#I understand that it means absolutely nothing

[crazy-pages]

Hi! I'm a person who added a bunch of information to one of the more popular posts about a *different* legal case being brought against Matt, the CEO of tumblr. I talked about how and why the alleged pattern of systemic lies, labor rights violations, outright abuse, and control constitute human trafficking, even if the specific charges being leveled are workers rights violations and abuse allegations.

So this is me telling you that you are wrong. That's not how this works. It is important to understand that corporate redirection is a thing, but that means both understanding what is corporate redirection and what isn't corporate redirection. Not understanding that, and assuming ordinary occurrences must be the deeper machinations of the powerful elite, is how you get sucked into conspiracy theories.

From the very moment the boop meter was first thought up, probably back in 2023, there were likely plans to bring it back for later holidays if it was a success. There's a whole bunch of code work to construct something like this and bug test it thoroughly before launch, and basically zero effort (but a fair chunk of time) required to touch up the paw designs and make a holiday specific version later. It would be genuinely astonishing to me if this wasn't the plan back before any of us had ever even seen the boop meter.

For that matter, while Tumblr knowledge of this case has been getting some traction, I've seen nothing indicating it's big enough that Matt knows or cares about it. (And he is. Uh. Bad at keeping his mouth shut about perceived flights on social media.) This case has also been publicly ongoing for many months at this point. The moment you become aware of it is not the moment Matt realized it might need to be something he ought to do PR about. And there are literally multiple overlapping legal cases against him as an employer, it's not just this or that WordPress case above! If he was actually doing this to cover up for those things, we would be having one of these events every few weeks.

Holiday events are a semi-regular thing on tumblr and have been for quite a while. There is absolutely no reason to think this wouldn't have happened, if not for Matt trying to cover something up.

It is possible to recognize how extremely fucked up this behavior is and how emblematic it is of how many billionaires treat people when they can get away with it, and also not start spreading conspiracy theories about how will the boop meter was a scam to redirect our attention. (It hasn't done that, by the way. The notes on that post I contributed to didn't slow down at all.)

uh oh! owner's being sued for worker abuse! get out the boop meter so everybody forgets

[mj0702]

Obsession

(after a quick brainstorm with @helen-with-an-a on me way to the Barca vs. Eibar game)

Lucy should have seen it coming. She really should have but yet it was a surprise – not really but it always takes her by surprise. Fans were joking that Alexia and Keira had a weird synchronization but that was nothing to your “Keiraness”. Lucy was currently standing on the sideline – training just ended about 10 minutes ago – watching you and Keira kicking the ball around for fun with Mapí, Ingrid and Marta.

“She really is a pequeña you...” Alexia said smiling slightly as she watched the five of you kicking around laughing “... and seeing her having fun is good – she's healing”

“Mini me... yeah” your sister snorted earning a questionable look from her capitana “... we may share a name, blood relation, eye color and facial features but she's all Keira in her behavior... except for... competitiveness maybe... that she has from me too...”

“Oh please Lucia...” now it was the blonde spaniard snorted “... we all see the similarities between the two of you”

“Yeah... then watch them” Lucy smirked “Watch them closely Capi”

And that's what Alexia did – suddenly she saw what Lucy meant. You and Keira were in perfect sync. Your movement was one-to-one the same. Every time Keira stopped the ball with her right foot her shoulder would go with the move just as her hand turned outwards. Even without the ball at your feet you moved the except same way. Keira went on shifting her weight onto the left foot – you moving with her. Even when Mapí slightly pushed you to get to the ball you still kept the shadowlike movement of Keira. It was like you and Keira were connected with strings and whatever the blonde did you did as well.

“What...” Alexia looked shocked shaking her head lightly when the small game of kick around stopped and immediately you and Keira fell into the same position one hand on your hip the other one pulling the trainings shirt up revealing both of your abs as you wiped the sweat of your faces.

“Told you....” your sister grinned victoriously

“I never saw that” the blonde catalan still shook her head in disbelieve

“Hm... you never saw them on the pitch together” Lucy grinned as you shrieked as Mapí sprayed you with her water bottle after you squeezed said bottle hard while the Zaragoza woman took a sip resulting in the water just hitting the back of Mapís throat making her cough hard

“It started when Bubs was three and Kei and I just started dating...” your sister now had a soft smile on her lips watching as you ran circles around Marta and Ingrid trying to get rid of Mapí who was hot on your heels “... she became completely obsessed with Kei”

“What do you mean?” Alexia asked confused

“Sit down Capi...” Lucy grinned “... that's a longer story... and they'll be occupied for a little longer”

“Ehrm... I'm very sorry I'm late...” a young Lucy stuttered standing next to a table where Keira was seated looking sheepishly “... I tried to leave without her noticing but she... wouldn't let me.... and then I had to grab her stuff to... and parking around here is a nightmare and then she wanted to walk – she's good with walking but she sometimes forget that she only has two legs so she falls a lot and I didn't want her to look like a homeless kid so I made her walk slow... so yeah... I'm sorry”

“Phones do exist you know” Keira looked at Lucy with a raised eyebrow “... you could've called.. or texted”

“I... don't know where I put me phone” your sister said shyly knowing it sounds like a cheap excuse

“Hm...” the blonde opposite to her hummed as you – for the first time – lurked around Lucys legs taking a sheepish look at the girl

“I... would understand if you don't want to do that anymore” Lucy said a little uncomfortable gesturing around a little bit

“And pass on the chance to meet that little Miss? Absolutely not...” Keira now smiled waving her fingers at you making you hide behind your sisters legs again

“I see...” your sister cleared her throat “... you wanted to meet her from the start... I'm just your way in”

“Good to know we're on the same page” the blonde grinned at your sister and suddenly Lucy knew she was forgiven – this time

“So... you going to introduce us?” Keira asked smirking slightly

“Bubs...” Lucy said softly as she crouched down to be at your height holding your little hand in her big one “... this is Keira... can you say hi to her?”

You took a quick glance at Keira before you quickly shook your head hiding your face in your sisters neck who just chuckled

“I tried...” your sister smirked at her date standing back up taking you with her easily “... obviously she's not interested...”

“Hm... what a shame....” the blonde sighed dramatically “... looks like you get a shot in the end after all...”

“I'll make sure to thank her later...” Lucy kept smirking as she pulled out her chair sitting down you perched on her lap still hiding your face “... but I honestly don't know what's going on – normally she isn't shy at all...”

“She doesn't know me...” Keira smiled noticing the small shy glances you threw at her “... of course she's going to be shy”

“Yeah no... that's not her at all... she yelled yesterday at a pal who cycled past to fast – to fast for her liking... called him a twat” your sister snorted obviously proud

“I hope you told her that's a bad word” the blonde raised her eyebrows

“Hey... she didn't called him a wanker or a cunt....” Lucy lifted one hand in defense while she held you tightly to her upper body “... I think that deserved an Ice cream”

“Iwe cweam?” you suddenly perked up

“You had Ice cream yesterday...” your sister pointed out “... no Ice cream today”

“Wucy...” you whined disappointed

“No no.... we agreed on something” Lucy said “... you don't want your tiny teeth falling out do you know? You'll look like grandpa when he forget where he left his teeth”

“Noooooooo...” you said horrified your eyes wide

“See.... so two Ice cream a week... no more” your sister said firmly but Keira could see the playful glint in Lucys eyes “... now that you found your voice again... can you please show I thought you manners and say Hi to me friend Keira”

“Hi” you mumbled quickly immediately hiding your face again

“Bubs come on... you normally aren't like this” Lucy groaned making Keira chuckle

“It's okay Luce....” the blonde waved off “... ready to order?”

“God yes... I haven't had time to eat before coming here” your sister said quickly looking down at you “You hungry Bubs?”

“Mhm” you nodded against Lucys neck

“Okay... what do you want? You know... I'll just order something for you” your sister pressed a soft kiss to your hairline

“Bubs please” Lucy pressed catching your hand once again before you it can connect with the salmon on her plate “That's me food – can you please NOT hit it with your dirty paws?”

“It lookin so foft” you said in awe trying to touch it once again

“Stop” your sister said firmly and you knew you SHOULD stop but the soft looking rose colored fish was just too fascinating for your little brain and your hand moved on it's own accord towards your sisters food again

“Bubs” Lucy now scolded you angrily “Stop it.. NOW”

“It foft” you looked up tears forming in your eyes

“It's still food... we don't play with food” your sister said now holding both your little hands together by your wrist so you couldn't attempt to smash her food “... I happily let you try BUT we do not play nor do we smash food”

“No play... no smash” you wailed out but your sister was immune to your tears knowing it was just because she restricted your movements

“Stop the drama... you're worse than Sophie” Lucy rolled her eyes picking some salmon up with her fork offering it to you “Here... you wanna try?”

“Nooooo....” you wailed even louder

“Suit yourself...” your sister shrugged her shoulders “... you know them tears won't work on me”

“Ehrm... Lucy” Keira now spoke up “... maybe you should let her feel the consistency”

“Oh god...” Lucy snorted “... believe me.. she knows what salmon feels like... she's just hangry... hm...”

“What?” Keira looked alarmed at Lucys sudden smirk

“Hey Bubs... Keira has pasta... you want pasta?” your sister smirked her voice soft “... look... with tomato sauce”

“Excuse me” the blonde looked confused but you were already on the way of climbing over to her and if it wasn't for Keiras quick reflexes you certainly would have hit the ground as you slipped from Lucys leg

“Hi” Keira said bewildered as you got yourself comfortable in her lap

“Omao pafa” you squealed happily your hand already grabbing into the food

“No” the blonde quickly reacted grabbing your hand just like Lucy did minutes before

“But...” your lower lip already trembled dangerously

“That's very hot...” Keira said calmly “... we don't wanna burn our hands now do we?”

“Nu uh” you shook your hands while Keira let go of your hand again

“That's my good girl” the blonde smiled picking up some Pasta with her fork “... now... what do we do when something is hot?”

“Blow is cool” you said seriously

“Smart girl...” Keira held the fork in front of your face so you could cool the pasta down yourself

“You can't be serious” Lucy mumbled as she watched the interaction between the two of you

“I swear Capi... I should've known...” your sister looked smiling at Alexia “... I should've know in that second that whatever bond they were forming in that moment that it would be something special”

“It sound like quite the first meeting” the blonde catalan smiled

“I think Bubs fell in Love with Keira before I did...” Lucy snorted watching as you now sprinted next to Keira your stride basically one “... now thinking about it I'm pretty sure that she was so shy because she immediately fell in Love with Keira... as soon as the name “Keira” fell you could get basically anything from Bubs”

“Bubs...” Lucy yelled down the hallway “... hurry... we promised Keira to pick her up from the station”

“I is coming” you shouted back your voice strained with stress as you quickly finished your present for Keira grabbing the piece of paper quickly running down the corridor towards your sister

“What's in your hair... is that glue??” your sister looked slightly disgusted

“It pwesent fo Keiwa” you said proudly showing Lucy your paper that was covered in glue, paint, glitter and stickers

“Lovely” Lucy mumbled pinching the bridge of her nose before pulling a ManCity hat over your glittery gluey head “Come on.... we don't have time to clean you up... we just stick you in the bath later”

“You no like?” you asked a little hurt

“It's super amazing” your sister said smiling widely even if just wished to get you clean right now “... I bet Keira will be so happy and thankful for your thoughtful gift”

“It you and Keiwa an Is an Tato and Manity and...” you started to explain your masterpiece while Lucy started to gently push you out of the door

“It really is...” Lucy said as she closed the door behind her “... something”

“KEIWA” you yelled happily seeing the blonde exit the train station

“Oy... stop yelling” your sister scolded you grabbing the hood of your jacket before you could start to run off “... she saw us already”

“Keiwa” you said still a little bit louder than inside voice but now quiet yelling trying to run towards her just to be held back by your sister

“Wait” Lucy said calmly “... we don't just run on the road... what do we do?”

“Lookn lefts and righfts” you said your whole body trembling with excitement

“Well... then do so” your sister told you and you quickly did as she said “.. come on Bubs... do better”

“But Wucy..... Keiwa” you whined

“Then take your time to LOOK and if no car is coming you can go” Lucy rolled her eyes “In fact if you'd stop doing half assed things you'd be already over there”

“Otay” you sighed and took a good look left and right making sure no car was coming “... no caws...”

“See... sometimes invest some time to do it properly so you don't have to do it again” your sister said smiling slightly “... off you go...”

“Keiwa” you started to take off basically throwing yourself at the blonde

“Hey Bitsy...” the blonde caught you easily chuckling “... have you been good for Luce?”

“Mhm” you nodded smiling widely as Keira placed you on her hip picking up her bag again

“Don't believe her... she was a complete maniac” your sister said grinning as she reached the two of you taking the bag from her girlfriend pressing a soft kiss to her lips

“I is no manitac” you complained loudly making Lucy and Keira snort successfully ending the kiss

“Sorry I forgot... you're an angel” Lucy smirked poking your side making you squeal

“Ugh...” you three heard suddenly behind you making you look over Keiras shoulder

“Disgusting” you saw a elderly woman stare at you “You have to infect that innocent child with your diseases?”

“Excuse me?” Lucy asked and Keira as well as you could hear she's starting to get angry

“Your disgusting dykes” the woman spat at your sister who put herself between you two and that woman

“Yous listens old hags” you said making yourself bigger in Keiras arms “... my Wucy lovins Keiwa... Auntie Jill says people likes yous just needs a good fu...”

“Jesus” Keira exclaimed as she covered your mouth with her hand looking at you shocked

“See... see what you've done to that poor kid” the old lady spat

“And we're leaving” your sister said finally as she pushed Keira forward

“Bitsy....” Keira looked at you after Lucy strapped you into your childs seat “... you won't EVER repeat what your Auntie Jill said...”

“But...” you started

“No Bits... I'm serious.. you forget what your Auntie Jill said and I personally will have a word with your Auntie as soon as we're back to training” the blonde said strictly

“I mades pwesent for you” you mumbled teary eyed holding up your present

“Oh Bitsy” Keira smiled softly being touched by your action “... thank you so so much”

“Is Wucy and yous and Is and Tato and Mansity” you mumbled as Keira leaned into your space pressing a kiss to your forehead

“It is really beautiful Bits...” the blonde smiled “... you worked very hard didn't you”

“Mhm... jus the best fo Keiwa” you said quoting your sister

“Really? Just the best for me?” Keira smirks her eyes finding Lucys who sported a slight blush

“Wucy always says to Auntie Jill...” you told the blonde as usual using no filter

“Good to know” the blonde kept smirking you oblivious to it “But now let's get home... I can smell the glue in your hair”

“Bubs... bath time” Lucy declared as you entered home again after dropping Keira off at her home

“No” you pouted

“What you mean no? Yes... obviously yes... you're all sticky...” your sister sat you down on the little bench kneeling in front of you taking your shoes off

“I is no baf” you said nodding seriously

“Oh but I think you do... you're sticky and you smell” Lucy poked your sides slightly making you giggle

“I is no smelly... yous smelly” you shot back

“Excuse me little Miss??” your sister exclaimed shocked playing along with you

“You stinks” you stick your tongue out at her

“Oh you just wait..” Lucy suddenly snatched you from the bench throwing you over her shoulder making you squealing laughing

“Wucy nooooo” you squealed

“Lucy yeeesss” she mimicked you

“Keiwa no baf” you tried to make your sister see reason

“Really? That's your argument? That Keira hasn't taken a bath??” Lucy stopped in the middle of the hallway

“Yes” you said still hanging over your sisters shoulder

“Bubs...” your sister sighed pulling you forward until you were perched on her hip “... Keira is old enough to decide if she wants a bath or not.... you on the other hand fall under my responsibility”

“Keiwa baf here?” you asked hopefully

“No Bubs... Keira has her own flat with her own bath... she doesn't need to bath here” Lucy said calmly

“No Keiwa...” you started pouting your little arms crossed in front of your chest “... no Bubs”

“No Keira no Bubs?” Alexia bursted out laughing “She seemed to always be a strong minded character”

“This became such a catch phrase....” your sister groaned watching as you practiced one touches with Mapí

“What's a catch phrase?” Ona asked coming down the sideline freshly showered an changed

“Wait... it still works” Lucy grinned yelling over the field “NO BUBS...”

“.... NO KEIWA!!!” Keira and you yelled back simultaneously laughing loudly

“That's the catch phrase” your sister turned to her girlfriend pulling her down onto her lap “It was Bubs thing to try and get out of things when Keira wasn't involved...”

“Ah...” Ona said confused while Alexia just chuckled

“Apparently our Cariño found quite the liking as a young One in Keira” Alexia chuckled

“Bebita would do everything for Keira...” the freckled catalan rolled her eyes playfully “... no one can ever reach Keira... not even Lucy”

“Oy... not true...” your sister exclaimed pinching her girlfriends side

“Who did you call when she refused to go to the dentist when her cheek was all swollen up?” Ona looked down at her girlfriend expectantly

“Keira” Lucy mumbled

“And how long did it take Keira to get her to go to the dentist while we where trying to get her to go for how long.... days?” the small catalan questioned further

“Two minutes” your sister mumbled embarrassed

“So yes... Bebita does everything for Keira” Ona grinned knowing she won that little argument

“Yeah yeah” Lucy grumbled giving up

“Bubs... you gotta get up” Lucy said coming out of the Bathroom where she already finished

“No...” you grumbled cuddling further into the warmth of Keiras embrace “Keiwa still in bed”

“It's our off day...” your sister said a little annoyed “... you've got nursery day”

“No Keiwa” you started to argue tiredly “no nuwsy”

“Hun it's okay...” Keira now interrupted knowing this discussion would go on forever if she didn't put a stop on it “... I'll take her.. it's fine... I can grab some breakfast on the way back”

“No for God sakes...” Lucy grumbled pulling away the blanket partly so your small frame got uncovered “... you stay here... she's gotta learn...”

“Lucy” the blonde tried again knowing it got to Lucy that you were so fixated on her

“No... Kei seriously... I understand she likes you but she gotta learn that she can't use you like that” your sister said pulling you towards the end of the bed by your ankles

“No Keiwa...” you said strained holding onto Keiras Pjs pants (that the blonde quickly threw on last night as she heard you trying to get to the door handle of the bedroom successfully interrupting “adult time”) “... no Bubs”

“Did you get her to Nursery?” Ona snorted at the image that was forming in her head

“Kinda....” Lucy grumbled

“Keira had to go with you?” Alexia smirked knowingly

“As soon as I had her in the car it was... fine” your sister defended herself still remembering the absolute breakdown you had the second you realized Keira wasn't coming to nursery with you

“Fine...” Ona repeated trying to hold in her laughter

“She stopped crying after four hours...” Lucy mumbled “.... when Kei picked her up.... after they called us... to please get her”

That was it – Alexia and Ona bursted out laughing

“She also started to behave more like Kei...” your sister said “.... copying her moves and stands”

“Okay Bubs...” Lucy smiled at you “... it's just us for the weekend... no games.... no nursery... Kei went to her parents place...”

“Mhm...” you said deep in thoughts “I is don't fink so...”

“What...” your sister looked down at you as you turned on your heels marching into your room “Bubs?”

Lucy followed you confused to see you throwing your little dinosaur backpack on the bad grabbing random things squishing them into it

“What are you doing?” Lucy asked bewildered watching you squeezing a second teddy into the bag

“I is packing” you said as you grabbed your backpack dragging it behind you past your sister towards the front door

“Packing for what?” your sister came after you just as you started to put on your shoes – wrong way around but it's the thought that counted right?

“We goes Keiwa” you declared seriously

“Bubs...” Lucy spoke gently as she kneeled down so she could speak to you correctly “... Kei is in Rochdale... we're in Alnwick...”

“Ands?” you asked tilting your head a little your hands finding your waist – Lucy had to do a double take because for the first time your really looked like a mini Keira who you were standing there “... yous has caw... we cans dwive”

“No Bubs...” your sister kept her voice soft “... Keira is spending time with her Mum and Dad...”

“So we's spends time with Keiwa...” you said confident “... everyone wins – wins”

“That's not...” Lucy shook her head slightly at your logic “... how it works”

“Yous fink a little more” you said patting your sisters head starting to drag your backpack outside “... I is waiting outside”

“She... left you standing there after she told you you can play taxi so she could go see YOUR girlfriend?” now Frido asked confused who sat down behind the trio mid story

“Basically yeah” Lucy shrugged her shoulders

“And she packed her own bag?” the swede clarified

“Wait... what did she pack?” your sister mumbled to herself wrecking her brain “... AH... yeah... two teddies, a bag of crisps – don't ask me why she had a bag of crisps in her room, her draw doodle thingy and a single sock”

“And Henry” Keira pointed out as she helped picking up the rest of the trainigsgear that got left behind by the trainers so you could have some fun

“Yeah... and Henry” Lucy nodded her head “... her rock.. we found him on a market... it was a rock with a face painted on it and googly eyes... she loved that rock... until it disappeared somehow”

“A... rock?” Alexia asked confused thinking she misheard

“Yeah... a rock” your sister confirmed

“She is certainly... a character” the blonde catalan phrased carefully

“Oh she's an absolute nutcase...” Lucy shrugged her shoulders again “.... but she's a Bronze”

“Wucyyyyyy...” you complained loudly as your sister carried you over the pitch with fast stride

“No...” Lucy sneered and you whimpered in process

“You stay here and if I see you on the pitch again before training is over Y/n it will have consequences” your sister put your down at the sideline rather roughly

“Wucy” you whimpered but your sister was already on the way back to training which cause an absolute meltdown from your side making you cry loudly big tears rolling over your cheeks “WUCYY!!!”

“Luce...” Keira mumbled hating to see you so distressed and sobbing

“Keira no...” Lucy snapped “... if Maz wouldn't have reacted so quickly and pushed her out of the way that ball would've hit her straight in the head and she probably would've hit the post... she literally could've died if it wasn't for Maz”

“I understand that” the blonde said calmly “... but she doesn't.. she understands that she got pushed and then you got angry with her... talk to her... explain it to her”

“I will... I promise... but I can't at the moment” your sister said looking Keira straight in the eye

“I know you got scared Luce... I know you ARE scared...” Keira said softly her voice low your loud sobs still echoing over the pitch “... but so is she... I think it's best if you take Maz over with you so you can explain that Maz didn't want to harm her”

“Keira I could've lost her” Lucy said her voice breaking “... a half a second later and she would've been gone”

“But she isn't” the blonde pulled her girlfriend into a hug pressing her nose into Lucys neck “... she's still here and she needs her big sister now...”

“Okay...” your sister took a deep breath “... okay... yeah you're right...”

“I know I am....” Keira smirked “... we both know I'm always right except for when we're both wrong... than it's just you who's wrong”

“Yeah I know” Lucy grumbled lightly “Happy wife... happy life”

“I see you are able to learn...” the blonde teased before pushing her girlfriend towards you “... go”

“Hey Bubs” Lucy approached you cautiously

“Wucy” you sobbed heartbreakingly

“Come here Bubs” your sister sank to her knees opening her arms but you didn't move an inch

“Yous mad” you hick upped scared to put a foot on the pitch seeing that training was still going

“I'm not mad Bubs...” Lucy said gently “... I was scared... come here Bubsy”

“Nu uh... twaining no ous” you swallowed hard

“It's okay... you can come to me” your sister encouraged you smiling softly and she exhaled deeply when you came running into her arms holding onto her tightly

“You have to listen to me Bubs okay” Lucy mumbled against your hair “... you can't just go on the pitch when no one is looking... if Mary hadn't been so quick you could've gotten very badly hurt Bubs...”

“I is no wants ouchie” you sobbed into your sisters neck

“I know that Bubs...” your sister said calmly still hugging you tightly to her chest “... that's why I said you can't just come onto the pitch... you can come on the field after we done training and when Keira and I can have an eye on you”

“I is sowwy Wucy” you sniffed

“I know....” Lucy mumbled into your hair “... I'm sorry too Bubs... I shouldn't have just let you stand on the sideline I should've talked to you... I was just so scared”

“I is fowgive you Wucy” you said seriously

“Thank you Bubs... that's really nice of you” your sister chuckled through her own tears

After that incident you never stepped a foot on the pitch without Lucy or Keira calling out for you firstly. Their teammate quickly got sucked into the circle of your defenders many of them still to this day even tho you were a grown up by now – at least on paper you were. The Lionesses quickly became aware of the bond you shared with Keira always getting a jab in against Lucy joking her own baby sister is stealing her girlfriend. Lucy took it with humor knowing at the end of the day Keira would scream her name not yours.

“Eat your dinner Bubs” your sister pushed the plate in front of you for you to push it away again

“No” you pouted

“Yes...” Lucy rolled her eyes pushing the plate back to you

“I is no wanna” you crossed your arms again over your chest

“Bubs...” your sister groaned knowing exactly why you refused to eat

“No...” you said turning away now the attention from half the team on your little argument

“Don't say it” Lucy basically dared you

“No Keiwa...” you started making your sister groan

“NO BUBS” the team answered for you bursting out laughter as your sister let herself fall backwards against her chair in defeat

“What did you do now?” said blonde chuckled behind you just coming out of a short meeting with the head coach

“Wucy no nice” you explained a little upset

“I just tried to get some food into you – excuse me for caring” Lucy threw her arms up

“Lucy you know how it works... No Keiwa” Keira smirked smitten

“.. no Bubs... yeah yeah... I understood it the first 5000 times... no need to repeat it over and over and over again” your sister rolled her eyes just giving up

“So... Cariño always was so obsessed with Keira?” Alexia asked taking in your stride as you ran up to the ball just outside the box the sunset letting your skin shine golden

“Yeah...” Lucy watched as your shot hit the crossbar for you to just get under it absolutely belting it into the net doing a bicycle kick “... and honestly I couldn't have done it without Keiras help...”

“Eeh... you sap” Keira now emerged from the tunnel her hair still slightly damp from the shower your kit bag in her hand “... she needed you just as much”

“No seriously Kei... I think I never thanked you for putting up with us” your sister looked at her ex with a slight smile “Thank you”

“Nothing to thank me for Luce...” the blonde smiled back “... I've done it happily... but now I'm just as happy I only have to look after her... so... thank you Ona”

“Ehrm... 3 years aren't over... I could still give her back... guarantee and everything” the freckled spaniard grinned

“Ehrm no... guarantee just if some of her parts break and she's not usable anymore” Keira pointed out “Also... I told you you get her as you see her... later reclamations will not be considered or are a reason for refund”

“Maleït” Ona snapped her fingers grinning widely

“Oy... are you really talking about me like I'm some old car?” Lucy looked hurt

“I mean...” Keira snorted making an overall hand gesture

“Fuck you Walsh...” your sister grumbled “I take me Thank you back...”

“Oh really?” the blonde smirked

“Yes...” Lucy huffed

“Okay...” Keira chuckled as she whistled for you to finish up your bag already over her shoulder as she started to walk toward the carpark “... she has to get vaccinated on Friday... it's your weekend”

“WHAT??” your sister shrieked making everyone laugh “Kei wait... I didn't mean it... you know how thankful I am for your help... always was and always will be... please”

[otterloreart]

Steps of creating a 3D model replica from scratch

trace photos of character from available and cleanest angles. attempt to get a 90 degree*, front and back, side profile and straight on of the face. save additional reference photos such as bottom of body, back, and various extra angles without tracing which may help reference later on.

*more on angles later, but trying to get a 90 degree from each side is the most realistic and practical option if you dont actually have the character you're copying

2. block out the body and head

and by block i mean, yeah, its made out of elaborate rectangles

4 aha, you thought I would hand sculpt those? no. no. I used the curve tool to add these swirls. And yes i exactly traced them over the drawings to match the original as best as possible. The end of the curve tool is flat by default so I added a few spheres to make the ends nice and round. (there is absolutely a way to make the ends of curves rounded but I did not feel like looking it up or messing with the settings)

this wasn't mirrored to the other side- I traced both sides of the body and the front from photos and sculpted the swirls for each side. I couldn't get a single photo of the swirls at the butt area so I just winged it.

6 I am struggling to not make Cha Cha look angry.

I feel like the eyes are basically traced off the original and yet she looks so much grumpier. maybe it just needs to be smoothed out?

I added a little definition to the area around the eyes and I do think it looks a little better. The more definition I add in this stage the better, because I prefer this to sculpting. However, if you're more adept at sculpting you would probably not make this as detailed.

7 Here she is after smoothing everything out in sculpt after remeshing, in both Eevee (left) and Cycles (middle/right). still trying to figure out how best to render things. For some reason her nose ended up lighter in cycles but i cant be bothered to fix that rn

On the previous step I made the elements of her face + ears mirrored but once I start sculpting I'm not using the mirror tool. In fact nothing ends up mirrored, even the back right foot is slightly shifted in position.

this is probably not even the final version, I think i might redo the smooth/sculpt part and fiddle with the underlying shapes (basically go back a step)

Cha Cha's face. is one of the most difficult things to sculpt. It is extremely difficult to understand the shape of the underlying sculpt because there aren't any photos of her with the eye paint removed. There are so few of her out there I don't think anyone would willingly remove the paint to make a custom or anything unless it was in truly awful condition, and I dont think that has ever happened.

I have saved dozens of references from a number of different sites- these pics here are from etsy, the above was from the wiki. Her eyes are different from every single other pony and pony and friends- they're so bulging, so round, the eyelashes are longer. It's wild.

I can only see all the things that are wrong with it.

It's basically impossible to get something like this 100% perfect unless you have like, a set of turnaround photos all from the same angle that you can match up to the camera. You can basically overlap references with the camera view but you will never know the exact angle so if you make edits from multiple angles like this you'll inevitably not match each angle and then have to go back and adjust the angles and then you're fiddling with it infinitely. That's why I usually go for the "trace 4 angles and make the rest up as you go along" method.

I don't want to spend _too_ long on every model I make- the Takara pony which took 6 months really shows how far down the rabbit hole I will go with something like this, and it's just not practical. But I think with a slight amount of fiddling I can match the reference a little better.

[the-fallen-blue]

Pretty sure she's an addict, actually.

Looking at the way she reacts to absorbing power, both in this show and in Wandavision, it obviously feels really good. I think she's being honest when she says she doesn't control it, but it's not because she physically can't, it's because she's so euphoric in the moment that she can't think clearly enough to make the decision.

And the greatest possible risk for addiction is to be in a situation where nothing else feels good. Where the world is unstable, untrustworthy, unreliable, where you are unable to plan or hope for a future or believe there is a source of good for you other than your drug of choice.

And Agatha, the covenless witch, has been in that situation her entire life. The only good things she's ever had are Rio and Nicky. Rio, despite being a shockingly caring and respectful partner, is also literally Death and cannot provide for Agatha any sense of protection, community, or future; Nicky is doomed before he's even out of the womb, and any joy she has with him is tempered by the fear of his loss, the knowledge of the ticking clock of Rio's return. And with or without the two of them, her deep-seated belief is that she is unable to be part of her community, that she has only the single binary choice of being hunted and alone and despised, or to attempt to belong and be instantly killed. Which is a stressful, painful way to stagger through the centuries.

I do think she told herself a lot of things about why she was killing other witches, of course. One thing is what she told Nicky; that it's to keep him safe. It "distracts" Rio (deep down she knows perfectly well that Death doesn't work that way, but he's still alive so far). It gives her enough power to protect him (she tells him herself that no amount of power can protect him or heal him or even guide her in his care, because her power doesn't work that way, but it's not like she can go get a coven to fill in the gaps, she has to try to make do with what she is). It protects her (if she has enough power, if she kills witches before they can kill her, she won't be hurt again). And I think one of the things that she told herself after Nicky died is that if she got enough power, enough juice, she could bring Nicky back; in Wandavision in particular she is very interested in the power of the Scarlet Witch to create life wholesale, to defy the balance Rio maintains.

But Agatha is a liar. Maybe all of those reasons have their influence, but at the end of the day, she drains witches because it's the only thing that feels good enough to make her forget for a second that she's lost every person she's ever loved and everything that ever made her feel safe. Because she's desperately trying to fill a hole in herself with power because she doesn't understand how to see or ask for or believe in anything else. Because the way her power works means that if she is feeling that feeling, she is being attacked, having it proven to her that of course there is nothing else for her, no welcome and no care and no joy outside of this moment of killing.

Which is why the first time she's able to stop herself is the first time she has seen and felt enough of a support structure outside of that addiction to actually start believing there's an alternative.

(Though, to be clear, none of that makes her not an awful person. If sorting people into moral categories is important to you that is absolutely the one where she gets put, and she is barely at the beginning of a potential redemption when the season wraps. She's just not there for shits and giggles, she's there for ~trauma~.)

I'm still thinking about the advice lilia gave to agatha right before her death because it is so fucking significant. like alice tried to protect agatha and agatha accidentally killed her. and STILL lilia decided to try again, in her own way. while existing throughout all of time at once, lilia believes that helping agatha is worth a try.

each time agatha tries to act like she doesn't care about sisterhood and pushes her coven away, they STILL show up for her the way the salemites should have but never did. the road is actively giving agatha what she's been missing since childhood: being shown care and compassion.

[milkteabinniechan]

♡Sweet Like Honey - Chan

MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY MEMBERSHIP//M.LIST

pairing: husband! Chan x fem! reader

summary: As if meeting your husband for the first time at the altar wasn't nerve-wracking enough, now you two are on your tropical island honeymoon and you still haven't told him you're a virgin!

warnings: fluff, virgin reader, heavy kissing, cunnilingus, beach sex, insecure reader, soft Chan

Chan sleeps peacefully for a while longer before finally stirring, his eyelids fluttering open. As he sits up, he rubs his eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of his nap. His gaze falls upon his new wife, sitting nervously in a beach chair. “Hmm, you're still here.”

You turn your attention from the ocean waves to Chan’s face, giving him a curious look. “Did you think I'd run away?”

“I was half expecting you to.” He chuckles, his voice gruff from sleep. “Considering we barely know each other, and the fact that this was all arranged.” He shrugs. “But I’m glad you didn’t.”

You let out a long sigh of relief. “That's good.” You whisper as you turn your attention back to the sand, mindlessly drawing different shapes and patterns with your finger.

Chan watches you for a moment, studying your profile. He finds himself intrigued by your quiet demeanor and the way your fingers move absently in the sand. After a while, he speaks up again, his voice softer this time. “You know, we should probably talk about some things.”

Your shoulders tense as he speaks but you keep your face turned away from him. “Like what?”

“Like the fact that I’m a bit of a workaholic.” He grimaces. “And I snore when I sleep on my back.” He ticks off his fingers as he lists his quirks. “And I’m a bit of a clean freak.”

You chuckle softly, your shoulders already falling a bit as you begin to relax more and more by the second. “Well, I can be a tad messy at times,” you confess, “and I don't eat very well.”

Chan smiles at your response. “Okay, fair enough.” He pauses for a moment before broaching the subject he’s most nervous about. “And how about...physical matters?” He swallows thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Have you ever...?” his voice trails off but his honest eyes tell you what he's thinking without saying it. 

You shake your head slowly. Something squeezing your heart as you try to get the words out. “I've never had sex.”

His eyes widen slightly at your confession, a flicker of surprise and something else - perhaps understanding or even a touch of nervousness - crossing his face. He takes a deep breath before responding. “I see. Well, that's...okay. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I'm not ashamed.” You respond quickly. And that was true. You had never been ashamed of waiting until your wedding day. But now that the day has finally arrived… “I'm just nervous.”

He nods, his expression gentle. “I understand. It's natural to be nervous about something so...intimate.” He sits up a bit straighter, his arms wrapping around his knees as he looks out at the ocean. “We can take things slow, okay? There’s no rush.”

You turn your body towards Chan. You were desperate to look into his eyes and search for any hint of malice or deception. “You mean that?” You whispered.

He turns to look at you again, his dark brown eyes meeting yours with sincerity. “I absolutely mean that.” He reaches out to gently take one of your hands in his. “This marriage may be arranged, but that doesn't mean we can't build something real together.”

Your heart swells at Chan's words. The honesty within them coats you like a warmth you had never felt before. Before you could catch yourself, you start to move towards him, your mouths just inches from one another. His breath hitches as you lean in, his heart pounding in his chest. The air between the two of you seems to still, the only sound is the distant rhythm of the ocean waves. Gently, he closes the distance, your lips meeting in a soft, exploratory kiss.

The first kiss you shared was at the altar when you said “I do.” It was so formal and uniform. But this kiss was different, more intimate. Like it was leading somewhere new. Chan deepens the kiss slowly, his hands coming up to cradle your face. His touch is gentle yet firm, coaxing you to open up to him. As the kiss becomes more passionate, he pulls you closer, so that you're sitting on his lap, your arms wrapped around his neck. Soon your hands move from his neck to his hair, letting your fingers tangle and comb through the dark locks. Your hips start to grind and move involuntarily against his lap. He breaks the kiss to bury his face in the crook of your neck, his breath hot against your skin. His arms tighten around your waist, stilling your hips with a low chuckle. "Easy there, sweetheart," he murmurs, nuzzling your neck. He nips gently at your neck, soothing the sting with another soft kiss. His hands roam up your back, tracing the curve of your spine through the light fabric of your nightgown. His voice is low and gruff as he speaks against your skin. “We should…”

“Yeah…?” You mumble against his neck.

“Go inside...” He trails off as your hips move against him once more, his body instinctively reacting to the innocent gesture. He groans, his forehead dropping to rest against your shoulder. “Before this goes too far on the beach.” He pulls back to look at you, his pupils dilated with desire.

You turn your head to either side, scanning the now deserted beach. The moon is now the only source of light for miles around. “Well, there isn't anyone else here.” You smirk. Your eyes were full and hopeful that Chan would get the hint. The sight of your king sized bed in that luxury suite was almost too much to bear. The thought of “performing” for the first time in a bed felt like too much pressure. But the beach…

He lets out a low laugh, his body shaking slightly beneath yours. He captures your lips in another deep kiss, his hands slipping down to your backside, squeezing gently. As the kiss deepens, he lays you back against the sand, covering your body with his own. You let out a soft whimper as your still shaking hands move across Chan’s broad chest. He captures your wandering hands in one of his own, bringing them up to his lips to place a soft kiss on your knuckles. His other hand trails down your side, fingertips grazing the edge of your nightgown. "We can stop at any time," he murmurs, his eyes searching yours.

You take a deep breath. Your eyes flicker from his lips to his eyes as the two of you breathe in unison for a moment. “I trust you.” You murmur.

Chan smiles softly at your words, a genuine warmth in his eyes. Slowly, he tugs at the hem of your nightgown, pulling it up and over your head. He takes a moment to admire your form in the moonlight, his hands skimming reverently over your dips and curves. “Beautiful.”

Your face turns a deep shade of red as Chan’s eyes roam over your naked form. Your hands move to cover your face almost reflexively.

"Don't," he says softly, gently pulling your hands away from your face. “Don’t hide from me, my love. You’re absolutely beautiful.” He leans down to capture one of your rosy peaks in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the bud. Your back lifts up and off the sand at the new sensation. Your legs already begin to spread apart from the heat that is growing. He lavishes attention on your breasts, alternating between soft suckles and gentle nips. His hand trails down your stomach, fingers splaying across your lower abdomen. He kisses a path down your body, his destination clear as he settles between your thighs. "I want to taste you,”

You bite your lip and nod your head softly. “No one has ever…”

Chan looks up at you, his eyes dark with desire and tenderness. "Then let me be the first, and the last." He dips his head, his tongue parting your folds in a slow, deliberate lick. He groans at your taste, the sound vibrating against your most sensitive flesh. He takes his time exploring you with his mouth, learning every inch of you, committing your responses to memory. He focuses on your clit, circling the bud with the tip of his tongue before suckling gently. His hands grip your hips, holding you steady as he pleasures you.

Your head falls back and presses into the sand beneath you. Your moans mix and mingle with the sounds of the waves crashing. He continues his sensual assault, alternating between long, slow licks and quick flicks of his tongue. He can feel you tensing, your thighs beginning to quake around his head. He doubles his efforts, determined to bring you to your peak. “That's it, my love…”

Your hips move in a new and unexplored rhythm against Chan's face as you work to ride out your orgasm. He holds you steady as you ride out your high, his tongue lapping up your release. He gentles his touch as you come down, placing soft kisses on your inner thighs. He crawls up your body, capturing your lips in a deep, passionate kiss, letting you taste yourself on his tongue.

He lets out a low groan as your heat presses against the hard ridge of his arousal still confined in his pants. He reaches between your bodies to unfasten his pants, shoving them down his hips. He lifts your hips, positioning himself at your entrance. He captures your gaze, his eyes seeking yours.

Everything stopped for a moment. Even the waves seemed to silence. Like the entire world was waiting to see what you would do next. The sand still felt warm beneath your head and the towel brushed against your skin as you opened your legs wider. An open invitation for Chan to take you to that new place. For him to be your first and your last. With a gentle yet firm thrust, he buries himself inside you, stretching you in ways you never thought possible. He pauses for a moment, savoring the feeling of being completely inside you. Then he begins to move, his hips rocking against yours in a slow, deliberate rhythm. “Mine.”

You lie still at first, your entire body unsure of what was going to happen next. But the familiar sensation of pleasure washed over you again. The waves crashed against the sand again. Chan kisses you tenderly, his touch becoming slow and languid. He takes his time, his hands caressing your body as he moves inside of you with slow, deep thrusts. Two souls once separate we're becoming one. The cool air danced around you as the two of you, bathed in moonlight, found a new home within each other.

taglist: @simply-trash5 @sugawhaaa @trixiekaulitz @chrizzztopherbang @cassidymb121 @roanns-posts @staysinbloom @yaorzu-blog @bubblebisk @cotton-candycloudz @beautyinhypnosis @domicaru @strawberry31 @slxtmeri @newhope8 @tinyelfperson @dandelions-143 @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21 @msauthor @fun-fanfics @ell0thebell @stephanieeeyang @juskz @kimahreummm @readr1221 @kayleefriedchicken @ovulatingrn @hwnglixho @darthmaddie25 @queen-in-the-shadows @itgirlalisaa @miinhoo @greyaia @chanchansgirly @skzleeknowcore @skz-smut-reader @thatisrankharry @hearts4yawnzzn @jchotch726 @cherricola-star @minh0scat

[so-that-was-okay]

For those who didn't like today's interview with Oliver, this was an interview made for the GA. This is what the show is about for millions of people. We, as a fandom, are a drop in the sea. This interview wasn't made for us, it was for the casual viewers, to remind them the show is coming back after the elections.

The questions revolved around playing a firefighter, Oliver's accent and Buck's sexuality. THIS is what Buck's story is about for the GA. What you see on screen is simply what the writers want the show to be about. There's no hidden message or hidden meaning, there's nothing between the lines. Of course, as a fandom, we can extrapolate, have dozens of specs, but it's all headcanons if it's not on screen. And I wish people stopped acting like their fantasies were meant to become true because they're very vocal.

Right now, Buck's story is about being happy with Tommy. This is what the show is showing, what the GA is watching and understanding. You can disagree with canon because you don't like Tommy, absolutely, but you can't ignore canon and rewrite the show to make it fit your fantasies then call people stupid because you make them sound like they invent a version of the show when all they do is enjoy THE FREAKING SHOW. That's not how it works. Fandom is about finding your own joy around something, be it about canon or not. It's not about erasing canon and pretending fantasies are the only truth. And we all know that.

[oddaesthetin]

3:56 am — gojo satoru

fluff

-

“you know, i find that you’re actually quite easy to understand,” you muttered out of the blue, enigmatically, not even bothering to spare him a glance, and continued in whatever you were doing.

you saw him straighten up in your periphery,

“and by easy to understand, what do you mean exactly?”

“in a way where i know you prefer ice cream sandwiches more than ice cream cakes. or how your favorite song is shame on me by avicii because you think it reflects your life,” you stood up straight and looked at him for a second, completely ignoring what you were doing as you delved into thinking deeper. “i also know, and you’ll probably deny this, that your favourite flower is red and purple chrysanthemum because you find them vibrant and fluffy.”

the last statement reminding you of that one instance when you saw him get absolutely enticed upon seeing the flower. how he tried to fight off the intrusivity of squeezing them just to see whether they’d remain fluffy or not but failing miserably, and how his eyes got a tint of sadness when he saw the flowers crushed down to pieces. that one instance you see happen time and time again whenever he gets ahold of them.

hearing the last statement made satoru pout. not that you’ve noticed, as you went back to being engrossed in your project.

“i mean, i completely get the rationale behind that. maybe since people think you’re the strongest, or maybe since you grew up silver-spooned, it’s quite unlikely for people to assume that you’re no different at all from the rest. perhaps that thought is what makes it easy for them to separate you so they could look up to you.”

when silence engulfed the place, your eyes immediately went to the white-haired brute at the corner. although there was a distance between where you were both standing, it wasn’t as hard to notice the soft smile playing on his lips.

at the back of his mind, satoru is praying you wouldn’t see how much he cares about this conversation so much. it’s not so often you get to have these kinds of conversations, but when you do, he adorns it dearly. somehow, you always find a new way to tug his heart and mind.

he deliberately tries to fix his shades in an attempt to also hide the softened glaze his eyes bore.

“just because you know my favourite things does not make me easy to understand.” he disagreed, amidst the reddening of both his ears.

like how you get ignorantly confident from time to time, you shook your head as you answered, “but for me, you are. it’s exactly because i know you. and i’ve known you for years now. i’ve noticed your habits…how you think…they’re engraved in my mind.”

how sometimes he says something that’s exactly the opposite of what he’s thinking.

“besides, just because i think you’re easy to understand does not mean you’re not a complex person.”

how he so desperately wants to be normal and yet never wants to give up his ideals that are always adding to his hurt and burden. you saw him move from where he initially was.

“i think that all these is what makes you comforting.”

“i’m comforting?”

you raised your head and finally looked him in the eyes. “yes. to put it in easier words, you’re kinda like a close friend at a bad dinner party.”

satoru laughed. “a close friend at the dinner party, huh? what got me demoted?”

of course, satoru knows what you mean. he’s known you just as much as you’ve known him. and it makes his heart swell hearing you talk about his habits he never thought you’d take time to memorize and analyze because truthfully, no one has made an effort as deep as you did for him. when he’s with you, he feels like a common person. never having to be the strongest. never having to be gojo satoru. when he’s with you, he feels just like…toru. your man, toru.

his life with you is both seeing and being seen. he remembers his younger self— how he was so confident that he had learned everything in this world and there was nothing left for him to learn. just that thought alone made him snicker because oh boy was he so wrong, for being with you helped him discover new things, and grow as a person in many ways than one. he feels like a kid who’s only experienced the world for the first time. a world where being flawed is not a flaw, but a reason to keep loving, without hesitation and reservations. where waking up is not a task, but a choice, because he gets so excited to see your face first things first, converse with you, and do life with you. you’re like the orange to his blue. you may both be at the opposite ends of the spectrum, but you do well at complementing each other.

what you both have is bigger than the world. too complicated to explain but very easy to embrace. it’s a new feeling he’s willing to explore even more.

when he shares a space with you, it’s like the roles have been reversed. instead of him protecting you, it’s you that’s giving him safety. like tonight. he doesn’t know how to explain all this to you without his heart exploding and his words turning gibberish, but he hoped you know. his words may not be as impactful, but he tries his best to show it.

you rolled your eyes at the statement, “it’s just a figure of speech, hun.”

your boyfriend giggled and walked even closer to you. you were about to welcome his stance when he stopped you and turned you around as he wrapped his arms around your body. “yeah, well, even if it’s theoretical, i still would like to be your boyfriend. or husband, even.”

“that’s…not how what i said works, toru.” you replied at his idiocy, stifling a laugh. as he buried his face in your neck, you softly ruffled his hair. as you felt his lips smack a kiss to your neck, a whisper of “i love you” entered your ears.

-

© oddaesthetin 2024

[signanothername]

What do u think of the trope where Blue/Swap joins the bad guy???

I have complicated feelings about it?

I love the trope in of itself, I think it would be a really interesting trope to explore

The problem tho? I never once saw it executed in a way that grabbed my attention or made me actually love the story it was used in

It immediately goes to the “asshole” Dream and Ink and “kind found family” Nightmare gang trope

Which again, if you don’t know, I hate the trope of Dream being somehow an asshole or somehow treating Swap as tho he’s less than him

Ink is a whole different story where the fandom simply villainize him just cause he’s soulless

And the kind found family Nightmare gang is a trope I love, but just like the trope of Blue joining the Nightmare gang, it’s poorly executed most of the time (and I mean, how can you call it a “Blue joins the bad guys” when the “bad guys” are shown to be good guys????)

Like, I opened so many different fics only to be hit with the same execution of this trope over and over, eventually just losing interest bxhxhdhdh

The idea of Swap not being able to “keep up” with Ink and Dream or is somehow neglecting himself to take care of Dream just doesn’t really intrigue me (or even make sense to me)

Like don’t get me me wrong, I’m an absolute sucker for the “Swap is literally the only anchor Dream has left in his life otherwise he’d fucking break down” but I dare say Swap is more than capable of handling it without it weighing him down to a significant degree

This is Swap for god’s sake, he’s literally Papyrus’ personality but in a Sans body, if anything, he’s the one who has his shit together the most and is able to go on with a genuine happy and determined smile on his face, no matter the shit that happens to him, it would make a lot more sense for Dream to be the one to try and catch up with Swap than the other way around

I get that the trope tries to show the limitations of Swap as a mortal compared to Dream and Ink who are both pretty much immortal, but what people tend to do is that they completely twist Swap to be absolutely pathetic just for this trope to work

Which *shakes the fandom* I promise you don’t have to completely change a character up to make a trope work

Like I saw stories that made Blue to be somehow a weak depressed anxious guy trying so hard and is failing and whatnot and I question myself whether that’s even Swap anymore hchcchcjvj

I think the problem I usually see when people try and write different tropes for different characters, is that they try to make the trope make sense, and so they twist the character around to fit around the trope

Which, imho, is ineffective, you should understand the character, and then think of how the character would deal with a certain situation and how that leads to the trope you’re trying to write, one step at a time without having to ignore/erase important personality traits of the character

Of course, that doesn’t mean the trope you’re trying to write can’t fundamentally change the perception, personality, or behavior of a character, but you have to show how it affects the character to such a fundamental degree, show how can the character be heavily influenced and affected in a way that makes sense for said character

For example, I’ve seen people write Swap neglecting to eat cause he’s trying to “keep up” or sometimes Dream and Ink don’t give him the chance to cause they pressure him to go on another mission or push him too hard

Here are some problems I see with this:

- why is the Nightmare gang even somehow attacking every single day? Have they got nothing better to do? Especially with the fact they’re a found family now?

- why is Dream and Ink going out for “missions” every day if the Nightmares aren’t attacking, like damn what are they even doing?? What are these “important missions”?? Since when was Ink so obsessed with “missions”?

- Swap would absolutely not let that shit stand, if anything, he’d be very vocal about it and tell Dream and Ink to sit down and eat his great delicious tacos (Swap’s voice always has power behind it, and his actions are a direct reflection of his beliefs not what others push him to do)

- Ink has a home in the doodlesphere, he wouldn’t even be around enough to push Blue, while Swap has an AU and a brother, there is pretty much no way he’d be with Dream and Ink 24/7, and if he was somehow, you think Swap Paps would let it slide? And even if we go with the idea of Swap not being part of an AU anymore, you think Swap himself would neglect himself just to please others even when it doesn’t align with his own beliefs?

And those are only few of the top of my head, I’m pretty sure if I sat down and thought about this for a few hours, I’d be able to write you a whole other set of problems

Not saying you can never write Swap neglecting to eat, you absolutely can, it’s just needs to make sense for Swap as a character, what would it take for Swap to start neglecting his health? It’s not others pressuring him or pushing him I can tell you that much

So yeah, good trope, not so good execution (for me at least)

I guess I’m way too focused on the logic of it to truly enjoy it for what it is, but then again I always love to complicate things way more than I need to

Not every trope or story has to make sense completely, but I guess seeing Swap be completely made into a pathetic mess with no actual grounds to support it beyond “he’s mortal and his friends aren’t“ just ruins it for me dhdhhdhd

[soup-mother]

nonono when i say it's "free candy" I don't mean you don't have to pay money, i mean you have the right to run, study, modify, and share copies of the candy.

this is definitely not confusing at all and leads to absolutely zero smug computer nerds chastising people for understanding "free software" as "software that doesn't cost money".

the GNU foundation are actually totally chill with people charging whatever the fuck they like for "free software" and if you're confused by this then you're a bad person who doesn't deserve computers

in fact apparently "distributing free software for a fee" is unambiguous in its meaning compared to such confusing and scary terms as "selling software".

because again, there's absolutely nothing confusing in the world about the phrase "charging for free software", it's completely intuitive to everyone on the planet what that means and definitely doesn't sound like "profiting off of something that should be available for no cost"

[Obvious heavy sarcasm]

[certifiedsexed]

hi there! this isn’t about sex itself, but since periods are usually a part of sex ed and i’ve literally just been woken up because the cramps were bad enough, i thought i would ask — is it normal to be in a lot of pain when you’re on your period?

context: i still live with my abusive parents, who don’t let me take any kind of pain medication after a suicide attempt at thirteen, so i know that this problem might just be that i need to take a strong painkiller. also the pain doesn’t ever last more than three days? like the first three days (and sometimes the days leading up to it) of my period are always hell but then it’s fine, i have no pain afterwards.

but the problem is that the pain is… bad. like being woken up in the middle of the night because my sides hurt and my legs hurt isn’t uncommon, and there’s this weird thing where i’m scared to use the toilet during these first three days because it makes my butt and my sides hurt so much that i genuinely can’t move and have to bite myself to stop myself from screaming. sometimes i’ll be in so much pain, usually in my sides but also sometimes in my stomach or legs or my butt, that i can’t even move, so i just kind of��� have to lie pressed into my bed and hold my breath.

my mother has always just told me that she had worse pain when she still used to get her period, and that i’d be completely fine if i just listened to her and used a hot water bottle (i have poor circulation, so hot/cold stuff just doesn’t really feel great for me usually), and i’ve always just kind of accepted that. i know it’s common for people who get periods to talk about how painful things like cramps are, but i genuinely usually feel so miserable for the first couple days of my period that if i don’t need to get out my bed, i literally won’t at all.

i’m just wondering… is everyone who gets periods in as much pain as i usually am, at least for the first couple days? or, since i know that people experience periods differently, are people in more/less pain than i am but it’s fine since this isn’t that bad and i should just take medication each month for it? idk, but ever since i started to get periods they’ve genuinely always made me feel so so bleak and in agony, and i’m someone i’d consider who has a maybe above ‘average’ pain tolerance (i have chronic back pain, migraines, and health issues that make it easy for me to sprain/fracture my ankles which i’ve unironically managed to do about eight times in the past two years — again, unfortunately all of this with mostly no painkillers unless i can get them from the school first aid box), so i just… don’t know anymore, but i thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.

anyways, unrelated but i really do love this blog — the reblogs are always good things to read as someone who’s still unpacking being raised by very puritanical parents, and the asks always offer good advice too, very empathetically in a way that sometimes catches me off guard (there was one post on here that was something about how the asker’s father would belittle them and i think your reply said something like ‘it’s not your fault and nothing’s wrong with that aspect of you’… which i know sounds obvious but that was something that i don’t think had ever been obvious to me ever since my father started doing the same when i was younger. it was really comforting to hear, is what i mean, and your replies often are. so thank you for that! and for the time + energy i can imagine it takes to run this, you post/rb so often!)

Hi! This is absolutely a sex ed question, you're right!

So, first, let me make one thing clear: no! You are not supposed to be in this level of pain on your period. Some pain is understandable but once it gets to the point it's bad/debilitating in Any fashion, something is going wrong.

But I also want to say, being in an abusive living situation can fuck up your periods. And so can being restricted from pain relief, which-just in case you're not aware-is another type of abuse.

But what you're talking about sounds like more than just a lack of basic pain relief. That's very disabling, even if it doesn't last long. It may be that intense reactions to periods run in your family [especially since your mother mentioned experiencing something similar] but that's still something you should be getting something like specialized pain meds for or even stopping your periods altogether.

What you're talking about, especially on top of an abusive living situation, is very unhealthy for you to have to deal with.

Not everyone is in that much pain. Some people are but that's a medical condition. It's a disability! What you're talking about is a disability. It can be caused by PMS or endometriosis or PMDD or it could even be connected to whatever causes your other chronic pain but it's still very much something your parents should be getting you checked out for.

Even if your mother had the exact same pain on her period, that doesn't mean you should have to suffer through it, especially not with her revoking your access to basic pain relief. That's all completely unacceptable and I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.

I'm not sure how helpful this is but I hope it's at least good to know the pain levels you're dealing with are unacceptable and Not "normal" period pain.

Also I'm so glad you're learning and enjoying the blog, especially the advice. I also grew up in an abusive household so to hear it's helping someone else in a similar situation means the world to me, fr. 💕 Sending love, Anon. <3

[ghostbite0]

This discussion physically hurts, all the TRAUMA Shinobu has??? Losing her mother at such a young age, gaining a new father figure (Gyomei) for a short time was kind of healing for her, having Kanae as her second mother figure certainly helped too but when she lost Kanae that's just double motherloss, I KNOW it hurt so badly for her to lose both her mother figures :( and now she has to turn and take care of all these young people when she needs help herself barely being an adult?? She is NOT a mother she NEEDS HER MOTHER!!! :((

I understand that Giyuu lost his mother figure as well but that does NOT mean he's searching for another???? I'm pretty sure Shinobu isn't actively seeking out a replacement for Kanae or her mom because shes trying to be Kanae herself which is NOT at ALL healthy???

Pretty sure Giyuu isn't looking for a mother figure, this point also stands for Mitsuri, so many people go around saying how it'd be so cute if he saw her as his older sister but in all honesty it kind of confuses me... Mitsuri is 2 years younger than him + finds him attractive + he's uncomfortable around her because of her uniform!?!?!?, it simply doesn't make sense for him to think "oh this younger lady who looks nothing like my sister and has a uniform that makes me Oso uncomfy reminds me of my sister!!" don't get me wrong I LOVE giyuumitsu friendship but she is NOT his older sister???

Idk man infantalizing a grown man and making him whine and cry to his two FEMALE younger peers doesn't sit right with me?? It's only ever them people make him cry to, the two female hashira.. Likeee??? It doesnt sit right to me at all, it gives the stereotype of "woman exist to make men feel better" anybody who believes that can eat shit and burn 😞😞

Sorry I got a little pissy there but my point stands it's so misogynistic and WEIRDDD Giyuu being a younger brother who was raised by a woman I'm pretty sure he'd have RESPECT for females, not treat them like napkins that wipe his tears 😕

NO FURTHER POINTS. YOU ATE THIS UP

i have no other comments you absolutely killed it, and im glad you brought up the whole mitsuri and giyuu thing of people often headcanoning that giyuu sees mitsuri as his big sister-- they may have similarities sure but to your point its really aggitating that people keep throwing giyuu into the two female younger characters and making them cheer him up or cater to him. canon giyuu would never

it absolutely does feel like a "women exist to make men feel better" stereotype and i feel like every fandom does this whether they realize it or not. the female characters are not there to make your male blorbo feel better

thank you so much for your addition!! you're so right. everyone point and cheer. shinobu kocho & mitsuri kanroji get behind me

[transbianmuffin]

Memories pt. 3

cw manipulation but we all know she wants to be a pet, also two queer flirting and a hint of gaslighting

********

this thing is huge, and it's almost nonsensical, so much complexity so incredibly decorated so alienating?

"This is...incredible..."

"This, dear, is Opicala. The main Affini ship overseeing Jupiter."

"How? How? It's..."

"Huge? Fantastic? I know you tend to struggle with words." "Majestic!" "Haha, yes majestic is a nice one to describe it." "..." "I know, I know, most of sophonts don't comprehend the grandeur of Affini's architecture." wait those two affini have people? on a leash? what the hell? I've heard about domestication but I thought it was mostly reducing them to zombies and those guys are making out? they seem so happy so carefree what is happening and why why why I- I like it? No I don't want to be a slave I want peace not being a slave again "But I guess you're not looking at the architecture, don't you?" "Those people, collared, on a leash. Are your slaves? Is this what's gonna happen to me?"

they seem so happy, their eyes filled with bliss their mouths drooling each other's saliva and they seem no to care about a thing which is not their own tongues twitching and swirling "Slaves? Dirt, no! Absolutely not. My dear, those are pets. Domesticated sophonts, and we love our pets so much." "I was told that you enslaved people, keeping them drugged and compliant and used them as your servitude or to do menial work for your empire..." "The rebel propaganda really got you there, my beautiful terran. No, not at all. Well, they are drugged most of the times. That part is true, but I can assure you they really like it. As you did, a couple of days ago when we had our first chat." "What will be of me?" "Well, techinically you'd have been sent to forced domestication since you are a rebel. It is also true, though, that you did what you did and that would make you a defector. In addition to that you surrendered without any resistance and moreover you gave us some very useful intel." "So?" "So, my dear, I filed a special plead for you. You won't be assigned to forced domestication. You will stay here for a while and then we will drop you wherever you like on Jupiter. Lastly, we will grant you the status of 'independent terran', unless..." "U- unless?" "Unless you'd actually want to stay and be a pet, my dear. Oh you would be the cutest of them all. You'd have to either pick or be picked by an owner and you will live forever in care and bliss." oh god oh god a pet? would I be a good pet? I mean those two earlier seemed to be happy but maybe there were only high as fuck but being a pet seems so nice

"An owner, like you?" "Ah, you're saying this, not me~" "I- I don't know." "There is another little thing I forgot to mention." "Now you're scaring me." "Good, you will learn to fear the giant plant girl which work consists mainly in interrogating and inflicting terrible tortures to rebels." "...Sinea..." "Just kidding, just kidding! Look at your face, stars you are so damn cute! Anyway, I saw from your medical report that you were under special medications for HRT, am I correct?" "Y-yes." "Well I think it is worth mentioning that the meds you were taking are nothing more than candies compared to our Class G. Which is basically the same thing but way more advanced and effective." "Oh..."

is she lying? maybe she wants to drug me again but maybe I can trust her, she's been so kind with me and advanced HRT is a dream come true

"Am I picking your interest there?" "Y-yes." "Of course this is not to convince you at all. I am just saying that here you will be loved in a way you have never experienced. You are free to go whenever. Just say a place on Jupiter and we'll drop you there instantly, Deena." "I need some time. I am tired and it's a lot to process." "That's perfectly understandable, little one. Want me to carry you?" "..." "Stars, when you give me those puppy eyes I- I simply can't! Come on. Here." "Those pets."

god they seemed so happy I was envious? jealous? yes that's the word

"Those pets, yes." "Those pets." "Yes those were pets. Do you have any specific consideration you want to make here or are you simply stating a matter of fact, my dear?" "They seemed so happy. Their kisses so blissful, their minds overwhelmed with joy and passion." "Florets usually do that. Here they are safe, protected, free to explore their true self, their true nature. Nobody judges them and the joy you saw in their eyes was certaintly shared by their respective owners."

"I would like to talk to one of them, if possible." "I have a better idea. There will be a little social gathering among florets later, their owners will be there but they won't interfere too much in their interactions. While I am not still your owner, I am your temporary ward so I can vouch for you. There you can talk to any of them and maybe even do something more than talking~" "S- still?"

what does she mean with still? still? she wants me to be her pet? what?

"Uh?" "You said you are not still my owner." "No, no my dear you must have misheard. I said that I am not your owner, which is true. I mean I could be your owner if that's what you want but the choice is yours and only yours."

maybe I misheard? I am sure she said that but I'm also tired and the feeling of her vines around me are so beautifully distracting

"I- I think I'm sure of what i've heard?" "Aw darling~ you are so tired, sometimes it happens to misheard stuff when we are tired. Misheard or projecting. Anyway, would you like to go to the floret's gathering?" "Maybe you're right. I am really tired but yes, Sinea, I'd love to go." "Very well, but first I must to inform you that I won't let my ward take part in a social event without some glowing up. You still smell of surgical sanitizer and your dress is unacceptable. I have a reputation." "Sure..." "That's my good girl. We will go at mine, have a bath, some grooming and I'll provide you with something suitable to wear."

hehe good girl~ wait a second a bath, a dress? what am I a doll? but I don't want to make her feel bad at the gathering I guess I can see how it goes

********

[rb19]

since pre 2021 interlagos race ive been meaning to write about max's past performances here. it aint about just the 2016 race. but i just couldn't finish the post.

max fans always talk about austria, spa, zandvoort, cota, etc. and ofc he is absolutely phenomenal in those, but i was always sure there was something ELSE about his interlagos performances. the track he always delivered. bc not ONCE he was outqualified by a teammate here, not once. not once he was outraced by a teammate here.

his rookie performance in 2015 was the highlight of the race bc of his aggressive overtakes. brundle's line when he overtook perez was "and that is why Max Verstappen will become world champion in Formula 1"

2016 no words.. 2017 he couldn't get close to the ferraris or mercs but still finished p5.

brazil 2018 was the moment i decided to start following the sport because local news showed he pushed ocon after the race 😭😭 i tried to understand what happened in the race and i was like i need to defend this man. he was in his rights. he did nothing wrong. that win was his!!! starting from p5! it was his.

that 2019 pole and win. one of his best weekends. 2021 he did what he could fighting against the merc rocketship and lewis put on a great performance. since then he was always been the villain to the brazilian crowd, he made a special helmet that weekend and all he got in return was boos. brazilian media that year was fucking awful to him.

IN 2022 I FINALLY WENT TO THE RACE sure i was gonna watch max win, just for rbr to fuck the setup, incident with lewis ruined his race, loved the controversy over not handing the place to checo 🤭 2023.. lando was fast but not fast enough to threat max in his BEST TRACK.

AND 2024. ANOTHER WET RACE. ANOTHER MASTERCLASS. context is always so important, after all the mexico talk and the bad luck in qualifying, he hadn't won since i dont even know when!!!!

he made his name in 2016. he showed his talent. no one from his generation has delivered a wet performance even close to that one yet and he was only 19!!!!!!!!! today he made sure that the new audience know who they are dealing with

[zepskies]

@lamentationsofalonelypotato

It is time!! loll Love the preparation, and of course we share that childhood love. I'm so excited to dive into your thoughts on Part 1! 😘💓💓

Oh goodness the enemies to lovers is bubbling under the surface and I am already naming Dean and Mila's children.

Omggg plss. 😭😭 It is classic enemies to lovers, isn't it? Somehow that just occurred to me. 🤣 Girl now look what you did -- you have me looking up names for their future children. 🤣🤣 What was your top contender? lmao

This chapter really is one of the best scenes in Spirit, not to mention one of my favorite songs in that movie. "Get Off My Back" is legendary.

Omfgg yes, we've talked about this, but "Get Off My Back" is the best song of the movie and that whole sequence is my absolute favorite part, which is why I had to include it in this chapter.

I love her already. I mean I loved her from the moment that I found out she broke that jerk's nose, but a strong defiant woman. Yes ma'am here for Mila 1000000%.

I'm so glad to hear that, because Mila does not, in fact, play. 😅 She's a scrapper for sure. 💪🏽

He's already feeling!😏 And I really loved that he fought the smile when she spat in the Colonel's face. Because Dean is already smitten with this woman.

Hahaa yep, it takes Dean a lot to just stand there while a woman's being abused in front of him. It doesn't matter to him that she's an Indian. (And whether he wants to admit it or not, he's noticed her. 😏)

I really love this part, when Dean can sympathize with Mila and her people and why they continue to fight. It also really brings together the "realism" in this story. Especially with the "He doesn't always understand their way of doing things..." A lot of people fear what they don't understand and for Dean to have a more "open" outlook even being surrounded by people who don't is refreshing. And now Mila gets to show her all the wonderful things about her and her tribe! He's different and I love him.

That's exactly what I was going for. Dean is occupying that middle ground of doing what he has to because he's a soldier following orders, but he doesn't relish the work when it comes to fighting the Indians. Logically, he understands their side and can put himself in their shoes, and so he sympathizes. (Mila might just show him even more of her world.)

I also really liked the background you gave him. His father being in the army and that being the reason why Dean joined, and I can just imagine young Dean and young Sam riding horses and breaking them out on their family farm.

Oh thank you! I felt like that would be an appropriate parallel to the show. And I could imagine that aspect too with him and Sam being playfully competitive while they found things to do on the farm! lol

Okay also the fact that Mila calls Dean "Green Eyes" had me literally screaming lol. I was like, "girl I see you and I respect you for noticing how beautiful that man's eyes are."

LOL girl YES. Them fanfiction greens. 💚💚💚

I hope Roman falls off a watchtower and into a giant pile of poop (the size of the ones in Jurassic Park) and then dies. I mean he doesn't... because Dean destroys that man. BUT I hope that they shoveled his body away with the same shovel they use for all the horse poop. It's what the people want lol 😂

lmfaooo If ONLY. It's definitely what the people want. 😂

The descriptions of his hands made me hyperventilate. 😳 I am telling you the trope of a big strong man who has done terrible things with his hands and then is nothing, but gentle with his significant other WIPES ME OUT. Oh stars, I can't take it 😭

I see we have the same problem. 🤣 Because that man's hands (figuratively) do things to me loll. That trope will forever be one of my favorite tropes. I guess that's why I always go for the rogue/hard outer shell guy who softens himself only for his SO. 😭💞

It's true love and now I'm scared of what's gonna happen to them.

YOU TURNED BABY INTO A HORSE?! MASTERFUL! GENIUS! Oh my word I was not expecting that, but it made me so happy you have no idea lol.

I absolutely did! Thank you, my lovely!! 🖤🥰 Baby's reveal was one of my favorite parts of writing this chapter. I was picturing a bit of Black Beauty lol.

Again, so happy Roman is gone. Man is a whole problem and Dean is a problem solver lmao 😂

Dean is the freakin' Solution, let's be honest lmao. Roman is gone, but he might still be a problem, in that Dean may have some consequences to face for his choice...

Oh this chapter was absolutely wonderful and it was everything that I expected and SO SO MUCH MORE friend!❤️ Western Dean is quickly infiltrating my subconscious and someone is gonna have to raise Freud from the dead to work this one out for sure. I mean Freud's already gonna have to talk to me about Spirit, but that horse had an energy, it was voiced by Matt Damon, I was young and impressionable, and I can't be held responsible lmao lol😅 (catching myself in 4k)

Wow, thank you so very much, friend!! 🥰💜 I'm very happy this met and exceeded your expectations. But omg relating to you so hard right now because Matt Damon was perfection voicing Spirit!! I was watching Behind the Scenes stuff just the other day with clips of his performance in the recording studio and him talking about what he enjoyed/thought was special about the movie. 🥰

(And yeah, I know I go overboard with these gifs but I had a fun time here lol)

The Honorable Choice - Part 1

Pairing: Dean Winchester x OFC 

Summary: June 1872. Captain Dean Winchester of the U.S. Cavalry is tasked with one job: break a wild mustang. He just didn’t expect the woman who infiltrates his camp, intent on freeing her tribe’s horse.

AN: I got inspired after a recent rewatch of Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron (literally a perfect movie), as well as having Yellowstone in the back of my brain. I thought this idea might be a good fit for this @jacklesversebingo prompt.

Disclaimer: I’ve done extensive research for this one, both on the American Indian Lakota tribe, and on American history during this time in the late 1800s (AKA: the Old West, during the American Indian Wars and the Sioux Wars). Of course, one of my main goals is to avoid inaccuracies, both historical and cultural.

Jacklesverse Bingo24 Prompt: Western AU

Song Inspo: The Spirit Soundtrack

Word Count: 4.6K

Tags/Warnings: 18+ only to be safe. Racism/racial slurs, attempted sexual assault (not successful), protective Dean, angst, some violence and some action.

🐎 Series Masterlist || Bingo Masterlist

Part 1: Pride & Prejudice

June 1872

Dean hears some of his men shouting, along with the telltale cracking of bone that would make a less seasoned soldier wince. He spares a look to Benny, his Lieutenant, and sets down his glass of whiskey.

Dean’s path takes him brusquely out of his office and toward the stables. He grabs his gun and his hat on the way there, setting the latter on his head.

Is it too much to ask for one night where he can drink in peace?

Dean comes to find a young woman being detained by two of his men, Kline and Novak. Roman sports a bloody nose and his eye is already beginning to swell. The woman fights against their hold.

Even under the pale moonlight, Dean notes the way she’s dressed: a deer skin dress cinched at the waist, over thin pants and shoes. He surveys her tan skin, her black hair that blends into the night, twisted into a long braid, and the anger in her dark eyes.

“What have we got here?” Dean says. He stows his gun in its holster as he approaches her, resting his hands at his belt.

“I caught her breaking into the stables, Captain,” Roman says. He prods with a hiss at his busted nose while trying to stem the bleeding. That’s going to be a bad break.

She remains tight lipped, stubborn. 

“Probably doesn’t even understand English. Savage bitch,” he says. Dean shoots him an impassive look to cover up his annoyance.

“Put a cork in it, Roman,” he orders. Then, he focuses back on her. “You’re a Lakota, aren’t you?”

Aside from their main mission here in the Dakota Territory, the Colonel has been fixed on fighting back against the Lakota Indians, especially after they sabotaged the supply line last month.

The proud tilt of the woman’s chin is her only answer to Dean’s question. Her gaze drags down his form with disdain, like he’s the savage. His mouth twitches mirthlessly. 

“The Lakota rear up their own horses pretty damn well. Why would you want to steal one of ours?” he asks.

She glances away from him, first at her feet, then over at the camp’s latest “guest.” Dean, Benny, and a few of his men wrangled up a horse a few days ago. He’s a beautiful Kiger mustang with a nasty mean streak. He barely got through a trim this afternoon, and almost took a chunk out of Rufus when he tried to brand the horse.

The Colonel ordered them to tie the horse up to a post just outside the corral—no food or water for three days. He’d turned to Dean with a firm set to his face and issued a single order.

“Break him.”

Now, Dean catches the furtive look the Lakota woman gives the horse, who flicks his tail. The animal stares right at her, as if into her eyes.

“Oh, don’t tell me you here for him,” Dean says with a chuckle. “That thing’s a little too much for you, sweetheart.”

That earns her attention, steely and unimpressed.

“He is too much for you,” she says. Her voice is smooth, and would even be pleasant, if not for the circumstances. “He is one of ours. You will never break him.”

Dean's eyes widen a fraction. He glances back at the mustang.

So that's why she's here, he thinks. She's trying to mount a rescue. Dean feels a twinge deep inside, but he can't allow himself to care about that. They've collected a strong horse that will be a good support for their objectives here, once he's broken.

“Ah, well see,” Dean says, tipping his Stetson up to meet her gaze. “That’s kind of our specialty.”

“Sir, should we take her to the stockade?” Novak asks. He seems reluctant to do so to a woman, even an Indian, but he’s always been good at following orders.

Dean opens his mouth to reply, but another voice cuts him off. Colonel Asmodeus Sanderson steps out and takes a look at their captive.

“Not the stockade,” he says, with that Southern drawl that betrays his Kentucky roots. “Not yet.”

He approaches her with a slow, calculated gait. His hands gather behind his back. Dean gives her credit for looking Sanderson in the eye. She seems rightly wary, but not afraid.

“We won’t hurt you. I give you my word,” the Colonel says, “if you’ll lead us to your people’s camp.”

He takes a hold of her chin, turning her face this way and that, like he’s examining a dirty animal, and all that he’ll have to do to make it clean. She spits in his face.

Dean bites the inside of his lip against a smile. She’s got as much fight in her as the mustang. However, he has to school his face back into stoicism when Sanderson rears back in anger.

The harsh smack rings out in the clearing, along with the woman’s cry. Dean doesn’t allow himself to outwardly react, but inside, his spine tightens as he fights his instincts.

Only Kline and Novak’s hold on her arms keeps her upright. She pants for breath, but again, she meets the Colonel with a face that doesn’t give away anything, despite the reddening mark on her cheek.

“The post,” he barks. “Three days. No food or water.”

Dean is kept busy by his duties. He makes sure the camp is running in order, accepting shipments of supplies and ammunition, among other things. Cas Novak is in charge of the stables, caring for the horses and putting them through their training. Jack Kline is young and strong and a good assistant, along with others in his unit.

Right now, Dean and Benny are going over the plans with Colonel Sanderson for continuing construction on the railroad, from here to the Black Hills. It’s a path that cuts straight through Sioux territory—the bands of Dakota and Lakota Indians that occupy the land.

“The natives are fightin’ us tooth and nail,” Sanderson says. “But maybe our guest will be able to help us…negotiate.”

Dean remains quiet, ignoring yet another uneasy twinge in his gut. He didn’t join the army to fight the Indians. He doesn’t always understand their way of doing things, but he understands why they fight—to protect their land, and to protect their own. It’s the same reason Dean fights, when he has to.

He joined the army because…well, it felt like the right thing to do at the time. His father had been a Cavalry Major, and he’d died an honorable death, now about a decade past.

Has it really been ten years? Christ.

Dean wipes his brow. Even with the windows open, the office is humid and smells like ass. He glances outside, where both the mustang and the woman are tied to their posts under a sweltering sun at high noon.

Not for the first time, Dean wonders what his dad would think of him now. 

After the meeting, Dean and Benny fall into step together to inspect the camp. The summer sun shines hot on their blue uniforms, and occasionally they raise their hats to mop the sweat from their brows.

Things are running as usual, but many of the men’s eyes occasionally turn to the posts. Dean’s attention wanders there too without him realizing, catching on the woman’s dark hair. It shines even blacker in the sunlight, like a raven’s wing. He knows the shade because his dad used to have a feather kept in his journal, like a bookmark.

“You okay, brother?” Benny asks. Dean realizes what he’s doing, and his attention returns to the task at hand. Get it together.

Always forward, never backward.

“Just fine,” Dean replies. Benny gives him a knowing look.

“A bit unsavory, ain’t it?” he says. “Keeping her chained up without even a lick of water.”

“The Indians are getting smarter, bolder. They’re ambushing our men, going after our supply lines, and now, stealing our horses,” Dean says. “This is strategy.”

Benny shrugs slightly, making a sound of agreement. Dean hesitates, his gloved fingers flexing against his sides.

“If she was a man, you guys wouldn’t give a shit about putting a bullet through her head,” Dean says.

Benny’s gaze shifts downward. He doesn’t reply, but he concedes the point all the same.

They continue their route, and Dean keeps the rest of the conversation on the work at hand.

Mila has gone far longer without drink, but the sun is particularly unforgiving today. She’s prayed and prayed for even one cloud to glide overhead and shield her for a while. It’s not much better for her companion. He paces in place, occasionally tugging his head against the rope that binds him to his post.

She makes a clicking sound at the horse, getting his attention. She calls him by his name, and his ears flicker in her direction. He offers her a short whinny in response.

“I see you, Mato. I am with you,” she says in her native tongue. She hopes the sound of her voice will soothe him. He looks tired and hungry, but his eyes flick hard and untrusting on any man who comes near him. His spirit isn’t broken.

“Hey! Shut the hell up over there,” Roman shouts at her from where he and Cas are taking a short lunch break. Cas gives him a certain look, crossed mostly with annoyance.

Mila resists the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she closes them and tilts her face back to the sun. In a way, it feels cleansing. Maybe it can wash away the stench of the White Men’s hands on her body, manhandling her, checking her for weapons.

She spends the rest of the day watching the camp. One of their leaders, the Green Eyed One, called this a fort. It does look fortified, with tall walls made of thick wood constructed to form a cage—whether to keep others out, or to keep the men and horses in.

She identifies the Colonel as their chief, of a kind. Green Eyes is second in command, followed by the Bearded One with a strange voice. Even the scruffy Blue Eyed One has some authority, mostly over the Child Faced One. There are too many others to rank them all, but she knows the Loud Mouthed One is arrogant, even after she broke his nose. The way he carries himself, he clearly thinks he has more power than he actually has.

In her mind, Mila conjures up different plans of escape. All of them fall short in some way. The men didn’t find all of her weapons; a small knife is hidden deep in her boot. She could saw at her binds within an hour, but even with Mato to carry her out and away, the problem is escaping this camp without alerting the men. Without getting shot.

She has three days to think.

That night, the moon refuses to give her clarity. Her stomach is too empty, her throat too dry, her tongue thick in her mouth. Her attention shifts in and out of consciousness, until the sound of boots crunching in the dirt trills unease down her spine. More alert, she sits up straighter.

The Loud Mouthed One. The one they call Roman comes to taunt her, offering her water, then drinking for himself instead. He comes closer to examine her. He has a small bind over his broken nose.

“You know, you’re a pretty one,” he says, taking another cold sip as his gaze drags over her form. “For a wild thing.”

His face nears hers, clean shaven, though his thin smile reminds her of a rattlesnake. Dread and repulsion churn at odds in her stomach as she realizes what he's really here for. It doesn't matter if he truly wants her, or just wants to pay her back for his face. Either way, he means to take her here in the dirt.

She looks away, not wanting to let him see her fear, or the dread tightening her stomach, rising into her throat. He winds long fingers into her hair. At first the hold is gentle, deceptive. Then it's tight against her scalp. She hisses in pain when he tugs her head back and forces her to look at him. Her breathing quickens as she tries to pull away.

He draws in close to try and claim her in a kiss, but she head-butts him, hard.

He cries out and stumbles back, his flask falling to the ground.

He angrily grabs her and hauls her up to her feet. He pushes her hard against the post and unbuckles his belt, just to stuff it in her mouth. With his free hand, he begins to undo his pants.

She refuses to cry out, even though she spits out his belt and fights him, trying to kick out his knees.

Suddenly, the man’s body is ripped away from her. Mila loses her footing and falls to the dusty ground, sliding against the wooden beam she’s tied to. The wind is knocked out of her, but when she raises her head, she watches with wide eyes as the Green Eyed One beats the other man into the dirt. It doesn’t take much, just a few well-placed fists.

Roman lies there catching his breath, and he spits a wad of phlegm and blood. His left eye will match his nose, that’s for sure.

Green Eyes looks angry and disgusted. He huffs and puffs while staring down at his subordinate. He pushes back his short brown hair and points an ungloved hand at Roman.

“Get back to the goddamn barracks. You’re gonna be mucking out stalls until shit’s coming out of your ears,” he growls.

Roman doesn’t argue, though it’s obvious that he wants to. He just picks himself up, makes a show of straightening up his open uniform jacket while catching his breath. He walks past Green Eyes with a resentful, angry look. Green Eyes watches him until he disappears inside.

Then, he turns to her. His gaze softens somewhat, but it’s still unreadable. He crouches down in front of her, resting his arms on his thighs. Mila’s gaze briefly falls to his hands. They’re calloused, the hands of a laboring man. He carries himself like a warrior.

“Sorry about that,” he says.

It’s not what she expected. Mila eyes him warily when he moves closer. She presses her back against the post until it hurts her spine. He raises up his hands placatingly.

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” he says.

“That is what your Colonel said,” she says. Her voice cracks with dryness. “I didn’t believe him either.”

His lips flicker at a rueful smile. It wrinkles crow’s feet around his eyes, breaking his stony face.

“Fair enough.”

He reaches for his belt and retrieves a flask, similar to the one his subordinate carried. He extends it out to her.

“It’s water, unless you prefer whiskey. I know I do,” he says.

She raises a brow at him, but hearing the sloshing inside the flask, her thirst takes over her wariness, and even her pride. She tentatively leans forward. He brings it closer so she can press her lips to the opening. Despite his Colonel’s orders, he lets her drink as much water as she’s able. When she’s done, he pockets the flask and sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

That, she will not give him. Names are sacred to her people, and this man, while seeming to have a shred of honor, isn’t worthy.

“Don’t wanna even tell me your name?” he says. He nods slightly. “Okay, well, I’m Dean. Captain Winchester, to this band of delinquents.”

He gestures around the camp with a dismissive hand. Mila only watches him. She’s never seen a White act like this, breaking his leader’s rules, being…kind.

What a strange man.

But if he had any real convictions, he would untie her and let her go, along with Mato. She won’t hold her breath.

Dean’s brows raise up toward his hairline, and his full lips form a pout. Realizing he’s not going to get anything more from her, he lets out a tired huff and straightens up.

“Well, goodnight,” he says.

He finally leaves her alone, but she can’t help but follow the swaggering path of his bowed legs and heavy boots. They carry him away and back indoors.  

A strange man.

By the morning of the third day, Dean is ready to do what he does best. Or at least, one thing he does best.

He’s no stranger to horses. He grew up on a farm in Lawrence, Kansas, where he and his brother would help take care of the animals. Dean was older, so he helped his father till the land and train the horses. Sometimes he and Sam would sneak off and race their favorite ones, until their mom called them back for dinner.

In fact, part of what earned Dean his rank in the U.S. Cavalry was how well he could command a horse. His own is resting in the stables.

Today, he’s getting in the ring with the mustang.

…Well, not right away. He lets a few of his guys go first to tire him out. Even after three days of no food or water, the horse is living up to his bad attitude. He bucks each of them off after just a few seconds in the corral. Dean can tell it’s becoming a kind of game for the horse. His dun-colored coat shines in the sun, his brown socked legs kicking up dust and manure as he brays angrily at whoever tries to mount him.

Dean notices the Lakota woman watching with an amused smile on her face while she sits with her hands tied to her post. She’s enjoying the show, like she knew this would happen. It seems to give her energy every time another man is thrown off the horse and limps out of the ring.

Dean shakes his head. Pitiful.

He puts two gloved fingers to his mouth and whistles the entire clearing to attention. He saves Kline the chance to bruise his spine and pats him on the shoulder. Dean steps into the corral and positions himself into the stirrups, wrapping the reins around his hand. The horse is breathing hard, but he’s not done. He’s still got fight in him. Dean sees it in his brown eyes.

“All right, mustang. You’re big and bad. I get it,” Dean says lowly. “But I don’t scare easy. Gimme your best damn shot.”

Cas and Benny give him wary looks from where they stand outside the gate.

“Hold onto your hat, Cap,” Benny mutters.

Dean adjusts his hat and rests his gun on the post for safe keeping. He wants to feel as natural as possible, like it’s just him and this horse, out back in his family farm. He holds on tight to the reins. He’s fully prepared for how the mustang takes off at a galloping clip around the ring. He twists and bucks, but Dean claps his thighs tight and holds on for the ride.

The horse gets smarter.

He runs for the water trough just outside the ring. He slams Dean against the side of it once, twice—and manages to throw him off, with Dean landing right in the water trough.

He bursts out from the dirty water, sopping wet and spluttering in anger. He looks over at the horse trotting around, whinnying and tossing his head like he’s laughing. Dean can’t help it. His anger fades, and he smiles.

This guy’s got some brass balls, I’ll give him that.

The Lakota woman laughs. Dean hears it and his head swivels toward her. She bites her lip, but she knows she’s been caught. Despite his injured pride, Dean’s lips curve with a smirk. Just gonna laugh at me, huh?

“I see things are going well,” comes a familiar drawl.

Dean’s face falls as he looks up and finds Colonel Sanderson. Dean pulls himself out of the trough and tries to squeeze some water out of his uniform. He clears his throat.

“Well, uh, it’s going, sir. Just gonna take a little more time than I thought,” Dean says. He quickly reclaims his hat from the ring, giving the mustang a smart berth. After he climbs back out, he goes over to the post where he left his pistol.

“Hold him steady,” Sanderson barks out the order, but not at Dean. The other men wrangle the horse back into the pen, where Sanderson climbs up and mounts the horse himself.

To his credit, he stays on longer than even Dean thought he would. The mustang gallops and circles. He tries slamming Sanderson on the sides of the corral, tries bucking him and bucking him, but the man clings on, even when his hat falls into the dirt.

The horse is exhausted. He eventually stops in the middle of the ring, panting for breath, his legs shaking slightly. Dean straightens at attention.

So does the Lakota woman, he notices. She looks worried, her brows furrowing.

Sanderson swipes a hand over his graying hair and moustache to collect himself. He raises his head with an arrogant smile.

“You see, gentlemen. Any horse can be broken,” he says. He kicks the horse with his spur. “Move along, mustang.”

To everyone’s amazement, the horse obeys him. He moves forward at a slow clip. All the men applaud, even Dean, belatedly.

“There are those in Washington who believe the West will never be settled,” Sanderson continues. “The Northern Pacific Railroad will never breach Nebraska.”

His gaze draws over to the woman. Her eyes are filled with tears as she watches the Colonel makes his rounds.

“A hostile Lakota,” he says in derision, “will never submit to providence.”

She stares back at him with steel in her watery eyes.

Dean doesn’t realize his jaw is clenched tight until he feels the strain in his jaw. He forces himself to relax, with his hand on his dampened belt.

“And it’s that kind of small thinking that would say this horse would never be broken,” Sanderson says. “Discipline, time, and patience. That’s all you need to level a wild thing.”

Just then, the horse stops abruptly.

“Mustang?” Sanderson asks in warning.

Dean tenses. He knows what’s about to happen.

“Sir!” he calls out.

But it’s too late.

The stallion revs and charges, bucking even wilder than before. He swings his head and rears back high on his hind legs with a powerful bray. Sanderson yells in fear and strain, but he stays on the creature’s back.

The horse’s angry eyes take on a darker shade of conviction. When all four of his hooves hit the ground, he finally bucks hard enough to get the Colonel off his back, though he still clings to the reins near the animal’s head. He comes face to face with the horse’s crazed eyes. His own are wide and full of terror.

Hot breath heats Sanderson’s face. Then the horse swings his head and tosses the man out of the ring. In the process, the horse falls on his side and shatters a section of the wooden beams that fenced him in.

While he shakes his head and gets his hooves under him, Dean and Benny help the Colonel up to his feet. His uniform is a wreck, and now, with a bruised body and likely a couple of broken ribs, the man is fuming.

Kline and Roman wrangle the horse’s reins and keep him more or less in place. The Colonel shoves Dean and Benny off of him. He reaches for his gun at his belt and aims it at the mustang. Dean goes rigid in shock, but he knows he can’t interfere. If he does, it could warrant some major discipline.

The Colonel pulls the hammer back on the revolver, but before he can pull the trigger, the sound of cutting rope and a feminine yell breaks the silence in the clearing. The Lakota woman pulls the Colonel’s arms down, and the gun goes off into the ground. Her elbow comes up quick to strike the man between the eyes. He careens back into Benny, who catches him.

Meanwhile, the woman swings up onto the mustang. She grabs a stronghold by the neck and barks something in her native language. It spurs the horse onward, and he breaks through the crowd of men at a gallop.

Dean watches with widening eyes and furrowing brows. “Shit!”

He runs to the stables where he finds Baby waiting for him. Her black coat ripples as she stamps impatiently.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he beckons. He leads the mare out of the stable, and after grabbing a coil of rope from the supply bench, he mounts her smoothly. With a subtle kick of his heel, she picks up speed to follow the mustang and his rider.

They’re already approaching the gate where the men are quickly trying to close it. There’s still a window of opportunity for escape, but not only is Dean on their heels, Roman also stands on a pile of crates filled with iron parts that are due to be shipped out in the morning for continued construction on the railroad. Roman holds a rifle. He trains his weapon on the woman, taking deadly aim.

Dean’s jaw clenches and his brows furrow. He knows then, in the breadth of a few seconds, that he has to make a choice. If he does nothing, both she and the horse are as good as dead.

Sam used to call him reckless, stubborn as the horses he spent long hours taming.

Right about now, his brother is probably right.

Dean reaches for his gun, aims, and shoots within the span of those seconds. Roman goes down before he even knows what hits him. His chest plumes with blood after he slides down the crates and flops heavy to the ground. His eyes stare unseeing at the crisp blue sky.

The mustang tears through the narrow opening in the gate, and Dean isn’t far behind. The woman is an excellent rider, far better than he expected her to be. She clings to the horse’s neck and mane, and she doesn’t even use the stirrups. She clings on when the horse leaps over rocks, and when she notices Dean tailing her, she urges the horse at an even faster gallop.

Dean’s face furrows with determination. Baby is built for speed too.

He gives her a little kick with his heel. “Come on, Baby. Go!”

He’s able to keep up with the mustang just a few yards behind, even when they reach rougher terrain, going further up and into a canyon. He follows them through every curve and dip, guiding his horse just as much as she's guiding him.

Dean takes his rope in hand and turns it above his head, but his attempt to lasso the mustang's neck fails; the woman saws straight through the rope with her knife.

"Damn it!" Dean mutters.

He's forced to let go of his frayed rope when he and Baby nearly careen off the edge of a cliff. His heart settles high in his throat as he grits his teeth, but he pulls back on the reins hard and leans in the opposite direction. Baby's able to bank left, saving them from a long way down to certain death.

They continue up the narrow path the mustang has trod ahead. It carves around and through the mountain.

Dean mentally grasps for a plan, aside from just keeping up. Without even a bit of rope, he doesn’t know how he’s going to slow the woman down without hurting her or the horse. He doesn’t want to have to use his gun.

Eventually, the canyon breaks into a patch of desert, and then, grassy plains and tall forest trees. The mustang begins to tire and slow to a stop. His rider murmurs soothing things to him, stroking his neck. She turns back to look at Dean over her shoulder in dismay. She knows she’s caught.

“All right, sweetheart. That’s enough,” Dean says.

He sidles up next to her and intends to grab the mustang’s reins.

That’s when her swift kick comes, dead in his forehead.

AN: And here we go! 😅 Feels right that November is Native American Indian Heritage Month. 🫶🏽 For that reason especially I've done my best to do the Lakota people justice, even in this little series and complete work of fiction.

There's a lot packed in this first chapter, and yep, I did borrow a bit of scene from one of the best scenes in Spirit as an homage. From here on out, we're literally going off road...

Next Time:

Dean falls out of his saddle with a yell, landing hard in the grass. The impact knocks the air out of his chest and his hat off his head, not to mention the pain that rattles down his back.

“Son of a bitch,” he wheezes, while trying to get back up.

The woman jumps down from the mustang’s back and all but leaps on Dean. Straddling his waist and grabbing a fistful of his collar, she lets out a battle cry and raises a small knife at him. It’s probably no more than two inches long.

Dean may be on the ground with a smarting forehead, but he’s still got the upper hand. He grabs her knife-wielding arm and whips out his pistol from his belt. Her eyes widen, and she stills above him. The gun lies between them, aimed for her chest. They’re both breathing hard.

Dean has a problem.

Looking into her eyes, soulful and brown, the slope of her nose and her full lips, parted with shock… 

COMING 11/10! (New chapters every Sunday.)

Or read Part 2 on Patreon now!

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[livelaughloveluffy]

Hi HELP uhm this is my first time um asking but like idk if you do requests but uhm I was wondering if you could do luffy comforting reader on their period,, perchance... if not that totally finee ❤️🤑 I hope you have a great day or night I also enjoy your writings alot they r so sweet and they make me happy ,, okay bye 🥷

comfort - monkey d. luffy

a/n: firstly!! thank you so much for your request!! im so happy you enjoy my writing!! 💗 this was definitely well timed since i was planning something similar to your request!! i hope you like this!!! you have a great day/night as well!!! 💗💗💗

nothing but fluff here! 💗

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when he comforts you:

-luffy is the sweetest boy and the second he picks up on you feeling slightly off, he's all over you. clinging to your body, asking you hundreds of doting questions. the phrase "are you sure?" is something you are destined to hear millions of times because luffy does tend to miss some social cues and he really want to make sure he understands how you're feeling because you mean the world to him 😭

-this baby will do anything and everything to make you smile. silly faces galore, bad puns and jokes, you name it, he's done it. it breaks his heart to see you without a smile, or to not hear the sound of your laughter.

-his simplistic and naive nature unironically makes luffy give the best advice 💀 he doesnt even do it on purpose, he just has a way to instantly comfort and ease you. "everything will work out!!! im here for you!" he'll tell you with the sweetest smile and his signature laugh

-he's a clinger, he'll hold onto you super tight, wrapping his legs around your waist with his arms dangling around your neck giving you constant cuddles. his soft raven hair tickling your cheek as his chin rests on your shoulder, his warm soft skin radiating through your clothes. he doesn't want to leave you alone and physical reassurance is so extremely natural to him.

-luffy is for sure a praiser. you've heard hundreds of thousands of reminders of how amazing, kind, smart, funny, cool, thoughtful, etc. you are. he showers you with words of affirmation as often as possible

-when you're sick, injured, or on your period: he's such a worrier 😭😭😭 he absolutely refuse to leave your side at all, no matter how much you protest and say you're fine. luffy will 100% crawl into your bed, pulling you into his arms, wrapping them two times too many around your waist, holding you close to him. he's always down to get you plenty of snacks, as long as you promise to share, however this often ends up with sanji barging into your room chasing after luffy, with his arms holding half the contents of kitchen pantry. you are his favorite snack buddy after all 😌

when he needs comforting:

-physical touch is a huge comfort to luffy, he will constantly need your hands all over him, your body pressed against him, kisses peppered across his skin, any and all physical contact instantly relieves him.

-he definitely appreciates it when you steal extra food and snacks for him, or sweet-talking sanji into making special desserts that you then pass to luffy.

- luffy does thrive off of hearing praise, so its a great relief to him when he hears you tell him how he's doing a good job, he's a great captain, and other similar sentiments.

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a/n: luffy's my sweet boy and i love him so near and dear to my heart 😭😭😭 i'm thinking about starting a taglist, so if anyone is interested in that just let me know!!

a/n: enjoyed this fic? here's my masterlist!!

[livesworthlivingau]

Behind the Vale Chapter 34

You know the drill, Spoilers for all of ISAT, etc. CW: Confused Pining? Sparring Scene/Consensual Violence. I SHOULD NOTE THAT THE PINING AND CONSENSUAL VIOLENCE ARE NOT RELATED!!!

"So, how was your little chat with Eclipse last night~?"

"It went well actually," [Blind it!] "how was sharing a tent with Nille for the first time~?" [STARS BLINDING CRAB!!! You immediately feel your face begin to burn.]

"You could at least humor me when I try to tease you, you know!"

"Hah! Not so fun on the other end, is it~?" [You cross your arms and pout. It wasn't fair how difficult they were to fluster now.]

"... Wait... what do you mean it went 'well'?"

"Well... I talked about what I was going to talk about back then... a-and uhh... they weren't... against it." [His face begins to darken instead. Hah! It's working!... Wait what is he talking about?]

"Against, what exactly?"

"Uhm... M-Maybe we shouldn't really talk about this! Th-That was a whole loop ago, it never really happened technically, j-just forget about it!"

"Hah~! I haven't seen you this flustered in a long time~. If I didn't know any better I'd think you were falling for me, Stardust~." [His face burns darker as he falls silent.] "... This is the part where you refute that, Stardust."

"... W-Well... the thing is... uhhh..." [Your own face grows just as dark.]

"... Truce to never speak of this again?"

"Y-Yup! Truce!" [You both stop acknowledging each other as you break off. Stardust heads off towards Eclipse and the Housemaiden, while you head towards Nille, Flare, and, ugh, the Researcher... Fantastic. Nille perks up at your approach.]

"Hey Vay, what were you and Sif talking about?"

"Absolutely nothing~! Next question~!"

"That bad, huh? Alright, I won't pry. Though speaking of, Dile here was hoping to get some info out of you." [Of course she is...]

"Yes, Petronille has informed me that you're a paper type now. I've never heard of someone changing their craft type before, but there's a lot of topics that would apply to in the last few months. I was hoping you might like to spar sometime." [Wonderful, here comes the interro-wait what did she just say?]

"You... want to spar with me?"

"Yes. In Ka Bue, it is believed that there's no better way to understand someone than by the way they Craft. I may not believe in all the sentimentality behind it, but watching someone Craft can make for quite an impression. Perhaps it could even answer some questions you have about yourself."

"... I don't think that would be for the best. I'd rather not hurt any of you."

"I don't doubt your time in the loops has given you an advantage when it comes to experience, but I'm sure I could hold my own long enough to get what I'd need. Besides, Mirabelle can help ensure nothing goes too far." [Your expression does very little to hide your hesitance about the idea.] "So you don't want to prove how different you are from Siffrin now?"

"What?"

"I've seen how Siffrin Crafts for months now, I'd be able to spot it in a moment. So why don't you show me just how different you are now?" [You know exactly what she's trying to do... yet her goading still succeeds in spite of that.]

"Fine, then spar we shall~."

"DILE'S GONNA KICK VALE'S CRABBING BUTT!" [Flare shouts as Nille chuckles with a shake of her head.]

"Can't say I'm not excited to see how this plays out."

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[You stand at one end of a clearing, the Researcher at the opposite end. Everyone else eagerly gathered into a little group nearby to watch. You perk up as Nille calls out.]

"Go easy on them, Dile! They've only been in a fight or two since the Change!" [Excuse us?!]

"Thanks for the vote of confidence?!"

"Hah! Well it's true!"

"Vale seemed rather worried about hurting me earlier, so I don't intend to hold back. Besides, if they do then this whole research project would be null and void. I need to see you at your best, so don't pull any punches!" [The Researcher calls out in a demanding tone, one similar to a teacher encouraging a student. You're unsure why, but it starts to light a fire within you.]

"Alright." [You draw your whip and hold out a paper sign with your other hand.] "Ready when you are, Researcher!"

"Would you mind counting us down, Boniface?" [Flare jumps to their feet eagerly. A very excited grin across their face.]

"One!" [Wait...]

"Two!" [We just remembered...]

"Three!" [WE DON'T HAVE ANY CRAFT SKILLS OF OUR OWN!]

[You begin to panic as the Researcher starts to rush towards you. You see her hands move in a familiar way, and without thinking to go to copy it. You need every advantage you can get as you both SLOW IV each other with the exact same method. She raises a brow as she realized what happened.]

"Huh. No, no that would make sense. You must have seen me use that craft countless times, of course you'd learn how to emulate it. This still isn't exactly helping this experiment though, show me your craft, Vale!"

"I... don't really have any yet..."

"Then you best come up with something fast!" [She threatens and makes a scissors sign, slicing a streak of SCISSORS III towards you. You barely manage to dive out of the way thanks to that heavy feeling slowing you down, leaving you wide open for the next attack.]

[She swings her open palm down towards you just as a PAPER III blast slams down onto your back.] "GAH!" [It stings, but no where near as much as that earlier strike would have. You shake off the craft weighing you down and quickly get back to your feet. You notice she still has the SLOW on her, you have an opening!]

[You crack your whip a few times, sending waves of Paper Craft towards her. She only manages to block one, taking the full brunt of the other two. She slides back across the dirt and falls to a knee. Despite this, a grin crosses her face as she looks back up at you.]

"Now we're getting somewhere, keep it up Vale. Show me what you're capable of." [She commands yet again, getting back up and flashing another scissors sign. The Craft comes flying at you quickly, slamming into your stomach and causing you to fly back, slamming into a tree.]

"Ugh... Oh you'll pay for that one Researcher!" [You're injured now, but it only strengthens the fire within you. You focus your intent into the tip of your whip before lashing it out, sending an intense wave of pure Creative Craft towards her. Even as she blocks it, it manages to deal a good amount of damage. You don't let up, you snap your whip again and again, sending smaller blasts but trying to overwhelm her. She evades the first few only to stop in her tracks and SLOW IV you yet again, taking a couple hits to do so.]

"You're getting desperate, good! You're showing your true self now!" [You grumble as you feel that same weight again, like your whole body was moving through sludge. You can't take another big hit, you look around to find some sort of advantage... You crack your whip once more, and as she goes to defend, it swings upwards and blasts the tree behind her, sending an explosion of leaves to surround and distract her. You move as quick as you can in this addled state to hide behind a tree until it wears off.]

"Clever. You fight like a cornered animal, yet you still manage to find and use any advantage you can." [Why do we feel like a book being read right now?...] "I haven't had a good fight since Dormont, I appreciate you indulging me with this." [You take a few breaths to help shake the craft off of you.]

"My pleasure, I just can't wait to wipe that grin off of your face~!" [You call out, whip ready as you focus your craft into it again. Just as expected you feel a heavy blast of Craft slam against the tree you hid behind. You tuck and roll back out into the open and prepare to strike!... Wait, where did she go?]

WHACK [You're suddenly smacked upside the head with another PAPER III, knocking you over as you grip your head.] "OW! CHEAP SHOT!"

"You think you're the only one who can use tactics?" [She smirks, stepping out from behind a very different tree than you expected. She holds her free hand in a paper sign.] "Now time to finish this."

[You prepare to defend, you're weak but you could take another hit of PAPER III if you're ready for it... until you notice her hand moving different than usual. You glance over at her hand holding her book, which was hiding the Scissors sign she was actually using to power the craft! By the time you realize her trick, the piercing energy was already heading directly towards you.]

[You panic, without thinking you act, a wave of Craft flowing out of you and into your whip. LION TAMER! You lash out your whip, coiling around the attack itself. You guide it off course, and hold on tightly as it spins around your form, releasing it as it flies directly back at the Researcher. She was too surprised by what you did to even try blocking it, landing a direct hit with her own attack and leaving her K.O.ed across the grass... You blink a few times as you still aren't even sure what you just did.]

"M'dame!" [The Housemaiden quickly hops up and rushes over to her side, starting to pump healing craft into the downed Researcher. Flare is close behind with the pack of tonics in case it's needed. You look down at your hands and whip, still just lost in the shock and adrenaline of what you'd just done. You stumble as a heavy pat hits your back.]

"Holy crab! Where have you been hiding that one, Vay?!"

"I... I have no idea... Is... Is she okay?" [You look back over to her, Flare and the Housemaiden are helping her up to a sitting position. She looks spent but otherwise awake and aware. You hesitate before walking over.] "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize I could even do that, are you-" [You're interrupted as she raises a hand to stop you.]

"That was exactly what I asked for, thank you for assisting me with this experiment. I think we've both learned a lot from it, Vale." [She has a satisfied smile painted across her face.]

"Yes, that was... certainly an experience, thank you for helping me find myself like this, Comet." [She raises a brow at the end of your statement.] "A nickname, if you don't mind me using it..." [She shares a look with you, understanding the importance you give to these silly nicknames. She smiles and nods.]

"Of course, now go enjoy your victory, I need to rest and gather my thoughts properly." [She says with a huff, trying to play off the feelings much like you do.]

"Of course, rest well~." [You head back to Nille as you hear Flare begin shouting behind you.]

"Diiiile! I can't believe you let Vale beat you! What the crab!"

Huge thank you to @itstheval for inspiring the fight scene and coming up with Craft Skills for Vale!! His fan chapters are wonderful and the skills he came up with are so goooood!