#I have a group project I have to work on and it’s evil I do not enjoy the class and it’s not very lgbt slay girlboss of me

[scholarhect]

it’s funny how un human zoom group work is, i’ve been trying to be prepared to get on this 3:15 call all day & we get on there & we’re like “ok we should do some research. let’s all look this topic up & reconvene tomorrow to write our thing up” & we log off within 10 minutes. nobody wants to be doing this

[pebblezone]

Living life yay huzzah yay

[orcelito]

Really is a coping kinda night huh lmao

[eowyntheavenger]

Americans, these are things we are NOT saying in 2024:

"Voting blue won't solve anything." Yes it will: if enough of us do it, it will solve a problem called Trump's second term in the White House. We unfortunately live in a two-party system. If you refuse to vote, you're effectively voting for Trump. I shouldn't need to explain this to people, yet here we are.

"It doesn't matter who's president. Both candidates are the same anyway." No, they are REALLY not. Biden was never my first choice, and his shipments of arms to Israel are despicable, but don't try to tell me even for a second that a second Trump term would be the same for the world as a second Biden term.

"But voting blue won't fix [fundamental underlying problem in America]." Voting for Democrats cannot fix every issue, this is true. But by saying this and ONLY this you are discouraging people from voting by making them feel hopeless. Voting is one of many tools in our arsenal, not the only tool, but an important one, and it does matter.

"You shouldn't vote blue, you should do [other thing] instead." See above: you can vote and protest and organize at the same time. It's not either/or. You can do it all. Stop discouraging voters from exercising their rights under the guise of leftism.

"Voting is just legitimizing government power. It makes you part of the system." Literally just shut up. Women and people of color didn't fight for their voting rights to have you say things like this. If you live in America and you can legally vote, then you should fucking vote, and vote blue. There is no neutral option.

"Voting blue just makes you complicit in [this bad policy]." Inaction, and allowing Trump to have a second term, is worse for the entire world than any Democrat policy. Yes, even that one. Voting is not about finding a perfect unproblematic candidate. It is about choosing the lesser of two evils.

"Voting doesn't work because—" STOP IT. STOP DISCOURAGING PEOPLE FROM VOTING.

You know who wants you NOT to vote? Trump supporters, that's who. You should be suspicious of ANYONE who is suggesting that your vote doesn't matter, or that both candidates are the same, or that Biden's policy on XYZ means you shouldn't vote for him. Trump supporters aren't trying to get your vote by saying, "Vote for Trump!" They're trying to get your vote by DISCOURAGING YOU FROM VOTING AT ALL.

I don't like Biden either, but Trump is unequivocally worse. Voting doesn't fix everything, but it is the minimum fucking requirement of living in a democracy. Voting for president has real, tangible, immediate impacts on people's lives, and choosing not to vote is not the rebellion you think it is, it is just relinquishing your voice. So fucking vote. THIS IS A GROUP PROJECT AND DAMN IT WE ARE NOT FAILING BECAUSE OF YOU.

[prokopetz]

I have all the usual criticisms of the Always Evil Species Who Are Ontologically Okay to Kill trope in RPGs, but I have to admit a soft spot for RPGs that do this trope, except there's only like six of them.

Like, they're explicitly identified as a species, with a name, and they have their own language, culture, clothing fashions, architectural styles, etc., all clearly distinct from any of the setting's mainstream cultures, but to all textual evidence this entire species and culture consists of half a dozen people. There's no indication that they're a remnant of a once-greater civilisation, and in fact they're often depicted as either immortal or very long-lived in a way which precludes that possibility.

I know I'm putting a great deal more thought into it than the authors of the games in question ever did, but I have to wonder how that works. How do you get an entire fully realised culture out of a group of people whose total population has evidently never exceeded a single digit? Is this like an art project for them? Are we dealing with a bunch of evil theatre kids? Was there a discussion about the skulls?

[collecting--stardust]

Current life update:

[sea-of-dust]

You gotta be kidding...

5wirl x GN! Reader

Summary: They make a reference to something personal between you two while performing live. Almost putting a spotlight on you.

Notes: Modern AU, mention of irl video game and band: Remmber Sports (they're good recommend Tiny Planets),

Warnings: suggestive humor, swearing, never expect proof reading

He met you before he was an idol. High school to be exact. You two were in the same music class bonding over how much you dreaded your music teacher. "He sounds like a divorced mom.." "isn't he married?" "Exactly" you flop onto your desk

You two have been in almost every class together years afterward, just so you didn't have to work with a stranger for group projects. People would would find you two around school alot and walking home together. "And they were roommates," one of your classmates giggle as you two casually hold hands while speaking to eatchother, in reality, you both didn't notice

He was always so calm but also somehow could smell your problems?!? "Ughhhh" "Lemme guess they chewed gum loudly again?" You spring up placing your head back down. "Stop knowing based off my grunts!" "And you're mad at me for not noticing something earlier" "HA!-" "nm it's because I didn't let you sleep in" "...I genuinely despise you"

He started catching feelings midway through your first semester of the new school year. You did notice he sometimes hugged you tighter, looked at you a little longer, he even got small trinkets for you, noticing how fond he looked when you casually wore them.

It was by the end of the year he had told you he got a scouted as an idol, it took alot for him to tell you but it worked thank god you didn't ditch him like he thought.

"So uh..." "?" "I got scouted" your eyes widen, he thought all his fears came to life before you hugged him tightly and squealed. "I TOLD YOU YOU HAD A NICE VOICE!!" "You didn't have to yell" "Shut up you cry over stuff like this!" Now you were the one that oddly knew things about him...you were right...he did cry...alot like the whole group knew the next day.

The group try to hype him up into asking you out. "DUDEEEE COME ON THEYRE NOT GOING ANYWHERE" "I can ask to hangout" he mutters holding his phone in his hand "COME ONNN" venti and heizou sync up kazuha speaking up "ask them to go for dinner" his cheeks turn pink almost instantly "UH MAYBE NOT COME ON- WHAT IF-" "and sent" "WHEN DID YOU TAKE MY PHONE?!" "You'll live" Xiao rolls his eyes as aether bickers with him, his phone noti goes off. "Sure what time?" There's a silence in the room as Xiao gives him the phone. "At 4?" "bet ☆" you and those star emojis how are you like this. "ITS A DATE!!" "YEAAAAAAA" they sounded like a frat house.

He gets all giddy on that date and when you two finally go on one you finally hit the maybe were dating phase but you both don't wanna admit it to eatchother. So the rest of 5wirl planned something for you two. "Alr we know he likes them nowww...." "we...." "Why don't we perform for them" "on their friend ani?" "How do you know that..." they turn to heizou "because he saved it on his calander" "..." and so they planned out your ani for you two.

And so their evil plans acted out perfectly, you two went out on another date and later that day you dropped him off at the concert. What you didn't expect was heizou dragging you to a seat. "Stay right here and don't move alright" you watched them get on stage aether seeming to be looking for you, they get to performing when one of the lyrics hit you. "Hey why don't you meet me at four?" An almost slured pronunciation followed by aether finally finding you. His eyes so tender yet teasing. You felt your heart skip a beat a small wink only making you more bashful.

To think the performance would end there nope. As you tried to get off your seat aether greets you with a cheeky smile a small ring in his hand. You turn around quickly. "I guess I flustered you more than he ever will" he leans on you wrapping his arms casually around your waist while you continues to fluster you. "He was just a small crush..." "enough to have you gush for 4 months about it" he laughs softly kissing you cheek. "When did you even gain this much confidence" "small words of advice" your mind immediately goes to Heizou. "Alrighty then..." without a warning you pull your face closer forcing him to slouch over you. "Did heizou tell you what to do incase of this situation aswell?" Thank god that concert hall was almost empty and the seat you were at made it almost impossible to see you two because the next thing you see and hear are a bunch of idiots going YEAAAAAAAAAAA. Aether x y/n shirts and a poster held up by Xiao. They ship it.

You made cute accessories! He's seen your work on social media and reached out. "You're accessories are so cute do you have a store?" "Nah I only sell locally near my college" turns out you both went to the same college he's never did a double check so fast in his life. As soon as he saw you he cupped one of your hands, his eyes sparkling in pure joy. "GIMMIE EVERYTHING IN STOCK!" "HUH?!"

Number one fan he's following you around. He'd be your personal advertisement always wearing your stuff and flexing it to others. He WILL be the most annoying person on campus

When you tell him to stop he just kinda tilts his head until he realizes what your saying as if he finally loaded. "Oh! Alright!" That's when you make an almost massive mistake "I did enjoy your support tho but youre-" "SO YOU LIKE HAVING A FAN?!" And so began the simping. He's all over you. Every class your with him? He's leaning into you, whispering random stuff in your ear. Your eyebags got darker everytime he did this but he was more chill than your online fans.

The days you also leaned into him are the days you've never seen someone more flustered. "Hm?" You lift up your head watching him cover his face quickly. "Venti?" He turns away from you even more. "Don't look at me! Where did you even learn that-" "I mean you do that to me all the time" "don't say it outloud-" "did you just whimper?" He stops suddenly using is braids to cover his face as he mumbles to himself. You bring that up to traumatize him

He had to get used to you showing affection, you weren't even dating yet! Come on, don't do this! Even a small smile he'd tease you for it but he'd definitely scream into his pillow about it.

He only asked you out when you made your feeling for him known. A small note under his door telling asking him to meet up at an amusement park later that weekend was where it clicked he looked and sounded like a little girl you could hear his "YEAAAAAAAA" from your room.

He's doing everything he's on a call with the others he just needs them to hear his my story animated from start to finish. "Can you not play that effen punk music main stream shit can barely hear you" "Shut the fuck up hot topic this is important!" "This is why you fucked up your eyeliner" "I DID?!?!" He checked in his mirror realizing he didn't and mostly argued with Xiao. "If they ditch you you deserve it" "quit being a downer! Good luck Venti!" They all mostly wave at the camera before hanging up leaving you and him alone for the evening

He loved it. He was like a child pointing at things he wanted. "Do you have the money?" He looks away pounting "not an actual question I'll play for it" his eyes widen almost sparkling. You two left flexing your carnival game knowledge and venti covered in plush prizes you won for him.

As payback for the newfound plush army, he invited you to a concert. "Oh so you did have money" "Shut up" "hehe" your teasingly small laugh is so cute stop doing that. What you didn't know is that he strapped some keychains you made on his belt, and he NEVER STOPPED WINKING, if you had to drink everytime he found you in the audience and winked you'd have five drinks...per song. It was cute seeing him smirk whenever you slightly blushed at him.

"Y/n!!" He smiles as you wait for him outside the concert hall. "Lets go to another amusement park!" He giggles embracing you "right now?" "Yea!" He nuzzles his face into your chest "sure..when you take off all of those keychains Jesus how much did you-" "200 bucks" "...VENTI" "THEYRE CUTE I KNOW YOU EYED THEM!" You blush slightly smirking "I did...they look adorable on you" you struck him right in the heart leaving both of you flustered. "The amusement parks a few blocks away" "LETS GO!" as if it never happened you both headed to the amusement park.

You beat him at a rhythm game he liked. You got first in a video game event he liked since then him he's declared you his rival. "Who the hell is this guy getting in the way of the number one spot" he grits his teeth checking your profile. "347 full combed songs...300 all perfects...and maxed out cards" he rolls his eyes

He wanted to let off some steam at an arcade only to find out he got beat in that game also! With the same name tag as the rythum game champ. He nearly smashes the machine when he notices you step up to it. "Shame, this games kinda better when I'm kicking someone's ass..." You sigh only now, noticing him, smirking at this chance you take it. "You mind playing this with me?" You perk up. Thinking this is a good way to let off steam, he accepts. "I won't go easy." "Alright!" You let him pick the song and almost immediately grab the handbar

Strange, he thinks he doesn't need it. As soon as the song starts, he hears your feet absolutely slam on the board. He's shocked but doesn't look over he's focused on his side of the screen. By the end, you huff heavily, looking up. "You won." You put your fist up for a fist bump. "Ah that songs so annoying~" he dosent give you one back putting in his names for national ranks. That's when he noticed that you put in the name the person on every rythum game had and as soon as you pressed confirm he nearly pounces on you. "SO YOURE THE ONE TAKING THE NUMBER 1 SPOTS EVERYWHERE!" "Yea what about it-" he looks at you angrily, calming down a bit before turning back to you. "I declare you my rival" "well...If you wanna we could rematch sometime gimmie your number?"

Ever since then you two have skeduled days to go to the arcade to whale on eatchother and going out to eat afterword. "I'm pretty sure you'd like it reminds me of your face ☆" you say as you point to a horrible cgi skeleton. "Screw you" "heh". You'd eventually open up to him more and invited him out to places more often. He didn't wanna say it outloud but he genuinely enjoyed those moments

One of the times you two went, you try to teach him gutair hero, he kinda mumbles to himself. "You can just play on your lap" "hmmhmm mhm em You can't be this msm hm" "what-" he realizes he said that outloud and covers his face nearly dropping the gutair. "I didn't hear that last part" he sighs in relief "but do you think im cute?" And so he's even more ashamed of himself. "Context clues" you scratch your cheek in a bit of embrassment "I think you're pretty cute too" you embarssingly laugh leaning away

you're pretty sure you could see his heart skip a beat as he looks up at you, his face nearly entirely pink. Peaking at you through his hand. You decide to tease your friend. "Seems like you wanna date me~" He moves back quickly, covering his mouth to hide his blushing. "I'm fine with that ya know~" you lean into him him still covering his face. He looks away looking back at you,his eyes softening "I'm fine with the thought of kissing you..well maybe a little more than fine but-" your words were cut off as you feel his lips touch yours. Quick yet soft, his hands wrapping around your shoulders. You lean back trying to catch your breath "...how long have you've been waiting to do that?" "...a few months now" "That's kinda adorable Xiao" you lean in for another kiss. You two recount that day as your first date

Ever since then he's more willing to hang out a little more clingy too. Whenever he had a show he would ask you if you were busy that day before sending you the ticket link. "Hey are you busy on the 14th?" "No why?" He'd send you the link without a secound thought "you know I'm not really into idols that much" "I'm in the group..." "...bought"

He actively looks for you in the audience. You would text him where you were sitting beforehand, yet he'd still look like a lost puppy. As soon as he finds you, his eyes sparkled. He forced himself to calm down before giving you a small wave

It was by the end of the show where he was performing the last song and you noticed something about their dance it kinda looked like what you would do on a song you knew well. It was then that you realized Xiao made a dance routine inspired by your sweaty gaming dance. You covered your face in embrassment but peaked through your hands. You couldn't believe he paid that much attention to you. He smirks noticing this

As the show ends, he runs over to you, "That was...a little embrassing" you blush a bit. "..." "dosent mean I didn't like it tho!" Trying not to offend him further you mumble on of how great the performance was. At first he's pretty stiff with his arms crossed you'd think he was annoyed till he kissed you again leaning in to hug you. "I'm glad you liked it" he whispers ever so softly in your ear.

He offen saw you working on projects for bands he likes and decided to commission you. He invited you to a studio and you both began to focus on what he commissioned you on. "I'm looking for something calm yet something someone would listen to in the morning to wake them up..." "hmmm" you play a calm chord progression on your gutair. "Speed up a bit" he taps his foot as if keeping pace as you speed up your playing. "That's pretty good! Sounds like a Remmber sports song" " YOU LISTEN TO THEM?" "Yea?" "Oh my god I thought you wouldn't catch that-" "they're a bit of a guilty pleasure"

You two always worked together after that whenever he would be lost in thought you'd just play hall of the mountain king behind him. He'd turn around slowly as your playing got more intense. "You think of something?" "..."

You pretty much became 5wirl's offical gutairst after kazuha recommended you. They'd make fun of him for how long you two stayed at the studio together. "Kazuha~, you left us sleeping in the shopping cart again!" Venti grins ear to ear "must really like that gutairst." Kazuha smiles."They're just a friend I find it easy to get along with" he thinks about what you two were talking about his eyes softening as if it were an old fond memory "and he's doing it again" heizou sighs jokingly

A few months of performing together, they treat you as family, almost apart of 5wirl. As soon as Kazuha ever left the room they'd turn to you in a heartbeat. "You sure you don't kiss when we're not looking?" "Eh?!" "Does kazuha usually get all mumbly around you" "he does but-" "I KNEW IT" "dose he show you his unironic leaf collection" they all lean in expectingly. "No wha-" You made sure kazuha was too far to hear what you were about to say "...OK so this one time..." they listened to you like their lives depended on it.

The day you told them about that is the day you regret the most, they always looked you and kazuha up and down. Snicker to themselves. "How much you wanna bet they might kiss today" "CAN YOU TWO CUT IT OUT" you let out a sigh walking into the recording studio to practice, a familiar humming following you in a few secounds later. You two sing together and when you finish he finally speaks up. "You know... this the song I was playing when I first realized I was into you" "heh really" you stop strumming, realizing what he said "wait what-" he laughs softly at your reaction placing a hand on your cheek. "That songs kinda special to me..." he holds your hand tenderly with his unbandaged hand. "Reminds me of how much I love you" your eyes widen a bit as he looks at you with the most soft eyes. "I love you too kazuha" you smile gently, letting him lean in to kiss you

All of them noticed you two were dating it was odvious, the way you two acted around eatchother gave litterally everything away. "You two give eatchother less personal space than before are you dating?" "What?" "And you smell like him-" "how do you know what he smells like" "so you're dating?!" "How did you come to that conclusion?!" You and venti would bicker trying to hide your relationship with kazuha after he forgot to tell you he already told them.

Finally a show came along a small gig surprising a popular idol group would show, but still nice. You looked at the music sheet for the song looked up at him, sighed, and looked back. He looked so pleased giving you a few riffs and you look down to see another reason to go to therapy.

What he didn't put on hell on paper was a very veryyy familiar cord progression. He played it himself and put it in post. Making another version so if you ever asked you wouldn't notice, and a few weeks later they went live

You watched them in the audience, hearing the song you helped on and felt your smile fade into a straight face as you heard your solo along with the memorable melody gutair. He saw this trying to avoid a giggle while performing, he's suffering from you brainrot the rest of the show, some fancams caught him getting kicked by heizou or Xiao.

"So how did you like the show~" "Xiao almost kicked you off the stage..." There's a silence. "He dosent kick hard enough for that...but at least you enjoyed it" he smiles, pinching your cheeks and rubing your face, you look away hearing him giggle at your behavior. "I'll make you a coffee-" "don't you dare make a reference" he smirks at you "hehe"

You were online friends usually playing main stream games or random stuff you found. Youd always play together though, never single player! He hates that

"Are you playing a single player game..." "no-" "LIAR ITS ON YOUR STATUS" "SHIT- I mean I have no idea what your talking about" "...atleast stream it" he always got all pouty when he couldn't play with you

He'd definitely randomly interrogate you because you found something out on someone you both knew. "IS IT ABOUT-" "shush shus shu stfu quiet" "oh come on dude what is she gonna hear you?" "We're in a public call" "oh...LMAO" "DUDE"

When you combine both these loves, his love for you playing a co-op detective game with you has become the best thing for him to ever experience. "Who will be first to solve this?" "We're supposed to work together heizou" "oh...oh 😏" "nevermind I'm gonna play hitman without you" his avatar suddenly turns to face you and emotes a shocked reaction "OH COME ON"

He started catching feelings for a while. Ever since you two got on a call for the first time, your voice kinda intransted him. "Your voice Is so nicee" muttering into the mic yet you heard him clearly. "Thank you?" "It really is" its like you can see him currently slumped over his desk just day dreaming about you.

Didn't stop your offline friend for teasing you about him too. "Ooo he's into you~" "nuh uh nope nope!" The tips of your ears turn a pink. "And you like him back might aswell seal the deal" "STOP IT!" Blushing heavily you slam your hand down. Unsurprisingly Heizous in a simular situation 4nemo teasing him over just how much he talks about you. "Ohhh they're so cool" "they smell nice" "stop mocking me" he huffs "then get with them" they say in sync "stop weirdly harmonizing" he sits down covering his currently pink face.

Didn't help when you two first saw eatchother. "What the hell you live so closeby" "I know right what's next you're at my favorite Cafe conveniently the next table over" you turn over your shoulder seeing someone smile at their phone turn back and type "you mentioned before you had moles under both eyes right?" The persons face dropping looking around."Yea?" Without typing back, you walk over sitting infrot of him. "Bro, someone's sitting at my table, hold on" you smile at him typing back "oh sorry lemme just leave then my mistake 😔" "WAIT HUH?!?!" his eyes widen as he grabs your wrist "y/n?" small tears forming in his eyes pulling you into a hug with desperation. "Heizou" he hugs you tighter when he hears his name come out your mouth. "You're as pretty as I thought you'd be..." patting his head as he nuzzles into your chest. "You wanna go back to mine after this" "Yes!" With sudden enthusiasm, you two talk about your irl lives while bullying his drink of choice. "Pumpkin spice.." "oh my god shut up my again" "it's nasty" "it's good to me!!" "Shut up mom with 2 kids living in a van"

He's been going to your house at least once a week now "we should play together" he overbites his lip "I barely charged my secound controller" you overbite your lip back at him "then let's just hang out then I got news bby" visibly cringing at that last bit you let him in with him near instantly showing you a picture of him being accepted into an idol group. "Ohh you're gonna have real fangirls now" "Shut up!" "I'm gonna lead them just to make fun of you" "you're the only fangirl I'd date" "..." You visibly cringe "OH COME ON" "HAHAHA"

And so you were invited to the hell known as a debut concert and dear god was it near impossible to not be as hype as the crowd. Especially catching the fancams with him winking at you. Anyone could tell he was super inlove with whoever he was winking at especially after the group stopped in between a song witch you were barely paying attention to until you heard "I hope you guys never have to play solo!" Could have swore you felt him glare at you "speaking of solo the next songs title is-" all you paid attention to yet you look like you just woke up from a really loud noise.

"Y/n! Did you see it! Did ya like my moves" he smiles at you like a happy little dog. "It was surprisingly great Heizou" "surprising huh?" He pouts as if saddened by that comment. "But the show was amazing Heizou I'd go again" that bright glow of a smile you had is something hell never let go of, without hesitation he holds your hand "marry me" "come again?" "I mean it we should date!" Accidental slip up. He's screwed, you're gonna reject him so blatantly he's never gonna bother you again. "Heizou...that's so sudden" your eyes meet warmly "but I've been thinking the same" kissing his cheek you walk off letting him process what just happened. "WAIT WAIT WAIT YOURE NOT DITCHING ME AFTER SAYING THAT" "MAYBE I AM!" You had to run home that day but it was worth it laughing at him trying to keep up.

[worldsewage]

Hehe may I ask about evil Callie?

(The evil/brainwashed) Callie here functions a bit differently… as I also use her to explore what exactly mud mouths are… and the octarian’s relationship with their ally, Salmonids…

Explanation under the cut. 🚧

Due to constrained relations between them and the other main dominating species— (salmonid/octarian vs inklings)— most Inklings, namely younger generations, are more desperate to fix and mend the relationship.

(There is plenty more to this! But I don’t want to make this come across as far more convoluted than it needs to be, so here have this for now:📒)

Octavio contacted Callie directly, albeit in secret, telling her that he has plans that would be a step forward in ending the tension between the Inklings and Octarian-Salmonid groups. What he had introduced was a new type of “ink” that would make their species “salmonid friendly”, and he wanted Callie to be the one to be the first public appearance with this new Ink in hopes to reach a wider audience…

Most of that isn’t true— but to Callie— who is a direct descendant of a war leader, was raised as an agent, and lives in a fairly dangerous city zone that floods, that sounded like a better step towards a better life, and she went for it.

This ink is known as MUD— and this “ink” isn’t technically ink at all, as mentioned in a previous post, most inks are a synthetic toxic poison, designed for warfare, but this ink on the contrary, wasn't designed by Inkfish, it was designed by Salmonids.

MUD is a slimy corrosive ink designed to rival Inkfish’s ink, namely in salmon runs and Ink Wasted territories, one that blends into the grounds and spreads out quickly and efficiently much like Inkfish ink, but one that corrodes Inklings by absorbing into them, and leaves salmonids completely safe from any burning effects.

The Octarian were the ones tasked with creating this new bio-weapon, as an added benefit being it would not affect their species, (they would be safe from it regardless, considering Salmon-Runs are an Inkling exclusive event, and Octolings were surprised when they learned about them.)

They tried different methods of testing it, and ultimately, the project failed— Mud uses both Salmonid and Inkling DNA in its creation, and when Mud was being developed, it melted Salmonids like Ink typically does due to its hyper-corrosive nature, but because it carried Inkling + Salmonid DNA, the salmonid’s skin would attempt to mimic the properties of inklings and constantly try to reconstruct itself into the “swim” form, which made Salmonids a walking (or rather, squirming) sludge, these monsters became known as MUDMOUTHS, and are not truly considered alive, since they run exclusively on the Running Instinct that exists in Salmonid DNA.

And in turn, when the ink was absorbed into Inklings— the previously noted “running instinct” would have an almost Kraken-Esque affect on inklings before corroding and splatting them.

The running instinct would work as intended, everything they eat immediately converts to growth in preparation for an arduous journey, they’re extremely aggressive, and they have a desire to return to the salmonid birthplace.

Mud would splat inklings upon prolonged contact, but Inklings who were test subjects for mud were slowly injected with Mud over a course of time. These subjects were disoriented and had a sort of “positive” aggressive attitude that didn’t falter even in the face of family or friends.

They are easy to persuade and it’s unclear if this is due to the pain of getting the ink-content in their bodies replaced by this synthetic fake-ink, or if the running instinct muddles their thoughts. It’s probably a healthy mix of both.

Dj Octavio, kept Callie by his side, since in her current state her mind would be too fogged up to dispute or make sense of what he’s making her do.

He planned on using Callie to stir up trouble in Inkopolis solely for the sake of rising tension. Octavio is constantly searching for reasons to make Inkling’s an enemy in the eyes of everyone who sees them, and painting Callie— a well known public figure; a known descendant of Captain Cuttlefish— as vicious would do wonders for allowing most people to view the Octarian as a force that would more desirably be backed up, it would reinforce their armies. And make them overall stronger if people felt they had reason to target Inklings.

He didn’t get this far due to Agent Four’s interference.

But, he got to accomplish many theft missions using Callie— which included robbing Inkopolis of some of the Zapfish Generators, which are giant machines that are powered thanks to the Zapfish, and thanks to the Zap-Ink— ⤵️

(Above image is from here) — Octavio was able to use said generators to restore power to many of the war-affected bio-domes that have been obsolete for decades, WITHOUT the need for a Zapfish.

But his reasoning can still be dumbed down to a petty move on Octavio’s part— who despite having a safer ground in the domes due to a good trade relationship with Salmonids and a vast space away from water— he still feels bitter about losing the remaining lands. And because of this the Octarian are plenty more war driven, and they are more likely to easily fall to the fervor of these schemes and battles.

[drdemonprince]

ok fine cis men aren't the bad gender it's all men and we're all exactly like that anon who admitted to having abused women even if we don't know it. are you fucking happy now? is this the solidarity you want us to feel with cis men, that we're all just as mich rapists and murderers of women as they are? you have some fucking nerve to be throwing vague jabs while calling an admitted abuser "brave"

Normally I don't platform asks like these, but I'm moved by the genuineness of your emotional reaction here. I think you're hurting, and you've been hurt, and that the belief that abuse and violence are located within one gendered group (to which you don't belong) has felt like a way of organizing your world that has helped you make sense of things, and given you guidelines for how to act and whom to trust that have helped keep you safe. I think a lot of assault survivors feel that way when they're not cis men and their attackers were cis men.

As someone who has experienced a ton of sexual predation at the hands of cis women, cis men, and even other trans people, I don't feel the same way. There is no "bad gender" I can chalk up my abuse to. I find there are no easy means of categorizing entire people as abuser or as victim either -- I have known so, so many people who have occupied both roles depending upon the power they wielded and the social context of the moment. Hell, one cis lesbian that I knew who was infamous in her community for raping trans men would always tell her victims that her acts were those of "trauma recovery," of her "reclaiming" her power after men had stolen it away.

Even she, I don't think, is irredeemable or ontologically evil.

I'm an abolitionist. That's a core value through which a lot of my political action and beliefs flow. If you're not on board with the project of abolitionism, you'll find much to object to here, and most of your objections are things I will refuse to entertain, because I do not believe human beings are disposable no matter what they do, and I don't believe that anyone should have the authority to deem another human being as disposable.

An abolitionist politics is incompatible with the idea that some people or some groups are inherently bad. It's incompatible with the belief that abuse and violence comes from evil. It's a worldview that holds that people do harm because of social structures and networks of power that must be destroyed -- systems like the patriarchy, cissexism, anti-Blackness, ableism, capitalism, and more. And I think one of the ways that we conquer such oppressive systems is by raising the consciousness of all the people trapped under it -- so that we can topple it together. I want trans men and cis men alike to realize they have some skin in the game.

You don't have to associate with the men you don't want to associate with. If, because of repeated abuses at the hands of men, you can't ever trust them, well, those are your feelings, that's your life, that is your business. But when your personal feelings of safety are used as a justification for developing and promoting a worldview with transphobic, transmisogynistic implications, I'm gonna talk shit about that on my stupid little blog. And I'm gonna continue conducting my life in the way I feel I should.

And for me, that means forging common ground between trans men and cis men, and pushing both groups to take women's concerns seriously (especially trans women's concerns) and to stop centering themselves in feminist dialogue. There's a place for both trans men and cis men in the gender revolution, but we gotta do a lot of work on ourselves to stop getting in the way. It's work I'm emotionally equipped to do and find rewarding, and it's fine if you don't. There are lots of other people who need support that you can focus your energies on -- other survivors of abuse and assault that you perhaps find it easier to relate to. That's important work too, and I wish you well in doing it. Just make sure you're not excluding trans women in that work or I'll continue to be annoying about it on my stupid little blog.

[sarahreesbrennan]

I remember reading in one of your blog entries (years ago??) that in the new book you were writing, the main character's *sister* had cancer. Does that mean that Alice was originally the main character of Long Live Evil? Was she going to go into the book to save Rae, instead of Rae going in to save herself?

How extremely kind of you to remember!

No, that was actually a YA murder mystery that I wrote while ill, revised while recovering, and sent out into the world where it died on submission. (Which means we sent it out to about 12 editors and the editor either said no, or said yes and took it to acquisitions - a group of people at the publisher including sales and marketing - and acquisitions said no.)

One editor told me she really wanted and really tried to buy it. Another person who worked in publishing (and has since changed jobs, or I wouldn’t share this) said the response at her acquisitions was - if you like this writer, find the next her (implications about health and youth were made).

I was terrified my agent was going to ditch me too, but she said ‘We’ll sell that one day, for now let’s write the next thing.’

I remember another writer telling me she missed my work that wasn’t a tie-in, and I felt ashamed to tell her it wasn’t that I wasn’t writing other things - it was that I couldn’t publish them.

The tie-ins meanwhile were paying the bills (they still are tbh!) and I was and remain so grateful for them. But I also really loved writing them - especially my Sabrina tie-ins, you don’t forget the first, and it reminded me I want to write horror and poly one day - and how they got me to love and sympathise with so many fandoms.

I see the burnout of caregivers all around me, and I wanted to write the story of one. But maybe I also wanted to take a step back from cancer. I didn’t think I did, at the time. I had a whole lot of things I tried writing before Long Live Evil, and I think some of them were really good. One of my critique partners gave me a lipstick with the same name as someone in the murder mystery. There was a romance novel another critique partner said was her favourite thing I’d ever written. But none had someone with cancer at the heart of the story.

And even though Rae isn’t much like me, maybe I had to start there. You can’t make real magic using someone else’s liver. Maybe I had to wait to be brave enough to use my own liver.

I do get requests for advice on how to cope with rejection of your writing, and I always worried I didn’t have anything else to say, but I suppose my example says - if you can, (and I know it’s hard, you feel so terrible at writing and so useless) (and you love the work you’ve done so much and you don’t see a way forward to loving the next thing) (but still, if you possibly can) write the next thing.

Even if the first thing sells, you’ll want the next thing one day. Writing the next thing is more writing practise, so it’ll make you better. Write the next thing.

Ultimately I’m really glad Long Live Evil was my comeback book. I think it needed to be. It took the time it took.

But maybe it was a shade of that past book (where the heroine’s sister with cancer was six, so not much like any of the Time of Iron characters) that made me think of the YA version of this book, which I always had in my mind as something I was intentionally hewing away from - a more straightforward book, a book that might have sold better - in which shy reader Alice was the hero. She’s the one with the suggestive hero name - Alice through the looking glass - the heroine looks, and the more projectable-upon personality. She’d get called annoying less often (though still some, because she’s a girl), partly because she is (with love, Rae knows I’m right) a genuinely less annoying person. Much kinder, much sweeter, and much better at in-depth reading! Her sister being in trouble would’ve been a backstory, a catalyst point, and - you’re totally right - a great motivation for her to get the Flower. Saving a family member is a much more sympathetic and heroic motivation than saving yourself and one I do love (the Hunger Games, Labyrinth, Mahy’s the Changeover, and I write it a lot!). I think Snarky While Tragically Dying Rae would’ve been a pretty popular side character, too. I think it would’ve been a good book! Just not mine.

I love your question because I love thinking about POV, and all the decisions that are the building blocks of a story. To me, the Alice centric Time of Iron is a version that exists. As are several versions of the Lia centric Time of Iron. And versions centring other characters exist to me, too. (Eric, absolutely.)

Speaking of POV musing, I think Rahela the wicked stepsister featured more in the musical than the book. If the Time of Iron series ever became a TV show (and at this point in time I think I’d rather a movie because it wouldn’t… get cancelled…) and I got to write it (don’t know why I would…) I would start with the beginnings for three characters about to go on a journey to somewhere strange to them: Key in the Cauldron, Rae in the hospital, and Vasilisa in the icelands. There are so many possibilities! And I really wanted the sense that there were so many possibilities, too.

But I wanted the chronically ill one to be the centre of the story, and for it to be her villain origin story, and to ask a lot of questions (hence a lot of villains!) about who gets villainised and why. And I thought hers, to my mind, would be the most fun of all the possible stories.

So that’s the one I made. But Long Live Evil has a lot of origins. Thank you for remembering one of them! I don’t think I would’ve dared tell the story, if things hadn’t worked out for me (so far, fingers crossed).

And I also tell it to be clear my publisher was taking a RISK with me and Long Live Evil, and I really appreciate that, and I’m so happy it’s worked out for them (again so far, early days, fingers crossed, etc).

I hope some writers - whether in the process of submission, rejection or making the choices that are the building blocks of story - find this helpful, and some readers find it interesting.

Let this be one of the universes in which your story is told.

[jm-2406]

Hi! I saw that your requests are open and I read your rules. Can I request a Theordore Nott with a Hufflepuff reader? A Hufflepuff who is quiet, but not shy. Like she speaks when spoken too or whenever she deems it necessary. Maybe they get grouped together in a project or something where they cross paths. Preferably fluff. Thanks love

You're feisty.

Summary - a study session ends with a confession.

Pairing - Theodore Nott x Hufflepuff! reader.

Word count - 775.

Note - I think I strayed a little and my work is rusty, I've written after a long break. I hope you like it.

Warnings - none.

Requests - open || find my work - here.

Being in hufflepuff was a good as well as tiring experience. Your housemates were cheerful and had a positive vibe, most of them were smart and badass but to others, you guys were portrayed as a bunch of smiles and laughs. The most common assumption that other houses had regarding you was that they thought you were shy, sweet and naive but you are not, you are just quiet and enjoy your alone time. It was a given that most of them who tried to bother you or make fun of you were pleasantly shut down and put into place. And on such days, your friend Hannah would find you in a sour mood.

“What happened now?” She asked curiously after seeing your grumpy expression. You shook your head and mouthed ‘potions’. That was enough for her to guess what might have happened. You shared potions with the Slytherins and one of them always bothered you because he considered himself as an expert in the subject just because of his house when in reality he was not. As you guys were about to sit down and relax, someone's footsteps caught your attention. To your left stood Theo, the boy with whom you were paired up, courtesy of professor Snape.

“Need to discuss something.” He said plainly and turned around. You didn't know what he was expecting but still stood up to follow him. Hannah looked at you with wide eyes and a smirk, knowing well about your crush on the tall boy. “Out of my league.” You would say but she was convinced that he liked you back.

Theodore led you to one of the quiet spots in the library. You took a seat in front of the windows while he wandered off to select the books needed for the potions assignment. After a few minutes he came back with not one but three thick books making you chuckle and the tall Slytherin graced you with a rare smile of his own. It made your heart flutter.

“All good, badger? You sure this is a study session and not a tutoring program for yourself?” A nasty voice interrupted your study session. You were too deep in the books to notice him the first time.

“What do you want, Codnor? We're busy here.” Theo said to his housemate. The boy continued to stare at the two of you until you finally snapped.

“Codnor, please go to madam pomfrey and get your eyes checked. They're stuck at our table, I think that might be a serious issue.” He looked at you with a very displeased expression but before he could retaliate, Theo had gotten up and made him leave.

When he returned, he saw you mumbling and couldn't hold back his laugh. “Stop it.” You whispered angrily. Theo raised his hands in surrender and took his seat. “You know [Y/N], there's something about you that I might've guessed wrong.”

“What?” You looked at him confused.

“I thought that you were one of those shy ones but you're not. You're feisty. I like that. I like you more now.” An awkward moment followed after his unexpected words. Theo cleared his throat and tried to find the right words.

“What do you mean, Theo? You're not teasing me, are you? Because that's a little evil considering you know how I feel.”

“No. I'm not. I'd never.” He reassured you. “And I know about how you feel.”

For the first time since you reached Hogwarts, you saw Theo at a loss of words. “Are you saying that you feel the same?” You asked him quietly, hesitantly.

“Merlin! Yes. I am not good with words but I'll try. [Y/N] [Y/L/N], i am infatuated with you, your personality and intelligence add to your charm. Will you do me a favour by being my girlfriend and making me the happiest man alive?” He forwarded his hand, palm up, to you.

You blinked in shock then did a little dance while sitting on the chair because you couldn't shout in the library. “Yes. A thousand times yes.” You placed your hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and placed a chaste kiss at the back of your hand.

The rest of the afternoon went away peacefully and by the end of it, you ended up in Theo's lap, sharing your first kiss.

THE END.

[hermitadaymay]

WELCOME TO HERMIT-A-DAY MAY!

A challenge inspired by Hermitober, but with a twist: instead of theme prompts, we focus on a specific Hermit every day!

THE RULES: There aren’t any! Participate as much or as little as you want, doing any type of fanwork you want, as long as it features or is inspired by the Hermit of the day! Use Wednesdays to catch up or do bonus challenges, which are explained below the cut. Tag your posts with #hermitaday to have them reblogged to the blog, or you can submit them directly!

WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE? To show love to every Hermit, from the most to least subscribed, from those who have been on the server from day 1 to those who only joined last season! And because challenges are fun.

WHO’S RUNNING THIS? Hi! My name is Luna! You can use she/her, he/him, or ze/hir pronouns for me. My main blog is @as-if-unreal.

BONUS CHALLENGE WEDNESDAYS

FAVORITE BUILD - May 3rd The Hermits have built a lot of wild stuff over the years. From cute starter bases to massive organic structures to groundbreaking redstone contraptions, they’ve put thousands of hours into their builds. Which one has inspired you?

FAVORITE “ALT” HERMIT - May 10th Evil clones, camera accounts, NPCs, and alter egos abound on and off the Hermitcraft server. Show your love for Renbob, Evil Xisuma, Helsknight, the Demise spirits, or any other characters the Hermits play on this day!

FAVORITE PET(S) - May 17th Scar wouldn’t be the same without Jellie. Joe wouldn’t be the same without his armies of dogs. From the in-game Gigapies chicken farm to the real-life friends we see on @mcyt-cats, animals play a big part in the Hermits’ lives! They deserve a day all their own!

FRIENDS OF HERMITCRAFT - May 24th Hermitcraft doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The Hermits are constantly working on other projects with other amazing creators featured in the Life SMP, MCC, Empires SMP, and beyond. This is the day to appreciate all the cool friends from off-server that enrich the non-Hermitcraft content the Hermits make!

FREE SPACE - May 31st Got an idea that didn’t fit on another day? Want to wrap up the month with a big group photo? Inspired to make something for a Hermit after their day has passed? Get it all in on one final day!

[annabelle--cane]

I guess the thing that makes me not so fond of Jon's addiction allegory is that it's only coherent to a certain extent? Like I think people sometimes forget that he's actively violating these people

anon, through no fault of your own you have accidentally hit upon my sleeper agent trigger phrase. I have layers of answers to this.

so first off, yeah, it's not a 1:1 direct metaphor, it's a soupy dream logic fantasy plot device with flavors of a lot of different things. there's quite a lot of addiction in there, there's some abuse of power, there's some cyclical nature of trauma, there's a dash of disability, there's a few notes of gendered violence, there's a good bit of just. violence violence and being kind of a motherfucker because goddammit it feels good to be an active agent about something in your life, even if it's just choosing to be a worse version of yourself than you strictly need to be. a lot of tma's worldbuilding is very allegorical, but apart from aspects of individual statements nothing really matches up quite 1:1 with a real world counterpart, and if more things did then it probably wouldn't be a fantasy show anymore.

secondly. okay to contextualize this answer a little bit I have a kind of hypothetical video essay project about vampirism and addiction that I like to spend a few hours thinking about every so often but am almost certainly never going to make because the full research burden required is a lot higher than I actually have the time to properly do. but because of that I've spent a lot of time sorting through why framing vampires as addicts really works for me in a way that it doesn't seem to for everyone, and I think a lot of my thoughts on that also apply to jon. there's going to be a bit of a detour here before we get back to talking about tma, but we'll get there, I prommy.

I've seen a lot of people take issue with various paranormal addiction allegories because, a lot of the time, the act that is meant to metaphorically represent the act of use itself is something that is directly and inherently harmful to others, e.g. drinking human blood, handing over power to your hedonistic Evil alter ego, holding the cursed amulet and going crazy going stupid, slurping trauma out of the head of some guy you ran into on a boat to norway, etc., and yeah, I do get that. substance use is not inherently harmful like that to anyone except sometimes the user themself, and addicts are not inherently fucked up and destructive people; those are dangerous stereotypes that often lead to the demonizing of a whole group of sick people.

here's the thing for me, though: those are definitely truths I want explored and represented when it comes to portrayals of non-allegorical actual addicts, but fantasy fiction isn't for showing the world as it is, it's for showing a subjective fun house mirror version of reality where certain aspects are minimized and magnified depending on how it feels to live through it. and yes, absolutely in real life drug use is not an inherently evil act and it does not make you an inherently evil person, but... doesn't it kind of feel like that? sort of? absolutely no one is living their best life nor on their best behavior while experiencing any kind of major mental illness episode, and when it comes to addiction you've got a very clear tangible symbol of when The Episode is happening that it feels like you have much more control over than when it comes to other illnesses. it's also a thing where people are a lot more likely to be openly angry and distrustful of you if they find out it's happening. so you mix together the ideas of "I know I get worse as a result of doing this one specific thing" + "I act less like myself when I'm using, it rearranges my priorities and I care less about hurting people because that's what happens when you're experiencing The Horrors" + "society at large/people directly around me are pretty quick to say that doing this is evil," and you get the subjective emotional result of "I hurt people by using and it makes me monstrous." I tend to respond to those kinds of paranormal allegories like they're just cutting out the middle man of those subjective fears. "using makes me monstrous" -> "using is monstrous."

anyway. jon archivist.

don't get me wrong, I totally understand if this aspect of metaphor doesn't gel for some people and they only like taking it exactly as far as the text explicitly makes them, but I really get a lot out of reading jon's connection to the fears as addiction precisely because he does genuinely awful things to people as a result of it. he's a person in a very bad physical and mental place with little to no support who is constantly being told by both allies and enemies that he's already a monster just by being alive, and he copes with that by secretly falling further and further into an compulsive act of consumption that skews his priorities and makes him care less about hurting people because at least sometimes getting to be the cause of pain makes him feel a little bit less powerless when he has to be the subject of pain the rest of the time. then he's found out and is made to stop, and he has to grapple not just with the physical toll of withdrawal but with knowing there is a not insignificant part of him that will excuse any act of malice if he knows he'll feel better afterwards.

the end of tma is very explicit in the fact that the rules of its world are shaped by the subjective worst fears of those who live in it, it's "an exercise in unreliably reality" as jonny sims put it once, and I think that principle extends backwards in some ways to apply to the rest of the show. I don't think the fact that there are only entities of fear and not hope or love is meant to be a full commentary on the total nature of the real world, it's a reflection of what fear and suffering can make the world feel like. eric and melanie both go to really harsh extremes to extricate themselves from the fears and live peaceful lives, and in both cases something happens that foils their plans (getting murdered + the apocalypse, respectively), but I don't think the intended message is to say that is definitively how real life works, they are metaphors for the limits of individual agency in larger systems and represent two types of worst-case-scenarios. similarly, I don't think reading jon as an addict implies that addiction inherently involves violence or that the reactions of those around him were completely unjustified, it's just a subjective exploration of the kinds of fears that can come with addiction dialed up to 100.

[jjkamochoso]

Maybe gojo comforting the reader after a bad day, i have a really rough class in college this year, so some gojo cuddling would save me :3

I’m soooo sorry that you’re dealing with a hard class this year, I remember what that’s like and it’s definitely no fun!! I hope this makes you feel a bit better and I’m wishing you lots of luck and success in that and your other classes too!! Thank you very much for the request!!!!🫶❤️

College Comfort

Fluff

Gojo x gn!reader

Warnings: none

Thank god that’s over.

You grabbed your bag and basically ran out of the classroom as fast as your legs could take you, not wanting to spend another second thinking about that dreaded class you just attended. Between all of the projects and homework you’d been assigned, finding time to do practically anything outside of that class was near impossible. Not to mention, the subject was definitely not an easy one to learn.

Safe to say, you desperately needed a break.

Your annoyance continued to grow as you felt your cellphone ring incessantly from inside your bag. You didn’t even bother checking the caller ID before clicking the small green phone icon.

“Yes?” you answered with an aggressive tone, wondering who needed to contact you so urgently that they were calling every five seconds.

“How’s my favorite student doing?” came a cheerful response from the other end, clearly unbothered by your irritation.

“Oh! It’s you, Satoru,” you breathed out, your mood already starting to lift at the sound of your boyfriend’s voice. “I’ve been better. This class is exhausting me.”

“I can tell with the way you were ready to jump through the phone and murder me,” he said, making you laugh for the first time all day.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Everything gets on my nerves easily after sitting through those lectures.”

“I have just the thing to make you feel better,” he told you. “Come over to my apartment as soon as you can and I’ll meet you there.”

“Are you sure? I know you’re busy teaching today.”

“Eh, I’ll let the kids out early. Give ‘em a group project to work on, I know how much you scholarly types love those.”

“You’re evil, but I’m grateful you would burden your loving pupils with something like that for me.”

“Anything for you, y/n,” said Gojo. “See you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” you nodded, hanging up and letting out a long sigh of relief. On your way over to Gojo’s place, you decided to surprise him with something sweet to show your appreciation for him. You stopped by your favorite bakery and ordered a few of their pastries, making sure to get plenty of the super sweet ones for Satoru. Satisfied with the results of your shopping, you made your way to Gojo’s with an extra pep in your step that definitely wasn’t present earlier.

You rang the doorbell to Gojo’s apartment, brimming with excitement. Yours and Gojo’s schedules had been hectic lately and finally being able to spend time with him was making you giddy. When the door opened, you were surprised by the appearance of his bright blue eyes that met your own.

“No blindfold today?” you questioned, stepping inside as he closed the door behind you.

“I wanted to see you with all of my eyes,” he said, a lazy grin on his face as you leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss.

“Have you always been such a hopeless romantic or is it because we’ve been apart for too long that it’s messing with your head?” you teased, placing the pastry box on his kitchen counter.

“It’s been too long since you’ve been here, I’ve missed you,” he declared. You would’ve found the sentiment to be swoon worthy if he was actually talking to you instead of the pastries.

“Should I leave and give you two some alone time?”

“No, don’t leave, I was joking,” Gojo whined, powdered sugar from the desserts covering his lips. You couldn’t help the laugh that slipped through, filling his apartment with the sound of your joy. Gojo’s eyes softened as he watched your face crinkle in delight; he had missed this lighthearted side of you. Your happiness had been affected by bad days and hard classes for much too long and it bothered him that there was nothing he could do to help you. However, he would never stop trying to keep a smile on your face, even if only for an afternoon.

“So what was it that you had for me?” you questioned, referring to what he said during your phone call.

“Right! Are you ready? Close your eyes,” he said, and you did so. “Okay. Open!”

You opened your eyes and saw… him standing in the exact same spot with the exact large smile he had before you closed your eyes.

“It’s me!” he said excitedly. You were confused for a split second until you realized what he said.

“You’re all I could ever hope for,” you said earnestly, throwing yourself into his tall frame and wrapping your arms tightly around him. Gojo was taken aback by your sudden movement but he wasn’t anything less than ecstatic; he was just happy you weren’t frustrated with his lack of an actual surprise.

“C’mon, let’s go comfortable.”

Gojo felt you pull away from him and he knelt down. “Hop on.”

You looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

“For a piggy back ride! It’ll be fun!” he said, trying to convince you.

“I will literally hit my head on the ceiling if I hop on your back.”

He brought his lips into a pout. “I promise I’ll duck as low as I can.”

“Fine. But if you knock me out on one of the doorframes, please let me sleep because I need the rest.”

He gave you a thumbs up. “Will do!”

You rolled your eyes playfully and climbed onto his back. The journey to his bedroom was short lived but plenty of fun, just as he said it would be, and little by little your stress was melting away. You landed on the bed from Gojo’s back with a soft thud and you eagerly began to snuggle in the warm sheets. Gojo climbed in the bed as well and pulled you in close to him, your head resting perfectly under his chin as he pressed his chest against your back. The steady rhythm of his heart was having a calming effect on you and you relished in the peaceful atmosphere.

“You wanna talk about everything that’s bothering you?” he wondered, sounding surprisingly serious for once. “It’s not good to hold it in.”

You agreed and began to vent all of your pent up frustrations about your difficult class and life in general. The whole time, Gojo was intently listening and the feeling of his chest vibrating with every “hm” and “mhm” of acknowledgement was helping you stay grounded and not become overwhelmed by your emotions. When you said things he found particularly sad, his hold on you became subconsciously tighter.

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with all of that,” he murmured when you were done talking, pressing a kiss onto the top of your head. “I hate seeing you having to go through difficult things and knowing I can’t stop any of them.”

You turned around to face Gojo, taking hold of his hands in yours. “It’s the same feeling I have toward you, Satoru. You go through impossible situations and I feel bad that I can only offer advice instead of actively doing something about it.”

Silence permeated the air for a little bit as you two got lost in thought.

“We make quite the pair, don’t we?” Gojo eventually said.

“We do.” You brought a hand up and lovingly ran it through his fluffy white hair. “Thank you for inviting me over. This is exactly what I needed to feel better.”

“I could get your professor fired if you want. That might make you feel even better.”

You immediately halted. “What? No, please don’t do that.”

He shrugged. “Why not? Throw enough money at a school and even their most tenured teacher can disappear by the next week. It doesn’t seem like you’re learning anything anyway.”

You shook your head and chuckled in disbelief. “You’re seriously crazy, Gojo.”

“Just crazy in love,” he replied, cheekily winking at you.

“You’re talking to me this time, right? There’s not a pastry box behind me?”

“I’m never gonna be able to live that down, am I?” he groaned.

“Nope,” you said, cuddling into his body once more, “but you’re lucky because I’m crazy in love with you too.”

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

One thing I’ve grown to appreciate about the “Red Dead Redemption” series now that I’m older is that you can tell Rockstar approached this project as an anti-western. It lures you in with the promise of Wild West, yeehaw goodness, but when you actually play the games, you get hit with the brutal reality of this world.

Examples of what I mean:

1) The Mexican Revolution arc isn’t romanticized. At first, you think it’s a simple tale of the evil fascist government fighting against the heroic rebellion. But then you meet the rebel leader and he turns out to be just as bad as the government. It’s a true “both sides are in the wrong” situation and, unfortunately, the ones who truly suffer are the peasants (such as Luisa Fortuna).

2) Frontier life isn’t just shooting and action. It was also watching over animals, building farms and ranches, and trading with towns. The games really make you feel the monotony of doing chores and yard work, especially when John was in his Jim Milton phase.

3) Outlaw life isn’t romanticized either. Although you start off as a happy family, it eventually devolved into backstabbing, despair, and self-destruction. Even before then, your group aren’t the greatest of people, especially with the whole robbing people at gunpoint and shooting up towns.

4) Good guys don’t always get a happy ending. Also, every action has a consequence. John Marston had to learn that the hard way.

5) The racism. I feel like a lot of Western-themed media tries to skirt around this issue, or even avoid the topic (such as the 2016 remake of Magnificent Seven, which had a diverse group of fighters). Red Dead doesn’t pull back its punches. You have the Ivy League professor who treated Native Americans as subjects for his racist research. Abraham Reyes straight up calls Chinese people an inferior race. Then there’s the Blackwater short film playfully talking about the massacre of Native American tribes.

6) Along the same lines as point 5, the sexism. For example, there was the propaganda short film about opposing the women’s suffrage movement. And, of course, Sadie Adler not wanting to be relegated to cooking for the group since she can shoot.

7) This is more for RDR2. You actually have to pay attention to the maintenance of the horses and the guns. I’ve never seen this in a Wild West movie/TV show, and yet it’s integral to someone whose life revolves around horseback riding and shooting people!

8) Not skirting around the issue of disease, especially when healthcare wasn’t as advanced as it is nowadays. You can see that especially with Arthur and Abigail.

[flashbangstars]

Searching for Sun, water, and attention

Pairing: Jeno x Female reader wc: 2k +

Summary: You honestly thought you were coping with being a stem major in finals week pretty well... up until you weren't

Genre: low key hurt comfort, idk man rough week, fluff, i call mc a plant

Warnings?: none really, I say sex like once

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Your leaves were wilting, and you were in dire need of water. You weren’t placed in a spot where you get enough sun, and they didn’t tend to your leaves, You felt as if you hadn’t had a proper day of self-care in weeks. Which was true. 

But you were also not a plant, you were an engineering major in your second semester of senior year struggling to make it through. You hadn’t eaten since the couple slices of apple you snuck this morning from your roommate’s breakfast plate (dire need of water), you hadn’t changed out of the pajamas you had been wearing for two days not (leaves were wilting), and you had been sitting in the dark of your room with only your computer screen illuminating the space (you weren’t getting enough sun) 

You had taken on a giant project and had yet to see the end of it. You had been dealing with group members who had checked out and didn’t care anymore, and professors who were doing the same thing. Hence this little room has become your evil lair for the past couple of weeks, Everything was online so you did not need to leave, and why would you leave if you could get things delivered? 

It was about 1 in the afternoon and thanks to your blackout curtains your room was pitch black. Hearing the door open you knew it meant Jeno was home. Jeno was your roommate, you two had met online on the student group chat and the rest is history. 

He did think you were a dude at first, but hey it’s 2024 who cares? 

You hear a soft knock on the door and a pause after two knocks. 

“Hi,” You hear Jeno say from the other side of the door.

“Come in” 

The door opened and Jeno walked into your room and beelined to the windows, quickly opening the blinds and letting in the afternoon sun. 

Hissssss

“Did you just fucking hiss at me?” His head swiveled and his eyes were big. 

“Gut reaction, my bad” You raised your hand in surrender. 

Jeno was no stranger to this, with your major this was the territory every finals season. You would become a recluse and lock yourself in your room to work on things. He felt bad because he knew it took a toll on you, but you never said anything when things got hard.  One afternoon a year ago your friends on their way out had thanked him for “taking care of you” He hadn’t done much but he was glad to know he was of some help in your life. 

“OK get up, you’ve been in here since I left. You need fresh air” He knew you probably hadn’t gotten up in his absence to even move around the apartment either”

“You were gone for like an hour, that’s nothing!!!” You said laughing at your roommate’s accusation.

Jeno paused and turned around with an unamused face to stare at you 

“Y/n I was gone for 4 hours” the monotone voice matching the vibe his face was giving.

Pause

“You were gone four hours? When did you leave?” You questioned.

“I left at 7:45 this morning, and it is currently noon” He deadpanned.

“Oh,” you remarked.

“Yeah OH, now get up we are going for a walk” He grabbed your hands and began to pull you out of the chair. Blankets falling to the ground and exposing the pajamas you hadn’t taken off since you woke up.

“Put on different clothes” he muttered as he walked out of your room.

Glancing down at the Hello Kitty pajamas pants you were a little offended as to why he thought you couldn’t wear these out in public, but you still fulfilled his wishes and changed into leggings and a clean sweatshirt. Probably looking the most put-together you have in a couple of months. 

You both walked down the street your apartment was on in a comfortable silence, watching your reflection in the windows of the stores you passed. Jeno was always someone people looked at, he had all these pretty angles and pretty features. It was hard not to like him,  you two in comparison were very different and It was hard to not crave the structure Jeno had created for himself. He was smart, he didn’t have to struggle to get ahead, he just was a good student. He also was very attractive which helped. 

You knew a lot about him from living together for as long as you did and you still didn’t know whether you wanted to be with him or be him. 

“Wkgrbnorgnognwg?” A voice broke you from your thoughts.

“Huh?” You asked turning your head to face Jeno, his brows up showing he had just asked you a question. 

“I said do you want to sit down? The park is across the street” he repeated pointing to the benches lining the walking path across the street. 

“Oh yeah! Do you want to grab coffee first?” You suggested. 

“I’m not sure you need more caffeine in your system actually, it really can’t be healthy how much you consume” Jeno warned, his eyebrows drawing together in concern. He was also incredibly easy to read.

“It’s fine, I think I go through withdrawals now if I don’t consume a dangerous amount” you joked, Jeno not finding it amusing though. 

“I’m seriously ok I promise, the caffeine is just a necessary evil in college,” you said again trying to reassure him you weren’t macro-dosing caffeine every day and ruining your health, and probably stomach lining. 

“Coffee is fine, but you are getting decaf” Jeno laid down the law and then pulled you by the wrist into the coffee shop.

Jeno ordered for the both of you and got you a decaf vanilla latte and himself an iced americano, and he PAID! The sugar baby era commenced. 

Getting your drinks and then walking to the park bench you both sat down and stared out into the park. It was the same old comfortable silence you were familiar with Jeno, you two were the type of people who could sit with each other in silence and be content.

“Not to be a dick, but why do you do that to yourself,” Jeno asked breaking the silence. From your peripheral, you could tell he was still looking forward. Confusion partially took over at the turn in conversation and you didn’t respond, unsure of what he wanted you to say

“You don’t take care of yourself I understand school is important believe me, but watching you push yourself to the extent you do it sucks to see” 

Your confusion only got worse as Jeno began to voice his concerns about you, you didn’t even know he noticed things like that.

“And I wish you would let me help you, I live with you for fucks sake. Ask me for help” He finished by turning to face you, your face still staring straight ahead, afraid to turn to meet his gaze. 

Part of you thought you had been handling things alright, and part of you knew he was right. You kept to yourself when you were struggling because putting in on others felt selfish. You barely left your room at this point, and you hadn’t done anything other than school for the past two weeks. 

“It’s just something I need to deal with, I’m almost done with this project and I will get a break. I’m. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” You said not sure how to make things better.

Jeno sighed and rubbed his face turning his body so now he was facing you. “God I’m not asking for an apology, I’m saying this because I care about you. I care about you a concerning amount and I hate watching you go through this and I can’t help”  He admitted 

“Why do you care a ‘concerning amount’? I promise you I will be fine I don’t know what else I can tell you” your tone coming off defensive, now turning to face him. Your confusion now mixed in a twinge of frustration as to why Jeno was being so cryptic in his concerns. 

“Y/n I care because I like you. It is hard not to worry about the person you like, especially when you live with them. I get this urge to fucking tell you to go to bed on time, take you into my room away from your screens tuck you in with me, and make sure you sleep” Jeno had now begun rambling, his voice laced with the tiniest hint of anxiety 

“I want to bring you out of the apartment with me and go on walks and run errands where we hold hands and talk about life and I know I don’t have to worry about you not moving from the same spot for more than 4 hours, I want to start and end the day with you” He kept going. 

With every confession he was making you felt the confusion melt into a weird guilt, guilty you had made him feel like he couldn’t do anything, guilty you had made him feel helpless. You also felt this blur of emotions you couldn’t decipher with the sudden burst of someone pouring out how they liked you. 

You reached your hand out and wrapped it around his wrist effectively stopping his diatribe. His eyes immediately caught yours searching for some sort of answer, a reaction to what he had said. Fear, anticipation, and a secret third emotion swirl around in his irises. 

“Then do that” your voice came out stronger than you had planned. 

“Take care of me,” you asked 

Jeno’s eyes widened and his features began to soften. 

“I want to be that person for you too ” you finally admitted, your eyes breaking the staring contest you had been holding for the past couple of minutes. 

A couple of moments passed and neither of you moved. Hearing movement across from you, and then feeling arms grabbing you, Jeno pulled you into his chest and hugged you, his cheek pressing against your forehead and arms fully wrapped around you.

“Ok” you heard from above you, and then a soft kiss was placed on your forehead.

“Let’s go home” 

~

Waking up you blinked away the sleep and felt the sun coming into the room from the windows. Sitting up and pushing aside the blankets, you grabbed a sweatshirt from the dresser as you got up and pulled it on leaving the room. 

Jeno’s shirtless back faced you in the kitchen as he stood in front of the stove cooking something. 

Coming up beside him and rubbing your hand up his back feeling the notches in his spine. 

“Good morning,” you said resting your head against his shoulder.

“Good morning sweetheart” Jeno turned grasped your check and pulled you into a soft kiss his thumb caressing the top of your cheek. He tasted like toothpaste and his lips were covered in a thin layer of chapstick. You knew you probably tasted like morning breath and had dry lips but Jeno didn’t mind. 

Pulling away he stared at your face with a smile. And patted your butt covered with his sweatshirt. 

“I made you coffee” Jeno Pointed to the pink mug sitting on the counter with a banana sitting next to it. “Decaf because I know you don’t have any classes today,” he said turning the burner off. 

“Thank you,” you said kissing his shoulder blade with the warm coffee cup now in your hands. 

You both sat in a comfortable silence as you ate breakfast beside each other at the counter, Jeno’s hand periodically finding itself resting atop your thigh. You valued the moments of comfortable silence especially when they were spent with him.

You were now a healthy plant, your leaves were strong and you were regularly taken care of, you knew what you needed to grow, and you had the help of a very cute gardener (boyfriend)  who made sure you got enough sun (literal sun), water (literal water), and care (love and good sex). 

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i actually struggled to write this one because of how bootycheek this last week and a half has been for me. so it lowkey reflected in my writing. lemme get to spring break and I promise i will be more positive