reason we chose to do this is because Lix is too sunburned to be out in the sun today.” The alpha rubs the other male's cheek that is tinted red from their beach day.

“You and Hyunjin really should have listened to Chan yesterday about sunscreen.” Y/n squeezes his hand as they walk towards the door of the cafe.

“I know I know.” Felix sighs. “I will next time. I’m learning from the consequences as my skin hurts.”

Jeongin laughs. “Your skin hurts?” 

“What? It does.”

“That’s just a weird way of saying it.” Felix pouts at Jeongin’s teasing.

Once inside, Jeongin talks to the person at the desk as Y/n looks around seeing all the computers set up with comfy chairs. There's even a few VR set ups around the place. And of course a snack bar.

“Alright, we’ve got one of the VR stations and the three computers next to it reserved for a few hours.” Jeongin looks at the paper he was given to see which station and computers are theirs.

“And this is why you are my favorite alpha.” Felix hugs him. “The other three would never have splurged on one of the VR stations.”

“Just don’t tell them that I did.”

���Won’t they know after they see how much you spent with their card?” Y/n asks as Jeongin leads them to the stations that is on their reservation.

“I’m just hoping they don’t question it.” Jeongin sighs and they all take a seat at the computers first.

“What games did you like to play?” Felix asks as he’s already loading up League of Legends.

“Umm, my friend and I spent a lot of time playing Stardew Valley as well as a lot of horror games.”

“Felix is obsessed with playing LOL.” Jeongin points out. “Plays it all the time at home.”

Y/n looks over at the other omega’s screen. “If you play it so much then why are you still bronze?”

Jeongin bursts out laughing as Felix pouts. “Yeah Lixie, why are you still bronze?”

“Shut up.” He mumbles.

“What do you want to play, Jagiya?” 

“Well I’ve never played LOL.” She says as she watches Felix play. “So I wouldn’t mind learning that.”

“I’ll teach you then.” The alpha smiles and they load the game up. “Maybe you’ll be better than Lix and can help him get to silver.”

“Yah!” Felix gaps at Jeongin before pouting again. 

After Jeongin teaches Y/n the basics of League of Legends they play for a while and sure enough, the female omega is better and actually carries their team.

“I’ve had enough.” Felix rage quits and pulls up the ordering menu on his computer for the snackbar. “Let’s order food then do some VR. What do you want, sunshine?”

She looks over the menu as he scrolls before pointing at the screen. “Some tteokbokki please. Ji had let me try some of his the other day and I had liked it.”

Felix adds three things of tteokbokki for all of them as well as gets some fried chicken, cheese ramen, and Korean corn dogs for him and Jeongin telling Y/n she can have some of theirs too if she wants.

“Have you ever done VR before, Y/n?” Jeongin asks as he sets it up.

“No, I haven't.”

“Why don’t you look through the list of games and see which one you wanna play and we’ll have you go first.”

She scrolls through the games before her eyes light up. “I’ve heard of beat saber before, it sounded fun.”

Jeongin gets her set up with the game and she has fun for a while playing different songs, failing at a few fast ones before Felix tells her to play Job Simulator. She has fun working the convenience store, throws a few things at some of the robot customers and the boys just watch her as she laughs and smiles, acting so carefree.

She takes a break when the food comes and eats her tteokbokki and some of Felix’s fried chicken and Jeongin’s ramen. She wasn’t a huge fan of the corn dogs though. Jeongin then gets up and continues with Job Simulator playing the mechanic job, confused as he tries to figure out the different car parts. 

“This is why when we have car trouble I let the hyungs deal with it.”

“You are definitely no mechanic, Innie.” Felix laughs. 

During Felix’s turn he plays at the restaurant. At first he was actually doing really well, until he left the food on the stove too long. 

“Uh, Lixie, the steak is on fire.” Y/n laughs as she watches what he’s seeing on the computer screen. 

“Oh shit.” 

“And this is why Minho hyung doesn’t let you be unsupervised in the kitchen.” Jeongin laughs. 

“Minnie and I burned pancakes one time.” Felix huffs. 

“Just be happy they still let you bake and help Min.” Jeongin reminds him. “Seungmin isn’t even allowed in the kitchen anymore.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆

“Hey pups.” Changbin smiles when Jeongin, Felix and Y/n walk back into the vacation house. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah.” Felix purrs as he hugs the alpha, seeming to be in a really good mood.

“Y/n’s better than Felix at League.” Jeongin smirks. “And she had never played before today.”

“Binnie, Innie’s being mean.” Felix pouts into his chest.

“Why does he seem to be so spaced out?” Changbin eyes the omega in his arms before looking at Jeongin. 

“I may have heavily scented them both when we left the cafe and they cuddled in the back seat the whole way here.” Jeongin watches the female as she curls up on the couch having not said anything yet. “Y/n’s a bit spacey too.”

“Aww, is my angel all spacey.” Jisung, who was eating a snack in the kitchen, overheard and went to the omega on the couch. “Come here my baby.”

“Hi Jisungie.” She purrs as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her to his chest.

“Why don’t you go join them?” Changbin nudges Felix over to the couch and he cuddles up on the betas other side who is loving every moment of this. 

Changbin and Jeongin watch over the three of them as they cuddle until Chan comes back with Hyunjin and sees the cuddle pile on the couch. 

“Who allowed a cuddle party without me?” Hyunjin pouts. 

“Innie scented the omegas into sub space after their date.” Changbin explains and Hyunjin moves over to lay against Y/n’s back.

“Are they okay?” Chan leans over the back of the couch to check on them and Jisung tilts his head up to look at him. 

“They’re good. They’re napping now.” 

The alpha pushes a strand of hair out of Felix’s face before looking at Jeongin. “We need to work on how you scent them. Y/n’s still new to all of this and is more sensitive to being scented, especially when you do it so hard like this.”

“She asked me to heavily scent her.” 

“Really?” Hyunjin leans up to look at the youngest. 

“Felix and I both warned her that she’d slip into sub space if she allowed me to do that and be vulnerable but she persisted.” Jeongin looks down at her. “Felix told me to scent him first so she could see how it is. I didn’t even have to do a lot for her. Like you said, she’s still sensitive to it so she slipped pretty quickly.” 

“I’m glad she trusts us enough to be vulnerable like this in front of us.” Chan looks over her closely. “But I can’t help but wonder what is going through her head that made her feel like she needed to slip for a bit to get away from it.”

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin looks worried now. 

“Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know.” Jisung looks at his fellow beta. “You and Minnie never feel the need to slip like Felix and I do. Normally we’ll ask one of the alphas to heavily scent us when we’re wanting to mentally get away from everything. Me normally when my anxiety is high. Lix when he’s having a rough day.”

“It’s kind of a safe space for them mentally.” Changbin continues. “And they know they’re safe with us there so they don’t need to be mentally aware.” 

“But then why would Y/n ask Jeongin to help her slip?” Hyunjin frowns. 

“Did she seem anxious to you at all while you were at the cafe?” Chan turns to the young alpha. 

“No.” He shakes his head as he thinks back to their date. “She actually seemed to be so carefree for most of it. The only time she seemed off was when we got into the car and she asked me to heavily scent her into sub space.” 

“Let’s not think too much about this.” Chan shakes his head. “She might have not been wanting to mentally get away from something but just wanted to feel what it was like. Lixie might’ve told her about it at one point and she just wanted to try it so she asked Jeongin to do it while having him there.”

“That’s a good point.” Changbin agrees. “But everyone still keep an eye on her just in case. I’ll tell Minho and Seungmin the same thing.”

Everyone nods in agreement and Hyunjin looks at Chan. 

“Hey hyung?”

“Yes Jinnie.” Chan moves over leaning on the back of the couch where the beta lays. 

“Could you… scent me into sub space too?” Hyunjin looks up at him deep in thought. “I don’t really need it but I want to know what it feels like.” 

“I can do that for you sometime yeah.” Chan nods. “But if you’re not needing it right now then it’s best to keep you here. It’ll already be hard enough having two omegas in sub space to deal with.”

“That’s okay.” Hyunjin smiles. “I was thinking more of doing it when we go back home so I’m somewhere I know and am more comfortable in.” 

“Sounds perfect baby.”

______________________________________________________________

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@violet-hatake @idkwhoisthis1971 @mo0n13 @yumuramma @nuggiesnuggetdog04

@pineapplekitty3-16

[wolftarotcrafts]

What is coming towards you in love? Let's find out! Soon I will post another tarot reading on how your relationship may deepen for those in relationships already.

I also just want to say thank you for the support on my other tarot readings I have posted on here. It means a lot to see that my readings have resonated with people. And if you missed those readings and want to check them out, you can go to my page, and I will link them at the end.

I also have started setting up my Ko-Fi, so I will make a separate post on that if anyone is curious about personal readings. Please enjoy the readings.

Pile One:

Oooooooh, pile one. You have got some good things coming in. In terms of what you can expect, I see you meeting the one who you will get married to and start a life with. This is the person who is going to commit to you. I see you guys have kissed frogs and have been patiently waiting for your person. I see that the patience is finally going to pay off because on the horizon I see them arriving. I see you have been focused on yourself and really taking time for you. You are ready to receive what you want. I see it's just within reach. I see some of you are powerful manifesters and may have manifested your person with a spell or vision board. I say refresh the manifestation and make another little list of the qualities and traits you want your person to have and be specific. Use your power pile one and get ready because they are coming. 

Signs: Colored hair, Pink, Red, Purple, Black hair, Straight hair, Ocean, boats, Port, Fall, Seattle, Movie-10 Things I Hate About You, Seattle, Sunrise, Tomorrow-Annie, sunshine, light-hearted, Manifestation, Vision board, Songs, Winter, Dec, 18, In a few months, In a few days, Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, 1212, Leap of faith, Jack, Fernanda, Ashly, Laura.

Pile Two:

Hey pile two. I feel you guys are kind of in your own world. Many of you are young, like in high school, or just really carefree and youthful. I see you guys are just having fun and living the best life you can. I see there are two possible situations. I see that some people may have a crush on you, and you don't even know it. I see them admiring from afar. I see them finally gaining the courage to talk to you and ask you out. I also see another situation where some of you like someone, and you are observing them, and they are mirroring you and doing the same with another person. I then see you guys somehow come together and start liking each other. 

Signs: 6, 12, 19, 22, 26, 29, Aries, Aquarius, Brown hair, Orange, Tattoos, Smart, May, Asia, "Hi," Isaac, Swimming, Messages, hanging out with friends, Daylight Harry Styles, Hold On, We're Going Home- Drake,

Pile Three:

Hey pile three. I am sending you good vibes and all the love. Pile three I am not going to lie. There are some bad vibes here. Make sure you are careful with who you surround yourself with and who you tell your secrets to. I see there are some snakes around you. I see there is going to be some conflict, and you might get heartbroken, and there might be some deception going on. Some of you might know who I am talking about and just ignore the red flags, but listen, it's only going to hurt you in the end. Do not ignore the red flags. Pay attention to your surroundings and who you are with. Not everyone has your best interest at heart. Just guard yourself a little pile three. I know this was supposed to be about love, so one of your friends may take your crush or something like that to hurt you, but again be on the lookout. I'm sending you hugs, pile three.🫂❤️‍🩹

Signs: 18, C, A, I Sneaky, Secrets, Drama, Backstabber, Gossip, Gemini, Sagittarius, "Friends," Alex, Alexander, Adam, Andrea, Cassandra, Cassie, July, Sad songs Wildflower-Billie Eilish

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have started working on my Ko-Fi, so more news on that is coming. Disregard the Etsy link.

Other Tarot Readings

Future Spouse PAC (Appearance)

Future Spouse PAC (Personality)

Advice-What you need to hear

Spirit Guide Reading

Again, thank you for the support!

[things-arent-what-they-seem66]

(Shallow Hal AU)

Ever since Lucifer was a boy he always felt he deserved to date the most beautiful men and women. He was a good man, but he was extremely shallow. It didn’t matter how the person was on the inside, he wanted to date that person if they were deemed hot by his standards. But that made it so he didn’t have any fulfilling relationships. He was going to therapy over this and they went on the subject of his dating habits with his therapist Bel.

Lucifer: I don’t get it, I date the hottest people around and none of them end up lasting.

Bel: It seems that is because you focus too much on the outer beauty instead of the inner beauty which is what matters the most.

Lucifer: I don’t know what to do, my mind keeps telling me that I should be going after the hottest person in the room.

Bel: I have an idea, I am going to hypnotize you so that you can only see the inner beauty of a person. Depending on how strong their inner beauty is, it will affect how they look to you.

Lucifer: Ok, I don’t buy this hypnosis bullshit, but I will try it.

After Bel hypnotized him, Lucifer paid and left the office feeling foolish. But his jaw dropped when the most beautiful man he had ever seen walked by him. He had brown hair the same shade as milk chocolate, honey brown eyes, a little soul patch on his chin, a light dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks. Best of all he had he had a sexy muscular body. He wore a shirt of some rock band, jeans with holes in the knees, and combat boots. The reality was that this man looked exactly the same except he was chubby. The man that Lucifer saw was Adam.

Lucifer: Hey beautiful.

Adam looked up confused, no one ever really called him beautiful except for his mom and he felt she did that because she was his mom.

Adam: Is this some kind of fucking joke? Did someone dare you to flirt with me?

Lucifer: Why would you think that?

Adam: Look at me, I am not exactly that much to look at.

Lucifer: That isn’t true, I think that you the most beautiful person I have ever seen.

Adam could sense the sincerity of Lucifer’s words and for some reason it made him feel a little better about himself especially since this guy was very handsome.

Adam: My name is Adam Kadmon, what is your name.

Lucifer: Lucifer Morningstar, let me make it up to you by taking me out to dinner tonight.

Adam: Ok.

They exchanged info and Adam gave Lucifer his address. He couldn’t wait to tell Lute that he had a date. Once home Adam looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled at it for the first time. He remembered his ex girlfriend Lilith who used to date him because she considered him hot, but then she became disgusted with him when he gained weight. In fact she would make him cry when make pig noises at him and get her friends to do the same. But Lucifer made him feel beautiful for the first time in a long time.

Lucifer went home to get ready for his date with Adam, he couldn't believe his luck. Adam blew all his expectations for beauty out of the water.

Lucifer made sure to wear a nice shirt and his best cologne, it always helps when you smell nice.

Walking to Adams place to pick him up for their date, Lucifer was shocked by some of the people that he saw. Some were just downright hideous it made his skin crawl.

He shook it off as he knocked on Adams door and the angel of a man answered, his perfect smile bright, white, and breathtaking.

Adam: You showed up.

Lucifer: Well of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

He offered Adam his arm and he accepted, they went to this nice little restaurant that was a 10 minute walk away.

Adam: Wow this place is nice, I've been here.

Lucifer: It's really nice. Go ahead and get anything you like, it's my treat doll face.~

He winked and Adam flushed a pretty shade of pink across his cheeks.

[vettelsvee]

VEE'S F1 PROMPTS LIST (VOL. I) ⋆ I've been thinking of this for quite a while and I've finally decided to post this! So, if you want to, feel free to requests as many times as you want <3 ─ Drivers I write for: anyone (current F1 grid or retired). ─ Send me your requests via Tumblr Inbox (+ some idea in case you want me to write something specific). Just choose a number from the following ones and tell me the driver you want me to write about! ─ The ones in bold are already taken and will be posted as soon as possible

© VETTELSVEE (2025). please, do not steal, copy or translate my works. thanks for reading!

1. "Your face is so adorable. I bet the rest of your body is" 2. "You want that book? I'll buy you the whole series" ↳ Oscar Piastri 3. "Darling, are you feeling well?" 4. "Would it be all right if I borrowed your sweater? It smells like you" ↳ Lando Norris 5. "I might have slept with your robe when you were gone" 6. "If you steal the blankets, I am going to put my cold feet on you" 7. "Here, let's share the blanket" 8. "You have to be quiet if you want to cum" ↳ Lando Norris 9. "But I want to hear you sing" 10. "I'm gonna fuck you until you beg me to stop" 11. "Are you gonna be good for me?" ↳ Lewis Hamilton 12. "Don't get up - I'll do it" 13. "Star-gazing was a good idea" 14. "You look beautiful/handsome in the moonlight" 15. "I think I love you"

16. "I'll always be here for you" 17. "How about something warm? It'll help you sleep" 18. "It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway" 19. Don't be silly. I want to stay up with you" 20. "It's not morning yet" 21. "Have a nice nap?" 22. "You have sleepy stuff in your eyes" 23. "Time to wake up sweetie. It's a new day" 24. "You stayed up past your bedtime again, didn't you?" 25. "Why don't we tale a nap together? We can be nap buddies" 26. "You're exhausted, honey" 27. "Are you blushing?" 28. "Hey, hey, hey, don't let them say that. You're beautiful" ↳ Lewis Hamilton 29. "Yeah, you're cold. I'm giving you my jacket" 30. "It looks better on you anyway" 31. "You look pretty today" 32. "Can we get married already?" ↳ Lando Norris 33. "Oh, uh, hey. I just wanted to remind you that I love you" 34. "We should compare hands, you know. Science" "What?" "What? It's not like we haven't done anything worse" 35. "You're cute" "What" "I said you look like a fruit" "That doesn't even make sneak" 36. "Yeah, okay, so what if I dreamt about kissing you? Don't we all do that to our best friends ...No? What do you mean no?" 37. "This sounds like you're flirting with me" "...I have been trying to do that for three years now" ↳ Sebastian Vettel 38. "You're the most important person of my life" 39. "Welcome to fatherhood" 40. "God, I'm never leaving your side again" 41. "I got the mirror so you can see yourself while I'm fucking you" ↳ Sebastian Vettel 42. "Don't touch me. Just watch" ↳ Sebatian Vettel 43. "What are you wearing?" 44. "Just watch them having sex with me. Maybe it'll give us some ideas" 45. "Your hair is really soft after you wash it" 46. "Ssh. Stop fussing. I'm just braiding your hair" ↳ Sebastian Vettel 47. "You smell really nice" 48. "You're my new pillow" 49. "We can talk over dinner" 50. "Don't be stubborn. Try it!"

[galilea-naerie]

Galilea’s mind wandered often to Rhys. She had grown used to the sound of his voice, the steady strength in his presence. When he had asked her earlier if nymphs required sleep, she had explained simply, “We do, but not in the way humans do. We don’t fatigue as quickly, so if we sleep regularly, three to four hours are enough. But if we push ourselves too long, we might need a much longer rest, sometimes up to twelve hours.” She had noticed the curiosity in his gaze, a silent thirst for understanding her, though his focus always remained tethered to his people and their plight. There was no space for her, and much less being a nymph. Now, hours later, Rhys’s sudden arrival at Aimon’s home pulled her from her thoughts. His voice carried relief, tinged with concern. Galilea offered a small smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ve been working through the night.” She replied warmly. Galilea exchanged a glance with October before turning back to Rhys. “ We have found the cure.” She had barely finished speaking before Rhys crossed the room, scooping her up in his arms and spinning her around. Galilea gasped, laughter escaping her lips as the unexpected boldness of the gesture left her momentarily breathless. When he set her down. Her heart raced, not just from the movement but from the closeness. He smelled of strength, of earth and leather, yet there was a faint sweetness, like honey lingering in the air. The combination was intoxicating, and it perfectly mirrored the man before her. October cleared his throat loudly, breaking the moment. “Bold move there, Rhys,” he teased with a playful smirk. “You trying to sweep her off her feet, or?” Galilea shot October a warning glance but couldn’t stop the flush that crept into her cheeks. Thankful when Rhys questioned what the plan was. Galilea began to explain, regaining her composure. “We’ll make a small incision on the patient and drop a tiny amount of the liquid directly into the wound. Their bodies should react and naturally multiply the antibody, and they’ll likely expel the worms in any way they can. Through vomit, or worse.” They moved quickly. They worked tirelessly, discreetly administering the cure to as many as they could. Some were hesitant, but desperation often won out. Those who had seen loved ones succumb to the disease were willing to try anything. Rhys and Aimon stood by, offering reassurance and solidarity, while October and Galilea carried out the treatments. As the day wore on, Galilea noticed October growing unusually pensive. She had suspected for some time that something weighed on him, and when they finally returned to Aimon’s home, the truth came to light. “I’m staying,” October announced suddenly, breaking the quiet as Galilea packed her belongings. Her hands froze mid motion. “What?” She questioned. “I’m staying,” he repeated, meeting her gaze with a mixture of resolve and vulnerability. “I want to explore what I’m feeling for Aimon. And someone should stay to oversee the healing process and send updates on the disease. I can do that.” Galilea stared at him, stunned. “October…” She searched his face, trying to grasp the weight of his decision. Healing nymphs rarely acted out of personal desire; their purpose had always been singular, helping others. For October to make this choice was both admirable and deeply surprising. “You don’t need to worry,” he said, answering the unspoken questions in her eyes. “I’ll be fine. And Aimon will, well, I’m curious to see where this goes.” She approached him, her expression softening. “You’re sure about this?” Her voice was gentle. “I am,” he said simply. Galilea smiled, though her chest felt tight. She hugged him tightly, holding on for a moment longer than usual. “I’m proud of you. But be careful. It’s not going to be easy.” October chuckled, though there was a hint of nervousness in his voice. “Since when has anything ever been easy?” Releasing him, she glanced at Rhys and Aimon. “Take care of him,” she said firmly.

October, ever the joker, interjected, “They won’t need to. I’ll be the one doing the caring.” Despite herself, Galilea laughed, though her mind was far from at ease. Healing nymphs rarely sought out personal desires, it wasn’t in their nature. Yet October was willing to try, and she couldn’t help but admire his courage. She turned back to her belongings, finishing her packing in silence. The room seemed heavier now, every motion more deliberate as she prepared to leave. When she finally stood at the door, Rhys was there, waiting. She met his gaze. “Well, this is it,” she said, her tone light but her smile faint. “I’m not good at goodbyes,” she admitted. “Say goodbye to Sandrina and Carina for me.” She spoke. Galilea hesitated but then leaned up to hug him. His arms wrapped around him, all strength and hardness. And for a moment, she allowed herself to simply exist in his embrace. He was warm, grounding, and she felt safe for the first time in a long time. “You’re strong, Rhys,” she said softly, her voice muffled against his shoulder. “Your people are so lucky to have you. I’m lucky to have met you.” When she finally pulled back, her dark eyes met his. “Be careful. Whatever lies ahead for your path ahead.” October appeared at the door, holding the reins of her horse. “All set,” he said, though his usual humor was absent. Galilea pulled her cloak tighter around herself and stepped outside. Mounting the horse, she glanced back at Rhys one last time. “Goodbye, Rhys. Take care of yourself.” As she rode into the forest, the weight of their parting settled over her. Returning home felt like a dream, but the thought of leaving Rhys behind made it bittersweet. She pushed the feelings down, focusing on the road ahead. Whatever had begun between them, it would not, could not, be nurtured. But the memory of his embrace, his scent, and his unwavering determination would stay with her.

Rhys smiled at her when he noticed her cheeks warm and she laughed, a sound that he was sure would be etched in his memory until his dying day. It felt exhilarating to make her laugh, to cause her to smile. And what torture it was to feel as though he could not act on it at all. Aimon and October were different people to himself and Galilea. He did not feel he could make such a move on her especially knowing it would not be likely for him to see her again after all this was said and done. That thought gave him an uneasy feeling. Like it was absolutely wrong for him to never see her again, but he knew it was what was meant to happen. Their lives were so different and he had such a calling that he knew he would find himself leading his people in some sort of revolt to success or not. And if not then that would surely mean his death. It would not be for nothing though. He hoped to at least inspire some hope in his people, to help them strive for better together. That was where the gods were most urgently guiding him. "You say it is just soup, but for me it is the meal of a king." And it was. Their food was rarely flavored with more than salt or onion if they managed to grow. The state of his people was that bleak. Once all this was over. That statement seemed to linger heavily above them for a moment. There was the suggestion that they should see each other again. But also the suggestion that there would soon be an end to all of this. Rhys was unfortunately saddled with the knowledge that even if they figured out the cure for the disease plaguing his people and cured them their fight was still far from over. Life would not be able to continue on as it was. They needed more and all of this had only forced right into their laps the knowledge that their king did not care about them and was content to let them die. To what benefit of his own was unknown to the people. And Rhys did not care. It was unacceptable and it would not be allowed to continue. His attention was brought back to her as she talked about the foods of her land and Efaja. They sounded like beautiful and flavorful places. Rhys wished he could see such lands, experience their foods and, maybe, experience what it was like to not be perceived as just the poor plebeian of some kingdom run by yet another human despot. He smiled at her as she stopped herself abruptly, he hadn't minded listening to her talk about such beautiful sounding places. It gave him something to fantasize about, a little way to escape into his mind where he could have some kind of life with her in one of those places. It seemed too ideal for him to ever achieve for himself, but he was happy to know that there were good beings like Galilea that got to experience such beautiful places. "Do you not need rest like humans do?" he asked her, genuinely curious. He knew elves rarely needed sleep, but he knew little about nymphs. He looked to her as she spoke the thoughts he had been having, his doubts about the king. Not even doubts any longer, they were fully grievances with plenty of reason for him to have them. He wanted to respond, to delve further into what he was facing, but soon her fingers were pressed against his wrist feeling his pulse. He felt a temptation to turn his hand and grab her by her wrist and pull her against himself, to hold her there in his arms in that bed and feel her body against his, but the moment was broken by the interruption of October. When the nymph said it was Mrs. Lindly again Rhys quickly rose to his feet and walked into the other room where he was greeted by the widow and also her daughter, Della. The women greeted him warmly, thought noticeably less warmly the two nymphs in his company. "Rhys," Mrs. Lindly started with a smile, "You remember Della, of course." Mrs. Lindly said, but her gaze was more focused on Galilea as she said it. Rhys looked to Galilea who soon dismissed herself and left the room with October leaving Rhys to sit there and make small talk with the two women and catch up with Della, a beautiful woman who he had been childhood friends with.

At one point he might have had a crush on her, but it was long left in his childhood. But the sight of a familiar face was never unwelcome. Especially in times of disease that killed so many. It was relieving to see someone known to you. It was a pleasant enough conversation and it was clear to Rhys what the intention of Mrs. Lindly was in bringing Della over to see him, but for now it was something he did not wish to concern himself with. He would deal with it all once he had dealt with the disease afflicting his people. He saw them out when the conversation eventually died down. Night had fallen and Galilea and October had left, presumably to gather supplies or the like. Rhys had intended to wait up for them, but as he laid on the cot his exhaustion overcame him and he slept through the night. The next morning after checking on Sandrina he brought Carina over to one of the neighbors. The nymphs had not returned and worry had begun to tug at him. He decided to start with Aimon's home and made his way there swiftly. To his relief he found both Galilea and October there as well, "There you are." He said as he walked through the door. "I was worried." He said and looked down at the table where they had been working over night, "Any progress?" He asked. A wave of relief rushed through him when they revealed to him that they had found a cure. He picked Galilea up in his arms and spun her around, but soon caught himself and set her back down. "Sorry, that's just wonderful news. We should start treating people at once. How long do you need to make batches for the sick? What all do you need from me to make it happen?" He asked her, if she needed more of his blood then he would give it to her gladly, whatever it was. Aimon sat up from his bed in the other corner of the room, "Aimon!" Rhys shouted, "You're going to go out of business. They've found a cure!" Rhys announced, true happiness in his voice. Aimon rubbed his eyes and chuckled, "Well, it'll be a welcome break from burying the dead from morning to night. Maybe I'll have energy to do more than sleep." Aimon's eyes shifted over to October and he smiled at the nymph. "Get a room." Rhys teased and looked to Galilea. "Thank you." he told her earnestly, "And now let's get to work." He told her. Many batches were made and soon Rhys began taking Galilea and October out to treat the sick. Everyone welcomed the aide, some cautious and skeptical at first, but soon relenting when they realized there weren't many other options except to wait and die if they did not try the cure. Through these visits Rhys was quickly learning that he was not the only one with his sentiments about the king and it was becoming more and more evident to him that something would need to be done with the anger born of grief that their entire people were experiencing.

[if-we-are-free-tell-me-why]

every time I hear someone say "oh you have to listen to Dear Evan Hansen it has such good mental health representation" I cry in Next to Normal

[fishareglorious]

Semmelweis: I have nothing against psychiatrists; if only they would stop prying... Always bragging about their mental strength, forcing their help onto others, and perhaps worst of all, carrying that mirror with them... Semmelweis: If they stop doing all that, I may just come to... respect them.

semmelweis has beef with kakania?

[margindoodles2407]

blame @seeking-elsewhither for this one. it's echo time and i'm having thoughts (tm)

[kuromi-hoemie]

i am once again thinking about The Boy

not the movie lol

[pilonciillo]

on another note

[coridallasmultipass]

Halloween costume hint:

(The stitch marker and the word that describes this colour-pattern of yarn [or fabric] are 2 more hints.)

[cabeswaterdrowned]

agents of shield s7 really was a shockingly good conclusion to something I like… like on it’s own it’s a good season but I don’t really realize how highly I think of it overall (it’s not agents of shield s4 who’s praises I’ll sing any day of the week) until I think about how many concluding seasons or books of shows or series I love could have been better if they were more like it in a variety of ways…

[littlepuddingsworld]

understood why couldn't get rid of acne for several years. finally did it almost completely and my self-esteem has grown unhealthily, as now love my reflection in the mirror and selfies. not the best thing for a person who is used to saying to themselve, "yes, I'm ugly, but" and trying to be at least smart and funny to have at least a semblance of a personality.

what am I supposed to say now.

"yes im so pretty, handsome, smart, funny, creative, chatty, wonderful, stunning, gorgeous, humanly, but"? rather "... so no 'but's. im fabulous."

[faaun]

.

[this-should-do]

ykno i think that only ever being told im physically appealing by drs saying i could be prettier if i did this or that or lost weight or by my mom trying to emphasize how im a pretty GIRL to invalidate my desire to be more masculine most of my life probably affected my ability to feel good about my body

[feralparsnip]

i think the tv throughout is just a mirror. like, when owen/Isobel (sp?) is revisiting the pink opaque on the lcd, and turns it off, and looks at herself in the dark square after, looking towards the audience, her gaze perfectly in parallel with ours behind the 4th wall, and wonders why the show sucks now. like, isnt she choosing death by trying to become the person her dad wanted her to be? it's just a reflection of her, still

like when she's discussing the show, the whole movie, shes discussing her transness, or the seed experiences that allowed her to begin to understand her transness, right? it isn't about the text of the pink opaque at all and that's part of why we the audience see so little of the "cannon" pink opaque, bc the literal text of it is beside the point, unimportant. whats important is how the show showed her part of herself, how it reflected parts of her she didn't understand yet but long felt

and then in the final scene, we the audience see the tv inside her in the mirror and we've all come full circle, no longer needing the screen of the kids show at all, only the naked truth of it. i find it significant also that she looks at the tv glow in the mirror (instead of seeing a mirror in the tv as before) AND also just looks down, at herself, the most connected to herself she has ever been, seeing herself in a way we the audience cannot: through her own eyes from her own body. and there, in that moment, it's like she doesn't need any of the mirrors at all because she knows herself for real

i saw the tv glow is so concerned with gaze, and so good at choosing when to confront the audience with that amd when to just let us sit. so many times watching this film i felt suddenly and uncomfortably seen, like pinned to the wall, by somebody who had stood where i stood and knew about my bullshit. it had a horror movie sense about it, making me want to hide from that sense of being seen and then allowing me as an audience member that breathing space before yanking it away again.

i put it to you that the televisions are not the only persistent metaphor for mirrors throughout. also interesting bc mirrors, like tv screens dont just transfer the gaze but transform it -- things are backwards in the mirror, things are distant on the tv screen. there may be something to unpack there too

there is something really compelling to me about owen’s dad always being at the tv, and then when the dad dies, owen says something along the lines of “i have to become a man now” while deliverymen put a tv on his porch.

which is fascinating because the pink opaque was such a real, tangible, life-giving escape — but here, for the dad and for adult owen, tv is now a death / “becoming a man” / keeping people back from choosing life. anybody got any thoughts on this?