#Like....how can you just assume that what you do is the default and everyone else is weird??

[shining-scion]

I.

Really needed to hear this myself.

[zmaragdos]

.

[goatsandgangsters]

how to find literally any post on a blog in seconds (on desktop)

there are so many posts about ~tumblr is so broken, you can’t find any post on your own blog, it’s impossible, bluhrblub~

I am here to tell you otherwise! it is in fact INCREDIBLY easy to find a post on a blog if you’re on desktop/browser and you know what you’re doing:

url.tumblr.com/tagged/croissant will bring up EVERY post on the blog tagged with the specific and exact phrase #croissant. every single post, every single time. in chronological order starting with the most recent post. note: it will not find #croissants or that time you made the typo #croidnssants. for a tag with multiple words, it’s just /tagged/my-croissant and it will show you everything with the exact phrase #my croissant

url.tumblr.com/tagged/croissant/chrono will bring up EVERY post on the blog tagged with the exact phrase #croissant, but it will show them in reverse order with the oldest first 

url.tumblr.com/search/croissant isn’t as perfect at finding everything, but it’s generally loads better than the search on mobile. it will find a good array of posts that have the word croissant in them somewhere. could be in the body of the post (op captioned it “look at my croissant”) or in the tags (#man I want a croissant). it won’t necessarily find EVERYTHING like /tagged/ does, but I find it’s still more reliable than search on mobile. you can sometimes even find posts by a specific user by searching their url. also, unlike whatever random assortment tumblr mobile pulls up, it will still show them in a more logically chronological order

url.tumblr.com/day/2020/11/05 will show you every post on the blog from november 5th, 2020, in case you’re taking a break from croissants to look for destiel election memes 

url.tumblr.com/archive/ is search paradise. easily go to a particular month and see all posts as thumbnails! search by post type! search by tags but as thumbnails now

url.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/audio will show you every audio post on your blog (you can also filter by other post types). sometimes a little imperfect if you’re looking for a video when the op embedded the video in a text post instead of posting as a video post, etc

url.tumblr.com/archive/tagged/croissant will show you EVERY post on the blog tagged with the specific and exact phrase #croissant, but it will show you them in the archive thumbnail view divided by months. very useful if you’re looking for a specific picture of a croissant that was reblogged 6 months ago and want to be able to scan for it quickly 

url.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/audio/tagged/croissant will show you every audio post tagged with the specific phrase #croissant (you can also filter by photo or text instead, because I don’t know why you have audio posts tagged croissant) 

the tag system on desktop tumblr is GENUINELY amazing for searching within a specific blog! 

caveat: this assumes a person HAS a desktop theme (or “custom theme”) enabled. a “custom theme” is url.tumblr.com, as opposed to tumblr.com/url. I’ve heard you have to opt-into the former now, when it used to be the default, so not everyone HAS a custom theme where you can use all those neat url tricks. 

if the person doesn’t have a “custom theme” enabled, you’re beholden to the search bar. still, I’ve found the search bar on tumblr.com/url is WAY more reliable than search on mobile. for starters, it tends to bring posts up in a sensible order, instead of dredging up random posts from 2013 before anything else

if you’re on mobile, I’m sorry. godspeed and good luck finding anything. (my one tip is that if you’re able to click ON a tag rather than go through the search bar, you’ll have better luck. if your mutual has recently reblogged a post tagged #croissant, you can click #croissant and it’ll bring up everything tagged #croissant just like /tagged/croissant. but if there’s no readily available tag to click on, you have to rely on the mobile search bar and its weird bizarre whims) 

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

IT's weird and annoying how America-centric this website can be, where everyone assumes that everyone is from the USA and that USA culture, government, history and general practices are the default for the entire world. But what's even more annoying is when somebody sees a take that *is* actually relatively universal, disagree with it, and call it an American issue (usually claiming that people in the USA are weird or stupid to try to invalidate the position).

Like... yeah, it is irritating that some American will just say "the President" to foreigners, assume you know which president they mean without any further context, and assume that he's also your president for some reason. But outdoor cats are not some niche American issue that are harmless and fine to have everywhere else. These people somehow manage to assume I'm American more than the Americans do. The US-centrism is coming from inside the house.

[gothhabiba]

why is happy holidays a silly phrase?

Like “BCE” and “CE” for “BC” and “AD,” it seems not Christian on its surface (because it doesn’t explicitly mention “Christ”), but it is still implicitly very Christian in how it considers time (i.e. setting Jesus’ birth as year 0, or assuming that early winter is ‘the time for big holidays’)

That is, it’s based on the idea that Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa are equivalents, or at least holidays of equivalent weight (like, Chanukah is the “Jewish Christmas”). This isn’t true—Chanukah is not the most important or second most important holiday of the year. And very few people celebrate Kwanzaa like that. And there is no Muslim holiday that is tied to the wintertime (though Ramadan being in the winter for a while did confuse a lot of non-Muslims on this point, who said “happy Ramadan” during the winter for years afterward….)

So the phrase owes its currency to this very liberal-multicultural-pluralism-diversity-and-inclusion idea of the “big three” holidays that we were taught in elementary school in the U.S. All broader criticisms of liberal pluralism apply here

The phrase allows Christians to pretend that the timing of breaks from school and work (for certain people) is not entirely dependent on Christmas. But it clearly is. And if Diwali has definitely occurred by November and Chanukah is over by December 15, what do you mean by saying “happy holidays” on December 20th…?

I think the usage of the phrase can actually be a ‘microaggression’ as the kids say. Like why say “happy holidays” to me while I hand you a Christmas present and make plans with you for Christmas Eve dinner and tell you “merry Christmas.” What are you trying to say. Lmao.

Also!!! If people are saying “happy holidays” to me specifically based on how they’re racialising me (as opposed to people who just default to it with everyone), then um. Which holiday do they mean? No Muslim holidays tied to December!!

Imo, if you don’t know anything about the person you’re talking to, just say “have a good day” or something. You don’t actually have to assume that everyone else’s experience is the same as your’s while putting on a thin veneer of pretending that that’s not what you’re doing.

[mythicmanuscripts]

Hey, there! If you don't mind me asking again, I was wondering about two things: is Aegon a lowkey brat? Because I have the impression that he could be one. And what could you say about Aegon's wife going away from king's landing for a important meeting or something similar? It's a given that his mood would sour more and more as day passes, but what's the extension or it?

Brilliant questions!! I’m always in awe of the stuff you guys manage to come up with to ask me. As much as you guys say you love my stuff, I couldn’t do it without all your inspiration.

Anyway, sub!aegon below the cut :))

So for the first question, I think Aegon tends to default to being a brat because it’s less scary? He’s so so used to being a disappointment to everyone. He can’t remember the last time someone in his family actually praised him, or even just acknowledged that he’s trying. He’s knows he’s not fit to rule, but he’s stuck here now and even if he tries his best it will never be even close to good enough.

I think this thinking bleeds into his interactions with brothel workers? He knows he’s submissive, he knows he wants someone else to take control, but he’s also so terrified of trying to be good because he thinks he’ll fail?

He always feels so vulnerable when he’s submitting and honestly, he wishes he could be good, but he’s so sure if he tries to do his best he’ll only get ridiculed and that will break him. Seeing the person he’s submitting to treat his efforts like a failure would just make him crumble.

So for that reason, he acts out instead. He talks back and disobeys and forces them to punish him because that’s safer, he can submit like that without getting his heart crushes.

Except he runs into a bit of a problem once he marries you. He thought he’d be having vanilla sex to produce an heir and then be back to the brothel workers.

But you’re just…. You’re so kind to him? You acknowledge his efforts, you praise him when he deserves it, you help him in a way that doesn’t make him feel stupid.

And it doesn’t even start in the bedroom either. It starts with you asking Aegon to do something small and when he does, you thank him and praise him. Aegon literally stops in his tracks when he hears that and asks you to repeat it. So of course you do, you tell him you appreciate his efforts and he’s made you very happy and Aegon has to hold back tears because he can’t remember the last time someone said anything like that to him.

From there, you start to notice how well Aegon responses when you praise him and acknowledge how hard he’s trying. So of course you keep on doing it, and pretty soon he’s hanging onto your every word, following you around and trying different things to help you so that you’ll show him he’s been good.

For the first time, he’s found someone who he actually believes he can be good for. He’s stopped trying to be good for his mother or father or brother or anyone else really because he knows he’ll never been good enough.

But you? He can be good for you, he is good for you. You make sure to acknowledge his efforts and thank him and you always offer advice and praise him for asking for help. And so, now there is a reason for him to put effort into being good, now there’s a chance his efforts won’t lead to broken hearts.

The first time you have sex after your bond has started growing, Aegon starts out bratty like he’s always done with everyone else. He assumes this is what he’ll have to do so that he doesn’t get hurt here, especially because it’s you and he knows he’d lose it if he wasn’t good enough for you.

You’re confused when he talks back, because everything you’ve seen about Aegon made you believe he’d be the sweetest little sub who’s desperate to be good. So you kinda just tilt your head and frown, asking why hes being like this.

Immediately he’s apologising and begging for a second chance and saying he thought you’d never be happy with him so he didn’t want to try. Which… you just pull him closer and tell him you’re already overjoyed with him which naturally prompts him to burst into tears.

[terresdebrume]

I've written a couple of scenes of Charles' having an emotional breakdown and Edwin comforting him, I felt is was time for the reverse. Set in the I'm down on my knees universe at like. Some point, IG.

Warning for mentions of racist behavior throughout and also implied ableism via the Paynes vs Edwin. Hurt comfort. Sorta.

Edwin's fists start mashing together the second his hands come off the steering wheel, which Charles knows very well is the the top one sign of a stress spiral. It's pretty much the default position for Edwin's hands whenever they go to a social thing he hasn't got the hang on yet, and the morning before all his business law exams. It feels wrong to see them like that now, sitting in front of a rustic looking restaurant where his parents are waiting for them.

"We can still leave you know," he tells Edwin. "Tell them I tested positive for COVID and you don't want to risk giving it to them or something."

Edwin doesn't quite laugh, but the corners of his mouth lift up, and the creak of his leather driving gloves subsides for a moment. He makes a face like when he's trying to figure out how to say something he's not sure how to handle. Charles, one hand on his still buckled seatbelt and the other on the door handle, waits him out. Eventually, Edwin speaks.

"I should have said earlier," he says, sounding for all the world like the words are taffy stuck in his teeth, "but my parents are sort of... Well. They have a certain idea of how the world should work and be divided—"

"Yeah, I figured," Charles says. He grins when Edwin blinks at him. "Everyone else, when we've got plans, you say shit like 'Oh, Charles is making curry tonight'—"

"I do not sound like that," Edwin protests, but Charles snorts.

"You sound exactly like that, you big toff," he says, grin widening despite himself.

Edwin rolls his eyes and calls him ridiculous, fists softening against one another. Grinning to the point his cheeks ache, Charles gives Edwin's knee a light knock with his knuckles. It makes Edwin click his tongue, but Charles doesn't lose his smile.

"My point is, with you're parents it's always like 'Charles is making dinner' and stuff. Like you're playing the pronouns game with food."

Charles suppresses a wince when. Edwin's eyes widen and his fists tighten together again, like tectonic plates gearing up for an earthquake. Of course Edwin was going to take it the wrong way. Charles should have bloody well known better.

"I'm sorry," Edwin says, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine," Charles shrugs. "I mean they know what I look like, right?"

"Yes!" Edwin promises, hands so tight together it looks like they're going to merge. "Of course. I made sure they couldn't pretend they'd misunderstood, too, I just—"

"Then I'm fine," Charles says, making sure his smile looks easier than it feels. "I was friends with racist gits for years, I can handle your parents for an hour."

Plus, they'll be in public. What are the Paynes gonna do, try to make him join the staff? Calling him the P slur over dessert? They might think it but Charles suspects they're too interested in seeming proper to be that crassly racist where they can be heard. Probably they'll just make some noise about certain types of people and NHS fraud and jobs being stolen away from the homeless people they have no intention to help. Maybe something about Islam—there people tend to assume Charles is a Muslim a lot. He chalks it up to two birds one stone mentality, and the appeal of unlocking two rants over a single guy.

"Alright," Edwin says, looking relieved but not guilt free yet. "But if you wish to leave early, please pretend you just remembered a favour you promised Jenny, will you? I will drive us back immediately."

"Sure, I'll do that," Charles promises. He genuinely doesn't think it'll be that bad, but if he's wrong he'll be glad have the out anyway.

Reassured, Edwin takes a deep breath, and nods, and in they go. Everything is very posh in that very 'bling is for lesser people' kind of way. The menu predictably shows no prices. Edwin's parents make the usual thinly veiled remarks about Charles and Indians and brown people in general, and it's not the most comfortable but Charles could deal with it if not for the Issue.

It starts when they approach the table, Edwin's parents standing next to it with spines so straight Charles half worries he's hunched down again. Edwin places his hands in his mother's to kiss the air around each of her cheek, but then when he goes to press his fists together again, she takes his wrists and pulls his hands apart. Charles's entire back goes rigid at the sight, but he manages to push it aside and smile as he extends a hand for Mrs. Payne to shake. He said he'd do his best to make the dinner a success, and he meant it.

They sit down, Edwin and Charles on one side of the rectangular table, Edwin's parents on the other. Edwin's hands are very flat on the white tablecloth, gloves pulled away and fingers carefully aligned together. They stay there while Edwin answers increasingly invasive questions about his studies and his life, but they drift together again when the Paynes' attention turns to Charles.

"Stop that," Mr. Payne says with a stern look, cutting himself off in the middle of a sanctimonious explanation of why Charles is not being ambitious enough in life.

It's such a complete contrast to the polite, vaguely affable air he took one when speaking to Charles, and he goes back to it so quickly, Charles barely has time to react. The only thing he can think of is to press his knee against Edwin's in comfort. He should have thought of a signal for Edwin, too. Or at least asked if he wanted one.

The entree's arrival provokes some surprised praise over how their brown waiter is surprisingly well trained and articulate, and Charles takes it in stride. They're not actually saying anything to the waiter, and when they do speak he's out of earshot. He's had worse, and Edwin doesn't quite seem to be ready to throw the towel in, so he'll stick it out a bit longer. Even if Edwin's going pinker and pinker with every minute that passes.

They're about halfway through their main dishes and another rant from Mr. Payne—augmented by his wife's approving noise and not much else, Edwin having fallen silent somewhere around the time his gaspacho touched the table. Charles hates to see him like this: Edwin has always had a big personality, a larger than average presence in any room. He should be leading the conversation, or at least insisting on being heard through it, not looking down at the tablecloth with his mouth shut.

Charles is halfway through opening his mouth to pretend Jenny just texted him about plumbing issues, when Edwin's dad speaks again. He has the kind of articulation they promote on the BBC, yet Charles doesn't register any of what he says, only the fact that Edwin's fists fly together without him even noticing, and then Mr. Payne's hand darts from the other side of the table to slap Edwin's closed hands.

Now, see, the thing about Charles, is he's got excellent reflexes. Between dodging his dad's many and varied projectiles over the years, a decade of cricket, and countless hours of playing shooting games, he's pretty much primed for it. Add to that the fact that he's been getting angrier and angrier on Edwin's behalf throughout the meal, and really Charles doesn't think he can be blamed for dropping his knife, reaching out, and slapping Mr. Payne's hands.

"How dare you?" The man hisses in the deadly silence that falls over the room after the exchange.

The whole restaurant seems to hold its breath, the way Charles and mum used to do whenever dad stopped and asked 'What did you just say?'. In the corner of Charles' vision, Edwin's mouth hangs partially open in shock even as Charles hisses:

"How dare you?"

"The way I discipline my son," Mr. Payne starts, and Charles snarls.

"Your son is twenty-five," he says raising his voice on purpose. "You don't get to treat him like a bloody toddler."

"You little—" Payne senior starts, but before Edwin even has the time to react to his dangerous tone, Charles stands up with a loud scrape of his chair against the floor.

"And another thing," he says, loudly speaking over the fast purpling man in front of him, "there's nothing wrong with Edwin. That thing with the hand? You're making a mountain out of a bloody molehill! And if you didn't spend so much time worrying about it, maybe you'd realize Edwin is really bloody mint, actually, and if you can't appreciate him, then I don't see why we should bother staying here at all." Charles pushes his chair back against the table with another loud scrape, and turns to Edwin. "Come on, let's go."

Edwin's parents protest, mildly at first and then more loudly, but Charles doesn't care. He's too furious at them, at the way they filled their son with a sort of guilty shame Charles had never seen until the, at the way they somehow managed to stop him from even wanting to answer.

He waits until Edwin stands up, and then he takes hold of Edwin's wrist and drags the both of them outside. Edwin has to tug hard on his arm to remind him they used a car to come in, actually, and they can't leave it there. He sounds—well he sounds strained, is what he does. The sort of voice that means there's an emotion somewhere he's not letting out, and this time Charles knows exactly where it's going.

"I'm so sorry," he says, "I ruined dinner!"

"Oh," Charles, Edwin sighs.

His eyes are wide and wet and his grin ks kind of wobbly, but he steps up and engulfs Charles in hug anyway, hands tightly clasped around Charles waist. Charles responds in kind, putting as much love as he can into the embrace, into the pressure of his arms around Edwin.

"Thank you," Edwin mumbles against Charles' neck. "No one ever stood up for me line that."

"They bloody well should have," Charles says, gentling his tone when he realizes something warm dripping down his neck.

Edwin, too busy controlling his crying the best he can, doesn't answer, but it doesn't matter. Charles holds him tight until he's done crying anyway.

[lovelyhan]

Vernon edging you until you're a crying mess and begging him to let you cum...? 👀

01:22 — VERNON

i'm...supposed to be studying for another exam but 🥹

you and vernon have a rather...interesting relationship dynamic.

when he first introduced you to the rest of his friends, they all immediately assumed that you're the one who called the shots. everyone knows that vernon is laid back by default—always going along with the flow that others have set around him without any complaints.

it's obvious that the same applies even when the two of you started dating. he's more than happy to let you take the lead in navigating your way through life as a couple and most people find it adorable, how he always accommodates you one way or another. that's just the kind of guy he is.

seungkwan jokingly called him an under when he witnessed firsthand just how easily your boyfriend bends to your whims.

but no matter how much of a pushover others think vernon can be, you're convinced they only think that way because they've never seen him in the confines of your shared bedroom.

"pretty," vernon chuckles softly, one hand grasping your chin while his free hand dabs away the salty tears streaked across your cheeks "you can take more, can't you? this is nothing."

nothing, he says—despite the fact that your thighs are already trembling from the third orgasm he blatantly denied you. part of you wants to talk back, but you hold your tongue, preening at the sweet smile still resting on your boyfriend's face as he sinks further down the mattress to hook your thighs across his shoulders.

vernon isn't a hard dom by a long shot, but that's what makes it all the more frustrating. when he teases you like this—edging you to the brink of insanity—you can't even resent him because of how lovingly he looks at you every time he denies you release. as if the cruelty of his actions is grace of the highest form.

"please," you cry out hoarsely when he gets his tongue on you again—sucking, slurping, making a mess out of your already ruined cunt. "vernon, n-need to come..."

your boyfriend chuckles with every sniffle and sob that ransacks your body each time his tongue swipes across your puffy clit. your fingers are tangled in his hair, holding his head in place as his tongue laves at your folds. he even makes a show of groaning into your pussy—the vibrations driving your nerves alight with glee.

"i think i've loosened you up pretty good. don't you think so?" he murmurs the words along the supple flesh of your inner thighs, trailing featherlight kisses with each breath. "think you're ready for my cock?"

you whimper, blindly reaching for his arms to tug him up. he only relents because you just look so adorable when you're on the brink of the tears.

"nonnie," you mewl, fingers laced around the nape of his neck as you desperately press your mouth against your boyfriend's—rocking your sloppy, spit-laden cunt across his clothed crotch. "w-want you to split me open. please, please, i've been so good for you. just wanna come— wanna come so fucking bad on your cock."

another rush of tears spills from your eyes and vernon can only sigh when he feels the liquid stick to his own skin. if anyone else could see you right now—crying and babbling as you dry hump him out of sheet desperation—they'd never believe their eyes.

vernon the so-called under, reducing his pretty baby to tears as they beg him to make them come.

he gives you what you want in the end—your face smooshed into the pillows as your boyfriend brutally rams his thick cock into your slick walls. though his touch is always weighted with characteristic gentleness, not even vernon can hold up against the addicting feel of your pussy clamping down on him with each delicious thrust.

"you're close again." it's not a question. he's much too familiar with the way your walls sporadically tighten around him when you're nearing release. "do you want to come, love? i've been a little mean to you tonight, haven't i?"

your cries come out muffled and vernon nearly comes at the thought of you soaking the pillows with tears and saliva. vernon's grip on your ass goes tight as he swears under his breath—his strokes coming in deep and precise so he can pinpoint that spot that makes you cry out his name in the prettiest way possible.

"f-fuck!" you bleat the moment vernon flattens his chest across your back—thrusts unrelenting as his free hand finds your clit. "don't edge me anymore, nonnie. please, please, please. i'm going to go insane if i don't come this time. give it to me, i want it—want it so fucking bad—oh!"

he fucking loves it when you run your mouth in the midst of a lustful delirium. but it gives him an even bigger ego boost when he feels your pussy practically squeeze the cum out of him at the height of your orgasm.

as much as you hate being denied the apex of pleasure several times over, vernon is always right whenever he says edging will just make everything feel a hundred times better when you finally come.

the words still ring true now, eyes practically rolling to the back of your head as your brain melts into a puddle of nothingness. vernon's intense gaze is riveted on the absolutely fucked out look on your face and that's what drives him over the edge—stilling his erratic strokes in favor of dumping his load in your willing pussy with a long-winded groan.

"you're fucking insane," is the first thing you breathe out once your mind comes back online—flopping your back onto the mattress as you catch your breath. "i feel like i died and went to hell and back seven and a half times."

"seven and a half?" vernon remarks with an amused look—getting up to grab a washcloth from the en-suite.

"yeah, life's hell when your boyfriend has an edging kink." you pout and he simply laughs before emerging from the bathroom, sitting at the edge of the bed as he cleans you up.

"you can always try it on me if you want to get even," he suggests, but you shake your head vigorously at the notion.

"no thanks, i'm happy to get edged and manhandled by the same guy i boss around in front of his friends," you tell him with a playful tone.

vernon shakes his head before leaning closer to peck your lips—wondering how he got so lucky to have landed someone like you.

"whatever you say, my little masochist."

⟢ end notes: this has been sitting in my inbox for a while now and i decided to squander my time by answering it AHDJSJW i'm just a sucker for soft dom vernon ok...... i'd let him edge me for hours if he just smiles his little nonnie smile at me before making me suffer again <3

[selya711-twiste]

i'll take that, it's mine now

Rollo Flamme x reader You take his handkerchief from him.

ignoring my friend's request so that rollo would be my first post god bless. heads up that all my following works default to gender neutral y/n unless the request says otherwise. yuu is a shithead here btw. maybe some tsundere rollo is ok. is this called pining btw

It's the second day of your trip to the city of flowers. The events that transpired the previous day all feel like a fever dream. You try to recall a scene from the festival, but all of a sudden your memories blur in together with the flickering reds and yellows of those flowers that spread like wildfire. Like an actual fever, you feel like you're overheating from dwelling on these thoughts for too long.

"Are you still listening?" Rollo speaks up a little louder, getting you out of your haze. You nod your head in response, but he's already caught on to your attention being elsewhere. "As I was saying…" He pauses for a moment as your eyes return to him. You sincerely tried to avoid conversations with the other Night Raven students as much as possible until noon. All that effort would go to waste now if Rollo Flamme of all people were to notice.

He was the one behind everything, wasn't he?

You don't have any magic (which is why you assume he's interested in you at all) so there must be some other way to get back at him. A small act done out of spite, something you can do... something to get on his nerves...

Rollo has yet to notice the shift in your expression when he brings out his handkerchief. Your eyes sparkle at the familiar purple cloth adorned with golden celestial shapes. Right before he could carry on with whatever he was talking about to you, your hand darts out and snatches it from him. It didn't even have the chance to touch his lips yet but now you have his handkerchief in your clutches. "I… What?" Rollo stares at you completely dumbfounded, at the sheer audacity-

You send him off with the most mischievous smile you could muster and turn around to flee. The image of his deer-in-the-headlights expression completely burns itself into your mind. You must admit you did this completely on impulse because now you have to deal with the prospect of returning it. Who knows what he could do to you over a handkerchief considering he set the city on fire.

You debate with yourself whether you should turn around or not to check if he's after you. As soon as you do, he's still standing there shocked at what you just did. His hand hasn't even moved from its original position. Your laugh echoes down the hallway as you continue to get away and your heart races with excitement. It's not long before you finally reunite with your schoolmates who ask you where you've been. The handkerchief is tucked neatly into your pocket. You reply innocently that Rollo talked with you for a moment while you were sweating bullets.

You spend the afternoon with your schoolmates and explore what the City of Flowers has to offer past the festival. The whole time, however, you feel holes being bored into your back.

"Hey, you good?" Your good friend Deuce places a hand on your shoulder. Fortunately, his voice was a bit hushed, so you don't have to worry about everyone else worrying over you. You reply as soon as you could but you don't let him know why you were distracted in the first place. Rollo is standing there at the other end of the street with other Noble Bell College students, his sharp gaze locked on yours. A million thoughts race through your head about how this encounter would go. Maybe Rollo will walk over towards you with your friends to ask for his handkerchief back, but that means facing everyone who confronted him the previous night.

Speak of the devil, you thought to yourself when Rollo takes a step forward after excusing himself from his companions. Fortunately, Grim tugs on your pants with his little paw to get you going. Your friends are already leaving to go to another area. Once again, he watches you go with his beloved fabric in your pocket.

Would the others notice that he hasn't brought out his handkerchief since lunch yet?

Just to rub some salt in the wound, you face him one last time to stick your tongue out.

He glares at you like his vein could burst at any moment.

...

You spent much of your afternoon revisiting shopkeepers you met yesterday and finding new stalls that you missed during the festival. Professor Trein passed by at some point to check on your group and was glad to see everyone immersed in the city's culture. You have completely forgotten about the "souvenir" in your pocket. Hours pass until the familiar chime of the Bell of Salvation rings throughout the city.

The sun has already set. The orange-red hue of the sky is gone and drifting into a softer lavender. It won't be long before it's completely dark. It's about to be dinner soon and you have already returned to Noble Bell's campus. The others tell you not to get lost when you slink out of the group to find a restroom.

That soft light seeps through the windows of the hallway. It's exactly at this moment that you remember the item in your pocket as this was where you and Rollo left off earlier. All the other students are clamoring in the main hall and you can hear it from where you're standing.

If it was possible, maybe he could forget about what you did to him today. It's soft in your hand as you take it out and lean against the stone wall.

You've grown accustomed to being seen as beneath all of your peers because of your inability to cast magic. You were mocked and cast aside here and there, and it was only a few months into the academic year when Grim would start defending you.

Rollo was the first one to express concern over your predicament. You remember vividly how you two first met, down to the way the palm of his hand felt when he shook yours... but the chaos that followed not long after ruins the memory a little.

A mage that scorned other mages over the use of magic was definitely new, and you're going to have to add this to your long list of experiences in this world you weren't born in. Compared to the others you have spent most of the academic year with up until this point, you only just met Rollo when everything went downhill in a day. You're curious about the warmth and coldness in your heart happening simultaneously as you thought deeply about him.

Maybe at another time, the crimson flowers never bloomed and the party would have gone on like normal. You two could have gotten to know each other better otherwise and shared a much more comfortable dance. The novelty of having someone new in your life whether he was a friend or foe will wear off soon enough, and maybe none of this would ever be spoken about again...

...Yet when you think about the possibility that you two almost never met, something in you stills. You absent-mindedly press the handkerchief to your lips the same way he would as a way to comfort yourself. Sure, he hurt your friends, but it's not like your friends haven't been constantly at each other's throats either. This isn't exactly new to you and there's even something funny about the absurdity of it all. Maybe you really have gone mad.

You tap into your inner middle schooler with a crush and hope you could keep this forever after that indirect kiss warmed you up a bit, but you're careless.

"You really thought you could escape me?" A mocking voice gets you out of your head as a strong presence stands right in front of you.

A choked noise comes out of your throat and you immediately pull your hands away from your mouth, desperately hoping he didn't see what you were doing just now. Your eyes have nowhere to go but toward his gaze, and it feels like you just dug your grave deeper. When did he get here? You ask yourself that as if you weren't yearning to see him again just now.

Even if you wanted to say anything, let alone his name, it doesn't seem like coherence is an option.

"Now hand it over. You shouldn't be stealing what doesn't belong to you." Did he really need to be this close? You clutch the handkerchief a bit more strongly and he catches onto your knuckles turning white from the force you're gripping it with.

It feels like the fever you woke up with was returning, along with all the sirens blaring in your head to actually move already. You still have a chance to run and keep this game going for longer, but you can't help but succumb to him. Being in front of Rollo like this combined with the silhouette his uniform gives him makes you feel so small.

"Give."

That was definitely a command, and his voice was firm. But when you look at him, he doesn't seem too mad at you, his grimace from this afternoon aside. Your heart skips a beat from how focused he is on you, but a part of you reasons that he merely wants his personal belonging back. You don't break eye contact with him even as he places a hand out in front of you, waiting for his handkerchief to be placed on it.

Instead of doing what he wants, you scoff and unfold it right in front of him. You haven't lost yet. There's still something you can do, and you have to do it fast before someone walks in on you two. You steel your nerves and finally speak.

"Why should I? I want to keep it as a memento of my time here."

Before he could retort, you wrap it around his neck and pull him closer to you. Rollo looks at you with his mouth agape. Once again, you have him absolutely mesmerized (or appalled) with your boldness. You're starting to become obsessed with getting on his nerves. It's fortunate that he didn't see what you were doing with his handkerchief because now you're intent on giving him the real thing.

You don't know how much he's thought of you today since yesterday, and this is the closest he's gotten to you the way he's always wanted, more than when you two waltzed together.

It's as though you're leaning in for a kiss, but Rollo is too staggered to respond to that like it was one. He hasn't moved at all.

I want to keep you in my pocket next, you don't say out loud, but he could feel the possessiveness in your actions all the same.

Your lips barely brush against his when you immediately pull away instead of what you initially planned to do. The last thing he sees is your light-hearted grin when you pull his hat down and shove it to his face. A perfect distraction for you to slink away. Rollo finally stands back and gasps at what just happened while you're already escaping once again. He hurriedly fixes himself and pulls the loose handkerchief away from his neck. You can see in the low light that the tip of his ears has become a shade of pink along with his cheeks, even if he was peeved.

"See you during dinner, Rollo!" You wave and turn to walk away from the man who was still standing there absolutely flabbergasted.

He'll certainly have a lot to say the next time you two find each other alone. Maybe when that happens, you'll actually kiss him.

Rollo is looking forward to that as well, though hopefully, you're not going to forget that your action today warrants punishment...

[furiousgoldfish]

Isn't it messed up that how we're treated for the first part of our life decides what we feel worthy of afterwards? Even if it was not a fair treatment, even if it's cruel and damaging, it's just logged into our minds that it's normal and exactly what we deserve – it would be too much for our child self to recognize that people do not always get what they deserve.

But as an adult you know that how people are treated is not what they deserve and it still messes with you! If people around you treat you with respect, care, consideration, warmth, affection and welcome, then you naturally feel worthy of those things, EXCEPT if you've been treated worse in the past, in which case you think this new scenario is just a farce and everyone secretly hates you and is pretending to be nice. Or they're doing it to manipulate you and are just waiting to trap you in some sort of hostage situation (which does happen sometimes). But even at that point what you experienced earlier feels like the Default! Everything else you experience afterwards is compared to it and if it's Much Better Treatment, fake. If it's Similar but Little Better, then it feels like, a bit more comfortable and like you've finally achieved and deserved something better but you still feel like you constantly have to work for it and repay it thousandfold.

You would hope you could get that feeling of inner worth and feeling valuable and important from just working on yourself and building yourself up, but in social situation you're still going to assume that you'll be treated badly even if you don't believe you deserve it. We rely on experience in that domain more than anything we tell ourselves in the mirror. Consistent and reliable positive treatment from others can repair our feeling of worth eventually but it's still a struggle to explain to yourself that if you really meant something to the world, why did nobody stop that insane amount of abuse that you were exposed to, it never manages to make sense.

Struggling to believe you matter and struggling to see yourself as valuable member of society really has little to do with you and your efforts to make it so, and so much more with what other people have shown you, and consistently did to show you that you're valuable to them. And if that accumulates to barely anything, you're going to feel that and it will decide you level of worth that you feel when interacting with people. If someone knows how to hack this or fix this I would also love to know.

[echantedtoon]

Im just going to be doing this third installment for the rest of the most memorable demons (minus Rui's siblings, Spider Mother, Rui himself, Nezuko, Daki, and Genya again for VERY obvious reasons) on who I think is the best and worst dads/moms. No real order this time tho.

MUZAN:

-He would be a mixed up bag of good and bad traits tbh. When you first told him he flat out told you to stop teasing him. "Stop your childish games. It's a waste of time." You legit have to go get Kokushibo and have him look over your form through the transparent world and have him confirm to Muzan that you were indeed NOT lying or trying to prank him for Muzan to believe you.

-He's oddly silent for a long moment after just staring at you for a long while before going "Oh...Well this is a surprising turn of events."

-He can absolutely act like he's invested in his child and loves them. He's an asshole but a very convincing one to where even you couldn't tell if he was genuine or not. How he is towards the child is a mixed bag in of itself. He doesn't treat the child with harm or too much aggression. If anything he's actually more curious about seeing what a demon-human hybrid could accomplish.

-Look. Your child is either fully demon or fully human with your mixed genes. There's no in-between. If it's fully human then he's rather disappointed in the result. In turn he loses a lot of interest in the kid and just allows you to essentially raise them yourself without too much interference. He might change the child into a demon when they get older but overall wouldn't see much point in bothering with the tyke.

-If the child is demon THEN he will have a bigger interest. He's disappointed when you both find out that your child is in fact NOT immune to sunlight but he was already anticipating that anyways. He's very invested in making the perfect heir for himself.

-VERY strict perfectionist. Your child will be very smart, a good fighter, and as dangerous as a lower moon by the time they're eight because of their father's teachings. But at what costs?

-You wouldn't get to have a say in much of anything in their raising then.

-He plans out their schedule every day AND night for everything: Education, training, discipline, sleep, times they are to eat and who they interact with and when- He has very strict rules and if they aren't followed then they're training time is much more harsher. By default he also plans yours as the child's mother.

4½/10 Only because of the mixed bag of parenting style otherwise I'd score him much lower however an in between seems about right.

SPIDER FATHER:

-He's a good dad in Rui's opinion to Rui but no one else and honestly I hate how he treats practically everyone else.

0/10 for obvious reasons

YUSHIRO:

-Honestly not as bad of a father as one might assume. Whether the baby is between himself and Tamayo or himself and Y/n doesn't matter. He loves them all the same. Doesn't even care if they're human, demon, or a hybrid.

-Was shocked but not too shocked by the news of becoming a father, but it did take him a whole ass week to really come to terms with it.

-He's very skilled in medicine being Tamayo's assistant so he's able to help a lot with the baby's mother's pregnancy. Tonics to help her sore throat after they vomit, cures for aches and pains especially with swollen ankles, check ups to make sure baby's healthy. He's VERY attentive to his partner and their mental, physical, and emotional needs. Doesn't mean he's not a nervous wreck tho.

-Despite already knowing medical procedures including the birth, he still researches LOTS. Best educational toys, best fabrics to lessen the irritation of the baby's sensitive skin, etc- This man goes above and beyond so much it worries the mother. Tamayo has to get involved in order for him to be convinced to calm down.

-Is literally a nervous wreck when his child is born. Messy hair, bags under his eyes, nervous pacing- He doesn't faint but for a long while after the baby's born he'll just sit down and stare at the closest wall blankly and silently- "Yushiro, are you alright?" "Oh yes. Perfectly fine." "Then why are you just sitting there?" "Just...having a moment, Dear." Give him a moment. His brain is still processing the chubby sleeping mass in his arms after so long.

-Once reality finally slaps his brain into gear, he just cries. Good tears going down his face as he blubbers and holds his baby close to him on instinct. Praises mama too. Commenting on how baby is as beautiful as her and they have her eyes.

-Terrified and protective dad. He knows the dangers and keeps baby at home with mom safely tucked away in their hidden home away from danger. Only takes them out when both himself and Tamayo go somewhere. Strength in numbers.

-Loves holding his baby and sharing his painting hobby. Tamayo found him holding baby as they messily slapped hands full of paint all over a canvas. "Yushiro, what are you doing?" "Exploring their artistic skills of course."

-Man hangs all of his child's artwork proudly on the walls. Once nearly threw hands when one of Tamayo's patients said it wasn't that great.

-He can be very strict or hard on his child due to stress, fear, or stubbornness however and it has lead to some loud fights.

8/10 best father on this list no doubt

SWAMP DEMON:

-Have you seen how creepy he is in Kimetsu Gauken?? Absolutely NOT!

-0/10 Id rather take my chances with Muzan with a massive temper

TAMAYO:

-Is already an experienced parent having prior experience with her past family she lost. So she would definitely know what she's doing and what needs to be done. Already a good start.

-Is very calm and casual about the entire process as she's been through it before although Yushiro is practically worrying his entire hairline off fussing over her. Even though she tells him multiple times to stop worrying so much.

-Can really take care of herself through the entire process being a doctor and a previous mother before so there's really no complications outside of having to stay hidden for safety reasons.

-Has already prepared, planned, and set up a nursery with all the essentials on top of having an emergency bag in case they have to flee right away.

-Yushiro becomes the de fault uncle/dad figure worrying over the baby and crying when Tamayo allows him to hold baby and help care for it while she's busy. He becomes very protective and attached to mini Tamayo.

-Very good parent. Rarely if ever raises her voice to her child. Teaches them everything she knows about medicine and other skills so her child grows to be very smart. Has Yushiro help train them with his attack mode in case they ever have to fight anyone.

-Only downside is that she is unsure if she should offer her medicine to baby if they were born demon in fear it might harm them.

10/10 best mother out of all the demons in kny

[the-s1lly-corner]

Can you do TADC x skeleton reader?

TADC cast x skeleton! Reader!

Skeleton characters my beloved

Love skeletons sm I wish there were more appealing characters in that category for me to add to my collection

Fr though imma work on art after this

Short since it's so sso cold in my room, I cannot warm up for the life of me and I'm in mobile

CAINE:

Teeth?

Teeth!

You guys click your teeth together and it makes everyone cringe thanks to the sound and what they imagine it feels like

Rmemeber we have nerves in our teeth, it's not just the roots! Imagine how it would feel if you clacked your teeth against someone else's!

He makes tons of skeleton puns

POMNI:

Is a little put off by seeing the bare bones of the brains mech suit/j

No but cartoony or not I think it would put her off because she would be all too aware of the "this is a person, this is a real breathing person" thing

Like sure she also understands it's your digital body, but seeing a skeleton next to a chesspiece and ribbon feels weird. It feels oddly familiar... does offer to help put you back together

RAGATHA:

HATES when you lose one of your limbs and leave it skittering about, trying to find the rest of you. Centipedes and skittering rouge limbs, that's what would do it for ragatha... bonus if you have a centipede crawling in your bones, be it as just your default or because one crawled into you at some point.. makes her weary to hug you when when gets that information..

But assuming you're bug free, shes more than willing to hang around you! Also offers to help put you together! Has probably guided your body back to your head after it got knocked off, saying it from having to blindly wander

JAX:

Similar to caine he makes a ton of jokes and puns. Has probably hit you with the bowling ball . You made the rolling pin sound effect

Has probably snagged your arm to scratch his back. Like he did to zooble.... maybe that's part of tje reason why zooble is sour all the time...

KINGER:

In an event where he needed to grab you and run, he may or may not have just

Popped your arm or hand off and bolted with it... probably makes a fair amount of distance before realizing the rest of you arent there

Despite what many may think, I dont think he would be bothered by a skeleton person, unless you're like. Hyper realistic for some reason, but considering the digital worlds style and kid friendliness I doubt you dont look cartoony! Actually kinda finds it cute, like those old cartoons he used to watch.. at least he thinks he used to watch.. you feel nostalgic somehow

ZOOBLE:

You guys exchange limbs/j

No but I feel like you guys would bond over not being fully "stable", ie you guys can be disassembled and broken apart with relative ease. You guys have each others backs when something threatens to break your bodies up. Be it Jax, or an IHA, you guys will try to protect each other in that regard... usually ends in you both falling apart

It sounds like clicking n clacking when you guys kiss

GANGLE:

Very similar to zooble, you guys are fragile. Gangle is ribbon, and you're just bone. You two are both prone to falling apart! You guys fuse together with gangle holding your bones together with her ribbon/j

But actually... I can see that as a funny side gag for "teamwork" for a IHA...

Sometimes her ribbons get stuck between the joints of your hands

[oppropro]

Chapter 2 of my fanfic

I am so happy to receive the positive feedback on my story inspired by @jttw-monkeybusiness. I had a hard time writing this chapter as it is from the perspective of different pilgrims. I want their thoughts to be believable and true to their nature, while also being true to @celestialkiri 's vision of these characters in her AU. I got a bit overly ambitious with this chapter and had to cut it short; the rest of the story will continue in a 3rd chapter. This has a better narrative flow.

So without further ado; I present chapter 2 of Monkey Business based on the creations of @jttw-monkeybusiness all credit goes to her.

********

CHAPTER 2- Here's your sign

            Sun Wukong, King of Mount Huaguo, Great Sage equal to heaven, was losing his patience. His master, the monk Tripitaka once again avoided near death thanks to the valiant efforts of his disciple, Sun Wukong. The very same disciple he chose to ignore when he warned the monk of the dangers of the demon hoard that had laid a trap to kill and eat the monk. A trap so obvious even Pigsy should have seen coming. That is, if Pigsy could ever think with his brain and not his stomach.

            And what thanks does Wukong get for saving his master and his pig-headed brother? Another lecture on how violence does not solve every problem. Well, violence certainly solved that problem. Besides, if his master had simply listened to him in the first place, they could have easily avoided the demon’s trap and Wukong wouldn’t have to resort to violence.

            “Hardships we face on our pilgrimage are simply a test of faith, and it is through our faith that we will ultimately persevere.” Monk Tripitaka spoke in a slow and deliberate manner.

            “Well then start showing more faith in me!” Wukong replied.

            “This journey is not just about you.”

            “And yet it is I, once again, coming to everyone’s rescue.”

            “I appreciate that you were able to rescue us, but that does not change the fact that you do not get to dictate the path we must follow, or default to wanton violence as a solution to every obstacle.”

            “Those demons were going to eat you and the pig alive! They weren’t even coy about it! If everyone just listened to me, it wouldn’t have even been an obstacle.”

            “We cannot avoid every danger, or burden, or obstacle we face on our journey.” Tripitaka’s tone conveyed a clear message: this conversation was over. “Even if such a challenge were to fall from the heavens and land directly on us. We will face whatever lies before us head on and accept the fate that has been ordained by Buddha.”

            “Well then, Master, you can find somebody else to save your ass because I am tired of being the only one around here who-” Wukong’s sentence was cut short as, apropos of the monk’s declaration, the heavens had opened up and a strange blonde woman fell upon the angry monkey’s back.

********

            Sandy, Pigsy, and Bai Long stood at the side of a clearing and watched their brother and their master argue back and forth. They had seen this exact same scenario played out before; it was safe for them to assume that it wasn’t going to be the last. The novelty of these fights had worn off and now they simply wished they would get to the point where Wukong would learn his lesson about self-control, humility, and acceptance so they could move on with their journey. For all the talk about other people slowing him down, Wukong sure liked to waste time arguing moot points.

            However, a girl falling from the heavens and landing on their elder brother’s back was new. They and the monk stood agog staring at the unforeseen spectacle before them: the woman had hair the colour of summer sun, and her clothes were foreign. The sack that she carried on her back had fallen off, that too was made of some strange and heavenly material not found on earth.

            Her face had landed in the dirt, her legs tangled amongst the limbs of Sun Wukong, and she moaned as she cradled her temples in her arms, nursing whatever wound she incurred from her less than graceful decent from heaven.

            Tripitaka was the first to break free from his spell. Still unable to process what had just happened, he rushed to the side of the stranger in an attempt to help her sit up an regain her composure. Pigsy followed his master’s lead and the two of them were able to prop the woman up and assess her for any injuries: some bumps and scratches, all superficial. That didn’t rule out the risk of any serious, or even deadly, head wounds.

            “Little sister, are you hurt?” the monk asked. “Do you understand me? Can you open your eyes?”

            The woman replied with a whimper, as she slowly blinked her eyes several times trying to purge her tears. Pigsy watched her blue eyes dilate and constrict in an attempt to regain focus. They had never seen a foreigner before. He knew that humans in other countries looked different, and that they were bound to meet foreigners on their journey to India, but the difference in eye colour was striking. This wasn’t something to dwell on, however; the woman needed help.

            “Good, good, little sister, you’re going to be alright. Let us help you. Just keep breathing nice and slowly.” Pigsy spoke to the woman in a low, slow voice and began to exaggerate his breath in so that the stranger might mimic him.

            “HOW ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU QUIT FAWNING OVER THAT STUPID SKY WOMAN AND HELP YOUR BROTHER OUT!”

            Wukong’s voice hit the stranger like a slap to the face. She gasped as her eyes widened and she finally focused on her surroundings. Pigsy was familiar with the expression on the stranger’s face: shock, confusion, fear; a primal fight or flight reaction that all humans experience when face to face with a demon.

            The stranger’s breath became quick and shallow, Pigsy could sense her heart rate bounding. There may still have been hope that Tripitaka may calm her down, but as she looked down at his elder brother, the demon monkey trapped between her legs, flashing his fangs as he scowled at the woman, he knew what was about to happen.

            He let go of the stranger as she screamed and began kicking wildly at Wukong until they were finally untangled. As the terrified woman struggled on all fours to get up and make a mad dash into the forest, Wukong jumped up with an unwarranted sense of accomplishment. Congratulations you stupid monkey; you successfully scared a woman.

            Tripitaka went to mount Bai Long. “Sandy. Pigsy. Please, help me look for our new companion. Monkey, you stay here and watch over our camp.”

            Whatever pride Wukong felt fled his body as soon as his master spoke. “What? Why are you chasing after her? She means nothing to us.”

            “Where you not paying attention to what our master had said?” Pigsy spat.

            “Yes. Even if such a challenge were to fall from the heavens and land directly on us. Well, I just passed buddha’s test. I overcame that challenge and didn’t even resort to violence. I guess I have learned my lesson now and we can all continue on our way. Oh thank you great and wise buddha! You have made me a better monkey.”

            “You have learned nothing,” Tripitaka snapped. “Now we have to go find this woman lest a fate worse than crashing into you befalls her.”

            The monkey growled. His blood was beginning to boil.

            “Then I will bring this challenge back to you, master.”             Wukong took off in the same direction as the woman before the monk could object. beginning to boil. He raced through the canopy following the stranger’s trail. The path she left was easy enough to follow. Even if it wasn’t glaringly obvious, Wukong could smell her: her scent; her blood; her fear. He could hear her: her ragged breath; her racing heart; her pitiful cries for help. The great monkey king would catch up to this pathetic whelp in no time and return her to his master so he can figure out what he wants to do with her. But before he brought her to his master, Wukong had some questions of his own to ask the woman. At the very least, this stupid woman owed Sun Wukong an apology.

[wings-of-fire-confessions]

Hate when people say shit like "all allwing designs will look bad mo matter what, all allwing ocs are inherently op and bad characters by default"

For one, you do realize not everyone is gonna make their allwing look like a neon rainbow 2012 my little pony OC, right? Even if they did, who cares, it's their character, let people have fun. But I've seen AllWing OCs that stick to a certain color pallette. I've seen an AllWing that was just different shades of blue, and another one that was purple. Believe or not, AllWings CAN turn out looking very pretty

For another, not every AllWing is going to have the powers of every single tribe. Again, fine if they do, because let people have fun, but a lot of AllWing OCs I've seen only have a small collection of tribe abilities. Some only have frostbreath and SandWing venom. Some only have RainWing spit and the ability to hold your breath. When you say every AllWing OC is OP, you assume every single person who has ever made an AllWing gave them every single power they possibly could, which is just ignorant

Also, where is the joy and whimsy in your soul when you say shit like that? Where is the excitement when it comes to putting every wof tribe into one dragon and getting to decide why they're like that? Whether they're just a result of a long line of hybrid parents, or if they were artificially created? You are the people of the mlp fandom who tell kids they're not allowed to have alicorn OCs, and if they do, they need to ultra nerf their powers, or else the character will be a "mary sue." You are the people who think you're giving "advice" on how to make good OCs, when really you are putting literal children down for making what they believe is a cool character. If you don't like AllWings, don't make one. Stop acting like you have the right to tell others what they can and can't do when making OCs

,

[teecupangel]

what do you think it would be like if (and assume that in this Ezio is affected in his actual life by everything Desmond does) When Desmond started in on Ezio’s memories, he accidentally turned on Eagle vision and couldn’t turn it off and so came to the conclusion that Ezio was just color blind- while Ezio is having a major crisis over why he sees everything and nothing all the time! And after Ezio finally accepts this is just how things are now- Desmond finds the off switch and the fallout of color commences at the worst possible time

Considering the first time Desmond connect with Ezio was during his birth, this means that Ezio would believe he is color blind growing up. It would probably be something the Auditores would hide to everyone and Ezio would grow up believing seeing the gray world is some kind of ‘curse’. The truth is his parents are hiding it because they know Ezio isn’t color blind, he sees the blues and the reds. Ezio believes those colors are just part of the gray world he sees but Giovanni knows that this is a sign that Ezio is special, to the eyes of the Brotherhood… and the Templar Order. They’re trying to protect Ezio and his siblings help. Claudia picks his clothes to be sure he doesn’t pick disastrous color combination (by Renaissance standards). Federico would find ways to talk about the colors of this and that so Ezio would have an idea of what color they are in case he needs it later on. Petruccio plays with Ezio of ‘guess the color’ and it helps Ezio differentiate the gray hues or, at the very least, memorize what color they were supposed to be.

And then…

Desmond connects with Ezio again.

I have a feeling you were going for maybe something like Desmond deactivates the Eagle Vision during the Auditore execution but what if…

Desmond didn’t deactivate it but the Animus loaded the next memory on ‘default settings’ which includes…

The Eagle Vision being deactivated.

The next time Desmond connects with Ezio, it took the Animus a bit of time to load everything properly so the settings are changed just after Vieri hit Ezio with the stone.

Ezio’s frozen because his entire world burst into colors.

He can’t even see the sickening red of Vieri anymore.

Just… so many different colors he had never seen before.

And Ezio would assume it was Vieri’s stone that ‘cured’ him of his curse.

And in his delight, he rushed Vieri.

… and kissed him in the lips in gratitude.

Vieri and everyone else are simply confused, wondering if Ezio Auditore da Firenze has gone insane.

He was laughing, even going as far as dancing with the stupefied Vieri.

It was only when Federico got there that Ezio let go of Vieri and told him as he hugged his brother, “I can see!”

Federico realized what he means and he gets Ezio out of there, apologizing to Vieri and telling him they’d kick his ass later.

And the next memory Desmond sees is Ezio’s family being happy and hugging him because he can now see.

Desmond is just confused.

Sooooo… Ezio was blind before???

That’s what Desmond assumed until he activated the Eagle Vision again to check his surrounding after Ezio receives his father’s orders to bring some documents to Lorenzo de’ Medici then he heard Ezio’s sharp intake of breath and how he started to panic. Ezio ran back home and tells his father that he can no longer see anymore and their conversation tipped Desmond off that they’re talking about the Eagle Vision.

He deactivates it and got his confirmation when Ezio told his father that he can see again.

And Desmond starts to freak out because this means he can… what? Change what the Animus is showing? Change the past?

“That’s ridiculous, Desmond. The Animus can only show the past. This is probably some kind of bug.” Lucy would try to tell him but he can’t shake off the feeling that it might be something more.

Because of how frightened Ezio had been to lose his ability so see colors, his father tells him to rest in the house for now and orders Federico to deliver the documents instead.

Federico returns soon enough to Claudia and Petruccio with Ezio, trying to get him to relax a bit. Claudia didn’t even read the letter she had received today because she had been worried about Ezio.

So when the guards came to take them away…

Ezio was there.

… with Desmond who can control Ezio.

… with the skills from his waking bleed of Altaïr.

[dropthedemiurge]

Some language comments for Gray Shelter [Episode 5], just like I promised!

"Do whatever/however you want to. (literally: 'Do it the way your heart desires') You do things how you want to anyway."

"I'm sorry" - the translation is correct, it's just it's funny how Yoondae's level of apology to his friend he just lashed out at last time + he wants to ask him for HELP, and all he says is: 미안 (mian). The most informal and short way of apologizing possible. He's so teenager-minded still.

Even when he asks "Can I leave my stuff in your dad's warehouse?" it comes out grammatically more of a demand, like 'Let me do that'. Yoondae is talking like someone who has a lot of walls and doesn't reach out to people, he doesn't talk kindly but he's honest and straightforward and he cries easily but he's very angry about it.

I especially love his facial expression, even when he's at his most miserable, he'll make it everyone else's problem, as if being pitiful is the worst thing that could happen to him. "I have no one else I could ask for help but you >:(("

Fun fact about Korean's sentence structure, when you quote someone or express your thoughts, you put your sentence this way: "quoted phrase" and then + "that's what they said/what i thought/etc". So oftentimes, I see Kdramas use that trick when characters say a phrase... and then take it back with "that's someone else's thoughts" or "that's what you thought I'd say, right? LMAO". It's funny how the translators' way of transferring this was using the word "Sike!" xD

"It wasn't a mistake to me." "If it wasn't a mistake, then [what]? Since you started talking [about it], let me ask you. So what if it wasn't a mistake? What do you want to achieve with me?" "Can I do anything about it? In the past or now, you're the one who runs away and avoids me. I asked you, can I make a decision (do I have any choices)?" "You made the move but you want me to decide? Fine, then. Let sleep together once and end it once and for all. Go wash up first. I don't have time, I only left office for a short time."

The way they both care about each other but their dialogues and words are very sharp and bitter almost all the time, especially here, aaaah. That's the contrast that hooked me for all these 5 episodes. Soohyuk doesn't swear but he's talking to Yoondae very harshly and emotionless here, and for Yoondae harsh talk is the default, it's like Soohyuk is lowering his manners to talk on his level, to provoke him (or maybe that's also how he distances himself from the discovery that Yoondae has feelings for him).

And Yoondae is holding back his frustration and tears, but he understands the way such words were aimed to hurt him, so instead of lashing out back at Soohyuk, as he probably wants him to, he swallows and unusually calmly, almost softly says: "Let's talk when you can be honest. Because I will shut up and wait for you."

And it makes Soohyuk stand there in shock and contemplate.

I'll add next scenes in READ MORE since this post is getting long!

Here's the moment when the boss asks their youngest employee to write something more 'trendy' for their marketing text xD It's very true that trends in Korea come and go very quickly, they also love to invent new terms and phrases all the time. Like "MZ slang", there are many phrases, and the one trendy phrase the boss uses as the example is 킹받네 (king-pad-nae) which literally written as 'receive the king' but means "I got angry" - but with a teasing/playful subtext, like friends could say each other 'ah you're so cute, it makes me angry'.

If I'm not wrong, this phrase was widely used like 1-2 years ago and not really in its trendy peak as well right now but kudos to boss to even learning it xD And it's funny how translator chose to (I assume) use "[living in my head] rent-free" phrase as a substitute. Another fun fact, they ended up using some trendy lingo in their ad that translator gave us as "no cap!" but that part of phone msg was so blurry, I couldn't see which exact Korean phrase they ended up using x)

"Hyung, if you have any ask for help, say so. For you, 2 million... No, I'll try to give you until 3 million won in any way."

Can I just say that we had this character for one moment and I'm so not ready to let him go, I want Jeongwan to have his own storyline and everything and he's too sweet and also caring for strangers/his colleagues, and so he stole the spotlight for me xD

Yoondae said there's no food at home. But also, as you can see, there is: beer, water, rice that you can cook in the microwave, kimchi for a side dish and some other microwaved food. According to my Korean friends, typical Korean person (poor like student) can survive if they have rice, kimchi and also ramyeon. That's their the most basic food. Just a fun fact. xD

Also he was on his third can of beer, and he already made a drunken longing call on the verge of tears to Soohyuk, lying about being hurt and bringing trouble just so he'd return home. "Is that okay with you?" - just shoot me, please. :')

"I called [the cleaning service/you] to tell you to stop it [sleeping outside of home]" "Let's have that dinner [that I promised you] today. Wait for me."

After days, Yoondae was ready to give up, he "tricked" Soohyuk to return home just so he could tell him he'll move out and stop pushing any talk. And then, Soohyuk brought up the dinner (the feelings) that he kept avoiding. No wonder Yoondae looked so struck and confused. It just gave him his hopes back (and viewers too, but we probably should've known better with this kind of series haha)

Interesting cultural context: they are getting samgyeopsal - grilled meat, chosen by Soohyuk because Yoongdae said there wasn't anything he wanted to eat. And usually, the youngest one has to set the cutlery and grill meat, out of respect for the seniors. And here we see that Soohyuk is the one choosing the place, menu and even grilling the meat and pouring soju for Yoondae.

Once again, it shows that despite Yoondae's emotions and pleads, he is not mature enough, he is not ready to focus on other people. We know he can't plan his own future, he doesn't know what to do, and we see where their relationship stands now - Yoondae is still more of a burden than an equal partner to Soohyuk, and Soohyuk is more of a parent.

Even when they drink soju (in Korean drinking etiquette usually you don't drink alone, you toast together and drink together), notice how they don't even clink their glasses together, then Soohyuk is the only one drinking and Yoondae wants to follow him but puts the glass back. He's taking a shot later, when Soohyuk grills the meat again. They are totally unsynchronized at this point of their lives, and it's painful to watch.

"I said he [my father] was dead because that's the truth/reality for me. There was no other [hidden] meaning. I didn't plan to lie to you."

"I moved out completely. If I don't organize my life starting from doing this, then I don't think I'll be able to live like all the other [normal] people."

The fact that Yoondae started thinking about improving his life (the word 'organizing'), immediately made Soohyuk stop in surprise. So he started asking what does the normal life like others mean to him, hopeful to find that equal adult footing from Yoondae... but Yoondae's thoughts stopped there. And Soohyuk offered his own goal and life meaning: "to have a place to go back to, that's enough for me".

Here's when Yoondae thoughtfully agreed with him: "It's important to have a home", and took the meat tongs from Soohyuk, saying how high-maintenance he is. Yoondae embraced that realization, he took the responsibility (even a small cultural gesture) and even though Yoondae nagged him, Soohyuk smirked. Because it wasn't a completely hopeless situation. And Yoondae proved it, by saying how eating like this and going home together is his normal life as well. (and yet they were still unsynchronized until the very end! we can't have happy ending yet)

AND HERE IS WHERE I HAVE TO MAKE A SECOND POST! Because tumblr only allows 30 images in one, and I can't stop screenshotting the last conversation so I'm going to make another post that you can find in 'gray shelter comments' or 'dropthemeta' tags (upd. or here's the link to the post!)^^