#I had a point here but I don’t think it was communicated properly

[beabnormal24]

I don’t like to hate on people because this world is already bad enough without hate in it, so I want to specify that this is not hate against Charles but against the absurd and unbelievable and completely illogical takes people are sharing here.

1) Carlos’ Mexico win was gifted by Charles.

I’m sorry but WHAT? Pole position, leading almost EVERY lap was a gift from Charles?

This is such a creative way to disrespect your own favourite driver because you really think he would stoop so low to gift a win? Wow, interesting.

“Carlos started crying on the radio.” He said there was a problem with the lift and coast, which was much more needed than he had expected, and rightly communicated it to the engineers, the same lift and coast that Charles refused to do properly for a few laps until the gradient of temperature was too large to be easily recovered and ended up with him falling behind in times until Lando reached him and overtook him.

(Thermodynamical parenthesis: keeping the mass and the coefficients of exchange fairly constant, which we can approximate in the case of a race car that goes at the same speed and only loses a few kilos because of graining, the greater is the gradient, the greater is the driving force and therefore the corresponding force to oppose in order to overcome it, which means the greater the time to do it)

2) Carlos’ Australia win was gifted by Charles.

Wait a second, you mean that the team has the possibility to have the first 1-2 in years, the first win after Singapore, the first great success of Ferrari after a whole 2023 season where there had been a clear lack of it, and them saying to Charles “please don’t fight [and fuck everything up]” means that Charles gifted the win?

Again, how much do you respect your favourite driver?

(Racing parenthesis: Charles ended with a gap of +2.366s, I won’t add anything to this)

3) Carlos doesn’t care about the WCC

With his pit-stop call (that was not even followed by the team) there was a high probability he would’ve ended up in front of Lewis, or at the very least he would’ve had the possibility to fight for the second place, which would’ve meant at least +3 points than the ones they actually obtained, so a gap to McLaren in the Constructor Championship narrowing to 21 points and considerably more chances to actually win it in the last two races.

But, you know, it’s just mathematics, what do I know?

Edit:

4) if Ferrari wins WCC they have to thank Leclerc

Yes because Carlos did *not* win two races and he did *not* have 8 podiums, absolutely not, all the points were given by Charles what are you saying?

(Oh, and let’s also remember that Carlos could not attend one (1) of the races because he had appendicitis and then he went and won the race right after a surgical operation…)

[cherrybomb107]

Now that I know that the “writers room” for this season functionally didn’t exist, everything makes perfect sense now! So here are some things I would change if I had the chance

1. We’d have three seasons. Two seasons is just an awkward length for me in general, so 3 just seems like a sweet spot

2. We cut the soundtrack in half. We have 23 songs as of right now, so let’s have no more than 11-13 max. That’s not crazy for 9 episodes

3. Speaking of the soundtrack, there’d be more Black artists. Syd, Little Simz, Tyler the Creator, FKA Twigs, Yseult, JID, Akintoye, Brandy, Doechii etc all would’ve fit the vibe.

4. Last one about the music, I promise. It’d be quieter. I feel like the music was louder than the dialogue at some points, and it completely took me outta the scenes

5. Onscreen development! “Oh but they don’t have to spell everything out for us!” Cool! But wanting to SEE characters meaningfully interact does not fit the definition of “spoon feeding” or “spelling things out” in my book.

6. There would have been more foreshadowing that Maddie was a spy. It was obvious, but it also wasn’t set up properly.

7. Ekko wouldn’t have been sidelined for an entire act. His relationship with Vi would be present. Best believe I would give him the chance to cuss Vi and Caitlyn out for what they did as enforcers

8. Speaking of that, Vi would have wrestled with the decision to become one. Notice I said “decision” because it should’ve been her choice. Caitlyn had no right to guilt trip her and then strong arm her into becoming one

9. Vi would have fought with Caitlyn over her wanting to use The Gray. The Vi I know and love would not go so hard in rationalizing the use of it

10. Caitlyn would’ve gotten meaningfully redeemed. In order to do that tho, we would have to show the true weight of using The Gray and enforcing martial law in Zaun. Caitlyn would be forced to confront the harm she caused with her own eyes, and actually be genuine remorseful

11. Let Jinx be unhinged! I love my baby regardless, but I do agree she was defanged a bit this season. Let her kill more enforcers and act up in front of Isha before realizing where she is and what she’s doing. Let Jinx want to be better and then develop into the kooky version of herself she is in season two

12. Isha would be more than a plot device for Jinx’s story. Let Isha live on and be happy with Jinx. Killing her was just for shock value.

13. Part of the reason why I think Isha should live is so she gets to grow up in a better Zaun. A free Zaun. She deserves better. They all do.

14. The au episode would’ve been way different, cause it doesn’t makes sense for centuries of oppression to just magically go away all of a sudden because one kid(and a Zaunite kid at that) died.

15. More scenes of Sevika guiding Jinx in how to rally the troops and get ready to fight for their freedom

16. Ekko and Jinx reconciling because although there’s no shortage of bad blood between them, there is love buried deep in there somewhere too. Let Jinx be the main freedom fighter and have Ekko back her up today, so he and the Firelights can focus on community building and organizing tomorrow.

17. Jinx’s rocket should’ve killed more people. All the Councilors(sorry Shoola but you too girl) except Mel, Jayce, and Viktor should’ve died. Viktor and Jayce should’ve been in critical condition but Mel would’ve been fine.

18. Heimerdinger and Ekko’s relationship would be fundamentally different. He should NOT be cozying up with that little furball whose inaction is directly responsible for the current conditions in Zaun

That’s all that comes to mind for now, but yeah. It would’ve been a completely different story. What could’ve been for real 😭😭😭

[soullessjack]

honestly as much as I hate when Jack is dumbed down to the ‘destiel baby/lovechild’ (especially for domestic au reasons) I won’t pretend the actual textual aspect of it isn’t there yknow….like andrew dabb took an established trio, the Team Free Will and just stuck another guy in there and said “fuck you they have a kid now and this the cooler version of the established team.” if that happened in any other show I think it’d be the subject of at least twelve THE FALL OF THIS FRANCHISE type video essays on YouTube

[artsninspo]

"CHEERS 🥂 "- RIO X READER

Summary: Rio's planned date night. Finally, you get a front row seat to who he is and a taste of what he's capable of. This one's steamy 🌶️

Pairing: Rio (Good Girls) X Black Reader

Word-Count: 2.5K

Full Masterlist

RIO MASTERLIST

Read the first three parts of this Rio miniseries:

“Baby-Girl”

“Whisky, neat”

"Jealous Type"

Rio’s been applying pressure. A quality you enjoy in a man. He’s been a great communicator, texting and FaceTiming you when he’s free for the past four days. His cool demeanour is never ending. Neither are the lazy promises about what’s awaiting you the next time you see him in person. After that kiss you know it’ll be good, straight to the point, signed, sealed, delivered - sincerely Rio. In the past few days you’ve come to appreciate him. There were no forever promises snapping you out of the thrill of the here and now with him.

8:30 Sharp. Don’t play with me either baby girl. 

-Rio 

 The way he’s asserted himself leaves little room for anyone else to be entertained. He’s a handful. It’s the last message he’s sent you hours ago now. Clad in your robe you turn to face your closet. Your hair and make up is what it is already. Now onto the conundrum of what to wear? Did it really even matter? Swallowing you walk from the nudes to the colourful section of the closet. Pausing you shake your head with a finger to your lips turning around to the blacks. You don’t want to clash with him, you want to blend in to his low-key air. You don’t want to do too much at all. You skim over dresses better suited for wow factor and settle on one that will do the trick. Accessories are easy and you choose simple ones that flatter your dress. With a final turn you look yourself over. It gives calm cool and collected, simple, not too fussy. Checking your watch you see you have thirty minutes until Rio arrives. You ensure your necessities are in your purse before spraying perfume.

The thrumming in your chest is a pleasant reminder of wants to come. You don’t remember a time outside of adolescence where someone had this kind of effect on you. Only this time you aren’t sneaking out of the house, you’re ignoring your brothers warnings. Deciding against games or grand entrances you head down to the lobby to be on time and step out five minutes early to see Rio in the parking lot of your condo leaning against his G-Wagon giving his phone his undivided attention. You're halfway to him when he senses you. You smile first allowing his raised brows and caution to settle into a pleased smile.

“Who were we texting?” You ask making him chuckle. His eyes drink you in making their way up slowly before he looks displeased. His jaw settles and when his eyes meet yours again he looks angry.

“Don’t disrespect me with this simple shit. I know you have way better up there” he comments acutely. There’s little to be said about his choice of clothing, nor are you his personal barbie.

“Didn’t think it mattered when you’re just going to take it off me?” You shrug leaning against his car to match his nonchalance. His frustration fades quickly and Rio doesn’t know exactly what to do with you. He tries his best not to smile as you snicker. He gets the door helping you in. When he gets in he reaches in the glove box and takes out a jewelry bag handing it to you.

“Instead of flowers” he says. You open it to see a pretty tennis bracelet. It’s definitely a first.

“Much better than flowers, a consolation for your asshole remark just now” you tell him holding out your wrist. He takes the bracelet putting it on and you admire the shine.

“You not going to accuse me of buying you fake diamonds? No smart remark?” He asks pulling off.

“It’s no fun when you expect it” you shrug leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Thanks”

Rio turns reaching for your chin he takes it between his thumb and index finger to kiss you properly, claiming you as his for the moment. “You’re welcome” he says having given you two reasons to smile tonight..

Your dinner is on the water, just the two of you on a nice boat sailing around the cities skyline at night. Each of the dinner courses are delicious and conversation with Rio is easy so long as the conversations float over the personal. He keeps his guard up setting a clear boundary you're comfortable respecting. He gives you his jacket when you shiver playing the role of a gentleman well. You feel none of the first date jitters or dread, it’s like you’ve known Rio for some time. He’s meticulous in having things perfect for you. You don’t get the sense he’s showing off but more like he’s a stickler for order and satisfaction which bodes well for you later. Away from the dinner table and rnow outside on the deck you pour two shots of tequila.

“Truth or drink?” You say raising the glass and taking a shot for good measure. Rio throws one back nodding - ready for whatever. He opens the bottle pouring out another two shots.

“When’s the last time a man made you cum?” He asks being the forward asshole he is.

“Awhile” you respond evasively.

“A few months or a few years?” He asks.

“Months, now I get two questions” you tell him.

“Go on baby-girl” he says like he’s talking you through it leaving you to blush because he is hell.

“Why doesn’t my brother like you?” you ask and he grimaces; it’s a surprise. In Rio’s mind there are too many reasons to name. Reasons that’ll have you off the boat and ironing his calls.

“That’s between us, nothing to do with you” he responds taking a sip.

“If the roles were reversed would you want your sister sitting where I am?” You ask and Rio smiles, you know the answer before it leaves his lips.

“No” he confirms. “What to you like most about me?” Rio asks and it’s a surprise to you. His confidence makes the question seem a little out of place. Racking through your brain you try to narrow it down. There are more physically attractive guys, taller guys, richer guys, better dressed guys… Losing yourself in your thoughts you look back at him looking him over.

“I don’t know, that you have yourself together and you’re not afraid to put in work.” you shrug surprising him.

“What do you do for fun, hobby wise?” You ask.

“You don’t want to know what I like about you?” Rio asks.

“No” you tell him outright and he laughs.

“Boxing, helps me put the stress away” he responds and you feel the boats engines stop. Turning you realize you’re back at the dock and turn to find Rio watching you intently.

“Don’t kill the fun now by falling in love” you tease getting your bag.

“You’d fall first baby-girl” he taunts smoothly.

“Not likely” you comment heading off of the boat.

“Not likely?” he chuckles like it’s a first. “Keep playing with me.”

“Or what? I’ll probably like whatever punishment you can think of,” you shrug being forward turning back you see a blush on his cheeks as he smiles. You stop walking to let him catch up and find him chuckling a little like he’s broken character.

“Most likely, if I’m nice” Rio says into your ear as he holds you from behind. Chuckling you allow him to lead the way forward to his car. His cologne is perfect, the entire night has been perfect.

“Don’t call me unless you’re being nice” you respond.

“Mhm?” Rio raises a brow as he gets in.

“I thought you might like me being mean?”

“No, I don’t intend to underestimate what that means. Not my kind of surprise” you shrug looking over at him and his smile turns into contemplation. There you were right again. He’d passed curiosity, the cat and mouse was over and now he was considering your words a valid warning. Having a son and family were enough of a liability in his work. Things with you could get complicated especially with his involvement with Ruby and Stan. The pussy will be good; that Rio is for certain but now’s not the time he needs to be spending wide open chasing his next hit or the next thrill. He already knows you don’t know how to behave, taming you won’t be as fun as coming in and shutting shit down every time. For now there was a very clear scheduling conflict as well as ethical concerns.

Besides, Rio can’t quite decide your type of crazy yet. One round won’t suffice and after a few … would you slash his tires for his involvement with Stan and Ruby? Would you ignore him or worse? He could see the promise of mutually assured devastation in your eyes should you have to go head to head.

“Second thoughts, wow. Didn’t think Mr. Christopher would bitch out first” you taunt.

Fuck it

Rio mutters leaning over to kiss you. It’s not what you expect. The switch from contemplative to sensual heats your body in an instant. Unbridled passion, no time for logic.

Its on.

You can feel the seat going back and steady Rio as he maneuvers the seat flat not letting up. His tongue spelling promise of his other talents. Better than in the bathroom. You feel your body relaxing into it, the sensations rushing to your core as it readies itself in anticipation of pleasure. His hands run featherlight touches up your legs before lifting them to wrap around his torso.

It’s a first, sex in a car.

The thought of it flushes you sending goosebumps to cover your flesh. You feel pliable under his touch as he takes the lead. “Quiet now huh?” His voice is low as he peppers kisses on your neck. Before you can speak you feel him pressing into you and a moan of pleasure is your response. “Doesn’t feel like you’re the whore you pretend to be” he whispers enjoying the grip on his fingers.

“Shut up” you moan before your eyes close he comes in for another kiss that is messier an more frenzied. The nights foreplay has come to an end. Honestly there had been other plans but there was no way either of you were doing anything other than getting what you came for. His size is impressive and leaves you reeling to catch your breath as he uses technique that tells he’s no novice. He hits all of the right spots leaving you a pillow princess as he gives and takes until you're both sated and breathing hard. He slides off the condom leaning back and you smile seeing the fogged glasses until flashing lights snap you out of the fantasy. A knock Rio’s glass startles the both of you as a figure peers in. Instinct makes Rio shield your indisposed body from view. It’s a frenzied rush to cover yourself and Rio manages to put his dick away.

The cop demands you to get out of the car and you both do. Rio makes no effort to hurry, his aura reeks disgust and impatience. So much so that there’s no charming your way out of a seriously tacky potential charge. You rage silently as you’re cuffed and placed in the back of the cop car with Christopher.

“Bonnie and Clyde huh?” Rio whispers earning him an elbow. Rio chuckles not understanding the gravity the situation or your embarrassment.  “Relax, love I have a few more rounds in me” he continues ready for more as you seethe by his side. The precinct is lit in tacky fluorescent lighting that is jarring on the eyes after a night of warm romantic hues. All eyes are on you and so is the chatter. Your stomach falls in your ass the moment you realize Stan was once one of them.

“Would you like your phone call or do we head outback and you take care of me like you did him?” A portly cop propositions.

“Fuck did you just say?” Rio snaps finished with his call. Cops pop their heads up and the phone rings.

“Buddy don’t try to look tough for the girl” the pig says balling his fists.

“Stop!” A female cop says popping her head up holding a phone. “Stop now and let them go” she demands and there is some shuffling as the phone is passed around. Rio waits impatiently seemingly bored by the process until the cuffs are removed from his wrists and then your’s. The look he gives the dirty cop makes you nervous for the mans well being as he takes your hand walking you out. You stop now feeling the gravity of it. A man who can fuck like him and stay that cool under pressure is dangerous. A man cops tread lightly with is something else entirely. The big leagues, very major. Looking up at him you curse yourself knowing the date and any romance between you is done. For the first time your brothers protective instinct really was trying to shield you from serious trouble. The part of your brain that loves a thrill is ready to fight against it but you stand firm. Instead of making a scene you re enter the car once the two of you are returned to the marina with profuse apologies. Reveries of how he felt wash over you, the feeling of being kissed and the fresh memories dance around your mind. You don’t have to ask - Rio drives you home and parks in your parking lot.

This time the silence between you both is thick once the engine shuts off. Its like all the progress and familiarity has been washed away in spite of you still being able to feel the effects of him on your body.

“I’m sorry, I planned to take you to my place. Everything will be wiped your record and reputation will be fine” he says speaking first. Everything about him screamed he wasn’t fond of apologies. Turning you see his eyes are sincere and you swallow letting your seatbelt loose.

“Rio...”

“Don’t say it” he smiles looking down into his hands. “Don’t say it baby girl” he sighs holding your gaze. You want to invite him up and ride him till your frustration fades. You want rounds two three and four if your bodies can take it but for once your head is resigned against the thrill.

“I had fun” you admit earning a disappointed nod from Rio. He gets out of his car with you and heads into the trunk and walks towards you with a large bottle of Ace of Spades champagne.

“Cheers” he says bidding you goodbye with Champagne what was supposed to kick off the fun in his hand. Looking up at him as the gold bottle sparkles along with the newly gifted bracelet in the light you look at the forbidden fruits contemplating a few more rounds or if you plan to kick the habit cold turkey.

“Cheers” you respond with a smile.

_________

Author's Note: Thank you for all your support and patience on this series. It means more than you know. I love writing for character I feel like we should have got more of. Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment, like and reblog to let me know 💖

[welldrawnfish]

So these last few days has been.. Turbulent. DIFFERENT

I think I may be a System? Infact I KNOW I am a system at this point, but Im also not ready to accept that. Well a part of me isnt, and the other parts of me are like… uh duh of course you are. 

*A system in this context refers to the collective consciousness under the DID / OSDD Umbrella, I dont know the correct terminology in all of this, so im so sorry If i I mess up. I don’t necessarily want to give myself a label, there's .. brain scans and stuff I can get to prove it. And I need those, thats the only way I know this is real. But for now, for my own mental health I am treating it as if it were.. “real “ And I dont really know… what to expect…? I want to find something, ANYTHING, on I guess.. Systems waking up? But I cant find it. So I’ll just do this here Im gonna dump out all our thoughts onto some comic pages and we will figure it out.  I had a bit of an awakening roughly.. 5 days ago, and for the sake of convenience gonna use Plural/System terminology - There are alters, I have met them, the have names and personalities and some of them are really fuckin annoying i just want to punch him in his TEETH

Anyways, since the alter awakening moment, my brain has been in TURMOIL parts of me accept this, parts of me dont, i keep feeling like my face is like shifted 2 inches to the right and everything gets fuzzy in the real world. Not that these alters have names like.. Files are getting sorted  into these proper figures and everything is getting explained and figured out. And its making me feel like I'm not me anymore?

Like I always would argue and barter and fight with my own thoughts, but that's the thing, they wer thoughts, voices in my head with just like, distinct personalities. I just saw it as a different part of me?? Figured that was normal.

But now they are.. stronger ? OR maybe because i'm more aware of them and the personalities I can tell whos out now and like.. Obviously they are happy to get some facetime with the world properly?? But like.. Am *I* just aware of it, aware of them now, aware that it is not just *I* but *We* and so noticing it more, I'm resisting even harder? We feel more fractured than ever.

I have a good friend helping me out, another system, I owe them everything, maybe my life. (PLEASE FOLLOW @transpanda-1 BTW THEY DESERVE IT) They had a few amazing tips, but I cant keep bugging them about every anxiety on my mind thats not fair, so I’ll ask the whole community.

I guess what I want to know is.. Like is this normal? Do all systems go through this? What should I expect in the future and how do I make this more streamlined and stop.. Fighting it? I guess?

I thought I finally had myself figured out, just be the girl who makes the funny relatable trans comics… it was simple.

[yujinnieswifeu]

Hi I loved your bully wonyoung x gp!reader. I wanted to request a part 2 to it only if your up for it of course.

a/n: gonna combine these two requests since it’s kinda the same thing :3, and yes i can def write a part 2 to that hehe, thanks for requesting anons, had fun writing them 🤭 (someone needs to teach me how to align things properly in tumblr thanks🚶🏻‍♀️)

pairings: g!p fem reader x Wonyoung

warnings: smut, reader has a penis, Y/n cums inside Wony, Wony spitting inside of Y/n’s mouth (just once🥹)

Link to part 1:

———————————————————————————

When Wonyoung said she was not going to be as easy as the previous time, you did not expect her to keep her promise. So here you were now, in her bedroom, your hands and legs bound to the bedposts as she plays with your red and throbbing cock. “P-please can’t take it a-anymore…ahh!” You cried out for the millionth time, Wonyong has a magic wand in her hand as she tortured you to no ends. She only smirks deviously, enjoying the way your body jerks when she drags the tip of the magic wand onto your now swollen and angry tip, your breathy moans and babbles music to her ears.

“Fucking desperate bitch.” She mutters, finally pulling the vibrating toy off you. You let out a whimper, hips jerking slightly from the harsh stimulation and endless edging. “W-wony-” “Don’t call me by my name whore, it’s mistress to you, understand?” She cuts you and you nod your head desperately, pulling at the binds around your wrists as you let out a pained cry. “I-i want to cum so b-bad please!” You begged, she just chuckles at your desperation, swiping her phone out from her back pocket to capture your messed up state. “So pretty like this..” she mutters to herself, watching how you were struggling against the binds.

“Aww, is it too much for you?” Her voice was laced with faux sympathy, pouting as she nears you. You could only muster a whimper, watching as she drops her skirt to the floor, noticing how her panties has clung to her bare pussy, a damp spot between her legs. She was enjoying this as much as you. She drags her panties off slowly, satisfied when she sees you squirm on the bed. She hovers over your face this time, her hand moves down your stomach to the base of your cock, wrapping it over her fingers. You couldn’t help but jerk your hips, moaning as your eyes rolls to the back of your head at the stimulation, you were so sensitive at this point. “Move again and i’ll stop.” You whine out in response, tears prickling at your eyes as you reluctantly obeyed.

“You know what to do right pup?” Her nickname was driving you insane, the throbbing between your legs only intensifying. You start to give her small licks, watching how her breath hitches, how she has bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress her moans. “T-that’s right, good puppy.” She mocks, moving her hand up and down slowly over your cock, it makes you moan, the vibration adding to the pleasure. “Fuck, i guess your mouth is only good for one thing huh?” Her hand leaves your throbbing member, and your whimper comes out muffled as you eat her out.

Instead, her soft and slender fingers finds purchase in your hair, riding herself over your face. You could feel yourself getting even harder at the sight, letting her use you as she pleases. “F-fuck, i’m going to cum...a-ahh!” Wonyoung body jerks as she comes all over your face, you moan against her, feeling yourself being brought over the edge without any stimulation, your body shuddering underneath her and she realises what has happened. “Fuck…you really are such a loser aren’t you? Cumming without me touching you even.” She rasps out, now sliding herself off you instead, going down to where you had cummed all over yourself.

“Be my slut hm?” Her eyes locked onto yours, like a silent communication, you bit your bottom lip nervously, your cheeks turning red. “Aww, did what i say make you all flustered?” She faux a pout your way, and you only whimper in response, squirming at the restraints still. “Answer me and maybe, i’ll untie you…depending on the answer of course.” She gives you a wicked smirk, one that could make any other stranger shiver with fear, but it only makes you throb harder for her. “Y-yes..” You stutter, feeling your cheeks turn hot at the thought of being her plaything. And she didn’t really give you a choice either. “That’s a good slut.” She grabs your jaw, her face hovers yours. “Open.” Wonyoung orders, and you obey her, parting your lips as she spits into your mouth. “Swallow.” Her voice was lower than usual, watching as you swallow obediently. She could definitely get used to this.

“Since you’re so good for me…i’ll let you lead this time.” She undoes your binds, and almost instantly your hands were on her, pushing her back against the bed, your head in her hair as you take a deep breath of her, her scent evading your senses as you whine against her neck. “Can i please put it in?” You asked so nicely, so how could Wonyoung even refuse. Her hand goes down to stroke your cock that was covered in your pre-cum and cum from earlier, causing you to jerk a little, your brows furrowing as you moan against her skin. “Didn’t i say you can lead this time hm?” You shiver at her words, it all sounded too good to be true, but even if so, you would take the chance.

Without another word, you slipped yourself inside of her, you hear her let out a groan at the stretch, her fingers at the back of your neck as she brought your face to hers, kissing you deeply. It was the first time Wonyoung showed you affection, and to be honest, you liked it. “I-i need to cum soon!” You cry out, already near your high from all the edging earlier, and feeling even more sensitive as her walls flutters more around you, she brings your hand to play at her clit, and you moan at how wet she was for you. “Gonna c-cum! C-can i cum please mistress?” It comes out desperate, your hips moving in a sloppy manner as you near your orgasm. “F-fuck yes, come inside of your mistress..!” Wonyoung orders, feeling your hips stuttering as you cum inside of her. Your fingers rubbing circles at her clit and the feeling of your cum inside of her makes her cum as well, a whimper falling past her lips as she drags her nails over your back.

You had your face buried into her neck, inhaling her scent mixed with the smell of sex, not pulling out yet. She took this time to catch her breath, her fingers in your hair comfortingly. “I…i was serious about what i said earlier.” She mutters, feeling you shift as you look up at her, the back of your head resting against her shoulder. She tries not to smile at how cute you looked at that moment, realising she might have just fallen in love with you, this you, and she could get used to it. “You mean….uh..to be y-your slut?” You murmur the last part, feeling your cheeks heat up again, and she giggles.

It was genuine this time, how she looked at you, she was being real. “That too of course, but i mean..maybe..i want to get to know you more.” She says plainly, it wasn’t usual of her to be so nice to you, and since she was your bully, or used to be, it was even harder to believe this was even happening, but it was. You set that thought aside for now, noticing how it was Wonyoung’s turn to turn red, but instead of teasing her, you gave her soft kisses along her neck, burrowing your face into her neck. “That sounds really nice.”

[roach-works]

the five animals

First contact was going surprisingly well and no one could figure out why, until we found out about the five animals. 

“There’s what?” Dr Grace Jones asked, politely, standing on the White House Lawn. 

“All five animals,” the alien zoologist repeated, cheerfully. It ate another fancy little sandwich. The President was taking pictures with the Captain, and the zoologist had snuck off to raid the buffet and talk shop with the scientists. “It’s nice to see a planet with the whole bunch! Must keep you guys pretty busy, huh?”

“There are a few more than five animals here,” Dr Grace Jones said, slowly and carefully. 

“Really? Where are you keeping them?” the alien zoologist asked, interested. “We’ve been all over the galaxy and never found more than five.”

“I think,” Dr Grace Jones said, “you should list the animals for me. We’re having translation problems.”

“Oh, sure,” the alien zoologist--his name was something like Chem--said. “Tubes, vermin, small edible, furniture, and water.”

“Water?”

“Yeah, you know, water. Part of the water. You find them underneath the oceans and lakes. You guys definitely have that one.”

“That one.” 

Chem finally seemed to get the idea that they were not communicating. “Something weird must be going on with our translation,” he said. “Do you not have words for any of these things? A tube is something that’s long, with a hole from one end to the other.”

“We have tubes, yes. So. Hm.” Dr Grace Jones looked haplessly around the lawn, then pointed at a nearby sparrow. “We call that a bird,” she said. “There are thousands of different kinds of birds.”

“Oh! Local dialects do get pretty ornate,” Chem said, relaxing. “I think the translator’s working just fine, then. That’s a vermin. It’s eating your food, see? If you want I can set you up with our zoology module on the ship. It only takes a couple hours to get properly certified.”

“...so you’re not really a zoologist?”

“What? No. I’m really the ship’s zoologist. I have a lot of downtime between navigating and piloting because most of the time you’re just waiting for the ship to get through all the empty bits, y’know, in space, so I pick up other certs when I’m bored. I get double pay for any cycle the Captain needs an animal consult. You would not believe the amount of animals that look like rocks, out there.”

Dr Grace Jones finally, belatedly, eats her tiny sandwich, then drinks her lukewarm champagne. Then she says, very carefully, “On Earth it takes us years to get a degree in any field of biology, zoology, animal behavior. To say nothing of the kind of study veterinarians have to do.”

“Well, you locals seem to like things rustic out here, so I’m sure there’s some inefficiencies in the process,”  Chem said, and gave her a bracing pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you that module. We can sort it all out by dinner.”

“Thanks,” Dr Grace Jones said. She stared at the crumbs on her empty plate, then asked, “...What animal do you consider humans?”

Chem stared at her, then her crumbs, then the sparrow, evidently confused by her confusion. 

“What’s a human?” he asked.

[strawberri-elixir]

╰⇢ Bllk characters with you as their motivation to score

Requested: this lovely request here

Characters: Rin, Isagi, Reo, Bachira, Nagi

Warnings: none

Note: this request is so cute thank you again for letting me write it!

Rin

To be honest, I don’t think Rin really cared about the reward system that came with scoring goals and earning points. To be fair, I don’t think that he even remembered that he could call you if he got his phone back. Poor boy wouldn’t have thought about it until one of his teammates mentioned how lucky he was to have scored so many goals in the first selection.

But as soon as he remembered that he could text you and call you with his phone if he got it back, he immediately went to exchange those 3 measly points for his phone. The first thing he did was call you. He didn’t trust himself to be able to wait for your response if he texted you first.

He was over the moon to hear your voice after a few rings. Despite not showing it outwardly, he really missed being able to see you every day. But getting these moments to call you meant the world to him. Not to mention how he’d spend pretty much all of his free time texting you.

‘Just got out of the shower.’

‘How was your day?’

‘Nobody here is worth my time.’

‘I miss you…’

Isagi

Everyone on Team Z could tell he was more motivated to score the day after he found out about the point system from Kunigami. The thought of being able to communicate to him fueled his determination way more than even he expected. He’d alway be in an open position when he was near the goal, ready for the ball to find his feet and then eventually, the back of the net.

When he finally scored three goals, he immediately went to exchange the points for his phone. The first thing he did was send you a message telling you how much he missed you. And even if you couldn’t respond right away, he was happy to wait. At least he had a way to talk to you again. And when you finally did respond, he was already thinking of a response to whatever you said, eager to continue the conversation. And he would continue to check up on you, making sure you were properly taking care of yourself.

‘Hey, I hope you’re doing okay ☺️ I really miss you!’

‘There’s a lot of amazing players here!’

‘Good morning! Did you sleep well?’

‘Make sure you eat and drink lots of water! I love you <3’

Reo

Already being ranked on the higher end of the group, Reo and his teammates easily racked up a fair amount of goals. Him included. He browsed the options of rewards he could exchange points for. When his eyes landed on the reward for his phone, his face practically lit up.

He was so excited to text you. An image of you and him displayed as his lock screen, your arms wrapped around his neck, huge smiles on your faces. He clicked on your contact, ready to send you a message. While he waited patiently for a response, he scrolled through his old photos from a few months prior. The more he looked, the more he realized he missed seeing your smile.

‘I love you so much, I miss seeing you everyday.’

‘Send me a selfie, I want to see your smile.’

‘How was your day?’

‘I hope you know how much I miss you.’

Bachira

To say Bachira was excited to text you was an understatement. His motivation went through the roof at the thought of being able to talk to you again. He’d blow past all of the opposing team’s defensive lines and score goal after goal. You were his motivation, his will. And he just couldn’t wait to text you after he finally earned enough points.

As soon as he was given access to his phone again, he clicked on your beloved contact and immediately started texting you even if you weren’t available to text him back. At first, it’d be little “I miss you” messages, before turning into his excited explanations of every game he’s played once you finally respond. Then, whenever he got the chance, he’d text you.

‘I miss you! \(^ヮ^)/’

‘Guess what Isagi did today’

‘Play 8-ball with me!’

‘I can’t wait to see you again (￣▽￣)’

Nagi

Despite being told about the possibility that he could get his phone back, Nagi didn’t really give it a second thought. That is, until an image of you suddenly flashed through his mind in the middle of a match. It was like a switch in his mind. He wasn’t really one for expressing how he felt, but his sudden desire to score more didn’t go unnoticed.

Now, even though he got his phone back early on in the first selection, the mental note he made to text you completely slipped his mind. He was too absorbed in his games to think about anything else. It wasn’t until he saw a notification from you pop up at the top of his screen that he remembered why he wanted his phone back in the first place. Nonetheless, he immediately texted back.

‘It’s such a hassle being here…’

‘Do you want to join our Minecraft world?’

‘I’d rather be with you.’

‘I miss your cuddles.’

~ Please do not repost! Likes and reblogs are appreciated! ~

[thebandghostofficial]

[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY]

An important (and overwinded) announcement regarding this blog below the cut.

Hello everyone! This is Rawkin Ghoul/ Tumblr Ghoul/ Tumblrina/ Soda/ etc etc.

First thing’s first: no, this blog is not an official Ghost social media account.

I started this blog in late 2022 when ghost-official started blowing up (I do not believe this one to be real either, and honestly I won’t believe they have a Tumblr until it is linked on their official website) and thought, “wow, I could make a better Ghost blog than that. One that’s way better organized and actually advertises properly for them, and posts regularly!” So I did.

Originally it was meant as just that, a little joke between some friends, and wasn’t meant to really get farther than that. But then I thought, Ghost does have a lot of fans on Tumblr- a lot of exquisitely talented and devoted fans. Maybe I can kinda “roleplay” it for a while, build almost a bit of a portfolio, and then either offer the blog to management or offer to run it for them officially, for fun, if they were interested.

More time passes and more people followed. I thought “xofficial” as a username was a common enough joke/ gimmick that people would realize it wasn’t for real (and in fact, when I first searched the URL, I found that this username was once in use years ago! Sorry, previous owner), especially after posting that April Fools joke post- this was wrong of me to assume. There are a lot of roleplay/ joke “official” Ghost accounts all over the web but I failed to really properly disclaim that I was one of them.

I of course don’t plan to reach out to Ghost anymore and haven’t for some time, for multiple reasons including Tumblr just not being a good website for advertising. But another one is I got pretty loose on here. Tumblr is so different from Twitter and Insta and all that- you guys (and myself! I go here too) don’t want to have someone sell something to you- but you do love interaction and jokes and solving things together.

I think we can all admit it- when Ghost is dormant, the fans can get bored and even agitated, and can start to have a go at eachother. I’m certainly not guiltless there either. I wouldn’t say I’m notorious or even particularly well known in general but I’ve gotten into drama here and there. I figured the blog would be a fun way not just to distract the community, but really engage with it. The blog passed 5k a month or so ago and I started thinking, we could do something really cool with it. Smaller events like fanart contests and zines. But what if we did more? Organizing pre-ritual meetups. Larger community projects like fan-made music videos. ARG. Maybe even a short video game- there are so many incredibly skilled and hard-working Ghost fans and I wanted to try to bring them together because I think our love for Ghost, for whatever reason we love them, screams so loud and everyone deserves recognition (also a reason I started Fanart Friday as a regular thing).

You guys know I do my best to keep up with your tagging and what you’re saying and everything and I’ve seen the people pointing out the blog isn’t real from the beginning- I didn’t want to address it directly at first because I thought if nothing else people enjoyed the mystery.

But, more lately there’s been more and more people who are agitated, disappointed, and even a little scared to hear that this blog is not official.

I want to offer my very sincere apologies to people who I made feel that way. I should have made it obvious sooner- I know so well that there are a lot of very young Ghost fans especially who wouldn’t necessarily surmise that this isn’t real. I’m really sorry to those of you I disappointed.

I will never ask you for money here, or any personal information, or send asks anonymous or otherwise from here or my main personal blog as “Tumblr Ghoul”. I have had one person ask to message me so I messaged them to allow them to do that. If somebody contacts you claiming to be the person running this blog, they are lying. Please block them. My interactions here I aim to keep as public as possible, hence being increasingly liberal with replies and reblogs as the number of people interacting grew.

My only goal with this blog is to advertise for a band that I love and to entertain/ help the fandom when and where I can. I love and appreciate all the fanart and interest in the character of Tumblr Ghoul but I don’t want anybody to feel obligated to me and I especially don’t want to hurt anybody. I started this blog for fun and that how I want it to remain- fun for everyone.

People pointed out when I didn’t post for some time a few months back and it was because I had lost interest in the blog and was going through a rough time- and then one particularly bad day I got on to check it by chance and just seeing your guy’s tags and comments made me feel so much better. I tell people that I found Ghost when I really needed a friend and they fulfilled that for me, but the past few months you guys have done just the same for me. I am so sorry to have betrayed that and made you feel unsafe and lied to in return.

As of posting I do intend to still run the blog as I have been (with a disclaimer added to the bio regarding the legitimacy of this account)- posting about tours, chapters, merch, etc, as well as Fanart Friday. I 100% understand if anybody doesn’t want to be involved in that, so anybody who has tagged me in something and don’t want it on the blog now, I can open messages and you can let me know. I will probably close them again after a week or so if I get a large flood of unrelated messages.

Please do not message me asking me who I am, who knows about the blog, etc. Gaining popularity was never something I wanted from this so I will stay anonymous, for the time being at the very least. A very small number of people know who is behind the blog and to my knowledge only one of them is even on Tumblr and in the fandom.

Thank you for all the support you’ve shown me, Ghost, and eachother. It can be easy to see the bad parts of a community and roll your eyes electing to keep your distance, but since starting this blog I’ve been reminded what good community is even when it’s frustrating sometimes.

Thank you for reading, I won’t hold it against anybody who wants to separate themselves from this blog at this point, and please don’t let my oversight and general dummyness sour your experience with Ghost or its other fans. Enjoy the rest of this tour and whether it’s with or without me, please keep rawking 🤘 Be good to eachother.

Thank you.

[rylem33]

Something Wicked

“Are you sure about this, Mia?” Mark asked as the trio made their way toward the small community theater. He shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets, trying to keep his nerves in check. “I mean, I thought you were just being silly. I didn’t think we’d actually go through with it.”

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun,” Mia grinned, nudging Mark’s shoulder. “You and Chris are a riot together. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are perfect for you two, and I’ve always wanted to play Ophelia. Just imagine all the fun we’ll have!”

Chris, who was walking slightly behind them, chimed in with a grin. “She’s right, man. It’s a local production and we’ve got some experience from high school. Plus, I already made a bet with Derek that we’d land parts. Don’t back out now.”

Mark sighed but nodded. “Alright, fine. But if I have to wear tights, I’m blaming you both.”

They arrived at the theater, where a small crowd had already gathered for auditions. The director, a quirky man with wire-rimmed glasses and a slicked-back ponytail, greeted them at the door.

“Ah, you three are here for Macbeth, right?” He flipped through his clipboard, his eyes glinting behind his glasses. “Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Ophelia, yes?”

“That’s the plan!” Mia said, beaming.

The director raised an eyebrow and tapped his clipboard. “Well, I’ve got something else in mind for you. How about… the Three Witches?”

“What?” Chris laughed nervously, looking at Mark. “You mean us? As witches?”

Mark shifted awkwardly, not sure how to react. “Uh, I don’t think we’re exactly… witch material.”

Mia frowned. “I was really hoping to audition for Ophelia.”

The director waved off their protests. “Of course! But first try this. The witches are essential—a turning point of the play. You’ll be great! Just trust me.” He added, “And trust yourselves. You’ll get into the role soon enough.”

The trio were skeptical but decided to give it a go. They were given their scripts and led away from the other actors into the empty theater. The house lights dimmed, and the director nodded encouragingly.

“Just start from the top. Double, double, toil and trouble…“

They exchanged nervous glances, shuffling their scripts.

Mia took the lead, her voice wavering slightly as she attempted to conjure the tone of the scene. “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and… uh… cauldron…” She trailed off, blinking at the page. “Crap, what was the next part?”

Chris, holding his script too low to read properly, squinted in the dim lighting. “I didn’t prepare this part.”

Mark, trying to keep it together, shook his head. “Its okay. Just read the lines and act like a witch, man.”

“I don’t know how witches act!” Chris snapped back, feeling self-conscious.

The director sighed audibly from his seat in the front row. “Alright, stop, stop.” He rubbed his temples before standing up. “You three need to commit to this. You’re witches! You’re mystical, dangerous! This is no time for hesitancy.”

Mia blushed, her confidence shaken. “Sorry, I just didn’t think I’d be trying for this role.”

The director shook his head again. “At yet, here we are. I’ll set the scene. You’re witches. You’ve got power, mystery—seduction—in your words! Now stop questioning it. Feel the part. Let it take over!”

The trio exchanged glances again, still unsure. “Alright… I guess we’ll try again?” Mia offered, biting her lip.

The director waved his hand. “Start over. From the top.”

They nodded, still skeptical but determined to give it another shot.

Mia started once more, her voice a little stronger this time. “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

Chris followed, squinting at the script, “Fillet of a fenny snake, in the cauldron boil and bake.”

Mark was about to chime in when the director suddenly shouted, “Cut!” His assistant hurried over, and the director began talking to her in hushed tones, their discussion unclear.

While the director was distracted, Chris shifted awkwardly, glancing at Mia and Mark with a sheepish grin. “I still don’t know what any of this means…”

Mia giggled, but then, as if it bubbled up from somewhere deep inside, her giggle turned into a high-pitched cackle. It echoed off the theater walls, sharp and eerie.

Mark raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

Mia blinked, her cheeks reddening. “I don’t know. It just… came out.” She shrugged.

Chris grinned, thinking she was just messing around. “That was… weirdly witchy.”

Mia’s eyes gleamed for a second. “Weird? Or perfect?” Her voice was lower now, more seductive, and her smile lingered longer than it should have. The boys laughed it off.

The director returned to the stage. “Alright, from the top. And I want commitment this time.”

Mia jumped into the role, her voice taking on an almost unearthly quality. “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

Mark opened his mouth to deliver his line, but it felt stuck in his throat. Mia’s tone had changed. She was acting so unlike herself.  So much like the role.

Chris noticed too. He was late to his next line, too focused on Mia and the intense look in her eyes. “Uh, Eye of newt, and toe of frog…” His voice wavered, but it seemed like Mia’s confidence was only growing.

Mark squeaked out. “Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting…” 

Mia straightened, her chin up high, her posture confident. “For a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble.” The words rolled off her tongue.

Her clothes had subtly started to shift from her casual audition outfit to something more fitted. Her shirt tightened and hardened into a black corset that wrapped around her torso.  Not that she noticed, she was too engrossed in the role.

The director watched, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Good, yes… better.”

Chris stared at Mia and saw her shirt change causing him to stumble over his next line. “Uh, By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes…”

Mark and Chris exchanged nervous glances. This wasn’t right. But Mia? She was falling further and further into the part.

The director stepped forward, clapping slowly. “Magnificent,” he purred.

Mia turned toward the director, her lips curling into a slow, sultry smile. “Shall we continue, then?” she purred, stepping closer to him, her voice low, almost a growl. “There’s so much more we can do.”

Mark and Chris watched her with wide eyes, still in shock at how drastically she had changed in just a few moments. 

“Are you… okay, Mia?” Mark asked cautiously.

Mia turned to him slowly, her eyes narrowing. She stared at him for a long moment before speaking. “Mia?” she spoke, her voice hard with an unfamiliar rasp. “Who is Mia? We have work to do, sisters.”

Chris snorted, assuming she was still messing around. “Good one, Mia,” he said, shaking his head.

But Mia didn’t laugh or smile. She simply gazed at them both with a knowing smirk, her eyes flickering with something. Mark opened his mouth to speak again, but the director interrupted.

“Alright, let’s go again! Action!”

The scene resumed, but now there was something different in the air. The moment Mia began her lines, it was as if a switch had flipped. Her voice rolled out effortlessly, oozing power and seduction. “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

Suddenly, Mark and Chris felt something shift inside them. A strange tingling sensation spread through their minds, like fog creeping into their thoughts. 

Chris started, “Eye of newt, and toe of frog…” as his voice pitched up an octave.

Mark followed, “Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting…” a seductive tilt entering his words.

The director watched them with growing satisfaction, nodding as the transformation took hold.

Mark blinked, as his body began to shift, his muscular frame softening into more delicate, feminine curves. His jeans morphed into a sleek black leather skirt, his shoes elongating into stiletto heels. His chest filled out, his shirt morphing into a tight, corset-like top. His hair, once short, lengthened into platinum blonde locks that cascaded over his shoulders.

His words flowed naturally now, without the hesitation from before. “Cool it with a baboon’s blood, then the charm is firm and good.”

Chris, too, began to feel the change. His broad shoulders shrank, his arms slimming as his black T-shirt melted into a shiny corset, complete with straps that wrapped around his now hourglass figure. His dark hair lengthened into luscious waves, his lips darkening to a deep crimson. 

His body moved more fluidly, his voice softening as he delivered his lines. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”

The director stepped forward, clapping slowly. “Magnificent,” he purred, his eyes gleaming. 

Mia turned towards her sisters.  Her coven. Her lips curled into a slow, sultry smile. “Shall we continue, then?”

[boydepartment]

still into you- nishimura riki x reader

a/n: THIS WAS REQUESTED BY ONE OF MY ANONS HERE!

request: now months later reader's in the practice room, late at night on the floor, catching their breath while the music plays in the background softly. it was then when Ni-Ki slams open the door not expecting anyone to be there and their eyes meet through the reflection of the mirror dance rooms have

warnings- none tbh :3 just both of them being goofy

wc- 300-400

MASTERLIST

sprawling out on the practice room floor was like clockwork to you. especially after a long day of dancing and cardio.

it helped to keep you distracted too, your work was everything to you. it helped fill a void that you didn’t even want to think about right now.

you stretched out hearing a couple pops, laughing to yourself before flipping on your stomach to go on your phone.

frowning when you turned it on it was a wallpaper of you and your ex. you really need to delete it, it was still in the wallpaper album that changes it every hour.

it was just a reminder of the void, you weren’t even mad at him anymore. you missed him and wished you had communicated with him more. it’s one of your biggest regrets…

sighing you opened tiktok so you could have your break. your music from your ipad connected to the speakers playing softly in the background. ironically enough still into you by paramore was playing.

you were about to like a video when the door slammed open, scaring you so bad you jumped back.

“GO AWAY IM ABOUT TO PRACTICE!” the boy laughed before walking in, not even taking in your presence as he was looking down at his phone.

for a split second you took in his appearance now. it changed a lot, he looked like he bulked up, his hair was cut shorter, WAS THAT A TATTOO ON HIS FOREARM?

you blinked and he finally looked up at you, “oh.”

oh? that’s all he was gonna say to you? OH? after months of not talking… OH???

“um.” you quickly got up, grabbing your ipad, phone, and hoodie, “you can have the room haha it’s fine anyways-“

“wait no…” riki quickly ran to the door and blocked it, as you were making a beeline to the exit.

you looked up at him, your stuff pooling out of your hands, “get out of my way!”

“no!”

“what the hell!” you started to laugh, “you can have the practice room! let me go!”

“no!” riki said again, now using his arms and legs to block the door, “please don’t leave i really- i just-“

you set your stuff down by your feet, “you need to what? finally explain yourself, apologize for being a dick?”

riki was about to talk, “i-“ he put his hand up, “yeah…”

“little late for that.” you went to pick up your stuff again and you saw him trying to look through his brain for anything. his body slumping against the door now.

part of you felt kinda bad. the breakup was a little messy, him being busy, him not being able to tell you that he loves you, you both being a little short tempered. it just wasn’t the right time for either of you. you didn’t hold bad blood or anything. it was just awkward

you grabbed your stuff properly this time, “okay, move. it’s not funny or cute anymore.”

“anymore? you thought it was funny and cute before?” he put his hands and legs almost in a starfish position again against the door. grinning with that all too familiar mischievous smile of his.

“riki! i’m serious! i’ve been practicing forever, i smell bad and i need to get food!” you tried to move past him. you couldn’t help the small giggles escaping you.

“no! i can’t! i need to tell you that im in love with you still and im sorry i didn’t say it before because i was scared to!” at this point he was word vomiting.

you looked up at him, “you are?”

riki’s eyes were still closed, he nodded rapidly, the last nod he hit his head against the door. which left you falling over laughing.

riki looked horrified, did he just embarrass himself? what if you had another boyfriend already? or girlfriend? it’s been months.

“you’re so cute.”

oh…

his ears turned bright red as he watched you laughing on the floor. you looked up at him with that same sweet smile you had previous to your breakup. he sat down on the floor in front of you.

“i meant what i said…” he said as your laughter died down and you were left staring at eachother.

you smiled at him again, “i still love you.”

his eyes widened and he smiled back, “you do?”

“yes i do.”

he jumped up and did a little dance before grabbing your hands and lifting you up. hugging you and swinging you around.

“i love you so much i’m sorry i didn’t say it before. i really do love you.” he set you down, “even if you smell bad after practicing.”

you shoved his shoulder and riki laughed, “i’m kidding i’m kidding!”

you hugged him again, your arms shaking around his waist.

“can i come with you to eat dinner then?”

“as my boyfriend or my ex?” you mumbled. you felt his arms hold you back, his chin on your head.

“as your boyfriend obviously… if that’s okay…”

you smiled up at him, “yeah that’s okay, if you’re okay with me being stinky?”

he sighs dramatically and raises his eyebrows, “guess thats okay.”

you both start laughing before getting into a debate on what to eat together.

[ilikekidsshows]

You said that Marinette would make a good leader because she's good at directing people to use their skill. After 5 season do you think Marinette is really a good leader?

---

So, I haven’t changed my mind about Marinette’s strategic output. She is still a brilliant strategist and knows how to take advantage of the heroes and powers at her disposal. However, leadership is more than strategy, and, as the team gets larger and the temporary heroes join up for fights more frequently, the areas of leadership where Marinette is lacking become more and more apparent.

So, here’s the thing. Marinette’s weaknesses as a leader have always been consistency and communication. She is incredibly inconsistent about the rules and expectations of the team and she grows even more inconsistent in seasons 4 and 5. In addition, Marinette is incredibly bad at communicating her expectations to the team, and listening to the team’s opinions. These both play into that unfair treatment I’ve said she puts on Cat Noir, but it’s not just Cat Noir she treats unfairly because of these weaknesses.

First off, let’s discuss the inconsistency of rules. This is most prominent with the secret identity rule of no Miraculous holder must reveal their identity to anyone, friend or foe, or they will lose their Miraculous. How much Marinette actually follows this rule is on a completely case-by-case basis, which means it’s not actually a rule at all, but she treats it as one when she feels like it.

Like, let’s start with the classic case of Chloé and the Bee Miraculous. While I don’t think Chloé is entitled to the Bee Miraculous just because she was the first one to use it, it is also true that Marinette failed to properly communicate to Chloé that she had been kicked off the team. Because, here’s the thing. Despite the fact that Chloé’s secret identity has been public since the start, Marinette didn’t actually stick with the rule of “reveal your identity and you lose your Miraculous”. Marinette called on Chloé to use the Bee Miraculous repeatedly after her debut, so, when Marinette kept not putting her foot down on the matter that Chloé was off the team for good in season 3, Chloé was fully expecting to get the Miraculous again at some point. That wasn’t just Chloé’s poor understanding of boundaries at play; Marinette didn’t actually tell her she was off the team, a fact Cat Noir criticized her for. So, when Marinette finally did try to tell Chloé that she couldn’t be given the Bee because the villains knew who she was and made it risky, Chloé no longer believed it. It wasn't consistent with how Marinette had, in fact, called on her despite her identity being public.

Then there’s the one that came back to not bite her in the ass even though it really should have: Alya’s special treatment. Alya repeatedly gets the Fox Miraculous back despite various different secret identity failures. The first time it was actually Marinette herself breaking the rules by giving Alya and Nino their Miraculouses at the same time, revealing their secret identities to each other. But, even after Hawk Moth discovers Alya’s identity, Marinette keeps giving her the Fox Miraculous, simply doing some trickery to make Hawk Moth think Alya doesn’t have the Miraculous anymore. This loophole means it’s not about secrecy, it’s about what Hawk Moth knows, but even that is true only in this case.

In ‘Miracle Queen’ Hawk Moth discovers the secret identities of basically all the then-recruited support heroes. Despite this, Marinette keeps using all of them in season 4 and only stopped using them because she didn’t have the Miraculouses to give to them anymore. So, in the end, it doesn’t even matter if Hawk Moth knows your secret identity. So, the secret identities aren’t a big deal then, right?

Oh, they totally are, actually, because Marinette still refuses to let Cat Noir in on all the support heroes’ identities, even the ones Hawk Moth is already aware of. She also doesn’t tell him about Rena Furtive, because that’s too much of a security risk for some undisclosed reason. And this is where we enter Marinette’s inability to communicate her expectations. Marinette doesn’t tell Cat Noir anything, ever, and doesn’t let him do even something so little as handling the Miraculouses of the identities he’s aware of for five minutes to save herself a little bit of effort. She lets Cat Noir know she’s overworked and stressed out, but lets him also mistakenly believe she’s handling it all alone, because her getting increasing amounts of support from Alya is a secret. This communicates to Cat Noir he should also carry everything by himself, which she does expect him to do, outright saying she’d be upset if she ever found out he’d revealed his secret identity to someone.

And yet, this standard doesn’t actually apply to herself. She cracked under pressure and told Alya her secret identity. She didn’t even consider whether or not that meant she should quit because of the rules. She also didn’t even consider if this huge breach of said rules is something Cat Noir should know about. This is because, as I said, they are only rules when she wants them to be. Marinette is being held to no standards, while other teammates are being held to inconsistent standards, and Cat Noir is held to the highest standards imaginable.

Marinette also sucks at communication in general. Cat Noir knows less identities than their main villain, and he’s being kept in the dark about things that he would benefit greatly from knowing, like that Rena Furtive is stalking them a lot of the time and that their permanent holder team actually has three members instead of two. She also didn't tell him about having a potential backup Ladybug. Scarabella had to explain the situation to him. Marinette also absolutely refuses to listen when one of her team members tells her something she doesn’t want to hear.

Cat Noir’s concerns over Chloé not being told she was off the team went completely ignored. As stated in other posts on this blog, Cat Noir’s concerns about his own mental state also go completely ignored. Cat Noir’s concern about Ladybug’s mental health in Kuro Neko gets him snapped at. And it’s not just Cat Noir who gets this. Most of the teammates don’t really dare question Ladybug, but Alya does after she knows Ladybug is also her best friend. Except, for all she calls Alya her best friend, she doesn’t listen to her either. When Marinette was pushing Alya to not tell Nino that she was still using the Fox Miraculous, she completely ignored all arguments Alya made against the demand, simply insisting “but you must” and “that’s what I did”, until Alya stopped protesting. Marinette refuses to listen to anything that isn’t “yes, ma’am,” and any leader who refuses to listen to their team is a bad one.

However, this refusal to listen also brings up a downside of the whole “Marinette is good at directing how to use Miraculous powers.” She also doesn’t let anyone use their powers without her say-so. The only Miraculous powers used in fights in the later seasons are ones that are a part of her plan. Marinette’s gameplan is the only gameplan allowed, and the only contribution most teammates get is “pull the trigger when I say so”. Marinette doesn’t actually trust her team to make judgement calls without her.

None of these issues were too noticeable when the team was just Marinette and Cat Noir, who wasn't afraid of improvising at times. However, the bigger the team gets, the more Marinette's control freak tendencies start to control the way she leads.

[urrockstar-xe]

never enough - j.m x fem!reader

posted nov 2nd, 2023 12:16 am

hey, sorry i ghosted, I'm not doing to hot but here's something, I'm trying a little November challenge where i try and cope with life things where i write an imagine/blurb inspired by something that happened during my day, here's an argument i had with my mommy in a jj fic lol this isn't my best work but i hope u like it :3

this includes wording stating that the reader's hair is a texture that is easy to play with and the use of y/n and probably inaccurate JJ but i needed his comfort sue me

summary: How do you deal with having to have the very same (or at least very similar) conversations with your loved ones that involve what you're currently going through? Because that's the exact problem you’ve been having with JJ. angst to fluff??? kinda? hurt/comfort? idk

masterlist

wordcount: 1k

“You never do anything to show that you love me, JJ! You throw your arm around my shoulder and call it a fucking day”

Eventually what once was calm and civil and even mature conversations turn into screaming matches.

“I don’t know what else you fucking want from me, Y/n!” JJ’s voice bounced off the walls of the chateau which was luckily empty due to the small fire in the back.

“JJ, I expressed what I needed, I used my words and my actions to show and tell you exactly what I needed and you still couldn’t do me one small favor? I just wanted you to run your fingers through my hair a few times is that so fucking hard?” Your own voice was wavering in volume, sometimes louder and sometimes quiet, defeated even. 

“I listen when you vent, I do better when we have a problem, I even fucking cancel my plans to spend time with you, nothing I do is ever fucking enough for you!” and there it was, the words slipping out of your dear boyfriend’s mouth before he could even think about it, the words that thrown in your face so very often, the words that made you question everything about yourself

He was trying, he was listening and he was being incredibly patient and understanding with you.

The look of regret from his words alone was enough to realize that. 

Until that gross feeling of pride came onto you, possessing your entire being with the rage you’ve had building inside of you for months.

“Fuck you, JJ. fuck you, because I got upset with you and when I tried to walk away and blow off steam you got pissed and bitchy and didn’t fucking let me, and then when I explained my issue to you, you gave me a fucking attitude.” Your words were fast now, spewing out like a soda when you shake it too hard.

“I needed you! And I told you that! Just like you asked me to! How am I supposed to properly communicate with you when you tell me one thing and then turn around and do the fucking opposite!” it was less of a question and more of an accusation but at this point, it was hard to care.

You had tried responsibly talking to him, getting to a better place with him, but it wasn’t getting anywhere. Your relationship with JJ getting heavier on your shoulders and piling what smelt like loads of shit onto what you’ve already been struggling with.

“Y/n, baby-” JJ started but you were already out the door, feeling the guilt from ignoring him as you walked away yet still ignoring his calls even as your friends called out at the sight of you leaving what was supposed to be a night of freedom for the pogues.

When the next day came around the avoiding calls started, when JJ and Y/n got into a fight it caused tension in the entire friend group. There's a reason “pogues don’t date pogues” is such a big rule for you and your friends.

It wasn’t a rift it was just a fear, a fear of losing everything you all had,

all that you guys had. 

But you couldn’t deal with the confrontation today, so you turned off your ringer and went about your day as normal, morning routine, work, go home, homework.

5 pm rolled around and you thought that maybe they had given up (feeding your delusional anxieties and fears at no fault of the pogues but still)

Then there was the knock on your door, and then another after you ignored the first,

This pattern repeated until eventually, you sighed, getting up from your bed to go down the hall and answer who you knew was your impatient boyfriend at the door. 

“Hey, beautiful!” JJ’s voice was quiet as if he was astonished at the fact that you actually opened the door. The array of flowers sat loosely in his hands before he watched you look down at them and back up at him, wordlessly. 

“Oh! This is for you, I uh, wanted to apologize.” JJ was almost stumbling over his words as he went to hand you the flowers, carefully examining you as you took them and moved back into your home, 

He followed, mumbling more apologies before you set the small bouquet on the kitchen counter and turned to him. 

“Listen, Y/n, You were right, I did ask you to be more clear on things you need from me and you were, and I, I dismissed you completely, I was just drunk and all over the place and I’m overworked like hell lately but these aren’t excuses and I’m sorry, my sweet girl, I really mean it” JJ’s words were calculated, he had thought about them all day and he did mean it,

despite this, there was still an aching feeling in your chest,

and the confusion and guilt you felt for still being upset about this stupid mistake caused the recurring tears to well up in your eyes as you stared at JJ’s chest, avoiding his eyes.

“Oh, baby” he whispered, quiet and delicate like if he spoke any louder you’d fall apart in front of him.

Carefully, JJ pulled you into him, not knowing what else to do but you let him, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt as sobs wrecked through your body, broken apologies barely being heard through your tears and shaky breaths but JJ still held you, 

Playing with your hair and shushing you and whispering “It's okay, baby” to every little apology that slipped past your lips. 

You stood with each other like this until you eventually calmed down, JJ had managed to lean against the counter and in turn, get you to lean on him.

“I’ll do better baby I promise” He whispered into your hair, hoping you could hear it through the small pains of your hiccups from crying.

“I’m sorry there's always something wrong with me” you mumbled back, the soft laugh from JJ catching you off guard as he pulled you back just enough to hold your tear-stained cheeks in his hands.

“There’s always somethin’ wrong with us, we’re pogues.” He teased, earning a quiet scoff from you before he shut you up with a soft kiss pressed to your swollen lips and then one on your nose, and another on your forehead. 

“We’ll be okay, pretty lady, we’ll get through it,” 

[moss8e]

hiiii for the kiss prompt *biggest pleading eyes*

Scott and Scar with out of envy/jealousy?

A number and a ship and I will write it

Kiss number 46. Out of Envy/Jealousy

Ship: Scar/Scott

Words: 666

Notes: I am so sorry this took to long, but here it is, I am not sure if it is any good so I am sorry if it's not, but I hope you like it. I also wasn't sure how else to write it, but I tried :D

"-And most of the desert will end up as a giant hole" Grian explained as he pointed at the map, "with hope we'll take a life or two"

"And if not we hunt them down" Scar grinned, putting his hands on his hips.

"sounds like a solid plan to me" Scott gave a nod, "Me and Jimmy will supply the potions, fire resistance, harming, speed, that sort of stuff"

"Great, because we'll need it" Grian's wings fluffed a bit before settling back down.

“Who’s going to be in the bunker to pull the lever?” Jimmy asked, worry carved into his face.

“I was thinking you and Scar in the bunker, you both are on your final lives, it will be safer in there than out on the field where me and Scott will be” Grian nodded, before looking up at Scott, “we might lose a life out there”

“That’s fine, whatever ends this so we can go back to our peaceful life” Scott said, moving to hold Jimmy’s hand tightly, missing how Scar’s nose twitched a bit at the motion.

“Alright, as long as you are aware of what can happen” Grian sighed a bit with a small shrug, he snapped his fingers, “Jimmy, I want to show you everything in the bunker, I don’t want you messing with the wrong stuff”

“Right” Jimmy nodded, pulling from Scott slowly, just before he did though Scott kissed the side of his head.

“Scar, why don’t you show Scott where any extra stuff can go” Grian suggested as he used one of his wings to push Jimmy towards the bunker buried in the sand.

“Yeah, works for me!” Scar beamed, he seemed completely trained on the interaction that Jimmy and Scott shared, but moved swiftly to grab Scott’s hand, holding it tightly, and started to lead him in a different direction.

“Grian set up these chests in different areas so we’ll have to check them out” Scar hummed out, smiling at Scott.

“Alright, sounds good, I’ll be sure to make enough potions to spread them all out so we aren’t caught off guard.” Scott nodded as Scar led him around the mountain, stopping at where the creeper farm was.

“This is where G is currently keeping everything” Scar said, opening the chest that had some gunpowder in it, “it was more full, but tnt” he chuckled.

“Alright, because of how close it is to the bunker I’ll probably put some speed in here” Scott nodded, putting his free hand on his hip, “maybe some healing for you and Jimmy, just in case”

“I actually wanted to ask you something” Scar cleared his throat, “about you and Jimmy”

“Oh?” Scott raised an eyebrow, “alright, what is it?”

“Are you two actually together? Or is the husband thing a bit?” Scar asked, tilting his head.

“Well, it’s complicated, we said we would talk about it properly after the war” Scott said, “Why?”

“Oh, no reason just… curious” Scar said, holding up Scott’s hand and kissed the back of it.

“For some reason I don’t really believe you” Scott snorted lightly, watching Scar closely.

“Aw, you don’t?” Scar faux pouted before shooting Scott a grin, “why not?”

“So many reasons” Scott laughed, a sound that Scar just wanted to bottle to listen for the days to come, shaking his head.

“Such a shame” Scar sighed dramatically as his eyes trained onto Scott’s face, he couldn’t help but wonder if he could-

“Alright, so, where is the next chest?” Scott asked.

“Mmm, hold on” Scar said, softer than some of his other words before.

He had one chance at this.

He wasn’t going to mess this up.

Because this one chance could lead to so many more things.

Scar cupped Scott’s face and quickly kissed him.

Maybe with this, Scott would be in a relationship that wasn’t ‘complicated’ and would be with someone that actually communicated how they were feeling and not just bits and pieces.

He could only hope.

[zombholic]

hii me again (the one that just texted about forgotten ask) but it was about abby (i had a doctor!abby in mind but it’s up to you) couple of days ago it was basically about hurt/comfort, angst type of thing where you know they fight, scream and cry and then kiss and make up, and talk and whole lot of fluff, and apologize<3 but you can write it as you see fit (obviously, it’s your work) but it was just an idea, cause i’m a sucker for this type of fics😭(i basically just wrote the whole plot here cause i didn’t want you to look for it)

JEALOUS GIRL — abby anderson

summary — basically what anon said ^

description — poc!fem reader with bpd, doctor!abby, angsty, very angry reader.

— 🎧　　 ◦ ✺ 　 📽　 ⟢ —

You and Abby had went to her best friend’s birthday get together, Leah. You quite honestly couldn’t stand that stuck up piece of shit, she has no problem flirting with your girlfriend in front of you like you’re not there. Abby is one of those girls where you have to tell her you have feelings for her or else she thinks you’re just being friendly, how else did you guys start dating to begin with.

Your girlfriend was sat on the couch next to Leah, who was too close for comfort. Nora had pulled you aside to have a drink with you, she was your favorite honestly, the complete opposite of Leah yet somehow all of them get along her.

“You said you were going to college soon right?” Nora was trying to make conversation with you but your glare never left the couch, you try to stay calm and collected around Abby’s friends since they were much older but seeing her grab onto your girlfriends arm like that made you want to violently grab her head and smash it into your knee.

“Y/n?” Nora waved her hand in front of your out of touch face, blinking your eyes a couple of times you looked over at her “Sorry, I get distracted easily. Yeah I’m going to start my career in becoming a veterinarian.” You gave her an apologetic smile.

The rest of the night stayed like that, Leah basically begging for Abby to fuck her right in front of you. Your blood was boiling to the point your body started heating up, if anyone touched you they would get third degree burns. When it was finally time to leave you swore all love for Abby was pushed deep inside leaving you filled with anger.

“Lemme get the door fo—“ “I can open the door for my fucking self.” You shoved her hand away from the handle of her car, getting inside and slamming it so hard it almost shook the whole car. Abby looked at you with the most confused expression plastered across her face “What’s wrong with you?” She started her engine before going back to look at you “Don’t fucking talk to me right now.” Your arms were crossed over your chest, your nails digging deep into your boiling flesh.

The rest of the ride back home lingered with tension and anger fuming from you. Right as she parked the car you were quick to get out repeatedly the same action to slam the door, walking inside your shared home with her you shut the door right before she walked in. Storming up to the shared bedroom you started to take your shoes off, wanting nothing more than to just lay down.

“Y/n, what is your actual problem?” Abby walked over to you as she grabbed your arm as gently as she could she needed you to look at her. Abby was big on communication and you weren’t, you both having very different lives that to you communication wasn’t a thing when you were angry, your anger never regulated properly only going from zero to hundred in a matter of seconds.

When you got angry, you weren’t you like someone else stepped into your body and did whatever it took to defend yourself from any pain. “For a fucking Doctor you’re really fucking stupid.” The words spitting out of your mouth were laced with venom, Abby taken aback from the sudden insult “Why are you being so disrespectful?” You laughed at her lack of situational awareness “Wow you’re really stupid Abby, you have the audacity to say im disrespectful when you were basically fucking Leah right in front of me!” Your hands clenched into a tight fist, nails digging into your palms it’s like all your emotions were turned off but anger.

“Calling me stupid isn’t going to make this situation any better, I suggest you fix your attitude then come speak to me.” You knew you pushed her buttons badly, Abby grabbed her pajamas before heading to the guest room but not before slamming the door.

You sat on your bed trying to calm yourself down only failing when you start sobbing into the pillow. Why do you always do this? Always quick to attack before anything else. God she was going to leave you wasn’t she? Abby can’t handle someone like you. You’re too much to handle, this is why you can’t keep a relationship.

Horrible thoughts ran through your head at hundreds miles per hour causing you to sob harder into the pillow, you hated that you couldn’t be normal, why couldn’t you just talk to her?

You decided to change into your pajamas before heading over to the guest room where you saw Abby reading a book, so focused she didn’t notice you by the doorway. “Are you gonna leave me?” You felt the tears form back into your eyes streaming down your face, the swelling and tightness in your throat hurting, you quickly covered your mouth with the back of your hand trying not to sob.

Abby was quick to put the book down, walking over to you to embrace you into her arms, her hand coming to hold the back of your head trying to soothe you. Sobbing into her chest you apologized profusely “I’m so— sorry Abby, I don’t know why I do that.” You managed to say between hiccups and sobs.

“Baby, baby look at me.” She held your face in her hands making you look at her, you saw the expression on her face soften seeing her lover cry like that felt like pins and needles in her heart “I’m not going to leave you, ever. I love you, I just need you to work on communicating with me and I will help you with that. I don’t think you realize how much your words actually hurt.” Her thumbs wiping every tear that fell down your puffed up face.

“Now tell me why you were so angry with me earlier?” Her soft blue orbs never leaving your tear filled eyes. “I just didn’t like how Leah was all over you, she was grabbing your arm and leaning on you, it made me uncomfortable and mad.” She acknowledged every word you said “I’m so sorry I didn’t notice what she was doing, i’ll talk to her about it and it will never happen again, I promise you baby.” She pressed her soft lips against yours, the most gentle kiss she’s ever given you.

“I love you Y/n and I’m going to marry you someday so don’t ever think that I will leave you.” You giggled a little at her marriage comment before you grabbed her face and kissed her deeply.

— 🎧　　 ◦ ✺ 　 📽　 ⟢ —

authors note — i hope this is what u were looking for!! btw i have bpd so everything i wrote is everything i feel when im angry😭

[writing-for-life]

Hob Gadling’s Involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade between the 16th and 19th Century

The Fallacy of (clumsily written) Racial Reconciliation or: Is show/Hob really different from comics!Hob

I originally wrote this a while back as a reply to someone else’s post, but since we’ve been discussing “Men of Good Fortune” (comics) and “The Sound of Her Wings” (Netflix) in our community over the past weeks, I’ve expanded on a few points of my original thoughts.

This post discusses difficult topics, systemic racism, questions of social (in)justice and problematic angles in writing. If that’s not your thing, this is the exit sign…

A question that comes up quite frequently is the following:

Is show!Hob different from comics!Hob?

Hob’s conversation with Dream in 1789 (and not just 1789) in the show has been significantly altered (compared to the comics), and it makes it tempting to believe this somehow makes him different regarding the more problematic side of his character.

In the comics, we have a bit of dialogue in 1789 that shows how deeply involved in the slave trade Hob was: “I sort of started it,” said with a hint of, dare I say, pride? And then brushing off Dream’s concerns by saying, “It’s a living.” Twice.

(They changed this to, “It’s just how it’s done”, and a shrug in the show.)

And it’s true: If this had been integrated into the show, it would have painted him in an even worse light. However, I personally think it was the wrong move to leave it out (Ferdinand Kingsley carefully voiced something along those lines as well btw). Because now the show pushed Hob’s whole involvement in the slave trade much more into the direction of, “Oopsie.”

Can we truly take leaving out the above dialogue as a hint that Hob might be a better person in the show? I’d like to really reflect on that--leaving out those comments can’t make him a better person. Even if we change his arc slightly and he “wasn’t that involved.” You’re involved, or you aren’t. There is no, “I tried a bit of slave trading and decided it wasn’t for me.” One could even argue it makes the angle of the show more problematic because it makes the slave trade a “little blip” in his timeline. Things like that can’t be a blip. I personally think the writers made a mistake here, but that’s obviously just my opinion.

If there wasn’t enough space in the show to expand on it (which I get for a side character), I feel they should have left out the slavery arc completely instead of keeping, but then minimising it (that might sound contradictory, but it only does if you don’t look at it too closely). It already didn't sit right with me 30 years ago to use slavery as a side note for showing a white person’s character development without properly examining the damage caused, and it still doesn't sit right with me now. It makes the plight of PoC a plot vehicle to centre white people’s guilt, and I always thought that’s a blind spot only white people have (and I’m white myself, to get that out of the road straightaway).

I’m not saying it couldn’t or shouldn’t have been used narratively. Or that you can’t show remorse and atonement/redemption for the most heinous acts (that’s not the same as forgiveness—I’ll get to that). Or that characters who have committed said acts are irredeemable. But it would have needed to be fleshed out instead of making it a comment in passing. Many books and movies do exactly that. But the point is that it’s never been fleshed out.

“But they had to shorten and streamline it…”—just no. Because to me (and ofc people are free to disagree), that exactly proves the point—centring the white guy while sidelining the people who suffer. I am a bit doubtful we’ll get anything remotely appropriate in the show after what we’ve already seen. Only time will tell, so I’m withholding final judgment at this point. Fact is: It is uncomfortable to watch for people with any sensitivity on the matter.

And yet, there is a lot of focus on leaving out Hob voicing his regret in 1889, since that (again) “would have painted him in a better light.”

While simultaneously regularly failing to mention that he proudly proclaimed he “invented” the triangle trade. Can we really pick and choose his traits like that? Hob is a materialistic opportunist who also has some regrets. That doesn’t mean he can’t exist as a character, or that we’re not allowed to like him (morally grey characters are often the most compelling ones). We don’t need to sanitise him though, or try to erase his problematic traits from canon. The same goes for other characters (yes, I’m looking at you, Dream, and I’m sure we’ll get to that very soon—in fact, we’re possibly starting tomorrow 🫣). If we are talking about Hob’s remorse, we are probably mostly thinking about Sunday Mourning, so I need to bring in issue #73 at this point (this is your spoiler warning if you don’t want to read ahead).

The Fallacy of Racial Reconciliation

Very plainly:

A black woman is used as a vehicle to forgive Hob. And said black woman has been written by a white male author for that sole purpose without giving her anything else to do. I personally think NG got that wrong. It was clumsy and insensitive to POC, and I really hope they change this for the show. It’s a fact that he really wasn’t good with writing black female characters in the whole run—they all get fridged in one way or another, and he even admits it in the Sandman Companion. And then turns around and basically implies that it's all okay now because “nothing bad” happens to Gwen once Morpheus is dead. She is allowed to be a vehicle for the character development of a white guy though. It’s just really insensitive, and I sincerely hope they don't put it in the show this way. And I’m glad that we're seeing hints it might not happen--at least the casting in the show hints at it (from Lucienne, Death and Rose to very likely turning Carla into a white man—we already met Carl, and that’s who he is IMHO).

There is also the not so small fact that Hob is, even in his guilt and shame (shame is always about yourself, and that’s actually very in keeping with his character), not honest with Gwen. The thing about him basically inventing the triangle trade, which he so proudly proclaimed in 1789?

The English who were so good at it? The “Jack” Hawkins he talked about in 1789? That’s actually this dude:

And Hob funded him 200 years before 1789, and enabled Hawkins. Hob was involved in what became the transatlantic slave trade well before 1789–he already funded it when he had money in the 1500s.

He carried that mindset around with him for literal hundreds of years and saw nothing wrong with it until at least (! more about that in a sec) 1789. Dream had to rub his nose in it, otherwise it wouldn’t even have occurred to him (or did it, and he just chose to ignore it--see below).

Hob has been written as a stand-in for humanity, British Imperialism and England over the centuries—with all that entails.

So how honest is he with Gwen? And how long, even after 1789, was he still involved, even after abolition in England (Somerset vs. Stewart declared slavery unlawful in England in 1772, but that wasn't true for the rest of the British Empire. Buying and selling slaves was only made illegal in 1807, while owning slaves only became unlawful with the Abolition Act of 1833, and it took another year to buy out slave owners to actually make it happen)? Because there’s still this:

“It got worse when they did [outlaw the slave trade]. You only needed one voyage in three to make a profit. You could afford to dump your cargo if… you spotted a British Man o’ War.” How does he know? Why does he have these nightmares? We can take a guess…

That’s not someone who tried it for a couple of weeks and then thought, “Sorry, my bad.” That’s someone who has been opportunistically involved from the 1500s and potentially until after slavery was unlawful in England, which it already was when he talked to Dream in 1789. So does his feigned ignorance of, "It's a living/It's how it's done?" really hold? Especially if he potentially kept going, even after that convo with Dream? When I wrote "between the 16th and 19th Century" in the header, that's exactly what I meant...

Guilt and Shame

Yes, what we see above and in all the other panels is guilt and shame. And it reminded me of this:

And I’d encourage everyone to really listen to what Jasper has to say, and sit with the feelings it brings up. Because I can still remember watching this in the George Floyd aftermath for the first time, and how deeply uncomfortable it made me—because he’s right.

Black people/PoC do not need to forgive and absolve white people from their guilt. They can if they wish to, but that’s their choice, not ours. It’s not for white people to absolve other white people from their guilt around the oppression of PoC. And that’s why it could be argued it’s not for white people to write a black character to do that in their stead either (they can of course, but then they need to live with the fact that people will call them tone-deaf). It could also be argued it is something that cannot be forgiven retrospectively, and white people need to be okay with that. It can only be worked on in the present with a view to the future. And as Jasper also so rightly points out:

The guilt is not even helpful (at least Gwen has the right sentiment there, but it’s still falls incredibly flat over all), and shame only centres ourselves.

Forgiveness vs Redemption

Hob Gadling's regrets don't make everything he did forgivable. I think it actually does the story a disservice if that’s our main takeaway, because this is truly one of the bits of The Sandman that’s written in an extremely tone-deaf manner. NG isn’t the first author who did this, but we can take something good and helpful from this, and that’s engaging with these questions instead of brushing them under the carpet—because that’s what literary analysis is about.

It should be clear that I do see Hob Gadling as narratively important because I see him as a stand-in for humanity, and more specifically, English history. And there is really so much to learn from that.

Writers can get things narratively right but still be emotionally tone-deaf due to their own blind-spots. We don’t need to assume malice, but we also don’t need to leave it entirely unchallenged.

And because of that, we can certainly see Hob as someone who has to live with his conscience, and the consequences of his actions, for the rest of his life and struggles with that (as he should). And maybe we can see him as someone who is now, finally, trying to do the work. Because that is what atonement and redemption actually mean:

Taking action to rectify past wrongs. Actively working against the harm once caused, and preventing it from ever happening again. And I hope that’s what he does, and the signs are there (but there are also still signs that he values covering up his immortality higher than e.g. telling Gwen the truth. And we can find a million excuses for why that is, but ultimately, none of them truly matter).

However, it is not the same as forgiveness from the people we have wronged. Forgiveness is not a prerequisite to redemption, although it can be a part of it if the person who has been wronged chooses to extend it. But the people Hob wronged are dead, while their descendants still need to live with the pain people like Hob caused to this very day. So while I don’t see him as irredeemable, I don’t think he needs to, or even can, be forgiven—especially not by black people (unless they choose to. But it is also fine if they don’t, and again, we need to be okay with that). And we could say, “But Gwen chose to.” To that, I say:

I wonder what Gwen would have said if he had been truly honest with her (which he wasn’t, see below panels). That wouldn’t have been an embrace is my guess…