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sillygoofyqueer · 7 months ago

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The Untamed review: episode nine!!!!!!!!!

Is it only me that notices that these reviews are getting longer each day?

Right, the Dire Owl and the high stakes, I forgot about those things

(it keeps fucking freezing)

Huaisang didn't even try to run?? Frozen in fear

Cool barrier, honestly

Dude, they're basically dead, in the nicest way possible

Wangji literally said to run, why question him?

HA, THE SILENCING SPELL

They're going to hold hands and Wangji has never seemed more jealous

Banging flute playing fr

WEN QING!!!!

Nicest way possible, but I don't think she's actually playing it....still looking gorgeous though

Ah, the puppets are responding to her

I love how one of them just has a really big branch, best weapon ever

I'd love to be one of those actors

Qing is so resourceful, I truly love her more than I can describe

SHIT THE DIRE OWL SAW HER

Who the fuck's this telling them not to move?

It's so gonna be Jiang Cheng, you can tell that Wuxian recognises that voice

HAHAHAA IT IS

Threatening him with Wangji, cackling

The way they immediately fall into playful teasing

Wuxian hiding behind Huaisang like he'd protect him???

CHENG ALMOST LET SLIP THAT HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT WUXIAN!!

They're both so happy that Wangji lifted the spell, but why does Wangji look sad? :(

Wuxian always defending Wangji, who could dare insult him

He's so worried about Qing, what a fucking badass

Her reaction is quite literally just "fuck"

Huaisang asking important questions for once

EVERYONE asking important questions actually

Welp, here comes the horde of puppets again

This is all just a big "let's slow them down so we can run" and they just don't fucking run

Why can't you go, Qing?? I'm extremely worried about her

CAN THEY BE SAVED??

Wei Wuxian suddenly becoming intense is glorious to me

THE DIRE OWL CONTAINS A SHARD OF THE YIN IRON! STRIKE IT DOWN, STRIKE IT DOWN

Haha, Wangji making Wuxian do something so he isn't distracted by Qing.

HAHAHA TRAPPING THEM. QING DOESN'T EVEN REALLY LOOK FAZED BY IT EITHER

"you're good at protection" and you're good at buttering people up

I'm sorry but I keep rewinding to watch Wangji briskly walk past in the background, it's just so fucking funny to me. It's a passive aggressive way of telling Wuxian to get a fucking move on

The way Wuxian starts rushing as well HAHAHA

"I've wanted to kill that fucking bird for ages" Wuxian you're so real

The look that Cheng and Qing share while Huaisang is awkwardly standing in the background

I'm fucking sick of fog, someone get a vacuum cleaner or something

I looove how they get closer together while moving, that's so cute

They bumped into each other, how fruity, they should hold hands or something. Platonically, of course. Unless...😏

NO WAY DID WUXIAN AND WANGJI LOSE EACH OTHER AGAIN!?!

HAHAHA, "I'm right here, dumbass"

The fuck is a glitter talisman? AND WHY AIN'T IT WORKING

Shit, they're hallucinating now. They should kiss.

"huh, why haven't you been disturbed by the hallucinations?" "I ain't got fuck all going on up here" maybe Wangji is secretly a himbo

"making use of my wisdom" and then a little giggle, I can't with this guy

I love how Wuxian gets concerned when Wangji starts looking concerned

CHAINS??? NAH, KINKY ASS SHIT

Awww, Wangji helping Wuxian out when the hallucinations start getting to him

THEY'RE SO IN SYNC

I'm in love with them all

BROS ARE LITERALLY BEING SURROUNDED

Once again, I'd love to be a fucking actor playing a puppet, seems fun

Huaisang is helpless, what do you want from him??

THAT ONE'S EYES WERE NORMAL

NOOOO, MADAM WEN!!!!

Qing looks so sad

I'd start fucking climbing

Back to the homosexuals

HOW ARE THEY SO IN SYNC!!!

"quiet" just cast the silencing spell, pussy (/aff)

Can't see shit in this fucking fog

There is something so amusing about watching Wuxian getting fucking snatched and dragged around, and I can't explain what it is

BRO GOT SMACKED INTO A TREE AND IS ACTIVELY BEING CHOKED, HIS FUCKING SWORD

Wangji going to save the day

HE'S PLAYING DEAD, I'M IN LOVE WITH HIS GENIUS

HE CAUGHT IT!!!!

The little "eh" of resignation as the bird hit the floor

The have their spiritual cognition back!!! Yay!

Fucking Wen Chao. Literally just die at this point.

I love your headpiece though

I would have taken the Dire Owl with me as a souvenir, but that's just me

(KEEPS FUCKING FREEZING, GOING TO COMMIT HARM TO A BIN)

Where have the others gone?!?

They're all a bit out of it, honestly man

Never mind, they're all there, with a few of the Wens as well

Madam Wen 😔😔

Don't say that!!!

AWWW, A LITTLE KID

Don't ask questions, Huaisang, it's rude

STOP BOOSTING HIS EGO

You have blood on your lip, Wuxian, have some respect

Oh, oh that's upsetting.

SHE WATCHED HER DAD DIE?!??

AND WEN NING GOT HIS SOUL SNATCHED???

This is extremely upsetting

DON'T BLAME QING, YOU OVERGROWN, SPOILT, USELESS LITTLE BRAT

Literally, Wen 4.0 has a big point, it's your fault, Wen Chao

GET HIS ASS, WEN DOESN'T-LOVE-HIS-SON

You need to touch wood, Huaisang

Ain't nobody safe with Wuxian around, honestly. He's like a magnet

HE DOESN'T WANT TO ADMIT HIS CARE

How does Huaisang know so fucking much about birds, I love him

The three look like they're plotting something, and it's so funny. The way Cheng's face shifts slightly at the sound of it

BROS IMMEDIATELY DISTRACTED BY FOOD

All of them on the hunt, even Cheng haha

Wuxian's look of judgement at Cheng's stomach before they rush off

QING AND WANGJI LOOK LIKE DISAPPOINTED PARENTS

Wangji immediately starts interrogation

These guys are such goofballs, you can. From the music alone

Wuxian just disappearing

Literally stepping in sync, they're so excited

Did Wangji just immediately distract Cheng and Huaisang so they could ask Qing questions

These boys aren't doing a very good job of procuring the fucking shards lmao

Because she cares 😔

There's no way that's the fucking motto

SHE WAS GOING FOR THE SHARD

Wuxian, you were so serious...YOU CAN'T JUST BURST INTO LAUGHTER LIKE THAT

Wangji's such a sweetheart

Wuxian utterly showing off his intelligence and bagging the autistic guy in the background in the process

No need to ask bbg, you know you're right

WEN WHATEVER HIS NAME

I'd bite into that

They're such a good team

QING NOOOOO I'm in love with her

The nod they share

Cheng cares about her so much 🥺🥺

I swear that bruise on his neck keeps getting redde every time we see it

Uh oh, Yueyang

He doesn't want him to leave, so he grabs him by one of those thingies 🥺

Literally ditching alcohol to catch up to you, Wangji, he might as well be confessing his love to you

"you can't work well without me" so so real

This happens much later on in the danmei, my lord...and in the future/present

Bullshit, you do just want to drink, you just have logic for it

MENG YAO

Do I need to remind y'all that Wangji doesn't like being touched? And that, on many occasions now, he has allowed Wuxian to drag him around/touch him? He might as well be confessing his love as well

I like how Wuxian just points teasingly at Cheng because they both know he will ask when he runs out of money

That waiter sure is fast, my lord

Wangji wanting him to get straight to the point

Listen, he wants gossip, duh

No shit, Huaisang

Oh, this is definitely Xue Yang's doing, do you think they'll bump into him???

That'd be cool

Well, that's horrifying

Wangji practically telling Wuxian to ask more with his eyes

I like how the guy runs off a little

LAN WANGJI IS GOING TO FUCKING PASS OUT

Wuxian comforting him right away

HE'S SEEING WHAT'S GOING ON

Pussy, but also so fair

THE FUCKING ALCOHOL?!???

There is fucking knocking at the door

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

This is fucking awful, oh my god

I'm literally in shock, there's so much going on

TIME TO REVISE

#four being a dumbass #Four's live review #mo dao zu shi #cql #the untamed #the untamed spoilers #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wen qing #wen ning #wen chao #wen ruohan #jiang cheng #nie huaisang #xue yang mentioned #juniorsss 😭

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sugoi-and-spice · 2 years ago

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Chapter Eighteen - The Friendzone

Rating: Explicit - Minors DNI

Summary: Tomura Shigaraki was her dad's boss's son. He was the creep that stole girls' underwear and tried to grope her in his room. But it's not like he could get her Dad fired just because she wouldn't sleep with him, right? ...right?

CW: Quirkless!AU, Explicit Smut, Dub-Con, Coercion, Blackmail, Cheating, Sexual Guilt, Humiliation, Unhealthy Relationships, Virginity Kink, Groping, Power Play, Hate to Love, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Animal Death, Slow Burn, Misogyny

Read Full Chapter on Ao3

Like my work? Please consider contributing to my Ko-Fi!

[excerpt]

She really didn’t know what to expect the first time she went back to Shigaraki’s place for a study session after their… discussion . They were trying to find a new normal — one that didn’t involve yelling and backsliding and sex, and two out of the two previous attempts at this had been completely unsuccessful.

Needless to say she had some serious doubts that any of this was going to work. She wasn’t sure that it was possible to ever just be friends with Tomura Shigaraki. And she was really scared of what that meant. Best case scenario, it meant that they probably would never see each other again.

And that thought pained her way more than she’d ever admit.

So she was pretty surprised when she entered his apartment that day and found not the usual empty living room, but Shigaraki himself, spreading out his textbooks on the dining table. And Kurogiri too, assembling a delightful little tray of snacks and braising a rack of lamb in the attached, open-concept kitchen with no signs of leaving the room.

“What’s going on here?”

Shigaraki answered simply, “Tutoring.”

“Down here?”

“I’ve got my own work to do today, so I thought a set-up like this made more sense,” he answered.

Wait… had Shigaraki actually set up their session in the living room, a public place, where they couldn’t get out of control?

“Did you have somewhere else in mind?” he asked.

Without even thinking, she answered, “I, uh, I guess I’m just surprised that you don’t want to do it in your room.”

Shigaraki smirked, “Do you want to go to my room?”

“N-No, this is fine!” she squeaked, eagerly taking her seat, “This is great, actually.”

He chuckled and tossed a stack of practice tests to her side of the table.

“Here are the study guides you missed. Review ‘em and then you should do a couple practice tests since you’re behind.”

She looked up at him with a scowl, fully ready to rebuke and rebuttal whatever snarky comment or patronizing smirk he’d throw her way for why she was behind. But there was no judgment or passive aggression waiting for her. He’d just stated it simply and opened his own laptop to work. It didn’t matter how long she waited either, no dig came. If he was holding onto any bitterness right now, it didn’t show.

Feeling her stare, Shigaraki glanced up, “What?”

“N-Nothing!” she dropped her head to dive into her work, praying to God that he didn’t see the red dusting her cheeks, “Just zoned out so… Yeah, nothing.”

His mouth twitched up. He absolutely did notice. But he chose not to say anything about it, instead pushing his laptop across the table towards her.

“Hey, what do you think of this paragraph?”

She looked back up at him, beyond surprised, “You want my help?”

“I want your opinion ,” he corrected pointedly.

She turned the laptop towards her, still a bit baffled, but looking over the document on screen regardless.

“I had the first two sentences switched originally,” he explained, “But I’m wondering if it actually makes a difference.”

She read through the section a few times before scrolling back to the intro paragraph.

“It’s for a history class?” she asked as she read over his thesis, “Not creative writing or anything?”

“Right.”

“I’d go with the way you had it,” she answered, turning the laptop back to him, “It connects more directly to your thesis statement.”

“Hm,” he made the switch and then reread his work, wondering aloud, “Do you think I should just cut the second sentence entirely?”

“No, no, it’s not fluff or anything. But when you open with that sentence, it definitely reads as more of a decorative lead-in rather than supportive evidence.”

Shigaraki nodded thoughtfully as Kurogiri approached with their snack tray.

“Can I get you any coffee or tea?” he asked her as he set it down on the table in front of her.

“Coffee sounds great. Thanks!” she said, her mouth watering at the assortment of stupidly expensive-looking snacks on display.

Kurogiri nodded politely and turned to his ward, “Tomura Shigaraki?”

He didn’t look up from his screen when he answered, “We got any barley tea?”

She paused, the leaning charcuterie tower of baked brie, duck salami, roasted fig, and truffle crackers she’d assembled stopping just short of her lips.

“Yes, I just picked some up yesterday,” Kurogiri answered, pointedly holding back the “by your request” that sat on the tip of his tongue.

“I’ll take that hot.”

“Right away.”

She couldn’t fight the smile that it all brought to her face. It made her charcuterie masterpiece taste all the better.

Continue on AO3

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tolnas-vault · 7 months ago

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WIP to Watch Out For: Good Measures

Reviewed: May 2 2024

Fic Data

Rating: M

Status: Incomplete

Publish Date: 2024-03-18

Last Update: 2024-04-04

Chapters: 3

Word Count: 11,187

Main Ship(s): Barcus Wroot/Zanner Toobin

Side Ship(s): Barcus Wroot/Wulbren Bongle

Other Side Character(s): Wyll, Obelia Toobin

Summary:

At the end of it all, outside the Steel Watch foundry, when they stood before each other for the final time, the hardest part for Barcus was not the physical cleaving of himself from Wulbren, as he was already so used to being pushed away. It was not that Wulbren would not see reason, or even that when passion finally flared in his eyes as he looked at Barcus, it was clear, virulent hatred.

No, the hardest part of all was turning away, only to be left with the simple fact of his loneliness. Without Wulbren, who was Barcus, after all? What life was left for him to live?

He did not know.

***

Nearly a year out from the fall of the Absolute, Barcus Wroot finds he has the strength in him for one more go at love, after all.

Tags and rating to change.

Ao3 Stats (As of May 2 2024)

Barcus Wroot/Zanner Toobin works on Ao3: 1

Barcus Wroot works on Ao3: 37

Zanner Toobin works on Ao3: 7

Review (Mild Spoilers Only)

Warnings: Wulbren Bongle style Abuse, anxiety inducing procrastination.

Favorite Quote:

"Barcus gave Wyll a look of sheer exhaustion. “…They sincerely want to meet at half eight in the morning? I hope they plan to come bearing breakfast.”

He was only halfway serious, of course, but serious nonetheless. Even surface-dwelling deep gnomes — more used to the sun though they were — remained naturally averse to pre-noon activities, especially when deprived of much needed breakfast and tea."

Main POV: Barcus

Thoughts:

Barcus Wroot really shows off his Steampunk Bilbo Baggins side in this fic. To the pleasure of everyone but himself. His social anxiety in this fic is very real, and very relatable. There's a lot of secondhand stress to be had watching him get caught in the endless loop of anxiety and avoidance. He wants to do right by the Ironhands but he's struggling in his new leadership role.

Someone who's not struggling with their leadership role (or at least not obviously) Duke Wyll Ravengard! Who responds to Barcus' avoidance with delightfully cheery passive aggressiveness. I cannot emphasize how iconic he is in this fic. The patience with which he calls out Barcus' bad behavior while acting absolutely charming and accommodating the whole time. It was such a delight to read. And had me grinning from ear to ear even as Barcus shriveled in embarrassment. This is the Wyll and Barcus friendship I've been wanting.

As for this fic's primary ship. Zanner is so sweet in this fic. He's clearly very into Barcus from the get go. And poor Barcus is very overwhelmed by this fact. It's such a brilliant way to build up romantic and personal tension. It feels so bad when Barcus' anxiety and history with Wulbren gets in the way, but it also feels very understandable. Zanner is giving Barcus everything he ever wanted from Wulbren and after so many years of rejection, getting what he wants is absolutely terrifying for Barcus.

This fic so far was an absolute page turner, I couldn't put it down. The political and social tension in Barcus' life makes me want to keep reading. I cannot wait for the next chapter.

Who I'd recommend this fic to: Barcus Wroot fans, if you wanted more follow up on the Gondian-Ironhand relationship after Barcus took over, this is the fic for you.

How Unsatisfied Would I Be If This Never Updated Again?: I'll be honest here, this fic is on the hurt part of the hurt/comfort at the moment. The hurt is delicious, it's so true to the character and realistic. But it's currently left at the "awwww I'm disappointed in the character's actions, I want to see them do better" stage. It would be rough not knowing where this story goes, not gonna lie. But the set up so far is absolutely brilliant.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 barcus #barcus wroot #zanner toobin #bg3 zanner #rare pair #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #tolnas vault #bg3 fic recs #tolna reviews #fic rec #rare char #rare pairs fanfic #rare char fanfic

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maria-de-salinas · 2 years ago

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Hello! I'm SO overdue to give you a big ol' rave review on the Vulnera Sanentur series, but I've been working my way through it this winter and spring, and I absolutely love it!! I admire your writing skills so much, and I'd love to pick your brain about writing inspo/strategy/etc.

So for the Fanfic Writer questions: ✍️🚀👓🦋🦈💭🚦💛

I know that's a lot, so feel free to skip Q's if its too much! :)

Ahhh, thank you my dear mutual who never fails to make my dash a more fascinating place <3

(And if you're interested the Snape/Lily ballet!au is wonderful!)

Answers below the cut:

✍️ What’s your ideal writing setup?

I'm not at all particular about where I write as long as it's reasonably quiet and comfy, but I love to write outside in the summer and as soon as I get a new laptop battery I intend to one of those coffee shop writers sipping gravely on a latte while I think about whether my characters should get it on in a library or the kitchen

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

Definitely outline, but creating as I go within that outline. Some of the best moments of writing are when the characters come to life and insist on wrecking all your plans for them. Which means the outlines keep evolving.

👓 What helps you focus when you write?

Definitely music! I nearly always listen when I write. It also helps set the emotional tone (sometimes too much and then I have to go back and tone it down)

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?

Snape. Always Snape. Grey, ambiguous, complex, lonely, loyal, brave. Queer-coded, autistic-coded, masks in public, doesn't fit into anyone's box. And most importantly, someone who pickles slimy things in a laboratory and lines up the jars on his shelves.

Sometimes I wish I could get deep into some other fandom and character but he keeps calling me back.

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

Definitely Remus. Because at heart he is a genuinely kind and gentl person, but it's hard to disentangle from his passive-aggressive self-loathing and anxious avoidance. Which is so human and relateable but also really hard to pin down.

💭 What inspires you and your writing?

As someone who loves people and is fascinated by people but is socially quite anxious, writing is a lifeline. I *have* to write. It's all about the vulnerability and intimacy. I'm an absolute fiend for these scared, lonely, closed-up characters learning to let their guard down and be vulnerable with someone, whether a friend or a lover or something in between. And letting themselves love in the midst of their grief, knowing that they could lose again, knowing that grief is, as told by WandaVision, love persevering.

(And on the smuttier side of things, I've come to realize that I have something of a thing for extremely repressed characters having an awakening. Which is why you tend to see a lot of Virgin!Snape tags in my fics. I also love exploring all the awkwardness that comes with being physical and how that ties in to being vulnerable.)

🚦What sort of endings do you prefer to write: ambiguous, bad, happily ever after, etc.?

Happily ever after but with a touch of something to make them feel real, maybe? Everything is okay but the characters have scars or regrets or losses, or they love each other but still have conflict.

Bittersweet endings are so powerful and memorable and beautiful and I love them and hate them and they make me want to chew my arm off. I've only written one, a conclusion to one of the storylines in Vulnera Sanentur and The Bollan Cross. I think about it all the time.

💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?

Write what you love. Always. Because there's at least one person out there who will love it too, and it's a story you'll always be able to keep and take with you. And if you're not enjoying it, you don't have to do it! Take a break, switch to a new project, write that self-indulgent thing you've always wanted to.

The asks can be found here, so feel free to reblog or let me know in the comments if you want to be asked something! I love hearing about people's creative process.

#ask games #writing #thank you this was so fun to do!

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edwarddominicemilio · 8 months ago

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"HESITATION IS DEFEAT": PERSEVERANCE, DISCIPLINE, AND THE ONE-ARMED WOLF

After almost three years since my initial playthrough of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, I finally beat Sword Saint Isshin. It took me that long because I had been uninstalling and re-installing the game many times, often out of frustration.

I first played Sekiro on the second half of 2021. Back then, I was still in law school so I just wanted to have fun with what I thought was a button-masher. Oh, how wrong I was.

I barely got past the first miniboss, General Naomori Kawarada. When I beat him, I jumped out of excitement and exhilaration.

However, I did not know how or why I beat him. I was mashing deflect like a madman, causing my character to flail his sword every which way. It was totally uncharacteristic of the graceful shinobi Wolf was supposed to be.

Unsurprisingly, my inability to learn why I succeeded (or failed) hindered me. I could not get past the Chained Ogre. I was angry. "This is not why I play video games," I told myself, "it's just stressing me out."

I quit playing Sekiro the first time.

I tried Sekiro again after I graduated from law school. This was around early 2023. I just took the Bar Exams and I had been waiting for the results. The discipline I developed throughout the Bar Review season taught me to persevere. I treated the game like a personal challenge.

I also learned how to strategize and to "play the game the way it is meant to be played". This meant abiding by that humorous description of Sekiro: "Sekiro is not an action game, it is a rhythm game with swords." How witty!

So, I practiced timing my deflects properly. I treated each fight like a dance. The opponents swings and I deflect. Then, I listen to that glorious CLANG! that everyone who plays this game knows and loves. Once I hear it, I swing my own sword. CLING! CLANG! CLING! CLANG! Deathblow!

Heavenly.

But there is a final roadblock just before the end. Sword Saint Isshin Ashina, back from the dead upon necromancy of his grandson Genichiro Ashina, killed me more times than I can count.

In fact, I became so disheartened. Was I not playing the game correctly? That can't be. In fact, I can see my improvement! Genichiro was impossible to beat in the beginning, he was a challenge in the middle, and a pushover by the end. I was improving, was I not? Why don't deflects work?!

I quit playing Sekiro for the second time.

After a year, I started playing Sekiro again on March 2024. It was a new save file. Unsurprisingly, everything before Sword Saint Isshin was a breeze. It was objective proof that I was improving.

But when I reached him, I was still at a loss. What was I doing wrong?

Then, I took to heart what he said every time he killed me, his ubiquitous boss dialogue: "Hesitation is defeat". This is not him mocking me, this is him genuinely trying to give me advice. "Remember Sekiro," he says, "hesitate and you lose."

So, I changed my ways. I stopped being a passive partner in this magnificent sword dance. I became aggressive, I chased him, I did not allow him any chance to breathe. He swings, I deflect. He prepares a big wind-up attack, I dodge. He thrusts, I Mikiri. But after each move, I swing back.

I made it a point to be the attacker and to stay as the attacker. Hell, when he hit me, I didn't heal. I just told myself, "Fuck it. He's not gonna hit me again. I can deflect the next ones. Retaining this offensive momentum is worth the risk."

Then, everything clicked.

See, the best thing about Sekiro is how much faith it has in the gamer's indomitable will. You had to beat the game straight up. No, you cannot summon other players or spirits to fight for you. No, you cannot find an exploitable grinding spot to level your character up. No, there is no easy cheese. You just had to "git gud".

And "git gud" I did.

A year ago, landing a hit against Phase 1 Isshin was a miracle. Some days ago, I got Phase 1 Isshin to almost broken posture. Yesterday, I killed Phase 1 Isshin the first time. This morning, I beat Phase 1 Isshin effortlessly. This afternoon, I reached Phase 3 for the first time after spending an entire day learning how to beat his dreaded Phase 2.

In a sense, the strategy to beat his Phase 3 is almost metaphorical. Jumping to meet the lightning and throwing it back at him is symbolic of how you should meet his aggression head-on.

When I beat him, I did not jump for joy in the same way I did when I beat General Naomori Kawarada. Instead, I just whispered, "Fuck. I did it," to myself.

I trusted the process and applied the learnings. Beating him was inevitable. I was not surprised when I did.

That's the way life works too, isn't it? One has to stand up straight and meet life head on. One has to take action.

Thank you, Kensei, for teaching me not to hesitate.

#gaming #sekiro

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innerslumber · 2 years ago

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Oh Navya, you must tell me more about this Marine Biologist Enemies to Lovers AU story you have going. ☺️💞

Hello Mel!!!! Thank you for the ask!!!

Okay, so I was going through a few different ideas but what I ultimately settled on was that Bucky and Steve are both marine biologists and rivals/nemesis in their fields. They don't actually know each other very well but they went to rival schools, other scientists are constantly comparing them and there mayyyy have been a few passive aggressive academic peer reviews.

But they end up on the same boat for an expedition because of grant/funding issues and also because their work can overlap and probably help both of their research. They are NOT enthused about this but the choice has been taken out of their hands.

And it's definitely a meet ugly because there has now been years of assumptions and petty shit talking and they are just being assholes to each other. Meanwhile the rest of the crew see the writing on the wall and a betting pool starts to see when they finally just fuck it out.

Unfortunately, both Bucky and Steve learn about the bet and refuse to give into the sexual tension because that's LOSING so fuck that!

But Bucky thinks he's going to go catatonic because Steve is allergic to clothes and constantly just walks around in tiny shorts or lounging with an open wetsuit.

And if it was just lust, Bucky could handle it but Steve turns out not to be the arrogant prick he thought was. He's a great team leader, knowledgeable and so fucking competent. That drives Bucky up the wall because he has a competency kink a mile wide.

As for Steve, he thought Bucky was going to just lock himself in the lab and be a demanding jerk who won't be a team player. Instead, Bucky is right there with everyone getting dirty and working his ass off even though he has less field experience than Steve. And Steve will swallow knives before he admits it but he loves how Bucky's face lights up when he talks about his work. Because it's so obvious how much Bucky cares about the ocean, its creatures, and wants to protect everything about it.

Something will eventually give of course but who's going to trip up first? 😏😏😏

#thank you for the ask my dear!#i do have an outline and some written but it definitely needs work #crossing my fingers #steve rogers #bucky barnes #fic idea #wip #stucky #marine biologists #enemies to lovers #stucky au #wip game #ask game

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the-firebird69 · 6 months ago

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The Pontiac G6 GTP is Better Than Expected | Review

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My son says his Kia had a 200 horsepower engine and it still pulled four people in pretty easily and it did we like this vehicle it's a good choice for him and he probably put some stuff on it to make it look better and they have all sorts of kits for these things so it is a choice that he could do and they're not much money and it's not too long ago and we do know what happens we think we know what car is planned and G6 is a term they like and he would have to purchase it and down here it's kind of hazardous everything goes through storms and yeah tomorrow's going to be kind of a little dicey and around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. it's going to start so we're going to have them close the windows a little I'll get it woken up on the other one and this is not going to be fun here it will start getting pretty wet at the mouth of the river and no it's a harbor it's going to start coming in instead of going out no it'll still go out but the water's going to be about a foot below the high canal mark and the tide will come in send me massive turbulence and it's going to rip some of that poop out but still about 2 and 1/2 ft almost 3 ft and some places and it's going to rip out inches and it will stink but it's going to flow right out it's a major incense getting it should be done by hand but Tommy F won't allow it and they all know it and they're in hell and they have have to try and get them out and they can't seem to move our son and he screwed around with the car insurance idea today and they're telling him he's all done and yeah so this is terrible this this guy is out of control we need people to know it and tell me if needs a lot more attention and he is just abusing the hell out of trump and they're into it and Trump is passing it down because he's kind of a passive aggressive sleaze ball and he can't trust him either and he knows it cuz he's now pronouncing it and announcing it. We have some other things to do they're pretty good sized and we are starting up several programs and are very huge and we do need our son's attention to come tomorrow and he says I hope she can instead of working on trying to get out of a flood so we understand that he doesn't have a way to move and it's already getting kind of dicey here with people too but he's got to do the job he says and today went very well especially the last hour and we are going to shine in the sky Trump is going to get beaten up for doing what the max smart with the max want we have several other things happening tonight around here there are neighbors who are yelling and screaming at each other and feeling for stuff and things and we are going to stop them and we want them out of here and this is huge action going on and they don't need to be here there's going to be a large number of people running today to the border into escape Florida the pseudo empire is invading and they have had enough a couple more points our boy is very patient but he's tired right now and he's a little bit loopy but she's used to it no she can hear it is actually thinking that he's fine he's just under a lot of pressure and he's not worried about it he used to making funny noises because he's still kind of a child and just tell me the stuff that's true too they came and looked at the water and he went back to stem and he said

You can't even see the driveway for the most part they're always getting flooded and it smells like s*** everywhere and Stan said keep your voice down said why he knows about it and then he said he's this guy we're fighting on trying to get it done and he heard a son was going yeah it's absolutely true he's constantly fighting the obvious so the idiot is back and we don't want him here and he is starting to threaten already and we are sending people to take care of his and erase them constantly. You do have a couple more points

-these people are nuts but this guy is a loser I'm sending people now

-we have a lot of companies that were taking in and we need factory workers by the trillions and today and tomorrow any experience.

-we have a lot of construction work and we need construction workers of any level and any occupation same for the factors we need office workers too and tons of them

-there's a lot going on tonight and we surmised a lot of it there's a couple more things that got added and it is a stressful situation the will eventually alleviate stress they are having a Battle above and they come here in case they need to kidnap him they say supposedly save him and we are able to direct him and his need evil people and we're going through his stuff all over and announcing his sins against his an effort to break him off this turned into a monumental task and I need people to know it please send it around and get assistance here ASAP.

,-we have a war brewing with these warlock we should not be giving them help and we do need a lot of trucks back but we want them out of our hair son of a double-edged sword

-we need to clear out tons of these guys it's coming up soon this month they will go up there the 25th and not too long after they are met up with Trump's people who are supposedly rushing or trying to take over all the observation points and they're trying to do stuff to them and it's just not working and you can see it throughout the movie and they are suppressing information then they're not and they're very lackadaisical and very arrogant and we need to cut them down so they stop doing this but this is going to happen very soon within two or three weeks because the 25th is coming up and it's pretty much the 14th almost and that's only 10 days and then the other rocket to whatever you call it transport vehicle looks like a satellite goes up there a day or two after and yeah we think that they write a satellite in it's really weird and they do it because they probably use something other than a rocket yeah and this kicks off a whole bunch of movies this is a gigantic event and bja starts moving people up there and going after this guy for real and he is slaughtered sounds like 2% by this Monday off Island and you can't pull people off it's horrible for him

Thor Freya

Olympus

We're going to move on something now

Hera

#Youtube

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denimbex1986 · 10 months ago

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'For reasons beyond my understanding, everyone is raving about “All of Us Strangers.” Four stars on Letterboxd, glowing reviews about how touching it is, fans of Andrew Scott (“Fleabag”) and Paul Mescal (“Normal People”) touting their excitement from the trailer alone. I’ll admit, the trailer fooled me too — until I had the misfortune of spending my Saturday night being subjected to its nonsense. No amount of mental gymnastics nor benefit of the doubt could make this movie an ounce better than the utter disappointment it is.

Describing the plot of this film is a particularly tough task because, well, there isn’t one. You’re thinking, “Okay, maybe it’s just a character-driven story” to which I say: It would be if the film cared at all about developing its characters beyond the one-note melancholic archetypal caricatures we’ve seen a thousand times before. Scott plays the leading man Adam, a lonely 40-something screenwriter, still trying to work through his orphanhood at age 12. On a whim (the film doesn’t deign to explain his motivation), Adam decides to visit his old hometown only to encounter the ghosts of his parents occupying their old house.

Immediately upon seeing his father, I had a million questions; Adam did not. Is this an apparition? Did Adam do something to induce the visit? Why are they only showing up now after being dead for so long? Could this just be a hallucination? The film refused to answer, and Adam refused to ask. Instead, the film has Adam take the exchange in stride, passive-aggressively telling the audience to follow suit in doing so. OK. Take the hint; don’t question it. Just let the story take you. This mindset works — for a while. It’s a flimsy, short-term solution to a serious barrier to empathy for the characters and their world. We don’t know anything about these people aside from their shared tragedy and a small part of their external circumstance. When viewers want to know more — to familiarize themselves with the people they are meant to spend the runtime investing in — the film shuts them out completely. These characters are not simply strangers to each other; they are strangers to the audience.

To its credit, the film manages to pull on some heartstrings through its portrayal of the tragic family reuniting once more in this liminal space. The family knows their circumstances are wrong — that the parents are dead and the young boy is now a grown man — and they dance around this terrible truth with tearful catch-ups. This aspect is most apparent when Adam comes out to his mother (Claire Foy, “The Crown”). While he has spent years progressing to the present day, where gay marriage is legal in the U.K. and HIV treatments have been invented, his mother is stuck in the ’80s. Upon hearing the words “I’m gay” from her son’s mouth, she clams up. The next time Adam comes to visit the house, he finds only his father (Jamie Bell, “Billy Elliot”). Still, I couldn’t help but wonder: Where the hell is the mom? Wouldn’t this house be occupied by another family by now? Where are they? I didn’t hold my breath for answers as the father and son had a heart-to-heart. They cry and hug and have an emotional conversation about the father’s remorse for not comforting Adam as a child. It’s a sweet moment treated with the utmost reverence, which is why it’s such a shame that it operates as an outlier among hollow scenes panhandling for stylistic praise.

The film’s attempt to aestheticize itself at the cost of an actual story became infuriating by the fifth excessively long shot of Adam staring melancholically out the train window. It wastes so much time trying to cultivate an air of faux-indie drama that it misses the chance to build the relationships of its characters, all of whom speak with the same toned-down somberness. In particular, Mescal’s character, Harry, doesn’t get the chance to be more than a grim plot device whom we are told has an innate connection with Adam but we never actually see forming aside from some sex scenes that do little to advance their emotional link. The two care for each other, but it’s a connection marred by vagueness in both timeline and definition. When Adam tells his parents he loves Harry, I was taken aback because I was under the impression they had met no more than a week ago. There is no sense of time or pacing, just a long stretch of poorly executed attempts at cinematic poetry.

I understand what this movie was trying to do. I can see the parallels between Adam as an older gay man who grew up absorbing external shame for his sexuality and Harry as a young gay man who was given more freedom by the world to express himself. They are both still strangers to the world that refuses to embrace them fully. It speaks to the inherent feelings of isolation that most people in the Queer community are made to feel — feelings that are seldom represented in media. “All of Us Strangers” simply doesn’t allot enough space for these themes to be fleshed out in any satisfactory way. Rather, it shoehorns them into a chopped-up plot about Adam’s parents. Yes, the parents try to understand him and his sexuality now, but most of their interactions are about their lost time together. With all of the empty space taken up by ugly transitions, it seems like these discussions could’ve found more solid ground to stand on within the dialogue.

At this point, forget finding out if the parents are real or not. Those questions are out. After the parents fade away completely, Adam goes back to reunite with Harry only to find his rotting corpse in the bathtub wearing the clothes he appeared in when the two first met. This means that their entire love story happened while Harry was a ghost or an apparition or a hallucination (still don’t know which). So, after going on an entire journey of acceptance, Adam now has to start from scratch all over again. The film refuses to give its main character any respite, and worse yet, it falls into the egregiously useless “Bury Your Gays” trope after spending two hours proclaiming the validity of Queer joy.

New question: What was the point of any of this?

Unsurprisingly, there is, once again, no answer. “All of Us Strangers” essentially took an interesting concept, hollowed it out and dressed it up as the main course on an empty dinner table. It plops its viewer into a new world without explaining the rules and wants the audience to care about characters that it doesn’t take the time to properly introduce. Worst of all, it started the plot down a one-way track leading nowhere. I expected the final scene to be a saving grace — maybe Adam at Harry’s grave, mournful yet knowing he’ll be okay — but no. We don’t even get the courtesy of closure; once again, the audience is denied. All we get is possibly the ugliest zoom out from Adam’s bedroom into the night sky. No answers, no plot and no ending. Just disappointment.'

#All of Us Strangers #Fleabag #Normal People #Paul Mescal #Andrew Scott #Claire Foy #The Crown #Jamie Bell #Billy Elliot #Andrew Haigh

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nocompromise-noregrets · 2 years ago

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woohoo, thank you for asking! <333333

7. How do you choose which POV to write from? Honestly, the characters choose. I have some characters who always talk in the same way (Legolas is always first person present tense, which is why writing him through someone else's eyes in unanticipated, unexpected was weird), but mostly it's third person, from the point of view of whoever seems best to tell this particular story. Quite often I alternate, especially with Bard and Thranduil, because they both want to tell their side of the story, and sometimes I end up with more (All I Want Is You has chapters from the points of view of Bard, Thranduil and Sigrid, and stories in the series from all of those plus Tilda, Bain, Legolas and Tauriel). I like being able to look at events from different perspectives. :D

14. how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences? Mostly I do draw on personal experiences; for example, Sigrid's feelings on having a crush in unanticipated, unexpected are absolutely mine. I've been known to upset myself when writing sad things, but mostly I just hang on in there while they talk, typing frantically.

21. Would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story? Only if I knew them well, I think. I've done it before, with friends from previous fandoms, but that was mostly based on RP that we were doing at the time, which was much easier. I tried for an event last year but it didn't really work for me or my co-writer, largely, I think, because we didn't know each other, and we were both really busy with RL stuff. I think I'll stick to artist-author collab events in future, as that seems to be where my abilities are best suited these days.

42. What's the last fic you read? Do you recommend it? It was Love in a Time of Change, which is the first chapter of a Bard/Thranduil Regency AU by @myeaglesong and I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it - it's got lots of potential and I'm looking forward to more!

49. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them? I've been lucky only to have had a small handful, and none of them really rude - someone got passive-aggressive when I posted Empty-Handed because it included spoilers for My Heart is an Empty Vessel, which I hadn't quite posted yet at the time, to which I gently pointed out that Bard eventually dying really wasn't a spoiler because, uh, he's mortal. And I've had a couple of odd ones here and there which weren't exactly rude, but also weren't really feedback on the story; there was one on a one-character-centric ficlet I posted which was solely wondering what happened to the other characters in the scene I was writing about - when they weren't even remotely the point of the story; that one got a gentle 'this story isn't about them, but there might be other stories about them eventually. anyway, I hope you liked this one!' because I thought they probably weren't being intentionally rude but hadn't quite picked up on the etiquette of leaving comments. I've been lucky not to receive any actual hate. Says I, tempting fate. :D

61. Why do you continue writing fics? Because the characters don't leave me with much alternative; they keep talking, so I keep writing. And I feel better when I write, happier, more at peace with the world. I may not have the biggest following or the most feedback, but there are a few people out there who seem to like what I do, and that's more than I could ask for, really. :)

Thank you for asking! <3333333 Anyone else want to ask me stuff about writing, there's 77 questions to choose from!

Get to know your fic writer!

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Do you like constructive criticism?

Do you have your work beta'd? How important is this to your process?

How do you choose which POV to write from?

Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

Do you comment on stories you read?

Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

Link your three favorite fics right now

how does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

Would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story?

Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

Best writing advice for other writers?

Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

On average, how much writing do you get done in a day?

What’s your revision or editing process like?

Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?

Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

Do you want to be published some day?

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

How do you write kissing scenes?

How do you choose where to end a chapter?

Would you ever write commissions?

Share a snippet from a WIP

If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

What mistakes do you keep making no matter how many times your beta corrects you?

Do you want to break your readers‘ heart or make them laugh?

How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

What do you look for in a beta?

Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

How long is your longest fic?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished?

What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc)

Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

Have you had a writer you admire comment on your fic? What was that like?

Why do you continue writing fics?

Thoughts on cliffhangers?

Something you hate to see in smut.

Something you love to see in smut.

Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

How do you deal with writing pressure (ie. pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc.)?

Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

What work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

What scene in [Fanfic Name] took the longest to write? What was difficult about it?

Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of [Fanfic Name]?

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter?

#ask game #go on #ask me stuff!#my writing

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lijinggg · 2 years ago

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"Then perhaps we can do something about that."

Did a major review of my perspectives about this project experience and expect this can help sort out my feelings to figure out some plan.

Evaluations stated, but there are also several points I hope to make clear for someone or at least anyone. So just in case there is no enough proper chance:

1. Passive aggressive in person. Towards not teammates or leaders but clients wow haha.

2. May complain a lot but actually enjoy many things and people, otherwise would not say anything but just leave.

3. Used to feel no ownership and wonder what is the point of doing all this, what is the takeaway for myself.

4. Stay to see the change without saying or hesitating.

5. Covering many things without getting any explanation or report to me. No meaning to push, hate aggressiveness, simply want some answer.

6. Never thank specifically for understanding my difficulty, especially several times mentioning how to confront with bu which is supposed to be my concern.

7. Management not there in place to improve the team structure. Show me how this team deserves it.

8. People all have more or less opinion or problem with everyone. No chance to like everyone, not to say full.

9. RI side contributing access, not all but some quite controlled only by RI.

10. Get into troubles with leads throwing things too directly to other team.

11. Used to be very critical, but quite agreeing and compromising, when keeping oneself running with no context.

12. Actually only want to talk to limited persons. Never want to waste a single second with wrong people.

13. Quite hard partnering with not strong enough nets when pjm pdm do not equally share the responsibility to intervene.

14. Can handle all these better if having the legit position to point out and solve things.

15. Tried of thinking of better ways to do things and asking partners to do.

16. Both sides do things quite randomly. That makes things quite hard to bargain.

17. Have to say to keep going, to move on, but actually do not want to act like everything is to be fine.

18. Would like to work with proper background info and big picture, need to more ownership! To legitimately step up more and fill in more gaps and manage things better for the team. (Maybe client facing is not my focus?)

19. Great honor to have shared so much with each other. (Wishful thinking, working together is only a trigger, real reason is that we share true thoughts, so why does that have to end.) Very accustomed to and comfortable with this company, really really never want to put an end to it. If it is myself that is not good enough, I only can and will remember everything, everything includes everything.

20. Weirdly murmuring and spending many mundane stuff, thanks for the patience. There could be some wrong expressions and sometimes mistakenly said the opposite meaning, thanks for always understanding and never getting negative, and always wanting to talk.

21. Very criticising, serious, but now no chance to wonder too much or stay at one point. Only want ownership.

22. Jealous. About the fact that engineers have the power to control things and work on things, principles to stick to, standards to defend, chances to take oneself to great career path and great places. Jealous to work with these mates.

23. Not so high client facing spirit. Need to mutually deserve it. Free and self-managed.

24. Stress from thinking about tasks. Relieved from actually working on it. Regardless of working time, ownership matters.

25. May fail to cover everything well enough. But step up to manage a lot.

These are all supposed to be chatting but turned into long text, just in case anything is missing and ends up never being conveyed.

What is to think when saying that “then perhaps we can do something about that.”?

What is the true experience of being the important engineer to support here and there, and step up when expecting no one else to fill in?

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grahamstoney · 16 years ago

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Wife Swap

New Post has been published on https://grahamstoney.com/relationships/wife-swap-tv-review

Wife Swap

I love the TV show Wife Swap. If you haven’t seen it, the premise is that they get two families from middle America who volunteer to have their wives swap places for two weeks. During the first week, both families run by the usual rules so the “new wife” can learn how they normally operate; but in the second week, the new wife gets to make whatever rule changes they want. Each family volunteers on the basis that they agree to abide by whatever rules the new wife chooses to set.

Invariably the producers choose two families at the opposite ends of some spectrum, be it religious, political, economic, traditional/progressive, or whatever. Today’s episode featured a real estate executive who was always on the phone and had no time for her kids, swapping places with a suffocating obsessive-compulsive stay-at-home Mom who home-schooled and controlled her whole family.

I always seem to find the husband’s reactions remarkable. They must know in advance that there will be rule changes, and anyone who has watched the program would know that the new wife isn’t going to be anything like their real one; so you would think that they would realise well in advance that they are not going to like all the changes. Often they react angrily with cries of “not in my house!” or criticism of the new wife; even when the changes change the power balance in the family in their favour. But they react angrily, resort to passive aggression, name calling, and all sorts of techniques to buck the new system that they disapprove of. However, something magical also happens as the week progresses: they start to adjust to the new rules, and begin even working with the new wife to get their kids to follow the new rules. You see the men growing in ways I would never have expected, and starting to relate more positively towards both their new wives, and their existing children.

Some of the kids welcome the changes, like the girls who were allowed to date boys for the first time; while others do not, like the girl who loved school but was told she was going to be home-schooled from now on. “Oh come on”, I’m thinking, “it’s only for a week”; you’d think she was being banned from school for life by her reaction. Somehow, everyone in the family is eventually able to overcome their resentment towards the new rules and the new “Mom” as the week progresses, and they start to see some benefits. The kid who had to return his new video game to the store and used the money to go to the movies with his mom was excited about being able to spend more time with her. Previously, he was just zoned out in front of the video game all the time; and he had plenty of others anyway.

The final debriefing session is always interesting too. Sometimes the guys are defensive. It’s not all smooth-sailing. But the conflicts seem to get resolved in the end, and people who were at extremes of the spectrum both end up finding better balance closer towards the middle. I think I’m just not used to people facing conflict, getting all upset, calming down again and then being able to go away a better person having learned something profound from the experience. I thought people just got upset and the upset simply boiled down to fester and come back another day. Yet it’s fascinating to see wives go back to their family with a new outlook, and an even deeper love for their husband; and likewise, their husbands having greater appreciating for their wives. Somehow the emotional independence of the newcomer to the family and the rules of the show give everyone the ability to embrace changes that they would otherwise find virtually impossible; and even though there are plenty of tantrums thrown in the process, everyone seems to be able to go away both with their dignity intact, with mutual respect in place, and with remarkable growth of personal insight.

Yes, they get set up by the producers to get into conflict, but they also manage to resolve it, and it ends up making a positive difference in their real lives. And I think that’s why I love Wife Swap.

#television #Relationships

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flyingkoalaandsloths · 3 years ago

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Why you should watch Hikaru no Go (2020) Live Action

by me who just finished rewatching it for... idk 5th time now i guess... and I am having some emotions.

A very detailed and itemized review of the series is below. I would be happy if I convince one (1) person to watch this very underrated show.

What is it?

Also known as Qi hun, it is Chinese live action adaptation of Japanese manga Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata

You might know Obata Sensei who also draw Death Note manga. So you know its manga already is awesome. There is also an anime adaptation.

It’s about board game Go and can be classified as sports manga/anime. Basically the plot is: a Go master haunts a boy and teaches him way of Go.

[The manga appears in the cdrama!]

So you have options…. But why should you watch the cdrama?

It's the cutest thing ever

I never seen anyone who watched it and did not like

Acting is very good especially the kid actor is one of the best I’ve ever seen

Do you want numbers? It has IMDB rating 8.6.

Although the story is not same as the original material, its one of the best adaptations ever. You will enjoy it whether you are a fan of the manga or a new audience.

The main character: Shi Guang (aka Hikaru in the original manga)

Look at him he’s so lovable!

He doesn’t know any Go in the beginning but he is a genius so he becomes one of the best young players in country in record time.

Young Shi Guang is so good at acting and he is so cute I love him.

[At some point he wears a t-shirt with "Agender" written on it so you can headcanon him as he/they nb icon]

The other main character: Chu Ying (aka Sai)

Not a Ghost!

Accidental time traveling spirit of a Go master of ancient times (Southern Liang Dynasty to be specific)

His goal is to achieve the “Divine Move” which is a Go term for a perfect play/move

No one but Shi Guang can see him.

He is Shi Guang's bff, mentor, and Go master.

He is a funny little guy (but not physically, the actor is quite tall)

Rival: Yu Liang (aka Akira)

Go prodigy and the son of 9-Dan Go master Yu Xiao Yang

He gets beaten by Shi Guang (actually it was Chu Ying) when they were children and he proceeds to construct his whole life around him

He is obsessed™

Actually both Shi Guang and Yu Liang are so obsessed with each other. They have this passive aggressive relationship which is so interesting and also (again) very cute.

Likes to hold Shi Guang’s hand and run

Friends! Friends everywhere!

Shi Guang is a very sociable character so he is surrounded with friends and family

His relationship with his mother (unfortunately doesn’t have a name) is so realistic and so soft. They are not perfect mother-son but they love each other and they show it.

Actually, Shi Guang is very affectionate with all friends so you might die from all the fluff.

Plot

Shi Guang meets with Chu Ying when he is very young. Chu Ying forces him to play Go. He plays for Chu Ying. Against Yu Liang twice. And enters a tournament and of course wins.

But he feels bad for the other kids who work very hard so he drops Go completely for 8+ years. During that time Chu Ying disappears

He is forced to play Go again in middle school because everyone thinks he is some sort of prodigy while he knows next to nothing

Chu Ying appears again and they play together.

Shi Guang then decides to learn and play by himself.

The rest is regular sports manga/anime plot.

Towards the end the drama hits you hard and rips your heart out but last two episodes are so fluffy that by the end you will feel so much better.

Ships? In this shipping website? More likely than you might think

So many shippable pairs... like all sports manga/anime fashion they come in pairs

From students to teachers... with the main pair being Shi Guang/Yu Liang

Other than slash, there are also many platonic options that you might consider

By the end of last episode, all your ships will be as canon as cdramas would allow and no I’m not kidding the final arc is all about being the perfect partner (in Go).

[light to my dark, sun to my moon, etc, etc]

All is good, what about down sides you ask?

Not many female characters or female relationships.

Go ahead then! Watch it! Enjoy it!

First episodes are in youtube!

(the videos cut last few lines at the end of episodes for some reason but it doesn’t make much difference)

[and come back to me talk about it if you like]

[screenshots and stills are from kinorium]

#qi hun #hikaru no go #hikaru no go (2020)#shi guang #yu liang #chu ying #*#cdrama #chinese drama #chao zhang

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collapse-and-comfort · 4 years ago

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Love your blog! Can I ask for a sick fic with some comfort? The whumpee ignoring symptoms and pushing on until they collapse. So the caretaker carries them to bed, and looks after the whumpee the next few days. The whumpee is weak and scared because they’ve never been that badly sick. But they don’t want to go to hospital (maybe bad experiences before).

🌡🤒🌡Thank you so much!!! Sorry this took so long. It just kind of kept going and ended up being a little over 4K words! I hope you enjoy! (I'm going to tag @lurkingwhump because I know you were interested in a story like this! I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention @i-write-whump because her prompts were constantly on my mind while I was writing this.) 🌡🤒🌡

Whumpee watched their interviewee’s retreating back. They’d been less a lead and more an aggravation. The beat of an eighties pop song made their headache (and their mood) worse and they closed their eyes and pinched the bridge of their nose.

“You good?”

“Yeah,” Whumpee said as they tapped a thumb on the table and tried to ignore the growing ache in their throat. “Let’s go.”

They walked back to Whumpee’s apartment to review information. It amounted to tirespinning and tail chasing. The longer the evening went, the more difficult it became for Whumpee to concentrate. They tossed a file onto their coffee table with the rest of the information they were pouring over. They leaned back on their couch and closed their eyes. No matter how they tried to will their headache away, it continued to compound itself. An ache and a chill were working their way into Whumpee’s body. They didn’t need to look at Caretaker to know they were watching them with questions on their tongue and concern in their eyes.

“Getting late,” Caretaker said.

“Late” was several hours ago.

“Mmhhm,” Whumpee said without opening their eyes. They weren’t taking the bait. “You’d better get going. We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

“Right,” Caretaker said with a dubious quirk in their brow. They left, but they gave Whumpee ample time to reconsider, to tell them they needed a break, or help. Or something.

Whumpee sat on their couch in silence as the chill in their body intensified. They refused to believe they were getting sick. Allergies, exhaustion. Had to be. They couldn’t even remember the last time they were ill. Whumpee groaned as they heaved themself up. The room spun and they closed their eyes until the dizziness passed. A string of expletives played in their head as they found their way down the hall and into the restroom.

They dry swallowed some pills that had likely exceeded their expiration date and they avoided catching sight of the flushed, hollow-eyed specter they would see if they looked in the mirror.

They didn’t bother struggling out of their clothes before curling up beneath their covers and dropping into a fitful sleep.

Whumpee woke to someone banging - no, just insistent, undemanding knocking the way their partner always did - on their door. They pawed at their nightstand in search of their phone, but it was nowhere to be found. They peeled their eyes open and wondered how long Caretaker had been knocking. They disentangled themself from their covers and slowly rolled their way off the mattress.

Too hot, they thought as they willed themself, one foot after the other, to make the distance from their room to their door.

When they opened up, Caretaker stepped in with a coffee in each hand. Their affable expression faltered when they looked at Whumpee. If Caretaker noticed Whumpee was wearing the same clothes they’d been dressed in the previous evening - and of course they did - they didn’t mention it.

“Shit,” Caretaker said as they handed Whumpee a cup. “Guess I should have brought you tea instead, huh?”

“As long as it had sugar in it,” Whumpee said before clearing their throat and grimacing at the sensation and the way their voice rasped. “Just give me a minute.”

---

“We can pass this off,” Caretaker suggested by mid-morning. They could. They knew several of their teammates were dying to sink their teeth into this case and there was no harm in letting them.

They watched as Whumpee rested their head against the passenger side window. Whumpee didn’t respond, but Caretaker knew what they would say. They couldn’t put this on hold; they had to finish it. Besides, I’m fine.

“Right,” Caretaker said. They felt as though that one, marginally passive aggressive word, was becoming their personal mantra. They couldn’t make Whumpee do something they didn’t want to do, and while they’d never seen Whumpee with so much as a sniffle, they knew Whumpee would run themself into the ground regardless of whether or not they had a job to do.

God forbid you take care of yourself, Caretaker thought.

The day wore on like that. Caretaker doubted the small measures Whumpee was taking to make themself less miserable - resting or rubbing their eyes, pulling their coat tighter around themself - were cries for help. Each time they asked Whumpee if they were okay, they were rewarded with a glare or a surly shrug.

The evening found them back in Whumpee’s apartment. Caretaker had grown genuinely worried about Whumpee. They watched as Whumpee stared at the same paper they’d been holding for the past ten minutes. They shut their eyes and slouched forward in their chair before closing their eyes. Caretaker frowned at the way Whumpee’s jaws were clenched, the way their shoulders were bunched, and the way their face was flushed. Whumpee’s clothes looked rumpled and uncomfortable. Not exactly surprising since they were the same ones they’d been wearing the previous day.

“You’re half asleep, Whumpee. Why don’t you at least change into some fresh clothing?”

They expected a brusque reply, but Whumpee put down the paper and nodded without looking at Caretaker. That set off warning bells.

Whumpee used the coffee table to steady themself as they rose and Caretaker reached out to help when they saw how badly Whumpee’s arms were shaking.

“I’m fine,” Whumpee muttered as they stood to their full height.

“Bullshit,” Caretaker said as they stood too. They’d spent the entire day watching Whumpee suffer needlessly and they’d had enough. “You can’t keep pushing yourself.”

Caretaker waited for Whumpee to tell them how they’d be better in the morning, or they’re just tired, or...

Whumpee swayed on their feet and their eyes rolled back before their knees buckled and dropped to the floor with jarring force. Caretaker swore as they quickly closed the distance between them and caught Whumpee’s upper body before they could fall the rest of the way. Whumpee let out a distant-sounding moan as their forehead rolled on Caretaker’s shoulder. As Caretaker held Whumpee’s chest against their own, they were shocked at the heat rolling off of Whumpee.

How the hell did Whumpee let themself get this bad?!

Caretaker didn’t berate Whumpee for neglecting themself. Rather, they gathered Whumpee in their arms. There was a flash of confusion, then annoyance on Whumpee’s face. Caretaker pretended they didn’t see the latter emotion.

“Just gonna get you to bed,” they said.

Then possibly to the hospital, they added in their head.

Whumpee didn’t put up a fight as Caretaker carried them back the hall and to their room. Caretaker angled themself so as not to run Whumpee’s head into a wall or door frame. They were unsurprised to find that Whumpee had left their covers a tangled mess. They set Whumpee down and helped them into a seated position while they straightened the covers as best they could. Caretaker circled back around to where Whumpee sat and all the aggravation they’d felt at Whumpee for not taking better care of themself fled them completely.

Whumpee’s arms hung at their sides, their mouth was part way open and their eyes were glassy. Without worrying about Whumpee’s sensibilities, Caretaker put their palm on Whumpee’s forehead.

“You’re burning up, Whumpee,” they said. That Whumpee was running a fever was far from surprising, but the sickly heat that was coming off of them was no less worrying to feel. “Jesus, how long have you been sick?”

“Few days,” Whumpee said. They looked up at Caretaker with wounded pride and they tried to pull away when Caretaker cupped their neck with their hands.

“Sshh,” Caretaker said as they gently pressed their fingers against Whumpee’s throat. They winced at how swollen Whumpee’s glands felt beneath their fingertips.

They frowned and idly swept a damp lock of hair from Whumpee’s forehead and decided what to do.

“Okay,” they said. “Is there anything we need to bring with us to the hospital?”

Whatever indignation and bravado were left in Whumpee disappeared. Whumpee’s eyes went a little wider and they shrank back from Caretaker as they drew in several sharp breaths as they shook their head.

“No. No hospitals.”

“Whumpee, you passed out and you’re running a high fever. I really-”

“No!”

Whumpee tried to stand, but Caretaker stopped them before they could land on the floor again. Caretaker put one hand on Whumpee’s shoulder and held onto one of Whumpee’s arms, trying to hold them as steadily and as gently as possible.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Caretaker said. They kept their voice low as Whumpee landed back on the bed and began to struggle. “Easy, Whumpee. Hey, it’s okay. Calm down. It’s okay. Hey, hey, look at me.”

Whumpee’s energy flagged and finally, their wary, fever-bright eyes found Caretaker’s.

“That’s it, Whumpee.”

Caretaker knew Whumpee had a thing about hospitals, but they never would have guessed it was this bad. Had their fever amplified that fear, or had it simply laid it bare?

“No hospitals.”

Caretaker sighed and nodded. It wasn’t going to do either of them any good to drag Whumpee, half out of their mind with a fever, into an emergency room. Maybe they could talk Whumpee into it if it came to that. Or maybe they’d call an ambulance. Caretaker let go of Whumpee’s arm and rubbed their shoulder. Their heart went out to Whumpee when they felt their breathing hitch beneath their palm.

“Okay,” Caretaker conceded. “No hospitals. But we have to get your temperature down. Where do you keep your thermometer?

“I’ve never been this sick before,” Whumpee said. Their voice was thick and apologetic as they dropped their gaze.

No thermometer, then, Caretaker concluded as they alternated between rubbing and patting Whumpee’s shoulder.

“Okay, what about some Tylenol?”

Whumpee paused and thought about it.

“Above the bathroom sink.”

Caretaker located the bottle. Empty. They sighed, discarded it, and moved to the kitchen. They rummaged through Whumpee’s fridge, but settled on taking them a glass of water. Whumpee sat where they left them.

“I want you to drink some of this,” they said as they pressed the glass into Whumpee’s hands. “I’m going to go pick up a few things, okay?”

Whumpee looked from the glass and back up to Caretaker. They nodded and took several sips of water before setting the glass on their nightstand. Caretaker took note of the way they winced each time they swallowed.

““Do you think you’d be more comfortable in different clothing?”

Whumpee gave them a tired mmhmm and tried to lift themself again.

“I got it,” Caretaker said as they put up a staying hand. “Let me help.”

Whumpee directed them to the bottom drawer of their dresser. Caretaker selected a pair of black athletic shorts and an overly large gray tee shirt. Whumpee didn’t protest when Caretaker helped them out of their old clothes and into the new ones. Whatever energy Whumpee had was depleted and they allowed themself to be helped down to the mattress without complaint. They used one arm to unevenly pull their covers back over themself. Caretaker refrained from helping them pull the covers more completely over them.

They didn’t want to leave Whumpee like this for any amount of time, but if they were going to help them, they needed to. Caretaker fetched Whumpee’s cell phone from the living room and put it on the nightstand next to the water.

“I’ll be back soon, but if you need anything, just call.”

All told, it took them about a half an hour for them to visit a drug store and a convenience store - both within walking distance - to gather what they needed and return. They organized everything on the counter, then took the immediate essentials to Whumpee’s room.

Whumpee was asleep beneath their covers and the water sat, untouched, on the nightstand. Caretaker regretted that they needed to wake them up. They put a hand on Whumpee’s forehead - still far too warm - then patted their cheek.

“Hey, Whumpee,” they said. “I need you to wake up for a minute, okay?”

“Mmm?” Whumpee mumbled as they looked up at Caretaker with bleary, half-lidded eyes.

“Just gonna get your temperature,” they said as they held up the oral thermometer they’d bought.

Whumpee frowned.

“It’s clean,” Caretaker said, though they doubted that was Whumpee’s objection. They leaned down and put the tip of the thermometer to Whumpee’s lips. “C’mon.”

Thankfully, Whumpee did as they were asked.

“Keep it under your tongue,” Caretaker told them, letting memories of their mother be their guide.

Whumpee kept their eyes closed while the thermometer worked, but they opened them again when the beepbeepbeep sounded. They reached for the offending instrument, but Caretaker halted them.

“Just leave it for a sec,” they said. Part of them didn’t want to see the reading, didn’t want the numbers to force their hand with Whumpee’s care.

They removed the thermometer and turned it so they could see the segmented, digital numbers.

“One-oh-three point nine,” Caretaker said, frowning at the thermometer as though it were to blame.

Not great, Caretaker thought, though they knew it could be worse. They tried to remember if they’d seen Whumpee eat anything the past couple of days. They picked up the new bottle of Tylenol, but paused when they saw Whumpee’s face. Whumpee’s jaw clenched as they clumsily wiped a tear away, They crouched down at Whumpee’s side - the pills rattled as they did so - and they put a hand on Whumpee’s arm.

Caretaker cursed themself for not stepping in earlier, for not seeing just how sick Whumpee was, for not making Whumpee take better care of themself. The latter was easier said than done, of course, but now it seemed the confirmation that they were sick was too much for Whumpee to bear.

“Okay,” they said, speaking more gently than they could ever remember speaking to Whumpee. Overt tenderness, or any other sort of tenderness for that matter, had never been a part of their dynamic. Whumpee let themself sniffle and that led to a coughing fit. Caretaker seated themself on the mattress next to Whumpee and patted their back as they waited for the coughing to pass. “It’s okay. I know this sucks. We’ve gotta work on getting your temp down, though, so I want you to take these pills.”

Caretaker helped them lean up and take the pills.

“You need to drink more, too,” Caretaker said, careful not to sound like they were scolding them. They wondered how much longer Whumpee would have let themself go without some sort of aid. A niggling thought worked its way into Caretaker’s mind. There was the very real possibility Whumpee had never had anyone to care for them in this way.

Caretaker gave Whumpee’s forearm a squeeze and then stood.

“Be right back,” they said.

They returned with a cool, damp washcloth. Caretaker swept Whumpee’s hair back and put the cloth on their forehead.

“Cold,” they murmured without opening their eyes.

“I know,” Caretaker said as they sat down on the edge of the bed. “Just don’t want your brain to get cooked.”

Whumpee hummed in agreement and laid still. Their breathing evened out and Caretaker removed the cloth when it had taken on as much of Whumpee’s body heat as it could. Whumpee didn’t stir while Caretaker repeated the process several times.

Once they were sure Whumpee was resting soundly enough, Caretaker went about the business turning their case over to other, equally competent hands. They didn’t look forward to telling Whumpee, but they’d cross that bridge when they had to.

When Caretaker returned to Whumpee’s room, Whumpee was curled on their side. Their mouth was open and their breathing was deep. Caretaker risked placing the back of their hand on Whumpee’s forehead. Still warm, but it was better.

All was quiet until just after one in the morning. Whumpee stirred and Caretaker sat upright in the recliner in the corner of the room. Whumpee rolled onto their back and pawed at the covers.

“Hey,” Caretaker said as they walked over to the side of the bed. They put a hand on Whumpee’s shoulder and shook it a little bit. “You good, Whumpee?”

Whumpee’s eyes slid open and settled on Caretaker. It took a moment, but Caretaker could see the memory of the evening return to them.

“Too warm,” they rasped.

“Fever’s breaking,” Caretaker said with a nod as they helped Whumpee off with the covers. To Whumpee’s chagrin, Caretaker got their temp again, though that time it was a much more agreeable ninety-nine point eight.

“Don’t have to stay,” Whumpee mumbled as they rubbed a hand over their face.

Yes I do, Caretaker thought.

“It’s no problem,” they said with a shrug. “Besides, I know your WiFi password. Can I get you anything?”

Whumpee swallowed and grimaced as though there was a bad taste in their mouth.

“Drink?”

Caretaker brought them ginger ale, more pills and chapstick. Whumpee was quick to fall back to sleep after that.

Whumpee’s fever spiked again in the morning, though it was nowhere near as harrowing. What worried Caretaker was how pliant Whumpee had become. Just more evidence of how run down they’d let themself get.

After they took a shower, Whumpee set up camp in the living room and Caretaker took the opportunity to change the bedclothes. It was a small thing, but sometimes those provided the most comfort. Caretaker knew they were well on their way to becoming a mother hen, but they couldn’t quite bring themself to care.

Caretaker waited for the inevitable questions about work, but they never came. Caretaker wondered if Whumpee already knew what they’d done. The day wore on and Whumpee alternated between dozing and trying to watch whatever brainless actioner Caretaker opted to play. Their blanket was on. Their blanket was off.

Caretaker intermittently cleared away tissues when they began to accumulate around Whumpee. Caretaker plied them with a steady stream of drinks (Tea with honey seemed most effective.), and in the early evening, despite their declaration that they weren’t hungry, Whumpee managed to eat some soup. Caretaker extended a hand to take the dishes away when Whumpee was done. Whumpee started to say something, but their words fell off and they looked down at their lap when Caretaker took the dishes from them.

Caretaker wanted to reassure them, but they knew whatever they said in that moment would sound useless and patronizing to Whumpee. Maybe the best thing they could do was give Whumpee some alone time. At least for as long as it took Caretaker to pick up some things from their own place.

When Caretaker got back Whumpee was ready for bed. Caretaker regarded them. Their cheeks were flushed again and their eyes were glassy. Caretaker asked them the same questions they’d been asking them all day. How’s your throat? You okay? Do you need anything?

“I’m just tired,” Whumpee said as they started off with shuffling steps towards their room.

“Okay.” Caretaker calculated the time they’d remind Whumpee to take more pills like the world’s most proactive medi-minder. They chewed their lip as they watched Whumpee go. They hoped they got some rest. “Let me know if you need anything.”

That night, Caretaker dozed in the couch, but a single whimper from Whumpee’s room woke them. They crossed the room and fumbled for the lamp’s switch. The golden light revealed Whumpee, sweating and tangled in their covers. Their eyes were dazed and frightful; their mouth opened and they let out a pathetic groan as they pulled themself toward the edge of the bed.

“Whumpee,” Caretaker said as they put a hand on Whumpee’s shoulder; they were looking at them, but they weren’t seeing them. “Hey, Whumpee.”

“Nonono,” Whumpee said. Their voice was far off, but it sounded no less distressed. “Stop Don't Please. It Hurts. N-”

Whumpee came awake and they panted as they braced themself on their elbows. They recoiled from Caretaker’s touch with a whimper and their feet worked at kicking their covers away.

“It’s okay, Whumpee,” Caretaker said. “Ssh. You’re safe. I promise you’re safe, Whumpee.”

They risked putting a hand back on Whumpee’s shoulder. They reminded themself to stay calm for Whumpee’s sake. A sob escaped Whumpee as they fell onto their side, breathing hard. Their feet stil moved ineffectually under the covers.

Caretaker pulled the blankets off of Whumpee and they stopped trying to escape whatever was hunting them. Caretaker grabbed the thermometer and the tissue box before sitting down next to Whumpee and began rubbing the curve of their shoulder.

“It’s okay,” they repeated. “Shshsh. Just a bad dream.”

Was it, though? How dramatically had their fever spiked?

After a bout of coughing, Caretaker offered Whumpee a tissue. Whumpee blew their nose before Caretaker tried to get them to take the thermometer in their mouth. Whumpee turned their face away and pursed their lips. Caretaker might have found humor in the sheer petulence of the gesture had Whumpee not looked so scared.

“C’mon, Whumpee. I’ve gotta see your temp.”

“No,” Whumpee said as they reached with a weak hand, trying to bat away the thermometer.

Caretaker caught Whumpee’s clammy hand and lowered it to the bed.

“I’ve gotta know how bad it is, Whumpee. It’ll just take a minute.”

“Don’t…” Whumpee said as they looked at Caretaker with unfocused eyes. “Don’t take me to the hospital. I can’t be there.”

“I’m just-”

“I can’t.”

Caretaker took a breath. They couldn’t let Whumpee work themself into a lather.

“You’re just coming out of a nightmare, Whumpee. Just give things a minute to make sense.”

“I-”

Whumpee cut themself off; Caretaker hadn’t said whatever they’d expected to hear.

“Just focus on me for a minute. Can you try to do that?”

They nodded, blinked and looked at Caretaker as though they were actually seeing them. Silence fell between them. Whumpee took a deep breath and rested their head back on their pillow and stared at the opposite wall.

“Okay,” they said finally. They allowed Caretaker to place the thermometer under their tongue. It seemed to take an eternity for the thermometer to beep. Caretaker took it back and before looking at it, they prayed to whoever or whatever might be listening that they didn't have to get Whumpee to a hospital.

“One-oh-two point six,” Caretaker said with relief. “That's not so bad. Just a bad dream that did a number on you.”

The lines of Whumpee’s face relaxed and they rested on the pillow, but some sort of melancholy had taken the place of Whumpee’s fear. It was an equally disheartening sight.

“Need anything?” Caretaker asked after they went through the routine they seemed to have established in nursing their friend.

“No.”

“Okay, ” Caretaker said. “Just let me know if you do.”

Caretaker stood and pulled a blanket back over Whumpee, who took its edge in their hand and pulled it to their chin.

“Wait,” Whumpee said when Caretaker turned.

Caretaker paused and looked back at Whumpee.

“Can you…” Whumpee looked at them, their eyes begging Caretaker to understand. “Can you stay?”

What had they dreamed that had them so rattled?

“Of course, ” they said. They settled back down next to Whumpee and swept Whumpee’s hair out of their face. “Whatever you need.”

Whumpee slept late the next morning and Caretaker took the time to tidy the apartment and ask for updates on the case. It had been solved.

When Whumpee came out into the living room, they made a beeline for their recliner. Though Caretaker was constantly present, they exchanged few words and Caretaker could tell Whumpee was putting effort into avoiding their gaze. The news that the case had been resolved seemed to do little to cheer them.

After cleaning the lunch mess, and doing dishes Caretaker sat on the side of the couch that was closest to Whumpee.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Whumpee said without taking their gaze off of the TV.

“It’s no problem.”

More silence. Whumpee dozed off and Caretaker channel surfed.

Caretaker chose a book from Whumpee’s shelf.

Caretaker read the same sentence five damn times before giving up and putting the book on the coffee table.

Whumpee jolted awake with a gasp. Their fingers dug into the armrests and their eyes darted over the room as though they’d woken up somewhere entirely foreign. They cursed and let out a harsh breath.

Caretaker guessed embarrassment, and not sickness, colored Whumpee’s cheeks.

“It’s fine,” Whumpee said before Caretaker could ask.

Whumpee stood, shakily at first, then walked to the kitchen. Caretaker knew any attempt to help them would be rebuffed, so they waited for Whumpee to stare into the refrigerator before they selected a bottle of water before moving back to their seat.

Whumpee sat and sipped.

Caretaker needed to address the elephant in the room. Or at least let Whumpee know the elephant could stay where it was.

“We don’t have to talk about it. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Caretaker said. “But I hope you know you can if you need to.”

Whumpee’s fingers worried at the armrests.

“I do. I do know. I’m just not used to...” Whumpee’s voice was low but solemn as they gestured toward all the signs of care that had been taken on their behalf. “... to any of this.”

Caretaker wanted to pull them close and tell them how sorry they were to hear that, that they never needed to hesitate to ask for help. They didn’t know what they could possibly say to make it better. Instead, they flashed the easygoing smile that had been missing from their features for the past couple days.

“Well,” they said. “Get used to it.”

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