#as opposed to lying flat

[tardis--dreams]

If this doesn't end Very soon I'll have to ask my professor to register my thesis in April rather than March because i don't think I can do this in the remaining 2 weeks in this state ahahaha

[astralnymphh]

okay hear me out right… horndog!farmellie thats so incredibly horny that she cums untouched in her boxers from you kissing her neck and sucking on her nipples 🤫

ughhh the usual horndog!ellie !! always so sensitive when the tables turn n she gets pleasured ౨ৎ MDNI !! very lovey dovey

setting the scene, night time, both of you reclined supine into the cushy nature of your bed, crafting a little gully in the mattress with your combined weight. a thin sheet wisped over the curvature of your bodies, rippling the material perfectly across your thighs– neglecting the toss so it leaves your loins and torso exposed to tottering candlelight, every groove highlighted and cast in umbrage, she looked of a delectable nature, lying flat to your raised–elbow poise. your index, soft as a plume, rides the fleshy rise of her bare breast and merry–go–rounds her bumpy nipple. she seizes up a breath, indenting the skin between her ribs lightly, mouthing, "fuck.." at the sensations. on the contrary, she'd be the one rousing every bit of your body to her relentless touch– but not tonight. in these little hours, these little, loveable hours, her flesh and bone would rather lie rot to your touch, an all–consuming caress. beryl eyes move to and fro, shimmy side to side, trailing after your encircling fingertips. then, her pupils dart, and find sightly purchase on your lips. how they curve, and flush a streak of pigment when you bite down with those pretty teeth of yours. a shared idea seems to floodlight the dark cavern of both your heads because as soon as a gasp flows down her gullet, it catches. hitched, like a mouse in a trap. your mouth hollows over her perked nipple, suctioning the flimsy nub between squeezing lips. every interval, you suck, wrinkle your lips to a pucker, and pop with a wet smack. it tasted of nothing but skin, and that wasn't an issue. the natural tang of skin was enough for you, and a lot for her. a coil begins to slink tighter and tighter, tickling the lubricous, aroused walls of her vagina. the irk a throbbing clit brings, comprised decuple the volume of sting it ordinarily would. for that sting, she clenches, like a string had attempted to flip her cunt inside out, drawing wads of frothy clear precum to dribble cold along her perineum, and far between the vale of her ass. the chopped whinnies of els' pitching suffrage all but clogged your skull, egging you on as those little noises stain your susceptible impulses, especially, certain words of,

"fuckkk you, god–",

"don't be gentle, fuck, please..",

"you' trynna make me ruin m'boxers? mhh–",

to be gentle with her was an anathema. she harbored a love–hate relationship with tender touches. the time it takes to tilt your partner over a climax cliff with teasey–tricks, renders it slow and painful, painfully gratifying. a cold thumb tamps her opposing nipple down, flopping the bundle of skin on all sides. that move? oh, that move was a curse, in fact. the time given, she tilts that blurred line between a rising climax and wetting up her boxers like a spout. and so, she cracks. "uhhn– fuckfuckfuck, mh!" she squeaks, pushing her shaken thighs harsh into the spongy bed as she cums. a gush of sticky warmth runs past her tremoring hole in lacy serum ejections, simmering a dark–hued splotch, taking a heartly shape on the plateau of her boxers, inseam tightening her fat pussy lips apart. a leak of it dribbles downward and makes merry with her smushed asscrack, smearing skin as she wriggles. you coo, "hmm, so sensitive– are we pretty girl?" as your lips drag off her suffused, swollen nipple, glistening with your bubbly saliva. a grunt grizzles in her chest, prior to her gripe of, "d–don't, call me that.." cause nuh–uh, she's 'spose to call youuu that. you chuckle, lips curling nasal creases, "hah– okay, how 'bout handsome girl?" and she just tosses her eyes off bounds, partaking her focus in the dramatic swell and heave her chest breathes, too embarrassed to gaze upon you. a smack of your lips, a rise of your body, and a stuffing of your head to her cuddled neck gets her talking again, wincing at the sanguine bite left in your rein of loving torture. one last gasp, she shudders, "f–ffuck, swear to god,"

"you make me crazy babe."

[sinsmockingbird]

KITTEN IN HEAT | Lynette

PAIRING: Lynette x GN!Reader

WARNINGS: Smut, NSFW, Dom!Reader, Sub!Character, Reader has a cock, Heat, Breeding, Scratching

AUTHORS NOTE: The sweetest baby that I love with all my heart. Lynette deserves nothing but the best, I stand by that.

LYNETTE TOLD you everything. She always had since the first day you both became official. She'd tell you how her day went, how she was feeling, and she'd tell you about her wants. She told you everything, everything but this.

You noticed something was off with Lynette the moment you had woken up that morning. She had a sort of... distant look in her eyes, and it always seemed like she wasn't entirely present. She was more quiet- more so than she usually is, really only giving you yes or no answers or just a nod or shake of her head. But nothing rang more alarm bells in your head than just how clingy she was being with you.

Lynette wasn't always big with physical affection. She wasn't opposed to it by any means, and would accept any you give her if you initiate it. She never initiated any sort of hugging or even hand holding, she always waited for you to do it. Yet, here she was, practically glued to you as she curled herself up in your lap, hands clutching onto the front of your shirt.

"Lyn, is something wrong?" You asked for the 10th time that day since you first saw her. You glanced down at her, not being able to meet her eyes considering she had buried her face into your chest.

Lynette didn't respond, and she made no indication that she had even heard you. You frowned, moving to pull her off your lap to get up from the couch, and immediately she made a sound of protest. You flinched when you felt her nails dig so deep into your shirt they were pressing into your skin, and for a moment you thought she'd break through it.

"Lynette," You said her name with a bit more force that made her momentarily pause, giving you enough time to pull her off you and settle her onto the couch besides you. "What the hell is going on with you?"

You held her arms firmly against her sides, looming over her and making sure she wouldn't be able to wiggle out of your hold. You finally got a good look at her face after hours of her having into buried against you. Her face was flushed red and covered in a light layer of sweat, her pupils dilated, and you could hear her heavy breathing.

Your eyes widened, finally realizing that something was indeed wrong, "Lynette what's wrong, please talk to me."

"I-" Lynette opened her mouth momentarily before quickly closing it, her gaze averting away from your face as she tried to wiggle around in your hold once again, but you kept it firm.

"Lynette," You said her name once again, your voice slightly raised and serious as you looked at her with pleading eyes. You were utterly worried about her at this point.

She froze again, and you could tell she was having a debate with herself in her head, and you waited for her to respond, and when she did, you didn't know how to react. "I'm in heat."

You simply just... froze at her words, your confusion clear as you tried to understand what exactly she meant by being "in heat." Lynette ended up using the opportunity to finally wiggle out from your grip, and you didn't have much time process before she was pushing you flat onto your back onto the couch. She moved to curl herself back up into a ball, lying on your stomach and chest, her hands gripping at your shirt.

"W-What are you-" You pursed your lips, just deciding to not fight back and allow Lynette to lay on you. She was clearly intent on doing so, and you had a feeling it was because of this heat thing. "What do you mean, "'I'm in heat?'"

Lynette pursed her lips, thinking over her words for a reply very carefully. She had never talked to you about this before, and she honestly wasn't sure on how to, especially not when she was currently in the middle of one.

"It means it's breeding season for cats, and considering I'm, well," Lynette's tail thumped softly against your tail, letting you know what she meant.

"I- I see," You muttered, allowing her words to sink in and allow yourself to understand on what she meant.

Considering Lynette had quite a bit of cat qualities to her, it would make sense to you that she would experience some sort of reaction to the breeding season. It would explain how she was acting very unusual with you, and would explain some other things. But as you thought over it more, one realization came to you, and you felt your face flush when you hesitantly spoke up.

"Does this mean your, uhm, sexually aroused right now..?" You tentatively asked, and you felt her body slightly arch up against you.

Lynette was quiet, and for a moment you thought you had somehow pushed her too far with the question, but then you heard her mumble a simple, "Yes."

You noddes your head at her answer, your face flushing even more at the new knowledge you had, before asking her one last question, "Can I help you with that?"

Lynette's ears perked up, and she subtly shifted her head slightly on your chest, her eyes widening slightly. "Y-You want to?"

"If it means I can make you feel more comfortable, then yes." You answered without hesitation, your voice gentle as you moved a hand up to scratch behind one of her ears, causing her to let out a small sound of approval.

"...Okay," Lynette nodded her head, agreeing to allow you to help her.

She was hesitant to move off of you for a moment, but eventually did. Once you were up and off the couch, you grabbed her hand and began tugging her towards your bedroom. You could tell she was eager by the way she stuck close to you and by the swishing of her tail.

Once entering your bedroom, you close the door and move to kiss her softly, and slowly. When you felt her wanting to deepen the kiss, you do, and from there it only escalates more and more until the kiss is sloppy and desperate.

"P-Please..!" Lynette whined against your lips, jumping up and wrapping her arms and legs around you, and you barely caught her as you carry her over to the bed.

"Okay-" You breath, dropping her down on your bed, and pinning her beneath your body, kissing her deeply and desperately, your hands moving to begin undoing her clothing. "Okay, shh, m'gonna help."

You don't really bother with undoing her top, mostly focusing your attention on undoing her bottoms. Once they were pulled down her legs, you hastily began undoing your pants, hissing as you felt Lynette's nails dragging down your arms in desperation.

She let out needy whimpers and whines, mouth agape as you finally free your cock from your pants. She pants, her cunt aching between her legs even more, the intensity of her heat becoming all too much. It's almost excruciating, the pain and heat coursing through her body.

"P-Please-!" Lynette whimpers, bucking her hips up against you, her pupils blown as she looks at you with a begging face. "P-Put it in!"

You dip a hand down between her legs first, checking to see if she was wet enough, and to your surprise, she was soaked. You hear her choke on a moan at the feeling of your fingers dragging through her folds, gathering up her slick before moving to lathering up your cock in it, while moving to position it at her entrance.

The second you press your tip into her, her back is arching off the bed with a loud cry, her body so sensitive from hours of suffering through the intense heat coursing through her body. You move to hold her close, pressing gentle kisses against her face, while pushing deeper into her before giving her some thrusts.

"F-Fuck, so wet and tight," You groaned, feeling her slick coating your cock quickly the more you thrusted in, and you swore she felt more tighter around you than normal.

"M-More-!" Lynette begged, her hands clinging onto your shoulders, digging her nails through your shirt and into your skin.

The pain made you hiss, but you didn't stop, not when you could see the agony of pleasure coursing through Lynette's face. So you thrust faster, pushing yourself deeper and deeper inside her tight pussy, spreading her perfectly to fit your cock.

You groan, pressing your face into her neck at the feeling of her wrapped around you. It felt so good, the way she was so tight, and all for you. The feeling made you not want to leave her, to keep her stuffed full of your cock just so you could feel her tightness for longer.

"O-Oh, Archons!" Lynette whined, pressing her body up against you, eyes rolling back in her head as she reaches her first orgasm quickly.

It's not surprising to you, considering she must have been holding all of this in all day, and finally being able to have this pleasure... makes sense why she was cumming all over your cock. It was long and intense, leaving Lynette shaking and unable to breath till it finally died down, and she could feel your gentle thrusts again.

"You okay?" You asked, your voice soft as you rocked your cock in and out of her gently, letting her feel every inch of it inside her, something that made her whimper through her gasps of breath.

"K-Keep going," Is the only thing Lynette responded with, moving to wrap her shaking arms around your neck and her legs around your waist.

Being all but trapped against Lynette, you obliged and began picking up your thrusts once again, and it didn't take you long to get back into the swift pace you had before. Small, but sharp thrusts deep into her, perfect to make her body erupt with pleasure as well as allow you to feel her tightness squeezing around you.

It felt amazing, and you didn't want to pull out, even when your orgasm was building more and more. You grunted, clenching your jaw as you felt that coil in your stomach, but you didn't want to stop, didn't want to pull out of her.

"Aghh, g-gonna-" You bury your face into her neck, grunting and unable to form the words you needed to say, but she knew, she understood.

"Inside!" Lynette quickly gasped, tightening her body around you and holding you closer, making sure you couldn't pull away. "P-Please, inside!"

Hearing her beg you to cum inside me fueled a fire inside you that you didn't know you had. With sudden brutal thrusts, your hips stuttered, until you pushing all of your length inside her and letting go, grunting into her neck.

A dopey smile spread across Lynette's face when she felt your cum filling her up. She layed there, shaking and moaning as she came with you, focusing on the feeling of your warm cum. You were left groaning and panting, wrapping your arms around her waist and tugging her closer to you, wanting to shove every drop of your cum into her.

Once you finished, you couldn't help but collapse on top of her, panting to catch your breath, eyes shutting as you focused on the feeling of being buried inside Lynette, a few words utteres from your mouth, "Gonna be the cutest mommy."

It had her freezing for a moment, her heart beating quickly in her chest, before you tail thumped against the bed, her joy from your words not being able to be held in. You smiled against her shoulder as you felt her nuzzling her face into your hair affectionately, a soft purr beginning to be heard.

Thoughts of having a family, kids of your own went through your head, a silent love passing between you both as you relished in one another's arms.

ENDING NOTES: May have rushed the end a bit, apologies, I just couldn't find a good fitting end to write.

[fanaticsnail]

Recovery

Masterlist Here

(Art Link) 

Synopsis: You are in a recovery cot in a hospital willing to accommodate you, resting as your body heals from your latest battle. Expecting to recover alone, you are pleasantly surprised to find yourself within the company of the person you craved the most

Themes: gn!reader x zoro, gn!reader x sanji, separate drabbles, fluff, domestic fluff, mention of injuries.

Notes: Written for a new friend who’s currently in hospital for several hours who needed something to read. @enterprisearboretum I hope this helps! Speedy recovery!

Tag List: @sordidmusings @since-im-already-here @gingernut1314 @writingmysanity @cinnbar-bun @vespidphoenix @sexc-snail @feral-artistry @carrotsunshine

Zoro: 

Lying in the recovery bay, you shuffle the thin blankets up your chest to engulf your body with more of its lackluster warmth. No matter how much you cower beneath the blankets, the warmth would simply not rise to where you needed it the most. 

Shaking within the sheets, you remember Chopper suggesting you use your arms to heat your chest as opposed to using your hands to shake warmth into your biceps. Shuddering in each step, your fingertips brush with the bandages as you engulf your upper body in an embrace. 

The door to your bay slides open, revealing the First-Mate of your crew. His body is covered in bandages not so dissimilar than your own. Without making eye contact, he strides over in three long steps and brings himself to your bedside.

“Scooch over,” he utters, placing his three swords against the bedside table, “‘M gettin’ in.” 

“What-?” you begin, eyes widening in shock as he whips the blankets back and gently nudges you over with his large thighs. 

“-You always get cold in recovery,” Zoro spoke over your concern, tugging the thin blanket over your shoulders and his broad chest, “And I always get too hot. Need to feel you close. Cancel each other out, or whatever.” 

Where you expected this burly man to accidentally brush against your wounds, you found careful and slow movements from his fingertips. His hands slowly glide over your waist, his head settling into the single cushion behind you, while tugging gently for you to lie down against the firm mattress. 

“This okay?” he murmured, his eyes still not meeting your own in his own fluster. The heat radiating from his body immediately soothed over your freezing skin, the warmth encumbered you in an embrace of its own. 

You felt your body relax, slowly wincing as you raised your arm to brace against the larger man’s chest. 

“It’s nice,” you utter your confirmation to him, prompting his eyes to flutter open and look down at you, “Thank you, Zoro. You always think of everyone before yourself.”

“Was thinkin’ of myself too,” his smirk rose up to paint his lips with its radiance, “You’re always so bloody cold. 'Gotta cool myself down while I warm you up.”

Laying in each other's arms, you drift into a warm and comfortable slumber: as comfortable as one could be while recovering from hefty injuries. 

Sanji

Glancing out of the window, you propped yourself up onto the single, flat pillow to watch the soothing splash of the oceanic waves. The sea always calmed you in recovery, often finding yourself drawn to the rise of the subtle roar each time the water met with the shore. 

The sliding door opened, revealing the blonde chef of the Straw-Hat crew. In his left hand, a tray with several bowls of food in various shapes and sizes shuffled intentionally upon the silver tray. 

“Hello Sanji,” you smiled at him, wincing beneath the strain of your injuries as you attempted to greet him more appropriately. 

“No, no. Lay back and get comfortable,” he gestured with his right hand for you to recline against the backboard of the recovery cot, “I’ve brought you a couple of things for you to eat. Hope you’re hungry.” 

Smiling up at him, you scuttled back to assume a more comfortable, upright position. As Sanji began assembling the items in front of you, you felt your eyes called once more to the sea. The rise and fall of the waves prompted you to breathe in each time the soft foam brushed along the gold sand, exhaling each time the water tore itself away from the beach. 

“I brought you some seaweed soup cooked in beef bone broth,” he handed you the soft, bento tray, noticing the soup bowl off to the side, “I gave everyone else some spicy kimchi jjigae, but you said you were allergic to peppers from memory. I had to improvise with getting some heat into that dish. Ginger and some green radish should do the trick in making it spicy for you. Get the blood pumping to heal you better.”

Your eyes softened at the blonde chef. He always took such good care of the crew, even when in recovery himself. Upturning your eyebrows at him, you gave his hand a gentle tap as you expressed your gratitude to him.

“Thank you, chef,” you whispered, looking at the assembly. He’d cut several of the vegetables into various shapes: stars, flowers and animals. You cocked your head to the right, noticing a small shell beside the box. 

“What’s this?” you asked him, lifting the small shell up to hold it out in front of you. It was a small spiral, coiling up to a single point. Several specks of green spots littered the base of the shell, the peak in a warm yellow.

“It’s from the beach down there,” he smiled at you, placing down a final bowl of rice in front of you, “The beach calms you, right? Helps you breathe?”

“Oh, Sanji,” you chuckled at him, shaking your head as you smoothed the pad of your thumb over the shell, “You’ve really thought of everything, haven’t you?” 

“What was I meant to do?” he gestured his hands outwards with a small shrug, “Forget all of the knowledge you’ve made me privy to in our time together? Now, eat up. We sail as soon as you’re well enough to travel.” 

He smiled at you, turning away and making his way to the door. Your attention was fully captivated by the spiral shell he’d gifted you from the beach. You slowly inhaled with the ocean, breathing in the many herbal scents from the meal he’d dutifully prepared for you. Softly smiling, you began to make your way through the items, all while holding the small shell and breathing with the ocean.

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

CG and Execution Thumbnails

I recently got my hands on the V3 art book and I am absolutely obsessed with it!! I wanted to share some of my favourite (mostly subtle) differences between CG/Execution thumbnails and their final iterations.

In this death road of despair cg, Miu was originally supposed to be in the same slice as Kokichi and Gonta, and a tenth unknown person in the top left corner.

Angie seems much more defeated in the original sketch for the other death road of despair cg, with her head drooping rather than praying.

I just find Shuichi's grimace in the sketch of the first training cg Very funny compared to the final one (which is much more dignified).

Shuichi and Kaito's shocked expressions in the original sketch for the cg with Maki joining in training are delightful to me, I wish they kept them.

Maki originally was reaching out to Kaito in the trial 4 cg where his illness is revealed, as opposed to her straight posture in the final cg. Shuichi's expression in the thumbnail is also very funny to me.

The stupid little nose they gave kiibo in the sketch of the cg where he's lying flat in the hydraulic press made me giggle.

Maki's expression was much more intense in the original sketch for her pointing the crossbow at Kokichi in this cg.

Himiko's >_< face made me smile in the cg of everyone (minus Kiibo) training together after trial 5.

THIS thumbnail from trial 6 is especially interesting to me. I wonder if the thumbnail was made before the trial character placements were decided at all, so this portrait and figure are random. Or maybe this was done later on when it was partially decided, and a survivor was initially next to Tsumugi, before they were moved later. It's kind of hard to tell because of the, uh, lack of detail in this one. But I'm very curious.

In the dark belt bonus scene in chapter four, originally Himiko, Shuichi, and Gonta were in their normal outfits! Also, Gonta's expression is MUCH different. I'm glad we got that cute little smile in the end, its such an iconic Gonta CG and probably one of my favourites because of it.

Initially, the end of Kaede's Execution had everyone sitting as members of the audience. Its much less intense then the final result, so I think this was a good change.

Originally, there was no death fake out for the v3 survivors! Kiibo just let them be and proceeded to blow up the school.

BONUS:

Nothing different here as far as I can tell, I just LOVE how detailed the storyboards are for Kaito's execution. This is just one example. Its so, so pretty looking

[justmediocrewriting]

Reader who is against eating a devil fruit soon finds herself eating one to save the life of Luffy and the crew! They are all shocked she would do something like that and sacrifice everything she believed in for their lives and fluffy ending

I’d Make A Deal With The Devil (For You) [m.d.l]

Summary: during a losing battle with the Marines, reader makes a drastic choice to consume the Phase Phase fruit in order to save her crew.

Genre: angst(?), fluff

Pairing: Luffy x fem!reader

Word Count: 3.2k

Requested: ✅

Warnings: violence, depictions of blood and injury, panic, language, I think that’s it

A/n: I really enjoyed this one, so thank you so much for requesting it! I really hope this is satisfying for you! ❤️❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All you could see was blood.

Granted, your vision was blurry in your right eye, and your left was swollen shut, so the only thing you could really make out was the vibrant red and some malformed shapes; one of which you recognized as Zoro by the shock of green against red, and panic gripped your heart when you realized he was the only one still standing on deck, surrounded by the fallen bodies of Marines and your crew mates alike. With your poor vision, you couldn’t tell if they were breathing or not, but the amount of blood soaking into the planked deck of the Merry was extremely concerning, and you drew in a deep breath as your heart lurched into your throat.

The blurry, unmoving figure that concerned you the most was the one only mere feet away from yourself; the red vest was darkened with blood, and the signature straw hat was crumpled and laying flat on the deck a few inches away from Luffy’s body. Your heart cinched painfully as you remembered the way Luffy had taken the full force of a swinging blade for you, leading to his chest being horribly slashed and ultimately contributing to his defenseless state. The others weren’t too far away from him — Nami was slumped against the left stairs, and Usopp was at her flank, lying face down, and Sanji was crumpled and clutching at his side a few feet away from the two. The only one still fighting was Zoro, but you weren’t sure how long he’d last against the onslaught.

I need to do something! You thought desperately, guiltily, wracking your brain and tired body for some sort of solution, but you didn’t really know what you could do in your current state. Your right leg was bent at an odd angle and pain resonated up the entire length, telling you that it was clearly broken, and your ribs hurt with every breath you pulled in — your body was in excruciating pain and you could hardly breathe, let alone move — but your crew mates were hurt, they could be dying, and they needed you. Luffy needed you.

Your entire body seized up with fear when Zoro let out a pained yell and you watched helplessly as his blurry shape fell to the deck, a Marine standing over him with the tip of his sword dangerously close to the man’s throat. With Zoro down, there was no one left to oppose the Marines, and everyone was now in major risk of truly losing their lives.

“Zoro,” you rasped out, desperate for him to rise again, but your voice was quiet to even your own ears, and you knew there was no way that it could have reached Zoro — and even if it had, what good would it really do? You were useless anyway; you knew your own crew mates felt this way, too. It was the whole reason they had tasked you with guarding the Devil Fruit when the Marines attacked. You were poor at fighting, with little to no experience in it, and you’d only be a liability on the battlefield — a point that was blatantly proven the minute you exited the protection of the galley. But you knew the crew was being overrun; even with the impressive fighting abilities they bolstered, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to take on a hoard of Marines at the same time, and you only wanted to help. You wanted to be useful to them, to save them, because you loved them. They were your family.

Helplessness washed over you with an alternating wave of anger, and when you clenched your fist against the deck, your fingers dug in to something wet and crumbly. With momentous effort you turned to the side to look at your hand, where your fingers where digging into the soft flesh of that damn fruit, and a fleeting fire of hope sparked inside your chest.

These things grant power, don’t they? You thought to yourself, gazing at the bright lavender skin of the misshapen fruit. Trepidation fluttered in your chest and your stomach rolled at the mere thought of consuming the fruit — none of you had any idea what abilities it would grant, and there was a chance you would be stuck with one that wasn’t even useful for the current situation, — but it was the only hope you had, and you weren’t about to abandon it and your crew’s only chance.

From your periphery you saw Zoro harshly kick the Marine’s ankle, and relief pooled in your gut when the man yelped and fell to the deck, his sword no longer near Zoro’s neck. Zoro raised to wobbly feet, and your relief was quickly swallowed by foreboding as three Marines immediately descended upon him. There was no time for hesitation or regret. Without giving it much thought, you brought the fruit to your mouth and sunk your teeth in, cringing at the utterly rotten, dry taste against your tongue. It was like sandpaper sliding down your throat, but you forced yourself to consume the entire thing; it was thankfully fairly small, and you were able to finish it in roughly ten bites.

At first, nothing happened; you felt no different, and panic gripped your heart as multiple thoughts flooded your mind. What if it hadn’t worked? What if the power was completely useless? What if your crew mates died before you could fully use the power?

Then, a single thought echoed into your head and made you heart ache fiercely.

What if Luffy died before you could save him?

Suddenly, as if your blood had turned to lava within your veins, your body heated from the inside out, and suddenly, you were no longer on the deck of the Merry; you were floating above it.

You also noticed that your leg no longer hurt, and the odd angle it had been put in was cured; your body felt as if it weighed nothing, and when you looked down, you realized with a start that your body truly did weigh nothing — because your physical body was still on the ground, slumped and lifeless-looking, and panic gripped your heart with a ferocity much stronger than before.

Were you dead? Had the Devil Fruit killed you, and now your spirit had vacated your body? Horror filled your veins with ice as you thought of the implication — your only chance at saving your crew mates failed, and now you’d be able to do nothing but watch as they were slaughtered and their remains dragged to the nearest Marine headquarters.

“(Y/N)? What the hell is going on?”

Zoro’s voice broke through your haze of muddy fear, and your heart lightened as you snapped your eyes to his and noticed he was staring right at you — not your physical body, but the one currently floating in the sky. Zoro wasn’t the only one staring at you; the Marines had ceased their attack, and were now staring at you with wide eyes.

They can see me! That’s a good thing, right? You thought, but then another reality crashed into you and nearly knocked you off balance — if you were separated from your body, but not dead, that could only mean one thing: the fruit had worked, as you’d hoped, but the power you were granted was completely useless. Not that you truly understood what your new power was, but separating your soul from your physical body surely wasn’t useful for fighting, was it?

“(Y/N)! Answer me!” Zoro barked, and for the first time you noticed the true fear swirling within his eyes, mixing fluidly with pure confusion, and you realized that maybe Zoro himself thought you were dead, and that he was seeing your spirit.

“I don’t think I’m dead,” you croaked out. “I’m just… separated.”

That didn’t exactly help curb the confusion or fear in Zoro’s eyes, and one Marine used his moment of hesitation to lunge forward. Panic gripped your body (was it still a body?) as the tip of the Marine’s sword dead-eyed for Zoro’s chest — he was going to kill him, you had to do something —

That hot, molten lava once more burned your veins, and in the literal blink of an eye, you were no longer floating above the deck, and instead you were directly in front of the Marine, staring into his wide, terrified eyes. There was a strange feeling in your chest, as if there were some sort of rod of pure electricity stabbing through it, and when you looked down, you choked out a scream as you registered the view of the Marine’s sword piercing straight through your chest.

Despite the clear evidence of being stabbed, there was no pain or blood — and though your body was semi-translucent, the sword held fast in your chest when the Marine yelped and released the hilt, as if your body still held the physical consistency of a normal body.

What the fuck?

“What the hell are you!?” The Marine yelled out, hand flying to his hip to yank a revolver from the holster and point it at you. Despite the fact that you were just as confused and frightened by your strange composition as the Marine, you flashed him a cocky, condescending smile.

“Honey, you just tried to stab me, and that clearly didn’t work. What makes you think a bullet will?”

You were thankful that your voice came out much more confident and snarky than you felt, and the faux disposition you displayed made the Marine take a few more steps back. Hope once again flickered in your chest as you looked around and noticed the other remaining Marines had also backed away from you, hesitant and cautious and confused.

Maybe if I can convince them I actually know how to use this power, it’ll be enough to scare them off.

“You guys look a bit confused,” you said loudly, watching cautiously your surroundings. “I guess they didn’t inform you that there are two Devil Fruit users on this crew?”

The Marine, the one who had stabbed you, sputtered indignantly, “That’s not possible! Headquarters has the record of every single member of the Strawhats, and the only one listed to be a Devil Fruit user is Monkey D. Luffy!”

Your heart skipped a beat, and you began to feel anxious, but you rolled your eyes and popped out a translucent hip with much more confidence and sass than you thought could be possible for yourself in your current state of panic. “Does it look like he’s the only one?”

The Marine faltered and his hand shook against the holster on his hip. He seemed to be contemplating something, his body completely rigid, but you had the strange feeling that the man wanted to lunge at you and prove your internal bluff — fear gripped you tightly, but it eased when the Marine took another step back and addressed his men loudly.

“Retreat, men! We are not equipped to handle an unknown Devil Fruit power! I repeat, retreat!”

There was a flurry of feet beating against planks, and relief washed over you as the dark blue uniformed men quickly ran back to their own ship. Your shoulders slumped, and you felt exhausted. Soon enough, the only bodies left on the bloodied deck were your fallen crew mates, some of who were now groaning in pain, and the only thought you could fully latch onto before everything faded to black was thank god they’re alive.

You could hear voices, but they were faint and the words within indecipherable, but you were pretty confident that they belonged to Nami and Luffy. Your heart skipped a beat at the latter’s adorable lilt, but it then sunk at the clear worry etched within when your brain could finally decipher the words.

“When will she wake up?”

“I don’t know, Luffy, I’m not a doctor. She was pretty badly hurt even before she ate the Devil Fruit. There’s no telling what kind of toll it could have taken on her body given her condition when she ate it.”

You hated it when they worried about you. It made you feel even more useless to them, like salt to a wound, and the reminder of the choice you’d desperately made just cut a little deeper — it was something you never fathomed doing. The exchange was too steep, and the powers granted by Devil Fruits were just too inhuman, it wasn’t natural. In your mind, no one should ever wield powers like that, and the only person you’d ever accepted to wield them was Luffy, but that was for another reason entirely that you didn’t really want to think about given the state of the situation.

“‘M fine…” you grumbled, and you wanted to wince at how scratchy and weak your voice sounded.

“(Y/N)!” Luffy nearly shouted, and you barely had time to prepare yourself for the onslaught of pain in your body as the bed rocked and Luffy crushed you under his own weight. You wheezed before breaking off into coughs, and the weight was lifted from your body with a rather shrill yell from Nami.

“You idiot! She has a broken leg, are you stupid?”

Nami wasn’t entirely wrong, and her verbal observation brought the aches and pains to the forefront of your mind; your leg was now aching something fierce, but that wasn’t really what you were focused on. What you were focused on, however, was the pleasant tingle currently zinging beneath your skin from the brief physical contact you’d had with Luffy. Your face heated as your coughs eased, and when you finally cracked open your eyes you were greeted with the sight of Luffy’s dazzling grin, not even the least bit dimmed by the rather irritated looking Nami at his side; Luffy’s eyes were bright, crinkled at the sides in the way they always were when he smiled, and your heart stuttered briefly in your chest at the sight.

Feeling slightly awkward but still buzzing from the warm embrace he’d pulled you in, you sent the rubbery boy the most convincing smile you could given your current state.

“Heya, captain.” You murmured, and Luffy’s smile just widened even further, and, fuck, that looked too good on him.

“How are you feeling?” Nami cut in, and your eyes snapped to her face. Her brows were furrowed, and truly you hated the way her worried frown shadowed her beautiful features. Wanting desperately to wipe it away, you smiled at her, and croaked, “I’m doing okay, I think. A bit thirsty, though.”

Nami didn’t look fully convinced, but her shoulders slipped down ever so slightly, and her lips uncurled from a frown to a straight line. She gave you a hesitant nod, and with the assertion that she was going to let the others know you were awake and fetch you a glass of water, she flitted from the room, leaving you alone with a still-smiling Luffy. Without the distraction of Nami in the room, your attention was forced to be held only by Luffy, and jittery nerves erupted under your skin. The nerves intensified when Luffy reached forward and plucked your hand up, encasing it within his own.

“Are you truly okay, (Y/N)?” Luffy asked, and despite the eye crinkling smile still on his face, his words dripped with nothing but seriousness — there was concern etched in there, too, but you could tell that it wasn’t just pertaining to your physical state. Luffy was asking about your mental and emotional state, as well; and given the circumstances, you could understand why.

From the moment you’d agreed to join his ragtag group of outcasts, you’d made your stance on Devil Fruits and their users quite clear; you’d never treated Luffy with anything less than respect, and though you had never considered Luffy to be a menace as you did most Devil Fruit users, your opinion on them had hardly swayed. There was no doubt in your mind that Luffy, as well as the rest of the crew, were more than likely incredibly confused and shocked by your decision to consume the fruit that Luffy had suspiciously secured days prior.

You tossed Luffy’s question around in your head, and thought heavily about it. Were you okay? All in all, aside from suddenly being able to literally exit your own body, you hadn’t felt any different; you felt human, normal, and you hadn’t grown any strange appendages — that was a plus. So, aside from the cramps and aches and general fatigue, physically you were okay. But mentally…

You were still pretty okay.

Of course, you still had some reservations about your choice to consume the fruit; the powers you’d been granted with definitely were not natural, and the act of going against every single fiber of your own personal code rubbed you in a way that wasn’t pleasant; but seeing Luffy before you, a little bruised and cut up, but alive, and armed with the knowledge that the rest of the crew was still alive, you couldn’t find it within yourself to hold any ill-feelings or regret towards your decision. You were okay. Giving Luffy a true, genuine smile, you asserted as much to him.

“I’m okay Luffy, truly.”

The smile that Luffy sent you was face crinkling and nothing short of absolutely dazzling, and for a mere second you felt as though you were looking into the literal sun.

“I’m glad. Because I’m okay, too.”

A silence suddenly fell over the two of you, the only sounds decipherable being that of the gulls crying outside and the slap of waves against the hull of the Merry. Luffy still had your hand clasped in his, and the realization of it had your body honing in completely on the sensation. Luffy’s hands were warm, insanely so, his palms calloused and slightly rough but also with a touch of soft, and his fingers were long, so long, and your body heated from the inside out.

You didn’t have long to build up jittery nerves over the intimacy before the door slammed open, startling you so badly that you jerked your hand out of Luffy’s as if it had been burned. Guilt gnawed at your insides at the way the rubber man’s face fell, but you didn’t have much time to mull over it before Usopp was springing across the room to shove his face into yours.

“(Y/N)! You’re awake! I’m so happy — you did amazing out there!” Usopp ushered out, words slightly melding together in the fast pace he was spewing them out. You couldn’t help the way your cheeks flushed at the compliment — you hadn’t really done much, close to nothing at all. All you’d done was bullshit the Marines away. That hardly counted as ‘amazing’ in your book.

Your flush deepened as you caught sight of Zoro, Nami, and Sanji entering the room as well, and honestly, this room was much too small for six people, and was it just you, or was it extremely hot at the moment?

Usopp was still spewing praises and, weirdly, declarations of love in your direction, and the other three were simply looking at you with warm smiles, and as you met the eyes of every one of your crewmates, your heart began to resonate with a familial warmth.

But then your eyes connected with Luffy’s, and there was such raw emotion and pure love swirling within those chocolate orbs, and when he sent you his lopsided smile, breathing and alive, there was only one thing you could think;

If I was to do it all over again, time and time again, I would still make a deal with the devil for you.

[fantasyinvader]

Considering the localization choices I found over the last couple of days, I can understand why certain fans thought Treehouse hated Edelgard. Because, yes, the game does make her come off a lot more harshly than she does in the Japanese. That the English version primes the player from the onset to view her as arrogant and distant, rather than a typical noble girl like the Japanese makes her out to be. But as a result of this the Flame Emperor reveal, the game's main twist, doesn't have the same impact it was supposed to. Rather than the reveal of Edelgard, who was initially the least suspect lord, being the masked person aiding the villains we've been fighting, it comes across more like it was expected that would be the case.

Instead, fans take Edelgard's cute side as the suprise. “Yeah, I know she did all that awful stuff in Part 1, but Part 2 shows that she's not that bad.” The translation flipped Edelgard's gap moe.

However, this also kills the argument that the translators hated her.

For instance, if she fights Byleth at the end of Part 1 she says “I wish you were someone whose heart could be swayed by my words and deeds. If it were so, I would have done anything to make you my ally...” In the Japanese however? “I wish you were the kind of person who could be moved by my words and actions. So I did whatever I could to get you on my side...” The Japanese version flat out confirms that Edelgard was trying to manipulate Byleth, but got erased and made out that she didn't really do anything of the sort. Likewise, mention of her using an information campaign to sway the citizens of the Empire who are opposed to this war, or that Edelgard is really puppeteering TWSITD are removed. Her route even has it's named changed, the symbolism of the safflower replaced with that of a red rose. And on top of that, the ending of her route tries to tone down the final smack in the face to the player. Gone is Edelgard consolidating power on herself to impose her will, alongside her admitting she has been waling the path of supremacy (hadou) which holds very negative implications, and the endings try to make it out that she did work to bring freedom to the people rather than simply imposing her will on them. Oh, and Caspar invading other countries while unable to control the Imperial army? He's merely sometimes reckless, whereas he has “victims” in the other routes. It wants to make it out that your influence prevented her from becoming a monster, rather than her influence turning you into one, putting her in the same camp as Dimitri and Claude.

Meanwhile, the translation makes the Church out to be in the wrong with the Rhea ending saying she rehabilitated the Church, and Seteth's solo making it out that he was intolerant towards other faiths before rather than him taking the stick out of his ass.

The translation mischaracterized Edelgard completely, making her harsher in the beginning but softening her up in the end. It destroyed the twist and message of the game, as supporting a lying tyrant is just a manner or being morally grey when the original game it was supposed to become clear that the player was played and became the baddie by their own choice. It even goes so far as to try to tell players her ideals are close to Claude's when her line was that she doesn't think their ideals are the same, making her more compatible to the lords who don't invade other nations following the war.

The game was meant to condemn Edelgard as a villain, yet the translation just shrugged off her actions and went “moral ambiguity, am I right?”

[peach-and-bugs]

💚Bean Sprout - Lottie Matthews x fem!Reader💚

ch 1 - chapter 2 - ch 3

Fanfiction master list

disclaimer: don't repost my work. I only post on Tumblr and on Ao3. anything else is stolen and should be removed immediately

Summary: You've been happily married to Charlotte Matthews for some odd years now, but it feels like it's time to take a step in a new direction together... aka mama!Lottie

Warnings: suggestive conversation & implication, insecurity

Word Count: 1,346

A/N: Hello Loves, we're back with more Mama!Lottie! I kept this one on the shorter side compared to most chapters I write, but this one kinda ended pretty naturally and I didn't feel like forcing more into it. As always, feel free to leave questions or comments in my comments or ask box, and happy reading! 💚

Lottie Matthews Tag List: (open) @elliesjoints

Yellowjackets Tag List: @frasersgf @minimickzy

"Bean Sprout" Tag List: @mistysswampmud @emilynissangtr

General Tag List: @summergeezburr

-💚-

Of course, a much longer conversation was had, and after a few weeks of intense organization, you both moved on to talking with doctors about your options. You agreed together that you’d carry, seeing as you were younger. You’d argued that 34 wasn’t all that much younger compared to 38, but Lottie had only laughed, shaking her head. It had been some time now, and you'd had begun taking a wide variety of supplements as you started tracking your cycle to get the IVF going. 

On this evening, you were lying flat on your back on the couch, flipping through a binder of potential male donors that the clinic had given you to look through held over your head. Lottie moved into the living room from the kitchen, carrying two mugs of tea with her. She set one down on the coffee table in front of you before she tapped at your feet, silently asking you to scoot. You lifted your feet but didn’t look up from the binder. 

“This is so weird,” You grumbled. Lottie sat at the other end of the couch with her feet up on the coffee table as she moved your feet across her lap. 

“What’s weird, love,” she hummed, taking a sip of her still-steaming tea. She’d been brewing raspberry tea all week partly because of its boost for fertility but also just because she loved the flavor with honey. You sighed, turning through to another page of the binder, your eyes scanning over strange men’s faces and credentials for why you should pick them.

“Flipping through this book just to choose who we’ll use to make our baby,” you scrunched your nose at the wording with a scowl that made Lottie chuckle into her cup. “I wish you could just get me pregnant,” You mused under your breath as you flicked through the binder again, only to look away once more when you heard Lottie hum.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t think about that,” you perked up at the admission, dropping the binder to your stomach as you looked up at her with an arched brow. 

“Oh, have you now?” you mused with a wicked grin. Lottie realized her mistake and refused to look up from her cup, now taking another long sip in an attempt to shield her eyes. The binder was forgotten and slipped onto the coffee table as you moved from you’re lying position. You readjusted, sitting up on your knees beside your wife, the proximity being enough for her to feel your breath fanning over the skin of her neck. Still, she didn't look up, her eyes trained on the cup in her hands as she stirred it with the tiny metal spoon she’d brought with her. 

“Charlotte,” you murmured her full first name in that sing-song tone you so often use. She both loved and hated when you'd do that because, on the one hand, she adored the sound of her voice leaving your lips, but on the other, she knew what game you were playing. You grinned and took the cup out of her hands, moving to the coffee table beside your own because it had become quite offensive the amount of attention it was getting as opposed to you. You could hear Lottie swallow as you moved to straddle your thighs over her lap, arms looping ever naturally around her neck as you tilted your head with an innocent look. 

“Tell me about it,” you mused, batting your eyelashes as she looked up at you as though she’d been caught in your headlights. You ran your fingertips over her forehead, brushing away loose hair that obstructed your view of her, your ever-beautiful wife who’d grown shy at her admission. You knew Lottie had a lot of thoughts when it came to this pregnancy, not all of them being the most innocent.

She rarely ever talked about it, but it had come up long before. Before you were married, even when she had been very drunk one night, her loose lips had let it slip that the thought of her partner carrying a baby, well, specifically your baby, together, was quite exciting, but not only because of the anticipation. She’d felt horrible the next morning, having realized what she’d said, which led you both down a long rabbit hole of conversation to normalize and help her feel better, that thinking that way about your partner was completely normal, and you found the idea quite flattering. 

You knew that given the current conversation buzzing around the house, some of those thoughts and feelings could potentially be found fronting in her mind, though she hadn’t said anything about it till now. And though you now questioned her in a way that made it clear you also found her thought arousing, she held her tongue, keeping her fantasy to herself, much to your disappointment, but you weren't going to push. 

“Well, if you aren't going to tell me, at least help me pick a baby daddy, won’t you?” that phrasing caught her attention now, and you felt her arms snake around your hips, tugging you into her ever so slightly as her eyes found yours with a scrunch in her brow. 

“We aren’t calling him that,” there was a hushed harshness to her insistence that you relished in, biting your lip as you laughed. Without another word, you leaned in and kissed her lips but retreated before any heat could be added. “What was that,” Lottie asked, finally smiling with a curious crook in her brow.

“I like it when you get jealous,” you murmured, pecking at her cheek as you leaned away to reach for the binder again. 

“I wasn’t jealous-” she began to argue as you readjusted yourself over her lap, now letting your legs stretch over the couch as you’re back rested against the arm of the couch. Lottie’s right arm curled around your side while her other hand found its place comfortably over your thigh as you presented her with the binder. 

“Anyways, how do we even choose a doner when we haven't picked an egg yet,” Lottie asked, changing the subject. You pressed your lips in a frown. Neither of you had considered that portion yet. 

“I mean, it doesn’t matter to me. The doctor said we could use either of our eggs,” you recalled. You looked up at your wife to notice a fleeting unsureness in her gaze. “Does that worry you?” you blinked up at her. She faltered as she began to speak, her hand aimlessly starting to rub at your back as she considered her words. 

“I do worry about using my eggs, yes,” she eventually managed. You wanted to urge her to elaborate till it dawned on you. 

“Lot, are you worried about passing your mental illness to the baby?” She didn’t have to answer to verify your suspicion. “Well, we can always use my eggs and find someone similar to you as our donor. That way, it feels more like an even mix, you know?” you brushed your thumb over the apple of her cheek. “Plus, that’ll shrink our pool of candidates and make picking a donor easier,” She seemed relieved by how seamlessly you could solve her worries, though she still had concerns. 

“But I worry it’ll feel more like you’re having a baby,” she murmured, her eyes fleeting from yours once more. You turned her chin with your hand, giving her a scowled look. 

“Lottie. Regardless of who’s carrying or who’s dna is being used, this is our baby. Yours and mine because we’re the ones going through this pregnancy together, and we’ll be the ones raising this child when it’s done, ok?” She sighed, and you could feel her relax under your touch, taking your hand in hers to kiss your fingertips, silently giving you her thanks for understanding. You smiled, letting go of a satisfied breath through your nose before turning back to the binder. 

“Now help me pick a sperm donor so we can get this show on the road,”

[kaytheday]

Wild Woman at the Rodeo

Barrel racing used to be her escape. Cherry used to get on that horse right after her best friend Marcia had finished and ride as fast as she could. Her hair whipping behind her, all thoughts of school and boyfriends and not being good enough leaving as she put on those boots. 

That was before Dallas Winston started competing in the event after the barrel races. He would stand up on the fence next to his buddies. Laughing, talking loud, a toothpick hanging out of his mouth as he stomped around in his cowboy boots. 

Don’t get Cherry wrong. She didn’t get nervous in front of crowds and she was hardly opposed to yelling at a hood to leave her alone but Dallas was something else. He was interesting in the way that a firecracker was interesting. Moving so fast, dangerous and loud that it nearly blinded you. 

It was one rodeo after her and Marcia had finished riding. She was in her signature pink rodeo shirt with the two cherries on the pocket, cute flare jeans to go over her boots. She was talking to Marcia and smoking a rare cigarette. Things hadn’t been great at home lately and she knew her dad wouldn’t be able to distinguish the rodeo smell from cigarette smoke. 

“How you ladies doin?” Cherry ashed her smoke on the chain link fence before turning around to find none other than Dallas Winston. He was wearing worn levis over scuffed cowboy boots. He had an oversized flannel shirt thrown on, unbuttoned, exposing his flat stomach and a scar that ran from his rib to the top of his jeans. She huffed out a sigh, not really wanting to get into it with him. 

“What do you want?” She said in a no nonsense tone she’d heard her mother use plenty of times when she was younger.

“Woah, woah baby.” He smirked, putting his hands up in mock surrender while Cherry took another drag. “Just wanted to say that you guys are good riders, that’s all.” His New Yorker accent peeked through his words, twisting around his mouth playfully. She scoffed a little. 

“Thanks. Now don’t you have somewhere to be?” 

“I got a race to win if that’s what you mean.” The corner of his lips curled up into a small smile. “Why, you gonna come watch?” 

“Maybe, maybe not. You’ll just have to wait and see.” he smirked and left. Lighting a cigarette with a match on the bottom of his shoe as he walked away. 

Cherry would be lying if she said she didn’t like the compliment a little bit. The problem with her potential to fall in love with Dallas Winston was it could mess up everything she had worked so hard to build with the rodeo. 

Cherry was an entirely different girl at the rodeo. She was no longer her parents' little princess who went around in starched clean dresses and got good grades. In the rodeo ring, she was a wild woman. Her red hair whipping like the untamed winds of Oklahoma. She knew how to play a crowd like a lioness, rows of teeth looking like a smile but they still knew how much that bite could hurt. Here, she was more than a soc or her parents' money. 

More than anything else, the rodeo was Cherry’s escape. It was her escape from her sick mother at home and her emotionally absent father. An escape from the life of Socs and Greasers. An escape from everything that made her life rough in all those secret edges. 

She vowed then and there. She couldn’t fall in love with Dallas Winston here or anywhere. Despite his crooked smile and way he had complimented her, his flat stomach and the way he lit a cigarette. She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t risk giving up the one thing that was truly hers. The one thing in her life that reminded her she was alive. 

The rodeo reminded her of the blood that ran through her veins like fire. It reminded her of the stories of horse women ancestors. The wild women that no man could tame. She thought of herself as one of those wild women. Her feet thundering across the plains of Oklahoma loud shrieks erupting from her lips like fire from the mouth of the dragon. She only felt that at the Rodeo. At the rodeo, she was truly alive. At the rodeo, she was free. 

This is for day 5 of @outsidersweek!

[novantinuum]

Fandom: Steven Universe Rating: Teen Audiences Words: ~1K Summary: “What’s going on—?” he croaks to absolutely no one (weakened, vulnerable, alone, pathetic—), a jolt of fresh panic surging through his entire system. He’s never seen a gem flicker before. He has no idea what this means.

Got a short one-shot for y'all today! This was a quick lil' guy I whipped up within the past week to boost my Camp NaNoWriMo word count in between working on other projects.

It's a canon-compliant fic set during the SU movie.

Enjoy!

____

“What’s going on—?” he croaks to absolutely no one (weakened, vulnerable, alone, pathetic—), a jolt of fresh panic surging through his entire system as he watches the diamond at his core outright flicker.

He’s never seen a gem flicker before. He has no idea what this means. But even more urgently… his gaze snaps up to all the gemstones littering the grass like it’s a damned battlefield… he has no idea how he’s supposed to de-escalate this situation if he can’t successfully bubble this rogue Gem. The others will reform in no time, of that he’s sure— but so will she. And when she does, what’s stopping her from pulling out another weapon and attacking them all over again? 

Steven shakes the grim thought out of his head, exerting a surprising sum of energy in dragging himself back to his feet. (Stars, he’s so out of breath…) But no— no. He can’t allow himself to get so caught up in the brambles of such nebulous what-ifs. Come on, Universe. Stay resilient. Stay positive. There’s only one mission that matters at the moment, and that’s gathering up that weapon and all these gemstones and moving them somewhere safe. He’s capable of that much, at least.

Still… that anxious, always hyper-vigilant part of himself he tries hard to keep buried can’t help but dread the worst as he shoves that heart-shaped gem and the pink scythe into the deepest depths of his jacket pocket and drags his spent, trembling body up the hill to retrieve all his loved ones.

_

Steven collapses face-first upon the couch the second all the Gems are safely deposited on the living room coffee table, heaving what has to be the single most exaggerated groan of exhaustion any one soul has ever produced. 

Ugh.

Good golly.

Amethyst is usually back by now. That sure doesn’t shine any optimism on this situation, now does it? What on Earth did that scythe do to them?

And what the heck did it do to me, he thinks, the mere act of baseline existence leaving him as wiped as a marathon runner even though he’s literally lying as flat as a board. It’s a kind of total body exhaustion he rarely experiences, far more intense than a hard day’s workout or multiple nights of poor sleep. 

In fact, now that he ponders his predicament, he hasn’t felt as drained as this since—

He pales, his heart pounding at a somewhat uneven tempo. With much effort, he pushes himself upright again… yanks up the bottom hem of his shirt to splay his opposing hand across the familiar planes of his own gemstone, tracing their edges until his pulse calms down and he stops feeling so itchy and paranoid. No. Stop. it’s not like The Incident at all. He’s whole. They’re together, not split in half, not disconnected from one another.

Or at least… (he swallows. Hard.) Not physically.

Flashing a frustrated grimace, Steven gathers the gem of their attacker in his palms and attempts to form a bubble around it again. And again. And again. No dice, alas. The result is the same no matter how hard he tries. Even if he manages to fashion one large enough, it bursts only a few heartbeats later, leaving him breathless and haggard and with nothing to show for it. He wipes away the sweat that’s started to bead upon his forehead, and— rather defeated by this failure— dumps that damned gem back on the table a tad rougher than he probably ought to. 

Okay. So no bubble. Great. Just great. Absolutely peachy. What else about him is broken right now?

He throws out his arm, envisioning his shield bursting to life in front of it. And to his credit this hard-light weapon does briefly appear, but only as a glitchy flicker. Ugh. All right, so his shield’s a complete dud, too. With this in mind he sees no real point in testing any of his other powers. It seems his gem’s simply on the fritz now, no thanks to her. (He shoots a dirty glare at those pink, ever-taunting facets.) Plus, he figures an attempt and failure to float might prove disastrous. Best not to test fate today with how his luck’s been so far.

Steven clenches his fingers tight, painfully aware of how tense his whole body is right now. He outright can’t help it. This is the single most stressful thing that’s landed on his doorstep since the Diamonds crashed Garnet’s wedding. And not only that, but with all these muscle groups activated at once he can feel his pulse thrumming like a never-ending mantra within his wrist, its tempo frustratingly irregular. It reminds him a lot of how Dad describes his caffeine intolerance. Both keyed-up and jittery. Thrown to the brink of fight-or-flight but also exhausted to the point of collapse. It’s insufferable, and without the guidance and encouragement of the Gems he has no clue what he’s supposed to do about it.

Although… 

His breath quivering as he feels his gemstone glitch out within him yet again, he pulls his phone out of his pocket. (And boy, is he surprised the screen isn’t cracked after the mighty tumble he took up on the hill.) He taps into his messages and— his finger hovering over Connie’s picture for a moment longer than it ought to— (no, don’t worry her, just let her enjoy her space camp)— ultimately selects his dad’s contact.

Pls come quick as you can, he types furiously. Town in danger (???) from new Gem, everyone got poofed. At house.

Send.

The teen slumps back upon the couch, letting himself sink back into its plush, reassuring comfort. There. At least Dad might be able to help. And even if he can’t, well… 

(He wipes away that annoying stray tear pooling at the edge of one of his eyes. Childish, he chides himself. Stupid.)

At least it’s better than weathering this storm on his own.

[meetmyothersouls]

Back to you 8:

Back to You

Jonah Hauer-King x first person reader

Warnings: kissing, sexual situation, feeling overwhelmed, not proof read

Chapter 8

I wake up and it’s colder than I remember. But the cold doesn’t penetrate very deep. I’m wrapped up in arms, not blankets. My legs are tangled with another’s and not sheets. I open my eyes and I find myself pressed against Jonah’s chest. He’s laying on his side, facing me. His breaths are deep, steady and even. It’s still dark out and we’re both asleep on the floor, which I would normally be opposed to, but somehow these cold, hardwood floors seem more forgiving with you’re lying on them with someone who cares about you. I attempt to adjust my body, not looking forward to the repositioning of my limbs, but as soon as I inch away from Jonah he pulls me back against him. He wants me even in his sleep. I can’t remember having that…ever. There was that one guy that really wanted me at some point. I just can’t put my finger on who it was. But never someone who just no matter what…wanted me. Needed me.

Jonah groans in his sleep, followed by the lightest faintest snore that makes me smile. His arm is draped over my hip, just like I didn’t want to happen. But currently, I can’t find myself mad at it. I let it stay there. I close my eyes and attempt to go back to sleep but I’m suddenly too aware of his body against mine. And how it feels. I’m not hating it. Maybe it’s because I’ve haven’t been touched by someone…well that I can recollect, in a long, long time. Then I start to wonder. Would it be wrong just to have fun with Jonah? Would it be wrong to let him touch me and love me, even if I’d not fully love him back. Even if I’m not sure about my feelings or what I want. I’ve not decided anything yet. I’m still testing the waters…so what if I just…

I press my lips gently against his neck. I feel him swallow hard, but judging by his still steady breaths, he isn’t awake yet. He’s wearing one of those thin white tank tops, the ones that men wear under shirts. I smile as I skillfully move my hand under it and feel the ripples and grooves of his abs against my fingertips. Something tells me he probably sleeps in just boxers, but he remained clothed in an effort to keep me comfortable. It’s a shame, because I’d really like to see him right now. My mind is wondering to dangerous territory. I kiss Jonah’s neck again. And this time he lets out the softest moan. It’s a beautiful sound. But maybe I should stop.

I start to slide my hand out from under his shirt when Jonah places his hand on top of mine. I’ve been caught. I feel my face growing hot and I can’t hide the embarrassment. My eyes snap up to his and he’s looking right at me.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be touching you. I-”

Then, without a warning, his lips are on mine, kissing me deep and passionately. Any thoughts I had previously have been wiped away. There’s nothing but this kiss we’re sharing right now. Jonah’s tongue swipes against my bottom lip and I open my mouth wider to let him in. Our tongues slide against each others, tasting each other. I can’t remember the last time I’ve kissed someone like this…if I’ve ever kissed someone like this. All I know is that this seems very practiced. Like a dance. Every move he does is bliss. Before I realize what I’m doing, my back is flat against the floor and Jonah is on top of me, the pressure of his and fit of his body seemingly perfect against mine.

There’s a knock against our door. We pull away from each other breathless. The only light illuminating Jonah’s face is the the soft light of the moon peeking through the hotel curtains. When the knock doesn’t sound again, his lips crash back into mine. We move against each other in perfect unison and I wonder if this is the passion we shared previously.

I let my legs fall open, needing him as close to me as possible. His hand goes down to my thigh, and he pulls my leg up, and when he does I can feel him. Every clothed inch of him. And suddenly, it’s too much. I press my hand against this chest and push lightly. Immediately Jonah stops.

“What is it?” He asks. “What’s wrong?”

It’s only then that I can see his breath clouding in front of him.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s too much. It’s too fast.”

He closes his eyes and he doesn’t so much as sigh or drop his head to let me know he’s disappointed. But I know he is. I never should have touched him.

Jonah gets up but doesn’t say anything. He walks to the bathroom in the room. The door closes and the light flips on. Fuck. He’s really mad this time. The toilet flushes, the water from the faucet turns on then off. Then he’s back out. Instead of joining me on the floor he sits on the bed. I sit up on the floor, looking up at him. I feel like a stupid child.

“Are you mad at me?” I ask.

“Of course not,” Jonah says, his soft British accent melting my heart all over again. “I should be the one apologizing to you, I pounced on you without a word. I never should have moved that quickly without talking to you first,” Jonah sighs, running a hand through his now messy hair. The sun hasn’t come up yet but the bluish hue in the room is brighter than before. “I was just caught up in the moment. It felt so familiar to have you like that. Touching me, kissing my neck in the middle of the night. I reacted before I thought better if it. I am sorry, y/n.”

He’s too kind. Way too kind. How did I ever land a man like this. I realize maybe this is why I fell in love with him in the first place.

Jonah’s POV:

I’m desperately trying to catch my breath. Even speaking to her leaves me breathless. It’s taking everything out of me to not pin her back down on the floor as she sits down look up at me. She’s getting back that look in her eyes that she always used to have. That unmistakable look of love that she always had when I was around. It’s coming back. She’s coming back to me. And as hard as it is, I just have to keep being patient. I can’t lose my cool again like that.

“The kissing was nice,” y/n says in a soft voice from the floor. She’s wrapping up in a blanket, and I realize how cold it is in the room.

“It was very nice,” I agree. I ready over and touch the heater in the room. It’s ice cold.

“It’s so cold in here,” she says, changing the subject.

Before I have the chance to respond, there’s another knock on the door. I get up, throwing on my sweater from yesterday. I crack the door open and I’m greeted by an older man. He’s donned in a sleeping cap, a robe and some house slippers. It’s almost humorous.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

“Hello,” the man says. “I’m Harold, I’m sorry to wake you sir, but there seems to be an outage in the area. Not heat, no power.”

“Ah well, we’re leaving in a few hours anyway.”

“Well I’m afraid that won’t be possible, my boy.”

“Why not?” I ask, my confused look most likely evident.

“We’re snowed in.”

Tags: @danielabetancourth @luna2034 @wandamaximoffbae @twinkledinkleg-blog @justagirlwholovedtoread @nonsensical-nonsence @paramorelvrr @thedonswife13 @miniemonie2001 1 1 @jonahhauer-kingg @crazyyynyyyy

[chirpsythismorning]

Noah saying, "I don't think Mike likes Will back" doesn’t equate to him not knowing about byler being endgame, and here's why.

Noah and a majority of the main cast have been given a rough idea of how the show will end, broadly in terms of the entire story, but also more specifically in terms of their personal character arcs.

Actors are out here acting. This is nothing new.

Any of the the main cast insisting they have no idea how the show ends at all, are lying. This is because their safest bet is playing dumb.

There's nothing safe about them revealing they know how the show ends, least of all to an audience that is dying for any spoiler they can get their hands on. It just puts them in a position to have to think very carefully about everything they say, which is something they already have to do regardless.

It's a lot easier to just say you don't know, because then you can give vague answers or even just flat out lie and get away with it, as opposed to saying you know and then having everyone take whatever you say as gospel since you admitted to knowing what's coming.

David is pretty much the only actor who goes around explicitly saying that he knows how the show ends, which is something he's been doing consistently since s2 premiered back in November of 2017.

Something David has also mentioned on a few occasions since then, is how much input the Duffer's let him put into his character. He's literally praised them for having a collaborative process, because it allows him to play Hopper more authentically.

And so yes, I do think it's safe to assume that the Duffer's extend this approach to their other cast-members as well, at least among the main cast-members. I do not at all think this is some exclusive treatment only David gets, because this seems like more just something the Duffer's do out of respect to the actors. How else can they expect them to portray their character accurately if they don't know what they're going through or what their motives are or what's right for them going forward?

We obviously won't know all the details about who knew what at what times or how long they've known certain things, until they themselves come out and reveal after the fact, if they even do it at all.

Still, I do think that when it comes to byler actually happening, it's going to be very satisfying for fans who saw it coming.

This is because we're dealing with something the Duffer's are predicting a good portion of the ga will be bitter about, with the main argument at the forefront being that Mike and Will came out of nowhere.

And so, how do you think they're going to combat that?

With the literal proof.

They have David, who has been used happily as their main scapegoat through the years, whose words are literal proof that things were planned for quite some time. We have him saying all the way back in 2017 that there are easter eggs in the first season which we won't understand until the end, how it's beautiful and surprising and it will explain why certain characters acted certain ways...

Not only that, but there's just no way people are going to be able to use the whole 'it came out of nowhere' argument (at least without looking like idiots), because we'll have the Duffer's themselves out here confirming shit like blue meets yellow in the west and other theories that were entirely intentional (as we predicted).

And because of this, I think I can guess roughly how things will go moving forward and it's honestly already panning out in some ways I expected.

Because while season 4 ends in a way that seems to be leading towards Mike and El ending up together from the perspective of the ga, there are numerous details in the subtext and just outright in the literal text that's trying to tell us this is not actually the case.

And so now the Duffers and everyone who knows are in this limbo of tricking their audience in plain sight, hoping to keep this act going for as long as they can, and that's obviously not easy to do.

What I think makes it most difficult is that they want to surprise fans, but they also want them to be satisfied and happy with the ending.

And that is why the whole Milkvan straight bait is indeed very near its end.

If they want ST to live on as a cult classic with rewatch value, they can't keep this straight bait going on into the last season.

They'll want Mike and El to definitively give off platonic elmike for s5, with byler being endgame and Willel being wonder twins.

This is why Mike and El's dynamic HAS to blatant in a way that will come across as platonic to the ga in s5. And the shift needs to be immediate, otherwise byler will not be satisfying.

I feel like a lot of bylers already predict this, which is why a lot of us assume that the milkvan breakup with happen (or be acknowledged as having already happened) as early as 5x01 or 5x02.

Honestly, I do think that Will's painting being plastered on merch recently was one of the big moments which is representative of a shift we're already seeing start to happen. We're going to continue to see milkvan be promoted as elmike, while byler is being promoted in a way that is, well byler.

What I think is most noteworthy in terms of how they're approaching this conflict going forward, is how the actors themselves have talked about it when asked.

For example, there was one Con specifically that I remember Noah attended right around when Vol 2 dropped, where he mentioned byler at least 3 times. Two times when asked and one other time unprompted.

And no one ever talks about this, but full serious you guys, it was dead silent at that con whenever he mentioned byler. There were maybe a few hoots and claps, with Noah literally looking kind of worried. It was obvious he noticed the silence the first time it got brought up, and so he felt the need to mention it a second time when asked about what he shipped and then AGAIN, with a note of defensiveness in his voice:

"Byler is just, at it's peak right now, okay, so definitely ship that--"

And while in the background, all you hear is maybe 2 bylers supporting him, otherwise, it's mostly crickets...

Let's try to remember that while Byler is a lot bigger now undoubtedly, unless you're active online, most of the ga does not see it coming. And so byler is by no means fan-service. If anything it's show-runner service.

This means Noah had literally no obligation that day to go all out with referring to byler in a positive hopeful light, nor does he still. And yet he did and he hasn't slowed down much since.

His approach makes sense. Because his character has been revealed in canon to be in love with the other, he can freely say he ships it and even take the opportunity to hype it up in an attempt to open peoples minds to it, who might not have considered it before. And he can also do this because in canon, Will assumes Mike doesn't love him back, so Noah can just co-opt Will & the ga's assumption that Mike doesn't feel the same, and get away with it, without anyone whose close-minded giving it a second glance as evidence.

If they wanted to avoid queer-bait and get people to not look at byler that way, they had the chance to. A majority of the ga didn't read byler romantically and so they could've just kept things casual by not bringing it up, nor humoring it at all.

The byler tag didn't even hit 30k followers until AFTER vol. 2 dropped! Most people were oblivious (including bylers).

Undoubtedly, Noah in particular around that time, was a big part of why people started to look deeper on their own and it's how a lot of people ended up here, now with 277k of us.

Like seriously, listen to me ya'll, Noah would NOT put himself in a position to broadcast his support for byler like this and the Duffers would probably be begging him not to, knowing he would be subject to a lot of criticism in doing so, if byler was not in fact where the story was going. Point blank, period.

His tweet "vol 2 got me shipping byler over everything' has to have been the most obvious stunt of all. He was not saying that to be quirky or to appease a few thousand people, he was saying it to wake up the hundreds of thousands that might be open to it, and who just need a push to see what's right in front of them.

Then we have Millie's approach. Her approach for a long time has been to say stuff that she thinks the audience wants to hear, that being anything pro-milkvan. And up until Vol 1, she was still mostly on board with referring to it in a super positive light.

She also insisted during s4's run that she has no clue how the show will end (lies, Millie is a good actress pls give her more credit), and this also explains why she's tended to feel somewhat comfortable lying about milkvan positively...

Though as Vol. 2 neared and ever since, a shift has started to happen, where in interviews Millie is getting a lot more into depth and real about El's personal arc. She mentioned right before Vol 2 dropped that El was insecure in her fight with Mike at the start of the season because she thought he only considered her a superhero and didn't see her as more than that.... Then more recently she has doubled down saying that she is her own superhero, having been shaped a little too much by the men in her life.

SHE IS OUT HERE SAYING WHAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING FOR MONTHS (SOME YEARS)! SHE KNOWS HER CHARACTER BETTER THAN ANYONE!

Honestly, even though I understand they are trying to trick people into thinking they're clueless and so I guess I'm happy for them that they've succeeded in that, I can't help but admit I feel a little disappointed upon hearing some bylers say that they are convinced Millie doesn't know, but that Finn does and even Noah does, but that she's entirely in the dark about it and that they're okay with this I guess?

First of all, why would anyone be okay with that? Why would we be okay with Millie not having insight into where her character is going. What, do you guys think they're just going to pull up on her at the last minute like, "yeah sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but this is where your character is going to end up. anyways back to byler!...."

I don't care, it would seriously be fucked up to keep her in the dark about this because El IS important to the story and Millie, just like everyone else, deserves that closure so that she can understand her character better and therefore perform to the best of her ability. She also deserves a say somewhat in where she feels her character should go, just like David has said the Duffer's afford them.

Now lastly, when it comes to Finn, I think most assume at least he is aware of byler, and I do agree he knows, so let's start there.

Again, we don't know when they found out and so for now I don't feel like going too far into guessing the exact point and so I won't. However, I do think that Finn also as of late has had an approach that manages to somehow be very different from both Noah and Millie's, and for reasons that also make a lot of sense.

Because Finn's character is assumed to not return Will's feelings, he has to be more careful than all of them. This is arguably why he goes to the least cons out of everyone (most recently everyone attended a con in person, with Millie present over zoom even, but no Finn or Noah... seems very intentional at this point).

Why I think they need to be more strict with Finn in particular is because he's in the exact opposite situation as Noah.

His character is assumed to not return Wll's feelings, and so he can't go very far with what he reveals. What we've got up to this point is actually quite revealing enough as it is, which is why that's all we're getting for now.

What I find interesting is that Finn's approach is quite similar to David's. I know Noah is known for spoiling things, but arguably Finn is just as bad, he's just a lot more sneaky about it. He has a harder time lying, which is why I think he actually looks uncomfortable when asked milkvan questions. Not necessarily because he doesn't ship it like lots of bylers assume, but because he's having to dance around and lie outright and he probably feels bad.

His most common approach though is that he likes to make jokes and say things that could be looked at from multiple perspectives, where it could be looked at now as milkvan evidence, while simultaneously being looked at from the future as byler evidence. Him saying 'I think everyone knows how Mike feels about Eleven' was him quite literally gaslighting the audience just like Mike did with El in s4:

'I care for you so much" "I say it" "You know how I feel about you--"

But do we? Do we really? Or does the audience THINK they know, and so Finn can get away with saying something cryptic and vague like that? When really, in the future, everyone will be laughing looking back because to Finn and all the cast, it was actually abundantly obvious Mike's feelings for El were platonic and his feelings for Will were romantic.

Same for his response when asked if El and Mike would be together and happy in season 5. He dances around it, doesn't deny it, but also doesn't confirm it. Instead of just being like yes they will (which is what we're being led to assume is inevitable at the end of s4, and so he has no reason to dance around it), he starts by deflecting, talking broadly in terms of the stories overall ending, only to say he hopes they find happiness... Again his answer fits with the ga's assumptions now, but it also fits with the surprise of byler in the end as well.

Also important to note that Finn and Noah are the ones to repost about the show most out of everyone from the main cast. A LOT. In fact, they were the only main cast-members (besides Brett LOL) out of everyone to repost about the episode title name for 5x01 being released on ST day...

And it's because THIS is their character's big revelation going into the final season and they had a say in it going this direction. Even if it's what the Duffer's wanted all along, they still gave them and everyone to an extent, a say in things. And now that it's all slowly happening, they are front and center standing by that decision, because they insisted they could do it and wanted to.

I can't say for certain that things will just be smooth sailing from here on out though, by no means is everything just going to shift completely.

There is still undoubtedly this element of the Duffer's and everyone wanting to have the pleasure of tricking the audience. In an industry where everything that happens is usually expected and predictable and therefore rarely exciting, and with an audience that is always figuring stuff out before their supposed to through leaks and stuff, byler is something they have finally been able to successfully trick most of the audience to think will never happen. And that is fucking impressive when considering the heaps of evidence.

And yet still, they don't want to be yet another show that is considered to have a bad ending.

So, going forward, I think things will continue the way that they are, but we'll slowly see them be more comfortable in this element of acknowledging endgame in a way that will be easy to look back on positively when everything is all said and done.

Because if byler is endgame, IF they want people to look back and go oh Oh OH during all those moments where they misread things, but now they can see the other side of it, there needs to be more of an approach that gives Byler equal playing field and allows the ga to actually start to appreciate it and even want it and root for it. Which means buh bye predictability and heteronormativity and hello surprises and gayness (but also be open ended about it so the homophobes will stay tuned until the last second).

[milfclaren]

Please go on a rant about Lando’s birth chart now

oh God. y’all really want me to talk til i’m blue in the face huh?

disclaimer: this chart reading is limited, as lando has not shared his birth time and because of that, i can’t know his rising sign. if i had to guess, it feels like his chart ruler is either mercury (gemini/virgo) or venus (taurus/libra) but that’s just my initial thought, purely based on vibes. i’ll do my reading with no rising sign, as i would rather be ill-informed than flat out wrong.

if you haven’t seen lando��s chart + aspects, it looks something like this:

and if this is all shapes and colors to you, don’t worry!dr. yaps-a-lot is here!

first thing first, holy fuck there’s a lot of mars and saturn influence. like, there is so much of both. this is not uncommon for an athlete’s chart, as when we think of mars, we think of action and when we think saturn, we think of discipline. his sun and mercury are both in scorpio, moon and mars are in capricorn, and his libra is in venus. his saturn is in taurus, and although saturn is a more outer planet and it moves very slowly, i will talk a bit on his saturn because it is so fucking prevalent in his chart. it aspects three of his major placements.

we’ll start with basics, with his scorpio sun. we all know the stereotypes for scorpio suns (moody, possessive liars) so i won’t talk too much about those traits. your sun sign is supposed to frame your approach or perspective, and scorpio is a fixed sign ruled by mars — the planet of action, strategy, ambition; the physical means with which you use to achieve your goals. lando’s incredibly dedicated and incredibly passionate about what he does, we know this. he’s got a strong loyalty to his beliefs. he is firm and uncompromising about the convinctions he holds as true. scorpio also rules the subconscious or unknown, which means that the sun is not necessarily comfortable here but lando exhibits scorpio sun behavior clearly and constantly. this is in part because his sun and mercury are conjunct — there are very few degrees separating them and they are working in tandem with one another.

mercury in a birth chart represents communication - it shapes the way you communicate with the world and express yourself entirely. in scorpio, it means he’s a very intuitive, observant communicator. one of the most interesting landoisms is how receptive he is to the other person in the conversation, especially when it comes to his self-perception and how he alters that, as i talked about previously. a ‘more traditional’ sun conjunct mercury individual is able to communicate a more unified approach in how they share themselves with others. there’s an alignment or harmony with the things they say/believe and the things they do. lando’s mercury is in retrograde, which means things are not as straightforward for him. a planet in retrograde is just a planet moving in the opposite of it’s intended direction — meaning, it will sometimes do the opposite of what it’s intended to do. his style of communication is not as direct as one might traditionally see with this aspect. adding to that, his mercury is in the sign of scorpio, which represents the unknown/subconscious. he can come across as contradictory, or confusing. in the aforementioned post i said (from his perspective) people are dedicated to misunderstanding him — this is what i mean. what he communicates, lando intends as genuine. But what you interpret could be entirely the opposite of what of he intended. just because lando is frank and direct, does not mean that he’s clear or forthcoming. this is maybe why people have a hard time discerning what he means most of the time — it’s hard to know when he’s joking and when he’s serious, when he’s lying and when he’s telling the truth.

his sun also opposes his saturn. saturn represents a lot of things astrologically; control, discipline, consequences, structure, obligation. an opposition is when two planets are 180 degrees from one another — representing two opposing facets of the same ideal in a way. for him to be most successful, he has to find balance. this is maybe where that struggle for control i talked about before comes from, and it’s a huge part of why he’s overly self-critical. lando has always held himself to impossible expectations, and struggles most with his own disappointment when he fails to meet those goals. (even if they were maybe not achievable goals in the first place.) it’s important for him not to sabotage himself in this regard, because other parts of his chart actually set him up well to achieve his goals. shame and self-doubt could be the biggest thief of all his joy and success.

since we’re talking saturn, let’s get into his capricorn moon and mars. his moon and his mars are conjunct, and additionally, his sun sextiles both of these placements. (a sextile is often a favorable aspect, it means there’s 60 degrees of separation between the two placements, leading to a complementary relationship with them — bringing balance or harmony, in this case.)

the moon represents your emotional world, and your inner perception of self. lando’s moon being in capricorn is so fucking fitting. he’s pragmatic, headstrong, defiant, guarded and overly self-critical. capricorn often represents where there is more structure and order in an area of someone’s chart, but the moon is detriment in capricorn. your inner emotional world is a deepily illogical and vulnerable place, and lunar capricorns are people who look to logic and pragmatism to create a sense of order and safety. people with this placement feel things very deeply, though. any feeling too strong for them to understand or control must be suppressed, and if can’t be, they’ll likely throw themselves head-over-foot into whatever goals they have to ignore the feeling anyhow. usually, any attempts to suppress or control emotions they don’t understand lead to the emotions controlling them in ways they don’t recognize. and i mean, i think it’s clear lando does Not enjoy expressing a lot of emotion. (his moon trines his saturn: he takes pride in being able to control and restrain his emotions.) he would much rather come across as cool and unaffected, especially if he doesn’t trust you. trust is a HUGE thing for capricorn moons — very hard to gain, very easy to lose. they usually have a harder time trusting people who are flakier or inconsistent emotionally. i often think of when lando and luisa broke up, and he spent a good few months literally never sitting still. he picked up fucking dj’ing so he had a day job AND a nighttime hobby. or i think of how long it took him a bit more time to really open up and understand daniel, someone that lives a lot in emotional extremes/floats between them frequently.

i’ve already talked a lot about mars, but let’s dig into mars in capricorn right quick. this is sexyyy, to me. capricorn loves to be in mars - it’s all about productivity, and mars loves to take action. he’s incredibly disciplined and goal-oriented but probably doesn’t allow himself to enjoy the fruits of his labor nearly enough. he is headstrong in succeeding anyways. i don’t find him to be showboaty or cocky. rather, he leads more by doing or showing and less by saying. generally, he’s also going to feel more rewarded when he sees the tangible results of the work he’s putting in. he may not be patient, but he is persistent. eventually, he will get there and he will get there his way [mars trines his saturn]. he’s just as determined as he is cautious, and he has an impossible amount of focus for the things he wants to achieve. it’s why failing while learning something new doesn’t scare him off. he doesn’t stop playing golf despite the fact that he’s not great at it — he likes golfing, so he took the time to learn how to do it himself, and there is some level of pride in that. circling back to moon conjunct mars: the things he has passion for, he loves to do and he throws himself into them totally. think of his revolving door of hobbies, how he gets fixated on one for weeks or months at a time and then once the passion dissipates, he moves on to the next one. all the aforementioned warnings of being overly doubtful or self critical still stand but lando has talked about not believing himself but trying anyways. at least twice before! i find that to be a very mars in capricorn sentiment, or a very unique way to use self doubt as a sense of motivation at the least. having the motivation to try something knowing you’re going to fail over and over again comes from nothing but passion, though that’s a very realistic way to look at trying and doing and learning.

and now, let’s talk venus in libra. i think his whole chart is good, but this is one of my favorite placements ever. venus represents your relationships with and to other people. libra is in its domicile (home planet) — it’s comfortable here. a libra venus is someone who might prioritize the traditional pleasures in life: they like beautiful people, places, things and ideas. think him traveling to absurd corners of the world, all his rumored partners being models, all of his cars are customized down to the very smallest details.

people who have venus in libra are charming and affable — most people lando meet end up really liking him. he’s kind, thoughtful and by nature, dedicated to what he considers right, just or fair. libra placements often get painted as a peacemaker, but in the case of libra venus i more see it as them trying to figure out what you need/what the dynamic needs and prioritizing that, to instill balance. think of lando’s dynamic with daniel versus with oscar. daniel was louder and goofier by nature so lando felt he had more of a chance to be quieter and more chilled. oscar was more serious and much more reserved at first, so lando took it upon himself to be a bit louder and sillier. he lead in bridging that gap — so that oscar would eventually feel comfortable enough to do the same. people with venus in libra traditionally enjoy feeling needed, and might look for opportunities to do so. (in my mind’s eye, i’m replaying the video of lando grabbing carlos’ gloves from where carlos set them down, just so he could hand them to carlos put them on.) they need to be cautious and firm with the boundaries they set. people who rely on them too heavily, and offer them nothing in return will cause them to feel great amounts of resentment and distrust. the beauty lives in the balance, babey.

i’m gonna step off my soapbox but before i do, i want to point out his north node. the north node is supposed to be what you’re working towards in this lifetime. lando’s north node is in leo, which means most of the work he’s going to do in this lifetime is directly related to developing his sense of self, strengthening his self-expression and reassessing the relationship he has to intimacy and vulnerability. in the context of the rest of his chart, i find that hilarious. oh my sweet sweet landito, the stars really had it out for you….

[lnkedmyheart]

why do so many people think dazai's character is just "it all went according to plan" like as if that man hasn't ever miscalculated before. he def has like, yes he's a prodigy there's even some things he can't predict.

A lot of modern readers tend to reduce everything to surface level traits. Everything needs to be spelled out or its existence is denied. Queer subtext for instance is disregarded as headcanon and blatant subtext is called fanservice. Actual queer themes and subtext are denied but shit like purple lighting is seen as hard evidence of bisexuality. Dazai's entire thing is subtext and context. You have to view Dazai's words and decisions in relation to his actions. What makes him interesting is that he is always lying even when he doesnt need to but he can be pretty honest and not worry about people taking him seriously. He also tends to usually lie via omission or misdirection as opposed to outright lying except around Chuuya with whom he flat out lies despite the latter being able to see right through him. And its not like modern readers are stupid or anything like that. I think its the tiktok effect, the majority of the books I was recommended via booktok give me a very clear picture of what current readers are reading and most books are surface level juvenile pieces which actively require you to ditch your critical thinking while reading. 'Show, dont tell' is a rarity. Its also in part because the anime cut out a lot of Dazai's fumbling.

[aihoshiino]

Do you think that in 45510 what Ai said about her ideal type (someone who doesn't mind her and doesn't get annoyed everytime she messes up becuase she messes up a lot) is her genuine answer or some sort of strategic answer as an idol? Because she before that she said that people would be sad if they don't fit her ideal type so she used her charisma to form this answer? As all the people seem to love ai and would generally won't mind her because people love their idol a bit too much that they willingly would change their habits or behaviour and the answer would make them happy or smth?

I'm pretty sure it's her genuine answer. Partially is just because it lines up with what we know about Ai's personality and what she wants out of her relationships with other people - she wants people to know who she really is, including all her flaws, and to accept her as she is. A person constantly nitpicking at her obviously isn't someone who can do that and Ai framing this as being about fairness for the other person is also in line with her tendency to direct blame at herself rather than anyone else when she is let down or mistreated.

There's also the fact that the emotional narrative of 45510 is about Ai's honesty and Nino's refusal to come to terms with it. Nino talks about how these sorts of streams often end up with you unintentionally letting more of your honest thoughts out than you intended. It's also worth noting that Nino is absolutely the 'villain' of this little story, at least in terms of framing. She spends the entire story tearing down Ai's attempts at sincerity and is hostile and uncharitable towards her in ways we are clearly not supposed to sympathize with. Even when she is finally coaxed into begrudgingly admitting that Ai was opening up about her true feelings and considering meeting Ai in the middle, all it takes is her being met with a version of Ai who doesn't conform to her own image of the woman for her to be so repulsed and shocked that she has to permanently destroy every trace of it beyond recovery.

Ai's sincerity and desperation to connect being met by Nino's disgust and rejection is the emotional heart of 45510, even as it comes in the form of a gut punch. That emotional beat just ends up falling kind of flat if it turns out that Ai was, in fact, secretly lying here the whole time.

It's also worth paying attention to the way Ai answers questions in this little Q&A session - rather than outright lying, she just gives vague, non-responses to questions she doesn't want to or can't answer. Anytime she gives a direct answer to a question, it lines up with things we otherwise know to be true or are accurate to and in line with feelings she expresses elsewhere. The only time she directly lies, imo, is when she describes Aqua and Ruby as 'a relative's children'.

This also lines up with the way Ai answers some of the questions in the Da Vinci interview - pretty and polished, sure, but still pretty in line with like... basic reality.

In general, the rule of thumb when it comes to Ai's lies is that they're lies of omission as opposed to actively making shit up. It's about leaving out anything that dirties up and tarnishes the pretty image people want to see.

[tqila-sunset]

Not describing something experienced by a wide array of people with a word that implies a more limited scope is a great reason to not use TMA/TME. We already have a lot of potential language for that, we could just talk about that the same way you propose talking about transandrophobia and exorsexism. It's so weird to see people say things like that and then go "but transmisogyny and the way it's used is fine, because the oppression of women is bizarrely sacred". I also am really opposed to the androphobia thing. I'm not saying androphobia against cis men necessarily exists, but I think the trend of saying that TERFs (forex) know trans women are women deep down and just uniquely hate them for being trans women is really ridiculous. Like I saw a post recently that was like "they didn't get there by hating men so hard". Like, yes! They very much did! I get MRAs are cringe and exhausting to deal with but the aversion to describing masculinity as ever being treated negatively has gotten downright pathological.

Now some trans women are just flat out lying to themselves because they've pinned their sense of identity to what transphobes must secretly really feel inside instead of accepting that what other people think doesn't make them less valid. And in the process that means also erasing the harm people like TERFs do to everyone else because now so much as saying "TERFs are also bad because-" is apparently decentering of trans women, who must always be the Primary Victim at all times.

i disagree with the first bit because i've never heard good alternatives to discussing the concept of trans-misogyny other than the term trans-misogyny. like, i could say "the intersection of transphobia and misogyny, which primarily targets trans-feminine and adjacent populations while affecting a wide array of other people less directly" but i prefer just saying "trans-misogyny."

i also like the word transmisogyny because it can be blended with misogynoir (into trans-misogynoir, or the intersection of anti-Blackness, transphobia, and misogyny) very cleanly and that just tickles my autism.

I also disagree with how you've characterised the conflict in the other two paragraphs. i don't understand TERFs as hating men. they hate trans people, primarily trans women, so they degender and position trans women as aggressive men. but (imo) they don't do this because they imagine trans women as men, TERFs would never treat someone they saw as a legitimate man the way they treat trans women. maybe some see trans women as illegitimate men but that's all a woman is to a misogynist - a shitty alternative to a man.

i've never been (openly - obvs i can't read minds) dismissed in conversations about transphobia, misogyny, and the intersections of those axes of oppression by my transfem peers. to some extent i assume that this is because i cite transfeminist thought when i discuss queerphobia rather than relying purely on my personal experiences as a TME trans person.