#Insinuation 2.5

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Insinuation 2.5 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

I mean, I can guess that 2.1 to 2.4 is about setting up the point where Taylor is willing to convince herself to join the villains, rob a bank, etc, and fine, fine, but I do feel like those four could have been 2? I mean, with 1.6 million words, you expect some filler, and technically even the filler builds out the world and the characters, etc, but still.

If you looked at Brockton Bay as a patchwork of stellar and squalor, upper class and lower class with no middle ground, then downtown was one of the nice areas.

Okay but that's... not how you can actually look at Brockton Bay? Even the Bay can't be quite that starkly stratified? The modern American economy couldn't function in a city that extremely divided economically. And sure, Brockton Bay sucks, but capitalism is still a thing there.

both Grue and Hellhound had lived in different cities prior to teaming up and setting roots in Brockton Bay.

But don't both of Grue's parents live in the Bay with his sister? Or is that just her being wrong?

Grue had poked fun at Regent rather than treat him like a leader,

People do poke at their leaders sometimes though, Taylor? Like, that's a whole genre of person, the kind of person who pokes fun at their leader and gets away with it for one reason or another.

  Information, it seemed, was a major factor when dealing with capes.

Puzzle Bosses atop Puzzle Bosses.

Which is, incidentally, why so many fanfics are capable of believably beating various baddies earlier, I imagine. Because all it really takes is getting the right knowledge a little easier.

As I thought on it, though, the notion that I might actually consider taking Tattletale up on her offer of a meeting nagged at me.  The more I thought on it, the scarier the idea got, and the more it seemed to make sense.

Careful Taylor. This will be the first rationalization of many...

If I got anything worth sharing, I could turn around and give it to Armsmaster so he could use it against them.  Just going by what Armsmaster had said about these guys and the scarcity of information on them, it would be a pretty major coup for the good guys.

Didn't you just get pissy about Armsy stealing credit from you?

Then again, she still thinks heroing is in her future and so I suppose this makes sense for her to think, since she has no other in to hand info over to a Hero/the PRT/etc

 That said, I suspected that when it came out that I was a hero and not a villain, they would count it as such regardless.

Hehehehe

Foreknowledge of how it goes leads to certain humor. Though, honestly, I wonder if anyone expected her not become a villain, when this was all that was out? Feels like it's pretty well hinted at, but maybe I just know what to look for.

The Central Library looked almost more like a museum or art gallery than anything else, with tall ceilings, pillars and massive pieces of artwork hung to frame the hallways between the major sections of the building. 

I honestly hate libraries that do this. Seems like a waste of money better spent being a fucking library. The central library in the city I went to Middle and High School in did this when they built a new location for the main branch. Absolute eyesore. Just be a library.

#KyliaEditorializes

It was fast enough that I couldn’t imagine Tattletale taking the time to check and double check every aspect of her message the way I had mine.

Knowing her (as I don't actually), she probably expected you'd ask for proof, or at least considered the possibility.

G R and me will meet you at the same spot we crossed paths last night, k? Don’t have to get gussied up if you catch my drift. Rest of us will be in casual wear.

Asking her to meet unmasked? I mean, I know you don't have nefarious intent, but is Taylor going to be that stupid?

it was hard to imagine her threatening me with one breath just a sentence after she’d offered to meet me in a way that made her totally vulnerable.

And you. While Outnumbering you.

I just had no idea what I would be getting into.

*looks back at the summary of Worm* You really, really don't

There was an outside possibility I could get killed, but somehow that didn’t concern me as much as it maybe should have.

Because you're borderline suicidal and desperately need like... well, I'd say therapy but even therapy wouldn't be enough right now. You need a lot of shit, really.

Startled, I looked up.  A middle aged woman in a red jacket stood just behind me.  As I met her eyes she asked, “Are you done?”  She gestured at the computer, where the screensaver was still scrolling.

I wonder if Taylor would have accepted if she hadn't been jostled like this? Certainly could be an interesting divergence moment, though where it gets taken remains open.

2.5 definitely feels like it fully needs to be here, which is good. Again, I'm not saying 2.1 and 2.3 and 2.4 are filler, but they did feel a little less... necessary. This? This one feels necessary.

[wormbloggign]

i find it very difficult to sympathise with BulletBoy

not enough money for hot dog ;-; saddest line in worm

its her power cmon her whole shtick is knowing things you know this

its her power cmon her whole shtick is knowing things you know this

its crimes its gonna be crimes

this is the worst plan possible, not even mentioning weaponsupplier, youre antagonising the cool people who like you! taylor needs friends and these villains could be just that

its a date!

[madridfangirl]

Star crossed lovers (Jude Bellingham fic)

Chapter 6

(Series Link)

Jude * female reader. Mature Language in parts.

Synopsis: A chance encounter in a tiny Madrid cafe with the newest superstar of her fav club. The two couldn't be more different, yet both feel the pull toward the other. Would this girl be the one he finally falls for? Would she make him change his ways? Even though she resists him every step of the way, would he fight all odds (& her) to have her in his life? Or would life come in the way of these star-crossed lovers?

...........................................................................

‘Jude Bellingham, Jude fucking Bellingham was in our house?’

Ananya was plopped onto Roma’s bed, enjoying her friend’s frantic outburst. While holding on to the black RM leather jacket he had left behind. 

‘For the zillionth time, yes.’

Roma paced around the room, delirious with excitement & borderline rage.

‘And I was right here? 25 feet away? And you couldn’t call me?’

‘He was only here for like 10 mins, and….we were otherwise occupied.’

And I wasn’t really in my senses. Well, this bit she didn’t say out loud.

‘Oh my fuckin lord. Think my brain’s gonna explode. You kissed him. You kissed Jude Bellingham. Should I be happy for you or throttle you in jealousy? Fuck man!’

She continued her frantic pacing which amused Ananya further. Yes Roma had a crush on Jude (everyone did) but she had been with her college boyfriend for over 3 years. The crush was quite harmless. Borderline horny at times but generally harmless.

‘He kissed me.’

She clarified plainly, lips curving into a smile as her friend burst into another rant.

‘Yeah yeah. Lover boy couldn’t resist snogging you. I got it. But he could have said hi after.’

Ananya pulled Roma on to the bed, next to her, and hugged her tightly.

‘Next time, promise.’

That cheered her up. Her attention then went to the jacket in Ananya’s hands. When Ananya confirmed it was indeed his, she grabbed the jacket, sniffed it and hummed appreciatively.

Ananya smacked her arm in mock admonishment.

‘What? You get the whole package and I can’t even get a whiff? How’s that fair?’

Ananya just pulled the jacket back in response, wrapping it around herself.

‘Behave. Or I am telling Chris.’

Roma dismissed the false threat regarding her boyfriend. 

‘Yeah yeah. Tell me, would lover boy be open to a threesome? My birthday is in a month and you’d make the Guinness book for being the best friend ever if you serve me that sweet piece of ass.’

Ananya gasped and hit her with a pillow, both bursting into a fit of giggles.

That ugly voice inside her did wonder if he had done something like that before. Also, how easy it would have been if he had met someone as easygoing as Roma. Instead of her.

But, two nights in a row, he had asked for a chance. And she wanted to give him one. So she nipped the thoughts in the bud and let Roma distract her with all the plans she was making with the three of them together.

Monday morning brought her much needed normalcy and routine. The office was still buzzing with the Classico excitement. 

It hit her how nuts her weekend had been. When she left work on Friday evening, she had never met him. He had stormed into her life 2.5 days ago and turned everything upside down, inside out, consuming every waking moment of hers.

She opened her laptop, somehow zoned out of everything else, only checking her phone at lunch. Smiling at the notification. 

Jude: Lads are saying am buzzing today. Wonder why.

She smiled at his insinuation. Then pictured him being a nuisance in training. 

Ananya: No clue. Classico hangover? Hit your head in a tackle? 

He came online when she sent the message, probably having lunch too.

Jude: Need me to come over and give you a reminder? Your office desk instead of your dining table? 

He cut to the chase straightaway. Her whole body jerked as she pictured what he was implying. He wasn’t one to concede, on or off the pitch. She was starting to see that. 

He also was a shameless flirt. And she couldn’t afford to let him get her all riled up in the middle of work.

Ananya: Fine, you win 🤷‍♀️

Jude: Good girl :)

They both said goodbyes soon after, returning to their busy schedules.

In the evening, she sent him a quick message to wish safe travels. He responded with a relaxed selfie of him onboard the flight, making his patented ‘say cheese’ face. A sweet, goofy, handsome face. 

Next evening was Madrid’s away match. It was also Ananya’s most stressful day at work since she joined 5 months ago. She ended up missing the match but caught the highlights when she finally got a breather after sending her report. They looked rough - tackles, yellow cards, clashes all over the pitch. Madrid had drawn and missed out on 2 crucial points.

She checked her phone. The match had ended 90 mins ago. Where would he be and what to even say to him right now?

Ananya: Hey!

She dropped the message and quickly checked her laptop to see if there was any response from the New York team on the report yet. No new mail. It was already 10 pm but she would just have to wait in the office till they give an ok, or for 45 mins, whichever was sooner.

Her phone flashed.

Jude: Horrible day. Wanna punch someone.

Ananya: Punch my New York team, they pissed me off nonstop today. On your way back?

Jude: Oh nooo. Fuckin runway is down in this fuckall city. Red-eye flight tmrw then straight to training. Fuck my life.

Ananya: Wanna talk?

He face-timed her instantly. She rushed to find an empty cabin and answered his call.

It was quite a scene. It looked like someone had robbed him & trashed his hotel room. 

He was sat on the table, in front of his laptop, head resting on his forearms. That’s how she found him.

‘Hey Jude’

‘Hmphh.’

He groaned, still keeping his head buried.

‘Want me to sing it like the fans do?’

He whipped his head up. And she saw how upset he really was. Frown lines all over that pretty face. Sparkle missing from the coffee-brown eyes. Her heart yearned to comfort him.

‘Why should you? Why should the fans? I didn’t give them any reason to cheer for me today. I let them down. Let my team down. My coach, the staff, my family. I let everyone I care about down with that horrendous display today.’

She knew he wasn’t done, so she waited patiently while he gathered his breath and continued ranting.

‘We lost two crucial points because I fuckin missed sitters. SITTERS Ananya. Not one but two. Like I can score them with my eyes closed but nope. Had to be a total wanker today. When my team needed me.’

He stood up agitatedly and paced around the table. She could see he was still fully dressed, so was probably moping around in his room since he came back.

‘Did you speak to your mum?’

He took off his watch & jacket, throwing them on the bed. His shoes flew to some other corner of the room.

‘Yes. She says I wasn’t bad & that I should stop blaming myself. But she’s my mum - of course she would say that. I know I was fucking shit not just bad.’

He wrestled with his belt, peeling it off and was midway through pulling his jumper off when she spoke next. 

‘I would have to agree. Offensively you were poor today.’

Silence at the other end. He paused for 2 seconds, then took the jumper off in irritation and sat in front of her. Bare-chested. No one had said this to him tonight, even from the team or coaching staff. And obviously not his family. 

She kept her eyes firmly on his face. 

‘You wanted honesty right? So there you go. You didn’t make enough meaningful runs in the box, the link-up with the front line was not clicking and yes the finishing was unlike you. Should have scored at-least one of the two chances.’

That stung, especially coming from her. He wondered if it was the Madridista talking or the girl he was fascinated by. But at-least she wasn’t giving him any rosy crap.

‘Hmm.’

He stared at his hands. Eyes not meeting hers.

‘At the same time, I will also say that you were damn good defensively. All the tracking back, tackles, work rate, interceptions - on point. That’s a key part of your role and your team knows that. The fans can see that. Plus they smothered you every-time you touched the ball. Very physical tussle throughout. They really went for you. And the ref should have intervened sooner.’

He looked at her with such understanding and helplessness. The urge to hug him grew stronger.

‘The ref - what a stupid fuck. They should have had two red cards. See this?’

He pulled up his joggers to show her his badly bruised calf. And then his shoulder, where they had elbowed him twice. She felt like wrapping him up in a protective blanket. 

‘Oh Jude. Just put something on this ok, don’t let it be. But here is another thing - it will happen. They will come after you coz you are a key threat now. The refs won’t always intervene. You’ll need to take it in your stride and not be agitated on the field. That squaring up with the centre back - it was a yellow, you got away. Can’t react like that, can’t bump into them so aggressively. Don’t let it get to you, don’t let them win.’

He nodded absent-mindedly, still kicking himself for all his stupidities today. Her observations were bang on though. He was almost proud of her football knowledge. Not just smart in her work but an all around star. 

His grumpiness started to go down and the stiffness dissipated from his posture.

‘One last thing - what you have been doing so far is not normal. It’s the honeymoon period. You won’t score every game. A dip will come. But you will bounce back and still be great. Know why? Coz of how much you care, how much you want it, and how talented you are. If I can see it from the outside, then you must know it in your heart. Think about it, you’re 20. Last few months have been nuts. Absolute bonkers. A Ronaldo like debut even!’

That last line had the desired effect. His lips curved into a sweet smile. He knew she won’t use that analogy lightly, even for him. 

‘There he is - there’s the notorious happy boy I know.’

She smiled right back and he blew her a kiss, sending her heart reeling.

While she steadied herself, he finally noticed her surroundings.

‘Ur in office? It’s 10:30 pm.’

She groaned loudly.

‘Yup. Just sent my report. Waiting for a go ahead, then I can push off.

‘Agnes can pick you up if you want. It’s raining there no?’

‘Thanks for offering. But I will take a cab, no bother.’

‘It’s not a bother, really.’

‘Jude - I am a big girl. I’ll manage.’

She said it sweetly but firmly. He got the message. Starting to depend on him for any of these things was not what she wanted to do, so she was going to protect that space.

Ananya checked her mail again. Still no reply. She only had to wait 30 mins more then she could leave. He offered to be on call with her for that time. They spoke about random things for the next few mins - the distraction really helping them both.

Some time later, a knock on the cabin door startled her. She quickly minimised her video call screen when Arjun walked in with a cup of coffee and some cookies. Seeing that she was on a call, he left them on the table, waved at her and walked out.

Ananya watched him leave, and prayed to all gods known and unknown that Jude hadn’t seen who it was. But the silence on the line was deafening. She sighed and maximised the screen again.

The happy boy was gone. Replaced by a serious, hard face. Like someone had fouled him with a two-legged sliding tackle & run away with the ball.

‘The fuck was that?’

Jude said in a low, cold tone. Sending a chill down her back. She kept her tone steady & even in response.

‘Nothing. He’s my direct supervisor on this project. Both of us were working on this report and now we are waiting to hear back. He would have gone down to the cafeteria so just got me some coffee. That’s it. Nothing more.’

Jude only focused on a few words there - rest fell on deaf ears.

‘It’s just you two there right now?’

‘Well, on other floors there are more people. It’s investment banking after all. But on this floor, yes. Just us.’

Just us. Those words stung more than all the fouls on him that night. 

‘Does he know you are taken?’

The way he said taken sent shivers down her back, for entirely different reasons than a minute ago. His calculated, authoritative tone wasn’t helping either. 

‘We said we won’t tell anyone. So how could he know?’

‘You don’t have to tell him you are with me. But why can’t you say you are with someone? Off limits?’

He threw the logic straight back in her face. She thought about it for a few seconds. 

‘It will just invite too many questions. Too many asks for me to bring along the person at parties, get togethers blah blah. Can’t make excuses all the time, so easier to say nothing I guess.’

He turned his face away, frustrated but trying to keep a lid on it, as he thought of what to say next. But he whipped his face back at her when another unpleasant thought hit him.

‘Does he drive to work?’

She knew where this was going. He was too plain to read when he got like this. Myriad of emotions took over - she was feeling guilty, frustrated & tired at the same time. 

‘Yes. And before you ask, no, I wasn’t planning to take a ride back with him.’

‘But he has offered before, hasn’t he?’

She knew he had her beat. She wanted to protest that he was overreacting but logically and factually, he had her there. 

‘I knew it. Fuckin hate his guts I swear!’

Ananya wanted to hold him, shake him, even kiss him to make him stop talking and thinking like this. If only they were together right now.

He was thinking the same thing. If they were together, he would have grabbed her and kissed the living daylights out of her. Pouring all his frustrations into her lips.

‘Jude - you asked me to trust you. And I did. Do you not return the sentiment?’

He wanted to slam his fits on the table, but somehow held back. Didn’t she get it still?

‘Oh I trust you. It’s HIM I don’t trust.’

‘What could he do? Even if he asks me out, I will politely refuse. And we get on with our lives. How is it different from the zillion women who come on to you all the time? This is just one person.’

She was really pushing his buttons now.

‘Oh it’s different. Because that leech would be with you day and night and would think he can grow on you. Wear you down. Make you fall for him. He won’t stop trying, till he knows you are mine. Men operate like that, sweetheart. Wake up and smell the coffee.’

‘Gosh, you can be so thick. Just like all men.’

‘Excuse me?’

Was she trying to piss him off on purpose? Testing him was not a good idea tonight. 

‘Excused. Can’t you see I am not attracted to him? What will he do, some kind of voodoo to magically change my mind? In these 5 months, I have never once thought of him. Even casually. Never looked at him. And yes on paper he’s a great match for me but god damnit I don’t feel any spark there. He doesn’t make me go weak in the knees like y..’

She stopped herself just in time. His eyes watching her like a hawk. 

‘Go on.’

‘No. You don’t deserve to hear it right now.’

‘Disagree.’

‘Well you can shove your disagreement where the sun doesn’t shine.’

He smiled smugly, almost appreciatively, and leaned back in the chair, moving both arms behind his neck. Giving her a full view of his bare upper body - muscles & veins flexing & bulging at all the right places.

She knew what he was doing. And tried really hard to keep his eyes glued to his face. But her gaze wandered, making him more smug.

‘Gotta do something about that mouth of yours, no dove?’

Her lips opened and closed in vain for a comeback; he had thrown her off. 

‘Have half a mind to come straight to you when I land, wake you up in the middle of the night & keep you up. What say?’

Her skin started to feel hot and her hands gripped the edge of the chair to steady herself. 

‘Behave, pls. I am in the office.’

‘Not so sassy now, are we?’

‘As if you don’t like that.’

She whispered under her breath. 

‘Oh I love it. So much. But baby I want the sass to remain when you are wrapped around me, not just from afar.’

She sighed loudly, hating how she seemed to have no control on her senses every time she was around him. How easily he flustered her. 

‘Gosh you are just non-stop aren’t you.’

‘In every which way. You’ll find out soon.’

‘Juuuuude.’

She groaned warningly. Wondering how flushed she had gotten and how she would leave the cabin now. This boy was just too much.

At least he was smiling now. Smug, proud, conquering smile. Even that looked endearing on him, damn that prick. 

‘Okay okay. We are on for tomorrow night? My place?’

‘Yes - if no surprises at work.’

‘Cool, cya then. Let Agnes pick you up tmrw? Will be easier to enter the compound.

That seemed fair. She also noticed how he had framed it differently from earlier.

‘Ok, I will ping him directly.’

‘Great. And dove?’

‘Yes?’

He leaned in close to the screen. Soft expression. Genuine, sweet smile. Warm twinkling eyes. Handsomest of handsome face. She forgot she had been mad at him 30 seconds ago. 

‘Thanks for everything tonight. I…it was a rough day.’

She smiled from ear to ear, fighting the urge to stroke the screen of her phone where his face was. So near yet so far. 

‘Glad to see you are feeling better. Go talk to your mom now, she would be happy to see you are not in a foul mood anymore.’

45 mins were up some time ago. Still no new mail from NY, meaning she could leave now. But he somehow didn’t want to let her go. She didn’t seem to mind that either. 

It surprised him how quickly she had lifted his spirits. Just with a conversation. In the past, he would have found other outlets to channel his frustration, and a heart to heart talk would not have been in the consideration set.

But she was different. And he was also different with her. 

What he did next surprised both of them.

He leaned forward, smushed his lips against the laptop screen and kissed the spot where her face was, while making kissing noises.

Her heart skipped a couple of beats at the tenderness of the moment. And her hand went up involuntarily to stroke his face. Neither wanting to hang up still. 

But it was getting late and she wasn’t letting him arrange a ride back. So, he had to let her go.

‘Good night, babe. Ping me when you reach?’

‘Will do. Good night, Jude.’

They hung up grudgingly. Yet, neither moved from their seats. Reliving some of the moments in their heads. Tomorrow night just couldn’t come soon enough. 

...................................................................................

There you go. All this Jude content last few days drove me to write. As always, would love to hear your thoughts / comments / feedback. Hope you are liking the story & these two, lots more to come :)

[allwormdiet]

Insinuation 2.5

Let's go ahead and put that nightmare behind us, Christ

As leery as I've been of the way Brockton Bay gets described, this is actually a lot less aggravating than 1.3

It feels like there's a lot you could make out of the sharp delineations in the city's layout, the neighborhoods that stand next to each other but are night and day.

God, yes, please and thank you. Tattletale vs Winslow and Emma is a 10-0 matchup. I've known her for like five paragraphs and I'd kill for her.

So that's interesting, actually. Taylor actually doesn't need much time to puzzle out that there's something weird about the way the Undersiders operate. Two small-timers who act independently suddenly teaming up with two unknowns and dramatically changing their MOs. That and the hint that there isn't one single leader suggests an alliance of convenience or, the secret correct answer, another player pulling the strings.

I don't think Taylor's gonna arrive at that idea just yet though, we'll see.

Fantastic mental image, actually, no notes 10/10

And so a plot is formulated. I know a fair bit of how this goes.

Also "monumental betrayal" probably doesn't even cover the half of it, Taylor's flip to the Protectorate devastates the others if I remember what I've learned offhandedly.

This is cool honestly. Smart of Taylor to find a location with public internet and reach out anonymously, and then immediately thrown back in her face with a flex of Tattletale's power. And the oblique references to the cape stuff that they keep vague is fun in its own way.

I like how that sign off can either be read as Tattletale signing off with her cape name or else saying "ta ta for now"

God, I didn't even think about that escalation. Did Tattletale do that on purpose? Because if so that's clever as all hell.

"Mucho cred?" That's a real line? That's an actual phrase written in hit web serial Worm? I'm like, actually staggered from this. Mucho cred.

Fucked up that she's not even that afraid of dying in an abstract sense. Like obviously she doesn't want to die, but that urge to be a hero is clearly pushing her forward in a way that... hmm. I don't know it's going to be healthy for her.

Speaking of unhealthy, yeah, the status quo is eating her alive. She has to make a move, it's unsustainable to let the bullies continue dominating her life.

Current Thoughts

I'm with Taylor on this actually, civilian life blows let's go do cape shit

[iniziare]

Verse: Absolution (Present Timeline)

"And so I wield my blade to the very end, until the stars have been cut down from the sky. This oath I will never forsake."

With the long elaboration of what (or rather 'who') I think Jingliu's deal is with (that you can find written up in this post), I think that it's a logical progression to talk about what I want to do with it. Simply because something like potentially being given a blessing that is able to restrain the mara... wouldn't be done without reason. I don't see the Aeons as 'kind' and 'benevolent', because canon has given me no reason to think that they are.

"... but whether it be you, me, the Cloud Knights, or the generals of the Reignbow Arbiter, we are all just pawns in a game of the gods. I am sick and tired of threading on a predetermined path."

Jingliu's case was as simple as it was serious, she eventually entirely succumbed to mara due to the sheer amount of trauma tied to her history (and at the time, her 'present'), and there was no return for her. So the fact that she did come back from it, and refers to it as a ‘deal’ is immense, as she wouldn’t have been lucid enough to seek it of her own accord as she was akin to a rabid animal— it had to have been offered to her. This is why I believe it’s ‘divine intervention’. On top of that, why restrain her from the mara as best as possible, if not done for a specific purpose? No one could stand toe to toe with Jingliu in combat, not a single enemy could ever best her— so is she then not the best adversary against Yaoshi, and all denizens of the Abundance? That’s the direction that I believe they are going. As she herself states to Jing Yuan: Jingliu is a pawn, along like many others, in a game of the gods. What encapsulates this better, than to have her be lucid because of one of these gods, to fight another? But it’s not even forced on her, for I fully believe that her hatred of the Plagues Author surpasses that of anyone else’s, except Lan's themselves. And with the 2.5 trailer, I feel even more strongly that this is the case. So let me note down the details of a present-day verse. This will get edited accordingly if canon itself plays into this more firmly

One final time, as stated above: Jingliu is kept lucid not by the Ten Lords Commission's 'wine' as is shown to have been the case with Hanya (and Xueyi), there is no tie as she fled the Xianzhou while succumbed, and fell to mara even further afterwards, when she ultimately fought Jing Yuan. The reason instead, is because of Lan, who is keeping her lucid as to serve as a soldier/pawn in the battle with the Abundance. The strongest soldier that the Luofu had in its ranks.

With the 2.5 trailer out, and the seeming further confirmation that Feixiao is inherently tied to Hoolay and the Borisin (and the direct note of the Moon Rage affliction, which is an innate Borison curse), and the continuous name-dropping of Jingliu, which was now followed up with a glimpse of her— I'm relatively certain in my assumption that this is a perfect example of what Jingliu would have been kept lucid for: the protection of the Xianzhou Luofu (and the Xianzhou Alliance as a whole).

There are multiple direct ways for Jingliu to either be kept out of jail, or have her sentence altered. One is given to me by the very heavy insinuation within the 2.5 trailer, which is Feixiao's apparent betrayal of the Alliance. This is one of the Arbiter Generals, whom were all bestowed with spirits by Lan, making them formidable enemies. Once observing Jingliu's lucidity for themselves (Hua, the Marshal, and Yaoguang, the Arbiter General presiding over the Yuque), Jingliu could be designated as the person to hunt down both Hoolay (who she was responsible for defeating the first time) and Feixiao, in exchange for a lesser sentence.

But the mara? It never goes away, it never leaves her. She is pulled back to lucidity, but that is seemingly (from what I can tell), the only 'reprieve' that she gets. For example, Jingliu is still plagued by an incredibly unreliable mind that still holds memories but the details slip through her fingers like sand. When she is caught within moments of participation in intense turbulence, there is something akin to a faint blood-lust that aches under the surface— but due to the deal's restraint, she's able to step away from it, though there will be physical evidence of the difficulty that I imagine could manifest similarly to incredibly intense withdrawal symptoms. There is a reduced appetite and thirst, and there is an intense cold to her touch when the mara grows a little in intensity.

Would she be able of reclaiming the title of Sword Champion? Unlikely, as Jingliu did commit one of the Xianzhou's sins, and was erased from its living records for having done so. And though this was committed outside of her own conscious mind, she is incredibly aware and intent on accepting and facing the consequences of said sin (one could see her having to live with the mara's symptoms as an eternal suffering). Besides, there is another who might one day claim it. But to her, what it represents for her (and not in general), is... merely a title, a position, something that she once was through and through— but is no longer. It is a tragedy, but it is is also life.

[spacedragonstar]

Worm liveblog Part 2

Ark 2: Insinuation

The title makes me worry slightly. What is being insinuated, in what context? Is Taylor trying to get somewhere, is something else going on? Let’s see if I can guess at this question at some point.

2.1

Videogames certainly are a… theme. Depends entirely on the execution. Technicolor does not point to 'terrifying guy who keeps coming back from death' Congratulations on the theme though.

Man, there is clearly a lot of affection there, but they can't really communicate with each other and keep what they are actually thinking secret.

It's understandable but arrghh

2.2

I like that there are entire websites, and what seems like pretty large ones at that, that are dedicated to people with powers. Very nice bit of worldbuilding

Oh no Taylor you are going to do something stupid, aren't you?

2.3

I feel like the combination of causing severe harm to someone, as well as damaging school property should get people expelled.

Then again, I know nothing about US schools.

I hate this helplessness of never being able to do anything at all and if you ever do fight back, chances are that no one takes your side.

Oh fuck no!

2.4

I want to just punch all the bullies.

Hmmm, I wonder if the teacher is planning on doing anything or if he's genuinely just ignoring this. Because he could interfere right now without making Taylor look even worse.

Oh, that's what happened to her mom.

Aw, their friendship was so nice and now it's just a vulnerability. I kinda wonder if the reason for them breaking apart is really just this weird social pressure thing or whatever else it is that makes people turn against you or if there is some other reason for it.

I can see her reasoning for never even attempting to use her powers. Not sure how smart of an idea it is to treat the superheroing as escapism.

2.5

I'm excited and worried about meeting the gang from the fight with Lung.

Tattletale seems to know a lot of things, which would be very dangerous in case of a potential conflict.

Oh boy, we are doing this now.

How badly could this possibly go?

[xplrvibes]

i don’t even remember why i got to intrigued by this drama also considering outside of yt i have no interest in snc but i guess the tea was too hot to avoid lol it’s definitely playing out how you predicted and i kept agreeing with your analysis. especially in terms of colby. thru this drama ive learnt he’s a serial dater, an eternal bachelor if you will, so people getting their socks in a tangle over this one girl is so funny.

I think there are a couple of reasons why people are so upset about this girl in particular, besides the usual reasons that people get mad when they find out Colby isn't home alone sadly staring at a window and thinking of them lol.

I think this one is also upsetting because they've never had the added bonus of having Sam out there in the dating pool mix as well, and the fact that Sam's girl and Colby's girl are a package deal and now all four of them are going for dates together and being seen out on the town is throwing everything into even more chaos. I think subconsciously, some people may be seeing this as Colby "bringing Sam down to his level," and that just can't do cause Sam was supposed to be the one who got married to Kat and had the 2.5 kids and the apartment in the basement for Uncle Colby to live in and now everything is topsy turvy lol.

It doesn't help that you've got mlp throwing herself into the mix and being upset about Colby having a dating life that doesn't include her, either, so now all the people that bought into her years' long insinuations that her and Colby were soulmates and end game are all pissed off cause he ruined that too, lol.

So yea...its just a mess lol. All this cause the boys wanted to have some fun and date. 🤣

[dreambop]

Worm reading update #3 (2.5)

Yep, I binged the first five chapters of Insinuation cause they're really fast paced.

Taylor' school life is depressing; I guess there's more to the bullies' backstory I don't know yet, but as of yet I think they're written well, I'm hating them lol; it's good that Taylor is not attacking them with her power and I HOPE SHE CONTINUES THIS WAY!

The parahumans.net part was fun, I hope the internet is further explored in the series. Tattletale is scary lol.

[meltotheany]

hello, friends! how are you doing? i know it’s been a little bit since i’ve done a blog post, but i went to michigan very improtu in august and stayed throughout september to be with my family! it was honestly a much needed, and very happy, trip! and i feel like it was just a much needed reset for me overall, too! but my family is doing well, and i feel so thankful i got to go into fall with them this year! but because of that, i haven’t been reading as much as i normally do! but i am still here today to talk about and review the eight things that i did read these last two months! ❤️ ✨ Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (reread) 1.) Throne of Glass ★★ 2.) Crown of Midnight ★★★★ .5) The Assassin’s Blade ★★★ 3.) Heir of Fire ★★★★ “I’ll bleed whatever color you tell me to.” maybe it’s because i know the end of this story, but the way i was foaming at the mouth during the manon and dorian scenes. who am i? when did i become this? okay, that just had to be addressed whatever this feeling was quickly, but let me move on. QoS is the book i remember being my favorite in this series, so i went into it with some really high hopes, which all got met while also exceeding any and all expectations simultaneously. this reread truly was hitting differently, and i really am not sure why, but i am very tempted to give this five stars. i think what is holding me back is that part one feels like a three star read, and those three stars are completely because of manon and lysandra. but part two? now, that feels like a six star read to me. i feel like this is already treading on spoiler territory, so i don’t want to say too much more, but i really think sarah just writes such good characters that are a true joy to follow and cheer for. and i will always just love seeing girls get their revenge, even if that revenge comes in many different forms, and shapes, and ways. extra bonus moments i loved this reread: aelin saying manon is the most beautiful person she’s ever seen (oh, what could have been), asterin (also one of the best side characters sjm has ever written), chaol’s “you deserve to be happy”, elide’s heritage (and every scene with her and manon tbh), kaltain and her piece of a warm cloak in a cold dungeon (i am actually tearing up while typing that), a ghost leopard (and some much deserved territory). trigger + content warnings: possession, loss of a loved one, grief, slavery, violence, gore, blood, murder, death, vomit, captivity, talk of forced breeding / rape, a lot of insinuation of rape, talk of pregnancy, talk of still birth, torture, captivity, medical experimentation, a suicide mission (sacrifice of life) ✨ Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5) by Brandon Sanderson ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .) The Way of Kings ★★★★★ 2.) Words of Radiance ★★★★★ 2.5) Edgedancer ★★★★ 3.) Oathbringer ★★★★★ 4.) Rhythm of War ★★★★★ i did this reread of this novella just for a little extra refresher before wind and truth drops this december, and i am very glad that i did! We follow some new and old characters on a new expedition going to an island, to heal one of the best creature companions, and maybe also looking for an oathgate, while someone on this sailing crew could maybe be sabotaging the mission as well. but my favorite part of this was reading about two characters with disabilities that have changed their lives, finding normalcy on their own, but also finding a bond and understanding on a different level together. for me, it was really beautiful, and i don’t want to go too far here, but i do personally feel like brandon is truly putting in an effort and consistently writing good disability representation (again, this is just my opinion but i do appreciate seeing it, and seeing a range of it both physically and mentally, throughout the stormlight series in particular) !! this is a really beautiful story, but this is filled with lots of cosmere lore, which is why i think i...

[ghsheet]

Over GH¢2.5 billion: List of judgment debts awarded against Ghana since 2017

Over GH¢2.5 billion: List of judgment debts awarded against Ghana since 2017

If there is any other thing hindering Ghana’s development aside from corruption and misappropriation, it should be judgment debts. While it's common to hear about the millions of Ghana cedis in state funds that are reported as misappropriated or stolen in audit reports, it seems that the staggering losses the country faces through judgment debts often go unnoticed. These judgment debts are awarded against the country because of the actions and inactions of government functionaries, including the reckless cancellation of Ghana’s contractual obligations. The manner in which some of the contracts that cause the judgement debts are cancelled and the persons involved in the arbitrations often lead to insinuations of proponents of the government colluding with private individuals to “create, loot, and share” the nation’s scarce resources.

[wish-upon-a-dying-star]

So. I’m not good enough. Hah. Shocker, right?

How long have you been talking to them… or does that even matter? Do you tell them all the sweet little things you used to say to me? Or do you only text them when you’re horny now too?

It stings.. yknow? But it makes sense. You had to specify that I was your favorite girl, that nobody else came close. I thought you were being sweet, but you actually meant there were others in your life.

How many are there? I don’t care. How long have you been talking to them? It doesn’t matter. Am I not enough for you? It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything’s perfectly fine.

You can’t deny it, yknow. I have the screenshots. But you can’t even admit it to me, can you? Why are they also only 18, huh? Are you aware that you’re about to turn 28? And the people whose dm’s you’ve been sliding into are all about a decade younger than you? Myself included??

When we first started talking, I was 17. You said it was fine. Not like we were dating or hooking up. Oh, but all of our conversations were so sexual. All of them. Every. Single. One. You didn’t even know my name up until less than a month ago. Jackass.

And to think I was going to drive 2.5 hours to meet you halfway. To finally see you in person. 2.5 hours as a teenage girl going to an area that she knows nothing about. To meet a man a decade older than her. By herself. Hell, you’ve insinuated multiple times that I should come the full 5 hours to just go to your house.

I am 18. You are almost 28. And I’m supposed to drive 5 hours away. Completely alone. In an area known for girls my age going missing. Are you fucking serious??

You stalked me online for months, trying to find out as much info on me as you could. Kudos for the little tidbits you got here and there, I have hardly anything online to find in the first place. Y’know what you could’ve done instead? FUCKING ASK ME.

You could’ve asked me my name. My hobbies. If I had a job. Where I go to school. But no. You couldn’t do that. You just went to another damn level and tried to stalk my online presence instead.

How could I let myself fall for another man like you? I’ll never learn my lesson. How many times does it have to happen before I finally get it through my thick skull? I won’t ever learn. I don’t think I’m capable.

And so here I am. Fucking heartbroken over a romance that never truly existed.

[bookishbethanyerin]

• ARC Review: The Ones We Fight For •

Rom-dram enthusiasts: this one’s for you.

The story follows Walker and Talia, two twentysomethings whose lives are uprooted after a fatal drunk driving accident – Talia moves across the country to run the grocery store she inherited while Walker moves in with his five(!!!) nieces and nephews. And when the two of them meet, sparks and emotions fly.

It’s an incredibly mature love story – Walker and Talia are both reeling and in need of help as they take on responsibilities they never imagined. And though they’re attracted to each other, neither thinks the other is interested – plus, there’s all the baggage and trauma around the reasons why they’ve even met in the first place, and the mental and emotional healing they both need to focus on. So, yes, this is an *extreme* slow burn. But when the spice kicks in it is scalding and worth the wait.

There are places in the book where I found the pacing to be a little bit slow, and there’s a very minor plot line involving one of Walker’s nephews that is heavily insinuated but ultimately left unresolved that I’ve found myself hyperfixated on (this is listed as the first book in a series, so maybe that story will be the next book??) – but really, those are pretty minor quibbles.

Overall, The Ones We Fight For is an impressive debut that deftly navigates heavy emotional storylines – grief, trauma, mental health, alcohol abuse – while also delivering laugh-out-loud moments, a well-developed and diverse cast of characyers, burning tension, and a whole lot of heart.

3.75🌟

2.5🌶️

🛒A massive thank to you Katie Golightly for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy! The Ones We Fight For releases on April 18th🌲

[rlmfanfic]

So William Shatner is taking his one-sided feud with Red Letter Media to new heights... and by “heights,” I do (of course) mean lows.

Over the last few days, a new thread has popped up on Shatner’s Twitter. Basically, someone tweeted at Mark Hamill that he should consider going on RLM sometime because everyone’s-least-favorite-crazy Grampa (Shatner) continues to be so terrible toward them.

What happens next is just so damn bizarre... Shatner tells Hamill not to do it because RLM “alienates” and “harasses” celebrities and that the lads are blocked (on Twitter) by major movie studios. He then insinuates that when RLM tells their fans NOT to harass Shatner, he knows that they really intend the opposite. (THOSE DEVIOUS BASTARDS!)

Shatner also gets in a tiff with a fan wherein he shows his own research on YouTube monetization to prove RLM are rich sell-outs  and.... well this is just total yikes....

William Shatner posted the statistics for the cost of living in Milwaukee, WI to his 2.5 million followers to prove that the RLM fellas are living like mid-level Saudi princes off of that fat YouTube cash. 

Captain Kirk has been consumed by his hatred of Red Letter Media. What a time to be alive.

[all-about-seggs]

Sultry Blues-

Rating: ❌18+, Explicit❌

Pairing : Gojo Satoru x Insecure! Fem Reader

Word count: 2.5 k

Warnings: Trigger warning for insecurities (not specified), Body Worshipping, a bit of food play, cunnilingus, Semi-public sex.

The faint sounds of ringing bells from the shrine was still in the air as you made your way to the inner structure of the prestigious Jujutsu academy. The path to the meeting room was straight and lined with stone carvings which gave the entire place an ancient look. You had a lunchtime date with your boyfriend, who would, hopefully be on time so you could be on your way.

This place always made you uneasy, not because of the dangerous connotations it brought in everyone’s lives but it was the people who freaked you out the most. To you, each one of the teachers as well as the students looked like some characters straight from a book, elegant, strong and perfectly capable of doing things normal people like you could only read about. Not having enough confidence on yourself physically or mentally worsened every time it dawned on you that you were dating the most perfect being of them all.

Perplexing wouldn’t even began to describe your state of mind when Satoru first took interest in you, sure looks or status didn’t meant anything to him but even in terms of personality you never thought the two of you would get along, so much so that you would become such an irreplaceable part of each other. But you knew his feelings for you did nothing to stop the ache in your heart when you saw him getting ganged up on by a bunch of women. Women attractive than you, smarter than you and definitely stronger than you.

This was exactly the place where all those kind of women lived making you feel even more of an outsider in his world. Not wanting to cause Satoru any worries you tried to psyche yourself up by picking up your pace only to be met with a hard shoulder to your cheek.

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking”, you looked up at the stranger, she was tall, her sturdy figure seemed like she was also a sorcerer but her ID pass was tucked on the breast pocket of her coat along with her youthful face indicated she was a student, you squinted to see that her name was Lisa and as you were about to apologise when you saw her sneer at you.

“ Ugh… outsiders. Don’t you know how to walk properly? Or did you not learn that in your no name school?”, her condescending tone took you aback.

You knew you didn’t exactly belong here but she wasn’t cutting you any slack for being a civilian either. You wanted to ask her why was she being so rude but your queries were cut off as by the girl.

“ No need to explain yourself I already know who you are, I’ve seen you following Gojo- San like a lost puppy a lot of times, seriously it’s like you don’t even have a presence without him.”, with a pause you finally thought her pointless berating would come to a stop but she went on.

“ He has a reputation to uphold here so don’t go around embarrassing him with your airheaded and average looking face”, now with THAT she crossed the line but as much as you wanted to give her a comeback all you anger turned into self loathing in a matter of seconds and you stood there dumbly not being able to defend yourself from the onslaught of verbal attacks that even you partially agreed with.

Not even bothering to look at her when she passed you thought about her mean words that were half untrue. You knew dating a popular guy would include more that just a little bit harmless envy of girls. At this point you’d be lucky if you didn’t get attacked by one of your boyfriend’s fangirl. But, It wasn’t about Satoru anymore, you thought. It was about how you were letting the jealousy of his superficial admirers who didn’t even knew only knew his name and face. Before you could delve more into your darkening thoughts you heard a cheery voice call out to you.

Bag at hand, which probably contained some sort of dessert you saw Satoru gleefully making his way towards you. It took you a few seconds to plaster a believable smile to your face so you could greet him normally.

“ Wow I can’t believe IM the one who had to wait around this time”, placing a tiny kiss on your nose he pulled you in for a hug, his warmth seeping into you put your mind at ease and help you distract yourself from the horrible encounter before.

“ The meeting was pointless and even the snacks turned out to be lame”, whining a little he waved the bag in front of you. A convenient store vanilla sponge cake with a packet of strawberry sauce was right in front of you and honestly if it were you, you’d probably eat it without question but knowing his love for quality sweets it was understandable why he’d complain.

“ Well actually, with the right toppings and modifications even convenient store packed cakes can taste top class!”, thinking about all the ways you’ve experimented watching diy food videos you started thinking up of ways to serve it to him.

“I see, that’s a good idea and I think it’ll give us some headstart for our date wouldn’t it?”, saying that he gestured you towards one of the buildings that lead to the back exit.

Walking hand in hand Satoru came to a stop which seemed like a closed off gate that was not in use anymore.

“ Why are we here? I thought the back exit was the other way around?”, confusion painted over you face you turned to face your mischievous partner.

“ you said you’d help me eat them, and I think it’s a pretty good place, don’t you?”, stepping closer he urged you to take a look around. The area didn’t have any benches, buildings or even people around and the only sound you could hear was the birds and the small artificial streams of river that flowed a few steps away from the closed off exit.

If Satoru was insinuating something you started to get the hang of it and you soon felt you face get hotter. The afternoon sun did nothing to help you cool down as you struggled to make sense of the situation. His hands were all over your body, caressing, pinching and feeling you up.

“ What’s wrong? Not up for it in semi public style?”, his breathy voice got lost in the crook of you neck where he inhaled your scent, “ you know nobody’s gonna come” with a slight push, he pinned you againt the vine-covered gate, “Except for you”.

“what the- WAIT! It’s still so bright out here not to mention we’re in PUBLIC Satoru!”, wide eyed you try to grab at his hand that was halfway done unbuttoning the top of your blouse.

“Do you want me to blindfold you?”, throwing these words nonchalantly he started licking every bit of exposed skin he could find from your ears to chest.

His mouth made contact with your covered breasts and without bothering to remove the piece of clothing he latched his mouth onto your hardened nipple to give it a gentle bite. Holding back your own moans you placed you hands on his broad shoulders, a feeble attempt at stopping him.

“How would THAT resolve anything?!” already half naked, your retorts seemed like pathetic excuses even to your own ears. It wasn’t until you heard a sharp rip that you realised your underwear was no longer on your body anymore. With a horrified look you saw your unusable underwear in Satoru’s hand.

“ I don’t think you’ll be needing these anymore my sweetness because I want to see ALL of you”, dangling the fabric from his long fingers he made a show of tucking it in his pocket. Hiking your skirt up with one hand he caressed the soft flesh with his thumbs.

“I knew you had no sense of danger but this could even get us arrested”, your reasoning seemed to fell on deaf ears as your boyfriend, already half way down on the ground, pulled his blindfold down with ease. Looking at up at you with his ethereal turquoise eyes that lied beneath strips of heavy white eyelashes, this part of his face was something you couldn’t see all the time.

“You’re beautiful……”, the genuine nature of his words felt unreal when compared to his everyday frivolous self, “at least I’ve always thought so”.

All the voices in the place except for his, got drowned out by the throbbing of your heart in your chest when he kneeled right in front of your crotch. The warm smile on his lips contradicted with his tantalizing actions but he enjoyed it precisely because of that.

“Open your legs a bit more y/n, I need more space to eat”, with his haughty smirk back he exposed more of your pussy with his fingers and dribbled the strawberry sauce over it until it started trickling down to the ground underneath it.

“This looks like a good dessert, waaay better than the one I was offered before”, making one last smartass comment he threw the now empty packet away and your sugar coated pussy was soon met with Satoru’s soft, warm tongue as he buries his face in it. His tongue worked it’s way beneath the layer of your pussy hair and down to the soft flabby skin underneath. Your natural slick combined with the dressing sauce tasted even sweeter in his mouth, the pleasant hums falling uncontrollably from his mouth made you wetter.

All the blemishes, scars and your self imposed flaws started melting into something more complete and unbreakable in its nature when you felt Satoru touching you, feeling you and tasting you from the inside and out.

His warm hands firmly gripped your thighs to lap at the soft peak in between. All the sensations his tongue was providing you made your vision turn black and your body heated up to the point of burning. The broad daylight and your exposed form added to the fear of being found out but your trust in your boyfriend outweighed everything so you let him have his way.

“ Hmmm, yeah y/n…”, the exaggeratingly loud slurping of his mouth came to a stop as he looked up at you, his pink lips glistening even more when he spoke, “Even this cheap stuff tastes better when I eat it directly from you”.

You were a panting mess, already having lost the ability to make coherent words you kept you eyes on Satoru as rose to his feet.

“ Let’s move on to the next part shall we?”, after smoothening out your skirt of you he held out his hand and your need for release took over all rhyme and reason so you put one of your shaking hand in his. The next few moments were confusing as a white light enveloped both of your forms and by the time your vision returned you found yourself in an unknown room.

The place itself was nothing out of the ordinary, some books, a cupboard and a vanity. The single bed near the curtained window was properly made. It was clearly not Satoru’s room but the neatness of the place also suggested that it wasn’t an unused room either.

“ Hey we’re are we?”, you question the white haired male when he casually made his way to switch on the lights.

“Don’t worry we’re still in the academy premises, you wanted to finish this right? And I didn’t wanted to go another second with hearing your pretty voice, so you can scream now,” his voice dangerously low, he held your arms in both of his hands and guided you to the single bed in the corner.

“ and I didn’t meant that as a request”, flat on your back you had no time for further questioning as your exposed cunt got filled to the brim in a single thrust. The stretch made you cry out and remembering Satoru’s previous warning you didn’t bother covering your mouth. The light in the room was enough for him to see all of you, even if he had all of you memorized at the back of since the first time.

Your twisted face that you’d consider ugly was nothing if not arousing to him from the kneeling position of his at the edge of the bed, endearing even at how the side of your eyes well up everytime he fucked you so hard, the creaking of the bed acted as a proof of his brutal pace that threatened to break the furniture.

Each powerful thrust of his made your entire body lurch from its position, your juices flowed endlessly down your thighs, on Satoru’s cock and down to the sheets. Your voice ricocheted off the walls and gave life to the entire building.

Having your orgasm cut off before, the anticipation that had build up made your upcoming release feel even ore intense. Your walls started clenching around his shaft, already feeling waves of ecstasy you waited for it to reach its peak.

“ Y/n...Come for me”, in between his grunts he placed on of his hand on the side of your head, lowering himself till your noses touched. Breaths intermingling, you came with a loud cry of his name. Euphoria spreaded through both of your bodies making a gush of liquid come out of your pussy when Satoru pulled out, both of your mess soiled the sheet.

Few minutes of silence passed by as a fully clothed Satoru sat beside you, stroking your head until you calmed down.

“ Hey y/n?”, abruptly his cheeky tone filled the room and you looked up at him questioningly,

“ Wanna take a pic? ya'know, as a momento”, the odd question made you come to an obvious conclusion, which now seemed obvious considering your boyfriend’s not so secret rebellious nature and with how much of a brat he can be it was nothing short of hilarious.

“ It’s Lisa’s room isn’t it?”, barely controlling your laughter you tried to pry an answer out of him, the soothing motion of his hands never coming to a stop he took out his phone with another.

“ Yeah, it is, I’d say it’s an excellent way of showing her our ‘bond’ dontcha think?”, his cringey answer made you burst into laughter. The first real smile he’d seen on your face since you got here was something Satoru wanted to be a constant thing, always there when he wanted to see it just like a still photograph.

Bending his face down his lips softly met your forehead and before you could open your eyes back up you heard the click of the camera go off.

“ Heh, so how is it?”, propping yourself up on your elbows you tried to peak at the screen but it was pulled out of sight just as quickly.

“ It’s perfect”, with a warm smile that reached all the way to his eyes Satoru put his phone down before peering into your eyes, “and it’s mine”.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

So, in Brazilian politics and arts news, the country’s Chamber of Deputies is going to discuss this week the Paulo Gustavo Law, which transfers R$ 3.8 billion (~US$ 740 million) to minimize the damage of the covid-19 pandemic in Brazil’s artistic scene.

[Image description: Paulo Gustavo.]

Drafted by deputy José Guimarães, from the Workers’ Party (PT), the Complementary Law Project (PLP) 73/21 is nicknamed after actor and comedian Paulo Gustavo, who died from the new coronavirus in 2021 at the age of 42. It has been approved by the Senate and now moves to the Chamber of Deputies.

It follows the guidelines of the Aldir Blanc Law (which gave emergency aid to the cultural sector, paralyzed by the pandemic last year) to promote the sector, and releases R$ 3 billion (~US$ 580,000) from the National Culture Fund (FNC) to states and municipalities for emergency support of audiovisual productions, movie theaters, film clubs, shows, festivals, and training actions.

A survey released by UNESCO in December 2020 showed that, in the Brazilian art scene that year, about 44% of organizations terminated all their workers in the period. The performing arts area, for example, was the most compromised, because 63% of professionals recorded a total loss of revenue. To calculate the impact, the survey heard people throughout the national territory.

The bill has widespread support amongst the opposition to the federal government, but is criticized by the government base.

“We have the report ready since December 16th.”, said Guimarães, recalling the popular pressure surrounding the bill. There is an immense mobilization of all workers and those who make up Brazilian culture.”

“We've been making an immense effort in Brazil, Brazilian society, the women and men who make up the culture of Brazil, so that Brazilian culture can actually be promoted.”, said deputy Jandira Feghali (Communist Party of Brazil - PCdoB) in plenary. 

“Nearly a million workers lost their jobs.”, defended Paulo Paim (PT). “Culture needs to be fostered, either with the support of the government or the private sector. It is employment and income that is being created right now. It's more revenue for states and municipalities.”

On the other hand, government leader in the Senate Fernando Bezerra Coelho (Brazilian Democratic Movement party - MDB) said that states and municipalities still have a balance of R$ 628 million (~US$ 122.19 million) of the R$ 3 billion (~US$ 580,000) released by the Aldir Blanc Law.

“Just to give you an idea, the Aldir Blanc Law already has commitments of around R$ 3 billion.”, he said. “Even without the Audiovisual Law and the Rouanet Law [both which reward companies with tax reliefs if they invest in cultural projects], we already have R$ 1.4 billion (~US$ 270 million). It is also important to highlight the emergency credit line, in the amount of R$ 400 million (~US$ 77.83 million). In the Special Support Program for Small Exhibitors, we have another R$ 8.5 million (~US$ 1.65 million). And, from plans already approved or through exemption from the Rouanet Law, we have another R$ 2.5 billion (~US$ 490 million).”

Thus, he says there will be difficulties in implementing this new law.

Deputy (and son of president) Flávio Bolsonaro (Patriot party) claims the bill is unconstitutional, weakening the federal Secretary of Culture, and, along with deputy Carlos Jordy (Social Liberal Party - PSL), says it will make corruption and embezzlement from governors and mayors easier.

Mario Frias, special secretary of Culture of the Bolsonaro government, during a social media livestream criticizing the proposal, insinuated that Paulo Gustavo did not die from Covid-19. He claimed that he called a friend of the comedian when he was still in the ICU last year, and that she would have told the secretary that his problem had long stopped being Covid. Also according to him, President Jair Bolsonaro would have contacted the actor's family and made himself available to help.

Sources: x, x, x, x

[elveny]

The Mess 2.5 - a Summary

After @visceralcoma​ answered an ask with a great summary of what happened during The Mess 1.0, I thought it might be of interest to some what is currently going on in the DA fandom and how it is escalating to an extent that has long left the area where you can just shrug it off and roll your eyes.

This time, there is no singular event that kicked the whole thing off, no callout post. Instead, multiple creators have been targeted with specific harassment and threats. It got so noticeable that themessaccural even made a post, warning people about it. However, the timing and tone of a lot of these anon hate messages are so suspiciously similar that many believe - me among them - that there is a specific group behind it who has set out to bully various people out of the fandom and potentially off tumblr completely.

One of those elements that leads many to believe that this is a contiuation of The Mess 1.0 is that many of the creators that have been targeted create sexually explicit content for Cullen. Sound familiar? Indeed. (Why Cullen? Why indeed.)

Spoiler: No, it’s not about proper tagging.

Just to make it clear: I do not know whether the same group that started The Mess 1.0 is responsible for this second wave of horribleness nor do I want to insinuate that they are. Chances are that these are completely different people who jumped on the bandwagon. I am, however, sure that these events are linked and that the current happenings are a direct result of the Mess 1.0. Which is why I (and others) have dubbed and tagged it The Mess 2.0 and/or The Mess 2.5.

The harassment has reached an extent that crosses very much so into hate speech and direct threats. I will put the rest of this behind a readmore since it might be upsetting to some people.

TW for rape threats, harassment, hate speech, ageism, ableism, trans- and homophobia, suicide.

Yes, it’s that bad.

Kinktober and Spite Smut

Similar to what Inktober is for artists, Kinktober or similar prompt lists (Fictober, Whumptober etc) is for writers. I am singeling out Kinktober because that seems to be what kickstarted the harassment. Kinktober, of course, is about writing 31 posts with smutty content. After The Mess 1.0, the low-key drama about depicting or writing Cullen in a sexual - more so in a dominant sexual - role has never quite stopped, and it had reached a point where people have had enough.

Hence, the content with Cullen specifically was on a rise. It actually brought several people to write so-called “Spite Smut”, basically as a counter movement to the demands to stop “hypersexualizing” Cullen. Most of these fics and one-shots showed him as the dominant person in the pairing, several explored him in an Avvar!AU. None of those that I saw in the Spite Smut tag were exploring actually dark themes like rape or sexual assault. It was enough, however, to start the first wave of harassment.

People started to get anon hate telling them to “stop writing”, that “nobody cared about them anyway”, that they were “disgusting”. Among them Kunstpause, tessa1972 and roguelioness. Note: these are not the only anon asks that were received, but not all were published.

Not only that, but artists that created smutty content were both getting hateful anons too and getting mass-reported, to an extent that blogs like faelavellan and eccentriccoffeebird were either flagged completely or even shut down. Eccentriccoffeebird wrote here about it.

After your-local-reaver spiralled the whole thing with a frankly disgusting (and untagged!) post (see here incl. response by visceralcoma), several accusations have been made that smut hasn’t been tagged properly or at all and people who only skimmed the discourse assumed that that was all the uproar was about - which it is not, as has been thoroughly discussed here.

The Ageism

Curiously parallelI to the whole thing, this video and the corresponding discussion popped up. In summary: Women over 30 should stop embarrassing themselves by participating in fandom and go back into the kitchen and feed the kids. As can be expected this clear attack on women 30+ in fandom and especially on women 30+yo who enjoyed the Cullen romance (a man who is in DAI canonically 30+yo...) was that one point too many. A lot of women spoke up, refusing to back away from content they enjoyed and feeling very much attacked (and rightly so.)

However, if you thought it might stop at ageism or Cullen... you’re wrong. Parapadigm summed it up pretty nicely. Weird-in-thedas and viseralcoma also had good addendums.

It gets personal and threatening.

Obviously, the harassment campaign did not work or stop. And so it got personal. Accusing cartadwarfwithaheartofgold of trans- and homophobia for supporting a discord server for bisexuals, pansexuals, nonbinaries and aspecs. Starting off mildly with asking kunstpause to write for Solavellan rather than other pairings then doubling down with telling me to get another writing partner so “I’d not be dragged down by someone getting theirs”. 

By now, people were reaching out, talking about how they feel unsafe in the fandom, have lost all joy in it, others about how triggering the whole Mess is and how it brought people to the brink of breakdown or even suicide - in fact that they had received anons that demanded they’d kill themselves. Visceralcoma is still getting asks by anons talking about the whole thing; as is weird-in-thedas. (The emotional labor those two go through to chronicle this whole thing, to be open for asks and people just needing to talk is extraordinary. Thank you, both of you.)

In the following days, there were more and more hateful anons that just got deleted without being answered. It got so bad, hate-filled and personal (TW for ableism) that kunstpause and many others shut off anon. What happened? Throwaway accounts were made to continue the harassment. Today, kunstpause received concrete threats (TW FOR RAPE THREATS) - again, while the same account parallely messaged me.

This is a deliberate campaign and try to get people to do what the harassers want.

I am sure others who I have not mentioned and know about have received similar things, as I am sure that many who have received such messages chose not to publish them. As I wrote somewhere else already:

These are people who are actively working on making fandom unsafe, triggering, harmful, and exclusive. These are people that are actively and consciously trying to harm others.

What next? I am going to take steps to protect myself from the probably inevitable backlash this is going to get, just like others have.

Apart from that, let me direct you to this post about anon hate by spreadthedaloveanon, this post about what to do when your friends are hateful by cartadwarfwithaheartofgold.

Be safe, be weary, be nice to each other. I hope we’ll get past this without losing more people.