#JEE REPRESENTATION???

[buckaroo627]

Oliver Stark us magazine interview: buck living his life, pillar of stability, baking with jeeyun, feel very accepted

I just think of it as, ‘Let me just play Buck, and this is what he’s going through and this is what he’s dealing with at the moment.’ And that in itself, I think, is better representation — a bisexual character just living his life.”

“You know, Buck and Eddie obviously have an incredibly close relationship, and Buck and Tommy are still at the beginning of their relationship,” he told Us. “So in these moments when Buck needs someone to show up, obviously Tommy is there, but then there’s also the stability that he knows, that pillar of stability, which has been, and will continue to be, [Eddie]. He’s not going to cast Eddie aside.”

Stark also referenced more of those lighter moments for Buck, hinting at “a lot of cooking” and “baking” in the character’s future. “I had some fun doing those scenes with lots of, ‘All right, mix this and turn this off,’” he quipped, offering up a small spoiler he thinks fans will love: “He’ll be baking with his niece,” he said. With a sly smile, he added, “There you go, you can have that one for free.”

Before parting ways, Stark relayed a message he hopes to convey to fans: “Thank you for loving the show,” he said. “Thank you for loving Buck. It makes me feel very accepted.”

Pettibone, K. (2024 Oct 24). Oliver Stark on Leaning Into 9-1-1's 'Silly,' Finding His 'Focus' and Playing a Bisexual Bi-Con' (Exclusive). Us Magazine.

[eddiediazdefensesquad]

every year, buck makes the firefam a photobook summing up their year. Pictures from the halloween their firehouse hosted, a Christmas party at maddie and chim's, easter at bobby and athena's, birthday parties for the kids. nights out too. for hen's milestone birthday and to celebrate maddie's promotion. the kids grow up surrounded by a community of family who celebrate them, so they never know the childhoods their parents had to deal with. a group photo at jee's fifth birthday party, eddie and chim with a sign and flowers at mara's first soccer tournament. every year, buck makes the group send him every picture they take together, and then he spends hours curating it, theming each page, making sure everyone has equal representation in it (though he keeps finding chris, jee, and his newest nephew slip through a little more than the others, so he makes maddie look it over for him). and every year when he passes them out, hen and karen gleefully point out memories they forgot about while athena squeezes bobby's bicep when his eyes get a little misty. and when they get home, eddie dutifully stacks the newest edition on the others that live on their coffee table. a careful reminder of the family they chose. another book in their story. a story that continues to evolve, even when bobby retires and eddie is offered captaincy at another house. when chim moves to the fire academy, and only nostalgic buck and captain hen are left at the 118. their relationships change, but never in a bad way, always growing into a new and better version. because they are family they chose, and family means forever.

[imagineinside]

Star-Like Encounters (Hugh Jackman x Fem!Reader) Chapter 3

Previous Chapter: https://www.tumblr.com/imagineinside/760895461984976896/star-like-encounters-hugh-jackman-x-femreader?source=share

A/N: Heheheh I had so much fun writing this little Cinderella-esque chapter. I hope you guys have equal amount of fun reading it! :) (Also, as always, I do not know these people nor is this meant to be an accurate representation of them.)

Description: You begin your first semester at a prestigious university with a mix of excitement and chaos. After a frantic start involving a late arrival due to your roommate’s Hollywood-related detour, your day takes an unexpected turn when you meet Hugh Jackman, your roommate’s boss, at a movie studio.

Hugh, intrigued by your expertise in physics, invites you to consult on a film project aiming for scientific accuracy. Balancing your new academic responsibilities with a potential Hollywood cameo, you must navigate your dual interests. As you face your own feelings, you discover that the lines between your professional and personal worlds are more intertwined than you imagined.

Currently Applicable Tags: Sexual themes 18+, Fluff, cocky Hugh Jackman, flirty Hugh Jackman, age gap (55 and late 20s), so much pining, mutual pining, reader under alcoholic influence, grammatical errors, more to come.

The day of the debut event arrived faster than you had anticipated. Hugh had arranged for you to meet with him and his stylists six hours before the event officially began, which you thought was quite an extensive length of time. But then again, you had never gotten ready for an event like this before. 

Hugh had been texting you pictures of various different red and yellow dresses, sent to him originally from his stylist. You think the last time you had worn an evening gown like that was to your high school prom. It had taken a while, but you had all settled on a strapless red gown that would be tailored to your form. What had really caught your attention about the gown was the small trane in the back and the slit up the front left leg. It was simple enough that you wouldn’t draw enough attention but still beautiful enough to match the rest of the attendees.

Hugh had promised to pick you up from your apartment, and as you sat on your couch waiting for the text saying he had arrived butterflies of anxiety flew around your stomach.

“You look like you’re going to throw up,” Ashley said as she walked into the common room with her lunch in her hand.

“Jee, thanks, Ash,” you snapped back.

Your friend raised her hands in self defense, “I didn’t mean bad by it. You’ll be fine tonight, you don’t need to worry. Hugh’s a good guy.”

“I know that. Just how would you feel if your celebrity crush asked you out to attend the debut of a movie you’ve been eagerly awaiting to arrive in theaters?” Your knees started to nervously bounce now.

“If Jennifer Lawrence asked me out I would make it a night she never forgot. So good that we would run off into the sunset together to live the rest of our lives together,” your friend said dramatically as she scanned the horizon with her hand.

You rolled your eyes, “Sure you would.” Just then your phone vibrated in your hand and a text from Hugh illuminated the screen.

Yup, that was the text saying he was here. You stood from your seat just as a second text came through.

You smiled to yourself at that, at least you weren’t the only person who was nervous about tonight. You thought that he would be accustomed to events like this after so many years in the entertainment business.

Going out to the car, you waved once you spotted Hugh parked on the side of the street. He was waiting outside the front of his car, leaning against the hood with his arms crossed over his massive chest. Something about seeing him waiting for you like that made your heart soar.

His eyes lit up once he saw you, a crooked smile forming on his face, “Y/N, it’s great to see you.” If he was truly nervous, he didn’t seem to show it.

You gave him a polite smile, “Thank you for coming to pick me up.”

“It was my pleasure,” He said and opened the door for you to slide into the passenger seat. His raw manliness is even more attractive paired with his manners and the way he seems to prioritize your comfort and presence.

The car was merging onto the road when he asked you next, “So, are you nervous?”

You let out a small laugh, “Me? Nervous about being photographed by hundreds of people? With you? And possibly also meeting some of your castmates? And seeing my photos go up online?” You swallowed and squeaked out a quiet, “Yes.”

Hugh laughed and something about the soft baritone made you feel a little better, “You’ll do great. You get to play the part of my sexy arm candy for the night… help to distract them from this old mug.”

You know he mainly meant it as a joke, but you were reeling with which to respond to first: his compliment (which like oh my god, did he just call you sexy?) or the fact that he views himself as anything short of the hottest man on Earth. “I don’t think anyone will pay me any mind, Hugh,” you said with a raised brow and a teasing smile thrown his way. “A fifty-five year old Wolverine never looked so good.” Were you flirting? Maybe just a little…

You weren’t sure if it was the change of lighting as you drove under a tunnel, but you thought you saw a slight blush creep up to his cheeks. “I’m glad you think so. I was slightly nervous at the start of the movie production being able to pay tribute to my old character.”

“Hugh, even if you weren’t still super hot and muscular, I don’t think there could be anyone else to play Wolverine.”

“You think I’m hot, huh?” He asked with a playful smile as he turned down an alleyway to the venue parking lot.

Despite feeling your own blush creep up on you, you decided to try to play it off, “I’m pretty sure every girl in the whole of the world finds you hot. I am far from the only one.”

You let him breathe a moment as he reversed the car into the parking spot, his hand coming up to the back of your headrest–and holy crap his bicep was right there. You barely resisted the urge to bite it.

“Maybe so,” Hugh finally replied as he gathered his belongings and paused for a moment to look you in the eye, “But right now you’re the only one that matters.”

* * *

The two of you were separated into different rooms when you arrived. Apparently it wasn’t going to take as long to get Hugh ready as you, so he was going to be working on other things. His stylist was a sweet, older woman who had years in this field. You gave her full liberty on your hair and makeup, she knew much better than you what would be appropriate.

“My daughter looks so much like you,” she had said sweetly while working on your makeup. “Of course, she never lets me do her makeup like this.”

Brenda, you found her name was, had given you a more subtle look. Nothing too flashy. More a sultry, smokey eye look with a matte red lipstick to match your dress.

“I do prefer to keep my hair up,” you had told her. You found it just bothered you if it hung in front of your face.

“We can work with that,” she said with a small giggle.

She ended up deciding on the very ageless french twist hairstyle, but without the necessary claw clip in the back. About midway through you had lost count of the amount of bobby pins she was hiding in your hair. Finally you were able to change into your dress, and with a couple finishing touches, such as earrings, a necklace and a bracelet, Brenda said you were “red carpet ready!”

It felt like you were living a real-life Cinderella fairytale. 

For one night only.

“Hugh is just through that door,” Brenda said with a knowing smile and a wink.

“Oh, Brenda, there’s nothing going on–”

She cut you off, “I’ve lived enough years on this Earth to know when there is a deeper connection, even if the other people try to deny it.”

Clutching the black handbag she had given you, you turned away from her and opened the door.

You didn’t look up right away, not sure what to do with yourself. You had never gotten this dressed up in your life. Pantsuits were more your style for work, not… this. Not that you didn’t completely enjoy it, though.

A breathless “wow” caught your attention and your eyes snapped up.

Hugh was standing across the room, seemingly in the process of applying his cufflinks. Though something had frozen him in place. 

No, not something… someone. You. 

His chest was moving quickly with his breaths, as if the wind had gotten knocked out of him. You felt every movement of his eyes on you as he took you in, as if his hands were there instead, trailing every curve and flowing line.

Not knowing what else to do with yourself, you gave him a quick spin, “What do you think?”

The next thing you knew, he was moving to you from across the room, cufflinks disregarded on a nearby table. Every step he took echoed through you until he came to rest before you. His hands hovered midair between the two of you, as if he wanted to reach out to you but came to his senses. 

You wanted to tell him to “Do it.” The words fell from your mouth before you could stop them.

Then his hands were on your waist and tugging you closer. You didn’t even realize you had begun to shake until you raised your hand to rest on his chest.

“You look absolutely stunning, Y/N,” the words left his mouth like a whispered prayer.

His hands seemed to move on their own as one trailed further south over the curve of your ass, and the other came up to your chin and tilted your face to meet his. You didn’t tell him to stop.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” you whispered to him as you shared the same air. You could feel the puff of his breath across your lips–

A knock at the door had the both of you jumping away. It was like you had just been caught making out at your parents house for the first time.

“Oh, Huuuugh,” a sing-songy voice called from the other side of the door. You could recognize it anywhere, you had seen the Deadpool movies. “I’m comin’ in so you better not be naked.” And just like that the door swung open for Ryan Reynolds to enter the room. 

His eyes did one quick scan before stopping on you, and you weren’t sure why, but you held your breath. “And who is this lovely woman?” He said with a grin and began to approach you, “I’m Ryan, and who might you be?”

“I’m Y/N, the astrophysics Professor helping Hugh with his next film.” You said and shook Ryan’s hand.

“Well he did not say you were such a smokeshow, dear goodness. Don’t tell Blake I said that, she’d kill me,” you couldn’t help but laugh at that, knowing it was all just a joke. “Listen, they need us out there in like 20 minutos, can ya do that?”

20 minutes… your heart felt like it was in your throat. That little episode with Hugh had really distracted you from your nerves, but not anymore.

“Yeah, we’ll be right behind you, just give us a minute?” Hugh asked and gestured for him to leave the room.

“Ah ah ah, no not before a picture of you two, c’mon now,” Ryan said and practically shoved Hugh back towards you.

Something told you that Ryan wouldn’t give up quietly and Hugh gave you an apathetic look. You gave him a small smile and mouthed “it’s okay.” The next thing you knew, Hugh’s giant hand was back around your waist and you were posing for a picture. Once Ryan was apparently satisfied he put his phone down and began walking out of the room.

“You two look great! Trust me, you’ll thank me for the picture later.” With a click of the door, he was gone as fast as he had arrived.

A heavy silence fell over the small dressing room once Ryan had made his exit. You weren’t entirely sure where to pick up after what you had gotten interrupted from. Were you guys seriously about to kiss? For some reason you have a hard time believing Hugh would want to kiss you of all people. He could have literally anyone he wanted.

Distantly, you heard Hugh ask you a question. Something about a photo, maybe? You were so in your own thoughts that you just mumbled a “yeah” and didn’t give it much thought.

“Hey, Y/N, you alright?” Hugh asked, his hand appearing on your shoulder.

You blinked yourself out of whatever trance you had put yourself in, “Uh, yeah, sorry.” You paused for a moment, perhaps this would be the best time to be honest with Hugh. “Listen, I don’t know if I can do this…”

“What do you mean?” concern etched itself between Hugh’s eyebrows.

“I’m going to probably be asked questions I don’t know the answer to out there. I don’t know the first thing about posing in front of a camera. I am not star material, I spent nearly my entire graduate years inside my dorm room. I kid you not, I was so pale I scared my roommate ‘cause she thought I was a ghost one night.”

Your last comment made Hugh burst out laughing, the worry on his face disappearing almost immediately. You smacked him, not hard, with your black clutch purse. “Stop it!” You exclaimed, now beginning to fight your own laughter, “I’m actually nervous here!”

“Sorry,” he giggled, hand coming up to block his mouth as if that would stop his laughter, “I can just picture it so well–”

“Ah, jee, thanks. That makes me feel wonderful.”

Hugh wiped tears from his eyes and turned to look at you sincerely, “You are wonderful. But if you don’t want to go out there, then you can just skip the red carpet and go straight to the theater.”

You blinked up at him, “You promise?”

“I will pinky promise if you would like.”

You thought for a moment, “Yes, that would make me feel better.”

Hugh let out another laugh, “You don’t stop surprising me.” He linked your pinkies together and squeezed tightly, “I pinky promise you.”

Then, with a tenacity that surprised you after his hesitation earlier, he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you towards him until your chests were flush together. “Though it would be their loss not getting to see how absolutely amazing you look tonight.”

The air was beginning to feel heavy again as tension crackled between the two of you. You weren’t sure you would stop yourself if it came to another moment like before, and it didn’t seem that Ryan was going to come swooping back in. So, to save yourself from any future embarrassment, you playfully shoved Hugh away, his grip on your waist releasing, and you said, “You better get finished up there. Don’t want to be the one to make us late now would you?”

Hugh then finished putting together his suit, which was an all black ensemble but with a red handkerchief to presumably match your dress.

“How do I look?” he asked and gave a quick spin, mocking what you had done earlier.

“Very dashing,” you said and threw the magazine you had been flipping through to the side.

Before you could push yourself to a stand, Hugh was there with his hand outstretched in front of you. You smiled shyly at him before placing your hand in his and allowing him to pull you up next to him. “As I said, you can still leave the carpet if it gets overwhelming for you.”

As the two of you approached the door, your left hand rested on his bicep as he held you close up next to him. It was definitely worth standing so close, his bicep felt like a rock beneath your hand. “Thank you, Hugh.”

He gave you the most genuine smile you think you have ever seen before he leaned down and placed a quick kiss to the top of your head. And just like that, you were walking out for your very first red carpet event.

* * *

Walking out onto the carpet for the first time was even more overwhelming than you thought it would be. The immediate flashing of cameras had you recoiling and gripping onto Hugh’s arm even tighter. His other hand came up to rest on yours as another form of reassurance. Then he leaned down until his lips brushed on the crest of your ear to whisper, “Show them how beautiful you are.”

Lifting your head back up you squinted your eyes into the flashing of the cameras and gave Hugh’s arm a thankful squeeze. There was so much talking and photographers yelling around you that you weren’t entirely sure where to go or what to do, so you followed Hugh’s lead.

It was slightly mesmerizing to watch Hugh be in his element on the carpet. The way he moved into poses with you almost automatically helped you feel more confident, and you would pause every few paces to let photographers get their desired pictures. Later down the carpet, Hugh got pulled into a few interviews with Ryan, but that gave you a chance to talk to Blake Lively for the first time. You had absolutely loved her “Lady Liberty” look a couple years ago at the Met Gala. The two of you had actually exchanged phone numbers in the hopes of staying in contact.

“You doing alright?” Hugh asked when he and Ryan walked back over to you and Blake. His hand slid across your waist and stayed there, notched around your back, as if it was his favorite place to be.

You smiled up at him, “Yeah, I’m actually really enjoying this.” You settled a hand on his chest and looked at him in his soft, brown eyes. “Hugh, thank you for this experience.”

He smiled back at you, the crows feet forming in the corner of his eyes, “I’m not sure if this night was more for you or for me.”

You were about to ask him what he meant when Ryan exclaimed you guys should go get your seats in the showroom before everyone else got there first. You had agreed it was a good idea, and the two of you followed after Hugh’s costar.

The four of you got seats all in a row, with–of course–Ryan and Hugh sitting next to each other. You couldn’t believe that you were really going to get to see the movie with the two starring actors sitting right beside you. You would have to be careful to keep your fangirling to a minimum.

Watching the movie felt like a spiritual experience, or maybe that was just because the waiters kept coming by and handing you more champagne which you were definitely getting tipsy off of. Either way, it was amazing. It was everything you had ever wanted all wrapped up into one two hour length film. The comic accurate Wolverine had you bursting out laughing and asking Hugh how they had made him so tiny. Getting to see all the old mutants from the X-Men was also such a great experience. The Honda Odyssey fight scene would go down in your mind as one of the best choreographed fight scenes of all time. And don’t even get you started on comic-accurate Blade, Elektra, and Gambit. Plus X-23 coming back had you crying tears of joy on the inside.

Now you were watching the final scenes of the movie when Deadpool goes down to stop the machine from destroying his world. You didn’t even try to stop the tears from falling down your face at the noble sacrifice.

Hugh must have heard your quiet sniffles as you tried to hide your embarrassing emotions over fictional characters you had grown so attached to. “Hey,” he whispered, “it’s gonna be alright.” His hand fell to your thigh and his thumb began rubbing soothing patterns against your skin.

“I know,” you whispered back, your voice watery from crying, “It’s just so beautiful. I wish I wasn’t ruining my makeup right now though.”

Hugh let out a low chuckle, “You still look beautiful to me.”

When you looked back up to the screen, it felt like your world was coming to a standstill. Right there, with Like a Prayer by Madonna playing in the background, was a very ripped, glazed Hawaiian roll looking Hugh Jackman all over the big screen. You didn’t even realize your jaw had dropped open until you heard laughter from beside you as Hugh took in your reaction. Deadpool’s reaction in the movie was also totally warranted.

“I don’t know if I’m turned on or still sad that now Wolverine and Deadpool are both going to die,” you whispered to Hugh beside you who gave your thigh a playful squeeze.

You watched the remaining moments of the movie at the edge of your seat, wishing that it would never end.

“Wow,” you said as the lights turned back on and people began filing out of the showroom. “That was…That was better than sex.”

“Amen,” Ryan replied as he helped Blake put her jacket back on. “Catch you later, Hugh.” You waved Ryan and Blake goodbye as they left the theater.

“I think that was the most jacked Wolverine has ever been in any movie.”

Hugh laughed and flashed his bright smile at you, “I definitely didn’t get that fit without a whole team to help me do it.”

You gave him a soft smile in return, “You did great in the movie, Hugh. I think that will go down as one of the best MCU movies, like, ever. I don’t think that was the worst Wolverine, I think he was the best one.”

Hugh tilted his head at you, “What makes you say that?”

“Because he had so many demons following him. He lost everyone. Yet he still found a new purpose to do better. You can’t be the worst version of yourself if you do that.”

“You look for the good in everyone don’t you?” He said with a smile as he stood from his chair and extended a hand to help you up. Ever the gentleman.

When you went to stand, your feet wobbled beneath you and fell forward like a damsel in distress. Strong arms held you upwards and you heard a laugh rumble up from Hugh’s chest. “Sorry,” you mumbled and righted yourself, “I think I had one-too-many glasses of champagne. Just hopefully I don’t throw up,” as soon as the words left your mouth you cringed at yourself outwardly. 

“Sorry, that was gross. Very not ladylike. And you are always such a gentleman. It’s like you were born to open doors for me and help me up from a chair. Sorry, I’m drunk. Don’t hold anything I’m saying against me tomorrow.” You mumbled into your hand as you realized you were rambling on. Jeez, that must have been some strong champagne.

“Maybe I should take you home?” Hugh offered as he held one arm around you and the other in your left hand, helping to steady you down the steps towards the exit.

“No, God, I’m sorry. I’m really making a fool of myself–”

“That’s not it.” Hugh cut you off, “I just want to make sure you get comfortable tonight and do whatever you need.”

“You’re so nice,” You said and looked up to his heartbreakingly handsome face, tears forming at the edges of your eyes, “I’m an emotional drunk, you can’t be that nice or I’m gonna cry.” Hugh laughed at that, at least he was able to find you humorous in this state. “Ashley also texted me and told me she was having a girl over tonight… I don’t want to walk in on her again.” You shivered, “We barely got past it the last time.”

Hugh seemed to cringe at whatever mental image he had pictured as well, “Alright, then where were you planning on going tonight?”

“I asked our friend Janet but she didn’t respond. Oh no!” You exclaimed, “I’m going to be homeless!”

Hugh laughed and guided you outside towards the back parking lot where his car was surely still waiting for the both of you. “You’re not going to be homeless. If you need to, you can spend the night at my apartment.”

“Nonononono,” you hurried to say, the words slurring together, “I can’t stay at your apartment. I cannot see where the magic happens.”

“Where the mag–What are you saying, goofball?” Hugh laughed again as he opened the door for you and you did not slide into the seat gracefully, as much as you tried.

“You’re so hot. There’s no way I can spend the night at your place. I want to too much.”

Hugh began driving out of the parking lot and the motion of the vehicle made your head spin even more. “Why not just try to get a little shut eye, it’s a thirty minute drive to get there from here.”

* * *

You didn’t even realize you had passed out in Hugh Jackman’s car until you heard the hum of the engine come to a stop and the lights flick out. You had drool sliding down the side of your mouth which you tried to slyly wipe away.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Hugh greeted and reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. You reveled in the light graze of his fingers as they floated against your skin. “Let’s get you inside, shall we?”

The nap had actually helped to sober you up a lot, though you would never admit that he was right, of course. You were able to walk up to his apartment without any assistance in not falling over, though Hugh still stayed behind you in case you lost your balance. Once you got inside, your jaw felt like it fell to the floor. This one apartment was probably four times the size of the one you shared with Ashley, and it even had a staircase up to a second floor. So there wasn’t just one floor for one apartment? This was an entirely new concept to you.

And there was an entire wall of windows. You basically dashed over to them as you looked out to the sea just West of you and the city lights scattering the Southern coastline.

“Wow,” you breathed, your breath fogging up the glass.

“I know,” Hugh said from behind you, “once I saw the view I knew I had to have this place.” He reached forward and placed a gentle hand on your lower back. “Why don’t you go wash up in the master bath, I’ll get some clothes laid out for you.”

You blushed and mumbled a thank you before following Hugh up the stairs. The master bedroom alone was the size of your apartment, though you didn’t want to say anything. You’re sure Hugh isn’t the type to rub his financial status in other people’s faces, and therefore he probably doesn’t like people making comments on it either.

“Use whatever you need,” Hugh said with a smile as you worked on taking your heels off on the edge of the bed.

“Thank you,” you blushed, embarrassment flooding over you. “I’m really sorry about getting so drunk, Hugh. I don’t want you to think that’s normal for me.”

Hugh waved you away and came to sit next to you, the bed dipping from his weight as he sat down, “Tonight was about you enjoying the experience and the movie, which you did. I’m glad that you were there with me.”

“Did I say anything too unhinged? My memory is a bit fuzzy right before I passed out.”

Hugh appeared to give it some thought, “No, just that you think I’m hot.” He said with a mischievous smile.

You rolled your eyes as a smile grew on your own face, “Well I thought that was already obvious.”

“Oh really?”

“Well, duh, I’ve only had a massive crush on you since The Greatest Showman,” the second the words left your mouth you realized what you had said. 

The smile dropped from your face almost immediately as you grabbed a nearby blanket and threw it over your head to pretend you could simply disappear. You guessed that while you didn’t feel drunk anymore, your filter was still working on coming back. 

“Y/N,” Hugh called and tugged at the blanket but you fought to keep it in place.

“No, I’m never coming out of here.”

“Sweetheart, let me see your face,” something about the way he said it made you allow him to peel the blanket off of you. You weren’t ready to look at him again, though it felt like his eyes were looking straight through you.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“For what, sweetheart?” Hugh asked as his hand lifted your chin until you had no choice but to look him in the eye.

“For ruining whatever friendship we had the possibility of creating.”

“Baby,” he purred, his voice like silk, “this was never going to be only a friendship.” Then his lips were on yours.

The kiss wasn’t frantic or steamy like you thought it would be. It was soft, and gentle, like he was just testing the water to see if either of you would get burned. You opened up to him, becoming pliant under his strong hand that was still on your cheek. A deep moan echoed up from his throat to urge you on, the sound making you squeeze your thighs together as you gripped around nothing.

“You’re so beautiful,” Hugh whispered, sounding absolutely breathless as he broke the kiss, only to come back for more.

You opened up for him when his tongue requested entrance and it was like neither of you could get enough. Sharing the same breath wasn’t enough anymore, you needed to be closer. You pushed against his chest, to which you received very little resistance before he laid back on the bed, all spread out for you. Something about seeing him flushed and breathing heavily because of you really messed with your head.

Before you had a chance to overthink it, you swung your leg over him and settled over his abdomen. Your hips grinded down on their own accord, though it rewarded you with a satisfying groan from the man at your mercy beneath you. You would do that all night if it meant you got to hear him make those noises.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” Hugh gasped and his hands shot out to your hips with a grip you were sure would leave bruises in the morning.

“I think I do,” you whispered, “because you do it to me, too.”

Both of you moved at the same time, lips crashing together. You didn’t even mind that your teeth knocked together as he ravaged you. His left hand came up to grip at the back of your head, holding you right where he wanted you. You felt him rut up against you in search of friction, and God you wanted it so badly too, but–

“Hugh,” you pulled away, breathless and lips red from kissing, “I think we’re getting carried away.” He stayed beneath you, chest heaving, as if he was still trying to process your words. “I don’t… I think we should talk once I don’t have any alcohol left in me.”

Hugh nodded, his mouth parted as if he was still contemplating whether to kiss you again or not. “Alright, sweetheart, I’ll let you get washed up. I’ll get you some water and a Liquid IV as well.”

“Thank you,” you said and placed a small kiss on his lips before sliding off of him as a reminder it wasn’t over.

You hadn’t realized the extent to which you had affected him until you looked back to see a tent in his dress slacks as he sat up. You quickly averted your gaze and strutted into the washroom.

Once you were done, just as promised, Hugh had left (what you would assume) was one of his shirts laid out on the bed, as well as water and a Liquid IV on the nightstand. Alongside it was a folded note that read: I’m sleeping in the guest bed, I don’t think I would be able to control myself with you tonight. Sleep as long as you need, I’ll have breakfast ready in the morning. ♥️

You went to bed that night with a surge of hope in your chest.

Bonus, Hugh’s Instagram Post:

Taglist: @corvusmorte, @chinchie, @reinabxitch, @shortnloud, @nizem8, @rexmeshlasblog (if you aren't on this last but want to be let me know!)

[ede917]

You know ever since the reveal that DA: Veil Guard would be following DA:2 by making all romances available to all races and gender, I've seen a lot of comments about representation.

Personally, I don't have a problem with it. It's a game; I like when games give me options. However! It has made me think.

Amongst the two newest companions to be revealed, two jump out at me. Taash because, well, qunari woman and Bellara because she's very cute and voiced by Jee Young Han.

Until I actually play the game, I can't decide which one I'm going to romance first. Which made me realize something that I really want to see in a bioware rpg:

We already have companions get together if we don't romance them like with Tali/Garrus and Iron Bull/Dorian.

Let us be part of the love damn it!

[aashiqeddiediaz]

something about jee yun setting maddie’s ring in her doll house like the manifestation of all things domestic and fairytale and things maddie didn’t think she’d ever have, and the universe letting her make the decision when she finds it in the symbolic representation of the family she made with her partner - something she and chim fought so damn hard to make, somewhere she’s finally safe, I-

[damnfandomproblems]

5305 "have you considered that his ego doesnt need to be reinforced all the time let alone at the expense of aces"

This is the most terminally online take on House M.D. yet lmao, just WHAT?? I'm not a huge House M.D. fan, but the very premise of the show revolves around a doctor who's an asshole. If he was fired for being an asshole, there would be no M.D., there would be no hospital or patients, there would be no show.

Also... What does his "ego being reinforced all the time" even mean? He keeps his job? He's right about patients a lot of the time? I'd hope those are both true, because that's the reason he's on the team and the show ran as long as it did, people watched it for the soap opera in a hospital vibe.

But it's not "all the time". If it was, that would be hella boring. The best episodes were the ones that he got his shit kicked in. I remember one of the other doctors deliberately hiding a successful treatment from him. He was stubborn about amputating a girl's leg and the dilly-dallying killed her. He got in legal trouble on many occasions and he wasn't allowed to practice medicine as a team leader for a long time. He went to bars and had himself beaten up on purpose. He refused to see a woman who had been assaulted because he knew he wasn't compassionate enough to take her case.

If you actually watched the show, you'd know he has a ton of problems. His dad abused him. His fiancee is estranged. Others can cover the rest. I'd call that nuance. Yet here you are babbling about his "ego being reinforced" like all you see is black and white.

"At the expense of aces". Ace person here, and I'm telling you to stuff this. That episode came out in 2006. Almost TWENTY YEARS ago. Jee, let's throw out the entire show because it had a narrative that was a product of its time in one episode, what a sad way to live, if I'm honest! The show was very progressive in other ways, have you thought about that? Aces have more representation NOW, and that's what matters. I'll roll my eyes or outright avoid the episode if I ever watch the show again, because it makes me angry, but let's be realistic here. I do attend ace meetups via Aven, and I know another ace who actually learned about asexuality from House and despite the ending it made a huge differencd for her. So, like I said, stuff this reductive thinking.

Posting as a response to a previous problem.

[kakibot]

Tav art dump incoming!

Pei-Jee, inspired by my huge ass crush on Scottish National Orchestra's principal cello, this is completely normal and I am sure the real life cellist would not have any issues knowing I picked him to represent my first go at a (resist) durge run.

Wizard, Astarion romancer, dimples, happy to see beloved NPCs walk out and right into death's arms. No man is an island but this elf for sure is. (Astarion is allowed to sit on this island >.>)

Jindra, my first Tav, they/them representation of my own dream physical form. Fey Warlock, with a very benevolent albeit chaotic archfey patron who looks like Cody Fern because I say so.

Intrigued by the wizard man's smart words and completely lost in his full blast of romantic dedication. Abused orphan background in dire need of unconditional, caring love.

Antonin, a BG3 variant of my current D&D character! A slavic mythology inspired water spirit druid so of course he ended up with the one character who can't swim.

A very good boy, loves tiefling kids even when they pickpocket him. His theme song is "Nature Boy".

[loucifersbitch]

you posted it the tags of a post recently but I relate so hard knowing odds are bucktommy will eventually break up but i will be so happy if im wrong, i really enjoy buck and tommy so much (like i could imagine buck cooking for tommy in his apron and babysitting Jee-yun and live blissfully forever) and i just so deeply enjoy the sheer queer joy and community that i’ve come across with the bucktommy corner of the internet i’ve found myself in, your blog included!

you get it! bucktommy has taken over my heart and the majority of my thoughts in the last 2-ish months. i do think they have the potential to go the distance! i will be very sad if they eventually break up, but if that's where the story goes and it makes sense, i'll understand. and yeah, just thinking about their potential future together, the soft domesticity and tender looks and even obstacles they could overcome because of or with each other? that's the good shit

also, i just want to say, i've never experienced anything like this before. the giddy queer joy and absolute happiness i feel every time i remember just how important and impactful this kind of representation is and will be??? history in the making

thank you so much for the message and kind words 💚 i hope you have a great day

[thebleedingwoodland]

^ Ignore the incorrect grammar on the graphic above, it supposedly says

恭賀新禧 (Gōnghè xīnxǐ) = Best Wishes for Happy New Year

Lunar New Year Update 2019

Lunar New Year Update 2022

✨ There will be upcoming Chinese New Year held on 10 February 2024, which is Year of Wood Dragon. ✨

Recently I opened The Sims 4 game again on Steam --- Yes The Sims 4 Base game is free of purchase on Steam --- Finally I can see soothing and relieving representation of Chinese culture in-game unlike sore eyes disaster what The Sims 3 team had done on Shang Simla for The Sims 3.

Definitely there's something positive on this representation of Lunar New Year updates for 2019 and 2022 that I can give applause to EA👏 , that this company team finally made consultation to actual Chinese (and Korean) people.

Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.

Commonly known as the Spring Festival in China, Lunar New Year is a fifteen-day celebration marked by many traditions.

Not just celebrated in China, Korea and Vietnam celebrate Lunar New Year. So yes, we celebrate New Year twice, Gregorian New Year (1 January) and Lunar New Year (10 February, China Year 2575) in 2024.

I can only review about the Chinese New Year stuff part. I can recognize easily there's steamed fish, noodles, and Nian Gao （年糕） . And the most important part of Chinese New Year is....

🧧 Red Envelope （紅包）🧧

🧧 Hóng Bāo in Mandarin Chinese language.

🧧 Ang Pao in Hokkien Chinese language.

Who doesn't love money? You Westerners like money, don't you? On Christmas Day, Westerners have tradition to give wrapped present gift to people.

In Chinese New Year, we're Chinese people have tradition of giving Red Envelope with money inside the envelope. The person who give Hong Bao at Chinese New Year event is from married person to unmarried family members.

Wrapping lucky money in red envelopes is expected to bestow more happiness and blessings on the receivers.

There's addition of Round Table, Red Envelopes on Kumquat Tree and Orange fruit with Red Envelope on box. Yes Chinese culture is all about being prosperous and giving money gift in Red Envelope. I can tell you the representation is very good and authentic to us Chinese people that we can relate.

I can tell you team who worked in this update made consultation to Chinese people, that there are Han Zi (Chinese writing). 無魚不成席 which translates as "No Feast Without Fish" . Fish makes important meal in Chinese dining.

Here is more addition info:

Fish — an Increase in Prosperity

In Chinese, "fish" (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'. Fish is a traditional Chinese New Year dish on the Chinese New Year dinner menu. Chinese people always like to have a surplus at the end of the year, because they think if they have managed to save something at the end of the year, then they can make more in the next year.

Steamed fish is one of the most famous Chinese New Year recipes. What fish should be chosen for the New Year dinner is based on auspicious homophonics.

Crucian carp: As the first character of 'crucian carp' (鲫鱼 jìyú /jee-yoo/) sounds like the Chinese word 吉 (jí /jee/ 'good luck'), eating crucian carp is considered to bring good luck for the next year.

Chinese mud carp: The first part of the Chinese for "mud carp" (鲤鱼 lǐyú /lee-yoo/) is pronounced like the word for gifts (礼 lǐ /lee/). So Chinese people think eating mud carp during the Chinese New Year symbolizes wishing for good fortune.

Catfish: The Chinese for "catfish" (鲶鱼 niányú /nyen-yoo/) sounds like 年余 (nián yú) meaning 'year surplus'. So eating catfish is a wish for a surplus in the year.

Eating two fish, one on New Year's Eve and one on New Year's Day, (if written in a certain way) sounds like a wish for a surplus year-after-year.

If only one catfish is eaten, eating the upper part of the fish on New Year's Eve and the remainder on the first day of the new year can be spoken with the same homophonic meaning.

Fish is an auspicious Chinese New Year symbol.

Glutinous Rice Cake — a Higher Income or Position

Chinese New Year cakes

Glutinous rice cake (年糕 Niángāo /nyen-gaoww/) is a lucky food eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve. In Chinese, glutinous rice cake sounds like it means "getting higher year-on- by year". In Chinese people's minds, this means the higher you are the more prosperous your business is a general improvement in life. The main ingredients of niangao are sticky rice, sugar, chestnuts, Chinese dates, and lotus leaves.

Longevity Noodles — Happiness and Longevity

Longevity noodles (长寿面 Chángshòu Miàn /chung-show myen/) unsurprisingly symbolize a wish for longevity. Their length and unsevered preparation are also symbolic of the eater's life.

It is a lucky food eaten on Chinese New Year Day in North China. 

They are longer than normal noodles and uncut, either fried and served on a plate, or boiled and served in a bowl with their broth.

Good Fortune Fruit — Fullness and Wealth

Certain fruits are eaten during the Chinese New Year period, such as tangerines and oranges, and pomeloes. They are selected as they are particularly round and "golden" in color, symbolizing fullness and wealth, but more obviously for the lucky sound they bring when spoken.

Eating and displaying tangerines and oranges is believed to bring good luck and fortune due to their pronunciation, and even writing. The Chinese for orange (and tangerine) is 橙 (chéng /chnng/), which sounds the same as the Chinese for 'success' (成). One of the ways of writing tangerine (桔 jú /jyoo/) contains the Chinese character for luck (吉 jí /jee/).

Chinese Dumplings — Wealth

With a history of more than 1,800 years, dumpling (饺子 Jiǎozi /jyaoww-dzrr/) is a classic lucky food for new year, and a traditional dish eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve, widely popular in China, especially in North China.

Chinese dumplings can be made to look like Chinese silver ingots (which are not bars, but boat-shaped, oval, and turned up at the two ends). Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you can make in the New Year.

Source: LinkedIn by Manette Chen

As for fashion... I'm not woman so I am not expert about women fashion, I can tell this clothing is not Chinese Qi Pao. My girlfriend and female family members do not wear that kind of Qi Pao. This is more like Ao Dai, Vietnamese traditional dress. There's skirt beneath dress. Source: Wikipedia

The rest of clothing is typical modernized clothing, which is much more realistic because we Chinese when at Chinese New Year gathering we wear red coloured modern clothing and not dress like in ancient times. Usually kids who wear Qi Pao because they are very cute to dress like that.

[viadescioism]

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination):

Kujichagulia, or Self-Determination, is the second principle of Kwanzaa, celebrated on December 27th. Pronounced koo-jee-chah-GOO-lee-ah, this principle emphasizes the importance of defining, naming, creating, and speaking for oneself. It represents the right and responsibility to shape one's own destiny and daily life, fostering a strong sense of identity and autonomy within the African-American community.

The Ahenwa, the Akan throne, is a symbol associated with Kujichagulia. It represents national identity, cultural groundedness, and rightful governance, reflecting the principle's focus on self-definition and self-determination.

On this day, a candle is lit on the Kinara (the candleholder), symbolizing the struggles and perseverance in the journey towards self-determination. This act of lighting the candle is a physical representation of the commitment to the principle of Kujichagulia.

"Kwanzaa," Encyclopaedia Britannica, last modified December 23, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kwanzaa.

"Kwanzaa - Meaning, Candles & Principles," HISTORY, accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/kwanzaa-history.

"Kwanzaa," Wikipedia, last modified December 25, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa.

"Kwanzaa," National Museum of African American History and Culture, accessed December 25, 2023, https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/kwanzaa.

"The First Kwanzaa," HISTORY.com, accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-kwanzaa.

My Daily Kwanzaa, blog, accessed December 25, 2023, https://mydailykwanzaa.wordpress.com.

Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (Los Angeles, CA: University of Sankore Press, 1998), ISBN 0-943412-21-8.

"Kente Cloth," African Journey, Project Exploration, accessed December 25, 2023, https://projectexploration.org.

Expert Village, "Kwanzaa Traditions & Customs: Kwanzaa Symbols," YouTube video, accessed December 25, 2023, [Link to the specific YouTube video]. (Note: The exact URL for the YouTube video is needed for a complete citation).

"Official Kwanzaa Website," accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.html.

Michelle, Lavanda. "Let's Talk Kwanzaa: Unwrapping the Good Vibes." Lavanda Michelle, December 13, 2023. https://lavandamichelle.com/2023/12/13/lets-talk-kwanzaa-unwrapping-the-good-vibes/.

[tachiha3]

So I've decided to write as I go and not after watching the episode. Here are the thoughts on episode 5 of NATLA. Honestly, I'm dreading the time whenever I to watch it for some reason? Lol.

• That could make a SOLID YTP moment. Soldier shoots fire and Katara falls off the cliff.

• So THAT'S why you shouldn't date female guards.

• At least we saw Katara comforting Aang a weee bit.

• TSAMINAMINA AY AY WAKKA WAKKA AY AY

• Him telling them his son's name sounded so dumb. Like that one scene in Oshi No Ko when that one guy in the hospital suddenly blurts out, "Hey, what if I died now and got reborn as an idol's child!!?" Forced plot device.

• Zamn ya'll weren't lying about Jee x Zuko tension. We didn't get the dilf atleast we can make do with toxic yaoi.

• Ozai favours Zuko for some reason... Okay I know it was a little bit of that in the original show in the pirates episode a wanted poster of Zuko called him "the heir to the throne". But Ozai... umm.. manipulated Azula? Also she was the representation of gifted kids. Trying hard to get validation from her dad but it goes to her sibling? That's just a tamer Zuko.

• Am I running low on sleep or did Aang's reply to "You sounded more confident before." make no fucking sense at all???

• Oh so Katara's in it too? .....okay.

• MILF MILF MILF MILF MILF

• I feel like we won't have Bato of the Water Tribe... WHY DO YOU NOT WANT AANG AND SOKKA TO DEVELOP THEIR FRIENDHIP??????

• WAN SHI TONG?????!!!!!!! WHERE'S OHM???? WHERE'S MAH CRANKY BABOOOON??

• This the fog of lost souls ain't it

• Okay das was sad. 😢

• Okay so I'm guessing this isn't Sokka's worst memory but his worst fear. Since he didn't age regress like Katara and Hakoda left before he could be of age.

• GORDON DON'T CRY I CRY TOO 😭😭😭

• Called it

• FINALLY someone tells Aang it's not his fault I'M FUCKING CRYING FINALLY!! 😭💔

• y u keep separating da gaang?

• Pretty solid episode. They made some changes. Though I can't make up my mind on whether it's good change or bad change. There wasn't much Zuko so it felt lackluster. (Since he's probably one of the only characters the writers wanna write.)

• I heard the next episode is a zukaang episode? So I'm excited for that.

[911onabc]

911 needs better gen alpha representation. let christopher diaz say sigma. let jee-yun han be a bluey superfan. let denny wilson stream on twitch.

[gayeddie-saved-me]

Any 911 s7 ideas -things you think might or you would like to have happen- ?

honestly… i’m awful at guessing these sort of things. it’s been like forever since i’ve been watching a show as it’s being released (i lived in a house with someone that was very controlling about what we watched so i missed a solid 5 years or so of tv shows being released) so this is an interesting experience

honestly i get nervous about making predictions because i worry about getting my hopes up. i’m really really hoping that no matter what happens, abc does a good job handling the characters and storylines because sometimes when shows move from one broadcast channel to another it can get dicey.

i’m curious to see where they go with hen and karen and the new baby, and what hen is doing when it comes to medical school. also in general i just want more karen. always. she means so much to me you don’t understand.

i’m curious to see how abc handles the cruise ship situation, and whether it’s going to be a trauma that is thoroughly discussed or if it’s gonna be another tsunami scenario. and i want a good dramatic reunion scene between bobby and athena. i want to cry so much abc please make me cry but don’t kill them

some flashbacks to the tsunami episodes specifically for buck and eddie and christ would be great also but i don’t expect much

I WANT MORE CHRIS!!! i want to see pre-teen/early teen chris. i love him so much and i think it will be really interesting to see where they take his character now that he’s reaching an age where kids start to fully explore who they are. you reach a different level of consciousness and the early roots of your childhood form into deeper roots and personality traits and also just. teenage angst. anyway. chris diaz superiority forever and always

speaking of superior characters please please please please more ravi character development more ravi scenes im begging im on my knees he has become so important to me and i wanna see him and get to know his history more because the little bits we’ve gotten are not enough MORE. RAVI. PLEASE.

i know a lot of people are hoping for canon buddie and obviously i would LOVE to see that!! but i am also nervous that if we do start to get canon buddie, they won’t do them justice. i do however want more buddie content regardless of whether they acknowledge the romantic implications of their relationship. but also….

pls just kiss each other for gods sake. PLEASE.

also what are they gonna do with natalia and marisol because [redacted]

even if they don’t make buddie canon, i would really like to see gay!eddie become official. because that man is so queer coded, buddie or otherwise. good lord.

(also bi!buck but we know how television is with bisexual representation 😬)

and can i just say:

what the fuck is going on with the basketball shit

i have zero idea what is happening there

also i want to see madney wedding stuff obviously, specifically would love to see buck helping with decorations and planning and being a little asshole.

and more jee cuz i love her so much. i work with toddlers so i get really really excited when we get scenes of her. i really hope we get more uncle buck content but we’ve only got 10 episodes to work with so i don’t have high hopes.

this is such a long answer sorry 😅

[firsttarotreader]

I’m SO tired of seeing random people saying Pedro is gay. Just because they saw those who label him and took their speculations as a fact so now in conversations they’re like “Pedro is gay”. As a bisexual I’m so tired! Once someone asked me why does it bother me that people assume he’s gay and not bi, even if they’re wrong and I’m like… jee, I wonder why does it bother me (a bisexual), that my very limited representation in the celebrity world is so erased because of stereotypes. So many bi/pan/unlabeled celebrities are automatically marked as gay in this world and it really fucking bothers me every time I see it, with every celebrity when I know that 1. They haven’t put a label on themselves so we don’t know (like P) or maybe they did and people don’t take them seriously and 2. But we have stories of said celebrities with men and women therefore it’s very probable that they’re not gay (again, like P in this case, but there are many) 😒

I saw recently a straight man who’s very “feminine” and who’s constantly bullied online for being in the closet and not being his true self (in their words), whatever that fucking means saying “the only thing that makes a man gay is him being attracted to men only, not the way he dresses, not the way he talks”, not the people he hangs out with… as for Pedro, not the the people he posts on his stories. Cause yes, that’s what I saw today that annoyed me. Long rant, excuse me. It’s hard being a bisexual online 🤡 I want to run into a forest, the squirrels will definitely not erase my identity.

As a last idea, I’m not labeling P as bi, cause I don’t know his label. I’m saying that the clues of him matching my sexuality to some capacity are there and that should be enough to stop speculating and labeling an unlabeled man. When a bi person sees a celebrity clearly showing interest in both genders and then clowns come online to completely erase one side and not take it seriously because it wouldn’t fit their gossip, it hurts. We’re not accepted in society, we’re not accepted in our own community. There’s no place for us.

Again, sorry for the rant 🥹

I understand, anon, but I wouldn’t dwell on it. It’s always the same Twitter dumbasses making assumptions and being biphobic/homophobic. It’s not worthy of your time.

[badedramay]

can i say that i really don't understand why everyone is so vehemently intent to criticize the fact that kim calls elders by their name? i understand it's not really a thing but isn't the entire point that kim has grown largely removed from any kind of pakistani community, so she's adopted the practices of those around her instead? it's incredibly common for americans here to refer to adults by name once they're adults themselves. and even then if it still isn't believable i think it's absolutely ridiculous people are eager to write off the whole drama merely bc kim is unconventional when it comes to a few things. we're so obsessed with maintaining this "ideal" diaspora image that we can't even invest in a drama for more than two episodes to see what it has to say. not to mention diaspora pakistanis are hardly a monolith. i'm not an ideal diaspora pakistani myself. i'm not a pti supporter, i don't really hold a lot of nationalist sentiment, i talk freely with and openly challenge my parents. if i wrote a story about myself would that be unrealistic too? people have got to start questioning the things that make them stop watching dramas and the things that don't. they're more willing to field abuse narratives bc at the least it's "realistic" and familiar than they are willing to field anything out of the ordinary simply bc it doesn't speak to their direct experiences. what a load of nonsense

gaah i wish i had better technical knowledge to name the right terms and not just the concept which would give my answer brevity but alas, i am forever cursed to type in long winded paragraphs so pls bear with me here T_T

i just feel that the Pakistani desi audience, diaspora and non, have a very..strenuous relationship with identity. we don't HAVE an identity. in the larger global political landscape, Pakistan doesn't really stand apart. not our food, not our clothing, not the cultures of our country; there's nothing that can be credited to being solely originated from here. the food we take pride in on the global level is attributed to India. same goes for our clothing. when we try to own something as our own, there's someone else standing up to take claim ke jee actuallyyyyy this is originated from our land so please back off. there's a reason why Ertrugrul, a Turkish dizi about a historical figure of the Ottomon Empire's time, became a rage in Pakistan to the point of being promoted by our then-PM because Pakistan, a country that supposedly got its freedom on the basis of the religion Islam, doesn't even have one single "perfect" Muslim figure that they can own. we are constitutionally an Islamic country but the state of the religion and its interpretation in the country is pathetic to say the least.

hum kaun hain? humein nahin pata. we are something else in our heads and completely something different in reality. and the two versions don't match. this conflict becomes most apparent when interpreting the stories of our dramas. the good, perfect, ideal mashriqi character satisfy the perfect version in our heads. the modern, flawed character is seen as an attack on our "values" and hence banned. ironically BOTH these kind of characters are defended as "aise log hote hain dunya mein! Maine khud dekhe hain!" so what's the reality here?

and because we don't even HAVE an identity to speak of so we have yet to ACCEPT the fact that yes, people are different. and because people are different, CHARACTERS will be different too. just because these characters don't look and sound like ME doesn't mean they are a bad representation or unrealistic characters. they are not my mirror, doesn't mean they don't reflect anyone. have you noticed how in Pakistani media we don't really get characters that are defined by their background? like their cities are almost always deliberately kept ambiguous? at most you'll get the Karachi vs Lahore vs Islamabad debate and the characters hailing from only these particular backgrounds will have any kind of obviously noticed traits. but what about countless other areas of the country?

In Indian media you'll see characters being known by their cities and immediately all of their idiosyncrasies are accepted ke haan, they are from this particular area toh they gonna be different. yes, this gives rise to stereotypes BUT there's also an acceptance of the characters as they are hence, allowing them to be explored as individuals and not just a perfect representation of whatever place they hail from. in Pakistani media you don't have that. because our media, in dramas specifically, EMPHASIZES on the entire culture and identity of our country as BEING homogeneous. and anyone who is even remotely related to this identity HAS to act in accordance of the rules and mores of this society or be rejected.

which brings us to Kim. Kim hasn't been accepted by the audience because of her father's Pakistani origins. Kim herself is a true American, she never set foot in Pakistan before the start of the drama. in fact if not for her mother's upbringing, Kim wouldn't even have learned her parents' mother tongue. the tragedy with Kim is that the writer couldn't give her either accurate American traits not accurate Pakistani traits so she's stuck in between. Pakistani audience cannot accept her as their own, the diaspora audience cannot accept her as their own. everything else becomes secondary because Kim DARES to have an IDENTITY that cannot be neatly boxed. She's just Kaneez "Kim" Fatima.

the failure to understand that for the story of Yunhi to work, Kim HAD to have selective traits from the liberal west and the conservative east is really most because Kim serves as a reminder of our own lack of solid identity. the fact that if she tried to she could fit in either of these opposing societies is what baffles people. how could she? you are either east or west. you cannot be separated from either of these like Kim.

on one hand social media is exposing us to inter-racial relationships or transnational relationships (yes, even amongst Muslims) making us aware of how people can choose to make their own world that combines the two worlds from which they belong. on the other hand we as a society are still having generational fights over "ji hamare yahan toh yeh ritual aisa hota hai hum aapke tareeqe ko nahin maante". the little bit of sense of identity that we do have, we cling to it desperately and want to defend it from inauthentic people like Kim in media that challenge our notions of identity. Kim can say a 10000 right things but because one of the most prominent feature of our society is that we always address all elders with a title of respect, Kim not doing that makes her an outsider. but she's worse than an outsider, she's a traitor to her Pakistani identity. which...she never claimed to be in the first place??

I can bet if Maya had perfected the New York accent and that reflected even in her Urdu dialogues, the criticism about her calling the elders by the name wouldn't have been that much. it'd have been "cute" then kyunke identity toh hamari hai nahin, complexes toh MaShaAllah bohat zyada hai. angrezi ke talway chaatna toh hum lagta hai Ammi ke pait se seekh ke aate hain. khair. Kim doesn't attach respect to titles but to people. sure, she calls her MiL by her first name but has she ever disrespected her. I thought that was one of the POINTS™ the show was making that just being ADDRESSED with a title of respect is not enough when our individual identity is denied and disrespected on every chance. is it really that deep jo samajh mein nahin araha hai ab tak?

urrgh this is running long and I think i lost the thread of sense long ago but just one last thing! it's been 30 episodes now, right? and until now Kim hasn't CHANGED in appearance. and the desi diaspora is OBSESSED with appearances. sahi dikho, sahi bolo; dil bhale jaisa bhi ho. be politically correct, be diplomatic. make your intentions as crude as possible but never let your language reflect that. cuz that is all we have to offer. the Pakistani diaspora, in all these years, hasn't produced much of progressive mindsets or done anything to own their identity. toh sabko chupa lo carpet ke neeche..keep your head down, say the right things, and just hope we'll be ignored. apni dunya mein mast raho bass.

[wenamedthedogkylo]

So basically we just have to make sure our substitute expletives follow this format. Two fricatives in a row, slap with a hard sound like "k", and then a stop like "t". I'd add in that the "j" sound starting everything off is pretty crucial. Nothing really sells your frustration like that really explosive and long "jjjjjjjjjeezus".

According to the wikipedia pages for "Jesus (name)" and "Christ (title)", the International Phonetic Alphabet representation of this name is /ˈdʒiːzəs kraɪst/. By then consulting the IPA chart, we can break this down into the sounds we're hearing and see what other sounds, if any, are similar or categorized the same. I'm going off the actual chart and these handy audio charts for consonants and vowels. (Also I'm not a linguist, I'm just a nerd who thought this was a good way to do it so if I'm wrong about anything please say so ksdjfhs)

For "jesus", we have:

ˈdʒ – a primary stressed voiced postalveolar affricate ('j' as in 'jam')

iː – a long close front unrounded vowel ('ee' as in 'fleece')

z – a voiced alveolar fricative, specifically sibilant ('z' as in 'zoom')

ə – a mid central vowel (which I think it's important we all know is also called a schwa) ('a' as in 'about')

s – a voiceless alveolar fricative, also sibilant ('s' as in 'sigh')

And for "christ", I'm going to deviate from wikipedia's IPA notation here as it uses <r> which normally means a trilled R sound. I'm sure that's accurate in some other languages, and it's apparently common practice in English phonemic transcriptions to use this for convenience's sake. But this is already an unnecessary exercise so I might as well be unnecessarily accurate about it. Plus I'm a native English speaker (American) and going off my own experience of the words, so instead we're going to replace that <r> with <ɹ̠>, and then we get this:

k – a voiceless velar plosive aka stop ('k' as in 'kind')

ɹ̠ – a voiced postalveolar approximant* ('r' as in 'red' or 'rye')

aɪ – a vowel phoneme common in English phonology** ('i' as in 'tide')

s – another voiceless alveolar fricative, also sibilant ('s' as in 'sigh')

t – a voiceless dental or alveolar plosive, depending on how much you use your teeth ('t' as in 'tie')

This is more information than we needed, but I thought it was neat so we're including it anyway. What we're focusing on is <ˈdʒ>, <z>, <s>, <k>, and <t>. So lets see what that IPA chart has to say about similar sounds.

<ˈdʒ>, as a sibilant affricate, is grouped with <t̪s̪>, <d̪z̪>, <ts>, <dz>, <t̠ʃ>, <tʂ>, <dʐ>, <tɕ>, and <dʑ>.

Basically a bunch of sounds like 'ch', 'dz', 'ts'. Think "chip", "juice", "czar / tsar".

<z> and <s> are sibilant fricatives, and grouped with sounds like <ʃ>, <ʒ>, <ʂ>, <ʐ>, <ɕ>, and <ʑ>.

That gives us 'sh' like "shark", and the kind of "zh" sound on the 'g' in "judge" or the French pronunciation of "Georges".

<k> and <t> are both grouped as plosives. This puts them with A LOT of other sounds like <p>, <b>, <p̪>, <b̪>, <t̼>, <d̼>, <t̪>, <d̪>, <t>, <d>, <ʈ>, <ɖ>, <c>, <ɟ>, <ɡ>, <q>, <ɢ>, <ʡ>, and <ʔ>.

This gives us sounds like 'b' as in "bang" (so ending stuff with "balls" isn't totally off the table); 'd' as in "door"; the 'th' specifically in words like "thin"; a kind of 'ky' sound that I can best describe as the beginning of "cute" or the transition sound that happens in "make you"; 'g' as in "god"; the 'q' and 'g' sounds you make waaay at the back of your mouth that sorta sound like your choking on them; and the good ol' glottal stop that we use in "uh-uh".

So, now we have a bunch of similar consonant sounds to play with! Theoretically we should be able to find some other combinations that will, at the very least, be phonetically similar enough to "jesus christ" that it evokes a similar feeling. And of course this all depends on where you place the emphasis on these sounds. For instance, those tags imply that the writer was thinking "jEEZ-uZ KHryesT". My go-to is usually "JEE-zuz krYSt", where I actually let the 's' trail in "christ" a bit and end on more of a "tuh" (making it more like four syllables lol). Ymmv and all that.

The key to me seems to be three syllables a very emphatic first sound, at least one sibilant fricative (easily achieved by an apostrophe-s if needed), a plosive in the middle, and a plosive at the end. I think you could easily use a plosive sound at the beginning instead of a sibilant affricate, as long as it has that oomph. I think ending your expletive with "balls" can still work, again depending on your emphasis, so something like "Zeus's balls" still passes the vibe check to me.

So what could we make with this? Now obviously, it's gonna depend a lot on context, and what sort of figures you choose to make an expletive from. Gods are obviously the go-to, though you could switch to historical figures ("Caesar" is actually pretty good here). Depending on the time period, you might have harder luck with that, though. Some gods' names are just too long ("Apollo" is 3 syllables by itself; "Kronos" seems good until you try to say "Kronos's" and then it gets clunky). Some don't have quite the right series of sounds ("Hades" is okay minus that 'h' to start, and again might be weird when you add the 's to it). Basically anything with 2 syllables ending in 's' can't have a possessive 's added or it wrecks the vibe.

Some mythologies are just harder to use than others—many Norse deities don't have quite the right hard beginning sound needed ("Freya" is way too soft) and/or not enough syllables ("Rán" is... well that's it). Skadi is about the only one I can think of for whom this could work. "Skadi's skis!" isn't too bad, though you're missing that plosive at the end. I would say it like "SKA-deez skEEZuh" and that would give me a similar vibe. (And yes, I thought about "Skadi's nuts" as an option. Afaik she doesn't have any, but I'm certainly not going to stop a possible trans Skadi movement if someone wants to start it.) Surtr/Surtur can work, though he's not properly a god.

Of course, we were specifically talking other fantasy worlds, so you could just be saying fuck it and making up your own gods! I know I 1000000% would make up a god's name based solely on how I can fit it into a "jesus christ"-like expletive.I'll add for my D&D lovers, a couple gods who's names could potentially work in this formula are Azuth, Myrkul, Mystra***, Oghma, Hextor, Vecna, Gruumsh (adding the 's makes it 2 syllables), Hruggek, Skerrit, Surtr, Torog, Beltar, Breeka, Geshtai, Katay, Lendor, Nazarn, Phyton, Procan, Roykyn, Telchur, Vatun, Vogan, Wenta, Zagyg, and Zodal.

As for the second word? You'd have to figure that out based on the first one. I've already been at this for way too long and probably this will interest no one besides me anyways lol.

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* this is the kind of 'r' you hear in most American accents, in Received Pronunciation (aka the "default" British English accent we think of), and in Australian accents. And I need to nerd about this separately because apparently there's a further variation on that called the bunched or molar R, which "occurs in Southern American English and some Midwestern and Western American English most strongly", and this really sent me on a little spiral of saying 'r' sounds over and over and realizing I have no idea how my mouth actually works sometimes.

** there is no <aɪ> in standard IPA. Technically, this is a diphthong combining the open front unrounded vowel and near-close near-front unrounded vowel. Once again, English makes things harder than necessary.

*** cue the sounds of Baldur's Gate 3 fans rejoicing

honestly christianity really hit the jackpot with "jesus christ" rolling off the tongue as an expletive so well. the number one problem with fantasy settings is that whatever names you come up with to take in vain will never hit as well as "jesus christ"