#I don't like that because I believe I'm reading it wrong...

[truelovepolinator]

Why I'm So Sure It's Luke

I've been pretty quiet here for a while. Much of that is because of the state of the world. I had a bit of a deep spiral last weekend about things happening in my country.

And I confess that the FB comment and funeral hubbub sent me into a corresponding (though temporary) Lukola spiral to which I was doubtless more vulnerable due to my already depressed state. Did I really have to lose my daily dopamine drip (aka, Lukola) just when I needed it most?

Short answer: Absolutely not.

I had already started to pull myself out of my Lukola spiral by Monday (the other spiral is still very deep), and video and photos of Nic that emerged on Tuesday and Wednesday shored me up until I was back to effing rock solid.

I often see things I don't agree with, even on the blogs of folks with whom I usually agree, and I simply move on most of the time. I don't comment. I feel no need to argue with people in their own blogs. In friendly spaces, I'll sometimes share counter opinions because I believe respectful dialogue and debate are important — and have all but disappeared in this era of instant blocks. And we all want to share information and opinions that help us fine tune our perspectives.

But if they're clearly dug into an opinion that I view as wildly wrong, there's little value for me in arguing with them. Let them think what they want. It's not my job to change anyone's mind.

The jakola takes are the easiest to ignore for obvious reasons. I've written extensively about JD's role in Nicola's life and there's no need to do so here. (Feel free to read my other posts if you need clarity around N & J's non-romantic relationship.)

Instead, the takes I find the most frustrating are from the Lukolas who have lost hope, the so-called "realistic" ones who think that we "just have to accept that they're not together," and maybe even that "Luke is with Ant."

To this, I respectfully say, we absolutely do not have to accept any such thing because the evidence is fully on our side.

Truth be told, I suspect I'm most vexed by these posts because I used to be one of those "realists." In late summer/early autumn, I had fallen victim to the fake narratives created by the paparazzi shots of both Nic and Luke, all designed to imply a certain narrative without either of them actually saying those things were true. I always believed NicLuke belonged together. However, I reluctantly accepted that "I guess Luke is probably seeing her" and "not sure about that guy, but the photos of Nic and him do look cozy."

I understand the impulse to surrender. It's so hard to have faith, to keep believing in something when there's an apparent narrative being constructed in the public eye that tells you you're wrong. It's painful (and feels delulu) to keep believing when you've been let down repeatedly by pap photos you assume are true.

It's very easy to accept a false narrative if you don't have the energy to dig in and really pay attention to all the signs and information available when you look for it. (This is true on the world stage as well, and we should all think very critically about the stories we're being told, but I digress.)

I wrote extensively and in gory detail about how and why I'm so sure about Lukola in my blog post "Nicola and Luke Are Absolutely Together...," which I'll link here for anyone who wants persuasion or reassurance. I won't rehash all of that here, but I do want to touch on a handful of milestones & crumbs, many of which are recent, that make me quite sure about Luke being the man in Nicola's life.

One of the recent assertions I saw was that we need to let go of the significance of the Claddagh ring. (I'm not putting anyone on blast. I can't even remember who said this, and I think it was someone I like, so no offense.) But I could not disagree with this more.

Claddagh rings are worn to represent relationship status more than anything. Yes, they can be given in friendship, but the orientation of the ring on the wearer's finger is fundamental to understanding the ring. Only someone with no connection whatsoever to its heritage or meaning would throw it on willy nilly in any direction they pleased.

Not everyone follows the rules closely. I wore mine for years, on my left ring finger, heart down when I was free, heart up when I was taken. I only stopped wearing it when I replaced it with my engagement ring. (Obviously, I was not following the traditional 4 steps.)

Some wear it just on a single hand, whichever they choose. Some might wear it just while single (even engaged), then replace it when married. Some use it to indicate engagement and marriage when that time comes, others focus solely on taken or not. Admittedly, not everyone follows every step closely.

However, Nicola is from Galway where the ring originated. She is deeply proud of her Irish heritage. There is no chance she would put that ring on any finger with the heart pointing toward her heart unless her heart was taken.

Now, let's remember that she picked that ring up while she was in Galway during the World Tour. She modeled that ring in Chupi photographs, with the heart pointing up (heart taken) wearing the same outfit she wore to the screening. The same screening where she hugged her mother to within an inch of her life, then introduced her mom to Luke. That was the most tearful, emotional intro I've ever seen between a guy and his platonic co-worker's mom, huh?

Hypothetically, could her heart have been taken by someone else at that stage? Well, do you really think a secret significant other — who was important enough to warrant a "heart taken" ring orientation — would be okay with Nicola not only getting the ring while she's physically with Luke (and flirting heavily), but also making that showy, deeply emotional introduction between her mother and Luke? If you were her secret, non-Luke SO, would you be okay with it?

There is literally no chance.

Chupi told us that ring was to commemorate Season 3 of Bridgerton. Again, would a secret, non-Luke SO be fine with her wearing a ring that symbolizes her Polin season with Luke as a symbol of this secret, non-Luke SO's love?

I won't even bother digging into the symbolism of the rings on the hands, but say it were true that she just wanted it to commemorate a special season. If her heart weren't taken, that ring on her finger would have pointed down. She told us the moment those photos were snapped that her heart was taken, and logic tells us that, at that moment in time, it could only have belonged to Luke.

Since then, lots of things have happened. There were pap photos galore, all telling a very different story, right? Again, it's very easy to accept a false narrative when it's spoon fed to you. But gosh, wouldn't those pap photos also provide excellent cover for two people in love, possibly nesting together, who also wanted to keep their love very, very private?

I talk a lot more about this in the above linked blog (and others) and I'm not going to tackle it here. If you don't want to believe it, that's your prerogative, but if you're curious about whether it could possibly be true, I encourage you to have a read.

So set aside the adjacents for now and focus exclusively on our girl Nic. What we know is that she wore that ring consistently through the summer and early fall, on her right hand, heart pointing up (heart taken). Then, in October, she switched it to her left hand.

Again, not everyone follows every traditional Claddagh step, but Nicola is a Galway Girl. If she's been wearing it consistently on the right, then suddenly switches it to the left where she continues to keep it consistently, she's not oblivious to the meaning of that switch. That switch is deeply significant.

Remember, the left hand is traditionally the hand where it's worn to indicate engagement (heart down) and marriage (heart up). And when she switched, she kept the heart pointing up.

Does that absolutely mean she's married? No. As always, we don't know any of them personally, so we can't say for sure. But simple, not-a-reach logic tells us that the way she's worn that ring is significant.

With that ring, Nicola has told us in no uncertain terms that she is in a significant, committed relationship (possibly engaged or married since October). And she's been in that relationship (or at least committed in her heart to that relationship) consistently since at least June (really, late April/early May when she commissioned it).

Will we ever know exactly what happened last summer while she and Luke were apart (Sorrento, Spain, Malta, etc.)? No, we won't — and frankly it’s none of our business (as curious as we may be).

But we know that Nicola's heart was taken by the same person throughout. Because logically, would she really have been so into Luke in June when all of the above happened (commission, putting it on, meeting mom)... then break it off... then, by October, find a new person to be so committed to switch her ring to the left hand? The math just doesn't math on that one.

It was Luke in June and it was Luke in October. And she's still wearing that ring in the same direction as of Wednesday night. So yes, it's still Luke.

But I promised you more recent hints and crumbs to support my certainty. Honestly, @frantastical has this stuff so magnificently catalogued that you really should check out that incredibly comprehensive "Multitude of Morsels" if you haven't already.

Still, here's a small handful of (by no means comprehensive) things I've seen with my own eyes in just the last month that have told me I'm sitting in exactly the right restaurant on exactly the right ship:

New Pink News story posted with an old quote (that would have been approved by Nic's team) where Nicola says, "That's all I want, is the girls and the gays. And Luke."

Both Ryan Wheeler and Shondaland openly shipping Lukola ("get married for real")

Nic's year-end photo dump threaded through with Luke, both directly and indirectly

Luke's year-end photo dump threaded through with Nic

Even one of Nic’s Doctor Who photos, which isn't associated with Bridgerton at all, managed to nod at Luke

Video clip re-emerges of the Featherington women giggling when Bessie teases, "Well, two people fell in looove, I gueeessss," then they all giggle and agree that they can't say who

Both of them unaccounted for over Christmas and New Year's (days that are usually spent with significant others) while the adjacents were both accounted for on both holidays

Old story somehow emerges in which Nicola says Luke makes everything better, and Luke says about the "friends to lovers" story that "that's what happened to us when we met." (I'm probably slightly paraphrasing, but close enough.)

Nicola turns up with a tan

Luke turns up with a tan

Luke comes online very briefly, just long enough to congratulate Nic on her SAG nomination, cheering on his queen, and then he's gone

Nicola posts a birthday photo that appears to be a cozy dinner for two with several hints of Luke, most notably the red and yellow flowers (red is for love; most people focused on yellow being for friendship, and I think that's true, but I also very much think it's for Polin. And either way, "friends to lovers" or "love and Polin," those flowers say Luke.)

Luke likes a Jack Rooke post about Big Boys. Bearing in mind that JR is one of Nicola's longstanding, closest friends, this clearly suggests Luke is getting to know him

Nicola swoops in to distract from last weekend's mess with a new, obviously staged pap drop (based on weather, likely from a while in the past and kept on hand for when it was needed), once again protecting Luke and his family

And then there are a handful of crumbs and hints that point to something else that I've been reluctant to talk about. I still won't get into it here, but I will say that there are definitely recent things that are suggesting to me a very specific, very happy story. These include:

ETA: Photo of Nic with two Dunkin drinks & two straws (drinking for two?)

"Shit Stirrer" tee-shirt, holding shirt just so with photo cropped very particularly (who exactly is the shit stirrer in that photo?)

"May your 2025 be as happy as this potato made me" (which potato?)

Video with the hot water bottle

Big Boys (clearly wearing the ring)

And that is literally all I will say about that. But let's just remember that all of this has taken place while Nicola continues to wear that Claddagh ring on her left hand, pointed toward her heart. Even in those silly pap photos with Jake from Monday.

The only times we've seen her without it were when she wore special, fancy jewelry for events (showy hand jewelry that she could prominently display by placing her hands in front of her stomach instead of on her waist or hips). Every other time, it's either there or her hands are (perhaps intentionally) hidden.

Doubtless some "realistic Lukolas" will read this and say, "But you're ignoring all the photos of Jake and obvious proof of how close they are."

To which I reply, "Yes, I am." Because I've written loads about that relationship, what it is, why it is so heavily documented, and what they each get out of it (other than friendship). Again, if you want to know more, feel free to read my blog. But those photos mean nothing to me because I understand the truth that lies beneath them. I have absolutely nothing against Jake. I think he's been a good friend to Nic, but that's all he is.

Meanwhile, we've seen nary a peep from Luke except to cheer on his girl, and going back a bit further, that very happy looking S4 selfie with Nic. Has anyone ever noticed how much more he smiles with Nicola than anyone else? His actual smile ratio with Nic compared to literally anyone else is off the charts.

So, yeah, it's Luke all the way. I don't know for sure when it started (might tackle that in a different blog), and I'm not sure how many times they've pressed the on/off button before locking in, but I absolutely believe they are fully locked in now. The evidence is everywhere.

As always, I say these two things. First, we know nothing for sure until Nic or Luke or both of them together make it absolutely, incontrovertibly clear to us. So could I be wrong? Yes, it's certainly possible. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it, and I admit right now that I will be heartbroken. I'm not going to front about this. But I don't think I'm wrong.

Second, you are very free to draw different conclusions. However, if you wish to do so, I invite you to consider the evidence as presented first. Especially if you've given up the ship because you're afraid to believe.

Have no fear, Lukolas. The evidence is on your side.

[memoirofasparklemuff1n]

I hope you are well, sorry if there are any errors (English is not my native language), I love your stories, I would like you to write one of anguish, sadness, as sad as you can, about Rafe. I would appreciate it very much

long sleeves- r.c. x reader

OMGG my first request!!! i'm good and i hope you are as well <3 thank you for asking bb. sorry i took so long, i just started school and i hadn't seen this for some reason, but i gotchu. and don't worry about the english, it's not my first language either, so i see you hehe I HOPE THIS IS SAD ENOUGH!! if not lmk, cuz i'll crank it up. a/n: i actually had this idea earlier today so i think i can do this. i hope you like gracie abrams cuz it's inspired by long sleeves and i've wanted to use this song in something since it came out lol. warnings: drug mentions with addiction portrayal and domestic violence, as well as depression. if it's too much don't read it, take care of yourself first! <3

i don't know what it is about how you breathe.

his chest rising and falling, his face turned away from me even in his sleep. it seemed like it was always this way now, so much so that i couldn't even remember the last time his eyes warmed my soul instead of turning it into ice. i turned to face the ceiling and took in a few deep breaths, before i untangled myself from his sheets and padded toward the bathroom. i turned on the light before locking the door behind me and turned to face the mirror. my hollow, tired face staring back at me. when had i become this girl? i stepped closer as if in fear of seeing up close the sadness that invaded my features. dark circles looked permanently etched to my skin a shiver passing through me. i looked down at my arms, which were covered by rafe's long sleeved shirt. i lifted them slowly and saw the bruises that circled my wrists like a twisted version of bracelets.

he hurt me. not just emotionally this time, he physically hurt me.

i'll never hurt you, okay? how stupid i'd been to believe those words, when all he ever did was hurt me. again and again and again. the worst part being that i always forgave him, but i couldn't this time, not when the evidence was staring right at me in the mirror. i had to do this for her, for me. i pull the sleeves down and left the sad girl in the mirror forever. the doorknob somehow felt like the scariest thing in the world. it's just a door, don't be an idiot. i rolled my eyes because that was the only thing i could be these days. a fucking idiot.

i gathered what little courage i still had left and opened the door silently, relieved to see him in the same position as before. i went to the side of his bed as quietly as i could and looked at his face for what felt like forever. his hair fell over his forehead in a childlike manner, no angry lines or hateful glares in sight.

when had i lost him? the love of my life, my soulmate, my best friend?

this was all my fault, i turned my back at the wrong moment. his stupid friends encouraging him to try out this new 'kicker'. snow, they called it. ridiculous. when i came back he was cutting that ivory into skinny pieces, then he cleaned it with his face. i remember standing there in shock and a sizzling rage began brimming to the surface. i stalked towards him pushing his face back, then dragging him by the arm outside of whatever stupid kook's house we were at.

that was the first time we'd ever fought and i felt my heart crack a little. he knew how much i hated drugs, the way they ruined people. hell, i even hated drinking but it wasn't my body so whatever. this was different and he knew it, but of course he always had to be the coolest guy around his friends. i'd walked home that night, waking up to him blasting my phone with calls and text messages. he'd apologized and i'd believed him.

then he apologized again, then again and again. the cycle had already formed. i'd accepted his outbursts despite them hurting me emotionally, maybe because i couldn't see the bruises up front.

it was hard to believe this was the same boy who'd screamed at me. who told me he hated me to my face with his hands wrapped around my wrists hard enough to bruise just a few hours earlier before passing out after getting high again. he almost looked like his old self, almost being the keyword. his nose still had a bit of white powder on it, a baggie of cocaine and a rolled up $100 bill at the side, along with some pills that i didn't even want to know what they were.

i turned and took out the bag i usually brought when i was staying over at his house, before walking towards the dresser and opening the drawers. i had a small haul of clothes for when i was here for more than a day or two and couldn't help but let the tears start streaming down my face. i remembered the day he'd made this small space for me, the gesture solidifying our relationship in my head. i remembered his smile and the way he'd kissed my face for what seemed a million times. "i love you, kid." he always called me kid in a teasing way because it irritated the hell out of me but when he said it like that, i knew i'd let him call me whatever he wanted and i'd gladly accept it.

the memory was a stark contrast to the now cold room, with the moon as my only witness. i finished packing everything before putting on sweatpants and my shoes. i felt him stir a bit and i pleaded to whatever divine power was out there that he'd just pretend it was only wind.

i looked at his beautiful face one more time, a single tear falling to his side, the irony not lost on me.

i turned and left him behind. the tears blurred my vision just enough that i couldn't record the final moments in which i would ever walk these halls again.

y'all why she so dramatic with her packing up, lmaoo. (i literally would’ve been worse)

ok but on a serious note, if you or anybody you know is in a similar situation, please try your best to break the cycle <3 i'm thinking of maybe writing a part two but i don't know if i should sooo lmk. div creds!!- by @anitalenia

[chemicalarospec]

btw while i haven't read Somebody Told Me, I've done a deep dive on the Goodreads reviews and this spoiler is why: At the end of the book, the two "genders", which have different personalities, combine into one with a new name, and healing from trauma is part of that, making the book both a weird semi-inaccurate portrayal of DID/plurality yet never even acknowledges that's a thing that exists, as well as a weird inaccurate portrayal of multigenderism where your genders are a "split personality" caused by trauma and once you heal you'll be monogender again :/

Bigender Books

Books that feature bigender characters, are written by bigender authors, or both!

Bi-gender: A Candid Nonbinary Memoir by James-Beth Merritt: A memoir of the author's experience living as both a man and a woman.

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault: A magical gemstone is stolen by a baker who is investigating the disappearance of her sister. The protagonist is bigender and aromantic.

Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker: A horror novel about queer teenagers who accidentally invoke a spirit that erases their knowledge of their identities. One of the protagonists is nonbinary, genderfluid, and bigender.

Homesick by Nino Cipri: A short story collection exploring the theme of home and featuring queer and trans characters. The short story "A Silly Love Story" includes a bigender love interest.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokunda-Hall: A woman disguises herself as a man to live aboard a pirate ship. He falls in love with a wealthy imperial daughter traveling to an arranged marriage. One of the protagonists is genderfluid and bigender.

Nimona by ND Stevenson: A graphic novel in which a chaotic shapeshifter teams up with a supervillain to wreak havoc on the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics. The author is transmasculine and bigender and uses he/him pronouns.

Reality In Bloom by Annette Covrigaro: A prose and poetry chapbook about queerness, mental health, and religion. The author is bigender, gay, and Jewish.

Somebody Told Me by Mia Siegert: After being assaulted, a bigender teenager moves in with their uncle, a Catholic priest, and has to come to terms with their trauma. The author is bigender and uses all pronouns.

The Unbalancing by R. B. Lemberg: A novel set in the fantasy world Birdverse, where the Starkeeper and a poet work together to save their home. The story includes a side character who identifies as the fantasy world equivalent of bigender. The author is bigender and uses they/them pronouns.

Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore: YA fantasy about a transgender prince pretending to be his brother, and a bigender dama/assassin from an enemy kingdom. One of the authors is bigender and uses they/them pronouns.

[k9emote]

Hey

I'm not having fun creating here anymore. I can't handle the inbox threats, I can't handle the rumors and I can't handle the constant dread of being perceived incorrectly. I apologize to my audience but I'm not going to be posting here anymore. Thank you for the support from those who have been kind and understanding. Thank you to those who have criticized me fairly and maturely, and especially thank you to those who have brought it to me privately and been considerate of my symptoms during.

I will be using this inbox to do requests in my discord server only. I am safer from threats and harm there, and I can create freely out of harms way. Any commissions I've taken on this app have been moved to discord. My emotes will remain in a google drive and archived here. I will not be responding to any further public drama. If you see something insane said about me, please bring it to me privately before you believe it in full. Be your own person and have your own thoughts. Don't defend or attack blindly because those around you are. 🫶

In full admission, I've had issues in the past with

1. Aggressive lash outs towards people I've perceived as attacking me

2. Creating unoriginal art

My explanations and defenses are here, you can read through my posts if you want to see my apologies, explanations and break downs.

I've been targeted by a lot of people in this community. I joined this community around a year ago, and turned 17 last September. the leading people causing the attacks are adults I've cut contact with for my own safety. I really can't do this anymore. I get blamed for just about everything that happens involving me, and I don't have the energy to reply or defend or apologize anymore. If you don't like me, that's okay. You can even hate me if I've wronged you or if you literally just want to. All I ask is that you're careful how with how obsessed you become, and try to spread kindness in this community when you can; even if it's far away from me. There are children on this app who want to create. Make it safe for them; and I apologize when I made it unsafe too. I've gotten better, I promise you.

I'm not a perfect person. Hell, I'm probably not even a good person sometimes. But I did try, and that's what matters to me. I tried and I created and I bonded with people I now consider really close friends. I survived attacks on my mental health, and I now get to go focus on my more private community away from all this. I lived and you will too.

If i've hurt you, and you want an apology from me, dm me at k9.s_ on discord. I don't want enemies and I want to right what I've done where I can. 👋

[riptides-n-roses]

Changes was so good!! I love how you said you didn’t want to make your page just smut bc tbh I love reading Roman fics on here but they’re mostly smut and I really want some sweet fluff 🥹looking forward to reading your future work

Ask and you shall receive! I love writing smut don't get me wrong but I honestly believe that connecting with said character should be taken more into light!

just us - roman reigns

⛧pair: roman reigns x reader

⛧ tags: @88changemymind @reigns-prophecy @cyberdejos2 [huge thank you to anon]

⛧ no warnings! fluff only and a very passionate roman ♡

⛧ hi again! as I said in the beginning , I'm still testing out what I like and don't like to write about. And I enjoy writing smut don't get me wrong (huge thank you to everyone showing love to all of my ffs on here it means a whole lot) but I would love to write more fluff (especially if it's roman because he's so fine 😫) - again short because this is an imagine.

⛧ after a stressful day, roman decided you needed some relief.

⛧ word count: 526

Your head was aching from staring at your screen all day. You had many things to check off of your weekly schedule and didn't want to see anything else relating to it or else you were gonna throw a fit.

Your partner, Roman, took notice of your behavior. He observed carefully as to how you dealt with your weeks and whatever errands needed done. He hated that you were stressed and didn't go out.

He decided that you shouldn't be too worked up on errands and wanted you to relax. Roman decided to take a day off from wrestling and give you a day to remember.

You were at your desk, rubbing your temples as you finished some work for your job. He slowly approached you, making sure not to scare you.

"Hey, babygirl" He started, gently massaging your shoulders "Busy day?"

"Yeah..." you muttered "I feel like I can't even take a few minutes to wind down sometimes."

"That's the problem, y/n. You're not allowing yourself to rest, and that's not healthy."

You went a little silent from his words, realizing that he was right. You couldn't remember the last time you took time to take care of your mental state.

"How about you and I go out? I'll treat you to anything you want." He offered.

You turned around from your chair to see your partner, patiently waiting for your answer. You smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"That sounds amazing, actually."

"Good. Pick out something cute to wear. I've made a reservation for dinner."

.•°☆.⋆｡⋆☆•˚｡⋆｡˚•☆˚｡⋆.☆•°.⋆

Roman couldn't keep his eyes off you the entire date: You were happily chatting with him about everything recent you've took interest in while the both of you ate dinner. You talked about your recent change in music taste and new hobbies that you've tried. Roman couldn't help but admire how you felt like yourself and he kept smiling the entire time.

"I'm glad I made the right decision." He thought to himself, "I really wanted y/n to take time to relax and be herself."

After dinner, the both of you went sightseeing, admiring the city lights and various buildings. He treated you to ice cream, slow dancing, and whatever you needed for self care.

He happily listened to you singing to your favorite songs, dancing to whatever caught your attention, and you laughing at whatever you found funny on your phone. Your laughter was his favorite to listen to.

When you returned home, the both of you went up to your shared room, deciding to end the night with a good movie to watch.

"Wow! Today was amazing. Thank you so much, baby!" You exclaimed, hugging Roman and giving him a kiss.

"It's no problem, babygirl. You deserve to have some time like this." He smiled, kissing your lips softly.

As the movie played throughout, Roman couldn't help but notice you weren't saying anything. Concerned, he turned to find you sound asleep, exhausted from today.

He giggled and gently placed a blanket over you, keeping you warm. He leaned in and gave you a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, babygirl. Sweet dreams."

[marshemillow]

I know I'm just preaching to the choir at this point, but I absolutely HATE how cancel culture has completely spiraled out of control.

Sorry to fucking break it to you, but nobody takes your callout posts seriously anymore because you've collectively decided that;

"This person is against harassment" "This person ships gross ships" "This person said something off-color on twitter when they were 13" and "This person is a current threat to real children"

Are all on the same level of bad. You really think anyone is going to care about your opinion on the "pedophile" you found this week when your definition of "pedophile" is so broad it could include anyone at any time??

I'm also sick of hearing about all the real predators that flew under the radar harming real children for YEARS just because they said all the right key words and started the right harassment campaigns against the right people, basically clearing them of all suspicion, so shipping gross ships is actually punished way more harshly than being a real child rapist, not that anyone would think otherwise anyway with how many times a callout post goes on and on about how bad some person is because they ship gross ships and have a secret AO3 account where they write stories about abuse and old DeviantArt drawings of zadr from when they were 7, and then right at the end they tack on "oh and also they raped an 11-year-old" as if it's only barely relevant extra information and not what should be THE MAIN POINT OF THE GODDAMN POST!!! Like nobody's going to read that far to get to the real point so the post overall was meaningless!!!

These people clearly need to go back to grade school to read the boy who cried wolf, because it's clear that they think just slamming the PEDO button over and over and over again will always have the same reaction every time, and when it doesn't, they think it means everyone else must be a pedo or pedo-apologist when the callout posters actually just created a reason why they can't be trusted, and don't think I didn't notice how many of these people who are canceled are queer or jewish, trans people are targets I swear like 1/3rd of the time!!! Why are so many cancelled people trans when they make up less than 2% of the overall population?? If you think it's because trans people are predators, then you clearly have worse problems than whoever you're falsely accusing.

It's obviously just a tactic people use to be able to ruin the life of anyone they want as an act of petty revenge and NOT because they're interested in protecting anyone. These are often good innocent people who sometimes end up committing suicide because of how badly their reputation was ruined by allegations that weren't even true.

And that's not even the worst part; Which is that the more you falsely accuse people who are innocent, the less people who have real allegations are believed, the more abusers can get away with abusing.

And that's not even getting into people who are called transphobic because they talk about intersexism, trans men who are slammed for being men, bisexual people who are slammed for having "straight-passing privilage", asians who are victims of horrific racist harassment campaigns even by people who aren't white, and many many other examples, ending in entire communities that are easily groomed into extremist ideologies because they don't have the tools to see through their bullshit thanks to all the bad faith discourse saying shit that's actually nonsense but laiden with guilt, so you HAVE to agree if you don't want to be cancelled yourself, and in turn of course, that leads to even more people who will never admit when they're wrong because "admitting you're wrong" is the same thing as accepting whatever punishment the witch hunters have planned for you on top of losing your humanity because you have to be perfect all the time always and if you make one single mistake you're a monster who deserves to die.

It's so fucking horrific, and it needs to stop.

[thebrokengate]

LEWISSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

Sorry. Sorry! Reflex. 😅

Anyway, I just want to say now that I've had time to review this video this morning, HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO WELL DONE! Your readings of the queer subtext in this game are so well put together, and I also have to thank you for adding in the parts about the Don Quixote story as someone who hasn't read it and never got to know the book that made Luis into the character that he is. I found myself nodding along in agreement as well to your reading of Krauser as I consider myself, after spending multiple months after the game came out studying him like a bug under a microscope, to probably be one of the most knowledgeable people about his character and his queer coding. There are a couple things I want to add if you don't mind me doing so though!

Not only does Krauser have the "Anything to make the pretty boy feel special!" line, he also has another line that's either next to impossible to trigger or has been deleted where he tells Leon, "You rely on those pretty blues too much!" And though I can't find a clip of him saying it anywhere on video (and trust me I've tried like. every playthrough that exists on YouTube ever and if you or anyone else finds one PLEASE SEND IT TO ME I NEED IT FOR. reasons.), it is said in this collection of his lines from the game at 2:50. I'm also going to warn you before you click- volume warning because the first line that comes up is Krauser yelling "DIEEEEE" like a death metal singer and it blew out my eardrums the first time I clicked it. Please help me, I am in pain.

More on Krauser: remember when Leon says right after Luis dies, "You won't get away with this, Krauser"? Well... somebody please tell me why Leon tries to or at least thinks about leaving the fight multiple times during the arena boss battle then? The first time it happens is in the opening cutscene after Krauser says, "I've been waiting for you, rookie" where Leon's already looking for a path to escape before Krauser poses the question, "Worried about the girl, is that it?" (and then he says "That's just like you. You've always had poor judgment" which can be taken in.. a number of ways LOL. Is his judgment poor for trying to save everyone or for going after women instead of men- *gunshot sound*) When the battle kicks off, Krauser says, "Better run, rookie!" to which Leon replies, "Not like I have a choice." Which.. he absolutely has another choice: to fight back. Krauser comments several times about how shaky and unsteady Leon is while facing him, and even says, "What's wrong? Show no mercy!" He knows Leon doesn't want to do this and Leon comments multiple times in both fights against Krauser how Krauser isn't leaving him much choice but to fight him and he can't believe that Krauser is actually making him do this. The next time Leon tries to leave, it's right before Krauser uses his newfound power in las plagas to turn one arm into a weapon (before inevitably doing it to both). "Are we done here, Krauser?" Leon asks. Which makes me wonder. Uh- if he really was done, would Leon just let him walk away at this point? Krauser again comments here how Leon is too soft to do what's necessary - put Krauser out of his misery - and attacks again, knocking Leon down into the labyrinth. The final time that Leon tries to get away, he runs for the drawbridge that closes up on him and the look of pain on his face before Krauser jumps down behind him is.. it's just sad. He's tried multiple times to get away, but now he really has no choice. Every time he tries to run away, something else stops him, and now he has to go through with killing Krauser. Even when Krauser's down, he hesitates to do so for so long and had so much trouble doing so that originally, from what Mike Kovac said, Krauser was going to put his hand on Leon's on the knife to guide him to kill him but they couldn't do that because both of Krauser's arms were mutated (linking the video here. never forget what they took from us.. at 3:07:41). And I think it's worth noting too that this is the only fight where Leon tries so hard to get away. Right after this is the Saddler fight and Leon remarks, "I'll make sure you're the next to go, Saddler" and actually does it without trying to leave once. For the duration of the entire fight, Leon flip flops back and forth between trying to leave and trying to reason with Krauser, and it's such a testament to Leon's character how even after all Krauser has done, he still wants to save him (in fact, neither one of these idiots [affectionate] really wanted to kill each other and you can tell in Krauser's responses to actually killing Leon and the way he plays with his food in the first fight like you said - but it ended in death anyway).. and Leon looking back at Krauser's body in the end like a lost puppy utterly destroys me every time.

Going into a little bit about the parallels of RE2R to RE4R, every character and every boss has parallels to each other. Mendez is like the new Mr. X, some of the boss movements of Krauser in the final fight after he's mutated resemble the stage 1 Birkin fight's movements (specifically they both can grab Leon's head and both have mutations starting with the arms), even something as simple as the Garradors paralleling the Lickers - both unable to see but can hear you and are very quick to kill you with their long claws or something that resembles claws. So it's only natural that certain character dynamics parallel too. When RE4R first came out, I saw some people say that "Luis is the new Marvin Branagh" but I disagree. I think that role rather goes to Krauser - in an equal but opposite way. Both Marvin and Krauser were people meant to train and lead Leon in his line of work, Marvin as his lieutenant and Krauser as his major. They also both refer to Leon as "rookie", and Krauser taught Leon to fight with a knife, just as you receive a combat knife from Marvin in RE2R. Equal characters, but opposites. So no, I think Luis actually instead parallels Ada. At least for Leon. Why? He has a shady past, having worked with Umbrella, much like Ada has a shady past running missions for Wesker as a mercenary. He appears and disappears multiple times, leaving and rejoining Leon just like Ada did in RE2R. And there's a moment where he dies, just the way Leon originally thought Ada did at the end of RE2R except this time Luis actually does die. But what's changed here? Luis was on a mission of redemption, dying a better man than he was before, unlike in RE2R where it ends with Ada and Leon turning on each other before Ada seemingly falls to her death. They're both wounded by a third party - Ada being shot by Annette and Luis being stabbed by Krauser - as well. So if that's not more to the queer coding of Luis, I don't know what is. But I also want to elaborate on my "at least for Leon" point because, even though it's irrelevant to the queer coding, Luis acts as a parallel in Ada's story to Leon. She has to save him, he gets himself into trouble all the time, his heart is often bigger than his brain, he's the one she wants to get her the amber, she pushes him away when he tries to care for her like Leon did in RE2R... the works. Luis was a second chance for both of them to make amends with their Raccoon City past together.

Last thing to note, just... Why is there so much BDSM in this game? Jeezaloo!

But that's just a fun addition, lmao.

Anyway, this video was so good and thank you so much for sharing it with the world! :)

hi happy re4 20th. here's a 50 minute long video to celebrate it

[cwritesforfun]

Emperor Geta x Fem!Reader: Escape part three

Part One Link <~ read first Part Two Link <~ read this too

Y/N = Your First Name & L/N = Your Last Name

They will not follow the Roman style of speech - it will be written in modern language.

*I do not own the Gladiator 2 characters or plot* I do change some of the plot!!!

Masterlist

Y/N's POV

Geta rested for a while, and eventually, you realized he was here to stay. He had told you countless times that he wanted to stay, but it hit you that he really did want to.

You thought that him staying would be easy, but why should it be?

Geta disagreed with your leadership style to the point where he kept arguing with you in and out of court. You finally had it with his constant disapproval, and you made your guards escort him out of the room. The rest of the day at court was tense for you. Everyone seemed to be walking on ice around you.

You meet Geta in one of the sitting rooms in the palace and have tea delivered. You take a cautious sip and ask, "So, Geta, would you like to tell me about what was wrong today in court?" Geta glances at you and answers, "I just don't like the way you let everyone have a say in court proceedings. I also didn't believe some of those crimes should have been pardoned. They deserved to be executed." Your eyes widen, and you reply, "I see. Geta, I let everyone have a say in what happens at court because that is what happens in this country. I let everyone preach their case and why they think I should listen to them. It keeps people happy to know that their views have been heard. It also ensures that I know the full story going into the proceedings. I know Rome was different, but you are not in Rome now." He looks distraught, and you continue, "And as for the crimes being pardoned, I think you would benefit learning from my advisors about the rulings in my country. I'll talk to them tonight, and you can attend lessons during the next couple of weeks so you can better understand my decisions. I don't like how you reacted in court and think you can also learn how to better express your disagreements. I'll make sure that is included in your lessons." He asks, "Anything else?" You answer, "I think it might be best if you sleep in another room while you attend the lessons so you can try to remain unbiased. Knowing how I would think may influence your lessons.” He reaches out for my hand and replies, "I thought we weren't going to be parting ways again." You reply, "We're not exactly parting ways. I'll still be at the palace and join you for dinner. Besides, I believe some time apart will benefit us. We began this relationship quickly and with an intensity that no others can grasp." He nods and replies, "Fine, as you wish, your majesty."

Geta's POV

How can one sit through boring lessons all day and not be annoyed?

I keep telling myself that I'm doing this for Y/N, but really, her choices of people to lead my lessons are a drag. For the first week of my lessons, I sat in lessons with her old governess from when she was a child. This lady was cold and stubborn. She kept snapping at me, and she treated me like a child. The second week, I was with her foreign advisor, who was a persnickety old man who kept quizzing me on viewpoints of this country. I kept thinking of how I would react as Emperor of Rome, which was the wrong thing to do. Speaking of Rome, apparently, it thrives under Lucius' reign. Both of these lessons required extra reading too. They had Y/N's notes inside and she often included little jokes that made me smile. I love her. However, the third week of lessons was my favorite. I learned from her military advisor who was both kind and fierce. His team respected him and followed him. He was kind to me and it seemed he actually liked me.

If I thought that was bad, well, I have been attending lessons early in the morning until dinnertime, where I must sit with Y/N and other members of her court as they all chat about their lives. I don't always get to sit next to Y/N, and she rarely acknowledges me. I just want to hold her and kiss her, but her guards keep strict protection around her. Almost no one can even talk to her. Am I a threat? Why is she ignoring me? I need to talk to her. Does she love me?

I'm sitting in my room with a book after my last lesson when a guard informs me that Y/N wishes to speak to me before dinner. Finally.

I get dressed and follow the guard to the sitting room nearest the dining hall. I enter with a smile on my face and see my lovely Y/N sitting at the desk. She stands, walks toward me, and guides me to the couches. I notice her pour two glasses of alcohol from the bottle on the nearby table and I ask, "Love, what is wrong?" She hands me a glass and answers, "I pushed you away wrongly. There was a threat to my life, and I wanted to protect you. So I sent you away. I do believe those lessons were something that you should have done, but I shouldn't have ignored your presence the rest of the time. I'm sorry." I quickly grab her open hand and ask, "What about this threat? Is it neutralized?" She nods and answers, "We apprehended the team this morning after my tea was poisoned. They were trying to harm me because they heard I sheltered you here. They escaped Rome to live here, away from you and Calla's rule. They are being held in prison for the attempted assassination. And as for the tea, well, I noticed it looked weird and I had my doctor test it for anything out of the ordinary. They used a generic poison and we found it quickly." I reply, "Don't send me away again. I'm here for you, no matter what. I love you, my Y/N... does the threat because of me scare you? Will you send me away?" She shakes her head and answers, "No, love. I'm not sending you away. I tightened security, and we'll make sure my people know you are no longer a threat to their lives. This is not Rome, and I would not stand for mistreatment of my people." I ask, "How will you tell them this?" She answers, "It's an idea that I wanted to run past you. I think an engagement is in order." I jokingly answer, "I would like to be engaged to the governess." She tilts her head and asks, "What?" I answer, "I was kidding. I was trying to make you jealous." She replies, "Oh, I'm not threatened by her." I bite my lip, smirk, and reply, "Non-jealousy looks hot on you." She laughs and says, "I meant for us to be engaged, silly." My eyes widen and I say, "I accept your proposal, Queen. I would love to be your husband." She smiles and says, "I am happy to be your wife soon, too... We'll draft a speech for us to give to my people, so they may know the Geta that I love." . . . Taglist: @doodle-with-rhy @ziggeddie

[moondaeznuts]

When you find a new webnovel that looks interesting but there's no fan tl :')

Now we suffering through mtl (I gave up reading LMAO)

reading action genre mtls is my enemy

Action fantasy is my most worst enemy to read mtl

[ididntthinkiwould]

It's Viktor's birthday, so it's a good day to hug your version of Viktor (If he wants to)

[ao3addictedarmadillo]

Oh yes! Absolutely!!

May I add:

We sympathize with what Jason does and stands for because, from his point of view and narration, it's The Right Thing To Do™ even if it's killing. he's a truly unreliable narrator (they all are).

The truth is that Jason has what would seem like strong morals, but they're also really flexible; especially when it comes to him. He brutally kills people, believing he's doing the right thing and "cleansing Gotham" from murderers. He does not care he's taking a life until he sees the repercussions that said kill implies (and his morals, as I said before, barely apply to himself).

The first example that comes to mind is Blue Hood: Jason killed the kid's father because what that man did checked every single one of his " Don't do this if you don't wanna die!" list's boxes. That seemed right at the time. It was Justice.

But, wait, didn't he just make that kid an orphan? Isn't that completely against his morals? (and then he promptly has a breakdown, damn.)

What I'm trying to say is: Jason's Red hood, when written correctly, is a wonderful wonderful foil Bruce's Batman. They both seek to avenge and bring justice, but one allows second chances (pun intended) and the other — the one that has been given one — refuses to.

They're both right and they're both wrong. People, like thugs, are redeemable in most cases (I still think Jason's right when he kills some more disgusting ones) but when it's guys like The Joker? Red Hood's ideology is the safest one to prevent more deaths.

There's no right and wrong when killing a (very very bad) murderer. Who are you to kill? But who are you to stand aside and let them kill?

In a hypothetical comic with good writers, this could be one of my favourite plots

I'm sorry if this is all over the place or just wrong, english isn't my native language and I also haven't read a lot of comics lol

(Might delete this because I'm afraid I fucked up something and didn't notice it lol. anxiety is a bitch even on the internet)

There’s so much to be said about Jason and this is a much larger conversation but I feel like when people are discussing Jason and Bruce’s relationship sometimes we forget that killing is… bad? Like Bruce isn’t angry about Jason’s politics or even his worldview, he’s disturbed because he’s willing to kill and to kill brutally. And Bruce’s philosophy is that the difference between him and the villains is that he doesn’t cross that line. Not to mention that at his core Bruce is an optimist who wants to believe anyone can change.

And like sure killing the Joker is one thing and a debate within itself but I feel like people see the violence as just fictional violence which it is to us but to the fictional characters it’s not. Does that make sense? Like we the audience are desensitized to onscreen/onpage violence and the death of random henchmen number 37 is just ink on a page but to a character inhabiting that world that could very well be a single father who’s child is now an orphan etc.

I’m not even anti-Jason-killing because it’s interesting, it builds tension, it’s a different perspective that’s safe to explore in fiction. But it’s odd to pretend that Bruce is in the wrong for being very hurt by Jason. Doesn’t make all his actions valid but his emotions are.

[horsechestnut]

Villain Cass Arc bad, but I do think it's very cute that she is immediately like "I want Tim to be my partner. Surely he'll understand, he's brother shaped :)"

[violentlydefending]

what the actual fuck is wrong with whoever it is running @/writing-prompt-s. why are they calling an actual palestinian blogger "shady" and using their massive platform on this site to accuse palestinian families and users of being bots and scammers?

[maeamian]

I understand why that person from the country of Georgia is mad that people aren't getting it right, but also the only part of their post that actually points out it is talking about the country rather than state is the flag that they use, they say "The place I live" which could be either, they talk about the legislature being lethally transphobic which could be either.

I can understand why the particular double name can cause a lot of frustration especially when you're trying to talk about something serious, but sometimes when there's communication problems between you and an audience they are partially your fault.

[name-doggo]

One thing I really wish the FF Community would Stop doing is Removing All Nuance from the Parents in Those Stories in order to Make Them Abusive Supervillains who Never Loved their Kid.

Like... In the Four Years I've been here, and for how Small the Community really is, you'd be surprised how many Times I've seen it-

[kashilascorner]

I was coming here to ask where is the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition prestige miniseries. Wikipedia just told me there is a 2002 miniseries about Shackleton but that's not enough. I need a high-value production with two seasons. One season covers the set up to the expedition and the Endurance crew journey, second season covers the Aurora crew journey and adds an epilogue about what these guys were up to after all ended. 3-5 episodes each season. It would be great