#and like ok i am married & i have a great job & i am living a life too but y’know

[condescending-jerk]

another wild thing about being almost 30 is that you see people you knew in hs getting their lives together like getting married and having kids and they probably have a great job and you just remember being mentally unstable teens together

and like you just want to message them and ask

do you ever think about it? do you remember who you were?

[piwstri4]

gracias por nada | ln4

paring: f1driver!ex!lando norris x fashion designer!ex!reader

summary: you were robbed of a happy married life.

part two - masterlist

ynclo

liked by danielricciardo, lewishamilton, fancolapinto and 33,769 others

ynclo 'cause i know we fall apart when nothing's new

view all 444 comments

danielricciardo i took literally all the pics of you and this is what i get?

ynclo u are very goodlooking if i were you i'd stop complaining (thnx 4 the pics danny ric)

danielricciardo 👎🏼

user1 so are we gonna ignore the plushie bc,,,,

user2 ikr like miss girly?????? are u gonna address the rumors or????

user3 what's the issue? i think it's rlly cute

user1 she crocheted that for her (ex)bf so yeaaaa

user3 WHAT

user2 they are (were) engaged but neither are addressing the topic

user4 it's their lives maybe yall should stop forcing them to talk abt it

user5 THE SHIRT OMG SHE'S NOT LETTING IT DIE

user6 i just KNOW that danny showed that pic to charles and he rolled his eyes

user7 it's getting kinda old tbh atp it's just cringey

user8 literally no one asked

lewishamilton new collection drop when?

ynclo VERY SOON stay tuned king 👑

user9 he truly is her biggest supporter

user10 isn't she like 23 or smt?? why does she talk with drivers that old anyways??

user11 daniel's her cousin...

user12 it's been 3 hours and no lando like or comment,,,,,

user13 well it is rumored that they called it off so

user14 what am i missing wtf?????

user15 some ppl are saying they broke off their engagement or smt we dont know bc they haven't said anything yet

user16 she also posted a story then deleted it like 2 minutes later w some shady lyric

user13 omg????

user17 fr "u can think that ure in love when ure rlly just engaged"

user18 the caption?

user19 first her story and now this...

user20 omg i saw it too wtf

landonorris

liked by mclarenf1, oscarpiastri, danielricciardo and 99,687 others

landonorris in the back of the nightclub sipping champagne 🥂

view all 10,023 comments

carlossainz55 great night 🥂

landonorris it always is w me 😉

user1 im gonna say this just one time ok? wtf

charlesleclerc let's do it again!

landonorris sure!

user2 looking hot as usual!!!

user3 bestie r we gonna talk abt u know what

user4 frrrrrr liek wtf was this post

user5 omg let the man LIVE ffs

user6 this is getting rlly annoying tbh

maxverstappen1 🔥

landonorris 👍🏼

mclarenf1 nice after race party drunk boy

user7 omg i love the mclaren admin

user8 the admin deserves the world

user9 so like....... u and that fashion girly?????

user10 i wanna know too guys but pls stop commenting that on their posts!!!

user11 he's just happy to be on the podium i love him sm

user12 THE SONG????

user13 idk if ur talking abt the caption or yn's story

user14 let's not bring her here pls

user13 i miss yn in the comments....

user16 he didn't comment on her post either :///

user15 stop bringing her up omg

DUSK.CLOTHING

liked by ynclo, lewishamilton and 1,567,814 others

DUSK.CLOTHING Once again a success! Thanks to everyone who was a part of this, we could have never done this without every single one of you, we love you always.

view all 87,947 comments

ynclo i love you guys so much!!!! nice job everyone, you all looked stunning out there🫀

user17 i love her so much

user18 lando news?

user19 she just loves her crew so much i cant😭😭😭

lewishamilton nice runway, you never disappoint

ynclo i WILL cry

lewishamilton ???

user20 she's just so perfect with her designs but THE MODELS OMG everything is so on point it's amazing

user21 how come she's so young and yet she serves THIS

user22 nepotism

user24 do you even know what nepotism is????

user23 yall just throw the word around like it's nothing huh

danielricciardo the talented one of the family

ynclo thanks i know

user25 gorgeous as always

user26 admin knows anything abt the l*ndo topic??

user27 admin here is strictly professional

lewishamilton a masterpiece.

DUSK.CLOTHING Always happy to have you!

ynclo thank you!!

ynclo

liked by lewishamilton, arthurleclerc and 42,923 others

ynclo jodiendo en el presente los planes del futuro (los quise sola pero nos imaginé juntos)

view all 16,892 comments

user28 translation: "fucking up today all the future's plans (i wanted them alone yet i pictured us together)"

danielricciardo nice bouquet

ynclo thank you danny ricc got them 4 me

danielricciardo he sounds like a nice guy

ynclo ehhhhh

user29 isn't it weird that she keeps flirting with older drivers???

user30 they've said it a million times danny and her are cousins

arthurleclerc go bestie go!!

ynclo shush ure embarrassing me in front of the cool ppl

user31 i know yall saw her flirting w [] too

user32 he's her fucking cousin

user33 NOT THAT ONE, THE YOUNGER ONE

lewishamilton fire runway🔥🔥

ynclo thanks i designed the clothes myself!!!

user34 mother always serves

user35 ofc she does she's drop dead gorgeous

user36 she could literally model her own clothes

user37 is the caption abt u know who???

user38 istg if the comments section starts to fill up with shit like this im gonna crawl under everyone's bed

user39 not confirmed yet

user40 she speaks spanish????

user41 she's from latam!! her fam moved to italy when she was like 10

user42 aren't her and danny cousins tho??

user43 god forbid immigrants have family in other countries right??

user44 i need her to address the elephant in the room

user45 let's not do that here

user47 ikrrrr she needs to talk abt it asap

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, carlossainz55, mclarenf1 and 98,928 others

landonorris lost my girl but she aint worth the prize

view all 87,823 comments

user48 he really is just a man

danielricciardo rude

user49 go tell him king!!!

user50 danny defending yn makes me believe in men again

user51 didn't she say something abt still being friends???

user52 yea but he's a dick and he made sure everyone knows that

user53 she's a bitch tho

user52 lol?

user54 she wanted him to keep his reputation yet he's out there ruining it

user55 her fault for being a shit gf

user56 go touch some grass girly

user57 they were giggling and hugging at the paddock last week wtf happened

user58 they were getting MARRIED next month what the hell happened

user59 kinda get it tho? she was annoying

user60 l*ndo stans and yn haters are fucking crazy

user61 cry abt it

charlesleclerc looking fire but talking shit

landonorris cant hear u im busy

user62 "i carry him in my chest wherever i go, because otherwise i'd be devastated from the sorrow of not having him around"

user63 "i have never loved someone like i love him, he holds together the pieces of my heart"

user64 "for all i know we could be together in every lifetime because i don't think my soul could ever long for someone else"

user65 nice now i'll go cry

user66 kinda happy that they broke up

user67 he looks happy now

user68 she dodged a bullet fr

user69 she was in love with him

user70 he was too.

user71 doesn't look like he was

ynclo

liked by DUSK.CLOTHING, arthurleclerc, francolapinto and 57,287 others

ynclo tú vete tranquilo, no me debes nada. empaca tus cosas, no te dejes nada.

view all 51,723 comments

user72 mom's getting angry in spanich omg

user73 in spanich

user74 im her official translator now girlies dw "you can leave in peace, you owe me nothing. pack all your things and dont leave anything behind."

user75 im in love w u thank u so much!!!

user74 no prob!!

user76 GRACIAS POR NADA!!! GRACIAS POR NADA!!!! @ him bestie

user77 she's a benito fan omg

user78 a what???

user79 latino artist

user80 she saw him trashing her and said fuck peace, go girly!!!

danielricciardo el gordo lui

ynclo cant believe u only learnt to say that in spanish

danielricciardo hola me llamo daniel

user81 is she home???

user82 came back to italy this morning i believe, she posted the airport in her stories

user83 she really said im getting over l*ndo

user84 she doesn't look happy :(((

user85 she looks tired, i guess all that time in the relationship drained her

user86 they were happy, dont trash their relationship like that

user87 "you think that you're in love when you're really just engaged" anyone?

arthurleclerc come visit me one day, we're country neighbors

ynclo im not setting a foot there unless u take me to the casino

arthurleclerc I CANT EVEN BET IN THE CASINO

ynclo sounds like a u problem

user88 is she flirting w that guy again??

user89 well she's a bitch, of course she'd do that

user90 they've been friends since she met danny

[anamericangirl]

What’s a good reason to not take my own life? I’ve been feeling this way for years. Been to multiple treatment programs. Seen by several different therapists. Anti-depressants. I frequently go outdoors to exercise. Try to fill up my life with being optimistic about my (admittedly nice) job, hobbies, travel, and volunteering. And yet I’m still no better than I was 5 years ago and I have no hope about a happy future. “Your family will miss you.” Ok, and? I think it’s selfish to tell people in pain to continue living like that because some people might temporarily feel sad. They’ll eventually move on. My friends too, especially the ones who are happily married “to their best friends” and having babies and are so happy that they forget I exist.

Hey anon I hope I am not too late! I am just getting out of a hurricane and was without internet access for several days so i apologize for the delay.

But there are so many reasons not to take your own life. In fact, I can’t think of a single reason why you should.

I know it’s tough right now and trust me, I know that depression makes it all feel pointless and worthless and can plague you for years but even though if feels like forever I promise you these feelings and this depression and your circumstances are TEMPORARY. And it would be a tragedy for you to take your life over temporary circumstances and not see what is possible on the other side.

Yes your family and friends will miss you but you should stay because your life has purpose and meaning! Therapy and anti-depressants are good and I’m glad you’ve been trying those things because that means you don’t actually want to die - you just want the pain to stop. And that’s completely understandable and also manageable!

It’s great that you’ve been continuing to exercise and do volunteer work because those things can definitely impact your mood, but they aren’t the source of true joy, peace and happiness. Now I’m a Christian so I’m sure it won’t surprise you for me to say this, but what you are looking for and what you need can only come from God. I urge you to put your faith and trust in him and give him your burdens.

The devil has a hold on you right now, don’t let him win!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” - John 10:10

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” - psalm 55:22

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” - psalm 34:18-19

But now that I’ve gone on my spiel, here are some reasons I think it’s good to keep living. Not all my original thoughts but ones i agree with.

1. You matter

2. No one else is you.

3. Your younger self

4. Your next favorite song.

5. Warm blankets.

6. Thunderstorms

7. The fact that you’re in control of your future.

8. Experiencing new cultures.

9. Making new friends.

10. Road trips.

11. Sunsets and sunrises.

12. Reading good books.

13. Learning a new language.

14. Adopting a pet.

15. Fresh baked bread and cookies.

16. Getting packages in the mail.

17. Autumn.

18. Pumpkin spice.

19. Drinking coffee in the morning.

20. Beaches and being able to sink your toes into the sand.

21. Stepping on crunchy leaves.

22. Recovery.

23. Falling in love.

24. Rain.

25. Petting puppies and kittens.

26. Drinking water.

27. Trying something new and loving it.

28. Your favorite artist putting out new music.

29. A new season on your favorite TV show.

30. Planting a garden and growing your own vegetables.

31. Farmers Markets.

32. Trying out the newest local coffee shop or restaurant.

33. Karaoke

34. All of the people you have yet to meet.

35. Horseback riding

36. Stars.

37. Ice cream.

38. Ice tea.

39. Scented candles.

40. Learning something new.

41. Museums.

42. Going to the movies.

43. Hearing your favorite song come on the radio.

44. Learning to make a new recipe.

45. Your life is precious.

46. You are enough.

47. Random acts of kindness.

48. God looked at the world and thought it needed you.

49. Your story could save someone else.

50. Looking back on this time in 10 years and realizing you made it.

There’s an endless amount of reasons to stay alive and I hope some of them resonate with you.

But if you are desperate please reach out to the suicide prevention hotline at 988. If you are outside the US then you can find the number for your location here.

Please know that I am praying for you and please reach out to me again if you want to. I would love to keep up with how you are doing 💜

[callofdudes]

✨COD as text messages✨ (incorrect quotes)

(may or may not scar you)

Soap: I need to go to the hospital.

Gaz: Why?

Soap: Everytime I close my eyes I can't see!

Gaz: Idiot.

-------

Rudy: Wanna come over? No one's home 😏

Alejandro: Be there in a few minutes 😍

Rudy: K

Alejandro: I'm here where are you?

Rudy: I told you no one is home

-------

Price: Hey do you have any condoms I could use? I really need one for tonight.

Soap: Captain?! WTF!! Do you realize who you just texted?

Price: Ya I know that I texted you son. And I also know that you have some. I need one is that ok? I don't want to make the same mistake again.

Soap: Is the mistake me?

Price: ...

-------

Gaz: Dude what is your street name?

Soap: Lil Marco

Gaz: You live on a street called Lil Marco?

Soap: Ohhhh you meant my address?

-------

Alejandro: How do you spell 'me'?

Rudy: ummm... M and E

Alejandro: You forgot the D

Rudy: There's no D in me...

Alejandro: ...I can fix that

Rudy: I'm blocking you

-------

Nikolai: How was Price's surprise party?

Soap: it was great! We scared the cum out of him!!

Nikolai: Soap that's not funny.

Soap: omg! I'm so sorry I meant cum

Soap: NOOOO! I meant we scared the *CRAP out of Price!

Nikolai: ok because the other ones my job :)

Soap: ...

-------

Alex: Dude how drunk was I last night?

Gaz: Well, at one point I convinced you to try and bite your own nose.....

Alex: Then what happened?

Gaz: You were rolling around on the floor for an hour screaming "ITS GETTING AWAY ITS GETTING AWAY!!!!!!"

Alex: I hate you more then words can express....

-------

Soap: Simon there's a moth on the outside of the bathroom door can you get rid of it?

Soap: Pls hurry because I'm going to cry

Soap: Simon

Soap: Ghost!

Ghost: Ghost is dead. You're next. Love, Moth

-------

Price: In a meeting

Price: In a meeting

Price: In a meeting

Price: In a meeting

Price: In a meeting

Laswell: Are you in a meeting?

Price: No, why?

-------

Soap: You're so beautiful.

Soap: Let me take you out. I wanna get you a table at Liv

Soap: Boy I wanna write a song about us

Soap: What u want me to call it?

Ghost: Restraining Order

-------

Alex: What does IDK, LY & TTYL mean?

Gaz: I don't know, love you, talk to you later.

Alex: OK, I will ask Farah

-------

Price: How is practice going?

Ghost: Terrible I want to stab everybody here

Price: Okay just don't get any blood on your clothes

Ghost: You're a military captain you shouldn't be codoning this

Price: Don't tell me how to live my life

-------

Soap: Dude

Soap: Buttholes are like pockets

Soap: Like you can store stuff up there

Soap: And keep it safe

Gaz: no they are not

Gaz: do not do that

-------

Soap: Hey

Ghost: Hey

Soap: How are you

Ghost: I am fine. How about you?

Soap: I've been better

Soap: I'm actually really surprised you texted me

Ghost: You texted me

-------

Price: Hi babe, what are you doing?

Nikolai: Nothing much, 'em really tired. Just going to sleep now babe. And you?

Price: In the club standing behind you

-------

Gaz: So, I hear you like bad boys

Alex: Yea

Gaz: Well, I'm not trying to impress you or anything but my bedtime is 7:00, but I go to bed a 7:02!! WHAT NOW!!

Alex: IS THAT EVEN LEGAL???

Gaz: Idk, I just like living dangerously

Alex: MARRY ME!!!!

-------

Soap: How could you?? I trusted you and you cheated on me!!!

Soap: Oh, sorry Simon That was meant for (guy)

Ghost: Oh.

Ghost: On a completely unrelated topic, have you seen my shotgun anywhere?

-------

Nikolai: You got a letter.

Price: Ok.

Nikolai: From the bank, I think.

Price: Ok.

Nikolai: Tasted important.

-------

Ghost: Come downstairs and talk to me please. I'm lonely.

Soap: Isn't Gaz there?

Ghost: Yes, but I like you more.

-------

I don't know where this idea came from. I found a few funny screenshots that made me think of these guys so I went down a rabbit hole to make these. I'm sorry for any trauma these may have caused 😂. Let me know if you want to see more!

[lilislegacy]

you may have gotten a similar ask before, but I'm new to your blog, so i just wanted to ask: what do you envision Percy and annabeth's post-college life to be like? how many kids? girl/boy? names? (If they have kids at all?) their jobs? where do they live? what does their house look like? do they have pets? what are their relationships like with the other demigods? This might be a lot for one ask but you seem like you can literally dive right into percabeth's minds so I just thought I'd ask 😅

ok. you have just asked me a question that i instinctually want to answer with a 3,000 word essay. so i am going to keep this as short as possible (which is not short at all.) i’m also open minded, so my headcanons can be changed if i see a take i really love. but these are my own beliefs

i think they get married. definitely after college. i know some people think they don’t marry because of hera, but i can’t stand the thought of them not doing what they want because of a god. (i also have a hc that they kinda blackmail her lol. as in she goes to them needing help - a quest - and they say they’ll do it only if she swears on the styx to never interfere with or harm their marriage)

i think they both do a lot of things over the course of their careers. annabeth is an architect, but she does multiple things with that. she creates some big famous attractions, she designs a greek version of new rome, aka “new greece” or “new athens” or something, maybe she builds hideouts for demigods (suggestion from a previous asker), etc. and for percy, i think he definitely does something that involves helping marine animals. he can literally speak to them - something no one else can do. he also is very protective of all sea animals he encounters in the books. so he needs to be doing that. personally, i love the thought of him becoming an aquatic vet. but there are several other marine animal related jobs that he could do in replacement of/in addition to that. i also see him doing several things throughout this life, and i made a big post about my thoughts there. i’ll link it at the end of this post.

they definitely have kids. no doubt. they’ve been thinking about having kids together since they were 16. i love the thought of them having 3, maybe 4. i think their first is a boy with short blonde curly hair and sea green eyes. i also think he has a “p” name, since his dad is named percy and his paternal grandfathers are poseidon and paul. but i don’t have names for any of them. ive always imagined them having 2 boys close together and then a girl later on. but i don’t have exact ideas, you know?

i think they live in a few different places. they probably start off in new rome, then eventually in new athens/new greece, and then i think nyc again at some point, maybe when the kids are grown. but i think they always try and live on/near beaches or lakes, when possible. (for obvious reasons)

they do a lot of traveling throughout their lives. because annabeth loves it, and percy loves seeing her happy.

they definitely have a family dog (look in the linked post for my thoughts on that.) plus horses/pegusi will always be around their place.

i don’t have exact house details in mind.

and they keep in great contact with all their demigod friends. both roman and greek.

all i know for sure is that they remain best friends who are deeply in love. they’re always each others battle partner. and they do everything in their power to not only protect their kids, but to make sure their childhoods don’t contain the same darknesses that their own childhoods did. they’re amazing parents, and they’re gonna do great things. they’re both going to use their abilities to help so many people and creatures. and their lives will never be dull or “normal.” not even for a second. and they love it.

my thoughts on percy’s career: ⬇️

[sortasirius]

"There Goes the Groom" and Buck's Queer Joy

Hey so...remember when I did post ep meta for two years? Anyway we're back like we've never left.

Best Hen <3

OBSESSED with micromanaging party planner Evan Buckley. The clipboard was there in spirit.

"You are late."

I'll take married for several years for $500, Alex.

"Ooo sliders."

"Ah ah. No."

"You didn't just do that." PLEASE

Tommy giving Eddie a bro-y high five and then a soft, sweet "hey" for Buck and a hug??? Fellas I might need to be sedated.

Also obsessed with the tinge of bitchiness in Eddie's tone. It's like jealousy without even realizing it's jealousy. And I think it's an interesting mix of "hey my best friend has a new friend" and something else that Eddie cannot label.

Ryan Guzman you must be studied for that little side eye lmfaoooo

I LOVEEEEE TOMMY HE'S SUCH A BITCH, he said I do not care for your party themes. Me for real.

Why were they all so obsessed with the sliders???? I love them all so much.

"Reach for them and you'll be pulling back a bloody stump." WITH THE RAISED EYEBROWS AND THE LITTLE HEAD TILT RYAN GUZMAN I AM KISSING YOU ON THE MOUTH.

"Wholesome, 80s-themed karaoke."

Buck was a party planner in another life and I stand by that.

"We should totally go as Crockett and Tubbs."

"Absolutely."

They are literally this meme:

The little shoulder rub that Buck gives Tommy <333333333333

The way Buck and Eddie are sitting during the party scene, Buck's arm absolutely SLUNG around his shoulder...yeah okay. Okay. I'm normal about this.

The whole party was two idiot best friends pointing at each other and saying "exactlyyyyyy." Yes, I would die for them.

I just want to say that every single thing about Chimney's journey this episode was heartbreaking and scary and I HATED that I didn't know what was going to happen to him the whole time. Ok thanks for your time.

From that guy stealing his car to every Doug jumpscare, I think they did a really good job freaking the audience (at least...me) the fuck out without actually revealing what had happened. Like..we know he's sick, we know something's wrong, but it was a well-paced episode, even if in my perfect world it would have been like two hours long lol.

And the fact that Maddie is always going to look for him, always going to find him, just like he would do for her...don't look at me I'm emo.

Chim essentially pushing the fact that he is actively dying from encephalitis to the side because being a paramedic and saving lives is so deeply ingrained in him it's something the can't forget? He's so important to me.

Then...Kevin. He's such a huge part of Chim's life, his arc, how he became a firefighter, and it essentially include him in the wedding (even though it was in a very scary way), I think it's a really great take on the idea that our loved ones who can't be there for milestones are there even when we can't see them, especially with his line "you invited me, remember?"

Doug was never there, but Kevin was, Kevin will be there even when Chim can't see him.

"I was trying to get back to you the whole time." THEY ARE EVERYTHING HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THEM. ALL THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH, ALL THEY'VE HAD TO DO, AND THEY STILL FOUGHT FOR AND CAME BACK TO EACH OTHER!!!!

Bobby officiating and saying "and the Los Angeles Fire Department" THEY ARE A FAMILY!!!!

And then...perhaps one of thee most important scenes ever aired on television ever:

"Sorry I'm late, that fire was a beast."

"So are you."

And STRAIGHT in for a SERIOUS kiss??????? 911 writers room you can have my life, take it, it's already yours.

Tommy's little huff of surprise and then hum of "yeah okay I'm down for this." PUT THEM IN THE DICTIONARY NEXT TO THE CUTEST COUPLE OF ALL TIME

And last...Buck coming in to the room where his family, both blood and chosen, is, with soot all over his face, and a smile so bright that it had to have lit up the entire west coast, not caring who saw him or who knew exactly what he had just been doing...yeah, that's what this shit is all about.

EDDIE'S beautiful smile when he realizes how happy Buck is they are best friends FIRST and that is all that matters to me!!!

Hen being like "it's about damn time." SO TRUE QUEEN OF COURSE SHE KNEW!!!!!

I haven't really been able to put this into words yet, but the way they are handling Buck's bisexuality and his first relationship with someone of the same gender as him is just...it's almost astounding. It's been handled with such care, from Oliver to Lou to the writers to the NETWORK, everyone is so clearly fully onboard with this and not afraid of it.

And there's no pain here, his coming out is not born out of trauma or being forced or caught or guilty. Tommy made him feel something that he had never been able to put a name to, and Tommy is helping him figure it out. He's letting Buck be overeager without taking advantage, he's letting him move at his own pace (which, of course, is at light speed) but is also confident enough in himself to pump the brakes when he feels like he needs to.

I just can't get enough of that smile, of how fucking happy Buck is. Happy in himself, happy with Tommy, happy to finally have a name for who he is, and not be afraid to share it with the people he loves. His parents' reactions don't matter, because he knows the people that matter to him most won't care who he's with, as long as he loves them and they treat him well.

It's such a huge step for Buck, who has so often fallen prey to what other people might think, it's so refreshing to see him get to explore this without fear of what others will say. Tommy is a steady constant, experienced and knows who he is. He teases Buck and calls him Evan and flirts with him shamelessly, and it flusters him in the best way.

To see a character like Buck, who was, essentially, billed as straight from the beginning of the show, be able to come in to himself and experience real queer joy...wow. For me, it just can't be overstated.

I can't wait to see where Buck's journey goes, and I am just so...grateful to be able to watch it.

[twig-tea]

Under the Oak Tree: How Do I Talk About This Show?

The Vietnamese musical BL Under the Oak Tree ended today (after a delay from last week for political reasons that affected all Vietnamese shows).

The music in this show is great. Full disclosure I am coming at it from a place of liking Vietnamese OSTs and Musicals, so I was definitely primed to enjoy it. But they do a great job underscoring the big moments with appropriate music, including very fun villain songs. You can get a taste of the music style in this teaser:

The story is...a rollercoaster lol This show has a lot going on. We go from cute high school romance to gang threats to parental trauma to forced outings and life-ruining betrayals to a timeskip and a twist and an ending that could be read as either very dark or a happy ending, depending on your preference.

My biggest critique is that the romantic relationship is not actually the core of the story; it's actually the protagonist and his friend who betrays him that are the core of the plot, especially in the last few episodes. That relationship gets worked on, but the core romance is just kind of treated as an afterthought.

That being said, there is a lot I loved about this too. There's a Lord of the Rings fantasy sequence that is fantastic, and there's a really interesting exploration of revenge and how satisfying it is (or isn't) that I found fun to watch play out. I also really loved that these were gay characters from jump (neither Dang nor Khanh really wrestled with their attraction to the other), and these actors can kiss.

Also just to say Vuong Huy did a great job, but it was sooooo nice to see some of the familiar faces again, especially in episodes 8-10! I love Duc Duy, Duy Lam, Gia Huy, and KaiBie, who have all been in several Vietnamese BLs before (Duy Lam and Gia Huy have costarred before in shows like Beef, Cupcakes, and Him, Duc Duy has played opposite Ba Vinh in The Most Peaceful Place, and KaiBie has been around since Hey! First Love, just to name a few highlights from their CVs).

If this sounds intriguing to you, Under the Oak Tree is 10 episodes, 30-40 mins each, on YouTube.

Discussion of my thoughts on the ending after the cut!

Ok, so MAJOR spoilers ahead.

Under the Oak Tree takes place mostly in 2011, but then there's a 15 year timeskip in episode 8. We find out over the course of episodes 8-10 that in 2011, after Linh betrays Khanh by lying that she saw him steal money from the band, Khanh's mother dies from shock at hearing him confess to the crime (in order to prevent Dang from being punished for defending him even in the face of Linh's eyewitness evidence). Khanh leaves Dang and the small town of Da Lat for the big city, remaking himself and his life. He runs into Linh, who has since married Dang, and pretends to befriend her and let bygones be bygones so that he can infiltrate her company and set her up to be ruined. As the final piece de resistance for his betrayal, he kisses Dang, and Linh falls down the stairs in shock and ends up in a coma.

This is the part where I think opinions will differ. Linh ends up in a kind of limbo, in which she has to either agree to go to hell and be tortured, or sit and watch her own memories over and over, unable to change them. She spends a lot of time unwilling to admit that she did anything wrong, but sitting and watching herself over and over seems to get to her and she comes to terms with the fact that she's caused terrible pain.

Khanh goes to see her in her coma, and yells at her that this is too easy, she needs to live so that she can be tortured knowing what she's done. We then get a sequence from Linh's perspective in which Khanh visits her in limbo and they reconcile and go back in time together to fix the past.

This is the part that could be read as dark if you're me lol. On it's surface, the show essentially wrote fix-it fic for itself; Linh never betrays Khanh, so his mother doesn't die, he doesn't move away, and he never leaves Dang. We leave Dang and Khanh happy and together and on the road to becoming musicians to fulfill their dreams as a team, with Linh owning a coffee shop seeming pretty content. But at the end Linh asks whether this is all real, or all in her mind, and Khanh replies that maybe her memories of the other future are what are all in her mind. It's left a little ambiguous.

That being said, the show also was careful to say that we cannot actually go back and fix the past. So the read that this happy ending is all in Linh's head while she's in a coma is a dark but realistic one.

I also need to talk about Dang and Khanh. In the present/future, Dang and Khanh are arguably not actually in love anymore; they're both too resentful of everything that's come before. This is the part that feels unreconciled to me; while Khanh and Linh got to work through their issues, Dang and Khanh never get to have that conversation, because in the revised past, Dang doesn't share the memories of the future that Khanh and Linh have, so he doesn't know who he hand Khanh became in this other timeline. He says explicitly that he believes no matter what, they'll always love each other and never leave one another; but we know that's not quite true. The smile that Khanh gives him after that speech seems a little sad to me.

I would have loved a little more time for Khanh and Dang to reconcile; for Dang to more fully own his part in not supporting Khanh in the face of his friends ruining Khanh's life, and in marrying Linh even after her betrayal, instead of going to find Kanh or at the least staying true to himself. And I would have loved Khanh to own up to giving up on Dang when things were difficult (to be fair to him, things were extremely difficult--this is another instance of a poor character in love with a rich character whose life gets ruined because of that relationship, while the rich character's life stays essentially the same), and making his life about revenge at any cost to anyone, including Dang, rather than just living for his own future happiness. With all of that hanging over them, it's hard to believe in their forever, even if the new timeline is real and not a coma dream.

Anyway! I really did have a lot of fun watching the show and the wild swings of emotional turns; I also feel like I understated how much I really love these songs. This show won't be for everyone, it's hard to recommend as a blanket statement, but to save you scrolling back up: if this sounds intriguing to you, it's 10 episodes, 30-40 mins each, on YouTube!

[imzadi-caskett-huddy]

CHARACTER ASK GAME: Kate Beckett, 1-14 (all) + 25., if it's not a problem. :) Thank you!

I'm not gonna lie, I 100% wanted someone to send me this ask about Beckett! Sorry it took a little bit to answer, I'm on vacation so I've been occupied. But here we go!

1. I like this character because she's not perfect. She has flaws, but she still always tries to do the right thing. She's badass. She's strong. She's independent. She's incredibly well written because real people aren't perfect. There are qualities she has that I share. There are qualities she has that I admire and strive to emulate. And... not gonna lie...Stana's portrayal I'm sure has something to do with it as well.

2. Fav canon thing... um...I love that she was a fan of Castle's before they began working together. I also love that she was the youngest woman in the history of the NYPD to make detective. I also love her motorcycle though we never really saw her ride.

3. Least fav canon thing... that she felt she had to try to be separated from Castle in Season 8 to protect him... also she's not great at communication in relationships, like with Castle. Use your words!

4. Any other media... not gonna lie, I would LOVE a SVU/Castle crossover where Beckett and Benson shared time together, either with Benson as her captain, or as the two captains dealing with the men in their lives or their precincts.

5. First song that comes to mind...Superman by 3 Doors Down

6. Something Beckett and I have in common... we both suck at talking about our feelings.

7. Something the fandom does that I like... use her hairstyle to tell the season and sometimes the episode... does that count? This one was hard, lol

8. Something the fandom does that I despise... say her eyes are green in fics. Also there is a fair amount of Beckett hate inside the Castle fandom...I don't understand it.

9. Beckett and I would probably be okay roommates. I keep to myself the way she does. I'm slightly more messy I think than she'd probably like, but we'd most likely get along ok.

10. I could totally be best friends with Kate Beckett! Similar personalities... similar likes...we'd get along great.

11. Um...no. If I'm dating anyone from the world of Castle, it's Castle himself.

12. Headcanon I have...She made her Detective rank in vice. I'm reasonably sure this was never stated in the show, but it's just a strong feeling I have. She's too good at certain aspects of her job to not have come up through the ranks in vice before she became a homicide detective. Also that she was a chronic dater before Castle came along.

13. Emoji... nothing reminds me of her, but if I had to pick one she probably uses a lot, it would be the facepalm because... well... she did marry Castle. And I feel he requires that one a lot.

14. Fashion aesthetic... leather jackets

15. Favorite ship... uh, Caskett, duh!

16. Least fav ship...Josh. Definitely Josh. He was a serious problem who hung around way too long. And I KNOW Marlowe kept him around solely as the reason Castle and Beckett didn't hook up at the end of season 3 in episodes like LA

17. Ship that I don't hate but am fine with...um, there isn't one. She's Castle's girl. I don't like her with anyone else... I'm not fine with her with anyone else.

18. Canon relationship I admire with another character...I love her relationship with Martha. I also love her relationship with Espo, especially in episodes like Kill Shot. And I LOVE Lanie and Kate screentime!

19. Relationship from Canon that I don't like... I don't know that there is one outside of the guys she dated. Not a fan of her dealings with Sorenson, Demming or Josh, but I feel that's pretty standard.

20. Ideal best friend... Lanie is a pretty great girl best friend. Castle is a pretty great guy best friend... which is good considering they got married.

21. Fav thing to do when writing for Beckett is angst. I can't help it...Stana was SO great with those heavy emotional scenes on the show, I love worrying then with her in my head! Something I don't like writing for her is actual police work. I HATE it so much. Also, the few times I've had to write her with Josh drive me crazy too.

22. Something I like in fics when it comes to Beckett is having her call Castle "Rick" sparingly. He calls her Kate way more than she calls him Rick... it should start like that in fics. Something I don't like... and I touched on it earlier... is when writers say she has green eyes. Her eyes are not green. Also, when writers have her just stay crying over everything... Kate is not a random emotional crier. You have to do a lot to get her to re m that point... she's not going to cry over an argument or something small.

23. Fav pic... oh no. No way can I narrow this down.

24. I'm not sure there is another character from another fandom that reminds me of Beckett. She's pretty one of a kind. She's definitely one of the best written characters in TV history, and she towers over everyone else in my list of favorite characters because she's so unique.

25. My first impression of this character was that she has great hair, awesome leather jackets that I want, and that she's a badass hero who at times I see a lot of myself in. Also that she's a fighter. Now after watching the show beginning to end, my impression was pretty spot on. Though I would add I discovered her softer side (I initially saw the show before they got together, so before the Kate side of her personality was really fleshed out). And she's stronger than I initially realized.

These were fun, thanks for asking!

[gillyeowalters]

As it is pride month, a not so quick reminder:

ARO/ACE PEOPLE ARE VALID.

One day, I met my husband. And I loved him. But I did not want sex. So I stayed quiet because it felt like I couldn't give him enough. I thought that we should stay friends. I did not confess my feelings.

It was my birthday, when we sat together on the couch and he hugged me and said: "You know, I think I love you." And I thanked him and said: "But you wouldn't want me." I laughed when I said it, but it felt terrible. But I needed to say it like that because I did not want him to think that he was the issue. I had memorized that sentence, so I could use it when I needed to.

He was confused and obviously a bit shocked as well, so I had to explain myself to him.

I remember constantly assuring him that it wasn't because I thought that he was ugly or undesirable (my husband was heavily scarred and often would feel insecure about his body).

He asked me if hugs were ok and I said yes. And we both decided that hugs were enough. And that is how we got together. We stayed together until he died from cancer in 2017.

We didn't have it easy. Not only because of homophobia, not only because he was a Jew living in Germany, a country that claims to be but never really was de-nazified, not only because I am intersex and considered a freak, but also because of ace-phobia.

When other queer couples started to talk about their sex life, we stayed quiet. Just because we had nothing to say. But that was not ok. Because that apparently 'made things awkward' for others. When we told them that we didn't have sex, that was also not ok. And then the questions began.

"Why?"

"Can't you get it up?"

"Did something bad happen to you?"

"Don't you love each other?"

But the questions were not the worst part. The direct accusations were.

"You must be broken in some way."

"You can't be gay."

"You should see a psychiatrist."

"You don't love your husband."

It hurt.

And then there was this indirect accusation of me 'doing this' because I wanted to 'feel purer/better/superior' than others. Everytime.

So. Let me say this:

I DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE YES-MAN WHO HAS TO CONSTANTLY REASSURE YOU HOW GREAT OR IMPORTANT SEX IS AND THAT IT IS OK TO BE A SEXUAL PERSON.

ME SAYING THAT I DO NOT WANT SEX DOES NOT MEAN THAT I JUDGE YOU FOR HAVING SEX. I DO NOT THINK THAT YOU ARE WRONG, OR DIRTY, OR LESSER FOR HAVING SEX.

That is your insecurity talking. And maybe you actually are not so proud of your own sexuality if that pride immediately is hurt by a stranger telling you they are not interested in sex.

And it is not my job or the job of other asexual people to make you feel less insecure and fragile about your own sex life.

Sex does not gross me out. Sexual people do not gross me out.

Making Sex the be-all of all and everyone's relationships grosses me out.

And despite people telling him that I was mistreating him, that he deserved better, that he should cheat on me, he stayed with me, he cared for me when I got my spine injury and could only lay in bed, he reassured me that I was enough and more.

And despite people telling me that it was my fault that he got cancer because I didn't have sex with him, that I was weird and gross and that I could not possibly love him.

I loved my husband. To the last day he lived. And I still do. We were not married. But he asked me to call him my husband. Because, if the circumstances would have allowed it, that is what he would have been.

[lucy90712]

Hi!Sorry for my late request(02:18 am European time)can you make a Gavi fluff where y/n is Xavis daughter and he brings Gavi for dinner and Nurìa(Xavis wife)started a conversation abt him marrying y/n,and Dan(Xavis son)and Asia(Xavis daughter)love Gavi?

A/n: I wasn't quite sure what you were asking for so I put my own spin on it I hope that's ok 

My life has always been a little crazy I mean how could it not when growing up with a famous footballer for a dad. My whole life I've been around footballers and had to endure constant usually unwanted media attention when with my parents and sometimes on my own. All of this meant that when I got older I decided I wanted to live a quiet life away from the media and just be a normal person or as normal as I can be. Of course I love my family and wouldn't change my life for anything but I just wanted to be a normal teenager and go to school and then get a regular job and I told myself that I would never date a footballer. That rule was the one thing I always stuck by no matter how many tried to ask me out I always said no because it wasn't the life I wanted for myself. 

None of it lasted very long though as when my dad got the job of being Barcelona manager and asked me if I'd like to go with him to one of the training sessions I stupidly said yes. Despite wanting to live a normal life football was still an interest of mine and my whole family still followed Barca very closely so of course I wanted to meet the team of players I religiously watched play every weekend. When I went to the training session I expected I just meet the players, watch them train when go back to my regular life but that didn't happen. When we got there I saw a really cute guy who I'd never seen before my dad introduced him as Gavi the new young star from la masia that would be playing with the team this season. Gavi and I seemed to have an instant connection even without really talking to him I could tell that at the very least we would be good friends. 

That day after the training session was over I spoke to Gavi for a while and we got on really well he insisted I call him by his real name not his nickname and before I left gave me his number. From that day on we talked all the time and I spent plenty of hours just sitting with him after training so that we could be together without anyone bothering us. Naturally over a few months I developed feelings for him and luckily he felt the same so we quickly started dating and my quiet life that I envisioned went out the window. Not sticking to the rule I set myself was definitely worth it as Pablo is a great boyfriend and makes me so happy. The two of us were both on the same page about wanting as much privacy as possible so we only went out in public together if we were with other people and we didn't really tell anyone about our relationship including my dad. 

We managed to keep our relationship a secret for a year before we decided to start telling a few more people like Pablo's teammates and some friends who we knew we could trust. Another few months after that it got to the point where we had to tell my dad because he was starting to get suspicious after I kept coming to training sessions and when I was always with a friend but never telling him who. I was so nervous about telling him as I thought he would be mad at me for dating one of his players and I didn't want him being angry to affect how much Pablo played. After thinking about how to tell my dad for weeks eventually I just came out with it one day after getting back from a date with Pablo. To begin with he didn't know what to say which had me panicking but then he smiled and I knew he wasn't mad. Of course he had a lot of questions so I spent a good 30 minutes telling him pretty much everything but by the end of the conversation he was very happy as he trusts Pablo not to do anything stupid. 

After telling my dad that evening I told the rest of my family and my dad insisted that Pablo come round for family dinner at the weekend. I was going to protest as I know Pablo will be nervous about it but my dad insisted he come and my mum wanted to properly meet Pablo too so I had no choice other than to just let it happen. I planned to be the one to ask him but my dad got in before I could so of course he said yes but then frantically text me about what would happen over dinner. 

That family dinner happens to be tonight and all day Pablo has been really nervous which I can tell because he hasn't said much to me all day and usually he can talk all day about literally nothing. As it has got closer to the time we need to leave he has got even worse as I caught him just staring into his wardrobe trying to decide what to wear as he wanted to make a good impression. In the end I had to pick and outfit for him as he just wouldn't not decided on something and as much as he looks good shirtless it was getting painful to watch him be so indecisive over what shirt to wear. Once he was ready he just sat quietly on his bed clearly deep in thought which I just knew I had to stop before he psyched himself out too much. 

"Pablo love stop overthinking things I promise it will all be ok" I said trying to make him feel better 

"But what if they don't like me?" He asked 

"Don't be silly they will love you my dad already knows you and thinks you are a great guy and believe me he's hard to impress so the rest of my family will definitely love you" I reassured him 

"You promise they won't think I'm some playboy footballer" he said 

"Of course they won't as soon as they get to know you they will realise you are nothing like that plus they know I never planned to date a footballer so you must be a pretty good guy for me to change that" I said 

"I'm glad you think I'm a pretty good guy" he laughed 

"I don't just think that I think you're pretty damn hot too" I said 

"Why thank you you're pretty cute yourself" he said giving me a kiss 

When the Pablo I know and love was back we headed to my car and I drove us both to my parents place which isn't far but the less time we spent getting there the better. As we arrived I grabbed Pablo's hand and squeezed it to reassure him as I rang the doorbell before just opening the door knowing my parents were expecting me. They both came to the door quickly and I introduced Pablo as my boyfriend even though they both already know who he is. My dad was quick to welcomed him in and I followed behind with my mum. All of us sat down on the sofa but no one managed to get a word out before my siblings ran into the room. I properly introduced them to Pablo but not as a player on dads team but as my boyfriend. 

Being the way my siblings are they asked a million questions to Pablo trying to get to know him but also assess him in their own way to make sure he was good enough for me. Despite me being the oldest by quite a few years my siblings love to try and protect me which definitely involves interrogating any boy that comes anywhere near me. Once they were satisfied with the answers Pablo had given them they then just wanted to drag him off to play with them. He looked at me unsure what to do but I pretty much pushed him off to sofa to go and join them and I followed after him. We all ran around the garden together for ages which for two young kids and a professional footballer is easy but for me it was not and after a while I was completely out of breath so left the three of them out there to go and help prepare dinner. 

My mum was in kitchen so I joined her and helped in preparing the last few things needed for dinner. While we both cut vegetables we talked about Pablo and I finally got a chance to tell her how much of a nice guy he is. I know my mum doesn't care who I date as long as they treat me well so I wanted to make sure she knew that Pablo is the sweetest boyfriend. We talked for a while just about life before I felt an arm go around my waist and a kiss be pressed to my cheek. Of course I knew it was Pablo so I turned around and smiled at him before getting back to chopping. 

"Do you need any help?" Pablo asked 

"No it's alright I'm almost done actually could you get the saucepan out of the cupboard on my right please?" I asked

"Of course love what are we making Mrs Cunillera?" He asked trying to make conversation 

"I don't remember what it's called but it's a recipe from my grandmother also call me Nuria no need for formalities here" she said 

"It sounds delicious I should go before the kids realise I've left but if you need any help let me know" he said giving me one last kiss before leaving again 

Luckily the food didn't take too long to cook so I set the table before going outside to get everyone to come in for dinner. Pablo looked very happy to see me as it meant he could finally stop running around and sit down for a minute. We both went to the table together and everyone started to eat. The dinner itself was rather uneventful as everyone just sat eating quietly only making small conversation but when everyone was done it turned into a madhouse again. To create some calm my dad gave the kids some ice cream and put the tv on while the rest of us went to sit outside so we could talk in peace. 

My dad of course had to ask Pablo a few questions because as much as he knows and trusts Pablo he judges anyone I date and has to make sure they have good intentions. Once the interrogating was over we had a really nice conversation about many different things. My parents shared some embarrassing stories from when I was younger which Pablo will definitely make fun of me for later but for now he just chuckled slightly. I wasn't the only one that got embarrassed though as my dad shared some lovely stories from training which I will definitely use when Pablo makes fun of the silly things I did as a kid. There was a lot of laughs between all of us until my mum asked a question that nearly made me spit out my water.

"So Pablo when are you going to ask her to marry you?" She asked 

"Mum" I warned 

"It's ok love" Pablo staid grabbing hold of my hand 

"I can't give you a specific date but definitely one day I'll ask her to marry me I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else” he answered 

“Thats very sweet when the day comes we’ll be happy to have you as a son in law” she said 

“Thank you” he said 

Poor Pablo had really been through it tonight and I could tell he was tired so we didn’t stay much longer before I suggested we leave. Both Pablo and I said goodbye to my parents before we went back inside where my siblings tackled me when saying goodbye. They didn’t want us to leave as they wanted Pablo to stay and play with them so it’s safe to say he was a hit with the whole family. Knowing that they all like Pablo really makes me feel like I made the right choice in letting him in and giving up the quiet life I wanted for myself clearly I’m meant to live a crazy life.

Along the drive home Pablo kept telling me how much he actually enjoyed the evening and how he really felt like he fit in with my family which apparently he was worried about. It was really sweet hearing him say loads of lovely things about my family as they really mean a lot to me so to know he gets on with them this well after only a few hours together makes me happy. When we finally arrived at Pablo’s place he asked me if I wanted to stay the night which I would never say no to so we went inside and both got changed so we could get into bed. As Pablo was laying behind me with his arms around my waist I heard my phone ding so I picked it up to see a text from my mum telling me how much they all loved Pablo which put a big smile on my face. Clearly Pablo was reading my texts as I felt a kiss on my cheek before he told me to tell them that he loved them too which I did before putting my phone back down to cuddle with my partner for life. 

[skellyflowers]

Catch a Shuttle

AN: I'm back

I truly did not expect to enjoy relearning how to use the force, but Kal is a good teacher. He helped me not feel self-conscious about being older than all his other students. After a few days I had become more comfortable and opened up to the other students. It was a little odd that they looked up to me. I don’t think that anyone has done that before. Kal told me not to overthink it, I did survive the genocide of the jedi as a child. 

Training lasts from sunrise to sunset and even when I meditate I am only alone with my thoughts when I go to bed. When I do get to be alone my thoughts turn to IV. I wondered where he was and if he was ok. I didn’t know how long it would take to repair his ship inside and out but it had been 2 months since I last saw him.

I had completed my morning hike and found a nice high rock to meditate on for a while. Kal had really opened my eyes to how relaxing it can be. It also reminded me of the years I lived in the monastery, which was oddly comforting. It really became the best part of my day. I was on the rock for about 30 minutes before I heard frantic footsteps approaching.

“There you are.” Romor huffed. The poor Iktotchi clearly had been running for a while, his normally blue face is tinted purple.

“Romor, is everything ok?” I asked.

Romor takes a few moments to catch his breath. “He’s back! The Mandalorian!”

I jumped off the rock after he said that. “Really where is he!”

“He landed back at base. Kal is talking to him. Kal told me to find you”

“Thanks Romor.” I yell over my shoulder at him. I feel a little bad just running off and leaving him behind. But I think Romor will forgive me this time.

When I get back to the base I see IV’s ship. At least I think it’s his ship. It looks brand new with a new paint job and it looks like he got new engines on the back. The ship is a far cry from the hunk of metal that held together duct tape and hope.

“Do you approve?” A voice asks from behind me.

There he is! I’m happy to see him. There was a part of me that worried that he wouldn’t be able to make it to meet up with his friend.

“Ya it looks better than new.” I say. “Your friend is a great mechanic. I thought it was a new ship.”

“They’re my in-law now.” he says casually. “The wedding was the reason I couldn’t get back sooner.”

“Who got married?” I asked

“III and the mechanic I told you about. It was about damn time he was so whipped for her, it was getting embarrassing.”

“What is a Mandalorian wedding like?”

IV tilts his head at the question. Oh no. Should I not ask questions like that!

“It depends on the individual.” IV says after a long pause. “III loves a grand gesture, it was pretty flashy. I'm sure Vessel just said the vows with no bells and whistles.”

Before I can ask more follow up questions Kal arrives with the other students. Oh good Romor made it back.

“Good to see you two catching up.” Kal says with a faint smile. “Have you thought about my task?”

“I can get it done. I would just need a second pilot. Even a droid would do.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“I asked if IV could bring me a very specific ship.” Kal says, crossing his arms. “It was last seen in an Imperial scrap yard. We’re safe here but I want to be prepared, just in case.”

Kal is right. Just because we have been safe for a few months doesn’t mean the Empire would never come here. An emergency ship would be good to have. 

“You can take BD-1. He can help find the ship and pilot it back.”

“Is he capable of flying the ship you want? He is NOT flying my ship.”

“I guess you can't make an exception?” 

“There are only very specific exceptions. Droids aren't one of them.”

“I'll go with you.” I say. Everyone turns to look at me. “What? He just said he needs a second pilot.”

Kal lets out a quiet snicker. “Nothing. You're right, BD-1 isn't a good choice to fly the ship I'm trying to get back here.” Kal puts his hand on my shoulder. “Be careful.”

“I will. Thank you.” It was nice to know he was ready to trust me with this.

I head back to my tent and start to pack my things. I honestly started to get excited, my last trip with IV hadn't gone smoothly AT ALL but I still looked forward to it. As I finished packing my bag I heard footsteps approaching. I immediately think that it’s Kal coming to tell me He was going to trade places with me. As I prepare to defend my choice I turn to see IV.

“I’m surprised you volunteered to go. Our last trip wasn’t exactly great.”

“I know, but I think you deserve a chance to redeem yourself.” I joke. He responds with a laugh and I wondered what it would sound like without his helmet on.

“Well, I’m glad to get a second chance.” He pauses and touches a pouch on his belt. But then pulls his hand away. “I’ll see you at the ship.”

I head back to IV’s ship once I'm prepared. Kal and the other students are gathered outside. BD jumps into my bag and gives me a few happy boops. Kal and the others wish me and IV luck, but not Lila. She runs up to me and hugs me tight. She is the youngest and the top of her head only comes up to my stomach.

“Come back soon.” she says. Lila then looks around me and at IV. “YOU BETTER PROTECT MY FRIEND!” she then shouts.

“I swear on my life.” IV responds with his hands up in surrender.

With that IV and I head into the ship. BD jumps out my bag and enters the coordinates for the scrap yard. As the ship begins to take off I see everyone waving goodbye. As we left the atmosphere I leaned back in my seat and looked at IV.

“I think that Lila is a little worried about me.” I say sarcastically.

“I was scared for my life. It’s sweet she cares about you so much.”

“Lucky me you owe me a blood debt.” He laughs at that and puts the ship into hyperspace.

During the trip in hyperspace BD gives us the details of the scrap yard. It was fully automated. No people work in the yard, only retired battle droids. The ship we are looking for is a now decommissioned transport shuttle that was used before the Empire. It's a great choice if you need to move multiple people and be under the radar.

IV takes the ship out of hyperspace and lands outside of the sector security. We sneak to an unguarded security terminal and BD connected to it. We found the shuttle Kal requested, it is about a 30 minute walk from here. But it is right in the path of the battle droid's security path.

“Ok, we found the ship but now we just need to get past land and air security.” I say.

“Leave the droids to me.” IV says firmly. “I make sure they don’t stop you from getting to the ship.”

“And after? Assuming I can get the ship off the ground, I’m pretty sure that I saw anti-air cannons.”

Before IV can come up with an answer BD-1 makes a series of beeps and boops. IV tilts his head and looks at me. I guess I should translate.

“BD can send out a jamming signal for about two minutes.”

“That’s a big enough window to get back to my ship.” I nod.

“We can drop you off then get out of here.”

Now with a plan we start to sneak around the scrap yard. BD helped us avoid any droids that were patrolling the yard. Then we finally made it to the ship we were looking for. It was still in a good looking position. I hope this thing can still fly. BD locates the shuttle’s entrance and IV and I see that a cruiser cockpit blocks the door.

“Give me a little room, I’ll move it.” I say to IV. 

He moves behind me, but stays close. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I try to focus on the cruiser that was in the way but it’s a little hard when IV is watching. I really want to show him how much I have improved my skills, but he is also making me nervous. After a few seconds of focusing myself I feel the force around us. I move the stray cockpit out of the way and stack it on top of some other broken ship pieces. 

I am in a full sweat after placing the cockpit down. BD happily beeps and does a little dance. IV places a gentle hand on my shoulder when he checks on me. I wished I could see his face, his body language isn’t telling me if he was impressed or not. 

“Nice work.” He says, as if reading my mind. “I’m sure that was way heavier than a drunk in an alley.” Was that a joke!

“A little bit.” I joke back.

 After I catch my breath we head to the shuttle’s entrance. BD is able to open the door but it gets jammed. IV picked up a nearby piece of a metal bar. He uses his strength to hold the door open so BD and I can slip in around him.

The inside of the ship is covered in dirt and dust. Other than that, it is in pretty decent shape. BD runs up to the shuttle’s cockpit and plugs into the computer. One by one lights turn on in the ship. I sit in the pilot seat and watch the ship status update, one of the fuel lines is damaged, the shield generator is offline and the storage hatch is broken. Luckily the ship’s hyperdrive is online. IV comes up behind me to look over my shoulder to look at the monitors.

“I’m surprised this ship is doing this well.” I say. “I wasn’t sure it would even activate.”

“I had my doubts too. You think you can fly it?”

“If BD can put in the coordinates I should be fine by myself. Or else I'll be stuck following you.”

“If this rust bucket can get off the ground.” He laughs.

Before I can say anything a deafening bang comes from outside. The sudden sound makes me jump back and on IV. I briefly look up at him. My reaction was embarrassing but he made no comment on it.

“What was that?” he asked. IV then moves to the window and attempts to clean off some of the dirt.

The shuttle is now humming and finished running a system check. All flight systems are on line but the engines aren’t starting. Also the navigation is offline.

“That stack of junk next to us fell over.” IV tells me.

“Are we stuck?”

“I don’t think so, but I’m sure a patrol is on its way.” IV comes back over to me. “Are you going to be able to get this thing in the air?”

“Yes, but I might be screwed after that, navigation is totally disconnected.”

“Use the droid. He should be able to supplement the navigation.”

An alarm blares in the cockpit and red lights flash. BD tells me that a security alert has been sent for right where we are! 

“Let's get this thing in the air!”

The engine stalls and shakes the whole ship. After a few seconds the ship starts to move! Just as we get on the air I see a squad of battle droids running towards us. I just barely move the shuttle enough to not get hit with blaster fire.

IV directs me towards his ship and BD informs me that the droids are going to send out scout ships. That's not good. This ship’s shield generator is completely offline. Just as IV gets off the shuttle, the proximity alarm goes off. I can see that three objects are coming towards me. I move the shuttle away from IV so the droids don’t notice him. I then see that the droids are flying Tie Fighters. My shuttle is just fast enough to stay out of range of the fighters until the engine stalls again. 

They open fire once they get close enough. I do my best to avoid the blaster fire. The reactivated just as a hit lands on one of the wings. I look down at the radar and suddenly see a new dot. And it’s closing in fast! Now what! Then one of the dots behind me disappears, then another and then so does the last dot. I look up and realize that the mysterious fourth dot is IV! He flys alongside me and tags my comlink.

“Sorry I'm late. You two ok?”

“We’re both in one piece. Took damage to the wing.”

“Can you get off world?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“You go first. I’ll follow.”

I start to pull the ship up. We get over the clouds and soon we are in orbit. IV following close behind me. BD inputs the home coordinates and activates the autopilot. Once the shuttle and IV’s ship are in hyperspace I relax. I let out a harsh breath and lean back in my seat. Why can’t things go smoothly with IV?

The trip in Hyperspace is thankfully uneventful. We make it back and BD helps me land the shuttle. IV landing next to me. Kal and the other students come out to greet us.

“You made it back.” Kal says.

“Yes, just barely.”

“Everything ok?”

“Yeah, just damage to the wing. The shuttle has no active shields.”

“We’ll check it out.” Kal then brings the others inside the shuttle leaving me IV outside.

“How come when we do something together it goes wrong?” I joke.

“Only twice.”

“At least you paid me back.”

He tilts his head. “What do you mean?”

“The life debt. I know you didn’t forget that I saved your life.”

“Oh, right.”

“Yeah I would say you definitely saved my life.”

IV doesn’t answer, but I see him reach the pouch on his belt. He pulls it off his belt and gives it a look. Like he is really considering something.

“You ok? Did that bag offend you somehow?” I joke.

“I brought this for you.” his thumb gently runs over it. 

“What is it?” I reach out for the small bag.

“It’s a traditional gift.”

“What tradition?”

“Open it first. Then I’ll tell you.”

I opened the bag. It’s a bracelet? It is a simple link chain. It is very shiny and a little heavier than I would have thought.

“IV what is this?”

“A… courting gift.”

“YES!”

His head snaps to look at me. “Really?”

“Yes! Stupid!” I hold my wrist out to him.

“Ok.” his hands shake a little when he puts the bracelet on.

I hold my wrist up once he finishes. “Now you really can’t get rid of me.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[mamirhodessxox]

More unpublished prompts!!

🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤

I hate you more

“Sooo, are we going to address the massive elephant in the room?” “It was ONE time Mari.”-Marianna & Sasha

“Cody & Sasha just fucked run me my FUCKING MONEY.” “YOU MADE A BET ON MY SISTER?!” “And I got a 100 bucks out of it.”-Rhea & Seth

“I am a god.” “Alright Kanye West pipe down”-Roman & Cody

“Why is she wearing shorts that are halfway up her ass right now?” “It’s getting us money & sales deal with it.”-Cody & Randy

“Can you please for the love of god STOP holding my hand.” “You tried walking into an active street. No.”-Sasha & Cody

“Are you sure it’s mine and not the devils?” “Are you sure your dicks bigger than 6 inches?”-Cody & Sasha

*cody entering the living room* “get out your presence is overstimulating me right now.”-Sasha

“One day I’ll learn how to finger dj the punanni” “and you why Becky won’t stay in a committed relationship with you”-Seth & Sasha

“If you hate me so much why are you literally dating me & getting me knocked up smartass” “I like the adrenaline rush”-Sasha & Cody

“You did a great job at being a mother” “Clearly not since both of them seemed to have burnt out their goddamn brain cells.”-Randy & Barbra

“I’m dating Sasha Ricci, Of course I wear bulletproof vests!” “I’m dating Cody Rhodes, Of course he makes me want to kill him in his sleep.”-Cody & Sasha

“Guys what does it mean if she slaps me and I like it?” “I wish I was aborted after hearing this information.”-Cody & Seth

“I’ve considered abortion” “So why the fuck is Sasha still here” “I thought she was gonna come out smart.”-Barbra & Seth

“I swear I didn’t just lead the FBI towards our house right now after feeding Romans body guard to an alligator” “Not again.”-Marianna & Randy

“Fuck it. Beat the information out of him.” “I volunteer as tribute!” “N-No I don’t think- hey Sasha why don’t we go somewhere?”-Randy, Sasha & Cody

*Randy trying to unmad marianna after grounding her from 1st degree murder* “What’s the matter angel?” “If you call me that one more time I’ll rip your dick off.” “Copy that.”

*Sasha walking in the house dragging a duffel bag on the ground with someones neighbor in it* “Goddamnit Sasha we can’t keep burying random married men in our backyard just because they have hot wife’s” “We can and you will. Grab the fucking shovel.”-Seth & Sasha

*Marianna walking down the stairs after getting ready for date night.* “Cancel dinner we’re gonna build a new family lineage”-Randy

*Sasha & Marianna in the swamp burying someone alive* “I don’t think we’re doing this right..” “ok hold on let me text Randy so he can send us the DIY tutorial again.”-Sasha & Marianna

*Cody & Seth kidnapped tied to chairs* “Where the fuck is Sasha when we need her?” “Sleeping. She’s fucking sleeping.”-Cody & Seth

“Guy’s Cody got me pregnant.” “I thought you didn’t want kids?” “Yeah well Cody doesn’t know how a condom works so.”-Sasha & Marianna

“I can’t believe my first kid is about to be the anti christ” “If you refer our child as the goddamn anti christ one more time I’m giving you a DIY vasectomy.” “I can’t believe my baby mama is the anti christ.”-Cody & Sasha

*Sasha lying on the couch one leg in the air* “what the fuck are you doing.” “Stretching my leg Cody what else does it look like I’m doing.” “..”-Cody & Sasha

🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤

@alyyaanna @claymoresofinfamy23 @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41 @femdisa @kabloswrld @jeysbvck

[yakumtsaki]

-S̷O̴ Y̷O̷U̴'̴R̵E R̷E̶A̵L̵L̴Y K̷N̴O̵C̴K̸E̵D U̵P A̷G̵A̸I̴N🧟 -I most certainly am! -A̵N̸D W̴H̵O̷'̶S G̸O̵N̵N̸A T̵A̵K̷E C̷A̶R̵E O̷F T̶H̸I̴S̸ O̸N̷E🧟 -Aw Sandy, I think you already know the answer to that question!

-I H̸A̴T̵E M̶Y "L̵I̶F̷E̵"🧟

Don’t worry Sands, I have just the thing to cheer you up-

-a new zombie friend! iVan hates Aiden so much he wasn’t satisfied with him dying horribly, so welcome back, Aiden!

-𝚈𝙴𝚂, 𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙾 𝙴𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙽𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝚄𝙵𝙵𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶. 𝙷𝙰 𝙷𝙰.

-Y̴O̵U R̵O̸B̸O̶T B̷A̶S̶T̶A̷R̴D, I̶’̵L̴L K̷I̸L̴L Y̵O̵U🧟

-I̴'̵L̴L K̵I̵L̴L Y̵O̷U T̷O̶O̴, M̴E̸T̶A̶L̷L̴I̵C A̴S̶S̶H̸O̷L̴E🧟‍♀️ -G̴E̴T H̷I̶M, S̸A̵N̴D̵Y🧟 -𝚁𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝙻𝙾𝙿𝚂, 𝙶𝙴𝚃 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙳𝙴𝙲𝙰𝚈𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙳𝚂 𝙾𝙵𝙵 𝙼𝙴. -R̷I̷P H̷I̵S C̴O̷R̸D O̵F̴F🧟 -𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝙴𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁. 𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝙴𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁.

So it turns out Aiden is a romance sim, just like our girl, perfect match! Go on, Aiden, charm her!

-W̸A̸A̷A̶A̵H I HA̶T̶E B̴E̶I̴N̴G̸ ̵A Z̷O̶M̶B̸IE🧟 -W̵A̶A̴A̴A̶H ̸M̴E T̴O̶O̴🧟‍♀️

Ok Aiden, not what we were going for, buddy..

-M̷A̷Y̴B̶E W̶E C̸A̶N B̵E S̶A̷D Z̷O̸M̴B̶I̵E̸S..T̵O̸G̵E̷T̵H̸E̶R?🧟 -M̸A̵Y̷B̵E W̸E̸ C̷A̵N̴!🧟‍♀️

Awww he finally got his first kiss🧟💙🧟‍♀️

Boy did ACR get to work, I didn’t even have time to take off Sandy’s skilling helmet but whatever, I ship this, it’s so cute! 

CYNESWITH WTF

-How dare you sleep with someone else after I banged you once and then refused to kiss you 11 times, huhu?!?!?!🌸

Wow Cyn if I was you I’d be more upset about all the corpse bodily fluids on my bed.

-That’s it, I’m taking over Felina’s upbringing! I can’t have that dead slut anywhere near my grandchild! Why is she stinky?💗

She needs a diaper change, Cyn.

-Oh wow nevermind🌸

Sophito fulfills his second LTW, topping the architecture caree aka the most useless job in this neighborhood since we literally have no buildings. Amazing choice, Soph!

-Congrats bro, we’re the most successful people ever! -And the best at avoiding interaction with our children!  -Tell me about it, Spice literally thinks Wilfred is his dad! -Felina is about to become a toddler and I’ve never been in the same room as her!

I HATE YOU BOTH

And iVan tops the medical career, where I can only assume he worked as an eye laser. Congrats iVan, now that you’re permaplat it’s time to quit and go back to your actual job of being our butler because I don’t know how we’re gonna keep two kids alive otherwise.

-𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝙴𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁. 𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝙴𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁.

Nice try, get your ass to work.

Awww, very Iron Giant!

-Goo goo? -𝚂𝙷𝚄𝚃 𝚄𝙿.

Kitana gives birth to 3 beautiful Mortal Kombat kittens who I name Shinok, Sindel, and Shao-

-and all 3 of them have this completely deranged personality!

And Servilia gives birth to 3 puppies right after, who I name Valentino, Valeria, and Veronica and are thankfully not criminally insane. Welcome, babies!

It’s a nice calm night with a lot of elderly attic slow dancing and then I have.. an “””amazing””” idea. So because the lag was unreal with the new pets and I’m starting to feel unironically bad for Sandy, I decided now that she has found love it would be fun to get her and Aiden married and move them into the creepy Tricou house! Sounds good on paper, right? Right??

So I move them into the Tricou house and then I’m like man you know what would be even more fun?? Resurrecting the Tricous and making them vamps and then all the supernaturals can live in the big creepy house together! So I was googling how to resurrect them because I hadn’t done it in ages, and then I realize Don is literally a faux Tricou as one of Jon Smith’s lovechildren! So I’m like great, this is gonna be super easy!

So Sandy and Aiden are in the Tricou house, I move the graves that were in the cemetery to the house, I invite Don over and make him temporarily selectable, and he resurrects Jon! Then I send Don on his way back to our house and the rest of the Tricous resurrect each other and become vamps and I’m like great, we’re done here! So I return to our house where it’s time for Felina’s birthday-

-AND SEE THIS. WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE

-You invited us🧛

I ABSOLUTELY DIDN’T

OH MY GOD FML

Because the lot wasn’t about-to-crash enough, it’s at this exact moment that Jojo and iVan decide to turn into werewolves.. 

..AND LIZ DECIDES TO GIVE BIRTH. ARE YOU KIDDING ME PEOPLE

It’s another ginger (HOW??) and this one’s a boy and his name is Bartholomew, but let me tell you this was the most overshadowed birth of all time, it’s a miracle I managed to take this pic. Welcome Bartholomew, sorry for your name but it was the only one I could think of in my panic!

Also completely overshadowed: Felina’s birthday because I was evicting the Tricous as it was happening. But here she is, she’s so cute! 

-Say hi to grandma, Felina!💗

Cyn ENOUGH.

And here’s Felina’s personality, it’s actually pretty ok for our standards?? Good job, baby!

It’s a new day after the Tricou hordes have been repelled and it’s time to play ‘how many members of this household will interact with the kids before their parents do’. I mean even Don is stepping up, this is EMBARRASSING.

-It’s ok Bartholomew, grandpa Don is here for you!🖤

OH GOD NOT YOU TOO

[astrologycharts242]

NEW SERIES: Can Jupiter or Venus placements show how someone meets his or her spouse? (My research study)

Can venus placements show where a guy will meet his spouse?

This is a new series that I wanted to try because when I would read people's charts I would always find out how they meet their spouse by at least 90 percent of the time.

In the beginning I was bad at this stuff but now I'm pretty good. I learned fast in 2021 that finding out how someone meets their spouse cannot be reliant on a jupiter a venus placement so as of today I don't even use it. Yet I am still successful with the results.

You gotta think also using that method is bad because someone may end up becoming a homosexual. Then they marry someone of the same sex. Which at least 95 percent of astrologers will miss. I come across lots of videos of people saying jupiter and venus can show how someone meets his or her spouse. I want to do a research study and I think it's great content.

Let's start with Will Smith and his chart is a perfect example as to why the tropical and sidereal charts do not even show the same thing especially when it comes to meeting a spouse.

First Let's look at his sidereal chart instantaneously once I see the 7th lord or ruler in the 4th house. I know tons of ways how he met his spouse. One way is in his home, vehicles, residence or the state he was born in. Surprisingly he met both of his wives in the country he was born but it's still not a definite answer.

Today.com had the information and you can see he met his first spouse through his friend actually. Yes he went to meet Jada through the introduction of friends but instead he met his first wife. Which is funny right because he was gonna meet Jada the same exact way he met his first wife?

Ok in 1994 he legitimately met Jada and in his sidereal chart venus is in the 6th house of jobs. He met Jada at his job called the fresh prince of bel Air as proven in this article by peoples magazine.

Here's the catch though venus in his tropical chart is not in the 6th house.

In fact nothing really shows will Smith meeting his spouse in the ways he actually met them. The closest placement in his tropical chart you can say is his 7th lord being in the 4th house.He met Jada in a home environment but was it actually really his home? If you get what I'm saying. Unless he actually lived on the set, which is pretty common for actors to do. Yes wherever you stay even temporarily for a residence falls under the 4th house. It could even be for a week

This means his tropical chart is useless in determining how he met any of his wives. Unless he actually really lived on set. I guess with venus being in the 5th house and the 5th house having to do with stage play, performing arts, entertainment and I guess acting in this case. Yet it's still not definite answer like if you paid me money just to say that you wouldn't even believe what I'm saying.

Unless the venus aspect on to the 11th house is why he met them through his friends. See this is too sporadic, erratic and not concrete enough for me to tell a person that had sent me money this type stuff. Which is why I would rarely use a venus placement to do this.

If I look at his moon chart there is a similar placement in their that shows meeting his spouse in a home like setting.

A part from that. The 7th lord is in his 11th house so you can see how he met his wife through his friends in the moon chart.In his moon chart venus is in the 1st house and obviously he met Jada in person. If you think about it the moon chart shows better ways of how he met both of his wives. Let's focus on the sidereal chart and the venus placement it's in his 6th house of jobs so I guess the venus placement worked in this case.

Had will went to an astrologer who only reads tropical before he met his first wife. To find out how he would actually meet his first wife. Then he would've gotten it wrong. Let's say I was alive at that time then I would've gotten it correct because I don't even like using tropical nowadays to find out how someone meets their spouse. For reasons exactly like this.

[the-one-and-ourinie]

Brief overview/greetings

Hello, denizens of tumblr. This is my posting place for things regarding my FF14 characters/separate OCs. They existed before I started playing the game, I merely applied them to the setting. For character asks and the like, I'll color code the text (will match their name's color) to make it clear who's talking. Asks are very much welcome, in or out of character.

This is probably leaving a lot of stuff out, but am tired and want to get this out. Send asks if you want, I'd love to answer them. Looking to get some ref images commissioned soon.

As for our wonderful cast, we have:

Wes 'Warrior of Light/Darkness' or 'Echo-born' Ourinie- my son. A somewhat short blue-haired Midlander. The one who's been doing the MSQ, which initially started as him going on an independent journey from his nomadic tribe. Has a lot of issues relating to self-worth, responsibility, and freedom. Wears a weird fetter on his left wrist (just like all the characters on this list do). Has a knack for learning and copying spells/techniques fast, very proficient with just about all jobs. Joined the tribe young, adopted by Sileas and Lenmis, and was raised by the whole tribe. Has incredibly keen senses, a cut above the others.

Ying 'Starshine' Oondan- a runaway noble Xaela girl with a very manueverable tail. Joined the rest of the tribe young, besties with Wes, left shortly after he did for a journey of her own. Part demon, specifically a fiend. Wes is, in her words, 'basically like 90% of my impulse control'. Just as Wes learns and copies at a monstrously fast rate, Ying studies and adapts to her opponent's fighting style incredibly quickly. Always loves to fight or spar, and prefers to stay active most of the time.

Lenmis 'Bladebane' Moondew- strongest of the bunch, a tall, jacked as hell Wildwood Elezen with a penchant to break most weapons she finds with a single swing. Blacksmiths hate her. Married to Sileas, adopted Mother to Wes and Ying. Leader of this nomadic tribe, and dedicates it to protecting the innocent, wherever that may happen. Not that great at showing affection, is rather stone-faced most of the time, but she cares deeply about those she protects.

Sileas 'Grass-song' Murphy- another Midlander. Married to Lenmis, adoptive mom to Wes and Ying, and functions as the tribe's head chef, botanist, survivalist, medic, and mount specialist (in this case, chocobos). Speaks with a Scottish accent, Wes wonders if she has ties to the fae. Rather secretive about her past. Red Mage/Bard combo with silly spell names coupled with a specialization in plant magic. Literally causes flowers to bloom in her wake. Generally a sweet lady that loves the tribe as her family.

Luz 'Brightmind' Taki- Sun Seeker Miqo'te who abandoned his society to hang out with the weird gay nomad people. He made the right choice. Gay and queasy about existing in Sun Seeker society. One of the top minds in magical theory, and a well-read scholar in general, often talks with an Urianger-esque air. Mentored Wes on magic, and provided his general education.

Lapis 'Redliner' Corund- a selectively mute Duskwood Elezen, with a background in espionage and assassin work. After killing her bosses and tearing the organization to the ground, grouped up with the nomads to help folks. Wears almost entirely black, with a glitter rainbow hairclip. Hates making noise, but has gradually become ok with being noticed by people while living with Wes.

Ryo 'Rampart' (no surname)- a himbo Roegadyn. Earned his epithet by holding his own against a full army for a week straight. The only one who can safely take a full-power punch from Lenmis to the stomach. Invented a game for Wes when he joined the nomads called Ryo-Go. It makes no sense, has no winner, and is absolute dumb-fun incarnate. Used to be a soldier for an oppressive force that lied to its citizens, and began fighting back as soon as he found out. Considers himself in a life debt to the nomads for resolving the conflict, and helping the citizens back up on their feet.

Basi 'Featherbrain' Ouroboros- typically nonverbal Plainsfolk Lalafell with an acute interest in bird feathers and solving crimes. She joined up to be the best detective the world's ever seen, and she hasn't been stumped yet. Quite affectionate in her own way, leaving fancy feathers, quills, and accessories for her fellow nomads to find.

[torc87]

About "Go back to where you came from" and "Ashkenazi Jews are European" ideology

So, I am a Russian born Jew who lived in the US since I was a child. Let me ask you a question.

If tomorrow I move to Ireland and have children born there (w another Russian born Jew to be clear), would those children be able to claim Irish heritage?

Mind, they would be raised in Ireland, go to Irish schools, but they wouldn't celebrate St.Patricks day or Christmas, or Easter or speak Gaelic or believe in fairies or have a personal familial connection to the years of Irish famine, which is a Big trauma I'm Irish history.

So, if they claimed their heritage to be Irish, would they be? Would they feel Irish? Would you consider them to be telling the truth if they claimed to have a connection to Ireland and so they could use Celtic myths and speak w authority about issues like Britain/Ireland? No?

Ok. What about their children? ( Provided they also married into the same community of Russian born Jews? ) When would they be indigenous to Ireland?

Keep in mind, the amount of cultural mixing happening currently is way more than 80 yrs ago when Jews went to separate schools, had separate jobs, had separate religious ergo social institutions. There was far more of a cultural difference in the past bc Jews were not majorly assimilated as now.

So how many generations would it take now for my descendants to be considered of Irish heritage? W a claim to Irish land? Able to call themselves the Irish People?

So I know the answer for my great grandparents. Despite being born in Belarus and Ukraine they were not considered those peoples. How do I know? Their birth certificates said Jew. In contrast w those that said Ukrainian. Or Belorussian. So did my grandparents - born in Ukraine or Moscow. So did mine, for all that at least four generations on both sides were born in Soviet Union countries, and me in Moscow, my birth certificate in the 80s said Jew as my nationality.

I can't really trace back much further than my great grandparents' parents but I think before that we must have come from Germany - the last names all sound German - and we weren't Germans there either bc German children got to go to school. Jewish children did not, which was why there was a migration to Russia.

I know my family wasn't considered German by Russia bc at the time all immigrants lived in enclaves of their own peoples. Germans lived together - Russian rules. My family did not live in a German enclave. They lived in the part of the land where Jews were allowed to live.

So for the past 4-5 generations my family wasn't considered Russian. They weren't considered German.

They had no heritage or claim to being from those lands.

If they weren't from those lands, then were were they from?

Where were they native to?

How is it that despite the past five generations of my family not being considered European ( West European) I am suddenly expected to think of myself as such?

Despite them not being accepted or treated like Europeans, despite them being othered, despite them having no native ties to the archaeology or myths or beliefs of the peoples living in that land, I am suddenly to think of myself as a European?

My mother lived 30 years in Russia before we got refugee status in the US. She has never, in her life, thought of herself as Russian. No religious connection or much knowledge of Judaism ( soviet union forbade religion so she never prayed, barely believes in a god, doesn't know the rituals) She speaks of us and of them. Of us not being welcome there. Of the difference in mentality. And if I went to a Russian now and said I was Russian and then said, Russian Jewish, there would be a distinction. I wouldn't be Really Russian. My identity would not be considered Russian.

And despite all that, we are to think of ourselves as European?

After leaving western Europe as refugees? After being unwelcome there? Other there? After it being made clear to us that there is a difference btwn us and them?

And don't forget, we tried to fit in. We celebrate New Year's like any Russian, we didn't go to synagogue, or pray, we went on political communist marches like everyone else. We dressed and ate like everyone else - if I suggest not eating bacon my family will laugh me out of the house.

But we weren't Russian. Not in their eyes. And not in ours.

I think what a lot of people screaming that Ahkenazi Jews are European fail to understand is that Europe is not America.

I am an immigrant. I feel American. My passport says American. My sister was born here - she will think of herself as an American from birth and what celebrations or foods or dress she has won't matter bc America accepts cultural diversity without delegitimizing the claim to American culture. Bc everyone except for Native Americans is an immigrant and there are so Many cultures that the main identity stays American. Bc there is no concept of American heritage bc there are So many immigrants, no indigenous claim to the land unless you are Native, it works differently than in Europe.

Here, everyone is different so the differences don't matter as much.

Europe? Majority share a culture and a heritage in most countries. Not just a language, that can be learned, but a past. And those who do not share that past will not fit in. Will not be fully accepted if they act on those differences at all.

Think of the protests in France bc the Muslims are not assimilating. Are following their own traditions. Are they considered fully French? Or is half of France terrified they will defile the true French culture?

Being of a country is more than being born there. It's feeling a connection to the land, feeling like it's past is shared. Feeling like you can claim that identity and the heritage is yours for good or ill.

Ashkenazi Jews can't claim that for the countries their families came from. Weren't ALLOWED to be a part of those countries.

So don't try to change the past now. Ideas of who is European and who can claim that may have changed - there's more movement and immigration now, more acceptance of it, but it's too little too late.

A people who were kicked out or ran from Europe cannot and will not be considered the same as the peoples who forced them to leave ...or die.

I am not Russian. I am not Western European. Not while my birth certificate says my race is Jewish. Which ...it's going to say that for my entire life. So no, I won't accept suddenly being forced to accept a heritage denied to me before just bc it's more convenient to your ideology to think of me that way.