#I saw this ask and thought ���yeah why not. I've been meaning to do style studies. Let's experiment.”

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

oh hey! i was reading a fic the other day where Wangji was once misspelled as Wangu. which leads me to: MDZS Pingu-style??? noot noot!

Do you think love can bloom on the sea ice?

[httpisaoki]

model! ningning x stylist! reader

(part of the billionaire! aespa series)

-> short drabble thingy cuz VERSACE NINGNING SAVE ME?!

you had been her stylist for quite a while now, taking care of her outfits and styling her the way any model could dream for. now, in ning's flirty and confident nature, it wasn't wrong to flirt a little right?

people would notice the look of pure happiness on her face whenever she saw you, hell, even you noticed. maybe she did have a tiny feeling that you were attractive, in her eyes, you were perfect. you had a good reputation, known for your impressive styling, being a former model yourself, you had taught ningning the basics when she was just starting. once she realizes her feelings, she would be in denial. i mean, no one could even reach her standards-- but how did you manage to get her flustered?

after pfw 2024, where she had walked the runway, she came back into the styling room with steam practically over her head. you wondered what got her so stressed, her eyes cold and angry. her mutters of, "That asshole shouldn't have said that," and multiple curses followed by a name, hyunjin. it amused you to think what could have hyunjin, one of her many persistent admirers in the industry, done to make her so upset. As she ranted in a fit of rage, completely forgetting she had an interview in less than 20 minutes, you stood there listening to every word, every emphasis on her anger towards the man. "ningning, deal with him later, okay? I need to get you dressed." you softly said, rubbing her wrist with your thumb as a sign of assurance. in a matter of seconds, her gaze turned soft, almost forgetting why was she so angry.

it was what she liked about you, your calmness, how you managed to make her laugh even if you only saw her for short times.

she nodded, embarrassment in her eyes as she realized that she had been rambling. "yeah, sorry about that." she muttered, a sheepish smile on her lips.

you gave her a look of amusement, chuckling at the sight. seeing her sheepish smile was adorable, and the fact that she had so much trust in you, was better. "it's alright, you just focus on your interview." you softly replied, patting her shoulder.

while you were getting her outfit together, you took the chance to ask her, "so what exactly did hyunjin do that got your blood boiling like that?"

she took a moment to gather her thoughts, before finally answering. "he's just… really annoying, you know? he keeps insisting that I should go out with him, but I keep refusing him. it's getting to the point where he's acting like we're dating to the press,"

she groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. not only was hyunjin one of those persistent suitors, he was getting aggressive with his flirting, which had her blood boiling, and she just needed some way to release it.

you couldn't help but to feel pity for her, hyunjin was a known playboy, and she was clearly tired of him and his antics. the fact he was going so far, just to get the attention of one of the industries most well-known models, was funny.

it was getting him nowhere, and that was a good thing. "why won't he stop? does he really think this is going to get the attention of a girl as famous as you?" you asked with a laugh, trying to lighten the tension a bit.

"he really thinks he has a chance," she replied with a scoff, "he said he's going to take me out on a date after today, and when I said no, he said that the public deserves to know our 'date'." she rolled her eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed in annoyance. "he thinks I'm his girlfriend when I've already told him no multiple times. I just… I really dont know what he's thinking."

you hummed, scoffing at his ego. "I know it must be hard, but you do know that you can always report him to your agency and whatnot?" you give her a comforting smile, leaning closer to your lips before adding some blush onto her face. "he may think that he's all that but it's extremely annoying that he thinks that you'd actually like him." you rolled my eyes, fury in my eyes, making her chuckle.

her lips curved into a smile, she didn't expect you to be so protective over her, not when she was the model and you were the stylist. the fact he was so persistent, and how he had the audacity to call her his girlfriend infuriated her, especially when you were the one styling and taking care of her.

her gaze fell onto your lips, taking a moment to admire them before looking away. in that moment, all those times you helped her were all that kept rushing in her mind. she didn't expect to get infatuated with her stylist, but there she was.

as she stared down, her thoughts became interrupted as she suddenly felt her cheeks burning hot, realizing you had put blush on her. she gave a small giggle, trying to act like she was fine and normal, like you weren't noticing how attractive she was finding you. her heart was pounding as, out of nowhere, a spark of curiosity sparked in her mind. "c-can I tell you something..?" she murmured slowly.

"yes? of course," your reply was quick, wanting to know what she had to say. it may have been her first time asking you permission to say something, and you couldn't help but to feel your heart skip a beat. you could feel heat rise in your cheeks, making it slightly hard to hide a smile. you waited patiently for her to speak.

she paused, taking a moment to really think of how she wanted to say this. her eyes glanced to the side, her cheeks flushing as her heart raced. "what if i told you that i had a confession.." she spoke softly, the words catching in her throat as she struggled to get them out. she couldn't believe she was actually going to confess, especially after months of just ignoring her feelings. her heart was beating out of her chest, all while her mind screamed at her to do it, say it.

ningning hesitates, not sure on what to say, which in her point of view, was getting ridiculous because why was she so nervous? she breaks the silence with a sigh, a slight pause before finally saying:

"what if i told you that i liked you?"

[ch3rriiii-bunn]

Under the moonlight

I'm such a slutttttt for thinking of this with Sekido OH MY GODDDDD😩😩

Warnings: fem!reader, fluff to smut, reader is described to be black, demon reader, reader is sekido's lover, mention of insecurity (on sekido's part), public sex, vanilla sex, soft dom Sekido, praising, dirty talk (kinda) , breeding kink(?), oral (reader receiving), aftercare

Sekido's mission from his master took him a while to complete. Much longer than he predicted. When an upper rank is given a task by muzan, they must drop all personal issues to do as he says or eles a heay punishment would be done, even death.

This was something Sekido explained to you earlier in the relationship, but it wasn't an issue for you. Sekido has strict rules for you when he's leaves on a mission, one of them being you can't leave the cottage he leaves you at. He doesn't tell you to be controlling, but he doesn't give you a reason.

Under his constant state of anger and rage, he just wants to protect you. You're a demon, yes, but you're not as strong as him, far too kind to humans and demons and would rather reason with them than kill them. Sekido often scolds you for being this way and calling it weak. However, you give him peace, and he would do anything to protect his peace.

Sekido is walking to the cottage he last saw you but his mind begins to be filled with negative thoughts. It angers him to have these feelings when he comes back from a mission but he can't help but wonder if you managed to find someone eles.

His brothers teased him about his relationship with you during their mission, more than usual even. "I'm surprised swset y/n stayed with you for this long," Karaku said "yeah your other lovers couldn't take your consent anger." urogi laughed. "That's mean Urogi. We are clones of a certain emotion. Maybe y/n just deals with, " Aizetsu said.

As much as it angered Sekido, he couldn't help but agree with his brothers. They knew they were clones, but Sekido questioned why someone like you could like someone like him. Despite him always being easily angered, he tries his best to be soft with you and only you, yet these thoughts wouldn't leave his mind, and he walks quicker, more eager to see you than ever.

Before he knew it, he was at the cottage. He flew open the door, walking so hard it his loud stomps could he heard by anyone in the small house. He searched all over the house until he made it to the backyard, seeing you sat down in the meadow picking the flowers and putting them I'm your afro.

Before he could call out your name, you looked over your shoulder. "Welcome back," you smiled at him sweetly. Sekido couldn't help but sigh in relief to see you're doing okay. "Your senses have gotten better," he said, heading towards you, but you only giggled. "It was your staff that gave it away. It's pretty loud when you walk with it, " you said, looking up at your boyfriend standing before you.

Sekido didn't say a word. He kept his eyes locked on you. It felt like he's been gone forever he didn't know the right words to respond to your welcome. You crawl towards him and hug his leg. "I've missed you so much, Sekido. How was your mission?" You asked resting your cheek on his thigh, looking up at him with your pretty eyes. "Let's go inside. I'd like to hear about your mission" you said.

"Can I touch your hair?" He asked, sounding so much calmer than ever you couldn't help your smile from growing wider. "Of course you can." Once you gave him the okay, Sekido started to play with the coils in your afro gentle and then leaning forward to caress your face with his hand. You rest your cheek in his touch, looking at him with puppy eyes.

"I'd rather stay here." Sekido sits down next to you and picks a flower. "You look like you were just getting started with this style. I'd be mad if you didn't finish what you started" he said and put the flower in your afro "lets continue to make this crown look pretty" Sekido smiled softly making you squeal, hiding your face in your palms.

Sekido manages to tell you how his mission went while you both finished putting flowers in your afro, but you noticed something was off. His explanation seemed almost dry, like he's leaving the little details out on how he felt this whole time the two of you were apart.

"Sekido. What aren't you telling me? " Your hand rests on his, but his face turned away from you. "I just told you, didn't I? I hate repeating myself-" he stops when he turns to see your smile go away. He sighed. "My brothers were just annoying. Saying shit about you being too good for me, but who cares we're demons. We come and go, " Sekido said.

Tears started to fill your waterline and then stream down your face. Sekido panicked a little, his eyes widening and immediately taking your hand. "Stop that. What did I say to make you cry?" He asked with genuine concern. "I don't want you to go. I don't want to find another demon to be with, you're the only one I want Sekido" you started to sob, holding his hand to your chest.

"I don't understand y/n. You're such a sweet and gentle woman. Much different than me, wouldn't you be happier with someone like you? You're so kind to everyone, but I'm only kind to you. I've yelled at you and even gotten angry with you, not just because im a clone but without proper reason. I'm making you cry," he makes a worried yet angered face. "I'm only crying because you forgot how much i love you," you sniffle.

"I love the kind man who's always angry but learned how to be so kind to me," you kissed his hand. "the man who puts in the effort and tries to be kind to others just for me, the man who helped me make this flower crown and the man who's done so much to protect and love me for me. So please, Sekido. Don't listen to your brothers. I feel at peace when I'm with you," you sob.

"I'm sorry." Sekido places both his large hands on your face, using his thumbs to wipe away your tears. "I'm sorry," he apologizes again, beginning to kiss your sweet face, tasting your tears on his lips. "I did not forget your love for me... I was foolish and not thinking straight. So stop crying.. I never want to see you cry like over something so stupid. " he kisses you again, and then time kisses your lips.

Sekido pulls back, letting the tip of his nose touch yours. "Are you done crying?" He asked, and you nodded your head in his hold with your lips pouted. Sekido snarls a bit, figuring out how to make you smile and just starts to rub his nose on yours "smile. Smile damnit, this tickles, " he said, rubbing his nose harder on yours, making you both fall back accidentally.

You burst out laughing and wrap you arms around his neck "that's not how you nose kiss!" You continue to laugh only for Sekido to get flustered and hide his face in your boobs. You pet his head when he suddenly shoots his head up with his hands at your sides "your hair will flatten at the back if you lay like that" he said and you only shake your head "I'll just use my pick to fix it" you smiled.

"I'll fix it for you," Sekido's voice softens as he leans in to kiss you. Your eyes closed, and your hands cupped his cheeks to kiss him back. Sekido began to close the gap by pressing his body weight down on you more, fitting himself perfectly between your thighs, and started to caress you thigh. He feels your smile in the kiss and pulls back slowly "what's so funny?" He asked.

"You're being so touchy. Wouldn't you rather go inside for this?" Your hands caress his chest, slipping a hand in his kimono to feel his warm skin. Sekido couldn't hold himself back and started to grind his lower half, pressing his cock against your pussy "I've missed you" he said opening his kimono more for you to touch at his chest and little it slip off his shoulder "I want to you. Right here, " he kisses you again, grinding harder, making you both let out a soft moan. "Can I?"

"Of course you can"

Sekido takes his kimono off, being naked over you and folds it. "Lift your head up," he said. You lift your head up for him to place his kimono under your head for comfort. "Thank you." You said and he nods. "Just lay back and let me take care of everything." Sekido starts to undo your kimono, exposing your naked body.

Your eyes closed in his touch. His large hands touching your thighs, moving up to your hips, caressing your love handles and eventually up to your boobs. Sekido postions himself and starts to lick at your nipple and takes it between his lips. His eyes stayed locked on you as he watches your body respond to his touch "feels good?" He asked and you nod quickly.

"I want words," his fingers play and inches with your other nipple making you open your eyes. "Does it feel good?" He asked again and rolls his tongue over your nipple making you whimper softly. "Yes, it feels so good, " you said, and your hips started to move in small circles under him Sekido takes notice and moves his hand down between the two of you to rub his fingers at your clit and down between your folds. "So wet for me already" he said continuing to play with your pussy and sucking on the other nipple.

Your mouth opens up more in a 'o' shape woth your moans growing louder. "S-sekido please, can I cum?" You beg "gonna cum already? If you're going to cum I want it on my tounge" he said and slowly starts to kiss down your body. "My beautiful woman." Sekido kisses down to your stomach, giving your lower half a lick and grins when you shiver.

"Always so beautiful for me," he said and kissed your inner thighs, then threw your thighs over his shoulder. "But you look even more beautiful under the moonlight." He gets to your pussy, giving your clit a soft kiss before giving you a long lick and grips onto your thighs when your back arches.

"Sekido," you moan his name, running your fingers through his hair. "That feels so good," you bit your lip. He hums in response, moving his head and tongue in rhythm with your hips moving and bucking in his face. For a moment, you look away, Sekido eyes intensely locked on you. He growls lowly when you look away and grip onto your thighs hard when he flattens his tounge on your clit and apply more pressure.

You gasp with a moan, and you thighs, shaking in his grip. You look at him again, knowing Sekido wants to watch him when you cum on his tounge. You felt shy at the idea, yet your mouth hangs open, moaning from his tongue licking at your throbbing clit. His fingers rub between your wet folds before he thrusts them inside.

Sekido moans, his cock twitches just from feeling your wet walks clench on his fingers. He let's his slavia fall from his tounge on your clit as he starts swirling his tounge in circles over your clit while thrusting his fingers upset and curling them to hit your spot.

"Sekido! S-sekido right there," you whimper and your legs trying to stay open, getting close to your high. Sekido holds your hand, still keeping his eyes on you, seeing the desperate look to cum on your face and tears filling your water line. He grins fingering you faster and feeling your hand grip onto his until your eyes shut and cumming on his tounge.

Sekido let's you clam down from your orgasm and then slowly pulls his fingers out of you. He watches your body fall back with heavy breaths follow3r by moans when he starts to lap up your juices and licks his lips. "Usually, I'd punish you for looking away from me. However I'll let it go this time" he smiles and sits up, spreading your legs open as he grinds his hard cock on your wet pussy.

"I need you" he whispers making his tip tease your clit and watches your hips move up and down. You moaned when He puts his tip inside then slowly thrusting his length inside letting out a deep sigh "fuck baby" he whispers, bottoming out and hummed when he fully gets inside you. "Are you ok?" He asked, and you nodded.

"I've never forgotten your love and I never will" he kisses your jawline "let me show you how much I fucking love you" Sekido presses his chest on your boobs and starts thrusting his hips slow, giving you deep strokes. "Oh my god" your head falls back, moaning at the feeling of his cock so deep inside already hitting your spot and your hands on sekido's broad musclar back, holding onto him as he makes love to you.

"You make me feel so good." Sekido lowly gunts as his thrusts start to increase. "You're moans, drive me crazy. Your pretty moans" he said and wraps his arms around you, his thrusts getting faster and he gasps softly when he feels your walls squeeze his cock tighter. "I love you," Sekido takes your hands away from his back and holds them tightly. "I love you, I love you," he whimpers and presses his lips on yours kissing you with tounge.

You could only hum in response. Sekido and you moan in the sloppy kiss, your hands holding his and your legs wrapping around his waist. "S-sekido!!" You manged to say in the kiss with a whine and he pulls back with saliva connecting you two for a moment "i-im gonna cum- gonna cum! Cum inside me please" you begged.

"You always ask so sweetly. I'll fill you up just how you always like it." Sekido moans followed by a slight growl as he snaps his hips faster. His hands let go of yours but still wrapping around your body, holding you close as he kisses you and groans in pleasure he felt your nails dig into his back.

You let out a long whine in the kiss as you cream on sekido's cock holding onto him tightly through your orgasm. Sekido couldn't help the whimper escaping his throat as he filled you up and broke the kiss. "I love you so much." He said breathlessly

Sekido takes you back into the cottage. The night was ending, and you two needed to have sanctuary from the sunlight and decided to stay at the cottage for another day.

Once inside, he takes a bath with you. After the bath, you sat in the chair in the bedroom, getting ready for Sekido to put your hair in braids for the night. Once he was done, he put your bonnet on your head himself and then kissed your forehead.

"Tomorrow night, how about we find a different meadow on our way home to put different kinds of flowers in your hair?" He asked.

You got up and hugged him tightly. "I'd love that"

[fertilize-my-eggs]

Send to the mha omegaverse ch.2

Finding tomura shigaraki ch.1 ch.3 ch.4 A03

A/N: I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!! It's a bit short but I hope y'all enjoy this ☺️ every chapter will be posted on Thursday. 18+ NO minor, antis and ageless blogs interact with my blog thanks you (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠) y/n= your name, l/n= last name

✩｡♡ ࣪ ˖❀ ⑅ *✩｡♡ ࣪ ˖❀ ⑅ *✩｡♡ ࣪ ˖❀ ⑅ *✩｡ ♡ ࣪ ˖❀ ⑅ *

Great just great… not only that I'm in my hero academia but also as an omega. I look at izuku’s feet, I can't make eye contact because of this stupid quirk.

“ So are you an alpha or a beta? ” I ask him as he is still hold his nose, he nervously scratch his neck.

“ y-yeah, I'm an alpha… ” ahh that makes sense, I slowly look at his neck to notice he has a mark… huh? I read some fanfic where alpha doesn't get marks. Does that mean…

“ I don’t have anything to get patches.. ” I sigh heavily, where am I supposed to go in this world? I don't have anything nor a place to stay. This is gonna be a problem.

I put my thumb on my lips as I think, if I don't exist in my world does that mean I'm… dead? No, my family is probably worried about me and wondering where I went. Yeah that could be it.

“ don't worry miss, I got patches for you. ” I see his hand in my view as I grab it from him.

“ uhh this is an odd question but what do I smell like? "Izuku start to blush as he look away.

“ you smell lovely like���. Strawberry cheesecake.. sweet scent." Okay now it makes sense why he is holding his nose, it's because I smell good to him.

I put the patch on my neck as I saw his hand out. “ There's some extra, I gotta get going…” I grab some and put it in my pocket.

As soon as he leaves, we hear loud commotion nearby as we watch the scene unfold.

I looked at Izuku as he was in shock as he screamed out.” THAT’S MY BOYFRIEND!! ” I watch him run straight to the crowd of people as I look straight ahead to realize… Bakugou was covered by the slime villain as I watched izuku run towards it saving his boyfriend? So it's not canon mha in my world where they're enemies but in this universe they're boyfriends. Now it makes sense why izuku has a mark on his neck.

I-… maybe I shouldn't be around, I'll probably affect this world but this doesn't make any sense, I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be in this universe at all.

I walk away from the crowd feeling like deja vu as I look at myself in the window. It feels odd that I look the same but in an anime style version of myself. 

I blink a few times as I begin to walk away, I pause as I thought to myself.

Maybe I can look for the villains.. Tomura shigaraki in this world, I gotta find him, I can finally have my moments with him and be with my favorite character… well I can't say character anymore since I exist in their world.

But in a city like this, there is no way I can find him as I sighed in defeat.

Well at least I gotta try, I started to look everywhere. In alleyways and to suspicious shady areas. No luck.

I sighed heavily as I sat down on the streets, there was no way I'd be able to find him. I looked up to accidentally make eye contact with a stranger as I felt fear run down my spine as I immediately stood up.

The man smirks wide as he walks towards me.” well well well what a pretty lil omega doing here all by herself? You should come with me, you're mine. ” oh god no, my quirk is affecting him as I begin to run away as fast as possible.

I heard him screaming behind me as I started to panic and feel tears coming out, I've never felt like this. Never been chased by someone and I feel like I could die any minute in this world.

As I ran away forward not knowing where to go as I saw twice?? He ran past me as he started to fight the man who was chasing after me.

I couldn't believe Jin was helping me out, he was not wearing his mask. Maybe this is before he joined the League, I watch them fight each other for a good three minute until the man says.” this is pointless you can have the dumb omega, I’m leaving…” I put my hand on my chest feeling out of breath as I collapsed into the floor, tears running down my cheeks as I held myself as I began to sob.

I hear footsteps coming near as he spoke softly.” hey omega, I saw you getting chased from my window.. are you okay? No she ain’t, should have left her to him. ” I smile hearing him speak, I look at his shoulder a bit.

“ thank you…. I can't make eye contact because of my quirk. ” I see him moving his head to the side in confusion. 

“.... is that how you got chased? ”

“ mhmm.. my quirk is called lovestruck if I look you in the eyes, you'll be like that man. ” I hold myself tight feeling scared for my life.. you would think this world is easy but you get chased by strangers and not to mention you don't know what their true intention will lead if he caught me.

I see his hand in front of me as he said.” lemme help you up, I'm Jin Bubaigawara.. ” I smile softly as I shake his hand.

“ I'm… y/n...   y/n l/n.'' He has a mark on his forehead so did it happen before? It looks a bit fresh but I won't question it as I stand up. Jesus Christ how is he taller than me, he looks like he can easily carry me around with no issues as I started to blush.

Well I'm 5’4 so he gotta be around five something…

“ you can live with me for now, I don't have much… don't be a messy pig. Crap I'm sorry about that I-.. ” I shake my head as I giggle.

“ It's okay, I understand.. is it your quirk that is costing it? "Wait, wouldn't he be confused by me saying that, would he get suspicious of me asking him that.

He turned his head away as he scratched his neck.” yeah my quirk… it's hard to talk about it.”

“  I understand, I won't ask you anything about it if it makes you uncomfortable. ” I pat his shoulder lightly as he smile a bit.

“ thank you y/n. ” I follow behind him as we head to his apartment.

[butterflydm]

wot deeper dive 2x4: daughter of the night

This specific post I am going to avoid any spoilers from the books! I will be doing another post later today that includes those spoilers and related thoughts.

I feel like I can safely call him 'Ishamael' now. The information is all there in the episodes.

I do like this initial 'calling' scene, though we got a lot of it teased to us before the season aired, so I've talked about it before. But we hear the word 'Lanfear' here, though it's followed by a lot of Old Tongue, so it might not have stood out too much to people who didn't already know that it's someone's name.

Given what we saw of the flashback last season "3000 years ago", I feel safe in saying... yeah, looks like Ishamael is among the ruins of that older civilization. Probably brings back some memories. Also, time-stamp note: it looks like he's wearing the black buttoned outfit that he wore last season, not the blue with the gold tie-clip-like design that he's been wearing this season.

3. The bloody woman! I wonder if she's bloody (and naked) because that's what she looked like when she got sealed up or if it's something that happened due to the process of unsealing. It looks like the seal was already partially damaged, so maybe that's why Lanfear was bloody when she woke up.

4. I loved Anveare's plotline through this episode. I really enjoy what the show is doing in showing us the downside of being a channeler -- outliving your friends and family, watching them grow old and die. Having children is a crapshoot -- if they're a girl, and they can channel, then it's a relatively normal parental relationship. But if they're a boy or if they're a girl who can't channel, then they will inevitably die before you. We're introduced to Anveare again by showing us her signs of aging -- she looks at the lines on her face and puts on an elaborately-styled wig to cover how white her real hair is.

5. Here's a question: given the age of her butler and how she talks later about needing to ask friends for food (and the general vibe of the manor house itself); it sounds like their house truly is fallen, as Moiraine mentioned in s1, and is having serious money issues (though in the way that nobility has money issues rather than the way that the people in the Foregate do -- she's not poor, she lacks funds) and Anveare seeks to fix the problems both of money and of her house's image by marrying her (unnamed for now) son to the Cairhienin queen (also unnamed for now). The interesting thing to me about this is that it means that her conversation with Rand in the last episode probably did have an element of genuine sympathy for the Foregaters in it -- it sounds like she's also felt like she could lose her home and her place in society. And it's implied that she's an artist! I really loved seeing the sketches and paintings in her study.

6. The conversation between Lady Anveare and Moiraine is so painful! Moiraine is NOT here to engage emotionally with her younger sister -- she is here to find Rand and to try to keep Lanfear away from him, and she has no time or patience for anything else (as we saw with her behavior with Lan as well). It's clear how frustrated Anveare is with Moiraine's behavior. I'm assuming that she guessed straight-away that Moiraine's appearance here had to do with the mysterious redheaded boy who visited Logain and made an appearance at a party (because it's also made clear in this episode that Logain being sent to Cairhien was not 'business as usual' with male channelers but an oddity, which means that Anveare has probably been keeping an eye on the sanatorium ever since he arrived) -- if Moiraine actually had been willing to slow down and take tea with her here, I wonder if Lady Anveare would have just told her about Rand. But Moiraine "my loyalty is to the Dragon Reborn and him alone" Sedai does not have the patience for such things. I like that we're really seeing the damage that Moiraine's singlemindedness has been doing to her relationships with the people around her. It's not targeted at Lan! It's everyone who gets in the way of what she thinks she must do! The way Moiraine sweeps back into the house and just immediately starts giving orders!

7. Guilty Rand and Selene ready to take advantage of it (twisting the knife by blaming herself for the fire when of course she knows how it really started). She's so manipulative! I love how effective she is as a villain here. She's good at finding weak spots and exploiting them without giving away that she's aware of what she's poking at. And the facial expressions are just... on point, always. But Rand is worried that he'll hurt anyone if he's around them, and the more he cares, the more he worries.

8. Poor Nynaeve. The Accepted testing really put her through the wringer. I like that we only hear the flashback here and that we don't actually flash back to the test. It just happened last episode! We can remember it fine. They did a good job of showing why Nynaeve is currently feeling more emotionally connected to Liandrin (who also has a child, like Nynaeve has the memory of having a child) than to Egwene, who has not experienced anything like what Nynaeve has gone through. And Nynaeve needing to take that moment to remember and go back to put her ring on. Egwene is trying to hard to connect with Nynaeve but Nynaeve just... she was essentially 'trained' by her time as a Wisdom not to want to burden 'the kids' with her troubles (we see that in the very first episode when she launches her Bel Tine lantern separate from the rest of the village, not letting them see her mourn the people she's lost).

Also: the Accepted rooms are a big upgrade from the novice rooms!

9. We transition from Nynaeve feeling out of place to Lan feeling out of place. He has his hair down, similarly to how he had it in her vision of her AU future, but the quiet happiness that was on his face in that future isn't here now. This is a slower-paced episode for Lan and he doesn't get a big reveal at the end of the episode like we get in most of the other plotlines but if I think of it as an Alanna-focused plotline rather than a Lan-focused plotline, there is a reveal -- the poem and, potentially, the worry that Lan and/or Moiraine might be Darkfriends (we'll maybe find out next week if that's where her thoughts went or if she instead assumes that Moiraine is hunting Darkfriends or something similar).

I mean, thinking about the information that Alanna has:

a. discovers this poem which references the Daughter of the Night -- she doesn't even want to believe that Lan knows who it's referring to! Because of the Implications.

b. talks about how Moiraine changed twenty years ago, very abruptly (this is also likely when Moiraine and Siuan had their very public falling-out) and became colder "like ice".

c. Moiraine was willing to use Alanna to threaten Lan with a forced bonding, which Alanna went along with because Moiraine is her friend, but she may now be thinking about that in a different way -- why would Moiraine want to push Lan away that hard? (this would be leaning into the idea that Moiraine is a Darkfriend and Lan isn't)

It's pretty suspicious, when you think about it! So... if I think of this plotline as less about the show trying to tell us about Lan and more about Alanna: Investigator (mirroring Moiraine: Investigator in Cairhien) in Cairhien, then I feel more patient about the slower pace. And Alanna: Investigator has two co-conspirators that she trusts absolutely, which is a big contrast to Moiraine, as is her relationship with her family! Where Moiraine is cold and pushes away her only relative that we meet, Alanna is warm and teasing and clearly has maintained strong bonds with her large and loving family.

We get three very distinct and different types of ways that Aes Sedai deal with being Aes Sedai and how that affects their family: you can be the cheerful guardian angel of your extended family, like Alanna is (and Maksim and Ihvon are clearly fully part of the family as well, and adored by the children); you can cut them off entirely, like Moiraine has; or you can keep them a secret so that your enemies can't use them against you, like Liandrin has.

10. Alanna always being hungry is such a great character choice. I think I may have read that it was initially the actress's idea? But they are definitely playing into it this season and it works so well, on so many levels. She is a woman of strong appetites, who isn't ashamed to show it. And, like she did with Egwene and sex in 2x1, she's assuming here that Lan also has large appetites (for food, in this case).

11. This scene with Alanna does feel like it gives us a lot of information -- Maksim and Ihvon are on suicide watch for Lan (suicide is a big theme in this episode, actually), but Alanna doesn't think that's the issue here. We learn that Alanna plans to return to the Tower the next day, and we get the info drop about Moiraine's abrupt change twenty years ago. We also have Alanna feeling Lan out about his current plans. Despite what other characters say, Alanna herself doesn't much behave like she's planning to bond Lan imo. She mentions Nynaeve to him here and presents Nynaeve as the potential new option for him. But Lan was just told in 2x2 by Moiraine that he failed her as a Warder and he felt that too -- he wasn't able to protect her just by himself and so he's doubting himself.

In... certain ways, what Moiraine did to Lan over the last few months is not dissimilar to what Liandrin did to Mat, in terms of making them doubt themselves as a person. Their motivations were different but the results appear somewhat similar -- both Lan and Mat are adrift and not certain which direction to turn. "Where would I go?" seems to be the question on both their minds. Lan doesn't feel he would be any use to Nynaeve, just as Mat doesn't feel he would be any use to Egwene.

12. Moiraine looking at all the little pieces of her youth -- the dollhouse, the mirror, the books, the music box, the... cigars? And I love her silhouette her in Cairhienin dress. It's so distinctive. She allows herself some softness here, when she's alone, that she doesn't allow when she's around Anveare. Moiraine: Investigator is now out on the town! This scene is even more interesting knowing that Celestin (head of the sanatorium) sends reports to Lady Anveare. I wonder if Lady Anveare has already guessed that the redheaded boy is a man who can channel, given who he was interested in meeting and that Moiraine went to speak with him too.

13. Loved Moiraine and Logain's scene but, wow, very sharp and intense. She tries to bribe him with the wine and fails, but she does successfully bribe him with the promise of being allowed to kill himself if he does want she asks (which really puts it into perspective how terrible it is to lose the One Power). We get our explanation here of why the gentled false dragon was in Cairhien instead of Tar Valon (bait for Rand) and it's so good! Definitely a joint venture between Siuan and Moiraine -- I imagine that Moiraine penned her a desperate message as soon as she was able to, after realizing at the Eye that she'd screwed up by letting Rand leave. I imagine they also probably made it very public gossip that the false dragon was in Cairhien, explaining how Rand found out about it in the first place.

14. It does sound here like Moiraine's current plan is to stay in Cairhien so that Rand can learn from Logain, but it's very possible that discovering Lanfear in bed with Rand at the end of the episode has changed her plans. We will see!

...also I love Moiraine's pockets.

15. Poor Egwene trying to sort through her feelings, while Elayne does her best to be supportive. Elayne is very sensible-head here, which I appreciate. This isn't a situation that Egwene can 'fix' for Nynaeve, no matter how much she wants to help. It's a lovely and sweet moment between the two of them that shows their growing friendship, and we also get to see them doing chores at the same time, which shows us that Elayne is settling with the White Tower routine. Egwene feeling small and useless in the Tower. Baby. *hugs*

16. And then we get the flipside of things and see Nynaeve's discomfort in the Tower and with being Accepted. She tries to go to the Warder's training ground to find Maksim and Ihvon, but only finds a friendly Warder-in-training who has heard the hot gossip about her skills and is interested in presenting himself as a potential bonding option for her. We do see here that it's the specific friendships that she'd formed already that she was seeking out in the earlier episode when she sparred with Maksim and Ihvon, and not simply sword training itself.

17. Liandrin spots this conversation and then receives a message. This is where we get our discussion between Liandrin and Leane about the invaders on the western coast. The conversation is very vague with Leane, but then when she talks to Nynaeve later, Liandrin suddenly has a bunch of information about a specific group that was captured by the Seanchan. Given that we do find out in this episode that Liandrin is working with Ishamael (from the Mat & Min plotline), it's easy to guess where she got her information about Perrin and Loial's capture.

I love Leane's little shoulder wrap thing. The fashion in this show just vibes with me. I enjoy it. We do learn here that sisters were sent to investigate the attacks in the west.

I am very curious about what explanation they'll give for where Siuan currently is. They've made it a mystery and pointed out twice now that it's a mystery (both here and in 2x1, in the conversation between Egwene and Nynaeve).

18. Aw, wolves! This scene is great. Perrin gets some answers from Elyas, we learn about how the wolfbrother business works, Perrin learns that he isn't a werewolf, and we meet Hopper! What a cutie! I really liked the visualizations and the sendings of the wolves. We also learn that the wolves have been seeing Perrin's dreams.

I love how Elyas clearly is trying to help Perrin but his idea of help is just kinda... off from what Perrin thinks of help as.

I really like how seriously the show has taken Perrin's grief over Laila.

19. Lan has been obsessing over the poem, and Maksim catches him putting it away (explaining how Maksim knew where to look in the later scene). So... if I'm thinking about this storyline in terms of Alanna: Investigator, then Maksim talking to Lan here is just as much about trying to get information out of Lan as it is about trying to 'help' Lan get over his 'broken' bond with Moiraine.

"Have you ever known a marriage that is exactly the same another?" I do like that they are establishing that Warder bonds can come in all different kinds of ways.

20. Now we are back with Moiraine: Investigator, who is trying to figure out where Rand might have gone after the inn that he was staying in burned down. (I assume this conversation was also reported to Lady Anveare, lol)

21. Lanfear admits a small lie to Rand here (to get him adjusted to the idea that she can lie to him and it's okay?), saying that her family never came here, that it was actually her and her ex. Lanfear constantly talking about her ex with Rand: haha, I understand why he's just ugh, "Ugh, idk he sounds boring [aka I don't want to talk about your ex-boyfriend 24/7]" especially since we know from the conversation later that Rand has caught feelings for 'Selene' even though he was trying his hardest not to. He's likely assuming that the ex was older and more sophisticated and it makes him feel young and unsophisticated in comparison when she keeps bringing said ex up.

The music here is so good.

22. Mat and Min! This is a cute interaction, though it's colored by the fact that the viewers know that Min is working with Liandrin. Mat is so so adorable here and I'm glad he was able to shed the coat for this scene. Also, Min paying the bartender to get Mat drunk (so that he'll sleep through her 'meeting' later).

23. This conversation with Nynaeve and Liandrin is so good and so manipulative. Liandrin is able to take the information that Nynaeve discovered (about her son) and use it for her own benefit. I do think there's a certain amount of regret for her that she's pulling the trigger on the plan that she was given to follow by Ishamael (from her apology later) but there's no hesitation. We know from the conversation with Min in a little bit that Ishamael makes promises. "I couldn't risk losing the only thing in this world that's truly mine." A reason to make a deal with Ishamael? And she offers the carrot here for Nynaeve to take -- people you love are in danger. She knows Nynaeve well enough to know that Nynaeve will take the bait, and likely assumes that Egwene will get swept along with Nynaeve (she saw how much Egwene cares about Nynaeve last episode).

It's only Elayne that was a 'complication'.

24. So, again, in the context of Alanna: Investigator... Ihvon trying to work out why Moiraine left Lan behind (and being the distraction), while Maksim and Alanna snoop in his stuff. We do also learn here that Alanna and her Warders all agree on their top priorities: the Light winning out over the Dark (and then dessert).

25. Genuinely enjoyed Anvaere successfully playing Moiraine. This is her city! She's the one who stayed! She knows the place and the people. And it's a good reminder to Moiraine that people who can't channel can be just as capable as those who can. She left Lan behind to protect him, but Lan is willing to risk his life for this, just as Moiraine is. Anvaere has been doing the hard work of re-establishing their house and family after their uncle did something that destroyed their reputations (unspecified). And Anvaere got what she was after from the beginning -- for her big sisters to sit down and have tea with her.

26. Elayne and Egwene's conversation here is very cute. Elayne has lived with duty all her life. She's just perfect in this scene (she's perfect).

Nynaeve not expecting Egwene to come with her has to be SUCH a blow for Egwene to hear. That Nynaeve has misunderstood her so badly, that she's believed that Egwene is after power for power's sake, rather because she wants to use that power to help people (and especially the people she loves).

And Elayne following them. So cute!

Of course, then Liandrin shows up. But it was very cute until then!

27. "No one escapes their fate. You know that better than anyone." This dream that Ishamael pushes on her, so that she'll be more receptive to his offer, really is so heartbreaking. No wonder she wanted to escape and travel and go as far away as she could. The show has done such a good job setting up believable emotional stakes for the characters.

The second that Min realizes who she really made a deal with, she wants to break it. And here is where we officially find out where Ishamael wants Mat to be led: to Cairhien.

Of course, Rand is in Cairhien. And Min had that viewing about Mat stabbing Rand. But she doesn't know that Rand is in Cairhien. Interesting puzzle pieces.

28. Once we know that Lanfear is a Forsaken, I feel like we can guess that she set up this entire scenario (ex. why are they sleeping outside? Selene said she wanted to, probably, to set up the scene properly) -- she brought the Fade here, she wanted Rand to use the One Power so that she could act out the part of Distressed Girlfriend Struggling With Learning Her Boyfriend Can Channel. She does such a good job, too. She really plays on his fears and how desperate he is to still feel like himself. You can really see how his heart his breaking when she pulls away from him.

Natasha and Josha are so good in this scene. There are so many levels. She also manages to continue to give surprisingly solid life advice, which is somehow incredibly hilarious to me. But I feel like Rand is, uh, probably going to believe all that advice is terrible now.

We also see that Rand is learning the sword but still isn't very good at it, as the Fade quickly disarms him and he needs to use the Power in order to protect himself and (probably more importantly to his mind) 'Selene'.

29. There is definitely a part of me that wishes that this had just been a romance scene. Rand getting tied up (and liking it)! 'Selene' literally thumbs open his mouth for their kiss! The way she kisses down his body and the expression on his face! It was a very very sensual scene, very well done. "You are the first woman who's seen me as a man" he tells her and I think he means that pretty precisely -- he loved Egwene but he still felt like a boy with her.

But instead of being a romance scene it's, you know, a deeply traumatic moment for Rand and will hamper his ability to engage in emotional intimacy (which will also potentially lead to other delicious angst in the future, though, I hope). We've definitely been getting a lot of trauma for our youngsters set up in recent episodes and we're only half-way through the season, so plenty of time for more trauma.

So far, we have:

a. Mat has been, essentially, emotionally sabotaged by months of Liandrin picking away at his brain; and we know that he's been set loose to follow a plan laid out by Ishamael which is not likely to lead to rainbows and puppies (I will have some theories in my later post with book spoilers).

b. Nynaeve suffered the trauma of the arches and now has been betrayed when she finally had come around to trusting and respecting Liandrin Sedai.

c. Perrin watching one of the men that he's been traveling with killed in an incredibly brutal way and being helpless to do anything about it. He also was told that what he is brings him closer to the Dark One.

d. Egwene has been the main target of all the 'fake-out deaths' in the show -- Nynaeve in episode 1 (which she believed until episode 6); Rand in the current season; and then Nynaeve again last episode.

e. After struggling with his identity all last season, and making the choice to abandon his friends for their own safety, Rand has built himself a new life but couldn't help himself from caring for the new people in it. Just as he'd given in to his emotions about Selene (who he has potentially been sleeping with for months at this point) and she appears to have accepted him as a male channeler! ...he learns that she's essentially a super-charged version of Dana (to simplify things). He literally gets covered in her blood while he watches helplessly, gets hit with incredibly distressing news that he can't question because he knows the person saying it can't lie, and then has to abandon this woman that he's come to love while she's lying dead on the floor and his sword still has her blood on it. Formative trauma centering around emotional intimacy and sexual engagement, table for one!

30. Alanna, Maksim, and Ihvon also realize here that one of the Forsaken is loose, which is gonna confirm their belief that the Last Battle is at hand. Alanna doesn't want to believe that Lan knows he's been carrying around a prophecy about one of the Forsaken, aww.

31. Lanfear reveal! This ending was so intense. Moiraine attacking Selene but explaining that she couldn't kill her and then that blink at the end. So good!

[melimpostor]

OMG you are one of if not the best aruanie artist i saw, i cant believe i have only found you now!

They were like the first ship ever for me and they still mean a lot, they are so sweet, especially in your style. The ironic thing is, that at first way back around season 1 i started to see aruanie fan art, and at the time i tought it was a bit odd (i guess i missed all the signs in the show), i liked it but i considered it somewhat of a crack ship, especially since Annie was present just for one short season then it seemed like she never actually gonna come back. And then i lost my mind when suddenly in the manga it was just straight up canon xd. It propably helped that from the begining they were my favourite characters even individually.

They are still the best ship ever, like what do you mean in her whole life she was raised for war, but then couldnt kill the one guy who didnt cared about all this conflict and revenge he just wanted to explore the world, and her decicion cost the warriors the whole mission and eventually changed the world 😭

Btw do you know of some fanfictions that you would recommend?

WaaaAAAAAA- (ಥ◡ಥ) I’m not sure i deserve such a title, but thank you very much for your kind words, I appreciate it a lot ! ♥ ♥ This blog is fairly new, i've been active here since january so it might be why -

Haha I feel you! Aruani made me feel things i never thought i would for fictional characters before. I personally shipped them from the start. I guess I was gifted with the vision and carried the curse of being judged by my AOT-enthusiast friends for years. So I understand why it felt like a crack ship at the time for some. I was pretty sure i was delusional myself- but now… SIKE !!!!!!!!!!!! I am unapologetically taking my revenge with Aruani fanart now XD

But yeah, Annie is basically the one who compromised the whole mission because of her affection for Armin. Ruthless Annie. Flawless Annie... Falling for the sweet sweet boy with cute smiles and curious eyes?? aaa i’m weAk..

As for fanfictions, I am actually new to this kind of media. I never really looked for written fan-content in any other fandoms before…well- now... But i’m happy i’m finally doing it because it opens my artistic viewpoint and this community is very talented ♥ I didn't know writing could make me feel so many emotions and keeping me involved like that. I never experienced it to that extend in the past.

That being said, it means I haven't read a lot of them yet, besides work keeps me busy and my reading is pretty slow…So for the time being i 'll suggest you take a look at this post which regroups a lot of work already (and I think reblogs have some updates too ! )

And if you wanted my personal recommandations, maybe ask me again in 6 months or 24 so I have time to catch up ! haha- sorry dear writers, i failed you for so long ;;

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

The cables out

In retrospect, you really should have tried this a lot sooner. I mean, just how long has it been since you left in the first place? You really hoped technology hadn't had a sudden advancement in the time you've been gone.

You winced a bit as sparks flew from the wires you were connecting. Letting out a sharp click of your tongue, you continued. As if that was gonna prevent you from getting some good old Saturday morning cartoons.

You examined your work for a moment. Would it work? Were you going to need a larger power source? Mmmm, a test should be fine. At least it wouldn't explode.... you think.

You should probably start small. Grabbing your phone, you started small. Accessing your earth email. The signal was weak. Barely a single bar. You would need to make a stronger antenna.

That took you maybe two to three days. Only because you had to do more research on hell's power grid. Which was just as complex as earth's. Yeah, you weren't very happy about all the complecations. Why didn't they simplify it?

You grabbed a spare TV and set it up in one of the spare classrooms. There is no sense in destroying any of the used roo.s was there? Balam beside you with a barrier at the ready.

"What is the purpose for this exactly?" He asked. "Well, if this works, you'll be able to witness firsthand human entertainment, receive current events of earth, and possibly get an understanding of the complex society known as humans." You pointed the remote at the TV.

... Well, it didn't explode. That was a good start. You eyed the static with a frown. Hmmmmm... oh! Walking over, you carefully gave the side of the screen a sharp smack. Sound burst to life from the speakers. * In recent news, there has been multipl-*

You turned the volume down slightly and fiddled some more with remote and cable wires. "I've never heard this language before. What are they saying?" You paused. Turning to look at the excited gargoyle. You had forgotten the language barrier.

Quickly grabbing some paint, you drew some translation runes on the back, hoping it would work. * The newest addition to the zoo was born last night. Say hello to Emma the elephant. She's looking-*

Balams' eyes were glued to the screen in wonder as you walked back around. The picture had come in of a baby elephant sleeping against its mothers side. You chuckled. Before glancing at the date in the corner.

The image changed to a building that had been on fire, so you quickly started flipping through channels. "What are you doing?" He asked. "I'm seeing how many channels we have access to." You casually shrugged.

You stopped when you saw an old but familiar movie playing. The large demon next to you gasped. You smiled. "Humans are very fond of this art style. This and many others are called animation, which brings drawings to life."

"So it's a spell?" You snorted at the question. "No, it's multiple images seen at once giving the illusion of movement." You explain as the scene changes. You shoved him down to sit. "Shush, my favorite part is coming on."

You missed watching these silly movies. You watched as Anastasia walked through the dusty old palace. You watched as the demon cooed over the cute dog and gasped at the ghosts dancing at the imaginary ball. They shimmering colors gliding in and out of view.

Before you knew it, you were watching and explaining all that you knew, such as cars and trains. How the movie was loosely based on a conspiracy on how a single Russian princess survived after the monarchy was over thrown. You couldn't stop laughing at him when he had asked if all animals could talk.

It was such a cute and navie question. You often forgot how the Demon had first thought of the human world. Like it was some kind of utopia. Maybe if the world you came from had been more like the one Balam imagined, you would feel more homesick.

Instead, you were enjoying yourself. Not caring that you started to forget the struggles of your old life. Unfazed by the thought of not seeing the people you once knew ever again. It would be just fine. You weren't alone and struggling anymore.

[house-of-mirrors]

 I know this is kind of a weird ask to get, rest assured I would not be sending it to you if I had found it another way but even after the Smending information ban was lifted, I still cannot find this information, and I saw that you completed seeking so I figured I would ask you.

What is traveler returning? Or more specifically, what does it mean, what is it about? I have deciphered the other endings frustratingly ambiguous writing style, but I still cannot understand traveler returning. What does it mean? 

Let me tell you a secret, my friend: I don't think anyone, myself included, has a flying clue wtf the "who is salt" ending of smen MEANS. It has very little connection to going East in ssea or with Irem in FL. It's its own thing (derogatory).

I remember reading a blogpost where AK said he didn't think anyone would actually pick that ending and so threw that together and I guess that's why it's drivel? What did I call it again? Making fridge magnet poetry behind your back in the dark? Yeah

I've seen one interpretation that it's meant to break the fourth wall and imply the player has secretly been Salt all along. And honestly? I personally like that less than it being nonsense (no hate if u like that theory). I don't like meta reveals like that when there's no foreshadowing. Feels like a cop out. And also... why does the player have to be an otherworldly being to be special? Who is Salt? Well it certainly isn't me!

That theory aside, doing a strict reading of the text and ignoring meta stuff, interpreting its meaning as precisely what it says... it means all of nothing.

I did the Hate ending and thought that was the most interesting of the 3. Grieve, sure, fine. Who is Salt? [long fax machine noises]

(I gotta tell you I laughed SO HARD getting this because I'm always joking with my friend about "who is salt" being incomprehensible XD)

Disclaimer this is just my opinion etc, but as someone pursuing an MFA in writing with a good bit of experience in editing: this would NOT fly if it came across my desk. Even if your story is meant to be punishing and has "no good things at the end," I feel like you still have an obligation to have a narratively satisfying conclusion.

In summary: you can't figure it out because there's nothing to figure out, pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to your favorite snack and/or beverage

Ignoring the ending and going off lore, "Traveller Returning" means... (major spoilers for sunless sea under the cut)

Traveller Returning is an epithet for one of the zee-gods, Salt. Salt, god of farewells, of travellers, of the Uttermost East. The Hungry Monarch. There's a hidden ambition revolving around it in Sunless Sea. In summary, Salt was an emissary sent by the White to the Neath to find out what sort of Shames and various crimes the Sun was keeping hidden. Salt has not yet returned with its report, instead disappearing into the East. Now, the Sunless Sea quest actually follows a narrative of the player becoming an avatar for Salt and this makes a lot more sense in its execution than the smending. The Eastern horizon is called the "Deconstruction," a sort of endless horizon in Green and Gold where the laws of space and time get really weird. Imagine a function undefined at a single point, or a tangent line that goes to infinity. I'm not sure how to explain it beyond here because I don't have a firm grasp on it myself; there's not a lot of solid info.

We still know painfully little about Salt and I really, really hope the lore declassification means we'll get more material soon. Well-written material. What's up with Salt, what about the White, what about the Woods in Winter, what is the nature of the Old Man in Vienna, etc.

[lovebatty]

𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐊 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒: 𝐇𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃 | 𝐀𝐲𝐚𝐭𝐨 & 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 ♡

Warning(s): none, be happy!

Note: Is this another scenario that I've been thinking about for a while but for some reason never executed❔ And I think it turned out very nice so I put it here anyway. (⁠灬⁠º⁠‿⁠º⁠灬⁠)🩷

New pair of sneakers.

Romantic: (I can't believe I was able to buy so many things in one day! ♡)

Romantic: (I knew it was a good idea to come when I saw that promotion, but I think it's time to return to the Sakamaki mansion.)

Romantic: (Ayato-kun must be at home waiting for me to eat together, after all, I promised I would teach him how to make takoyaki!)

Romantic: He-he ♪ Well, then let's go home.

Person A: Look at those sneakers! I want to buy some of those someday.

Person B: Yeah! They are a new collection line!

Romantic: Oh? Sneakers?

Romantic: (Wait... I feel like someone had told me something similar about sneakers, but who?)

Romantic: ...Oh! It was Ayato-kun, wasn't it?!

Romantic: M-my godness, how could I forget?!

Romantic: (Ayato-kun...)

Romantic: (It's true, he has a game this weekend and he had told me that his shoes were already quite worn out after so much time.)

Romantic: He said maybe he would go buy a pair of sneakers when he felt like it, but I'm already here.

Romantic: ( And... what if I buy Ayato-kun some sneakers? I don't think he would dislike the idea! I would like to do it for him as well. ♪)

Romantic: Will I? W-well! Trying never hurts anyone! I'm going to sent him a message right now.

—Ayato's Room, Sakamaki Mansion.—

Ayato: Mh... hah...

Ayato: Pwaah... who the hell is texting at this hour?

Ayato: Ah? It's Chibimushi... What does he want now?

My Romi ♡«

꒰ 💗 ��� Ayato-kun! ♡⁠ (⁠˃͈⁠ ⁠દ⁠ ⁠˂͈  ⁠) Sorry for texting you so suddenly, it's just that I'm here at the mall and I wanted to ask you something really quick.

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Yeah? What's up?

Ayato: (I hate being woken up...)

Ayato: (Oh? He already responded?)

꒰ 💗 ꒱ It's just that while walking here I remembered that you had told me that you wanted a new pair of sneakers because the ones you have are already worn out.

Ayato: So that's about it...

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Yes, that's true. I have been meaning to get myself a new pair.

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Why do you ask?

꒰ 💗 ꒱ Well, I saw some models here at the mall that I thought you might like, I would like to send you photos of some so you can see, is that okay?

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Yeah, sure. I guess that's fine.

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ But don't expect me to be praising you for it or anything, hehe.

꒰ 💗 ꒱ Alright! ╰⁠(⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠´⁠꒳⁠`⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠)⁠╯🩷

꒰ 💗 ꒱ Don't worry, wait a moment, okay? I'll tell them to show me a few sneakers, take a picture and I'll send them to you.

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Don't be late, Chibimushi.

*Romantic sends the photos after 20 minutes.*

Ayato: He finally sends them! Let's see..

Ayato: Che, there are too many models, I can barely concentrate on one...

Ayato: (I don't think any of the sneakers here will convince me...)

—Kaminashi Shopping Center, Shoe store.—

Romantic: He replied! I'll see what he said...

Romantic: (Oh... Ayato-kun didn't like any of them? I assumed something like this would happen, but I was a little hopeful.)

Romantic: (None of these models are his style after all, I should try with something else... I'll tell him if I can look for more.)

Ayatito chulo ♡«

꒰ 💗 ꒱ Ow... :( I'm sorry, Ayato-kun, these are the ones I found in the store that were a bit similar to the ones you had.

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ It's 'kay, stop worrying about that.

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Maybe I’m not even going to buy a new pair of shoes anyway. I don’t even know what I want.

Romantic: (Ayato-kun...)

꒰ 💗 ꒱ (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠) Then?

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ No, Chibimushi. I'm fine like this, I appreciate the detail but I'm hungry, just get your ass back home, will you?

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ I will be waiting, plz take care.

꒰ 💗 ꒱ Yes, I love you. ♡

Romantic: ...That wasn't what I had in mind.

Romantic: There must be something that might be his taste... Ayato-kun can't keep wearing the same sneakers all the time!

Romantic: I know he's not too patient for these things...

Romantic: I need something like... Oh! I know!

—Ayato's Room, Sakamaki Mansion.—

*Another 25 minutes later.*

Ayato: Tsk, what the hell is he doing? This is ridiculous, he already took too long and I hate having to wait... and he knows it.

Ayato: Chibimushi...

Ayato: (I know he likes to show me affection with gifts... and he appreciates me, as he should! But— only Chibimushi spends his money on crazy or even useless stuff.)

Ayato: (I can buy it all myself, I don't need anyone to do it for me.)

My Romi ♡«

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Hey.

꒰ 🍓 ꒱ Are you okay? Is something holding you up?

Romantic: Ayato-kun, i'm here!

Ayato: Chibimushi—!

Ayato: You're lucky I'm not mad at you! Your late, what's with that? Why did you take so long?!

Ayato: ...Why did you even bring a whole shopping bag if you were only buying the takoyaki ingredients?

Romantic: He-he ♪ that's because I bring a surprise with me.

Ayato: Huh?

Romantic: Ta-daaa! ♪ Your new pairs of sneakers!

Ayato: ...!

Romantic: B-before you say anything, I... would like you to see them and try them on...

Ayato: Romi...

Romantic: They are even nice in person, open them!

Ayato: Pfft—! Hahaha~! ♡ I have no idea of what to say now, these are atrocious!

Ayato: These shoes are even better than those that you showed me in the photos! How much did these even cost?!

Romantic: I-it doesn't matter! The price is the least important thing.

Ayato: Thank you, Chibimushi. As expected of my boyfriend you could only bring me the best.

Romantic: Well, of course!

Ayato: But, seriously, Chibimushi.

Ayato: You didn't have to do it, we're not on a holiday and it's not my birthday either, isn't?

Romantic: W-what?! Don't say that! Giving you gifts is like giving you little parts of me...

Romantic: Your happiness matters to me especially when it is something you have wanted for a long time...

Ayato: You're kidding, right? Romi...please stop that speech already.

Romantic: I... I think you deserve it for all the good you have done, not only for me, but also for yourself.

Ayato: ...Heh.

Ayato: Thanks, Chibimushi. You know I love your gifts... big or not, if they are as important to you as they are to me, then I will put them to good use.

Ayato: Besides, I could never refuse you after making a fool of yourself with such pretty face saying how much do you love me.

Romantic: So, will you use them?

Ayato: Duh, and you will go to the game with me.

Romantic: Y-yes!

Ayato: That's it... Now, let's eat takoyaki together, okay? That's an order, I'm starving.

Romantic: Mm... Alright. ♡

Romantic: (His kisses are so sweet, I can feel his words filling my heart completely... knowing that now he will have a memory of me in the next game.)

[deepfriedhopesanddreams]

Another Transformers botbots Box au side story

TW: fire, violence and stuff

Night to know

At the Human allies home, Raven and Mina are preparing for prom. Raven wore a very dark dress and Mina wore a bit of pink. Penz-eye walked out of a room, wearing a simple yellow gown. She looks unenthusiastic about tonight.

The botbots asked and gazed at them, curious about the "Prom Night" that they're having tonight.

Dr Janet: alright everyone, these girls are going to have a prom night, so watch the dress, these cost money

Marcus: I remember my prom night, can't forget that awful fruit punch incident... Fruit punch all over my suit... But I'm sure you girls will have a wonderful prom... Hopefully...

Penz-eye: hmph, I've had prom at least seven times, well, this year is going to be my eighth

Raven: wait you have pro- oh wait yeah, you're older than us

Mina: but why are you coming to this year's prom night?

Penz-eye: because I promised Bryce, I'll be there for him

Hiraya: aren't you worried that... You know...

Penz-eye: Monica has been quiet lately, I'm sure it's fine

Everyone went silent. Suddenly, Bonz-eye came around, holding a corsage.

Penz-eye: a corsage? Bonnie, I already have one

Bonz-eye: I know, I just thought that my corsage would look nice on you

Penz-eye, felt touched by Bonz-eye. She took off her corsage and puts on Bonz-eye's corsage.

Penz-eye: it's perfect

Everyone wanted to help the girls out. Some of the bots styled the girls hairs. Penz-eye had Mother Strongroot trim her leaves.

Mother Strongroot: ugh, can't believe you're having prom in the school gym, sweetie, you had better prom nights at other venues

Penz-eye: mother, it's fine, it's not like there's going to be something bad to happen... Hey Mina, why do you have pink in your dress, it's not your colour

Mina: I just thought a little of Raven's inspiration is nice

Everyone awed. Raven grew serious.

Raven: alright! I got three cameras just in case Monica decides to do something! I'm not letting her ruin this night

Penz-eye: Raven...

Raven: I'm going to set this up around the area and you're not going to stop me

Penz-eye: fine...

They went outside. Rough Ride was waiting for them.

Rough Ride: damn, you look nice!

Raven: thank you!

Marcus: no time to chit chat, we have a prom night venue to reach!

After a short drive, they arrived at the school gym. The girls immediately entered. Raven swiftly moves around and sets the cameras up, out of the other people's view. Sabine was so happy to see them, immediately dragging Mina and Raven away from Penz-eye.

Penz-eye stood around until she saw Bryce. Bryce wore a nice suit. Excited to see her.

Bryce: hey! You actually came!

Penz-eye: yep

Bryce: you look lovely in that yellow gown

Penz-eye: thank you

They chatted for a while, taking a few prom photos, having a few cups of beverages. So far, everything was going so well. Until, the psycho herself, Monica, wearing a fancy red dress and holding unidentified objects in her hand.

Bryce and Penz-eye slowly danced together.

Bryce: hey Peni, I know I said this before but... You're the most wonderful person I've ever met...

Penz-eye: thanks, that means a lo-

Fire burned behind Penz-eye. She howled in agonising pain. Her screams were more than blood curdling, it was beyond human. Everyone froze and feared for the worst. They all saw her, Monica was holding a makeshift flamethrower, Penz-eye was barely holding on in Bryce's arms. He felt petrified, he can't scream, he can't focus. He just held onto Penz-eye.

Monica was about to get closer to Penz-eye, when suddenly, Raven tackled her, Mina followed too. They both had a fight with Monica. Everyone was freaking out. They aimed for the exit. Monica threw her makeshift flamethrower, a lighter attached to a hairspray can, at Raven. Raven dodges it, but the can leaked, causing fire to spread.

Fire grew, people screaming and Bryce was lost. He snapped out of it and checked on Penz-eye. He saw a gaping hole where her back is... Only, he saw this glowing thing, no human organs, and dirt inside... Her hair was also burnt, she smells like burning wood.... What is she...

There was no time, he rushed her out of the building.

The girls continued fighting. They reached the tables. Raven grabbed a fruit punch bowl, and threw it at Monica. Monica did get hit, but she isn't down. Mina sneaks up behind her, knocking her out. The two girls took a moment to breathe, realising that there was still fire.Everyone looks at them, shocked.

Raven: well, I knew this would happen *takes out memory wiper* Mina, get the cameras... And for everyone else... You wouldn't want to remember this... At all...

Raven covers her eyes and points at the disco light, the light from the memory wiper reflected to everyone. Wiping this horrible memory from them. Mina came back with the cameras and was wearing sunglasses, she wasn't affected by the memory wiper.

Raven and Mina immediately ordered everyone to evacuate out of the building. Raven also carries Monica out of the building. Outside, everyone watches as the school gym is in blazes... Raven quickly told them a convincing and less horrifying explanation to everyone, cancelling out the Penz-eye getting burned part. The teachers called the fire fighters and the police.

The fire fighters arrived and put out the fire, the police finally arrested Monica. Raven and Mina looked for Bryce and Penz-eye, they were last seen together earlier. They found them near the road.

Bryce was holding Penz-eye. Quietly. Confused. He heard both Raven and Mina calling out to him. Mina politely asked him, if she could hold her, he didn't say anything, Mina just took Penz-eye away.

Raven was about to wipe his memory, but the human allies arrived, dragging the three girls away.

Raven: wa-wait! I haven't -

Marcus: there's no time! We need to get you out of here, and Penz-eye is hurt!

They drove off. Leaving a confused Bryce standing. Holding onto a corsage. His mother came. She was worried. She called out to him. He looks at her, then at the van that took Penz-eye away, then back at her. And he ran off.

At the human allies home, Dr Janet was tending to Penz-eye in the living room. Everyone was feeling tense and anxious.

Gabby: will she be alright?

Dr Janet: hmm

Mother Strongroot: she definitely needs wires, lots of it

Gabby: I'm on it!

Gabby rushed to the storage room.

Raven: wait... How did you guys get here so fast?

Marcus: you know we can't simply believe this is going to be a normal night, we were around the area... Didn't expect the fire though....

Raven: you know what, I'm actually glad for your intuition

Suddenly a knock on the door was heard. Raven slowly walked towards it and looked through the peephole, seeing Bryce. He was sweaty, panting and desperate on something.

Raven slowly opens the door.

Raven: hey Bryce... Look it's not a good time right now-

He pushed open the door, hitting Raven in the head. He walked towards Penz-eye's unconscious body.

Dr Janet: young man, I can assure you, your friend is going to be fine

Bryce: how is she fine?! She has a gaping hole in her back! And... She's not human...

Dr Janet: indeed...

Bryce: that explains a lot of things... And what is this?...

He looks around, seeing a lot of eyes locked onto him. He doesn't know what to do, does he run? Does he scream... No. He just stares back at them.

Just as Dr Janet covers Penz-eye's back, Penz-eye woke up. Bryce immediately got closer to her.

Bryce: Peni!

Penz-eye: Bryce?! What- what are you doing here?!

Bryce: I... I... You left this...

He shows the corsage to Penz-eye.

Bonz-eye: hey! That's my corsage!

Bryce: gahh! You can talk?!

Penz-eye: Bryce, please stay calm... Everything is fine... But yeah that's not my corsage

Bryce: oh...

He fell silent...

Marcus: kid, are you feeling alright?

Bryce: no... No I'm not...

Penz-eye: I'm sorry that your prom experience had to go this way...

Bryce: I'm more worried about you, there's a... You know

Penz-eye: eh, I'll be fine, this isn't the worst thing to happen to me, which I won't tell you

Bryce sat down next to her. They both looked into each other. And began talking.

Bryce: you really aren't human, but like... What are you?

Penz-eye: I'm a robot/alien/bonsai tree

Bryce: oh...

Penz-eye: yep, you have feelings for a tree

Bryce: well, nature is my thing, but I didn't mean it like that....

Raven: yeah yeah *aims memory wiper at him*

Bryce: wait! I actually want to remember this... I want to know more! I want to know more of these little guys

Female botbots: and girls!

Raven: if you really want to keep this, you gotta keep this our little secret, got it! To protect these botbots!

Bryce: I promise!

Todd: whoo! We got a new member!

Everyone cheered. Gabby arrived with the wires. Confused and shocked to see Bryce.

Marcus: don't worry Gabby, he's alright! He's a new member!

Gabby: oh sweet! Anyways, here's the wires

Dr Janet and Mother Strongroot wrapped the wires around Penz-eye's body.

Dr Janet: this will do... Just don't exert too much

Penz-eye: thank you Dr Janet

Bryce: so, you're awfully calm tonight

Penz-eye: yeah, this is my eighth prom, what a night to know

Bryce: wait! Eighth?!

Penz-eye: yep, I'm way older than you think

Bryce: okay now that I'm in this group... With botbots... You don't have to hide from me right? I can ask questions?

Penz-eye: I won't, and yeah you can

Bryce: so like what are botbots?

Raven: tiny robots that are born by objects or animals merging with a dose of energon

Bryce: are there other members?

Hiraya: yes, a few

Bryce: is Peni your real name?

Penz-eye: nah, it's Penz-eye, Peni is just an alias

Bryce: *chuckle* I think it's cute

Penz-eye: heh thanks

Everyone continued chatting the night away. A breeze of nicer air elevated everyone. Surely, it is a night to know between them.

The End

[cauldronoflove]

JJ! So I was tempted to just send 1-25, but I'll restrain myself and go with 3, 6 and 24 for the end of the year book ask

3. What were your top five books of the year?

i just sat down to make this list last week and i'm still not completely sold on it (or maybe it's just the placements?), i read a lot of books i really enjoyed this year so there's a lot to choose from but atm

- kate bornstein's gender outlaw (fundamentally changed me a day had not gone by i haven't thought abt something said in this book)

- annie proulx's close range (i love short stories but this comp did something to me and my view of short stories i cant even explain. have wept my way through brokeback mountain 3 times this year also)

- selma blair's mean baby (one of the best "celebrity memoirs" i've read in a long time and it hit me at a very personal level)

- manda scott's dreaming the bull (oh god. OH GOD. scott's boudica cycle has so been my shit this year but this one had me hooping and fucking hollering gritting my teeth feeling absolutely insane for all 700 some pgs)

- janet kagan's uhura's song (not only was this SUCH a fun reading experience but it also unfairly set my standards for trek novels to come, the writing and worldbuilding is absolutely insane!!!!)

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

🤡 yeah.

i'm always working on my physical tbr so these are books i'll still be getting to at some point, but this year i had hoped to get to:

emily yellins' our mothers' war / joann levy's they saw the elephant / lillian faderman's odd girls & twilight lovers / lynn sherr's sally ride

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

per my yearly spreadsheet i dnf'd 4 books this year:

anne mccaffrey's get off the unicorn (i thought a short story collection would be a great way to dip my toes into as prolific a writer and i did find that i liked mccaffrey's style but i didnt jive with the actual stories)

tippi hedren's tippi (i'm sorry ms hedren but the writing was excruciating)

agatha christie's nemesis (if i'm being honest i dont truly remember why, i think christie just got kinda weird with it)

kathy reichs' déjà dead (boooo!!!! i was really looking forward to this series but the first few chapters were absolutely mindnumbing, i skimmed the rest of the book and was just like. oh i cant do this)

[edge-oftheworld]

hey girl i saw your friends of friends post - do you think there's a chance maybe they're just being supportive of Palestine performatively now that everyone is on their ass about not speaking out sooner? i know you said 'they're on 5sos time' but isnt that kind of just excusing their poor effort up until now? it's taken so long for them to do anything supportive, Palestine's literally almost gone

:,(

love u just wanted to see your perspective!

hey anon! thanks for this lovely ask. i can't guess what's in their heads and i'm hesitant to either 1) assume the worst when there can be a million reasons someone doesn't get to something straight away, and I don't usually think well thought-through activism comes out best when it's immediately reactive, or 2) say that there's no possible way this is the case when we don't have evidence for that either. it could be the case!

however from what I've seen the kinds of things people have been on their asses about recently have been other things--like crushing watermelons or cancelling sierra or crystal or 'where is calum is he okay' or critiquing having any association with all time low or being mean about other things i don't really want to bring up on here. Like I guess that might've been there but I've honestly not seen a lot of it; I've been here for about a year now and the 5sos fandom still baffles me--like I realise it's probably just a small minority who are mean and kinda petty, but honestly I've not seen a heap of organised activism within the fandom and it has disappointed me a little--like yeah from their perspective they might be reading the comments on it and feeling the pressure from those, but honestly it's been so mixed up with stuff i can't imagine they want to read that I'm not sure that's the message the fandom is sending at all. I hope for the fandom's sake I'm wrong and it's just the negativity bias speaking.

I do also want to gently possibly push back on the idea that they haven't done anything supportive until now; yes they didn't involve friends of friends (i'm not sure why) or really outright say it (which I've got more opinions on, a mix of positive and negative in terms of why i think they chose to do it that way) but they did release an entire tour movie on youtube for us for free, and tell us to donate to help (in ashton's words) 'the children in gaza' with links in the caption--it's a more aussie style of activism for sure when it's less putting yourself on a platform (even if you already have it) to speak about something to try and get people to act, and more use the resources you have to make a practical difference, without being demanding of people or stressing them out with urgency. to me that was something that meant more than performative statements, but not everyone in the fandom agrees on that. all i'll say to it is 1) it was out of the blue and felt like they had kinda just discussed it and been like 'yeah we need to' the minute the tour movie was ready 2) it was back in december and 3) i think they underestimated how broke their fans are and also overestimated how many people would see the 'humanitarian aid' links below a video in the christmas break. i've rattled on about it, i'll always defend that particular action but everyone knows that, the decision to focus on the children and the downstream aid rather than the genocide itself was an interesting one (bound to appeal to the skeptics and more practical but in some ways a copout), but i'm also putting it here because it surprises me how many fans genuinely have no idea all of this happened because literally no one talked about it. I don't know if it's because we have an idea as a society how activism should be like or people genuinely don't know how to address more serious topics (again, no one seems to be talking about the friends of friends thing they're kicking off now either). brandy's been sharing information etc on palestine and evidence of the genocide since october, and michael wore that jumper thing that I forget the name of in what might have been cultural solidarity or a coincidence back on october 13th i think. again, it's not the same. brandy isn't actually in 5sos. decide what to make of these things for yourself.

i'll also add that in general from what i've seen, 5sos are usually not super swayed by fan pressure and more likely to get pissed off by it and become more unhinged as a result or turn it into a joke later (like with the soon saga). not to say that they don't feel it, I think they do, but are more determined to not let it take away from their authenticity than be led by it iykwim? having said that this is something i relate to a lot due to my neurodivergence so i could be very biased on this. I could be projecting. so i'm not sure!! i'm not sure what goes on in their heads. i'm not sure why this didn't come sooner, we can probably all agree it should've. but i do also want to say that i know it's not ideal but sometimes doing a good thing for less than pure reasons is still a good thing. it's just the timing that's obviously the pressing factor here, people are dying, and it's kinda insensitive to be talking about how disabling things like executive function and anxiety can be in activism--but this is another topic and aspect of it I think that not mentioning can sometimes cause an excess of blame to be placed on people who are doing good things that aren't good enough to fix what bad people are doing, rather than the bad people themselves. I know it's not that simple, I know there are systemic parts of complicity we can't really wash our hands of that easily but my point is things like neurodivergence and anxiety are by definition disabling and activism is not a sphere they don't touch. and i can't go and list headcanoned diagnoses for a band I listen to but I also can't in good conscience ignore that this could likely be a factor.

overall i feel like this is a mess of a post because i don't really know yet where the line is between holding people accountable (what even is enough in activism?) and letting them process the trauma we're watching unfold and turn that into action at their own pace. but i do want to say thank you so so much for engaging with what's been a topic that I don't think we're talking about enough but i do care about too. and if you've read this far down such a long post thank you as well, i really appreciate it!

[starrtoon]

I did NOT know that they had that kind of person on team with the Poison episode 😬😬 yikes.

I feel like there are a LOT of things that I could go on about it over (ya know...about the blatant blasphemy everywhere in it). The sympathetic lucifer story, the twisted Eden backstory, the angel's being Like That (I mean I guess you can look at it like "Some Christians act this way towards people because they think being Christian makes them better than others" but there is a better way to address that than the way this show is)....I fear that the day will come that they use a God/Jesus character and paint Him in a poor light while uplifitng Lucifer. I'm not sure if I would be more angry about that or sad/worried on behalf of the creators of the show.

I can see what feels like wasted potential in the more original aspects of the show. I feel like it could have been so much better if she had taken the original ideas/characters and the idea of redemption/forgivness and then placed them all in a fictional separate world that didn't include, as you said, the obvious blasphemy. I enjoy the music, the animation/art style (granted the pilot's animation was preferable).

....I feel like they were just trying to make St. Peter look like a stereotypical youth pastor. And one of the songs says "It'll take time to cover my vast multitude of sins" and I can't help but be like "that isn't hOW thAt WORKs"

I appriciate your response. It's good to see a lot of my thoughts were shared. I have difficulties pulling myself out of things when I get pulled in, so I've had some time to really think about the things that COULD have been good and the things that take away from it as a whole, what I'd have done differently, etc.

I've just taken to praying for the people who have worked on it and hoping they have the decency to not put "God" or "Jesus" on screen in the next season and make them awful. (Though I guess I did KNOW that they couldn't proceed with the show without taking a lot of things out the the Bible and twisting it around).

(I won't bother ya anymore with it btw. Some of it did just genuinely baffle me & I appriciate you taking the time to respond too me <3)

I'm sooo getting tired of media making satan 'misunderstood' lol. it got old fast, and there are some people who actually try to say the show is accurate 😭 I saw someone claim that it's true that satan wanted best for humans and that was why he was kicked from heaven. they clearly never read the Bible seeing that satan wanted to dethrone God.

yeah I could see they're trying to criticize Christians who basically do whatever they want (being hateful and evil in a different way) but still think they're going to heaven. but like you said, it coulda been done better than the show did lol

ikr, it had so much potential. and I do admit a few of the songs get stuck in my head from time to time, especially when a clip of the show appears on my tiktok FYP lol.

they probably took some doctrines from catholicism for that line XD don't they believe people will still go through some trails to pay for their sins even if they're saved? uhhh purgatory? lol

no problem! and oh gosh, yeah same, I hope they never add God/Jesus in it 😬 thankfully from the intro, it made it look like multiple angelic beings were technically the 'gods' who created earth. I'm sure they'd get a 'helluva' lot of backlash if they actually put Jesus in it.

also I don't mind if you wanna share more thoughts on the show or anything else. even if I take a while to answer asks, my ask box is always open 😊👍

[jamiesfootball]

i literally broke out the pen and paper (made a list and checked it twice) trying to find numbers for the ask game you hadn't been sent yet!

as many or as little as you feel like answering!

4, 17, 19, 30, 35, 56, 74

💚💚💚

Thank you thank you! Sorry for the delay, but I had to set these aside so that I could give them the proper time and focus they deserve!

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

It's got to be my original work space thing A Robot Named Future. Specifically there is A Scene in it that I first came up with back in...2014? It's loosely based off the robot interrogation scene in the Will Smith movie I, Robot. Except in my book it doesn't involve a robot, its actually about [redacted].

Then later the robot shows up.

It doesn't fill me with existential dread though- it fills me with excitement. Of all the original works I have spinning around in my brain, this one is 1 out of 2 that are the predominant ones I spin around and I've written a few scenes. One of my goals for this year is to actually sit down and outline both of these stories. I'm quite looking forward to it.

17. what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

Oooooooof. Uh. Honestly I feel I bang on about this line too much, but of the published stuff it's still:

He wondered if maybe he wasn't Sisyphus but the goddamn boulder that kept pushing everyone down the hill.

Bonus runner up because it always makes me laugh is this entire exchange:

“Hold on, now, Rocky didn’t go around tying dicks together, bruv.” “That we know of,” Moe retorted. "Yeah, I haven't seen any of the new ones," said Colin. “Creed was dope,” said Declan. “Michael B. Jordan pulled a plane in that one.” Jan scoffed. “You mean his stuntman pulled it.” “I don’t like Rocky,” Richard added, though no one had asked. “Guys, we do not have time to argue,” Sam implored. He worried the spool between his hands, turning it about like a puzzle. “We have to be on the pitch soon.” “Sam’s right. We’ve got to make a decision,” Isaac said authoritatively. “What do we think? And it has to be unanimous, it can’t just be a few of us out there with strings tied to our willies.”

19. what are some books or authors that influenced your style the most?

Ooooh, there's more than a few. Different authors taught me different things.

First, I think I would be remiss if I didn't mention all the art history courses I've taken in the past. Poetry may have given me the vocabulary to describe a scene, but writing about artwork I think is where I learned how to paint an image of a scene. Where to put the highlights and shadows, what objects get brought into focus. One of my old art teachers would remind us that 'all lines are not equally important', and when I'm describing, say, a room or a setting, I try to keep that thought in mind. I don't need to describe everything, I just need to emphasize the important and leave the obvious vague (another one from an art teacher.)

I have to give a special shout out to Terry Pratchett, specifically in regards to how he brings focal depth into consideration when writing very emotionally wrought scenes. It is the instinct of most writers to push inwards when describing horrible things, to focus on the effect they have on the individual. But after being blistered by T-Prat time and time again, I saw a post that pointed out how at some of his most emotional scenes he actually pulls backwards, leaving the audience to bare witness and fill in the blanks with a purposefully distanced grief we couldn't possible understand. This definitely shaped how I approach emotional scenes; I try to be intentional and weigh where that depth of focus should land.

Not to bang on this gong forever, but I have a deep and abiding love for Kurt Vonnegut. His prose style is so interesting to me in a sort of 'you can write things however you want, actually' sort of way. He'll be halfway through showing you a deep examination on the human psyche and then he'll leap into omniscience to make a joke about how aliens would find this part of the human experience very stupid and needlessly complicated.

So it goes.

30. most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

Not sure if it counts as inspirational, but there are two quotes from completely different series that sort of twined together in live on in my head:

One is from Discworld, where the dwarves have a saying: All things strive.

The other is from the manga Saiyuki: Even a one-inch worm has a half-inch soul.

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

A lot of characters are very different from me. In terms of characters, I would be Higgins. So any character who you would say is not at all like Higgins is very different from me.

Though in the spirit of answering I'll say Keeley. When I was watching Ted Lasso casually, there would just be times when I would blurt out 'I love her.' She's so wildly endearing to me.

56. five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

Hopefully at a point where I am still writing and where some of the longer things I'm working on have been finished!

74. are you a planner, pantser, or planster?

All of them. Whichever the story calls for.

[redysetdare]

yeah I'm talking abt trans hair. At least, my experience with being trans and my connection to my hair.

I've been someone who has grown up with long hair my entire life. it's fairly common for anyone who was decided to be a girl by the people around them. I was offered to have my hair cut short a few times but it was only ever bob cuts - basically feminine short. never short-short.

When i got older and realized I was trans, my hair became incredibly dysphoric to me. People said how pretty it was long and i grew to hate it. to me my hair being long is what made me a girl. I thought - naively - if my hair got cut I'd be a boy. Just like how all those girls in the movies could do. They'd cut their hair and be seen as a boy.

But I was scared. I feared not looking good with short hair. I feared people would laugh or I'd hate it. It took me years to build up the courage to finally ask for a haircut.

But i did finally ask and I showed my mom the picture for the hairstyle i wanted. We went to the hair stylists and they cut my hair. It was short short but... it was still feminine. Now I don't fully blame this on anyone - i wasn't out of the closet yet. I had shown a picture of a more feminine model that showed what style i wanted. But to be honest feminine or not it was short. It was short and I felt good about myself for the first time in years. I looked in the mirror and i could smile at what I saw.

I struggled a bit with style for a while, unsure of what I wanted my hair to look like. I wanted low maintenance but for it to still look how I wanted. At some point I was left with a long gap between my hair getting cut. In fact it's been over a year since I got it cut... I've moved since then and I'm worried about what I want. I mean, obviously cutting my hair doesn't make me look any more like a boy. I'm not on hormones. I dn't dress "boyishly". My hair still causes me dysphoria but now my dysphoria has shifted targets. when it realized that my hair can't change how people perceive me it moved to something else.

So i've been stuck without a hair cut for a year+. Partially because my money is short so i don't have the ability to spend something on a pricey hair cut. partially because I haven't had time to go find a hair stylist (ik barber shops exist but i don't think they'd accept me...). partially because I don't know what i want. Whats the point of going to a hair stylist and paying a ton of money I don't have just to get a hair cut i might not even like. so my hair has grown out. Which yeah, caused me dysphoria at first...until I realized that longer hair makes me look like the characters I have gender envy for. men with long hair are some of the top gender envy for me. So i drew my sona with long. I drew it to try and ease my dysphoria. to show how fun styling longer hair could be. and now I've grown to kinda like it? Sure, i still feel a bit dysphoric but I've been putting it in a mini ponytail lately and it feels nice :) I feel nice.

so when someone mentions how my hair being long is why I'm being misgendered.... think you can understand why that probably hurts a lot more than it likely would with anyone else.

ofc i don't blame this person for not knowing. It's my experience after all. but it still hurt. it hurt a lot being told what my dysphoria had told me so many times. that my hair was why i was seen as a girl. I was becoming happy with my hair and it set me back a bit. I started wondering if i should get a hair cut again even though I was happy with my hair as is...

of course I'm back to being happy about it again. It's easier to push through the dysphoria when you've already done it once before. (also helps that a lot of cis guys at my work have long hair)

tbh idk what the point of this post is. Maybe that trans peoples connections with their hair can be complicated and maybe saying how someone looks is the reason they get misgendered is kinda fucked up - especially when you don't know what the person wants /is comfortable with / is happy with /ect. maybe don't add to peoples dysphoria because you think you're giving them "advice" (quotations because telling ppl they don't pass enough is not advice)

idk. hair is complicated. my experience with hair is complicated. I'm sure a lot of trans peple have complicated feelings about hair. maybe it shouldn't just be a black and white "cut it if ur transmasc and grow it out if your transfem"

[tuliptic]

Ok I wanna let this out before I completely forget about it. Not to throw shade or anything but just... Me wanting to let out.

So. Yesterday I was loitering in some places as I waited for the locksmith to complete duplicating the keys to our office. I saw a tarot reading shop and I went to see, hitting off with the employees as usual, and saw that there's a free reading and tried it out.

I shared the fact that I'm diagnosed with depression and the reader asked about the reason, how long have I been on medication, etc. She also mentioned that she somehow attract more people/clients with depression and they immediately got better after interacting with her.

I started getting skeptical here.

Then we went on to the reading. According to her, the free reading is a yes/no reading, where the querent draws one Major Arcana card and one Minor Arcana card. Cool. I asked her if I don't wanna ask a question, but just wanna draw a card and to see what messages it has for me. She said sure, why not. So yeah, that's what we did.

Cards: The Hierophant rx, Two of Wands

She told me that I've been trying to break the unhealthy cycle and that it's difficult. It's difficult but it's doable. And it's been affecting me for a long time. And it's best that I do not stay indoors alone, but to go outside and be with people.

This is where I start to feel... Hmm... idk how to explain how I felt. But yeah, it's not what I'm expecting. Cuz what I expected was her to point out the cards and what they meant, what are the messages I need to hear and all.

What she said was something that can be easily inferred from conversation and observation.

I mean, if you know that I came to this city alone and has no transport, there's a high chance that I'm someone who stays indoor most of the time.

If you know that I'm someone with depression, you'll know that it's best to keep me surrounded by people so that the depressing thoughts can be distracted away.

So yeah. That's it. I don't have much to say or comment, but that reading style isn't my type. I would say that's more on people reading and observation, not the tarot I know of. Don't think I'll be purchasing a reading there OvO