#WHITE SPIRIT (LAWS)

[princsatan]

#browardcounty

[identifying-mtg-colors-in-posts]

This post is white!

Ominous signs in San Diego

[favroitecrime]

barbs tried to beat the allegations back in 2020 when she first started being buddy buddy with shapiro and now look. she’s congratulating him on getting a song on the charts like he’s her colleague.

[mia-fey-needs-a-drink]

It's so annoying that to so much of the fandom Mia is just "boobs" or "girlboss", she's got so much more going on:

-She really struggles to remember people's names which often causes people to doubt her engagement despite genuinely caring and engaging with their situation and the case (she's just like me fr I really struggle with names (for probably autism reasons) and people really don't like that).

-She has a tendency to just not talk to people about things, especially about herself or her life. depending on when you think Mia actually started mentoring Phoenix he was a significant part of her life for at least a year and probably since 3-1, yet he only meets Maya and learns about spirit channeling after Mia dies, she never mentioned Lana either, or Diego, or DL-6, and this isn't just to Phoenix, she never told Maya about Diego either and it's vague how much Lana actually knows about her, hell it's vague how much Diego actually knew about her, maybe Grossberg only told him about DL6 and the Fey clan after he wakes up from his coma. Ultimately she isolated herself from everyone in her life to some extent and it's kinda part of how she died, no-one knew the danger she was in and she didn't want people to know.

-Her ineptitude with technology. Phoenix and Maya also have this, but I feel like Mia's and Maya's are so linked to their background in the fey clan, they were raised in a society and culture where they didn't have access to these things and integrating into broader society comes with difficulties.

-Her entire life and career is just things repeatedly going wrong and her being fucked over: DL-6, her disaster of a first trial, Diego being poisoned and just as she's about to try and finally put Redd White behind bars he finds out and kills her. She had shit hand after shit hand and was basically doomed from the start, but yet she persisted and she fought for what she believed and for the people she cared about and to make the world a better place, and everything good that Phoenix manages to do throughout PWT is thanks to Mia and everything she worked for, she laid the foundations for a better world for the ones she loved that she wouldn't get to live in and yet I think if she knew that it would all end this way from the start she'd do it all over again. I think a little part of me thinks that some part of her hoped White would kill her so there was something definitive to pin him with (which comes with some darker implications for how well she was dealing with life).

-Mia has such an interesting relationship to the legal system and her own sense of justice. So much of her experience with the law is with it failing her, repeatedly. DL-6 is a disaster that stripped her mother from her, her first trial ends in the clearly guilty party that murdered her client getting away with it, her boyfriend's murder goes unsolved from the same murderer who she dedicates the next 8 months to taking down, and then there's 1-2, her own murder trial. Mia has again worked for years to try and get this man convicted, the deeply corrupt legal system making it a near insurmountable task, then in the last stretch he murders her. The police immediately just try to brush it under the rug, blame her sister and get the trial over with. Grossberg is too afraid of White to defend Maya and Edgeworth is a slimy piece of shit the entire trial. When Phoenix finally finds the clearly guilty White, he simply makes a few calls and her understudy is the prime suspect. White goes up on the stand and just repeatedly comes up with any old blatant nonsense and excuses and no matter how many times and how much work goes into Wright picking apart every mistruth and detail and how many pieces of evidence he shows nothing will convict White, the court is completely corrupt, you'll never be able to defeat him within the system. So, what happens? Mia and Phoenix have to work outside the established rules, even working outside the rules of death itself. White is only defeated after Mia straight up blackmails him into confessing, and yet this is more justice than working within the law ever would allow them. Mia also only gets Dahlia through pushing the law to it's breaking point, she was a step away from being disbarred. I feel like it's easy to see her as a strong believer in the law but if you really look at it, to her, the law is not sacred or worthy of much reverence, if something is unjust, to hell if it's legal, she will try and reach justice no matter what.

-Look I may be projecting my woke onto the game a little bit but I can't help but feel the routine misogyny Mia faces in both the cases we play as her in T&T is more than just "a product of it's time" and more showing misogyny as an extension of the system being rigged against her.

Loooong post but there's so much going on with Mia.

[astonmartinii]

day six: not so home for christmas | oscar piastri social media au

pairing: oscar piastri x fem reader

oscar and y/n are having their first christmas in monaco because of a snow storm, unfortunately this also means they're now hosting most of the grid as well.

MASTERLIST | TIP JAR

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris and 137,094 others

tagged: oscarpiastri

yourusername: thanks a lot snow storm :( i guess it's our first ever christmas here in monaco

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user1: yall global warming might just be real

user2: you're only just realising it now ?

charles_leclerc: you kids and your complaining - a white christmas in monaco, what more could you want?

yourusername: a christmas at home with our families?

charles_leclerc: families? when you're in your adopted father-in-law's home city, i'd watch your tone if i were you

oscarpiastri: if you think of your kids as often as you say then you should be worried that your aussie son is going to FREEZE to death :(

charles_leclerc: if it's the bbq you crave, you can still do that?

yourusername: it's snowing? and he is NOT bringing our bbq inside

charles_leclerc: okay jeez, not much christmas spirit here i see

oscarpiastri: we miss our families, sue us

user3: wait... if they couldn't get out of nice... who else couldn't

user4: the storm kicked in like a day ago right?

user5: based on instagram activity, my guess is that max, lando, ollie (idk why he was in monaco anyway), kimi (i think he's attached to ollie), alex (and lily) and george

user6: i know it would never happen but wouldn't it be so cute if we got a grid christmas dinner

yourusername: please don't give them any ideas

oscarpiastri: i only just got rid of them 😩

landonorris: so, just out of interest, is y/n still free to maybe wrap my presents for me?

yourusername: do i look like the christmas fairy to you?

landonorris: well i know for a fact that oscar's ass was not wrapping those presents

oscarpiastri: well y/n actually likes doing things for me soooooo

landonorris: PLEASE Y/N I'LL HAVE TO RESORT TO USING TIN FOIL

yourusername: tin foil... please you are a 25 year old man

landonorris: does it look like i'm a man who has sellotape in his house?

yourusername: no.

user7: y/n is like a full time mum to a load of men all older than her

user8: she better get ready to cook for them at christmas because none of these men can cook for themselves

oscarpiastri

liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1 and 692,108 others

tagged: yourusername & landonorris

oscarpiastri: i'm not sure how this went from our lonely christmas away from both of our families to babysitting half of the grid but what the hell, sure

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user10: i personally blame all of you for this

user11: and what??? i'm so excited

user12: i hope they post nothing more just to spite your ass

charles_leclerc: i’m kinda offended no one thought of coming to mine :/

maxverstappen1: you’re shit at cooking

charles_leclerc: how would you know?

maxverstappen1: i saw it in your vlog

charles_leclerc: you watch my vlogs???

maxverstappen1: NO?

yourusername: okay queens stop flirting and get back to your stations in the kitchen

charles_leclerc: can we flirt there?

yourusername: if you're still peeling - knock yourselves out

user13: y/n basically confirming lestappen? wow christmas DID come early this year

user14: the real question is why she would let those menaces in the kitchen?

yourusername: i have seen how much these people eat, i need help even from the useless

yourusername: also if they want certain dishes from home they have to help

maxverstappen1: i am CORING AS MANY APPLES AS I CAN I PROMISE THE APPLE BEIGNETS WILL BE WORTH IT

oscarpiastri: i know they will be, y/n is making them

maxverstappen1: okay buddy, i don't see you helping

oscarpiastri: i am keeping everyone else in line, that's a full time job as well

user15: who made the youngest couple in charge of these fools?

user16: a comedic genius

yourusername: they're annoying but i'll deal with them for you

oscarpiastri: you make such sacrifices for me, i love you

yourusername: i love you more

alexalbon: we're really not that bad you guys are being dramatic

yourusername: george walked up to our mantle piece, pointed at my baby picture and said "ugly. my condolences" ?

alexalbon: that's george ? he's mean to everyone

yourusername: HE'S IN THAT BABY'S HOUSE

olliebearman

liked by charles_leclerc, estebanocon and 418,934 others

tagged: yourusername, oscarpiastri & kimiantonelli

olliebearman: first christmas with my big brother :))))

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user17: yall be on oscar about him holding onto the leclerc family joke but the real enemy is ollie

olliebearman: i think it's cute

olliebearman: and it's NOT a joke

user18: you know what? yeah i'd also keep going with the joke i need to get in that leclerc family

olliebearman: the real catch here is y/n she's going to teach me to crochet :)

yourusername: we can make little bear mans !!!

user19: the grid dad stuff was cringey... but grid brother well that's hitting like crack i fear

charles_leclerc: grid dads are cringey ??? count your days

user19: sorry?

charles_leclerc: i (and my family) will NOT tolerate sebastian vettel slander. not now not EVER

fernandoalo_oficial: and me?

charles_leclerc: i couldn't give a fuck about you old man

fernandoalo_oficial: excuse me

fernandoalo_oficial: i'll have you know i am just as much oscar's father as you are

charles_leclerc: and how have you come to that OBVIOUSLY WRONG conclusion

fernandoalo_oficial: WELL i don't know maybe his REAL grid dad is actually mark webber who i have a well documented homoerotic relationship with and therefore oscar and most importantly Y/N are my children

charles_leclerc: what a load of bullshit

charles_leclerc: if grid children were based on homoerotic tension then i'd be father to all of the red bull juniors and max would have custody of the FDA

maxverstappen1: well....

pepemarti: hi !!!

dinobeganovic: hey.....

yourusername: what happened to the original plot of the movie

user20: i think the cabin fever is getting to them

lilymunhe: no they're like this all of the time it's exhausting

yourusername: tell me about it

olliebearman: but not me :(

yourusername: no we love you

oscarpiastri: you are the least annoying one

olliebearman: omg thank you :3

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, alexalbon and 163,207 others

tagged: oscarpiastri, charles_leclerc & landonorris

yourusername: not so home for christmas but with family nonetheless

view all comments

user22: what was the dress code here?

landonorris: what we had left? all the dry cleaners are closed because of the storm

yourusername: you take ALL of your clothes to the dry cleaners?

landonorris: why wouldn't i do that...

yourusername: yk what, whatever !

user23: omg of course leo was there as well

yourusername: we only invited charles for him

charles_leclerc: excuse me?

landonorris: he was invited ????

oscarpiastri: well he was staying in monaco anyway and you guys all invoked your squatters rights in my house so what was one more

landonorris: i am not squatting? my ass is already big enough as it is

yourusername: i know your ass is big because YOU'RE ALWAYS SAT ON IT

oscarpiastri: god i love you

yourusername: i love you even more

oscarpiastri: nuh uh not possible

yourusername: i love you so much i'm not even that angry about half of the grid crashing our christmas

oscarpiastri: i love you so much that i personally barged a child out of the way to get you your eras tour merch

yourusername: i do love my merch.... but not as much as i love you

oscarpiastri: you're so romantic

georgerussell63: right that's it, i am SICK of you people pretending you are not enjoying our presence

yourusername: did i or did i not say family ???

oscarpiastri: george i'd appreciate if you didn't talk to y/n this way

maxverstappen1: yeah back the fuck off

georgerussell63: why is max here?

maxverstappen1: ummmm y/n busted her ass to make apple beignets for me so i had some netherlands with me at christmas so i would die for her. i am somwhat fond of oscar as well

maxverstappen1: so fuck with them, you fuck with me

maxverstappen1: and you seem to like doing that recently

yourusername: awwww thanks max!

oscarpiastri: we are fond of you too buddy

georgerussell63: how did i lose this?

user24: max out here getting wags on his side

maxverstappen1: that's my ma

maxverstappen1: wait that makes my homoerotic tension with charles incest

maxverstappen1: that's my home girl

oscarpiastri

liked by landonorris, jackdoohan and 1,094,577 others

tagged: yourusername

oscarpiastri: y/n absolutely smashed our makeshift grid christmas and she said she'll accept thanks in qualifying tows or easy passes on track 👍

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user25: oh they want me dead

user26: i would do questionable things to get a slice of that cake

user27: drop the recipe please xxx

yourusername: oh babe i be following the tiktoks like the rest of yall - i'll repost it

user28: woman of the people

yourusername: babe i don't really remember saying those exact words...

oscarpiastri: PLEASE ! they don't say no to you now you've filled their stomachs

landonorris: he's not wrong

maxverstappen1: you're in my will now

charles_leclerc: you're now my favourite daughter in law

yourusername: i'm your only daughter in law?

charles_leclerc: idk kimi and ollie are pretty attached with their weird tension

landonorris: like father like son

charles_leclerc: huh?

landonorris: huh?

oscarpiastri: ^^ see !!!! y/n please !!!

yourusername: fine.

yourusername: thank you all for coming, i hope you enjoyed dinner and your time with us. i loved spending time with you all but if you wish, i will be accepting thanks in the form of qualifying tows and easy passes for oscar or pornstar martinis from any hospitality

yourusername: happy?

oscarpiastri: yes

oscarpiastri: YOU HEARD THE WOMAN GUYS

maxverstappen1: oh i love y/n but i'd rather put you in the wall than let that ugly orange car past without a fight

georgerussell63: @fia i told yall

yourusername: are you ever gonna give that up ?

georgerussell63: no? and i KNOW IT WAS YOU WHO SAT ME NEXT TO HIM AT DINNER

yourusername: you'll never prove it :P

user29: oscar is such a sassy man

yourusername: he gets it from his momma

oscarpiastri: and you :)

yourusername: i will say your ability to watch my reality tv with you is a big factor in how much i love you

landonorris: is that why oscar once woke me up the night before a race by shouting "get her ass lisa" ???

oscarpiastri: we watch real housewives together on facetime :)

charles_leclerc

liked by pierregasly, carlossainz55 and 1,130,672 others

tagged: yourusername & oscarpiastri

charles_leclerc: i made the right choice in son and most importantly daughter in law

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user31: okay the cinnamon buns have thrown me over the edge now

user32: i NEED to know who asked for them

alexalbon: guilty 💅 and they slapped thanks y/m

oscarpiastri: we've been dating for years? like when i was still in f3?

charles_leclerc: semantics

oscarpiastri: no i met and charmed y/n all on my own thank you very much

charles_leclerc: because she saw the future and the potential of our prosperous family !!!

oscarpiastri: at this point, whatever you wanna hear old man

charles_leclerc: relegated below ollie

olliebearman: score !!!

user33: oh these people are never letting this joke die are they

user34: i think we're stuck with it

charles_leclerc: are you people sick of whimsy ???

charles_leclerc: i am ALLOWED to flex my son's amazing choice in women, especially a woman who will make me a swiss roll on demand

yourusername: he does have amazing taste

oscarpiastri: thank you :3

yourusername: as much as you guys were somewhat annoying, we had an amazing christmas xx

oscarpiastri: please do not bother us until march

charles_leclerc: fine. but we're still on for the double date in melbourne?

charles_leclerc: (maybe triple? idk ollie can just bring kimi)

kimiantonelli: score !!!

yourusername: we would love to !

oscarpiastri: i guess you could meet my actual family ?

charles_leclerc: not now oscar, let me enjoy chritmas with you all before you remind me of that

oscarpiastri: okay?

user35: y/n and oscar actually have the patience of saints because if these clowns crashed my christmas i'd be on the news

yourusername: any christmas is perfect with him

oscarpiastri: with y/n, i can get through even the most annoying people

user35: okay yall didn't have to flex on me that hard damn

fin.

note: here's day six! i'm not sure if you guys saw my update post but this series won't be done by christmas day but will stretch to NYE because unfortunately my cat has to be put down :( i've had him for nearly 19 years and it's really hard to think about him being gone so i'm just spending as much time as possible with him atm. anyway, i hope you enjoyed !! xx

[cheapshrimpysheep]

Dating in a Dream - Kalim Al-Asim

SUMMARY: What would his dream be like, exactly the same as in the original story, but with the small detail that he is dreaming that you two are dating?

CHARACTERS: Kalim Al-Asim x Reader 🦦🦐

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; In a Relationship (kinda)

WARNING: Spoilers from Book 7 and Kalim’s dream (Eng Server)

WORD COUNT: 3.540 words

COMMENTS: This was written as a companion piece to the original dream story, so the parts that are the same as the game are just summarized.

I hope you enjoy 🦦

Dating in a Dream: Idia / Epel / Rook / Vil / (Kalim) / Jamil / Floyd / Jade / Azul / ...

“Aether signal tracking successful.” Ortho announces. “We have arrived at the designated coordinates.”

Right after, what was heard were Vil's screams. After calming down, scolding you and Grim for not warning him about what dream to dream trips were like, and arguing a bit with Idia to the point where Ortho had to get in the middle peacefully to stop the discussion, Vil and the others finally look around to try to figure out where you all are.

They realize that, once again, you are not in Night Raven College and that the architecture is very similar to Scarabia and Scalding Sands, but also... that it's unbearably HOT! To cool off, Grim doesn't think twice before jumping into the huge fountain right next to you. A fountain with a statue that caught everyone's attention.

“That old man seems familiar, somehow.” Silver comments.

“That's the legendary Ruler of the Oasis.” A familiar voice explains. “He was a very upright man. When something worried him, he'd never keep it to himself. He consulted his retainer for everything... And they solved those problems together. In fact, he even revised the law to adapt to changing times. Isn't that cool?” Kalim reveals himself. “Here at Qasr Sultanate Academy, we honor the Ruler of the Oasis's spirit of magnanimity.”

“KALIM?!” Everyone is surprised to see him in those white and turquoise clothes.

“Hm? Have we met before?” Kalim asks. “Sorry, I'm not very good at remembering faces!” You see the dreamer's bird around his head. “Are they your friends, (Y/N)? Sorry I don't remember if you've introduced us before.”

“You still remember me?” You ask.

“HUH?! Of course I remember you!” he looks at you sadly. “Aww... Are you mad that I don't remember your friends? I understand and I'm so sorry...”

He was clearly so sad at the thought of hurting your feelings that you felt the need to tell him that you weren't mad and that he didn't need to worry because no, you never introduced them to him yet.

“Are you sure you're not mad at me?”

“No, no, of course not. Forget the question.” You needed to know more about that dream world, so you get into character. “I think I got a little confused too. It's okay.” You give him a reassuring smile.

“Really?!” Kalim widens his eyes in surprise. “I don't think I've ever seen you get as confused as I do. Ah hah hah! Maybe it's one of those couple things where they start to share traits after being together for a while.”

“Hm? Couple things?” Silver asks.

“I guess reintroductions are in order. I'm Kalim Al-Asim, a sophomore at Qasr Sultanate Academy, and (Y/N)'s boyfriend.” He says with a huge smile.

Everyone looks shockingly surprised.

“Hm? What's wrong?” Kalim asks. “Oh, maybe you weren't expecting us to be so close because of our clothes. Speaking of which, why aren't you wearing your uniform, (Y/N)? But now that I look at it, you seem to be wearing the same clothes as them. Oh! I know, they were your classmates at your previous- ah!” Kalim's smile suddenly disappears and the regretful look returns. “Oh... sorry... I forgot for a moment that you weren't from... here...”

“Oh, it's okay.” You try to shrug it off. “These clothes... um...”

“Are a gift.” Vil says. “But don't worry about it. (Y/N), you can change your clothes if you want.” Vil says, encouraging you to do so.

You say yes, and that new clothes might be better for that whether.

“Yes, you’re right. You don't have any headwear to block the sun, and the fabric your clothes are made from doesn't seem very breathable... Ah!” Kalim gets concerned. “Now that I'm looking, you guys are seriously sweating!”

“Rgh... This black fabric is absorbing the sunlight.” Sebek says “It's like I'm in a sauna!”

“Same.” Ortho agrees. “My gear's internal temperature is rising so sharply, my cooling systems can't keep up...”

“Oh gosh, are you okay? Hold on, I'll get you some cold, refreshing water! Respite in the scalding sands, a neverending party. Dance! Sing! Oasis Maker!”

And it starts to rain gently on you all.

“Mmm, that truly is refreshing!” Sebek says gratefully. “I can feel the water's coolness seeping into me.”

“While I appreciate the gesture, you shouldn't splash water into people's faces. You'll ruin their makeup.” Vil says. “Could you put some in this cup instead?” He summons a cup in his hand.

Upon realizing that they are also mages, Kalim begins to ask about the school they came from. You also discover that Qasr Sultanate Academy is an Arcane school as well and Kalim says it was built by his father for him two years ago.

“Ooh, say! I'm sure something brought us together.” Kalim says excitedly. “You should tell me more about your own school!”

“Ah, this presents a perfect chance to probe fo weakness in the dream!” Ortho comments discreetly.

“True. But...” Vil addresses Kalim. “It's far too sunny out here. I don't want to get a sunburn. Would it be possible to head indoors for this discussion?”

“Ah hah hah! Why move, when we can just have shelter brought to us? There's a nice breeze going, after all. Hey, everyone! Prepare a party!”

Kalim claps his hands and a bunch of people start organizing things. Rushing in with parasols and tableware, laying out rugs and setting out food dishes. Kalim explains that they are retainers who came here with him from home.

“Oh, (Y/N), do you mind if I try to change your clothes?” Kalim asks as the retainers prepare the picnic “I love it when we match!” You accept and he becomes even happier and more excited. “Okay, this has gone well the last few times. Let's see if I can do it again.”

Kalim raises his staff and transforms your NRC uniform into a white and turquoise uniform similar to the one he is wearing.

“You always look so pretty in those clothes.” He says super happy. “You remind me of the Ruler of the Oasis's daughter. But I must have told you this many times because I remember you telling me that our story was backwards, and that I was more like the princess and you were more like the commoner. Ah hah hah! But regardless of your clothes, you know you're my jasmine, right?”

“Jasmine?” You ask.

“Yeah, like the flower that the princess's beloved offered her. Aww, if only I could summon a branch of them now... but I still don't have a good grasp of those spells.”

And then, discreetly, a familiar red magic carpet appears behind Kalim, taps his shoulder to make him look back and gives him a jasmine bouquet before flying away again.

“Ah hah hah! I think he's feeling shy around so many new people.” he hands you that bouquet with a cute smile. “I have to think of a way to thank him later.”

“Kalim Al-Asim.” Ortho asks after the picnic is ready. “You and (Y/N) make a beautiful couple. If it's not too indiscreet, may I ask how you two met?”

“Oh, yes! Of course!” He seemed excited to tell the story of the two of you. “You know, they're not from-” he stops and looks at you, as if looking for approval to reveal that information. You nod encouragingly. “They're not from Twisted Wonderland.”

“Oh! Truly?!” Vil acts surprised, as do the others.

“Yeah! Here at Qasr Sultanate Academy we have a magical artifact called The Hourglass of Clairvoyance. It’s a giant hourglass with magic sand that allows us to travel to other places. At the beginning of this school year, (Y/N) simply emerged from the sand at the bottom of the hourglass and Grim at the top.”

“Oh, so I'm part of this too? Nice!” Grim comments to himself. “Wait! If I'm part of this... Where's my tuna tray?!”

One of Kalim's retainers appeared beside him with a golden tray and when he uncovers it, it is full of glass jars of tuna stacked in a pyramid.

“That's what I'm talkin' about! Mrah ah ah!”

“Yes! The party is ready. Make yourselves at home and eat up!” Kalim says with a smile. “We've got a whole spread here and plenty more where that came from. To our meeting today! Cheers!”

And everyone does so.

“Mrah... That breeze they're makin' with those big fans feels so good!”

“Right?” Kalim agrees. “The sun's rays can be harsh in the Scalding Sands... But it's also arid, so it's pleasantly cool once you're in the shade. You should try some of these crackers with blue cheese. They're really good. Eat up!” Kalim proceeds to shove the crackers down Grim's throat.

They talk a little more about Qasr Sultanate Academy and Night Raven College. Sebek, as expected, found a way to show how proud he was to serve the great Malleus Draconia, and Kalim proved to be quite knowledgeable about Briar Valley's textile products thanks to the things his father told him. This also made Sebek mention the story of the King who got rid of all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to save his daughter, and Kalim says that he finds the story as beautiful as the story of the Ruler of the Oasis's daughter who fell in love with a commoner and in order to see his daughter happy, the Ruler of the Oasis changed the law so that she would be allowed to marry whoever she wanted and not just someone from royalty.

“I can imagine how happy the couple was.” Kalim says before turning to you, holding one of you hands affectionately, look you in the eyes and tell you: “I myself would be devastated if I couldn't be with the person I love the most just because of a silly rule.” and he kisses your cheek.

Meanwhile, Vil, Idia and Ortho talk among themselves about that dream, which to anyone else would be crazy enough to be unrealistic, but in the case of a guy as rich as Kalim ends up being plausible enough. They needed to discover the crucial moment in Kalim's life that Malleus' spell was trying to suppress so they could use it to wake him up. They were wondering why he didn't remember NRC, where he seemed to be very happy, when you and Grim joined the conversation.

“Hmm... This could fit what happened with Rook.” Idia theorizes. “A route that avoids a tragedy that unfolds due to attending Night Raven College.”

“What kinda tragedy would Kalim goin' to Night Raven cause...? Ah!” Grim realizes.

“Is it what happened over winter break...?” You question.

“What's all this commotion?” A familiar voice makes itself heard. “What's going on, Kalim? Nobody told me to expect company! How many times must I tell you to always inform me ahead of time when inviting guests? If you had...” You see Jamil wearing the same white and turquoise uniform as you and Kalim. “...I would have arranged for an even finer banquet and a whole band!” And with an uncanny smile on his face.

“JAMIL?!” Everyone says in astonishment.

“I'm surprised you didn't tell me either, (Y/N).”Jamil continues, still with that strange, happy and relaxed smile. “You're usually the one who reminds Kalim of these things when I'm not around. Come now, Kalim! If you're holding such a fun-filled event, you should invite me. After all, aren't we best friends?”

“Sorry about that! I just ran into them over by the fountain when I was looking for (Y/N). They're here from Night... uh... something, an arcane academy in a foreign land.”

“Ooh, I see! I'm Jamil Viper. Like Kalim, I'm a sophomore here at Qasr Sultanate Academy. I hope I can be just as much of a friend to you as my best friend Kalim and his partner (Y/N). Nice to meetcha!”

“What's wrong, (Y/N)?” Kalim asks you as the others introduce themselves back to Jamil. “You're looking at Jamil funny.”

“Oh, it's just... Jamil is not like this, Kalim...”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Hey, Kalim.” Jamil says. “I don't see your favorite ice cream in this spread. Shouldn't you serve that to our guests?”

“I figured they'd want a regular meal first. But hey, I'm getting full, so this should be a good time for it!”

“In that case... You should make a run to the kitchen and fetch some for us, Kalim.”

“He DEFINITELY wouldn't say that!” You, Sebek and Silver say in unison.

“Huh?! What's with the yelling all of a sudden?” Kalim asks.

“Kalim, think long and hard.” Silver says. “You grew up with Jamil. He's your friend. Is this really how he acts?”

“Huh? Wha? You guys know Jamil?”

“Yeah! And all this best friend talk...” Grim says annoyed. “Remember over winter break when you told him you wanted to be friends? He shut that down hard with a big fat 'Not on your life!'”

“Not on... your life? Jamil said that?”

The dream world starts to distort and Kalim begins to remember what happened that day in Scarabia.

“Urgh! What was that just now? Augh, my head!”

“Kalim! Hey, snap out of it!” Fake Jamil interferes. “You people... You're assassins after Kalim, aren't you?! Guards! GUAAARDS!” The floor was painted black by the goop that appeared to transform into the guards. “Seize these street rats!”

While the others fought the darkness figures, you managed to escape and run to Kalim to tell him not to listen to that Jamil.

“Are you going to tell him to believe you?” Jamil says with a mocking smile. “Oh Kalim, there’s someone I'm dying to introduce you to.” He takes out his magic pen. “Say hello to your precious,” he makes your headdress disappear. “Desert” Your upper clothes turn into a worn and baggy t-shirt. “Bloom.” The rest in baggy, torn pants and your shoes disappear.

“(Y/N)?...” He holds your hands and looks into your eyes, confused.

“Not quite.” Jamil stands between the two of you to separate you with a push. “An impostor posing as (Y/N). An identity thief!”

All of that makes Kalim's head hurt even more, the ground becomes unstable and the darkness takes you away from them.

“Kalim, stay with us. (Y/N) is safe inside the academy building, and the guards are here now. It's okay!”

“Hey, Jamil... You're my best friend, right? You wouldn't betray me, right?”

“Of course I wouldn't. Why, the very idea!” Jamil assures him. “Such a terrible thought has never even crossed my mind! Not once!”

“STOP LYIN'!” Grim shouts. “You betrayed Kalim bad, and you knocked us all to the end os the earth!”

The world distorts again and the scenery changes to where you and the others landed that day. The end os the earth, a dark and cold part of the Scarabia desert.

“The ends of the earth...? Whoa! It's freezing!” Kalim is startled. “What's going on here?!”

“Oh, poor Kalim.” Fake Jamil says. “You must be reeling from the shock of betrayal after showing these people such hospitality.”

The world distorts again and the scene returns to Qasr Sultanate Academy.

“Look at me, Kalim. As long as I'm here for you, you've got nothing to worry about... Right?” Fake Jamil uses his signature spell, Snake Whisper, on him. “Kalim, trust me.”

“Rgh...” Kalim closes his eyes as if trying to resist, but when he opens them again his pupils are glowing red. “I trust you... Jamil...”

“He's trying to manipulate you!” You try to warn him again.

“Manipulate... me? Jamil? Augh!” With yet another headache from Kalim, the world distorted again.

“I would never do that. Don't believe that imposter street rat. Look at my sincere gaze. Do these look like the eyes os a liar?”

Vil tells Kalim not to look Jamil in the eyes, but the fake Jamil keeps talking about how they've been friends since they were kids, and how they had always been open and honest with each other, never worrying about their social status. That he is Kalim's closest companion and Kalim is his.

“You're right...” Kalim says despite the headaches. “We're best friends that can be honest with each other... Rrgh!”

But this is where Vil interferes and says that being honest is far from being an attribute of Jamil. That underneath that composed expression, he's poised and ready to strike at the neck of those who dare get ahead of him. And the smoldering, hungry mindset is the reason he put Jamil on main vocals in the NRC Tribe.

That name sounds familiar to Kalim, but the fake Jamil tries again to convince him not to listen to Vil.

But Vil continues, talking more about how Jamil is not the kind of generous soul that affirms everything about him. How Jamil complains, looks down on others, always got a scheme or two up his sleeve, and is hardly trustworthy. Vil would never want someone like him as his most trusted retainer. But Kalim is positively stubborn and that's what makes him continue to insist on trying to be true friends with Jamil. But is also what makes Kalim him and what makes him so fearsome.

“What kind of wealthy business heir is content to remain in an imposter's clutches?” Vil concludes. “Stop cowering and wake up already, Kalim Al-Asim!”

“Kalim, look at me.” Fake Jamil insists. “I'm the only one you trust!”

“Rgh... No.... Not... the only one... Not anymore... and Jamil knows that... the one I trust... Aaagh!”

The memories return to Kalim, a sequence of events from that winter break and everything that followed after that. The dream is broken, and Kalim wakes up. The scene changes to Scarabia's lounge that day, the cloudy sky darkening the place, the red lights on the lamps and through the clouds and a slight chilling fog around you all.

The fake Jamil tries again to help Kalim and show concern, but Kalim pushes him away. It's true that Jamil worries about Kalim, but not because they are friends, because he is the boss of Jamil. He likes and wants to be friends with Jamil, but the real one, not that one.

A battle against that fake Jamil takes place, until that figure turns into black goop and disappears. The clouds dissipate revealing a beautiful starry night sky, the lights turn a warm yellow that illuminates the lounge and the fog disappears.

“Kalim! Are you all right?” Silver asks worriedly as he sees Kalim sobbing and huffing after the fight.

And that's when Kalim breaks down into tears. Seeing him like this, crying kneeling on the floor alone, you can't suppress the urge to kneel down beside him to hug and comfort him.

“How... How could I fail to realize that Jamil was a fake?!” He says crying on your shoulder. “I really do want us to be true friends... The kind that can be totally open with one another! But... in the end, I choose a version of Jamil that fit my own narrative. How can I ever face Jamil again?”

But then Kalim realizes something else, and lifts his head from your shoulder to look at you, now dressed in the NRC uniform.

“Wait... You... We are not dating either, are we?... Ah!” He pulls away from you, blushing and almost falling backwards. “Aah, I’m s-sorry! I-I didn't mean to... huh...”

You also liked Kalim, but his friendly and loving personality made it difficult to tell if he really had a crush on you or not. A question that was answered in that dream. However, you still ask about it.

“So... You really like me?”

“Hm? Yes... you never noticed? Ah hah hah! I thought I never hid my feelings.”

“In (Y/N)'s defense,” Vil explains. “It's more a question of when someone is so... loving to everyone, it becomes difficult to know who is really special to you and who is not.”

“REALLY?! Aw... I’m sorry, (Y/N). I didn't mean to confuse you. But... I also don't want to make you uncomfortable... I'm sorry if I did...”

You say it was a surprise, but that you didn't feel uncomfortable, quite the opposite, and you reveal your feelings for him too. Kalim gets astonished for a second, but then he shows you the biggest smile and throws himself at you to hug you with more tears in his eyes.

“Should we leave you two alone for a moment?” Ortho asks.

“Ah hah hah! Sorry, sorry.” Kalim stands up and extends his hand to help you get up as well. “It's true that Jamil was the only person I trusted, but that was before I met you. You are the person I trust the most, (Y/N). Now and forever.”

“Kalim is so extra that this sounds more like wedding vows.” Idia comments through the tablet. “Can someone PLEASE end this mushy torture?!”

Vil clears his throat quite loudly. “Far be it from me to ruin the moment, but could we get back to the main topic?”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right.” Kalim turns his attention back to the rest of the group. “I'm totally lost on why I look like this and why any of this is happening. Could someone fill me in on what's going on?”

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[spiderb00bs]

- Faith In Me

Anora x (g!p) reader 

“You thought you and Anora were living an impossible romance, but someone always has to get in the way of the fairy tale.” 

Genre – Smut      Warnings –  unprotected sex, mutual masturbation 

(request) 

Now playing –  Again, by Noah Cyrus, XXXTENTATION

Working in a law firm was like a dream at first, having your own money and being able to work all day in front of a computer seemed incredible. You saw that things didn't work out like that later on, you certainly weren't complaining about the good life your job gave you, but every now and then tiredness always took over. Fortunately, you always had friends to share your happiness, frustrations and achievements with.   

Ted was your closest friend at work, you always went out together for lunch and drinks after work, he was what you would call a good friend. He was always there when you needed him and always helped you with your work, and even though he was a bit too free-spirited, you could never say no to an adventure with him.   

“A strip club? Dude, are you serious?" you hurried through the building, late for an important meeting with your clients.   

“Bro, trust me! You need to relax a bit and this is definitely the right place.” He said, Ted was on your tail, talking about how you should have some fun after work.   

“I don't know.” Passing your coworker's desk, you greeted her with a smile, which made the woman blush and reciprocate with a 'good morning'.   

“Come on, Yn. When was the last time you really had fun?” Opening your mouth to answer, you were immediately cut off by Ted again. “No, building legos while watching all the Spiderman movies is not fun.”  

Rushing forward, Ted stopped in front of you, putting his hands on your shoulders, making you stop walking. “I'm talking about real fun, when was the last time you had sex?”   

 “That's none of your business!” You say, pushing Ted aside and putting your hand on the door handle where the meeting was probably already taking place.   

“Come on Yn...”  

Sighing, you let your tense shoulders relax, looking over your shoulder at the blond man with the brown eyes. “You're an idiot.”   

“You won't regret it!” It was the last thing you heard before closing the door in his face and facing your meeting.   

The bright lights made your eyes hurt a little, but Ted's excited jumping next to you distracted you from the slight pain. The club was very well decorated, there were half-naked girls walking up and down and the space itself was very cool.   

Despite the countless girls laughing and chatting around, the only thing that caught your attention was the bar, making your throat dry up almost instantly. Leaning on the counter, you asked the barman for a beer, unbuttoning the top two buttons of your shirt before looking around once more.   

“Oh my God! This is all so cool!” Ted said excitedly, watching the girls walk past, winking at them and looking as excited as anyone else there. “Do you see how many beautiful women there are here? Man, this is awesome!”   

Shaking your head, you took a sip of your beer, nodding in agreement as you let the cold liquid run down your throat. “It's a pretty place”  

“ Pretty? The women are pretty, the place is at least okay.” Ted said, coming up to you and asking the barman for a shot.   

Taking the beer from your lips and placing it on the counter, Ted put his hands on your cheeks, slapping you twice and making you jump in your seat.   

“What the fuck? Are you crazy?”   

“Listen here! You're going to have fun, pick up a girl and have a private dance. Do you hear me?”   

“Did someone say they want a dance?”   

Hearing the voice, your head turned, Ted following the movement, only to see a beautiful brunette standing next to you. The woman had skin so white it looked like porcelain, her eyes were enchanting, and she was blowing smoke out of her lips, which were showing one of the most beautiful smiles you'd ever seen.   

Tapping you on the chest, Ted smiled at you, then left for another part of the club, while you stood there uncomfortably next to the most beautiful stranger in the world.   

Laughing slightly, the woman approached you, taking the seat that the blonde had previously occupied. “So, cutie, what's your name?” The woman asked.   

“Yn.”   

“Okay, Yn. I'm Ani.” She said, moving closer to you, coming face to face with a look that could melt you to pieces. “Do you really want a dance, or did your friend make you come here?”   

Raising her hand, Ani began lazily fiddling with your hair, combing it back with her fingers. Her big nails made you want to moan with satisfaction.  

“It's my first time here...” Her head tilted to the right, just waiting for you to continue, but the look in her eyes made you want to drop to your knees. “I just came for a drink, but...”   

Smiling at you, Ani moved a little closer, taking your hand in hers without taking her eyes off yours. “Now you kind of want a dance, don't you?”   

Her hips seemed to have a life of their own, swaying majestically on top of you. You wanted to grab Ani's hips, to take control just to feel powerful, but you couldn't deny that you also loved the way she looked when she was on top of you.   

“Are you enjoying that, pretty girl?” Her smile made your heart skip beats, and that felt strangely good.   

Your dick was starting to come alive in your pants, and as much as you didn't want it to, it was kind of inevitable. With so much work, you didn't have time to build up any romantic attachments, and it was never really your thing to go to bed with someone you'd only just met. So put that together with the fact that Ani's hips were the eighth wonder of the world, and it was inevitable that your little friend wouldn't show any signs of life.   

Rubbing herself harder against you, Ani put her hands on your neck, biting her lower lip as she looked into your face. “You come with a nice little surprise, don't you?”   

Shaking your head, you gripped the armchair you were sitting on tighter, your knuckles turning white with the force you applied. “Is that a problem for you?” Ani could sense the slight tone of desperation in your voice  

Reassuring you as quickly as possible, the brunette shook her head with a smile. “I think you're going to make me fall in love.”   

Before you knew it, Ani's lips were glued to yours, the kiss was a little messy, but you could clearly feel her soft lips, the taste of strawberries and alcohol on her tongue made you feel dizzy. Inevitably, your hands ended up on her hips, as you had wanted from the start.   

“Can we do this?” You asked between kisses. You had never known that you could kiss girls who worked in clubs, even if you were paying for a dance.   

“Not technically...” Ani said, looking at you with those mesmerizing eyes before giving you a smile. “But I liked you...” stroking your hair and moving her hips slowly over your bulge, Ani continued: ”Did you like me too?”   

Shaking your head positively, you grabbed her ass, pulling Ani back into a thirsty kiss. 

Things went well, hell, things were going very well. You went back to HQ a few times, just to see Ani. You ended up getting her number weeks later, which only brought you closer and closer together. Now you were going out together on Ani's days off, having dinner in nice restaurants - which Ani was sure she would never go to alone - and walking down the street holding hands like teenagers in love, dropping her off at home after her shift at the club and making phone calls to talk about the smallest things on your minds, you even found out that Ani's real name is Anora.   

 -- 

“So I'd rather people didn't call me by my name.” Ani finishes explaining, sitting on your lap in one of the club's private dance booths.  

By this point, you weren't even interested in the dances anymore, just paying to hear Ani speak. You loved the way she rambled on about everything while playing with your hair or comparing the size of your hands. It was all very comfortable and you both loved it.   

“But you tell everyone your name is Ani...” Seeing your confused countenance, Ani tilts her head to the right, a sarcastic look passes through her eyes before the brunette starts laughing, making you laugh along, even if confused.   

“I thought lawyers were smarter.” Ani says, leaning in and leaving a kiss on your lips, hearing you let out a small “ HEY!” at what she said. “My name is Anora.”  

“Anora.”   

You tested the name on your lips, savoring the sensation of discovering more about the woman on top of you. Ani never really liked people who weren't her family calling her by her real name, but something about the way you said it, the tone of your voice when you said her name, made her shiver. Maybe she didn't hate it when you called her by her real name, at least not the way she does when others call her.   

-- 

The important thing is that things were going well, and after a hectic day at work, you couldn't wait to see Ani again.   

When you arrived at the club, things seemed different, the lights seemed less bright and something seemed wrong, even if you had no idea what. It was only when you got deeper into the place that you saw, now you knew why things were grayer, the world was preparing you for this.   

You didn't know who the boy was, but you certainly wanted to break his face. In the middle of everyone, Ani's lips were on his, his hands on her hips, aggressively pulling her close, a stark contrast to how you put your hands there. Ani's hands were on his neck, and it honestly felt very different from anything you'd ever experienced.   

It was aggressive, fast, amateurish, without passion, without love.   

Turning around, you started walking towards the exit. Was it all a lie? Did Ani do this with anyone, just for the money? You didn't want to think like that, you didn't know Ani like that, Ani was never like that, Anora wasn't like that.   

“Where are you going in such a hurry, sweetie?” Making you stop your hurried steps, the woman in front of you put her hand on your chest, making you jump back slightly.   

You knew her name was Diamond, you'd heard Ani complain about her being a pain in the ass once or twice.  

“Just because Ani's busy doesn't mean you can't have fun with someone else, someone better than her...” Approaching you, Diamond grabbed your hands, making you hold onto her waist while she put her hands on your neck.   

Nodding your head, you broke away from the woman, not having the patience or sanity for this shit right now. Leaving the woman behind, you left the club. You thought things would be different, but it was business as usual, just you putting expectations on impossible things. 

Hey, I didn't see u this week  are you okay? 

I have a day off, wanna hang? 

I saw Ted today   he pretty much ran away when he saw me   What's going on w u? 

It's okay if you're busy but why are you ignoring me???

Anora stared at the phone screen, wondering why you hadn't replied, even after so many months.  

Things weren't going well for Ani, after a month, she stopped messaging you, seeing that you didn't reply, she focused on something else, or rather, someone else.   

Vanya seemed like a dream at first, he was charming, funny, had a lot of money, and Ani ended up getting carried away. She didn't fully understand why she did it, she thought that maybe, if you had replied to her messages, she wouldn't have taken things seriously with that Russian boy. She wouldn't have allowed herself to like him, she wouldn't have allowed herself to marry him, fuck, she wouldn't have allowed him to make her life a living hell.   

Ani didn't know where you were, when she went back to work at the club, she thought she'd see you occasionally, but things weren't like that. She never heard from you again, she didn't know where you lived or where you worked, she only knew that you were a lawyer, but that was it. She always looked at the photos she had on her phone when she was down, the photos she took when the two of you went on dates, or a photo of you standing in front of her house after dropping her off, or simply a photo of your hand holding hers as the two of you walked down the sidewalk.   

Anora always loved how you never tried to hide her from anyone, how you were always proud to walk with her by your side and take her to fancy places even if those mean people judged her for the clothes she wore. Anora loved that, Anora loves you, and the thought of how quickly things ended, without her even being able to tell you, makes her chest ache.   

“Get over it.” Diamond's annoying voice rang in Ani's ears, giving the woman sitting in the rest room a fright.   

“Jezz! Get a bell, don't you ever let people know when you're coming?” Ani says, the annoyed look on her face not making Diamond move an inch.   

“You know, you should get over her. One failed marriage at a time, right?!”   

Rising from her chair, Ani advanced on Diamond, frustrated enough that any comment would be enough to set her off. “Repeat what you said, you slut, I dare you!”  

The surrounding girls watched without getting involved, they certainly didn't want to be among Ani and Diamond's bloody war.   

“I'm just saying that you've already lost her. She even tried something better than you while you were gone.”  

Ani's eyes filled with fury, anger bubbling up inside her body. How could you? You had sex with Diamond? Did you just look for another woman to replace her as soon as she left?   

Stomping her feet, Ani hurried towards the exit, unable to spend another minute in Diamond's presence without punching her. Passing all those disgusting, stupified men, Ani bumped her body hard into someone's. When she looked up, she could see that someone was there. When she looked up, she could see the stupid blond hair she knew well. Ted.  

In one swift movement, Ani pushed the tall man hard into the nearest wall, trapping the blond boy, who was now slightly wide-eyed. “Where does Yn work?”   

“I can't-”   

Cutting him off, Ani resorted to violence. Ted's body froze completely as he felt Ani's knee collide with his lower body, and he fell to his knees and groaned in pain against the corner of the club wall.  

“WHERE DOES SHE WORK?”   

“Upper West Side!” The poor man said, holding back the tears in his eyes.   

“Is she still there?” Ani asked, even though she knew it was seven in the evening, the brunette also knew you were a workaholic, so she tested the waters.   

“Yeah, she's staying late tonight, dammit!”  

Grabbing a napkin from the drinks counter, Ani asked the bartender for a pen, throwing the objects at Ted. “Write down the address. And you'll pay for my Uber.”  

After almost an hour in the car, Anora finally arrived at the building where you work, not interested in the stares she would receive for only wearing a very short dress and pretty heels. She entered the building without looking back, the reception quiet, probably because of the time of day.   

Approaching in strides, Ani leaned on the counter cheekily. “I want to speak to Yn Russel.”   

The receptionist looked her up and down, judging the inappropriate dress, the bright make-up, the exaggeratedly high heels and the points of light in Ani's hair. Unfazed, Ani looked at her expectantly, as if wondering if she had heard what she had said.   

“You know what, forget it. I'll find her myself!”   

Heading for the elevator, Ani heard the receptionist's protests, saying something about not being allowed in without permission. Anora didn't care, she wanted to see Yn and she wanted to see her now!  

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ani clashed head-on with a tall woman. The woman she was looking for. 

"Anora?" you asked, surprised to see the woman after so long.  

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" Without giving you time to protect yourself, Anora began to slap you, making you walk backwards until you touched the wall of the elevator.  

You tried to cover yourself, using your document folder as a shield, but the slaps from the shorter woman seemed to hit all the right spots.  

"STOP IT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Dropping the bag on the floor, you tried to dodge Anora, finally managing to hold her wrists in place and immobilize the woman. 

 "YOU FUCKED DIAMOND!" Trying to free herself from your grip, Anora kicked and writhed.  

By this time, the secretary was just standing outside the elevator, looking at the scene with a shocked expression and making sure the automatic doors wouldn't close.  

"What?" You asked softly, while Anora was still struggling in your plight. Losing your temper, you wanted to understand what was really happening, and that wasn't going to happen if Ani continued with her small attack.  

"ANORA!" 

 When you screamed, Ani shuddered, stopping moving immediately, staring at you panting and angry. "We need to talk." 

The car was extremely quiet, at that moment, it was as if only you and Ani existed in the world, the empty parking lot you parked not doing much to change your thinking. It was almost ten o'clock at night, the place was half dark, but nothing compared to the darkness that was Anora by your side, the question mark, the doubt of the century.    "So..." With a sigh, you started not being able to say anything else when Ani took the lead.    "Why did you disappear?" Anora had her head down, as if the floor of your car was the most interesting thing in the world.    "I was busy-" 

"Cut that off, Yn. Too busy to answer a message? I sent you all the messages possible, and you didn't answer any!" Anora spoke, turning her head and body towards you, she had unbuckled her belt a while ago, and you couldn't lie in saying that you weren't scared that she would slap you again.    "I thought you were too busy with the white boy to miss me." You said. The bitterness in your voice made Anora want to step back a bit.    "Wait a minute... Vanya, are you talking about him?" Anora asked, her brows furrowed in confusion and disgust that she was remembering that idiot.    With no response, Ani could see the jealousy showing through her face, making her laugh and lean back in the passenger seat. "Oh my god, you were jealous of Vanya." 

Despite all the mess Ani managed to get into in the last few months, knowing that you were jealous of her was a huge relief, as it meant that she was not alone, you also felt something for her, something beyond the carnal.    "I'm not jealous!" You said, crossing your arms like a spoiled child who hadn't gotten the candy she wanted.    "You know the funniest thing, I didn't really like Vanya, and if you had answered my messages and not been an idiot, I wouldn't have had anything to do with him." Looking in the direction of the window, Ani wiped the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.    "What happened? You know, between you both..." 

"I married him, and then I separated in less than a month." Her tone made you worried, the sarcastic giggle, the denial with your head, the disgust in her voice, everything made you feel bad. "I had the worst months of my life and I regretted every second of that shit." Turning her head to you, Ani let you see her sensitive side, the tears that stained her eyes.    "Nora..."    "It's not your fault. I was just desperate to get out of where I was, I ended up rushing in."    Placing your hands on Ani's cheeks, you wiped away her tears, kissing her salty cheeks right after. "No, I have a little guilt too. I should have told you how I felt from the beginning." You said, leaning your forehead against hers. 

"I love you, Anora. From the day I saw you, I felt better with you, a better version of myself." Anora's eyes were glued to yours, occasionally stealing glances to your mouth. "I don't want to lose you ever again."    As soon as you finished the sentence, Anora's lips glued to yours, a calm and tender kiss, sharing the unspoken feelings and the time they were apart. Your hands went to Anora's waist, like in the old days, the brunette's hands reaching for your hair, that feeling of love and lightness that she never felt with Vanya.    In a clumsy movement, Ani quickly sat on your lap. With agility, you pulled your seat back, more space freed up for Ani to be comfortable. The woman's hands going against your pants, unbuttoning the button and opening the zipper, and then, BOOM! 

"Wait!" Looking at her expectantly, you waited for what she was going to say, only for her to grab your cock through the fabric of your boxer shorts. "Did you have sex with Diamond?"    Opening your mouth, you couldn't say a word if you want, the squeeze Ani had on your cock was making you lose your breath, and Ani saw your face turn red before her eyes.    "Nora, this is hurting..." You spoke in a thread of voice, just making the woman squeeze your private area harder. "NO! I SWEAR I DIDN'T HAVE SEX WITH HER."    "Then why did she say yes?" 

"SHE TRIED, THE DAY I SAW YOU AND VANYA KISSING, BUT I PUSHED HER AWAY. I SWEAR!"    Seeing the sincerity and desperation in your eyes, Ani let go of your cock, making you gasp in pain and relax your shoulders on the leather bench. Coming close to your ear just to let her warm breath tease you. "I believe in you, but don't go near her again."    Shaking her head positively, you saw Anora smile contentedly, only to kiss your cheek and grab your cock again, gently this time. "Let me take care of you, baby girl." 

Freeing your cock from the fabrics that bound it, Ani spat on her hand, before quickly grabbing your cock again. Spreading her saliva well, she started masturbating you with slow movements, making your friend start to get excited again.    "Damn Nora, I missed you so much." You say, putting your hand under her dress, putting her panties aside in one quick motion and starting to make slow movements on her clit.    The moans you two let out echoed through the car, the heavy breathing of both of you fogging up the car windows, making it difficult for anyone to see what was happening inside, but not stopping them from imagining. Luckily, you knew that there would rarely be anyone around this time, and even if it was dangerous, you couldn't think much of it with Anora on top of you.    "Baby, I want you inside me." Anora said, starting to settle on your lap. 

Your hands were on her hips, helping her find a position where she was comfortable. When Anora finally grabbed your cock, she lined up the tip with her pussy, impaling herself more and more with your length. Your moans echoed together, and the brunette kissed your lips to feel even more intimate with you.    "Fuck baby, you're so hot when you take my cock like that." You say, making Anora wrap her arms around your neck, throwing her hair to the left side and starting to bounce on your cock.    The contact was perfect, skin to skin, the souls of the two of you connected, it was everything you two ever wanted. Anora's moans echoed through the car, the movements of her hips doing wonders for you, as your cock reached all the right places inside her. 

Kissing you, Ani felt your big hands grab her ass, lifting it a little before starting to hit her relentlessly. Anora's eyes rolled, and her nails slid with a pleasurable pain down your back.    "FUCK, BABY!" Anora screamed, piercing her nails on your back while you continued, practically, piercing her uterus. "I'M GONNA CUM."    Going faster, you held Ani closer. Your body was sweaty, and you could feel your balls weighing down as you buried yourself deeper and deeper into the brunette, and then in one swift motion, you felt Ani's pussy tighten your entire length, making you slow down but continue with the deep thrusts.    "Fuck baby, you're so beautiful." You said, brushing Anora's hair from her face and kissing her cheeks as she trembled on top of you, having the strongest orgasm she's ever had in her life. "Oh, I'm gonna cum too."

Unable to speak, Anora shook her head in confirmation, moaning when she felt you lift off you with the strength of your biceps, making your cock come out of her. Putting Ani back in your lap, you grabbed your cock, masturbating until your cum stained Ani's abs.    "Fuck..." You moaned as you tried to extract every last drop of cum possible.    Yah, fuck. I really love you." Anora said, grabbing your cheek and kissing your lips passionately. 

"I love you too, Nora." 

Hi guys, what's up?

man, I'm SO tired, seriously, college is killing me. 

Luckily I don't have classes this week, so I'm here writing to you. 

Drink water, stay safe 

xoxo, spider.

[imsryyimlate]

for @onepiece-bingo , klabautermann

the bento problem

— modern au

— sfw

— summary: ever since you and law got together, his diet has improved for the better - unfortunately, that came with the consequence of him being ridiculously protective over his lunch.

trafalgar law, head surgeon of the renowned ocean tang hospital, had a terrible diet. despite being a doctor, he ignored his food intake and solely focused on his work. besides, he didn’t have time to make a decent lunch at his apartment before going to work the next day.

he lived off of ramen, granola bars, hospital sandwiches - taking off the bread and leaving the filling, and break room coffee.

“you hate yourself, don’t you?” you lightly scolded, crossing your arms over his chest as he tucked in two cup ramens in his bag.

you grew up in a household where food was the love language, were appalled when you saw his “lunch”.

“i - ” he started.

sighing, you tippy toed, kissed his cheek and gave him a small smile.

“after my shifts at the vet, i’ll make bentos for you. for every shift because you deserve nothing but the best.”

law’s usual stern face softened, a look he only reserved for you.

“you don’t have to - ”

“stop.” you replied, cupping his face, “let me do this for you. you’re my boyfriend now, meaning it’s also my responsibility to take care of you.”

law’s heart swelled and he nodded once before grabbing his bag and heading out to his car.

“so.” shachi, one of his attendants said as he slowly sat next to law in the break room, “what did the bento goddess pack for you today?”

law hovered over the sleek two layered bento box with silver edges and tightened his hold on his chopsticks, ready to flick his friend’s wandering hand.

“go away.” he grabbed the nearby thermos with miso soup and gave him a death glare.

suddenly, penguin leaned over behind him, eyes widening when he saw the bentos displayed on the table.

the top layer had bulgogi neatly spread over fluffy white rice, still steaming from the microwave. the bottom layer was divided cleanly - one side had seaweed salad sprinkled with sesame seeds and had grated cucumber, and the other, a few slices of fresh, ripe fruit.

“boss…please give us a bite!” penguin begged. “shachi and i live off of hot pockets and energy drinks.”

“no.” law replied flatly, taking a bite of bulgogi and rice.

“come on!”

“no. she makes these bentos for me.” law snapped. “she’s my girlfriend. this is my lunch. my bulgogi. my bento.”

penguin and shachi exchanged defeated looks then smirked.

“you’re whipped man. and you got it bad.” shachi teased.

law didn’t deny it nor give them a reply. his silence was more than enough to show that he was utterly in love not only with you, but with the fact that you took the time to make something as simple as lunch to show that even though none of you said those three words, your actions were proof enough.

and because of that, law swore the hospital’s spirit came back to life happy.

[blooms-in-april]

In Oxenfurt there is a sacred tradition, which no one dares encroach upon: no one can be arrested during a theatre performance. And the scholars of Oxenfurt, for all their learning, are a dramatic, suspicious sort, and so the law stands. It's been taken advantage of by many a drunk and disorderly student, taking refuge in the audience of the Grand Theatre to evade the guard, until inevitably, the curtain falls and their reprieve is over.

When they come to arrest Professor Pankrantz, his students won't have it. He had come back to them quiet and broken this winter, more careless with his dissent, more bold in his defiance. He did not seem to care when the warrant was put out for his arrest, as an elvish sympathizer, a sodomite, and a conspirator against Nilfgaard.

"He knows the White Wolf will save him. He always does." Essi had said with false confidence, but the weeks pass and the university's protection wanes and the White Wolf does not come.

"He's not coming." Adrien whispers, hunched over his songbook. "We must do something."

"We will," Essi responds.

When he hears the guards outside his office, Jaskier puts down his quill for the last time. He swings open the door.

"Gentlemen!" He says. The armored faces are featureless, unmoving. "How would you like me?" They grab and cuff him hard across the head, then frogmarch him down the hall. His head rings like a great bell tolling the hour. He can feel the blood trickling out his ear.

There is a great crash, and a scuffle, and a large hand grabs him by the elbow. "Geralt." He whispers.

But it's not. Jeremiah smiles awkwardly, and holds his dented tuba in one hand. "I used to be a blacksmith before this." The quiet youth says. "Never thought it would come in handy again."

"My dear boy." Jaskier says as he's pulled along. "You shouldn't have. You saved my life."

"Your tutoring saved mine during finals. I think we're even, Professor."

Jaskier is hurried in through the backstage door, crowded with students carrying instruments, costumes, sheet music, and props. They all part way to let him through. "Top box, Professor." Essi says, hurrying him. "We saved it just for you."

He sits down, bewildered, as the guards shout outside and the orchestra tunes frantically. The curtain opens just as the guards make it into the auditorium. Everything hushes in that special breath before a show.

Essi steps on stage.

"Thank you and welcome to the members of the Oxenfurt Academy faculty, staff, and student body who have come to support this performance," she says. "We'd also like to welcome representatives of various law enforcement communities who have chosen to join us in the Academy Grand Theatre tonight. In the spirit of the arts, leave all discord at the door, and please enjoy this special performance by the students of Oxenfurt - 'The Adversities of Loving', a tribute to the life and works of Professor Julian Alfred Pankrantz."

She bows. The audience applauds. The play begins.

[wearepaladin]

It’s been a year since I last asked this. Always curious to see where people’s thoughts are. For the uninitiated, a brief description of the outlined paths under the jump.

Oath of Devotion:

The Oath of Devotion binds a paladin to the loftiest ideals of justice, virtue, and order. Sometimes called cavaliers, white knights, or holy warriors, these paladins meet the ideal of the knight in shining armor, acting with honor in pursuit of justice and the greater good. They hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct, and some, for better or worse, hold the rest of the world to the same standards. Many who swear this oath are devoted to gods of law and good and use their gods' tenets as the measure of their devotion. They hold angels – the perfect servants of good – as their ideals, and incorporate images of angelic wings into their helmets or coats of arms

Oath of the Ancients:

The Oath of the Ancients is as old as the race of elves and the rituals of the druids. Sometimes called fey knights, green knights, or horned knights, paladins who swear this oath cast their lot with the side of the light in the cosmic struggle against darkness because they love the beautiful and life-giving things of the world, not necessarily because they believe in principles of honor, courage, and justice. They adorn their armor and clothing with images of growing things-leaves, antlers, or flowers-to reflect their commitment to preserving life and light in the world

Oath of Vengeance

The Oath of Vengeance is a solemn commitment to punish those who have committed a grievous sin. When evil forces slaughter helpless villagers, when an entire people turns against the will of the gods, when a thieves' guild grows too violent and powerful, when a dragon rampages through the countryside – at times like these, paladins arise and swear an Oath of Vengeance to set right that which has gone wrong. To these paladins – sometimes called avengers or dark knights – their own purity is not as important as delivering justice.

Oath of Redemption

The Oath of Redemption sets a paladin on a difficult path, one that requires a holy warrior to use violence only as a last resort. Paladins who dedicate themselves to this oath believe that any person can be redeemed and that the path of benevolence and justice is one that anyone can walk. These paladins face evil creatures in the hope of turning them to the light, and the paladins slay them only when such a deed will clearly save other lives. Paladins who follow this path are known as redeemers.

While redeemers are idealists, they are no fools. Redeemers know that undead, demons, devils, and other supernatural threats can be inherently evil. Against such foes, the paladins bring the full wrath of their weapons and spells to bear. Yet the redeemers still pray that, one day, even creatures of wickedness will invite their own redemption.

Oath of the Crown

The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the just laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threaten to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or a sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order's ranks

Oath of the Watchers

The Oath of the Watchers binds paladins to protect mortal realms from the predations of extraplanar creatures, many of which can lay waste to mortal soldiers. Thus, the Watchers hone their minds, spirits, and bodies to be the ultimate weapons against such threats.

Paladins who follow the Watchers' oath are ever vigilant in spotting the influence of extraplanar forces, often establishing a network of spies and informants to gather information on suspected cults. To a Watcher, keeping a healthy suspicion and awareness about one's surroundings is as natural as wearing armor in battle.

Oath of Conquest

The Oath of Conquest calls to paladins who seek glory in battle and the subjugation of their enemies. It isn’t enough for these paladins to establish order. They must crush the forces of chaos. Sometimes called knight tyrants or iron mongers, those who swear this oath gather into grim orders that serve gods or philosophies of war and well-ordered might.

Some of these paladins go so far as to consort with the powers of the Nine Hells, valuing the rule of law over the balm of mercy. The archdevil Bel, warlord of Avernus, counts many of these paladins – called hell knights – as his most ardent supporters. Hell knights cover their armor with trophies taken from fallen enemies, a grim warning to any who dare oppose them and the decrees of their lords. These knights are often most fiercely resisted by other paladins of this oath, who believe that the hell knights have wandered too far into darkness.

Oath of Glory

Paladins who take the Oath of Glory believe they and their companions are destined to achieve glory through deeds of heroism. They train diligently and encourage their companions so they're all ready when destiny calls, and prove more than equal to the challenge

Oathbreaker

An oathbreaker is a paladin who breaks their sacred oaths to pursue some dark ambition or serve an evil power. Whatever light burned in the paladin's heart been extinguished. Only darkness remains.

[dresshistorynerd]

Roughly 10 More Cool Historical Queer Figures More People Should Know About

Part 2 - Modern Era

Part 1

Last year I made a post of roughly 10 (emphasis on roughly) earlier historical queer figures, and promised a list of another (roughly) 10 figures. So again in spirit of pride month, I'm delivering you roughly 10 (technically there's 12 or more however you want to count them) more cool historical queer figures.

In the first list I had fucked up the splitting of my list and there were only 8 figures. I had somehow misplaced the first entry here on this list even though time-period-wise it should have been on the first one, but alas it will go here.

The same disclaimers apply here too. This list is centered around western history (but not exclusively) because that's the history I'm most familiar with, though it's definitely not all white, since western history is not all white. I will be avoiding using modern labels, since they are rarely exactly applicable to history, rather I will present whatever we know about these figures' gender, sexuality and relationships. If there's information about what language they used about themselves, I will use that. Often we don't know their own thoughts, so I will need to do some educated guess work, but I will lean towards ambiguity whenever evidence is particularly unclear. If you are the type of person who gets angry with the mere suggestion there's a possibility that a historical gnc person might not have been cis, I encourage you to read my answers to related asks (here and here) first before sending me another identical ask. Try to at least bring some new arguments if you decide to waste my time with your trans erasure.

9. Romaine-la-Prophétesse (c. 1750 - at least 1792)

Romaine-la-Prophétesse, or Romaine the Prophetess, was a Haitian revolutionary and religious leader. It's unclear what pronounce they would have used for themself, so I'll refer to them as they/them. They were assigned male at birth and were born around 1750 in the Spanish controlled Hispaniola as Romaine Rivière to free black parents, possibly of Kongolese origin. By 1772 they had migrated to the French part of the island and become a small coffee plantation owner. By that point they had also met Marie Roze Adam a mulatto woman, who was enslaved in another plantation, where they were likely an employer. Between 1772 and 1777 she gave birth to their three children, who were born into slavery. After meeting their future wife, Romaine spent 12 years working to free her and their children from slavery. They purchased Marie Roze and their children and immediately married her, exploiting a law, according to which marrying her master freed her and any of her children owned by the same master. Romaine became very respected in the area's free black community and they and their wife became godparents to multiple children. Still even after freeing their wife and children from bondage they did own at least two slaves, as did many wealthy free black and mulatto people.

After the French Revolution many of the free black Haitians were radicalized. The French revolutionaries had promised freedom and equality, but while all whites, even the poor ones, gained citizenship, the citizen status of free people of colour was tenuous and black slaves remained slaves. This led to a lot of tensions and fighting, which in 1791 erupted into several uprisings, the uprising of the free people of colour against their discrimination and the slave rebellion. Romaine joined the slave rebellion after a powerful white plantation owner near their plantation gathered troops threatening them and their community. They called upon free black and poor white people in their community outnumbering the white troops, attacked the plantation, burned it down and freed it's slaves. It's a little unclear when exactly, but at least by the revolution, Romaine started to be known as Romaine the Prophetess. They dressed in women's clothing and spoke about being possessed by a female spirit. They became known as both a healer and a prophet. With a saber in hand they preached that God was black - their religious practice and revolutionary politics were very intertwined. Vodou was not yet a formalized belief system, but this was the time when it was taking form as Catholic and Indigenous African and Caribbean beliefs mingled together among Caribbean people of colour. Romaine's religious beliefs seem to also be a mix of Kongolese Catholicism (Catholicism has been a major religion in Kongo since early 16th century) and indigenous West-African religions. This was quite common among Haitian revolutionaries, but there was still a lot of variety.

After capturing and burning the first plantation, Romaine and their growing army of freed slaves, burned multiple other plantations in the area of Southern Hispaniola and freed thousands of slaves. There were excesses of violence as an inevitable consequence of the extreme brutality the slaves had been subjected to (how the Caribbean slaves and Maroons were treated by the Europeans is one of the most nauseating things I have ever read and after that it's impossible for me to condemn anything they did afterward to their oppressors). Eventually most of the wealthy free black people turned against Romaine and the slave revolt and pressured them to go into peace treaty with the French. By that point they had enough of the upper hand that they managed to keep control over large parts of the province. However, the peace would not last and eventually Romaine and their troops were defeated by the French in 1792. Romaine's family was capture, but they apparently managed to escape and was said to have continued preaching, however there's no other record of them after that. Haitian Revolution was eventually after a decade successful and made Haiti the first state to entirely abolish slavery.

10. We'Wha (1849–1896)

We'Wha was a Zuni, Indigenous American Pueblo people from Zuni River Valley, a potter, a weaver and a cultural ambassador. They were a lhamana, a third gender category in Zuni culture. The lhamana are usually amab people, who take both masculine and feminine characteristics and perform both feminine and masculine roles in the community. It's unclear what pronouns We'Wha would have used in the English language, so I will use they/them. At the time of We'Wha's birth the Zuni had managed to stay away from colonizers and continued their traditional livelihoods and religious practices. But the Zunis had their first interactions with the colonizers, who brought smallpox, which killed many of the villagers, including We'Wha's parents, after which they and their brother were adopted by an aunt. US tried to gain control of New Mexico - in 1877 they established Zuni Reservation and begun a policy to assimilate Indigenous People to the industrial American society by converting them to Christianity. Which is why in 1878 missionaries arrive to We'Wha's village. They became the missionaries' domestic servant and learned English. The missionaries left from the village in 1881, without managing to force their culture and morals on the villagers.

During the missionaries' stay at the village, We'Wha befriended Matilda Coxe Stevenson, an ethnologist, who recorded a lot of Zuni culture with the help of We'Wha. Matilda and her husband invited them to visit Washington D.C. with them. We'Wha used the opportunity to meet with president and form good relationship with the US government in order to protect the independence of their tribe. 6 years after their visit to Washington D.C., they were arrested. US soldiers had tried to interfere with the internal community trial of the Zuni and arrest their elders. We'Wha had resisted the soldiers and ended up in jail for a month.

Today Zuni people are surviving centuries of genocide as well as one can. Halona Idiwan’a, or Pueblo of Zuni, the Zuni reservation and homeland, has a sizable Zuni population. There's 9 500 speakers of Zuni language, most of who live in Halona Idiwan’a. The traditional religion is also still practiced by the Zuni. In early 2000s Zuni people successfully opposed a coal mine, which was planned near Zuni Salt Lake, a sacred site in Zuni lands. To this day they are still opposing colonial intervention.

11. Edward Carpenter (1844-1929)

Edward Carpenter was from a wealthy English family. He was a writer, poet, philosopher, socialist, early gay rights activist, prison reformist and animal rights activist. He wrote much about Uranians, term for queer men, which he used as a term for all queer people. He argued for non-medicalized view of queerness, and didn't just argue that it should be tolerated, but that it was a natural human trait beneficial to humanity. He had multiple relationships with men thorough his life, and had a particular preference for gruff working class men. As a 58 years old he met 36 year old George Merrill, a working class man, and the two fell in love. George moved in with Edward and they lived together for almost 40 years, until George died suddenly. Edward was devastated and shortly after suffered a stroke and died as well.

12. May Morris (1862-1938)

May Morris was English Arts and Crafts artist, designer artisan and socialist. Her father was William Morris himself, the father of the Arts and Crafts movement, and her mother was Jane Morris, muse and model of Pre-Raphaelite art. May was a very influential embroiderer. She was active in the movement and founded Women's Guild of Art when Art Workers' Guild did not admit women. She was married to a man, the secretary of the Socialist League, for 8 year, despite her mother's disapproval of him, but eventually divorced him. In 1917 her life long relationship with Mary Lobb begun. Mary cross-dressed but used feminine terms. She loved dogs. She moved into May's countryside Arts and Crafts cottage with the guise of being May's gardener, but eventually they were openly a couple. They traveled together for hiking trips, for example to Iceland many times.

13. Renée Vivien (1877-1909)

Renée Vivien was a mentally ill lesbian poet, Sappho enjoyer (a woman of culture) and a cat lover. She had a profound homoromantic childhood friendship, mommy issues and was melodramatic about women. She would have done numbers on Tumblr dot com. She was English, but lived most of her life in France with the money she inherited from her rich father at a young age. All her relationships were quite dramatic. She left the homoromantic friendship with Violet Shillito for a hot American actress Natalie Barney, after which the friend died of typhoid fever and Renée separated with Natalie because she was sure she had killed Violet with a broken heart. Next year in 1902 she started an affair with a married Jewish Baroness Héléne von Zuylen. They had to keep their relationship discreet because of Héléne's position, but it continued for years and Renée considered them to be married. Still when she got a letter from a secret admirer, wife of a Turkish diplomat, French-educated Muslim woman, Kérimé Turkhan Pasha, she started a secret affair with her too. They had only brief encounters, but exchanged a lot of passionate correspondence. Renée was not willing to leave Héléne, but eventually in 1907 Héléne left her for another woman. Next year Kérimé ended their relationship, as she relocated to St. Petersburg with her husband. Renée took all that as well as the average poet. She abused alcohol and drugs more than she had before and attempted suicide in a way I can only describe as on brand. She overdosed on opium, stretched on her divan and placed a bouquet of violets over her heart. Her commitment to the symbolism was real. In all seriousness she was not well. Her substance abuse and disordered eating had deteriorated her health and tragically complications of her mental illnesses would claim her life only a year later.

14. Lucy Hicks Anderson (1886–1954)

Lucy was Black American born in Kentucky to a working class family and assigned male at birth. From a young age she insisted that she was a girl and wanted to wear dresses. Her mother took her to a physician, who suggested that she should allow Lucy to present as a girl and raise her as such, which she did. Lucy left school at age 15 to support herself by working as a domestic servant. As an adult she would move around and work in the service sector and as a chefs, get married and move to Oxnard, California. After divorcing her husband in 1929 she bought a boarding house with her savings, and used is as a front to operate a brothel and illegal liquor business during the prohibition. She became a local socialite and hostess with a lot of influence in the high society. She was on that grindset. Her influential connections got her out of jail, when her brothel was exposed. After that she married a her second husband in New York in 1944, Reuben Anderson, a soldier. They returned to Oxnard, where she resumed her brothel operation. In 1946 a sailor claimed to have caught a venereal disease from her brothel, so even she was forced to undergo a medical examination, during which her masculine sex characteristics were discovered and she was accused of fraud for "lying" about her sex in her marriage license. In the court she said:

"I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. [...] I have lived, dressed, acted just what I am, a woman."

She and her husband were convicted and both put in men's prison. To add to the cruelty, she was forbidden to wear women's clothing. She survived the ordeal and was freed in 1950, after which she moved with her husband to Los Angeles and they lived quietly together until her death.

15. Amelio Robles Ávila (1889-1984)

Amelio Robles Ávila was a Mexican revolutionary colonel and decorated war hero. He was born to a middle class farmer, who owned 42 hectares of land, and afab in Xochipala, Guerrero. He was sent to girl's Catholic school, but showed interest in masculine pursuits from an early age, becoming very proficient in running of a ranch. Even before adopting a male presentation or becoming a soldier, he was known as an excellent marksman and rider. He joined the revolutionary Zapatista army between 1911 and 1912, still presenting as a woman. The Zapatistas were formed as a response to the military dictatorship under general Porfirio Díaz, who ruled from late 19th to early 20th century. Prior to the Porfiriato there was still significant Indigineus Nahua population in Central Mexico, where people lived largely in Nahua villages and worked communally owned land. During the dictatorship though communal landownership was undermined and land was centralized to haciendas, which were a type of grand estate used broadly in Latin America as brutal colonial enterprises. This sparked a revolution, led by the Zapatistas, who sought land reform and fought the military dictatorship with guerilla warfare.

Two years after joining the Zapatistas, Amelio started to present as a man and demanded to be respected as such. And mostly he was, by his family as well. He was accomplished in the army and eventually gained his own command of over 300 men. He fought till the end of revolutionary period in 1920, and returned to put down a counter-revolutionary rebellion in 1923. After his army career he settled down, and in 1930s he married Ángela Torres, with whom he adopted a daughter, Regula Robles Torres. He was a widely known to be trans and so when his birth certificate was falsified so he could legally adopt his daughter, it was probably a favour from the government. At some point after the revolution, a group of men tried to do a hate crime on him and "expose" his anatomy, but he killed two of them in self-defense, as he should. In 1948 he received a medical certificate, where it was confirmed he had 6 (six) bullet wounds, to officially enter the Confederation of Veterans of the Revolution. And finally in 1970 he was officially recognized by the state as a male veteran (veterano) of the Revolution and received several awards for his distinguished military service. He died as a 95-year-old revolutionary hero and certified chad. There is a story that in his deathbed he asked to be dressed in women's clothing when he was buried to face God's judgement, but this is likely a baseless rumor, since he also apparently asked in the same breath honours for his military service (which he had already received) and according to his death certificate he had lost the ability to speak before his death.

16. Alan L. Hart (1890-1962)

Alan L. Hart was an American physician, radiologist and novelist, who made significant advancements to tuberculosis treatment and was the first transman to medically transition in US. He was afab and was born in 1890, but very early on expressed a strong desire to be a boy, which was largely accepted by her parents and grandparents, who let him present as a boy and referred to him in masculine ways. However, when he attended school he was required to dress as a girl, though outside it he continued to presenting as a boy. In medical collage he was still forced to present as a woman. He was very unhappy that his female name was used in his medical degree when he graduated, since it meant he had to continued presenting as a woman for jobs or be outed as a "sexual invert". Right after his graduation though in 1917 (when he was still presenting on his first job as a woman, but outside it as a man) he sought medical transition. His doctor agreed that "from a sociological and psychological standpoint he is a man" and his surgery was completed during the next year after which he legally changed his name and married his first wife Inez Stark. Later, when hormone theraphy became available, he started using testosterone as well. Unfortunately in the same year he was outed by a former classmate and was forced to move with his wife to remote Montana, which was very traumatic for him. Financial troubles and secrecy caused by this outing and relocation put a strain on his marriage and they separated in 1923. Two years later he married his second wife, Edna Ruddick, which would last till his death.

During the same year Alan moved to work in Trudeau School of Tuberculosis in New York to do his postgraduate work, then worked for two years in a sanatorium in Illinois and finally in 1928 received his master's degree in radiology from the University of Pennsylvania. After that he did his career working with and researching tuberculosis, which was the most common cause of death in America still at the time. He developed an x-ray screening method for spotting tuberculosis early on and preventing it from spreading. Using his screening method he led a mass campaign to screen for tuberculosis in Connecticut for 16 years, and similar screening campaigns were then used all over US and the world. This was crucial in ending the tuberculosis epidemics, which had been going on for decades across the world. His method is still the standard used today. During his career he also wrote medical drama fiction and published four novels.

In his will he had directed for his personal photographs and letters to be destroyed, which was his last act of controlling the narrative of his own life, which had been briefly stolen from him, when he had been outed. This was carried out, but even then, a decade after his death, he was reclaimed by anti-trans lesbian groups as a historical lesbian figure. During 1980s and 1990s though trans people and some lesbians, like the Lesbian Avengers, valiantly defended his legacy, protested these lesbian groups and eventually forced them to back down.

17. Willem Arondeus (1894-1943)

Willem Arondeus was a Dutch artist, writer and poet and an openly gay man. Quickly after Neatherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940, he joined the Dutch resistance. He used his skills as an artist to become a very successful forger. He forged documents for Dutch Jews so they could avoid Nazi detection and escape the occupation with a lesbian resistant Frieda Belingfante. Their efforts were hindered by Population Registration, where the Nazis could verify the documents to be false. So in 1943 they attacked the record archives and managed to blow up the building and destroy 15% of the identity cards. Later though someone betrayed them and Willem was caught by the Nazis. He refused to identify his companions, but the Nazis found his notebook and were able to catch everyone except Frieda. Willem took all the blame for the attack, which is possibly why two of his comrades were given clemency, but the rest 13 and him were sentenced to death. Before his execution he made sure it was known he and two others in the group were gay and said either to a friend or a lawyer:

"Tell people that homosexuals are not cowards."

18. Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973)

Rosetta Tharpe was born in Cotton Plantation, Arkansas, USA, to black cotton pickers, who were also gospel musicians. She was a young prodigy and started touring as a gospel singer and player at a young age. She is often called the Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll, because of her immense influence to the genre. She was a pioneer of electric guitar technique that would have a massive influence to the development of electric blues and the sound of rock 'n' roll. Her act was provocative, as she combined spiritual gospel lyrics with embrace of sexuality and appearances in nightclubs. She had relationships with men and women and was married several times. One of her more famous sapphic relationships was with another black artist, Marie Knight. Their relationship lasted for five years during which they made music and performed together. They remained friends for the rest of Rosetta's life, and years after her death at age 82 Marie recorded a tribute album for Rosetta.

19 & 20. Tove Jansson (1914-2001) and Tuulikki Pietilä (1917-2009)

Tove Jansson was the creator of Moomins, an artist and a writer. She was born in Helsinki, Finland, to an upper class Swedish-Finnish artist family. She had relationships with both men and women. Her early serious relationship was with Atos Wirtanen, a socialist politician, who inspired Snufkin's character. Her first relationship with a woman was with a married theater director, Vivica Bandler. Tutsik and Lipsik were based on herself and Vivica. In 1956 she started relationship with her life partner, Tuulikki Pietilä, which lasted till the end of her life. Tuulikki was an influential Finnish graphic artist and sister to Reima Pietilä (one half of Pietilä architect pair, my favorite Finnish architects). Tuutikki was based on her. They traveled all over the world and spend their summers on a small rocky island in Pellinki. In 1992 they attended together the presidential independence day party (a big event every year in Finland) as probably the first sapphic couple.

[purplepirate123]

Time for Citizens to Hit Elon with a Privacy Act Violation

Email Template

To: privacy@treasury.gov

Subject Line: Civil Liberties Complaint

Hello,

I am making a civil liberties complaint under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a. It has been brought to my attention that Elon Musk and his associates, under the guise of a directive of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) (an IT office in the White House), have acquired access to Treasury Department Records in Systems of Records as defined in the Act. As an individual covered by the Act, I believe that there may be records about me in these Treasury Department systems, and I am concerned for the following reasons:

Elon Musk is not an elected official.

Even if Musk were an elected official, the System of Records Notices (SORNs) governing the Treasury Department Privacy Act systems do not allow for disclosure to Musk and his associates per the Routine Uses.

Disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) and sensitive personally identifiable information (SPII) to Musk and his associates would be an unauthorized disclosure and therefore breach of information.

The Treasury Department must (1) quickly investigate what Privacy Act records that Musk and his associates have unlawfully accessed, (2) reveal to the public what unauthorized disclosures were made, (3) stop further access, (4) force any files acquired by Musk and his associates to be returned and/or permanently destroyed, and (5) seek criminal penalties against Musk and his associates for violations of the Act.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION]

Privacy Act of 1974

The spirit of this law is rooted in presidential drama and corruption. It was passed as a direct result of the Watergate Scandal which uncovered the federal government’s scheme of illegally investigating and maintaining records about individuals. So in an effort to provide transparency to the public and an assurance that the government would not misuse records about us all, the Privacy Act of 1974 was born.

Multiple unions have now filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service under the Privacy Act as well as other privacy laws. They are seeking a civil remedy in the form of a restraining order to prevent DOGE from accessing records. But the Act also allows for criminal penalties to be assessed. The two that could apply to Musk and his associates include:

“Any person who knowingly and willfully requests or obtains any record concerning an individual from an agency under false pretenses shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $5,000.” 5 U.S.C. § 552a(i)(3).”

“Any officer or employee of any agency who willfully maintains a system of records without meeting the notice requirements of subsection (e)(4) of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $5,000.” 5 U.S.C. § 552a(i)(2).”

The first applies to Musk accessing Privacy Act records from the Treasury Department under false pretenses of carrying out official government duties.

The second could apply if Musk creates a system of records in the DOGE office without complying with the law. For example, if he began using his IT office role to create records about individuals in the government or who receive government assistance, that would be a violation. It is very likely we will need to demand an investigation into DOGE and what they have on US citizens, too.

Email the Treasury Department today with the template up above. We deserve to have our privacy protected, and some loser who isn’t even from this country shouldn’t be allowed to stomp all over our rights.

ELON MUSK IS STAGING A COUP AT THE US TREASURY!!! He has not right to be there, no authorization for what he's doing, no oversight. AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS INSTEAD FOCUSING ON DICKFACE'S INSANE GAZA COMMENTS.

Write emails. Call your senators. ALSO, TODAY, MARCH. Every Us capital city in every state. And if you can get to DC or are in DC, hit the streets.

[liberalsarecool]

First Felon appeals to the desperate loser spirit within mediocre white men.

First Felon could never legislate a policy or give details in an honest debate.

He rules like a rapist. He evades laws like a felon. He treats the office of President like an abuser.

He needs the almost always illegal executive order. The laziness is the default.

[madebycloud]

Multo

jinx/powder x reader — 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

summary: multo [mul · to]　spirits that are said to be entities taking the shape of a person but are instead the memories, the missed opportunities, and the wrong decisions that we cannot escape. | you dreamt of the same future, side by side, always together, but things didn't work out like they were supposed to. (requested by anon) warnings/themes: fluff (???) & angst, hurt no comfort, ex lovers, break up, toxic relationship words: 5.0k notes: if you’re filo, there are some references here (esp from paubaya mv and how’s of us) hope yall enjoy reading this and hopefully it doesn’t trigger anyone ;)

“Do you take Powder for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

“I do.”

—

Sevika parks the truck in the church's parking lot and shuts the engine off. Her gaze then drifts towards the double doors. There's a small crowd gathering, getting ready for the wedding.

She sighs, then turns her head to give you a sharp look. “Don't do anything funny-”

“I know,” you dismiss her, unbuckling your seatbelt. “I'm over it, Sev.”

“Remember, you're here as a guest. Keep your head straight. You hear me?”

“I'm not going to cause trouble,” you reassure Sevika and open the door, hopping out of the truck. “I just want to see her one last time.”

Twelve years ago, you dreamed of this day. The day when Powder would walk down the aisle, wearing white, and you would be waiting at the end. You dreamed of the sound of the wedding march and her taking your hand, and you both saying your vows, spending the rest of your lives together. 

Twelve years later, you'll have to bury those dreams. Because once she was done walking down the aisle, she'd be someone else's wife.

—

10 YEARS AGO

“You're gonna be a doctor someday, and I'm gonna be an engineer.”

You're lying down on the couch, your arms wrapped around her shoulder as she rests her head on your chest. She traces her index finger lazily on your stomach. 

“We're gonna be rich and super smart.” Powder smiles and moves so she can face you, propping her chin on your chest. “I'm gonna invent all these cool machines and gadgets, and you're gonna be the best doctor in the world.”

“And then we can go to all these cool places,” you add. “Paris, London, Prague... everywhere.”

She grins and leans forward, pressing a kiss to your jaw. “I want to build a future with you,” she murmurs. “I want you by my side.”

“Always,” you reply. “I don't want a future without you.”

—

PRESENT

“Everything is in the past now. This is for her.” 

You blink once and rub your eyes, trying to shake out the memories dancing in your head. “That's easy for you to say. You weren't the one who dated her,” you mutter under your breath.

Sevika hears, though. “Oh? So that's what you're going to do? Complain about your failed relationship? You had what you wanted, and yet you threw it away.”

“I had to-” you start to say, but the sound of violins starting to play interrupts you.

The wedding march begins to play, and you stand up along with the rest of the attendees, turning your heads towards the entrance as the doors are pulled open.

There she is.

Powder wears a sleeveless off white wedding dress, and a long white veil covers her face. There's a bouquet of flowers in her hands, with long ribbons trailing along the floor behind her. You can see the smile on her face under the thin veil. 

If this was your wedding, what would it have looked like?

The beautiful church. The flowers lining the aisle. Powder, wearing a white wedding dress as she walks towards you. Everything is how you dreamed of it.

But then she reaches the end of the aisle, standing next to her groom before the pastor. Ekko whispers to her, and she laughs softly.

The pastor begins talking, but you focus your attention on Powder and Ekko. Ekko looks great. He cleans up really nicely in his suit. He reaches out to take Powder's hand in his. 

You look away, your attention turning back to the pastor.

“Those who have any reason why this couple should not be joined in Holy Matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

—

8 YEARS AGO

“I'll marry you here.”

Powder's arms wrap around you as she rests her chin on your shoulder, looking at the wide open view of the sky above. You stand on the roof of an unfinished building, watching the night sky. 

“Isn't this a little cliché,” you tease. “Making these future promises in the night sky?”

“Maybe… but I meant what I said. I'm going to marry you one day.”

“I know you do,” you say, turning around and wrapping your arms around her.

She chuckles. “I'm going to marry you in a church with all our family and friends. I'm going to wear a really pretty white dress, and you'll only be looking at me.”

“I'm already in love with you. It doesn't matter if you're in a dress or not. I'll still look at you like you're the most beautiful and amazing person I've ever seen.”

She smiles and reaches up to cup your face with her hands. “We're going to grow old together,” she whispers. “We're going to be happy forever. We're going to be happy… right?”

“Of course we're going to be happy,” you reply, covering her hands with one of yours. “I'll be happy as long as you're happy.”

—

PRESENT

You spot Silco in the crowd, watching the ceremony. He catches your gaze and gives you a nod. You return it and then turn your attention back to the front.

Powder stands beside Ekko, her focus on the pastor, her hand intertwined with his.

No doubt they're thinking of the same things you just were. Vows, love, happiness... they're thinking of the future. Of their future.

You wish you could be thinking the same things. But you're stuck in the past. Stuck in the memory of how it used to be. The what-ifs, the maybes, the supposed-to-bes.

7 years, 84 months, 2,557 days, 61,362 hours.

So many moments and days that were spent, just to be left with nothing but memories. 

You want to go back to those moments, to those days, and do things differently.

But life isn't like that. Time doesn't stop for anyone. Life doesn't stop for those left behind. Time keeps moving forward, and so does life.

Those memories you're thinking of? They stay in the past. And they stay there forever.

You have to learn to let go.

—

5 YEARS AGO

You don't know what to do anymore. Everything in your life just keeps piling up on top of you.

You're working part time jobs to keep the electricity on and to put food on the table. All while trying to keep your grades up at least above a B.

And Powder's failure on her board exams certainly didn't help.

She's been locked in the workshop for hours, working on some machine, some new gadget, something to keep her mind off the disappointment from the exam.

You've tried to be supportive. You've done everything you could. You've tried to reassure her that there's always next year, that she still has time to try again.

Still, she won't listen. She just locks herself away, avoiding you and ignoring your words. Every single night, she spends it in her workshop, working, building, and creating.

You've tried to talk to her about helping financially, offering to give you small jobs, or even just getting a part-time job. Anything would be helpful.

Yet, every time it's the same response. “I'm working on something important,” she would always say with a wave of her hand. Or if she didn't want to deal with you, she'd simply reply with “I just need a little bit more time.”

You know why she's not able to take your suggestions about getting a job. She feels like a disappointment. 

Her passion is her coping mechanism, and she has the right to cope with her failures in her own way. Her inventions and creations are the only source of joy she currently has, and you don’t want to tear it away from her despite the fact that it's slowly tearing apart your future together.

But you need the help, you need another source of income, and there's nothing you can do without upsetting your girlfriend.

So, you keep trying to keep everything together. You work, you cook, you clean, you stay up way too late at night studying, you run on less and less sleep, and you take on odd jobs on the weekends.

You tell yourself that it's going to work out. That everything will be fine. That if you just keep going, things will get better.

This is for you and Powder's future anyway.

—

PRESENT

After the wedding, people head into the reception hallway, chatting among themselves. You and Sevika find your way to a table with your name cards.

The reception hall is decorated with flowers hanging everywhere and strings of fairy lights hanging across the walls. The tables are covered with light blue tablecloths, and there are pink ribbons wrapped around the back of each of the wooden chairs.

“Can everybody take their seats?” You look up to the stage, where Ekko stands holding a microphone with Powder beside him. “We appreciate you coming here for us. It really means a lot.”

Powder holds onto Ekko's hand, and he brings it up to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of her hand, causing her to grin. 

“I'd like to thank everyone who helped us plan everything. I'd also like to thank the person who made this dream possible,” Ekko continues, and he motions for Powder to step up to the microphone.

“Thank you for coming to our wedding,” Powder says. “I'm really glad everyone is here.” She looks out to the audience, and her eyes land on you. “It means a lot to have everyone we care about here.”

She smiles and she looks at Ekko again, who is staring at her with adoration.

“I'd like to start with a toast to my now-husband,” she says. “Ekko... it's hard to find the words to express how I feel about you. I could never describe everything you mean to me or how you make me feel. Every second with you is a gift, and every day you make me the luckiest person in the world. I love you more than anything. Cheers!”

Everyone raises their glass, a chorus of ‘cheers’ rings around the room. You raise your glass as well, joining in. Sevika does the same, sipping her wine in one gulp.

The rest of the night continues with more speeches and congratulations. After the dinner, the room then becomes more lively. People are getting up from the table to dance, and you can see Powder and Ekko heading to the dance floor.

She used to love dancing with you. Back when things were good. When they were easy.

It would be after late nights when she was bored or restless, dancing around your apartment at two in the morning. Eventually, you'd give in and get up from the bed, grabbing her around the waist and dancing with her, even if you were tired.

But it was more than that. It's dancing in the rain, the moonlight, the early mornings. It was the smiles and the gentle touches when no one was looking. It was the promises you made to each other when it was only you and her. 

It was everything you dreamed of and more. And here you are, watching someone else dance with her.

—

5 YEARS AGO.

“You can't even—God, Pow!” you grumble to yourself, watching the pile of dishes in the sink. “I thought you were going to do these yesterday.”

The apartment is a mess. The couch is littered with food boxes and wrappers. The garbage can is overflowing with used plastic utensils, food scraps. The small kitchen sink is stacked with unwashed dishes. Some of them have been there for a few days. She said she'd do them last night after she finished up some tinkering in the workshop.

“I said I'm sorry-”

“-It's the same thing, over and over again! you say you're going to do something, and you never do it. It's like I'm talking to a brick wall. Why do I even bother?!” 

“I'll do it today!” she protests, “I just-”

“You just what? Didn't get around to it? Too busy tinkering on something that you'll eventually forget about?”

“It's not like that!”

You turn to face her, pointing with a finger. “You always say you'll do something, but you never do! You can't even go a day without messing up. I'm tired of cleaning up after you-”

“-I can help too-”

“-But you never do!” you snap. “I do all the cooking, I clean the apartment, I do the laundry, I take care of the bills, I do the groceries, I-” you gesture around the room. “-I've been working my ass off, trying to keep us afloat, trying to make sure we have food and power. Why cant you be useful for once?!”

Her face falls at that last word, and she clenches her fists. “Useful?” Powder repeats. “Seriously?”

“Yes!” you exclaim. “You're not doing any better than a pet at this rate. At least a dog has some goddamn purpose-”

“-I'm not a dog!” She storms over to you and grabs onto your shirt, shoving you hard on the chest. “I'm not doing all this to be useless! I'm doing it because I have to! Because I'm going to make something that's going to matter! I want to do something that matters. I want to matter. I'm trying, alright?!”

“You're trying.” You scoff and shove her hand away from you. “Trying to do what? sit around and watch me do all the work? you're trying to what? make some pointless gadget that won't ever do anything other than blow up in your face?”

“Is that really what you think of me?”

“What the hell am I supposed to think?! all you ever do is screw up! every single thing you touch breaks, every single thing you try to do fails, and you just keep messing things up! I've been trying to be supportive. I've been trying to be understanding. Every single day, every time I come home, every single time I talk to you, but it's always the same!”

“What's that supposed to mean?!”

“Every time I ask you to do something, it's always the same excuse-”

“-Is it so wrong that I want to do things that make me happy?!” she interrupts sharply. “This is my passion. This is what I'm meant to do. YOU, of all people, know why this is important to me! YOU know why it means so much!”

“Passion?” you echo, pacing around the apartment. “Your goddamn passion? It won't keep the electricity running. It won't buy you food to eat. YOU only care about yourself and YOUR goddamn passion and YOUR stupid dreams and YOUR needs! It's never about us, or our future, or what WE need to do to survive. It's always ABOUT YOU!”

You stop in your tracks and look at her, your chest heaving. “I've given everything! Everything I have to keep us afloat! Everything to keep going! But I'm so fucking tired! I'm tired of carrying your weight. I'm tired of carrying your dreams. I'm tired of dealing with your bullshit.”

She's always hated it when you yell at her. She hates it when you argue.

You hate it too. You hate seeing her eyes fill up with tears while her lips tremble. 

“I've put up with so much, SO MUCH because I thought it was worth it. I thought if I just kept going, things would work out. I thought if I kept trying... I wanted something good for us. I wanted us together, happy, to be able to live good lives. I thought we were going together,” you gesture at her, “I thought we were doing this together.”

“We are,” she says, and she looks away. “We are.”

“Are we?” you ask her, and you sigh. “I'm so tired.”

“You... you're tired of me.”

You nod slowly, staring at the ground. “I'm tired of having to spend my time taking care of everything. I'm tired of picking up after you. I'm tired of doing everything by myself. I'm tired of cleaning up your messes. I'm-” you rub your eyes, tiredly “-I... I just feel like I'm wasting my time in this relationship.”

Powder steps forward, reaching out to touch you, but her hand falls back to her side at the last second. “Are you... is this it?” she asks. “Are you breaking it off?”

…

…

She flinches as your silence confirms her fears. “Then…” she starts to say, and she clears her throat. “Then just leave. Please just leave.”

Hearing her say that finally rips another piece of your heart. You look away from her, trying to control the tears that are starting to form in your eyes. “Fine,” you say, “if that's what you want.”

You turn away and start packing your things, making it quick. There's no time to stay here any longer than you have to. You shove your things into a suitcase, grabbing the essentials and shoving them inside. 

You look around the apartment. The apartment that you two made yours. The apartment that you two spent years in. The apartment that had more memories than anyone could count.

You spot a small, framed picture sitting on the nightstand. It's a photo of the two of you at her favorite bar. You were celebrating her getting into her dream university.

Her arms are wrapped around your neck, her cheeks pressed against yours as the both of you smile at the camera. One of your arms is slung around her waist. You're holding a beer in your other hand.

You were happy back then, weren't you? Back when both of you were sure about the future. Back when you thought all your dreams were within reach. Back when you believed you could spend the rest of your life together.

It was so easy to love her. So easy. And you did it so willingly. She stole every part of you until there was no part of you that belonged to you anymore.

You start moving towards the door, a suitcase in hand. Your hand rests on the doorknob, and you can feel her eyes staring at the back of your head.

You don't look back, because you know that if you do, you will run back to her. You'll forget everything that happened. You'll forget the fights and the arguments. You'll forget the cold shoulders and the sharp bites of words. You'll forget everything because you'll only remember how much you love her.

But for your sake, and hers...

You turn the doorknob and walk out the door.

Just as the door closes behind you, you hear the first sob from the other side.

You hear it in the hitch of her breath. You hear the faint thud of her landing on the ground. You hear her cry, you hear her gasping for air between sobs, you hear the sounds of her breaking.

And it's then, and only then, do the tears finally escape.

Your knees buckle, and you sink to the ground, your back pressed against the door. You press your hand over your mouth, the only thing to stop your sobs from being heard on the other side.

You miss what you used to be. You miss what you had.

But you know that there is no going back. This is the end of it. You and her, you and who once meant everything to you, will never, ever be the same again.

This time, when the door closes, it closes for good. 

Your hands tremble as you force yourself to get up, holding the handle of your suitcase tightly. You look at the door you walked through one last time before turning away to face your future without her.

—

PRESENT

The reception goes on, and a few hours later, everyone starts leaving the reception. You stand up and head out with Sevika, making the walk towards the parking lot.

You're nearly at Sevika's truck when someone calls out. “Hey... wait up.”

You look over your shoulder to see Powder walking towards you. You stop and turn to face her, Sevika stopping at your side.

“I was hoping to catch you guys before you left,” Powder says. “Can we speak for a bit?” she asks, and she looks anxious. “Alone?”

You hesitate for a moment before nodding your head once.

Sevika looks between the two of you. “I'll wait here,” she responds and lights up a cigarette, leaning against the truck.

She rubs her cheek awkwardly and then points towards a lone bench off to the side of the road. “Can we sit?”

You follow Powder, and the two of you sit down on the bench, leaving a few feet of space between you. 

Powder fiddles awkwardly with her ring, twisting it nervously around her finger. “Thanks for coming today,” she starts. “Um, Ekko... he wanted everyone to come. Wanted us all to sort of move on and... be at peace. Wanted to make sure everything is good between everyone.”

You nod, understanding. “It was a beautiful wedding,” you say politely. “You two looked great up there.”

“...thanks.” 

The silence is weird and awkward and strange, and you don't know her anymore because it's been so long. 

Then, she speaks again.

“I was hoping to talk to you about... a lot of things. But... mostly... I just wanted to say-” she pauses, hesitating. “I'm... I'm sorry,” she says, her eyes flickering to your face before looking away. “...I'm sorry,” she repeats. “For... everything, I guess. For letting things get so... messed up. I shouldn't have... I should've…”

“It's alright,” you say, and you sound gentle and understanding. “We don't have to-”

“-No, we do,” she interrupts. “I need to get this out.”

You nod again, and she continues. 

“I was... lost back then. I was messed up back then. I didn't know what to do... after my exams, and I-” she stops, biting her lip. “There were other things as well, but that's what tipped me over. I just didn't know what to do... but instead of doing nothing, I started doing something. And that ended up messing everything up-

I focused... I focused on what I was good at. I focused on what I enjoyed. I pushed you away cause... I didn't want to face everything. I didn't want to face you, cause I didn't want to face everything wrong with myself. I thought... I thought I could do everything by myself. I thought I could handle it. I wasn't thinking of you. I wasn't... I just kept thinking about... about what I wanted. What I needed,” she murmurs. “You were the only thing in my life that was going right. You were the only thing I had. And I was so scared of ruining it. I didn't mean to, though. I just…” she huffs, “...I'm sorry.”

She looks back at you, the tears starting to stream down her cheeks. “I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not being strong enough, for not giving you the love you needed, for not being better. You... I… I'm so sorry…”

You reach for her hand, and she lets your fingers intertwine. “I'm sorry too,” you tell her. “I'm sorry for leaving. I didn't do it because I wanted to, I did it because I had to. I had to do it for us-

It wasn't like I didn't... I didn't want to be there for you,” you continue as your vision starts to blur. “I did want to... but I couldn't keep giving everything while waiting for you... waiting for you to... find yourself. I needed to let go, because we were falling apart. We would never have gotten to where we are now if I didn't let go. You wouldn't be the engineer you are now, and I wouldn't be the doctor I am now. I had to let you go for both of us.”

“You were right for doing it,” she whispers as she stares at your fingers intertwined with hers. “I… I hated that you left. I didn't want to admit it, but deep down, I think I knew. I think I always knew that we weren't meant for each other.” A tear slips down her cheek and hits your intertwined hands. “We were always on different paths, you and I.”

It feels like the weight is off your shoulders and hers too.

“We tried, right?”

She nods, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm.

“We tried our best, right?” you ask, and this time she pauses because it sounds like a farewell.

And it is. 

“We did…” she replies. “We tried our best.”

7 years of memories, the good and the bad. The ones that you would never forget.

“Thank you. Thank you... for the memories. I know… I know things didn't end how I wished they would, but I… I don't regret a single moment of being with you,” you say. “What we had... it was enough. For me.”

You pause as she turns to look at you, a smile on her face. It's a small smile, but it is genuine, and it's more than enough.

“I'm happy you're happy,” you murmur.

“I want you to be happy too.”

“...I'll be happy.”

Her hand squeezes yours, and you return the pressure. You don't want to let go.

A pause.

She lets go first. Her fingers sliding out of yours and falling back into her lap.

She then stands up. “I... I think Ekko is already looking for me.”

“Yeah.” You nod. “Yeah, good—yeah. I... I should be going too.” You follow suit, facing her, and try to memorize the look on her face one last time. “I forgive you.” And you do, somehow, you do.

“I forgive you, too,” she murmurs. “I hope you... live your life the best way you can. I... I hope you... find happiness.”

Then... she steps forward, hesitates, and wraps her arms around your waist. You're surprised, but you return the embrace anyway. Your arms wrap around her shoulders, and you can feel her burying her face in your chest as she finally lets herself feel it, all five years of it.

“Thank you,” she says against your chest. “Thank you-” her voice chokes up.

“It'll be alright,” you soothe, rubbing her back gently like it used to be, and she clings to you like she used to. “Everything will be alright.” 

You can't help but think, if the circumstances had been different, things would be different. That perhaps, in an alternate universe, it would be you and her. That, maybe, in another life, she would have taken you to see the stars on a cloudless night, and that you would have watched the sky together, with only the sound of crickets and the warmth of her hand intertwined with yours.

Maybe in another time, another universe, another life.

Maybe...

But not this one. Not this time, not this universe, not this life.

You're just two strangers, once again, caught in something that could have been a lifetime.

Two different people with completely different lives and futures.

You know nothing of her life for the past half-decade, and she doesn't know yours. You don't know the woman she has become, and she doesn't know the stranger you have grown into.

It's as if you've aged 5 years in the span of a few minutes.

Because you did, in a way.

You let each other go, in the end, and now you have to live the rest of your life in a world with her in it, but not with her.

Your time together is over, and you understand that. You will never be what each other needs or wants, and you accept that. You have the comfort of knowing that you've become who you're supposed to be.

It was fun while it lasted.

Maybe tomorrow, maybe in six months, maybe in a year's time, she will just be another memory. Maybe one day, when you look back at what you had, you could see it as a beautiful memory instead of a painful one.

You press a kiss into her hair before pulling away, your arms loosening around her frame.

She sniffs, rubbing both her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Take care of yourself, okay?” she asks, and you notice the tremble in her voice.

“You too,” you reply.

The wind blows, and she tucks her hair behind her ear. 

“Bye,” Powder says. “Take care.”

“Bye.” And... that's it. There's nothing more to say, nothing more to give.

She steps back and waves once. You wave back, and you hope for the best.

With that, you watch as she turns around and walks away to where Ekko is.

Once she approaches him, she leans into his side, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He puts an arm around her as she wraps her arms around his waist. You see them start walking away, back towards the venue, back towards all the happiness that will follow them.

Watching her go, you finally exhale. 

A few cars pass, people leaving the venue one by one. People leave with the ones they love, couples leaving hand in hand, friends talking amongst each other, families with their relatives. 

You smile once, then head back to Sevika, who's still leaning against the truck, finishing her cigarette. 

She looks you up and down as you approach, her eyes narrowing once she notices the lingering hint of wetness on your face. “How much are we drinking?” 

You laugh, but it's short lived, replaced with a deep exhale. “Your treat?” 

She scoffs. “Tch, you wish.” She looks at the venue before looking back at you. “Everything done?” 

You look over your shoulder, taking one last look at the venue. The lights, the people mingling, the laughter... and her.

Powder links her fingers together with Ekko as they head back. He says something in her ear that makes her laugh and shove him away playfully.

She's happy.

That's the only thing that matters.

“Yeah,” you say, finally turning away from the venue. “Everything's done.”

There are no more what-ifs, no more what-could've-beens. 

It is what it is.

[raiffeldrakon123]

DP X DC X TF │ Prompt 1

The Ghost Investigation Ward —colloquially known as either G.I.W. or "Guys in White" by Amity Parkers— had started to become a serious problem for Danny.

At first, they weren’t anything he couldn’t handle. Just a more trigger-happy version of his parents, except with government funding and more manpower, meaning they caused more collateral damage than even Jack’s driving on a bad day. But then something changed.

It started after the passage of the Anti-Ecto Laws in the United States —Danny still wasn’t sure how the G.I.W. managed to push those through. After that, their numbers grew. Their agents were better trained, better equipped, and their aim had actually improved. It still wasn’t enough to pose a real threat—Danny could dodge and lose them with ease—but it did elevate them from an annoying joke to an actual concern.

Then they started capturing ghosts. Not the sentient ones —at least, not yet— but even that was too much for Danny to ignore. He began breaking into their bases near Amity Park, freeing the captured spirits whenever he could. That, in turn, escalated things even further. Phantom was already Enemy Number One to the G.I.W., but now they were hunting him with even more fervor. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Jack and Maddie took this as a challenge, upgrading their weapons and stepping up their own ghost-hunting game.

All of this meant Danny was exhausted. It was starting to show —at school, at home. Not that Jack or Maddie noticed; they were too busy obsessing over their tech. But Jazz noticed. So did the ghosts who fought him. And against all odds, they started to worry. Word of Danny’s condition eventually reached Frostbite, who took it upon himself to check in on him.

What he found deeply concerned him. The stress, the constant fighting, the sleepless nights —it was all taking a toll on Danny’s core. If it continued, it could have serious consequences. Frostbite urged him to take a break, to leave Amity Park for a while and recover. But Danny refused. If he left, who would protect the town? Who would stop the G.I.W.? Frostbite assured him that he and his tribe could handle it, but Danny wasn’t convinced.

That is, until everything went wrong.

During one of his break-ins at a G.I.W. facility, an agent managed to land a shot —some kind of specialized ecto-weapon that temporarily disabled his flight and intangibility. He had freed the ghosts, but now he was stranded in enemy territory with armed agents closing in.

Desperate for an escape, Danny ducked into a random room —and found himself staring at a car. A Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II.

It was sleek, elegant, and completely out of place in a government black site. The only unusual detail was a strange, robotic, head-like symbol on the grille guard. But Danny didn’t have time to question it. The doors were unlocked, so he jumped in and immediately started hotwiring it.

It took a few tries —and a lot more ecto-energy than it should have— but finally, the engine roared to life. Then something weird happened.

Before his eyes, the Phantom’s pristine exterior shifted —its paint morphing into a sharp black-and-white color scheme, the interior taking on a black-and-green color and with a faint green glow. And then, to Danny’s complete shock, the car spoke.

It sounded confused. Disoriented. Like it was trying to understand why it was alive, when it had been so sure it was dead.

Danny, however, didn’t have time for an existential crisis —his or the car’s.

“Save the questions for later,” he snapped, slamming his foot on the gas.

The car obeyed, tearing out of the base at breakneck speed.

Once they were clear of pursuit, Danny finally exhaled. He transformed back into his human form, only to realize that, somehow, the car transformed with him. It still spoke. It still moved on its own. And it still had questions.

Danny, meanwhile, had one of his own.

Maybe Frostbite was right. Maybe it was time to leave Amity Park.

But where would he even go?

Then it hit him —Gotham.

Jazz had mentioned thinking of going there to study psychology. Maybe she wouldn’t mind if he tagged along? He remembered his parents saying Gotham had an abnormally high level of ambient ectoplasm, which would make tracking ghosts incredibly difficult the last time they had visited the place with them. That could work to his advantage.

Danny glanced at the car.

“Hey,” he said, “you got anywhere to be?”

The car didn't answer him with words this time. It simply rumbled, almost thoughtful.

Danny smirked.

“Yeah. Me neither.”

Looks like they would probably be heading to Gotham after all.

[papasmoke]

September 20, 2024

October 1, 2024

You'll probably need a vpn to visit this page, the text of it reads:

In its sitting on Monday, the Knesset Plenum voted to approve in first reading the Bill for Cutting Off the State of Israel's Relations with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and Declaring it a Terrorist Organization, 2024, sponsored by MK Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beitenu) and a group of MKs. In the vote, 50 Members of Knesset supported the bill, versus 10 who opposed it, and the bill will be returned to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for deliberation.

It is proposed to declare the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a terrorist organization. It is further proposed that the State of Israel sever its relations with UNRWA, both directly and indirectly.

MK Malinovsky, the bill's sponsor: "We have to perform a surgical [cut] here and end the event. We are on the UN's blacklist in any case. All the excessive morality ended on October 7. UNRWA is a terrorist organization, and not only in Jerusalem. It is afifth-column within the State of Israel. And not just municipal property tax benefits-everything should be revoked from them. The fact that this hasn't happened until now, for seven months--is a disgrace. What is happening today is a badge of honor for the Knesset and for the Members of Knesset. The fact that we succeeded in joining hands, coalition and opposition--that is a very important statement for the Government. We did a wonderful job together with all the partners to these bills."

The explanatory notes to the bill state: "In the months after the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, investigative reports were revealed regarding the involvement of the workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip in the murderous terrorist offensive that began on October 7, 2023, such as participation in acts of murder and massacre, kidnapping Israeli citizens to the Gaza Strip and providing vehicles and equipment for the purpose of the offensive. Reports were also published regarding the membership of these workers in the Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations,

"The above attests to the close relationship that exists between UNRWA and terrorist activity for all intents and purposes, in a manner that is no different from the activity of organizations that have been declared as terrorist organizations by law. Therefore, it is proposed to declare that UNRWA is a terrorist organization as defined in the Counter-Terrorism Law, 2016."

October 7, 2024

October 8, 2024

In that same spirit, we are following with deep concern the Israeli legislative proposal that could alter UNRWA’s legal status, hindering its ability to communicate with Israeli officials, and removing privileges and immunities afforded to UN organizations and personnel around the globe. This legislative proposal reflects the significant distrust between Israel and UNRWA.

Israel has alleged – and the UN, in some cases, has confirmed – that a small percentage of UNRWA employees have ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups. Israel has also conveyed concerns about Hamas misusing UNRWA facilities and the United States shares these concerns.

At the same time, we know that UN personnel, including from UNRWA, are vital to the humanitarian response in Gaza and face tremendous danger while performing their work.

And so, Israel needs to provide UNRWA additional information regarding these allegations, and UNRWA needs to have in place a process to address these concerns seriously and urgently, and make faster progress on the much-needed reforms outlined in the Colonna report.

Simply put: It is in no one’s interest for the neutrality of UNRWA’s personnel to remain in doubt.

October 9, 2024

October 14, 2024

The bare minimum required from the US to curtail further Israeli atrocities would be the cessation or curtailing of munitions, logistical support, diplomatic cover, and US military presence in defense of Israel. None of these actions are on the table according to Biden, Harris, or Trump. Israel is creating a legal framework to justify the systemic targeting of UNRWA aid workers and facilities, a practice which the US has made it clear it will defend through inaction, if not active participation. It will issue hollow condemnations and statements of concern, urge Israel to investigate, then move on, pretending like nothing happened.