#and no i can't just work somewhere else for various reasons

[guinevereslancelot]

decided to leave my job and i'm gonna fr gonna cryyyyy

[starlightshadowsworld]

Bsd except Atsushi doesn't work at the Agency. He gets another job, and turns out it's one of the Port Mafia's front companies.

No one in the Port Mafia knows how he got the job and put it together he's the tiger they're searching for.

Thing is, the Port Mafia don't actually want to get rid of him because Atsushi is actually very good at his job.

He's like accidentally committing various crimes on their behalf, like fraud, money laundering etc.

But Atsushi's lived such a sheltered life and has never had a job before, he has no idea this out of the ordinary.

Atsushi just thinks he's working a normal job. And he gets paid reasonably well, has a place to stay so he's not really looking into it.

It's like he's at a cafe and makes really good coffee and the Port Mafia are like... Well we can't get rid of him, who's gonna make my latte just the way I like it?

Atsushi accidentally becomes the most beloved unofficial member of the Port Mafia.

Without knowing it.

At some point Atsushi does find out but carries on.

Because he doesn't have anywhere else to go. And quite frankly, he's having fun. His customers are sweet and kind, he's finally living a life worth living.

Sure it's something the Orphanage would scoff at, but they'd do that regardless.

Somewhere along the lines Kyouka goes from assassin to his fellow co-worker and they bake cakes together and Kouyou's just like... You know what she's happy, let her be.

(And maybe Atsushi can't save everyone but he saves Kyouka and maybe that's enough.)

Chuuya even offers to teach him self defence and Atsushi has a gun incase he needs it.

He's the Port Mafia's equivalent of the Agency's cafe guy, they will go to war if anything happens to him.

Which the Guild find out the hard way.

[iskratempestmadness]

A few facts about the characters of "Baki the grappler"

Characters: Baki, Hanayama, Katsumi, Jack, Retsu.

Baki

Food

- it may seem that he prefers something simple, but he doesn't mind trying unusual food combinations. According to the type of ice cream with French fries.

- traditional Japanese cuisine on weekdays and fast food on weekends. He likes to treat himself to a big burger on Saturday night. Although he will have to work hard afterwards to get himself back in shape.

- has a neutral relationship with alcohol. He can drink during the holiday, but usually tries to abstain.

Leisure

- you can't tell from him, but he reads quite a lot, although he can't be called a bookworm. He definitely likes manga and comics, as well as something light from Japanese classics. He reads to relax, so he doesn't want to strain his brain.

- he likes to play board games. He is quite experienced in them, but in some cases, fortune does not favor him.

- walking in the fresh air. As I said, he just wants to relax, so contemplating nature is perfect for that. He likes the prospect of going somewhere to the countryside and staying there to live.

Moment:

It was early in the morning, when the city had not yet had time to wake up. The young man was sitting on a bench in the park, which was close to his house. Despite the fact that summer had already arrived, it was quite cool outside, but the young man did not seem to notice this. Hanma has been visiting this place quite often lately. Perhaps it was here that he could fully relax. His thoughts were confused, like the thoughts of a man who had just woken up, he was thinking about everything and at the same time about nothing. However, he noticed all the peculiarities of his environment. For example, he noticed that the birds were calling to each other today more briskly than usual, and also that this morning was warmer than yesterday, but it was still a little cool for summer... He liked it... And he also liked to have such a carefree time... This is the kind of environment he wants to spend his life in...

Hanayama:

Food

is mmmm... He loves Japanese fast food. You know, quick fried meat in batter with vegetables and various sauces. Or udon in a small but cozy eatery. But he needs really big portions.

- he also likes traditional Japanese dishes, but he prefers not to eat them too often.

- Alcohol? He is an expert in this. It may seem that he drinks only strong drinks, but he is also very well versed in the lungs. Hana also belongs to the type of people who drink and do not get drunk.

Leisure

- naturally, he spends a lot of time in bars. He knows all the bars in Tokyo. And he wrote a review for each, all the pros and cons of the institution were taken into account. He finds this way of spending time very entertaining.

- he likes to play billiards when he has free time. And he's pretty good at it. Despite his size, he is adept at this.

- fishing. Ohhh, he's a pro at this. And how else can you call a man who went to a shark with his bare hands? But even in less extreme conditions, he finds pleasure in fishing.

Moment:

A hard day. This is perhaps the most plausible description of what happened today. There are so many issues that need to be resolved "urgently", so many people who do not understand what they want from him... It exhausted him. His head was throbbing violently, preventing him from concentrating...What was he thinking about? Yes, there's nothing to talk about.Hana was in the very state when a person's mind is filled with various short memories that have no connection with each other...And he didn't have a single sensible thought in his head. He lit a cigarette as usual. And he himself did not understand how he ended up where he is now. It was one of the idzkai he frequented...Heh, perhaps this really was the best option to relax. The young man sat down at the counter and waited for his order... and for some reason, he was already feeling better now. My head didn't hurt so much anymore, and there was no annoying carousel of memories. Hana waited for his order and to his delight, the food really helped him. In some cases, even such small things can make you feel better.

Katsumi:

Food

- HOMEMADE FOOD. To give Natsue her due, she cooks beautifully, so Katsumi's favorite food is homemade food. He doesn't even have a preference, he just loves it and he'll eat whatever they give him.

- he also likes strange food combinations. He is always ready to try something new, but he already has his favorite combinations. I can assume that this is watermelon and feta cheese or popcorn with hot sauce

- relationship with alcohol... Well, he only drinks on holidays, but Katsumi doesn't know the measure. If he drinks, he gets completely drunk. He doesn't know the measure at all.

Leisure

- bowling. He just likes this kind of leisure activity. And he became almost a master at it.

- he likes to sing and not only in the shower. Therefore, one of his favorite ways to spend time is karaoke. He might not be a brilliant singer himself, but he puts his whole soul into it.

- cooking. In this, perhaps, it cannot be said that he is a great master, but he really likes to learn this. He was already delighting himself with a couple of simple dishes. However, it should be noted that his dishes are a little overcooked.

Moment:

He decided to put himself under stress again. There was no other way he could have called it. Of course he liked cooking, but what was happening was terrible. The heated oil splashed in all directions, he spilled something on the floor, broke a couple of plates, and a mountain of dishes in the sink was waiting for him. Is it not a horror? Nevertheless, Katsumi was determined that he would cook this dish. Why didn't he go the easier way? Why didn't you just order what you wanted? After all, he could have asked Natsueh to cook this dish, why didn't he? There were several reasons. First, he liked it. Yes, despite what was happening, he still enjoyed cooking. And he didn't expect a good result at all, he just enjoyed the process. The second is his stubbornness. Is something wrong with him? So what, he will do it as many times as it takes for a decent result. It's a challenge for him. It's a tough call. He had to sweat a lot, but... God, he was really glad... The food was good. But as usual, it is slightly peppered.

Jack:

Food

really has no preferences. All that can be eaten is food for him.

- however, he highlights the Canadian cuisine. After all, this is his native kitchen. One of his favorite dishes is cream cake and "nanaimo"

- attitude to alcohol? Mmmm... Given his lifestyle, we can say that he does not drink at all. But sometimes when he can't sleep, Jack will drink a glass of tincture, but no more. Most likely, he will be able to put tinctures.

Leisure

- He likes to swim. This is an ideal way for him to practice and relax. Besides, he is fond of diving. (So it's ideal for him if he lives somewhere near the sea or a deep lake. This is one of his dreams.)

- he can play the guitar. Despite the fact that he trains almost all the time, he also finds time to practice it. His game is at the amateur level, but it's also not bad.

- What is it? Just like Bucky, he can't be called a bookish character, but he has a couple of bookshelves. Jack prefers little-known works by popular authors. And his favorite genres of books can be called detective and fiction.

Moment:

Quiet. It's late in the evening, it's about one or two in the morning. The noise of the city is no longer audible, only the quiet rustle of leaves and the occasional rumble of water. The atmosphere is wonderful... However... The young man had not been able to sleep for about two hours and it began to bother him. Instead of lying on the bed, he could have done something more useful with a light... well, or at least interesting. Reading was perfect. Jack sat up in bed, turned on the lamp, picked up a book lying on one of the bedside tables and plunged into one of those most amazing worlds that are considered fiction or a fairy tale, and call it fiction. Hanma was quite picky about literature, although he didn't read much. But this book was really interesting to him. Why? Perhaps it was an interesting plot, or curious descriptions of the area, or dialogues of the characters, or... Why guess? Jack liked this book because he could use it to distract himself. There was no hint of the real world in it. Not once in the entire book has there been a hint of problems that were in the real world. And the young man didn't think it was a bad thing. On the contrary, he liked it. It brought lightness, calmness and calmness to his life... Perhaps... A little bit of happiness...

Retsu:

Food

is Chinese cuisine. To say that he loves her will not be enough... He RESPECTS her. He respects her all. From dishes in street eateries to home cooking.

- Japanese cuisine is in second place after Chinese cuisine for him. However, he is extremely critical of her. Retsu tries to eat right, so he carefully monitors what he eats.

- does Retsu drink? Exclusively on holidays. But if there is an opportunity, he will refrain from doing so. He really doesn't like alcohol.

Leisure

- cooking. And he's a pro at it. He has been cooking since childhood, he has a wealth of experience and his knowledge in cooking is still being replenished. He read a lot of books on cooking and watched a huge number of programs on this topic. He is completely enlightened, as it might seem. However, he claims that he still has a lot to grow.

- reading. But he can be called a bookworm. He read everything from classics to manga. And this made him extremely selective in the collection of works. For Retsu, the book is needed not only to relax or distract himself, but also to rethink life. The book is a source of wisdom for him.

- he is fond of photography. And in this he is at the beginner stage. But he learns fast. He likes to photograph animals and plants. He also likes to shoot landscapes.

Moment:

"Yes, this is what we need... This kind of view definitely needs to be captured." This was the first thought that came to Retsu's mind. And the scenery was really spectacular. Mount Fuji. The height is 3776. And it's amazing. The young man was really happy despite the cold and the long journey. Taking out his camera, Retsu started taking pictures... huh... Amazingly... But the camera did not transmit even a tenth of the landscape... However, the footage was amazing. Retsu didn't have much experience in photography, he was still a beginner. How did he come to this? Why photos? Everything is simple. There have been changes in it. Let's just say his mindset has changed. The young man seemed to rethink his life... And I made a conclusion. He needs to slow down. Pay a little more attention to his environment. Watch the world more. That's why he chose photography. With his help, Retsu had the opportunity to forever contemplate what he had captured.

I don't think I'll pull part 2, heh.

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

Headcanon Kate gives the 141 kisses and then immediately bites them to show affection like a cat

HOW DO YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN DEEP IN BITING 141 HEADCANONS

It's a love bite!! She just gets so excited by physical affection she has to nom a little. It's fine. Don't worry about it.

Price and Ghost DO NOT make it easy for her. Ghost, obviously, covering his face a lot, but Price has a beard! She can't nip at his cheek or chin, she just gets a mouthful of beard, that's unacceptable. Sometimes she bites his nose. He's smart, though, can tell when she's bitey, knows to pull away so she can't nab him. So she resorts to biting the back of his hand. He has to shave for some reason and after the first round of novelty wears off (babyface Price?!!?!) new novelty appears because NEW BITING SURFACE!!

Kate tried to bite Ghost's hard shell mask once and hated it. He covers up a lot so she can't ever shrug it off like "oh oops i didn't mean to" she literally has to ruck up a sleeve or tug his collar down. this gives him enough time to plan a RETALIATION BITE.

Not nippy ones like she does, either. Full on chomps. His reasoning is "if I have my teeth in you then i know you are not going off somewhere doing something STUPID" Kate is offended by the implication she does stupid things. rude. This does NOTHING btw to make anyone else on base less intimidated by Ghost. rumors circulate about how he bites hard enough to draw blood and that's with someone he kind of likes! (this did happen, thankfully it was not in public because they were both very kind of into it)

feral bastard man Soap adores the love bites. to the point where if he's feeling down, he'll ask for it because it's a nice little dopamine rush. When the ADHD starts ADHDing he will either bite or ask to be bitten. it works, so nobody questions it. Soap is actually more likely to break skin because he's got sharp chompers. Kate likes to bite the top of his ear. Will use the mohawk to drag his head down if she needs to

Gaz gets nibbles. comparatively gentle bites. the guys are talking about their various Kate Bite Bruises Etc and Gaz is like??? wtf are you on about??? Sure there's a bit of a sting sometimes but she kisses it away. Price makes a comment about maybe she bites harder to match the biting the guys do to her (he is correct for the most part). And Gaz is like. you HEATHENS. why are you BITING HER BACK?

This devolves into a very long (slightly horny) discussion of biting as affection, etc. as well as some brief spirals into "why isn't she biting me harder/softer???" (there's a slight chance that Kate comes by Price's office while this is the hot topic in the guys' group chat and Price relays the entire conversation to her, no this is NOT an invitation to bite me right now Katherine!!!! [Price is the only one who can call her Katherine and he's only done it twice])

Anyway Gaz gets Nice Bites until he has a close call, which prompts a very dramatic kiss from Kate followed by a very mean bite to his neck that bruises almost instantly. Gaz is like great! i now see i was not missing out on anything. let's go back to the nice bites please. (he will get nice bites when he stops doing stupid shit, and Gaz thinks that's a bit rich coming from the queen of stupid shit herself, which earns him another, if slightly nicer, bite)

One of them has the top of his ear nicked from an arrow. Not Ghost, his ears are covered, but at least ONE of the others. I'm pretty sure it's Soap but it could be Gaz. that doesn't have anything to do with biting but is important for us all to know.

[thothxv]

I really don't want to talk about the present AO3 controversy (I have opinions, I think anyone paying attention does, but I'm so. Very. Tired. And the internet chews up tired people with opinions and spits them out for fun. So that's not happening).

HOWEVER!

I see many people out there championing Squidgeworld as an alternative to AO3. If you don't like AO3's staff or leadership and want to go somewhere else, this is actually pretty reasonable. The Squidge folks have been doing this a long time, they know what they're doing. They are a smaller team, hosting on smaller infrastructure (a dog knocked over their server once, apparently), but they seem up to the task of running an archive.

However. I also see people talking how Squidgeworld's policies are better than AO3 in various regards. And I want to address this because it's... mostly wrong. There are some differences in the TOSes, but for most of you they will be the same.

First thing, top of the list: Squidge's TOS is much smaller and vaguer than AO3's. A whole ton of rules around tagging in the TOS are just... not there. There's a bunch of information in AO3's TOS about how complaints are treated, that's all gone, any specificity about how Squidgeworld defines what they do or do not consider acceptable behavior is just... not there. In their place, we have Wheaton's Law: "Don't be a Dick". You might thing that covers it all, but a good TOS that makes it clear what is and is not allowed gives a lot of piece of mind. Nothing is worse than waking up to see that you've been given the boot because you and the mods disagreed about what the TOS meant. It sucks, you don't want that. It probably won't happen to most people, especially if you're not an asshole, but it is a thing.

The next thing in the TOS is the CSEM clause (the technical term for most of what people refer to as child pornography), and this is what I heard a lot of people talking about. I have heard people say that Squidge "actually bans child porn". However, the only difference between AO3 and Squidge's policies on CSEM (which is, to be clear, they they do not permit it) The only difference is this line: "This includes anything deemed pro-child sex or child-sex advocacy symbols." The thing is, that's subjective. A fic that involves this kind of content is not necessarily pro-child sex. Yes, even if it's RPF. And no, RPF is not CSAM. Nor is RPF CSEM, which is a broader umbrella term. At least, not under US law or US definitions, which is what both AO3 and Squidge operate under. I have done my best to get the official definitions for these things: RPF isn't covered. This has nothing to do with my opinions on RPF, it's just fact. In short, if you're upset at AO3 for not banning sexually explicit RPF containing real-life minors, Squidgeworld doesn't ban that either. Whether or not it takes down a fic with that kind of content in it is basically down moderation staff opinion on whether it might be advocating for child sex.

Now here's the juicy stuff. Squidgeworld prohibits links to any kind of fundraising... except in the case of original work. So, if you are a writer who posts original work to fic archives and wants to link your Patreon... you can do that on Squidgeworld. Just don't do it on fanfics. Or in the comments or in your profile. Standard AO3 rules everywhere else. Honestly, unless squidgeworld takes off on a scale that is frankly unlikely, this probably won't matter, but for some of you, this is a good thing, and it's worth bringing up.

Squidgeworld, unlike AO3, does not allow AI-generated fanworks. Now, I'm sure a lot of you are very happy, but this does actually present some problems: Specifically, you can't always tell AI generated and human work apart. Sure, a lot of the time it's pretty easy, but you can mask it, and sometimes the output could be confused for real writing. More importantly, real people's writing could be confused for AI writing. I could easily see fic authors being attacked with accusations that their work is AI generated, or co-written with an AI. I don't know if that will happen, but... well, some people are assholes, and fan communities are often drama-laden. It could happen.

Squidgeworld prohibits web scraping for the purpose of use with AI. AO3 basically has the same policy, and they've taken more technical measures to prevent it now that we're aware it's a thing that happens (the first time AO3 was scraped was pre-ChatGPT, people just weren't paying attention to this stuff. I imagine squidgeworld takes similar anti-scraping technical measures, although I don't know for sure). I think people don't think AO3 does this because in the post where they explained this they also said they allowed AI-generated fics, and they went on to say that they couldn't make it impossible for someone to scrape the site and feed that into a machine learning model. That's something Squidgeworld can't do either: if you really want a website scraped, that website can be scraped. This is why AO3 went on to say that archive-locking your work would make it less likely for scrapers to catch it, and that you could do that if you were concerned.

So yeah. I think broadly that these policies shake out mostly the same as they do on AO3 in terms of content. There's more vagueness and subjectivity and more things that malicious users could potentially abuse to waste staff time and attack other users, but... well, you can always submit false reports. That's a problem on AO3 too. Same as it ever was. And hey, at least there won't be any blatantly AI-generated fics over on squidgeworld. Mind, I haven't seen any in any of my fandoms anyways...

[absentia-if]

I don't think this has been asked, and if it has feel free to ignore this 😅. how would the ros react to mc disappearing for an entire day leaving a note for the ros that says they would be gone for the day but without a reason, and then comes back the next day with a special gift that the ros may have mentioned in a previous conversation?

Kade/Kara: They barely pay attention to the gift, thoughts already swirling back to the note you had left them. It wasn't enough, it'd never be enough, not when they didn't know why you had gone so suddenly-- not when you had been gone for as long as you had been, without contact or any indication of where you could be. "Don't disappear like that again," they say, hazel eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I appreciate that you were doing something for me, and I trust that you're able to take care of yourself, but I couldn't handle it if something happened to you and I didn't know. Again."

Michael/Margot: The sight of you causes various emotions to swirl within their chest: rage, tinted with relief, happiness, poisoned with bitterness, and joy that's wrapped in a bundle of fear. Azure blue eyes darken to a stormy cobalt, reminiscent of the ocean after a hurricane, and an expression you couldn't quite name contorts their elegant face. "Did--" M cuts themself off, a bone-deep sigh leaving them before their arms quickly wrap around your body and pull you tightly against them. "Did you think I wouldn't worry?" they whisper, voice thick with pain. "Did you think that a note would suffice? We always say goodbye, MC. That's our rule. I-I wasn't able to say it the last time you were taken from me. Please don't make go through that again."

Blaine/Blaire: Happy Birthday is plastered all across the wrapping paper, it crinkles slightly in their hands as they turn it over, but B, despite everything, couldn't help the frown that furrows their brow; nor could they forget the worry that had made a home within their chest for the past day. "You didn't have to do this, MC.” They gently place the wrapped gift on the coffee table before they take your hand. "You being safe, you keeping me company, you being here, is more than I could ever ask for. I don't need anything else for my birthday except for you to be right by my side as I celebrate it. Just like you always have been."

Wren/Wynn: "Do you not understand how foolish it was to do this?" They hiss, a snarl etched across their face, while dark brown eyes look almost black due to their rage. "Did you not think that I wouldn't worry? That I wouldn't think something happened to you? For a day, for twenty-four hours, I didn't know if you were okay, I didn't know where you were, and I didn't know why you left. I've worked cases exactly like this before, MC. I've seen what it can do to people. I couldn't bear it if it happened again to you or your family. Not after everything that's already happened." A soft sigh leaves their mouth then, tension leeching from their shoulders as they slump forward. "I appreciate the sentiment of the gift, I truly do, but I appreciate knowing that you're safe even more."

Nicholas/Natalie: "I-I thought something happened," they sob, hands desperately clawing at your back, tightening their hold on your hoodie. Logically they know you're safe, they know you haven't disappeared, but that doesn't make the pain, the grief, work its way out of their system any faster. They had seen what your disappearance did to their best friend, to your parents, even if it was only in passing, and they couldn't imagine how they had been able to live with it; they had thought you were gone for only a day and the pain had almost been overwhelming. Dealing with death, dealing with the grief that came with it, was commonplace in their life, but they never wished for it to be when it came to you. "Please don't go somewhere that I can't follow."

[notesfromtheidiotbox]

I'm showing a picture of this post instead of reblogging because I don't want to distract from OP's point, but the various comments and reblogs all seem to have a common thread of "how did this happen? Why don't people seem to care?"

My personal theory is widespread compassion fatigue. It's finally ingrained itself fully into our collective psyche. And I'm not just talking about recent events either.

I'm 47 years old. I've lived through the end of the Cold War, two Gulf Wars, one major terrorist attack on US soil that upended literally EVERYTHING about everyday life in the US, the rising threat of climate change, a once in a century pandemic, multiple boom-and-bust economic cycles, the rise of the internet and with it the rise of accessibility of both information and MISinformation, multiple smaller conflicts around the world, the change in corporate attitudes from "we serve our customers our products faithfully and loyally" to "fuck you! That's our money in your wallet and we're not even going to pretend we thought of you as anything else anymore," the creeping resurgence of fascism as a political ideology in the US not seen since the 30s and early 40s,* rapidly rising inflation and wage stagnation without any sort of action to mitigate it for most of the population. and literally hundreds to thousands of people online yelling at each other for not "doing more," "doing better," or for not supporting/believing/doing the right things in the right way.

I honestly think the compassion/empathy tank is not just empty in the US, it's burned through the fumes and is now bone dry.

Being as generous as possible with the timeline, ever since 2001**, what we laughingly call the news in this country has served us a 24/7 diet of crisis after crisis, with no respite. It's ebbed and flowed, of course, but the general message has been "everything is getting worse, nobody is going to save us, we can't solve the existential threats of war, disease, famine, climate change, racism, and lethal prejudice that exists everywhere." And while collective action has garnered several significant victories, the attitude is still "this won't work because everybody has their own ideas of what needs to be done and how to do it and spend more time arguing over the details rather than doing anything***"

I think we don't care because we just CAN'T anymore. Even the things we would normally use to recharge ourselves aren't working. The food doesn't taste good, the entertainment is turning into forgettable sludge by the rapid rise of streaming, and it seems like you aren't allowed to be anywhere in public without spending money, and if you aren't required to spend money to be somewhere, odds are if you stay there for too long you'll have somebody giving you the side eye and demanding an explanation.

And online? Anger, dehumanization, and the constant cry of any sincere expression of joy or excitement is "cringe."

22 years of being constantly told the world is shit, humans are awful, you only have as much value as your bank account has digits, your employers don't respect you or the customers who get affected by their boneheaded decisions, leaving you to take the bullet, and constant reminders if problems which are too big to be solved in our lifetime.****

We're all tired, and we're beaten down, and we just don't have any more fucks to give about the latest crisis created by those in positions of power for what we are realizing are the most petty and stupid reasons.

There isn't a one size fits all solution here. But that's pretty much what I think has happened: the people of the United States in general have reached a point where we don't have the emotional capacity to deal with any more of this seemingly unsolvable shit. And I honestly think it's going to continue to get worse before it starts to get better.

Try to take care of each other out there, okay?

--

*For younger readers: oh yeah, during Hitler's rise to power until Pearl Harbor, there were PLENTY of people who thought Hitler was just swell.

** I'd actually argue the trauma cycle started with Vietnam, but it really accelerated with the 24 hour news cycle, the increase in internet speeds, and the events of 9/11.

***On a related note, be EXTREMELY leery of those online who won't accept anything but full-scale revolution as a remedy. Most of the time, these people have no plan for what comes after or seem to think that when society collapses, they'll be on top of the pile, ready to be the boot.

****The kinds of changes that would be needed to wipe out war, prejudice, and many other systemic problems are probably going to take decades, if not centuries. And because of the always on demand nature of society right now, a lot of people seem to have a real problem wrapping their heads around that. Change for the worse happens immediately. Change for the better takes a LOT longer.

[mdhwrites]

What about the gargoyles from Disney’s Gargoyles?

I know that they can “glide” and have strength, but they’re not indestructible and are entirely vulnerable during the daytime.

Would they be considered a good way of how to handled the “oppressed fictional species that had super powers” trope or another sloppy way of writing oppression allegory like the X-Men?

I sadly haven't watched Gargoyles BUT from my understanding... That's not really oppression but much closer to an ostracization/bigotry allegory with them. See, I chose my examples for a reason. The mages in Dragon Age are systemically kept in towers to be monitored and controlled. The mutants face active legislation that control their lives and the ruling class is actively seeking ways to deal with them. I believe, from my understanding, that yes the Gargoyles are threatened at the start of the show... But then it's more complicated.

They're actually a lot closer to the TMNT honestly. People who need to fear being recognized as monstrous not because they are evil or bad people but simply because they are so unusual. They do not look like everyone else, they have very different patterns of behavior since most people prefer being out in the day and do have capabilities and weaknesses different from us that we may fear or exploit. This last one may sound weird but like... African American men are tall, that's why we like them for basketball but that size also intimidates those who do not share it.

A fun element to me about them if I'm honest is actually the turning into stone element because it's actually a pitch perfect example of dramatizing what is actual reality. After all... Aren't you helpless when you sleep? Is that not why we return to our homes to lay our heads? And the more you are different from those around you, the more you need to be careful about being stuck somewhere you're not supposed to be when you're tired and vulnerable. Being turned to stone is not really any different, it's just more dramatic because you know they can't wake up. There are hard time limits. These things do not negate the parallels but simply make them more exciting from a viewer's perspective.

So I can't actually say one way or another, again haven't watched the show and this is a complex topic, but from my perspective the show is definitely a good example of a racial allegory but not really of oppression, not entirely at least. I could be wrong though and I apologize that I can't comment more on the nuances of it. The show was just before my time sadly and I've never gone back to watch it. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[riddlerosehearts]

okay, the other day i watched a playthrough of the emperor's new groove video game for playstation 1. a game which, for various reasons, i have never actually played myself. but i wrote down a lot of things about it that i'd now like to share. this is basically a combination of my own thoughts on the game and a summary of all the insane things that happened in it:

the game begins after kuzco has already been turned into a llama and pacha is saying he can't help unless he builds kuzcotopia somewhere else. in the movie this is the scene which leads into kuzco going off into the jungle by himself, but the game has you start by exploring the general area of the village around pacha's hut, where his kids hang out and teach you the mechanics. kuzco also knows from the beginning that yzma is trying to kill him and encounters her as a boss multiple times in the story.

it's fully voice acted, and this is the first time that j.p. manoux had voiced kuzco. he would go on to voice kuzco in the emperor's new school and in various other projects, and while it would've been nice if they could've gotten david spade for these, i think he does a good job. pacha's voice actor is different from either the movie or the show--it's john goodman in the movie + season 2 of the show, fred tatasciore in s1 of the show, and brian cummings here--but he's not too bad either.

pacha: "don't take the villagers' coins!" kuzco: "the villagers are MY people, so those are MY coins."

tipo: "by pressing your action button, you can smash these red pots" kuzco: "good, i feel like smashing something!"

i'm kind of obsessed with the fact that these sort of standard mechanics that you don't normally think about, like keeping money you found on the ground and destroying people's belongings in order to steal their money and items, are explained in this game by the protagonist being an entitled asshole. also obsessed with tipo encouraging kuzco's destructive behavior.

chaca: "this pad raises the columns to form steps! once they're triggered, you better be quick before they lower again." kuzco: "uh, ever thought of making them stay up for good when you press the pad?" chaca: "uhh... no." kuzco: "don't tell me, you got the brains in the family."

KUZCO DON'T BULLY A CHILD AKJDSFHHDJSKGSG

there's a mechanic where you can continue playing from your last checkpoint after dying as long as you've collected a wampy. what's a wampy? it's the name of the funky looking plushie that kuzco has as a baby in the first movie and then again in kronk's new groove:

the above screenshots are from the emperor's new groove, kronk's new groove, and the video game respectively. this is a bit of a tangent, but something i find interesting is that in the emperor's new school kuzco secretly carries a plushie named wampy around everywhere for comfort and that plushie has the same basic design but completely different colors:

and the purple wampy is never seen in the show, so i can only conclude that kuzco keeps multiple of these plushies that all share the same name. maybe he leaves the purple one at home so it doesn't have to endure the horrors of high school.

anyway, back to the game--every time you collect a wampy kuzco hugs it and says things like "awww, it's my wampyyyy" in a cute little baby talk voice. fucking dork <3

there are several little scenes during the village section of the game where chaca and tipo keep showing up to give tutorials and he just keeps making snarky comments at them and asking why they're there and if they don't have anything better to do.

in one of these scenes, tipo shows up to teach kuzco how to open doors and kuzco just goes "how did you get here so fast?". to which tipo replies that this is a game. another time, when chaca explains to kuzco how the wampy mechanic works, he asks how she knows all this and she goes "i don't know! beats me!"

there's a part where some random villager tells llama kuzco to stay away from his statues and kuzco goes "i'm the emperor! open the door or i'll smash your statue to pieces!"

the guy runs off screaming "DEMON LLAMAAAAA!!" and then tipo suddenly shows up to teach you how to smash the statues. i think chicha may need to keep a closer eye on tipo in the future.

SPEAKING OF CHICHA. SHE'S NOT IN THIS FUCKING GAME. if i were actually playing the game and doing a proper review of it i would automatically have to dock points for the lack of chicha.

at the beginning kuzco breaks some kid's llama bike and then the kid keeps showing up in every single chapter with a new bike and challenging kuzco to races. he somehow manages to show up everywhere from the top of a waterfall to the middle of yzma's roller coaster and never once questions why this llama is such a jerk or why he can even talk. also, toward the end of the game you race him one last time and his bike breaks for the millionth time and he says he learned a valuable lesson. that lesson? that these llama bikes suck and he needs to stop buying them.

kuzco hates being touched so much that anytime a guard, bug, bird, etc touches him he says "no touchy" and then loses health.

at one point kuzco gets turned into a turtle and kronk shows up and asks if he's there to enter the annual village race. he refuses at first but then it turns out kronk has an item that kuzco needs to progress, sooooo you have to have turtle kuzco slide on his back down the hill and try to beat kronk in the race.

kronk is voiced by patrick warburton again btw. eartha kitt also returned as yzma for the game. they both returned for each season of the emperor's new school as well, and i believe eartha kitt in particular loved voicing yzma so much that every time they needed her, right up until her death, she showed up.

kuzco cries if you lose the race against kronk, which is understandable considering that losing means he has to climb up to the top of the hill as a turtle again.

at the end of the village section you have to run from yzma as she throws bombs at kuzco and once you manage to get away, kuzco says "you call yourself an end of level boss, yzma? you're rubbish! toodles!"

after this, kuzco ends up going into the jungle despite pacha's repeated warnings that it's too dangerous. and now instead of chaca and tipo, a talking bug trapped in a spiderweb appears to teach him additional mechanics.

when the jaguars from the movie show up kuzco says "time out" and then the frame freezes while he explains to YOU, the player, what you'll have to do to save him.

during the waterfall section chaca is somehow there AGAIN, at the top of the waterfall in a pink llama pool floatie, and is like "oh wow, another llama tied to a log!" (apparently one showed up the previous week) but does not react at all to her dad also being tied to a log. she just explains to them how this level is gonna work and then leaves.

she pops back up again a little later (still on the waterfall. they stretched this part of the movie out a lot) and calls kuzco "kinda short for a llama".

speaking of the game stretching things out a lot, pacha literally says during the waterfall levels: "this scene was much shorter in the film".

there's a whole other jungle section where kuzco spends an extensive amount of time having been turned into a frog. tipo randomly appears to help again during this section.

there's another race with kronk in an icy area that shows kronk to be an excellent ice skater. i would probably be terrible at this if i played the game.

when they finally get into the city kuzco tells pacha he knows the streets like the back of his hand and pacha replies, "but kuzco, you're a llama, you don't have any hands!"

when they separate and kuzco sneaks on his own into the palace, he gets confronted by a naked guy who's conveniently being covered up by a peacock and says the peacocks stole his clothes. he's blocking a path we need to go through so we are forced to find his underwear for him. this guy also does not question wtf is up with the talking llama.

when you get him his underwear back he, uh. well. he uses his magic sparkly underwear to fly away:

what is this guy, the incan version of captain underpants? kuzco then says in a deadpan voice, "this has gotta be the weirdest day of my entire life". can't argue with that!

i've gone way too long without mentioning that this game is primarily a platformer, which is a genre i kind of suck at and don't play often, but appears to have a lot of variety in its gameplay that makes it look pretty fun! the races with kronk, the part where you guide pacha and kuzco down the river, the part where you have to run from the jaguars, the stealth sections, and the various parts where kuzco is transformed into non-llama animals all have different types of gameplay to switch it up. the city is also huge and full of puzzle sections.

when kuzco defeats yzma in his throne room and then meets back up with pacha, they have to take the roller coaster down to yzma's lab and there's a level based on this as well. you have to control the roller coaster and turn it at just the right time to collect coins and avoid falling to your death. this looks like it could be a lot of fun to me.

tipo somehow shows up on the roller coaster to give another tutorial and kuzco tells this 6 year old to make him a sandwich and then insults his haircut 😭 kuzco i love you but why are you like this

before the final battle against yzma she says she's gonna drink a potion to turn herself into a hideous monster and rule the empire forever. and kuzco says "are you sure you didn't drink it already, you old bag of bones?"

there's this huge dramatic buildup to her drinking the potion. and then. it turns her into a cat like in the movie. and that's the final boss battle. you have to race against cat yzma to get the last potion to turn back into a human.

just from the video i watched, this race seemed very short and easy and therefore anticlimactic? but idk, maybe the person playing was just really good at it.

the final scene of the game immediately following this is kuzco visiting the village as a human again and we see scenes like kronk playing jump rope with chaca and tipo, the incan captain underpants guy flying around the roof of a house, bucky the squirrel chasing cat yzma, and kuzco + pacha's family all having a dance party while fireworks go off.

again i must reiterate that this game is missing chicha's legendary and iconic presence. my assumption is that since the characters seem to know they're in a video game, she didn't wanna have to help give kuzco tutorials because it would put too much stress on her while pregnant. still, though, it would've been nice to see her in at least the opening or ending sequences.

in conclusion: as i mentioned, i've never played this game, and the main reason for this is that i didn't know it existed when i was a kid--but even if i had i still most likely wouldn't have played it because i didn't care much about the emperor's new groove back then. the only reason i looked up a playthrough of it was because my autism brain suddenly told me i needed to learn about all of the official emperor's new groove media in existence. however, it really does look like fun and the playthrough i watched wasn't even 5 hours long, so now i kind of wanna give it a try someday? the writing is hilarious. not as hilarious as the actual movie, of course, but it was just so bizarre in such a great way and was very faithful to the movie's complete lack of a fourth wall.

also: this game has the best "game over" screen of all time. whenever kuzco dies it literally just plays a clip of the funeral scene from the movie, all the way through the "he ain't getting any deader, back to work!" bit.

[merelymatt]

To get my upcoming audio drama I Need A Miracle off the page and into the airwaves, I decided against the indie production scramble where everyone donates their time, and against crowdfunding – and instead I basically sent the scripts to @wirelesstheatre and said "What'll it cost to make this happen?", then compared that number to my savings and said "Ok, let's do this".

(It was obviously more businesslike than that, but that was the basic maths of it on my side.)

Here's why I didn't do it those other ways this time:

Why not the indie production scramble?

Scraping it together on a shoestring. Buttonholing friends to perform, using whatever recording equipment I already have to hand, doing as much of the production as possible myself and begging favours for the parts I can't.

In some ways this would have been the easiest option. It doesn't rely on anyone else's approval, or involve putting any new infrastructure together.

But! For me, for I Need A Miracle specifically, this was the option of absolute last resort, for various reasons.

First and foremost, I already have one podcast (@merelyroleplayers) that I run on this basis. I already ask a lot of my friends to perform on that show for nothing, on the promise it'll be fun and I'll buy everyone a pint afterwards. I think you only get one of those, or you should only get one. If you run every project like this, especially if you're calling on the same people each time, it starts getting exploitative.

Second, I'm trying not to exploit myself either, by which I mean, I've put work into writing this series (admittedly on spec), I think it's worthwhile, and I'd like to see if I can make some money in return for that work. And if one person involved in a project is getting paid, everyone should be getting paid.

Why not crowdfund?

There are sub-options within this option: subscriptions and patronage-style funding (like Patreon, Ko-Fi or Gumroad) and up-front project-based funding (like Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Seed & Spark).

I actually have been weighing up the idea of a Patreon or Ko-Fi for a while, not for I Need A Miracle specifically, but for @foggyoutline in general. At the beginning it would effectively be a Merely Roleplayers subscription, because that's currently the only Foggy Outline show. But if enough people pay a bit a month for bonuses like uncut episodes, that could help fund new projects like I Need A Miracle, which could bring in more listeners and more patrons, whose contributions could help fund the next thing, and so on.

But the problem I would have with any kind of crowdfunding model is, right now I'm only pulling a small crowd! I'm an unknown writer, Foggy Outline is an unknown player at least in audio drama. And it seems like to succeed with a crowdfunding campaign, you really need your audience already built and poised to give you money.

If I Need A Miracle takes off and finds its audience, the kudos off that might make crowdfunding an option for the next thing. But I just wasn't confident it would succeed for this show, at least without a load of spend on a consultant and advertising (which then eats into the campaign proceeds).

So go on then, where is the money actually coming from

Me! Supplemented by my Foggy Outline business partners, who are also my Mum and Dad. But the majority of the production costs for I Need A Miracle are coming out of my savings.

This is one of the reasons I prioritised I Need A Miracle over other audio drama projects I'm working on: because it's simple enough that I felt confident I could cover the costs myself if I needed to. There's no dialogue (only monologues), so it's not a complex edit. Most of the episodes take place in one location, with little action beyond the character speaking, so it doesn't call for elaborate sound design. All the episodes are under 20 minutes. For a more complicated production, I would have had to bring in some funding from somewhere, or convinced a producer to take on the production costs themselves. This one was, to some extent, designed (by me) to be more affordable.

It's worth saying that getting started wasn't just a case of getting a quote from Wireless and agreeing to pay it. Producer Sarah Golding read the scripts and wouldn't have taken on the project if she didn't think it was worthwhile. So it's not pure pay-for-play.

So the plan now is:

Sell ads and subscriptions and see how much of the production cost I can get back that way after the fact (I expect not all of it, but that's ok, because...)

Also think of that money I've spent as an investment in both this and future projects – by spending money on an amazing production company that's making the show brilliant, I'm getting something that's hopefully going to make this whole process easier next time. Because next time I can point to Wireless' confidence in my writing, and the quality of I Need A Miracle, (and hopefully its success and acclaim and awards and all its fans), to get someone else to put their hand in their pocket instead, whether that's listeners, producers or sponsors.

[spindrifters]

x. PINNED POST THING

FIC MASTERLIST:

marginalia

WIP. 273k/? E. Canon-divergence dystopian AU. Wolfstar, side Dorlene and eventual Jily.

history books forgot about us

Complete. 25k. E. Ted/Andromeda prequel set in the marginalia verse.

ocho kandelikas

Complete. 11k. T-E. Hannukah anthology of 8 standalone one shots in various timelines and verses. Wolfstar, various side characters and ships.

until our ribs get tough

Complete. 4k. M. Prequel Remus and Lily friendship slice of life set in the marginalia verse.

twentieth century boy

Complete. 3k. E. The Sirius-on-a-leash fic. Wolfstar.

the verge

Disconnected one-shots. Mainly Wolfstar.

SOME TAGS:

x marginalia blogging x mwpp in shorts agenda x lesbian wolfstar x trans remus lupin hours x drabble tag

FAQ:

Can I bookbind your fics?

Please read this so, so carefully, because it's important. If you are designing, printing, and binding the fic yourself for the purpose of keeping it or gifting it on to a friend, then yes. Absolutely. Nothing would make me happier. Fandom is punk and community-oriented and exists outside of the capitalist economy, and I would love nothing more than to see the results of your incredible craftsmanship. But if you're using Lulu or another for-profit printing company to do it, if any money is changing hands at any point in the process, then the answer is a resounding fuck no. If you're confused by this policy, I'm begging you to take the time to read on here about why this trend is such a danger to all of us who write and read fanfiction.

Can I translate/record a podfic of your fics?

Ask me first, but I can't imagine a reason I wouldn't say yes. Just so long as they stay on AO3 and link back to the original fic where you have the option to pick This work is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work. Please don't upload to Spotify.

Can I put your fic on Wattpad or another fic hosting platform?

No.

Can I put your fic on Goodreads or StoryGraph?

Absolutely not.

Can I feed your work to ChatGPT or another AI?

No! What's wrong with you?

Do you have an update schedule?

No. My current WIP is usually updated once or twice a week, but sometimes the wait is longer than that. I have a job and health issues and sometimes even a social life, and I do this on my own time because it brings me joy.

Can I write fic/draw art/create something else inspired by your fics?

Yes! And I hope you understand what a compliment that is! Like I said before, fanfic is punk and community oriented and this is a folkloric tradition. You actually really don't need my permission to do this, but I would ask that any fic stay on AO3 and link back to the original fic where you have the option to pick This work is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work. For anything else, I'd love to see the results of your creativity, and would just ask that due credit and a link back to the original fic are clearly present somewhere.

XO ZO

[rayshippouuchiha]

My opinions on who can and cannot cook in Reborn, regardless of canonicity. It’s just the Vibes.

KHR characters that can Actually Cook, IMO; Tsuna (it’s the tired mom vibes), Kyoko and Ryohei (I feel like they’d bond over it-), Takeshi, Hibari (for some reason?), Squalo probably (it’s the tired mom vibes again), Skull, Colonello

KHR characters that can’t Actually Cook, IMO; Hayato, Hana, Bianchi, Mukuro and Chrome (one is organless and the other is a melted freezie pop), Lal Mirch, Reborn, Verde (I refuse to believe he eats anything other than instant ramen cups)

Tell Me Your Thoughts

If we're going just Vibes instead of Canon? Well this ended up being way longer than I intended but:

Tsuna - I do feel like he could cook (Tired Mom Vibes like you said) if given the chance in the kitchen with no one around bothering him but most of the time wouldn't bother if it's just him.

Kyoko & Ryohei - I feel like they both think they can cook but in reality everything they make is fucking odd ala Orihime from Bleach

Takeshi - For him the vibes are the same as canon for me - he can make any sushi you can think of but if it's not in sushi form or cup ramen he struggles

Hibari - No one knows because cooking is a herbivorous activity he'd never be caught doing unless it's a freshly caught and skinned animal over an open fire in the wilderness somewhere. Plus he has people for that and/or takes the food off people he bites to death like they dropped loot.

Squalo - can cook out of self-defense/an attempt to herd the Varia and has some of the wildest but most stunningly precise knife work. Can't bake though, he's too Him for that.

Skull - I will always headcanon him as someone who can unexpectedly throw down in the kitchen and he has a wide range of recipes from various cultures because of all the travel he did as a stuntman. But not many people know that cause they just assume he's incompetent.

Colonnello - He can make exactly 3 dishes and only 1.5 of them well

Gokudera - Can't cook and has a complicated relationship with food because of trauma. Prefers packaged food that no one else has touched unless he 100% trusts the cook. But could absolutely bake if he attempted to because he's more science-minded and baking is more precise.

Hana - Normal person levels of cooking but she doesn't enjoy it

Bianchi - Can technically cook but doesn't really matter

Chrome - Can't cook but high-key wishes she could so she could make cutesy bento boxes and cakes

Mukuro - Probably had an incarnation that could cook and as such refuses to cook. Steals food instead if necessary.

Lal Mirch - Tries but constantly gets frustrated because her dishes never turn out right

Verde - Doesn't cook but probably could if he tried but it's a moot point because he's developed a nutrient slurry/pill that gives him everything he needs so he doesn't have to waste time in the kitchen. Makes a bitching coffee though with enough caffeine to kill a lesser man

Reborn - Can cook because he has a chef cosplay and he can't help but commit to the bit. That being said he generally prefers to mooch off someone else. Also low-key has a soft spot for peasant food/dishes when no one is looking.

[thefreakydeaky]

You're No Good (Part 5)

Negan Smith x Reader

Various TWD Characters x Reader

Modern AU

Summary: Your husband came up with a way to keep you away from trouble but trouble just won't stay away from you.

Warnings: Angst

Negan texted you to meet him at a bar he'd been told about across town. Eager to get out of the house, you freshened your make up a bit, changed into a somewhat nicer outfit and left home.

You pasted the address Negan had given you into google maps and without really looking, selected the first option to pop up. Twenty minutes later when you arrived at your destination, you regretted not paying closer attention. You knew The Tap, knew it so well you had made friends with the bartender. Lots of cops liked to hang out there, Shane among them. You texted Negan about going somewhere, anywhere, else, but he didn't read your message.

You found a place to park as soon as you could and prepared to go in. Surely it had been long enough that your face had been forgotten.All you could think to do was go in and drag Negan out.

The Tap was an old place. It hadn't been updated one bit you noticed, your eyes going over the familiar honey wood bar and red vinyl bar stools. You could almost swear the Christmas lights they had up were the same ones from over ten years ago. You shook your head and focused on getting to the tables in the back, where Negan said he'd be. You made it almost to the end of the bar when someone called your name.

"Hey! We've missed you around these parts." The bartender told you. "How've you been?"

"Hey, Gavin. I'm good. I'm doing good. How are you?" You replied.

"The kids are good. The wife is happy. I can't complain." He reached for a glass and went to work making you what used to be your go to drink order, an amarretto sour.

You thanked him and picked up the glass.

"You here with someone?" He asked as he refilled someone's pint.

"I'm meeting my husband here actually." Your eyes scanned over the nearest two tables.

"What's he look like?"

"Tall, kind of on the thin side, dark greying hair..." You took a sip of your drink. "Wearing a suit."

Gavin nodded.

"Last table on the right."

"Thanks, Gavin." You smiled at him and went to meet your husband.

Negan stood up when he saw you.

"Hello, Baby." He greeted you. You went into his arms and gave him a kiss.

"Hello, Handsome." You couldn't help the warm grin that spread across your lips. "How was work?"

"It was a good day and you know, this is a pretty great place." Negan commented. Pulling the chair next to him out for you.

You didn't sit.

"I'm glad you've been enjoying yourself, but we've got to go." You tried not to make it sound too urgent, but still to convey the importance that you leave.

He raised one almost perfectly shaped dark eyebrow.

"Come on, Baby. You just got your drink and I haven't finished this one just yet." He patted the chair beside his.

You frowned.

"I'm serious, Negan. We have to go."

He released a puzzled chuckle.

"You came all the way here just to tell me we have to leave? I've only had two, Babe. How drunk did you think I'd be?"

"No, it's not that. It's-it's..."

"I'm not ready to go yet. Let's sit here and relax a while, hmm?" He tried to reason with you.

"Negan, please. Can you trust me on this? It's important that we leave be-"

"Well don't go on my account." Shane retorted over your shoulder. "Cause I am perfectly comfortable with you being here."

You cringed at the sound of his voice.

"We were just leaving." You told Shane. "Come on, Negan."

Shane stuck out his hand.

"Hey, Negan is it? I'm Shane."

Negan shook his hand looking between the two of you as if trying to work out who he was to you.

"You another one of her affairs or are you the husband?" Shane shot off.

You winced. You couldn't bring yourself to look at Negan.

"Look, I said I was sorry. I am. I'm sorry, but as I was saying-"

"Do you know, she didn't tell me she was married till after?" Shane spoke directly to Negan, ignoring you. "During she was telling me she missed me and she loved me, but after," He laughed a hollow humorless sound. "After, she tells me she's married. Do you think that's right? Cause I don't think that's right."

You glared at Shane.

"I never said that," You grit your teeth. "All I said was that you were a good lay."

Negan stood then. You watched him, worried. The expression on his face gave nothing away, but you knew how he felt. You had felt the same way when you received a phone call from the woman he slept with. He went around you, straight to the bar to pay his tab.

"What? You don't have anything to say?" Shane prodded, following behind him.

Negan signed the receipt, took up his card and put it back in his wallet.

"What she does while I'm at work is her business."

Shane turned to look at you, disbelief and anger in his eyes.

"You're an adult and yet here you are trying to what? Tell on her? Get her in trouble? Grow up." Negan responded in a tired voice and left the bar.

•••••••••••••

"Negan?" You came into your house through the garage. The whole drive back home you had been worrying yourself about what Negan was thinking. How shitty he must be feeling. You didn't know what you would do if he left you.

"Negan?" You called again walking down the long hallway to the back of the house.

He didn't respond. You checked his office and finding it empty went to your bedroom.

Negan was in a pair of sweats and a white undershirt, sitting in bed watching basketball.

You let out a breath of relief. You had thought up a scenario where he would be packing up and leaving.

You sat at the edge of the bed by his legs.Your gaze was on the hardwood floor.

"I'm so sorry." You took a deep breath. "I never said I loved him. He was just trying to-"

"I don't really wanna talk about this right now." He told you.

"But-"

He said your name in a stern tone. "I said, no."

You faced him.

The way his jaw was set, his eyes filled with emotion, you knew he was hurt and so you left it alone for the time being.

[longeyelashedtragedy]

get to know me tag from @heffer-wen this is a good one!

tagging: @perfectpiety @echthr0s @colorsofmyseason @kvaradonaa @protect-daniel-james @thundercrack @arsenalgbt @steeple-sinderby-wanderers @lamperry4ever (this is all optional of course!!!)

1. Do you make your bed?

I only properly make my bed when I change my sheets, but I can't stand to have the bed looking janky when i come home, so I wrestle with my thicc blanket until it's decently even and neat on the bed, and if the pillows have gone wild I'll straighten them out a little. if any of my over 9000 stuffed animals are on the floor I'll pick them up of course.

2. Favourite number?

24! my birthday, and a nice solid good number, can fit lots of other numbers into it. 17 has been an Important number for my bff and me, and I have a religion based fondness for 18...but 24 it is.

3. What's your job?

my job is very cool and specific and I love it, but it's not one I would ever want to mix with my online persona for various reasons. in fact I've always worked in an "industry" that I think should never mix with my nsfw ways on here. always happy to talk about it in private!

4. If you could go back to school would you?

oh hale to the FUCK no. I hate school. I haven't liked school since I graduated high school. my brain can't be made to think like that and do so much work to other people's specifications--and then there's sitting in class and having to listen to other people talk, I couldn't give less of a shit if I tried! I'm a voracious self directed learner--I want to learn something new like, every second--but this doesn't translate well into a school setting.

unfortunately--a job I think would be really cool to have, I'd have to get a master's and certification, and while I think I'd be great at the job, I'd be right shit at the kind of work the degree requires you to do to pass. (I could easily do the job with good mentoring and maybe like...one course, but that's how so many things are.) Maybe if I marry rich I'd go back! Frank lampard step the fuck up!

5. Can you parallel park?

I could do it just to pass my driver's test and have done it like. twice since. I'm terrible 😭 I have visual-spatial-perceptual whatever deficits and just can't do it. I also have a spot missing from my peripheral vision on my left side so parking on that side is even more confusing. my sister however is great at those things and yet she also can barely parallel park, you should see the two of us try to do it together, it's a full on yakety sax comedy. the WORST is here in the city, people stop on the street and give you unsolicited advice while you park and this gives me so much anxiety that I can't even remember what to do.

6. Do you think aliens are real?

not really? I suppose there's sentient life somewhere but is it likely to be humanoid? I'm terrified of space (I'm one of those would rather go to the bottom of the ocean than outer space freaks) so I try not to think about it

7. Can you drive a manual car?

what to heck,,,,,,,,,,,,of course I can't 🇺🇸 shamed by having to pay more to rent an automatic when I've driven in Europe

8. Guilty pleasure?

disregarding my dietary restrictions? I also have the bad habit of reading what scents my hot favs wear and then buying cheap samples. today one arrived that I forgot I'd ordered so now my wrists smell like chanel allure. I'm indifferent? it smells like Ladies' Perfume

what else...idk, I'm not too guilty about my pleasures really

9. Tattoos?

none--I have a couple of ideas, but have never been tempted to actually do it?

10. Favourite colour?

black and pink!

11. Favourite type of music?

I like things that are loud and repetitive and insistent. sometimes screechy. I like listening to other languages. my favorite instrument is the bagpipes (how do I say that in a grammatically correct way ffs) if that helps! will always go for: good rap/hip hop, 80s thrash metal, eastern european/balkan folk music, techno (the darker and more berghainy the better), other weird electronica, the beatles, most things that came out of the 80s

12. Do you like puzzles?

the kind with pieces? those are fun, I just don't have any room to spread one out. other kinds, like logic and shit, absolutely not, my brain doesn't work like that at all

13. Any phobias?

insects, and the main one: food contamination, but not the kind you're thinking--I definitely am more anxious than the average person about the food I eat being contaminated, but what the phobia actually is is more like...places where food shouldn't be being contaminated by bits of food...It's very specific and I've always had it but it's getting worse as I get older. like, imagine if you go into a restaurant and there's a couple of crumbs on the chair, or like, a bit of dirt on the underside of the waiter's tray. you'll just brush them off, right? or like, just not care about the bottom of a tray? I feel sick to my stomach and my heart is racing a bit just imagining this. what a privilege!

I'm also fucking terrified of being alone in elevators, but I'm not sure if that counts as a phobia? (I'm afraid of getting stuck in one by myself--as long as there's another person in there I don't care lol)

14. Favourite childhood sport?

swimming was my only one--I begged for lessons, started young, and was pretty good, did a swim team and everything. otherwise I am horrible at sports--I can't run (never could), and have no hand-eye coordination (did some occupational therapy at age 18 but it was Too Late), and again, those visual perceptual spatial issues! I wasn't terrible at floor hockey and volleyball in gym class I guess. footy was my worst 😭 in 8 years of gym I scored one goal--an own goal

15. Do you talk to yourself?

Not really.

16. What movies do you adore?

hmmm...I am not a huge movies person, but here's a list:

mulholland drive

mary poppins

the producers (mostel/wilder, 1967)

willy wonka & the chocolate factory (gene wilder version ONLY)

little miss sunshine

moulin rouge

cabaret

my cousin vinny

run lola run

y tu mamá también

the sound of music

chicago

kill bill vol. 1

cidade de deus

diarios de motocicleta

buena vista social club (not without its problematic side, but the musicians/music is so joyous)

the wedding singer

anklaget/the accused (weird danish movie that I don't think anyone i know has heard of?)

le dîner de cons

kamchatka

imagine me and you

ghostbusters 2016 (i will DIE on this hill)

brokeback mountain

team america: world police

rear window

amadeus

the crow

the incredibles

spaceballs

a shot in the dark

airplane!

romeo + juliet

school of rock

american psycho

uncut gems

rebecca

dial m for murder

17. Tea or coffee?

coffee! please. tea makes me feel a bit sick

18. First thing you wanted to be growing up?

I wanted to be an opera singer and a "lady mover" (we moved twice in the span of like, 2 and a half years when I was little)

[babblable]

So, I'm not deaf(?), but I just bought some hearing amplifiers because I'm poor and tired and figured I needed *something* to tide me over until I talk to my doctor on the 5 of August. Why did I do this? Well, over the years of my life I have suffered a lot of trauma, from my mother screaming at me for "ignoring" her and asking "what?" too much- to teachers doing the same thing for the same reason, all the way up til now, as an adult in a safe environment with unfortunately declining health in various ways due to childhood neglect, still asking those questions but getting affirmed with a repeated answer or a gentle "did you hear me?" Followed by a repeated answer if I responded to that with "no"! But!!! Because I've been able to hear 75% of things- level and quality of hearing those things having constantly been claimed unimportant by the adults throughout my childhood- I've just come to believe that my hearing is Fine and I'm just "being difficult".

Apparently, that was wrong and I only found this out because I work at a call center now and before a couple days ago, we shared desks.

And my deskmate? A small little elderly lady with no problems with her hearing.

I noticed one day that she always had the volume turned to half on the phone. Meanwhile, me, believing that my hearing Totally and Completely Fine, had to turn the phone volume to MAX and I STILL struggled to hear the customers who'd call in.

After a week of this, I decided "fuck it" and bought a pair of hearing amps on a whim.

Y'all when I say I was blown away by the fact that the world is so much more noisy, I wasn't joking.

I thought that there was Silence outside when I'd pick up delivery orders, outside of the occasional car passing by of course.

But no. No no. My best friend, @chuubifrog, had to tell me that Silence Does Not Exist when I asked him about it and that the humming I was hearing now when going outside is a mixture of the wind, the cars from the highway which is more than 500ft from our house, the entire neighborhoods A/C units, a wind chime from a neighbor down the street and a cricket somewhere nearby.

"W. what the fuck do you MEAN there is no Silence???"

"I'm honestly surprised you've experienced Silence at all. This is what the world sounds like."

"no fucking wonder everyone's always so angry."

I ALSO LEARNED that SODA fizz makes a noise! That I was always thought of as being aggressive or giving an attitude because it sounded like I was slamming things when really, I THOUGHT I was being GENTLE based off the noise of what I was "slamming".

I learned that the dog we have isn't just annoying to hear scrambling throughout the house bc of his nails, but downright painful to hear. I learned that the vents at work are so loud I can't hear myself think very well and I'm m surprised that we all manage to speak over it.

I learned that the reason my mother and other people I live with tell me to turn things down so often is because I couldn't hear it unless it was loud, and that it was REALLY disruptive to everyone else!

I learned that my phone is fine, actually! It's NOT busted because I had to talk to people on speaker and have it close to ears to hear it on max volume! I just couldn't hear in general.

And so, I realize now that so many issues I had growing up would have been so easily solved if the adults around me had bothered to listen when I said "I can sort of hear it...(But not very well)" or "I can't hear it.." instead of playing the noise again and making me "focus" on it really hard, often times resulting in their increased anger when the answer remained the same, I chose to lie to please them or they gave up, claimed I was being difficult and marked me as having perfect hearing.

I walk a line, apparently. And that line is "not enough to be marked as disabled, but too disabled have good quality of life without aid". It isn't the phrasing I wanted, but it's what my brain could put together.

And I am now conflicted between the euphoria of being able to hear all the things that I couldn't hear before, being overloaded sensory-wise and sadness as I sit here wondering why it took 26 years of abuse, neglect, a safer environment, an elderly coworker sharing my desk and a really cheap set of knock off hearing aids for me to realize that I'm hard of hearing.

I'm choosing to see the bright side, but I'm also going to ask my doctor about it on the 5th.

For anyone else who may think they might be HOH because of similar reasons, try out a cheap set of hearing amplifiers from Walmart or something. If you can hear the wind or the soda fizz with them on after years of Silence, then you should ask your doctor about the subject.

[phantasiiae]

[ hidden ]   your muse having sex with mine somewhere semi-public. // throws this @ Aerith and runs

Sunday funday || Accepting

It was so very sweet of Genesis to surprise Aerith with a dinner date. They both know the risks, considering, but maybe he spoke to Tseng, or maybe he did something else to keep the Turks of their backs. Regardless, it's like something out of Aerith's dreams. He got her a new dress and she did her hair and makeup for once. Going plateside makes her nervous for various reasons, but she knows that nothing would happen to her with Genesis there.

The restaurant they go to is fancier and more expensive than anything Aerith could even fathom. Part of her feels like she needs to tell him that it's too much, that she's not worth that much, but she knew he wouldn't have it, so she just enjoys their night out, feeling pampered for the first time, well, ever.

Now, she can admit that she's been teasing him, a promise of how she'd thank him later. It's a bit cruel, but she really can't help herself. He just looks so incredibly handsome all dressed up that it takes all she has to not jump on him in the middle of the restaurant. Though...that's when she gets an idea. Maybe a stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless.

She excuses herself to the bathroom, pausing to give him a mischievous look, one that he might hopefully understand. Thankfully, there are family restrooms, so maybe they wouldn't be disturbed.

It only takes a few minutes for a knock to be heard on the door, followed by Genesis' voice quietly calling her name. She opens it and yanks him inside, slamming their lips together as she locks the door behind them. "I could just eat you up," she breathes into his mouth, giggling when she's pushed back against the wall. "I'd say we have about ten minutes before someone starts looking, sooo we better make it quick."

No problem, of course. His hand is already up her dress, between her legs, leaving her breathless. She can feel his erection pressed up against her thigh, so she makes quick work of undoing the button on his trousers and pulling them down just enough to free him. It's frantic, it's almost too quick for her liking, but she knows they'll have time later to make up for it.

Grinning, she pulls her dress up around her waist, hooking a leg around him to tug him close. That's when he finally pushes inside of her, and she lets out a sigh, a pleasant shiver running through her. "You always feel so good, you always fuck me so good, Gen, fuck--" she encourages as he begins to move, biting back her moans as his hips snap against her, quick and unrelenting.

It doesn't take long for either of them to finish, Aerith burying her face in his shoulder as she finds her release to muffle her moans. She can feel him finish inside of her a few moments after, and she lets out a breath, laughing shakily.

"O-okay, uh--let me get cleaned up. You go out first," she says as she untangles herself from him, grinning. "When we get back to the church, there'll be a looot more where that came from. Promise."