#It really does just come down to “I don't have the knowledge base” though

[mountainofhistory]

Okay, so just to be clear, when I say I don't know enough I really mean I do not even know the things I don't know. It's something that comes up in almost every print work (especially Lotus Eaters, for obvious reasons) and frequently in some of the games as well. Did you know Sanae tends to avoid drinking and this almost starts a fight with Reimu? Did you know a small amount of oni sake makes you hallucinate even if you're a tengu (who are second only to the oni in drinking capacity)? Did you know each of the oni devas have a special drinking dish that can do magical things?

Now I know those things but I don't know what I don't know, and for all I know it could be a hell of a lot. That's why I say I don't know enough to be able to make a post like that. Especially since I'm also not Japanese and have little baseline knowledge of alcohol culture in Japan.

[alchemistc]

Tommy has a bad date and goes to visit Abby at her loft, only shocker, Abby left months ago and The Himbo is staring at him from the other side of the door.

He tips his chin. Raises an eyebrow. Scans down, back up, just in time to meet the kids eyes.

"U - uh hi?"

He gets it immediately. What would have drawn Abby in despite the age difference, despite the knowledge that all her friends and family were gonna give her shit, despite -

Well. He's fucking adorable, for a start. Bright bright blues eyes that look like maybe they're always a little wet, the foundation for a really great muscle base, even though he clearly hasn't figured out how to balance cardio and weight lifting, pink full lips, an adorably puppy-dog slash to his face, legs for fucking days. God. Yeah okay. Tommy'd been younger than Abby too but not this young.

"Is Abby home?"

Something strange crosses his face. Confusion, upset, maybe some genuine pain. He shakes his head, opens his mouth. Snaps it shut. Tommy's had a shitty night and honestly for a second he thinks making the look on this kids face go away for a few minutes would fix him.

"Patricia?" Tommy asks, because maybe at least Pat will be lucid enough to sit and with him and mope to the tune of whatever's on Hallmark.

The kid swallows, brows knitting together. "She uh. She passed. A - a few months ago now."

Tommy has to dig his nails into his palms to keep himself from being rude as hell. Sure, things with Abby hadn't ended great but Christ he'd loved Patricia. She could have at least sent him a fucking pigeon. Smoke signals. Something. It's not this kids fault though.

"And Abby ...?"

This kid doesn't know him from Adam. He'd have every right to kick Tommy off the welcome mat and shut the door. Something sad and vulnerable crosses his face. "Are you Tommy?"

Tommy's brow jumps. His posture shifts. "Cross my heart I'm not here to steal her back from you." He doesn't know what Abby's told people. He'd promised he wouldn't do what he'd done to her to another person and left it at that. They'd been together for years and Tommy honestly doesn't know if she'd go the bitter route and tell everyone, or if she'd be ashamed and hide it.

The kid laughs, watches Tommy's fingers make an x over his left pec. The face falls after a moment. "I - uh - I actually don't think she's coming back," he says, choked up just a bit, rising inflection on the end of his sentence. The wet eyes look a little watery now. "S -she went to find herself after her mom died and I don't think - I don't think I'm gonna be a part of whatever she finds."

Yeah. Fixing him will definitely make Tommy forget how terrible his date with Frank had been.

"Can I buy you a drink, kid?"

He blinks. Swallows. Does a piss poor job of hiding the way he's feeling, and Tommy wishes he remembered how to be so open. "Evan. Buck. I - Evan Buckley."

Tommy nods. Grins. "Kind of a mouthful. You mind if I just call you Evan?"

Something passes across his face. He takes a step back. "Uh - if you're serious, I would - that'd be - I just have to grab my wallet?"

Tommy shrugs. He'd offered to pay, but it's entirely possible he still gets carded at bars. "I've got time."

Evan opens the door wider. Gestures him in. Tommy passes the threshold and takes in the space. It looks fucking exactly the same. Evan hasn't made a mark on this place at all.

Tommy's got no room to resent Abby, but if he did...

Evan reappears in record time. He's changed his shirt.

Tommy is absolutely not going to read into that.

"You like craft beer, Evan?"

Evan pulls a face, and Tommy laughs, letting himself be ushered right back out the door. His keyring, Tommy notices, only has a house key and a car key.

Tommy slaps him on the back. "Fine, I won't subject you to my refined palette. I know a place that has a PB&J special."

Evan's stride is fucking ridiculous, as he keeps an easy pace with Tommy down the hall. He turns his face, his body, fully into the space Tommy occupies. Tommy's just waiting for him to trip over his own goddamn legs. "W-what uh - what's a PB&J?"

He already looks brighter than he had five minutes ago.

If Tommy were a shittier person, he'd spend the night trying to to get straight into his pants.

"Pabst and a shot of Jameson?"

He blinks. "Oh. Hey, that's clever. Sorry, when I bartended all the drinks were either in Spanish or some hokey touristy lingo. I mean I memorized like a thousand drinks but no one ever ordered them."

He's honest to god pouting as he says it. Tommy wants to bite that bottom lip.

He babbles all the way down the elevator, across the parking garage to Tommy's truck. Doesn't even pretend to make a fuss about driving separately. Tommy's a virtual fucking stranger and Evan just hops right in the passenger side and asks him about his license plate.

"No shit? I'm at the 118!" Evan says, and Tommy forces himself not to make the joke about stranger danger he'd been planning. That's an awful coincidence, unless it's not. Maybe a few drinks in he'll feel a little less tight lipped about the Abby of it all. Maybe this kid will do just as good a job of patching Tommy's night as Tommy plans to patch his.

He barely stops to breathe the short drive to the bar, and Tommy can already tell he's in way over his fucking head.

After he drops him off, tucks him into bed if he needs it, he's pretty sure he's gonna have some choice words for Abby.

Until then, he's gonna spend the next few hours doing everything he possibly can to keep the sad look off his face.

[spacedace]

So I have an idea for a dp x dc fic and I'm going to throw it here since i need to get it out of my head and i'm not sure i'll ever actually write it (and as always if anyone finds my rambles interesting any/all of it us up for grabs to run with):

Elle ends up crashing into the DC universe while exploring, but despite all the dimension/multivariate nonsense that always goes down (or maybe because of it) she can't actually get back, and the levels of ectoplasm are a lot lower than most dimensions which weakens her quite a bit.

There's enough for her to survive, and use her powers a little bit, but using them too much makes her get really weak/maybe even causes serious harm depending on how much she uses.

She finds this out when she tries to open a portal home and both fails to open the portal & passes out as a result of trying. Cut to Elle waking up in Cadmus and realizing "ah, fucked up unethical science, I am familiar with this fuckery" and escapes.

In the process of escaping she comes across Kon, who isn't "finished" yet. He's alive and aged up to a teenager, but isn't quite done with his programming/whatever (this idea came to me based entirely off what I've gleaned through fandom so I don't know the canon of Kon's whole time with Cadmus). Elle immediately realizes "Oh clone baby, that's not good" and breaks him out and takes him with her.

Kon in this doesn't know he's a clone of Superman, he doesn't know a lot of things considering how early into the clone info-dumling process he was in when Elle broke him out. He barely knows language and how to read. What he does know for sure though is that Cadmus is Bad and Getting the Fuck Out is Good so he's down to go with Elle

Queue them becoming friends and being on the run together, learning about this world/dimension together and coming to see each other as family. Eventually they end up in Gotham because it's one of the places that naturally has a higher ectopalsm level and because if you're in the right area no one cares if you have no legal ID (in some circles it's a plus).

Kon gets a lot of odd jobs before eventually ending up working at a strip club or burlesque bar or something (my idea is that it's years after escaping so he's in his early 20s at this point and not just a fresh baby clone anymore and he gets into it because he likes it and it's good money) while Elle uses her ghostly knowledge/what powers she can to work as like a psychic or something like that.

Meanwhile Justice League (with alive again Superman) have found out about the escaped Superman clone and, along with Cadmus, are desperately trying to track him down. The info they have is a bit murky, so they think it's actually *two* clones, one that had Martian dnd also thrown in to the mix based off a short clip they managed to find of Elle phasing through walls.

My idea is that it'd all finally come to a head when Constantine pulls Tim (and maybe also Damian) in on a JL Dark case that involves the Lazerus Pit and for reasons ends up having to hire Elle to help. I'm thinking it's a thing that Elle is a pretty respected name in certain magic circles due to her expert knowledge on the Infinite Realms, though she refuses to work for most people who seek her out - even though the money would be good - because usually it's only evil assholes that want to hire her.

She makes a deal with Jon to help (in exchange for something that would let her get a message to Danny letting him know what happened or something like that) and Kon joins in because there's no way he's trusting a dude Elle calls the "drunk soul slut" with his baby sister unattended, he doesn't *care* if she could handle herself it's not happening.

Anyway, Tim/Kon (and maybe some Damian/Elle) shenanigans during a Lazerus Pit/demon hunting road trip where eventually everyone figures out who Kon & Elle are, Elle manages to get a stable portal setup so she can go home and come back whenever she wants (Kon getting adopted by Danny? Kon getting adopted by Danny) and Kon joining Young Justice and having a good relationship with Clark (who had a lot more time to deal with things before meeting Kon and learned about him as a person before learning he was Clark's clone).

Anyway there would be a scene at the end where Kon would be in his superhero suit for the first time and just:

Clark: Did you choose a hero name yet?

Kon: Yeah, I figured I'd go with Supernova.

Clark, feeling touched: Yeah? Any particular reason?

Kon: It's cool, it has 'Super' in the name, and really it just seemed the easiest option, I'm used to responding to Nova, so *shrugs*

Clark: Yeah? Why's that? Nickname?

Kon: I guess kinda? It's my stage name at the strip club I work at

Clark: what

Tim, brain shut down by this revelation: ...do you do private shows?

Clark: w h a t

[mimicofmodes]

I saw a post going around about costube historians analyzing period film costumes for accuracy and it kind of got under my skin, so I'm sitting down and writing ... not exactly a response to it, but a discussion of the topic.

(It would be a direct response except that I don't actually watch costube, because quite frankly I can't watch/listen to people discuss things I already know. And I don't want to be like "they don't do X!" when maybe they really do X and I'm just not aware. But a lot of the complaints hit the same points that have been brought up against fashion historians for reviewing costumes for decades. I would also note that I have looked into specific videos where there were claims of terrible costuber behavior and watched them and found nothing.)

If you're going to analyze a period film's costuming in any way, you should still interact with the historical aspect to some degree. If you want to talk about the use of bold stripes in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, for instance, and you don't mention that they were in style during the period the film appears to be set in, it's kind of weird.

Likewise, yes, if you're critiquing primarily from the angle of historical accuracy, you should also engage to at least some extent with the reasoning behind the inaccuracy. If a reviewer doesn't do so at all, then yes, their review is probably not as good as it could be.

People pointing out an inaccuracy (or many inaccuracies) are not inherently scolding the costume designer. Even if their tone is something other than sweet. Sometimes they are scolding other people involved in the production, like the director who mandated a particular costume, or just a general notion of TPTB. Usually they are divorcing the art from the artist, though, and just reviewing the costuming from their particular viewpoint and knowledge base for a likeminded audience.

Sometimes, yes, they are complaining directly about the costume designer. This is not a crime. Some costume designers (for instance, Sandy Powell) have an incredible grasp on fashion history and excellent taste when it comes to diverging from it. Others simply don't have as in-depth of an understanding and make design decisions sometimes based on stereotypes and myths. Some costume designers will explain their decisions in interviews or blog posts and make it clear that they didn't make a truly informed decision about accuracy because they didn't know enough about the period. It's important for both sides of the equation to stop painting the other with too broad of a brush ("ivory-tower elitists who have no idea of a production's needs or budget" vs. "costumers who know how to sew but not how to do historical research").

If you're allowed to complain about a writer or a director or an actor doing something you don't like in a movie, you're also allowed to complain about a costume designer. You're allowed to have aesthetic preferences, and even to talk about them without hedging every five seconds to make it clear that others can disagree, although some of this is beneficial with any critique. Why would it be otherwise?

This seems really obvious to me, but maybe it's not? But "they costumed that female actor in an anachronistically sexy way because sex sells" is a feminist issue. The assumption that women's bodies should be sites of less-clothed allure while men's should attract by being more covered (with more layers than in modern dress, with cravats, etc.) is sexist. Complaints about female characters being costumed inaccurately are often being made along these lines, and pointing out that the producers insisted on it or something does not mean it's suddenly unproblematic that every female character deemed fuckable has to have low necklines at all times and modern shiny hair.

It's true that fiction isn't non-fiction and shouldn't be taken that way, but it's also demonstrably true that viewers do take cliches in film aesthetics as accurate when they see them enough times. People cite Scarlett O'Hara's 18" waist. They believe there were no bright colors before the 1920s and that women couldn't have put their hair up unless they were wealthy. These beliefs have consequences when it comes to public perceptions of history, and if films perpetuate them it's perfectly reasonable to point out that they support ideas about e.g. gender roles that trads express today.

It's also simply funny when a film's hair or costuming or makeup is supposed to evoke a lack of artifice but actually requires quite a bit of artifice because people don't naturally have perfect hair and skin and so on.

If you don't like reviews of period films that focus on the accuracy of the costuming, maybe ... don't watch/read reviews by fashion historians and historical costumers? At least unless they're vetted for you by someone who doesn't mind that?

[onesidedradiostatic]

I can't work out if Alastor genuinely considered Vox a friend or thought of him more as like. A cute pet that dotes on its owner and does little tricks. And then he shows off his cute little pet to Rosie and Mimzy. I don't think he ever viewed Vox as a threat to him in any way, but it makes me wonder about Vox's whole smooth, smart, scary and competent side we initially see in episode 2. Was that something he picked up from Alastor, or was it something Vox already had that might have sparked Alastor's interest? Did he actually mentor Vox in any way or did he just think it was fun to watch him try to build a tiny version of Alastor's empire.

we don't have a whole lot to go off of right now, especially when it comes to alastor's side, but personally I find it more interesting if alastor did genuinely consider vox a friend. even if in his own alastor fashion, there were probably certain walls he never let down. I think it's interesting in that, we know alastor has more of a soft spot for women, so in this pre-husk era, vox could've easily been one of his first few male friends. which kinda makes it sadder it didn't work out. it's like it just proved to alastor "right this is why I don't trust men".

things we know rn are:

alastor calls vox "old pal" at the end of episode 2

alastor allowed vox to take a picture with him at some point

alastor, who is perfectly capable of killing overlords, has not killed vox

also seen this pointed out before, but in the initial commercial alastor filmed in episode 1, although shitty, he did do some actual editing

I wouldn't expect alastor to already have knowledge of how to do this beforehand on his own, question is: did he learn it himself? or did he learn it...

...from someone else in the past?

not to mention he seems to just instinctively already know how to set up shit for filming near the end of the episode. he must have gotten some experience from somewhere.

I think this post describes what they could've learnt from each other in the past best

I like to think alastor saw him as more than just some cute pet, at least back then. it adds more depth to their relationship. obviously there's stuff like the toxic homoerotic stalker-like obsession I feel is one-sided on vox's part (points to my url), but that doesn't mean I think alastor's side of their general relationship is completely non-existent. them having a genuine past friendship that affected both of them in different ways is what adds layers to their relationship I think. they were clearly both affected by their falling out in that they both developed irrational hatred of the other's medium as a result. and honestly? really need to see more of alastor's side of this, I think it'd be really interesting. even though, he hates vox now, and I don't believe he wants him back as a friend, is there any sort of sentiment left from their past friendship? is there a reason why he hasn't killed him? or was the time he almost beat vox an attempt at that? (though I like to believe it wasn't)

obviously, all we can do now is speculate based on the evidence we have in season 1, but for me personally, I like to think they were legitimately friends at some point.

[lilliumrorum]

What does he have that I don't? (Pilot)

<<Previous | Masterlist | Next>>

Synopsis: After a long and very much tiring solo mission, you head back to the base and report to your Captain. When you finally got home, you found your boyfriend of 2 years in another's mouth.

WC: 0.8k

Content/Warnings: 18+ MDNI, Angst, Cheating.

Notes: This is my first time writing a fanfic, so please don't attack my ass too bad if it's shit.

Going weeks (sometimes even months) without seeing your lover was normal in your shared line of work. Simon had seemed accustomed to it, almost content with you not being around. Being Simon Riley, however, he could barely handle your relationship. Many nights would end with the lights shutting off, Simon shutting down as well. If you tried to even curl up next to him, he would shove you away forcefully. You knew he didn't love you anymore, but you kept denying it. You knew that very night when he left you in bed with no aftercare, with no second glance, and departed to "do some work," he really just wanted to be left alone. He didn't want you anymore, but like a persistent pebble in a shoe, you stubbornly stayed with him.

In your heart, you felt a deep loneliness, the person you thought was your anchor now seems distant and uninterested. Neglect has crept into your relationship, leaving you longing for the love and attention that used to be there. Each day seems like a quiet plea for connection, as his actions show a noticeable change in emotions. The small, affectionate gestures that defined your love story are replaced by an unsettling emptiness. In silence, you face the painful truth that the love you once cherished might be slipping away, and you went through the emotions that come with the fading passion you once shared.

You've been facing the painful realization that Simon's lost interest in your relationship. The passion and desire you once shared had faded, replaced by distance and disinterest. Simon's actions, or lack thereof, show a decline in physical intimacy and affection. Longing for the connection you had left you feeling unfulfilled and undesirable. Dealing with the emotional strain of this shift in attraction became a source of heartache as you navigated the complex emotions of a fading intimate connection with him.

"Sergeant?"

Your Captain's questioning voice quickly brought you back to reality. His salt-and-pepper hair and subtle crow's feet added character to his face, and his inquisitive look was accentuated by the movement of his mustache along with his lips.

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you alright? you seem on edge still."

The Captain's concern for you was evident in the genuine worry etched across his face. His questioning voice took on a tone of care, reflecting his kind yet impatient personality. As he looked at you with genuine concern, the words he spoke mirrored the sincerity in his eyes, emphasizing the depth of his worry and the genuine connection between Captain and Sergeant. He knew what was wrong. He could instantly tell what was bothering you. Price was aware of how you were discarded, as if you were nothing. He had seen that sullen, tired, lifeless look in your eyes every time his lieutenant was mentioned. Though he had knowledge of your situation, he would never pry into your affairs, despite his great concern.

"Of course, just a smidge tired. That's all." You shot him a lazy grin.

"Take care of yourself, Sergeant."

He motioned toward the door, indicating that you could be dismissed.

"And {name}, Great work. I'm proud of how much effort you put into your assignments." He smiled.

"Thank you, Captain," you quickly saluted and left the office.

Beginning the long and unpleasant walk back to your shared Room on base, many thoughts began to run through your mind. Usually, Simon would ask when you were coming home. However, that stopped months ago. Simon would buy you a large bouquet of flowers and hand them to you as soon as you entered the door. After a night of lovemaking, he would whisper sweet nothings into your ear. But one cannot change time. Oh, how you wish you could. You've tried to talk to him, but he would just respond with the clicking of his teeth or even wave you off.

You missed the moments that once filled your heart with tenderness. The wish to turn back time and revive the warmth is a constant thought. Trying to talk to Simon only results in indifferent grunts or dismissive gestures, highlighting the growing divide. The once vibrant thrumming of your heart is now silent, and the journey back to your room becomes an exploration of a changing relationship, where communication is elusive, leaving you to chart the emotional terrain alone.

You haven't the slightest clue why you stayed, why your heart still melted at the sight of him. You still loved him. You told yourself over and over that this wasn't the Simon you knew and that this was Ghost. Your stubborn heart wouldn't listen.

"Shit, that walk was fast." You murmured to yourself, the room coming into view.

You don't even bother to knock, too worn out to even care if you were shouted at. The anticipation of reprimand looms, and the weariness you carry is met with the potential for Simon's raised voice, making every move a delicate dance around his disapproval.

You could not believe what was taking place right before your eyes.

More notes: Sorry this is so short, remember that this is my first time writing!! This will be a series!:) I am planning on starting part one tonight and posting it tomorrow!!

[phantomoftheorpheum]

School Spirits Season 2 (episode 4) liveblog/thoughts

**Spoilers for School Spirits Seasons 1 and 2x01-2x04

I am so wary of Janet's motives. I get that she lost all the money so her options are limited, but this feels so icky. (I mean, also she stole Maddie's body, but this particular act of coming home to her mom seems worse, somehow. I guess because she's had time to think about it at this point).

So, am I reading this correctly and the current belief (because who knows how correct they ever are in their assumptions) is that it’s possible for the ghosts to access each other’s hellscapes, not just their own? Hm. Interesting.

"Togetherness Day" wtf.

Alright, so are they actually wrong about being able to access each other’s “scars,” or is it that they haven’t figured out how to use the keys like Janet and Mr. Martin? We know Janet and Mr. Martin can do things the others haven't figured out yet. Plus, the ghosts make a lot of wrong assumptions in the show, so I'm going to say it's pretty likely Mr. Martin just has more knowledge/skills.

I’m not sure what Mr. Andersons relevance is going to be to the season, but I am relieved to find that they have not entirely ignored the fact that he committed a felony, because I was very confused how he was just seemingly facing 0 consequences in the first 3 eps.

Simon and Xavier continue to be one of my favorite dynamics of the season! I’m still really surprised by this, but I love them!

“We lost her.” “Where’d she go?” Maddie, I think you’re ever so slightly missing the concept of “losing” someone here. But on another note, the energy difference between Simon and Maddie in this scene is fairly strange. It almost feels like they weren’t filmed together. It legitimately makes me wonder if there was a scheduling conflict here.

I don’t think they can force students to stay after hours at the school, like, legally speaking.

Wally noooo 😭 They shouldn’t have sent him to deal with that on his own, like they knew it was going to be traumatizing, someone should have been waiting for him to come out of the scar so he wasn’t alone.

I find it interesting that Wally’s scar features his coach yelling at him to get in the game, when we know that coach is the one who pulled him out and thought he needed a break. From the way the football was portrayed (and his mom), it’s clear the scars don’t reflect an exact reality, so does that mean they can change based on the ghost’s emotional relationship to what happened to them? Can they be different every time?

Rofl, that CLAY. I cannot.

Surely we're getting a Yuri/Charley romantic storyline.

Yuri has a point, they are already dead. This is the exact reason that I don’t really understand why Mr. Martin is running from them. What can they do to him that’s any worse than how things already are? That’s what makes me think there has to be something worse out there.

Why are Simon and Xavier my favorite part of this season???

I’m not sure where the Claire stuff is going, so I’m just kinda letting it play out for now.

Okay, again, why are we letting Charley face his scar without anyone waiting to be there for him when he gets out?? Ghost Squad you are letting me down on the emotional support scale today.

As expected, it seems like Mr. Martin can access their scars, even though they don't know how to get into each other's.

For the love of god, someone go with Wally! Don’t just stand there!

The Invasion of the Body Snatchers poster on Maddie’s wall took me out, rofl, omg has that always been there? I don’t remember seeing it before, but I didn’t rewatch season 1, either, so idk. It's entirely possible that I saw it and commented on it in season 1 and have just completely forgotten.

I still really don’t know how to feel about Janet. She definitely has a seemingly sympathetic backstory, and clearly her stealing Maddie’s life is not a morally pure move, but we understand why she took that opportunity. That being said, Mr. Martin being the biggest bad of the season seems anticlimactic and the show loves a twist, so I’m still very suspicious there’s going to be a big rug pull with her. I also still think she might have killed her father.

I am glad Maddie went after Wally, like about time! He needs support! Let's not let anyone go repeatedly face the trauma around their death without some support!

“They really fired him,” (Mr. Anderson). Okay, I am once more pointing out that the man committed a felony. He may have sympathetic motives, but let’s be realistic here. He stole thousands of dollars from work, falsified student grades, and destroyed evidence in a missing person’s investigation. Of course they fired him. (Also, I know she was blackmailing him, so he had a reason to be pissed at her, but does anyone else remember how sinister he was to Claire last season when he told her he couldn't remember what he said to the police?)

The way they’re playing the Mr. Anderson stuff, it’s really starting to make me think they’re gonna pull a twist villain thing with him. Because otherwise why is he getting so much screen time that makes him look so sympathetic? Since the blackmail/money situation doesn't seem to be related to the ghosts and what happened to Maddie, he doesn't feel particularly relevant as a character.

Wally talking sense! Thank you, Wally. But also, his comparison of Mr. Martin and Mr. Anderson and basically being like “Mr. Martin betraying me would be like Mr. Anderson betraying you,” feels like possible foreshadowing. Wow. It's amazing how suspicious I have become of Mr. Anderson again.

Has anybody been checking out the other movie posters on Maddie’s walls to see if they might be relevant? I haven't gone back and looked, but in this episode I noticed Pretty in Pink, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and Janet/Maddie wears a Carrie t-shirt at the end.

Lol, that closet is in no way small enough that Xavier’s armpit needed to be in Nicole’s face.

I do love that Xavier was thinking clearly enough to determine that Simon has to maintain his access to the school or they will be cut off from Maddie, because common sense has not been particularly present from the characters this episode.

Who has been possessed? And what does that mean from the ghost standpoint? They said the only time it "felt" like this without a death was when Janet possessed Maddie, but that also meant that Maddie appeared as a ghost, so presumably they should be able to go find whoever has been displaced wandering around as a ghost and then immediately know who Mr. Martin (we're assuming this was Mr. Martin's doing) took over. Somehow, I don't think it will be that simple.

So the obvious choice for possession is Claire. She was very emotionally vulnerable throughout the episode and she feels the least relevant this season (with Simon & Xavier being a team up and Xavier & Nicole [unknowingly] talking online, and Claire being the most skeptical of the group, she just feels very outside of everything). However, I'm not sure how that would happen with Maddie and Simon sitting right there with her. I would have thought maybe it happened before Simon finds her in the stadium, but if so, then why did the lights/feeling not happen until later?

The next most obvious choice would be Chloe, but the episode practically puts a neon flashing arrow above her at the end there with her line about getting a lot out of the experience and she and the principal are the only two characters really focused on outside of the main group, but that feels so heavy handed and obvious, then.

I do wonder if Mr. Anderson was still there (we never saw him leave, did we?) and he's the one who has been possessed. It would make sense. He's also emotionally vulnerable in this episode, and with the comparison of him to Mr. Martin (and the fact that it would probably be a lot easier for Mr. Martin to pretend to be Mr. Anderson than Claire or Chloe), it feels like they're really setting something up there.

[always-andromeda]

𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓

𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ⭐︎ 3,416

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ⭐︎ so. here we are. I have been bewitched by this gorgeous golden himbo. absolutely do not come for me on my knowledge of Marvel canon and me talking as if I know everything about the Sovereign because I don't <3 we're just winging this thing based on the little research I did. thank you to my wonderful best friend, Storm (@quietsounds) for helping me with brainstorming different ideas for this thing!!

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ⭐︎ smut (we know the drill, minors, please do not interact), light mentions of mommy kink, free use kink, praise kink, temperature play, descriptions of p in v sex, oral, and handjobs, little bits of fluff but mostly pure filth, nothing else I can think of!!

𝐀 = 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 (𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱)

He means well, but he's definitely a little clueless about the whole aftercare of business. Mostly because he himself doesn't need too much of it himself. He can go a few rounds and barely even break a sweat so he'd almost expect you to bounce back just as quickly as he can.

Not to worry though, he's pretty quick and eager to learn. The more attuned he becomes to what you need, the quicker he is to offer it as soon as you're both done. Need to be cleaned off? He's up as quick as a flash and wetting a washcloth. Need to be held? His arms are ready. Need to be talked down? He's fantastic at checking in and making sure that you're feeling okay.

𝐁 = 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 (𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬)

Adam isn't all that interested in the aesthetics of his appearance. Though I think he does slowly become aware of how attractively he was created. But if he absolutely had to choose...he'd say his hands. He's quite relieved that the High Evolutionary decided that hands were the ideal tools for him to wreak destruction with. However, with him being a very tactile sort of lover, he gets to use them in many other scenarios. From scissoring you open with his fingers to caressing your cheek with his thumb, he's glad he has them to show you just how passionately he feels.

On the flip side, any sort of softness you have, Adam loves it. Especially your stomach. He'd love to just wrap himself around you and lay his head on your tummy while your fingers card through his hair. Maybe it's a dash of mommy issues, but he's obsessed with sinking into your plush skin and really feeling the warmth of blood rushing beneath it.

𝐂 = 𝐂𝐮𝐦 (��𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐮𝐦, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲)

The Sovereign have no need for sexual reproduction so he's not exactly the most familiar with cum? Therefore, any sort of fluids you produce? Automatically the most fascinating thing to him. He'd stare at his own fingers, holding them up to the light and admiring how you cover them. This man can do a range of impressive things but you better believe he's entirely captivated by something as minute as the way you cum.

𝐃 = 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 (𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐬)

He gets...weirdly needy. It makes him kind of possessive and paranoid. Though he knows firsthand that you can take care of yourself perfectly fine, he makes it his personal mission to be trailing behind you almost all the time.

And to Adam, it's a complete secret just how obsessed he is with you. He thinks he's the master of keeping his cool and being the most normal boyfriend of all time. Never mind the fact that he's immediately at your side asking, "Is this guy bothering you?" the second he catches someone he doesn't know talking to you. He almost can't help it. He's never known affection like this and it's incredibly intense for him.

Throw him a bone. And by throw him a bone, I mean drive him absolutely insane and tell him that you're his during sex. Watch his chest puff up with pride and his stomach tense up as he ruts into you harder. Whenever you can affirm that you truly want him, he can't express enough how wild it drives him.

𝐄 = 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲? 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠?)

Considering he's still pretty fresh from his cocoon, this guy has no experience whatsoever. It’s all completely brand new for him. So he definitely has a great deal of curiosity about basically everything. Be prepared for him to tilt his head in wonder and furrow his brow in confusion over almost everything you teach him.

𝐅 = 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠)

This man is so strong that he'd have no trouble picking you up like a bag of potatoes and doing whatever he wanted with you. And sometimes he does. But he likes it more when you show him your power too.

He'd really like it if you took control, straddled his muscular thighs, and let him feel just how badly you wanted him. He'd be looking up at you through those piercing eyes, head tilted back and anticipating your lips on his neck. Then, when he's had enough of you warming him up, he'll put his hands on your hips and drag you along his cock at an almost punishing pace. That's when it becomes obvious the kind of strength he has working for him.

𝐆 = 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐲 (𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬? 𝐞𝐭𝐜.)

He's very serious about sex at first. Mostly because it's an act that he's so unfamiliar with and he knows how special it is to humans. He doesn't want to risk screwing it up, especially since he's got superhuman abilities on his side.

The first few times, you can tell he's holding something back. All these new sensations blow his mind but he won't let them really hit him because he's afraid of going a little too far. He remembers all too well how he injured you the first time he flew into Knowhere looking for Rocket and he isn't looking to do anything like that ever again.

So it takes a little while to break down his walls and really let loose. It would be the little things that would eventually make him crumble. You kissing his nose during the calm before the eventual storm, making him scrunch his nose and squint in confusion. You rubbing his arms comfortingly, sending shivers up his spine and easing his nerves.

"You humans and your strange ways of showing affection," he'd mumble as you turned him to jelly. It takes a little while to soften his serious demeanor, but it's completely possible.

𝐇 = 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐫 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲? 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬? 𝐞𝐭𝐜.)

The High Evolutionary absolutely seems like the kind of guy who would view almost any sort of body hair as unsightly, so I wouldn't put it past him to design Adam to be almost completely hairless aside from what's on his head. So do what you will with that information.

𝐈 = 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭)

Romance doesn't come very easily to Adam. He's not smooth and doesn't exactly exude charisma. The not thing he does have on his side is how down bad he is for you. And the way it comes out in the moment...sure, that could count as romance.

Sometimes it takes the form of him giving you little kisses on every bit of skin he can see. Or it's him when he first buries himself in you, groaning, "I wish I could stay here forever..." before he begins to thrust. It's also him raking his fingers over your flesh as he takes you from behind, trying to anchor himself to any part of you that he possibly can. Neediness is how he expresses romance.

𝐉 = 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟𝐟 (𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧)

When he gets turned on, he's honestly not quite sure what to do about it. Power courses through his veins almost all the time and it's difficult for him to differentiate that from arousal. So the majority of the time he's humping his pillow; chasing a release that he hardly even knows where it'll lead him. Luckily, where it leads him is somewhere beautiful.

𝐊 = 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤 (𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬)

Adam definitely has a bit of a thing for a little free use. Blame his unrelenting appetite. Or the fact that he's obsessed with you. Either way, he can work himself up at the drop of a hat and before you know it, he's nipping at your neck and murmuring in your ear that he'd love to touch you. And, god, when he's like that he is very convincing. That's the best kind of power he can imagine having; making you fold with just a few of his words.

Also, praise kink. All the way. We all know this guy just wants to do his best for you. This is present in all aspects of your relationship but goodness gracious is it glaringly obvious when it comes to sex. No matter how much he loses himself in the feeling of you, he will still be asking if he's doing alright. And besides, knowing that you do like it only sends him further down the rabbit hole.

Maybe a bit of a mommy kink. Not enough so that he'll be a completely whiny sub. But just enough that his stiff demeanor would definitely falter a little when you start to take care of him. Bury his face in your chest and take his cock in your soft hand and...oh...he wouldn't mind that. Not at all. Not even a little bit.

𝐋 = 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨)

From the beginning, location isn't exactly the biggest concern for Adam. He has no concept of normal human boundaries and the risks associated with voyeurism. So very little stops him from initiating things almost anywhere. It's not like he wants to get caught or gets off on it exactly? He just has very little shame in that department. And he's a needy, horny little fiend.

Which leads to countless quickies on the ship that you hope and pray that Rocket will never find out about because he'd probably never let either of you on a mission again if he knew just how many times Adam's had you softly moaning into his hand against the wall of the ship. 

𝐌 = 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐧, 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠)

Adam is very reactionary. So something as simple as a small kiss can get the wheels turning in his mind. He's so inexperienced that it's hard for him to not get completely worked up at the smallest bit of affection. Your softness is something that also goes a long way for him. If he catches you taking care of Blurp or one of the children, it sets off this strange little spark in his mind. And it's strange because he can't quite understand how in this moment, he can feel your humanity just radiating from you. And it only makes him want you more.

𝐍 = 𝐍𝐨 (𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨, 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐬)

He has a massive aversion to causing you pain. Whether that be him accidentally holding you a little too hard or even just a bit of overstimulation, he's not into it. And considering it's so easy for him to go over that line, he's usually a little on edge. With the amount of self control he's exercising and the way he pays attention to your responses, he's constantly prepared to apologize for anything.

𝐎 = 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐥 (𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.)

This man is a giver all the way. If he could drown in your cunt, he'd be the happiest living being in the galaxy. He unabashedly buries his face into your mound with the flat of his tongue. It's sloppy and it's loud and you can tell he's having the time of his life. He definitely needs to be taught how to actually be good at eating pussy, but he is always incredibly eager about it.

Anytime you go down on him, he's very polite despite the fact that you can tell how badly he's crumbling inside. He tries his absolute best to keep his thighs still since he doesn't want to risk you gagging or choking (because we all know that he's pretty decently sized). He'd be holding your hair back or brushing it off of your face out of pure respect. You may be on your knees, but he'd do whatever he could to communicate that you're the one with the majority of the control over the situation.

𝐏 = 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐞 (𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡? 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥? 𝐞𝐭𝐜.)

Adam is a superpowered being. And a fairly new one, at that. He hardly knows his own strength. So there are many times where he'll exert that force a little bit more than he probably should. It's not on purpose, of course not. He'd never want to hurt you. He just gets...enthusiastic.

One minute he's looking at you. Your eyelids fluttering, mouth open, and your whole body bending to his movements. That image is intoxicating to him. It makes him lose control for a few seconds, his fingers will dig into your thighs a little harder. He puts more power into his thrusts, just to make you convulse even more. In those moments before you finish, he's so lost in soaking all of it up, using it to fuel his own climax.

Just know that as soon as Adam comes down from it all and notices the little marks on your thighs, he's immediately filled with remorse. He wraps his arms around your legs and rests his head against your plush thighs. His breath is warm as he breathes on them softly between small kisses and hoarsely whispered apologies. 

𝐐 = 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐞 (𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.)

I see him quite liking quickies, actually. Not that he doesn't love having one of those long, multi-round sessions. It's just that the urge hits him often and he's not the kind of guy who's eager to wait for release. Besides, it fills him with pride that even just five minutes with him before a mission can have you walking funny. The Guardians would tease you about you being off your game. Adam would stand there with folded arms and a wide smile, holding back a snort and knowing full well that regardless of the teasing from the others, you don't regret your little moments with him whatsoever.

𝐑 = 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 (𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬? 𝐞𝐭𝐜.)

He's pretty open to experimentation. He's inexperienced and he's also just a curious guy by nature. There would be a lot of questions and a lot of him trying to work out the logistics of activities beforehand to make sure that both of you feels safe. But for the most part, he's honored and open if you want to explore new territories with him.

𝐒 = 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫? 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭?)

Oh boy. This man doesn't quit. And sometimes that's both a blessing and a curse. If you're on the same wavelength as him, we're talking hours of pleasure with multiple positions until he's got you so fucked dumb that you're seeing stars. If you let him know beforehand that you're only up for one or two rounds, he'll understand it, of course he will.

But that only encourages him to make his one round as good as he can possibly get it. It's one of the few occasions where he prefers edging both himself and you. Finally, he'll slow things down just a bit. His touches are more intentional and a little less selfish. He doesn't enjoy being mean, but there is a little cruelty in how he'll build you up and up and up, only to take his hand or his mouth or cock away, letting you plummet to the ground just so he can do it all over again. Then he'll whisper reassurances that he'll give you what you want, you just have to be patient with him. By the end of it, he'll have you shuddering and nearly as exhausted as when you go four or five rounds.

𝐓 = 𝐓𝐨𝐲𝐬 (𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐲𝐬? 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦? 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬?)

He himself doesn't use toys, but he takes a great interest in yours. The day he comes across your vibrator and asks you what it is, he takes it as a challenge. After all, he can manipulate energy. Something tells me that before too long he'd be able to figure out how to do the same thing with just his hands, rendering your toys obsolete.

𝐔 = 𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞)

Not really the biggest fan of teasing, both taking and dealing it. He just doesn't see much of a point in putting off the real action. He's not waiting. Life is too short to wait when you really want something. And if you want him, he'll give himself to you. 

In fact, it's the only time he'll really get whiny at all. Sure, he's all for you going at whatever pace you find comfortable, but god, he's so spoiled and can't take the teasing. Especially since by the time you get to teasing he's probably been aching for something more for quite a bit already. It's no matter though, Adam would make sure he gets his way by kissing you hard and fast, trying to communicate as best as he can that he needs you now, not later.

𝐕 = 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.)

Oh, Adam is vocal alright. He has almost no concept of shame or subtlety so he'll let out those grunts and groans with little hesitance. He'll grit his teeth and bite his lip, but that does little to suppress how much he enjoys every feeling running through him, both emotional and physical.

𝐖 = 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝 (𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫)

Here's the deal, Adam can manipulate energy. Usually this would be beneficial in fighting off enemies with the Guardians, sure. But I'm sure once he gets a better hang of his strength, he could find a way to use them for your benefit.

This manifests not only in him creating vibrational waves just for your pleasure but also bits of temperature play here and there. It's almost a point of pride when he can warm you up and get you squirming with a simple touch. It's never enough to properly do damage, just enough to get you on the track that he wants you on.

𝐗 = 𝐗-𝐫𝐚𝐲 (𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬)

We all know that this man is packing. We're talking seven inches of straight up gold heat. This man is armed and possibly dangerous since he's kind of clueless on how to use it at first. It definitely takes a lot of adjusting to fit him and it takes a while for his technique to catch up with the equipment he's got. But make no mistake, while the High Evolutionary created some awful things in his lifetime, this specific part of Adam is not one of them.

𝐘 = 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞?)

Oh, it is so stupidly high. Sometimes his behavior is akin to a horny teenage boy with how needy he gets for some sort of contact. He can learn to control himself over time, of course, but that doesn't defeat the fact that occasionally...he is an absolute fiend who needs you like he needs air.

𝐙 = 𝐙𝐳𝐳 (𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬)

The Sovereign are so evolved that if Adam does need sleep, he doesn't need much. But still, he's not the type to get tired when you do. So if you say you're done, then he's usually down to tuck in for the night.

He used to be kind of awkward about the sleeping part, actually. Was he supposed to stay there? Just...looking at you while you slept? Was that weird? He could never really figure out what was and wasn't weird and he sure as hell wasn't going to wake you up to ask. The one thing he knew for sure was that you wouldn't want him to leave. He was able to grasp that having sex with you and then leaving in the middle of the night was probably the worst thing he could do.

So he stays as quiet as he can. Then he holds you close to his chest. And eventually, when he's sure that you're fast asleep, he'll hum some tunes. He's quite fond of seventies rock music and it shines through in his choices of lullabies. It's a mix of Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Eagles, Foreigner, and whatever else he's picked up from his time consuming human culture. At that point, with you steadily breathing and him holding you in his arms, he doesn't feel quite as weird or alien anymore. It makes him feel...good. Like he can be good.

[queenvhagar]

"Average Team Green fan is bastardphobic" "Team Green thinks irl bastards are worse than other people" "Team Green fans are bad people because they actually don't like bastards"

Not sure if y'all know this but... fiction is not real life, and recognizing or discussing the actual dynamics of a cruel and unjust fictional world as it is written by the author does not equal an endorsement, promotion, or adoption of those elements or beliefs as they exist in that fictional world or in real life.

In real life, I and likely most if not all Team Green supporters could care less about the institution of marriage as one of making legitimately born babies. Personally I don't care if your parents were married to each other. Many people don't get married and still have families together. Children are children, people are people. Luckily in the modern world, in many places, having children out of wedlock is not really even that much of a taboo anymore. People can do what they want as long as they're happy. If I get married and/or have kids ever, that's my own business. I have no specific duties expected of me by my family or the world and the messages coming from society that I as a woman need to be married and make babies before I get too old? I can just ignore that. Nothing happens if I do.

In the fictional world of ASOIAF though, this is very clearly and unequivocally not the case at all. Westeros is obsessed with blood and bloodlines. Blood brings power. Blood continues power. The blood and the name together bring power. Great houses intermarry to bring themselves more power and alliances, under the agreement that the next generation will share the blood of their parents and families and that blood will preserve their power and status as it has for generations. This is essential to feudalism and the way that power and inheritance works (in Westeros and in the real-life history upon which it was based).

This is why it's such a taboo to have or be a bastard in Westeros, and why it's illegal to try to place a bastard in the line of succession. Marriage alliances are built on the principle that the trueborn children made from those matches will come from those particular parents and pass down that particular family's blood. If someone without that blood tried to claim that name and power, people would view that as the family losing the power they've held for generations. They would see it as an injustice. Wars would be willing to be fought over it. It's an indisputable fact that in this world trying to place a bastard in the line of succession will lead to bloodshed. This is especially the case for the Iron Throne. If you don't agree, read the source material and rethink how this world views women, bastards, bloodlines, and the right to the throne.

I'm not sure when people started thinking that the discussion of in-universe conflicts and issues as they exist in fictional worlds actually reflects on an individual's real life personal values or feelings. People knowledgeable of the world of ASOIAF criticize the character of Rhaenyra for birthing three obvious bastards (while she is already on rocky political ground as the first woman named heir) and then attempting to unsuccessfully gaslight everyone into thinking they are legitimate heirs despite the opposite being so clearly true. This criticism stems from knowledge and awareness of the world, beliefs, and laws of Westeros (that Rhaenyra herself also knew but believed herself to be the exception to). Yet when people point out how dangerous or stupid it was of her character to do this, knowing everything that is known about the world of ASOIAF and this specific conflict, suddenly stans feel the need to defend the vision of her that exists in their heads (one incorrectly furthered by the show's adaptation of the character as a modern feminist girlboss who can do no wrong) and make up fake scenarios or claims about the world of ASOIAF or about the critics to support their incorrect takes.

Saying Team Green fans, those who are not a fan of Team Black, or those who criticize the show's adaptation are bastardphobic in real life is similar to those Team Black stans who claim that Aegon's actor is a morally corrupt rape apologist because he plays a character who got written to be a rapist (likely after he was cast, by the way) or people who say authors shouldn't write a scene about murder or murderers because it endorses or promotes such behavior. Y'all really out here rewriting the Hays Code and essentially campaigning for censorship of media because you can't distinguish between real life and fiction. It's crazy that media literacy is at such an appalling state, though unfortunately it's clear that certain forms of internet fandom have really exacerbated issues that have already existed. Now, any character can be shoehorned into specific categories or types or memes that fit their understanding of media and those who disagree or desire actual thought, complexity, and analysis to go into stories or characters apparently shouldn't have a voice or platform to express their point of view, or if they do, it means something about them as a real-life human beyond this person is interested in discussing the story.

I've previously expressed that despite the fact that I love this story as a truly a morally gray conflict with gray characters that tells a rich sociopolitical story of a family tearing itself apart for power, and despite the fact that there are no winners, heroes, or correct sides to this conflict, I would call myself a Team Green supporter. And largely this is due to the lack of media literacy and understanding of the source material that the writers and general audience (see: uncritical Team Black fans) seem to have and the absolutely insufferable ways that they seem to constantly want to demonstrate to everyone that actually they're right and correct in their surface-level takes.

[sanguinemanare]

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Bloodmoon! This is NOT a RP Blog. Something, something The Sun and Moon show?: My Bloodmoon has zero relation to The Sun and Moon show. (I have no knowledge of anything from that show) He is just my own creation with his own AU/s. (Please respect this and use proper tags for him if you decide to put any in reblogs/posts)

How tall is he?: I have no set height for him. (Like legit measurements anyway) And my art of him is never consistent (I try man). He is probably around ehhhh.. 10 feet tall? He's a big boy and definitely bigger than the original Daycare Attendant. How would he react to a Y/N who is unafraid of him?: He would find it intriguing as most people display/show fear around him. He might even be a little confused by it at first. He may also try harder to unsettle or scare Y/N as it's a favorite thing for him to do. How would he react to receiving affection?: There is definitely some confusion at first because his base instinct is to hunt down others and hurt them. It was apart of his game version personality to do so. So receiving any kind of affection is confusing to him. At first he might just ignore it, not really catching it, but after a while it will intrigue him. Like wow after all this time they're still coming back? After his obsession with y/n settles in he will for sure like it. He might not show it often, but he will 100% like it. Although I don't think he will really know how to show affection, "properly" at least, in return.

How would he react to accidentally hurting/harming Y/N?: I cannot state enough that this would happen A LOT. There is also a huge possibility for death of Y/N.

It would happen accidentally and intentionally. He does not pay mind to his own strength so injuries are for sure going to happen. He also has zero control on his reactions and emotions.

What if Y/N dies?: This is honestly the most probable outcome for y/n if they're involved with Bloodmoon in any way. If y/n dies he would become more unhinged and insane. He would talk to them like they're still there. His memory of y/n would never leave and it would corrupt his coding even more than it already is.

After a period of time if there were another person to appear in his life he would probably refer to them by original y/n's name and treat them like they are the original y/n. He would not really notice differences in the new y/n unless they blatantly shove it in his face. However if he begins to realize they're not the same he would most likely lash out in anger which again would result in another death and possibly starting the cycle over. How would he react to Y/N being sad?: It depends on the situation. I think he would find it interesting if anything. He'd be curious about it. He often associates it with people being scared, which is something he enjoys. Once he learns about the emotion though he might use it against y/n but like in the way of, "oh you're sad? Here come to me, I'll make you feel better/happy." (really he just wants y/n to stay with him) So like emotional manipulation may become a thing. How would he react to others harming Y/N?: Another situation dependent on his obsession for Y/N. Although he is already super aggressive towards anyone who comes near him. He may let the situation play out a bit for his own amusement but only if its teasing or light bullying. If it's intense violence he would not hesitate to kill the offending person. Now if his obsession with Y/N is at it's peak, the offender would be offed immediately.

Will update this more in the future if needed! :D

Main Art Blog! https://www.tumblr.com/deceptiveshadow

[callofdudes]

Been a while since I requested something, I shall grace this page with a request of being best friends with gaz headcanon please bestie 😊😊😊

Welcome back bestie 😊😊 I promise I'm working on all your other requests but mental health be doing backflips and I kinda feel like shit. I got some Gaz for you though.

Being best friends with Kyle "Gaz" Garrick.

Gaz is incredibly smart. If you look at his records his fighting reflex and knowledge is top chart stuff. But Gaz keeps it all very quiet. He doesn't boast about it like Soap would so when he does end up flipping heads on the enemy it's like "woah where did that guy come from-!"

Gaz uses this same skill to protect you. When you came to 141 Gaz was already settling. He had Ghost as a mentor and almost an older brother, and Soap as... Well he wasn't sure who he was supposed to be. But he had his team, and you seemed to easily click with Soap and Ghost.

Gaz wouldn't force you to be friends with him. Of course he introduced himself and you both talked occasionally but he didn't know if it was a friendship per say. And that was ok. He'd still protect you with his life any day of the week.

However you really did have intense feelings of friendship for Gaz. But you thought because of his quiet nature that he was closed off like Simon. Which in fact wasn't the case when you got him talking. He was just shyer than the others.

The first time you and Gaz really, properly hung out was on a quiet night at base, Gaz had finished his tasks and had nothing really to do. He enjoyed his time playing Dungeons and Dragons, (headcannon from @itsscromp) unfortunately he couldn't ever get the others to play. Ghost was too busy, Price wasn't fully interested, and Johnny just cared to cause chaos.

And then he noticed you were also done your work. "Well Kyle, there's no harm." And he went to ask you. And it went well. Turns out you wanted to play DND, and after playing for almost four hours together it solidified that.

And Gaz was really glad to have you as one of his few friends.

And now that you were friends you really did learn a lot more about him. Gaz would go down in a fire for you, no questions asked. Seems stupid but he specializes in VIP protection. You think he wouldn't protect you?? Think again. You're VIP to him. You all are.

Loves you a lot but is too shy to say it and think you'll get the wrong idea.

And look, you don't have skin that clear on the battlefield without having some kind of routine. This man looks after his skin like the temple his body is. (when he's not eating junk food.)

Yeah, your skin isn't cutting it for him. Sorry babes, get in the bathtub we are rinsing your hair and slapping some hydration on that forehead because Gaz knows you are gone need it to be crawling around the musty dusty desert with him.

Now, Knight is openly queer, so you know Gaz is a little spice of life as well. He keeps it under wraps and isn't as open about it in his career because he doesn't think you guys need to know and or he's met people in past expanses that didn't take so kindly to him being open about it.

He's the gay best friend, it's not overbearing. You know how most gay men are just different in a fun way. That's Gaz but he has it toned down so at first you couldn't tell and then it just clicked and you were like "woah". But you can kinda tell there just, there a something there you thinks.

You gotta keep him out of trouble to. You have to be his discernment. He's got relationship smarts but if he's even remotely cute and no good, time for bestie to step in. Sorry Gaz, not today. Your bestie is not letting you get yourself into that mess.

His gun does most of the talking and he carries a side arm so if anyone gives you smoke their gonna get got.

He's smart but also the silent, immediately jumps to using his gun conclusion guy. So if someone bullies you in the grocery store he pulls out his gun and you've gotta be like "Woah woah, not necessary mate, nooot necessary 😅😅"

Hates trash reality TV but watches it anyway. Drags you into the torture as well.

He spills the tea. He spills it always. He sometimes just walks around quietly not taking up too much air and hearing conversations and by the end of it he's got so much to tell you.

Not quite sure what I think Gaz's childhood looked like but I assume he didn't have too many friends. I could see him as the shy kid who focused more on academics and played in the trees of his backyard alone over having a boat load of friends.

So when you do things like buy him stuff or give him cuddles and affection he has this epiphany. Like this is what I've been missing!

Your comfort and affection is something he truly loves so much, but the house and traditions he grew up with weren't the most overly affectionate, and in his career there wasn't much cuddling with the homies in his unit either.

Yeah you give him cuddles he's like a leach, he'll leave when he wants to leave and only when. And he likes to sometimes cling on by surprise. When he becomes so comfortable around you he'll often waltz into your office and wrap his arms around your neck from behind, watching what you're doing.

"You done yet??"

"I'll tell you when I'm done ok?"

"Ok...... Y/n??"

"Not all of us are as fast as you at paperwork y'know"

"Sorry."

You take Gaz and Soap on adventures together and you still can't wrap your head around hos they're friends. Completely chaotic, loud and chipper faced with slightly annoyed at the loudness, just as chaotic on the inside and together you get one big Gaz Soap salad. Sticking them in a car for five hours together was a mistake for your sake.

Gaz doesn't open up about his feelings a lot, but look at you 😄 look at you helping him to open up and ask for help. To ask for the care that he needs when things get tough for him.

He was alone before that terrorist attack where he met Price and that was s very scary time for him. Looking back on it from his place in 141 Gaz was much more scared on the field then than he is now. Probably because he's got a team he knows he'll always be able to trust and confide in.

That's the best part of having you as a friend. He can confide in you with anything. And knowing him, you can also confide in him. Whatever secrets you tell him are lock and key baby. He won't tell a single soul.

Gaz tried to do all the things you've done for him, for you. When you need someone to give you a hug or some cuddles Gaz will do his best to comfort you and show you that same infectious love and care.

Whenever you have a nightmare he's right there for you. Wrapping his arms around you to keep you steady, holding you up when you can't.

He'll always try.

Celebrates your accomplishments as well. When you get promoted or a medal, hell when you do everything he's on your sideline cheering. And it's like his shyness is gone when he sees his friends receiving praise for something. He'll cheer louder than everyone in the room for you all.

But the one thing your friendship isn't above is England. If you diss on England, or their football, prepare to get got. Tickle attacks or hitting you with a pillow as punishment.

At the end of the day three of your friends are British and one of them is Scottish which starts petty squabbles between Gaz and Soap sometimes. It's all playful but sometimes Soap wants to start some shit and you end up having to try and separate them before they wrestle each other to death.

And there is probably so much more I'm missing, but remember. Whenever you need someone to watch your six, Gaz is already there. Whenever you need someone you can spend some quiet time with when things get overwhelming, you know where to find Gaz. And when life gives you bullshit. Gaz has a Glock.

[oddballwriter]

(I apologize in advance if this is does not land in ur inbox, I have not used tumbler in a few years)

I think a short fic with Nordic being overly clingy would be cute, like his partner needs to leave to do something but he doesn’t feel like letting them leave quite yet

What is this Exam?

Summary: Basically what the requests says.

Warnings: None really, that I can think of 

Author’s Snip: I wrote this down in a sort of haze, so sorry if it's bad.

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Word Count: 543

Ah, Nordic Bunny. What an interesting boyfriend you managed to score. I mean, he's a guitar-robot alien who plans to take over the galaxy and is currently working on taking over Earth, with varying degrees of success. But you love him from tail to strings and you've managed to find s place under his big bad imperial emperor of the galaxy and extreme barrier of awesomeness persona.

Clingy is a word that could definitely be used when describing one aspect of your relationship. You don't put it past him too much since he's apparently never had a friend before, something that you were sure came with being dead set on domination of the galaxy. However, he's very... insistent that you be around him all the time. That's how you end up spending a lot of time at his base, which actually has a breathable atmosphere, to your surprise. Nordic Bunny has made an effort to make his base more homey for you whenever you visit, at least as homey as he can make it considering most of it is a factory-like setting, but a corner of his office and a place for you to sleep is good enough for you.

But much to his dismay, you have things to do back on Earth that would cause you to have to leave every once in a while, something that Nordic hates but has come to understand as more of a you-thing than a him-thing. That doesn't mean he doesn't try to object though.

"And what exactly is the importance of this exam? What are you examining?" Nordic questions, earning a laugh from you. "Well, I'm not the one examining. I'm the one getting examined." you clarify. "What?" Nordic exclaims, "There's nothing wrong with you? You seem in perfectly functioning order to me?" Nordic explains. "No, not that kind of exam," you mention. "It's an... intellect exam. It's to test how much I know about a certain topic that I've been learning. So I need to take it to see how much I've retained and have it measured on if I know an acceptable amount." you explain.

"Well, what happens if you just don't take it?" Nordic asks in a tone that makes it clear that he wants you to try and opt out of it. You try to explain what would happen if you did that but you figure that it would be hard to articulate how a grade and college system works to your robot boyfriend who's probably never heard of a college so you settle on just saying that you don't have the option to skip it.

"I'll come back." you promise, "I always do, you know that," you mention. "I just need to leave so that I can study to have enough knowledge for the exam and then take it. When I have my grade I'll have you come get me so that I can come back here. Okay." you say. Nordic crosses his arms and grumbles before saying "Well why don't you just study here and then you go take the exam?".

"Because you're very distracting," you flirt with a wink, Nordic gasps and then smiles.

"Oh, and no creating a plan to get my exam day canceled," you warn.

[solacescastleglow]

How to Learn New Information

So, there's something you absolutely need to learn. An equation, a historical event, how to change the oil in your car. Not only that, but you need to prove that you've learned it, and have, if not mastered it, then at least adequately absorbed the concept. But apart from asking AI, you have no idea where to start. Well, I've got you covered.

Preface: actually learning things

Don't use ChatGPT. When you use GenAI to make study notes or explain things to you, you're depriving yourself of the ability to engage with the material in a more interactive way. This means you're less likely to actually learn things. If you went to a surgeon for life-saving surgery, but you found out that they used AI to get through medical school instead of doing the research themself, would you trust them? I personally wouldn't.

Also, when you learn something, you're also training your brain on how to learn. Learning how to learn is so worth your time and effort. Why would you pass on the opportunity to build your ability to learn in addition to the actual thing you're learning? It makes learning the next thing easier because the neural pathways for finding out new information are already there. By the way, if you're in school, that's what they're actually teaching you to do. Even though it might not seem like it, the individual thing you're learning doesn't matter as much as the fact that you are learning.

1. Figure out the scope of your learning

What do you want to learn and why? Which part of the topic is the bit you need to know, and is there any prerequisite knowledge you need to have before you start? If you want to know simple algebra, it's helpful to know how addition and multiplication work, for example.

2. Phrase it as a question

Instead of just stating what you want to learn, for example 'the quadratic formula', it's much more helpful to phrase it as a question. 'What does the quadratic formula do?' and 'why is each variable there and how does it contribute to the end result of the formula?' will result in more in-depth knowledge, because you know exactly what you're looking for.

3. Find the most basic source to learn from

Typing '(thing you're learning) explained for kids' into YouTube is one way to start. I know that for maths and science, there's a set of baby books that explain really complex things, like quantum physics, but so simply that a literal baby could understand. Start with something like that.

4. Take notes

When you're doing this, write down everything. Anything you're not sure about, something that seems like it's been simplified too much, new vocab you come across. Write your question at the top so you can remember what's relevant.

5. Further research

Take your notes, then look each thing up. The Wikipedia page for it is usually accurate, since it's been moderated heavily. Set it to Simple English if possible, that makes it a lot easier to read if you still don't know what's going on. Take notes on that and repeat.

6. The Feynman technique

You've probably heard of this a million times, but what you might not realise is that you should be taking note of what you're missing. Write down questions the other person had that you didn't know the answer to, or things you just realised don't make sense to you while you're in the middle of talking it out.

7. Further research pt. 2

Now take those notes, and research that.

You should have a pretty solid knowledge base now! Good job!!! I hope this method helps you in your life, I know it's a lot more difficult than just typing into ChatGPT but it's so worth it for how much you'll remember.

[aly-writes]

Hi Aly! I love your writing so much! Can I request Arisu, Karube, and Chishiya headcannons with a smart significant other? Only if you feel writing it of course :) Thank you if you do - I look forward to seeing what you write next!!

y'all i finished revenge of others and i am OBSESSED with seok jaebum... anyways! i added kyuma and banda as characters i'll write for, so in the future feel free to request for them<3

there are a lot of different types of smarts in life (book smarts, street smarts, emotional intelligence, etc.) so i just had s/o written out as a combination of all of them. here you go nonnie!

warnings: none :)

arisu, chishiya, and karube with a smart s/o

arisu ryohei

arisu is so boyfriend material haha, he's always sooo impressed with you.

he knew you had a decent amount of intelligence based off of the test scores you showed him from university, but the first time you were fully able to show it off was during a game

it was a diamonds game, which wasn't exactly his strong suit (literally)

arisu is actually pretty smart himself, but he couldn't keep up with you during the game. your mind was working so fast and figuring things out at lightning speed

the group managed to finish the game with barely any casualties thanks to your quick mind and brilliant strategies. naturally, arisu had to bring it up in conversation

this boy showers you in compliments! he's so so sweet

he's your biggest fan, always bragging about you and rambling on about how amazing it was that you were able to do something so quick

you're the first person he'll come to if he needs anything at all.

he truly does trust your intuition more than his own. if you have a bad feeling about something, he makes sure to look at it through your viewpoint to try and understand what he's missing

more often than not, your warnings come in handy and he dodges a bullet. when he doesn't listen, he tends to notice things usually go bad

arisu also has smarts, so when the two of you start talking about whatever, those specific talks can go on for hours and hours

you both bring up new perspectives and different opinions and it's just so great

he's really really thoughtful and it makes the two of you super compatible :)

before he dropped out of university, you two were definitely study partners.

sometimes he would get a little too reliant on your knowledge and found himself basically dumping his entire homework load onto you

you never really noticed though, and you managed to help him solve the problems with such ease that it didn't really feel like homework at all

this benefitted both of you greatly though, because each time he solved a problem with your help he got a kiss as a reward

oh, plus cuddle breaks in between

and if he managed to solve three problems in a row without much of your help? you basically pampered him with kisses all over his face

his family absolutely loves you

kind of sad, but his dad and brother really like you because they believe you have the potential they think arisu lacks

you never treat them disrespectfully, but you definitely talk shit about them behind closed doors with arisu

cause how dare they talk about your precious bf like that?

you're kind of a mediator for him, karube, and chota though

hate to say it, but putting these three together inevitably causes stupid ideas to come up

you try to be the voice of reason. sometimes they listen to you, sometimes they don't

karube will playfully call you a 'buzzkill' because you shoot down their dangerous adventures, but it's all with good intent

when you're not around them, karube and chota will definitely hype you up to arisu though

"how did you even manage to pull someone so smart arisu?"

"his dad must be paying her, huh chota?"

on the other side though, sometimes the two of you clash.

arisu undeniably thinks with his heart most of the time. especially outside of games

you tend to stick with your brains and rely on them to get you through tough situations. this can lead to some tough arguments

you think of things logically and he comes at it emotionally, so sometimes it's hard to see eye-to-eye

you both love each other a lot though, so you always figure something out at the end of the day

you trust in your head so you tend to be stubborn and need time to yourself, but he will always rely on his feelings for you to get through these types of things

overall...

expect a lot of praise and reliance from him

he finds you super trustworthy and levelheaded, so your his go-to for anything at anytime

chishiya shuntaro

oh boy, i don't even know where to start with him? let's just say... things can get intense

chishiya is highly intelligent. you are also highly intelligent. this is where you both struggle

you can pick his brain a little too good for his liking and sometimes it bothers him. he can't really get anything past you, and the same goes the other way around

he can tend to get manipulative when things go south, and you match his energy

things that work on anybody else don't work on you, and it kind of freaks him out lol

he likes to be in control of everything around him, which includes the feelings of other people. you don't give him the chance to do this

this leads to a lot of passive aggressiveness and tension

but the tension is honestly the best part of your relationship

there is so much teasing and banter between the two of you

you both play the high-stakes game of 'who can get a smart remark past the other one first' and it makes things really fun

affection can get really exciting between the two of you because of this. after a day full of teasing it's quite interesting to see who breaks first in terms of relationship things

honestly? most of the time it's you, but when you decide to get stubborn and hold out, chishiya gets a little touchy and you find it cute

when you both have a common goal you make a great team

it's very true that two heads are greater than one

when one person makes the plan, the other will go over it and quickly catch any mistakes or holes that are missing

anything that you both work on together is almost unsettlingly perfect

while your smarts can sometimes lead to incompatibility, there are certain things that the two of you understand about each other that no one else does

you both can have really great conversations with each other. you don't have to hold back any of your thoughts because you know chishiya will always understand them, and it's great

you and him look at things objectively all the time, so emotions don't tend to get in the way of things you place higher priority over

both of you need your alone time, so codependency is never an issue

finally, you understand chishiya like nobody else does. you know how his brain works and you know how he views things. the best part about it? you send him no judgement

chishiya doesn't think of you as a chore because he's aware that you're probably the smartest person in a room full of people. he doesn't have to take care of you which is bliss for him

you guys have a lot of inside jokes as well, things so deeply exclusive to only you two that nobody dares to understand

you're a very intimidating couple

it's kind of difficult to make couple friends due to this intimidation factor, so double dates are off the table

chishiya was never much of a people person anyway, so it doesn't bother him

you're perfectly content mentally stimulating each other. things never get boring around him

overall...

you're able to perform the crazy feat of being seen as an equal by the one and only chishiya!

he's clever, but so are you. as much as it can be an annoyance, he actually finds you very entertaining

there's definitely a lot of trust between you two simply because you're one in the same. you know the saying 'don't do anything i wouldn't do'? basically your relationship in a nutshell

karube daikichi

karube is such a showoff LMAO

as a bartender, he comes across a lot of aggressive drunk dudes that aren't afraid to diss him and the things he holds dear to him. his family, his friends, and you as well

as childish as it is, his favorite thing to hit them with is "i bet my s/o is smarter than yours"

he just absolutely loves to use you as bragging rights and it's great

he's constantly learning from you and is extremely interested in anything you say

karube didn't graduate high school. he will absolutely eat up any fact you tell him and loves to learn things from you

he thinks the way that you talk is so captivating and will continuously ask you to repeat yourself just so he can hear you speak

he shares the facts you told him with arisu and chota and feels so smart

when they ask him where he learned that, he will proudly tell them that he got it from you

he doesn't feel inferior to you at all lol, he absolutely worships you

at first you were a bit hesitant to accept how much praise he would give you, but you eased up to it

similar to arisu, compliments compliments compliments

they're all over the place

he will brag about you to anything that breathes, especially when you're around

he actually finds that talking about you to other people is more fun than talking about himself. you're truly his gem and he finds you so special

he really likes to see you in your element and could watch you for hours

whether it's math, science, art, or whatever you're good at

when you start to really get into something, you focus on it entirely and he finds it super interesting to watch

he likes to watch the little habits you do. the only one he's pointed out to you is how you tap your thumb on the pads of your other fingers back and forth

he likes to hear you get logical

he sometimes tells you about the people that come into the bar and spill their life stories

when he does this, he will purposefully ask you to break down your thoughts so he can get an understanding of what your brain is thinking

"well obviously the reason his wife is asking him to clean up the dishes is because she's trying hard to get a promotion at work and comes home tired everyday! how can he not see that? she's not working hard for nothing..."

"really, babe? i didn't think of it that way"

he especially enjoys it when you start to criticize people and get a little snarky with them. he witnessed it once when someone was giving you attitude and he thought it was the hottest thing he had ever seen

you basically broke down their emotions for them and matched their tone, but did it in such a cool way lol his heart was pounding

overall...

karube thinks your smarts are such an amazing feature

he can't match them but he's totally okay with it, because now he has a smart s/o that is totally better than anybody else's

[venus-is-thinking]

DRDT Chapter 2 Episode 12: Initial Thoughts

Hello everyone! I thought it'd be fun to do a post going over some of my first thoughts from the episode after each release. "Initial" is a bit of a stretch, considering I did watch it a second time while making this post, but it's more "initial" in the context of being before the next episode drops. It's sort of like my "initial thoughts" of the Milgram MVs, which are actually the result of, like, 3 hours of obsessing and research, lol.

(By the way, @accirax and I watched the episode together, so apologies if her initial thoughts end up being, like, the same as mine.)

SPOILER WARNING FOR DRDT CH 2 EP 12!

T/W: Body image issues/body dysmorphia, murder, suicide

The Reactions

Confirmation of what I think most of us already suspected! I do think it's a little weird that Nico didn't bring up their testimony about all of the fish being there at the last time they fed the fish. That probably means it's being saved for later in the Trial, I guess?

It's okay Teruko, I saw literally no one in the entire fanbase figure this one out either!

Why is everyone so mean to her though. Everyone here has been an idiot in the Trials at LEAST once

God I missed David

This was so funny. Get his ass.

(In all seriousness, though, I do wonder if we're going to come back to what J said. I don't currently (?) think Arei was drenched, unless the real purpose of the water WAS just to confuse the time of death, so if the water didn't connect with her enough to cool her down, it might be weird that the body isn't warm after all.)

This took me out. Who let you say that. What.

Okay, but Ace, outside of a killing game... why. Like, literally why would a plastic surgeon need to know how to do an autopsy. King.

Like Felicity...? /hj

All in all, though, this was a really interesting character moment for Arturo! And god, the fact that he started learning medical knowledge and spedrun plastic surgery specifically since age 12 HAS to mean something. My vague theories of Felicity having struggles with body image/dysmorphia (Arturo's section of this post) are... maybe real???

Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if Arturo is going to go farther in this game. I don't expect him to survive or anything, but I could see it taking him a surprisingly long time to die. He feels like he's got too much lore to unpack to die, like, next chapter. Unless he gets HELLA focused next chapter, which is definitely possible.

This is so silly. I love them.

(Note: I'm not a Whit mastermind truther, but if I were, I would point out that MonoTV sort of covering up a rules violation for Whit could be relevant. I'm not a Whit mastermind truther though, so I think this is just a very silly joke a la "no wifi! why live :(" )

Well you see Eden, the killer would have actually had all night to prepare. If, say, they mentioned that they could dial in and focus on their work for like 14 hours straight, they could have gotten a lot done before 7:30 AM!

I'll talk about this more later, but the fact that J, David, Veronika, Hu and Nico seemingly have alibis that actually matter is so iconic. I can't believe that many theories died that quick. I'll talk about that more in my theories section, though!

It's been said before, but. Funniest fucking reaction to being declared innocent of murder.

"David still has a family history of depression even if that isn't his secret" nation where you at?

This one made me laugh out loud. Who does it like him

How truthful do we think David is in this next section? I refuse to believe it's 100% a lie, just because he's cooking SO hard on SOMETHING, but I could also believe David thinks he's lying to an extent. I could definitely see a "the best lies are based on the truth" kind of thing?

Also, damn. Xanvid really is real. LGI got me to believe it but WOW David's just being gay on main now

This was a really good, succinct way to have Teruko show her opposition to David's ideas. Even if it is to end the killing game or do something "good' or whatever, Teruko is still hurt and betrayed by what Xander did. Xander tried to kill her, and presumably would have tried to kill everyone else. David is now doing the same thing.

It's going to be really interesting if, whether genuine or not, David is kinda taking on Xander's position. That's going to give Teruko a reason to (outwardly) hate him even more. I'm really looking forward to learning more about how both Teruko and David view Xander.

Also, it's so fucking funny that Teruko and David are literally fighting over Xander. Like, valid, but. Guys.

(Also, David soooo knows Teruko's secret is the killing game is all your fault. Idk if he specifically knows that Xander's plan was to kill Teruko no matter what, but he's definitely caught on to some extent.)

This was crazy. Is Xander famous? Why would everyone recognize him? Like, did David just take particular notice of Xander because he's a simp, or is there something else going on?

Notably, it's also extremely interesting that David says "Even if you all lost a year of memories for this killing game." It almost implies that David didn't? What do you know???

Also, if David DOES have weird memories about this that no one else does, it's a really interesting comparison to Teruko remembering the existence of a killing game in the area investigation when she was talking to Veronika. Are these two getting special memory privileges because they're important? Or does everyone have some kind of memory that they all should have, but only one person knows each thing?

At first I was confused when David said this, because I really don't know how dear anyone in DRDT's life to him was other than Xander. But then I realized, if David is talking about killing 15 others and yourself, he's definitely still talking about Xander's mindset. Xander had something worth the lives of 16 people that he was trying to do.

I don't know how much David cares about ending the killing game. I wonder if "belief in Xander" is the thing he's willing to kill 13 people plus himself for?

I'm starting to get REALLY curious what J's deal is. Between this and her voiced line earlier in the trial saying something along the lines of "it's like you all still haven't grasped just how serious murder is," she definitely seems to have strong opinions on specifically the morality of killing other people. WHY is she being singled out with these beliefs, what does it say about her, and where is her character headed?

(If she is the mastermind, does this couple with the "all murderers must be held accountable" rule?)

"Any answer" is so funny. I think she's looking for the truthful answer, David. This is why no one believes you when you say anything ever /aff

Notably, this is VERY similar to the plan Eden came up with that Veronika described: using the fact that TV shows need entertainment to continue to end the killing game. It's the same thing, but with a much more depressed "everyone should just give up" kind of flavor.

The level of similarity does make me think David is probably not being 100% truthful, and that he just repurposed Eden's escape plan to be something sort of similar to what he was going for.

I do think that he WAS trying to defeat the killing game by killing people through the class trial. I just think that, between Xander's actions and the motive secret he received, he was trying to kill Teruko specifically. Yet another way that David's unhinged behavior ties into the Chapter 2 secrets.

*Hu hopeless child looms in the distance*

I'm so glad that Hu gets to pop off though. She really hasn't gotten, like, any content in the series so far. Here's hoping this is kicking off her getting a bunch of time to shine!

Interesting that they had both Ace and Hu cut Nico off in this interaction. The staging definitely implies that they're trying to show that while Ace is wrong for talking over Nico and not letting them say anything, Hu is also wrong to an extent for not letting Nico defend themself and running to their rescue all the time.

I am begging you. Please discuss the murder method. I didn't realize until my rewatch of the trial that they have actually literally not talked about the murder method at ALL except for telling David that he doesn't know shit about it.

HUH?????????????

Theory Update/Analysis

Well, I'm gonna start this off by saying that I'm still pretty locked into Eden being the killer. We still need to address the tape, and I personally still found her to be decently shifty now behavior wise (she seemed nervous when we turned back to solving the trial, and she says something about "it's too hard to narrow down the killer :/" when people were talking about morning alibis). I just think it makes the most sense.

While obviously my logic for why Levi would be the accomplice has to be at least somewhat flawed, given Levi's surprise confession (!!!), I still think it's possible that Levi is the accomplice here. He could be doing this to further confuse/complicate the state of things (hence why he calls it leading people astray), and it's possible he's not being 100% honest here.

Something that Levi could be doing here is taking control of the situation and spinning the truth in his favor. Hu mentioned earlier (e11, I think?) that the secrets are phrased dramatically. Similarly, Levi may be trying to offer an explanation for his secret that might be more tame, but still believable.

For example, if Levi says that he killed one of his parents because of the circumstances he grew up in, but it turned out that his parents were extremely abusive to him in some way (cough cough Amane Momose), wouldn't people be more willing to forgive the fact that he's a "murderer"? There are different levels to the culpability of murders.

So, it's definitely possible this is still an attempt by Levi to conceal the truth of his secret. It's true that, right now, no one's really trying to match all of the remaining secrets up with the remaining secret holders in-universe, but the entire fanbase pretty much slam dunked this one. Once the content of the secrets was revealed, it wasn't too difficult to track the origin of this secret to Levi. Levi might know that, and might be trying to spin it in a positive way while he can get everyone's attention and tell everyone the same narrative here in the class trial.

I don't think any Levi accomplice or killer truthers have to fully give up on the idea, or at least not until we see what Levi actually says after this. It's a WILD topic to reveal we're going to talk about, but we haven't actually talked about it yet. If we were told "we get David's motivations for trying to throw the trial," I doubt literally any of us would have locked in the prediction of "David is trying to follow in Xander's footsteps by killing everyone via the trial because he kind of remembers Xander." So, until next week, I'm keeping an open mind!

This was insane. I can't believe we actually got a new episode, and that we're gonna KEEP getting new episodes until the chapter finishes. What the fuck!!!

[l-in-the-light]

How do the Heart Pirates celebrate Christmas and the time around (if there's sth in the OP universe 😁)? 🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻

I'm slightly late, but Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁🌟 Are you perhaps the same anon who asked about Law's birthday celebration? Even if not, I just wanted to mention it because both asks warmed my heart ❤

I will tackle your question in two, or actually, three ways. First, I will use my knowledge in the field of anthropology to try to break down Christmas-like traditions in the world of One Piece. Secondly, I will try to relate real-world customs to Flevance, basing it on (rather obscure) hints in the manga. You would be surprised what can be guessed about their culture just from a few facts we got. And lastly, I will try to sprinkle some ideas about how Hearts would choose to spend their Christmas ;) I hope you will enjoy the read!

Christmas in One Piece (seems it's actually Winter Solstice)

We don't get much information on that, not directly at least. Would they celebrate Christmas as the rebirth of the sun? That's the origin of old traditions (like Yule/Winter Solstice and Saturnalia); celebration of light and changing of seasons. It marks the end of the darkest days of winter, because days start to be longer so you see more sun around. Some folk traditions survived till today (like straw goats in the North or festivals of fire) or chosen elements got incorporated into Christian customs: wreaths, carolling, misletoe and gift-giving, among others. You could say in our world Christianity tried to get rid of "pagan cultures", but when it realized it can't unroot them, they started to incorporate religious imagery into their traditions. This way they didn't erase Winter Solstice, they instead stole it as their own custom, heh. Which is part of the reason why Christianity spread around the world so effectively. But this process wasn't peaceful everywhere.

But how does it relate to One Piece? I remember they mentioned a Winter Solstice in Elbaf: they eat semla, then are fasting till "sun gets reborn" (our advent used to be about fasting as well, btw. Nowadays that tradition died out). Winter Solstice is often tied to the Norse beliefs. There was also this legend about the two kings: Oak King (also sometimes called the Sun King) and Holly King, always fighting each other so one of them can rule the next season. Perhaps Giants, besides Semla, also cultivated the old Yule log tradition? I admit that would really fit right in. But I don't think every island in OP world has same traditions, because they're all so isolated from each other. So just because Giants have Winter Solstice doesn't mean it's celebrated everywhere and even if it's a widespread custom, it's likely it's not done in exactly same way.

Why are beliefs about sun god present among various people of the world (Shandorians, Giants from Elbaf, Bucaneers)? Is it the same like in our world, that in many cultures there's a concept of some kind of sun deity and sometimes it's even the most important one? We have traditions of various sun dances in native beliefs of North America (and a sun dance in one tribe can be drastically different from others, but a ritual called this way exists among most of Great Plains tribes). Ancient Mayan and Aztec beliefs also had their own sun deities, and even the most isolated tribes in Amazon Rainforest also had some. Egyptians and Japanese have their own sun deities etc.

We have no idea why everyone worshipped the sun, even though we can guess as to why they found sun important in general. And I think that mystery will probably stay unsolved in OP universe as well. We might find out that the origin of Nika comes from one, specific culture (be it Elbaf or something more ancient - my guess is on the latter), or we might find out there were always multiple sun deities beliefs in the world and the source of it's origin can only be speculated. But we still should keep one fact in mind: we saw Government use Mother Carmel before to spread religion around, which could be the analogy to Christianity swallowing up native customs, like it happened in our world as well. That could suggest the sun god church is a religion spread by the Government and would explain why they really wanted that Nika devil fruit so badly (but that would mean they want their own, acceptable version of a sun god, not Nika - that name is apparently forbidden). But at this point, it's just a speculation.

But back to the main topic: Law and Hearts are mostly from North Blue, so they might share similar traditions, not counting some of the crewmates they likely recruited on the Grand Line. I suspect traditions are somewhat similar in their respective Blues, but might wary drastically between, let's say, South Blue and West Blue, thanks to the impenetrable wall seperating them for centuries. North Blue seems to be based on wintery regions of our world, so their customs might be reminiscent of those as well (for example, focus on illuminations, lights and candles/lanterns).

Situation gets more tricky with the rest of the Blues actually, we know very little about South and West Blue. South has some regions looking rather exotic (Torino Kingdom or Baterilla) and some appear to be very dangerous places, suffering from high criminal and poverty rates, like the home country of Kid Pirates. We have also region clearly inspired by Russia and Brazil there. There's a lot of disproportions, but the mash-up of different cultures suggest that each of them probably has their own, unique traditions. In comparison, West Blue is home to many rich-looking kingdoms, as well as having some world-wide recognized heritage like Scholars of Ohara, Kano (with it's long standing traditions like China), mysterious european-looking Thriller Bark before it became an actual Thriller Bark, there's also a country based on Hollywood. It's not much to go by, but Christmas in rich countries tends to be more consumption-focused and multicultural (doesn't mean it erases the differences between cultures, but it makes them become less distinct). Even Bege, who comes from West Blue, is based on Italian mafioso who has taste in expensive things (I'm basing it solely on his clothes and hat choices, but also him being big on keeping appearances and high hygiene standards, lol).

We saw plenty of East Blue, and I would say they're the poorest, but also homogenous and peaceful region of the world (people living in small villages like Foosha or Coco Village, depending on harvest from groves or getting most income from "travellers" - mostly pirates and bandits - since Foosha is a really small place but has an actual bar and it's probably because it's also a port town. And port towns are usually richer than inland cities thanks to trade etc.), close local communities in small towns (Orange Town), and the only truly flourishing place is Shell's Town, because it has a Marine base, and Goa Kingdom (wouldn't really call it flourishing, more like parasiting). Most of their traditions would be probably centered around village life and agriculture. Seems it's also never snowing there, so Christmas celebrations are probably absent, but there are most likely feasts shared together as a community instead.

Heart Pirates would try a lot of different, traditional food and customs from all around the world while travelling the Grand Line, and that sea is for sure even more unique when it comes to cultures (it has Egypt and Spain and old Japan!). Maybe some countries don't really celebrate Christmas and instead focus on New Year (like in Japan, all they do for Christmas is eating christmas shortcakes, look at illuminations and go on dates. yes, dates. Often they also eat chicken from KFC, because it became trendy there in Christmas season. Of course, Christmas is an imported holiday there, they didn't have anything like that before). Maybe on some islands they have unique traditions akin to the Diwali, the Festival of Lights? Or perhaps they do Christmas picnics or barbeque outside (Franky would love the latter!) in summer-like weather, like in South Africa, accompanied by some mango and palm trees decorated with ornaments; after all each island has it's own distinct climate! It's also possible there are many different dates for Christmas on Grand Line, spanning the length of two months - which means a Christmas-focused tour would be possible, to experience all sorts of different traditions and food one after another :D

Does Santa Claus exist in One Piece world? (canonically - not yet!)

Santa is probably not widespread belief in One Piece world, judging from the Drum Island arc.

There's no guy with long beard dressed in red and white, riding sleigh, going down the chimneys and giving people presents; just some rumours of a doctor travelling with a pet reindeer curing people of illnesses and taking their money for it. If Santa Claus was a thing, it would be mentioned in this scene or in the arc, but it wasn't, not even once. Instead of being called a fake Santa abomination, Kureha earned herself a witch nickname. For me that's a proof Santa Claus never existed, not even as just a random story from some winter country.

But not all hope is lost yet! Now, that I think about it, Wapol made a fortune by making specifically toys for kids. Doesn't that ring any bells? And he comes from Drum Kingdom originally! If he ever gets back to his country and starts giving those toys for free, that would be the One Piece's own Santa's origin story, haha. All the pieces are fitting lol. And we would still get Kureha with the sleigh distributing the gifts! Like I know, Wapol is a terrible person and a coward, but he's also going through second biggest crisis in his life currently. If he ever gets brave enough to reveal the truth to the world about Imu, his hair might go white as the result of all the accumulated stress and anxiety, lol. Wapol becoming the future Santa Claus is not something I expected to foresee for the end of One Piece, but it sure is a delight to imagine, haha.

Short answer: YES, he would be grumpy, but he wouldn't try to destroy the fun for others!

Hearts Pirates celebrating Christmas-like traditions on their voyage around the Grand Line

I mentioned before that Law doesn't seem the type who celebrates his birthday, and considering his reasons for it I think it would be likely that he would avoid Christmas-like celebrations as well. They might remind him of his home and the family he lost, because those are family-centered holidays. But let's face it: even if he's the captain he wouldn't be able to ban his own crew from celebrating Christmas. But whenever Hearts do a celebration on the Polar Tang, Law will probably try to vanish quickly, to his cabin or to the deck (I assume they wouldn't celebrate while submerged, because then part of the crew would have to work on maintaining the submarine instead of celebrating, you know).

One of the possible compromises Law might agree to would be celebrating unique traditions on different islands, which means they stay somewhere on land to celebrate. This way his crew gets to enjoy stuff, Law is less grumpy, and they also experience some adventures. So, instead of doing the same thing every single year, they would make it a point to try out a different tradition each year! (a dream come true tbh) After they decide which island they visit, they start preparations, asking for local traditions, creating ornaments or baking cakes together to contribute. I mean, it's Law's crew, they're a bunch of planners, right? I bet he taught them well.

On the day of celebration they all go to the land and have fun together, dressing up Christmas trees (if the place has that tradition), taking part in the feast, participating in eating contests, getting souvenirs like a true tourists from Christmas markets etc. I bet you at least once they ran into Strawhats and maybe also Kid Pirates (or heck, half of the worst gen, because why not, lol). That ends in some idiotic competitions. For example, our traditional Christmas soup is borscht with dumplings, so they could be taking part in "who eats the most bowls of borscht wins". You would think it would become a close battle between Kid and Luffy, but surprisingly enough Law would stay in the run, probably thanks to cheating on the side (shambling his portions of borscht away as he pretends to gulp down bowls in one go, lol). Because he can be a brat as well and would use his skills to his advantage :D they would have to really blackmail him hard into agreeing to even take part in this contest in the first place though.

They would for sure convince him into secret santa gift exchange and he would dread it, because he has to get something for someone like Usopp or Urouge, and he doesn't know much about them. Thankfully he can get advice from Penguin and Shachi who became best buddies with Usopp in Wano and they end up choosing something together. Law himself receives a figurine made out of straw that oddly reminds him of someone and he is convinced Kid gave him that, to mock him about his hidden adoration of a certain pirate-king-to-be (the gift was actually from Killer, lol).

At the end of the day the Strawhats would make a family-style feast on the Sunny and invite everyone, and then in the middle of the night Luffy and Usopp would try to catch Santa putting gifts under the Christmas tree, but they end up falling asleep while waiting. After witnessing that, Law, who rarely gets a good night of sleep, would have mercy on them and ask Jean Bart to dress up as Santa Claus and leave some presents under the tree. Zoro caught him and teased him about it, thankfully Law had some alcohol he could bribe him with to keep it a secret. He decided to ask Jean Bart to do the same for the Heart Pirates, who are in tears the next morning as they shout excited to each other that there are mysterious presents under the tree. Some guess Law was behind it though, but some never find out (Bepo, for example, lol, who ends up believing in Santa ever since).

Mining customs of Flevance and celebration of the sun; advent was likely a big thing

Ever wondered how Flevance would celebrate Christmas? I sure did. Considering that Flevance had a church and the only religion we know of in OP is centered on the sun god, I would assume Christmas was slightly more Christian, with kids carolling, visiting the church at midnight to give thanks to the sun god, having a feast with families at home, traditionally without meat. They would have Christmas markets though, because German vibes. But since Flevance is also a mining country, I would assume mining traditions were important there. For example, miners parades (it used to happen as the grand finale at the Christmas markets, miners played some musical instruments as they walked around the town square, maybe even marching all the way from or to the mines). We saw that parades are part of celebrations in Flevance (and Law mentioned as a child that celebrations are common in his town in general), so this seems canon-accurate (and also close to our real world mining customs which often include parades of miners playing musical instruments!).

That figure of a winged lady on a fountain is probably a Patron of Miners, that's why she appears to be holding a torch of some kind. In our world that could be the Saint Barbara or some Lady of Flevance (as a possible analogy to Our Lady of Lebanon, because church is also important in Flevance). Or you know, a Sun Goddess, if sun god has a different image depending on the country you visit. Why would a Sun God be a patron of miners? Because miners worked deep beneath the ground and as the result really yearned for sun, especially in winter months, when both days and nights were dark. That's how the famous light illuminations traditions got born, so they can lead husbands to their homes after their work shift is done in the mines. Those illuminations back in the days were candles or lanterns. That's why Lady of Flevance holding a torch makes a lot of sense (and yes, I'm gonna call her that for now, I kinda like the ring of it, haha).

In the backstory on Flevance it's revealed that people there were really good in craftswork, and mining towns often have ties to that field as well, so It's possible Flevance also had things like this:

In some mining towns they often put a figurine of a miner and an angel as candle-holders. They put them on windowpanes, so the light of the candles illuminates the darkness on long winter days. Some traditions mention that the angel figurine was for the wife, while they could be multiple miner figurines, each symbolizing one kid in the family (which means Trafalgars would get two). Some other sources mentioned an angel was for the girl child and miner for the boy child in the family. Other possible popular figurines and motives could be old guys smoking a pipe and nutcrackers. And of course the Angel Lady Patron.

Or instead of that, they could place some decorative wooden arches in the windows, depicting wintery landscapes, everyday life or mining scenes, with candles displayed, like this: Schwibbögen.

The wooden decorations would be, of course, white, because forests in Flevance were also white, even the fir trees! Ignore that they're not white in the colored version of the manga, haha. Or perhaps the candle-holders would take the form of Christmas pyramids, considering how Law's nationality would be German? (those pyramids also originated from mining traditions btw) :D

I bet you anything though, that whatever they would display in their windows in Flevance, it would be made out of amber lead, so ouchie. Beautiful, pristine white and deadly :/ Flevance was known for skilled craftsmen so I'm sure their decorations were very beautiful and full of exquisite details.

In my country mining traditions were centered around the 4th of December, it was called Saint Barbara Day or Miner's Day, and focused mainly on appreciating the patron. Saint Barbara was the most popular/universal mining patron, but there were some special, field-specialized patrons as well (Saint Kinga for salt mines in particular). There were some minor customs accompanying it, like fortune-telling: picking up special branches (of cherry tree or forsythia) that indicated different wishes for the future (good fortune in coming year, easy marriage etc.). There was also a special gingerbread bread baked for this occassion (yes, bread made out of gingerbread :D this is most likely an even older tradition originally). In Flevance they could bake some traditional white pastry instead, maybe meringue which is often powdery and white, so it would fit really nicely with the fairytale wonderland image of Flevance. On the day of the patron they also held a ceremony for new miners joining who had to go through a special rite of passage, which included jumping over a piece of leather or a special miner apron. They also drank a lot, mostly beer, but I'm sure mulled wine was a popular drink in mining towns too.

Flevance probably also celebrated Candlemas - 40 days after Christmas they officially took down Christmas decorations, also in the town squares. Before Christmas they also celebrated last shift - basically finishing up work earlier and celebrating, singing and eating together. Mining celebrations used to be cheerful, included lots of singing/playing music and drinking, and also light illuminations and parades in towns. Since Flevance became a rich country, I would expect some Christmas markets emerging as well as the result. Let's not forget that Flevance was also religious, and that also checks out for mining towns. Miners would usually start their day by giving prayer to a Mining Patron figure (in this case the winged Lady of Flevance) or attending the mass before work, on special occassions performed even inside the mines.

Special torches/poled lanterns used for special occassions.

Mining was a hard job, exposing people to dangers like cave-ins and extreme temperatures, risks like standing close to explosions (and their possible miscalculated consequences), toxic air from excavation, and some long-term health effects. People working constantly underground, aware that if something happens they might never get out unless a miracle happens, often turned to religion. They prayed for safety and protection, that's why church also becomes important as the consequence. I bet Law as a child saw miners often in the hospital; serious injuries and accidents are one of the most common risks coming with this job. Of course miners dedication and commitment delivers irreplacable resources, not only for one town or whole country, but global economy in general. And yet even nowadays miners face many problems, also related to no good health care and no proper support from the government. We saw what Government did to help Flevance... oh right, they didn't help. They instead waited like vultures for the situation to get worse, so they can be excused for executing drastic measures.

Coincidentally, Jail Island in the game One Piece World Seeker, is also a mining town, and it holds many secrets and attracts extreme interest of the Government.

Geez, I wrote a lot. Anyone actually finished reading this post? 😅