#and people are being extremely tone deaf

[via-fm]

“that sucks, it was my birthday” “people just have to ruin it” OH MY GOD IT WASN’T SOME PEOPLE RUINING THE VIBE A LITERAL TERRORIST ATTACK WAS PLANNED ?????????

[capricornsicle]

something something the villain of the season (the one about how fear can give way to extremism if you're not careful and how easy it is for many, many people to become radicalized by one person's radical hate and how genocide is a bad thing actually regardless of whether individuals of the targeted group have themselves done terrible things) being a black woman who survived an incident of indiscriminate mass murder is perhaps. not the best idea considering the themes involved

[smoothoperador]

oh ok so half the people who are discussing the oppenheimer movie haven't even watched it. good to know

[halalchampagnesocialist]

How to spot Liberal Zionist Propaganda 101

This post is by no means exhaustive at all. There are many Liberal Zionist talking points but these are just some of the most common ones. While on the surface they seem a little naive and hopeful at best, they are very much harmful. If you claim to be an ally to Palestinians, this post is primarily for you!

For starters, liberal Zionists will often try to both-sides the issue of Palestine, talk about how it's complicated, they'll claim that the conflict hurts both Israelis and Palestinians, how the only way forward is one where Jews and Arabs "just need to get along," amongst other things. They also often like to centre themselves, even when acknowledging Palestinians as the victims of Israel or this "conflict." From time to time, they also like to engage in tokenising certain Palestinians whose views tend to more or less align with theirs. Here are some common arguments you may hear from them:

1. Any form of justifying Israel's existence or claiming that the only solution is two states

It does not really need to be said why justifying Israel's existence is harmful but justifying its continued existence also means legitimising Israel's land theft, its expulsions of Palestinians, and its ongoing harm to Palestinians and other populations. Reducing any sorts of “solutions” into a binary is unhelpful. Needless to say, a 2ss would not even address any legitimate concerns Palestinian have, such as the right of return, and would only legitimise Israel’s colonialism. Talking about a two-state solution also implies that the root of the conflict lies in Palestinians not having their own state rather than being an occupied people. It is very much also possible to construct a paradigm where Jews and Palestinians both live together on the same land as equal citizens that doesn't involve two separate states, much less an ethnostate.

2. Security for Israel could only come through peace

This is a similar talking point to the one above. Not only does it centre Israeli safety and security above Palestinian liberation but it mistakenly assumes that once Israel makes peace with Palestinians, it'll achieve security. The reality, however, is that Israel's imagined security has quite often come at the expense of peace. In fact, "peace" has just acted as nothing more than a smoke-screen for Israel to carry out its expansionist policies, particularly in the West Bank. When liberal Zionists talk about peace juxtaposed with Israeli security, they're talking about attaining a negative peace rather than a positive one.

3. Israelis are not their government.

This point does nothing to actually help Palestinians. It is also an incredibly tone-deaf thing to say when Israel has targeted many Palestinian civilians by having alleged proximity to Hamas, such as being family members of militants or leaders (inc. children!), civil servants in a Hamas-led government, or even any male above the age of 15 they consider to be a potential combatant! It also deliberately erases Israeli civilians' support of and culpability in Israel's actions towards Palestinians.

4. Netanyahu and/or the Israeli right are the source of conflict.

While it is true that things have gotten inadvertently worse under Israel's various right-wing governments, they are not the source of conflict, but rather a product of extremist nationalism and Jewish supremacy perpetuated by the system. Both the 1967 occupations and settlements were undertaken under centre-left governments in Israel, and Israeli policy under non-right wing governments has been just as harmful towards Palestinians and has paved the way for where we are today. Blaming Netanyahu just also obscures the violent nature of Israel's military occupation over Palestinians which long precede him coming into power.

5. Netanyahu and Hamas are two sides of the same coin

I don't think I've seen any allies give validity to this claim but it's an extremely reductionist claim and is sort of similar to the one above. Groups like Hamas are merely a response to the Israeli occupation while Netanyahu is a byproduct of it. While some Israelis may see Hamas or their actions as an "obstacle to peace," Israel's actions and policies long pre-date Hamas and how Israel is currently responding to Hamas is no different to how Israel has engaged with Palestinian militant groups in the past, regardless of political affiliations or political goals. It is also important to note that Hamas has agreed to the establishment of a state along 1967 borders while Netanyahu aims to prolong the occupation and empower the settler movement (some of whom are part of his coalition government) as much as possible.

6. Israel is not a settler-colonial state.

While it is indisputable that Jews have historical connections to Palestine, that doesn’t automatically make you Indigenous or negate Israeli settler-colonialism. Colonialism in particular describes a relationship of exploitation. There are many cases of this, but we most clearly see this in the West Bank where Israel exploits natural resources on occupied Palestinian territory for its own political and economic gains. In terms of settler-colonialism, it is widely known that Israel expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to make way for Jewish refugees and migrants to the new state of Israel, and is still actively facilitating Jewish migration to Israel today while denying Palestinians their right of return.

7. (X) doesn't help Palestinians.

It is not up to anyone to determine whether certain tactics or strategies are helpful or not. This point only seeks to discredit pro-Palestine organising. Only Palestinians get to decide what is actually helpful for the cause or not.

8. Any sort of Hamas-blaming.

On the surface it may seem like there’s nothing wrong with this, but this point is often harmful and usually lends itself to right-wing talking points because its objective is to deflect blame away from Israel. Certain arguments blaming Hamas also aim to minimise Palestinian suffering perpetuated by Israel. It also paints Israeli violence as retaliatory to Palestinian violence which only obfuscates Israel’s (and by extension, the US’) role in its state military apparatus and the differing power dynamics between Israelis and Palestinians. In other contexts, this point seeks to also legitimise certain opposition, such as the Palestinian Authority. Hamas-blaming also tends to sometimes lead to racist diatribes about Palestinians and their culture.

9. Al-Jazeera is not a credible news source.

Al Jazeera is a news source like any other. It has varying editorial policies and therefore will have equally good reporting on certain issues while having terrible reporting on others. The difference is that Al-Jazeera's news on Palestine is credible because it comes directly from their Palestinian reporters on the ground and first-hand eyewitness accounts. Western news sources are no more or less credible than al-Jazeera. Compare this to CNN, NYT, and any other Western news sources where Palestinian voices are often entirely missing from the narrative.

10. Overemphasis of antisemitism on the left

Antisemitism is a real issue and has the potential to fester in left circles if not directly addressed head on. Combatting antisemitism is extremely important, however, it is not an issue exclusive to the left. There is also a double standard in that no one expects Zionists to call out Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. Certain accusations of "antisemitism" also seek to distract from what's going on in Palestine by making it about Jewish comfort and feelings. Combatting antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism etc is always important as the basis of good politics.

Last but not least, be wary of native collaborators or any sort of normalisers! They are Palestinians or Arabs who try very hard to appeal to Western liberal consensus and can end up perpetuating a lot of harm to the cause and/or other activists. You will know them when you see them.

[welcometoqueer]

Some U.S. election news updates (as of afternoon November 7, 2024):

Many states, including major battleground ones, have started recounting votes on their own despite there still being no national call for a recount. Some of these states recounting or considering recounting as of November 7, 2024 include: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona (considering), and Texas (considering).

Most news outlets have been covering state laws regarding recounts and what a recount could mean. Notably, right-wing sources like Fox News have not mentioned the possibility of a recount or the high demand for one (hmmm).

In cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia, people took to the streets in a peaceful protest to demand a recount (wait, you can protest peacefully?? without starting an insurrection?? Crazy).

More information alleging Trump cheating has come forward, although many people are expressing their frustrations over there being little to no coverage of election interference by the mainstream media. Additionally, many Democratic voters are vowing to boycott news sources such as CNN and MSNBC due to their apparent tone-deaf and lackluster response to the allegations.

On Twitter, hashtags such as “Do Not Concede Kamala,” “Recount 2024,” “He/Trump Cheated,” and “Rigged” continue to trend nationally since election night.

Also in the Twitter hellscape, Elon Musk has been removing posts with resources, posts alleging Trump cheated, and posts with information on how to check your ballot and demand a recount. This is awfully suspicious and concerning behavior from someone who has also been accused of bribing voters, which is a federal crime.

Many people are also sharing their grief over the extreme likelihood of programs and services such as Social Security, Medicare, SNAP, the Department of Education, and others being diminished or fully gutted as many Republican lawmakers and Trump have promised to do. Already today (Nov. 7), House Republicans have proposed a bill that would reduce social security payments for U.S.Americans who receive disability benefits or a pension.

There are also concerns over imposed tariffs, the United States losing its NATO membership, and the potential dissolving of the United Nations.

Many MAGA Trump supporters have started to be more emboldened, not just in the Twitter space. Multiple parents have come forward to share that young boys at their children’s schools have also begun repeating the “your body, my choice” mantra, leaving other kids in distress.

Speaking of distress, nationwide, queer and trans people have been largely absent from work and school. Since election night, LGBTQ+ and other helplines have had long waits due to such high demand.

TW: suicide mention, skip the next paragraph

There’s been over 2000+ suicides of just LGBTQ+ individuals since election night and the numbers keep increasing drastically.

End TW

Politically, sitting President Joe Biden addressed the nation today to discuss a “peaceful transfer of power.” He addressed people questioning Donald Trump’s win and the election system saying: “It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent, and it can be trusted, win or lose."

Needless to say, no one was pleased by his response and are still demanding an investigation or recount.

Other political figures such as Bernie Sanders and the Obamas’ released their own statements regarding the election.

The Obamas’ had a very professional yet disappointed statement.

Bernie Sanders however, took a different approach, sharing the mass sentiment among democratic voters and criticizing the Democratic Party based on their response to the situation. “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”

[ID:

Multiple videos and images with election news and updates.

The first video, posted to Twitter, is of an Anti-Trump protest in Chicago.

These should be peacefully taking place all over the country. This is what democracy is about, not storming Capitol buildings. Right MAGA? pic.twitter.com/lgzsP41Lze — Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) November 7, 2024.

The video shows people in the streets of Chicago and in front of Trump tower peacefully protesting in demand for a recount and investigation.

Protesters chants include:

“Donald Trump, you will see!”

“Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Donald Trump, go away!”

and “You’re not welcome in this town! Donald Trump, you fascist clown!”

The second video was also posted to Twitter by CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) on November 6, 2024. It’s a video from MSNBC reporting on the strange behavior of Trump leading up to the election where he repeatedly said he didn't need votes. These statements seem to imply that regardless of how people voted, he expected to gain power.

The next image is of the official statement regarding the election results by Barack and Michelle Obama.

The statement reads:

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT AND MRS. OBAMA ON THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 6, 2024

“Over the last few weeks and through Election Day, millions of Americans cast their votes - not just for president, but for leaders at every level. Now the results are in, and we want to congratulate President Trump and Senator Vance on their victory. This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues. But living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won't always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power. Michelle and I could not be prouder of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz - two extraordinary public servants who ran a remarkable campaign. And we will always be grateful to the staff and volunteers who poured their heart and soul into electing public servants they truly believed in. As I said on the campaign trail, America has been through a lot over the last few years - from a historic pandemic and price hikes resulting from the pandemic, to rapid change and the feeling a lot of folks have that, no matter how hard they work, treading water is the best they can do. Those conditions have created headwinds for democratic incumbents around the world, and last night showed that America is not immune. The good news is that these problems are solvable - but only if we listen to each other, and only if we abide by the core constitutional principles and democratic norms that made this country great. In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won't always see eye-to-eye on everything. But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace - even to people with whom we deeply disagree. That's how we've come this far, and it's how we'll keep building a country that is more fair and more just, more equal and more free.”

The last two images are Bernie Sanders’ statement on the election results, criticizing the response of the Democratic Party.

Sanders’ statement reads:

NEWS: Sanders Statement on the Results of the 2024 Presidential Election November 6, 2024 BURLINGTON, Vt. - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today released the following statement in response to the outcome of the 2024 presidential election:

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them. First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they're right. Today, while the very rich are doing phenomenally well, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and we have more income and wealth inequality than ever before. Unbelievably, real, inflation-accounted-for weekly wages for the average American worker are actually lower now than they were 50 years ago. Today, despite an explosion in technology and worker productivity, many young people will have a worse standard of living than their parents. And many of them worry that Artificial Intelligence and robotics will make a bad situation even worse. Today, despite spending far more per capita than other countries, we remain the only wealthy nation not to guarantee health care to all as a human right and we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. We, alone among major countries, cannot even guarantee paid family and medical leave. Today, despite strong opposition from a majority of Americans, we continue to spend billions funding the extremist Netanyahu government's all out war against the Palestinian people which has led to the horrific humanitarian disaster of mass malnutrition and the starvation of thousands of children. Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign? Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do they have any ideas as to how we can take on the increasingly powerful Oligarchy which has so much economic and political power? Probably not. In the coming weeks and months those of us concerned about grassroots democracy and economic justice need to have some very serious political discussions. Stay tuned.”

/end ID]

[severussnapemylove]

Sometimes I wonder if JKR even realises she wrote Snape as a victim of sexual assault. Because he unambiguously is, and she writes him as traumatised by the incident. So it seems mad to suggest that she might not have thought through the implications of her own writing, but if she did get it, I am baffled by how sympathetic she remains to James. Harry is never really made to confront how vile his actions were, because he looks for comfort from Remus and Sirius rather than telling Hermione who would react in horror and disgust, and he gets to skip over it completely in The Prince’s Tale. JKR clearly considers James a hero, and has confirmed that in interviews. She’s even more sympathetic to Lily, who is portrayed as an absolute paragon of goodness, morality and virtue, despite her being attracted enough to James *after* he publicly commits sexual assault on a less privileged kid to marry him! What a malfunctioning moral compass. JKR also has no sympathy at all for Tom Riddle Sr, who is a victim of rape, and his rapist Merope Gaunt, who is herself strongly implied to be a victim of incestual abuse, is condemned by Dumbledore and the narrative not for what she did to Tom but for not being as courageous as nice, pretty, middle class Lily Evans because Merope committed the crime of…dying in childbirth. The only conclusions I can draw from this is that JKR is the sort of ´feminist’ who doesn’t believe men can be the victims of sexual crimes, and that deep down she thinks being a member of the underclass who can’t drag themselves out of it alone is indicative of moral failure.

This! All of this!

I don't think she puts it together at all. She's incredibly tone deaf about a lot of the abuse she puts these characters through. And with the blasé attitude she has about male victims of SA in the books definitely goes along her brand of toxic radical "feminism". It looks like she just doesn't recognise the severity of what happens to these characters. On top of Severus's attack and Tom Riddle Sr, remember that Ron was roofied with love spell that was intended for Harry, and Moaning Myrtle is incredible predatory towards the boys. Sadly, this attitude carries over from the author to a chunk of the fandom too. I've seen so much dismissiveness of the assaults against the male characters, especially Severus. And it's even more disappointing when I see people who have experienced abuse saying that what Severus endured "didn't count" as abuse. Had someone today on another platform having an absolute meltdown at me, saying that what happened in SWM wasn't sa, and that he wasn't traumatised from his abuse and if his anger was caused by trauma then why wasn't Harry the same. Seriously, you can't tell another person that what they experienced wasn't "bad enough to be abuse", that's a very warped mentality. Survivors are supposed to support each other, not belittle each other's trauma. Also, what book did they read that they think Harry doesn't have issues from the life he endured? He has different issues than Severus, yes, because he had different life experiences and everyone's reactions to trauma are different.

"Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage."

WTF is this!!!??? This is just plain victim blaming. "Your mothers' courage"? Lily had supportive, loving parents, was loved by her peers, admired by her teachers, had a very comfortable, secure life. Merope was physically and mentally abused for her whole life. They really criticized the poverty stricken, abuse victim for not being as "strong" as the Mary Sue of the Wizarding World??? Toxic as hell. Personally, as someone who has dealt with self-harm, mental illness and generational trauma in my family, this attitude of "they weren't strong enough" is nauseating and infuriating.

There really is a disturbing trend of extreme poverty equalling a dead-end life with no hope. Which is again an extremally toxic and judgmental attitude and a very dangerous message to put in a book aimed to children. The attitude towards abuse, poverty and indecent assault of men is beyond problematic, not only in the books but in far too many members of the fandom.

I could rant more but this will go on for pages.

[brattybunny13]

Mother of shadows

So, I wrote a little something based on a role play I did with someone a while ago. Shadow monster x reader type story. MDNI!!

Warnings: cnc, corruption, pregnancy, eldritch God, tentacles, womb tattoo, implied cannibalism, blood, breeding.

Part 1 (still to be determined if more will come)

Imagine being a witch in an old forest. Imagine feeling a pull towards a cave that the towns people warned you against. They speak of an ancient God that has existed there since the mountains burst from the earth.

It starts with a pull, a pull that soon turns to whispers in the night. Those whispers become a voice that speaks to you when you least expect it. It's a deep voice that speaks in a tongue you aren't familiar with, yet you can understand its seductive tone. It makes you blush and burn in ways you don't understand yet. You find yourself waking up in a sweat after having very vivid dreams with an ache between your legs. You slip your hand down, only for it to return covered in your slick. There is so much of it. It coats your legs and makes a mess of your sheets and nightgown. You end up having to wash everything in the river almost every day. It got so bad that you would wake up moaning and whimpering, needing to take care of things by yourself. No matter how hard you cum it doesn't feel like enough.

It comes to a point where it's not only after sleeping. The ache between your legs haunts you during the day as well. Tending to your garden and your craft becomes extremely hard. You end up having to take care of yourself in the middle of everything. Fingers fucking into you as you kneel on the forest floor. Tongue out and drooling as you make desperate noises. You cum once, twice, three times before you're panting. Still, it's not enough.

Your guardians warn you and nearly scream at you about danger, but you are too distracted to actively do something about it. During the full moon, you reach your lowest point. You had started a ritual, drew your symbols on the floor of your house only to end up bucking your hips and your needs interrupting your prayers. It was then you noticed something odd on your lower abdomen. It looked like the faint outline of a tattoo in red ink. The ominous voice in your head becomes louder as the mark on your body grows darker. You kneel there, legs parted and leaning back on your arms while you pant. You squirm and twitch as your arousal drips down your legs. You frantically search through your books, but nothing turns up. You can't find anything about the tattoo right above your womb.

That night, you dream again. You dream of a masked stranger in a golden robe. He calls upon you, promising and telling you of all the sinful ways he could help you. He puts a hand over your belly, where the mark is. You wake up with a start, skin burning and aching again. Like a woman possessed, you run out of your home and towards the cave. You didn't know what you would find, but you knew your salvation was there. You run and run until you find yourself at the entrance of the cave. You stand there, panting and sweating. Your guides screamed at you to walk away, come back to the path of light. Their plees fell on deaf ears as a strange energy pulled you into the cave. You walked for hours until you came to a large chamber with a ruined throne in the centre. A large, dark figure sits upon it. Strong legs spread slightly as they sat, relaxed on the carved stone. The shadow grinned, showing sharp teeth. It purred at you, spoke to you in that language you didn't know. Yet his voice made your insides hurt and pulse with lust.

On a trance, you walk towards him as your mouth waters. You take in his large frame. Your pussy pulses involuntarily, you didn't understand why. You just knew you needed it... him. Just as you were about to reach him, he pounces on you. Pinning you to the floor. His large body found its way between your legs as you flailed and tried to fight him off. Soon, he manages to restrain you with his strong limbs. Legs pinning yours down and your wrists held on one of his large hands. His other hand rips off what's left of your ruined nightgown. You lay there as still as possible, afraid, and somehow... excited. Soon, you lay naked before the shadow as its gaze roams your vulnerable form. He whispers something, a command of sorts that makes shadowy tendrils crawl from the ground and wrap themselves around your legs and arms, restraining you. The shadow, hands now free, slides its hands down your body and stops at the centre of your spread thighs, looking down at your weeping pussy. It uses his thumb and pointer finger to spread you open, looking at you as you squirm and drip on the floor. Your hips buck, your body begging for relief as you try to fight it. To think rationally. The shadow starts to tease your opening with one large finger, gathering your juices before circling your clit, not quite touching it.

It then uses both thumbs to spread your pussy again before spitting on it. It rubs it in before lunging forward and pressing its mouth to yours, forcing his tongue into your mouth and down your throat. You don't know how much time goes by before your pussy feels more tingly and sensitive, your nipples perk up and your skin feels like it's on fire. You try to force yourself to fight it but it feels so good. You soon give in and start to buck your hips into the air, mouth open and eyes unfocused. The shadown doesn't let you go. Instead you feel the weight of its heavy cock on your stomach. Heavy and large on your abdomen. What you couldn't see were the long tendrils that came out of the base of his cock. Both tendrils slithered their way to your pussy, teasing it before sliding in. The feeling made your hips buck and your back arch. A loud moan escaping you. The tendrils moved inside you and started to touch your cervix gently. The shadow started to rub your clit in fast circles. It took seconds for you to cum. It was so intense that your cervix opened and allowed the tendrils into your womb. They found your ovaries and started to release a fluid to trigger your ovulation.

The shadow looked down at you as your eyes rolled back from the feeling. It felt oddly good. He kept toying with your clit as this happened. You didn't know how much time passed before the tendrils retracted. Their place at your entrance replaced by the swollen head of his aching cock. He teased you, rubbing himself back and forth before sliding in. He gave you no time to adjust before he started to fuck you mercilessly. He forced your knees unto your chest in a mating press as he fucked himself into you. His cock sliding in and out at a fast, desperate pase. His fingers soon found your clit again. He was going to make you cum again. You moaned loudly as he brought you closer and closer to your breaking point. Soon you came on his cock, fucking into him as he used you as his own personal fleshlight. The feeling of your pussy squeezing and pulsing around him made him explode into your awaiting womb. He panted, sitting back but not pulling out. You thought he was done until he started to play with your clit again. You protest and cry, overstimulated. He wasn't listening. He keeps this up, keeps making you cum until he's ready to go again and again and again. Hours later you're so far gone you don't even protest when he bounces you up and down his cock while he sits on his throne. Playing with your abused pussy over and over again.

Once the shadow is sated, he picks your limp body up and brings you deeper into the cave. He lays you down on a soft surface before walking away. He seeks you out on multiple occasions to breed you before leaving you to rest. You lose track of time. How long had it been? Days? Weeks? You try not to think about it, that is until you started to notice some changes. Your breasts are tender and seem bigger, more sensitive to touch. Then you notice your belly growing each day, its weight settling on your hips and stomach. Your scent changes too, it's sweet and milky. Your captor notices when he comes back to fuck you again. He inspects your body, smells you before leaving you again. This surprised you, it was the first time he didn't mercilesly fuck you for hours on end. Your appetite became ravenous, difficult to manage at times. Your shadow would bring you food. You ate it with a hunger you were unfamiliar with as he watched you. You would see his eyes shining with what looked like pride and hunger. Your craving for raw things had become terrible. Your face would be covered in blood and pieces of flesh after eating whatever, or whomever your captor brought you. He would still come to you but it would be to watch you from a distance, its eyes fixed on your growing abdomen. Not a month passed in your pregnancy before you were too big to stand on your own. This made little sense to you. You had helped women give birth before, it took months to get to this point. Neither had you ever seen someone as big as you had gotten.

You would sleep for days on end. On one pf these long periods of sleep you were awoken by a strange moving senation in your belly. It was like wiggling. I went on for hours, followed by fluttering and what felt like light kicks. You make noises of discomfort as this persisted. You strugled to find a position to get comfortable with all the moving and wiggling when the sounds of your frustration caught your shadows attention. He came to see what the noise was about when he encountered you on your side, making little noises in frustration as something moved in your belly. His eyes gleamed, he had been succesful. His offspring had caught. You demand an answer from him. He only came to sit next to her, looking at her as he laid a large hand on her belly. His deep, otherworldly voice cutting through the air as the movements calmed down... for now. It became clear you couldn't be without him for long. His absence would be followed by pains and intense movement untl he showed up again.

The instinct to protect yourself and your children became top priority. It would take over in a violent manner that was unfamiliar to you. You would snarl and hiss at your captor if he came too close sometimes. It would always be met by an amused expression before he silenced you. Nothing would stand in his way, not even the mother of his offspring.

When you weren't violent, you had become incredibly dependent on your captor for everything. You had even become too big to properly reach to touch yourself. Having to beg the shadow figure to touch you, to fuck you, anything. You would whine and moan on your bed until he came to help you. You wanted him, NEEDED him. It came as a surprise how well you could take him now that you were pregnant.

In later stages, your offspring would communicate with you in whispers and visions. Day and night they would whisper to you, you were slowly loosing your humanity. All of her 9 babies would show you things beyond your comprehension. colours, numbers, shapes, profesies, landscapes and knowledge that would drive any human mad. Your mate would find you staring at nothing as you whispered erraticaly to yourself in a language no human should be able to speak. Later it was the drawings made from the blood of your meals.

Yes... everything was going accordingly. Soon, you would be a God like him.

[genericpuff]

What is the thing you feel like Lore Olympus failed at or did the worst. The comic has a magnitude of problems but what is one problem that you have the most hatred for or just flat out makes you angry?

(Just curious)

There are so, so many things I could point to as "the worst" thing that the comic did, because it has a LOT of worsts, but I think ultimately the failing of the original myth's messaging has to take the cake because it's ultimately the root of all of LO's problems.

Rachel herself seems to have this disconnect between what's going on in her head vs. what she's actually writing. It's especially present in her Q&A's and interviews where she claims certain things about the comic / text that just aren't present in the slightest during the actual comic. One such example that ties into my answer is this response she gave to Girl Wonder Podcast:

"I feel like female characters in general, people will be a little harsher on them and sometimes way harsher on them, and I used to be like.. before I started writing the story and like making a story I was like yeah, sexism is not that bad, and [now] I was like oh it's bad. It's quite bad [laughs], so like, I don't know, I feel like the female characters in the story don't get so much of a pass. But this isn't consistent across the board, it's not all the time"

It's ironic at best and tone deaf at worst that she would claim that it's her audience being harsh on the female characters, when she's the one who wrote them into the characters they are that would get that reaction. Minthe had her BPD retconned so now she's just the abusive other girl. Hestia was turned into a cruel hypocrite when it was revealed she was a lesbian. Hera is racist to nymphs and cruel to the lower class and yet she's still rewarded in the end by getting to run off with a nymph girl who we've never seen her have any extended interaction with. And worst of all, Demeter was robbed of all of her agency all in favor of turning her into the evil Mother Gothel mom who's overbearing and cruel to poor Persephone. Some of these women deserve to be called out (Hera and Hestia), and others like Minthe and Demeter were simply used as props to do exactly what Rachel claims she doesn't like people doing and is labelling as sexism - to get harsh reactions and give the audience someone to hate on. Rachel desperately needs to learn to read her own work. Her audience is "sexist" towards these women because Rachel wrote them that way.

It fucking sucks and it's, ngl, extremely disrespectful to the messaging of the original myth that was written to comfort and empower the mothers who had lost their daughters to marriages back in the day. It wasn't some simple "aww the girl moved out and now she doesn't visit anymore!" girls who got married off were often literally never seen again and it wasn't by choice. Not only that, but in certain regions (such as in Athens) the women were isolated to their own section of the house upstairs (while the men lived downstairs) so that they wouldn't be seen by visiting guests or strangers.

It's why in some cultures the original H x P myth was considered a "golden standard" for marriages (at the time) because not only was Persephone given power over the domain alongside Hades, but she actually did get to see her mother - but it wasn't because Hades was just such a kind guy who would let her go willingly, it's because Demeter had to literally hold the world hostage and fight for her right to reunite with her child.

So for LO to not only twist Demeter's love and justifiable concern for her daughter into "helicopter parenting", but also rob her of her agency and power in fighting for her child, it fundamentally misses the entire point of the original myth and undoes itself as a retelling that's trying to be taken seriously in the discussion of Greek myth media. And for that, Rachel should be ashamed of herself.

[ericsprincess]

until you overflow

nc-17, Na Jaemin/Reader, historical au, queen!yn, war prize!jaemin, mildly dubious consent, cunnilingus, penetration, breeding kink

~~~

You need an heir. 

~~~

“I already SAID, I am NOT going to do this now,” you spoke through your gritted teeth, holding yourself back the best way you could to not smash your fist on the table out of anger. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and yet the scene was all too familiar for everyone. 

"B-but you need an heiress! Your highness, the war is over so now we should focus on important internal affairs, one of which is ensuring the succession!" scuttered one of the ministers, a capable, but also an extremely annoying woman with a particular penchant for bureaucracy. One of those people who never knows when to stop, whether they mean well or not. 

“The war is over and we should focus on repairing what it ruined first, don’t you think?” you replied sarcastically, but the minister as if she were deaf to your tone. 

“But..what if something happens to you? We need to have the security of an heiress! The people need it, it will boost the morale of the entire nation too!”

And this was already going on for 20 minutes. For the third time just this week. 

Thankfully, this useless exchange was interrupted when one of your highest advisors, an ancient noble lady, an advisor of your mother before she was yours, stepped out, essentially ending the bickering. 

“Your highness, there is still the..new war prize. You surely know which one I mean,” the advisor bowed deep in front of you. “He seems very strong. He could give our queendom many heiresses. It would silence many mouths, not only about the ones talking about you, but also those that are raising concerns about his future and purpose. Please consider that.” she spoke and retreated back amongst the others.  

Of course you knew which one she meant. Ever since the moment he was brought by your army, and as a part of war prize paraded around the capital to be finally thrown to kneel at your feet, he’s been the talk of the entire country. There were many captives brought in that day, but this one, as if he had put the spell on our entire country. All the men and women alike were marveling at his beauty, mouths hanging open with fingers pointing at that one, do you see that one? as the procession of soldiers and captives and carriages full of gold was passing through the capital city towards the Queen’s Palace. People soon started spreading eyewitness accounts and half-truths as well, even sharing made-up stories how he was so strong and raging that he almost fought off an entire squad of your soldiers before he was captured, how they had to bring him bound in thick iron chains and muzzled, a beautiful, but rabid beast. 

Most of that was not true. As far as the generals’ report that was handed to you said, he was ambushed while he was quietly traveling on his horse alone on a forest path, and went willingly, with a smile. He just let himself get captured, even shooting a joke or two, greeting his captors goodnaturedly like old friends. However, under his plain clothes, your soldiers found out he was armed up to the teeth.

They tried to interrogate him, but even after hours, no one was able to figure out where he came from and where he was going. He spoke with an accent not native to the conquered kingdom, so he clearly wasn’t a local citizen, but refused to prove his ties to another country to avoid being taken as a war captive. Nothing about his clothes or things he had on him specified anything. He provided his name when asked, but it was a simple, plain name, very common in any country around, so no one even believed it’s real. 

So they just followed the orders and just like any other captive, they brought him to the palace to have his fate decided there, and most court people half-expected you would have him publicly executed, as a statement and also just to simply get rid of the potential threat. They threw him at your feet, and he didn’t beg for his life as everyone expected he would. He raised his head from where he was kneeling, dirty with hands tied behind his back, but said nothing and only smiled at you, before dropping his head back down. The crowd gasped at the audacity of him daring to even lay his eyes on their Queen and immediately started whispering, everyone expecting you would immediately order your guards to have his head cut off, bloodthirsty atmosphere rising in the hall.

But you didn’t want to. You have learnt years ago, by necessity, to have no qualms or hesitation about ending an unworthy life, but something drawn you to him. You couldn’t tell what, but you didn’t want to kill him, at least not before he would give you an actual reason. You didn’t want to waste his life, just for the fleeting enjoyment of the masses. You wouldn’t have admitted it, not even to yourself at that time, but you were also intrigued.

You couldn’t decide and you ended up stalling, staring at the back of his head that was hung between his shoulders, with his forehead almost touching the cold marble of the throne room as he was slumped on his knees. The throne room was completely silent, everyone waited with bated breaths for the verdict.

Then a sharp pain in your rib woke you up from your stupor. You startled and looked at the source - your closest court lady, who was until now only standing at her usual place by your right hand, entirely bored, has just elbowed you to bring you back to earth. 

She leaned over to you, covering her mouth as she whispered to your ear. 

“Keep this one. We will put him to good use.” 

You rolled your eyes at her as she drew back, and she just shrugged. What? Sue me, she mouthed back at you before she resumed her bored expression. 

You sighed and irritatedly waved your hand to the right, signaling the guards to take him to the dungeons instead of beheading him right on the spot. The crowd groaned a little, annoyed that they couldn’t witness an almost poetic death of an exquisite beauty, but no one dared to raise a protest. They all knew better than that.

~~~

This is all entirely her fault, you were rubbing your temples two days later to stave off the headache, thinking about what to do about him, cursing your best friend and her one track mind. 

But she did have a solid point, and you are a benevolent and generous queen so you decided to put him where he would be appreciated the best and guarded the most - a royal harem, private only for you and your court ladies to use at your leisure. 

Despite his dubious and potentially dangerous origins, you weren’t afraid for the safety of your court ladies. None of them were here just for decoration - all highly trained professional guards and assassins, the loyal extensions of your power, you weren’t afraid of them getting hurt or letting him escape. Vice-versa too - if anyone decided to become some kind of a vigilante justice and lay a hand on the mysterious dangerous man who could be seen as a threat to the queendom, he would be well-protected. 

It really seemed to be the best solution.

A solution that would make everyone happy - you would have one less problem, the man would be out of prying and gossiping public eyes hidden well within the palace walls, the court ladies would get a new shiny toy and him…Well, no one cares about what he thinks or wants. 

But even this turned out to not be an issue, because as it was reported to you a month later, the new harem addition was settling into his new role well. Maybe even too well, as you have found out from the gossips and giggles between the court ladies. Apparently, not only he didn’t have any reservations about the kind of services that were expected from him, but also he provided them very willingly and enthusiastically. Seemingly impossible to tire out, he was always happy to let himself be used by any woman, even multiple at once! as you heard the whispers.  

The never ending rumors about his skills with his fingers or tongue were constantly making you blush every time you overheard. But not only that, part of why he was so popular was also how comfortable and desired he made the ladies feel. He seemed to always figure out very quickly how each woman wanted to be touched or talked to, or whichever kink she might have. He was also not shy about his own body or sexuality, but his own needs always took a back seat. He seemed to be born for this role, made to please the others. 

The only thing he was not approved nor allowed to do was penetration. He was not deemed fit or deserving to sire a child for your queendom yet, that was an honor and a privilege reserved for only few distinguished harem members that have been in service for a long time. But the potential was there and everyone acknowledged it. 

The beautiful, charming Probably Na Jaemin has quickly become the darling of the harem. Friendly with everyone, staff, servants, even other harem members liked talking to him and had nothing to say about him but high praise. 

No suspicious behavior was reported, no escape attempts, no strange questions, no forbidden items found hidden between his possessions. Na Jaemin seemed to be fully satisfied and content with his living situations and when the servants asked if there were anything he could be missing, he only asked whether there would be a teeeny tiiiny possibility of getting a cat, maybe? If it wouldn’t cause too many problems, of course?

This bastard is just having a vacation on my account, you fumed as you were stamping your Queen’s Approval seal on the request to purchase a ragdoll for the palace. 

Despite the continuous nagging and encouragement from your court ladies, especially your best friend, you haven’t seen him yourself yet. Actually, you haven’t seen anyone from the harem recently, because you were avoiding the entire palace wing by a mile. You wouldn’t admit that to anyone, but you didn’t even want to run into him in the corridors. 

And now you’re expected to consider him as a possible father of your daughters. And you didn’t even have any good reason to reject this idea outright. 

~~~

You have been tossing and turning in your bed for hours already and sleep was yet to come. The full moon has been shining into your chambers so strongly you could see everything even with the lights of. That must be the reason why you can’t sleep, you fumed as you were annoyingly shutting the curtains. 

And then you were lying down staring at the ceiling in complete darkness for one more hour. 

Okay. I give up. You said to yourself and climbed off the bed, picking up a robe, some slippers and a candlestick holder for some light to take with you. 

You left your room quietly and let your feet lead you while trying to not think about where you are going. You passed a few guards on your way, replying only with a curt nod to their deep bows. At the very least you could see for yourself that they are doing their job properly. 

You finally ended up in front of the door that was the target destination of your night trip. You put your hand on the handle and were just about to open it, when the door flew open and a young giggly lady ran out straight into your arms, startling you both. 

You did your best to not drop your light or burn either of you, while she quickly (and with complete horror) realized who did she run into, composed herself and started apologizing, bowing deeply and begging you for forgiveness. You just dismissed her with a wave of your hand and she didn’t need to be told twice - she bowed once more for good measure and disappeared into the corridor. 

Once the commotion calmed down you were free to look into the room. It was a normal harem room, nice and spacious, beautifully decorated with imported furniture and full of lights and candles, with a big bed in the middle. And just there, in the middle of the bed, leisurely spreaded on the finest silks your country could provide, was Jaemin. And what a sight for sore eyes he was - dressed only in light silk pants,so thin, you could almost make out what’s under them, with only his upper body on display, all in its tanned and muscular glory. Lying there, like a picture perfect example of debauchery, sweaty, used, and covered in lovebites and bodily fluids, as if letting himself to show you what he's there for.

He didn’t scramble off the bed to bow to you, which would be a punishable offense and he must have known. Instead, he let his head drop back on the pillow and with drowsy eyes, tired voice and wide smug smile he asked: 

“Your highness… How can I help you?” he drawled slowly, without any care about what’s proper and what is not. He seemed to enjoy being seen in such a state, especially by you. 

You clenched your jaw. You will not be entertaining this kind of behavior. You promptly turned on your heel and left his room, slamming the door behind you. 

You took on the way back to your quarters, fuming the entire time, but trying to not think about why exactly. 

~~~

It’s been a few days and you can’t sleep again. But this time, you are not trying to. You’ve been periodically alternating lying restlessly in your bed with pacing around your room. You might have checked yourself in the mirror once or twice. And now you’re back in bed, more nervous and anxious than you should be. You keep glimpsing on the clock even though it’s still a little bit too early - your instructions were clear - better later than to be seen. But you still can’t wait, you’re not sure if it’s just the anxiety or also maybe some anticipation. 

The heavy door to your chambers slowly opens, revealing your visitor - Na Jaemin, slipping through the door silently like a cat, closing them after himself without any sound. He’s wearing only a thin, almost translucent white silk shirt and some light linen pants - both entirely inappropriate attire even for slinking through the palace corridors deep at night. He is looking at you, his facial expression neutral, not exposing any of his thoughts. 

“Your highness,” he greets. He doesn’t bow. 

You nod in reply, but don’t know what else to say. Usually you wouldn’t be so shy or embarrassed, but none of your harem members unsettles you like he does. You could just order him around, but it doesn’t feel right, you don’t want it like that. The moment is so awkward that you don’t know whether to start laughing or not, as you are just staring at each other. So you decide to slightly break the tension by lifting the silk duvets in invitation. 

He doesn’t wait a second and swiftly joins you in your massive canopy bed, throwing half of the bedding off on the ground. He settles between your legs, laying down on his belly and pushes your nightgown up. With just a brief glance at your face to confirm his intentions he gets to work. He starts eating your pussy with the skill and talent of someone who, well, eats pussy as a profession - and it would have felt maybe too impersonal if he weren’t so good at it. He’s enthusiastic and he clearly likes doing it, with his eyes closed and occasional humming. It feels good, his tongue feels like it’s everywhere at the same time and the tempo is perfect, even more when he dares to slip two fingers inside you. 

It’s good, too good and you don’t want to come. Not yet, not before he does what needs to be done. But he doesn’t know that yet. 

You reluctantly grab him by his hair and unstick him from your pussy. He looks so beautiful, his eyes are closed and his face is flushed, with sweat gathering on his temples. His lower face is all wet and his lips are so red. He opens his eyes, slowly, blinking: 

“You don’t want to? Is that not why I am here?” he asks, looking surprised. You are not sure whether to trust it or he’s just pretending.  But you don’t feel like you are obligated to explain yourself to him. 

“Take it out. Put it in,” you order. 

“Oh, so it’s like that, is it?” his face transforms completely, his smug wide shark smile back on his face. You let his hair go and he gets up, keeling between your legs, towering over you. He starts to untie his pants. 

“Is that what this is about?” he asks, while grabbing you by your hips, pulling you closer to him so easily as if you weighed nothing. “I heard some gossip about an heir. So are you just using me for breeding?” he says, putting on a fake accusatory tone. How does he have the mental presence to pretend-pout while he’s literally pushing his hard cock inside, flashes through your head. 

He stops when he’s all the way in and leans forward over you, unmoving and staring right into your eyes, his unsettling smile plastered on as usual. 

“Yes.” you do your best to keep your voice stable as he starts moving. You relax and lift your legs to wrap them around his back to push him deeper. His movements are fluid and he’s gentle, clearly thinking of your comfort first, not just hammering in without consideration. 

“The royal court has found you a purpose,” you breathe out, closing your eyes. You drop your head back on the pillows. “And I am not using you, you should be honored.”

“Does the royal court not care about the father of its heirs being just a lowly pleasure slave? Maybe we are more equal than you think, you know” taunts Jaemin. You run your hands over his wide back, holding on for the dear life and he’s starting to fuck you more thoroughly, his tempo getting faster. Despite that, he doesn’t seem to get any winded, his stamina is solid and his self-control clearly impeccable, as he doesn’t seem to be affected in any way. But he is, you can feel him sweat, you can feel the slick wetness between your bodies just as well as you can feel how hard he is. 

“It’s-it’s not important,” you stutter between thrusts. You’re slowly getting there and it’s becoming hard to think. He’s going fast and deep and finally you can hear him getting out of breath. 

“Okay,” he breathes out. He lowers down so he can kiss you on your neck. “I’ll give you your daughters” he puts his lips close to your ear, his deep voiced whispers accompanying his final thrusts, as he loses the rhythm and cums inside of you, with your orgasm following right after, triggered by his and his words. 

You keep holding on to him tightly as you feel pumping his cum inside of you, both coming down from your orgasms. You’re enjoying this closeness and you don’t really want to let go, but everything is getting too hot and sticky, so you reluctantly let him drop on the bed next to you. 

You feel completely liquid but when you glance at him, he’s already recovered, with his breath back to normal and wits fully gathered. 

He grins at you. “Your highness~~ Were you satisfied with my services?”

Yes. “We will see that soon.”

He turns to his side and gets close to cuddle up to you. You don’t know what to do with your limbs, but let him do as he wishes. Which is sticking himself fully onto you like an octopus. 

“I was thinking, If it works out well, maybe you could let me make a few more babies for your court ladies, so the throne heir has friends to play with, what do you think?” he mumbles into your skin.

Fuck no. It’s not that you are possessive, not over a measly harem member, but something about this proposal rubs you the wrong way. You frown and start to fight your way out of his embrace to scold him from a more dignified position, but you’re stuck in an iron cuddle grip. And the more you try to wiggle out, the tighter it gets. 

“Noooooo? Does your majesty not like this idea~~?” he asks. “That’s okay then, we will just have to work eeeeeextra hard to make this one a twins,” he laughs, already scrambling up so he can get between your legs again.

And you can’t help yourself, and laugh with him.  

~~~

a/n: i like to imagine that this jaemin is actually a runaway youngest prince of some neighboring country who decided to become a hitman for hire, because that’s just so much more fun. he loooves killing people, but he really did need a vacation :) 

[beneathashadytree]

Hey guys! I think you all know me by now, and have a good idea about my character. I’m extremely patient and I usually have no qualms controlling my temper, nor do I make it a habit of complaining on here, because I usually keep things impersonal to avoid issues surfacing. But this isn’t the first time this has happened, and unless I address it, it won’t be the last.

This is a warning to not involve me in serious Tumblr discourse, and ESPECIALLY to not harass me in my ask box. I have far bigger issues in my life, and this is extremely tone-deaf.

Imagine being exhausted from a fucking 12 hour shift, wrist-deep in people’s mouths, completely unpaid and still a million miles below the global poverty line, then coming home to a sick parent and an abusive one, only to see hateful shit in your ask box, waiting on your every move. I haven’t had one day of rest in 3 weeks or more, and had COVID prior to that. I don’t need the added stress.

I am a WRITING account. I am trying to earn money to pay my university tuition and aid my father through said WRITING, and I don’t even make much of a fuss, despite the fact that almost every fucking week someone on here or Twitter steals my SMAUs, and copies the texts or the niche ideas almost word for word.

So if I haven’t spoken up about that then, what makes you think I’ll talk about your fandom discourse you’ve been repeatedly sending me Anon messages about?

Please respect that I am a human being with bigger issues than this crap. I’m not 15 anymore, so I will not be allowing people to overstep their boundaries.

[yuurikatsukienthusiast]

Another thing that I love about YOI is that Victor and Yuuri's love goes beyond your average idol/fan relationship

Because typically, a plot line like Yuri on Ice's is almost always a recipe for disaster. They had every opportunity to make Victor this huge egotistical asshole who cares for nobody but himself, therefore turning his relationship with Yuuri into something toxic and unhealthy.

But they didn't.

Instead, they decided to make Victor one of the silliest, lighthearted characters on the show. He's a supportive, energetic, loving character who spends the entire series being over the moon about helping his lover reach his full potential.

Victor isn't perfect. He has many flaws. His emotional intelligence lacks in many areas, and he isn't great at comforting people. His pep talks can be tone deaf and he tends to like the attention he gets a little too much at times. and yes, he may be a bit overconfident at times (even if that confidence is earned).

But never once has his 'living legend' status ever affected his love and desire for Yuuri.

He truly sees Yuuri as his equal, and he loves him like breathing.

This much is obvious throughout most of the show, just based on Victor's actions, words, and open affections for Yuuri (more of this is talked about in my previous post). But it becomes even clearer in episode 10, when we get insight on the real reason why Victor showed up to Hasetsu to coach Yuuri.

All it took for this man to fall head over heels for Yuuri was a drunken dance (and maybe some dry humping...)

Their relationship is so perfectly set up. All of Victor's flirting, instead of being something creepy and predatory in nature, was just him being oblivious to the fact that Yuuri had no recollection of the banquet. He'd been trying so hard to get Yuuri to acknowledge what had happened that night by teasing him and making moves on him, and Yuuri was clueless the entire time.

It's such a silly concept, but it really does change everything.

I'm so glad that Victor and Yuuri's relationship didn't turn out to be something toxic and uncomfortable, and I'm glad Victor doesn't follow the stereotypical idol/celebrity character norms. They made his character extremely likable and easy to love, and made Victor and Yuuri's relationship into something so incredibly beautiful. The entire show was so well done, and the amount of thought that was put into each and every detail is evident.

There is so much to love about Yuri on ice, and this is just one small example of that.

[ipushedthewrongbutton]

i’ve been scratching my head over the whole watcher situation. I’m not a fan myself but got dragged into it cus of the people I follow, i only watched their puppet history series and the buzzfeed unsolved series from way back- honestly, i couldn’t care less if they locked all their stuff behind a paywall. I’m so neutral on this whole thing, i might as well be swiss.

but i’m not neutral? In fact, the whole thing really bothers me and i couldn’t figure out why.

cus i get it, yanno. As a company that thrives on creativity, i understand you’d wanna cut yourself off the mega-capatalist-giant that is youtube to get rid of annoying restrictions, and asking monetary support from your audience so you can really stretch the limit of your creativity. I GET IT.

And it STILL bothers me!

And then I figured it out:

the whole “any future videos they’ll be making will EXCLUSIVELY be available through a streaming service you have to pay a monthly subscription for” comes less across as “please support us monetarily so we can grow as creators”, and comes more across as “if you want to continue being a fan, or even being a part of the audience, you’re gonna have to pay up. You have no choice in the matter. It’s either pay, or you’re not a ‘real’ fan or a ‘real’ part of our audience.”

THAT’S what’s bothering me about it. It feels like they’re gatekeeping who gets to be part of their community with money (that not everyone might have). And knowing where they come from and how they started…. That’s… extremely tone deaf. To put it gently.

[10underoot2]

Character Study - The chilling warmth of Haein

Haein is a really misunderstood character. She has dark humour. She cares immensely but doesn't show it very openly. She hides her feelings cause she doesn't like to be vulnerable. She's very quick to say things that protect her emotions and she bites with her words just to protect herself. But all of this assertive feistiness comes at a cost. People tend to misunderstand and write Hong Haein off as mean, rude, cold and difficult to live/work with.

Her personality and tendency to appear uncaring has a lot to do with the lack of warmth she received by her family especially her mother. When she meets Hyunwoo she's no different, she puts on no pretences. Over time she warms up to him and shows him her softer more vulnerable side - all of which I'm sure aided in him falling for her deeply. But then that damned chasm occurs, and Hyunwoo much like the rest of the world forgets Haein's soft heart and soul that live underneath the iron clad armour she wears. It hurts me when I think about the pain she experienced realising she's misunderstood even from the man who once showered her with unyielding love and warmth.

Some incidents of Hyunwoo misunderstanding her are so interesting:

- The scene where Haein requests/orders Hyunwoo to accompany her to the hospital.

I love that it was shot from both perspectives. In her mind she sounds extremely soft and worried. It was a request meant to be delivered that way. I'm sure Haein couldn't register what her tone was because her intention were so soft. Why would he reject my request, He's free I'm just asking him to accompany me? But Hyunwoo had just heard about the will. That paired up with the continuous blows he's received the past two years were too much for him to take a moment and understand that this is how she's always spoken.

-The rain scene after their Yongduri night stay (I hold the belief that Haein did indeed often wait up for him).

Haein says: 'I really wasn't waiting for you.' to which Hyunwoo replies 'I know better than anyone, you're not the kind of person who would wait up for me.' In the scene you can see Haein slightly taken aback and offended by that. Because she is the kind of person who waits up for him. Her offence seems so justified. Because why can't Hyunwoo of all people see the real her. When did he forget to understand her? It must be so hurtful for her to think Hyunwoo's forgotten how warm she was with him. I imagine she used to wait up for him before the miscarriage but here she's listening to her husband say she's not that kind of person. (That little scene where Haein sits on the sofa waiting but Hyunwoo chose not to ask her if she was okay is my evidence! There was a post on this as well a while ago!)

It's also evident in her desire to run a hand over his shoulder to remove the dampness there. Her screaming at him to hold the umbrella properly. But he's so oblivious and deaf to her love that it hurts to witness.

- The bar after their day at the Lavender field in Germany at their honeymoon

Haein smiles and says, she wasn't angry after he told her that he had noticed no one else and that his eyes were only on her. But Hyunwoo remembers her being angry for another two hours. This scene was such a small example of it. What if Haein's anger did immediately dissipate but Hyunwoo just interpreted it as her still being angry. I can't offer any evidence as we don't see this scene but their different accounts make me think what if she was just feeling down but he assumed it was a continuation of her anger.

There are so many other examples sprinkled throughout the show as well. I started off really disliking her character but I've grown to really appreciate it. Because once you see how warm Hong Haein is in love, you'll see just how fierce, loyal and undying her conviction and mind is. She'll show and tell you in the most beautiful ways just how much she cares without ever telling you she loves you. She's not cold, she's just misunderstood.

Unfortunately though, life isn't a drama. So when people like this do exist, they tend to be written off as cold, harsh, unlovable. Humans have the potential to be infinitely complex creatures which is why it's been so interesting to see Haein's multi faceated character these past 8 weeks.

Just an additional thought: I also love the difference between Haein and Hyunwoo's business ideologies. Haein is sharp, to the point, efficiency, money and loyalty oriented. While Hyunwoo is soft, caring, warm and people oriented.

We see Hyunwoo's ideology against his father in law. When the FIL wanted to stab his long serving employee it was unfathomable for Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo's ties with the past employees of Queens got him so much information and support. His logical request to the manager of maintenance to make it snow comes after a long, good relationship - it's pretty evident in that scene. I loved how the show displayed Hyunwoo's ability to make deep and good relationships and how it ended up helping them to get Queens back. It's a hugeee contrast to how things run in the Hong Family. It was very fresh to see him show from his actions 'You can be nice and still get the job done'.

But even Hae-in's contacts, though acquired differently, are just as instrumental. The employee she took a stand for, the juice guy and Secretary Na. None of them would call her warm or soft but they would sing her praises if you ever ask them. It's such an interesting parallel between their characters. It also goes to show Haein is a good person, she just tends to show it very selectively and rarely. I do think the 1 Trillion club made her think of only money and efficiency for a while, but I still do believe she had been doing good away from public eyes, changing people's lives - it's just that no one was there to witness or publicize them.

[lezzballer]

Diana Taurasi party headcanons

(UConn era)

∞ Partying is not Diana's default setting. She will not go out and party unless you invite her out. But once you invite her out, you're unleashing an unlimited amount of chaos into the world

∞ Diana is elite at partying. She puts the same energy, enthusiasm, and focus into partying as she puts into basketball. If she's going to take time away from basketball to party, then she wants to be efficient with it. She wants to get the most partying out of every single second

∞ If you go to a party with Diana, she won't leave your side. She'll bring you along with her on all her adventures and introduce you to everyone she knows and doesn't know

∞ Diana makes it her mission to find every loner at the party and make them smile. She'll find the most awkward person at the entire party and make them her new friend for the night

∞ Diana is the drunk girl in the bathroom who becomes best friends with every random woman there

∞ Even while hammered, she's still better than 99% of people at most games and sports. If anyone puts money down on beer pong or pool, that money is hers. But cards are different. She loves playing cards and she's terrible at it. And she'll lose all the money she won playing beer pong and pool after a few card games. So she ends the night with zero net profit

∞ Diana is always up for a round of drunk wrestling

∞ Diana is tone deaf and can't remember any lyrics to any songs but she will still attempt karaoke anyway

∞ Diana's default dance move is twerking. She finds a way to rub her ass on someone at all times. If there's a dance circle, she's probably crip walking in the middle of it. It's also impossible to stop Diana from stripping off her shirt and dancing on the counter at house parties

∞ Diana is competitive about drinking and competitive about smoking. She gets so drunk and high that you need to make sure she doesn't fall down a flight of stairs

∞ In her mind, since you invited her to the party, you're responsible for taking care of her. She will poison herself and then place her life in your hands. You get the sense that she does this on purpose as some kind of toxic trust ritual. If anyone else in your life did this, it wouldn't be worth it and you wouldn't put up with it. But with Diana, it's impossible to say no to her sweet nature and funny banter. And that's why you end up holding her hair back while she pukes

∞ The upside to this toxic trust ritual is that you can talk to Diana about absolutely anything. Usually, the fall-down drunk chick is not the person you should go to for advice. But Diana is the exception to that rule. She's a great listener and she really cares about what you're going through

∞ Diana has a poor sense of direction and gets lost easily while sober. And while drunk, it's about 100 times worse. But she has a positive attitude about being lost and everything usually ends up okay. She relies on friends like you to make sure she doesn't end up dead in a ditch somewhere

∞ Diana can party till 2am and still get up early the next day for training and practice. It works out fine because she just sleeps through class

∞ Diana definitely has a binge drinking problem. But since she's extremely successful in life, no one is that worried about it. And she doesn't think she has a problem because she parties less than her sister. And she only goes to parties when people invite her. So how bad could her problem even be? Well, it's bad

[inkfishe]

Tried my hand at making older (late teens?) designs for the stardew kids!! Headcanons under the cut:

Leo:

- Emily gifts him new clothes to wear, but not much of it sticks. He likes sweaters (he finds Pelican Town very cold in comparison to Ginger Island) and cargo pants.

- yes he is wearing suspenders

- Haley made him comb his hair and he will never forgive her

- He still lives in his treehouse, despite many Pelican Town residents offering him a bed in their homes.

- He prefers isolation but frequently does favors/quests for the townies, so he is very well-liked despite his quirks. This also means he finds himself in a lot of weird situations.

- Close Friends: Jas, Vincent, Emily, and Linus

Jas:

- After Shane steps up as her guardian, she starts to take interest in more boyish hobbies and styles.

- She loves ranching!! She’s more interested in cows and pigs than chickens, but still loves them all.

- She eventually takes over the Ranch when Marnie retires, and is also most likely to take over the farm when the farmer bites it

- Very passionate about cute accessories

- Can be socially awkward and has a hard time communicating with others. Luckily, animals are much better listeners than people. She also struggles with a lot of newfound responsibility and being more adventurous.

- Close Friends: Vincent, Leo, Leah

Vincent:

- REALLY tries to follow in Sam’s footsteps. He wears Sam’s jackets around his waist.

- He wants to learn guitar and start a band, but unfortunately he’s extremely tone deaf (it doesn’t stop him from trying)

- He’s very physically active. Alex coaches him in sports and his dad + Abigail teach him how to fight monsters.

- Shares a lot of interests with Sam, including his love of childish things. He gets made fun of for it a lot. Because he tries so hard to be like Sam, he doesn’t actually have a strong sense of his own identity.

- Close Friends: Jas, Leo, Alex

[shuadi99]

People pls. Amber Heard and Blake Lively cannot be compared.

JB hiring a PR company (who has previously managed johnny depp) especially in light of the extremely toxic mean girl smear campaign against him is just him choosing a good PR company that can do the job from his side (he is literally alone on one side while the cast is on the other). It is just like people hiring the services of a lawyer, a lawyer can have represented many people including some morally questionable ones but that's because everyone has a right of legal representation and that is literally his job. That

a) doesn't define him and

b) doesn't define his future clients.

He will be hired cause he is good at his job.

Now coming to calling Blake Lively being called out, I get it, she has been your favourite for a long long time, but can you really not see the absolute tone deafness in all her statements. You cannot claim to be a girl's girl without holding people responsible accountable. She is undermining a major issue faced by centuries of women, she is downplaying a serious movie to have her moments with her brand and husband and if all you can see is "oh a woman is being called out" instead of "oh an influential person, who has played a central role in a movie about an imp. topic of conversation, is being held accountable for being tone deaf" then maybe you need to have a relook on your strong clenched beliefs.

Don't blame a man for being a better feminist than the woman he worked with. It can be the case, it is the case here even though we wished it wasn't. It's a great time to check your unchallenged love for celebrities is all I can say.