#So I grew up just thinking I was inherently bad at dancing but…no?

[hydaelyns-bitch]

workout selfie for funsies

gonna start taking a belly dancing class in addition to pole i think

listen when i made my FFXIV main a dancer i had no idea i would ever pursue it IRL but here we are

[childofthewolvess]

for the ask meme you reblogged: what things do you associate with loki (that may or may not be upg)? I'm talking things like food, animals, drinks (both soft drinks and alcohol), movies/books, fictional characters, even like silly things you might see in thrift stores.

Oh absolutely I can do this! Loki loves random things, in my experience, so I have... quite a few random things I associate with Loki. Let me know if any of you also associate any of these with him! A lot of these are super personal but stand anyway.

Forest fires—nature's balanced form of chaos)

Redwood and sequoia trees—cones are serotinous, meaning they only open when fire reaches them

Southeast Alaska/temperate rainforests & fjords—they're very geographically similar to Iceland/Norway and I feel Loki's chaos in the sharp winds and chaotic seas

Orcas—similar to how the wolves are viewed, they have a negative representation when they're integral with their chaos to the cycle of balance in ecosystems. I actually have a bunch of orcas on Loki's altar! He showed me orcas when I lived in Alaska.

Glow sticks—literally don't have a reason for this one.

Wolves—this one is not a UPG because of Fenrir, but I personally associate wolves with Loki because they for a very long time were viewed as the "bad guys" and monsters, when in reality, they were the balance to the ecosystem that was needed. Awfully reminiscent to Loki in his myths.

Solar eclipses—also not necessarily a UPG, but the sheer chaotic energy and power from solar eclipses reminds me of Loki's energy

My roommate's cat—lol, she is an AGENT of chaos. As someone who grew up with cats, never had a more chaotic cat in my life. She also raids fridges. And stares at Loki's altar every day. My roommate says she's a witch.

Writing and storytelling—Loki Does It For The Story, and a lot of times speaks to me through my world and creative writing.

Fireball shots—it's the cinnamon I think, but Loki gets fireball shots every few days (lol.)

Green, orange, black, and blue—Loki's colors, this one jsut makes sense to me and I can't really describe why.

Nature—nature is inherently chaotic but maintains a cycle, and this is Loki's energy to me. He is also part Jotun, associated with nature, and to me, he is present everywhere in the wild and unpredictable forces of nature.

Sweet tea—don't know why but Loki enjoys sweet tea

I'm Just Ken (Barbie Movie)—this is the funniest one yet, but Loki literally showed me the entire dance sequence to I'm Just Ken in my sleep (I had watched the Barbie movie once), and would not stop bothering me until I got him the Barbie movie vinyl and played it for him.

Performance in storytelling—this could be theatre, but really just performing and putting on a show while telling a story. This is the same deity who tied his balls to a goat and saved all the assess of the Norse pantheon because he got Skaði to laugh, so this one checks out.

I have so many more but there you go for a start. Working with Loki is just sheer chaos, if you couldn't already tell.

[cosmossystem]

Hey, I'm sorry for suddenly dumping this onto your askbox, but I just feel the need to be heard

I honestly don't care about being anti and proship at all

But... Everytime I see a post from someone who proudly calling themselves anti... It's always so scarily violent

All those posts saying "kill yourself", "deserves to die", all of that stuff

If you don't like a person or stuff they make... Just block them, mute the tags they use, forget they ever exist

Literally easier to do that than harassing the said person or making others uncomfortable with your violence tendencies

This is why some people that have "I'm an anti" or "Proship dni" have become such a redflag to me, even tho most of the time people who uses them are genuinely just good people who misunderstood what proship is

I wish this whole discourse never existed, I miss everything before 2020...

^^ this

and we feel the exact same way

like we dont have any hard stances on shipcourse because both sides have misinfo and both are wrong about some things-- like, we are firmly anti-lolisho and thats one of the things that is usually seen as "proship", but we do have "problematic" ships and we believe in SALS and are anti-censorship. so much misinfo flies between the two because no one cares about being right, they care about looking right, much like every other fake-activist (which are unfortunately common these days.)

the only reason we even care to begin with is because antis have been so violent to us about it. if you arent with them, youre against them, and if youre against them, youre a target.

it seems like theres a lot of antis in neurodivergent & plural spaces, too, which is just crazy to me, so it feels like we have to specify every time "yes, we're the proship in your DNI, just block us please."

i do wanna say that while 2020 made things worse, ive been in shipcourse + fandom spaces since 2016 and it was pretty bad back then too. like in 2016 i had an anti-ship & anti-ddlg blog and there were DOZENS of other antis in the tags -- yall remember "character-against-bad-ships" blogs? yeah. we ran several of those and had hundreds of mutuals running them as well. (im getting flashbacks to "sonic-for-real-justice". eugh.)

we Fully Converted To Proshipism (/j) in about 2018-19, so i saw how bad it was getting right before covid and honestly its never fully recovered. fandom hasnt really been peaceful since... maybe before 2016? i dont know, i wasnt there. flaming and ship wars have always been around but i honestly cant think of when all this "pro v anti" stuff started. seems like it was a slow buildup and now its just fucking everywhere.

i know this wasnt the point of your ask, but im gonna go on a tangent here because i like to yap:

i think the current state of shipcourse is caused, in part, by the fact that younger generations are getting into fandom. except, i think every time someone points this out, they get it wrong and pin it on some bullshit like "younger fans are mistaking fandom for activism/politics!" that argument sucks because that doesnt afford any empathy to the teenagers and young adults who grew up in this awful fucking political climate (including myself.) fandom IS politics to young people, because they have been aware of the state of the world since the time they could read and dont know a world that isnt inherently political in every way.

and then that brings up the misconception that fandom isnt / should never be political, which isnt true and is literally just denial of what is already happening. every form of media and consumption is inherently political. proshippers tend to be wrong about that, plug their ears and lalala until it goes away while ignoring the very political parts of fandom-- like the misogyny, racism, ableism, aphobia... etc.

and so we get stuck in the same song and dance because everyone is wrong and parrots the same disinfo. fandom is very black and white like that. its either everything is ok, or none of it is, with no room for nuance. like for instance: you can enjoy shipping the canonically-aroace character with someone and that doesnt make you a bad person, but dont pretend that doesnt have any real world implications. and so on.

anyway. thank you for the ask, anon. sorry this got really long and passionate. im very opinionated.

- red

[aesterea]

I fell in love for the first time. I think it'll tear me apart because that's what it did to my parents, but I think I'll let it

hi anon 💙

i’m sorry i took so long to respond to this. i had to spend a long time thinking about it. i don't know how much you really wanted from me, but you have my thoughts here under the cut nonetheless. 

first, i want to say i’m so happy for you! i think falling in love is one of the best, most wonderful things in life—for the feeling of it and for all the doors it opens. the first time especially, it cracks us open. it introduces us to new parts of ourselves and changes the way we see the world. i think that’s why it’s so terrifying; it asks us to transform. 

there’s so much vulnerability required in that process. and we know it doesn't always (or often) go well. those of us who grew up with examples of particularly bad relationships tend to be especially wary. 

when i was younger, i fully believed love was some kind of delusion that drove people to behave stupidly, and that all romantic relationships were hurtling toward some terrible end—the utter destruction of those involved, some miserable facade of companionship that left them feeling hollow, or (at best) a disenchantment that eventually freed them from the delusion. i wasn’t afraid of falling in love so much as i rejected it… still, when it happened… everything i thought i knew—about life and about myself—exploded like a star.

you sent such a short message, but it reminds me so much of myself. “i think it’ll tear me apart” and “i think i’ll let it.” i want to reach out and hug you, and i want to sit with you for six hours talking over hot chocolate. there's so much i wish i could say to my younger self, but at least i can share some of it with you, and i know we’re different people and your path will be different from mine, but maybe it can help you.

i think the worst mistake i ever made was to cross my own boundaries. i don’t think there’s any chance of overstating how much hope is involved when you fall for someone. the optimism and idealism (and the rarely-mentioned boost in courage) inherent in the experience makes us more willing to risk pain (longing, loss, betrayal…). i also don't think there’s any chance of real love without a willingness to get hurt, and all important relationships involve difficult emotions. but i have this dangerous tendency of thinking, “love is so precious, and now that i have it, i’ll do anything to make it work.” or even, “i love you so much, i’ll forgive anything if we can keep trying to work together.” that stubbornness and desperation and fear of loss… it’s poisonous. i’ve been hurt in a lot of ways, but the worst heartbreak did not come from loss or betrayal or even someone treating me badly—it was the sense that i had betrayed myself. healing is so much harder when you're wondering if you can trust yourself, because no matter how things go, you're the one who has to get you through.

maybe you’ll get hurt. we always run that risk. maybe you’ll be happier than you ever knew was possible. we just don't know! but you must be able to trust yourself to set and enforce boundaries, and if you find that your relationship is damaging to you, then you must be willing to walk away. 

i don’t meant to scare you or preach to you or anything. if this isn't what you wanted, i hope you will forgive me. i’m 22 years old and still figuring it out—i certainly have no great wisdom to share. it’s just… “i think i’ll let it.” your words resonate so deeply within me, it feels wrong not to offer you what i’ve learned. what i’m learning. 

i don't want to discourage you at all from embracing all the magic of the experience. the warm, happy glow, the lightness and the weight, how the world becomes more beautiful around you. feeling so safe, you want to sink down, curl up, and sleep inside the feeling. at the same time, feeling so happy, giddy, sparkly, all you want to do is laugh and dance. finally understanding all those songs and books and movies, and marveling at all the feelings you didn't think you’d ever feel, didn’t know you could feel, and suddenly becoming aware of how much the world has to offer you… there is nothing quite like this. 

[thephantomcasebook]

What is even the point of having Aegon sexually violate his mother??!!! Had a cringefest yesterday with my friend after reading that speculation. The sad part is none of this shi* is beyond Hess...and even Ryan, who openly implied in the GOT Con that Daemon was probably 'in love' with Viserys. They were ready to take inc£st to a whole new level. 😭

I think there is a great trap that is absolutely inherent in George RR Martin's writing, in general.

His stories are built on an incredibly subversive and nihilistic foundation that was meant to challenge fantasy tropes that J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Howard created in the 1930s/1940s.

However, the problem with that is that GRRM has the discipline - most of the time (Read @duxbelisarius military analysis of "The Dance) - to know what the line is for his universe and how far one can take the nihilistic nature of the story and then pull it back. the Dunk & Egg stories are a masterclass in that type of 1960's Marvel Age morality tales in which doing the right thing is the hardest thing to do and you don't get rewarded for it, but the main characters do it anyway and it costs them dearly every time.

However, if you don't recognize that, than the ASoIaF Universe with all it's Nihilism and Brutality is just the type of world that is seductive to lazy and bad writers to dream up and bring into existence some of the most horrific and degenerate situations, because, they believe that is the world of "Game of Thrones". They believe that everything is awful and bad things happen to people all the time. So they can make or write something exploitive, because, they believe it is in the very DNA of Westeros.

That type of small minded thinking is also tempting for someone who has a personal mission to write in their political or social agenda to torture and languish female characters by turning every male character into a monstrous rapist, abuser, or generally unhinged in order to make some bullshit Sapphic social commentary about the treatment of women in the real world and how men hold all the power and patriarchy and all that bullshit.

The issue remains that they fundamentally don't understand the Jack Kirby and Stan Lee type of morals that GRRM is trying to set down. Yes, bad things happen. Yes, humanity is capable of true evil. And the right thing is hard and can be stupid, and you can be punished for doing it. But that doesn't mean that you don't do it. GRRM is constantly taking characters and evolving or degrading their morality, based on the Marvel Age principle of the 1960s Comics he grew up loving.

You give a writer a story in Westeros and they'll show you what kind of storyteller, good or bad, they are by the end of it.

[delcat177]

I swear you're the only exvangelical I've met who's actually sympathetic about our experiences weird toxic atheism we was raised under, I've had so many tell me my parents were just trying to protect us??? Which like Maybe So but it was a severe overcorrection

Jesus, that's a sad thing to hear. Not unsurprising, but that makes it more sad.

Toxic religion LOVES trying to protect people! That's part of what makes it toxic! If it's doing it for the greater good, how can it possibly cause problems? All they're doing is thinking of their wellbeing!

"Wellbeing" is a word that means, here, "the method which works for me".

It doesn't matter what it is for creed, it matters what is done, realistically, to children when raised in a toxic religious environment. Everyone says they're thinking of the children. They say that instead of thinking of the children, actually. They don't engage with kids, they don't try to understand the effect it has on them, they just stick to the company line, and it hurts people.

It's an absolute fucking clownshoes of a way to raise kids. They need to have their actual needs and wants addressed, not to be tasked with something as complex and painful as trying to understand religion--that's not to say kids can't be religious, or that raising kids religious is inherently bad, but that going "This is what we believe so deal with it" without room for discussion or discourse is just...cruel. A six year old is not remotely equipped to try to carry that on their own.

I'm so sorry you grew up in a toxic religious sphere <\3 I'm sorrier that people are apparently assholes about it! That has to be all kinds of devaluing, invalidating, and damn straight insulting to you as a person. I will bite them on the leggy if it helps o/

Have a dancing gorilla, Birdmeat, you deserve it

We're all just walking each other home. You're a real one, never forget it ❤️

[maybeimamuppet]

Janis 19 35 + Cady 6 43, for the character asks :)

hello dear friend tysm

JANIS

19- vices/bad habits tw for sh mention

okay it’s worth saying i think these are entirely different people depending on who they’re portrayed by and who they end up/if they end up dating so i’m gonna say these are their 2018 stage selves either dating each other or single for clarity

she’s very impulsive so she gets a lot of tattoos and piercings without completely thinking them through. she smokes briefly in college. she sabotages her relationships and just manages to luck out with cady and damian every time. she sh’d when she was younger. she is violently lactose intolerant and gives zero acknowledgement to this fact. she regularly eats gas station sushi. she bites her nails even though they have paint under them. she drinks ungodly amounts of coffee.

35- their idea of a perfect day

it is october. about in the middle, just getting chilly, around 60-65° and right when people start getting really really into halloween. she gets to sleep in in a warm bed with her partner. they wake up and make breakfast with their hair still messy and in their pajamas (or not). it is waffles and coffee with either apple cinnamon or pumpkin spice themes because she is a die hard pumpkin spice defender. they listen to halloween songs and sing and do dorky dances while they decorate their cute but just big enough apartment in the city for halloween. she teases her partner for being too short even if they are significantly taller than her. they make a pumpkin pie and have dinner (some kind of really good filling pasta or something) and the kitchen still smells like they’ve been baking all day. they snuggle on the couch watching halloween movies and fall asleep like that under their favorite blanket.

and if she is single she does all of this with a black cat named picasso.

CADY

6- worst personality trait

it’s hard to think of anything that’s like an inherent trait to her and not just like a thing she does but i don’t like how fake her naïveté becomes and how she tries to use it to get out of taking accountability for what she’s done at first. she obviously does by the end but the whole “i’m the good one in this story!” and acting like she didn’t know what she was doing past a certain point like. mmm babygirl we gotta do better!!

43- 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

favorites:

not a food but babygirl loves her tea. she has at least two a day, one with breakfast and a sleepy one before bed. her record is twelve.

beans because they had to eat a lot of canned foods in kenya and it reminds her of home and gives her that warm fuzzy cozy feeling

and she loves dino nuggets from a purely scientific point of view. she always has a box and ponders how they made a chicken that shape but knows better than to look it up. either that or something violently american like anything deep fried or a really absurd cheeseburger or hot dog or something.

least favorites:

mint. cold spicy why

honey. she buys it to support bees but has to really brace herself when she puts it in her tea or cooks with it. hell texture and honestly doesn’t taste very good. but she will give it to her friends and tout all its benefits nonetheless

anything vanilla flavored (for the first while after she moves at least) because she grew up with real vanilla in kenya and everything in america tastes so fake and violently sweet. but eventually she learns to like it so as a backup i’ll say any citrus because she has too many unanswered questions about it.

[stringsofverse]

CHAPTER ZERO: GIVEN-TAKEN

“i'm walking to you.”

once, i̶ someone used to spend m̶y̶ their youth dancing in nature. though they adored endless meadows of flowers, sunlight peeking through branches and leaves, the gentle stream passing behind their house had to be their favourite.

they’d lie on the river bank, dipping their fingers into the icy water and threading them through droplets like their mother would with strands of their hair. other times they’d hold magenta roses in their hand and let delicate petals slip through their fingers and onto the surface of the flowing water.

at times like those, the world seemed to hold out a promising future for them to take. the world would give and all they had to do was take. a favourable future was given, a favourable future was taken.

or almost taken.

life is deceiving; it pulled its hand away when they tried to take it, erasing the floor beneath their feet and allowing them to fall into an abyss of what they would realise is endless darkness. a dream can quickly turn into a nightmare. that joyous, adventurous individual used to be alive. oh, they used to be alive. but now, come just under a decade later, they feel as though their flesh is trapped in stone, like it's been layered with marble to mold them into the porcelain figure others perceive as virtuous, as inherently good.

that carefully sculpted statue greets others with the ghost of a smile — perhaps the only true reflection of m̶y̶ their fragile being, because they can’t remember the last time they have smiled without misery lingering behind it.

a pool of water surrounds it, a cool stream falling from its fingers. to a passerby, its artistic excellence, true beauty bathed in all that is good in this deceitful world. but that adored sculpture is lifeless, artificial. and no one can see the real, frightened 19-year-old trapped beneath those layers of marble, trapped in a body they don’t recognise. they don’t think anyone would want to, anyway. they wouldn’t want to.

because underneath that angelic facade, they are more of a sinner. what one perceives as morality in their stone eyes, is blasphemous in reality, is deceitful, is hypocritical, is bad. there is no saving a creature that is so entrenched in sin that they are no longer human.

but if you care enough to approach the fountain the statue stands in, then you’ll find the stone slate laid out in front, with an inscription, a cry, a question for life, that reads:

i’m asking somebody, anybody — am i given or taken?

did the universe craft me as a gift for this mortal world or did it intend for my soul to be taken as i grew up? am i worthy of being a gift, am i a person that gives others a sense of happiness, a sense of security, a sense of belonging? or is all i’m made for to be taken, to be depleted? was i born to suffer the fate of loss, born to lose everything?

or is it both in a twisted sense — am i meant to be given to this world wrapped up in pink ribbons, carved of a marble block, and put on display for humanity to take and take until there is no trace of me remaining?

i’m asking somebody, anybody, perhaps even the god i have no faith in — am i given or taken?

“until we reach the new world.”

[likeadevils]

click for a song by song breakdown and also my magnum opis

welcome to new york, a song about embracing your individuality, starts with "walking through a crowd the village is aglow, kaleidoscope of loud, heartbeats under coats," immediately tying together noise and sound as one thing. the line "searching for a sound we hadn't heard before" sets up this innate push and pull between wanting to fill silence, while at the same time that silence drawing you towards love. and then over and over, the song repeats "its a new soundtrack, i could dance to this beat forevermore. the lights are so bright, but they never blind me," establishing light as something harmful but nonetheless thrilling

blank space continues and expands on these themes, adding other voices and establishing how much noise can hurt, with "and i know you heard about me" and "they'll tell you i'm insane." the metaphor for the relationship ending negatively is "it's gonna go down in flames," while the metaphor for it ending positively is "it'll leave you breathless." there's also the first mention of screams, with "screaming, crying, perfect storms."

style is the first true love song, and also the first song to take place in the dark, which it establishes in it's very first line: "midnight, you come and pick me up no headlights." darkness is explicitly something the love needs to survive, but dangerous in it's own right, leading to reckless behaviors. the verse continues, and we have flames once again signalling the end of the relationship with "will end in burning flames or paradise." and then, "fade into view, its been a while since i have even heard from you," establishes that this rendezvous has grown out of darkness and silence, which, like the realtionship itself, our protagonist should break but can't "i should just tell you to leave [...] but i watch us go round and round each time."

out of the woods attempts to stay in the dark, with its softest scene taking place "the night we couldn't quite forget," but sees the couple trapped in their inherent light and noise: "we were in screaming color" (once again explicitly ties together sound and noise as one thing). and then, the bridge does something interesting, showing the couple loving each other in the light for the first time, "when the sun came up, i was looking at you," as they attempt to love each other through hard times

the next song to deal with noise or sound is shake it off, once again establishing the protagonists inherent noise with "it's like i got this music in my mind." unlike before, however, this inherent noise is silent, and also positive. the second verse also adds a positive but unseen light, with "i'm lightning on my feet, and that's what they don't see."

i wish you would once again shows love growing out of a period of silence "you still don't know what i never said" and "wish i never hung up the phone like i did." but shows the couple trapped between light and dark, with "its 2am in my room, headlights pass the window pane, i think of you" and "see your face, hear my voice, in the dark" just as they are trapped between trapped between being together and being apart.

wildest dreams expands on being trapped between darkness and light, wanting to embrace love while unable to ignore the voices saying it's all about to end: "standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset," "his voice is a familiar sound." it also marks a transition between flames being something consistently negative in the first half of the album, to being representative of love itself "you'll see me in hindsight, tangled up with you all night, burning it down"

this love portrays a love that is both good and bad, and thus mixes silence and noise with "silent screams" and light and darkness with "this love is glowing in the dark. we get another flame-as-love metaphor, with "lantern, burning, flickered in the night," and it also starts mentioning a growing storm that signals the end of the relationship, "skies grew darker, currents swept you out again" which will be mentioned in the rest of the songs on the standard edition.

i know places once again explicitly mentions noise as harmful, with "i can hear them whisper as we pass by, it's a bad sign." the second verse mentions light as harmful, as "lights flash and we'll run for the fences" while our couple attempts to pretend it's silent ("let them say what they want, we won't hear it") and stay in the dark ("in the dead of night, your eyes so green"). we also get another mention of the flame and the storm, with "see the vultures circling, dark clouds. love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out"

clean sees the protagonist extinguishing their past love while embracing self love as "the sky turned black like a perfect storm" it also expands on shake it off theme of self love being tied to unobservable light or sound with "i screamed so loud but no one heard a thing."

there's not much i have to say about wonderland, besides the fact that it continues to equate light and sound with negativity: "flashing lights and we took a wrong turn" and "whispers turned to talking and talking turned to screams"

you are in love is where things get interesting again. it showcases a love growing out of darkness ("one look, dark room" "coffee at midnight") yet containing shimmers of light ("the chain reflects the chain on your neck"). in the second verse, morning once again symbolizes a couple attempting to love each other through their imperfections, as "for once you let go of your fears and your ghosts" during a "morning [at] his place." before returning to the dark ("one night, he wakes") for its (unsaid) confession of love: "pauses, then says 'you're my best friend' and you knew what it was: he is in love." and, of course, while previous songs have explicitly called noise and lights bad, we have our first mention of silence and darkness being good: "you can hear it in the silence. you can see it with the lights out. you are in love, true love"

new romantics once again embraces individuality as it embraces color and sound: "we show off our different scarlet letters" "heartbreak is the national anthem, we sing it proudly." but whereas our protagonist can withstand the lights and noise in welcome to new york, here, at the end of the album, "the lights and noise are blinding." however, our protagonist has learned how to move forward through the things that hurt her: "everyday is like a battle, but every night with us is like a dream"

the thing about 1989 is once you listen to it through the lense of silence and darkness (where you can find love) vs bright lights and noise (what taylor is drawn to) even the silliest little diddies will make you sob violently

[ihatebnha]

Tell us more abt being bakugo’s lil beta hello-

you know what? i think i will.

(warnings: a/b/o!office!AU, limited knowledge of a/b/o, i mention ovulating, etc.)

-

I just love the idea of Bakugo who’s driven crazy by little beta you… who doesn’t seem to care that he’s an alpha, not because you don’t want to care, but just because you can’t relate… and feel sorta bad about it!!!

Like yea, anyone’d be interested in a guy like Bakugo, a strong alpha is everyone’s dream, right? but types like him usually go for omegas, you know? So why would you waste your time even entertaining the thought that’d he be interested in you, and if that if he were, it would go beyond something physical and temporary…

(Because what could a beta like you really give him even if you wanted to?)

Little do you know though, this is actually why Bakugo is so infatuated with you in the first place. Your nonchalance about being around him is really what begins his desire to prove to himself that he can attract a non-omega mate, mostly because he’s never thought about it before (being that he’s pretty intimidating regardless)…

(And don’t worry, I use “prove” sorta mildly in the sense that he wouldn’t… just make you fall in love with him and then ditch you, but rather actually pursue you to the fullest extent…)

I feel like… being an alpha, he grew up with and got used to the idea that one day he’d just stumble across the perfect omega mate, not realizing that being a hero, and all his rut suppressors, sorta makes him indifferent about the whole “finding a mate thing…” (plus, dude probably hasn’t had a regular rut in YEARS…)

Even so, he is an alpha, and that means that when he’s interested in something or someone… he hones in on that inherent desire to possess it and care for it and protect it… even if that person is YOU and you don’t actually… pick up on those signals.

I also think, and I don’t think this is related to any a/b/o distinct canon, but in MY world, I can see betas having some kind of scent to them, even if it’s not indicative of anything beyond… just differing individuals… it’s still there, just somewhat boring and indistinguishable to those who aren’t really looking…

But for Bakugo, who’s so focused on his goals and so bothered by the way you literally don’t notice him doing the mating dance… your normally very average scent is something that he locks onto naturally without even trying to or you being aware of (nor the way his own changes in response)…

Like, you don’t even need a heat cycle for him to be able to detect you in a crowd… when you’ve entered the building, if you’re ovulating… even though these are things you’ve never even thought you’d have to think about…

And it’s frustrating to him, because if/when he does start pursuing you more intensely, and starts treating you like someone he can actually tolerate… you start asking him what’s wrong and he can’t even explain to you!!! Can’t express in a reasonable, beta-y way why he’s bothered that you carpooled with someone or you’re wearing a new perfume or someone else’s sweater even though he knows and it’s making him go crazy!!! Alpha instinct go bark bark bark!!!

So anyway, here’s this big alpha who’s obsessed with you for all these reasons… and yet you still don’t get why or really even notice beyond (that autocorrected to Beyoncé lol) thinking that woohoo! Bakugo is your friend!!!

And it probably takes you forever just to see that it isn’t just friendliness… OR Bakugo just wanting to get his rocks off with some random beta who (under normal circumstances) wouldn’t matter long term if he wanted an omega mate…

(Like imagine all the omegas at the office who do pick up the signals being like… UH, Y/N??? HE’S INTERESTED? and you being like… what is he even doing??? Having heat sickness in his office yeah, but that’s not related to me???)

ANYWAY… to skip the the actual getting there part, when you ARE dating alpha!bakugo as a beta… he absolutely treats you like an omega even if you STILL don’t really understand it.

(It’s funny to think about him not even bothering to try and explain it to you… especially if you are like, willing to help him with his ruts and stuff, he’s just like, “why focus on the details? Healthy sex life is all that matters!!!” DUDE???)

But to continue…

Yes, you smell like a beta, which you know, normally doesn’t draw that much attention to yourself… but that’s exactly why Bakugo feels the need to scent you 100x harder… as even if it’s not something you really detect or have ever even thought about… it makes him mad when you stink like random extras and not him!!

Yes, you’re unaware when you’re talking to other alphas, but BAKUGO’S NOT. Even if they do assume you’re taken because you ARE scented… he still prowls around you all angry like you’re supposed to guess what the problem is. And though you do probably end up getting it eventually… moments like this never stop occurring because you just can’t tell!🥺

But still… it! drives! him! mad!!!! Omega or not, you’re still his mate! And being that person fuels that fire in him, you know? As even if he’s not required to officially mate you… he still has the instinct to, and really, really wants to… so just let him? Please???

AND basically, what I mean is that… even if it’s starts off as this whole thing of like, alpha!Bakugo being interested in you because you don’t seem all that interested in him (the most desirable alpha on earth, right?)… it ends up morphing into this real bond with him… that consists of treating you like an omega whether or not you realize it. WAHHH.

-

Also something fun to think about… when Bakugo gets overzealous about you being horny.

Obviously, you help him through his ruts, so he’s gotta help you right back as your alpha, right??? Except… when you’re horny it doesn’t last nearly as long and it’s ends up being like…

“You’re horny.”

“Am I? I guess.”

“Make a nest.”

“Uh, I don’t need one though?”

“It will help. Just do it.”

And then you make a nest that Bakugo blows out your back out in… only to put everything away two days later much to his annoyance.

What he planning on keeping the nest for himself so that he could have somewhere that smells like you? Probably. Would he tell you that? Mmm… no.

-

Also this whole thing is just to say… Bakugo gets mad when Deku’s around because he doesn’t want you to pick up his scent accidentally.

You: blissfully unaware that you smell different after a meeting with Deku

Bakugo: trying not to gag

[prof-peach]

if fans wanted to include peach in stuff they write, would that be okay? and how would they write peach's personality? aside from "FIGHT ME" anyway, i think that much is a given lol. i only really write the anime characters 'cause that's what i know, but it sounds like it'd be kinda fun to try making a version of ash that fits into this blog's universe! nerf'd Obviously, but i think she'd probably appreciate how hands-on he gets when training his pokemon!

Ok, I get a lot of these messages, and I often hear folks wanting to throw peach into their stories and comics and writings, and I will always simply ask that if it’s published online publicly, to be linked to it so I can snoop and enjoy the content too. If someone asks about her in your work, let them know about the blog I guess? But literally I love that people take this stuff, these characters and stories, and make new stuff with it. No ones making money off my work here? So where’s the issue? Go for it buddy, knock yourself out, I’m all for it.

For you, and all the others out there who want to add peach, and other characters to your world building, I will give you a detailed rundown of the main lot, and how they behave, what they do, how they function. You can use that, use bits, or use none of it, I do not mind at all. If you’re creating something, you’re in control, not me.

So, peach doesn’t actually fight people as much as you’d think. She’s very aware most cannot and do not want to do that, and so she likes to keep to herself with regards to that aspect of her life, she doesn’t ask to spar with people, or even bring it up at all, but people ask her all the time, even if they clearly would lose or become hurt should she miscalculate during the fight. She looks at people like they usually create problems, and often has a somewhat reserved nature to other humans. You have to work quite hard to get anything more than formalities out of her. She will dead-pan handle people with blunt and very to-the-point statements, aid whenever possible, but very quickly get back to handling the Pokemon she so carefully tends. Her focus is clear, she’s all about hard work, her very small select family, and the Pokemon.

Her brutal, loud and brash personality only comes out with friends, family, difficult humans, OR any Pokemon. She will joke and laugh and play with Pokemon, but clam up around humans, maintaining tight body language and generally will be a little cold by regular standards. She does however have some weaknesses in this emotionless shield she puts up. When peach was young she was always angry, which swung so fast to sadness, back and forth. Her teenage years it just got worse and worse, it was crippling at points. She is to this day, full of fire and rage, even sadness, but now she has learnt to control it, to use it. When she sees that in others, it’s familiar, and she is pushed to drop the front, and be very real with the person. Underdogs I suppose, people who get bad reps, but deserve the same as everyone else. She can’t ignore it.

Once you start to pry open her personality, you’ll find she’s a lot more laid back and fun than originally appeared, you just have to work hard to find that side of her. She will meme reference, can’t dance to save her life, loves her coffee, and can be caught in quiet contemplation while gardening. This hobby is her calmest, and often is why she can stay so level headed when her quiet rage boils up again. Without time outside she will become grouchy, a little snippy, and lethargic. Will not go in the ocean for any reason other than life or death, is fine with ponds and rivers, or water at wading height. Likes the rain.

With regards to her training others, they usually have to tolerate her somewhat strict nature. She is a little....unforgiving, holds a grudge if you make a lot of mistakes, and has no tolerance for ignorance in the age of information that we all live in. In previous posts I’ve mentioned she’s only recently selected two students, after many years of testing kids who want to learn from her. Hundred tried out, only two have ever been approved. How she teaches is very fast paced, be prepared to get some scrapes and bruises, she will test your physical and emotional tolerances with intense tasks, carefully watching students like a hawk. Bad posture in your stance? She’ll be the first to tell you to sort it out. Not hearing your Pokemon partner? Right, now you spend the day without using words trying to communicate, let’s see how you like not being listened to.

This is a woman who has spent her life saying very little, and watching everything, she watches Pokemon and can see an issue from a mile off, and in battles, her observations are why she can react fast, and chose effective strategy to avoid damage and achieve results. Don’t let her body fool you, her strongest asset is analysing, watching, planning. Those skills have over the years transferred to people too. As a student, mistakes don’t go unnoticed with this professor.

Her methods are harsh but fair, and should you prove yourself, she will protect you with her life.

Because of her disinterest in kids and lots of noise, she does pass the training of students on to the other staff members whenever possible. Grey takes on the lions share of battle lessons, he is far calmer, more open and friendly, with patience for people, and an empathy that peach sometimes struggles to have. When you go through a lot of harsh training, and difficult events, it’s hard to change how you feel or think, with peach, well, she’s been through it. Most do not come out the other end in one piece, but she did, and it made her strong. You may think I mean strong like buff and big, and yeah sure she is, but I mean it mentally more than anything. Peach will not quit. She has learnt to destroy the boundaries that stop people getting hurt, gone is the fear that freezes you in your tracks, that feeling that you’ll pass out if you go one more step. She’s learnt to ignore it.

This means she’s a little forgetful at how it is to be normal, to be vulnerable and soft and squishy like students so usually are.

She has her issues, but for the most part, visitors get a laugh, a smile, a calm assertive confidence, and facts. She will indulge those who have genuine interest, or show a connection with nature, an understanding of the balance that needs to be struck for everyone to live well together.

Despite her many flaws, she’s fiercely protective, and will go above and beyond to defend the island, it’s staff, the Pokemon and the visitors. Injustice is her biggest gripe, along with littering, and she doesn’t stand by quietly if something happens that seems unfair.

You will not see her without Valka, her vulpix, close by. That Pokemon doesn’t like to be touched by strangers, at all, and will run the second someone comes at her with that intent. Peach will scold you for pushing yourself onto her, should you persistently try to get close to pet Val. They are in sync, if peach is sad, Val is sad, if Val is stressed, peach is stressed, and so on. They are inherently connected, it’s just been that long, the psychic bridge between them has been built, and reinforced over the years.

The only other Pokemon who follows her so endlessly is Booker, a teddiursa who’s pretty rough looking. He quietly trots behind, grouchy and stoic, they fight closely together a lot. He lost his mom a long time ago to poachers, and peach took him in, and changed her whole life for him. Not many people know, but Booker was the reason she left the rangers, changed career, and got so strong. Will tolerate people petting him but isn’t keen at all, grumbles a lot and tries to move away.

You may also need to know about the others, for the sake of writing, she here a few more bits that may be important to you, or others wanting to do this.

Grey is very tall, very burly, composed, tells bad dad jokes, is a bit of a goof if allowed to be. If he sees a pun, he’ll say it. Can’t help himself. Very nice guy to work with, good at keeping people calm and grounded. Pokemon are drawn to him like a moth to a flame, he gives off warm energy, and has inhuman amounts of patience. If you wrong his family however, he will snap back.

He grew up in the city, loves to swim and hike and cycle, can snowboard, is really sporty. A total brain box with held items, and boosting stats. He will explore many paths, to make sure visitors and students get the information they need, in a way that can be remembered and retained for later. Is a huge guy, but will get on the floor to play with a tiny Pokemon. Treats big “meaner” looking species like babies, very good with all pokemon.

His free time is spent either tinkering, swimming, or trimming his bonsai trees. This guy stares at screens a lot, so appreciates time away from them. Peach built him his own little greenhouse for his trees and tools, which he keeps clean and loves dearly.

His methods as a teacher are built around fun and games, he makes hard work easier to do by distracting trainers from the difficult bits, and focusing in on something more interesting or compelling.

His most commonly seen Pokemon would be a houndoom, Saxon, old battle veteran, retired now to herding and being a good boy. Very gentle, loves a pet.

Pari, now a fully fledged nurse, often oversees the labs front desk and pokecentre features, such as healing pokemon, and informing trainers who come to visit. Her skills with eggs and hatchlings is high, she’s great with younger Pokemon, and hands out good advice to trainers a lot. She’s not a fighter, never was, but can find any file, any study, any book, and any refrence you may need. A true bookworm, loves her romance novels, chat shows and upbeat celebrity gossip mags. Will cry at a lot of stuff, be it sad or happy.

She’s got a seriously upbeat personality, but if caught off guard or shocked, she gets a little flustered. Too much chaos will overwhelm her, but usually she’s on top of things. The years spent on the island have made her better at maintaining composure in emergencies. With lots of siblings, she’s very competent with others, and has a good ability to disarm cagey people with her jolly nature. Because of this, she can sometimes gain information from trainers that some of the more harsh professors may not have access to. Charming is a word for it.

Her partners are an eevee, and a happiny. They are quite sweet and well adjusted, the eevee gets a bit bouncy if you get it too excited.

[words-etched-in-her-skin]

Cuddling with Sal that turns from her kissing your neck to biting all over you until you beg for her touch. Please.

I.... had wayyyy too much fun writing this one, dear  😏 So, thank you 😊 It was truly honor to not only get the okay, but the approval of the incredibly talented @classyfruit to write for this soft, snarky, and insanely gorgeous creature! I can only hope that I did her justice!  ♥️ So, without further ado, my dears.. I give you my first genderbent Sal fic! (at just about 3300 words - this deserves a cut!)

****

It was in the murky undertow. In the infinite darkness that filled the waters on the humble outskirts of the village. An absolute starless night enveloping you as you made your way to the water’s edge, keeping your eyes keenly focused. It had been months since you’d seen her last. Since her sea-kissed skin last touched your own. You had ignored all the rumors and hateful words that danced across the stale air of the village. It was no secret that the Lords instilled a great fear in the sheltered minds of the townspeople, but you had learned a long time ago that most of those people didn’t know what they were talking about anyways. 

“Fuck, Sal.. Come on. Where are you?”

You were about to turn around, admit defeat and start the long trek back to the village when it hit. The unmistakable mix of fresh rain and cinnamon. It wafted over you warmly like an old friend, forcing your eyes to focus even harder. Smiling as you caught the sharp gleam of her teeth in the moonlight. A supremely smug smirk across her lips as the length of her rose from the dark water. 

“‘Ey there, love. Lookin’ for me?”

“No, I’m looking for the other gorgeous sea creature that resides in these waters.” You replied, smirking as you rolled your eyes.

“That right?” Her sharp teeth elongating in the moonlight as her smile grew even wider. “What? One gorgeous sea creature ain’t enough fer yeh?” 

“Cute, Sal.”

“Mhm.”

You heard the soft whisper of a chuckle skip across the cool night air as Sal began to close the distance between you. The exposed parts of her skin shimmering as her body seemed to glide seamlessly towards the water’s edge. One who didn’t know any better, would think she controlled the tides, that they bent to her every will. But you knew how strong the tentacles that propelled her towards you were, and you knew it well - so well, in fact, that the thought alone brought a swift blush to your cheeks. 

“Blushin’ already, love?”  

She gave you a full toothed smile, wrapping you in a warm embrace before her feet even had a chance to meet the wet earth. Her strong pheromones, supremely intoxicating as they rolled over you. 

“Shush.” 

Her breath was cool against your skin as she chuckled. 

“Nah.”

“Heh.. little ol’ me?” 

Burying your face into her shoulder, you allowed yourself a moment to linger in her scent - to relish in her very being. She was comfortable in a way that no other person had ever been - she felt like home and adventure, all wrapped up into one delicious package,

“Fuck.. I missed you, Sal.” You murmured into her, pulling a low chuckle from her throat.

She ran the tips of her nails softly through your hair, pulling you closer.

“Yes, Sal. Little ol’ wonderful you.”

You leaned up, to place a soft kiss directly under her chin, forcing a prompt shiver to shoot across her body. The pale moonlight above you, just luminous enough to allow the pink hue that splashed across Sal’s cheeks to shine brilliantly. It was a sight that you would never grow tired of - one that you would always strive for. You could make Sal Moreau blush a million times over, and forever be one short. 

“Aye, flatterer.” 

“It isn’t flattery if it’s true, Sal.” 

“Mh.. ‘spose not.”

She chuckled again, her breath warm against your neck - causing you to shudder against her. Not even aware of the cold setting into your bones as a dense fog rolled in. Sal’s presence never failing to envelope you completely. You shuddered again, this time involuntary, compelling her to wrap her arms around you even tighter. 

“Cuppa tea, love? Warm yeh up a bit?”

“Mmh.. you read my mind.” 

She rubbed her hands affectionately down your arms, attempting to warm you before taking your hand in hers. Leading you both away from the water’s edge and closer inland towards her humble home - a subtle swirl of smoke from the fireplace told you that she had likely recently baked something. A splattering of flat rocks in the foreground that were perfect for stargazing - or so Sal had assured you many times. And you couldn’t help but smirk when you passed them by. 

“Too bad there’s no stars out tonight.” 

“Mh.. ’cept fer the ones in yer eyes, o’ course.”

You blushed as she looked over her shoulder at you, deep crimson across your cheeks.

“Smooth, Sal.”

“Mhm.”

She chuckled again, opening the small wooden door as she led you into the small home. The comfortable scent of fresh baked goods and Sal swiftly enveloping you as you stepped inside. Warm undertones of chocolate still lingering in the air as you made your way into the kitchen. There wasn’t a single thing about Sal’s home that didn’t give you comfort - that didn’t make you feel inherently safe. Every part of it overflowing with her essence.  It was warm, and inviting, and every bit of who Sal was. You wondered how anyone who’d met her could ever call her a monster. 

“Hava seat on the sofa, sweetheart. I’ll put the kettle on.” 

You watched how Sal’s body moved fluidly throughout the small room. How her muscles flexed with each subtle movement that she made. She dropped her coat from her bare skin effortlessly, allowing the landscape of it to be truly appreciated. A small smirk to her lips as she caught your eyes on her, fully aware of the effect she was having on you. There wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t toned, that didn’t look absolutely delicious in the low lighting of the room. The warm hue from the fireplace dancing exquisitely across each and every exposed inch of her, like rogue embers upon a driftless sea. 

“Heh… see sumthin’ yeh like, love?”

“Perhaps,” You replied, blushing slightly as you bit your bottom lip. 

She chuckled softly as she took down a small box from her pantry, placing it next to the two cups on the table. 

“New kind of tea? I haven’t tried that one before;.”

“Aye, not so much new. Jus’ special..” She paused, giving you a wink. “.. like you.” 

You averted your eyes for a moment, blushing as Sal chuckled - never failing to disarm you. 

“Always the charmer, Sal.”

“Mhm.”

She laughed as she shook her head, swirls of steam encasing her face as she filled both mugs to the rim. An earthy but delicious scent immediately rolling over you. The name on the box was unfamiliar - and honestly, seemed a little fancier than Sal’s normal tastes, which only left you wondering.

“So.. do tell, Sal… what makes this tea so special?”

“Yeh mean other than the fact that I’m drinkin’ it with you?” A keen smirk across her face as she stirred what looked like honey into each cup. She was on her game that night, and she knew it. You bit your bottom lip, clearing your throat before replying. 

“Ahem… yes, other than that.”

“Heh.. jus’ so happens to be my favorite kind.. but it’s only found in a small shop o’ the other side of the village. So Donna brings me a box whenever she visits.” 

You felt a sharp pang in your heart as your eyes fell to the almost empty box on the table - immediately wondering how long ago that had been.

“Oh.. does she not visit you very often, then?”

“Ey?” 

Sal looked confused as she caught the melancholic look upon your face, a large and husky laugh ripping from her body as her eyes followed your gaze. 

“Aye, no.. she visits me once a week, hon.. I just really like tea.” 

She laughed again, filling the small home with so much warmth that it was all you could do to chuckle along with her. A bright gleam to her eyes as she gave you a fond smile. 

“Yer cute, love.” 

“Hush, Sal.” You blushed.

“Nah… yeh’d think after so many months, youd’ve gotten used to me by now.”

You slowly stood from the sofa, meeting Sal as she came over to the quaint living area. A teasing grin across her lips as she stopped in front of you  - raising an eyebrow as you smirked.

“Oh? So you think it’d only take a few months for someone to be used to an incredible, warm, charming, sweet, funny, smooth, insanely attractive goddess, such as yourself?” 

You smirked proudly as you watched the fierce blush spill swiftly over her cheeks, a slight bite to her bottom lip as she did her best not to drop the two mugs in her hands. 

“Aye… now who’s the charmer?” 

“You deserve nothing less, Sal Moreau.” 

Sal moved suddenly and without much warning. Placing the two cups on the coffee table before effortlessly pulling you both down onto the sofa. Her strong arms wrapped firmly around you as you settled onto her lap. 

“Fancy a cuddle?” She asked with a wide grin, forcing you to laugh.

“You’re cute, Sal.”

“Mhm.”

You laughed again before snuggling into her, the gentle feeling of her fingers in your hair as nestled into the crook of her neck - humming with content as she placed a small kiss to your forehead. You wondered how many had been in your spot before, how many had been lucky enough to bask in the warm affections of this gorgeous sea creature - and if any of them had appreciated it as much as you did. 

“Sal?” You asked softly, the tips of your fingers tracing gently over the muscles of her forearm. 

“Mh?” 

“Have... you ever been in love?”

You almost expected the question to catch her off guard, perhaps cause her to pull back a bit - but she only tightened her hold on you even further.

“Aye.. a few times, yah.”

“And?”

“Eh..  with some, time jus’ gottaway from us.. others jus’ lost interest.”  

“Ah... And the rest of the Lords?” 

She placed a small kiss to the top of your head before answering. 

“Heh.. Alcina has had several who’ve caught her eye.. Her current handservant and companion bein’ my favorite, tho. And Donna… why she could ‘ave any maid or maiden she wanted, tho she’ll never see it.” 

“And Heisenberg?” 

A deep and boisterous laugh rose from Sal’s body, the rich tones of it dancing melodically throughout the air as she almost doubled over into you.

“Karl loves himself enuf on his own, love.” She replied, continuing to laugh.

You chuckled softly before placing a small kiss at the base of her neck, a slight hitch to her breath as your lips placed another. Her indulgent pheromones sweeping over you with each deep breath that she took. They were sea-kissed and spiced and everything that reminded you of Sal. You placed another kiss against her bare skin before snuggling back in.

‘Hey Sal?”

“Mh?”

“Those others that lost interest.. they were fools, you know?”

“That so?”

You could feel the low chuckle that radiated throughout her throat.

“Mhm.” You replied as you began to reposition yourself, eventually straddling her thigh. A light pink hue already splattering itself across her cheeks as you settled in. The feeling of her incredible body pressed firmly against yours swiftly igniting a fire deep within your core. “You’re fucking perfect, Sal.”

You felt her flinch slightly beneath you, her hands moving quickly to rest on your hips as you moved in a little closer.

“And so gorgeous.. and kind.” 

A slight whimper upon her lips - a deep crimson on her cheeks - the exposed skin of her chest growing steadily more flushed as you leaned in further, wrapping your arms around Sal’s neck. 

“So sexy.. and wonderful.”

The stunning blush that spilled so beautifully across the murky undertones of her skin, the slight bite to her lip. There was nothing that could rile you up faster - nothing that could make you wetter. - than the absolute fluster of Sal Moreau.

A deep hitch within her throat, a breathy whisper across her ear. 

“And so delicious.” 

You felt several parts of her move at once. Her arms wrapped securely around your waist - pulling you closer. Her thigh pressed firmly against your core - forcing a lightning bolt of pleasure straight across your body. The sharpness of her teeth - nipping at your supple flesh - ripping a prompt whimper from your lips.  

“Speak fer yerself, love.”  She replied, allowing the length of her tongue to lick over your freshly bitten skin.

“Mmph.. fuck, Sal.” 

She nipped at you again, this time sucking over it. The soft rhythm of her thigh against you, making you all too grateful for the thin fabric of your stockings. Warm juices quickly gathering in your core as your wetness for her grew with each slow rock of your hips. 

“I was trying to fluster you here, babe.”

“Heh… how’s that going fer yeh, sweetheart?” 

She pressed her thigh into you even further, compelling a deep moan from your body. Another indulgent bite to your neck - the heated sting of it swiftly spilling over you.

“Ah-! It was going good for a minute there.” 

“Mh.. it was.” 

The exquisite shiver that ran across your body as she placed a kiss to the soft curve of your collar bone. Fingers wrapped firmly in her hair as you eagerly pulled her closer - a desperate and silent plea for more. 

“Don’ wanna leave too many marks on yeh, love. What’ll the villagers think?” 

“Fuck the villagers.”

“Nah..  rather fuck you.” 

She chuckled as her thigh pressed firmly into your core, moaning slightly as she felt the heartbeat of it against her. Your warm juices dripping down - seeping into the soft scales of her skin. An immediate and absolutely desperate moan forcing past your lips as you ground your hips down into her. Her warm breath against the flushed skin of your neck as she tangled her fingers deep into your hair, tugging on it as she gently pulled it back. A trail of heated kisses up the length of your neck, nipping at your jawline before her lips crashed into your own.  

You whimpered as you melted into her - into nothing more than the feeling of her - the utter and all encompassing sensation of her tongue dancing exquisitely with yours. And oh, how the world spun - how it rotated intoxicatingly around you - lifting you onto one axis with only Sal to hold you up. It was almost more than you could handle. With your core deliciously grinding against her. A deep heat building steadily within you as your hips slowly quickened their pace. 

“I want to touch you, Sal.. I need to-!”

She moaned deeply as her mouth eagerly met with yours again, pulling you back in. A swift movement of her hand, taking your own as she brought it down exactly to where you both wanted it most. Moaning in return at the feeling of just how utterly wet she was - at just how badly she desired you. Juices immediately coating your fingers as you slid them over her clit, teasing her entrance before sliding three in. An exquisite hitch to Sal’s breath as you curled them deep inside of her.

“Mmh.. Fuck, love..”

She lifted her thigh up a little more, resting her food on the coffee table.  Her hands firmly on your hips as she perfectly matched their pace to the steady rhythm of your fingers. A deep heat spilling over you - a desperate need for more. Rolling your hips down onto her as your wet folds slid deliciously around the defined muscles of her thigh. Every inch of her taut - firm beneath you as she pulled you closer still. Her hands moving - roaming over your body as if it were a handwritten map of the stars. The tips of her fingernails grazing over the soft skin of your ribcage.. ghosting over your nipples and down your sides. Crying out for her as the sharpness of them found your back, slightly digging in as you increased the speed of your fingers. 

“Mh.. you feel so good, love.”

“You are so good, Sal.”

Her hips jerked, whimpering at your praise. A shot of pleasure shooting straight through you as your bodies connected - as they desperately crashed into each other - clawing at the other’s flesh like it was all that you had. Like you may lose each other at any moment. 

“And so sweet.” 

You placed the softest kiss to her lips, thrusting your fingers deep inside of her. Your own pleasure building with each masterful swirl of your hips - the firmness of Sal’s thigh delicious against your core - juices soaking straight through your stockings, dripping down the sides of it.

“Fuck, love.. I’m..”

The great Sal Moreau, the smoothest creature in existence - not even able to finish a sentence - to mutter a quip. Completely and utterly flustered beneath you.  Her normally strong breath hitched, her cheeks a deeper crimson than you’d ever seen before. Slitted embers as her eyes grew increasingly half lidded. You had never seen her look more beautiful - and you felt bad for anyone who wasn’t there to witness it. 

“You’re what, Sal? Hm? Stunning? Amazing? Perfect?”

You punctuated each praise with an indulgent thrust of your fingers. Her nails in your back, muffled moans against your skin as she sunk her teeth back into your soft flesh. An unrelenting heat sweeping over you with each delicious sting that marked it’s way across your body. Her hands back on your hips as she sped up their pace to match your own. Fingers strong , merciless inside her - forcing the sweetest juices to gush from her core. Body flushed, writhing against her as you moved as one. 

“Come with me, love.”

The words lept from her tongue like a prayer - like an order that had been rolled up in nothing more than a desperate plea. 

“Mmph-! Fuck, Sal.”

The heat between you was electric - charged in a way that you had never felt before. Beads of sweat dripping deliciously from your bodies as your pleasures continued to build.. as your fingers curled.. as she took your hips into her hands and forced your aching core down against her. Compelling a cry to rip itself from your lungs. Bodies jerking as a hot white pleasure spilt relentlessly over the both of you. Breathless, shuddering into each other as a tidal wave of it crashed over you…  as utter bliss seeped into every cell that you had to offer… as you screamed her name out into the starless night - willing her to scream out yours in turn. Juices gushing - slicking over thighs, and dripping down fingers. And you held each other closely, riding out the infinite stars behind your eyes until neither could move..  until your hearts were beating as one. Your forehead resting gently against hers as you placed soft kisses to her dew stricken skin. 

‘Fuck, Sal.. I missed this. I missed you.”

“Heh.. jus’ havta come back sooner next time, yah?” 

“Touche’.” You chuckled, placing a sweet kiss to her lips. Her eyes closed as she tried to steady her breath. “So does that mean you won’t mind if I spend the night?” 

“Bold o’ you to assume I planned on lettin’ go anytime soon, love.” 

As though to prove a point, she wrapped her arms securely around you. The strength of her embrace holding you close as you settled back onto her lap, snuggling into her. The nightly sounds of the reservoir soothing as they swam throughout the late night air - calming as they softly drifted over you. Allowing the two of you to linger in the solace of the moment - in the feeling of nothing but each other - before Sal safely carried your slumbered body to the bed.

Xx

[solarianvoidthearoace]

Excerpt#1 of my Gerry Keay/OC Magical/Mythical CollegeAU

CN/TW: Social Anxiety, discussion of mental illness, discussion of past trauma, awkward coming-out, miscommunication, misunderstanding, it/its pronouns for Michael Shelley, he/they pronouns for Gerry, they/them pronouns for OC, narrative mention of Mary Keay, mention of alcohol, mythical people living in a parallel society and amongst humans, original character talking German (two sentences; extrapolable from context)

“But sure, you're seeming nice so no problem.” Heaving a relieved sigh, Gerry followed them into the room. The two taking seats in the lower rows of the auditorium, seeing as Gerry’s companion wore glasses. Unpacking their notepads, pencil cases, and Gerry setting up his laptop. There was still time until the lecture was set to begin, so Gerry turned to his table neighbour,

“Your look sends very mixed signals, if I’m being honest.” They grinned, propping their chin up on the back of their hand,

“All the right ones, apparently”, demonstratively looking Gerry up and down. Making them look away, clearing his throat. They laughed,

“Not flirting, don’t worry. I’m Yanis.” He tried masking his relieved sigh best they could,

“Gerry.”

They did pay attention to the lecture, still, Gerry found out a bit more about his dyed ginger saviour. Yanis was in the same semester and some of the same courses has he was. Though they didn’t study for the same engineering degree, there was a decent overlap. Some courses Gerry needed for his software engineering degree much the same as Yanis needed for mechanical engineering. They easily offered they could study together. Yanis having been at the campus since they started their degree and knowing the ins and outs of it.

Having easily found common ground in their discipline of study, as well as their taste in music, Gerry had no qualms following Yanis to the canteen for a late breakfast. They kept chatting, switching back and forth between languages.

“So what if you’re 31?”, Yanis shrugged,

“I also had to take care of my health first. Plus we’re both neurodivergent so starting a college degree at all is more stressful to us. It’s not like anyone is rushing you.” Gerry rolled their eyes,

“Still. Being autist and depressed doesn’t exactly help my case here. That’s ignoring the ADHD and trauma.” A painted-black nail flicked his nose,

“Nope. None of that, you’re not demanded to keep pace with anyone and if your personal reasons bared you from even looking into college education until you were 25, then that’s how it is. Besides, it’s eight years between us. Don’t be dramatic.” Gerry tried to glare but they simply raised a brow in challenge, shutting him right up. While they weren’t in the same major, they compared their course schedules some more and found they were in the same philosophy and ethics courses for their minor. Gerry having decided to not put that on hold and taking the according courses in his semester in Germany as well.

By the end of the day, Gerry felt they had a better handle on his new college-everyday and possibly even made a friend. Which raised a few problems all of its own.

While Gerry had no problem with Yanis finding out what concretely had delayed his life so much, they had another problem. Gerry wasn’t human. And neither was their best friend Michael, for the matter, it being a changeling and his nature chaotic to a fault. Gerry themself was, depending on what one believed, involuntarily threatening to humans.

His mother having been a hulder, a mythical being almost looking like a human. The feature most telling of their mythical nature, though, the fact that they look hollow if seen in the right light, from the right angle. Akin to forest spirits, hulders were drawn by their nature to lure townspeople into forests. Not inherently malicious, of course, their blonde hair and fair skin drawing mostly men in.

With an established mythical society existing in parallel to the non-magical human society, there were laws and proper paperwork surrounding magical and mythical people’s “otherness” and characteristics.

Characteristics which were the life-long obsession of his mother. Her trying to create offspring of her own that would be inherently dangerous to humans and as malicious as she had been. Gerry hated thinking about his father almost more than he hated his mother. But matter of fact was, being half-hulder, and his father having been a river-nix, Gerry was… alluring. Drawing people in without them realising as much if he acted the wrong kind of way towards them. Gerry forced to be constantly mindful of their nature, as to not accidentally harm someone.

Which was why they usually didn’t make friends. Having to make sure the person wasn’t human as to not endanger them.

And yet, they got stuck with Yanis. Gerry was glad it was autumn, the chance of light hitting him in just the wrong way dwindling. But he couldn’t help their worried unease, recognising Yanis and them grew closer.

It wasn’t that Gerry was set out to avoid Yanis, having taken them up on an invitation to lunch and even to revise notes and study together. But Gerry had a bad feeling about it, especially when he grew to see them as a friend. They did try bringing some more distance between them, an attempt so he didn’t need to outright evade Yanis. Declining their invitations more often than not, excusing themself and finding reasons to convince himself it was the right thing to do.

Having forced himself to take a step back, Gerry caught themself looking for them. It had started so he could more easily get around them, trying to deter Yanis from inviting him in the first place so they didn’t have to turn them down as often.

Gerry wasn’t oblivious to their whole demeanour getting muted once it had clicked that he was trying to push distance between them. But seeing Yanis less cheery and energetic made Gerry realise some things about them.

Yanis wasn’t much smaller than him, a few inches at most. But they carried themself in a way that made them stand out. Gerry had learned Yanis had chronic pain, making it hard on them to be on their feet the entire day. Rarely, they wore leg braces, limiting their range of motion further than their chronic pain already did. Still, Yanis was confident and most days glossing over their frequent aches with relative ease. It had been more apparent when they hadn’t been upset but the way Yanis walked was… with purpose. Every step seeming deliberate and not to be questioned. While that cocksure confident way to carry oneself wasn’t all that remarkable, it stood out in Yanis.

And Gerry needed a good long while to figure out why.

Michael had badgered them to get out and socialise. It was the last week before winter break and there was a social happening of the engineering faculty. Gerry had put on a nice button shirt and proper slacks before touching up their black nail polish and putting on a hint of eyeliner.

Yes, he was cautious not to accidentally draw humans in but that didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to tart themself up. Gerry hadn’t even really planned to talk to anyone, if they were being honest. Just mingling among people and feeling alone in the crowd instead of feeling alone by himself.

That was, until aquamarine and black varnished fingers held a bottle in his field of vision. Gerry couldn’t fight down his smile before closing their eyes. Shaking his head, they just let it happen. Let that gentle affection wash over him for just a moment.

“Thought you might be here tonight”, Yanis held out the drink,

“The crown cap is still sealed.” Gerry pulled a face as to not smile despite themself. He sighed,

“You’re quite persistent.” Yanis raised a rather expressive brow at him,

“If you honestly wanted me gone, you would have told me. So I dare say you don’t want me completely gone. It’s nice having someone who can keep up with my ADHD jumping through topics, plus being able to overlook what allistics call me weird for.” When he finally took the bottle, their smile turned from friendly to bright. He bit his lip, trying to hide it behind the bottle. Yanis offered them their bottle opener.

“Got me there. And yes, having a neurodivergent friend is quite unwinding”, he admitted. Opening the drink, Gerry took them in. A proper once-over. They weren’t primped either but certainly had put thought into their casual suit not clashing with their once-again stark-red hair. Gerry having seen Yanis cycling through vibrant red washing out to ginger, before they went back to dyed poppy-red.

Gerry felt admittedly awkward standing together with them. Very much aware of how they had avoided them after all. Nursing their drinks, they kept quiet. Even though Gerry noticed Yanis also taking in his appearance. After some time he sighed,

“I’m sorry. It’s…”, they broke off, shaking his head.

“Complicated?”, Yanis offered with a huff,

“That’s one way to put it, I suppose.” Gerry raised a brow at them. Before he could ask what they were referring to, though, Yanis turned to him properly.

“Did you notice there’s a dance floor?” They blinked in surprise,

“Uh… yea, I did.” Yanis snorted, taking his empty bottle from them and depositing the glass on a nearby tray for used tableware.

“So, can you dance?”, Yanis’ smile inviting and warm,

“And would you dance with me?” Gerry froze, biting his lip and looking away. He knew they shouldn’t. They were very much aware that Yanis needed to keep their distance from him. He swallowed thickly,

“I can dance but…” Yanis hummed expectantly.

“We shouldn’t, okay? I don’t want to elaborate on that.” Yanis’ face cleared as they gave a soft ‘oh’ of understanding.

When Gerry looked back at them, Yanis was looking at them. The expression in their eyes making him pause. A glint of intent, resolve. But their overall demeanour had changed as well. That deliberate way they carried themself was back, not in a way that intimidated. But even standing next to Gerry, he could see they were moving with an intent, with a conscious focus on the way they moved to get there.

Yanis licked their lip,

“I will respect your turndown. But I would like you to know that I know.” Gerry froze. Raising a brow, Yanis’ tone turned gentler still,

“And I really don’t want to push you towards anything. Or put you up to anything.” Gerry felt his amusement bubbling up when Yanis said as much. The idea of someone human inciting a mythical or magical person to anything at all seemed a bit laughable.

“I’m aromantic myself”, they shrugged,

“And asexual.” Their smile turning into a bit of a smirk, cheeky just around the edges. Gerry’s face cleared in surprise, his jaw dropping a bit. His amusement freezing over with a faint ‘oh’ of their own. Before he grimaced,

“I am aromantic, yes, but that’s not it. I’m sorry, you’re a really nice person. You have been nothing but friendly and a reliable friend at that. It’s…”

Yanis closed their eyes, brows raised, before they snorted.

“Let me stop you right there. I know you have been avoiding me, I have respected that you were avoiding me”, they looked him in the eye,

“If you want me gone, I won’t bother you again. I’ll be out of your hair and we don’t have to even talk again.” Gerry felt his face fall, nervously biting his lip once more. Yanis wasn’t done just yet,

“But if you would like to, I want to get to know you”, a short jerk of their head,

“Properly get to know you. I think both our first gut feeling about the other was that we could become pretty great friends. And that’s all I’m suggesting.” Gerry needed a moment to process that. To let sink in that Yanis was really just curious about his friendship. Something they had so far always had to be wary around. At least until Gerry knew whether the person in question was human. Yanis huffed,

“While you process whether to give us a try, I’ll get us new drinks.” Gerry blinked, then nodded when they realised Yanis was waiting on his okay. Another one of those bright friendly smiles before they turned away. Gerry didn’t know what it was but they followed Yanis with his eyes. Their red hair easy to make out even in the crowd.

Just as he was about to turn away, he noticed something. Yanis was a very body-aware person, conscious and deliberate to a point it might seem standoffish. They had explained how it related to their chronic back and joint pain. But as Gerry watched them move through the crowd, he realised just how easily they moved around people. Almost light-footed, turning out of others’ ways with ease.

Despite them being almost as tall as him, and dressed in dark clothes, something about Yanis’ way through the crowd seemed almost airy.

It didn’t fit. It should have clashed immensely.

As they moved back towards him, Gerry realised what had been so weird about Yanis’ bodily confidence. They didn’t seem to make way for themself. Not at all. While that sureness was clear as day, written all over their most minute movements.

The way Yanis moved was the harsh opposite. Gerry was tempted to call it floaty. He knew they could make a way for themself through people, had witnessed as much a few times in the bustle of the campus. But how Yanis moved around people seemed just as natural.

Not even the slightest touch between them and the people around, as if some shimmer was keeping Yanis from being touchable. Kept up their airy strut, as if they weren’t turning and stepping around people.

The contrast did not make sense. And seeing as Gerry’s best friend was a changeling, well, if things didn’t make sense, it was likely some faerie or other was involved.

Which, on the one hand, would mean Yanis was safe from his own magic. But on the other hand it would raise so many more questions around them. About them.

Gerry couldn’t help his sceptical look when Yanis returned. Frowning at them, unsure whether to trust what they had seen.

“You're looking at me like that again”, Yanis raised a brow at him. Gerry gnawed his bottom lip,

“You’re a bit of a mystery, if I’m being honest.” But took the offered bottle none the less. Yanis’ warm smile returned,

“Well, I suppose it’s on you whether you care to figure me out, then.” An easy shrug as they raised a brow at him.

Gerry didn’t reply. They had not clue what to reply to that. And what they wanted to reply in the first place. Yanis didn’t push him. Much to Gerry’s relief. They fell back into companionable silence, emptying their drinks. When the bottles were empty, Yanis looked at him for a long moment. Searching their face. Yanis’ expression fell a bit, their smile not reaching their eyes anymore. Still, they only grimaced a little before sighing,

“So… have a good night, then.” Taking his empty bottle to take it away with their own, Yanis turned to go. Looking back over their shoulder,

“I guess I’ll see you around.” And with a final shrug and smile, they were gone in the crowd. Gerry stared after them before he closed their eyes and sighed. Silently cursing themself, he turned away from the crowd as well. One hand coming up to cover his mouth. Yanis had been right, if Gerry really had wanted them gone, he could have told them as much anytime. If they had wanted Yanis gone, he could have told them as much when they literally offered to leave him alone.

But Gerry didn’t. Because Gerry hadn’t and still didn’t want them gone.

They spent another few minutes turning things over in his head. What he had to consider if they really tried building a genuine friendship with Yanis.

Once he started looking around for them, Gerry regretted their delay. Not able to make out the red shock of hair, Gerry pulled out his phone. If he couldn’t find Yanis, he might at least tell Michael about his hunch. They had been friends for forever but Gerry still wasn’t all that confident to make out people that were connected to faerie. It was his best idea at the moment but he might just as well be off. Asking Michael for his opinion was a solid thing, also maybe it could distract Gerry if they really didn’t find Yanis again. Which meant Gerry would have to approach them around their next shared lecture.

Pocketing their phone, he looked up and around once more.

And huffed in amusement, Yanis standing almost directly in his line of vision. Albeit turned from them and leaning with their chin propped up over a bar table. Despite having avoided them, Gerry knew their usual posture well enough to see Yanis had to adjust to their pain at the moment. Holding their weight cautiously and reducing tension in their back and legs. Coincidentally, Yanis was looking at their own phone when Gerry came closer. And if he wasn’t mistaken, they were looking at the recent chat chronic between the two of them. The small frown pulling down the corner of Yanis’ lips gave Gerry a weird boost of confidence.

As he stepped up to the table, Yanis looked up.

“Du schon wieder”, they raised a brow but their frown had vanished. The quip good natured and accompanied by a small smile. Gerry couldn’t help smiling themself. With a slight head-tilt, he shrugged,

“Well, I can admit that I went looking for you.” Feeling a blush creep up on him, they tried fighting down his smile. Yanis turned to them fully, still with one elbow leaning on the table, they raised a brow. Giving Gerry a once-over. A short jerk of their head,

“Okay, und?” Gerry took a deep breath,

“You wanted to dance with me”, he shrugged,

“How about that invitation?” Yanis’ smile brightened a bit, stepping away from the table and coming closer. They offered him a hand,

“Your lead or mine?”

[kitkatopinions]

I'm tired of fantasy world writers being like 'oh, this is my allegory for racism in my fantasy world where actual racism doesn't exist, also I'm going to not do any research on how to properly include said allegory, badly portray it, make my main characters affected by this white or white passing, and then use racist stereotypes later.' Long post full of RWBY criticism ahead.

RWBY is terrible with the Faunus racism they chose to make part of their story. They made the White Fang an evil terrorist group, they made Blake lecture fellow Faunus about how they're the ones actually hurting themselves by using violence against each other, they framed comfortable and peaceful protest as the only good way despite establishing that peaceful protest didn't work, and they made their child slave coded character who literally got branded turn into nothing more than an abusive stalker and then had him killed without ever addressing the aforementioned child slavery. Also, the only Faunus among our main cast now that Sun is gone is one of the most privileged of the Faunus. Blake can pass as a human if she wants to, she grew up fairly rich, she has two loving parents, and she comes from an inherently powerful position as the daughter of the Chief. Having Blake be privileged would be absolutely fine, if she acknowledged her privilege, wasn’t the mouthpiece on Faunus rights, if she wasn’t the only Faunus in our main cast, and if she didn’t repeatedly lecture other Faunus.

On top of that, two of our main cast have been racist (within the narrative of the show) towards our main Faunus character, one of them learns from it (even though that as well was badly handled) and became the only member of Team RWBY to ever call out human's being racist after season three. Oh wait, except the other member of our main cast that was racist that never had it addressed because it was treated like a joke now has yelled at a racist once, in an incredibly tense situation, so I guess her racism is gone. It’s good that it’s gone, since CRWBY is pushing her and Blake as a couple, but it’s frustrating that her racism never even got a ‘that wasn’t funny’ and we never see Yang learn any better, because it feels like CRWBY brushed it off and acted like it was fun and quirky instead of treating it like the casual racism it was. They do a similar thing with Robyn in season seven which came out in 2019, when she calls Marrow ‘Wags.’ Also none of our main cast are ever seen protesting for Faunus rights (sans a two second flashback of child Blake at a rally and a non canon RWBY chibi cartoon.) I don't think Ruby - our main protagonist - has ever even mentioned Faunus rights. In a world where Adam was branded with the SDC logo under fifteen years ago at the most, racism and fighting racism should be a big part of the story, and instead, it's brushed to the side and used for the occasional 'we don't like racism btw' moment now that Blake got rid of a Faunus run terrorist group. To me, this implies that the number one threat to the Faunus… Was the Faunus, and although some humans are still anti-Faunus, no one has to devote their time or energy into fighting for equality. In season 7, Blake doesn’t even attend the rally of the political figure running against Jacques Schnee - who as far as I’m aware, is the only business owner or person in power who has ever displayed anti-Faunus racism in the show. By the way, please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. It’s been a hot minute since I watched through the show.

Instead of attending a rally that seems very important for the Faunus, Blake goes dancing with her crush. It’s like she stopped caring about politics and rights after the White Fang got removed. That feels so bad. Also, I'll note that most of the actual POC Faunus that can't pass as white in this show are on the bad side (Sienna, Fennec, Corsac, Lionheart, Ilia, Marrow.) And either they die, or they must learn to give up their destructive ways and become better people. I’m not saying this was intentional, I’m saying it’s a pattern, it’s alarming, and the writers should’ve known better.

I believe Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross have admitted that they mishandled Faunus racism, but first off, it still doesn’t excuse them because they were grown people putting out a product that premiered in 2013 and they should’ve known to do research and do better. But second off, I still feel like they haven't done the research they need to and continue to mishandle the racism by ignoring it when they want to and bringing it up only to let us as an audience know Weiss and Yang aren't racist anymore. They can’t just cut the Faunus from their storyline now, but they can’t just ignore it, and need to actually make it a better allegory. Honestly though, one of the big reasons I'm convinced that they still haven't done any real research on how to properly portray POC or racism is because of how terribly they're handling the Ace Ops.

They're writing a fantasy show, they aren't tied to real world portrayals of law enforcement, but they went the route of commentating on real world police, corrupt police, and use of excessive force. That's fine. But things are already pretty dicey just starting off because of how they've mishandled and continue to mishandle Faunus racism. Outside of Jacques Schnee and his company and business partners, I don't remember seeing Faunus racism in Atlas (not Mantle, Atlas.) If I'm wrong about that, again, please correct me, I may have missed it. But without seeing actual discrimination against Faunus within the police force, right off the bat, that's a mishandling of commentating on police brutality. But also, other than Clover who is now dead, the Ace Ops are all people of color. CRWBY made their bad cops all not white. Even Ironwood - who is white passing - is voiced by a person of color who has said he believes that James is Chinese American. I'll point out that being a Hunter is pretty much just being a cop with more freedom and seemingly less rules. Qrow (a Beacon Huntsman) goes around destroying public property and comments on how some hunters work outside of the law, and yet it's only the Ace Ops who are held to real world ACAB rules and everyone else gets to be a good cop/law enforcement officer. Ruby gets to proudly proclaim herself a Huntress, Weiss gets to arrest people, Jaune gets told that he deserves his Huntsman license, we've been getting told for seven seasons that Hunters help people and do what's right, and we're given long time Hunters and mentor figures like Oobleck, Glynda, Qrow, and now Robyn is being framed that way, and they back that up. Even training Atlas soldiers like Neon and Flynt are fine and fun. But only the Ace Ops are bad, corrupt law enforcement officers. So that way, we can have the entirely white passing Team RWBY beat up the entirely POC, not white passing Ace Ops. Even though Team RWBY is a byproduct of the same kind of program and even though we’ve seen the police discriminate against Faunus in Vale. If CRWBY wants their allegories to be taken seriously, they need to recognize that RWBY and co are also certified police. Also, it’s really not funny to see people use ACAB as a reason why the Ace Ops are of course bad, but then turn around and simp for Winter, and be like ‘We want Winter to be redeemed, but Harriet? What a bitch!’ Like… I’m side-eyeing that pretty hard.

Speaking of Winter, now she’s in charge of the Ace Ops. But unlike Marrow, Winter doesn’t just look sad sometimes and blindly only follow direct orders without protest. She’s actually feeling all kinds of things, and she’s actually being framed as strong, intelligent, and reasonable. I’m sure no one forgot this, but I’ll note it anyway; Winter is white. Having Winter be the only Ace Op to actually listen to JRY and do things without James explicitly telling her to (although I don’t consider what she did a betrayal or going behind his back) is dicey. They could’ve given this moment to Harriet and nothing would change. ‘This lady typically follows orders, is short tempered, and pushes down her emotions, but she can still recognize a fairly good idea when she sees one and can actually think for herself, so although this isn’t a betrayal, she compromises and lets Team JRY go after their friend.’ Yeah, idk guys, I feel like there was literally no reason to slot Winter in with the Ace Ops to be the lone voice of reason when Harriet could’ve become the new leader and played the exact same role. Instead, Winter gets to have a power move where she puts Harriet in her place. Winter is given actual depth and gets to put down the black woman who the writers have made display nothing but anger for the whole season. The fans rally behind Winter because she was given depth and hate Harriet because she has none, but that’s the fault of the writers. Btw, ‘this black woman won’t show any emotion besides anger’ is a racist stereotype. It would probably have taken like five minutes on google for Luna and Shawcross to have realized that it was a bad idea to write a black woman in any sort of position of power to be constantly angry + hiding her emotions. Elm is in the same boat as Harriet, and I was going to say it’s less severe, but then I remembered that she literally attacked Ren for talking about their emotions.

Look, my point is that RWBY as a show has never handled allegories like racism and corrupt police well, and either they should stop trying and stick to ‘make believe land is just different than the real world’ or start putting in the work and fix this. By the way, I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad for watching or even enjoying RWBY, but I hope people can watch it while recognizing that some of the things CRWBY has chosen to put into their show are destructive and that the creators need to be called out. I’ll continue to hope that most RWBY fans do recognize that RWBY is deeply flawed, but I’ve just been stewing recently about someone who told me that I shouldn’t have expected the show to address Faunus racism in the Atlas arcs because that ended when Adam died.

I want to make it totally clear that I agree with and support ACAB in the real world and I'm not against it being used in fantasy works, I just think CRWBY is doing a poor job of portraying it and many fans are misusing it and it feels disrespectful. This is an actual real world movement with actual real world consequences. It feels very bad to see people use it to argue that the writers who have never handled allegories of racism well can make an all POC group be a destructive, violent, easily controlled, easily beat group of corrupt cops that need a white woman and fellow cop to be the voice of reason.

[invisibleicewands]

Staged's Anna Lundberg and Georgia Tennant: 'Scenes with all four of us usually involved alcohol'

Not many primetime TV hits are filmed by the show’s stars inside their own homes. However, 2020 wasn’t your average year. During the pandemic, productions were shut down and workarounds had to be found – otherwise the terrestrial schedules would have begun to look worryingly empty. Staged was the surprise comedy hit of the summer.

This playfully meta short-form sitcom, airing in snack-sized 15-minute episodes, found A-list actors Michael Sheen and David Tennant playing an exaggerated version of themselves, bickering and bantering as they tried to perfect a performance of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author over Zoom.

Having bonded while co-starring in Good Omens, Amazon’s TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s novel, Sheen, 51, and Tennant, 49, became best buddies in real life. In Staged, though, they’re comedically reframed as frenemies – warm, matey and collaborative, but with a cut-throat competitiveness lurking just below the surface. As they grew ever more hirsute and slobbish in lockdown, their virtual relationship became increasingly fraught.

It was soapily addictive and hilariously thespy, while giving a voyeuristic glimpse of their interior decor and domestic lives – with all the action viewed through their webcams.

Yet it was the supporting cast who lifted Staged to greatness,Their director Simon Evans, forced to dance around the pair’s fragile egos and piggy-in-the-middle of their feuds. Steely producer Jo, played by Nina Sosanya, forever breaking off from calls to bellow at her poor, put-upon PA. And especially the leading men’s long-suffering partners, both actors in real life, Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg.

Georgia Tennant comes from showbiz stock, as the child of Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson. At 36 she is an experienced actor and producer, who made her TV debut in Peak Practice aged 15. She met David on Doctor Who 2008, when she played the Timelord’s cloned daughter Jenny. Meanwhile, the Swedish Lundberg, 26, is at the start of her career. She left drama school in New York two years ago and Staged is her first big on-screen role.

Married for nine years, the Tennants have five children and live in west London. The Lundberg-Sheens have been together two years, have a baby daughter, Lyra, and live outside Port Talbot in south Wales. On screen and in real life, the women have become firm friends and frequent scene-stealers.

Staged proved so successful that it’s now back for a second series. We set up a video call with Tennant and Lundberg to discuss lockdown life, wine consumption, home schooling (those two may be related) and the blurry line between fact and fiction…

Was doing Staged a big decision, because it’s so personal and set in your homes? Georgia Tennant: We’d always been a very private couple. Staged was everything we’d never normally say yes to. Suddenly, our entire house is on TV and so is a version of the relationship we’d always kept private. But that’s the way to do it, I guess. Go to the other extreme. Just rip off the Band-Aid.

Anna Lundberg: Michael decided pretty quickly that we weren’t going to move around the house at all. All you see is the fireplace in our kitchen.

GT: We have five children, so it was just about which room was available.

AL: But it’s not the real us. It’s not a documentary.

GT: Although some people think it is.

Which fictional parts of the show do people mistake for reality? GT: People think I’m really a novelist because “Georgia” writes a novel in Staged. They’ve asked where they can buy my book. I should probably just write one now because I’ve done the marketing already.

AL: People worry about our elderly neighbour, who gets hospitalised in the show. She doesn’t actually exist in real life but people have approached Michael in Tesco’s, asking if she’s OK.

Michael and David squabble about who’s billed first in Staged. Does that reflect real life? AL: With Good Omens, Michael’s name was first for the US market and David’s was first for the British market. So those scenes riffed on that.

Should we call you Georgia and Anna, or Anna and Georgia? GT: Either. We’re super-laidback about these things.

AL: Unlike certain people.

How well did you know each other before Staged? GT: We barely knew each other. We’ve now forged a friendship by working on the show together.

AL: We’d met once, for about 20 minutes. We were both pregnant at the time – we had babies a month apart – so that was pretty much all we talked about.

Did you tidy up before filming? AL: We just had to keep one corner relatively tidy.

GT: I’m quite a tidy person, but I didn’t want to be one of those annoying Instagram people with perfect lives. So strangely, I had to add a bit of mess… dot a few toys around in the background. I didn’t want to be one of those insufferable people – even though, inherently, I am one of those people.

Was there much photobombing by children or pets? AL: In the first series, Lyra was still at an age where we could put her in a baby bouncer. Now that’s not working at all. She’s just everywhere. Me and Michael don’t have many scenes together in series two, because one of us is usually Lyra-wrangling.

GT: Our children aren’t remotely interested. They’re so unimpressed by us. There’s one scene where Doris, our five-year-old, comes in to fetch her iPad. She doesn’t even bother to glance at what we’re doing.

How was lockdown for you both? AL: I feel bad saying it, but it was actually good for us. We were lucky enough to be in a big house with a garden. For the first time since we met, we were in one place. We could just focus on Lyra . To see her grow over six months was incredible. She helped us keep a steady routine, too.

GT: Ours was similar. We never spend huge chunks of time together, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At least until David’s career goes to shit and he’s just sat at home. The flipside was the bleakness. Being in London, there were harrowing days when everything was silent but you’d just hear sirens going past, as a reminder that something awful was going on. So I veered between “This is wonderful” and “This is the worst thing that ever happened.”

And then there was home schooling… GT: Which was genuinely the worst thing that ever happened.

You’ve spent a lot of time on video calls, clearly. What are your top Zooming tips? GT: Raise your camera to eye level by balancing your laptop on a stack of books. And invest in a ring light.

AL: That’s why you look so much better. We just have our sad kitchen light overhead, which makes us look like one massive shiny forehead.

GT: Also, always have a good mug on the go [raises her cuppa to the camera and it’s a Michael Sheen mug]. Someone pranked David on the job he’s shooting at the moment by putting a Michael Sheen mug in his trailer. He brought it home and now I use it every morning. I’m magically drawn to drinking out of Michael.

There’s a running gag in series one about the copious empties in Michael’s recycling. Did you lean into lockdown boozing in real life? AL: Not really. We eased off when I was pregnant and after Lyra was born. We’d just have a glass of wine with dinner.

GT: Yes, definitely. I often reach for a glass of red in the show, which was basically just an excuse to continue drinking while we were filming: “I think my character would have wine and cake in this scene.” The time we started drinking would creep slightly earlier. “We’ve finished home schooling, it’s only 4pm, but hey…” We’ve scaled it back to just weekends now.

How did you go about creating your characters with the writer Simon Evans? AL: He based the dynamic between David and Michael on a podcast they did together. Our characters evolved as we went along.

GT: I was really kind and understanding in the first draft. I was like “I don’t want to play this, it’s no fun.” From the first few tweaks I made, Simon caught onto the vibe, took that and ran with it.

Did you struggle to keep a straight face at times? AL: Yes, especially the scenes with all four of us, when David and Michael start improvising.

GT: I was just drunk, so I have no recollection.

AL: Scenes with all four of us were normally filmed in the evening, because that’s when we could be child-free. Usually there was alcohol involved, which is a lot more fun.

GT: There’s a long scene in series two where we’re having a drink. During each take, we had to finish the glass. By the end, we were all properly gone. I was rewatching it yesterday and I was so pissed.

What else can you tell us about series two? GT: Everyone’s in limbo. Just as we think things are getting back to normal, we have to take three steps back again. Everyone’s dealing with that differently, shall we say.

AL: In series one, we were all in the same situation. By series two, we’re at different stages and in different emotional places.

GT: Hollywood comes calling, but things are never as simple as they seem.

There were some surprise big-name cameos in series one, with Samuel L Jackson and Dame Judi Dench suddenly Zooming in. Who can we expect this time around? AL: We can’t name names, but they’re very exciting.

GT: Because series one did so well, and there’s such goodwill towards the show, we’ve managed to get some extraordinary people involved. This show came from playing around just to pass the time in lockdown. It felt like a GCSE end-of-term project. So suddenly, when someone says: “Samuel L Jackson’s in”, it’s like: “What the fuck’s just happened?”

AL: It took things to the next level, which was a bit scary.

GT: It suddenly felt like: “Some people might actually watch this.”

How are David and Michael’s hair and beard situations this time? AL: We were in a toyshop the other day and Lyra walked up to these Harry Potter figurines, pointed at Hagrid and said: “Daddy!” So that explains where we’re at. After eight months of lockdown, it was quite full-on.

GT: David had a bob at one point. Turns out he’s got annoyingly excellent hair. Quite jealous. He’s also grown a slightly unpleasant moustache.

Is David still wearing his stinky hoodie? GT: I bought him that as a gift. It’s actually Paul Smith loungewear. In lockdown, he was living in it. It’s pretty classy, but he does manage to make it look quite shit.

[thedemonstherapist]

hello friend!! thanks for your patience with this i really appreciate it 💜 here's stuff about me!

Likes: bunnies, chilly breezes, naps with my partner, chats with my bestie, getting to go home from work on time, learning new things, the colors purple pink and blue, stuffed animals, dancing, the moon, cooking for others, others cooking for me, being invited to things even if i can't go, solvable problems, clear instructions

Dislikes: hot weather, feeling sweaty, dust and how it gets on everything, same for sand, when someone tells me something i was gonna do anyway so now i don't want to, when shirts are too small in the arms but fit everywhere else, feeling disoriented after a sleep, when people think an animal behavior is cute without caring that it might be a stress response or bad for the animal, wasabi peas

I'm a Gemini sun, Scorpio moon, Sagittarius rising, but it's not super important to me, I just read astrology for fun. I really like my data entry job because I know more or less what each day looks like, but there's enough variation to keep it interesting. I'm occasionally forgetful and I'm trying to work on that. I have a lot of crafty hobbies that I pick up and drop occasionally. I can sleep anywhere. Every night I tell my bestie and my partner good night with "good night noodle" and "good night my love" respectively. My gender is best described as "no gender, left bisexual". I refuse to have guilty pleasures in that I refuse to feel bad for something I enjoy. Sometimes I feel like my attempts to communicate clearly by being as specific as possible backfire because instead of making things clear, it makes things too complicated. My goals in life are to be nice and have fun.

Thaaaaaat's all I can think of! Thanks again my friend!!

⋆｡⋆˚Benign Favour.⋆｡⋆

“To win a creature's trust shows grace and patience. To keep their favour is a task that can only be accomplished by even deeper compassion and an inherently kind soul” is a sentence that has stuck to your very core since childhood. As a WATATSUMI ISLAND native, you grew up around the sea, constantly surrounded by magical beings and a mystical, enchanted environment. It is only natural that this fuelled your curiosity towards all forms of life upon this continent, a curiosity that has long since carried over into adulthood.

Now, as an accomplished veterinarian and researcher, you reside in FONTAINE, in one of the smaller communities on the outskirts of the big city. Your day consists of treating new and old patients with endless diligence and kindness, from common pets like cats and dogs to wildlife that gets brought in or brings itself through the doors in search of your help and healing. There is variety in your day to day, but exceedingly rarely can something throw you out of balance and leave you stunted, but even then, you always find a solution in the end. Your small clinic is an overgrown older house, one that used to be a florist shop and whose garden doubles as a small rehabilitation area for any long-term patients. You have helpers, of course, so you can always rest assured when you close for the day and head home to your family that health and safety are guaranteed in your off-time.

A green DENDRO VISION glows at your hip and assists you with your work. Wisdom comes in many forms, and one of them is exceptional emotional intelligence. The day you won the Gods favour is one that should have been one of many - a simple stroll on your way towards town during your years in training caused you to come across a heavily wounded creature making weeping sounds of distress, one that was of no recognition to you. Nevertheless, you crouched down and began to do what you could with limited supplies. It was a fight for their life, and you worked tirelessly, determined to save what you would later realise was a previously undiscovered type of dragon. By the time its breath had become regular, hours and hours into the day, you reached down and your fingers first brushed the cool surface of your vision.

You had learned to fight before, long ago, during your time in your homeland. The POLEARM was the traditional weapon of Inazuma, though yours took a more unorthodox form. More comparable to a scythe, its curved blade in your experienced hand cuts through trouble with ease. You rarely use it for anything but defense, as it comes in handy when you’re gathering wood or herbs in the forest, but your skillful movements pay off when they have to.

Of course, you had to learn to control the elemental energy that had been gifted to you. With help from friends and colleagues, you’d begun to master both the healing and defensive as well as the offensive powers Dendro possessed. NETTLING DEFIANCE causes a quake to run through the earth around you, springing thorns out from under any enemies and causing lasting damage for 5-7 seconds. It has AOE effect and builds a base for your elemental Burst, INCITEMENT OF MERCY. This has a healing effect on any ally in the proximity, one that is lasting and regenerates HP for about 45 Seconds, as well as dealing increased elemental damage to any enemy struck during the 25 Seconds following usage.

As mentioned, you are not the only person on your path of life. You are lucky to count the brilliant and compassionate SANGONOMIYA KOKOMI to your close friends from childhood and always make time for her during your visits back home. Another person that has won your kind heart is the sweet and energetic XIANGLING, with whom you can show a different side of yourself in the kitchen and who always pushes you to try new things.

The Veterinary Clinic you run has truly become a sanctuary for many in need, and your gentle character is truly the right one to guide it. Flowers in your hair and a bunny in your arms, you’re greeted with waves and chirps of pleasure, whether on your way to work or home. After a long day you can look forward to rest and relaxation, dinner under moonlight and good company, secure in your future and knowing what to expect from tomorrow. And with healing hands gliding over scales, feathers, fur and occasionally, even skin, you make an impact each and every day, often, just with a joke and steadyfast reassurance. And those, the things that make the most difference, are ones you have never needed the Gods favour to accomplish.