#I like her when they aren't focused

[metalhoops]

Nancy Wheeler always wanted something. That was her secret. It was the one thing that no one knew about her because she hardly knew how to explain it to herself. It was like being hungry for something other than food. It was illogical, incomprehensible and all the things Nancy had never let herself be. 

She prided herself in being capable and competent. This manifested in different ways across the years. In the days before her best friend’s death, she had prided herself in her grades, her appearance, and her capability to somehow charm the once acclaimed ‘ladies' man’ Steve Harrington. 

After that, things got messy, and her world changed. Her friend died, and she hadn’t been able to stop it. She’d learnt how to use a gun to keep herself and those she loved safe. She redefined capability, using it to encompass roles like ‘fighter’ and ‘protector’.  

She realised she’d never loved Steve, not really, not in the way she should. Steve was funny. He knew how to make her laugh, sweep her off her feet, and make her feel special. No one had done that for her before. She’d lived in a crowded house that always felt empty. Steve understood that. Her mother and father had been dancing around each other since she was born. Even as the eldest child, she’d never felt special, not until Steve. 

Then there was something about Jonathan. He’d been kind and compassionate. He’d been something Steve wasn’t. She didn’t want to be with Jonathan because of any external forces. Dating Jonathan wouldn’t turn heads or make the other girls in school look her way with something akin to envy. But it might fill that gaping hole of want.  Jonathan understood her. He saw her for who she was and he’d loved her for it. No one had ever done that before. Steve had come close, but he hadn’t seen her. He’d seen the possibility of a white picket fence and a family. 

Nancy knew if she went for that life, she’d be just like her mother. A woman filled with ambitions and dead dreams. A woman who got glassy-eyed when gazing out of her bedroom window, as though envisioning herself opening the glass and soaring free or falling to her death, impaled on the same white picket fence that’d sprung up like a field of daisies the day Nancy Wheeler was born. 

For a while, Jonathan had been enough. Until he wasn’t. She didn’t know who owned the blame for the demise of their relationship. It happened slowly, maybe when he moved to California, possibly before that. They were two continents drifting apart. He left in his wake the same old familiar aching hole of want. 

She applied for colleges, worked on her journalism, and freelanced for a couple of local papers outside of Hawkins, ones where women were allowed a seat at the table. It helped. She was done trying to impress others. She wanted to impress herself. 

She felt more at home in her body while she was moving, but when she came home, either to her estranged family house in Hawkins or to her silent student dorm room, she felt the hole once again. That was when Steve asked her to move in with him. 

She wanted to say no. She wasn’t going to do it to herself or Steve again. She didn’t want to give him hope. He was always in love with her. It waxed, waned and morphed like the moon, but the love was always there. Yet, to her surprise, he shook his head, showing her he’d also changed in their time apart. 

“Not just with me, Nance. Robin and Eddie are coming too. There’s enough room. It’s gotta be lonely sometimes hauling up all by yourself.” 

Nancy couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no. So she didn’t.  

What she hadn’t expected was how much she would enjoy having someone to come home to. The house was never quiet. Eddie would play his guitar at all hours of the night and morning. Ever since the group had made the mistake of getting Steve a record player for his birthday, he’d blast his music while cooking or cleaning. She couldn’t go a week without waking up to Toto’s Africa. A prospect that’d once petrified her, had somehow managed to bring her such comfort. Then there was Robin. Robin was never quiet. She was always talking to Nancy. 

Nancy had gotten used to her childhood home, where they ate together at mealtimes but remained silent. The place where, when she asked about someone’s day, she’d get a one-word response and a thousand-yard stare. When she asked Robin about her day, the girl told a novel-length, detailed account, filled with wild hand gestures and, more than once, illustrations. 

Nancy had come home late after spending the day at the library trying to complete a paper for her Intro to Communication and Journalism course. She was surprised to find Robin home alone, sprawled out in front of the T.V. watching what appeared to be a French Film. 

“Where’s everyone?” Nancy asked, letting her bag thud to the floor as she positioned herself on the armrest of the couch. 

“Watching a movie at the drive-in. I said I couldn’t go since I’m sick, real bummer.”  Robin faked a cough, then winked at her, sitting up and making room for Nancy. When she didn’t move quickly enough, Robin pulled her closer.  

The girl was clearly faking it. For what end, Nancy could guess. She knew Steve and how he acted when he was in love. He and Eddie had been mooning over one another for months. At first, it’d surprised her. She’d tried to deny her intuition, unsure why the concept of Steve liking Eddie made her feel naked. Nancy had always been progressive. It didn’t bother her that Steve or Eddie liked men, but it made the old, odd ache within her burn. 

“Do you think they’ll finally work it out?” Nancy questioned, watching as a flicker of surprise, followed by an air of mischief fell over Robin.

“Oh, Steve knows he’s got it bad for Eddie,” Robin confided, a cheeky grin spreading over her lips. Their faces were very close. Her eyes were blue, flecked with greys and greens, perfect in their imperfection. 

“He’s been waxing poetic to me for the past month. You thought listening to him talk about girls was bad? At least I can relate to that. Listening to him gush about Eddie kinda makes me want to puke. I mean Steve’s all ‘his hair looks so soft and curly, Robby.’ what am I meant to do with that? To me, Eddie’s just... I don’t know, our gremlin roommate that lives in our walls. I like the guy, but I don’t know what Steve sees in him,” Robin admitted with a laugh. 

She slung a hand around the back of the couch and absentmindedly tangled one of Nancy’s curls around her finger. Oh. Nancy liked that more than she should. Robin smelled like green apple shampoo, pen ink and poor decisions. 

Nancy was good at noticing things. She wanted to be an investigative journalist, and it came with the territory. She’d heard Steve mention how Robin had the habit of talking too much when she liked a girl. 

Nancy also noticed how Robin looked at her, the way her eyes lingered when she came out of her bedroom in her nightdress. Her eyes had scraped over Nancy’s shins, calves and the hollow space beneath her clavicle. All the new exposed flesh she usually kept hidden. It shouldn’t feel intimate, but it did. She’d seen drawings of her likeness amongst the clutter on the kitchen table and knew who they’d belonged to. Robin was good at drawing. She wondered if the girl would ever consider doing comics for the papers. It’d be nice to work with her around.

Nancy knew Robin was talking, but she didn’t hear a word of it, distracted by the stray strand of sandy hair, caught in Robin’s lip gloss. Nancy was smart, smart enough to know nothing good could come of acting on what she was feeling. She leaned forward anyway, brushing the hair back behind Robin’s ear, watching her go still. 

“How’d you get that?” Robin asked, capturing Nancy’s hand, trailing her finger over the scar cut across her palm. It was too close to another night, another possibility of love, another stupid decision by Nancy Wheeler.

“It doesn’t matter,” Nancy breathed, pulling back from Robin’s hand. 

“Robin, can you do me a favour?” Nancy asked, but before she had time to reply, Nancy pushed forward.

“Don’t fall in love with me,” she warned, her voice small but deathly serious. 

Robin pulled back as though slapped, looking at the woman before her with wide eyes, seeming like a creature ensnared in a trap. It’d come out all wrong. Nancy was never good with this kind of thing. 

“I hurt everyone that loves me,” she amended. 

“So please don’t fall in love with me, because I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Robin blinked owlishly at the girl before leaping to her feet and pacing before Nancy and the TV. 

“Holy shit,” she breathed as she paced. Robin’s body never felt at home staying still either. Nancy opened her mouth to say something, but it was drowned out by another bout of ‘holy shit’. 

“You like me, Nance,” Robin exclaimed, gesturing an upturned palm between the two of them. 

“You have to like me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t say that. And I mean, why the hell would you say that?” Robin ran a hand through her hair before huffing and sitting back down across from Nancy, taking her hands into her lap. They were both shaking. To her credit, Robin didn’t touch the scar again. 

“It’s not your fault. What happened between you and Steve. You know that right?” Nancy hadn’t expected that. Robin was always on Steve’s side for everything, they were best friends. 

“I broke his heart, too. He’s told you that, right?” He had. 

“That’s different,” Nancy reasoned. 

“Just because a relationship doesn’t work out doesn’t mean it was pointless. It’s like... I don’t know, having a crush on Tom Cruise,” Robin reasoned, instantly losing Nancy.  

“Alright, bad example. What I mean is back in high school, I had a major crush on Tammy Thompson. Don’t give me that face. Steve has said everything you could say. The point is, looking back at it now we never would’ve worked. She was a total flake. She was pretty but I’d drive her up the damn wall, like, could you imagine Tammy Thompson letting me talk about Italian Neorealism for two hours? No. But you did.” Robin nudged Nancy’s shoulder as though to prove a point.

“Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. The point is, I realised I liked girls because of Tammy Thompson, so liking her wasn’t a waste of time. You changed Steve and Steve changed you, same with Jonathan. It’s made you who you are, Nance and who you are is a total badass, that I really, really like. So please don’t tell me not to fall in love with you. It’s not fair. You won’t hurt me, but even if you do, I think it’d be worth it for us to try.” 

Nancy never had learned to shut Robin up, but she suddenly had an idea. 

She leaned forward, placing a shaking hand on Robin’s cheek and crashing their lips together, sleek, sticky, glossed lips smacking together, tasting of strawberry, feeling like home. 

Maybe the third time was the charm. 

[bumblingbabooshka]

I hate when Chakotay is watered down to be Janeway's yes man because their disagreements are actually very interesting. [A lot of rambling analysis of this debate in particular below]

Chakotay in Parallax is very interesting in that he has to navigate a lot of different dynamics. Balance a lot of plates while being watched keenly by everyone around him. Immediately preceding this scene we see him ask B'Elanna for her opinion on the bridge - both as a chance to show her knowledge in his bid to make her chief engineer (because she wouldn't get a chance to otherwise as Janeway has clearly indicated that at this point she views B'Elanna as a troublemaker who won't be considered for the position) and because he just thinks she's a better engineer than Carey and wants the best possible chance of them succeeding. Janeway sees this as unacceptable. Carey is the chief engineer and so he should be called and Chakotay NOT asking for his opinion is an insult to Carey, Janeway, and might make the crew doubt Chakotay (and by extension the Maquis') loyalty to the Starfleet crew.

At this point it seems that to Janeway integration ["They're not your people"] means the path of least resistance, specifically tailored towards the Starfleet crew. She wants Chakotay by her side to keep the Maquis crew calm but also seems unwilling to consider them for important positions aboard the ship. Though she says that the Maquis are not Chakotay's people, not his crew, she certainly doesn't seem to consider them hers [Compare this to later instances where she stresses 'our' crew, here she simply says they aren't Chakotay's: Whose crew are they? Are they crew at all?]. This less leaves the impression of "We need to be a cohesive team" and more "You're not in charge here." She essentially accuses Chakotay of playing favorites. In her mind Chakotay's actions are not conducive to integrating the crews which would (again, in her mind) mean the Maquis being docile and accepting, obedient and content - not making trouble for the Starfleet crew. Chakotay counters Janeway's accusation with one of his own: That he IS trying to integrate them into the crew but her not allowing the Maquis any opportunity to prove themselves or succeed, not showing any trust in any of them (except, implicitly at this point, him) is making things difficult. At this point the Maquis crew are ready to mutiny on his word at any time. He knows this for a fact. Aside from that looming threat (the threat being that tensions are high and if nothing changes and they remain high there might be a mutiny even without his word) - Chakotay knows these people and trusts them. Though Starfleet and Janeway think of the Maquis as a violent bunch of criminal terrorists, Chakotay and a good number of the Maquis joined because they believed in the cause they were fighting for. These are people Chakotay knows WILL fight fiercely for what they believe in and conversely, AGAINST what they perceive as injustice. Even if they're not in the majority - they're used to picking fights which seem impossible to win. At this point Janeway admits that she ISN'T making it easy for Chakotay to integrate the Maquis - specifically talking about practical concerns; how she doesn't feel she can let Maquis crew have roles of importance on the ship because they lack the ability to hold them. "They don't have the discipline, they don't have the training," - asserting that they just aren't prepared for any such roles and it doesn't have to do with them being Maquis specifically. Ostensibly, she's treating them as she might treat anyone unqualified for the job.

Chakotay maintains that some of them, like B'Elanna, have the ability to be trained - challenging her point by saying that IF they're trained there's no reason for any Maquis member NOT to be given a more prominent role on the ship. He isn't suggesting they just unqualified people important jobs. If the problem is that they aren't trained, let's train them. These people have the ability to succeed if you give them the tools they need and a fair chance, he insists. Janeway then switches gears and her argument becomes not "The Maquis are untrained so they can't be given those jobs" but "The Maquis crew are unworthy of those jobs when compared to Starfleet personnel" saying that it'll cause insult and upset among the Starfleet crew if any member of the Maquis were to be promoted above them. Again, her idea of integration is based more on Maquis subservience to the Starfleet crew than it is the two crews working together. (Not that I believe she looks at it that way, it's just where her 'path of least resistance' leads) - though she accuses Chakotay of being too focused on "his" crew, she is admitting here that she believes her real crew are the Starfleet officers aboard, not the Maquis. She also admits here that the system she wishes to maintain (and is asking Chakotay to enforce) is one where there will ostensibly never be any chance of a Maquis crew member being promoted because no Maquis crew member will ever be more qualified, more worthy, than a member of Starfleet. We can see how it'd be difficult for Chakotay to convince his crew to remain calm under these circumstances. There's also Tuvok's behavior toward him at the beginning of the episode where the Vulcan nearly goes over Chakotay's head and when he doesn't do so (as Chakotay reminds him that HE'S the superior officer, the First Officer in fact,) Tuvok acts as if him backing down (partially) and conceding (partially) to Chakotay's authority is a favor to Chakotay.

Tuvok in this conversation is downright insubordinate to Chakotay. Despite Chakotay being the first officer, he doesn't take what he says seriously, argues that his own opinion on what should be done should be followed rather than Chakotay's, lectures the first officer about his conduct, and then almost seems to threaten him with a report. In Starfleet's rigidly hierarchical rules, acting like this to a superior officer (ESPECIALLY the first officer) wouldn't be tolerated and Tuvok knows this perfectly well. He isn't a rebellious character and clearly in other episodes adheres to these Starfleet hierarchies and codes of conduct very strictly. He values them highly. But Chakotay, a Maquis, shouldn't be First Officer. Why should he be given respect for a title he didn't earn? [Affirming Janeway's argument about how Starfleet officers won't be eager to follow a Maquis senior officer] Even though Chakotay tells Tuvok off for it ["I don't have to explain myself to you"] he doesn't threaten to put Tuvok on report or explicitly mention his insubordination. It's unclear if this is Chakotay's personality or if he just doesn't feel he CAN do that. Tuvok is one of the three most senior officers aboard and very close to Janeway. Chakotay has to think of the optics of any situation at all times - we see seconds after this conversation that rumors have already started swirling around B'Elanna being relegated to quarters that've fanned the flames of mutiny. Though we know Tuvok has personal reasons for behaving the way he does toward Chakotay (which he later admits), I really don't think it'd be out of the ordinary for this to be how most Starfleet personnel would treat the Maquis if they weren't outright hostile: Like they're only pretend crewmen. To a lesser extent we even see this with Janeway: In the following staff meeting, she clearly doesn't consider B'Elanna a viable option when Chakotay brings her up and almost ignores the suggestion entirely.

It also, again, leaves Chakotay in an impossible position. If he doesn't protect and fight for the Maquis crew, they won't ever be considered a true part of the crew and dissatisfaction will likely spread among them. Dissatisfaction which the Starfleet crew will then use to further label the Maquis as insubordinate, uncontrollable, unfit. Not to mention that if he doesn't advocate for them, he might lose their trust. However, if he DOES try to help the Maquis crew advance the Starfleet crew will view this as 'favoritism' and will further distrust him, won't respect the people he puts forth as worthy. Janeway seems to be intent on not advocating for any of the Maquis crew and also seems unwilling to ask that the Starfleet crew grant leniency. She implies that the Maquis crew need to learn to get in line and keep quiet and it seems almost like [we must remember the optics] she has Chakotay as the only Maquis in a position of power to facilitate that. Chakotay recognizes and pushes against that, saying that he won't just be her token Maquis - there only so she can point to him and say "See? We don't discriminate against the Maquis here." effectively a tool used to shut down any arguments of unfair treatment and a tool to quell the Maquis if any talk of mutiny DOES arise. In this model, Janeway can just tell Chakotay to calm them down and they'll listen because they trust him. She also doesn't have to really listen to anything he says: A token First Officer has no authority; his words don't hold weight. [Chakotay isn't Maquis anymore, they aren't his crew anymore - ok. What is he then? What are they? Nothing, without respect.] This plan seems untenable, as much as Janeway frames it as sensible: "I can't make it easy, Commander. Surely you can understand that," and alternatives as impossible "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" - in the long run, how would this be sustainable? In any power structure, you cannot expect a group of people you're unwilling to grant trust or agency to obediently follow you forever. This proposed form of 'integration' in which the Maquis are kept on the bottom rung and told intermittently to stay there quietly by the only one of them granted permission to stand at the top would never be sustainable - especially with a group like the Maquis who again, were founded on the belief that its members should fight against inequity and are already on the verge of mutiny.

I specifically find the statement "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" to be interesting because personally I'd say that being forced together for the rest of almost everyone's natural life is a pretty good reason to ask people to adapt and Janeway does understand this but only applies it to the Maquis - the Maquis are the ones who have to adapt, not Starfleet. The only thing the Starfleet crew have to do is tolerate their presence on board.

At this point Janeway again claims that if Chakotay can show her a 'qualified' Maquis candidate she'll consider them. I believe this is true but we already know that Janeway's standards for qualification will likely not fit the vast majority of the Maquis and Chakotay ignores the claim in favor of putting forth B'Elanna again, firmly. Janeway predictably dismisses her as unqualified and Chakotay disagrees, arguing that he knows her. He's worked with her. He KNOWS that B'Elanna can excel at the job even if she doesn't meet Starfleet/Janeway's qualifications. He doesn't value those qualifications over what he's observed about her - just as he didn't value Carey's title over what he knew about the gap between his and B'Elanna's abilities. Then, Chakotay switches gears. He admits that Janeway's right - he does view the Maquis as his crew but that's because Janeway (almost self admittingly) doesn't and if he doesn't, who will they have? [What kind of captain, kind of man, would he be?] "You're going to have to give them more authority if you want their loyalty." "Theirs or yours, Commander?" Janeway frames Chakotay's words pointing out the flaws in this plan which I outlined earlier, as almost a threat (if she doesn't have Chakotay's loyalty it'll most definitely mean mutiny). Chakotay asserts that it wasn't a threat, he's only trying to help by telling her how the Maquis crew will react to what she's telling him. "I'm sorry you can't see that" - not an apology for what he said but that she isn't willing to budge, not willing to listen to him and acknowledge that she might be as biased towards her crew as he is towards his. Chakotay is trying his best to acclimate his crew but if Janeway isn't willing to do the same, to talk to her people as he's talking to his, then this will not end well and that isn't a threat. It's just the reality of the situation. He then asks permission to leave, showing he is willing to observe Starfleet protocol (just as when he asked permission to speak freely), and Janeway lets him go, exhaling at the intensity of their debate when alone in her ready room.

[milowing]

"in the original myth medusa was a rape victim!" i'm literally banging my head against the wall

[uncanny-tranny]

I often see this impulse from other trans men* that involves hypervigilance of being one of the "good men" who set ourselves apart from the men who hurt others, and I wonder if this ultra-policing actually prevents us from being "bad"

I wonder if agonizing about doing everything "right" is only contributing to poor mental health of trans men* because you are seeing a distorted, monstrous version of yourself, somebody with whom you have to kill off. It forces you into this space of having to be perfect, to beat yourself up over any perceived infraction.

And I just don't think it's an effective measure to ensure we are "one of the good ones." Constantly treating yourself as the beast, treating yourself like a leper who has no place in the civilized world? How does that ensure that you both treat others well but also ensure that you aren't fucking miserable every single moment you're not alone?

[corfisers]

i really need to finish this one day

[heartofstanding]

There's a new novel about Joan of Kent that's coming out in September: Elizabeth Chadwick's The Royal Rebel.

1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight, Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her.Although both know their romance is forbidden, their love for each other grows stronger than the danger they face, and they marry in secret. But before they can make their tryst known, Thomas has to leave for war, and in his absence, Jeanette is forced into a second marriage and locked away from the world. Then Thomas returns, and the real fight begins. As hostile family members battle to keep Jeanette and Thomas apart, the defiant lovers vow to be reunited - whatever the cost...From the award-winning and bestselling author, Elizabeth Chadwick, comes an epic love story set against the tumultuous backdrop of high chivalry, deadly warfare, devastating plague, and savage rivalry in the twelfth century - the first of two parts telling the remarkable story of a woman who rose from royal rebel to formidable influence.

I have several posts on this and a glitter text gif but let me just say it again: Joan of Kent was born at the earliest in September 1326 and at the latest September 1328 (her birthday was on or shortly before Michaelmas, the year is unclear). In 1338, Joan could only have been 12 years old and quite possibly hadn't yet reached her 12th birthday when she married Holland. Holland was born in 1314 or 1315, i.e. he would have been around twice her age. No wonder her family was "hostile" to the marriage! That "powerful draw" Holland has would see him on a sex offenders registry.

Either Chadwick has aged Joan up like a tacky romance novelist loosely inspired by history, she didn’t bother to work out how old Joan actually was or she’s like “yeah totes fine nothing to see here Margaret Beaufort was the norm” when every serious medievalist will tell you that Margaret Beaufort was not the norm. Please. No more "preteen and early teenage girls could fall in true love with grown ass men in the Middle Ages and it's completely fine, nothing rapey about that."

[keeps-ache]

The OCs you posted recently look really cool- could you talk a bit about them? Maybe the antagonists as well?

!! oh thank you :D

suuure yea :>> it's a smaller, newer thing of mine so not a lot n some of it may change!! but here's some profiles lol,

✧ Tide (the square head; they/them) is some sort of creature thing who lives in a remnant of an old world that decayed a long time ago after finding themself trapped there (that changes after they meet the goddess). they're head over heels for the goddess that still remains in the corridors there and they're not very normal about it hbfhvs - they can't be killed by any regular shmegular means and i have fun with that loll

✧ Vernor (ponytail gal; she/her) i don't have a lot for her, but she ended up in the same place Tide did and is very upset about it, understandably. she's good a martial arts and cries easily, and is pretty suspicious of most strangers :) she has a small knife-thing that works like a witch's broom (you have to hold the little handle for dear life though lmao) but i haven't gotten around to drawing it so !

✧ Dire (red circle; he/him) was created by the aforementioned goddess to dump emotions/thoughts she didn't want into, and then just sent him on his way lmfvhsh - because of that he is confused most of the time and still pretends to know everything but is figuring things out for real lol :3👍he hates to change his clothing and is snappy, and the snappiness may get worse on personal proximity hbfshv

^ these three have a Thing goin on. mostly qpp cuz i think it's fun :33

✧ Sleepy (the antagonist, he/him) the elusive guy. elusive bc i haven't drawn him lmfsh - another budy trapped in this old chunk of a dead world, he is also upset about it but to a much more desperate extent lol - his name isn't actually Sleepy but Tide nicknamed him that when they first met and now he can't seem to shake it hfsh, he Does hate it :) he is violent but he can play nicies so he does that most time loll

✧ the goddess (only thing holding this world together, She/her/it (capitalization is optional :3)) has been here for ages, ages, ages. her world's been long dead but she just keeps living for the monotony of it hfsh; plus, it's like her job never ended if she just keeps doing the same regular things she always did. bc of that it's actually preserved her chunk of annihilation, and sucks other creatures in w/o her knowing. the chunk is like a maze that keeps changing shape, so unless you can see it from a god's eyes the place is iiiiiinfinite! and terrible; the place changes to her moods and wishes, which can be interpreted p strangely lol :3 she's talked to and kept Tide around bc she needed somebody to deal with all these weird people coming into her dang house, and it's worked out fairly well (dubious)! :D

the world-chunk is inspired by vaporwave, abandoned malls, and the distinct smell of chlorine my mother has sometimes loll :)

[merakiui]

mera i am so excited for TMDG, you’ve been dropping hints about it every now and then like girl you’re teasing us at this point (affectionate)

i can feel that it’s going to be a masterpiece, you are cookin so much for us like what did we do to deserve you ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡

and the recent one with azul…it made me so!!!! (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) will you write something happy or lighthearted for our poor tako now that he’s home? i can imagine him kneeling on the floor gripping your ankles right now, asking for orgiveness and a happy ending lmao

also take care and keep safe always!!

Forgive the occasional teases!! I can't help it!!!! 80 pages in and I am vibrating with excitement AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! o(≧∇≦o) it reads like Azul thought 4 with a romantic tone, so if you've ever wanted scary, yet also fluffy yandere eel you will hopefully enjoy it (I think and hope. ^^;;;;)!!! :D TMDG may just be my Jade magnum opus. I have had too much fun writing it and I think that will be obvious when you read it hehehe. Thank you for looking forward to it and saying it will be a masterpiece!!!! ♡( ◡‿◡ ) everyone who likes Jade (and Floyd) will be feasting because there are plenty of yummy scenes!!!!

^^;;; perhaps "sad" was too much of an understatement. It is a tragic fic for both Azul and the reader... If tako is at my feet begging for forgiveness, who I am to ignore him? ❀⸜(˶´ ˘ `˶)⸝❀ although I will probably write something fluffy for him! It looks like most are in favor of giving Azul his discord mod fic, so he may just get his happy ending after all!

Thank you for your kind words!!! <3 please also be sure to take care of yourself and stay safe!!!!!

[kneworder]

angry at the oscars barbie nominations but in an annoyinger way (i think nominating ryan reynolds makes sense but the best picture and best supporting actress noms are ridiculous)

[beaversatemygrandma]

At roughly 4 to 5am one of the cats decided to climb on top of the shelves right above my head where i sleep. Shelves that we put there specifically bc they couldn't reach them. (They grew since then. They can now...) And I was rudely woken up by a lego succulent that was on display hitting me right in the head.

The little shits have mastered verticality and I'm hating it.

Anyways. Anybody have any recommendations of museum putty for displayed lego sets? (Bc anything that isn't plastic isn't out in the open bc of them.)

[iniziare]

Sometimes, fanmade animations really blow me away. Like, hello, Yelan? The accuracy of what I also have imagined her 'close-combat' to look like? I do recommend the full video by the way, which predominantly showcases Yelan and Childe respectively, with Ganyu and Xiao playing much smaller roles, but it's well-done. It's a Chinese fanmade 3D animation done for Genshin's 2nd anniversary, called 'Phantom of the Spy'. It's quite neat.

P.S.: God, I can't wait for her rerun in phase two. I need Aqua Simulacra.

[aparticularbandit]

The thing is. Junko is very aware that she's unstable. But everyone else who SHOULD be a source of stability decides that SHE will be their stable center instead (looking at you, Mukuro and Yasuke), so she's just.

Up a creek without a paddle, and by the time she finds one, it's too late because she's that unstable center for so many people that she can't STOP.

[vegaseatsass]

I'm so exhausted I don't really know where or how to begin my one-day weekend, have spent the day just kind of collapsed into executive dysfunctional confusion when what I WANT to do is post on tumblr about gay tv

[assortedvillainvault]

Disney Villain Polycule Posts Part 4 - DV'Cule SQUAD UP

Holy shit welcome to over 1500 words of actual prose becuase the muse has a glock to my head and won't take no for an answer. This is the first time I've written actual prose since I graduated...three years ago?! MAN. DV'Cule stops for nobody.

Mal's been snubbed politically, and her partners assemble to plan VENGANCE. Enjoy! Under a cut because jesus christ I'm not going to kill your dashboards like that.

“You’re kidding me.”

Jafar shifted in place, eyes locked somewhere in the dark beyond the Underworld throne room. “No.”

“You. Are kidding me.”

“Hades. I like to think I wouldn’t attempt to frame this as something so trivial as a joke.”

Said God of the Dead made to roll his eyes, but Jafar could see the way they kept flicking over to the darkness he himself was trying so intently to parse. He hoped a Cthonic God could see further into it than him.

“I just- what purpose does that serve, y’anno??” He gestured wildly as he spoke, and Jafar can’t help the habitual appreciation for Hades’ long, thin, expressive hands even as most of his energy is aimed toward attempting to fix the situation they’d been dumped into this morning. “It’s so cliché! It’s a repeat so stupid even Snoring Beauty wouldn’t have thought of it! I just- Just- What the hell was the aim here??!”

A cold draft and echoing breath comes from the stairs to their right. “The aim is of no importance.”

They turn toward the Horned King as he ascends the final steps, the foot of his robe sodden with Styx water. “The intent was to insult and it was...successful. What matters-” Jafar narrowed his eyes as bits of charred fur fall from the back of the matted stole. “-is how we move forward from here.”

“Well we know that!” Hades huffed and threw himself onto the raised dais of a throne, snapping his fingers for a flame so the King could begin drying off. A small ‘hmm’ of thanks came from the lich’s chest as he began to gently steam.

Jafar takes the moment to take a deep breath in and out, turning from the window. He makes contact with the King’s eye sockets and finds he can’t even muster up the energy for their usual biting commentary. By Allah, what a day. “...How is she?”

His Majesty sighed. “I suspect it is worse than we initially thought.” Both god and sorcerer suppressed a wince. “She had already destroyed several chambers by the time I was able to reach her. By the time I did she would not acknowledge me, nor respond verbally.”

“Fantastic.” Jafar rubbed at his temples, feeling a migraine coming on.

“...She also seemed to be stuck between forms.”

“Well Shit.”

“Language.” He can’t stop the reprimand before it slips out, an incredible sticking point from being forced to help raise a bratty little princess that made his teeth grind.

Luminous yellow eyes narrowed. “Fuck the Mouse and Fuck You, this is my home and I’ll swear when I feel it’s appropriate. Which is now!” Hades flame roared orange for a brief moment before smoothing back to blue. Jafar doesn’t miss how it remained several feet down his arms and robes.

He feels the fizz of magic under his suddenly forked tongue and makes the effort to swallow it down before he starts spitting venom in the literal sense. No need for that towards his allies. Lovers. Confidants. All of that and whichever.

Hades finally takes notice of the burnt back of the King’s robes. His eyes widen. “Fuck. She, uh, she didn’t..?”

Jafar knows that that is as far as any of them are willing to ask, but holds his breath anyway.

He can’t describe the relief when the King started shaking his head almost immediately. “No, no this was...” he grimaces. “...accidental.” He seems to gather himself, almost as if bracing, and growls. “Part of the ceiling came down. I flinched. Stumbled backward into a brazier and caught alight.” he folds his arms, and Jafar feels his face twist as he catches another whiff of the Styx all but pouring off the lich, ice cold and faintly ringing with voices. “She flung me into the river to put me out. May have miscalculated the force. I was almost thrust upon the shores of Acheron.”

Jafar feels more than sees the air escape Hades lungs and lets him slump back on the throne with no further comment.

That part of their contract is written in blood and stone – they may be villains, but to raise magic, hand and/or weapon against each other would be an instant nullifier, and Jafar knows he’s not the only one afraid that their entire partnership would unravel if but one of them turned on another.

They aren’t good, and they’re well aware of it. One can only hope that keeping this arrangement mutually beneficial keeps it stable. For now, at least.

“I assume Charon was able to fish you out?” he asked. The bony boatman seemed able to materialise out of the river at will.

The unmistakable sound of squelching and popping heralded their final arrival. “Oho no, angelfish, that was all me.” Ursula hefted herself gracefully over the windowsill, tentacle arms braced against the stonework. “His Highness swims like a rock. All that fur doesn’t help.” She snickered. Said undead royalty raised his shoulders in the approximation of a shrug.

“I stopped being able to float about five centuries ago. Were the current not so strong I would have walked back along the river bed. The banks are too sheer to climb up.”

“That’s by design.” Hades grumbled. “You have any idea how many schmucks used to climb out and wander off?? It was a nightmare. The imps used to have to herd them all into the floodplains so I could blast them back in four times a week.”

“Regardless.” Jafar strode forward, before stopping suddenly. “The throne room is twenty stories high. Ursula. Why. The stairs are right there.”

The sea witch inspected her fingernails. “Stairs are for two legs, walls are for eight.” She smacked her lips and grinned. “And I’m not wasting magic on shapeshifting when I can get here and look good at the same time, sweetheart.”

Jafar tried very very hard to not imagine Ursula latched to the ceiling like some kind of vast, malicious, be-tentacled bat and resolved not to walk near to any of the underworlds walls for fear of ambush. Ursula finally seemed to bore of her fingernails and slid further into the room.

“Anyway, I can confirm what the tabloids are blowing bubbles about.” At this her grin dropped. “Invites for the newest arrivals welcome have been issued to everyone.” She glanced at the King and emphasised. “Everyone. Except our Dragon.”

They reabsorb the news with a background of malcontent and dash of something vile.

Maleficent had been seen by the general populace and, eventually, the forces of good as the de facto leader of the Disney Villains for decades. This wouldn’t nearly have rankled so hard if no villains had been invited – that would just be a moral difference and a wish for a quiet party, which they could have left alone.

No. Someone had gone out of their way to not only invite every villain under the sun, including those ignored for decades (no offence to the Horned King, but he kept to himself and when thought of it tended to be with horror), but specifically exclude Maleficent. That’s personal. That’s petty.

That’s downright stupid given that the disrespect shown in exactly the same manner regarding the royal christening of Aurora led to a 16 year curse.

It’s a great big, giant flag absolutely daring her to do something about it.

Jafar gripped his staff so hard his knuckles cracked. “She’s being baited.”

The Horned King’s eyes were already beginning to take on a faint scarlet glow. “The situation requires caution. If she reacts, especially violently, she will lose face, and so will we as a faction.”

“And if she does nothing it tips our hand to our enemies and invites a repeat.” Ursula snarls. The King growled, but did not back down.

“...A united front then.”

They turn to look at him. “The other villains have already seen the jab and will be expecting a riposte. Failing to do so highlights weakness and opportunists within our ranks will not hesitate to explore the new power balance, which is tedious to put down.” He twirls his beard around one finger, not missing the way Hades eyes light up as the elder god cottons on to his line of thinking. “We have kept the nature of our...arrangement obscure enough that reacting as a unit highlights our allyship without revealing anything more than is strictly necessary.”

“It also demonstrates that we are not as separate as the heroes would like to believe, even in matters that do not seemingly concern us individually.” His Majesty nodded. “I am willing to continue with this course of action.”

Hades clapped his hands together, flame crackling. “Get in, cause a scene, block the doors, get some popcorn for Mal’s next level retaliation. Heh, if I didn’t know any better I’d say this is the best date you’ve ever suggested, Jaffy!”

“Don’t call me Jaffy.” His face betrayed him, he can’t stop smiling. A manic thing that made him look wrong in all sorts of lighting. He knew made his partners weak in the knees.

“Aaaalright then.” Hades cracked his knuckles. “HK, Ursie, call up your mens! I’ll get the word out to Sephie and Facilier – feels like Mal’s on the move towards Asphodel so I’ll head out that way and lay out the plan to her, see if she wants us to do anything extra juicy.” He licked his fangs and dropped his voice and Jafar wasn’t going to get weak knees while plotting, he wasn’t, he wasn’t-

“Alright then.” He chuckled, drinking in three faces full of vitriol and malicious compliance. “Let’sssss crash thissss party.”

[stairset]

Maybe it's just because of where I live, but the whole "Satine didn't like that her people were a bunch of warmongering imperialist assholes and told them to knock it off and implemented gun control and made the Jedi Torture Boxes illegal so that her people could rebuild and move on from their violent history of civil wars that reduced their planet into a nearly uninhabitable wasteland in favor of focusing on more productive things like art and education and this is literally cultural genocide and she's erasing history and she should've been a villain blah blah blah" take has always been so weird to me. Like I have absolutely seen people say things like that in real life all the time and about 90% of them have confederate flags on the back of their pickup trucks so. Yeah.

[asleepinawell]

@sntoot and I were 2-manning suzaku ex for the doggo mount and it is possibly my favorite trial in the game now. i already loved the normal version and the ex was even more fun and felt a lot like a dance. just thought i'd share even if most of y'all did it ages ago because it's so pretty and the music slaps and sometimes it's nice to enjoy fun things again vicariously