#and discovering what it means to me as a female to have access to the ability to take my ��masculinity” for granted... relax

[cator99]

out of curiosity, would you consider yourself butch?

used to be a blonde underweight twink and now I'm a based jock still got the chanel bag and the sick albeit matured mind of a suckpig to prove it so I'm gonna let you decide whether you wanna call me that word just cuz I got a pussy and short hair. I promise you that there have been enough advancements made in the art of lesbian sexual dynamics in the past 50 years to broaden the vocabulary used to describe the plethora of types of masculine females.

[wiptw]

Pokémon Stadium Series

Nintendo 64 - Nintendo - 2000 to 2001

You as a Pokémon fan are absolutely fucking spoiled these days. Aside from the mainline games you have spinoffs and fangames offering different experiences, you have entire websites dedicated to documenting everything down to the internal maths of the series, there's no end to the free content you can access with an internet connection between emulators and battle sites like 'Showdown!', and it's now socially acceptable in most circles to be older than 13 and have something with Pikachu's face plastered on it (especially if you're female presenting, especially if your friend group is also infected with the Pokémon hype). Back in my day™ you had almost none of this. You had the anime on Saturday mornings, you had the early run Pokémon licensed merch which WOULD get you called a baby if you continued buying past 10-12, and you had the games. Those sweet, sweet games that indoctrinated a generation of young people into being gamers and awoke a horde of JRPG addicts.

Literally Me

So remember this when I tell you that Pokémon Stadium, both one and two, aren't great games because they do something back then that you can't get today; they're great for what they did back then. So Pokemon Stadium 1&2 were a duology of games from 2000 and 2001 respectively that allowed players to battle Pokemon in 3D, with the addition of some side content such as minigames included to prevent the game from being 100% Pokemon battles. Because otherwise, the game is in fact navigating a series of menus and completing Pokémon battles with 3D models.

Whether it's taking on the gym gauntlets, the marathon of battles in the Pokémon cups, or just free battles with friends and loved ones, 98% of the experience is either selecting Pokémon from a roster of pre-built 'rentals' or transferring them from a saved game using the Transfer Pak, then fighting them in a series of 3D environments. An experience which you can definitely do today using web apps but as I said earlier, we didn't have that.

The peak of Pokémon battles in 2000

So if you're buying Pokémon Stadium (either version really) you're already probably a Pokémon fan right? So that means you have Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal, so why not just play that game and get the full experience? The fun of exploring, talking to NPCs, discovering new and exotic locations? Simple, because in those games battles looked like this

While in Stadium, battles looked like this

If you grew up watching the anime while playing the Gameboy games, there was this special kind of dissonance where you might find yourself saying "Yeah, (for the time) these graphics are RADICAL but I wish I had something closer to these cool Pokémon Battles they had in the anime." As you hide under the covers with your Gameboy Color worm light, nestled in your Ash Ketchum pajamas while you attempt for the 100th time to capture a ditto. Pokémon Stadium was the answer to this dissonance, providing you with vibrant 3D graphics unlike anything you'd ever seen before; bringing Pokémon to life in a way that would be unmatched until Colosseum came out during the Gamecube era.

So, to actual mechanics, you play both games pretty similarly; by building a team of Pokémon (either on your handheld or by using the rental mons the game provides) and take part in a series of battles to become the ultimate battle master. To use your own Pokémon, you'd need to use the aforementioned 'Transfer Pak' to plug in a copy of Red/Blue/Yellow (for 1) or Gold/Silver/Crystal (for 2) with a game saved to the cartridge; otherwise the rental Pokémon covered all released Pokémon (except for some hidden ones) allowing you to build your dream team, sans a few caveats here and there.

Evolved Pokémon have better stats but worse moves, while weaker Pokémon tend to have better moves to compensate

In terms of WHERE you can battle, there's two choices: Either in the Gym Leader Castle, or the Tournaments held in the center of the map on either game. Either way, the game will then have you battle through a series of 3v3 matches versus a set number of trainers who will also select 3 random mons from their full team of six.

A bit bare bones, but there's some spice to how things are run. For one, the rental system was a huge thing for us younger players back in the day. Even if you had the games some Pokémon were hard to catch, had evolution requirements some players couldn't complete (like the trade-mons), or were locked to a version you didn't have. The rental mons give you a list of every Pokémon (some exceptions, but not many) and then lets you build your dream team. Sure, you can't set their moves, EVs, IVs, and it's the era before abilities and natures but I CAN HAVE A MEOWTH/PERSIAN ON MY TEAM. Do you know what I had to do as a child to have this Pokémon outside of Stadium? I had to find someone in the American South who also enjoyed Pokémon, hoped they had Blue instead of Red, hoped they had a link cable, then get them to agree to a trade despite both of us being children (and therefore, objectively terrible) which likely meant giving away a rare Pokémon in exchange for what amounted to common garbage in their game because it was Version fucking Exclusivity™ and everyone seemed to know that meant you'd do anything to get that one fucking Pokémon you wanted.

In the handheld games, if you wanted to build your dream team then likely you'd have to put in some more effort than other games of the time would've required of you. With Stadium, your dreams come true, and if you already have that dream team you can just import them to fight in glorious 3D. Circumventing the fact that rental Pokémon are kinda terrible overall.

Don't feel like building? The challenge cup mode that gives you randomized team comps that has it's own charm (for masochists)

Not to say all of them were bad but construct a normal distribution of 'Good' to 'Bad' picks then that graph is gonna skew left so hard you'd be forgiven for thinking it was just a straight line. To keep every choice 'viable' Pokémon rentals were balanced around stats and moves. More powerful evolved Pokémon and Pokémon with high Base Stat Totals (BST) were given weaker moves and first form and low BST Pokémon were given generally better moves. Charizard might have better stats than Charmeleon and Charmander but his only fire type move is going to be something like Fire Spin. Conversely, Charmander might have Fire Blast but his stats are gonna make him an easy target for the computer's pokemon, which are not bound to the same builds as the rental mons you're using.

Once your team is assembled, then you're off to battle trainer after trainer after trainer with beautifully scored (for the Nintendo 64) soundtracks giving you an unearned sense of importance every step of the way. Battles themselves are conducted with a weird, but functional control layout where A and B access sub menus you then check with the R button before finalizing with the c-buttons, which on original hardware or a USB N64 controller is fine but on emulation with a more modern controller like Logitech, can be a little nerve wracking as you worry about whether your 'up' input on the control stick was up enough for the game or if you accidentally drifted right or left using an unintended move.

fun fact: the name of imported Pokémon affects their coloration in Stadium

Battles are also largely regulated by (at the time) tournament standard rules. Little and Pokecup have level restrictions, and all three non-random cups include clauses for sleep, held items, and repeat Pokémon. Additionally, in any cup if you win the round with all 3 Pokémon still in tact, you're granted a continue; meaning you can retry the battle if you lose. Additionally, there is no 'draw' outcome in these games. Use a move like Explosion or Selfdestruct and the game will register it as your loss on your final Pokémon, regardless of whether you took down the opposing fighter with you or not.

You'll be doing a LOT of back-to-back fights here against trainers with varied team comps, but even with over 246 Pokémon in the available potential lineup you'll get tired fast of fighting. This is, however, slightly mitigated by the 3v3 nature of the matches but even so be ready to here the same Pokémon noises, watch the same effects play out, and wait for the same health bars to tick down over and over as you claw your way to the spot of Pokémon Master.

The art style of non-battle scenes like the main map and minigame plaza have that nice, 90's charm to them as well.

If you do get tired of battling it out, then Stadium 1 and 2 both offer minigames for players to partake in. Either in a tournament format or by using the free-play browser, players are able to take part in a multitude of different Mario Party-esque (without the hand burning) minigames featuring the Pokémon as stars. Minigames consist of stick twirling, button mashing, and point collecting all while controlling fan favorite Pokémon such as Togepi, Eevee, Scyther, and Pichu with no real rhyme or reason behind why these game exist aside from a amusement park theming the minigame zones have for their icons and menus.

You won't get a real explanation as to why you're racing Donphans, cutting logs as Scythers and Pinsirs, or playing Simon Says with a bunch of Clefairy, but you don't really need that either. The games are fun, the models are charming, and watching Clefairy get smacked in the head for each wrong input brings me a level of joy I should probably talk about with my therapist. You won't likely spend hours in this mode, but it's a nice breather from the onslaught of battles otherwise.

fun fact: I still won't talk to some people because of the outcomes to Rampage Rollout over two decades ago. You know who you are.

Additionally there's a quiz minigame separate from the main selection of minigames with easy/normal/hard difficulty selections. Players compete to see who can be the first to get a number of questions correct before anyone else based on facts about the Pokémon (typing, size, silhouette, etc) or facts about the game (where you can find things in the game, names of routes and towns, names of figures in the game).

It's not the most challenging on easy or normal, but playing on hard the game will try to screw you with trick questions so playing with others becomes a balance of "do I let the question play out, or attempt to steal it before someone else can answer correctly?"

Sometimes even playing the game won't prepare you for how out of pocket the questions can get

The real advantage of 2 over 1 is that, in addition to minigames, the game has the trainer academy; a kind of in-depth battle tutorial to teach players not only the basics of Pokémon fighting, but also some secrets as well

You can learn about held items, a feature new to the second generation, as well as participate in mock battles to demonstrate the materials you've been reading and quizzed on. Some of this information for the time too was obscure or hidden knowledge, like the fact that using Defense Curl before using Rollout would boost the damage significantly or that using Stomp on an opponent who used minimize would double the damage.

Some type matchups just make sense, like Ground v Electric.

Overall though what really makes this game is the presentation. The soundtrack does a great job selling the feeling Nintendo wants you to experience, climbing the ladder in a tournament or the Gym Leaders Castle makes you feel powerful, and the little details on top of it all just tie it together in a nice package.

The fights, for example, are also narrated by "The Announcer". A bombastic voice shouting over every detail of a fight. When you score a crit, when you apply a status effect, even using certain moves will get the announcer loudly narrating each detail like a Pokémon prize fight. Seeing the ground rip apart when you use Earthquake is only half the charm, the other half comes from that man yelling in your ears "A DEVESTATING EARTHQUAKE ATTACK!". Clearing gyms or clearing opponents in one of the cups grants you gym badges, a dream for any child growing up on the handheld classics or watching the anime who wished they too could earn shiny bits of metal that gave them an inflated sense of importance.

I would literally kill everyone I came across if it'd get me a real life Zephyr Badge.

Stadium 1 and 2 aren't evergreen classics. They're stuck in Gens 1 and 2 respectively, the roster of Pokémon while impressive is largely useless and makes collecting trophies way harder than it has to be, and the games were made before things like abilities and double battles were introduced, leading to the Pokémon battling game missing out on the generation of Pokémon that made battling more fun (Revolution doesn't count, Revolution is dead to me and disappoints me more than I disappoint myself.)

But for the time especially, it gave fans an opportunity to experience a form of Pokémon more advanced than what the handhelds could output. It was a window into a world of potential that wouldn't be truly fulfilled until arguably the 3DS era of Pokémon released, and gave fans a fun little romp handcrafted for them at every twist and turn. Whether you were a gamer or you enjoyed the anime, there was something here for you.

Overall: 7/10 Sound: 8/10 (for the time) Graphics: 9/10 (for the time) Memorable Moments: Stadium 1: Hearing about Mewtwo, thinking he was an urban legend, then finding out he wasn't Stadium 2: Finally beating the elite 4 using only rental mons.

[margueritedaisies]

Hubba bubba😔🤌🥀✨

And so the plot thickens:

I have a plot idea where Pentious writes steamy selfshipping romance books involving his self insert and The Radio Demon as a hobby. Somehow he gained popularity and money out of it. He goes by a feminine pseudonym to hide his identity. Quite popular among the female audience, he just has a way with satisfying the female gaze through words.

Most of his works always follow psychological horror ,mystery, crime, and maybe gothic romance tropes lol. His mastery is comparable to Anne Rice with a mix of Dostoevsky. I mean what do you even expect from a Victorian man in writing fanfiction?😂

***************

(To our standards his works are a literary masterpiece but tbh he aint even trying , probably just his silly fantasies and took inspiration from his fave reading material. To Victorian standards his work would be considered frivolous and mediocre even scandalous. I mean he lived a life where he has the privilege to interact with artistic geniuses, discuss politics/social/philosophical ideologies among the elite in parlors.

And most likely really influential since he was an inventor who was involved in creating the new fangled steam powered machines.)

*****************

Praising his achievements and background aside let me get back to continuing my plot😂I just love him sm

Alastor knows about the book series but doesnt know the author's identity, he has no interest in dwelling on their existence any further. He already used to this side of his fanbase and only wishes to be left alone by them, at least they got an outlet already.

When Pentious started staying at the hotel he had to be extra careful not to let anyone know of his hobby while at the same time trying to continue it. But one day he got sloppy, Niffty figured him out for a few days. Either noticing weird behavioral patterns.

Once she purposefully tripped him so the suspicious manuscripts he was carrying were dropped so she can"help" him collect them but he reacted paranoidly to her on coming close.

She caught a glimpse anyway but not enough to satisfy her curiosity. And then her suspicions were solidified when she sneaked inside Pentious's lair/suite for cleaning duty and came across his typewriter.

After discovering Pentious was the author whom she was a huge fan of (yes she has a copy of his works) she set out on a mission to befriend the snake so she can have premium access to his drafts😂

[theladyofbloodshed]

Hunt x Nesta - Chapter 8

The sounds of the shower roused Hunt from sleep. Since Nesta had discovered that her cell could access music at any moment, she was unstoppable. A symphony blasted through the wall; violins were reaching their crescendo alongside a barrage of brass instruments that were accompanied by a flurry of percussion. Then the cannons came as she turned off the shower.

Releasing a groan, he rolled onto his side to check his cell. Eight messages. All from Nesta at various points in the morning whilst he still slept. Each one made him laugh.

‘Hey, when you text, you don’t need to write an address line or a sign off. I know it’s from you because I have your contact saved,’ he explained as she entered with a towel wrapped around her body.

‘What do you mean?’

Hunt motioned for her cell that was churning out another classical song. ‘What am I saved as?’

Nesta paused the music. ‘I don’t know. Plus five zero five eight two-’

He yelped like he’d been shot and threw himself down. ‘You didn’t even save my number? Do I mean nothing?’

‘I don’t know how.’

With Ruhn’s number, he showed Nesta how to save it. He pulled a photo from the web of Ruhn being arrested before he was legal to drink – of course, his daddy had the charges scrubbed but the photo remained – and saved him as the Prince of Pricks.

‘There, now try with me.’

A devious smile flitted over her lovely face as she stood in the middle of the room typing at the speed of a snail.

‘That index finger is getting quite a workout,’ he commented.

Surprising him, she raised her middle finger.

For the second time that morning, Hunt collapsed back onto the pillows, laughter rumbling out of him. ‘Who the Hel taught you that?’

‘We have that in my world.’ She flashed the phone towards him.

His contact name had been updated to Orion Athalar – my favourite angel along with as many emojis as the name would allow. The picture was of him shirtless with ridiculously fluffy wings.

‘You said you’d deleted those, liar.’

‘I’m leaving today. I need a memory to keep.’

‘You’re taking the cell with you to plug in where exactly?’

Nesta shrugged and pressed it to her chest. ‘I will invent electricity in my world so I can always look at these photographs.’

There was no doubt in his mind that Nesta could do anything that she set her mind to. He couldn’t help but wonder what sort of person she’d be if she stayed in Lunathion. They’d stayed up late in each other’s arms talking for hours; Nesta had wanted to know everything about him and the land she was leaving behind. They’d talked about university for over an hour with Nesta needing to know what could be studied, what the fees were, who could study, when it could be studied, and what happened upon graduation. Hunt had listened to her talk about Prythian but most of it left him seething. Nesta couldn’t tell him anything about the place she lived because they stuck her in a fucking house and cut off her funds so that she was entirely dependent on the king and his lackey. That one, Cassian, he’d quite like to meet so he could knock him into next week. She’d grown upset when she talked of her sister whose pregnancy would cause her death. Beyond kidnapping a couple of surgeons and a midwife, Hunt didn’t know what to do to help. The male, Cassian, who forced her on a hike as punishment for telling her sister the truth deserved to be punched. He didn’t like any of these fae males, but this one sounded like the worst.

He'd even come clean about Micah and the awful things he did to inch towards freedom. In a way, Hunt wanted her to be repulsed or to pull away then at least it would soften the blow of her departure. But this damn female just said that she understood why he did it and held him a little tighter.

‘Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?’

Nesta snickered. ‘Don’t tempt me, Hunt.’

It wouldn’t be that hard to adjust. He’d grown up in a time when technology was near enough non-existent then emerged from a dungeon and everybody had cell phones or were driving cars. He’d cope again going backwards. Anything was possible with her at his side. But maybe Hunt would cause a few too many fights with the fae that ruled her.

‘Just stop letting them put you in danger and using you. Or I’ll fly all the way there and kick their asses.’

Hunt sat her down on the edge of the bed to start drying her hair. She was nervous about him doing it although he thought he did a fabulous job of his own. Truly, he was desperate to do it. Nesta was leaving back to a world where the male that she was tangled with didn’t seem to care for her at all. He needed to show her that males could be gentle – that it was a choice not to be caring. He wanted to dry her hair and take care of her because that was a male’s duty – not fucking her then leaving with his seed still dripping from her.

Vik was expecting them when Hunt took Nesta through a private entrance into the Comitium that was strictly for workers only. Worker was laughable. The slave’s entrance was a better name for it.

‘The sword and the Harp as promised. And I don’t need to remind either of you that it would be a good idea for Nesta to return today, do I?’

‘No, mom,’ Hunt replied, kicking her boot lightly.  

‘And I needn’t advise you that walking through Lunathion with a sword will likely have you arrested.’

Hunt frowned. ‘Danika Fendyr and Ruhn Danaan do it.’

‘They’re leaders of the aux and will be the heads of their species one day,’ Vik said.

Sensing Hunt was about to argue with Vik, Nesta rested a hand on his forearm. ‘I’d rather spend my last hours here with you rather than in an interrogation room.’

‘I’d still be there. We can play cops and robbers.’

‘Gross,’ muttered Vik before she turned back to her computer.

For once, Nesta had left most of her hair down. She’d pulled it from her temples with a twist and a couple of hair pins. Paired with a pale blue summer dress, she was utterly stunning. But his dreams of strolling through Lunathion with her again hit a snag when Micah’s name flashed on his cell.

‘You should answer that,’ she said, peering at the name.

‘I want this day with you.’

Nesta pushed the phone towards him. ‘I’d be glad for time with my thoughts. Answer that. Do whatever it is you need to do. We can meet later.’

‘I’ll fly those to the hotel,’ he said, gesturing to her returned items.

Nesta kissed his fingers then strode into the sun, hips swaying as she went.

***

How many different ways could Nesta try to convince Hunt to leave with her – or for him to ask her to stay. She didn’t want to impose. She’d done that enough already on his life. But if Hunt asked her to stay… No, she couldn’t. Feyre was dying. What sort of sister would she be if she left her in those final moments?

Nesta sighed.

The same sister they all believed her to be; worthless, spoilt, and needing redemption.

A shadow bumped into her arm then a figure took up the seat beside her on the bench. Ruhn Danaan wore his typical black jeans and t-shirt with a pair of sunglasses to protect his hungover eyes from the bright sunlight.

‘It’s very loud,’ he said, wincing.

Children were playing at the park where Nesta’s feet had taken her to. Their squeals and joy made her think of the children who never stood a chance in Prythian; the ones who were exposed to war, Illyrian girls who were clipped and beaten.

‘I didn’t think you would come.’

‘And miss the chance to say goodbye?’

Following Hunt’s advice, Nesta had sent a text that merely asked Ruhn to meet her – and she received a reply asking who it was in return. Then another saying if they had once had a date, he wasn’t the sort of guy to want to settle down and he was sorry.

‘I need to return this.’ Nesta held out Tristan Flynn’s credit card. ‘I’d like to keep the cell phone. If that’s alright.’

‘Of course you can. Flynn will be devastated you gave this to me and not him.’

A messenger otter scurried along then stopped in front of Ruhn, brandishing a letter. Nesta couldn’t stop her fawning.

‘Tharion Ketos. What a weasel,’ he muttered, pocketing the letter.

‘I wish we had those.’

‘Mer?’

Nesta tutted. ‘Otters. We have otters, but not ones that wear little jackets and deliver letters.’

Ruhn gave a slight laugh then folded his arms over his chest. He looked at her, really looked at her. ‘You don’t want to go back, do you?’

Everything suddenly felt hot and painful. Nesta tipped her face upwards, blinking as quickly as she could to keep from crying. Ruhn stroked her bare arm.

‘I can’t sugar coat it. My father will not stop until he finds out who you are. You’re technically under his jurisdiction as one of the fae. Hunt is a slave – there isn’t much he can do for you. If Micah sells his ass to Sandriel, he won’t be here.’ Ruhn winced. ‘Is it really better here for you than there?’

Yes, she thought. Because I can be somebody here. I can study and learn and be my own person without history trailing me. And I’d have Hunt.

‘I have to go,’ she said. ‘I know I have to.’

‘Let me walk you back to your hotel at least.’

Despite the beauty of the day, Nesta had gone cold and hollow with every step closer to the hotel.

Nesta steeled her wounded heart. She held the pieces together even if they felt like they would shatter from the force. It wasn’t fair.

‘How much would it cost to buy Hunt?’

Ruhn let out a whistle. ‘The Umbra Mortis?’

‘What if I offered my Harp or my sword?’

‘It might sweeten the deal but Hunt Athalar is one of a kind.’

Visions of her putting on the Mask or Crown and forcing Micah to release Hunt to her came to Nesta. It was a bad idea, but a tempting one. There had to be some way for them to be together. Maybe destiny was forged by their own hands.

‘That Harp of yours,’ Ruhn said. ‘It wouldn’t be related to the Horn, would it?’

‘Why would it be?’

Ruhn shrugged. ‘It’s just that the Horn went missing the other day. I came to see you just afterwards and you looked pretty panicked. Then Athalar appeared looking sweaty just after there was a freak lightning storm at Luna’s Temple.’

‘How odd.’

‘Odd indeed.’

On an instinct, Ruhn grabbed the strap of her dress with two fingers at the edge of a busy road without a crossing. Nesta hadn’t quite mastered it yet, but she knew not to walk out now – but his care was appreciated.

‘I heard it’s broken anyway,’ Nesta said with an airy tone. ‘It wouldn’t be any use to the person who now has it.’

‘Unless they knew how to create Made items like a magic sword that doesn’t like me.’

‘What would it mean if there was somebody in Lunathion who could create Made items – theoretically, Ruhn?’

The hotel came into view and they slowed their pace to finish their theoretical conversation. Ruhn pretended to stroke an imaginary beard then slung an arm around her as they walk so he could lean towards her ear and speak in a whisper.  

‘If the Asteri knew there was somebody with those powers in Lunathion, they’d be the public’s most wanted. And Hunt Athalar would be ordered to bring them in dead or alive. I don’t think that theoretical person would want the Umbra Mortis in that situation, would they?’

There was no telling if Hunt could disobey direct orders although she knew he’d try. For her, he’d try. And she couldn’t do that to him.

At the doors to the hotel, they stopped opposite each other. Amidst the vibrant colours of his tattoos, Nesta could make out damaged, scarred skin.

‘I’m sorry that it can’t be the way you want it.’

Nesta offered a half-smile that felt like a veneer slapped over a rotting foundation. ‘Do any of us ever get what we deserve?’

‘Maybe in another life.’

This was her other life, her other chance. When Ruhn embraced her, she didn’t know how to respond because the males here treated her with kindness without expectation.

‘I’ll tell Flynn you love him. He can peddle that story about unrequited love to simpering females.’

‘Goodbye Ruhn.’

***

Five names. Five names for him to kill.

Hunt felt sick from it. Sick with himself. Because five on one night was more names than he usually had in half a year. He shouldn’t rejoice in death, but it would shave off a little more of his debt.

He was wrong for it. Wrong for being glad that he could exchange a life for his debt.

Nesta deserved better than that. Better than a slave. A killer. A worthless male.

When he met her in the hotel room, he didn’t mention that he could smell Ruhn Danaan on her clothes despite her desire to spend time alone. He’d let her keep that secret if he could keep his. She might have held him last night and waved away his debt to Micah as something he couldn’t control, but it was Hunt’s action that led him to this point. Nobody forced him to lead a rebellion. And it wasn’t just killing. A single bullet to the head was merciful; the sorts of death Micah had him enact would send Nesta running from him.

Hunt bundled up his grief and disgust. He could hold it back for a few hours. Give her a good few hours before she returned. Let Nesta go home beneath a golden sky rather than his storm.

‘I did something. I think.’

Nesta held out the Horn to him which was glowing with an iridescent light. Faintly, he could feel a thrum of magic through his core.

‘How?’

‘The sword is a Made item. Made by me. I was Made by the Cauldron then took its power.’ Nesta swallowed then looked at him. ‘I fixed it Hunt. It can open to new worlds. It’s a safer bet than the Harp. I fixed it.’

‘If anybody could fix a relic that is thousands of years old, it would be you,’ he said, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone.

Every now and then, a silver flame would skitter across the instrument that she clutched in her hands. The Harp would hum in unison with it. Whoever – whatever – Nesta was, Hunt didn’t care.

‘Are you going to blow it?’

Despite her nod, Nesta didn’t move for a while, just stared at him with wide eyes.

‘It’s alright if you’re scared. I’ll be with you.’ He kissed her forehead and the Horn buzzed between them like a hornet. ‘I’m talking to Nesta, not you.’

*** ‘Ready?’ She wanted Hunt to call it off, to tell her to stay at his side until the stars fell. No matter his warnings about the Asteri or Micah or the Autumn King, none of it could be as bad as what was waiting for her in Prythian. A vengeful queen, a sister who was to die, and a high lord who only wanted her to suffer. It didn’t matter what danger she faced in Lunathion because with Hunt at her side, anything was possible. There was no storm they couldn’t weather together.

Hunt squeezed her knee. ‘Ready. To the stars.’

Pursing her lips, Nesta touched the horn to her lips and blew.

A pathetic, raspberry echoed through the horn.

She glanced at Hunt, heat building in her cheeks, and saw that he was screwing his face up. After a moment, he burst into riotous laughter.

‘What was that?’ He asked between his booming laugh.

She found herself laughing in answer, infected by his merriment. ‘I’ve never blown a horn before. I don’t know how to do it.’

Hunt slapped his thigh, trying to right himself. ‘Not like that!’

The pair of them lost it. Whatever tension had been clinging to the room soon evaporated as Nesta tried again and again to put her lips towards the horn. Each time she pouted or made a trumpeting noise, Hunt roared with laughter, setting her off too.

‘Stop looking at me because you’re putting me off.’

Tears rolled down Hunt’s cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut although a large grin spread across his handsome face.

Nesta pulled out her phone and searched how to blow a horn. In a world where knowledge was at her fingertips, it seemed terribly wasteful not to utilise it.

‘Maybe the Horn is still broken, Starlight.’

But it couldn’t be because her magic had been drawn to it and the Horn had been buzzing with possibilities since.

‘I can do it,’ she insisted.

‘I know you can,’ he replied, touching her leg again. ‘Not looking again.’

Easing out a breath, Nesta formed her lips in the shape her cell phone told her to. A low, well-held note emitted from the top of the horn.

Hunt whispered her name.

Near the wall, a great portal had opened, its edges rimmed with her silver flames. Rather than offering a view of Crescent City, Nesta saw into the library in the House of Wind. There was her favoured arm chair with the foot rest pulled close by. A little stack of books that she’d pulled out a couple of weeks earlier was upon the three-legged table.

‘You did it,’ he praised, stroking her cheek. ‘Is there anything you can’t do, you wonderful girl?’

Nesta grasped for him, too emotional to speak. Her hands reached for his face, pulling it to hers to kiss one final time. Strands of his hair fell onto her cheek as they kissed and she stretched out a hand to brush the inside of his wing one last time.

‘Mother above, what the fuck.’

She leapt away from Hunt, startled by the voice.

Lucien Vanserra stood in the library opposite them, peering into the hotel room, a full cup and saucer held in his hand.

Hunt braced his legs then lightning wreathed his body.

‘No,’ Nesta urged. ‘This is my sister’s mate.’

His voice took on a lethal edge. ‘This is Rhysand?’

‘Definitely not,’ called Lucien.

‘Elain’s mate. The eye.’

‘The eye,’ confirmed Hunt, finally taking in the golden eye and the scar rippling down Lucien’s face which was paler than usual.

‘We thought you were dead or kidnapped or trapped in the Prison.’

‘Surprise,’ Hunt said drily.

They passed the bag through first to test it. Lucien, baffled and muttering to himself, waited on the Prythian side to accept it. Maybe it was odd to keep all of the clothes from Lunathion as they’d have no place, but Nesta didn’t want to part with anything from her week there. Everything was taken from her in the war, so she wanted to keep this.

When the Harp and Atraxia were passed through safely, she said it was her turn.

The portal was too high for her step through easily so Hunt lifted her over it and Lucien, gingerly, accepted her on the other side, lowering her to the floor as if she was a sack of potatoes.

‘I think if I blow the Horn again, it will close it.’

She lifted it near to her lips. ‘Don’t make me laugh this time.’

‘It’s my last chance. I have to,’ Hunt insisted, brown eyes sparkling with joy.

But when Nesta did press the Horn closer, the amusement drained from Hunt’s expression, accepting it was the end.

A single note emitted and the flames collapsed in on themselves, leaving Nesta with a view of the tall windows in the library. She dropped the Horn then sank to her knees and wept.

[eatmangoesnekkid]

Belly Dance Observations Week 4

I am now going on record to state that belly dance is an essential ingredient for every female body interested in accessing its innate divine feminine power in a more accelerated journey. What I noticed this week was that my breasts have reverted back to their 20 year old texture. But it’s not about the aesthetics —they are lovely don’t get me wrong, but I'm 47 and not looking for my 20 year breasts...it is just what happened naturally. What enlivens me, what lights up my eyes and dilates my blood vessels, is that I have accessed another portal to tapping into larger untapped kinetic potential (energy, mystery, and freedom) held in the female body. More inner sunlight!

Speaking to another dance student in my class —a 60 year old body-aware ex-ballerina, she shared how she felt the same way when she first started and continues to feel that heightened radiance after each class. I get it though! The hips, spine, and belly hold power that fuels our entire ecosystem. They are the sunlight currency systems! Because I’m a pole dancer, a building/strengthening and flexibility-inducing sexy art, I felt the clarion call to nurture my center of reality with more fluidity and yin, to soften my belly and hips sort of speak. A soft belly with strong flexible legs means that the body is receiving an abundance of earth and water energy from the ground, the earth. Water and earth energy create a strong healthy lubricated female body wellspring. A lubricated female body is actually pulsing with the universe, which isn't about sex, as lovely and delicious as heart-connected sex can be. It is about creation. The creation of new narratives. The shimmies, hip drops, and belly shakes/pumps heat up or activate kundalini to help clear densely-blocked channels in our bellies from unresolved emotions in this recent life and past lives and the detached depression we continue to carry from our foremothers/forefathers trying to navigate inhumane, insanity, predatory Western systems, AND the repression from violence against our grandmothers and the accompanying terror of living in a female body throughout lifetimes.

Whew chile! No wonder so many of us behave out of alignment with our highest potential. But the beauty is that we are shifts and plot twists in our grandmothers' narratives. We have the opportunity NOW to heal in ways that our beloved grandmothers didn't have the opportunity to. Couple that with the fact that if we had a rough childhood, we must process those suppressed emotions throughout our bodies—loosen the shit up so that they can decalcify and be transmuted into more space and love that opens the way to making NEW CHOICES and IMPLEMENTING NEW HABITS🕊️! If you are highly-sensitive and empathetic like I am as well and have been working to open up your heart—to increase your frequency/magnetism through accessing more of your heart space, belly dance (or some other passionate movement like belly self-massages or other belly/hip grabbing, ass-gripping, and spine-undulating, deep-breathing touch during lovemaking) is essential and completely non-negotiable. Hot damn!

My teacher asked the other day how old I was. And she had to sit down in a chair in disbelief when I told her. I live a regenerative life and am always discovering new ways this body my soul essence lives inside of can come alive so that I share the discoveries with other women and non-binary people. I am sooooo in love with belly dance! If you are not resourced enough to get to a class, go to YouTube and find tutorials there. Play around there with moving your belly, back and hips in 4-dimensional ways. Trance out with it.

Such a big part of what I believe my role as a woman/myth being is to bequeath other women with the wisdom to navigate this human existence, to land fully in their bodies in this incarnation, and know in deepest sense that all of us is worthy and welcomed. We get to be in relationship with our bodies and all the feels-- from deep love to deep anger to sadness to pristine ecstasy. To feel them and let them run/drip/leak/undulate and be seen/felt in them and sometimes go deeply into what’s underneath when desired. In my last class, I cried for some unknown reason. It was incredibly liberating to just let it flow and move on.

Sometimes what I witness happen with women is that when we start feel our denser suppressed emotions like anger or rage, we stay in them for years....unconsciously-- without awareness, creating other calcifications like fibriods or tumors from either being easily triggered by the external world, not detoxifying and moving enough through our processes, or of course, never accessing what has been suppressed. And I get it too--it's a lot happening all at once and it can be a tough game to play . But this is the times we are living in and sometimes it's just hard so learn to be okay with life being hard while also keenly aware that it doesn’t always have to be. We have to be lovers again. A lover state of being is essential for our bodies' highest harmonies. But we also must be a bit like martial arts and warriors. Capoeira-style in the shape of belly dancers. We have to be here for all of it.

With feeling, also *practice* feeling the emotions that may be less natural for you to feel right now like joy, gratitude, appreciation, tenderness, ecstasy, softness, sweetness, relaxation, and serenity. Normalize these states so that your body receives neurotransmitters, endorphins, oxytocin, and serotonin that help to nourish and repair it. Rest, hike, touching, kissing, really good sex, good nourishing food, healthy relationships, laughter, limiting social media/tv, creativity/finishing projects, good music, and of course dance. As you release and open, you may find yourself rarely usurping emotions like "anger." Not that anything is bad/wrong about the very useful emotion of anger but when you consciously create your life, the more fulfilled you become, the less necessary the energy of anger becomes for you in how you process or experience life. But if ever needed again, you know how to access your anger, embrace it, and hold yourself in it by feeling it into a warm flow.

[ghostradiodylan]

What type of music would the counselors listen to?

I know some of my mutuals have answered this question before and I'm sure my headcanons will be influenced by theirs, AND I'm also significantly older than the counselors so they're probably listening to gen z stuff my late millennial ass doesn't even know about but here goes nothing!

Laura So much SIØBHAN! Just kidding. Laura feels like two completely different characters in the game so I have a hard time deciding what I think spunky but straight-laced, ‘this is my first cop,’ over-achieving pre-vet student Laura Kearney would listen to vs badass avenging murder spree Laura Kearney (but maybe she always had that inside her). Part of me wants to say, like, 80’s pop (Prince, Blondie, Tiffany, Michael Jackson, Pat Benetar, etc.) and part of me wants to put her in the hard rock/metal zone with Ryan. Maybe she’s a bit of both.

Max I believe it was Addie (@insertlovelyperson) who said Max would listen to country music where women murder their cheating or abusive husbands. That tracks to me. Maybe it's the use of Alma Cogan's version of 'Fly Me to the Moon' in the game, but I also tend to associate him with crooner type singers of the 40's and 50's (Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, etc), which is what I said he'd choose for karaoke. And because of this fanart I have no choice but to HC him as a major Ariana Grande fan, he's probably the one who chose the music for the drive to camp. So. Max has range.

Abi is the K-Pop/J-Pop stan to me but I know so little about that music beyond the crossover bands like BTS that I can't speak to it a whole lot. I think she'd also like some emo, pop-punk and moodier alt/pop. Avril Lavigne, Paramore, Melanie Martinez, Florence and the Machine, Metric, Lorde, Halsey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers/boygenius, etc. I feel like she's really into female fronted bands for some reason.

Jacob likes pretty much whatever is on the radio. He's a top 40 guy and has no shame about his enjoyment of Ed Sheeran and Justin Beiber, or about ugly crying to Taylor Swift and Coldplay. He rarely listens closely to the actual lyrics (and often gets them humorously wrong), he just goes on vibes. He discovers half the music he listens to via TikTok (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Emma is a theater kid through and through and loves broadway musicals. She goes through phases with each popular one. She's had a Waitress phase, a Mamma Mia phase, a Wicked phase, and a Hamilton phase, of course, and now she's into Mean Girls, Heathers, and Hadestown. Beyond that, I think she'd be a dedicated Swiftie, big Adele fan, and a lover of Britney Spears's entire body of work from the 90's through today.

Nick probably listens to stoner bro music. Like jam bands and psychedelic rock and stuff. He probably likes Dave Matthews Band and the Grateful Dead/Dark Star Orchestra, Sublime, Widespread Panic, Tame Impala, and O.A.R. Googling jam bands to remind myself which ones exist led me to the knowledge that there's an Australian psychedelic rock band called King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and that name is so bonkers that I've decided without listening to more than a few bars that it has to be Nick's favorite band.

Ryan is a little bit emo and a little bit goth and a little bit old school punk. He needs music that's loud and moody to help sort out his feelings about life and drown out all the excess noise inside his head. He's into metal, the harder side of emo/screamo, goth rock, hard rock, punk, and post-punk. He definitely listens to Nightwish, GOJIRA, Mastodon, Lacuna Coil, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Thursday, Alkaline Trio, My Chemical Romance, AFI, Bad Religion, Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Misfits, Ramones, etc. He doesn't hate more accessible pop and rock music, but the closest he gets to choosing it for himself is probably something like The Cure or The Smashing Pumpkins or Depeche Mode, maybe some of the creepier Weeknd songs and Muse tracks too heavy to go on the Twilight soundtracks. He and Abi listen to Babymetal together.

Kaitlyn classic rock and 90's alternative. This girl likes the Stones more than the Beatles, though she'll listen to both. Led Zeppelin, Joan Jett, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Black Sabbath, the occasional hair band. She especially loves the 90's girl rockers like Alanis Morisette, Garbage, Hole, Veruca Salt, and No Doubt (Kaitlyn can't believe Gwen Stefani is married to pop-country dork Blake Shelton who sings that song about being your honey bee, because Gwen used to be so cool [I'm definitely not projecting]). I feel like she'd also love Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney, Le Tigre, and The Donnas.

Dylan is the Music Guy ™ (and my personal bias/url namesake), so I've admittedly thought about his musical tastes more than most of the others'. The official Quarry website mentions his 'deep musical knowledge' and I imagine he has pretty broad views on what constitutes good music. He's got kind of a vintage vibe to him, maybe it's the reproduction band shirt from 1988, or the fact that he's into analog technology, or both, but I've noticed he's often depicted playing Queen or Bowie or something of that era in fics, which I think is realistic. This kid goes to the used record store and just buys whatever looks cool.

Fun Fact: According to the datamine, the chapters originally had literary or musical quotes at the beginning of each, and Chapter 5: White Noise (the radio hut chapter) was originally headed by the opening lyrics from Queen's 'Radio Ga Ga':

He's also the only character we see play music in canon, so we know he likes... songs from random compilation albums with inexpensive royalties. XD Just kidding, but these are the diegetic (in-universe) songs we get to hear from Dylan's playlist at the bonfire party:

All pop music of varying subtypes, so we know he appreciates a well-crafted pop song. I honestly am a fan of all of these. I think Dylan genuinely listens to everything but he seems like the type to especially like alt and indie pop, classic rock, garage rock, a bit of the more melodic side of punk, emo, and pop-punk, new wave, synth pop, electronic, and a little bit of hip hop that’s sufficiently nerdy white boy friendly (probably Beastie Boys, Run the Jewels, Post Malone, emo rap like Blackbear, etc). I also tend to gravitate towards early-mid aughts indie for him, like MGMT, Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, OK Go, LCD Soundsystem, etc. Just seems to match his vibe. I think he'd really like BØRNS, Hozier, COIN, Mitski, and K.Flay and probably have a fair amount of overlap with Ryan's more melodic picks (MCR, Muse, The Cure, etc). Dylan probably hates Morrissey but begrudgingly loves The Smiths and definitely cranks up The Killers in his car. He’s also listening to bands right now that you’ve never heard of but will be huge in a couple years. He can probably tell you the difference between subgenres like chillwave, dream pop, and shoegaze but don’t ask me about it because I have no fucking clue.

Since we’re on the subject, here’s my absurdly long and ever-growing Rylan/Radioheads playlist because I have a problem.

And my Sweet Summer Jams playlist, that’s just a bunch of random songs I think would be clean enough to play at a summer camp as long as the kids/your boss don’t ask too many questions.

[stardusthuntress]

Technically, it's Body Dysmorphia

Tech x female!reader (pronouns only)

Word Count: ~1k 

Summary: Tech discovers you have body dysmorphia… this is my interpretation of what a man like him would do to help his partner after discovering that… 

TW: reader has body dysmorphia, that’s the whole scenario… some of the snippets about prior lovers is a bit specific, but all are very short… I tried not to make them too specific tho, hopefully I did an okay job of that! Let’s just say that since it deals with such a heavy topic, it’s automatically NSFW… and Tech does get a bit suggestive, so we’re gonna say it’s because of that ;P 

When he found out about your body dysmorphia and how some of it came from prior experiences with men who refused to ever tell you when you caught their eye (something about: it shouldn’t be about your body, so they made a point to NEVER let your body catch their eye, and now you don’t believe you could ever be considered pretty)... 

You’ve never actually seen this man mad, until that moment. He gripped you tightly and tried to take a few deep breaths. When he could manage words again, he gripped you even tighter and his voice came out in a quiet hiss of rage. 

“How dare they do that to a woman like you!” His voice calmed but his grip remained comfortingly tight. “You know how much I adore your mind, but it was never just that. The way you move, the shape of your body, the look in your eyes, all of you always caught my attention. My brothers have caught me getting distracted admiring you from afar more than a few times. Had I known then that that was what you needed to feel more confident… but now, now you will know whenever you distract me by just being you. I need you to know when you do now. I need you to know how I love every inch of you, mind, body, and soul, my Starlight. You are my Galaxy, and knowing you need my attention in this way could never scare me away. It will only egg me on. The whole galaxy will know how much you mean to me before long, my Dear. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I love you, all of you. Exactly the way you are. I will never ask you to change for me. I love you too much to ask that of you. Whenever you catch my eye, I swear to you, you will know it. I hope you’re prepared to be showered in affection constantly, my Starlight. You have no idea what you do to me.” 

He found out when you began nervously rambling about not being lucky enough to be one of the pretty ones one day and he realized you were shaking from how much it affected you because you really believed it. he was forced to shut you up with a kiss just to slow you down enough that he could interject and be supportive: “that’s in the past, my Darling,” he caressed your cheek, one arm around your waist “that’s not how I see it. I’m here now. Not them. You’ve no idea what your body does to me.” 

He makes a point to pull you into his lap more often so you can feel his erection when you laugh, or infodump, or play with your hair, or your eyes dance with a mischievous sparkle, or any little thing 

Especially if he needs an extra set of hands fixing something. No more squishing in next to him under the console anymore, you’re in his lap. He’s told you watching you work with him is a big turn on, and now he intends to prove that. He will still keep working, but that codpiece is gone, and you can feel his length pressing into your back or side or thigh. And he steals and plants sneaky kisses when you lean back into him or give him some friction - whether intentionally or not. 

He found himself REALLY aroused one time when it was just you two fixing the ship and you just clambered into the ship instead of waiting for the pieces to be removed to access the piece you were fixing, and then proceeded to tell him what tools you needed. He may or may not have stared until you emerged again and plucked the tool from his belt with a giggle. He knew in that moment he’d do anything to hear you laugh like that again. He didn’t even care if it was at his expense. 

He slows down when your body language tells him you’re nervous, and quietly lets his fingertips dance up your arms and sides, while he kisses your temple and admires your body. He knows actions mean more than words, and he will let that knowledge guide him here. Whatever you respond to positively, he notices, and he does more of 

He has promised you he would never call you pretty out of pity or sympathy, and swears to only ever say it when he means it. 

A gentle arm around your waist when you are around his brothers because he knows you don’t want them to know about your dysmorphia. 

He doesn’t hesitate to place a kiss on you as he walks past when you’ve caught his eye doing everyday things.

If he needs something anywhere in your vicinity…

…as you stand at a console, you feel his body press into your back, one hand on your hip or abs as he maneuvers around you to get it… 

…if you’re sitting, he’ll use the excuse to press a kiss to your shoulder or temple or even sometimes sit on the floor between your legs, one arm wrapped around your leg. Which creates a wonderful chance for you to plant a few kisses on him too!

He takes you to see beautiful sights, but when you get there he finds he cannot take his eyes off of you…

He even asks his brothers to tell you when you catch their eye, as long as they know they cannot touch what’s his. 

Sure enough, before long you are glowing constantly, as is his pride at knowing he can make you feel like this, that he proved to you just how beautiful you are!

His brothers quietly vow to protect you both with everything they have, they love seeing you both so happy and radiant!

Please don’t steal my work! I pour my heart into these so if you like it please reblog to share instead of reposting it! And NO dropping it into an AI to finish it for me! That’s stealing my work and feeding it to an AI without my consent. It is not okay to give an AI something you didn’t write yourself! 

taglist: @bambambunny @cw80831

[aprillikesthings]

can I finish this before I gotta get ready and leave for the Maundy Thursday service let's find out lol

(Edit: Nope.)

THREE MORE EPISODES LEFT

*cries*

s5 ep11 Failsafe

someone hold me

I have to actively suppress the urge to read the synopses of the episodes at this point

oh also lol this is just funny to me, I saw a post Elsewhere Online where someone watched all of spop the first time and they HATED the dumb names everyone has, and I think they mentioned Castaspella specifically.

And like FIFTY PEOPLE responded with "dude they had to use the original names from the 1980's series" and I was the only one there old enough to have watched the original series and I had to point out: the original series was made to sell toys. The vast majority of cartoons in 1985 were only made to sell toys. They gave everyone those dumbass names because it was easy for kids to remember and beg for the toys."

That's also why all the female characters in the original series have the exact same body type. Yeah the body shape itself was due to 1980's-era sexism, but also? It was so much cheaper to animate the show AND make the toys that way!

But also, it's hella ironic to me that the 2018 show has so little official merch!

And now, back to crying over cartoon lesbians:

good question

ugh I hate her

Shadow Weaver: "While you were traipsing around in space,"

OH MY GOD they were saving a few people's LIVES and it was kind of IMPORTANT but WHATEVER

"--some of us have been working to stop the Heart of Etheria from falling into Prime's hands. And we discovered the same thing you did. Rumors of a Failsafe that will break the restraints the First Ones built and set the stolen magic free." Glimmer: "Are you kidding? After everything that happened last time, you're still going after the Heart of Etheria? And you're helping her?" Castaspella: "We're trying to free the magic for all of Etheria so we can be strong enough to fight Prime. I'm doing this for your father and for you. Shadow Weaver is the lesser of two evils."

I love that she says this right in front of Shadow Weaver. Like "girl I hate her too"

nice

okay ngl I have mixed feelings about this one because unfortunately she's not entirely wrong here but also, shut the fuck up

(something something people are responsible for their own actions but also she wouldn't have done all that godawful shit if Shadow Weaver hadn't been such a shitty parent)

but yeah Catra gets up like she's about to fucking throw some hands and Adora's like It's okay bb

;_;

but also they do need the information Shadow Weaver and Castaspella have

so it turns out Mystacor was built on top of a First Ones' citadel? huh

Castaspella: "Beneath Mystacor, there are many secret tunnels and rooms, forgotten and sealed off. No one has been able to access them in centuries, but there are whispers of what they contain." Shadow Weaver: "An artifact known as the Crystal of Arxia, hidden there by a group of traitorous First Ones." Castaspella: "You said I could do it!"

lol they bicker like old marrieds

Adora: "If you figured it out on your own, why come back here? Why do you need us at all?" Shadow Weaver: "Because Mystacor is controlled by Micah, who, you may recall, is controlled by Horde Prime."

they've been TRYING

"If he seizes the Heart, it will all be over."

Stop toUCHING HER

oh god Adora turns around to ask Catra to help out--and she's gone

YOU'RE THE REASON SHE'S FUCKING "SULKING" and you fucking know it, why are abusers always so god damned surprised to find out their kids don't want to be anywhere near them

(I mean I know why, they think they should be able to control you forever)

aaahahaha Adora's just like Nah I'mma go look for her tho

anyway roll intro!

omg look at Netossa and Spinny on the bottom left awwwww

she looks so sad

well okay sad and angry

their conversation here is so good, because Catra's fully aware of why Adora's doing this, but is really struggling to push past how much she (justifiably!) hates Shadow Weaver and hates being around her

I actually do kinda wish I'd kept a list of all the times Adora does the self-sacrificial thing, separated into "someone asked her to do it" vs "nobody asked her to do it" lol

BUT ADORA EXPRESSES A NEED oh nice that's progress

Adora: "Hey, she can't do anything to us anymore. Please, come. We--I-could really use your help."

two things I really love about this: One, she doesn't say that she doesn't like Adora, just that it's not the reason she's going. Two, I feel like Adora knows damn well Catra's not being 100% honest here.

Like, to some extent Catra's saying this as a way of attempting to protect herself a little. She's taking baby steps towards vulnerability, and it's terrifying! And I think Adora can see that and is fine with it--not JUST because she's like "any crumbs are better than nothing" but ALSO because she doesn't want to push Catra.

Because yeah, if there was any actual doubt that Catra does like Adora--

WELL.

Entrapta was able to get Spinerella's chip out but says it had started fusing with her nervous system and they're running out of time to safely un-chip everyone.

But she's been digging around the network that connects all the chips to Prime, hoping to figure out how to disconnect everyone at once, and Bow gives her a little encouragement, it's really sweet.

OKAY so everyone who can, teleports to Mystacor with Melog making them invisible. (Apparently Catra doesn't get motion sick from it anymore which is nice lol)

I love the way they animated them being invisible

oh GOD okay

Catra turns around and says "looks like there's no sorcerers here" while, unfortunately, a sorcerer walks into the room. Shadow Weaver grabs Catra and puts her hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, and Catra (understandably!! but unfortunately!!) jerks away in fury and yells

And her fury causes Melog to drop the invisibility

And now the chipped sorcerer knows they're all there

they manage to duck the attack but Adora goes to transform into She-Ra--and can't do it

she had this issue last episode aaaugh it's not from being near Shadow Weaver she wasn't there

okay but also Adora runs behind a pillar to hide from an attack with Catra and it's cute

girl help why is this giving me so many emotions

y'know it's funny how often I've bumped into posts of people who are confused as to why Adora starts trusting Catra again so quickly, and I frequently wonder if they forget all the childhood flashback scenes of these two. To varying extents they both spent their entire childhoods seeing the other as their only consistent source of comfort and (something resembling) safety, and with some notable exceptions Adora's spent the last four seasons (which was like three or four years) visibly holding out hope that one day she could trust Catra again. This despite the fact that she now has other sources of safety and comfort and love!!! Being with Glimmer and Bow and everyone else was healing, sure; but it never erased her grief over losing Catra. She always, always held out the tiniest flame of hope that Catra would change sides.

And Catra basically tried lighting her own grief on fire (metaphorically and kinda literally) over and over and it just didn't go away, and I feel like when she saved Glimmer and apologized to Adora she had sort of come to terms with the fact that her grief over losing Adora couldn't be burned away, but of course by then she figured she'd fucked up so bad Adora would never forgive her or trust her again. And rather than take it out on other people or suffer any longer she was willing to just die, instead. She really did think that sending Glimmer to Adora was going to be her last act, and she wanted Adora to know she was sorry before she fucking DIED. And I don't think her saving Glimmer was consciously meant to be proof that she meant her apology, but it was. And that's part of why Adora trusts her again.

The fact is, even after everything that happened, both of them had a hole in their hearts shaped like the other. ;_;

And that's why Adora runs and hides behind the same pillar as Catra. (I mean yes, it was also closer, but that's not tHE POINT)

Anyway, this is all why, as I previously noted, Adora's not being pushy. That failed on her, spectacularly; the couple of times she tried it. Asking Catra to come along on this mission is the closest she's come. And even then, it wasn't "you're a good person deep down and you should change sides because I think I know you better than you know yourself," It was "please do this for me, because I need your help." And Catra is fully aware of how hard that is for Adora.

And these two still have a lot to work out post-canon (like, Catra has still got to deal with her need to not just be seen as Adora's sidekick/shadow, and lbh right now some of the rebellion is like "we're only putting up with you for Adora's sake" as if Catra was Yoko Ono) but that's part of why I'm writing a fic lolol

I have so many feelingssss on a related note I spent like fifteen solid minutes last night in bed having taken an edible and listening to my playlist and staring at this gifset lolol

ANYWAY Castaspella knocks out the chipped dude and they run for it

AAAND lol I gotta get ready to go to church. There's still 17:30 left on this episode. Pfft.

BACK FROM CHURCH I washed someone's feet, they washed mine, they stripped the altar, I go back at one or two in the morning for the overnight vigil

In the meantime: gonna finish this episode

(what is my life sometimes)

Entrapta plans to find a bunch of clones so she can figure out how their signals to Horde Prime work. Swift Wind is like Ugh, fine, I'll go with you, someone's gotta save your ass

Entrapta: "Thanks, bird horse!"

lol how many times have they had that convo

A family can be a sorcerer and her evil ex, a girl and a boy, two traumatized lesbians, and a cat

But also it looks like something out of an episode of Scooby Doo

Shadow Weaver opens a magic door

ngl that's PRETTY. like it's obviously about the Heart of Etheria but wow!

(and there's a dinosaur???)

Adora notices how stressed out Catra is and says "It'll be okay...Trust me." ;_;

Shadow Weaver: "There's no time to waste!"

"...disturbance."

The disturbance was your fault, dumbass. I am reminded of all the times my dad got angry at us for being afraid of him. And would hit us. For being. Afraid of him. Because y'know. That's how you stop a kid from being afraid of you. By hitting them.

In any case Shadow Weaver is still trying to get between them and separate them and I just really need this bitch to stop.

(Yes yes I remember she dies later)

Castaspella: "We're on the right path. The Crystal of Arxia was rumored to be the key to reaching deep magic within Etheria."

"But those who hungered for more power have long sought other ways to obtain the deep magic...with disastrous results."

HIT THE IMAGE LIMIT lemme reblog

[damonblack966]

Discovering the Magic of Bone Throwing

What Are Throwing Bones?

Throwing bones is a cool way to predict the future. It's like using a special set of tools that include bones, shells, and other cool stuff. Each witch has their own unique set of bones that they use to tell the future. The way the bones fall and touch each other helps the witch understand what's going to happen.

Why Bone Throwing is Awesome

Bone throwing is a special kind of divination that helps you connect with your inner voice and unlock your true potential. It's not as easy to learn as tarot reading, but it's totally worth it. When you make your own set of throwing bones, you build a strong connection with them. This makes your divination even more powerful!

Pros of Bone Throwing

Personalized: Your bone set is unique to you. You can add or remove pieces and make it your own. There's no right or wrong way to do it!

Psychic Power: Bone throwing helps you tap into your psychic abilities and improve your intuition.

Badass Feeling: Using natural items and hand-me-down trinkets makes you feel connected to the earth and past generations of witches. It's a powerful way to connect with your spiritual self.

Cons of Bone Throwing

Volatile: Sometimes, bone throwing doesn't work. If you're not in the right mindset or the bones don't like your question, you may not get an answer.

Psychic Abilities: If you don't think you have psychic abilities, bone throwing might not work for you. But don't worry, everyone has psychic capabilities and you can learn to access them!

Delicate: Bone throwing sets can be fragile, making them difficult to travel with or use in public spaces. You'll need to be careful not to damage them.

If you're ready to take your divination skills to the next level, sign up for my Divination For Witchcraft class today!

Creating Your Own Bone Set: A Fun and Intuitive Process

Introduction

Creating your own set of throwing bones can be a really fun and intuitive process. It might take you some time to collect all the pieces, but that's part of the adventure! As you go about your daily life, you'll start noticing things that would be perfect for your bone set. People might give you strange gifts, you'll find odd items that catch your attention, and before you know it, your bone-throwing set will be complete.

What Kind of Items to Look For

Even though it's called a bone-throwing set, you don't have to include actual bones if that makes you uncomfortable. You can collect feathers, pretty rocks, seashells, antique trinkets, buttons, driftwood, bottle caps, crystals, carved wood figures, and anything else that speaks to you. The most important thing is that each item feels right in your set.

Choosing the Bones

Each item in your set will represent something. You'll need to choose one bone to represent yourself, and it should be slightly larger than the rest. You can attach different meanings to each bone, but here are some ideas to get you started:

The self

Health

Wealth

Family

Love

Magic

Yes (or the green light bone)

No

Evil/Bad intentions

Male

Female

One/Many

Truth

Other (for reading for someone else)

Fated or Decision

You don't have to include all of these pieces in your set. If you want a basic set, you can use numbers 1-6, 9, 10, 11, and 13. That's 10 pieces, which will give you detailed readings without taking too long to collect.

Take Your Time

Don't rush the process of finding the items for your bone set. It's important that the set feels cohesive and gives accurate readings. Give yourself plenty of time, and trust your intuition when you come across an item that feels right.

Preparing Your Bones

You can consecrate the bones if you like, but I've found that the pieces that find their way into my set already know their purpose. When you have all your pieces, you'll also need a throwing cloth. This is a piece of cloth with markings on it to help you identify the importance of each piece.

The basic setup is a cloth with two circles on it. The smaller circle represents everything directly involved, the larger circle represents things indirectly involved, and anything outside the circles is irrelevant. You can play around with different setups or create your own. Remember, this divination set should be completely yours!

It's also a good idea to have a bag or box to keep all the pieces together when you're not using them. Losing pieces can mess up your readings.

Using Your Bone Set

When you're ready to start using your set, find a soft surface to set up your cloth. Hard surfaces can cause the pieces to bounce away. I usually read on a carpeted floor or a yoga mat.

Place the self bone in the center of your cloth. Take the rest of your set in your hands or a bowl, and focus on your question or the situation you want to understand better. You can play with the bones, shake them in your hands, or let them pour from one hand to the other.

When you're ready, cast the bones onto the cloth. This might take some practice. At first, everything might fall in one spot or some pieces might fly off the cloth. Keep trying until you can spread the bones out on the cloth without them falling off.

Now comes the part that you'll learn through experience. Observe how the bones fall and remember what each piece represents. Then, clear your mind and be still. Listen and wait. See if any thoughts or feelings come up. Pay attention to any narratives or persistent thoughts that match the bones. These could be the messages that the bones are giving you.

If you don't feel anything at first, don't worry. Developing psychic intuition takes time and practice. Experiment, keep working at it regularly, and stay aware of the messages you receive. And most importantly, have fun!

[snowbunnywatching]

On the 'friend-zone' concept are you making a distinction between simply being a good friend to a girl who happens to date black guys and then being in the 'friend-zone' where a dude would be lucky to hear some details occasionally, help encourage her before dates and that side of it? General being in the friend-zone means the guy wants more and that can still fit into it but this seems a little different to that too.

For example I have friends that are girls but know that really details of dates are off limits in conversations between us. And in reverse I wouldn't really give them details of my own dates. That is more guy talk for me and girl talk for them. So is this sort of 'friend-zone' being seen more as being allowed into some girl talk? Or something else entirely?

(Follow-up to this post.)

To me, there's a difference from a guy being in the friend-zone and being friends with someone who happens to be a girl. As you also indictate, being in the friend-zone means that the guy wants the relationship to change into a romantic or sexual relatationship, while the girl isn't interested in that.

The way I picture it, the relationship started out with the guy befriending the girl, hoping his winning personality and all-around quality of being a "nice guy" will make her fall in love with him. But if you advertise yourself as a friend, don't be surprised if that's how people see you.

Unfortunately for the guy, his qualities aren't the ones the girl is looking for in a lover. So she will make no attempts to move the relationship in that direction. And more often than not, the guy won't attempt so either, fearing her rejection. So the relationship will continue as a friendship.

But it won't be a balanced friendship. Whether he wants to or not, the guy will be sending off signals that he wants more out of the relationship. Which is just something that will make him even less appealing as a romantic partner: Why does he continue being in an unfulfilling relationship?

This kind of friendship is different from the friendship a girl can have with a "guy friend" and even with female friends. Because of the power imbalane, the girl can get more out of the relationship than she puts into it. And it's hard not to take advantage of that dynamic.

So the guy in the friend-zone may be summoned at short notice; "I don't care if you're watching a game, this is an emergency." Panting, he will arrive at her apartment, only to discover that the "emergency" consists in her no longer having access to her ex's Netflix account. And since her new lover is coming by for "Netflix and chill", she absolutely needs her friend-zone friend to borrow her the login details of his Netflix account.

In "return", he may become privy to details about her love life that she wouldn't be sharing with her guy friends or even her female friends. With girlfriends you're always careful about your image, not wanting to give off the impression of being a slut. But with your friend-zone friend you can let your guard down, knowing your secrets are safe with him.

So she can freely tell him all about how little of the Netflix show she and her lover actually got to see before they were making out on the couch, their hands all over each other. And how the evening progressed from there...

It may be a mixed pleasure for the friend-zone friend to discover that he's sitting on the very spot on the couch where another man rested his sweaty balls as the girl of the friend-zone-friend's dreams was bouncing up and down on his manhood. But you take what you get and you turn it into honesty, as the poet once said.

[hollywoodxwhore]

Mine | Chapter Four

Colson x Original Female Character

Synopsis: Presley may look sinful on the outside, but deep down, she's innocent, guarded, and terrified of intimacy. Colson, on the other hand, is living up to his womanizer reputation as a way to cope with heartbreak. When his new guitarist invites his twin sister to join them on tour, Colson discovers that he's actually capable of feeling. Will Presley and Colson be able to push past all of the barriers trying to prevent them from happening?

Warnings/Content: swearing, brief mention of weight, col and presley being cute and pining for each other, surprise surprise kells talking about his dick

Presley

The first thing we do when we arrive in Florida is go to the beach.

It’s gorgeous outside and the show isn’t until tomorrow, so it’s a no brainer. Ashleigh manages to find a private beach that we’re able to rent out so no one bothers us. 

I’m so ready to get my toes in the sand, to dive into the ocean. Living in Michigan, I have access to the beach whenever I want, but what’s sad to admit is that I didn’t get to the beach one time last summer. I was too engrossed in my work. 

It’s been so nice not having to work while I’m here. I guess I didn’t realize just how little free time I’d been giving myself. I could work whenever I wanted at the shop, and more often than not, I’d decide to go in on a Saturday or a Sunday for some extra money. As head piercer, I could do that. 

But I’ve been feeling so relaxed that I don’t feel in a rush to return to that. I don’t really miss the loneliness of it all, the nights when I’d be all alone in my apartment. I’m a homebody and I like to be alone, but there’s a difference between alone time and loneliness. What I was experiencing was some pretty painful loneliness and I’m only just now realizing it.

It’s like I’ve come back to life in the short time I’ve been on tour. Feelings I didn’t realize I could feel have surprised me, and although I can’t act on them, it’s nice to know I can even feel that way. My little crush on Colson has grown into something a little more real, but I can’t help it. 

How could I when he’s secretly the sweetest person ever? Kind, selfless, and comforting, I’ve come to love being in his presence. Sleeping next to him was the best night I’ve had for as long as I can remember. How often do I wake up in the middle of the night seized by anxiety or loneliness and have to fight to get back to sleep? Every single night. But not the night I slept beside — well, on top of — Colson. 

All of this has me humming happily to myself as I slip into my bikini, gathering what I need for the beach. Once I’m changed, Cash comes out of the bathroom and gathers his things, too. The entire reason I joined everyone on tour was to be closer to Cash. I didn’t think I would end up loving everyone else, too. 

“Ready?” Cash asks and I nod, grabbing my bag. We head down to the lobby where we meet the others and get into the cars. I’m happy when Cash gets into the car where Colson is already. I can’t have him. I know this. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy his presence while I can. 

I turn around and wave Olivia over. I think she and Cash would be so cute together and I want to make it happen.

“Good call,” she whispers as she climbs into the car, taking the seat beside Cash. That leaves a seat open next to Colson and I sit down, smiling shyly up at him.

“Hey,” he says with a little smirk. God, he’s so handsome. He didn’t bother to put a shirt on so he wears black and pink swim trunks, sunglasses, and nothing else. His body is a work of fucking art, covered in tattoos that only slightly camouflage lean muscle. I have to force myself not to stare.

“How far away is the beach?” Colson asks. 

“About an hour,” the driver answers. Colson nods and slumps in his seat a little, trying to relax, but there isn’t nearly enough room for his legs.

I can’t help but snicker and he looks over at me, arching a brow. “What’s funny?”

I shrug and glance at his legs. “I can imagine you never have enough leg room,” I say.

Colson chuckles and nods, shrugging. “I’m used to it. Been tall my entire life,” he explains. “It’s a pain in the ass but it has its benefits.” He glances at me. “You’re pretty tall, too.”

“I shouldn’t complain. You’re at least five inches taller than me,” I say. 

“How tall are you?” He asks, looking me up and down. It makes me feel a little dizzy.

“Somewhere in the 5’9”-5’10” range,” I answer with a shrug. “Doctors tell me something different every time.”

“In that case,” Colson says with a little smirk, “I’m six or seven inches taller.”

I’ve never really cared that much about height, but thinking about our height difference makes me feel…safe? Excited? Small? It’s something I’ve never really thought about before. Being a tall woman, I’m used to taking up more space than I want to, used to feeling too big for lots of men. But not Colson. And I like that. 

“Yeah, we hear you, Jolly Green Giant,” Cash teases from the seat behind us, flicking Colson in the ear.

Colson whips around and snatches Cash’s hat off his head to place on his own head, backwards, and Jesus, he did not need to look sexier. “Shut up, Carver,” Colson says. “You’re only a little shorter than I am.”

“How tall are you?” Olivia asks.

“6’2”,” Cash answers with a smirk and I stifle an eye roll. Cash loves being tall. Loves the way women love his being tall. Hearts practically pop in Olivia’s eyes and Colson and I meet each other’s eyes, exchanging knowing grins. 

“Shorter than me,” Colson says, and his slight arrogance is sexy. He hands Cash his hat back and laughs when Cash flips him off. Colson turns to me and shakes his head. “Was he this difficult as a child?”

“Worse,” I say, glancing back at my brother, whose smirk fades a little. “Let me tell you about how he got, like, three babysitters fired.”

Cash groans. “Pres, no,” he pleads.

“What did he do?” Olivia asks delightedly. 

I giggle. “Which time?” I tease, and Cash smacks his forehead with the palm of his hand. “One time, he got on the roof. Another time he ran through the sprinkler in his clothes. Left the house without permission and the poor babysitter couldn’t find him. Oh, and there was that time you broke my wrist—”

“It was an accident!” Cash whines, cheeks flushed. His eyes narrow at me and my smile fades.

“Oh shit,” Colson mutters.

“I thought you said he was sweet,” Olivia says. 

I laugh. “For the most part, he was. But he had his moments.” 

“Alright, Pres,” Cash says, sitting up straighter. “What story of yours should I tell?”

I smirk. “I don’t have any embarrassing stories. Good try, though,” I say.

“What about that time you peed your pants at Matt Carlson’s bonfire?” And, fuck, I do have an embarrassing story.

“Cash!” It’s my turn to groan and cover my face. 

“Oh, this I gotta hear,” Colson says, and I groan more loudly.

“I love hanging out with siblings,” Olivia says.

“It wasn’t my fault!” I insist. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t drink.”

“Wait, how old were you?” Olivia asks.

“Seventeen,” Cash chirps.

I moan.

“Too much Smirnoff cherry,” Cash sighs dramatically, “and a trampoline don’t mix.”

“Oh god,” Colson says with a snicker. I glare at him and he only laughs harder, head falling back to reveal that gorgeous neck. 

“There went any chance I had with Matt Carlson,” I mutter. My cheeks are red, but I have to admit that it is a funny story. I can’t help but giggle as I lean over the seat to try and hit Cash. He laughs and evades any attempt I make, so I settle back into my seat and flip him off.

“Remind me to ask you for more stories later,” Colson tells Cash.

“Deal,” he says. 

“Do you know any embarrassing Colson childhood stories?” I ask Olivia.

“No, but Ashleigh and Slim do,” she says.

I grin wickedly at Colson who winces. “Good to know,” I say, raising a brow at him.

He shakes his head. “You’re an evil woman,” he says sagely, and I grin, shrugging innocently.

We all talk nonstop the rest of the way to the beach, and when we get there, we’re all energized and ready to enjoy the day. We pile out of the car and join the others who are already setting up on the beach. 

Cash tosses his stuff onto the ground and peels off his shirt. He tosses his hat on top of his shirt. “I’m swimming. Who’s with me?”

“Me,” Colson says, setting his stuff down, too. He turns to me. “Pres?” I’m so surprised by his use of the nickname that I almost lose my speech. Something about it makes me feel all gooey inside. 

“I’ll be there in a second. Just want to get my towel out and stuff,” I say. Colson nods at me and then follows Cash out into the water. 

I lay out my towel and then Cash’s, too. Olivia settles her towel beside Cash’s and smiles at me sheepishly when I smirk at her. “What?” She asks innocently.

“Just so you know, I heavily support it,” I tell her, and her smile widens. 

“Really?” She asks quietly, and I nod. She looks out into the water at Cash, sighing quietly. “Dammit. Why does your brother have to be such a good guy?”

I grin. “He is, isn’t he?”

“And so fucking hot.”

“Can’t say I agree with you there,” I say dryly. 

Olivia giggles and steps out of her clothes. “Come on. Let’s go swim with them.”

I nod and toss my cotton dress onto my towel, glancing down at my suit to make sure I look okay. I follow Olivia out into the water where a couple of others have already joined Cash and Colson. 

Colson’s hair is wet already, as is his skin, and it glistens under the hot, midday sun. Shit. Even though the water is somewhat cool, I feel flushed just looking at him. 

And then, he turns to look at me.

He has sunglasses on, but those can only conceal so much, and they do nothing to hide the way that his jaw quite literally drops when he sees me. He recovers quickly, clearing his throat as his mouth snaps shut, but behind the dark lenses of his glasses, I can see the way his eyes are slowly, subtly wandering my body. 

All at once, it’s very clear. Colson 100% wants me. And I want him, too.

“Hey, let’s play chicken,” Cash says, and when I look over, I catch him checking out Olivia, way less subtly than Colson was checking me out. I bite back a knowing smirk. Anything for him to get closer to Olivia. But I’m fine with it. Happy about it, even. 

Cash has had flings, but he’s a romantic at heart, and all he wants is someone he can spoil. Someone he can show off to our parents and his friends. Someone to treat like an absolute queen. And I really like Olivia. I’d be happy if it was her. 

“Ooh, me and Cash versus Presley and Kells,” she says, and dammit, because Olivia’s almost imperceptible smirk in my direction tells me she’s well aware of my crush on Colson.

And I’m happy, trust me, I am…but what if I’m too heavy? That’d be an instant mood killer. If Colson really is into me, being unable to put me on his shoulders would kill that real quick. Colson looks confident, though. He smiles at me as he walks over to me. 

“You good with this?” He asks, and I nod. He nods, too, and disappears under the water. I squeak in surprise when his head slips between my legs and he settles me easily onto his shoulders, hefting me up as he stands tall. Like he’s holding nothing at all. 

“Shit,” I say, grabbing his hair gently to steady myself. “You’re strong.”

Colson chuckles. “You wouldn’t know it with how skinny I am,” he says. “Not like you’re heavy,” he adds quickly, and I blush. 

Cash gets Olivia on his shoulders, too, and she looks at me with a little smile. I smile right back and keep my hold on Colson’s bleached locks as he walks over to them. 

“I’m getting on your shoulders next, Liv,” Cash says, and Olivia throws her head back with a laugh. Cash smiles widely and I feel a rush of affection for my brother. It’s so good to see him happy. 

Olivia and I grab each other’s hands once we’re in close enough proximity, and we giggle as we fight weakly, neither of us going too hard. We’re clearly both enjoying being on the shoulders of the boys beneath us. I’m glad I shaved my legs today because Colson’s wet hands are secured on my thighs. The warmth of them has me feeling flustered. 

“Are you guys even trying?” Cash asks after a few minutes. Olivia and I are basically just holding hands, and when we look at each other, we laugh.

“Alright, Cash, it’s up to us, I guess,” Colson says, and Olivia and I shriek in unison and we start to teeter as the boys grab hands and start trying to wrestle us off their shoulders.

“Cash, if I get hurt, I’m gonna kill you!” I shriek, tightening my thighs a little. 

“I’ve got you!” Colson assures me. He shoves Cash’s chest, and Cash wobbles. Olivia screams as she and Cash tumble into the water. 

I clap happily and Colson reaches up his palms so we can high-five. “Nice job,” I tell him. “Thank you for making sure I didn’t die.”

Colson laughs. “Any time,” he says. “Give me your hands.” I let him take my hands and he squeezes them as he bends down and pops me off his shoulders. I’m surprised when he wraps an arm around my shoulder. “I’m super competitive. Thanks for helping me win,” he says.

I smile and wrap my arm around his waist. “Me too,” I confess. “Like, madly competitive.”

“She sure fucking is,” Cash pipes in. “Many family fights were had over Sorry games.”

“You any good at beer pong?” Colson asks me. “Oh, right. You don’t really drink.”

“I’m still good at beer pong,” I assure him.

“Oh bet,” he says. “Another thing we can beat Cash and Liv at.”

“Hell yeah,” I grin.

Cash narrows his eyes. “I don’t like the alliance forming between the two of you,” he says, gesturing between me and Colson. “Kells, you and my sister can’t gang up on me.”

“Hey, not my fault your sister is cool,” Colson says, and I grin cheekily at Cash, who rolls his eyes. I’m really enjoying Colson’s arm around me. Enjoying all of this, really. I can’t actually remember the last time I had this much fun. The last time I was this happy. 

Colson

Today at the beach, I was happier than I’ve been in a very, very long time, and there’s no one else to thank but Presley.

It’s getting harder and harder to heed Cash’s warnings. Not only is she the baddest girl I’ve ever seen, but I actually really enjoy her company. She’s funny, sweet, and our personalities just vibe together. I haven’t gotten along with a girl this well in a long ass time.

And maybe I could ignore it, stay away from her like Cash said, but now that it’s three in the morning and I’m wide awake in bed, all I want is her next to me. 

I’ve been wanting to text her for two hours now. She was added to the group chat, so now I have her number, and I shouldn’t use it, but fuck, I want to. I’m tired as shit, and I know if she were here, I’d sleep. It’s such a slippery fucking slope, though. What if she tells Cash I begged her to come sleep in here? He’d be furious.

I groan and rub my eyes until I see stars. Not good. Not good at all. But, fuck, I’m an adult, and so is Presley, and who is Cash to tell me what I can and can’t do? 

It’s with that thought that I finally text Presley. I don’t ask right away, just let her know that It’s Colson.

She might be asleep for all I know, and I’ll regret the hell out of this in the morning. But there’s no way I misinterpreted the looks she’s been giving me. She’s into me. She has to be. Unless I want her to be into me so badly that I’m imagining things. I don’t think I am, though.

I jolt when my phone buzzes on my chest, and sure enough, there she is. What’s up? 

Colson: Can’t sleep. You?

Presley: Same…

Colson: What are you doing?

Presley: Laying here getting more and more frustrated that I can’t sleep. You?

Colson: Same. 

Colson: Want to be awake together?

Presley: Sure. Can I come there? Cash is sleeping like a baby as usual.

Colson: Come on over. Room 313.

I hop out of bed, hurrying to make myself somewhat more presentable. I brush my teeth, which is totally unnecessary since, one, I haven’t eaten anything since I brushed my teeth two hours ago, and two, it’s not like she’s going to get close enough to me to notice whether or not I brushed my teeth. 

I throw a pair of shorts over my boxers and roll on another swipe of deodorant. I check my hair in the mirror and then clean some food wrappers off the nightstand. By then, there’s a knock on the door. I open it to reveal Presley, looking cozy in a matching set that looks way too big for her. It’s probably Cash’s. “Hey,” I tell her. “Come on in.”

She follows me inside and I lead the way to my bed, sitting against the headboard. She curls up with her legs beneath her and faces me, sighing. “You an insomniac too?” she asks.

I nod. “Yep.”

Presley sighs quietly and nods, too. “It sucks.”

“That it does,” I agree, but now that she’s here, I feel tired. So tired. I know if we were to lie down in bed together, I’d be asleep in minutes. 

“The worst part is that I’m tired as fuck,” she says, “but I can’t sleep. It’s like every thought in existence enters my brain as soon as I lay down and close my eyes.”

“Fucking mood,” I agree with a chuckle. I take a deep breath, knowing I shouldn’t say more, shouldn’t admit it, but I do. “The only time I’ve actually slept well recently is when you were here.”

She looks up at me with those green eyes, so green they almost look fake, and for a second, I’m worried I’ve freaked her out. That I’ve said too much. But then she takes a deep breath, too, and nods as she looks away from me. “Yeah. Me too,” she mutters, glancing up at me again. 

We’re both quiet for a few moments, challenging each other to say it, to initiate, but she might be more stubborn than I am because she stays quiet. I wipe my suddenly clammy palms on my shorts. “Want to try and sleep here?” I ask.

Perfect, white teeth sink into the corner of her bottom lip as she studies me. “Are you sure?” She asks. “I don’t want to impose.”

“You’d be doing me a favor,” I point out. “If I don’t sleep I’ll be a wreck at the show tonight.”

Presley wets her lips and nods. “Okay. Then, sure.” She hops off of the bed to remove her sweatshirt as I pull back the blankets. 

She hesitates, toying with the bottom of her long t-shirt. “You okay?” I ask as I crawl beneath the blankets.

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she says. “I just.” I raise a brow, waiting. “I can’t sleep in these big ass pants. Do you care if I take them off? My t-shirt is long enough….”

Her voice tapers off and her cheeks flush. Damn, she’s cute. She has no idea just how little I care if she sleeps without pants. Actually, that’s a lie. I care a lot. She’s making it so hard not to want her. But I shake my head. “No, I don’t care at all,” I say. “To be honest, I can’t sleep in anything but boxers anyway.”

”Oh,” she says, relaxing slightly. “Okay, cool.” She drops the sweats to the floor and I shuck off my shorts, tossing them to the floor. I glance over at her and my heart squeezes. She looks beautiful, the hem of her t-shirt falling just above where she has a rose tattoo on her thigh, and I’m reminded for the thousandth time just how gorgeous those legs are.

She crawls into bed beside me, careful to keep her shirt down, and settles onto the pillow, facing me. Suddenly, she looks exhausted, and I feel it, too, stifling a yawn behind my hand. I reach over to turn off the lights, throwing us into darkness.

“Pres,” I say quietly.

“Hm?” Her eyes find mine as we adjust to the darkness.

I bite my lip. “I’ll do my best to stay on my side of the bed,” I murmur, “but I failed at it last time.”

“Or I did,” she says quietly. “One of us did.” She’s quiet for a while, and I’m starting to think she’s asleep, but then the blankets rustle and her toes nudge against my shin gently. “We could just…not bother. Trying to keep our distance.” Her voice is so soft, but I heard her clearly. I swallow hard. 

“Yeah,” I say, my voice coming out in a bit of a croak. “Whatever you want.” After a brief pause, we both gravitate towards each other, and then her back is against my front, my arm draped over her waist, and she’s pulled one of my legs between both of hers. Her impossibly smooth skin brushes against mine. Jesus. A wave of electricity seems to swim through me and I swallow hard, trying to stay composed. This is so wrong. We shouldn’t be doing this. Cash would kill me if he knew. But I’m following her lead. She needs to sleep and so do I. This is serving a purpose. That’s all. 

I tighten my arm around her waist, then slide my hand to rest against her flat belly. I feel the hitch in her breath and then she begins to breathe slowly, deeply. I nuzzle a bit closer, my forehead against the back of her head, and all at once, I feel so completely at peace that it’s almost alarming. Presley is warm and soft and fits with me like we were made for each other. My eyelids are so heavy I can’t hold them open anymore.

“Night, Pres,” I whisper.

“Night, Col.” I love the use of my nickname and the soft, raspiness of her voice. Before I know it, I’m asleep. 

XX

More often than not, I wake up far before my alarm, so I’m surprised when it rouses me this morning. Rolling over, I quickly turn it off, all too aware that Presley is in my bed. 

I swear we barely moved all night, other than her rolling slightly onto her belly. I know we touched all night because I’m warmer where our bodies were touching. And the morning wood I have is not a run of the mill boner. No, this is from cuddling up to a girl to whom I’m extremely attracted. Shit. 

A glance at Presley tells me she’s still asleep, so I adjust myself, tucking my cock into my waistband until it decides to behave. Sun peeks through the curtains, casting a warm glow over Presley’s sleeping frame. We must’ve gotten warm because the blankets are shoved down, and that’s when I realize that her shirt has ridden up, all the way to her lower back. 

I hold back a whine, feeling like a total prick, but fuck, I can’t help but look at her ass. She wears tiny boy shorts that have also ridden up, the perfect crescents of her ass perfectly visible. I cringe, feeling like a total douche, and gently roll her shirt back down, covering her up. But then, she starts to stir.

I freeze with my hand hovering over her, not wanting to touch her without her permission. She lifts her head, confused, then looks over her shoulder. Her eyes widen slightly when she realizes the state of her clothing, and then she yanks her shirt down, whipping her head over to look at me.

My eyes widen a little and I hold up my hand. “I-it rode up. I was just trying to roll it back down,” I assure her, but she’s already scrambling out of bed to pull on her sweats. I feel sick with guilt. She must think I was checking her out or trying to get her naked or something. “Presley,” I say.

“It’s fine,” she mutters as she pulls the sweatshirt over her head. “What time is it?”

I don’t understand why she’s acting so weird, why she’s so desperate to cover herself. She’s beyond gorgeous. “Um, noon,” I say. “We have to leave around one for the venue.”

“I should go get ready,” she says, relaxing as soon as she’s fully clothed. She bites her lip and smiles at me a bit sheepishly. “Thanks for letting me sleep here.”

I relax just a little, then nod slowly. “Of course. Any time,” I say. “Thanks for sleeping here.”

“Did you get some sleep?” she asks.

“Oh yeah,” I say. “I feel great.”

She smiles softly. “Okay, good. I’ll see you at the venue later, okay?” With that, she grabs her phone and hurries out of my room.

Slowly, I roll onto my back and blink at the ceiling. There are so many little quirks about Presley when it comes to sex and her body. First, there was the weird conversation we had about sleeping around. Now, she freaks out about her shirt riding up. How could she possibly be insecure? 

I try to push it out of my head as I get ready, but warning signals pop up in my brain. Did something happen to her? Did someone hurt her? Why else is she acting this way? I don’t like the way anger flares in me at the thought of someone hurting this perfect woman. I want to find out, but I don’t want to push.

Besides, I promised Cash — and myself, for that matter — that I wasn’t going to be anything other than her friend. But friends care about friends, right? This is a friendly concern.

Right?

[xxxchuuyaslovexxx]

Can you do headcanons with Chuuya and Dazai with a female S/O with the same personality as Koizumi (from Ramen Daisuki Koizumi https://at.tumblr.com/trixiegalaxy/ramen-daisuki-koizumi-koizumi-loves-ramen/iu4nlq2n30ot)

She often carries with her a dull, emotionless demeanor, while generally quiet and reserved. But upon eating ramen, a cheerful and satisfied expression will often light up on her face. Her manner of speech is generally polite and straight to the point, but whenever the subject of ramen comes up, she will speak at great lengths about it. Koizumi-san's knowledge of ramen is miles deep, but she is constantly trying out new dishes in order to learn more about them. Koizumi-san would go to any length to discover new ramen dishes around Japan, even if it means climbing a mountain or going to another country. Simply being around ramen can make her anxious and excited, and when she is denied access to ramen in any way, she may fall into a state of acute psychological shock. Despite her love for ramen, Koizumi-san is unable to successfully make any herself, and often has to rely on others to cook even instant ramen for her. Being so fixated on ramen, Koizumi-san has little interest in anything else, including other hobbies and personal relationships. She often looks up ramen-related news and events, and checks the latest trends in specialty ramen menus. While she is constantly hit on by men, she brushes them off swiftly with a simple "No, thank you."

Hey thank you for requesting! I hope it turned out okay and you like it! Please forgive me if it's not exactly what you wanted.

Dazai and Chuuya with a s/o like Koizumi (Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san)

Headcanons for Dazai and Chuuya

Warnings: None~

Word count: 0.6k

Dazai

When Dazai first meets you, your personality is the first thing he notices.

He is good at reading people

To him you seem as a very boring person and he thinks that's the perfect opportunity to get on your nerves

Like if you work for the ADA be ready for Dazai distracting you from work.

He would be like 'Hey, what are you doing?' or 'Do you want to commit a double suicide with me?' ALL OF THE TIME

You can tell him to stop distracting you as many times as you want he wouldn't stop (like does he listen to anyone?)

I feel like Dazai would figure out that you like Ramen as he sees you scrolling through your phone to find a new restaurant

And when he sees you face as you look at the pictures in the reviews-

It's all clear to him now

So when he asks you to get some Ramen together your face instantly lights up

As soon as you arrive at the restaurant Dazai is impressed at how much you know about Ramen and how talkative you actually are

But that's a win for him I also think Dazai would go out to eat Ramen with you a regular thing, even though he is well aware that you don't show any interest in him

He would never tell you but he secretly thinks it's cute when you enjoy your Ramen.

Even if he thinks you have a really weird taste sometimes

He would say jokingly that Ramen is your one and only love and that's actually so true

Imagine him finding out you can't even make instant Ramen yourself as you ask him to do it for you. He would die internally

Chuuya

Chuuya would find out of you love for Ramen by accident

To him you were always just a coworker

But it's not like he didn't like you. Actually you were less annoying than the rest of the Port Mafia. He simply thinks you are more on the introvert side and enjoys your presence

Back to the topic.

He finds out of your love for Ramen the day some of his colleagues wanted to eat dinner out together

But as they couldn't agree on what to eat you simply requested Ramen

You were always straightforward so communication with you was pretty simple

And no one of the others could deny your request as they realized how excited you were about it

When you arrive at the restaurant Chuuya notices that your whole personality has changed. You were all excited and seemed restless

You also talked like there was no tomorrow

And it was all about Ramen.

Chuuya was impressed because he didn't think there could be so much information about a simple dish like Ramen

And surprisingly he didn't even think it was annoying and instead your happiness makes him happy. He really enjoys listening to you and shows deep interest

But Chuuya is a busy man. The work in the Port Mafia really takes a lot of time. That's why it's pretty surprising, that he spends time eating Ramen with you

Also imagine him driving with you on his motorcycle to get Ramen out of town when he has a day off

He isn't sure himself why he spends so much of his precious time with you

Maybe he just enjoys your presence too much or he is losing his mind. Who knows?

All together you could say your love for Ramen is the reason you and Chuuya became (kinda) friends

Thanks for reading!

[the12thnightproject]

@venulus

venulus asked:

Dear advisors, I hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing because I need your help. There's this wicked leopard who's stolen my heart and now I can't stop sighing, and dreaming, and swooning, and mooning over him. I'm lovesick and only he has the cure. He's a menace! The problem is I have no idea how to conquer his heart. Please help me! 🥺 Lots of love, the poor little lost puppy. 💜

Dear P.L.L.P.,

Angel, my apologies for the delay, as I needed to confer with one of my information sources.

[Hand raised - Moderatelyawesomesource]

[“Awesome sauce?” - Mai]

[“Would that taste good on pickled plums?” - GOOD OF WAR]

… who informed me that contrary to conventional wisdom, a leopard is not a female tiger (which would involve a different conversation altogether). My source assures me that although your leopard has a somewhat unconventional sense of humor, he is also a gentleman. As such, your leopard more than likely does not know he has stolen your heart.

Why would I make this assumption? A gentleman does not take advantage of another persons’ feelings for him. Therefore, were he aware of your feelings, he would either (a) tell you he feels the same way, or (b) gently and kindly explain that he is flattered (as of course any person would be flattered to be given your heart) but does not return that affection. If he is aware and has not done either of these things, he is not a gentleman after all.

Proceeding on the supposition that your leopard does not know how you feel and you at the same time do not know how he feels, what we have here are two sides that are equally matched when it comes to reconnaissance and information. Now, if you do not have access to a personal system of informants (and truly, Angel, I would advise you to perhaps create your own network, as my source states that your political situation is rather perilous), I suggest testing your gentleman.

[In battle.. YES. - GOOD OF WAR]

[No! - MAI]

[No…. But… Mai… theoretically, what do you think would be the outcome of a sparring match between Lord Kenshin and Chevalier Michel? - Moderatelyawesomesecretotomefan]

[Mai.exe has experienced a fatal system error.]

[Sasuke, are you implying I could lose? Do you remember what getting fired means? ~GOOD OF WAR]

While the battle tests suggested by my colleagues might indeed help you discover your leopard’s ability to protect you, this is not the type of test I was suggesting. Your leopard is mischievous, a man who is said to prize amusement above all else. Therefore, your tests should be designed to be amusing. Challenge him to a series of non-lethal games, use all of your intelligence and allure to turn the tables on him. Confuse him. Keep him off balance to the point that he is the one who is sighing and swooning.

Because I promise you this, Angel, one thing that entices most gentlemen, in fact almost every man, is the prospect of winning a woman who can keep up with every challenge, who -

[Why can’t she just tell him how she feels? - Yuki.]

[Because this method is more amusing, which is what the target prizes. - Tiger of Kai]

[I will never understand women. - Yuki]

[Yuki, in this case, it is about understanding men. - Tiger of Kai]

Angel, amuse, outthink, and confound your leopard and he will be yours… if after all that effort, you still believe him worthy. And if not, and you happen to find your way into my world, I would be more than happy to make you sigh and swoon and ensure that all your dreams are very, very sweet.

Best of Luck,

Tiger of Kai

This is not all that Art of Love has to offer. Check out @lorei-writes for the God GOOD of War’s answer to your question.

Note: text from Kenshin provided by @lorei-writes

[cr-pplepunx]

i, a 19 year old disabled trans man at 11 weeks of pregnancy, am scheduled for a surgical abortion tomorrow at 2pm.

i suppose i just wanted to speak on my experience.

i am scared

i am sad

i am grateful

and i am sure

**massive trigger warnings for mentions of addiction, substance abuse, the pro-life movement, and domestic abuse.**

personally, this feels somewhat as a loss. i am of the belief that a baby is always a blessing (meant non-religously, somewhat spiritually, but up to interpretation). and if i had the resources to bless this child back as a parent, i would with immense joy. i have never intended to have a child; however several of my siblings, as well as myself, were unplanned and i have seen the miracle of a child firsthand. to have the chance to welcome one into the world would be a beautiful and well-worth experience to me.

however, i am an addict. before and after discovering my pregnancy, i have smoked weed, used MDMA, and drank alcohol. i have left myself dehydrated, malnourished, and extremely stressed out due to a current abusive relationship. not to mention, i live with currently unmanaged chronic and mental illnesses and can barely take care of myself. i do not have a job, and have an extremely hard time getting hired due to my circumstances. i am off to residential rehab soon. i am not in a place to raise a child, and it would be entirely unfair to both them and to myself at this point in my life. i am making the best educated and kindest decision i possibly can for both myself and this life inside of me.

i am extremely sure of my decision. but this oppourtunity for love and life being lost does mean something to me. and i think it is strange and unfair the way that so much pro-abortion activism is done so aggressively and with no compassion or consideration to the people who's abortions bring on sad and complicated feelings. painting it as a procedure with absolutely no possibility of emotional/physical short or longterm effects. refering to the fetus as a "parasite" even, and with no consideration to it as a possibility for human life. i dont mean this in any pro-life sort of way, i firmly believe it is a personal choice whether or not you go through with the pregnancy. i just think it is unfair to pregnant people to paint this wonderful biological phenomenom as a scary harmful inhuman thing. even some of the support ive recieved from those close to me has referened this idea of a "parasitic" baby i need to "kill". i dont know if its just my pregnancy horomones, or perhaps my sense of humanity, but that verbage and imagery was just sickening to hear.

i have recieved an incredible amount of support, however, that many do not recieve. i am extremely grateful for both the family and friends who are supportive of my right to abortion, and to have been born and raised in a state with access to this right (before 15 weeks at least). my stepmother has had an abortion, shared her experience and support, and she is paying for mine. my father drove me to my initial consultation (as my state's law requires a ridiculously lengthy consultation 24 hours prior to the actual procedure), and even yelled at the protestors outside of the clinic. my partner, despite our relationship's hostility, is aware of this procedure and fully supportive. i am aware of my luck and privilege, and my heart truly does go out to anyone going through this on their own or with less support. as well as anyone living without access to this right.

the process of abortion is very trans-unfriendly in my experience, and ive opted to act as female and accept being misgendered. of course the pregnancy and this process has been dysphoria inducing, but sometimes it's just easier to do certain things like this. my trans homies know what i mean.

it is also very unfriendly overall, as my state's process attempts to coerce or scare you into changing your mind many times before the procedure takes place. not to mention the protestors standing at the sidewalk calling you a murderer and lecturing you about your sins. however, the clinic i went to had volunteers who very kindly escorted me from the car to the door and attempted to shield me from any harrassment. the staff inside was very kind and respectful, as were the patients going through this alongside me. it seemed everyone was attempting to counteract the heavy nature of the procedure and overall unfriendly and anti-feminist process. seeing the humanity and compassion from the people around me has been a pleasant silver-lining.

dont let anyone fool you, abortion is a pretty common thing. i couldnt find an open appointment at any clinic near me. my father drove me an hour and a half to a 5:30 appointment in a clinic (that exclusively did abortion), that was packed full of people in need of abortion services.

this experience has taught me things about myself, and the people around me, and the world. i do not regret my choice and dont think that will change. but even if it does that will be my own journey, which should never take away from anyone's basic human rights. it is appauling, disgusting, and terrifying to me that access to abortions is so limited. it is even at high risk in my state of becoming more limited, or even criminalized. i will always advocate and vote to the best of my ability for everyone's access to abortion. and i hope anyone reading this intends to do the same.

thank you, if you did read this.

[teecupangel]

What if Q from Star Trek is Desmond’s real father?

So this stems from my tags in this post:

#ngl when i first read this ask#i thought you wanted me to make a “q is desmond's real father” idea#then i remembered#that john de lancie was q#and i was like 'oooohhh'#assassin's creed#william miles#ask and answer

And then @nimadge left this:

Re your tags, I mean, it is a cool AU idea >u< (anon discovering Cool Info™ even after all those years is so nice tho, keepingDesmondalive x3)

So here’s a what if scenario:

Of course, we have the option of this happening while Q had been turned into a mortal by the Q Continuum or not.

In this case, we’ll make Desmond the son of a non-mortal Q simply because mortal Q would have a hard time to mate with a human that was not a member of the Voyagers.

Of course, Desmond’s conception is done for the very same premise that Q had before: to produce a being with the power of a Q and the morals of a human as a way to end the civil war.

In other words, Desmond’s conception would be before Q mates with the female Q to produce… uuuhh… Q Jr.

Since Q (and his race) seemed to be capable of manipulating time itself, Q formed some sort of partnership with Minerva to ensure the creation of Desmond. As far as Tinia and Juno know, Minerva got the idea of saving the world from the second Solar Flare from the Calculations but the truth is that Q appeared to her and informed her of what’s going to happen (calling their Calculations ‘children’s toy’).

From their partnership, they pushed for the ‘Calculation’ that will create the genome of Desmond’s mother who Q will mate with. Minerva will leave clues to push his ancestors along to ensure the birth of his mother and, in this case, Minerva is both matchmaker and weird godmother, I guess?

So, in this setup, Desmond’s mother is also a descendant of the Auditore-Kenway line together with her Ibn-La'Ahad bloodline although, in this case, William Miles is a descendant of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s oldest child while Desmond’s mother would be a descendant of Io:nhiòte instead and that’s where their lineage diverged.

Desmond’s mother knows that William Miles isn’t Desmond’s real father but she kept it a secret as her marriage with William Miles had been purely for the benefit of the Assassin Brotherhood, to merge their two lineages and create a child that will have access to the memories of the great Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore with the use of the Animus blueprints that Bill got years back.

The previous mentor had tried to dissuade them from doing such a thing but Bill didn’t listen and she didn’t bother to tell the mentor that she was simply using Bill to hide the fact that she was already pregnant.

She doesn’t necessarily understand who Q is but she mistook Q’s words of ‘a child that will stop the war’ to mean the war between the Assassins and the Templars and not Q Continuum’s own civil war.

Of course, to ensure Desmond doesn’t accidentally destroy the Milky Way growing up, Q marked him with something that will suppress his abilities until December 21, 2012.

To be more exact…

The supposed device that would save humanity from the Solar Flare was actually simply a device that will take off the suppression placed on Desmond.

The world wasn’t saved that day by the device. It was saved thanks to Desmond’s Q abilities.

Unorganized Notes:

There will be angst included because Desmond would realize that his stepfather is an asshole and his biological father is also an asshole.

Q would take Desmond away after December 21 (and everyone would think he’s dead) but, instead of placing him smack in the middle of civil war, he’ll be transported to the USS Enterprise on the year 2372. Everyone believed that Q didn’t want to deal with explaining anything and thought Picard and his crew can help Desmond get up to date.

Unfortunately, Q only thought about how 2372 is the year that the civil war between the Q Continuum started and not how, in 2372…

The Borg makes their second attempt to take over the Federation.

[themattress]

Hey look, I found and filled out an old school controversy meme template!

Favorite Character: Rei Hino and Minako Aino. Rei was my favorite ever since I was a kid because she had a fun personality and badass fire powers, but as I grew up and gained access to things like Codename Sailor V, I really began to develop a deep fondness and appreciation for Minako as well. I can't possibly choose between them; they're both great.

Despised Character: The Sailor Starlights, primarily the anime versions (the manga versions just seem kind of pointless to me). It's the final season of the show and yet so much time is being hogged by these newcomers, who are unlikable jackasses on top of that. Truthfully, I'd have much rather kept Chibiusa around, at least she's someone I know and care about.

Most Overrated Character: The anime's Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh. Now don't get me wrong, I love them too and I 100% get why they're so special to so many fans. But I feel that often blinds people to their less than stellar writing in the second half of S and throughout Sailor Stars. The writers took their status as "Darker and Edgier Sailor Senshi" way too far, to the point where they started coming off as unlikable strawmen of Magical Girl genre haters.

Most Underrated Character: Unazuki Furuhata. Why didn't she show up in Crystal!?

Favorite Couple: Usagi/Mamoru, primarily manga/Crystal and Junichi Sato-directed!anime.

Despised Couple: Usagi/Seiya. Toxic, inauthentic, just all-around bad. Burn it with fire.

Favorite Season: The original Sailor Moon. I don't even know how to describe it other than lightning that never quite struck twice. I think the franchise owes much of its success to it.

Despised Season: Sailor Stars. First we have an arc that butchers Queen Nehelenia, then Chibiusa is insultingly written out offscreen, then Mamoru dies without anyone knowing so that we can have the Breakup Plot 2.0, then a boy band that can transform into female Sailor Senshi start hogging the spotlight with one of them getting into a toxic relationship with Usagi, the villains are more incompetent than ever and still doing the same Monster of the Week formula with the monsters being utterly nonsensical in their origin (not to mention not in the manga at all), and we end with a six-part finale that tries so hard to cram in as much emotion and devastation as possible without doing it half as well as the original season's two-part finale. And this is the last season of the show! It's just such an insulting way for the show to go out, with its good points few and far between. Most of the staff from prior seasons weren't on this one and its director was actively sick of the franchise, and it really does feel like it.

Favorite Villain: Technically my favorite villains are the Dark Kingdom from the anime's original season, but across the whole franchise I have to go with the Black Moon Clan.

Despised Villain: Queen Nehelenia from Sailor Stars. An offensive, contradictory rewrite of what was previously among the anime's best villains. Let's pretend she never happened, 'K?

Favorite Episode: Episode 24 of the original season. The show taking an unrepentant villain and still allowing him to rediscover his humanity and find a measure of redemption by sacrificing his life for another blew me away when I first saw it as a kid. This episode and all the ones leading up to it marked the point where a really good show became a great one.

Despised Episode: Episode 22 of Sailor Stars. The Sailor Starlights reach the absolute pinnacle of unlikability in their hypocritical attitude toward discovering the Senshi's identities, and then Sailor Aluminum Seiren is killed off in a cruel, mean-spirited way that we end up with no emotional catharsis over later. At this point, it just didn't feel like Sailor Moon to me.