#I really hope it comes back online because the situation is just awful

[beomboomboom]

if your requests are still open for svt fics, could you do one where dino and the reader do a danceology together kind of like a meet cute?

asdfghjkl that's such a cute scenario, and of course I'd love to do a fic on it 😍!! I hope you enjoy <33

Right place, right time

genre: fluff, meet-cute (sort of??)

pairing: idol!Dino x idol!reader

summary: What are the chances that you would be able to dance with the one person you've who you've always wished to dance with?

The answer? Next to zero.

So, you would've never guessed the way your wish to dance with Dino would come true by you happening to be in the right place at exactly the right time. Fate truly outdid itself this time.

warnings: a little bit of swearing

note: I don't know much about dancing, so I apologize for any errors relating to the topic of dancing in this fic 😭😭. Enjoy <33

The events that led up to this situation are a blur to you.

One second you're peacefully drinking a latte and letting your manager brief you about your schedule for the day. The next second, you're being whisked away and practically tossed into Seventeen's dance practice room to participate in Dino's danceology video.

Apparently Dino had been planning to do a danceology video with a different idol, but then that idol suddenly declined today, the day they were going to shoot the video, due to a scheduling error.

This left Dino's managers scrambling, for someone—anyone, who could participate in Dino's video. Which was why when they stumbled across your figure sitting near a window, they practically got on their knees and begged you to help them out and do a video with Dino.

Which you agreed to do, because how could you ever refuse that offer?

Truthfully, you had always been a fan of Dino's danceology videos. Heck, you were even subscribed to Seventeen's channel on youtube just so that you could watch Dino's danceology videos. As a fellow idol who loved to dance, you couldn't help but appreciate and admire Dino's dance skills from afar. The way he was strong and sharp with all his movements, but at the same time graceful and smooth never failed to leave you in awe.

Which leads you back to the situation you are in now. No longer are you just watching Dino behind a screen, now you're watching Dino, no screen between you and him, as he starts to stretch only a few feet away from you.

"Hey, wanna join me in my stretches?" Dino asks casually from his position on the floor once he notices your presence.

Relived to finally have something to do instead of awkwardly standing near the door, you quickly make your way towards Dino and copy the stretches he's doing.

"Sorry my managers had to drag you here to do this danceology video," Dino says sympathetically once you get settled onto the floor next to him. "Everything's kind of a mess right now, so thank you so much for taking the place of the previous idol and dancing with me."

"Oh no, it's no problem. Besides, I voluntarily agreed to dance with you! To be honest, I've always liked your danceology videos, so it's really nice that I can finally participate in one," you say truthfully, as you watch a relived smile appear on Dino's face.

When you and Dino move onto the next stretch, Dino seems to remember something as he suddenly sits up, his eyes widening. "Oh, I never got to introduce myself property! I'm Lee Chan, but you can just call me Dino. I'm looking forward to dancing with you today," Dino says with a sincere smile as he holds out his hand.

You quickly reciprocate Dino's smile and take his hand to give it a shake. "I'm Y/n, and I look forward to dancing with you too."

As you're shaking Dino's hand, everything feels so surreal.

You're really going to be dancing with Dino.

This isn't just a dream.

Watching Dino's danceology videos online didn't do his dance skills justice. Although, yes, Dino's danceology videos online showcased his already impressive dancing. Watching Dino make a choreography, learn the choreography, and teach you the choreography in real life was on a whole new level.

You couldn't help but notice how Dino made sure every minuscule detail was absolutely perfect. From the way he would move a certain part of his arms, to the way he made sure you and him were perfectly in sync.

"Your arms have to move like this, not like this," Dino instructed as he first showed you the way you were doing it, before showing you the right way, his arms moving up more slowly and gracefully to demonstrate. A tiny detail, that could make a big difference in the overall performance of the dance.

Still, even with his instructions, Dino could tell you didn't quite understand what he was trying to say. "How about I show you? Uh..do you mind if I touch you?"

Seeing your nod of confirmation, Dino walks behind you so that his chest presses against your back.

What. The. Fuck.

Blushing at the sudden physical contact, you try to control your breathing and focus on what Dino is saying.

Grabbing hold of your wrists, Dino demonstrates, again, how the dance is supposed to look. "Make your wrists a bit looser so that the movement looks more smooth and graceful," Dino instructs as he leads you through the movement. "Do you understand?"

You did not understand.

But that was your own fault.

While Dino was trying to teach you how to do the movement right, you weren't focusing on Dino's instructions. But rather, Dino himself. His muscular chest that was pressing against your back, his fluffy brown hair that fell beautifully across his forehead, and his gentle but leading touch made your brain completely shut off.

Noticing the sudden silence and Dino's eyes on you, you quickly snap back to reality. "U-uh.. sorry I wasn't paying attention," you mutter, embarrassed as a tint of pink litters your cheeks.

Dino simply laughs in response. "I figured, you looked like you were spacing out. Should we go through the movement one more time then?"

Seeing your nod of agreement, Dino leads you, again, through the movements. This time, you pay attention and quickly fix the mistakes Dino was pointing out.

Before you know it, you and Dino finished the rest of the choreography and filmed it without a hitch.

As you begin to pack up to leave and go to thank all the staff, you hear a voice from behind you. "Today was really fun for me. It might be too soon to say, but I really like you and would love if we could meet again for another dance video...or a date if you wanted."

Turning around, you're met with the sight of a blushing Dino. Laughing in disbelief, you reply happily, "a date sounds nice, here's my phone number."

"Well, I have to go. See you soon," you say with a gleeful smile on your face before adding on to say "Oh, one last thing before I forget."

Taking a step closer to Dino, you quickly lean closer to his face to give him a small peck on the cheek before running out the door waving goodbye.

As you turn around to get one last good look at Dino before you go down the hallway, you giggle at the way his cheeks are now a bright shade of pink as he softly holds the cheek you just kissed.

Walking down the hallway, in both disbelief and utter giddiness, you can't help but think of the fact that if you weren't in the right place at the right time today, you might've never met Dino.

You wouldn't have been able to dance with Dino, you wouldn't have been able to kiss Dino's cheek, and you wouldn't be walking down the hallway now with your phone containing Dino's phone number, the promise of a date in the future making you blush.

[jewreallythinkthat]

How can Israel be allowed to exist after citizens literally rioted over the fact that IDF soldiers might be punished for raping a prisoner? And after government officials defended that rape? Not to mention those who repeatedly blocked aid going into Gaza with no punishment.

Hi Nonnie.

Firstly, thanks for actually posing this as a question rather than just hurling abuse at me.

So, having extremists in a country - both civilians and in government - does not mean that a country has no right to exist. We literally have had fascist riots in the UK (caused by the English Defence League) the past few days based around misinformation which have targeted mosques and these are horrific but do not mean the UK should be dissolved. Expecting a country which does things that are bad, or has horrific fascists in government to be dissolved as punishment is not only nonsensical but also never going to happen. It's an ideological purity position which does nothing to help anyone.

Additionally, you never see anyone saying Iran should be dissolved for torturing women to death for wearing the hijab incorrectly, or hanging people who say things the regime doesn't like; you don't see people say the USA should be dissolved because lawmakers tried to stop aid going to Ukraine and ICE were putting children in cages and tormenting asylum seekers and immigrants. You cannot hold Israel to a higher standard than other countries.

In terms of what I've seen about the rape of prisoners, it's fucking horrific. It's unconscionable and must be condemned unequivocally - no ifs, no buts. This is a especially important topic to me personally as a man who has been sexually assaulted. The government ministers protecting them are far right extremists. They are awful people and I hope one day, soon, they will face severe consequences for their actions. The same goes for the civilians who tried to protect the perpetrators.

Those blocking aid should be punished for it. The aid situation is actually really quite complicated despite what a lot of online sources they to portray it as. The Standing Together food convoys being blocked was pretty much a manufactured issue by ST refusing to comply with rules about declaring and clearing aid so it could be sent in. They knew it would be blocked and they did it anyway. (There is a post about this from an ex member of ST which is around somewhere and I'll link back here if I find it).

The nationalist extremist citizens blocking aid are despicable however if they are saying "no aid in until our hostages come out" do you understand why they might take that viewpoint? I do not agree with it but I certainly can see why people might get to that position. I appreciate the whole of Gaza is in crisis however I can understand why people may see this as their only way to protest and try and force Hamas to release hostages (unfortunately it seems like Hamas cares even less about the lives of the average Palestinian than they do about the average Israeli.)

The fact that Hamas also steels aid, there are literal videos of this happening and Hamas attacking starving Gazans trying to get the food, and this goes ignored by so many people does not help. Now I would say that if 90% of the aid is stolen by Hamas, at least 10% gets through and that's better than nothing in my opinion but at the same time, if no one is condemning the aid being stolen and in some cases sold back to Gazans at huge prices to make more money for Hamas, then whats the point in trying to have a civil conversation.

If someone refuses to see that there are Terrible People on both sides, people who really showcase how low humanity can sink, then how can sustainable peace ever be achieved for Israelis and Palestinians.

[v3nusxsky]

Reader cheating on her husband for her ex-girlfriend, Emily because reader still loves her. So, for a little context— Emily broke up with reader about 2 years ago, reader gets married to this man in hopes that she would forget all about Emily but she never does. Reader drives like, 5 hours to see Emily even though they haven’t seen each other in years because girly still loves her(and so does Emily). - 🐦

Reconnecting 18+

*Authors note~ gahhh this has been sat in my inbox for such a long time! I'm so sorry. But I must say it's lovely to see you again anon*

Trigger warnings~ cheating homophobic parents? Arranged marriage (mentions of forced sex) broken heart long distance, meeting online daddy em subby r strap on finegring praise kink degrading kink bite kink

Prompt~ see ask^^**

*ding*

That was the sound that started this all. Truly it was just another boring day playing house wife to a husband who you felt nothing but hate for. You never wanted to fall into a loveless arranged marriage, but what else could you do when your true love left you in tears at the airport to follow her dreams? If only you'd had enough courage to come out to your family and move with her. She couldn't hide anymore and that's why you both separated. You often thought of her, when the news showed a crime or when you would seen birth and marriage announcements on your socials. Had she finally found someone worthy? Someone who wasn't afraid to be openly hers? Part of you wished she had, but the more carnal selfish part wished she hadn't. But every day you lived with the fact you lost her.

Coming home from the airport broken hearted, left you vulnerable and your parents saw that. The took you in and nursed your broken heart before their intentions came to light. That's when you were introduced to Robin. There wasn't much about him really, successful, rich, arrogant and well typical alpha male attitude. You remained polite until her pulled out the ring. Immediately, you went to reply with a no, and your mother must have knew that because she quickly mimicked your voice to answer an affirmative. And that's how you really got stuck here.

You'd tried to wriggle out of the situation but your family had a power over you, one you weren't quite ready to admit. The day of your marriage they blabbered on about how proud they were of you, how you were making the right choice for the family. You'd be happy as long as you did everything Robin demanded. Your mother made sure you knew your job was to serve your husband, his every need. No wasn't allowed to be a word in your vocabulary. The moment you whined and tried to protest was the moment her right hand walked your cheek. You soon learned that was only the taster of what was to come, starting with your wedding night.

Blinking away the tears from those awful memories where he forcibly took what he wanted, over and over again until he finally got tired, not caring that he was so rough he'd caused you to bleed. After all you were nothing but a dumb possession of his now. That happened every night for years. Which reminds you, the message. Only one person had you number, Robin, to ensure you never planned to leave. So you naturally assumed it was him. But it wasn't. No it was your beautiful past calling.

It started with a simple Facebook message, something you hid from Robin. Every day at 18:59 you would mute her chat and delete it, preventing him from taking your one bit of happiness in this godforsaken world. She found you through Garcia, after a few months of looking, and just wanted to say she missed you. Until she saw him. The pictures where you looked so uncomfortable stood with his hand around your waist. You'd never been overly comfortable with men, so to see you'd married one was a shock. Naturally, Garcia had found more on you, and that was how she knew, this wasn't your choice. That's why she messaged you that day.

After months of talking back and forth between Emily's cases she knew more of your life now. In fact she'd asked you to phone her discreetly after your husband took whatever he wanted from you. He wouldn't care for you but she would do her best from a distance. If you knew she was on a case, you'd text and two seconds later Garcia would be phoning on her behalf. Those calls always made you crave a life with your first and only love. The stories Penelope shared with you sounded so wholesome. It helped a little to know they were there. Being raped by your husband was never easier but they just seemed to help the tiniest bit. And for that you were so glad Garcia managed to find you for Emily.

You still knew in your heart you loved Emily Prentiss, of course you did, but what you didn't know was how you'd ever be together when Robin was still alive. On some of the darker days you'd ponder on staging his suicide just to make sure he could never put his grubby hands on you ever again. But you wouldn't be with Emily in a prison cell. So you held out. Emily didn't find it easier, knowing the abuse you were still experiencing from family and now some kind of husband, really did he even deserve to have that title? You would be much safer in her arms, in her bed as her wife. So that's why she suggested meeting up.

With some extensive planning and a lot of help from the BAU you managed to sort a plan, you'd be seeing Emily this upcoming week. After all these years, you just hoped she would forgive you for your mistake. As soon as Robin left, you set out to travel the five hour journey while you knew the BAU were working on causing havoc in his business. The closer you got the more anxious you became, what if she hated you? Well that was so unrealistic you actually laughed. How could she hate you when she's made all this happen to see you? But you weren't deluded either, this wouldn't be a run away into the sunset together, you'd have to return tonight to surrender to his needs.

The moment you made it into her arms you felt safe, for the first time in years. She held you like you were a delicate flower. Someone crafted by the gods above us. Hand in hand she took you to her hotel room, she really owed her team for the personal day, and she would be straight back out to help catch the unsub tonight. But for now you were here. You'd changed a lot though, your eyes were more dull and your were slimmer than before, you're smile didn't quite reach your eyes and you held yourself like a scared child. All these things broke her heart, they'd really done a number on you, but here and now she'd promise herself to help you escape. If that was what you wanted.

You knew Emily was being cautious of you, she knew what you'd been through over the years so maybe that's why you took the lead, slamming your lips to hers and stunning the other woman. She immediately reciprocated, it's been fair to long since she's had your lips on hers. Buy reality sets in and she needs to be sure you want this. She'll never hurt you like your husband does. "We don't have to" she murmurs resting her forehead against yours as you both tried to catch a breath. "Emily, I need you to touch me. Make me feel your hands. Make me yours Emily, I've always been yours but please. I just want to feel you on me like we use to. That's all I want. Show me what it's meant to be like" you trailed off at the end scared, truly you weren't expecting to be this okay with the thought of sex, it's been something you hate for years but here and now you need her and that was all you knew.

"Okay" caused you to breathe a sigh of relief and immediately start tugging at her clothes only to be stopped by her firm hand, "we take this slow y/n I love you too much to rush this Angel."  That caused you to do a double take. Angel? Love? Such a foreign concept for you. But when she kissed your lips again it was filled with love and care. Immediately, you submitted to her, her lips kissing every inch of skin in sight. But not taking anything off. "Emily please" you whimpered trying to communicate your want. "Shhh sweetheart, I wanna take me time my love, let's get on the bed okay? Remember we can stop anytime no matter what just say the word."

But saying the word would never come. Not with Emily. But still it felt reassuring to have a choice. But as always the raven haired woman was diligent and carful with you, just how she was before. A stark contrast to what you'd been through for years. She wasn't even using her kinks for the first orgasm. Just wanting you to get use to the feel of gentle touch. You had to practically beg her to degrade you. The praise was always wonderful but you really wanted to hear her spew that perfect mix that only she could do.

"Oh sweetheart, you wanna be daddy's good little slut? A precious whore for me hmm" she purred watching your body for signs she'd gone to far, only to be met with your hips bucking against her hand and a desperate plea for more, "daddy" you whined, "make me yours please I need you." By now you were too drunk on the love to care, with Emily everything feels right and safe, and all that does is fuel your need for more. With a particular curl of her fingers that brushed just right against your G-spot you sunk your teeth into the junction between her neck and shoulder. "Oh fuck sweetheart! Good girl, such a good girl for me" she cooed working back down as your body withered beneath her.

"Em, do yo-uh -I" you panted, the confidence you use to have faltering. "You can ask Sweetheart, do I have?"  You blushed a bright red and mumbled, "your strap?" With a nod Emily when to her bedside table and low and behold, the strap laid there just ready to be used. You were surprised she still kept it, perhaps not the same one but a replica. Inserting the smaller end into her own needy cunt she strapped up watching as you liked your lips. "Do you want to wet it darling?" Panic flashed through your eyes, that would hurt. "Shhh you don't have to, I remember you use to like that, that's why I asked Angel."

Just like that the fear is soothed, Emily won't hurt you. But you stand by your answer and she secured a small bottle of lube to run along the shaft before teasing your slit the the tip of the faux cock. Her hand came to join yours, intertwining your fingers gently. "Ready?" She murmured looking into your beautiful eyes, your pupils blown so wide she could hardly see the colour anymore. "Ready " you mumbled before she pushed into your fluttering hole.

Unlike with Robin, this didn't hurt, no. You felt a serge of pleasure course down your body as you adjusted to her size. "Oh god I've missed you" you whimpered  learning up to tug her closer. The feeling of warm spots on her shoulder concerned Emily, "sweetheart? Do you want to stop?" You couldn't help but whimper a no. You truly didn't but this was just so perfect, you didn't want to leave.

Emily was always so precise in her thrusts, a slow and gentle rhythm that hit all the right spots, you  two made for each other as you tumbled over the edge together. This was everything and more but the best part was when she cleaned everything away and just held you close, threading her nimble fingers through your hair. "You're perfect" you mumble still I'm your haze of sub space, "I should've left with you all those years ago. I'm so sorry Emi" you sobbed as your shoulders shook with the pure weight of the emotion.  "Hey hey hey, I get why you couldn't. And I know what that bastard is doing to you love, with your safe so I have the team waiting for your word to take you away from him. He won't ever have to touch you again. "

That was news to you, clearly stunned you looked at her. "Garcia found out his company has links to our Unsub, that's how he's finding the girls. Robin has multiple clubs trafficking girls as young as sixteen" she explained delicately, making sure not to hold you  as she didn't want you feeling restricted. "He would go away?" Was all you had. "Of course, for a long time sweetheart. You'd be safe."  The two words weren't said but were implied, "with me." You'd always be safe with Emily, so you have the nod. Emily hurrying to make her phone call, "Garcia? Tell  the team we are a go" she rushed into the receiver. Clearly Garcia had said something but Emily was quick to shut her down and end the call. "Don't you have to go and help them Em?" You pondered, you knew what your husband was capable of and so did she. "The only place I need to be is with you. I'm never gonna lose you again." A few hours later Emily got a text saying everything went well and they even saved a few girls. You were safe now and ready to finally be with her.

Word count~2359

[mangosaurus]

Hi! Love your jwcc fanarts! (Hope u don't think my question is to annoying lmao 😭❤️)

I wanna ask u what do u think about that theory abt Ben gf being a catfish? Maybe one of that people that have been hunting them idk. Some posts claim it's actually Brooklyn trying to keep herself updated about the whole situation?? TO MUCH THEORIES

Also if the gf is actually real I'm curious about your opinion. Like I saw a post saying that Ben could be Bi, Pan, etc, but really, I am bisexual myself and there is no bi subtext on that boy... and it's not like they suddenly are gonna officialize he is bi/pan, or give him this type of subtext at this point of the franchise. Is not cool when people call "bi/pan" a media trying to avoid dealing with a character queerness. It's just painful that people think this is a real way of portrait of a bi/pan experience. It's not!!

AW thank you so much! i know i haven't posted much art lately but it still makes me really happy to hear that people enjoy it. and your question isn't annoying at all, don't worry about it :) i love receiving and answering asks, it doesn't matter what they're about

the more time that passes the more plausible the catfish GF theory sounds to me. if i had to guess, ben probably met his girlfriend online, possibly through dark jurassic (which a lot of the fandom seems to be in consensus about). as for it being brooklynn ... not too sure about that one! i've mostly treated it as a crack theory up until now, if just because of how absurd it sounds on paper, but i wouldn't put it past brooklynn to pull something like that. keeping in touch with ben is probably one of her only links back to her friends, besides her contact with ronnie (who is only partially connected to darius at this point, since he quit the DPW). i'd recommend giving these two posts by kitabearuwu a read if you're interested in exploring that theory further.

now if the girlfriend is real: i obviously can't speak for you or other bi/pan/otherwise mspec people, but i've come to not care all that much, if i'm being honest. it was definitely a shock to hear, as was the intended effect, since darius, sammy, and yasmina all initially reacted with surprise. but my question is what harm does ben having a girlfriend in chaos theory pose? like, does it play into any negative stereotypes? does it communicate a dangerous message about queer people? i've seen some people argue that it perpetuates the notion that mlm relationships are "icky" and shouldn't be portrayed in media, but i have to disagree, respectfully.

i think it's also really important to remember that subtext is ... ultimately kind of subjective, and is totally independent of the creator's intentions. that's the whole point of subtext—it exists below (hence the prefix sub-) the underbelly of the text. you have to be looking for it to see it, basically. and for a long time, the fandom (or at least the queer part of the fandom) subtextually read ben as gay! a lot of that had to do with his rather intimate interactions with the other boys, juxtaposed against the way he rejected yasmina when he thought she had a crush on him ("i like you, but i don't like like you ... i'm just now starting to find myself"). but ... i don't know, if we want to start citing text, you could also argue that ben's whole thing about not putting him in a box circa jwcc s5 could be a point towards him being generally unlabeled, which leaves room for him being mspec.

if i had to make some definitive statement on the matter, i guess it'd be that this fandom gets really bogged down by the specific labels of these characters, when it's really not all that necessary. this is still a gay show made by gay people featuring unapologetically gay characters in explicitly gay relationships, of which has been some of the best gay rep i've ever seen in media. and having that kind of representation on TV matters more to me than knowing what ben specifically identifies as, even if it doesn't align with my headcanon. it doesn't have to! but i also don't know for sure if it doesn't align with my headcanon, because we haven't gotten the full story yet. ben's girlfriend is most likely gonna be of some importance, given that he mentioned her twice without going into much detail about her. that leaves a lot of room in future seasons to expand upon who she is and her role in both the greater narrative and ben's life specifically, including his identity. i just think it's best we reserve judgement at this point, basically

[astroninaaa]

when it comes to cellbit suing twitter and everything, having an existing defamation case he already won would be good to refer to if hes gonna sue sasa specifically for defamation in terms of evidencing, right? ill be honest i dont know a whole lot about legal strategy but i imagine taking her to court for both abuse and defamation is the goal and having a case in which its already been proven that the harassment has damaged his career could be really important because after that his team just has to draw a clear connection between the harassment and sasa. idk though im not a lawyer much less a brazilian lawyer lol, do you mind weighing in? what do you think the strategy is here?

this is SUCH a good question so like. yes but also no it depends on how they argue it and on the judge imo

if he wins the lawsuit against the twitter people and proves that the harassment was awful and everything that is suuuch a strong argument to use in a lawsuit against his ex. like see they’ve recognized that this harassment affected my life a lot and really negatively and you started it

however. she could argue that she never asked people to harass him, or that she only said his name a couple of times within all the accusations, and that’s,,,, true. like, she implied VERY HEAVILY that it was him and i think (hope) that that’s enough, buttt it can also depend on how good HER lawyer is.

there IS a very clear connection between her actions and the harassment, but there’s the matter of intent. she can say she was just venting online, that she never asked people to harass him, that she tried to keep from talking about it but people kept bringing it up etc etc.

i think he still has a very strong case of she implied VERY hard that it was him and even straight up said it was him (the SA accusation quoted a tweet that said his name directly), and how more than once she talked about how awful it was that people still supported him and how they should take her side (i was a cellbit follower back in 2017/2018 it was THE TRENCHES i remember it all). at the end of the day, any judge that actually looks at the entire situation would be able to tell that, well, her side of the story is kinda iffy. no proof, just words, bringing it up whenever he’s getting more traction than usual, coming up with new, worse accusations every time but never taking him to court. saying she doesn’t want to be related to it or to him anymore and yet bringing it up at every opportunity after seven years.

so yes i think winning the lawsuit against twitter/the twitter accounts is a VERY good precedent for when he sues sasa. there are good arguments she can make for herself, but i think, at the end of the day, that if he really shows up with all the proof of what she’s done and the damage it caused, the chances of her winning are less than likely.

unless, of course, she has a bunch of proof we don’t know about. but she’s “exposed” him thousands of times without ever showing any of it, so, personally, i sorta doubt it.

i hope this answered your question anon 🫶 GREAT question btw loved it that’s a very smart thing to point out

[starhvney]

any tips for us beginner writers? :3

honestly this sounds super cliche, but practice! i’ve improved in my writing skills just from a few weeks ago because i’ve been posting so much. writing is a skill kind of like art.

although that’s cliche, here’s a few resources i use to improve my writing:

☆ pinterest | i have a board full of character descriptions, prompts, word substitutions, world building tips for realism, etc. that i reference all. the. time. look up writing tips on pinterest and you’ll find millions of suggestions. i’ve scrolled for hours on there.

☆ plan | have a general idea of where you want the story to go, even if it’s for a short story. if you don’t know that you want your character to end up from point A to point B by the end of the story (because you don’t even know what point B is), then you’re writing can become drawn out and pointless.

☆ online dictionary/thesaurus | sometimes i end up reusing a word too many times, but still want to convey the same idea. look up that same word and find a synonym for it that works!

☆ grammarly | sometimes checking my own spelling is too time consuming and i don’t want to do it. gradually it’s useful for pointing out places with spell checks (but don’t always take its advice if it wants to shorten or reword a sentence, it’s not always right for creative writing)

☆ walk away | if you feel like you’re just not in the creative headspace and you’re getting frustrated, or you’re not sure of what you wrote is good, get up and do something else for a bit! once you’ve cleared your mind, come back to it and look at your work with fresh eyes to correct any mistakes or think of new ideas.

☆ listen to music, ambience, or even asmr | i do this a lot! i find a playlist of mine that fits the vibe of what i’m trying to write, and it helps me focus on the story. for instance, if i want to write a scary scene i listen to film soundtracks that are intense and eery, or listen to an ambience from a horror game. if i want to write something peaceful, i listen to soft music or a spring morning ambience. this really helps if you struggle to get in the writing zone like i do.

☆ shut off your left brain | sometimes when we write or draw, our focus and thoughts become too critical of our work, and we stunt ourselves or get frustrated and completely give up. you have to switch over into the creative side of your brain, and not care if you make mistakes as you write! you can edit it later, but just focus on getting the story and thought out of your head. i do this by daydreaming the situation first, and then writing it out while listening to music.

☆ study other artists! | similar to art, you need to study others works to develop your own style. look at the works of a fan fiction writer who’s really good, or a popular book that made it big. when do they break off their paragraphs? how do they change scenes? how do they form their sentences and describe the scenery and characters?

i’ll also say that i did grow up with an english teacher mom and much older sisters who also became teachers and had an extensive vocabulary, so writing came easier to me than others because of that. BUT! even still my writing was awful a couple of years ago. it took a lot of practice and trashing my old work to get to this point.

i’m not that great of a teacher myself, but i hope this advice helps! best of luck to anyone who wants to try writing, don’t be scared to start!!! i believe in you :)

[your-bigender-big-brother]

Do you think is it wrong to try and run away to a shelter for queer youth if you’re not in immediate danger from your family? The people i live with are all very bigoted towards queer people and even though i’m not out i just feel awful being here everyday. i’m homeschooled and am in an “isolated” community so i don’t have any real support system outside of my family to go to

I don't know how accommodating queer shelters can be because I don't know a lot about them. Where I'm from, homeless shelters aren't very good (but maybe ones specifically for queer youth are different? I'm not sure.)

Playing the waiting game really sucks, but it might be the kind of situation where you have to stick it out and get out when you're old enough and have the money to do so. It's going to be really difficult. Spend your time at home coming up with a game plan. Even if you don't fully follow that plan when the time comes, you can take a look at your plans (which can literally be a notebook with a list of goals and things you'll need) and hold onto that as an anchoring point. The vision of a life away from where you are now can be what keeps you going.

As a kid, I always dreamed of running away. Even now, I find myself imagining the moment where I drop everything and just leave. But it might not always be the right choice. Without that support system you said you're lacking, it might be really hard to survive away from home. If the queer shelter doesn't work out, your only option would be to go back home, which wouldn't be ideal I imagine.

Small steps. I'm not sure how old you are but maybe finding a job might help, because it gets you out of the house and helps you make some money that can be put toward moving out. You might also be able to look into volunteer work to keep you busy. You could also join in on some online communities like Discord and get to know some people there. You'd be able to jump on voice chat with them and hang out. I'm not sure how much alone time you get in the house.

I'm not the best at assessing situations and offering advice. I can really only speak from my own experience. But I really do hope you find something that can keep you holding on until you're able to get out of your situation. Maybe some of my followers can offer some advice? They likely know more than I do. - 💙💚

[persephoneflouwers]

Hey Angie, It’s Kimberly. I have appreciated your rational thoughts, and have enjoyed chatting with you in the past so I thought I might share my own. Forgive the “anonymous” ask, please. I love very quietly on Tumblr, and don’t want to be crucified over it.

My perspective:

I had an abusive, bipolar, narcissistic ex. Diagnosed, not me projecting. Apparently on meds, 25 years later, he is a great guy. I won’t ever get close enough to know.

When he left me, for one of the mistresses I had no clue about at the time, he went on the offensive and the things he said about me were mind blowing and painted me to be an awful human. I think to save his job in a very conservative family first work place, justify his actions, and not lose his friends, the support of his extended family and because he has no soul.

He was (is?) charming and believable - no lie- he sold heaters in Arizona for a living for a while -a lot of folks bought it all. I was in a place of devastating hurt and just surviving with three toddlers and payments due and bank accounts he emptied before he told me he was out. That he would dare say these things made me so mad, so the anger is what people picked up on, and they bought in to his narrative more. I had no way of fighting back, he was so much better at it than I was! He would crop emails and messages and then print them out to show folks ( we are that old).

All that to say, we can’t ever really know. Unless it is our life, lived first hand, all we know is what people say.

Odds are good he did things that were wrong. I think most everyone has. I don’t believe in perfect humans. And anyone thinking their pet celebrity is the rare perfect one will likely have a hard day coming sooner or later.

When I hear these kinds things, my knee jerk is to believe the person saying they were abused, because that pings me back to my own loved experience. But then I have to remember there was a time someone I married and loved and had kids with set out to destroy me. First with the abuse in our marriage and then after with the lies and accusations and harassment. And he mostly did.

Only he and I know the truth of that situation versus what he told folks.

So in this situation, it is tough to hear people jumping all in, in any direction, assuming they know all the facts because of what they hear on social media??! It could all very well be true. It could all very well be false. Odds are good, the reality lies somewhere in the middle.

What we know for sure is that a mama is has lost her son. A dad had to go retrieve his body. Friends and family are grieving, and will never get to say all the things they meant to the next chat, or someday. A very young child will never get to hug his dad again. AND WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE NASTINESS ONLINE SOMEDAY. About their DAD. people who are also in despair, or hurting might resonate with this and push them one step closer to doing the same.

At the end of the day, a life was lost. That is always a tragedy.

Anyhow. Hugs and peace to you.

Oh this is a lot.

I hope you’re taking care and are safe now, Kim 🌷

[chris-continues]

Wholesome request 1

Livio who has a part time job walking people's dogs, bumps into reader when one of the dogs goes tugs a little too harsh.

Then it's the whole cliche dogs tangling them in the leashes.

Missteps

College AU Livio / reader!

TAGS: @h4venpha @millionsvash @lune010 @vashfantasy @cowboylivio

NOTES: OH MY GOD YES perfect I’d imagine both him and Wolfwood have these neighbors who aren’t able to walk their dog and he’s surprisingly really good with animals so they ask him! This is in college au btw! Also idk much about livio 😭 I watched some of tri98 and all of stampede and I’ve read a bitttt on him but I hope this isn’t OOC! Feel free to comment constructive criticism on his characterization in this, I hope it transferred well :)

Thank god Livio had managed to find a decent paying job to help handle both him and his older brother’s finances, because the genius had come up with the excellent idea of having both a dingy motorcycle and car instead of just getting one partially crummy one. (Preferably a car. Livio was still terrified of riding in the motorcycle). Dog walking hadn’t been the worst idea- firstly, he could enjoy life outside and take a break from studying, and even if he did need to review any coursework he could always listen to the .mp3 files in the online textbook he’d found (he thankfully got his hands on some online copies of his textbooks. Made the mistake his first semester freshman year of buying the actual books, brand new. Never again).

But it was therapeutic. Nico was always pestering him to loosen up, offhandedly offering a cigarette to which he refused, sighing tiredly with his forearms resting on his knees, head heavy with the stress of the day. Birds chirping alike in the teeming trees seemed to bring him mirth, replenish his senses and it was awfully refreshing as he tried to not recount the several assignments he had to work on.. haah.

Of course the one time his attention was split, when he made the god awful mistake of checking his notifications while walking did the toe of his shoe catch on an uneven crack in the sidewalk, dog tugging him further in anticipation for someth- wOah!-

Breeze rustled his hair as he flailed in an attempt to catch himself, only to be met with his hands awkwardly mashed on your torso. One, on your shoulder, the other, bent strangely at the elbow, flush against you.

“Oh my god- yeah, I’m so sorry..” he made an attempt to step back, only to find his calf caught in a tangle of leashes.

The dog you’d been walking, for a friend, had managed to find playing with Livio’s man (dog) of the hour a lot more amusing than your calls of “here!” “C’mere!” In a panic.

He swallowed thickly, turning his head away in respect while trying to croak out a few calls of his own. Your body squirmed against his, only managing to embarrass him further. He was almost as red as the fire hydrant they were.. yeah. Ok. Yep. They’re bonding.

“It’s- it’s fine, I’m sorry.” You looked up at him, chin resting slightly against his chest.

Wow. Your eyes are really pretty.

He caught himself, “Oh, no yeah- don’t worry about it. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.” His throat felt tight, voice tapering closed as he muttered out the last of his scrambled thoughts. It’s amusing, really, how a guy so giant wishes he can curl up really small and just go.

In an attempt to make the situation a bit more bearable, you gave your name, and he offered his shyly in return. Thank god for his dog finally being loyal enough to return, as he’d begun to almost lose it. While never one for much conversation, he shied away far more than usual, muscles twitching nervously and sporadically, eyes darting anywhere but you.

It. Was. So. Embarrassing.

Your hands reached nearby him to fumble with the leash, grazing his elbow as your chests touched and oh god your arm was wrapping around him, and suddenly-

“You’re untangled!” You beamed, picking up the other leash that had previously encased the two of you, “I’ll see you around, Livio.” A small smile graced your features, yet all he could do was give a feeble wave and a, “Yeah, later.” In response.

And suddenly, the gust of wind against him doesn’t feel as exhilarating as it used to.

Not in comparison to your grazing touches against him.

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Ngl seeing your post about reader interaction made me think about how I used to write for a different fandom years ago. I used to get quite a bit of readers but then I noticed a massive change long before covid...where people would be demanding me to write for certain characters like I was some kind of robot that just spit out words and had no feelings. I ended up losing so many readers and being ignored because I didn't want to, that I left that fandom and deleted my blog. I also wrote on quotev (anyone remember when that was the spot?) and had to change my username because I was worried that people would connect the names.

I don't get a lot of interaction for the fandoms I write for now and I'm always worried that I'm going to end up the same way, because I had stopped posting fanfiction for like 5 years? before I finally came back a few years ago. I write for myself sure but knowing that somebody took the time to like it? That makes my day. I know I'm not obligated to somebody's likes or kudos or reblogs or whatever but I myself try to like or reblog sometimes!

But I totally agree, there is definitely a new group of readers that are acting like they can either demand stuff or if they do like it they just scroll on by because it's cringy and again like no obligation but I would feel awful if I treated a writer like that because I know that being in that situation sucks!

Anyway, sorry for the rant, reading what you posted made me have a flashback. Feed your writers people, Please! we write because we want community.

I'm about to go raid your AO3 page now though...you're descriptions hooked me in!

I agree with all of this! I didn't start really posting any of my writing until late 2022, but I've been reading and interacting with fandoms since long before that. There has definitely been some sort of shift in the way readers view writers in recent years. I am so sorry that you got ignored and ended up deleting your blog! That's awful! I'm glad that you're still writing!

The entitlement that some show when it comes to fanfic writers really makes me mad sometimes...there's a trend online that I really hate where people seem to think that every piece of media that they consume has to cater to them, including fanfic. It's infuriating.

And oh, thank you, sweetheart! I hope that you enjoy my fics! 🖤🖤🖤

[houkagokappa]

Comfort shows

I was tagged by @theurbanfuturesoftherecentpast to share 10 of my comfort shows and then tag 10 people to do the same. Thank you so much for the tag, I always love these!!!!

Comfort shows are hard though!! I don't really have them. I don't own a tv and I don't keep up with subscriptions to watch things online whenever I get in the mood for something specific. I've also not been watching much outside of a few seasonals lately. Instead I have a lot of comfort manga, mostly based on what or who I'm into at the time.

I'll try to honor the tag and come up with my top 10 comfort shows regardless!

Doukyuusei. This was an actual comfort show for me, although it's a movie, but a very short movie. I watched it as soon as it came out because it shared a lot of staff with Penguindrum and the gifs I saw from it were cute. I fell in love instantly and rewatched it right away. A few months later I went to Japan for an exchange, and during a trip to Tokyo my Airbnb warned me that they had limited wifi, so I downloaded Doukyuusei in advance and watched it literally every single night for 10 days straight as my main entertainment. I also kept watching it once I got back home whenever I was feeling down and needed something to cheer me up, or I simply needed something to play in the background as a distraction. I love how simple the story is, you really don't need anything more complex than this, as long as you do it right (considering what made it to the movie, the manga series goes further and it's amazing as well). Truly a comfort show for me, although it's been years since I've watched it now.

Kyosougiga (2013) episode 1. This is also not an entire show, but a single episode. Don't get me wrong, I love the entire series, it's just that the first episode is so insanely good I can never get past it, instead I get stuck replaying it until I'm a puddle of tears and no longer capable of watching anything. This is also a show that ties in with my exchange, because I went to Kyoto where Kyosougiga *doesn't* take place, and I watched it once I came back to Finland, and everything started falling apart for me. Kyousougiga gave me something to latch onto when I didn't have anything else. It's a touching story, beautifully directed with gorgeous animation. I love the mix of history and fantasy, the buildup in the first episode is amazing, and the music is to die for. It's the family themes that really get me, but overall I love it as anime at its best.

Mawaru Penguindrum. Now this is an entire series, although whenever I watch something for comfort I tend to rewatch my favourite episodes. For Penguindrum that's episode 1, which rivals Kyousougiga's first episode as the best ever made, episode 9, where we meet Sanetoshi and find out about Himari's past with Triple H, and episode 15, about Yuri's past. Yeah... Penguindrum is simply an amazing show, and watching something amazing brings me comfort.

Monogatari series. I love Monogatari because I can jump in wherever and have a good time. I think that's key for a comfort show, you don't have to strain yourself, you can simply put it on and enjoy yourself, or process your emotions through whatever happens on screen. I've loved Monogatari for years, but what makes it earn a spot on this list is how it helped me process something awful I went through a couple of years ago. I was simply supposed to rewatch it for fun, and to refresh my memory on it, but instead it had me work through the difficult situation I was in, and all the feelings I had related to it through the characters and their stories. I also gained some hope for the future, which I hadn't gotten from anything else at that time. Wow, my life's been pretty shitty this past half-decade.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I MADE IT TO NUMBER 5 BEFORE I REMEMBERED SARAZANMAI. Speaking of a shitty life, I don't think you understand to what degree I ran away from my responsibilities and the general expectations I felt I was under, and found safety and meaning for my life from Sarazanmai back in 2018-2019. I was NOT doing well, but following Sarazanmai from its initial announcement to when it aired gave me a reason to keep going, and a purpose for my existence as I kept track of and shared news with other fans. I love the little community that got built around it, even if it could be frustrating at times (Enta discourse etc.), but most of all I saw people come together and connect with each other thanks to this silly little series. The series itself is amazing, and could be a comfort in itself, but for the most part it was a needed distraction for me, and something that showed me that there's some good in this world :)

The tag thingy said 10, but I can't top Sarazanmai so this will do. I'm tagging @akroglam @cookiecthulhu @ihearasound @natsunes @nezoomi @qkawo @dreamyghostie @softsorrows @itskyatto and @exdeath-chan

[itsbinghebitch]

I was trying not to get involved in everything going on right now but after reading your last post I just felt I had to say something. Firstly you seem like a really mature and thoughtful person which is such a breath of fresh air in online spaces in general. The way you're handling the situation is really admirable and your words really resonated with me. I'm relatively new to this fandom (I watched KPTS after the shitshow in January) and, after learning what happened, I've done my best to keep my distance from the cast and BOC and just focus on the story and characters. Based on what I'd read about the case I was willing to give Build the benefit of the doubt but the recent leaked messages make that nearly impossible which is also preventing me from enjoying the series which I've come to love. What makes it worse is that I'm an artist who loves VegasPete and, just like you, every time I try to make art with them, I keep thinking about all the awful comments Build made about Bible and it feels plain wrong to draw them together. Even for someone like me who's not emotionally attached to the actors it's really hard to separate them from the characters and it's making my fandom experience pretty miserable. I have very complicated feelings about the whole ordeal - on one hand as a queer person like you I'm tired of people's homophobia and bigotry being swept under the rug, but on the other hand I've seen first hand what an abusive relationship can do to a person so I can't help but feel some compassion for him too. I truly hope he can reflect on his mistakes and heal and grow as a person. Maybe I'm just too old for celebrity culture and drama but I do feel the need to be able to discuss issues like this one in a calm and level headed manner instead of falling victim to black and white thinking and turning things into a witch hunt. Sorry for the rant and feel free to ignore this message, your post just really resonated with me and I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the matter. I hope you have a lovely day/night ❤️

thank u sm for this message.... i really appreciate you taking the time to write about your experience and i'm glad you felt like you could share ❤️

there isn't a clear-cut answer to the whole debacle. whoever tries to sell you one is a scammer or is speaking out of an emotionally clouded place (as i was last week lol).

taking a look back at everything, i think it's important to acknowledge:

1. multiple things can be true at once: you can feel hurt by build's comments and still feel sympathy for his predicament.

2. you should be able to discuss these things without feeling like you'll get, idk. fandom black points. or get blocked by everyone who thinks differently than you (which happened to me), or even hounded and hacked by people to the point of getting your blog shut down (which happened to blramblings).

3. it's really fucking hard to be a fandom creator in these circumstances. i'm really sorry to hear your art has been impacted. especially in the case of vegaspete, i tend to believe there was an "aura" inextricably linking biblebuild as actors to who they were representing on screen. no one but biblebuild could've been vegaspete for me. it was their contrasting facial features, it was in their on-screen rapport and chemistry for me. their choices in portraying the characters, the behind-the-scene interviews... that aura mesmerized me for an entire year literally. and it's not only fine to admit that the situation complicates your fandom art, it should be an *active conversation* we have as fandom creators. because let me tell you, i don't write fic on top of my insane job out of the goodness of my heart. it's because of that spark of joy i feel, that stepping out of the regular day to day. the moment that joy isn't there anymore, it becomes labor. and let me tell you one thing i DON'T do. it's FREE LABOR corporations fuck me on the daily already so why would i let them do it as a hobby too

so yeah thanks so much for sharing your thoughts <3 i rly rly appreciate it and sending you lots of good vibes. who knows what the future holds in store for us etc. etc. but we out here!!!

[charliedawn]

How would the Hannibals react to their little sister crying because of a teacher ?

Warning :.....I don't know what happened. I...I'm sorry. I wanted to write gore and...Well...wrote this. Not for sensitive souls. You've been warned.

When you came back home crying, Hannibal Jr. was the first one to find you and wordlessly took you in his arms. He knew how to calm you down, and even though he didn't know why you were so upset—he still sought to comfort you first.

"Ssh...love. Calm down. What happened ?", he asked in a soothing voice and you whimpered in his arms. "My...My teacher was mean to me today. She told me I was an idiot and that she was disappointed and that I would never be as good as Morgan or Kevin. She...She..."

You were so upset, you couldn't finish your sentence and Hannibal Jr. hushed you softly while petting your hair and cradled you in his arms. "Hush now, love. You'll be okay. Everything is going to be fine. It's okay. She won't bother you ever again...I promise."

Hannibal Jr. kept holding you as you cried on his shoulder—even though he was already planning a meeting with that...lovely teacher of yours.

A few days later :

Your teacher was scheduled to come to the house and Hannibal Jr. had asked Peter to accompany you to the cinema while they...talked.

He had set everything ready and the moment she stepped in, he smiled and put on his emotionless mask on.

He pretended to be charming and complimented her awful vest with a small seductive smile—even though it hid a barely hidden eagerness to tear through tender flesh and rip out someone's heart. He served her some tea and watched as she mindlessly drank it in one swing...

She would have a severe headache.

"It is a shame. Really. You know, I've had Morgan in my class a few years back, a very talented young man. I was hoping for another prodigy, but she is a real disappointment. I don't even know how she managed to get past kindergarten.", your teacher said with clear distaste in her voice and Hannibal Jr. could only let out a soft sigh before carefully putting down his cup. He really didn't like when teachers thought themselves above everything just because they were the adults in the classroom. Quite frankly—school was never to be an institution dictated by tyrants prepared to give up at the first problem arising. He then wondered if he should start looking for online schooling for you instead ? Well...He would have to think more about it after having dealt with that tyrant of yours.

"I see...Thank you for keeping me informed.", he said with a placid smile.

"You're w—", Mrs H/N was about to answer—but suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe...Her head started spinning and her cup fell to the floor and shattered. She then tumbled to the floor herself and took deep hectic breaths—suffocating. She tried to reach out desperately for Hannibal Jr. who kept his perfectly poised expression as she started gurgling and rolling on the floor.

"Relax, madam. You're not dying...yet.", he said with a cold smile etching on his lips and your teacher's eyes widened at the realization that she had been trapped before she passed out. Hannibal Jr. then sighed and finished his own cup before standing up and dragged your teacher to the basement.

There would be a family meeting later concerning her fate...

A few hours later :

Hannibal Jr. put both you and Peter to bed before getting down the stairs leading to the basement. Morgan and Kevin were already waiting and Hannibal Sr.'s face appeared on the screen of the TV situated at the center of the room. He tilted his head and started examining the woman in front of him with mild interest before asking—straight to the point.

"What did she do ?"

"She made Y/N cry.", Kevin answered and suddenly, a heavy silence settled around the room. Hannibal Sr. leaned forward to get an even better look at the teacher who seemed deeply afraid. He smiled. Good...

"And she is still breathing ?", he asked before throwing a quizzical circular glance at all the other Hannibals present.

"We were waiting for your approval.", Hannibal Jr. explained and Hannibal Sr. hummed absent-mindedly before his eyes settled back on the woman who was desperately trying to cry and scream through the tape securing her mouth shut.

"You did well...", he finally said before a dark sinister smile spread on his face. "I would have hated missing on all of the fun."

Your teacher's eyes widened as she shook her head vividly and tried to beg for mercy to her former students—but there was no mercy to be given. She had made their little sister cry. She was done for the moment she stepped over their threshold.

But, her fear was so strong—it made the three Hannibals present snap their heads at her with astounding synchronization. They seemed to be the Cerberus of Hell with one mind and one soulless heart—guided by fear and tears. Kevin was about to touch her when Hannibal Jr. stopped him.

"Kevin. Gloves. You know I don't like when you touch the food with your bare hands.", Hannibal Jr reminded him before giving the two boys a box of medical gloves and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Kevin and Morgan nodded in agreement before putting them on, even though Kevin couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"We're going to eat her...Do you really think having our fingertips all over her is going to make a difference ?"

Hannibal Jr. gave him such a dark stare—Kevin didn't dare protest.

"Fine fine. I'll wear your damn gloves."

Hannibal Jr. then glanced at Morgan who was staring at Mrs H/N intently. Hannibal Jr. smiled knowingly.

"She said you were one of her favorites...", he informed him and Morgan tilted his head before humming softly.

"Oh...Really ?"

While Kevin was putting on his gloves, Morgan stepped forward towards Mrs H/N and took a strand/curl of her hair and started twirling it around his finger with a small smile.

"Such a shame. You were one of my favorites too, Mrs H/N.", Morgan mourned before leaning forward to whisper in the teacher's ear. "You just had to go and make our little sister cry, didn't you ?"

Mrs H/N tried to plead and ask Morgan to set her free, but the young man seemed to read her mind and clicked his tongue before offering her a fake apologetic smile.

"Today is the day you die. I'm sorry, miss H/N. I have no say in the matter anymore...But, as a favor from one of your old favorites. Any last word to plead your case ?" He asked before releasing her mouth and Mrs H/N kept silent for a moment before throwing her head back with laughter. When she was done, she glanced at the Hannibal she used to call her "favorite" with a fierce look.

"My dear sweet Morgan...", she uttered with a sickly sweet voice and her expression darkened as she then spat. "I hope you choke on my bones."

Morgan took a step back in surprise at the dark glare his former teacher was now staring at him with and his whole form started to tremble as he felt an unknown sensation spark throughout him. He finally chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair before taking out his knife and making it dance between his fingers—relishing in the way Mrs H/N seemed unable to detach her eyes from the shiny blade.

He then stepped forward and pressed the tip underneath her chin, stroking the skin there with the back of his gloved finger. He could hear her heartbeat increase significantly and a sinister smile crept up on his face as he pressed a cold kiss on the side of her face.

"...You really were my favorite teacher, you know ?", he whispered in her ear and Mrs. H/N closed her eyes. She resigned herself to keeping silent—finally accepting her fate. It was too late. She knew it now. There was no turning back—no point in begging. She didn't even hear the voice of Hannibal Sr. when he gave them his permission to begin.

"Boys. Kill.", Hannibal Sr. instructed mercilessly and suddenly, the three men smiled at each other and were on her in an instant.

Morgan lowered his knife and with one swift movement, plunged the dagger deep into her stomach and swallowed her gasp—his lips barely an inch from hers and his eyes catching the life slowly draining away from her.

"Pretty...Really pretty...", he praised before taking a step back and leaving the two other Hannibals have their turn.

Kevin didn't like killing game so fast—he liked the chase and the hunt. So, he didn't take as much pleasure as Morgan and desired to just get it over with. He took out another knife and slit her throat before taking a step back. Hannibal Jr. was last and he stared down as she started choking on her own blood. His eyes were immediately drawn to the thick rivers of blood cascading down her neck and chest. He knelt before her—as if worshipping her. He leaned forward and started drinking the blood from her neck—giving it a few tentative licks before pressing his lips to the never-ending gush. And then, he decided to end her suffering and slowly plunged his knife in her chest—where her heart was. It was almost merciful as her eyes closed and her soul departed...But then, he sank his teeth into the flesh of her throat and tear it apart. It felt...blissful.

"Oh yeah...'Wear gloves, Kevin'.", Kevin started complaining. "But, you don't have any problem with sinking your teeth into the meat and..." Another dark stare sent his way and Kevin immediately stopped talking and only huffed a small laugh of disbelief.

Unbeknownst to all of them that you and Peter were hiding on the stairs and looked with morbid fascination at the bloody scene. Your hand was in Peter's and he sensed you shaking. He glanced at you with a small worried frown—wondering if you should come back up...But then, his eyes widened as he realized you weren't shaking from fear. Your eyes were blown wide and the wide unhealthy grin spreading on your face made you look completely unhinged.

And when you slowly turned your gaze away from the macabre scene to look at him—he couldn't help but shiver as he saw the glimmer of insanity in your eyes.

"...I love this family.", you finally confessed in a whisper.

Truth be told ? You hadn't even been that offended by your teacher's words. You just wanted to see the reactions of the other members of the family—and they didn't disappoint. You couldn't tear your eyes away as the wolves started devouring your teacher raw...It made you feel things you shouldn't and you were tempted to join them.

But then, you froze into place when you realized that the TV had slightly shifted position and now, Hannibal Sr. was staring at you and Peter with a small knowing grin. He then winked at you and raised his index to his mouth significantly.

You nodded understandingly and bit your lower lip in order not to giggle as Peter grabbed your hand and led you back upstairs discreetly.

[cazort]

Ugh. Awful day. Six months ago my wife and I bought a washing machine and chose to buy a Speed Queen, which was much more expensive than most other brands, because it had a top-notch reputation and long warranty and we just didn't want to have to deal with breakdowns. This was a tough choice that we did not make lightly. Buying a house was a huge financial burden and my finances are now tighter than they've been in years, and the amount of money at stake matters. We were hoping to buy stability and leave us with one fewer thing to worry about during a stressful life transition.

Well a few days ago, it broke after 6 months, which is irritating enough, but the company has been hellish to deal with. They keep over-promising and under-delivering. Tuesday they said a local service company would reach out to schedule an appointment within 48 hours. Over 72 hours went by with no call. I called again today and the system said the wait time was 1 hour 6 minutes. This is literally the longest wait time I have ever had from any company. I put my number in the queue and they called me back...1 hour 50 minutes later.

The rep was barely helpful. She did not seem to understand the gravity or magnitude of the situation and spoke as if what happened to me was business-as-usual, rather than a rare, once-in-a-blue moon occurence that the company wanted to bend over backwards to fix. She tried calling the contractor and couldn't reach them. She did switch the ticket to a different contractor, who called me back later that afternoon, so now I have an appointment set up for next Thursday.

But I'm upset. I'm upset that I paid over twice the price for what I thought would be a premium product unlikely to break, and with a commitment to outstanding service, and instead I got a company that provides the longest hold times I have ever seen in my life, repeatedly makes promises it fails to deliver on, and reps that have no authority to escalate the issue or do anything to right the situation.

And I still don't know what is going to happen on Thursday. Will the contractor show up? Will they be able to fix it then and there, or will I have to wait days or weeks for a replacement part? Am I going to need to drag our laundry to the laundromat and incur additional costs doing so?

I have already filed a BBB complaint. I would like a partial rebate of the price I paid, because the value I have received is not worth what I paid for. I also am talking about my experience online.

Speed Queen has a top-tier reputation. They are a brand mainly used by laundromats, supposedly made to handle a heavy volume of use and last for many years. But the way they have treated me as a customer makes me feel like I've been cheated and would have done better buying a cheaper brand available at any box store.

I'm a reasonable person. I don't expect top-tier service if I buy a cheap, low-end product. I can even forgive mediocre service. But paying premium prices and then getting unspeakably bad service is just unconscionable to me.

If they had told me it might take a week to get contacted, I would be annoyed but it wouldn't be as bad as saying I would expect a call in a certain time frame and then have that call not come. And I might feel better if they did what most companies do, which is to at least apologize profusely and tell me they are really concerned with what is going on and escalate the situation. Like earlier this week I called my bank about something they messed up and the woman was like "Yeah you are right, the interface is actually really bad. I get why you are upset. We really need to improve that."

Like sometimes that's literally all it takes. Someone saying "Wow, we really messed up. I'm really sorry that sucks so much."

But no I didn't even get that.

And of course if this happens to me I'm gonna talk about it everywhere. So right now I am warning people about Speed Queen. They may have an amazing reputation but my experience with them so far has been awful.

[fedorahead]

i've been talking with my husband on the topic of the hypervigilance of oppressed minorities and traumatized people in general.

when a group of people are under constant threat, the individuals in those groups have to face every situation with the understanding that it can be an attack on them, it can be a threat to their safety or their life, it can destroy their relationships and even interfere with their jobs or housing or children. i know this, firsthand, as i imagine many people on this site do... and i'm demonstrably not above overcompensating for that looming threat myself, but i often struggle to see it in others. and thinking of myself as a threat, or a potential one, has to be a mindful exercise because it does not come naturally and honestly i haven't ever really had a strong need to consider.

i dunno if we're all really being played against each other. it feels like it, a lot of the time. but we all have to see each other as potentially life ruining, because honestly any stranger could be with the wrong series of choices or too public an online persona or letting too many details of your life out where people can find them.

and being in this headspace of at least a little bit but usually quite a lot more than a little bit on edge all the time is exhausting, it's awful, it makes us respond to things from that position of "this conversation is dangerous to me". which sucks somewhere like tumblr where regardless of what the people in charge are doing, the majority of the users are here for love, support, to share fandoms or art or whatever to create a beautiful space. and, often, to band together in solidarity. this is the only site i see hundreds of posts sending love and support to palestinians without the weird mysterious ~glitches~ that leave people unable to comment on pro-palestine posts. it's the only site i see mutual aid and emergency crowdfunding numbers actually go up as they get reblogged and passed around to people who may not even have enough for their own bills but are farther from homelessness than the person asking and so they donate what they can anyway. it's a beautiful community full of people stuck on survival mode, trying their best.

so i engaged with a post tonight earnestly, seeing it only from my perspective. which... is something we all need to work on as a general rule, but also i pride myself on my ability to see things from different angles and even being good at that i still very much did not understand the other side. explaining why i was getting pushback for what i said to someone who has less context and understanding helped me to realize, well, why i was getting pushback. and unlike experiences i've had before, in places more cynical and less communal, the people upset with me were also being earnest and i handled that poorly.

i don't ever want a trans woman (or anyone) on this website to feel like i am a danger to them, their safety... or even their joy on this site. because honestly, wrecking someone's day by being hostile to them is more than just getting some justice or being heard like it feels like in the moment. it's also adding to the pile of tiny and huge awful things they're dealing with already. it's telling that survival mode that yeah, actually, this time you were right and you should get up at arms at this person because they are damaging. because it is damage. every random pulse of cortisol from every self-righteous message is adding to the unnecessary shitty stress levels. every increasingly tense back and forth argument is a genuinely dangerous conflict on a biological level. our brains don't know the difference. and yeah, nobody's going to have a heart attack because somebody was a jerk to them online (i hope). but we have seen what too many jerks over too long does to. and when there's waves of negativity, it doesn't matter how big or small a part each person plays, because they're still adding up together to that wave. and trans women, every single trans woman right now, is facing one hell of a fucking wave.

so... i'm sorry my misread of a situation meant that i added to that. i'm sure it will happen again, but also, i think this will serve as a reminder to me next time to shut up, at least until i've actually put in the effort to understand what's even really being discussed, under the surface or on it, in the first place.

[ronqueesha]

OC Tag Game

Tagged by @lookbluesoup​! Thank you fren!

I’ll tag: @thefrostyshepard​, @arcanist-starweaver​,  @arcandoria​, @bardofheartdive​

Favorite OC: That’s a really tough one because I love them all, and I tend to hyperfixate on one for a long period of time before I move to the next. Currently, my fave is Dairon Garrick because I’m spending the most time playing and developing her, after I largely abandoned the character when Warcraft released an unfortunately awful expansion. But the game is fun again and I’m back with her full time.

Oldest OC: If we’re talking real life creation oldest, it’s Jane Shepard. She wasn’t a fully fledged person until about 2015, after multiple playthroughs of the trilogy and some heavy modding to really immerse myself into the game. But the main components of her character were established pretty much as soon as I played ME3 for the first time in 2012.

Age-wise, my oldest oc is Kwesha Yvaar from Star Trek Online. She’s actually not much younger than Jane Shepard in IRL terms. But in-universe age, she’s mid-40s by the start of her story.

Newest OC: Saoirse. I’ve had Divinity Original Sin 2 for a while, but didn’t really get into it until very recently.

Meanest OC: Kallian Tabris. By far. She is a very prickly, angry elf.

Softest OC: Also Kallian Tabris. That rage and anger is just a spiky shell of emotional armor to protect a very soft heart.

Most Aloof/Standoffish OC: Zoe Iwasaki. Even her Fallout variant would call this version of Zoe cold.

Dumbest (Affectionate) OC: Keeran Trevelyan. Although his wealthy parents paid for the best education in Thedas, with tutors coming from all across the continent to teach him, most of those lessons were forgotten the moment they were done. Keeran spent most of his time fantasizing about his hot fencing/combat instructors while enduring boring lectures from the unattractive tutors.

Dumbest (Derogatory) OC/Smartest OC: I combined these two because they’re both Sarah Hawke. She is, in fact, the most intelligent OC I have. Although she didn’t have access to the amazing educations of my upper-class OCs like Keeran or Zoe, Sarah’s mind is a powerhouse. Which is why she was able to hide so well as a mage for many years in Kirkwall. She could talk, baffle, and bullshit her way out of most any situation without having to use any magic at all. And when she did use her powers, it was in brilliant ways.

That being said, she fell in mad love with Anders. And was completely blind to all of the warning signs of his degrading condition, and even allowed herself to be manipulated by him in the hope of seeing his dreams come true. In the end, she put a knife in his back, and the experience shattered her to the point she ended her own life in the fade defending my adorable dumbass inquisitor. Varric was never the same after.

Horniest OC: Iona. It’s basically her whole thing. Her other thing is learning to grow and mature as a person while being forced to lead the crusade. But she never stops being incredibly horny. Good thing she hooks up with a literal sex demon.

(art by @halkuonn​)

OC You'd Bang: Out of all of them, Dairon Garrick. It’s easy to explain why:

OC You'd Be Best Friends With IRL: Most likely Dairon Garrick yet again, given how friendly and extroverted she is. But I could also see myself nerding out over various comics and superhero movies with Nathan Bhatia.