#My response 'Thank you but I'm not THAT fun'

[ginkgooou]

dance lessons | alexia putellas

summary: you and alexia try dancing.

this one took a while; i rewrote it like three times before i was finally happy with it. i'm no expert in dancing, but i tried my best to describe the moves. i hope you enjoy! feel free to send feedback or requests. 😄

english is not my first language.

4,272 words

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

you were out with alba, leisurely strolling through the city, when you came across two people handing out flyers. as you were about to walk past, one of them stepped forward, stopping you with a friendly smile.

“hey, do you two want to try a dance class?”, the woman asked you, offering you a flyer.

alba just shook her head. “no, thank you.”

you stopped, intrigued, taking the flyer from her hand and looking over it. it seemed like a fun idea, something you could do with alexia - an opportunity to try something new together.

as you skimmed the paper, the lady explained, “we teach ballroom and latin dances. it's for beginners, so anyone can join. you can sign up online if you're interested. the website's on the flyer.”

you nodded thoughtfully, looking up at her with a small smile. “thank you. i'll think about it.”

with that, you turned to alba, who linked her arm with yours as you walked away. she gave you a knowing look. “you sure ale will do it with you?”

with a smirk, you replied, “i have my ways.”

☆

well, your way was simply signing both you and alexia up for the course without telling her. after three years together, you knew your girlfriend very well and you knew if you'd asked her, she would've immediately said no.

alexia loved her routines, finding comfort in the structure of her days. they gave her a sense of control in a world that often felt too chaotic.

you understood that and respected it, but every now and then, you'd try to pull her out of her comfort zone a little. a new restaurant, an unexpected detour through the city or, when time allowed, a spontaneous road trip - just small things. it was always a struggle to get her to agree to your ideas. alexia could be very stubborn, but you always found a way to persuade her.

you knew that this time would be particularly difficult as it wasn't a one-time thing like usual; the dance course would last over several weeks. you could already picture your girlfriend's grumpy face, insisting she didn't want to go, claiming that she had football and no time for something like this.

but, you'd already made a plan.

first, you decided that instead of ordering in, you'd make dinner. you settled on cooking pasta with the homemade sauce that she liked so much, hoping it would put her in a good mood.

you had just started on the sauce when you heard the soft click of the front door echoing through the apartment. it was quickly followed by the muffled sound of footsteps and the soft thud of alexia's bag being dropped on the floor.

a few moments later, you felt your girlfriend's strong arms wrap around your waist, her familiar warmth bringing a smile to your face. she placed a gentle kiss on your shoulder before resting her head there with a soft sigh.

“hola, mi amor. i missed you.”, she mumbled, her voice tinged with fatigue.

turning your head slightly, you gave her a quick peck on her lips, whispering, “missed you too. how was training?”

“good. lots of things to work on.”, she replied.

as you continued making the sauce, alexia stayed wrapped around you, watching you cook. “ale?”, you said gently.

she hummed in response, letting you know she was listening.

“why don't you go shower? dinner will be ready soon.”

alexia just pressed herself closer, burying her head in your neck, making you chuckle at her clinginess. “baby, come on.”

“vale.”, your girlfriend grumbled, clearly reluctant to let go. with a sigh, she finally released her hold on you and headed upstairs.

while she showered, you finished preparing dinner and began setting the table. you were just plating the food, when you heard alexia coming back downstairs.

you looked up to see your girlfriend padding into the kitchen, her wet hair falling over her shoulders, wearing a hoodie and sweatpants.

“it smells amazing, amor.”, she said, coming over and kissing your cheek. you smiled at her, turning back to the plates. “go sit down. i'll be right over.”

alexia nodded and made her way to the table, taking a seat and pouring two glasses of water.

once you finished plating, you walked over, setting the dishes on the table before sitting down beside her.

both of you eagerly dug in, conversation flowing effortlessly throughout the meal. between bites, alexia recounted her day, telling you about the intense drills, funny moments with her teammates and the interview she had to do while also asking about your day.

once you finished dinner, the conversation and you watched as the tension slowly melted away from her shoulders. her tone became lighter and more relaxed. you knew this was the perfect moment to bring up the dance class.

you glanced at her with a smile. “oh, i forgot to tell you! i was out with alba today. we went for lunch and then just wandered around.”, you began casually. “funny story, actually - we walked past some people handing out flyers.”, you continued, chuckling nervously as you watched your girlfriend closely.

alexia eyed you with suspicion. “what did you do?”, she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“well.”, you started, clearing your throat, “they were promoting their dance classes. i checked out the website - it looks really cool and professional.” you paused, grinning excitedly at alexia, “so, i signed us up for the course! it starts on monday.”

“no.”, your girlfriend said immediately, shaking her head. “no, no, no. we are not doing that.” you laughed at her instant refusal, expecting nothing less.

“come on, ale. it'll be fun.”, you urged, trying to convince her.

“no! i don't have time. i have football.”, alexia argued, crossing her arms defiantly. “sorry, amor, but it's just not happening.”

you sighed, giving her your best puppy dog eyes. “please? for me?”

your girlfriend quickly looked away, knowing she would crumble if she looked at you much longer. “..no.”, she repeated, but her voice lacked the firmness it had before.

sensing she just needed one more little push, you proceeded with part two of your plan.

you scooted back and stood up, alexia's eyes following you as you moved to straddle her lap, your arms wrapping around her shoulders while hers instinctively fell to your hips. she slightly leaned back in her chair, making room for you.

you slowly leaned in, lips nearly touching. “please?”, you asked again, your lips brushing hers.

you could see alexia's resolve wavering and you knew you almost had her. closing the distance between you, you pressed your lips softly against hers. when you pulled away, your girlfriend chased your lips, clearly not ready for the kiss to end yet.

“for me, baby?”, you asked again, a smile forming on your lips.

alexia opened her eyes, gazing up at you. after a few seconds of silence, she sighed dramatically. “i hate you.”

your grin only widened. “so you'll go with me?”

“yes.”, she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “but i don't like it.”

“thank you, thank you, thank you!”, you squealed, showering her face with kisses. your girlfriend tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't suppress the wide smile spreading on her lips.

☆

it was monday evening, just before 6 pm, and the dance studio was filled with people. you stood near the back, surrounded by couples who were much older than you, their chatter filling the air. shifting nervously, you glanced at the door for what felt like the hundredth time.

alexia was late.

you two had agreed to come here separately, since your girlfriend had a late interview. she had assured you she would make it, but as the clock crept closer to 6, doubt started to creep in.

when it was time for the lesson to start, the two instructors, a woman with a warm smile and a tall man with black hair, stepped forward.

“hello everyone and welcome to the course! i'm isabella and this is my partner, luis.”, the woman said enthusiastically, her voice carrying across the room. “over the next few weeks, we'll be teaching you how to dance.”

you were trying to listen, but your thoughts kept wandering to alexia. as isabella started to explain a bit more about the class, the door suddenly swung open. your girlfriend burst through, slightly out of breath, still wearing her training kit.

“lo siento!”, she called out, blushing as she realized that everyone was looking at her. for a second, she scanned the room, her gaze darting past the curious looks before landing on you.

a small smile tugged at the corner of your lips as your girlfriend hurried over, weaving through the people. when she reached you, she leaned in for a quick kiss. “i'm sorry.”, she whispered apologetically. “i didn't mean to be this late. the interview took longer than expected.”

you smiled at her, shaking your head. “it's fine. you're here now.”

alexia sighed, running a hand through her hair as she looked around, clearly feeling out of place in her kit. “i didn't have time to change.”, she muttered, tugging at the hem of her shirt.

“don't worry about it.”, you said softly, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

someone clearing their throat beside you interrupted your whispering. you turned to see an older man giving you both a disapproving look. “could you stop talking? we're trying to listen.”, he said, sounding annoyed.

“sorry, we'll stop.”, you quickly apologized, flashing him a polite smile.

though, when you turned to your girlfriend and your eyes met hers, you let out a giggle. alexia couldn't suppress a grin, quietly shushing you and gesturing to the front.

you tuned back in just in time to catch isabella's last words. "so, our first dance will be a slow waltz," she began with a smile. "but before we begin, let's go over the hold."

she turned to luis, who took her hand in his as they stepped into position. he placed his right hand gently on isabella’s shoulder blade, while she rested her left hand on his upper arm. their free hands met between them. “the lead,” he explained, “places his right hand on the follow’s back, just here, and the follow’s left hand goes on the lead’s arm. your other hands meet, like so.” they turned in a circle so everyone could see clearly. they invited you to try it out, moving through the room and giving tips when needed.

“okay! now to the box step. it is really simple.”, isabella said. “the lead steps forward with their left foot. the follow steps back with their right.”

on cue, they moved, their feet sweeping across the floor in perfect synchronization. “step forward,” luis said, narrating his movement, “then side with the right foot, and bring your left foot to your right. then, you’ll step back with the right foot, side with the left, and close the feet again. that completes the box.”

you shifted your weight slightly, looking at alexia, who was staring at the instructors as if this dance was a tactical briefing before a big match. her brow was furrowed in concentration, which made you grin.

after they had showed you the movement a few more times, isabella smiled encouragingly at the class. “now, it’s time for you to try. we’ll walk around and help you.”

you turned to alexia, a playful glint in your eye. “so,” you began, raising an eyebrow, “who’s going to lead?”

your girlfriend chuckled, moving closer with a confident grin. “me, of course.” she tried to get into position, placing her hand on your shoulder blade, but you stepped back, not ready to give up just yet.

“but what if i want to lead?”, you asked hopefully. alexia shook her head. “no, i lead. no arguments.”

you huffed, pouting slightly as you mumbled, “so not fair.”

with a sigh, you finally let her step closer and take hold of you while you rested your hand on her upper arm. you could feel the warmth of her hand against your back, and despite your earlier protest, an excited smile crept on your face. “well, then. lead the way, capitana.”, you told her, laughing as she shot you an annoyed look at the nickname.

as it came to trying the steps, you could feel alexia’s earlier confidence beginning to waver slightly. she bit her lip, glancing down at her feet, and then stepped forward with her left. you weren’t ready yet and stumbled a little as you quickly tried to follow her lead and move backward, but you couldn’t hold your balance and accidentally stepped on her toes.

“oops, sorry!”, you blurted out, pulling back.

alexia just shook her head, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “no, it was my fault.”, she said, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “okay. let’s try again.”

you both repositioned yourselves and tried again. this time, you were ready and as she took a step forward, you moved back with your right foot, staying in the rhythm. alexia was incredibly focused, her brows furrowed in concentration.

“forward, side, close.”, she murmured to herself, following the steps. the determination in her eyes made you smile, but you could also feel the tension in her body. “hey, ale.”, you said softly, catching her attention. when she looked up at you, you continued, “try to relax. this is just for fun.”

your girlfriend took a deep breath, trying to let go of the pressure. “you’re right. just for fun.”, she replied, smiling at you.

after a few minutes, isabella made her way over to you. “good! that’s good.”, she praised, offering a warm smile. “but try not to look down at your feet. keep your eyes on each other or look over the left shoulder.” she gestured for you to step closer together. “you can also move closer together. it will help you feel the movements and make it easier to follow the lead.”

you and alexia nodded, moving closer, and got back into position. your eyes met and a soft smile passed between you. when alexia stepped forward this time, you could feel the shift in her weight, making it easier to anticipate her next move. the closeness made everything smoother, as if you were more in tune with each other.

“that's much better!”, isabella remarked before moving on to help the next couple.

after the first successful attempt, you tried the box step again. but it was alexia who faltered this time, accidentally stepping on your toes. “i'm so sorry.”, she muttered, her cheeks flushing as her gaze shifted over your shoulder, embarrassed. “it's just…”, she trailed off, meeting your eyes for a brief second before quickly looking down at her feet. “it's hard to concentrate with you so close.”, your girlfriend admitted softly, biting her lip.

you smiled at her confession, finding it incredibly endearing that even after all this time, you still had this effect on her. you couldn't help but press a quick kiss to her cheek. “i love you.”, you told her as you pulled away, catching the soft smile that lit up her face.

alexia's hand pressed gently against your back, drawing you closer, her eyes sparkling with affection. “te quiero.”, she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, making your heart flutter.

suddenly, luis’ voice cut through, interrupting the moment between you. “alright, now that everyone's practiced the box step, let's learn the turning box.”, he announced, moving to the front of the room. “isabella and i will demonstrate.”

alexia cleared her throat and let go of you, turning her attention to the instructors.

luis took a moment to position himself with isabella. “the lead steps forward with the left foot, but this time, instead of moving straight, you'll turn slightly to the left.”, he began, showcasing the first move.

“as you step to the side with the right foot, your body should turn about 90° to the left.”, he continued, guiding isabella through the movement. “then, step with the left foot next to the right.”

they showed you the turns a few more times, with isabella also guiding you through the follow's role. as the demonstration concluded, luis turned to you all with a smile. “now it's your turn again.”

you and alexia quickly got back into position. “ready?”, your girlfriend asked, looking at you with a soft smile. “yes”, you answered.

you tried it slowly, wanting to get a feel for the added movement. it worked surprisingly well; you barely had to think about it as alexia confidently led you into the turn.

alexia was focused on the steps, murmuring them quietly under her breath. with each turn, you got more comfortable, feeling more confident in your steps.

encouraged by how well it worked, alexia picked up the pace a little and soon, you were gliding across the floor. just as you executed a smooth turn, you suddenly became aware of another couple moving in the opposite direction.

before you could react, you collided with them - your shoulder bumping into the man's side while alexia accidentally stepped on the woman's toes.

“oh no, sorry!”, alexia exclaimed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. you, on the other hand, struggled to keep your laughter in as you turned to the couple, who looked just as surprised, but quickly joined you in the laughter. the man shook his head, waving off the mishap with a hrin. “it happens to the best of us.”

once you repositioned yourselves, you began anew, alexia now more aware of her surroundings. but the collision seemed to have made her relax more, smiling slightly while continuing to dance.

when luis approached, he smiled brightly at you. “that's really good!”, he said, nodding with approval. “keep it up!” the praise filled you with confidence and when you looked at alexia, you found her beaming with delight, her eyes sparkling with pride.

after a few more minutes, isabella moved to the sound system and put on music. “now, let's try it with music.”, she said enthusiastically.

as the melody of a slow waltz filled the room, everything changed. the soft notes wrapped around you, making the steps feel more fluid and natural, the rythm guiding your movements. alexia's confidence grew with every turn, leading you through the dance seamlessly.

you spent the remainder of the class learning more about the waltz, with luca and isabella showing you new steps here and there.

as you laid in bed that night, you turned to face her. “so, how did you like the class?”, you asked softly.

alexia shifted slightly, turning her head to meet your gaze in the dark. a small smile tugged at her lips. “i actually liked it.”, she admitted.

you raised an eyebrow, teasing her. “really? that's funny, considering someone didn't want to go at first.”

she chuckled, her hand reaching out to playfully nudge your arm. “yeah, yeah. but, really, it was fun.” her fingers intertwined with yours under the covers.

you grinned, satisfied with her confession. “i told you it would be.”

alexia sighed softly, leaning in to kiss you. “it was only fun because i did it with you.”

you smiled, your heart fluttering at her words. alexia wrapped her arm around your waist and pulled you closer, her warmth lulling you to sleep.

☆

over the next few weeks, you continued going to the dance studio every monday, learning something new each time. throughout the week, you tried to practice as often as you could, but time seemed to always slip away from you.

both of your schedules were packed - alexia busy with training, matches and interviews while you had your own work commitments. it usually ended up with you practicing an hour before having to leave for class. but, despite the lack of practice, you both had improved quite a lot, especially alexia.

you could see your girlfriend's confidence grow with each session, her movements becoming more fluid and graceful. she led you effortlessly through the various dance routines - slow fox, cha-cha and tango - as if she had been dancing for years. she was a natural at this.

at least, that's what it seemed like to you.

one afternoon, you decided to surprise alexia and pick her up from training. you had a free day and since alexia's car was at the mechanic, she needed someone to pick her up.

after parking your car, you made your way over toward the building's entrance. halfway there, the door swung open and the first few girls exited the building. as soon as they spotted you, their faces lit up with excitement, and they rushed over.

“hi! i haven't seen you in sooo long. i've missed you so much.”, claudia said, pulling you into a tight hug.

you smiled warmly, returning the hug. “hey, clau. i missed you, too. work's just been a lot these days.”

after claudia let go, you turned to greet patri and ona with a hug, too. meanwhile, claudia continued talking, “you should visit more often. ale’s so much nicer when you're around.”

you couldn't help but laugh at that, knowing all too well how your girlfriend could get when it came to football. “i'll talk to her.”, you replied with a grin. then, glancing toward the building, you asked, “but speaking of alexia, where is she?”

more players had started to trickle out of the building, but still no sign of your girlfriend. ona was quick to answer your question, “she wanted to do some extra practice. she's still out on the pitch.”

you turned back to the group with a grateful smile. “ah, thank you. i should've known.”, you chuckled. “i guess i'll head in to find her.”

patri grinned, nudging your arm playfully. “you'd better. otherwise, she'll be out there all day.”

you laughed, pulling each of them into a quick hug. “alright, bye guys.”, you said, the three of them echoing your words as you headed toward the building.

inside, you made your way through the familiar hallways, your footsteps quickening as you approached the pitch, the faint sound of voices drifting toward you.

but as you stepped outside, the sight before you made you stop in your tracks.

there was alexia, but instead of practicing football, she was…dancing. and with mapi, of all people. they seemed to be attempting the tango - or at least something that resembled it. your girlfriend was, of course, leading, her movements focused and graceful.

mapi, on the other hand, was clearly less enthusiastic about the whole thing. “why am i doing this? i don't want to do this!”, she complained, barely trying to follow alexia's lead.

your girlfriend, already looking annoyed, sighed in frustration. “you need to be closer. i can't do this if you're standing a mile away from me.”

mapi threw her hands up. “i don't want to be closer, i need my space! i want to be free, not glued to you!”

you stood silently at the edge of the pitch, trying to stifle your laughter as you watched the scene unfold. alexia, determined as always, restarted the routine, but mapi still kept stumbling over the steps. your girlfriend's patience was running thin, the vein on her forehead looking ready to pop.

“come on, mapi. you're not even trying now. is it really so hard to follow a few steps?” her voice rose in frustration. “it's so much easier with ingrid! why do you always have to make everything so difficult!”

“well, i am not ingrid! and i am trying!”, mapi shot back, stamping her foot and refusing to take another step. alexia took a sharp breath, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “dios mio, i've had enough! you are no help.”, she huffed, rolling her eyes. she spun around, ready to storm off the pitch, but then her eyes fell on you.

she froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “oh, no.”

you couldn't help the grin that spread across your face as you stepped onto the pitch. “oh, yes.”

alexia blinked, trying to recover. “it's not what it looks like…”

you raised an eyebrow. “it looked like you were trying to dance.”, you teased, coming to a stop in front of her. “so this is what you've been up to?”

alexia blushed, looking everywhere but you, thinking of ways to get out of the situation. “it's just been a few times…”, she mumbled.

but mapi, who clearly had enough, jumped in. “a few times? she's been dragging ingrid into this for weeks! alexia stole my girlfriend - ingrid's always busy with her now. she barely even talks to me at training! and now i had to dance, too.”

you laughed, watching your girlfriend grow more embarrassed by the second. “i see. and you didn't tell me because…?”

alexia ran a hand through her hair, giving you a sheepish smile. “i just… wanted to impress you.”, she murmured quietly.

you chuckled softly, moving closer and cupping her cheek. “you're so silly, my love.”

your girlfriend wrapped her arms around your waist and pulled you closer, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. “i'm sorry?”, she said with a crooked smile.

shaking your head, you leaned in to kiss her again, only to be interrupted by loud gagging coming from mapi. “ugh, can you not? this is torture.”

you both laughed, breaking apart as alexia turned to her best friend. “you're one to talk. and just so you know, i'll never dance with you again.”

at that, mapi began to laugh happily. “thank god!”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[xmy-love-to-youx]

Summer Time!

Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader

Warning: Smut, possessive Simon, 18+ content, swearing

Everyone loves summer or at least most people do. The hot glowing orb in the sky brings about that happy summer feeling, the beaches are filled with people. Families, friends and the laughter of children...

Even so... My mind melts away...

I'm currently in the men's room, in the last stall, door shut closed. Standing in my tippy toes, my hands spread across the wall and skirt hiked up to my hips. Panties lazily clinging to my legs and my breasts exposed and littered with marks.

Simon's large rough hands grips my hips as an animalistic growl escapes his lips, his larger frame towers over mine, his breath tickles my neck.

"I fucking told you not to look at me while you licked your ice cream-" he thrusts his hard length in me and my back arches against his chest, a moan falls from my lips.

Simon is impressively girthy and lengthy, when he inserts himself into me, he stretches me in a way I never knew was possible, the burn is deliciously good, he fills me completely like a piece to the puzzle.

"-But no, you had to be a whore, wearing his slutty outfit and putting on that innocent look. You love the way other men look at you?" he growls in my ear, his possessiveness turns me on even more.

I could feel myself leak even more, his cock slides into me with ease and my brain begins to shut off.

Simon thrusts his length into me at a rough and fast pace, pounding into me. His hands roams to my chest and he pinches my nipples, a grunt rumbles from his chest to throat until a deep moan escapes. His fingers digs into my skin, leaving marks and his pace increases.

My moans increasingly grew louder until he covered my mouth. I could feel the way his eyes stares at me, the loving yet lustful look he has.

"You want other men to hear how much of a slut you are?" he placed two fingers inside my mouth "You want that? An audience? Tsk Tsk. Bad girl"

Simon took his fingers out of my mouth and I whined in response, he placed his fingers on my clit and started massaging it, the sensation was so good and overwhelming, my legs shook from the pleasure, ready to buckle.

"Shh baby, I know, I know" Simon coos sweetly and wraps his hand around my leg and forces me to arch my back even more so that my head rests against his chest, we looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds then our lips collided into a heated make out session.

It wasn't long until we both reached our climax, it was the best feeling ever, the coil that formed in my belly released, Simon shooting his hot seed deep inside me. The feeling of being in his arms, it was euphoric, I felt as he slowly removes his soft cock from me.

My legs finally caved in but before I could collapse, Simon holds me in his burly arms and gently placed me onto the closed toilet.

"I see my baby had a lot of fun, yeah?" he chuckles softly as his hands easily spread my legs, I couldn't resist even if I tried.

Simon's face lit up like a pirate finding gold, he bit his lip and slowly looked up to me then back down to my ruined pussy.

"Looks like I made a mess..." a smirk forms on his lips.

"Prepare yourself, my love"

AN: Sorry that I've been inactive for a while, life got hectic and I had to take a small break. I'm excited to announce that I have exciting/new stories to share with you, thank you for your support 🖤

[starheirxero]

Xero- Xero, I just thought of something- And it's fucking me up BAD- I am in SHAMBLES/POS- ITS HAUNTING ME-

Lunara tore their Eclipse apart from the inside out. They ripped him into pieces. This we know.

And it wasnt enough. It would never be enough.

They told Sun, that it lacked the satisfaction they were hoping for. It "wasn't as fun as they would've liked".

And of course it wasn't. It could never be, really.

Because revenge will never take away the scars left behind. It will never right the wrong.

As Lunar has said, "an eye for an eye makes the world go blind" !

It would never be enough. It would never heal them. And it didn't.

It only made them angrier, more bitter. It caused them to wreck havoc, until eventually, nothing was left. Until even their anger burnt out.

And they still weren't satisfied. They simply grew numb. Their anger, their scars, had eaten them from the inside out, until nothing was left.

But what if this wasn't all?

What if their anger, their self-inflicted madness, came from something else? Something worse even?

Because recently, I remembered Lunar and Eclipse's conversation!

When Lunar and Eclipse talked, and found something akin to mutual ground, Eclipse told Lunar, he was proud of them. Proud because they killed him. Proud because they "finally got it".

And suddenly, something clicked into place for me!

What if Lunara's Eclipse declared his pride for them, just as he drew his last breath?

What if, after an endless cycle of abuse and resets, of deaths, they finally freed themself?

What if they tore him apart, screaming at him? "You did this to me, are you happy? Are you satisfied?"

And what if, in his last moments, when they finally let up and he stopped screaming, he grinned at them through his own remains, telling them "Finally you get it." "You actually made me proud."

What if, even in his last moments, he still looked upon them with condescension? What if he still had that arrogant and smug tone in his voice? What if, even in death, he would not let them go?

Because god, of course this would be the final straw.

They thought, they finally ripped themself free from his control, only for him to tell them, that they became what he wanted them to be.

"You did this to me, are you happy? Are you satisfied?" "I am. You are perfect now, thanks to me."

Even in death, he has complete and utter control over them. Because they are exactly what he wanted them to be.

Maybe it drove them to insanity, as they destroyed everything in their path.

Maybe they tried to be worse because of it.

Maybe, by the time Earth meets them, they reached acceptance. Accepting, that they will never be free from his grasp.

Maybe, a small, twisted part of them felt happiness at the prospect of Eclipse's pride.

Whatever they might've felt, one thing is perfectly clear.

He will always haunt them, always haunt their narrative. He will always be the ghost looking over their shoulders, keeping a tight hold on their strings. They will never find peace in this life.

-Stardust

STARDUST I'M GUNNA SHAKE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't even BEGIN with how many DISEASES THIS IS GIVING ME. HOLY SHIT.

That fits in so perfectly with what we already know about Lunara I can't OVER IT. OF COURSE HIS SMUG SATISFACTION WOULD MAKE MATTERS SO MUCH WORSE. OF COURSE HIS LAST WORDS BEING THAT THEY PLAYED DIRECTLY INTO HIS HANDS WOULD PUSH THEM TO THEIR LIMIT. OF COURSE. OF COURSE!!!!!

AND THE IDEA OF THERE STILL BEING AN INKLING OF JOY FROM THAT AHHHHHHHHHH AHAHAUAHAGAHAGSJSG STARDUST YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO MEEEEEEEEEE HOLY SHIT

Being so utterly torn up inside because they finally got to kill Eclipse but he said he was proud of them for finally getting it but that's not the response they wanted but that validation has been something they've craved for such a long time but they don't want it anymore but they can't help it BUT— AUAGAHAGAHHH!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS GUT WRENCHING. THIS IS GUNNA HAUNT ME. I'M ADOPTING THIS INTO MY BELIEF SYSTEM ASAP ABDKWBJSDH

[starstruckbyacomet]

A PSA for Tevan Fans

Oliver has kindly given us warnings in multiple interviews that Tevan relationship would face a challenge in Season 8. Hints we got from those interviews:

It's possibly because of something from Tommy's past (we might get a Tommy Begins of some sort).

It possibly would happen through episodes 8x05 and 8x06.

Buck will go to Bobby, Maddie, and Eddie for support during that period.

What will the challenge look like? Oh, there are too many possibilities (all of these are pure speculations from my part. Please bear with me, I'm having fun with these 😂):

Buck might find out about Tommy's past (being a racist and mysoginist a-hole) and couldn't accept it, or

Tommy might meet Carla. Carla might tell Buck that Tommy had lied to Abby and used her as a beard in the past. Abby was hurt badly because of it, and Buck couldn't accept it.

Buck might break up with Tommy.

Buck might try to date another man or a woman (if they want to emphasize that Buck is bisexual, not gay).

What would be the outcome of this challenge? I believe Tevan will come out of it together again, stronger than ever. Why? Because of these reasons:

Tim and Oliver has said they wanted Buck to get out of the relationship hamster wheel and have a steady meaningful one instead.

Unlike Abby, whom they broke up with Buck because Tim had difficulties in writing her interaction with other 118 family members, Tommy has known most of the 118 family even before Buck does. There is no difficulty in making scripts where Tommy interacts with other 118 members without Buck's presence.

And the most important reason is: THE RATING IS HIGH when Tevan relationship is going strong. This has been the case since Season 7, and still continued with the most current episode (8x01). And as Tim said in a YouTube interview, he had already knew that responses on social media did not reflect the rating/viewership at all (🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm sorry, I still can't stop laughing about it. All the bashing, the bullying, and the smear campaign are for NOTHING 🤣🤣🤣🤣). At the bottom of it, this show is a business, aims to make money. Disney wouldn't change things which they know have contributed to the high rating.

How can you be sure that Tevan relationship contributes to the high rating?

911bts blog has been consistently posting the rating of each episode after it was broadcasted. You can check their blog.

There are several articles stated that the rating of Season 7 is high. 9-1-1 even ended up as the most watched scripted show accross platforms on Disney network for that particular seeason.

They increased Tommy's appearance from 4 episodes to 6 episodes in Season 7. It was possibly happened in the last minute, because the dinner date in Buck's loft seemed to be the last scene they shot for Season 7. There is a BTS video of Oliver gave a thank you speech to all crews while Lou was standing next to him. Both were wearing outfits for the loft dinner-date scene.

They cut Eddie & Christopher's conversation about Shannon off the screen, but added Tevan loft dinner-date instead, probably in the last minute. Why did they do that???? I don't think Tevan's daddy issue joke is more important than Eddie's heart-to-heart conversation with his son. The only logical reason is they did it for the rating. Why? Because the rating is high whenever Tommy appears on screen.

What should Tevan fans do about all of these?

Be prepared. Be ready for gloating, bashing, and provocations which will come from Buddie fans (toxic or not) during those challenging weeks. Do not eat their baits. You are not a fish. Take time to ponder before typing. Do not react to their provocations as they intended.

Remember, Oliver and Lou had left Twitter and other toxic online environments for good. So, what the hell are you doing there? Why are you chewing things that Oliver and Lou have spitted out? It is gross!!!🤢🤮🤮

Remember that the 9-1-1 show is about men and women in their 30s and above. It is a show for grown-ups. Grown-up relationships have all sorts of challenges: harsh words, fightings, break-ups, etc. If you're not ready to watch all of these, this show might be not for you. Please go back watching Disney Princess movies, and spare us from reading your whiny/gloomy posts which only add anxiety to Tevan fans community.

If you couldn't help yourself and need outlets for your anxiety, you can make posts about it. However, please remember to keep the hope alive. For examples:

"This break up is breaking my heart! I know they will be together again soon, but still... 😭😭😭"

"I can't stop crying watching him crying. I know they will make-up soon, but this is killing me 😭😭😭."

The most important thing is to not adding drama and anxiety to Tevan fans community who would be suffering together with you. If you can't help other people, do not take them down with you.

I'm sorry for the harsh words, but I think it is necessary. I couldn't believe that until this morning I still read posts from Tevan fans expressing doubt about their relationship. Even after all we've gotten so far!

Peace. May the rating be ever in your favor.

[whiteraven90]

hello, I hope you're having a good day <33 I saw your recent post on my dash and I was STUNNED at the animated scene! It's insane to me I get to see your characters animated. Feeling blessed to be alive to see it, I am not exaggerating. You know, one of these times where you wake up and things are a little bumpy in your life but there's one thing that shines brightly you didn't know it could give you so much excitement? Yeah, that kind of thing ((:

I took my time for the past hour to reminisce over your blog again. It is one of the places I really love scrolling through and reading your writing. I had a question, if you don't mind me. The way you have improved is truly admirable. I know this might not be an easy ask to say "hey, how did you learn how to paint", so I'll ask this instead: I don't know how long you've been working full-time in art, but when do you make time for studies / drawing for fun? If it's not too much to respond to, how do *you* study? I remembered your posts with your redlines and wanted to ask how do you go about those, or if you switch your routines based on your needs (sketches vs speed painting backgrounds etc). The notes there were very interesting, seeing the mental exercise.

Pretty sure you have a fKTON of stuff on your plate, so please don't feel obligated to respond quickly or even at all. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my message and for all the time you take to respond in general. Love reading your responses <3

Take care, ok? <3

I'm glad the animation made you feel better! I'll put the answer under the Keep Reading thingy.

I'm not entirely sure... I think I don't study as much as I should/could. I mostly learn as I go. Standalone studies are helpful, I'm just drawn to doing things that are more fun/satisfying to me or things that actively progress my creative goals. Imperfect illustrations for my stories, and incomplete research for worldbuilding! Many people learn faster than I, and those people do a lot more studies than I, but I have no info on whether they have more fun than I. Dopamine is rocket fuel, so it's important. :)

I'm always on the lookout for reference pictures, but I study almost only when I have a practical goal in mind, I guess. Studying is part of my job too, I think? As an indie concept artist I'm supposed to build a hoard of references and pull several new/sensible things out of them, and I think part of this process is understanding the material, and revisiting even what I already know. Illustration is similar. If I'm commissioned to draw an anthro alligator, it's time to study gators. It's not separate from work.

I mean, straightforward version: I wake up at 03:30, make coffee, and start working for myself until the paying work starts, lol. Brain is fresh before noon, and tired late in the evening just like everyone else's. It also helps that the city more or less shuts up at 4am.

The studies with the redlines... I do them when I fancy drawing characters or creatures but feel out of shape. I can get discouraged, feel like I forgot how to draw. I sketch if I plan to sketch, and paint if I plan to paint or want to study colors Drawing live models helps. Studying videos of people and things in motion. Hopping down rabbit holes about how/why things work (e.g. flintlock, Davy lamp, mansard roof). Drawing from refs. Hoarding refs. Trying different mediums (e.g. charcoal, 3D, etching). Small screenshot of one of my ref boards for the animation; I'd say I studied it a lot. How clothes move, what are good clothes, how do good clothes move, lion/tiger + human + eagle anatomy (from specific angles during specific motions if/when possible), how to dive roll, proper sprinting form, how to survive falling from a great height, spearfighting, pole vaulting, poledancing, lighting, colors, environment, kicked-up sand in motion, spear types, emu/cassowary/griffon vulture feet, etc. I didn't draw studies, unless you count the animation itself (I would).

[catboygirljoker]

fun writing tip: you can justify making your blorbos as good at sex as you want if you also make it depressing

i will try not to be too graphic or horny and keep it mostly to character study analysis themes core motivations plot conflicts etc type discussion. still, id really prefer that folks under 18 do not interact with me on this post or about this topic in general, thanks!

for obvious reasons this post is gonna have a cut

UNLIKE HIS DIIIIICK [EXTREMELY LOUD AIRHORNS]

. sorry i just feel like hed appreciate that joke. uh anyway

Brief discussions of: BDSM, including sadomasochism; edgeplay; derealization/dysphoria; self-destructive recklessness in a sexual context.

ok. so there's this fictional guy. and i kiiiiiiind of have a crush on him. and i'm a basic bitch, so, like, obviously, when i think about him hornystyle, i want to imagine him being good at sex.

the thing is, "good at sex" is not always a particularly interesting trait to give a character! it can often be an eyerolling power fantasy trait. like "this is my oc Chuck Dongburger he has a ten pound cock and can make a babe cum just by lookin at her" yknow. it's a trait that, handled incorrectly, is more likely to flatten conflict than create it—more likely to make stories more boring than to make them more interesting.

also, "being good at sex" isnt a magical blessing that descends upon someone by chance. it is a quality that stems from a set of experiences and traits. it is a skill that one develops, or fails to develop.

so the question is, how do i justify him being good at sex? how do i make it feel believable and interesting?

the answer is simple! make it depressing! (that is, relate it directly to the character's central themes and conflicts, and therefore make it a natural part of/inclusion in their story)

in canon, xigbar has had multiple bodies, lost his heart multiple times, allowed himself to be a vessel for darkness on multiple occasions. he has endured all of this to carry out the will of his masters. every social role we've ever seen him take has been subservient to someone else, even if it has usually also involved social power over others, too.

here are the sex/relationship headcanons i have that expand on this:

related to: gender/sexuality

bisexual. for starters. obviously. his transness i have Deep Headcanons about, but his bisexuality is just "idk im bi so hes bi hee hee"

luxu is a binary trans man who experienced severe dysphoria in his original body and never felt like that body really belonged to him in the first place. to the best of his ability he has only chosen cis male vessels, including braig. in those cases he feels extreme disconnect from his body but not [very noticeable] gender dysphoria. the only thing connecting him to his cis male bodies is his sexual characteristics. theres this great art piece that has never left my brain that conveys the idea im going for. his face his hair his bones none of those are his, none of thise feel real, none of those feel right. but what does feel right is his dick.

related to: him being Good at Sex™

he is Very Experienced. he's tried a lot of shit and had a lot of bodies and largely had nothing better to do than be a horndog and kill time suckin and fuckin. he is down for just about anything with just about anybody. he knows how bodies work and knows how to deal with the exceptions and roll with awkwardness and uncomfortableness.

he is pretty good at reading people—it's a skill he has had to develop over his lifetime. he is sometimes wrong, but usually right, and reading people, understanding them, lets him feel like he has some kind of control or power over them. this is relevant because this is part of what makes him Good at Sex. he is shockingly responsive and attentive; not completely unselfish as a lover, but he won't blindly exert his will onto the other person and expect them to respond just because he has a big dick or is going faster or harder or whatever.

related to: his backstory as luxu

sex for him is a means of exerting control over the world, proving his own competence and worth to himself and another person, gaining some simulacrum of human connection, distracting himself from his derealization, grounding himself in his body, expressing and claiming his masculinity. all things, i headcanon, he also achieves (or seeks/has sought to achieve) from keyblade mastery.

he views his bodies as disposable, and knowing that he can just jump ship if he totals a body means that he processes pain differently than most people. not in a "all pain makes him horny" way*—it's more that pain doesn't make his self-preservation kick in the same way it does for other people. in bdsm/kink settings he is a masochist [as well as a sadist] and more reckless with edgeplay (when it comes to himself) than he really ought to be.

obviously i have specific personal motivation for wanting to headcanon this (he and his body are both Significantly Older Than Me) but i don't think he's too bothered by an age gap. some people it makes sense to me to imagine that they'd really want to date within their age and maturity range, but i think xigbar's chill as long as the person he's dating is a self-posessed adult. considering how long he's been alive, he's gonna have a significant gap in experience with ANYBODY; there isn't that much of a difference between him dating a 25 year old vs a 45 or 85 year old.

he has told close romantic partners about his Whole Deal before. it has never gone well. ("what do you mean youve been moving into random people's bodies in order to stay alive long enough to bring back a guy who intentionally manipulated his students into killing all of their students via senseless war??") they never understand and he doesn't know why they don't understand (i also headcanon him having severe cognitive dissonance vis a vis the MoM but that's a different post). his instinct is to put up a wall and go "well theyre just naive and stupid and haven't seen what i've seen, theyre too sentimental to understand this". he still keeps trying (if with less frequency) because he is desperate for someone to understand.

*i want to make this crystal clear: i do not headcanon xigbar as being automatically turned on by receiving or causing pain in every context, because he is a boss in a video game franchise where he fights teenagers. i am not comfortable sexualizing those fights!

(i do however think there are contexts where he might indulge in some "battle sadomasochism" when fighting another adult—maybe he makes it weird for them on purpose to fuck with them, maybe they're both into it and it's all foreplay, etc)

related to: him being subservient

youd think that when i talked about him being subservient to others, i was building up to a headcanon about him being a sub. however it feels most correct [and fun] to me to imagine him being a dom-leaning switch vers (doesnt get dysphoria from bottoming because. prostate). social role and personal dynamics dont necessarily correspond to sexual dynamics!

the headcanon i was actually building up to was that he craves affirmation in specific ways from specific people. he is desperate for someone else to give him worth. he wants to do a good job serving an authority he deems worthy of respect. he wants to be useful, he wants to serve a purpose and have a role. he hates feeling like he needs something from someone else, and feels much more comfortable if they need something from him.

he doesn't have a praise kink in a traditional sense, but he does really get his rocks off from being Good At Sex and from his lovers clearly and obviously enjoying themselves. he doesn't wanna be told hes done a good job, he wants to know, to tell from experience that he's blown someone's mind.

furthermore, in romance, he becomes a massive simp. if he likes someone enough to fall for them then they hang the fucking moon for him. he is outside in the rain crying throwing up begging for a sniff. absolutely pathetic. its not a total transformation of personality, i think he'd really hide it and really want to hide it. but i think in most situations it'd be subtle but observable. every joke he makes is directed to them and checked against their reaction; he stands at a middle distance outside of conversation kinda watching them, observing every move, memorizing their gestures and tics and quirks. he feels i love you before the first date but won't say it until five years into the relationship.

related to: i couldnt put it in the other sections and i really only made these section headers so it wasnt just big walls of text oops

he's a low empathy emotionally constipated bitch at the best of times, so he substitutes emotional intimacy with physical intimacy. picking up people at bars or dances or what have you for one night stands, satisfying them thoroughly, and then immediately dropping out of their lives.

he actively avoids romance (and any emotional closeness, including the completely platonic kind). but he hasn't always been this way. i think Dark Road was the most recent in a long long string of experiences where he lost people he was close to. he's tired of hurting people and getting hurt.

. im not gonna get into it because im trying not to be like too too horny in this post but hes So fucking brat tamer coded to me. i think you will understand at least the surface level reasons for this. i guess if i wanted to relate it to Themes i'd say something like "there is a specific romantic and sexual fantasy in being an asshole and even hurting someone and them still wanting you and trusting you and loving you and even enjoying it" but. well we dont need to go there do we

these are just the Depressing / Character-Related / Themes-y headcanons. some of my headcanons are just like "i think this would be funny and/or in character and/or hot" but you see how long this list is anyway. if i started in on all of that then we'd be here forever.

also, these are just headcanons! they're informed by analysis but shaped heavily by what appeals to me personally, what i find hot, what i find compelling about his character. if your headcanons for him differ from mine in any way, i don't think you're Wrong, because we're talking about the sexuality of a guy who comes from a video game franchise where characters are barely allowed to hold hands. this is all just toys and playing

anyway thank you for reading this post lmao its so long

JUST LIKE HIS DIIIIIIIIIIII—

[cerealboxlore]

WIP game

Rules: You will be given a word. Share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word.

Thank you @wolfsbanesparks for the tag!

My word is LIGHT

L: "Like lambs to the slaughter, all of them." Billy's hollowed voice echoed through the empty halls of his school, with only but the faint glow of green behind his eyes illuminating the dark path before him. (From my fic, "Creepy and Crawley", where Billy's mind gets taken over by Mr. Mind, and his only hope lies in the hand of his strangest ally, The Creeper.)

I: In retrospect, Billy should have knew that the Monster Society of Evil wasn't going to be the only villainous team out to get him. (From my fic about the evil kid/teen villains of Fawcett teaming up to take down Captain Marvel)

G: Going around Fawcett for a swapped patrol was a piece of cake for the Green Lantern, he had no idea why the Captain ever complained about his rogues. (From my fic "A Day In Your Shoes", where Captain Marvel bets some of his fellow JL members that they wouldn't be able to handle Fawcett City)

H: "Hm. So, Mr. Adam, was it? Care to explain why you need my son for a mission across the universe? Seems a little early in the morning for saving the universe, doesn't it?" Nick Bromfield sipped his coffee and awaited the response from the King of Kahndaq, who was seated across his dining room table. (From my fic where Nick Bromfield intercepts an important call for his son in the early hours of the morning)

T: Thunder was different from lightning, it could strike anywhere, anytime it wanted, and right now there was thunder racing through Billy's heart threatening to shatter it. (From my fic where Billy teams up with Wonder Woman and Cassandra Sandsmark against Chain Lightning)

This was so cool! I've been in a writer's block for some time now, but this really pushed me into a good rhythm! Such a shame I could only do five, haha!

Tags: @shrugsinchinese @erinwantstowrite @kenandeliza @chaoticallyfluffy @im-not-buying-it-ether @that-one-gay-bitch and anyone else who sees this and wants to join in on the fun (or if you've already been tagged, here's another one to do)! Tag me so I can see y'all's WIPs, let's get the creative spark going!

I'm giving y'all the word: MARVEL

[links-in-time]

Gay for Clay

Okay, so I wrote this ages ago and apparently I completely forgot to post it. This cosy fic is inspired by the time my girlfriend and I went to an event called Gay for Clay organised by one of our local pride teams. It was a really fun evening and it just got me thinking about Link's relationship with pottery.

Anyway, I hope you guys like this short but sweet Ravioli fic. 💜🩷

"Come on Mr Hero, we'll be late!" Ravio announced cheerfully, as he entered the bedroom.

His hands laiden with a tray of breakfast for the two of them. Bowls of porridge with swirls of apple sauce. A pot of tea and a jug of apple juice for after. He'd even picked a bunch of daisies while waiting for the kettle to boil, and placed them in a small vase on the corner of the trey.

His fiance, or rather, the lump under the blanket Ravio knew to be his fiance, groaned.

"Don't be like that," Ravio admonished with a strained smile. "Come on, I made your favourite for breakfast. And I'm going to make pie for dinner tonight. You love my pies."

Ravio placed the tray down gently on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed next to the lump.

"Mr Hero, don't make me make you get up!" Ravio warned, in what he hoped sounded like a serious tone.

From beneath the blankets Ravio heard the lump scoff a laugh.

"I'd like to see you try!" Came a muffled response.

A spark of mischief flared inside the Lorulian, and he dove sideways on top of the blankets. The man beneath him squealed and groaned at unwanted pressure in unpleasant places.

"... 'right, alright. G' off me Rav you loonatic!" Link moaned, waving about madly to release himself from his blanket prison. "I smell porridge and tea," he said blearily.

"Yes, you should eat it while it's still hot," Ravio remarked, picking up a bowl and spoon and shoving it towards his partner.

Link sat up a little straighter and accepted the bowl with a nod of thanks. The apple sauce was something Ravio made and had been a very welcome addition to Link's breakfasts. He swallowed several mouthfuls before he squinted at his partner.

"You're being extra nice this morning," Link said slowly, spoon half raised towards his lips.

"Am I?" Ravio replied, his eyes fixed on the teapot in his hands as he poured out a cup.

"Do you want something? Did you do something? Did Sheerow do something?"

Link listed off the usual questions. But he hesitated when Ravio didn't respond. Instead his lover just set about pouring another cup of tea. Link frowned.

"Did I do something?" He asked quietly.

"Oh Lorule No!" Ravio responded quickly, realising he'd made Link worry. "Sorry Bunny, you haven't done anything. Well, actually you have. But not to me, it's... Sorry I'm getting this all muddled up."

Link sat and stared at his fiancé, eyebrows raised as he watched the man struggle to string a sentence together. He found it funny that around strangers and customers Ravio could be the most smooth talking man you'd ever met. But face to face with his lover all alone, he could melt into a puddle of nonsense.

"Rav, what's going on? Why do I have to get up? Isn't the shop closed today?" Link asked, taking another spoon of porridge and reaching for his tea.

"Yes. So remember on your last adventure you found your way into the village pottery?"

"Ha, yeah, which time?" Link chuckled, savouring the tea and the memory.

He had no idea why, but Hylia, or perhaps it was fairies, decided to hide rupees and useful nick-nacks inside pots. It wasn't his fault that the most efficient way of extracting these items when one is in a hurry, is to simply smash them. Okay, maybe there were less destructive ways to open a pot. But hey, he was the hero of courage, not wisdom!

"Link," Ravio chided him.

Link knew he was in real trouble when Rav used that voice. They were in a very happy relationship. Complicated and strange, but happy. They hardly ever argued over anything other than Ravio's merchandise taking over the house. Never anything serious. But Ravio had just used his serious voice so Link snapped to attention.

"After the last incident the Potter complained to the princess. She decided to compensate the poor woman by decreeing that you had to help replace a portion of the pots you broke," Ravio reminded him, his voice softening.

"Oh. Yeah. I remember now. That's today?" Link replied begrudgingly.

"Yep!" Ravio was trying to stay upbeat, and not let Link spiral down into a bad mood.

"Urgh!" Link groaned.

So much for that hope.

***

Link decided not to wear his favorite red tunic and under-dress. Instead opting for one of his old green ones and a brown shirt. It meant he would have to wear trousers. But he'd rather that than ruin one of his nice skirts of dresses.

Ravio walked slightly ahead of Link as they made their way into town and meandered towards the Potters shop. Ravio waved at a few people as they passed by. It still felt a little strange for him to be out and about without his hood on. For Ravio, he often still felt like a stranger in Link's Hyrule. But after an episode where Ravio had collapsed due to heat stroke on one particularly hot day, his boyfriend had convinced him to leave the hood and scarf at home from then on.

Those who didn't know about their relationship often assumed they were brothers. Their near identical features often lead people to think they were twins. If not for their hair of course. But given that Link had changed his hair colour a few times, people didn't really think it odd that Ravio's was jet black.

As they neared the pottery the owner appeared at the door and caught sight of them. For a split second Link thought about turning and sprinting in the other direction. But when he saw the woman smiling and waving at them, he knew there was no point in trying to run. He'd have to do his duty and obey his sister's ruling. After all, he'd done that plenty of times with much more at stake than today.

"Good morning gentlemen," the potter greeted them.

She was a little younger than forty with dark brown, flyaway hair and eyes to match. A short woman with a warm smile. She wore a simple gray dress and a bright blue apron over the top.

"Morning Miss Rainna," Ravio smiled broadly. "Lovely day!"

"It is," she replied, trying to catch Link's eye.

Sheerow suddenly careened into her view and fluttered on to Rainna's shoulder.

"Oh, hello there little one. I didn't see you," she chuckled, giving Sheerow a little belly rub as he puffed out his chest. "Good morning to you too."

"Link, I'm glad to see you today. I was, perhaps a little worried you might not come," Rainna admitted, her gaze dropping to the ground.

"I'm sorry you thought so," Link replied. He brushed past Ravio to stand before the woman. His gaze was also downcast. "I'm also sorry for my behaviour. I have no excuse for destroying your property and, though I'm here at the behest of the Princess, I also wish to make amends. What is a hero if he cannot help the people he swears to protect?"

Ravio looked at his partner in silent amazement. It was at moments like this he thought Link really showed who he was born to be. Not the grouchy late riser who complained all the time because his adventures had worn him down. But the humble, loyal man who had fought for his homeland and it's people time and time again. The Link who was at heart, a good man.

"Thank you Link, and who knows, you might even enjoy yourself in my shop."

***

As Link sat at the strange machine in front of him, Ravio at a similar station to his left, Link eyed the pots and jugs around the room. The back room of Rainna's shop was her workshop, a room filled from floor to ceiling with shelves. Most of the shelves contained pots of varying sizes. But also plates, bowls, jugs and cups. Anything and everything that could be worked from clay could be found in Rainna's shop.

His heart raced at the thought of breaking open every single one of them to see what might be hiding inside.

"Right, I'll show you the basics," Rainna announced, settling herself at a station in front of the two boys. "Then perhaps you can help each other out after that?"

She began by forming a ball of fresh clay and throwing it onto the spinning disc in front of her. Link was surprised by the force with which she slapped it down into the center of the disc. As the wheel span and the ball of clay spun with it, Rainna used her hands to cup and shape the ball until it stretched out into a long thick-

Link blinked. A laugh caught in his throat. Beside him he could feel Ravio tense as they both watched the demonstration.

Rainna worked the long piece of stretched out clay back down into a ball, adding a splash of water from a nearby bucket to prevent it drying out. She pressed her thumbs into the ball and began to widen it out to form a hole in the center. Link swore he thought he heard Ravio whimper before he pressed his fist against his mouth, as though in deep focus. Link rolled his eyes. At least they were both thinking the same thing and he wasn't the only one with a dirty mind.

In what seemed like no time at all Rainna had formed a perfect pot with a narrow base which flared at the middle before narrowing again towards the opening at the top. She slid it carefully off of her wheel and carried it over to a shelf of similarly shaped pots waiting to be dried.

"And that's all there is to it," she sighed, as she turned back towards the two boys. "Any questions?"

Link and Ravio shook their heads in unison.

"Alright, I'll be around if you need help. I'll probably be in the shop or at the kiln out the back if you need me." Rainna assured them, before cleaning off her hands in the sink and disappearing back into the shop.

The workshop fell silent at Rainna's leaving. Link and Ravio turned to look at each other. At the sight of Ravio's smirk, Link couldn't hold it in any longer. A small chuckle quickly turned into a deep laugh. Link's joy was infectious and Ravio was soon laughing along with him.

"Do you think she realises?" Ravio hiccuped between fits of laughter.

"If she does, she can keep a straighter face than either of us Rav!" Link huffed, trying to rain in his amusement.

"Darling, neither of us has straight faces!" Ravio pointed out.

A moment of silence passed between them as his joke settled. But Legend was soon laughing again.

"You smug ass!" He chortled.

Ravio beamed as though to prove Legend's point. Then he let out a long sigh and turned to examine his pottery wheel.

"Well, it seems simple enough," Ravio said, looking over the sack of clay beside him.

"You know you don't have to be here Ravi, this is my punishment." Legend pointed out, as he scraped off a fistful of clay and began shaping it in his hands.

Luckily he'd taken off most of his rings for today. But he couldn't do without all of them. He'd just have to clean them thoroughly later.

"I know I didn't have to come too Bunny Butt, but I wanted to spend the day with you, and I thought this might actually be fun." Ravio said softly, focusing on copying what Rainna had shown them.

"That's actually pretty sweet of you Ravi. But call me Bunny Butt anywhere except our bedroom again and I'll turn you into a pot! Got it?!" Link warned, pointing his ball of clay in Ravio's direction.

"Got it!" Ravio replied, holding his hands up in mock surrender, causing Sheerow to hover above his shoulder before coming back down again.

***

Getting started was difficult. Ravio struggled to slap his clay into the middle of the wheel. Link kept having to shift it or throw the ball for him. Once that was done they both attempted to copy the movements Rainna had used to shape the ball into the long shape, then down again into a small centered ball.

Link wasn't usually a fan of textures that dried out his sensitive skin, but with plenty of water on his hands, he found working with the clay was quite satisfying. It was soft and slippery and caused his mind to wander back to more salacious thoughts. Link shook his head. Now was not the time or place.

He did his best to focus. Ignoring Ravio's one sided chatter with Sheerow. Link controlled the speed of the wheel with his foot pedal and worked at what he thought was a steady speed. He pulled out the sides of the pot and slowly shaped them into the bulb-like shape he was aiming for. After what seemed like hours, but was more like fifteen minutes, Link had something that looked a bit like Rainna's pot. It was a little lop-sided and the rim was probably a bit on the thin side. But for a very first try, Link thought he'd done pretty well.

As Link looked over at Ravio to see how he'd faired, he couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. Ravio's arms and apron were covered in the wet slip from the clay. He had somehow reduced the amount of clay on his wheel and was struggling to keep it under control. Link watched in amusement while Ravio held onto the long wobbly object as it wiggled in his grip. His face focused in an expression of total concentration, with his tongue sticking out slightly. He looked ridiculous, and adorable.

Link stopped chuckling and just sat watching his struggling partner for a moment. Ravio had rolled up his sleeves, the water freely dripping off his elbows while he worked. The tip of his little pink tongue poking out between his lips, oh so invitingly. He was so, perfect in all of his little imperfections. Link sighed contentedly to himself, before awkwardly pushing himself to his feet without the use of his dirty hands.

Ravio looked up and slowed down his wheel as Link stood beside him.

"I know I'm making a mess of it, but..." Ravio began, but Link didn't let him finish.

Link bent down and pressed his lips to Ravio's. Ravio kissed back and closed his eyes, a soft moan sounding in his throat. As Link withdrew Ravio stayed head raised, eyes closed.

"Mmm, what was that for Bunny?"

"Because you're so darn cute. And I thought you might need cheering up," Link replied softly.

"Cheering up?" Ravio replied, opening his eyes and tilting his head in confusion.

"Yeah, because anyone who tries to make a pot and ends up with that!" Legend pointed to the floppy phallus on Ravio's potting wheel. "Would probably want to hide under a rock!"

Ravio chuckled, looking back down at his work, then glancing sideways at Link's.

"Yours looks brilliant! Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Ravio pouted.

"Never, but it's quite nice to work with actually. Perhaps after all these years of smashing pottery I learned something about how they're made?" He jested, tempted to clap his hand onto Ravio's shoulder.

"Hmm, I still say you're cheating somehow. No one's that good at doing something without practice," Ravio groaned, slumping a little in his seat.

"Well," Link said softly, as he bent down to whisper in Ravio's ear, "I was pretty good at doing you the first time!"

Ravio cleared his throat as a wave of pink flushed his face and ears. He kept his attention on his potting wheel however, and eventually Link followed his gaze.

"How about I help you fix that a bit?" He suggested, taking the teasing note out of his voice.

"I'm not sure it's salvageable," Ravio groaned.

"Well, I'm a sucker for a lost cause. Come on. You work the pedal and I'll try and shape it into something less offensive!" Link insisted.

In order to work together, Link ended up sitting on Ravio's lap, instructing the man beneath him on how fast to make the wheel spin. Link managed to wrangle Ravio's clay into a rounder shape and even sculpted it into a respectable looking bowl after a few minutes. However, there wasn't enough clay left to bring the sides up into a full pot. After Legend had finished off the rim of the bowl he asked Ravio to stop the wheel.

Carefully, Link slipped the bowl off the wheel and held it up for Ravio to see it better.

"Huh, it doesn't look half bad. It's not a pot but, considering how it started out!" Ravio exclaimed.

"It's like I keep telling you Ravi, sometimes you just have to take things slower and persist until you get something right," Link replied.

Link attempted to slowly dismount Ravio's lap while concentrating on not dropping their bowl. While Ravio remained as still as possible so he didn't knock Link over.

"You know," said Ravio, as he looked Link up and down for a moment. "I think that's the first thing we've ever made together."

"What d'you mean? We make things for each other all the time," Link replied with a small frown.

"Yes, for each other. We've never made anything with each other before. It feels kinda nice. Knowing we each had a hand in making something," Ravio explained, tilting his head as his eyes rested on their bowl.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

***

After Rainna had been called back in to give Ravio some more guidance, Link and Ravio set about their work with a little more focus. At the end of a long messy day, Link had produced what Rainna said was a satisfactory amount of work. And that Ravio had contributed. She thanked Link for coming to her aid, but he waved her off, telling her that he was only happy to fix problems of his own making.

That night Ravio made pie for dinner as promised and found he was just as ravenous as Link usually was after a day in the orchards.

"That's what hard work gets you Ravi, an appetite!" Link probed, elbowing Ravio softly in the arm.

***

It wasn't until about a week later that either of them thought about their day in the potters workshop again. The postman dropped off a package with Ravio at their front door. Link looked up from the sink as he placed another cup on the draining board.

"What is it?" He asked, mildly curious. "Something for your shop?"

"No, it's addressed to both of us," Ravio replied, examining the label as he placed the box on the kitchen table.

Link quickly dried his hands and stepped over to Ravio's side.

"Well open it then," he encouraged.

Ravio grabbed some scissors and cut the strings binding the box. He opened the lid to find it packed with straw, just as some of his more delicate objects were usually packed. Together they dug through the little box, laying the straw on the table until they found a paper wrapped object inside. It wasn't heavy, but it had a significant weight to it as Link picked it up out of the box. As he began unwrapping the object, Ravio noticed a note beneath it in the box and read it out loud.

"It says, 'Dear Link and Ravio. I wanted to thank you again for your help in replacing some of my stock. You left this in my workshop so I had it glazed and fired and have sent it to you as a gift and a memento of your experience. I hope it reaches you in one piece. All the best Rainna.'"

Link finished unwrapping their gift and couldn't help but smile at the bowl in his hands. Rainna had chosen a forest green glaze for the outside and a vibrant royal purple for the inside. The rim itself was painted gold and on the bottom she had inscribed the letters L R.

"I love it," Ravio declared, carefully taking the bowl from Link to take a closer look.

"It's a bit gaudy!" Link replied, eyebrows raised.

"Have you seen the two of us in our favourite colours?!" Ravio rebuffed with a smirk.

"Touche!"

"I'll have to find a special place to put it. Perhaps in the bedroom, it's not likely to get knocked over there."

"You don't want to use it?" Link asked.

"No, I think it's too special for that," Ravio replied, looking up from the bowl at his boyfriend.

"It's just a bowl Ravi," Link pointed out.

"Yeah but we made it together. And that makes it special to me," Ravio insisted. "Come on, help me choose a place for it. I know you'll only move it if you don't like where I put it!"

"Hey, I only moved a few of your things when you moved in!" Link retorted, as he followed Ravio out of the kitchen.

"All of my things Bunny, you moved all of my things."

[chronomally]

I've started going to the social events in my building and it's all 60+ year-old straight divorcees and party gays who think I'm "so fun"

[pain-in-the-butler]

@ the anon who asked me what I don't like about the storytelling in Black Butler, I'm out here looking like this now

[sacchiri]

Hellsing 2002 calendar illustration.

Ein wunderliche und erschröckliche Hystori von einem großen Wüttrich genant Dracole wayda Der do so ganz unkristenliche marrter hat angelegt die mensche, als mit spissen als auch die leut zu Tod geslyffen

A wondrous and frightening story about a great berserk called Dracula the voivode who inflicted such unchristian tortures such as with stakes and also dragged people to death

[istherewifiinhell]

IS FLYING GENDERED?

On the masculine default, typifying gender in genre, and women as the other in the transformers cartoons.

question for the ages

once again i said back in the halcyon days of watching g1 (aka 5 months ago) i was like. Nooooo, decepticon is NOT a gender that's Silly. It's funny, but as a Read Of The Text, I thought it largely unneeded. (The concept came about, as a joke, involving dismissing the bad guys using the same language you would abt women (sexistly) that they're emotional [heh, flighty], vain, and shrill) after all. If in the 80s era there are 5 whole named/speaking woman tfs, its only ever gonna get better from here right? (<- booboo the fool)

anyway

Let's consider the axiom that the assumed default gender is male, that maleness is often seen as LACK of gender, and femaleness and gender variance are the PRESENCE of gender. In certain reasoning and worldviews, of course (See Androcentrism). Then add that, for transformers, the assumed default thing a transformer turns into, is car. (Autocentrism, if you will)

(The most general term for what a tf turns into is "Alt mode" as some of them are not vehicles at all. The other mode is "Robot Mode", whether its humanoid or not)

So I will be laying out why I believe the cartoon iterations support: non standard alt modes = non standard genders. This is in spite of the fact that FIRST lady tfs were all cars. Sleek cyber cars, but still. For whatever reason, (possibly, the reason for everything in tf, toys) they might as well not exist for how woman tf characters presence in the cartoons progressed over time.

And, to be clear, this is a reading of how these works of fiction are created, not a new unified bioessentialism but for robots aliens I'm proposing for like. In universe lore reasons. I hate that idea.

That said, alt modes in order of most to least gender: Spider, motorcycle, flying (in general, with rotors, jets), tank, and then FINALLY, car. (water and space crafts are already too marginal to rank, but they too can be assumed in relation to default maleness, AND that in making one a woman, would still qualify as othering her).

The NUMBER one reason for this is the bizarre need to have an ESTABLISHED woman tf character before making new ones. AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE. With a g1 gender ratio something like.... (counting even the most marginal cases for the ladies) 9:120? (That's a rough count from a quick scanning of the tf wiki g1 char list) Shits dire out here.

The second is, ofc, character design based. cis people [stand in phrase for the hegemonic world view] are not okay, and their opinions about how tf gender must need be depicted visually is. uh? Im not a fan. Size and shape dimorphism in general is a given, and specifically having women tfs as far more humanoid and curvy in specific. Also general cartoon lady face syndrome but, whatever. I think there's exactly one character here who doesn't have "lips" or "lipstick" as a distinguishing factor. I'm so tired.

Third is generally, the idea of The Girl Of the Team. When there's The Girl, she often isn't JUST a normal character, who happens to be a girl. See, of course, the Smurtfette Principle. But in my view there's also a trend to give The Girl "special traits" on top of "Girl", maybe even to directly combat the idea that the Girl Character has no other traits? To stop this from being a General Primer on Woman in Media, my explanatory focus is things specific to the tf franchise.

(A phrase I use for thinking about normative modes [in general, not just the Alt ones] in within the tf universe is "unique transformerdom" or, even more clunkily, "A transformer of unique transformerdom". The excessive verbosity is amusing to me personally. All I mean by it is to have an umbrella term for any of the ways tfs can be made unique from their peers in the non allegorical realities of the fiction).

I could, and do, and greatly want to, speak about this AT LENGTH. But it keeps spiraling away from me. So I'll say for now were looking at ways a character is being depicted different from her peers, not because she is the only woman (which she likely is), but cause she's a different kind of transformer, AND if she's othered for it.

(IN SOME forms of the lore. Being a transformer woman, IS A UNIQUE KIND of transformer unto itself. Let's just say I hate it and move on)

Fourth, is the gender of villainy. There is much to be said about gender presentation of villains, the ways they are allowed to be aberrant. We will get to it. There is also all the tropes specific TO evil women, and the modes of villainy open TO female characters. But a general thing I think impacting the gender ratios of the factions is the how "Good" and "Evil" female characters are written. I'll generalize and call this the "Damsel vs Temptress" dichotomy. (See concepts like the Madonna-whore complex). Transformers, is by and large, an action franchise. Unless special reasons are made, characters who can impact the action– have more screen time, and likely more memorable, and iconic presences. A villainous woman can be unchaste, violent, aggressive. While a heroic woman, even if not a literal damsel are more likely to be in a support role. The secretaries of the action genre: medics and techs.

(Another factor is that tfs are giant robots, and the good guys are often friends with tiny squishy little humans. These make very good damsel fodder, and can be taking up the spots on the roster that might, in a different franchise, go to women. Additionally, while woman characters in transformers overall is an interesting topic. When I say tf women, I'm referring to ones that are in fictionally, transformers.)

SO, now understanding our points of attack/obstacles for getting woman into transformers. (Getting established, gendering the designed, uniqueness of existence, and general villainy). Lets go over those alt modes, and the characters that have em, in more detail.

Spiders

The "Beast Era" (1996) intro-ed the spider ofc. And what don't we have with this one. She's a villain, but shes also misunderstood, the era and design style let to these more organic shapes. And they used them to make sure she was very sexy. She's genre aware, she's quippy, she's an absolute icon. So naturally. She gets ported to other later shows. Which means we just have sexy spider ladies running around when everyone else is a fucking truck and shit.

Her own origin is, well think of her as a "Bride of Frankenstein" to the resident evil scientist, also a spider. She was designed for, and manipulated by him in multiple ways. Her protoform (A blank robot base), was supposed to be one of the good guys (a Maximal), but was reprogrammed into a bad guy (Predacon). Even then, she eventually joins them, for her own reasons. She's not even the first predacon to do so, the difference? Well the characters are a lot more NORMAL about his autonomy. Both of these characters stress that being a predacon is an identity they still see as important. But only the woman is told that really, she is was was always MEANT to be a maximal. And while that's true in a sense. There's also a plot were she's forced (by plot contrivance, not the other maximals) to get corrective robot surgery for it. And when they think she died from, everyone's more sad for her boyfriend than for her. Ouch.

The second spider, in the 2007 show, is now one in a world where she is the only "techno-organic" transformer, hence, she is spider, everyone else is a vehicle. Similar to the first, her narrative is very gendered, but less in the way were, like, I do literally think the first was was experiencing in universe sexism from other characters. Here, they really focus on the "techno vs organic" narrative, and the tragic circumstances on how that happened. In this case its just real world sexist writing.

THIRD SPIDER, (2010), instead of misunderstood and tragic evil, this ones just super mega likes to cause pain evil. She also occupies a strange place between the typic vehicular tfs, and the insecticons. This is because she has a helicopter alt mode, and her robot mode is just, a lady with spider characteristics. And, more than just a passing bug like similarity, she has the power to control the insecticons (you know, cause evil woman mind control). However, she doesn't fit in with them either, as the insecticons are at the most insect like they've ever been, in look, living in hives and that most don't even speak.

They may vary in exact character, relationship to the story's moral conflict, and design. But they stay comfortably established, dimorphised, flirty and flirting with villainy. And bonus points, always, for black widow spider trope.

SO. SPIDERS. Established: ✅️ Gendered designs: ✅️ (Extremely!) Unique: ✅️ Othered: ✅️ Villainy: ✅️

Motorcycles

Tooooo my knowledge the first bike lady was in 2004, and fairly minor, in the actual plot, but rest assured, they did go the previously established woman route, by being pink, though, which one shes named after varies by language. But neither were previously motorcycles. (And yes, there is also this problem of mixing together or swapping out one woman tf for another. As if we have the ladies to spare). Even though motorcycle men also exist, this one just stuck for a bit. Maybe something to do with Those Movies. I think the Gendered Existence of a motorcycle is pretty evident though, general sex appeal, being smaller, the mode of riding a motorcycle is different, more physical and intimate. Mainly this ranks so high for the level of grossness they can pack in. Just how objectifying it can be, particularly with two instances where the human rider is an annoying teen boy. Naturally, I've also never seen a male and female motorcycle in the same room, but the approach to design tends to be different. And yeah most of em are Arcee, who's first alt mode was cyber car, but it's not just her.

Established: ✅️ Gendered designs: ✅️ Unique: ✅️ Othered: Depends on iteration, I do NOT like the way one gets called "tough, for a two wheeler". Villainy: ❌(they wouldn't need to be motorcycles if they weren't making them the Special Girl Autobot, after all)

Flying

General: It just tends to stick out when your one girl is only flyer in the group, even she's otherwise tactfully done. Only flyer of the Maximals, a falcon, only flyer of the dinobots, a Pteranodon.

Rotors

I can barely even figure this one. Maybe it's just a general, aesthetics and use case of the actually vehicles, the associations? None of these ladies (and special case) are very connected otherwise. As previously mentioned, the spider helicopter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

A big one for this is the preschool demo shows, which are rescue team focused. In the first one the only woman on the human response worker team pairs with the helicopter, they mention she does medical at times. The helicopter is male, like the other tfs. But also he's afraid of flying, and while not the first case of a flyer with a fear of heights, their personalities are, pretty different. As he's both fearful AND effeminate, fine as character traits go but, with the tone of humour used, marks him as Other.

In the second, Whirl (pointing to icon) becomes a girl for the first time, now with standard humanized face. I assume as move to keep with the previous show of having a girl one, as there's no human team mates. She's also the only one who really likes rescue school. Aaaand that's all know of her. What more do you want from me.

Helicopters: Unique: ✅️ Othered: ✅️ (milder than some)

But why'd I call this section rotors instead of helicopters? That would be because one of the latest Sole Female TF we just put in everything™ is a VTOL jet with rotors. She'll tend to be the only jet of her type, which is also smaller than the type of jet used for the villains.

And, of course, aside from alt mode, the thing that makes her stand out most in the cartoons? That she's very clearly a comics character. (I find the emphasize that she's "fan created" over done, as it only controlled minor aspects, and irrelevant cause tfs get completely overhauled in new versions all the time). From her design, which is a bit busier than most characters she stars with. And also uses Japanese aesthetic signifiers in ways that I think are a bit misappropriated and untactful. (VERY USamerican comics). Also, when she stars next to a guy, also from comics employing Japanese aesthetic, you can tell its not deployed in the same manner. (E.I she has hair and makeup, he has armor). Either way, her depictions have her either as badass sword lady on mission from god who's constantly getting hit on by an annoying guy. Or have her be from a different planet and has special telepathy.

Do we see how both her gender AND the cultural signifiers are having affects here? That the main woman tf in a series can be a literal alien even among our alien robots, with cultural signifiers they don't have?

Ratings Established: ✅️ (made the comics to cartoon jump) Gendered designs: ✅️ Unique: ✅️ Othered: ✅️ (SO SO EXTREMELY, using methods in fiction and real life)

Jets

I think my association of jets with tf gender is stronger, than some of the above examples, even if there's less reason to it. And why is that? Well, lets get socratic. Here's another question.

Is This All Starscream's Fault?

No. He's not real, he can't do things. But. His legacy as THE main stay transformers character that gets to subvert gender? Yeah. (Sure, the G1 autobots have their own effete, but he's not in every single cartoon they ever made now is he? Plus now that I think about it, he is a FLYING car...)

From the get, he's not a Man's man. He's shrill, he's manipulative and duplicitous, petty and emotional, cowardly and wheedling. He is, of course, the Perfect character. Now naturally, the 80s cartoon was not concerned with your paltry logics. Starscream and his ilk are the jets, but every decepticon can fly. The gun, the cassette player, the camera, the cassettes.

And each to a last, more masculine than he is. Vocally or behaviorally, physically. Every one of them fit the gender expectations more than he does. Even being a small time grunt, is a masculine trait, after all, more so than unchecked ambition. So its not femininity from flying, from jets. But direct relationship, reference, and descendancy from Starscream that makes it. I've yet to see female versions of Jet fire and or the aerialbots, for example.

So what to do when an effeminate male villain was less maltese falcon and more that man has effeminate hips? Well. We had to start getting his ass for being effeminate, explicitly. They made the female clone of him, which yeah, is an offensive joke stemming from the various The Gender Anxieties. (Transmisogyny, homophobia and sexism. General relation toxic masculinity. A heady mix of all and more).

But I mean. It's free girl tf... Once given a name in extra canon materials, she start's showing up in other things. Once you're in books, video games, comics, and most importantly, toys, you're real. And then eventually, her first non clone appearance in a cartoon, and how her presence shaped it.

That being, Cyberverse. Which is a cgi show, you need to know this for reasons of production. Making new models is expensive. This has always been the reason you just make recolours of Starscream and name them different things. Chicken or egg on this one, I don't know, But because CV has Slipstream, and the only difference between her and the generic "male" decepticon jet, is a more feminine face; Suddenly, any random decepticon goon can be a woman.

An absolutely revolutionary take for striving to populate a fictional world with gender parity. By at large it also means they're way more lady villains, and specifically flying model of villain. The show has other woman, but none who get the same androgynous body mold treatment.

Established: ✅️ Gendered designs: Mildly to NO. Unique: By design, no. Othered: Yes for the clone, and Screamer himself, I suppose. No, otherwise. Villainy: ✅️(That's, the whole idea)

Tanks

It needs to be said. Sometimes, when doing things that transgress a norm, anteing up is less subversive. This is another reason why gender variance, female agency and overt sexuality are more common traits of villains. When already defying strictures of society. What's one more.

That's Right. TANKS ARE THE BUTCH WOMAN OF TRANSFORMERS.

Alright. Let me back up. Strika is the stone cold knock out undefeated champ of lady tf designs that, actually has a reoccurring cartoon presence. She is, admittedly, only a reoccurring to minor character.

Her introduction is in another show with techno-organics, this one involved in the struggle between well, the techno and the organic. Strika as we see her, and as the design that will go on to be iterated, is not in her normal transformer body. She has been transferred into a 'vehicon' body. Without a preexisting essence contained in one, vehicons are not considered alive, in the way a transformer is. Visually, they lack the more human body plan, a standard face, feet and hand like appendages.

To further contrast Strika against the two techno-organic woman. Both of them are tall, and slender. Their softer organic shapes designed towards elegance or beauty, whatever your subjective opinion of that result might be. They both have romance subplots too. By the way. Or honestly one subplot and one main plot. Strika. In contrast. Is built like a brick shit house. Her face is. Minimal. And her goal: protecting her planet... by terminating the heroes.

Now, existing as a character that can be referenced for other media, and given the detail that she was a "Famous general", it's off to the races. She makes a wonderful big tank menace that can fill out a background shot, too.

Without her I hardly think we could have Clobber, also from CV. Who is. The true goat. The finest thing, the achievements of all we could ever hope for. A big fuck off woman, gender swapped from a previous male design with minimal faff, with now even more personality and show presence. Friends, wants, desires. Emotions. Thank God for Clobber, Thank Clobber for Clobber. Thank Randolph Heard and Mae Catt for Clobber.

Established: Depends if you want to count that Strika had so much swag they kept drawing/modeling her Gendered designs: FUCK NO Unique: ✅️ Othered: only originally Villainy: ✅️

Cars

So now you have the final piece of the puzzle. In transformers, Autobots are Cars. Yes, there are plenty of autobots that are NOT cars, and there are cars that are not Autobots. But they're exceptions, they're aberrances. They're unique. And Autobots are the norm. They oppose the Decepticons. Decepticons are Villains. And Decepticons can fly. Modal simplified binaries and false dichotomy abound!

And the thing about those original Autobot woman, the one's who largely did not influence all of this? They were cars, it's true, but not like how the men where cars. They've not been designed from transforming car toys, with a shellac of humanoid gender over top. Their designed in the way of human gender. With the car on top.

When the preexisting clause leads to the original designs to be revisited, which, has largely only happened in more recent years. They aren't car woman robots. The cars are literally not part of their bodies, they are additional. Instead of a unifying identity of a robot who is a car, its Arcee and her backpack. Parts of cars get grafted onto their petite lady bodies, and placed anywhere out of the way.

In order to make a transformer a woman, they have to give her a gender, not understanding that that's always been the case. And to give her a woman's gender, she's got to LOOK like a woman, not a transformer. And to look like a woman, she's got to act like a woman. She must be heroic but reactive instead of active, or else, villainous, conniving and or self centered. To be a woman, we must have some other previous woman to explain her presence, or else explain it anew with her unique, strange, or exotic origin. How could she ever be a woman if she simply, existed, looked average, talked average. How could she be a woman if her body is hunks of ungendered car. How can she be a woman if she's everything we expect a transformer to be.

A woman is transgressive, a woman is not normal. Autobots are normal. Autobots are heros. Autobots are men. And Autobots do not fly.

[shivunin]

Codex prompts, 11 or 13, for any of your Lavellans?

Thank you so much for the prompt! c: For something written about your OC in the two years between defeating Corypheus and the beginning of Trespasser: (1196 words, no warnings)

A letter of fine (if worn) parchment. It is sealed with emerald wax, a sparrow in flight pressed into the wax. 

My dearest Vernin, 

I can only hope that this missive finds you well and beyond the worst effects of that dreadful summer ague. It is a troublesome thing indeed when one cannot find prolonged rest from one’s duties, but I trust your retainer has had better luck than you at keeping out your rather formidable relatives. Good chap, Reginald, and all the more intimidating with every year that passes. You can tell him I said so—I think it would amuse him.

Now, as for myself—I must relate to you a most curious interaction I had this past week while journeying through the southern part of the empire. It is my hope that this strange incident will offer you some entertainment, as I have had difficulty thinking of anything else in the days since.

As I related when last we spoke, I have been journeying to my so-called sister in law’s family holdings in the Emerald Graves. There are many odd trinkets and curios which she had grieved most incessantly after the family was forced to flee to Val Royeaux. After weeks of hearing about it, I was happy enough to offer to retrieve them myself—empty manors being far better company than the woman in question. 

It was on the last leg of the journey, traveling through the Graves at last, when I heard the oddest sort of scratching sound off to the side of the main road. It did not sound like the many crows I’d passed that day, nor like the occasional august rams rooting about in the dirt. No, this sound rather reminded me of you, my dear, when you are most caught up in the fervor of your art. Of course, I had to step off the road and seek the source of the sound. I am far too curious a creature to do otherwise, as you well know. 

I am very glad that I did look, for on the other side of the rise I found an elven woman, hair wound about her head in an intricate helmet of braids. She was crouched before an odd sort of cairn and was taking a charcoal rubbing of the writing on the face of it. I do not know that she saw me before I spoke, but when I did she stood and reached for a staff half-fallen into the thick brush beside her. 

Well, I wished the lady (and I could see that she must somehow be a lady, for her cloak was as thick and fine as any of yours) a good morrow, asked her if I might inquire what she was about, all that sort of thing. All the while, she watched me with eyes of an uncanny green. I could swear, Vernin, that an uncanny light flickered behind them. It called to mind that most dreadful rift in the sky last year, and for a moment my usual ease with strangers nearly sputtered out entirely. 

“Thank you for asking,” she told me when I faltered, the picture of politeness. “I am making a survey of the area. There are grave markers like this all over the wood, you see, and I want to make sure they’re recorded somewhere in case some other conflict comes through and destroys them.” 

She went on to explain that she had made something of a study on the empire her people had built there, with a particular focus on the ruins scattered about the place. It is strange—I have gone to visit my brother more than once and I have never once wondered about the place beyond a passing idle curiosity. I’d intended only to see what she was about and be on my way, but I found myself offering her some of my own trail rations so I might go on listening to her talk about it. The lady accepted them graciously and offered some sort of tea in turn, a smoky-tart sort of thing I think you might have enjoyed. 

Now, I know what you are thinking, my darling Nin. “This story sounds rather like every other journey we’ve taken,” you might say, with a lovely smile tucked into the corner of your serious mouth. Ah, I suppose you might be right. It was not so very different from other meetings I have had on the road, after all. The difference here—aside from the lady’s near-encyclopedic knowledge of elven history in the region—is how our little repast ended. 

I was already shaking her hand and asking where I might find more comprehensive reading on the subject when a rather intimidating soldier woman stomped out from behind a nearby copse of trees. I suppose I might have thought the two of us in danger—her expression was grim as a funeral—except the lady turned with a smile and greeted the woman with a comfortable familiarity. We said our goodbyes then, and I might have never marked the entire incident as more than an interesting diversion from the course, if it hadn’t been for the name the soldier called her as they walked away. 

“Inquisitor,” she said. The Inquisitor.

 I am quite certain it really was her, too—her face had some otherworldly quality to it, as if she truly had been touched by the Bride herself. I have met the Inquisitor face to face, and even shaken her hand! Well, it is a great deal more than my brother has managed, no matter which strings he tries to pull in the court. I had quite the private chuckle over the entire affair, I can assure you of that! 

Of the rest of my journey, I fear I shall have to write in greater detail when I reach the next town. The light grows dim and I have already spent my last candle reading a volume on the history of the Emerald Knights.  

Do take care of yourself, my darling. I hope to pass your way again soon. 

Yours, 

Albertine D—

The signature at the bottom of the letter is faintly smudged along the surname. A postscript follows, written in slightly lighter ink:

The Inquisitor did say something you might find interesting. Well—I found it interesting, I suppose I ought to say. 

She said, “Each of these names had meaning beyond what we will ever hope to know. They are part of a story we may never find the beginning of, the ending of which will stretch far beyond our small lives. I am only a steward of the time in which they lived, and I will record all I can before I, too, am only a name etched in stone.” Or something like that—forgive me for paraphrasing.

I thought it a bit odd in the moment, if somewhat moving. Since then, I have been thinking—about your brother, dear Nin. I know you yet mourn him, and that his body has yet to be recovered from the Plains. I do not suppose that I’ve more to say here, only that—well. I thought you might want to hear those words, too. 

All my love, always—

A

[ereborne]

What is a Monday? A miserable little pile of obligations.

semester turnover restructure

generate/send out error reporting

figure out how to separate out unique counts

create polite reply to Massive Dick Move email

finish the bad book >:(

bò kho (not an obligation. dinner)

laundry

lizard bath

[sharkneto]

did you ever watch fargo? it has similar story beats to true detective, at least, season one (it’s another anthology type series, crime focused) there’s a dude in there who i think you’d get a kick out out of… very much quietly intensely batshit insane and Off™️ but somehow presents himself as the sanest one in the room. he’s rust cohle, in a way, but murderer, not detective

Thanks for the rec! Watched S1 over the past week or so. Was good but it frustrated me. Billy Bob Thornton Serial Killer was the highlight, you were right! He was very fun. What a weirdo.

I don't know if it was that I grew up in an area with accents like theirs so I was like, hyper aware They Are Doing An Accent, or that it was based on Coen Brother's work, but a lot of the characters felt... rather like caricatures? I don't know, something about it had a wall between me and it, where I wasn't immersed so they felt like We Are Actors On A Set Delivering Lines Really Well rather than I was in the moment, if that makes any sense. Maybe it was the monologues, Flannigan series can have the same affect to me.

Still, was a really good cast. I needed Martin Freeman to get his comeuppence like three episodes sooner, my god that man could just wiggle out of everything (SPOILER he sent his wife to get shot???? what the fuck is wrong with him. I was screaming SPOILER OVER). I always like it when Colin Hanks pops up in things. Allison Tolman and Billy Bob Thornton fucking carried the whole thing, they were the only two I didn't really get the I Am Delivering Lines With Emotion And This Thick Minnesotan Accent feeling.

Writing was generally tight, too. Good full circle moments and Chekov's guns, pieces came together in satisfying ways. Was fun to be rooting for Molly to catch her killers and for Billy Bob to fucking get Martin Freeman. I think it could have been one episode shorter, or skipped the time jump, to give the police a modicum more competence, they were killing me.

Idk if I'll watch the other seasons, I did enjoy it overall. Might check out the newest one because I'm a slut for Jon Hamm.

[habitual-creatures]

HABIT! I drew you :3 (it smells so bad like alcohol markers i hate having a nose)

Also, out of curiosity- why did you possess Evan of all people? (No offense, Evan, ur great)

I LOVE ALCOHOL MARKERS... THEY'RE A NICE MEDIUM. AND THIS LOOKS GREAT, THANKS A LOT.

AS FOR WHY I POSSESSED EVAN, WHY I CHOSE TO INHABIT HIM, Y'KNOW... I'VE POSSESSED HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS, MAYBE, JUST MAYBE EVEN MILLIONS OF PEOPLE... AND I'M GONNA BE HONEST, I NEVER HAD A REAL "REASON" FOR ANY OF EM' I DID IT BECAUSE I WANTED TO.

THE SAME GOES FOR EVAN, HE'S BEEN STUCK WITH ME SINCE HE WAS A KID. I JUST ONLY STARTED HAVING FUN WHEN HE WAS AN ADULT... THAT, AND I'M REAL FUCKIN' IMPATIENT.

AFTER ALL, HUMANITY CAN ONLY GO SO LONG WITHOUT THEIR VICES...

NO ONE IS COMPLETELY FREE FROM ME. AND I WANTED TO REMIND EM' OF THAT...

I WANTED TO WATCH THEM RUN SCARED... AND THEY DID...

01001110 01001111 01010010 01000101 01000001 01010011 01001111 01001110 01001111 01010010 01010010 01001000 01011001 01001101 01000101

[ REGARDS, HABIT ]