#I tried to provide as many examples as I could without it getting any longer but

[muzzlemouths]

Secret Santa here! I can't seem to find the post you had talking about what Dead Mall Dare Sun&Moon first wore. I have the image saved as a reference so that's not an issue

But you said that they changed clothes essentially all the time now since the mall's been closed, right?

If so, does this also include wearing "feminine" clothing like dresses and skirts?

And if you could, who would be more prone to wear what overall? Be it types, styles, colors, themes, etc. Any little bit would help if you know it

Ps. Don't worry about Moon's face plate crack for the last ask I sent! Just need to know which is the final one, the crack on the eye or the mouth? I have both saved as references

Sorry for so many questions in one go! Hope it doesn't overwhelm you /g

Here's the post (+ the reblog with the pinterest) talking about what they initially wore - ironically, I also mentioned here that they're considered genderless and wore clothes from either section of the mall, including feminine clothing! Two answers for the price of one lol

Going into more detail, Sun is the more likely of the two to wear skirts (especially when paired with a belt or a cardigan and tights), but he also loves jumpsuits, dresses, matching cutouts, and lots and lots of coats! If he's wearing pants, they're normally flare, bejeweled, or high waisted. In terms of accessories, Sun wears glasses, scarves, gloves, and lots of jewelry (mainly earrings - his rays have miniscule holes drilled in places for this specific reason)

Moon on the other hand prefers his pants graphic or patterned, and his jackets loose, or leather. Back when the mall was open he had a passion for fancy suits, but he hasn't worn one in years. Decades, even. For accessories, Moon prefers belts and many hats (or hoodies). His faceplate isn't suited to wear earrings. Both Sun and Moon wear boots and platform shoes.

I decided to finalize the design where Moon's crack is beside his mouth - with a splinter of it going up into/past his single eye, for future lore reasons.

Thank YOU for being so interested in all of this. I hope my answer doesn't overwhelm YOU either! lmao

[wordsarelife]

hiii !!! i really love your writing style, and i'm just obsessed with your account in general, i'm just wondering how you started writing?? any tips for beginners? i'm trying to start writing more, but i can't think of a scenario, or i get stuck at some point. any help is appreciated 😭 thank you !!! mwah !! 🫶🏻

hello my love, please excuse my late answer. first, thank you so much for the compliments, you're the sweetest!!! i've been writing basically all my life and i think whats most important for writing is inspiration. i spent so many years reading fanfiction and thinking about topics i would like to read about, just to notice that no one had written them yet so i tried to fill that space myself, with a lot of failing lmao.. but at some point i realized that it's just as fun to write as it is to read other people's stuff.

when i start to write something, i always make sure i'm passionate about the project. i start by imagining scenes that i would love to read about myself, decide on a taylor song i want to use, which does generate even more inspiration and search pinterest for aesthetics and more insparation.

i know what it's like getting stuck while writing (ask the thousand unfinished wips of books i tried to write), but sometimes i try to just write anything, even if its rubbish at first, at least you wrote a few more words.

or just think about the least expectable answer to a simple question and keep in mind that every answer reflect your characters personality. if you let your character answer something unexpectably it might turn the conversation into a different direction. and different is good, it's fun and sometimes you just feel what could be right for the story, without knowing it before. but if you need help to come up with a concept, try to look at blogs on here, who provide prompts or funny quotes to start your story off on.

one of my favorite creators is @creativepromptsforwriting (she also has great tips for writing, far better than any i could give you)

and just to emphasize what i said before, i'm going to show you what i mean by wiriting a little scene between theo and pixie from my series don't blame me:

example quote: you look good

so, to accurately write this scene, you should think about your characters personality, but also the relationship between them.

so it could be like this:

theo: you look good

pixie: thank you

and that would be it. but this conversation doesn't fit either their personality nor their relationship, and a great plus is also that it would be a longer interaction if you let them react differently:

theo: you look good

pixie: what are you trying to do right now?

theo: i don't know, genius, maybe compliment you?

pixie: well, don't expect to get one back, i wouldn't want to inflate your ego any further

theo: aren't you just a ray of sunshine...

pixie: complementing me again huh?

theo: sure...

so this is what i would come up with on the spot and i hope i could help you a bit, but this is mostly what i do when i write and then i just keep writing honestly. what i can tell you is that it will be easier the more you write, you get a feeling for it eventually. so in simpler terms: don't stress too much for perfection (had to learn that the hard way) just write and see what happens and just keep in mind that any word you write will help you to get better at writing, so nothing has to be perfect from the get go. i mean, has anyone ever sat down at a piano and just started playing?

good luck on your journey, i wish you all the fun at writing!!! ❤️

[aamy2100982]

Long post about Symby appreciating everyday life? Yep :b

I think many aired the headcanon that Venom doesn't like vegetables, order and probably doing everyday things of personal cleanliness like bathing, brushing teeth.

And yes, it probably works that way in the movie, but I'm pretty sure Comic!Symby is the one forcing Eddie to do these everyday activities.

As a living being that doesn't care about daily activities, the symbiote didn't understand why humans did these things. it would see Peter do it every morning, but there wasn't really a need to, for example, brush his teeth, Peter didn't do it because he liked it, because he needed it or because he had to, his brain just told him "it's what you have to do" and he did it, every day, morning and evening

and the symbiote simply didn't understand how such simple and boring activities were "what you have to do", until it met Eddie. At first Eddie did these same activities, every day, the symbiote began to get used to the routine, the problem began when Eddie lost his apartment, forcing them to live on the streets.

Eddie no longer have the comforts to do his personal hygiene correctly and for the first time the symbiote realized why those everyday things were so important. We all know what happens with a lack of hygiene, the food accumulated on the teeth turned into dirt. Symby tried to clean them using themself like a dental floss, but instead of solving the problem, it got worse, because tartar wears away the gums, if the gums wear away the teeth fall out and unlike the symbiote that can lose 20 teeth and regenerate them in seconds, human teeth are more complicated. Symby can regenerate them, but the symbiote doesn't seem as good at regenerating bone as it is good at regenerating meat and skin tissue.

the lack of bathroom was also affecting, Eddie's sweat accumulated and the humidity could form fungus, apart from the obvious stench caused by the lack of cleanliness, sticky hair and in general the lack of cleanliness causes us in a bad psychological state when we feel ourselves so stinky

And i'm are not going to touch in depth the subject of the lack of food. Eddie probably takes it upon himself to give the symbiote all the nutrients it needs, forgetting about his own needs. Of course the symbiote can continue to live fully in a deteriorating body that only has the nutrients they need, but Eddie can't survive without his nutrients and even though it's a bad thing, he seems oblivious to it.

I think all these reasons make the Comic!Symby more understanding when Eddie needs to work, unlike the Movie!Symby, which is annoyed when Eddie wants to work by forcing themself to stay still for so long

work leads to money, money leads to satisfying the basic needs that Eddie has as a human. If Eddie has enough money to buy personal hygiene products and nutritious foods, then Eddie is fine, he is safe, and Symby can assure that Eddie is not only feeling better physically, but also mentally.

I am also very sure that Symby now forces Eddie to relieve himself frequently and also encourages him to buy products that can provide some good nutrients for him. maybe the symbiote thought that all those daily actions were just humans being lazy with their body, but it turns out that they are things that "must be done" in any case and if spending long hours in front of a computer to get money is the price it pays to see Eddie having a full life then all is well :3

[warsofasoiaf]

I have seen many people saying that westeros is an absolute monarchy. Is feudalism not the opposite of an absolutist monarchy? I mean, even in the reign of Jaehaerys I, the Velaryon became vassals so powerful that the threat of war if choosing Viserys over Laenor was something to be feared. The Great Houses had the powers of kings in their regions, little changed for them after the conquest. In an absolute monarchy, nobles have little or no power, right?

The opposite of absolute monarchy would be, in theory, a pure anarchic society. In practice anarchism tends to devolve into warlordism fairly quickly, but in theory, the opposite of a system with absolute central authority would be an absolute absence of any authority.

In an absolute monarchy, in theory, the ruling monarch has absolute power and no check on their authority. In practice, no kingdom rules alone (particularly as the kingdom gets bigger and bigger) and so even the most absolute of monarchs invest key stakeholders with power to manage their kingdom and establish a set of carrots and sticks to ensure loyalty and coerce good behavior. What separates a feudal monarchy from an absolute monarchy is the feudal charter, which typically explicitly identifies needs and demands upwards and downwards - the king can obligate military service of X hands for Y days, in return the king provides defense against foreign invasion. Tolls, taxes, and so on are typically identified with cases made for emergencies. In England, for example, taxes could not be raised without the consent of Parliament, so a king that wanted to raise a war chest either needed to secure buy-in with the nobility or get creative with fundraising.

Westeros is explicitly not an absolute monarchy. Aegon I made sure of that when he established the kingdom and preserved a lot of the rights of the nobility as a means of smoothing the transition to the Seven Kingdoms. Dorne enjoys explicit rights codified by Daeron II's charter, rights that they vigorously enforce and protect. That wouldn't be the case in an absolute monarchy, where royal whim governs what is and isn't acceptable. Some monarchs tried - Aegon IV and Aerys II chief among them, but by and large the Westerosi monarchy was a relatively weak monarchy, especially after the demise of the dragons where they could no longer use their flying sky beasts to make up for the relatively low number of royal levies under the Crown's command.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[octodrop]

stardew characters based on who is most likely to win in a hunger games situation

it's been a hot minute since I made this, but here's some additional thoughts on some characters, from bottom to top:

clint would try and find emily to pair up with but she would already be gone. hed mope around in the open which would leave him an easy target

abigail would think shes such hot shit. but the second shes actually in a threatening situation she would hesitate which would be her downfall

pam and george are both way too stubborn to team up with anyone and it would easily come to their downfalls

sebastian does not have the skills to survive on his own. im sorry

snail is just used to that sort of thing but hes so easily killable. come on

morris thinks hes better than everyone this motherfucker would not team up with anyone if he could

listen. i love sam. but hes kinda dumb. hed get distracted and lost super easily

elliott deserves a dramatic death i think. also its just really funny to me. this man gets blown up

penny has 0 survival skills

i feel like krobus and dwarf would be those kind of deaths that happen without anyone knowing. there's a fire, and they're all alone.

i feel like leo's tendency to live in trees would be his downfall. again, with the fire example, he could get cut off by fire really quickly and have nowhere to go

leah definitely has some survival skills. And I think she'd last longer than most. She has proficiency in some tools that could be used as weapons, But I think she'd be pretty vulnerable in a stage hazard event, especially if she's making it alone.

shane, haley and birdie are pretty self explanatory. Have you seen Haley when she gets pissed off?

I had a whole thought process for Demetrius: Demetrius, Robin and Maru would all stick together (Sebastian had already seperated from everyone else). Demetrius would be super protective of Maru, not wanting anything to happen to his baby girl. But Maru insists she's going to be okay and she knows what to do if she's in danger: the protocols, etc. Demetrius worries if he's being unreasonably anxious over her safety so allows Maru to take a short journey to find water. She heads out. Time passes. A long time passes. There's no sign of Maru. Robin and Demetrius look for her. She'd been attacked. she passes away. demetrius blames himself for the loss and obsesses over it. Robin tries to help him but he can't move on, leaving him an easy target.

I don't remember why I put jodi there?

Gus would absolutely try to help out where he can. but ultimately he's just kind of a guy, he doesn't really have that many survival skills

Linus is hardy and he'd definitely want to help out as many people as he can. But I feel like someone would take advantage of this and kill him

gunther also has the drive to help the community. he can't provide much as an archaeologist but he would definitely do what he could

Harvey would be picked up pretty quickly by a group; his skills as a physician are invaluable in such a setting. This man is a trained professional, and would be protected with whatever it takes. He'd have a lot of support early on, but as number start to decline he'd become more vulnerable. Unfortunately for Harvey, he's physically weak, and does not have it in him to ever cause harm to another human being.

Magnus is a very knowledgeable man, and I think him, Marlon, Gil, Alex and Harvey would make an incredibly strong team. Magnus and Marlon would be experts at tracking field hazards and traps, furthermore, I think Magnus would be the first to sense any sort of approaching disturbance, providing the group with a lot of forewarning and time to prepare for danger. But physically? he doesn't fight with his hands, and if he's unprepared for a physical confrontation, he's gonna suffer

Alex is very physically fit. Honestly? I think he'd be good in a fight. With someone like Magnus to compensate for his himbo nature, he'd go very far. But without that....

Gil, the admin guy, is apparently very good in a fight. yet, we've never seen him leave his chair? the mans gotta rest. so I have no way of knowing how good his fighter instincts are

Then we have the final 3:

Marlon is a very skilled and active adventurer, and aside from what I mentioned above, he's a very seasoned fighter and honestly a powerful survivor so he's an incredibly good candidate for the final 3

Robin is physically active, aware, has the drive and does not a lot of hesitation. She has proficiency in a number of tools that could be used as a weapon, and she has the ability to construct good shelter. Like cmon. how could she not

Kent has been through this before. He's been around the block, knows how to sleep on limited food with one eye open. He's army trained and a war survivor. He knows what he's doing and wouldn't hesitate to kill

Winner:

Emily is an absolute enigma. She has powers beyond any man. I don't know how to elaborate on this any further, but I just know it to be true

[krillest1]

Week 11: Maybe the Internet Ruined My Life

TROY Hello all. First, a housekeeping note: I need to change the approach here. I am no longer writing for a (non-existent) audience, but for the experience of writing and thinking. That's what I'm telling myself, at least, if I really wanted to change things I wouldn't engage in this at all. In case the intro didn't make this clear, it's been a... shaky week. I'm working on not framing things in terms of failure, but this week put that to the test. I downloaded a ton of social media a couple of days this week, and went to town. I, for example, downloaded TikTok to see how long it would take to get to my preferred feed (answer: 3 hours to get to content I like, 4 hours to get to the "perfect" feed). I've also been consuming like a mad man this week, including reading a couple of books as pre-Christmas screenings (a disastrous experience in many ways), finishing "Armored Trooper Votoms" (holy hell it's good, if you have the type of mind (no notes there) that's into mecha stuff). I've also been alone again this week, besides a few family dinners. Said dinners resulted in me wanting-to-appear smart, among other habits I'm trying to break. The couple (few?) of times I went back on social media this week got me thinking about my relationship to the internet, and whether or not it ruined my life.

HERSTORY I got on the internet at a pretty young age, and partook in some pretty questionable material from the get go. While I bounced back and forth between using and abstaining, the internet remained a presence in my life for the rest of my life. I did not use traditional social media, but the image board and niche community were regular stomping grounds of mine. Once I got to college, things really took off. I used the internet all the time. I would watch movies and tv all the time, rip books, and just surf. I was alone basically all the time, and I used the internet to provide a little bit of... what? Entertainment, or something. Really I used it as a way to shut my damn brain off. Even after graduating, I used the internet regularly and in many modes. I've tried to step away from the internet recently, but I've found it difficult. What, I wonder, is the best framing for my relationship to the internet? The one that comes quickest to mind is analogous to drugs. The internet gave me dopamine hits in a regular way. Makes sense, I guess. Things get complicated, however, by the fact that I used the internet to enhance/access/maneuver through drugs. Maybe it can still occupy a similar drug-space, but the internet was a ground that allowed me to smooth out the harsh edges of being alone, of bad trips, and of good trips. I don't think that drugs are the best analogy, but I do think of the internet as being a thing I access compulsively. I'm not going to hash out the agential stuff around compulsion here, but I do find myself craving the internet, and using it without thinking, or whatever. I have been alone, and will be alone, a lot. Romantically, I have been and will be alone forever. I would like to lay some of the blame here at the feet of the internet. Not only did the internet fill me up with desires that could not be fulfilled, it created a space where I could be a piece-of-shit-burnout and not face any consequences. That's not right. The point here, and I'm oscillating while writing this, is that I'm not sure if the internet made my life worse or not. There's certainly a correlation between the amount which I use the internet, and how I'm doing socially/emotionally/whatever.

DESPAIR I have been in despair this week. I was reminded of my failed applications to grad school, my failure to create, my failure to be consistent, and my failure to navigate social-sexual relationships. I found myself using the internet when I felt despair, or using the internet caused/caught me in despair. I'm not sure. Maybe it doesn't matter, because there are spaces that are despair-friendly all over the internet. TikTok's algorithm has been a source of interest for me for a while now. I feel like it's magic, the way it delivers niche content regularly. I think the algorithm has gotten worse since I used it last, but it remains impressive. This go around, sometime between hour 3 and 4, tiktok thought I was an autistic, depressed woman (or, more to the point, that I would find that type of content interesting, which I did). Seeing a sort of bizzaro reflection of myself was off-putting, to say the least. I found people who wanted to be smart, or pretty, or romantically successful, or whatever, but their experience was just different enough from mine that it was alien. Maybe, more interestingly, it was alien because it was similar to my experience. The uncanny valley, visually, analogy to emotional experience. Well adjusted, beautiful, or normal people are so distant from me that I don't consider them people (actually, I don't consider myself a person, but the difference in category is what matters here). Seeing my feelings/thoughts filtered through another (women, interestingly, there's definitely some gender stuff going on that is interesting) made me feel disconnected, or like my performance is pretty commonplace. I dislike that feeling, and I dislike that all these flaws I have are flaws lots of people have. Not even my insecurities are my own. It also, however, provided me a nice chance to reflect (nice, I think this is about reflection, in a few different ways) on the things I want, the things I value etc. in the other and as being perceived-by-me-in-the-other

EGO The perceived-by-me-in-the-other is where I've landed in terms of whether or not the internet ruined my life. I needed the Other (I'm not familiar enough with Lacan here to invoke his name with any certainty) to bounce myself off of. There was nobody in my life who I felt similar enough to, going in, to provide this close-but-far-enough-to-be-alien experience that I needed. I was met with smart, adjusted people on all sides and I was not that. The internet, then, did not cause my dysfunction. That doesn't mean that it didn't exacerbate it though. I am tired of being caught up in an economy of desire, and I think the internet forced me into that every day. I find myself desiring things, pressure mounting, then there's some release and I return to 0 for a little while, which is nice. It's not quite thanatopic, but it's close. Mostly I'm not going to admit in writing that I want death in any way. More than an economy of desire, I have found myself (increasingly) being bored and anxious. This contradictory state has been my norm at times, and it's maddening. Nothing seems interesting, but everything feels heavy. I hate being bored and anxious, and I think the internet provided a lot of places that made me both bored and anxious. So, how does this make my dysfunction (this is a bad term, honestly. Implicit in it is that there is some function, and I think that's a pretty rigid way of looking at a pretty dynamic thing). It let me see myself, in many forms, and to move desire through myself (both exterior and interior). It created fantasy that was unstable, but felt real because I could locate it in the other (even though it was really myself that I was locating). I still fantasize a lot, but reality impinges more and more. Maybe that's a function of age. At any rate, I guess the ultimate point is that the internet ruined my life.

ITHICA It's going to be a long close today, sorry. First, to clarify the direction of the blog (clarify to myself, I guess, though there's always some hypothetical other reading). I am hoping that this blog becomes a place where I can work on writing in a more logical, interesting way. It is a place for me to hash out the week outside of my journal. It (hopefully) will function to be interesting without being needy. As such, I'm going back to just one hashtag per post, for the time being. I'm also going to work on better OPSEC, another recurring theme in these closings. I feel that the above post was pretty negative (repetition, again). I am actually doing alright. I haven't picked smoking or vaping back up yet, which is a huge plus for me. Even though I partook in social media a lot this week I didn't find it quite as fulfilling as I used to, which seems good. I also, and I can't believe I didn't mention this up top, deleted my Hinge profile, which means I'm officially off of dating apps. I didn't realize how important that fantasy was for my mental until it was gone. I think some of the frustration/"failure" of this week can be chalked up to losing this fantasy. I'm hoping that it's ultimately a good thing (I think the truth does set you free). Finally, and more personally, my short to mid-length goals. I'm hoping to practice gratitude in unknowing more consistently. This means not orienting myself towards the interesting, but getting ok with being bored, feeling bad, and being wrong, among other things. I'm hoping to abstain from inebriated for a few more weeks. This will mark, if I can be consistent, my longest period of sobriety since I was 15. Wild. I'm hoping to stop feeling shame and fear in the face of the other, and bored and anxious in general. Instead, I'll meet the world in gratitude in my unknowing. I'm out of time this week, sailing by in a quiet obscurity. Namaste :)

[developerwith1]

Battery Care and Maintenance: Ensuring Long Life for Automotive and Marine Batteries

Batteries are the unsung heroes of many of our everyday devices, from the car that gets us to work to the boat that takes us on weekend adventures. But like all unsung heroes, they need care to perform at their best. Whether you're dealing with an automotive or marine battery, proper maintenance is key to ensuring they last for many years to come. In this guide, we’ll walk you through simple steps for caring for your batteries, explain key terms like 3A to watts, and share expert tips for getting the most out of your battery.

Why Battery Care Matters

It’s easy to take a battery for granted—until it stops working. Battery care matters because a well-maintained battery not only lasts longer but also ensures that your vehicle or boat runs smoothly without any unexpected breakdowns. Whether you're cruising along in your car or enjoying a sunny day on the water, you need a battery that you can count on.

Proper maintenance prevents the buildup of sulfation, corrosion, and other issues that could lead to a premature battery failure. The good news? Taking a few simple steps can keep your battery in top shape for years.

How Batteries Work: A Quick Overview

Before we dive into maintenance tips, it helps to understand a little about how batteries work. Automotive and marine batteries are both lead-acid batteries, meaning they store electrical energy through a chemical reaction. This stored energy powers your vehicle’s or boat’s electrical systems, including lights, electronics, and, of course, the engine.

These batteries are 12-volt systems, with multiple cells connected together. When you start your car or boat, the battery provides the burst of energy needed to power the starter motor, and from there, the alternator takes over, recharging the battery as you go.

Common Signs Your Battery Needs Maintenance

Knowing when your battery needs attention is key. Here are a few common signs:

Slow engine crank: If your engine is slow to start or requires a few tries, it could be a sign of a weak battery.

Dim lights: If your headlights or dashboard lights are flickering or dim, your battery might not be supplying enough power.

Corrosion around battery terminals: This is often a clear sign that your battery is not properly maintained.

Swollen battery casing: A bulging battery could indicate overcharging or internal damage.

Understanding Battery Voltage and Current

To understand how batteries work, it’s important to grasp the basics of voltage and current.

Voltage (V) is the measure of electrical potential, or the force that pushes electrons through the circuit. For example, a typical 12V battery provides 12 volts of electrical potential.

Current (I), measured in amps (A), is the flow of electricity that powers your devices. Higher current means more power is being used.

When you start your car, it requires a large surge of current (amps) to get the engine going, while the voltage remains consistent at 12V.

The 3A to Watts Conversion Explained

Ever wondered how to convert amps to watts? It's actually quite simple. The formula is:

Watts = Volts × Amps

For instance, if you have a 12V battery and a device drawing 3A (amps), you can calculate the power usage like this:

Watts = 12V × 3A = 36W

So, a 12V battery supplying 3A of current would deliver 36 watts of power.

This conversion is helpful when you're working with battery-powered devices or trying to estimate how much energy a system consumes over time. It's also important when choosing the right battery charger or solar panel to keep your systems running.

Battery Maintenance Checklist for Automotive Batteries

Taking care of your car battery doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a quick checklist to keep your automotive battery in great shape:

Clean the battery terminals: Use a mixture of baking soda and water to remove corrosion.

Check the fluid levels: Low fluid levels can damage the battery and reduce its lifespan.

Inspect for cracks or leaks: Any signs of damage or leakage could indicate a failing battery.

Keep the battery charged: If you don’t drive your car regularly, consider using a battery maintainer to keep it charged.

Check the battery’s charge: Periodically check the voltage and current using a multimeter.

Battery Maintenance Checklist for Marine Batteries

Marine batteries face a unique set of challenges due to exposure to water, salt, and temperature fluctuations. To keep your marine battery running smoothly, follow these tips:

Rinse off saltwater: After every outing, rinse the battery with fresh water to remove any salt buildup.

Check the battery voltage: Regularly measure the voltage to ensure it’s properly charged.

Store the battery properly: If you’re storing the boat for a while, disconnect the battery and store it in a cool, dry place.

Inspect the battery cables: Ensure the cables are tight and free of corrosion.

How Temperature Affects Battery Life

Temperature can have a big impact on battery performance. Cold weather can cause the battery to lose its charge more quickly, while hot weather can lead to overcharging and shorten the battery's lifespan.

To keep your battery healthy, avoid leaving it exposed to extreme temperatures for long periods. In the winter, consider using a battery heater to keep it warm, and in summer, make sure the battery is well-ventilated.

Top Battery Maintenance Tips

To ensure your battery lasts as long as possible, here are some tried-and-true tips:

Keep it clean: Regular cleaning helps prevent corrosion.

Avoid deep discharges: Don’t let your battery run all the way down before recharging it.

Use a smart charger: Opt for a smart battery charger that adjusts the charging rate based on the battery’s condition.

How to Extend the Life of Your Battery

Proper care can significantly extend your battery’s life. In addition to regular maintenance, here are a few more tips:

Drive regularly: Short trips don’t give your battery enough time to recharge, so take longer drives when possible.

Avoid excessive idling: Extended periods of idling can wear down the battery.

Consider upgrading: If your battery is old or underperforming, consider upgrading to a more durable model.

What to Do if Your Battery Dies

If your battery dies unexpectedly, don’t panic. Here’s what to do:

Jump-start the vehicle or boat using jumper cables.

Test the battery with a voltmeter to see if it needs replacing.

Check the charging system to ensure the alternator is working properly.

How to Dispose of Old Batteries Safely

Batteries contain harmful chemicals that can harm the environment. Always dispose of your old battery at a certified recycling center. Many auto parts stores offer battery recycling services.

Understanding Battery Chargers and Their Role

A good battery charger is essential for maintaining the health of your battery. Smart chargers are the best option as they automatically adjust the charge to prevent overcharging and damage.

When to Replace Your Battery

If your battery is over 3-5 years old, it may be time for a replacement. If you notice repeated issues such as slow engine cranks, dim lights, or poor performance, it’s time to invest in a new battery.

Conclusion: Protect Your Battery for Long-Term Performance

Proper battery care is crucial for keeping your automotive and marine batteries running smoothly for years. By following these simple maintenance steps, understanding the 3A to watts conversion, and knowing when to replace your battery, you can ensure your vehicles and boats are always ready to go when you need them. Keep your batteries in top shape, and they’ll reward you with long-lasting, reliable performance

[vipul-dhok]

Why Hiring Remote Developers is a Game-Changer for Startups | Resourcifi

Let’s face it—running a small business is tough. There’s the constant juggle between staying within budget, finding the right people, and managing time effectively. If you’re a business owner or decision-maker, you’ve likely found yourself wishing you could stretch resources just a little further. Well, what if I told you there’s a way to do just that without sacrificing the quality or efficiency of your project? Yes, you heard it right. You can hire remote developers to solve for all the issues that you’ve been facing.  

In the era of globalization, you don’t have to limit your talent search to just your local area. You can hire offshore developers and tap into a global pool of skilled professionals. In this blog, we’ll explore why hiring remote developers is a game-changer for small businesses like yours.

1. Cost Savings: Get More for Less

There’s no doubt that one of the biggest challenges small businesses face is budget constraints. You want to invest in top talent, but hiring full-time in-house developers can be extremely expensive. From high salaries to benefits and office space, the costs add up quickly. This is why you should hire offshore developers.

When you hire remote developers, especially from regions like India, you can access the same high level of expertise at a fraction of the cost. You don’t have to worry about providing office space, utilities, or other overhead costs. When you hire offshore developers, they often work on flexible models, which also gives you the flexibility to scale your team up or down according to your requirements. When you hire developers from India, you save on your operational expenses while still getting high-quality work. It’s basically a win-win situation for you. 

The costs you save when you hire remote developers in huge. You can invest it in the other critical areas of your businesses where you feel a gap. This can lead to a more holistic growth of your venture. 

2. Access to a Wider Talent Pool

Have you ever tried to hire a developer locally, only to find that the talent pool is either too small or too expensive? Even if you’re based in a major tech hub, the salary expectations of the top-tier developers are extremely high. 

When you decide to hire remote developers, you’re no longer limited by geography. You can hire developers from India, Europe, South America, or any other region where top-notch developers are available. Not only do you have more choices, but you’re also able to find the right fit for your business, whether that’s a specialized skill set, a specific coding language, or simply someone who aligns with your company culture.

3. Flexibility and Scalability

Small businesses like yours need flexibility, especially when it comes to hiring. Your workload might vary from month to month, or you might take on a large project that requires extra hands temporarily. In this scenario, hiring full-time employees can be risky and costly for you.

When you hire offshore developers, it offers you a significant advantage. Whether you need someone for an hourly basis, a full-time basis, or part-time support, remote developers offer that kind of flexibility. When you hire remote developers, you can easily adjust the size of your development team based on your current needs, without the long-term commitments or overhead associated with full-time employees.

4. Time Zone Advantage

You might be wondering, "How can hiring remote developers benefit my business if they’re in a different time zone?" Believe me or not, this can actually work in your favor. Many small businesses find that having a team in different time zones allows them to maintain a continuous workflow when they hire remote developers. Imagine handing off a project at the end of your business day and waking up the next morning to see progress already made—that’s the power of a global, remote team.

For example, when you hire developers from India, you can benefit from the time difference to ensure work is being done even when your local team is offline. This can significantly speed up your development timelines and help you meet your deadlines faster.

"Won’t time zones cause delays?"

Not at all! In fact, when you hire remote developers, time zone differences can actually boost productivity by allowing round-the-clock work on your projects. Remote developers can keep your business moving even while you’re sleeping.

5. Expertise Across Various Technologies

Let’s say you need a developer skilled in a specific framework, like React, or a mobile app expert for iOS development. Finding that level of expertise locally could take time, and you might have to compromise on the skills you actually need.

Whereas, when you hire remote developers, you’re not restricted. You can hire specialists with deep knowledge in the exact technology your project requires. This allows your business to stay competitive and agile. 

6. Improved Work-Life Balance for Developers

This benefit might not seem immediately obvious, but it’s worth considering for your startup. When you hire offshore developers, they often report higher job satisfaction because they have the flexibility to work from wherever they feel most comfortable. A happy, well-balanced developer is likely to produce higher-quality work, meet deadlines, and collaborate effectively with your in-house team.

When you hire remote developers, you’re investing in professionals who value their work-life balance, which can lead to better results for your business.

7. Increased Diversity and Innovation

When you hire remote developers, they bring different perspectives to the table. When you hire offshore developers from various countries and cultures, you bring together a team with a diverse set of experiences and viewpoints. This can lead to more innovative solutions for your startup, as people from different backgrounds often approach problems in unique ways.

For a small business, this diversity can be an additional advantage. You’re not just getting someone to code—you’re getting fresh ideas, creative problem-solving, and potentially a broader understanding of your customer base.

8. Focus on Core Business Activities

As a startup owner, I understand that your time is valuable. When you’re handling every aspect of your business, from operations to marketing to customer service, it’s easy for you to get overwhelmed. When you hire offshore developers, you can delegate technical tasks to the experts and free up your time to focus on what you do best.

When you hire developers from India, you no longer have to worry about managing the day-to-day of your development team. Instead, you can concentrate on growing your business, building relationships with customers, and perfecting your products or services.

Final Thoughts: Remote Developers—Your Business's Secret Weapon

In a world that’s increasingly going digital, small businesses need every advantage they can get. When you hire developers from India, it gives you access to a global talent pool, helps you save costs, provides flexibility, and ensures that your business stays competitive in a fast-moving market. Whether you choose to hire remote developers or hire developers from India, their benefits can be extremely rewarding for your business. 

Software development outsourcing companies like Resourcifi can help connect you with the perfect talent for your business when you hire developers from India. The best part about them is that they also provide you a free one-week trial with their developers so that you’re rest assured that their expert developers perfectly fit your requirements. 

So, what’s holding you back? It’s time for you to tap into the global talent pool to employ the best talent to work for your startup. 

[asachuu]

(2/10)

Part 1: is there a “perfect” ship?

[List of all parts]

To truly get to the bottom of everything in a sufficient manner, I have to start from the absolute beginning, a bit further from highly specific pairings for the time being.

This is a question you might ask yourself upon simply thinking about this topic and subsequently the BSD fandom as a whole, though it is not limited to any particular piece of media at all. I will give you a short answer: no. In fact, most of the time, you could find criticisms in any ship if you tried, and many of those could be completely reasonable.

Now then, if that’s the case, why have I chosen to point Rimlaine out as a topic of discussion? The answer will be much, much longer than a single word, and you might be surprised to find out that my personal interests in the subject aren’t the only reason, although it goes without saying I certainly know a bit more in this area than other parts of BSD-related content.

For me, the distinction between something I would overlook and something I would rather speak out against is entirely dependent on two factors— the actions of any characters involved in a ship, both when they’re together and standalone, and their canonical interactions. There will almost never be a pairing free of anything we would deem at least slightly unhealthy or simply a bad sign, action or behavior if applied to the real world, especially in media such as Bungou Stray Dogs, the main focus of which is most certainly not on depicting a tale of some pure, untainted romance. However, even so, a vast majority of ships will not be directly labeled as “unhealthy”, no matter who you ask. Whilst I do not speak for everyone here, if someone were to have me explain my own reasoning behind it, it would be the aforementioned— the way the characters spend time with each other throughout the story and the actions they carry out. There is a vast difference between two or more people talking to each other in front of the reader’s eyes, knowing from their words and behaviors they do not mean genuine harm to the other(s) nor is some greater issue at play, and in Rimlaine’s particular case, two people who could only possibly reconcile on shaky terms after one of them had died. Even here, I should be using the word “reconcile” in heavy quotation marks, but I will elaborate on all this later on.

I will provide an example, which, albeit heavily outdated at the time of posting this, will still help me envision this better in one way or another. I’m sure anyone who has joined the BSD fandom has heard of Soukoku— a pairing between Dazai and Chuuya. I would say it’s the most popular ship of the fandom, hence why I’m choosing it in case less involved readers may be here, but I have seen it receive some criticisms over time too. Now, let’s take a look at those for a little while, shall we?

(Important note for the next part: I personally don’t ship SKK and am not trying to “defend” it because of my own personal enjoyment, nor do I believe it’s anyhow healthy myself. Due to this, the following section is NOT going to be taking anything beyond manga chapter 65 into consideration, as the claims originated many years before it, and I would have to make a separate essay if I were to truly shine the spotlight on today’s SKK from my point of view. The main reason I have chosen this very shaky example is listed above— its popularity making it easy to see even without much involvement, and there was a point in time during which it would have made for the best choice to mention, that to which I’m returning for a handful of paragraphs.)

One specific claim I have seen go around a long time ago, far before Stormbringer had even been announced, was that this particular ship isn’t healthy due to Dazai leaving/abandoning the Port Mafia, which could have potentially worsened Chuuya’s mental state after everything that has happened to him in the events of Fifteen (and subsequently the following novel as well, yet that one didn’t exist here), and additionally their current situation being nothing but constant “rudeness” to each other. If you’re someone who has heard me talk about the entire topic of fictional ships before, you may think this is pretty much the reason I claim Rimlaine to be unhealthy. To an extent, it is somewhat true, but once again— there is a vast difference, one that does not require me to go into details about both ships’ situations. Dazai and Chuuya, even back then, were seen to interact in canonical events again, long since that has happened. While I do have a lot of reservations towards them today, especially in light of more recent manga chapters/story developments, I’ve always had at least some of those, but they still had one thing Rimlaine did not— the actual ability to speak to each other in the story again. Seeing as this was circulating around far over three years ago, it was also at a time this was all we had, but back then, we saw that the pair was able to work with one another from the time they spent together without any heavy, deeper issues, and this canonical time between them showed us more than any speculation actually did.

Now, a sliver of my personal opinion is that I see nothing healthy between two characters who constantly go on about how much they hate each other regardless of how genuine it is and how many times they are shown to supposedly “care”, with the majority of their onscreen appearances together being argument after argument, no matter how humorous it may appear to a certain audience— however, I am only mentioning this on a side note as it’s not something that seems almost hidden in the public eye, it’s practically the very core of the SKK dynamic, and due to how extremely obvious it is, there would be no merit in me attempting to highlight those actions themselves. Even so, this brings me to another point, which I believe explains why I’m using a ship with interactions like that as an example of something that differs from Rimlaine, and why I cannot take as much issue with it despite my own thoughts on it.

This is an aspect related to not only these two ships, but also any other works of fiction, which I do feel is a little bit harder to explain in words and could cause quite a lot of disagreement as is, however it is something which goes without saying for the vast majority of people who engage in such content at the same time. This being what we view as “wrong”, and from that point, what I meant by “deeper issues” above.

For many people, perhaps even yourself, it’s not a dealbreaker to see violence in fiction, whether that be movies, books, shows, etc. Now, I am not qualified to claim this as anything beyond personal speculation, given I am in no way a psychology major or anything of the sort, but I do believe it’s because we already know it’s absolutely wrong from our entire lives, which is a lot more emphasized upon. None of us would ever condone the actions of these characters, but seeing as they’re not real and their worlds or lives usually operate under much different, often highly unrealistic circumstances, that fact simply goes without saying and we are still able to appreciate their individual selves— additionally, we will not be the ones to go and carry out the same things as them for a multitude of reasons, be it basic morality, lack of any realistic circumstance in which it would ever be justified or expected, and so on. If that sounds rather strange to you when I put it in such a way, ask yourself this: how many people have you seen enjoy a character such as Dazai or Chuuya, respectively? Now, with that amount in mind, how many of those people explicitly talk about not supporting their actions whatsoever each time they make a post about them? The amount is significantly smaller, right? It’s not because they don’t think those actions would be wrong in our world or they’re outright excusing them, it’s because it’s already established from the place of common sense, and due to the characters’ fictional nature, there are many other interesting things to focus on rather than their crimes and transgressions, which are also often a part, if not the full narrative of the given story, being fully guaranteed to be a feature of their lives from the start. This, however, gets far more complicated in other issues, which will be relevant down the line.

Just as with everything in the world, there are some instances which are deemed more “controversial”. As many will have vastly different opinions on where to draw the line, myself included, with this point being an extremely nuanced one that is simply impossible to properly condense, the following is my shortened perspective only.

Nevertheless, the term I used can apply to far more subtle things which many may not even notice the first time, but they mainly come in the form of content which perpetuates already prevalent harmful thoughts or behavior that is not deemed “straightforward” or “significant enough” by quite a large number of people. I’m positive many folks have seen such things centered around social issues online, for example, and I’m sure almost everyone has encountered it in some way, shape or form, be they aware of it or not. Even if my next words will sound quite far-fetched on paper, I assure you, it’s not something uncommon amongst fandoms of any kind— I assume you’ll certainly be more inclined to like a fictional character who has committed a lot of violence and criminal activity over a character who, let’s say, would be actively bigoted and/or predatory, with those just being two selected examples. I see this in many fandoms which feature both character types at once, and one always has a significantly larger fanbase than the other. Why is it so? Because, while the former lies within all the reasons stated above, the latter is something which, to many of us, seems entirely wrong for obvious reasons too, yet many people engage in and firmly believe they’re correct and in the right, even receiving support and zero consequences or proper attention far more often than the former— not to mention the large groups of victims with personal experience revolving around such behavior, of which many are taken far less seriously than ones of the former kind. If a perpetrator, or anyone else who might happen to be completely uninformed about whatever type of content is being showcased, is exposed to such things which aren’t painted in any explicitly negative light in the media itself, it may create or reinforce particular views in them, depending on what it is, and on the other side, if it’s the victims themselves or any other person who happens to understand the harm of such issues, many will most likely either not wish to be reminded of their experiences or simply like a character who is in any way linked to them, especially if there is no repercussion for them.

This point, however, doesn’t only revolve around issues of in/direct harm caused to people or various types of prejudice, as one may think. It also encompasses and shapes what others view as “normal” and “acceptable”, which extends to personal dynamics and relationships between people, too. This may look like a very obvious concept already, but for the sake of this essay, I will use another example to fully get this thought across. Let’s say you grew up surrounded by media concerning relationships in which one partner is constantly belittling the other. In every such instance, it is depicted as entirely normal and “the way things are”, not even people around you have much to say about it. You’ll very likely get used to it, begin thinking that’s the way it is for everybody, and if you do wish to pursue a relationship in the future, you might end up in a similar situation. Due to the influence all that media had on you with nobody to truly deny it or go against it, there is quite a high chance you’ll simply believe this is what everyone goes through and the way it’ll always be. You might not even begin to think that something may be wrong with it, even if it potentially makes you feel unhappy, unsafe and whatnot— after all, this is what has been presented to you so many times. If you do realize it, however, there is also a chance you’ll be an outlier amongst many people who will not treat your concerns with any amount of seriousness, having also been exposed to the same things and arriving at a much different conclusion, no matter if they’re personally satisfied with it or not. To some, this concept of influence seems apparent from the start, yet we cannot deny that there are many who would disagree entirely, precisely due to things like this.

On a side note, I must add that this does not mean one cannot create explicit content about unhealthy, violent or otherwise harmful, triggering and provocative matters, and if we are to look at another side of it, a lot of it can even bring awareness to these issues instead of promoting them or normalizing them. Most of it comes down to how it’s portrayed, if anything is said about it by the creators themselves and how they view their creations, but also the thoughts and takeaways of the viewers themselves— those will naturally never be a single monolith, yet if only a small minority come out of your work thinking the content was about anything I listed above, not acceptable, everyday things that one can easily overlook, perhaps this work should be assessed once more.

Anyhow, this brings me back to the “deeper issues” phrase I have used before. In the case of Soukoku, not only are they not meant to be portrayed as any kind of romantic relationship in canonical events at the time of me writing this, but their arguments and violence are both heavily out in the open for anyone to see and understand that this is not supposed to be a depiction of a healthy friendship/partnership at all, yet simultaneously leaning more into the fictional, chaotic and dramatized aspect of things that leads many to believe this is simply not how it should look in real life— but this is not real life, it’s fiction, and additionally, neither of the two characters seem affected by it on a level that would start raising many questions about whether it is acceptable to show support for, or what such a thing implies.

As for Rimlaine, however…that’s a much different story, one which requires its own set of details.

[Part 2]

[dwarfysays]

When you are at your twilight years, would you be OK with dying?

I feel like the ones who cannot accept death, do not really believe in God or eternal life. They genuinely have no faith. But they do make a show of being religious when they can. Which begs the question: do the “faithful” really believe?

Would the “faithful” fail when tested?

My parents are prime examples of the questionably faithful. Both in their mid 80s, have stage 4 cancer with other health issues. Both want every effort made to resuscitate them. Many who are as advanced in age and disease progression would take DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). Both my parents do not want that. They don’t care if the CPR breaks their bones.

I had a very stressful confrontation with my father. In addition to the stage 4, he has diabetes, asthma and COVID. He had no understanding that he had to stay home and recover. He tried to make a break for it outside. He was very combative as I physically forced him back into the house. If he wasn’t so old and so sick, I may have let him go for a walk outside.

He is angry and scared. I am too, but I’m sticking to my guns in assuring that he will not harm himself. I can’t talk to him because he is hard of hearing and a little cognitively disadvantaged. On top of all that he is stubborn. He is a 3 year old in an old,old man’s body. I’m frustrated with his uncooperative behavior and my mom’s refusal to eat. She too has COVID. Both are on antivirals. Both no longer have fever. Only my mom is still coughing and lacking appetite. Well, my dad still coughs, but does his best to suppress the cough and make himself appear strong. He is frail and any fall could break his hip. If that happens, that would be the end. Not recovering from broken hip when you are that old and that advanced in disease state.

I know both are supposed to use their walkers and with assistance whenever they get up to “walk” elsewhere in the house. But now, I let my dad walk without a walker. He seems fine. I just follow him. His anger probably provides the power for him to walk independently. Just not going to tell my sister about that.

[factsilike]

Lol imagine nitpicking the author's words to only see what you want to see. She literally adds the words 'wouldn't be too much dispute between them.' It possibly could not be that maybe Lwj excels in virtue or WWX in character, or that both of them have highly idealistic traits to have, no? Just because she tells us to be like Lwj in virtue does not mean WWX lacks virtue, that's your own incorrect assumption.

You know, you're right that WWX did go too far. Specifically during the Sunshot Campaign when he looks back and regrets. He looks back and admits that he went too far, that he was too focused on revenge in the war, and stooped to underhanded methods to achieve it. The fact that he was able to do that, to draw the line at when too much blood had been shed, when enough was enough, when so many others could not is another reason why he's morally righteous.

Run, where exactly? Literally where could he have run where he would be safe, and live in hiding for the rest of his life? Like a coward? Sooner or later they find him and the confrontation starts all over again? What would running away have solved? The Wens would still be killed, with the added knowledge that WWX abandoned them to their fate. Nothing would have changed for the better. WWX did everything he could to peacefully protect the Wens and himself, that's the point, peace was no longer an option. There was nothing else he could do.

No, WWX did not destroy the seal because he felt he was wrong. He destroyed it because he realised that it was too dangerous a thing for those bloodthirsty sects to have, too much power for one person, and it was mostly likely to fall in their hands after his death, which would certainly be a disaster. As evidenced by how half of it ended up in XY's hands and the Jin clan was all too eager to pardon his numerous crimes so that he could fully restore it for them to use.

True, Jiang Yanli dies but how is that his fault? He did not deliberately kill her, first it was her choice to run out to an open battlefield without any support, and then sacrifice her life for him. Her death was a tragic accident. Also I couldn't help noticing that she sees the thousands of these cultivators attacking a single man, and asks that man to stop defending himself. Smh.

There are so many things wrong with your Tgcf notes, I don't even know where to begin.

'He merely escalated the situation-' even if that's true he still played a major role in the kingdom's downfall. It was entirely his fault, not XL's. He even goes out of his way to hinder XL's efforts to provide relief for his people, multiple times in increasingly drastic ways.

What use was that help? It was that XL's intentions matter here, not his actions. Take a look at this passage

Both of them indirectly imply that there must be some deciding factor that tells them which one to give the glass.

However Xie Lian says,

He challenges the notion that FX and MQ had accepted, that even as gods, they are limited. If they are gods, why shouldn't they find a way to get a second cup?

And if they can't, they can still do something that neither the Guoshi nor FX or MQ considered; he can give his own cup. And you'll see XL sticks to this mentality for the rest of the novel. So long as his own cup is flowing, he can find a way to help people.

Yes, it's true that FX and MQ are highly incompatible but again it doesn't fall to Xie Lian to make them get along. He still tries though, because he's good at it. He's able to calm FX down before he jumps to accusing MQ of something and ask him to first listen to what MQ has to say when he will not speak up, as well as remind MQ that FX is not capable of scheming against him as he will just silently brood in his head about him conspiring against him. They would truly not be friends without XL.

Who asked you to post a whole book?? I said some passages. Here, let me lead by example

'Did not want to eat the food offered to him-' ah I see you're the type of person who takes the characters words at face value and ignores their actions and what the narrative is saying. What does this passage say?

That Xie Lian had only been in a mortal body again after a long time and forgotten that he needed to eat to sustain it? And not that he was being picky about food, or going on a starving spree to throw a tantrum about poor food? But we see how MQ here assumes the worst of XL as he often does all throughout the novel, because of his own resentment towards XL? There are many such examples in the book.

Congratulations, you missed the point of the book more than twice then. One of the Mxtx book's morals is not to take the antagonists' words at face value, when they literally twist facts to make themselves look better. They are not victims, and their downfall is simply the consequences of their own immoral actions.

XL literally insists on going along with FX to earn money in the streets, and does his fair share, even when FX insists he doesn't have to. And well XL must always be this perfect person who's never allowed to have a breakdown, right? Even after suffering blow after blow after blow. Of course they had it hard, it was a lose lose situation.

Not to mention FX who is too caught up in his love affair completely fails to notice that the 'master' he serves is being stalked and tormented for months by a psychopathic maniac, and as a result his mental health has drastically deteriorated. He brushes off XL when he tells him about White No Face, thinking he was just losing his mind from poverty or stress.

Oh, I forgot a few years had passed. My bad, but 20 is still so young.

Also, you're seriously suggesting that what MQ thought was a good solution could have worked? Those are literal war crimes, XL had every right to reject them.

Look at this guy jumping at the chance to harm innocent people, especially civilians. And you think XL made bad decisions? Somehow you read this chapter and thought MQ was right and you also know what morally righteous actions entail.

As for the exhausting resources...

He will point this out like there's nothing they can do about it, yet the people in charge (the useless king) will not think to remove these corrupt people and strip them of power.

Also oh my god. That's the most callous thing ever, that you think his parents killed themselves because they thought they knew that XL couldn't take care of them, as if they only ever had expectations from XL to unconditionally serve them. They killed themselves because they didn't want their son to be burdened by the immense task of taking care of them, not that he was incapable of doing so. They took that decision off his hands. Your interpretation of their actions is horrible. That whole tragic scene was XL's breaking point.

Seriously, read the book again.

Really tired of constantly seeing posts declaring that everyone in MXTX novels is complicated and 'morally grey' and that's what makes her works wonderfully written, and that everyone else who doesn't see that is stupid, or is 'demonising' characters and bashing them for rightfully criticising their shitty, very much unjustified actions.

And ironically it seems so simplistic to just declare that, because yes her stories are wonderfully written and complex, but not for that reason. You're clearly not reading her works and only spouting what you think her stories say. There are many morally grey characters in morally complex stories out there, but MDZS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

NONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS (i.e protagonists and their male leads except for LBH maybe) ARE MORALLY GREY OR MORALLY COMPLEX.

THEY ARE ALL MORALLY RIGHTEOUS.

Just take a closer look at their actions compared to the actions of literally everyone else around them, it's not that hard to see.

Not to mention that MXTX herself literally says that WWX and LWJ are both morally ideal and that ahe hopes her readers can be like them, but people seem to have no respect for the word of authors in the name of their self projection onto the characters being contradicted nowadays 😒

(also saw someone dismissively say that HC may think that the world revolves around XL or whatever, but others don't and they're right??

First of all, did you even read the novel? HC made his judgement based on how others treated him versus how XL did when he was a CHILD. And how XL continues to treat others to this day. He is well within his rights to think the world of XL, especially since XL suffered more than every other person and still doesn't succumb to evil, despite having every right to do so, miles more than others. He all but regards XL as his moral compass, because he's proof that truly good people do exist in this world, and not ONE other person in the novel is shown to be as good as him.)

One of the reasons why I really don't like the Xianle Trio is this; neither FX nor MQ seem to regard XL as his own person with his own agency, who is capable of making his own decisions initially as HC does, and only near the end of the novel do they let up a bit when their asses had to be saved by XL multiple times. (especially considering what fools they made of themselves in that spiderweb cave lmao)

Both of them try to enforce XL ALL THE TIME ("Your Highness don't do this or don't do that or don't say this or don't go there or don't talk to him"), as if XL has not survived perfectly well on his own without them FOR 800 YEARS.

The difference between them and HC is clearly spelled out when FC asks HC about why he is not stopping XL, and HC replies that while he may not agree with some of XL's decisions, he would never force him to do what he thinks is correct, something both MQ and FX are CONSTANTLY shown to try to do.

Like please. Xianle Trio who? More like suffering XL and his pair of nuisances who think themselves to be his babysitters. And most of the time he's the one babysitting them.

Another thing that irks me is that their frequent arguments are often played off for laughs, but XL is truly a saint, because if my friends were constantly bickering over petty things all throughout our dangerous journey and giving me nothing but headaches, especially in survival situations, I'd given them the boot a long time ago.

[marveloustimestwo]

Hiya!! I love the way you write. can you do a motherly Natasha (who may be a vamp) who adores the reader( who is around 23-25) but that doesn’t stop mama nat from protecting reader and coddling them to the fullest extent. Please and thank you.

Hi! I'm so happy you like how I write! Thanks for the request!

Warnings: Yandere themes, Vampire! Nat

Nat really does strike you as a vampire, doesn't she? Like, in the supernatural world, that's definitely what she would be.

And she'd be one of the really old ones, too. One that's been around for a really long time and seen a good chunk of history play out.

But because of how long she's been alive, I don't think Natasha would want to get too attached to anyone, especially not a human.

She has a few other vampires she's friendly with. For example, her sister Yelena, as well as the vampire hybrid Bruce.

Still, Natasha tries not to make it a habit to insert herself into human life like others of her kind sometimes are fond of doing. She knows all too well how fleeting it can be, and to expose herself to that heartbreak is something she wouldn't like to experience again.

And Natasha is usually pretty good about her rule. After being alive for so long, her discipline is incredibly strong. Her self-control is something that many vampires admire and strive to achieve.

But despite her self-control and nearly a thousand years of experience, it seemed to crumble around you.

When Natasha first met you, she looked at you as just another human.

There are rarely people who stand out to her, and when someone does, Natasha is quite good at ignoring them. She can't get attached to someone whose life is only a blip compared to hers.

But she had only just moved back to a place she hadn't visited in a century or so. While she could easily move back to one of her other spacious houses in another country, at the time she hadn't felt like wasting the trip.

And oh what a mistake that was.

The longer she was around you, the more interested in you Natasha became. She tried to resist at first. She knew that she was becoming far too interested far too quickly, yet she felt unable to stop herself from being around you more.

In your eyes, Natasha felt like something else entirely. You could never quite place what it was, but she felt like she was from another time; something not quite human, but human all the same.

But the strange woman was very kind. After only just moving there yourself, Natasha seemed like a lifeboat that helped keep you afloat.

She often showed you new spots to eat or shop, and wouldn't let you pay either. She always waved you off when you tried, saying she had plenty of money to spare.

You didn't want to push, despite feeling a bit guilty. You'd seen her apartment, as well as her clothes, jewelry, and furniture. Even the way she held herself screamed that she was as rich as she said.

For Natasha, it was an absolute joy to take you to do these things.

It isn't a surprise that she took on a motherly role for you. As we've gone over, she's very old, even by vampire standards. So while you may be an adult by human standards, to Natasha, you're still a small child.

Yes, you can hold an intelligent conversation and can walk, talk, and function on your own, but Natasha can't help but feel the same fear any mother would when seeing their small child walk on their own for the first time.

(Though, she is quite a bit more paranoid and protective than the average parent.)

You're so completely human that it terrifies Natasha. You age so quickly, and she knows that it will eventually lead to your death. Not only that, but you're just so weak.

You really are a child to her considering how easily you can be hurt compared to her. Even the weakest of monsters could kill you without any effort.

So Natasha can't help but coddle you greatly even before she kidnaps you. If she could, she'd be the one to make all of your meals and provide everything for you (though it's hard to reject her offers considering how sweet she is about it. Plus, her cooking is godly with how much practice she's had.)

Sooner rather than later, Natasha will turn you into a vampire, and it will be clear as to why she felt so otherworldly.

You have no say in the matter. She can't have you aging and dying on her.

And hey, it's not that bad, she claims. Now you can keep each other company for the rest of eternity, and Natasha can mother you even more.

Considering she's the one who bit you, she is practically your mother anyway, and she'll be the one to show you the ropes of vampirism.

[pitaparka]

sex headcanons

note — NSFW. whelp. if anyone wanted proof of me being clinically insane, this is what you could show them. not only has all of my free time been devoted to watching anything with pedro pascal in it, this is also what i think about while watching these anythings. i know there are people out there who have loved him for longer and are even more obsessed than i, so i figured i would share my personal headcanons for the PPCU (pedro pascal cinematic universe, duh). big love for any fans of pedrito - nat

MANDO

- VIRGIN with a capital V

- did you see how he reacted when grogu touched his face? this man has not been touched since he was a child

- he grew up with the mandalorians but he was exposed to suggestive behaviors because, helloooo, bounty hunter

- you have to coax him into it, but it doesn't take much, since he plans on keeping you around long term

- plus, you're so good with the kid

- you provide him a safe space to explore both himself and also your body and he has no idea how lucky he is for it

- doesn't make very much noise, but loves to listen to you

- he won't last long, he’s so sensitive from years of going untouched, but this man's recovery time???

- unparalleled

- he also has the dick of a space porn star and doesn't know it

- but seriously, rice purity score is NOT lower than 90, and most of the boxes he checks are "running-from-the-police" related

- he really wants to be held and have someone run their hands through his hair and kiss his neck and hold his hands is that too much to ask???

EZRA

- his words are where he gets you

- who knew dirty talk could sound so elegant??? and poetic??

- what a tease he is, too

- he pants so heavily right in your ear holy sweet lord

- and loves to laugh during sex

- he doesn't take himself super seriously unless he gets super into it, which has been known to happen from time to time

- safe words have been used between you two, which there's no shame in, but he's so good to you afterward

- he loves aftercare, and being gentle and sweet after a rough session

- asks you what you want and makes you beg for it

- makes you feel like you're in control but really, he's the one in control

- will make you cum before he does

- kinky kinky boy, almost always willing to try what you want him to

- loves to pin you down, but after he loses his arm it becomes a bit harder, so he settles for holding you flush against his chest as you squirm in his strong grip

FRANKIE

- a little soft spoken, but will whisper in your ear in public because he knows it gets you riled up

- will stare you down from across the room with bedroom eyes

- he's got that pilot's precision if you know what i mean aha

- he's honest with you about what he likes and has no qualms about telling you up front

- gives off switch energy, but you're gonna have to really make it worth his while if you want to fuck him

- a very gentle touch, which he would love to be reciprocated

- he aches from years in the service, his back, his knees, his shoulders

- would probably drop dead if you gave him a massage as foreplay

WHISKEY

- what an arrogant piece of shit

- "gorgeous, darlin', sweetheart, sugar"

- he will butter you up like a roll on thanksgiving goddamn

- so straightforward, and very up in your face, but it got you to sleep with him the first time you met him, so you can't say it doesn't work

- not the best with his fingers, but dear lord that tongue does wonders when he's not talking

- is a man on a mission to please you

- will spend an absurd amount of time between your thighs, and loves to feel you try to push him away when you get oversensitive

- loves it when you get feisty

- pull his hair, bite down a little harder than usual, push him down onto the bed or forcefully unbuckle his pants and this man will be putty in your hands

- is SO LOUD, and expects the same from you

- doesn't understand that because you're not screaming to the heavens doesn't mean he's doing a bad job

- associates volume with pleasure which isn't always the case

- that's something you'll have to work on with him, but he's a patient man

JAVIER PEÑA

- keeps condoms and lube on hand at almost all times

- ohhhh boy is this man willing to go at it wherever, whenever, you name it

- will fuck you until he sweats, and keeps going afterward

- and will definitely do you right

- he fucks to feel in control, so good luck trying to take control with this one

- almost tries to distance himself from you at first, but really it scares him that he cares so much

- there's just something about orgasming at the same time as you that just makes his whole week, and your hole weak (ahaha)

- likes to fuck you from behind and fuck you roughly, hands both occupied at the same time, mouth on you, and dick inside you

- very hands on, but can be sweet afterward

- this man kisses like no other you've ever kissed before, he leaves you breathless

MARCUS MORENO

- leads by example wink wink

- will show you what he wants done to him, and is pretty vanilla, but in a good way

- is big on foreplay and also aftercare, probably one of the sweeter ones on the list

- he's almost methodical in his sex, very routine, but willing to deviate for you

- gentle, but deep, languid strokes

- thinks he's quieter than he actually is

- always has a lot on his mind, so he really appreciates it when you can ease some of his tension

- secretly was really experimental in college

- very attentive to your needs and likes to tease

- morning sex is his thing. when he gets home from a long day, he wants to eat and relax and sleep. but in the morning? before anyone is up and before breakfast is even being considered, he likes to wake you up with sweet bruises and roaming hands

MARCUS PIKE

- marcus is the type of man to respect your boundaries fully, keep copies of toys he knows you like at his house, and surprise you at work with flowers and a dirty quickie in the bathroom because you've wanted to try it so badly

- a more traditional way of thinking on sex, and semi-reluctant to do anything involving his ass, but will try it for you if you really want him to

- a very quick learner, this one, and incredibly intuitive

- what he lacks in skill he makes up for in enthusiasm

- it's almost like he can read your mind, when he uses just the right amount of pressure and uses just the right motion to make you cum for him

- you have no idea how anyone could give this up, let alone break his heart

- his favorite thing is having you ride him, your face buried in his neck as you grind your hips down as he whispers praise in your ear

- marcus isn't super kinky, but i'm sure you can convince him to try something new every once in a while

MAX PHILLIPS

- OFFICE. DESK. SEX.

- "a private word with you in my office, please."

- so very seductive. the hand on the small of your back gets you going and he knows it, but he'll have to be more subtle if he wants to keep you

- another one who will butter you up to get you to sleep with him. he's very obvious about it, so it may or may not work first time. regardless he's up for a challenge

- pays so much attention to your neck. you will have to invest in many turtlenecks if you want to be with max

- big on eye contact, except for the exception of fucking you senseless over his desk

- obviously, a vampire, so he's absolutely magic between your thighs

- is very personable with everyone else, mainly because he's a business major, but he LOVES to make you jealous, this man LIVES off of it

- will one hundred percent expect you to be putty in his arms immediately, and treats it as a competition if you aren't

- he WILL take it personally and will make it a personal goal of his to get you to like him and want to fuck him without using his powers

- a game of cat and mouse

- does not care at all about being loud in the workplace, but he likes to see you struggle to keep quiet, even if everyone else can hear you anyway

MAXWELL LORD

- has suCH a praise kink wow

- his favorite thing is to hear you moan and tell him he’s doing a good job

- a little more vanilla than his counterparts but does like to take control and be a little rough

- a switch sometimes, falls into ruts where he just wants someone to take care of him

- but he WILL NOT ASK FOR IT. his pride won't let him

- at first, he’s not as mindful of you as you’d like him to be

- his sex is fast and unpleasant with hands everywhere and mouths and teeth and touch

- so you sit him down, and show him what you like. very slow and sensual

- you take your time with him, and he eventually starts to do the same with you

OBERYN MARTELL

- remember din's rice purity score? yeah, oberyn's is maybe ten. which is pushing it

- when you meet him, he knows what he likes, and is very particular about it

- he's done his fair share of experimenting, but he's willing to try new things, if there's anything new to be tried

- takes control inside and outside the bedroom

- not afraid to show you your place

- he's the kinky one in the relationship, and he will let you explore his body all you want

- if he doesn't like it he will kindly redirect you, his hands on yours, stroking and tugging and redirecting pressure and placement so that you learn his body in and out

- loves to watch you with his girls and boys. what an exhibitionist this man is

- for most people, they have to choose between quantity or quality in their sex lives. oberyn martell is not most people

- he is a prince, and will not let you forget it, but likes it when you talk back and he has to punish you

PERO TOVAR

- the roughest one on the list, but not the kinkiest

- sex to him when he's at his worst is just a way for him to feel good and relieve stress

- when he's at his best, it's a way for him to make you scream his name

- very possessive about what's his, and if he has to show it in front of everyone else for them to know that he will do it

- this man fucks like a rabbit. how does he find the time??? nobody knows

- his libido is so high. you have no idea how he isn't absolutely spent at the end of a long day of fighting and training and wandering, but he'll fuck you where you lay if you let him and you're too tired to move

- once you accidentally walked in on him stroking himself, and the AUDACITY OF HIM

- he smirked, groaned, and asked you to help him out

- who could resist a man like that

[merakiaes]

Captain Jealous - William Lennox

Pairing: William Lennox x reader

Requested: By @neemonroe​

Prompts: #20, #41, #42 from the smut-list. 

Warnings/notes: Takes place before Transformers. Not proofread so sorry in advance for any mistakes. Might be a little bit OOC but I still hope you’ll enjoy it. Please reblog and comment, it would make my day <3 

Wordcount: 3806

Summary: Flirting with Will only seems to result in annoyance, but when you finally turn your attention elsewhere, he’s not very pleased. 

Growing up, your mother had always told you to be the kind of woman that, when your feet hit the floor each morning, the Devil says, “oh crap, she’s up”. 

You lived by those words every day of your life, not once backing down from a fight, always standing up for what was right, as well as holding your own and never giving up on getting the things you wanted.

To most, you were one of the strongest and most admirable women they’d ever gotten the pleasure of meeting, but to others… well, let’s just say that you might have taken your mother’s words a bit too literally.

You were absolutely relentless when you put your mind to something and one of the many people who had fallen victim to that stubbornness was William Lennox.

Having enrolled in the army around the same time and being equally as good at what you did both back in training and in the field, the two of you had always respected each other and rather than being competitive, tried your best to lift each other up.

If one of you took control of a situation and started shouting out orders, the other didn’t question it, not even when Will eventually passed you in ranks. Because your minds worked in the exact same ways and so it didn’t really matter who gave the orders since the orders would be the same in the end, anyway, no matter whose lips they passed.

But you did differ in the way that Will much preferred to keep his personal life separated from his professional life, while you had a habit of letting them merge together, which inevitably resulted in you bringing the obvious attraction you felt for him with you out on the field.

Will was one of the people who thought you had taken your mother’s advice a bit too literally. That was what he told you on a daily basis as a response to your endless flirting, at least. But you knew better; you knew that he, at least to some extent, reciprocated your attractions, thanks to the few moments you had shared back in training.

“It was all fun and games back then”. He liked to say in that stern, military voice he had picked up the second he was promoted to Captain. “But this is the real deal. This is serious, and this, this thing you’re doing, is unprofessional.”

Ever the workaholic soldier, he was, at this point basically having dedicated his entire life to the job with no time to spare for fun. But no matter how hard he tried denying it, you knew that the two of you shared something, and so did every other member of your squad.

The only ones who seemed completely clueless to this were the newbies and as you gradually lost hope that your stubborn captain would ever admit and give in to his feelings, you found it to be a breath of fresh air to be able to spend time with people who weren’t constantly making suggestive remarks and fueling the attraction from your side.

One, in particular, caught your eye; tall, dark and handsome. He had yet to gain more muscle than the bare minimum and was, admittedly, kind of lanky. He was one year younger than you which was way too young seeing as you’d otherwise not even go for guys the same age as you, but he had banter and shared your flirty, dirty, cheeky sense of humor which, most definitely, made up for what he lacked in life-experience.

Will had smugly watched all of the newbies try to make a move on you only to be shot down quicker than your enemies, but then the last of the soldiers had swept up by your side, put a long, lean arm over your shoulders, and hit you with the cheesiest pick-up line he had ever heard. 

“How you doing, mama? You must be a parking ticket, ‘cuz you got fiiine written all over you.”

While Epps, Fig and the rest of the team broke out into laughter at the man’s poor technique, Will’s face transformed from smug to stone-cold murderer. 

Why? Because he knew that you didn’t want a man to tell you the stars reflected in your eyes or that you took their breath away with your beauty.

What you wanted was someone who could make you laugh, and when you threw your head back and joined in on the seemingly endless laughing fit, he was overtaken by a feeling so strong that he didn’t quite know what to do with himself.

And you noticed the change of demeanor immediately. The long, hard stares were only the tip of the iceberg, as was the way he would move closer to you and find a way to touch you as much as he possibly could without making it inappropriate or suspicious. 

The most extreme part of his change in behavior was how hard and strict he suddenly became with the rookie, who had quickly earned himself the reputation of your very own lapdog. 

He got scolded even for the most insignificant of mistakes, always got put on parade as the “example” in exercises in which he was usually thrown to the ground by Will himself and totally and completely humiliated.

Of course, those moments were just poor thinking on Will’s part seeing as you, besides being incredibly flirty and witty, also happened to be one of the most caring members of the team. 

Not only did he have to watch you laugh until your stomach hurt at the rookie’s bad jokes, but he also had to watch you comfort and reassure him after his one-on-one’s with the Captain.

And still, Will couldn’t stop himself from making the same mistake again and again, the consequences every time being that he was stuck watching you fuss over the younger soldier, because no matter how much it vexed him, he knew that you knew why he was acting the way he was. 

It was all a game to you and he played along because he wanted to keep showing you that he was the better option. Unluckily for the rookie, though, Will’s method of showing dominance was through physical contact.

You knew what Will was doing, how he was trying to punish the rookie, mildly and legally, of course, while simultaneously trying to show you that he was displeased with what was going on; that he wanted it to stop.

To a start, you only showed interest in the rookie to fuck with Will, but you quickly realized that he was actually a fun guy to hang around.

You enjoyed spending time with him. Not a second with him went without laughter and it was nice to be able to have fun like that for a change, and soon enough, you’d more or less forgotten about the silent war between the two of you.

You probably knew that it wasn’t a real interest, judging by the way you didn’t even care enough to remember his name, but it was fun to have another banter-buddy.

You’d had an identical friendship with Epps since the start, but two people could only keep the creativity up for so long; after a while, you just couldn’t come up with witty remarks and sarcastic jokes, anymore.

Up until then, Will had still kept his disapproval about the whole thing lowkey, because as long as you were only doing what you were doing to make him jealous, you were still interested. 

But when you started making moves on the rookie with genuine interest, without looking over at Will while doing it, it was no longer a game. 

While already on the topic of games, you were completely useless when it came to cards. It didn’t matter what game you played; you’d always end up as the loser. And although you enjoyed the banter that followed the teasing of your poor card-playing abilities, your patience wasn’t endless.

“Alright, I’m calling it.” You chuckled after losing the fifth game of the evening, dropping your thick deck of cards onto the table in front of you.

“Really? But it was going so good for you.” Epps wasted no time in firing back with feign-surprise, to which all you did was deliver a sharp slap to his head.

The table broke out into laughter. “You had that coming.” Fig shook his head, successfully starting a metaphorical war. 

You chuckled at their antics and pushed back your chair, getting to your feet and stretching your arms above your head.

“I’m gonna take a shower.” You said, and wasted no time in starting to collect your things.

The rookie’s attention was instantly piqued, and so was Will’s, who had been playing in silence nearly the entire time you’d been there.

“You know, I need to shower, too.” He stated, shrugging his shoulders with a smirk. “So, I should probably join you. You know, save water. Provide some extra heat.”

“Oh, yeah?” You raised a playful eyebrow and chuckled. “Tempting offer, but I’ll have to take a raincheck on that. Glad to know I have options, though. Maybe next time.”

Without waiting for his reply, you snatched your jacket from a nearby stool and playfully flicked his forehead, before turning around and walking away, completely oblivious of the pairs of eyes that kept watching you from the table you had just left.

You went about your shower routine like you always did; get undressed, wash hair, wash body, turn off the water in-between washes, get dried and get dressed again. Sharing the water with so many people could be hard, so you couldn’t really take the long, thoughtful showers you did when at home.

You were out again as quickly as you had gotten in and took your time getting lotioned and dressed, getting as much self-care into your night as you possibly could when at a military base.

“What are you doing with the new kid?”

You should’ve been significantly more aware of your surroundings as a soldier but in your defense, everyone dropped their guard to some extent when in a safe environment, so the scream that came out of your mouth at the sudden sound of a voice was completely justified.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” You swore as you jumped around, hastily reaching for your damp towel to cover your bare chest.

Coming face to face with a furious-looking Will, you glared. “Knock much?”

He didn’t look amused in the slightest, crossing his arms over his chest. “Knock, knock. Answer my question.”

Your mouth snapped shut at the dominance behind his voice and your eyes instinctively flickered to his biceps, veins and muscle more defined than ever in the way he had positioned his arms.

You were, however, proud to say that you were quick to come back to your senses, your eyes snapping back to meet his.

“Do you, maybe, oh, I don’t know, want to turn around?” You asked sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

If you wanted him to turn around to gain privacy for yourself or simply because you couldn’t stop glancing at his bulging biceps, you didn’t know, but no matter the reason behind your wish, he didn’t move an inch.

“Answer the question.” Was all that he said, and you rolled your eyes.

“I’m just having a bit of fun.”

“Do you like him?” His questions kept shooting out as quickly as bullets and, again, you couldn’t refrain from rolling your eyes.

“He’s fun to be around.” You said simply, giving him a slightly annoyed glare before turning around and dropping the towel to continue getting dressed.

Will didn’t even try to cover the fact that he was checking you out, eyes shamelessly traveling your form and taking his sweet time to remember all the details his eyes could reach. 

It wasn’t like this was the first time one of you saw the other only partly clothed – you know, it was kind of inevitable for all of you to catch a glimpse of each other’s birthday suits once every blue moon - so once the shock of his sudden appearance had melted off, the nervousness followed.

“But do you like-like him?”

At the sound of that question in particular, you couldn’t help but snort.

“What is this? Third grade?” You threw him an amused look over your shoulder. “Say that I do like-like him, do you think I should ask Epps if he can give him a note asking him to check yes or no on whether or not he’d like to be my boyfriend?” You gave him a sarcastic pout.

At this point, Will was completely fed up with your inability to take anything seriously and spun you around by your arm. 

Luckily, you had just finished hooking your bra behind your back, said bra thankfully covering your chest from his view.

“Can you not make a joke about everything?” He asked, your wrist firmly held in his hand. “You have to realize how bad this looks to our superiors. First me, and now him. You can’t go around flirting with everyone. It makes you look unprofessional and uncommitted and that, in turn, makes it look like I can’t do my job.”  

“Is that really what’s got your big-soldier-boy panties in a twist, though?” You narrowed your eyes challengingly, and slowly fought your wrist out of his grip to, instead, grab a hold of his hand.

Further proving your point, he did nothing to protest, the glare remaining in his eyes, but the rest of his face being overtaken by exasperation.

“I just don’t get it.” He said. “You spend all this time pushing my buttons, being completely insufferable with your never-ending flirting, and now you’re suddenly interested in someone else?”

“I think the real question here is why you’re suddenly interested when I’ve spent so much time trying to get your attention to no avail and now, what? You suddenly want me because I might be interested in someone else?” You raised an eyebrow, and couldn’t deny the flash of heat going through your body when he lowly growled.

“I’ve never not wanted you.” He objected. “And you’re not interested in the rookie.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I know you.”

“So what you’re saying is, basically, that you can’t be with me, but I also can’t be interested in anyone else.”

“We both know that relationships in this work are highly frowned upon and-“

“Highly frowned upon, but not forbidden. You’ve still had the option to choose, and you actively chose not to act on it. Just making that clear.”

“I haven’t acted on it because it’s wrong.”

“If it’s so wrong…” You started, a sharp shiver going down your spine as your bare back hit the cold, wet tiles. “Then why did you just corner me in the shower?”

During that short minute of back-and-forth arguing, he had done just that, the two of you now standing chest against chest in the darkest corner of the room.

Your face was pulled into a determined glare, as was his, and the tension and intensity behind your shared stare was enough to have all of the previously discussed issues forgotten in less than a microsecond.  

The proximity between you in combination with the fact that you were at an obvious disadvantage in height and size made you feel both hot and cold at the same time. You felt like prey under his stare. You found yourself liking it all the while you were hating the feeling of being so powerless, and your inner conflict only added to the tension.

“You have no idea how much willpower it’s taken me to keep resisting you, to keep turning you down.” He spoke slowly, and lowly. “Each of my thoughts about you are improper and you put all of those thoughts into my head every day, pulling my strings, pushing my buttons, just walking around being… you.”

In one smooth motion, he intertwined his fingers with yours, and your eyes automatically flickered down to watch your now joined-together digits; rough and calloused meeting even rougher and more calloused.

“I like you. I care about you. More than I should.” He continued, prompting you to look back up with an eyebrow raised.

“And?” 

“What do you want me to say?” He asked, exasperated and impatient. “Do you want me to say that I want to be with you? Because I do. I. Want. To. Be. With. You.”

You snickered at his over-dramatic emphasizing, finding it nothing short of amusing that he’d been protesting and telling you how wrong it was only seconds before, and now he was more or less proclaiming his love for you. That, more than anything, just showed how stubborn he was.

“Took you long enough.” You mused, leaning your head back into the wall and smirking, all while looking him straight in the eye. “It’s just too bad that I’ve grown so fond of the rookie. You know, he’s quite-“

Before you could finish your sentence, you were interrupted by Will’s lips crashing into yours, roughly and urgently. In the process, you were pushed even further into the wall behind you, and as the sudden force threw you off balance, you instinctively reacted by moving your arms up to his neck to hold yourself in place.

In return, his hands moved to each side of your waist, big, warm hands squeezing down on the flesh that had long ago turned cold from being bare in the nippy air for so long.

You had always imagined what it would feel like to be touched by him like this, but not even your wildest imagination could compare to the intensity of the tingles that spread through your stomach and chest.

Your hands slowly sneaked up the back of his neck, your body reacting automatically, but just as you were about to tousle your fingers in his hair, the moment ended when he pulled away.

Both of you were left panting in silence, the only sounds available for your ears to hear being your ragged breaths and the rhythmic dripping of the shower beside you.

“Wow, Captain.” You were the first one to speak. “I knew you were hot for me, but try to keep it in your pants. That was hardly professional.”

Just like that, your sarcastic persona returned as if it had never left in the first place, your eyes opening after having been closed up until then and meeting his with a playful grin.

A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest. “I’m pretty sure you threw professional straight out the window the first time we met.” He pointed out and much to your dismay, stepped back. “Are you going to stop encouraging the rookie, now?”

Getting straight to the point, okay.

“I don’t know…” You shrugged casually, bringing your hand up to your face to inspect your nails and peeking up at him through your lashes with a devilish smirk. “Jealousy looks kinda good on you.”

“I’m not jealous!” He exclaimed quickly, and you immediately raised an eyebrow as a way to say ‘really?’

“I’m not jealous.” He repeated, this time in a lower, calmer tone. “It’s just, you’re mine.”

Those two words alone were enough to make you inwardly groan, like one would when eating that first scoop of ice cream after not having been able to eat any in a week. Or a day.

But in a brave attempt to not make a fool of yourself, you remained in your teasing element, raising your eyebrows and hitting him back with a feign-uncaring: “Is that so?”

To that, he stepped closer to you once again, brought his hands up to cradle your cheeks, and playfully glared.

“Stop flirting with the rookie.” He repeated.

“Is that an order?” You asked.

“I’m asking politely.” He lied.

“Hmmm….” You hummed, pretending to think only for a moment, before flashing him a shit-eating grin. “No. I’m having way too much fun watching you squirm.”

Still leaning against the wall, you carefully pushed yourself up, pushed your chest against his and watched in success as his eyes flickered down.

Taking your sweet time, you brought your hands up to his chest with agonizingly slow movements and leaned your head up to his.

His breath shook as you brushed your lips over his and whispered against them lowly. 

“You’re hot when you’re mad.”

Will pushed his head forward with obvious intentions, but before he could press his lips against yours, you slid out of the tight corner, resulting in him having to catch himself on the wall left behind.

With a proud smile, you walked over to the bench by which you had previously been working on getting dressed and snatched your shirt where it laid.

“You’ll drive me crazy before all this is over, you know that?” Will spoke from behind you, which only made your smile widen.

Quickly pulling on your shirt and collecting the rest of your things, you turned around and walked back up to him where he still stood in the shower.

“That’s always been the plan.” You replied simply, placing a quick peck to the corner of his mouth before once again turning around and walking away, this time leaving him completely alone in the room.

He had to take a few moments to collect himself and regain his composure, and by the time he walked back out, you were nowhere in sight. 

With only you on his mind, he headed back to the table where the rest of the team were still playing cards, and sat down in the chair he had occupied before leaving.

“So, now that it’s just us here, I could use some advice on-“ The rookie wasted no time, but didn’t get to finish.

“You couldn’t handle her even if she came with instructions, kid.” Will interrupted without even looking at him, reading his mind without struggle since the person of his interest was one they had in common.

Growing up, your mother had always told you to be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the Devil says, “oh crap, she’s up”. 

You lived by those words every day of your life, not once backing down from a fight, always standing up for what was right, as well as holding your own and never giving up on getting the things you wanted.

To some, this was an admirable quality while, to others, you might have taken your mother’s words a bit too literally.

When it came to Will? Well, he just had nothing bad to say about you. You might’ve gotten on his nerves ninety-nine percent of the time, and been completely and utterly insufferable, but God did he love it.

Taglist: let me know if you want to be tagged in any future Will Lennox fics!

[contreparry]

Hello there and happy Friday!

Could I get a "Rubatosis: the unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat" for Fenris (or the character of your choosing!)?

Absolutely! Here’s some modern!Thedas Fenris for @dadrunkwriting !

Fenris hadn’t had a lover before.

He had a history, he couldn’t deny that. It was one he did not linger on. If he was given the opportunity to forget those years of his life he would be sorely tempted to take it. He wouldn’t, of course. His past made him who he was, and Fenris rather liked the man he was now. But a problem still remained: he hadn’t had a lover before.

Hook-ups were easy. Slip into a bed and slip out, fuck without any hard feelings and escape any complexities that arose from getting attached. Fenris found that he liked the casual, the simple, the fun elements of sex without commitments. But now that he found someone he wanted to commit to, sex became complicated for reasons he didn’t realize even existed before Anders.

How interesting that his life in Kirkwall divided into so many Befores and Afters: Before Isabela and After. Before Hawke and After. Before Varric, Before Sebastian, and now… now Before Anders. For example, Before Anders Fenris didn’t know the first thing about cats. After Anders he now knew the best way to drag a feather toy across the ground to entice Pounce into playing with him. He knew how to tempt Pounce into his cat carrier (a bite of canned tuna always lured him out). He looked forward to cat cuddles now. Before Anders Fenris would slip out of his partner’s beds and leave, all parties satisfied with the arrangement. But After Anders, now that they were sleeping together (more than once, twice, three times, a habit now), Fenris… lingered. Not too long, mind, but long enough to settle against Anders’ pliant warm body, long enough to leave an impression in the sheets and mattress. Then he would spirit himself away across the apartment, back to his own room and bed. There he’d lay back against his pillows, all too aware of his heartbeat as he tried to sleep and longed for the warmth Anders provided.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears even now, a deep drum that kept him awake and uncomfortable. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. His bed was cool, his body ached from earlier tonight when Anders bent him over and- and his heart was too loud! Fenris tossed the blankets aside, grabbed his own pillow, and before his common sense caught up with him he crossed the apartment once more and entered Anders’ bedroom.

Anders was asleep, or very near it, when Fenris cracked the door open. He slipped in like a shadow, set his pillow on the empty half of the bed, and clambered up to join Anders in slumber. The mattress dipped underneath his knees, and Anders stirred when Fenris slipped under the blankets.

“Mmmmmrrrmph?” Anders grumbled, turning in the bed to face Fenris, bleary-eyed and half asleep.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Fenris mumbled as he settled back into the divot he left behind only an hour before.

“Mmmm,” Anders acknowledged. “Your mattress sucks.” He raised an arm, inviting Fenris to approach, to curl up, to share-

Fenris shifted closer, dragging his pillow with him. “Some people like a firm mattress, Anders.”

“Firm like a rock,” Anders giggled, even when he pressed his lips against the top of Fenris’ head. “Night, silly.” Before Fenris could even formulate a reply Anders was gone, limp in his arms as he fell into a deep slumber. Fenris settled into bed, his eyes heavy and his heartbeat no longer drowning every other sound away. There it was in the background, but joined with Anders’ breathing and Pounce’s purring it was no longer overwhelming, no longer painful. Fenris shut his eyes and allowed himself a wide, private smile.

If this was what it was to have a lover, no wonder so many people wanted one.

[kaiserkeller]

More information regarding Alfred Lennon

(A lot of the information I have gathered about Alf and his relationship with John when they reconnected has been taken from the wonderful johnandcynthialennon blog — so big thank you to them!)

I wanted to outline exactly why John and his father, despite reconnecting when The Beatles became successful, became estranged again, particularly after John divorced Cynthia and married Yoko.

As detailed in the quote post from Pauline Lennon Stone’s book, ‘Daddy Come Home: True Story of John Lennon and His Father’ (1990), it appears that when Alfred came back into his son’s life in 1964, John was yearning for that closeness; that real father/son bond that families are ‘supposed’ to have. Pauline states that it was relatively easy for Alfred to move into Kenwood (albeit very temporarily) because of Cynthia’s kind nature and eagerness to see if the two could salvage any sort of relationship and that John appeared hesitant yet relatively happy to have him in the house, even though his busy days and frequent lie-ins meant that the two barely saw each other. However, she writes that Alfred did not enjoy life at Kenwood as one would expect, describing him as “restless”, something which was pointed out plainly to him by Lillian Powell on a visit to the house. 

How this unfolded is interesting. Pauline states that Alfred, although apparently not happy living with his son, was uneasy about telling him he wanted to move out and find a place of his own. According to her, Alfred was very concerned about John’s feelings and especially hurting him (although this seems a stark character change from what we already know about him). However, apparently Lillian was very proactive with her idea and took it upon herself to relay the news to John of his father’s departure (again). John, not uncharacteristically, tried to present himself as uninterested by the developments and did not allow the others to see distinctly that they had hurt him:

“However, this restoration of freedom was marred by John’s disappointment at his leaving. Freddie had detected a look of dismay on his face as Cynthia informed him of the arrangements that had been made. But it was clear from his withdrawn attitude that he had not expected this turn of events. And Freddie learned later from John Francis, the part-time chauffeur, that John had been ‘very upset indeed’ about his father’s departure. Nevertheless he gave orders to Dot to ensure that Freddie was given a couple weeks’ supply of food, and Cynthia went to great trouble to provide him with a carpet, a TV and some bedding for the new flat.”

Freddie moved out, and the only meeting of note next was the following year, when he came to introduce Pauline (or Polly, as he called her) to John and Cynthia. I’ve already mentioned in a previous post that the motive behind the meeting was really to ask the couple to give Pauline a job, as she was no longer studying at University. Pauline was hired at Kenwood for a short while as secretary and occasional nanny, but Cynthia would later recall that it was a “nightmare. She was constantly in tears and arguing with her mother over Alf. She slept in the attic and we’d hear her screaming down the phone and sobbing up there.” The couple eventually moved to Brighton together after marrying in Gretna Green.

Here’s where things between John and Alfred get more complicated, though. I have no reason to believe that Pauline has a particular motive with her story telling, and she appears to be relatively honest about Alfred and the way he acted, even if it puts him in a bad light. However, he was her husband, and considering he didn’t gain anything at all really from being John’s father, I believe she genuinely loved him. Therefore, there are elements of her recollection that I have to take with a pinch of salt, for example: her complete brushing off of the possibility that Alfred tried to seduce Cynthia.

“However, it was the question Cynthia's evenings out with the girls which brought about a rift between John and Freddie and led John blowing his top with his father for the first but not the last time. During one of my weekend visits to Freddie in Kew we bumped into Cynthia in a nightclub one Saturday evening. Whether it was due to an excess of alcohol or simply the prompting of old-fashioned values I'm not sure, but Freddie was deeply shocked to find John's wife clubbing without a suitable escort and he treated her to a lecture on the subject of wifely duties. It was one of the few occasions when I was really mad with Freddie. I knew he had a terrible habit of saying the most outrageous things under the influence of whisky, but I was furious with him for offending Cynthia. I realized with despair that he had gone much too far, but what I did not realize was that certain members of John's entourage who were also present in the club would report his words to John in a totally contorted form. In fact several different versions of the truth reached John's ears - the most ridiculous of which being that Freddie had attempted to seduce his daughter-in-law! The accusations were nevertheless sufficient to enrage John, and without waiting to verify their validity he paid an impromptu visit to Kew the next morning, en route for London in his Rolls.”

Pauline’s account is plausible and does make sense, however the owner of johnandcynthialennon.blogspot.com makes a good point in commenting that it presents an angle on Cynthia that we’re not too familiar with. Her account of seeing Cynthia at a nightclub without John is not the ‘mumsy’ homebody we’re usually presented with, giving the impression that perhaps Cynthia had much more of a social life than she typically let on? Or maybe a story made up by Pauline to avoid making her relationship with the man already widely viewed by many as untrustworthy seem weak?

It’s possible that the story, like a game of Chinese Whispers, was highly exaggerated by John’s close circle to give him a sound reason to cut off the man they assumed to be gold-digging off his now-rich-and-famous son. But I would just like to point out that this particular story of attempted seduction was supported by John’s close friend from childhood, Pete Shotton, in his book ‘John Lennon in My Life’ (1983):

“Eventually, however, Freddie exhausted the limits of even John's tolerance when he attempted to seduce his daughter-in-law. Cyn was so distraught that John threw his father out of the house, and refused ever to see him again.”

This makes a lot more sense knowing that this really was the end of their relationship, as when Alfred took his baby son David to see his half-brother and his new wife Yoko in 1969, John explicitly let him know that he couldn’t care less. I doubt that he would have been so angry with his father if Cynthia had outlined that the worst he did was a meaningless misogynistic lecture on female roles. John did very briefly reconnect with his father in 1976 when Alfred was ill with cancer, and later offered to pay for the funeral, but Pauline refused. Despite everything, at the end John still cared about his father, but the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, though poison it may be.