#back to my first point

[james-sunshine-potter]

tw/ heavy talks of homophobia

"Hey, looking good, where are you heading?" Sirius commented as James walked into his living room. Sirius came round to help Regulus with something he needed to do for work. Sirius and Regulus are surrounded by books, contracts and general mess as James uses the mirror above the fireplace to take off his jellewery, leaving it on the mantlepiece in-front of him.

"Oh my cousins getting married, i'm leaving soon,"

"Soon, it's barely ten am!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Indian weddings are like all day events,"

So, James hadn't been looking forward for this wedding. It wasn't that he didn't like his extended family, he does. He gets on alright with them. His parents were going to be there, and he gets on well with his cousin, the one getting married. It's just... some of the older members of his family.

He's avoided telling Regulus about it for a particular reason

"A wedding? Why didn't you tell me, I haven't prepared anything, when do you leave?" Regulus asked, taking his nose out of a book.

"My parents are picking me up in roughly half an hour..." James was really trying to avoid this conversation.

"You haven't mentioned this to me, how long have you known about this?" Sirius asked. despite the length Regulus and Sirius has lived at the Potters, they never really met much of James' extended family. A lot of them don't live in England, and the ones who do, don't speak great English. James has always been able to communicate to them, as English wasn't his first language. It wasn't even his second. Barely his third... But his parents thought it might be for the best they don't meet. So they only ever met a handful of them, majority of being on his dad's side. Regulus nor Sirius ever asked about it.

The point was that, Regulus and Sirius didn't know his family very well. If they went to this wedding, they would be completely out of place, and James isn't sure how much they'd enjoy it. He isn't sure he's going to enjoy it.

"I want to say a month, I haven't really been thinking about it," James said loosely as he walked out the room briefly, coming back in with his sherwani, the jacket which went with his outfit.

"A month? Why haven't you told me... what can I do with twenty minutes?" James and Regulus had been to weddings together before, if they ever have a plus one on an invite, it's always them.

Which is what the issue lies in...

"Yeah, that's why I haven't told you... you're not exactly coming," James said, knowing that would be better than umming and erring.

"What? Why?" Regulus didn't sound hurt or offended, he sounded confused.

"Cause I didn't get a plus one on my invite," James started to button up his sherwani, as he leaned against the arm chair facing the couch which Sirius and Regulus were on. Work completely forgotten.

"Oh..." is all Regulus said.

"Why didn't you get a plus one? Has no one else got a plus one?" Sirius pushed.

"No, Indian weddings don't really work like that..." James didn't want to have this conversation, he just wanted today to be over with. "I called my cousin about it but they said it was final, I asked about that and they people did, but it didn't 'work out' for me... I don't plan on staying that long anyway, so I just left it at that,"

"Well, you should have pushed it, surely if you explained that you wanted your boyfriend there they would understand," Sirius pushed, sitting on the edge of the couch now.

"I... kind of don't" James said, immediately back tracking when regulus does pull an offended look, "It's not you, I would love you to be there it's just..."

"It's just what, James? Why don't you want me there?" Regulus spat, filling the air with tension.

"It's my extended family... they don't... love the fact I'm gay," James admitted and the air radiating of Regulus cooled, "It's just... my family is very religious, which you guys know from my parents but they also come from apart of the world which is still living with out of date ideologies... gay marriage isn't even legal there yet, and only in the past five years have being gay been decriminalized..."

Horror and shock paint Sirius and Regulus' face as James speaks.

"I've never intended for them to know, it was easier that way, especially as they didn't love my way of live before... not being a doctor or following down an academic job, so every time I saw them it was a lot 'why you not a doctor yet?' or being compared to my cousins, which is normal in Asian families, I mean my dad's parents are Vitaminise, along with all their family, so it's disappointment from both ends, you know,"

James took a deep breath, letting them catch up.

"If you never told them, how did they find out?" Sirius asked innocently.

"Because my mum told my aunt, and it spread like wildfire... she told her a couple of months after I came out to her, you remember how long it took for my parents to get comfortable with it... they're fine with it now... but I know my extended family, and now every event since has been filled with weird looks, side comments and my Nani asking me 'when will I meet a fine lady'... just worded differently in Urdu..."

"So they didn't give you a plus one because..." Regulus started, but James finished Regulus' sentence.

"Because they didn't want me bringing a man as a date to the wedding? Yeah... it's a sort of tell not show sort of thing in my family... I'm the only open gay person in my family, and I didn't even come out on my terms... the point is you wouldn't have a good time at this wedding, homophobic family members and large get togethers don't mix well, and you don't have to be subjected to that, as I said before I don't plan on staying long,"

As James finished speaking, there was a honk from a parked gold Honda from outside their house.

"If they're being horrible to you about this, you shouldn't go James... that's unfair on you," Sirius said, as James slid on his sandals.

"It's fine, my parents want me to go, plus being a first cousin makes me in the bridal party for the groom, I'm my cousins best man... the wedding doesn't even started till one pm, I have four hours of mehndi and meeting my cousins soon to be in laws ahead of before the ceremony even begins... it'll make it worse if I don't go,"

Regulus nods, Sirius has a look of defiance on his face but James ignores it.

"Well, come home as soon if they're making you uncomfortable,"

James plants a strong kiss on Regulus' lips and leaves for the longest wedding of his life.

[ruporas]

dragon meat, you, and me

[elsaclack]

Yeah okay so like I said in the tags of the last post I’m rising from my tumblr grave to say that the ban on TikTok is symptomatic of a MUCH larger and more terrifying problem. Because yes, on its surface it’s silly dances and asmr and cooking videos and whatever, but in truth and at its core, TikTok single-handedly revolutionized the way 170 million Americans communicated with each other AND the rest of the world. Non-Americans love to point out how America-centric Americans are, but fail to realize that we are purposefully raised in an isolated, insulated environment where we are told from basically day 1 that America Is The Best and not to even bother taking a look around because it’s all downhill from outside of here. TikTok has, for MANY Americans, single-handedly destroyed that notion and allowed them (us!!) to broaden our world-view and realize that actually, things are better in other countries, and it did so in a kind, empathetic, and compassionate way.

And yeah most people wake up to the truth of that on their own as they get older, but holy shit!! The VAST majority of the Americans on TikTok are millennials and gen z (and even some older gen alpha)!! People who are becoming disillusioned with “The American Dream” (said with the HEAVIEST sarcasm) while they’re still school-aged or are just entering young-adulthood!! People who are entering - or TRYING to enter - the American workforce who suddenly have an unfiltered window into non-American lives and are wondering why tf we’re struggling and penny-pinching and toeing the line of poverty while our rich elected officials sit around and fight and argue over everything that actually matters to the citizens they supposedly represent and get richer all the while. THAT is why they’re banning the app, and that fact alone should terrify every single American citizen.

Not to mention the precedent it sets for other social media platforms!! You think some nebulous, unproven, and unfounded “threat to national security” will stop with TikTok?? They’ve already censored Adult Material on tumblr, who’s gonna stop them from coming back and doing it again or getting rid of it altogether for the exact same reason? It’s a blatant act of censorship and a direct attack on the American first amendment right to free speech.

NOTHING radicalized me the way tiktok did. I watched people in my life who were STAUNCH Trump supporters in 2016 AND 2020 wake up to the truth and vote blue for the first time in their lives BECAUSE OF TIKTOK, and did so with al the nuanced understanding that even Democrats are severely failing this country, but are at least better than the alternative. That level of awareness and presence in the average US citizen scares American politicians.

The fact that the vast majority of them - including the ones loudly opposing the ban!! - bought stock in Meta BEFORE the ban was legalized/upheld by the Supreme Court?? That Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk were legally allowed to lobby congress to ban TikTok when BOTH stood to DIRECTLY financially gain from their biggest competitor being banned in the US and are guilty of unethically gathering data and selling it to MULTIPLE third parties?? The fact that Trump is now teasing that he may or may not intervene to save TikTok when he was the one who talked about banning it in the first place AND ALSO OWNS HIS OWN COMPETING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM??

It’s the burning of Alexandria. It’s the loss of a significant chunk of culture. It’s the sharp and sudden loss of contact with the rest of the world for more than half of all American citizens. It’s the loss of $240 BILLION dollars in the GDP when the country is already TRILLIONS of dollars in debt. And on an individualistic level, it’s the loss of millions of small businesses and primary income streams for so many individuals and families who found their primary audience on TikTok. Is the app perfect? HELL no. Are there significant changes needed to make it a safe environment for all users? ABSOLUTELY. But that can also be said of ANY social media platform. TikTok openly fostered connection and communication and creativity and compassion that is completely unique to that platform! It made so many people - myself included!! - feel less alone. I get the feeling I know what the general consensus is about TikTok on this site, but the ban on this app should scare the shit out of everyone.

[hinamie]

alongside someone like you

[worm-on-my-way]

do drugs kids :)

[bacchuschucklefuck]

class swap design masterpost for convenience (from top to bottom: bard!riz, cleric!gorgug, sorcerer!kristen, barbarian!fig, artificer!adaine, and rogue!fabian)

[wardingshout]

Zelda goes mushroom girl

[love4hobi]

MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) — BTS, 2017

[scintillating-scales]

Dude I need claws SO bad. Except I need prosthetics to be really sturdy, so I can actually like. Use them for shit. Like I wanna be able to wear them to help me climb or claw at stuff or whatever I need them for. But people only make like plastic or foam or resin claws. It's not STRONG enough. I need like. IRON claws. STEEL claws. Claws I can climb trees and rock faces with. Claws that could kill a man if I wanted them to. It's a fucking TRAGEDY these aren't a thing, and I swear to God I'm about to learn metalworking just so I can make myself a suitable set.

[mobius-m-mobius]

Mobius + being the only one to notice

[junk-heart]

Here are the promised sketches

I really like how I've drawn tz and vriska on the first page

[slfcare]

the most difficult thing about growing as a person socially, as in getting out of your shell and noticing that you are, is that there will still be times when it doesn’t feel like you’ve grown at all! times when you can’t really connect with anyone around you, times when you fail to enter into an existing conversation, times when you say the wrong thing (or nothing at all when in hindsight you probably should’ve). but that’s also kind of the best thing, because that’s the thing that helps you realize that sometimes, it’s not you or your lack of skills or any shortcoming. sometimes certain environments just aren’t for you and certain people aren’t your people, and that’s okay. that’s human. it’s okay to not feel the progress you have made all the time.

[peace-hunter]

Hi! I love your Ghost Primes with Optimus AU! It’s so good.

I have a question though, do the Decepticons know that Optimus can see the 13 prime ghosts or do they just get increasingly confused each time they fight?

Thank you for the lovely artwork!!

oh they Know something funky is going on for sure lmao

a little more serious answer: they can tell something is going on with optimus and they desperately want to pretend it's not. they don't want to know how he's aware of things he shouldn't be, how he knows stuff that should have long been forgotten, how he seems to be more familiar with them than he should be. how sometimes he speaks and it's like the dead are talking through him. how sometimes he will answer to empty air and somehow they can just tell what he's responding to. who he is talking to.

they Know. and they really, really want to pretend they don't.

they already carry the guilt of failing them once. the idea of doing it once more is unbearable and they'd rather deceive themselves than face it. they'd rather their friends stay dead and gone than think of them seeing what they've become.

haunted au

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Sorry for not having a Year of the Dragon MDZS artwork; Unfortunately, I can only picture Dragon LWJ in this particular flavour.

[introspectivememories]

sabo being luffy and ace's safe space.

sabo being the brother that luffy liked to curl into on cold night. obviously he liked it when both of them would cocoon him in their warmth but ace always took so much cajoling and begging. sabo on the other would just lift up his blanket and luffy could slip right in, tucked away with the steady drumbeat of sabo's heart in his ears.

sabo being the brother that ace could vent to. luffy was obviously too young but sabo was his twin. he could talk to sabo. he could strategize with sabo. he could scream and yell at sabo and know without a doubt in his heart that sabo would still love him. he could push and hit and punch and sabo would come back teeth bared and still loving.

sabo reading to them and teaching them how to read. sabo necer making luffy or ace feel stupid. sabo sitting with luffy in his lap sounding out the alphabet as luffy whines but dutifully repeats the sounds back to him. sabo fixing up the treehouse, pointed not looking a ace bc ace will immediately give up if sabo looks, as ace works his way through a book.

sabo teaching them standard school subjects bc one day we'll be off this godforsaken island and people are going to ask you things and if they think you're stupid, they will scam you. and no ace, you cannot just punch them all. sabo figuring out that ace is kind of a genius at math and that luffy might be a lost cause but he understands most of it.

sabo reading books to luffy when he's sick. sabo doing voices for all the characters and coming up with little props so luffy gets excited. and when ace inevitably gets sick too, sabo reading to him too. ace will never ask but sabo sees the way ace's eyes dart between the book and him and that's enough of an ask for him.

sabo the middleman. sabo the brother that encourages luffy's whimsy and sabo the brother that calms down ace's fire. sabo the one that holds them down. sabo the reassure-er. sabo the softy. sabo the beloved.

(sabo the noble's son. sabo the trapped bird. sabo the self-sacrificial. sabo the dead.)

[pickgle]

pickgle