#but I think the... sort of coup was dumb.

[bonefall]

I see you've changed Shadowstar from being first to die. Sneaky, sneaky. You sly.. cat, you, Bones. Was that on purpose, out of spite for Shadowstar's Life?

B'aww, you got me <3 Yeah I hate that book.

Shadowstar: *breathes in public*

Erins:

[psychotrenny]

Liberals say a lot of dumb shit, but if you're going to bother critiquing it then you need to understand what they're trying to say in the first place. Like "Late Stage Capitalism" isn't an especially useful or coherent term, but you can't dismiss it with "just say Imperialism" because that is very obviously not what people are talking about when they use it. Even just by contemporary usage, you should notice how it's nearly always employed by people complaining about declining quality of life (i.e. cuts to social safety nets, reduced domestic regulations, growing mismatch between costs of living and wages) within the Imperial Core. You never hear left liberals use it to discuss even the most obviously evil manifestations of Imperialism (i.e. coups and election subversion, "unjust" invasions, dropping napalm on children etc.) that even they are willing to criticise sometimes. In the contemporary discourse, it's functionally just a way to critique Neoliberalism by comparing it to Social Democracy- both are still equally Imperialist systems. Like "The Highest Stage of Capitalism" is consistently used by ML to mean imperialism, while "Late Stage Capitalism" is mostly used by Liberals to complain about getting an insufficient share of the loot.

There's also a need to consider that the idea of "Late Stage Capitalism" wasn't even popularised by left liberals; they merely adopted it and became its most enthusiastic users/abusers. The original use of the term "Late Capitalism" was in the early 20th century by reactionary (but Marxist influenced) German sociologist Werner Sombart to describe the state of capitalism in his time. However, by the 1960s it was most popular among members of the Frankfurt school of Marxism when discussing the features of the Post WW2 era. Its first popular use in English was in the 1975 translation of the thesis Late Capitalism by Belgian Trotskyist Ernest Mandel, but the person who popularised it the most was probably USamerican Marxist Frederic Jameson. He used it in his 1991 essay "Postmodernism or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, which effectively engaged in the sort of "society has become soooo superficial and consumerist" critique that liberals are happy to eat up. This implanted the phrase firmly in the heads of Anglophone Imperial-Core Left Liberals and adjacent revisionists, and by the 2010s as more and more people were drawn into that whole milieu ("became radicalised" as they like to put it) the phrase spread and spread and now you see it everywhere in any vaguely "leftist" space.

Now this whole summary isn't an attempt to defend the phrase by discussing its pedigree; I don't think it was ever a very good or useful phrase and that developments in global capitalism can be discussed without declaring the dawn of a new epoch based on a disconnected jumble of often superficial changes. My point is that the phrase has a whole history of its own; it's not something that got thoughtlessly made up one day and any meaningful critique of the phrase has to consider this. You need to meet people where they are at, based on what they're actually saying and not what it roughly sounds like they're saying. When you treat "Late Stage Capitalism" as just the Liberal version of "Highest Stage of Capitalism" because the two phrases sound kinda similar, it's criticism of the most superficial and idealist type. In your attempt to "pwn the liberals", you've ended up talking like one

[beebee18]

We were?

Mingyu x Reader

Characters; Y/n, Mingyu, Seungkwan, Seokmin and Vernon. Seungcheol, Wonwoo, Minghao, Dino, Hoshi. (brief)

Genre; Fluff (slight confusion)

Warnings; None. (possibly, Mingyu's arms)

Summary; Seungkwan asking you if you've been to 1st base with Mingyu makes you question his behaviour over the past few weeks, while trying to keep your own feelings at bay.

Main masterlist svt masterlist

"Have you guys kissed yet?" Seungkwan asks from beside you as soon as Mingyu leaves for the restroom.

"What... " You ask, slightly wide eyed, thinking the giggly man in front of you is joking.

"He means... you guys have been on like 3 dates, tell us the deets!" Pipes an excited Seokmin from behind you, leaning on the backrest of the sofa.

"Excuse me, what?" Your tone alerts the two boys pestering you, along with Vernon who was perched on a beanbag unbothered until now.

"Didn't Mingyu ask you out?" Vernon questions trying to recall a memory from the past few weeks.

"Wait, dates??" You ask quite confused but also a tiny bit hopeful.

The guys immediately recoil, did they say too much? Was what they heard from their hyungs wrong? Did they ruin Mingyu's chance?

"Forget we said anything." Seungkwan says hastily, the others agreeing, going back to their places.

"No-come back here! Seungkwan!" You hiss, completely dazed and now sort of irritated the guys would drop something like this on you and not even explain.

"Seokmin.." Deep breath in "...if you value your life, you will speak, right at this moment." You glare at the man, speaking in a low tone refraining from raising your voice.

"He hasn't told us anything but we did hear Coups hyung and Mingyu talking about 'a date with y/n' from when Seungkwan was eavesdroppi-"

"I WAS NOT DOING THAT" Seungkwan scoffs, Seokmin immediately disagreeing, completely forgetting that they dumped life altering information.

"Not what? Knowing you, you probably were." Mingyu snickers walking in, sitting down beside you throwing a trophy smile your way before getting comfortable, his arm draped on the sofa behind you.

The atmosphere now rather awkward with Seungkwan glancing at you from time to time, Seokmin being nervous, Vernon was... the same and you sit there trying to recall these dates.

Have you guys really been put on a date??

When did he ask you out??

He's never said the word date in however long you can recall.

• When you and Mingyu went out shopping to spice up your living room and he took you out to lunch after.

• When you went to watch that football match and it was just the two of you, buying both of you ice cream as he walked you home.

• When the other day he suggested dinner at a new restaurant that opened down the street, after which a long drive followed.

In conclusion you'd been dumb and oblivious. Also considering the fact that you never let yourself think about him like that, you tried to be a good friend who does not catch feelings, which always felt fvcking impossible.

However he never held your hand, no hugs. Why didn't he initiate the kissing?

Soon Seungkwan being unable take it anymore and announces he's gonna leave due to early morning practice, coercing Vernon and Seokmin to leave with him. They follow tentatively, saying they're goodbyes and Seokmin mouthing a 'sorry' at you.

You and Mingyu settle back on the sofa, he laughs at the movie playing in front of him, you're too in your head to notice but he sees you thinking.

"Y/n, what do you wanna have for-"

"Are we dating?" You cut him off, he's taken aback, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yes...?" He asks a bit scared.

"When did you ask me out?"

"When we went furniture shopping and I asked you if would consider having lunch with me?" All his answers sound like questions, your face scrunched in confusion.

"Did you not know we were?" He asks sceptical, you shake your head lightly, looking at him with a frown.

"Why don't you hold my hand then? You never hug me, and see!" You point to him, still frowning. "You sit so far away!" Your frustation takes over as you look up into his eyes.

Mingyu's concern dissipating a little as he registers your words.

"I didn't wanna be really touchy and make you uncomfortable. I know you don't love skinship and you know how I am, what if I scared you away?" He says smiling at you softly, placing his hand on top of yours perched on the sofa between the two of you.

"You never kissed me..." You mutter lowly, doubt clear in your voice.

"Oh baby," Whispers out Mingyu, moving closer to you, one hand placed between the back of the sofa and and your thigh, other gently coming up to caress your jaw.

"Would you like that?" He quips, gazing into your eyes, movie completely forgotten, only serving as background noise now.

A shallow breath releases from you before you speak out a definite 'yes' leaning in a little closer.

His free hand moves to your nape pulling you in gently, one of your hands instinctively sliding up his chest to rest on his shoulder, the other holding his bicep to ground yourself.

His lips meet yours, eager but gentle, hesitantly moving, encasing your lower lip. Confidence growing within his chest as he hears a small sigh leave you, your own doubt clearing and being replaced with pure bliss.

His hand from your nape moves back to cup your jaw softly, pulling away leisurely, eyes closed, exhaling a heavy breath, your chest equally heavy, grip loosening off his shoulder and bicep.

"So?" Mingyu almost seeks out an answer, something, hopefully positive as you come to your senses opening your eyes and gazing into his dreamy ones. A small smile growing on your face causing him to exhale heavily in relief, a grin cascading over his golden boyish features.

A little giggle leaving your lips before engulfing him a hug "I've utterly enjoyed every single date we've been on. Sorry for being stupid." You say, face buried in his neck.

His own chest rumbles with a light laugh, "It's okay, at least we got over that misunderstanding." He says stroking your back in a soothing manner.

"Should we turn this movie night into a date?"

"Yes please, I'm gonna grab blankets so we can cuddle." You say disappearing into your room with a wide grin, leaving behind an ecstatic and content Mingyu.

He may or may not have punched the air in victory, shhh!

///

Texting- (gc... y/n, dk, hoshi, vernon, kwan)

Y/n: Thanks for spilling the beans Seokminnie~

Seokmin: Oh! That was my plan all along!!

Hoshi: About fvcking time-

Vernon: Have fun ;)

Seungkwan: AND GIVE US THE DEETS LATER!!

///

Texting- (gc... gyu, scoups, wonwoo, the8, dino)

Mingyu: Y/n just realized we've been dating??!!

Seungcheol: I told you to properly ask her out!!

Wonwoo: Damn.

Minghao: Use protection

Chan: Have fun hyung ;)

Mingyu: Oh fvck off!

Chan: What did I do-

.

[cannedpickledpeaches]

Insert Your Name (8)

Mafia!Jade Leech x Mafia!Reader

Link to series masterlist!

Notes and TW: Whether or not this is a story, does it really matter if characters are living fleshed out lives in their own perception of the world? This series will have mentions of blood, violence, crime (kidnapping, attempted assassination, extortion), and harassment, as one might expect from a mafia AU. Please enjoy!

Tags: @guava-writes @itszzmoon @twstsandturns @myteacupisempty @rou-luxe @chikitasmol @night-shadowblood-writes2

You walk next to Jade along the beach, feet sinking into the sand. Your shoes dangle from their tied laces in your hand. The feeling of the grains shifting around your feet, the sound of waves lapping on the shore, they feel soothing in a way. Even though the winds are stronger today and there are dangers you can’t see lurking beneath the waves, you don’t worry because you have Jade beside you. Reliable, constant, safe. You can’t even be sure how long you’ve been thinking of him this way anymore.

An hour earlier, you were in a meeting with Walrus about the dead assassin’s body. Apparently, there are multiple layers of magic shrouding it that require some time to break. Nothing conclusive yet, but at least there’s a glimmer of hope. You wonder if Walrus is dragging out the process on purpose so that she can ensure the cooperation of the Leech Mafia lasts throughout her coup.

“In a way,” you say, “Walrus reminds me of you.”

“How so?” Jade is so very fond of playing dumb. It takes one to know one, and he knows. You can tell from his perfectly unreadable smile throughout that meeting that his guard is always up around her.

“She’s a gluttonous schemer who pretends to be kind and harmless, but secretly plots to gain the most out of anyone.”

He chuckles. “Thank you.”

Of course. It is just like him to take it as a compliment. Jade takes your shoes from you and you let him carry them for you as though he’s just your pack mule instead of the temporary head of the Leech Mafia. The setting sun casts an orange glow over the beach, turning the frothy tips of the waters into flames and Jade’s irises into molten gold. You catch his gaze and you smile into the eye contact.

“I like that about you.”

His eyes soften, molten gold shining with slightly mismatched hues and matching depth. You can’t look away. Not when he returns your smile with eyes like that.

“What part of it do you like? The scheming? The gluttony?”

“Now you’re just fishing for compliments.”

“But of course. I need to know what you like best about me.”

“Why?”

Jade chuckles. “The more information I have on any topic, the better prepared I will be for any situation, don’t you agree? In my position, ignorance is a sin.”

You certainly agree. The more you know, the better. But in this case, what is he even preparing for? He could probably cook up some sort of blackmail against you with the most innocuous tidbit of information.

You shake those thoughts away. You made him a promise. What was it that he said? At least promise me this. Even if I turn on the entire world, promise you will trust that I will not betray you.

He made you a promise, too. The promise that he would never lie to you again echoes in your heart. Even if those words were a lie and he said all that to lower your guard, you’ve decided to cross that bridge when you come to it. No point in fretting about something that may not come to pass. You have a thousand other things to worry about, and you’ve decided to trust Jade enough that this will not be on the list. If you end up in a sticky situation, you will sit and think of a solution, just as you have always done.

“Honestly,” you say, gazing out at the white-tipped waves, “I like it all. Your cunning, your lies and half-truths. It’s admirable. These intangible things have been forged into your weapons and armour. I only complain when it inconveniences me.”

It’s the truth. As much as you suspect and are wary of him, Jade is someone you admire and respect. Besides, if you truly disliked him, you would not be walking along the beach alone with him at sunset. You would not have stuck with him for fifteen years. You would not have kept on bringing pebbles and plants and fungi and bugs and any other number of curious things to the shore in your preteen years no matter how much money he offered.

“I would listen to all your complaints,” he says with nothing but sincerity in his voice.

“No promises not to inconvenience me, huh.”

“I promised not to lie to you. It is a bit of creative omission on my part.”

You chuckle. Silence settles on your shoulders like a blanket, comfortable and familiar. It’s nice to have a moment like this where you aren’t thinking too hard about everything. A reprieve filled with the ambience of waves washing up on shore and Jade’s presence.

“Do you,” he breaks the silence with a softly uttered question, “really believe that manuscript is a reflection of things that will certainly come to pass?”

This is the third time he’s asked you this. It must really be a sore spot for him. Jade isn’t the type to repeat himself. If he doesn’t get his way with one method, he’ll find twenty other ways. You don’t understand why he keeps asking with the same words and phrasing.

“I still can’t be sure. But you know, the Leech Mafia gaining influence because another syndicate fell is actually mentioned in the manuscript. I’d say things are still going according to the story.”

“No details appear as to how that was achieved. Perhaps this is not how things went behind the scenes in the original story.” He stops walking and faces you fully. “Your caution and your persistence in tying loose ends led to the investigation of mages within the Carpenter Mafia, which in turn led to Walrus revealing herself. I have yet to thank you for that.”

“You don’t need to. She would’ve revealed herself sooner or later to make her deal with you.”

Jade hums thoughtfully. “I doubt it. She likely planned on staying as the head of security in my home as long as possible. There are many benefits to being undercover in a place so close to me. She would have concealed her appearance or prepared a proxy to meet and make a deal with me. That is what I gathered from her personality.”

“It takes one to know one.”

“As the saying goes.” He admits it, his lips lifting in a smile to reveal his sharp teeth. “That aside, there is another piece of evidence that shows discrepancy between real life and the story. Floyd.”

Of course, out of everyone, Floyd would be the one who tears the plot points of the original story into shreds and stomps on their remains. He hates being constrained, arguably even more than Jade. He would never follow that story to the letter, and you know this, so you compromised by letting him do the bare minimum to fulfill the requirements of the story.

“What has he done?” You can’t be there to watch any of his interactions with (Y/N), so you don’t know the specifics.

“Don’t worry, he’s been following the dialogue and actions from the manuscript for the most part. The discrepancy arises where the story says (Y/N) becomes something of a mood stabilizer for him, keeping him in a constant state of happiness.” Jade places a hand on his chest, a fond gleam in his eye. “There are a few times I had to intervene so that his mood did not noticeably sour.”

You’re actually surprised that there were no major incidents. Floyd’s mood changes like the wind, ranging from a hair-trigger, volatile temper to a cheerful disposition that rivals the sun. That is not something a person can fix just because he likes them. In the first place, Floyd is not a project that needs to be fixed.

“I like Floyd the way he is,” you say, thinking about the times his flipping mood has caused your sense of schadenfreude to take center stage in your mind. “It’s not easy to schedule around, but it’s refreshing in a way when things don’t go exactly to plan.”

“I agree.” Jade places a hand over his chest. “He has made my life boundlessly interesting.”

“Right? It’s best to like Floyd in his entirety. But I’m sure (Y/N) would like him even if he isn’t sunshine and rainbows all the time.”

“You have great praise for her character.”

“She’s wonderful.” You smile fondly. At the same time, something still nags at you. It should be the result you want, right? But you’re hesitant to ask. “Are you sure you haven’t fallen for her after spending so much time with her?”

“I’m certain.” There is no hesitation in his response. “She is a decent person, but I do not think she deserves the compliments you rain upon her.”

A strange sense of relief washes over you. “Don’t be ridiculous. She’s literally perfect.”

“I would disagree. She is hardly a saint.” Jade’s expression settles into something more serious. “Don’t you think it’s strange that she has not contacted you after all this time?”

That’s still a mystery. “She doesn’t remember me, allegedly. You’re the one who told me that.”

“Yes, but surely you have left traces of yourself in her life. Have you ever given her anything? Taken pictures with her?”

He raises a good point. You’ve given her many things that she wanted but didn’t have enough money to buy. Usually trivial things like mugs with cat designs or pretty hair clips. Now that you think about it, there are polaroids of the two of you on her nightstand. Has that not raised any questions? Does she not wonder about the person in those photos that she allegedly cannot remember?

Furthermore, what Jade said strikes you as strange. “Wait, you didn’t see my pictures in her room? You stayed overnight, right? Did you see the pictures on her nightstand?”

He looks out at the sea in thought. “I would have noticed something like that immediately, but I do not recall it.”

You stiffen. Where did the photos go? Surely, the story hasn’t written them away. Even though your pictures aren’t mentioned in the manuscript, they can’t have been omitted in real life. After all, you’re still here.

Did she dispose of them? But why? If she saw pictures of herself with someone she doesn’t remember framed on her nightstand, why would she put them away or toss them in the trash? Wouldn’t she logically keep it and try to remember who the mystery person is? Unless she’s only pretending not to remember. Unless she hates you. Unless she’s using this as an opportunity to cut you out of her life. Is that the truth? Was she ever such a two-faced person?

You refuse to believe it. There were many opportunities to cut you out of her life, especially when you got busy. In those times, she was the one who reached out first. You can’t accept that she suddenly came to hate you without a reason.

“Let’s not dwell on it.” Jade steps in front of you. “May I ask you a different question?”

“Go for it.”

“Do you really believe that manuscript is a reflection of fate?”

You furrow your brows. “Isn’t that the same thing you’ve been asking me the whole time?”

“It depends on how you interpret it.” He pulls his gloves off and starts to reach for you. As though struck by a thought, he hesitates. His hand returns to his side. “What I am really trying to ask is, if you think that is fate, do you also believe fate can be changed?”

He asks the second question as though he is sure of your answer to the first one. You study his expression in the dying light. Placid. Pleasant. This is the face he uses when he’s holding his cards so tightly to his chest that he may as well bury them inside his heart.

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of fate? The point is that fate is how the future is meant to happen. If fate can be changed, then it isn’t fate to begin with.” You gently take his hand and hold it between both of yours. “So, to answer all your questions in one go—I don’t think that manuscript is fate.”

A grin full of jagged teeth breaks through his pleasant mien.

“Finally,” he breathes out, stepping closer to you and bringing your hands up to his chest. “I was hoping to hear you say that.”

“You know, I was half convinced for a while that (Y/N) is just a character made by that manuscript. And in extension, we’re all characters made to play out the plot it’s outlined. Right now, though, I think you’ve convinced me that the manuscript isn’t as set in stone as I thought.”

He chuckles. You expect to feel a steady heartbeat in his chest, but the tempo quickens at your touch, the allegro drumming a sharp contrast to the adante you thought you’d find.

“I was not aware you entertained such notions in your mind. Indeed, anything is possible in this world.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

Jade rubs his thumb against the back of your hands. “Of course not. I simply thought it was amusing. At the very least, you and I are not characters. We have thoughts and feelings that go beyond ink on paper. Such is the complexity that sentience yields, and it is what keeps me endlessly interested in observing others such as yourself.”

“I’d have to work hard if I really wanted to keep your interest. Sounds like a lot of effort,” you tease.

“I do not think it is possible to grow tired of you. You are endlessly fascinating to me in every way.” He leans close to you, his vibrant eyes filling your vision. “Does that answer your worries?”

“Worries?” You laugh it off. Were you worried about that sort of thing? He isn’t wrong. Since when were you so scared of losing him? “I guess I wouldn’t be thrilled if you got bored of me.”

A wave of emotion that borders on triumph washes over his features, exhilaration and happiness flickering on the edges. He brings your hands up to his lips and keeps them there, his breaths fluttering over your knuckles.

And he whispers your name. Not Friend A, not Red Handfish, not (Y/N). There is no name to insert here because it is yours, the one you always had, the one that represents all of you and who you are. Your name.

[evilpenguinrika]

Okay so I had another thought about Descendants Rise of Red

Under read more cuz it's gotten a tad long. Also spoilers.

Throughout the movie, I legit thought that Uliyana was a red herring with the whole horrible prank on Bridget that made her turn from a sweet girl into a tyrannical leader because of what Ella said about it when QoH was staging the coup.

Like I DON"T KNOW to me it felt like they were setting up Ella as the person who actually did the prank (maybe against her will or was just part of a group that decided to do it and she just stayed quiet and went along with it despite not vibing with the prank at all).

And then we got introduced to Uliyana and her group and like they very clearly obviously had her set up as the one responsible (even though I was still under the impression that she was still a red herring and it was actually Ella)

But no

It... It was Uliyana

I felt like the writers had such a perfect opportunity to dive just a little deeper into the complexities of high school drama and high school cliques and teenagers. Because yeah, teenagers can be so incredibly cruel and so incredibly mean. And like, I kinda also assumed it was like your typical dumb love triangle bs with Bridget Ella and Charming as well and maybe that's why Ella did the prank idk. Like the two girls are interested in him but it's also a little more apparent that Charming is interested in Bridget and maybe Ella got jealous. And with how horrible her home life is, she just wanted something for herself for once and had a horrible lapse in judgment in playing a mean prank on Bridget.

And like if you think about it, how horrifying is it to discover your one and only friend stabbed you in the back and humiliated you for selfish reasonings (or maybe other reasonings) and that's how she became the QoH, which could tie back into that song about how love ain't it or whatever it was called, like it would further emphasize just why QoH is the way that she is and why she finds the notion of love and trusting humans/humanity so asinine because she had something horrible happen to her, a trust and betrayal, that has since hardened her heart.

Idk if this made any sense I'm just word vomiting at this point

like IDK THEY HAD A PERFECT SET UP. ULIYANA WAS LIKE A CLEAR RED HERRING (kinda like first movie with snatching of the wand and ppl thought it was Mal but nope it was Jane. See? Red herring. Kinda. Probably.) like it was an obvious choice but then the reveal that it wasn't Uliyana would have been juicy

Oh, I also wished they had more of a clear consequence of time travelling at the end. Like I was holding my breath the entire time anticipating some sort of time-travel consequence

But

There was none

Which makes no sense because when you time travel and change the timeline, there's gonna be consequences. It's sort of an important story beat to have (one example I can think of right now is the first Life is Strange game with Max's time travelling powers and how the more she uses her powers, the more fuckery shit happens where you either watch your best friend die to save an entire town or sacrifice an entire town to save your best friend). I wish they gave us something, because then it would definitely help set us up for the next movie since apparently people are saying Rise of Red is supposed to be a two parter? Or maybe not have it so blatantly obvious but still have something there to let us know "oh, something ain't right" (like I get QoH having that drastic change is already like its own thing, but idk give us more. I want more.)

ANYWAYS again, idk, just word vomiting don't mind me

[jonnnysuh]

Dating S Coups would include

A/N: HIIII Happy new year !!! Long time no see. I wanted to write one of these for so long but it just wasn’t working out…. And then my brain came up with this out of no where. I’m not sure how well this is gonna do bc it’s been a while ((also no one has ever requested s coups??? So I’m really doing this for no reason LMAO)) I’m ngl i kinda popped off on this one. also fun lil treat at the end <3

Series Masterlist

Crushing stages:

This is a friends to lovers type of man!!! I cannot stress this enough

You meet each other when you’re kids and one day he looks at you and it just clicks

At first you refuse to believe there’s something between you two bc you’ve known him for so long

But there’s something about the way he says your name when he’s sleepy, how he always makes sure to be on the “dangerous” side of the sidewalk for you, how he is the one thing in your life that feels stable and warm and right

One day he’s like “fuck it” and goes for it bc there is no feeling in the world as definite as his love for you

Dating:

Bc you’ve been friends for actual eternity he knows you so well

It goes beyond just remembering all the foods you do and don’t like (which he does know) … HE CAN TELL WHEN YOU’RE LYING

Also bc of this, he’s the first person you go to for advice

You know he’ll be honest and fair and help you come up with the right decision bc he just… knows you

Sends u drunk texts bc he cannot stop thinking about u ever

100000% compared hands with you when you were just friends LMAO AND STARTED INTERLOCKING FINGERSJSJDKSK

He does not get tired of listening to the story of when you realized you had feelings for him

Will do things for you even if he’s tired out of his mind as long as it makes u happy

If u needed a glass of water in the middle of the night there is no question about,, he’s getting up from bed to make sure you have it

“Text me when u get home” 🫡

Brings up embarrassing childhood stories about you

But don’t worry you also got some dirt on him so he won’t be hehe-ing for too long

NOOO I FEEL LIKE HE’D ENJOY MAKING LEGO FLOWERS WITH YOU (or any sort of thing where you guys can sit in comfortable silence,, as long as you’re together type thing)

IT’S A YEARLY TRADITION

Is not afraid to tell you his opinion

And won’t always agree with u

Sometimes he wont say it tho, you can just tell by his face…. But also guess what Cheol ur not the boss 🤬🤬🤬

Loves late night drives !!! Eeeee imagine listening to music in the car with him and singing your lil hearts out

One hand on the wheel one hand on you

Having a Spotify blend of ur guys’ favourite songs 😭😭 and they’re always in rotation 😭😭😭 Imma cry rn

He said “I love you” first. Tbh he always knew he was going to be the one bc he can’t help it, it’s so easy with you

Cuddles after a long day

“C’mere” in his tired voice FJOSFIOWJXJKWNS!!!

Spoonfeeds you bites of his meals

Your parents really really like him ((he’s so charming I fear there was no choice))

Sends u cute lil update pics

YOU GOT THIS FULL GROWN MAN SENDING YOU KISSY FACES

Nah he for sure has an album in his phone called “us <3” or some shit with just pics of YOU GUYS AHHHHHH

For some reason I feel like he’d like the sound of his SO’s voice

Is your voice of reason when u wanna make a dumb decision … but will that stop u from being dumb sometimes??? I think not

Lowkey…. Blows u kisses…. No one else is allowed to see tho ok shh

Your whole house smells like him after he visits bc his cologne is STRONG

Often times when you’re cuddling in bed he’ll be looking over your shoulder so u guys watch TikToks/videos together

Soooooo supportive! He’s so proud of you!!

Competitive asshole

It can be the most mundane thing ever but he has to win or even just tease you about it

Voluntarily gives you his sweaters and shirts

Lifts you up a bit when you guys hug

Long-term bets ((just cause y’all know you’ll be together for a longgggg time))

Calling each other by your childhood nicknames

He gets excited when you guys talk about the future he literally cannot wait to spend his entire life with you

Taps on his cheek for a kiss jfodjdjkdnd

Plays with your hair so gently that it causes you to fall asleep

“How are you, my baby?”

HE HAS TO ADD “MY” BC YOU ARE HIS BABY

Protective. If he thinks someone’s gonna mess with you he’ll step in at the exact right time

Lowkey gets jealous,, he needs that reassurance sometimes

NAHHHH imagine saying “make me” to this man …. That’s all I’m gonna say

Bites u (lovingly)

Loves going grocery shopping with you and taking an extra long time in the snack aisle

Has the urge to sing cheesy love songs around you bc you make him feel like those songs!!!

If you do something cute he’ll blush

Messing with him is so much fun bc theres literally endless ways to go about it

You have the privilege to push his buttons

Either one of you bringing up childish shit like “REMEMBER WHEN WE PLAYED FREEZE TAG AND YOU DIDNT UNFREEZE ME??”

If you start showing him things on FaceTime he’ll give you his full attention like he’s in the room with you

Gets pouty when he wants a kiss and you’re not giving it to him

NAH if you get sulky coups it’s over with you’ve already lost … the man is getting what he wants

play wrestles with u

The way he looks at you there is honestly no denying that he is so in love with you

The one person in the world who knows everything about you

Loves a good deep talk but fair warning: he will get emotional about it

All I’m saying is s coups is a certified lover boy methinks

BONUS:

[l1llina]

Going up

Alhaitham x fem!reader

Prompt: He wanted her job and it would be easy enough to

After the dream Samsara, Alhaitham ended up as the new Grand Sage. However, he still misses his old job as the scribe. He asks around in hopes he can take up his old position again but he had already been replaced. His replacement was you.

Alhaitham despite practicing stoicism was upset to say the least. He was frowning slightly, as compared to his neutral, indifferent expression. He knew someone would take up his position soon but he didn't expect it to be that soon. He taps your desk and you jolt.

"Hello Grand Sage, how may I help you today ?" Y/N spoke.

On the desk, he can see texts from 100-1000 years ago. Stacks of paper are piled on top and there is a pillow, blankets and cups of tea.

"Hello. Scribe, what is your name ?". He asked.

"I'm Y/N. Are you looking for some documents ? I'm happy to help. Or maybe, you need to find someone ? Uhh, or uhh." She stuttered

Alhaitham was thinking. His first thought was Y/N was a different scribe than he was, more expressive, less poignant. She even acted like a sort of secretary even though her job was to record historical data.

"I am Alhaitham, I am not the Grand Sage so please just call me by my name." He voiced.

Y/N is sweating in her chair. Why was the Grand Sage rejecting his position. That is so weird. Why is he here to talk to the scribe of all people? Did he come here because she was suspicious. Did she look like the type of person who would stage a coup d'état. The last person who interacted with him was sent to jail, or that was what she remembered.

"I used to be the scribe." Alhaitham admitted.

"Oh-" Y/N gasped.

She was starting to piece what was happening but it still seemed he was here for something else.

The cogs in Alhaitham's head was turning. She doesn't understand and this was going to be an awkward situation. Just look at her, she's hyperventilating. This is going to take more time than he wanted it to.

Y/N is trembling. He was either here to get his job back, fire her for being incompetent or she was suspected of being a war criminal! In all those scenarios, her peaceful life would be over.

"I swear I'll get better at my job!". She exclaimed, hoping that was the reason he was here. For being bad at her job.

Al Haitham glanced over and these were his next words. "You are a better scribe than I was. You really seem to put your all into this job."

"I am actually here because I don't like being the Grand Sage that is all. I was hoping to be the Scribe again but here you are. It is well deserved, might I say"

Y/N blushed and smiled. His compliment meant a lot to her. She sighs too because he was a nice guy and he looked disappointed. She couldn't really do anything to cheer him up except give up her position but she can't do that. This job was perfect for her.

Y/N proposes "I'm sorry, you seem very nice. Even if I quit this position, could you become the Scribe again ? There's no better person for the Grand Sage but you.." She smiles

Truth be told, she was right. Nahida didn't intend to let Alhaitham quit being the Grand Sage despite his wishes, the only way would be to find a more competent Grand Sage.

"I have some ideas for replacements. Like, the Traveler or Nahida herself or maybe the Wanderer. Maybe even Faruzan could work. You should try before you give up. If you find someone we'll have a challenge to see who's the better scribe. If you win, I quit." Y/N smiles

Alhaitham looked at her this time, with his usual indifferent look. She was very kind and a little dumb. She doesn't have to give up her job if she doesn't want to. She's too nice. But a challenge sounds good, the job will go to someone who rightfully deserves it and both parties can leave satisfied afterwards.

2 weeks pass, and Y/N was right not to lose hope. Nahida actually budged on her decision. Alhaitham had found a suitable candidate and that candidate would take over but only if Alhaitham won the challenge and quit. Nahida is also very kind and it's a nice thing the people of Sumeru get to have her as an archon.

The challenge to determine who was the best Scribe was decided. Whoever could translate more texts within an hour wins, quality will be taken into account of course.

On the day of the challenge, Alhaitham arrived in a nice suit. It was to celebrate getting his job back. On the other end, we have Y/N who had eyebags from studying the night before.

It starts and Y/N manages to translate 2 whole texts in 15 minutes but Alhaitham was already on his 4th text. She was behind by 1 text. To make up for the loss of time, she translated 4 texts roughly in 10 minutes and decided to clean them up later. In the last 2 minutes, Alhaitham had 11 fully translated texts and Y/N had 10 fully translated texts, her strategy had worked, but it wasn't enough. The gong chimes and Y/N seemed to have lost. Her only hope was that her translations were better than his.

10 minutes pass and the winner is announced.

It's Alhaitham. He smiles with a wide grin. He looked so happy. Y/N was very tired but she applauded him. It was a good fight. She then slumped on the desk and fell asleep for the last time as the Scribe, in the Scribe's office.

At 11 pm, a silhouette is spotted. It carries Y/N to the couch in her office, covers Y/N with a blanket and puts a pillow under her head. He kisses her forehead and leaves a bouquet of flowers for her to wake up to. The night was a sad one for Y/N. It was beautiful, serene and joyful. It was almost mocking Y/N's current state. It's the end of her peaceful job and life. Tomorrow she'll be jobless. She'll find another job surely but how she'll miss her old one. She understands Alhaitham better and realised how much the two of them were similar for their love of being the Scribe.

In the morning, Y/N is gently woken up by her ex-rival, Alhaitham. He smiles at her with no malicious intent to be found. It saddens her but she smiles. He was happy now. He even looked a little red but Y/N was still groggy from the all nighter she pulled the day before.

He slowly slides an arm behind her back and Y/N leans into his touch. What a weird guy. She closes her eyes again before he hugs her. He was hiding his face in her neck but Y/N started blushing too. Was she overthinking again, why would a guy hug a girl when she just woke up.

A letter is slid into her bag. Y/N packs up and leaves to go home. Before she did, Alhaitham asked where she lived since he wanted to see her again. She tells him and leaves. Unbeknownst to her, Alhaitham follows and waits at a nearby café. He had something else he wanted to say to her.

"What's this in my bag?"

Hello Y/N, You have been recommended to be the new Grand Sage. I know it is very sudden but the previous Grand Sage and I agreed you would be quite suitable. Why you may ask ? Well first of all, you were the Scribe and our previous Grand Sage was a scribe too. Second of all, I believe Grand Sages have to be kind to the people and encouraging. How else would people keep learning if they aren't motivated to do so ? Please refer Alhaitham to give us your answer. Sincerely, Nahida

... A gust of wind is felt as the door of Y/N's residence flutters open. Y/N is running, she's crying, beaming with joy, laughing and out of breath. Alhaitham sees her and walks in front of her path. The sight of his cru- ahem friend was so beautiful to see.

"YES! I accept!"

The man was blushing. It sounded like something else. The people in front of the cafe started clapping. A few "CONGRATULATIONS!" can be heard. Y/N realises what's happening and starts blushing too.

Alhaitham readjusts his collar. "Noted. Greetings Grand Sage". Alhaitham pressed a kiss to her forehead. He was worried he was a little too forward but surprise, surprise. Y/N asked "Can I kiss you ?". An agreement was reached and Y/N and Alhaitham press a chaste kiss on each other's lips.

Oho~ How the tables have turned ~~

[-The End-]

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Chapter 23: Sealed

We get the Wheel icon now that Egwene's taking a big step towards her destiny by becoming an Accepted.

“Is that all there is for me?” she demanded. “To abandon him again and again. To betray him, fail him, again and again? Is that what there is for me?”

"I win again, Latra Posae." I mentioned all this last time as a justification for Egwene's character development and now I'll go even further and say it's a necessary step for her. An Egwene who hadn't seen Rand as failed shepherd, savior, and channeler, who had had the strength to break away from fake Rands despite their suffering is an Egwene who wouldn't have been able to force the seal debate and while we can argue all day about the effectiveness of that plotline, it was a necessary one.

Tension seemed to go out of the other Aes Sedai facing Egwene. Elaida let out a long breath, then hurried away for the last chalice.

Another hint that Elaida is an antagonist but not a monster: she is visibly relieved Egwene is alive. She may well have started the coup early if she had died.

The last words seemed to have a special meaning, just between Egwene and the Amyrlin.

The words of the ceremony aren't different, but the actions alongside them are. At this point, Nynaeve had already been pulled to her feet, while Egwene remains there.

Why don’t I feel any different?

Because the Tower is a hollow enough institution that its ceremonies no longer ring true?

Egwene made herself wait for the Aes Sedai to hand the bundle to her rather than snatch them away. “Thank you, Aes Sedai.” She tried to eye the papers surreptitiously; she could not tell if they had been disturbed.

I'm gonna go with "No, not really," because Elaida would think anything to do with Egwene is dumb and for babies.

I do not believe you will ever be part of the White Tower, not in the way the rest of us are, no matter on which finger you wear your ring.

Elaida's ironically correct in that Egwene will be far more of the Tower than any of the women in this room: two Amyrlins yet to be deposed, two Black Ajah members who will become Keepers and be cast out, and a woman who will commit a crime with her powers considered tantamount to rape. Also at least two other two non-entities.

“I try to protect novices where they need it, since they cannot protect themselves. You are Accepted, now. It is time for you to learn to protect yourself.”

Also Elaida's important politically and Sheriam's after political power, so it's no good to make an enemy of her.

You have my apologies, though words are not enough. Not for what almost happened to you. I say this, and by the First Oath you know it is true. To show my feelings, I will ask the Mother to let me share your time in the kitchens. And, yes, your visit to Sheriam, too. Had I done as I should, you would not have been in danger of your life, and I will atone for it.

What are you playing at Alanna? She's not Black like Egwene fears but even when Egwene assumes that Alanna wants to speak with her specifically, it's not like that ever gets followed up on. Is Alanna already trying to get a Two Rivers boy as a warder? Is she already planning the excursion she'll make to get new recruits and thinks Egwene is a more suitable source of info than Nynaeve?

First, you must love men. I don’t mean be in love with them, but love them. Not like a Blue, who merely likes men, so long as they share her causes and do not get in her way. And certainly not like a Red, who despises them as if every one of them were responsible for the Breaking.

I'd like to be charitable and suggest that Alanna is talking about some sort of love of humankind, but I keep having season two flashbacks and feel safe that I can rule that out.

In the Trolloc Wars, we were often called the Battle Ajah. All Aes Sedai helped where and when they could, but the Green Ajah alone was always with the armies, in almost every battle. We were the counter to the Dreadlords. The Battle Ajah. And now we stand ready, for the Trollocs to come south again, for Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle. We will be there.

Just another example of how the mighty have fallen, isn't it? The Greens are up there with Borderland monarchs when it comes to abandonment of their duties.

“I never heard of such a thing,” the Amyrlin barked. “The owner doesn’t muck out with the bilge boys even if he has run the boat on a mudflat.”

Not to be a complete revolutionary here but maybe that's something the owner should do on occasion? Not that Siuan's wrong here that making Alanna the scullion Aes Sedai is in fact a terrible thing. It's a good contrast between her and Elaida, who of course gladly throws away the tiny amount of dignity the Tower has left whenever the whim suits her.

I have told you that you may visit Sheriam. Accompany her tonight when you leave here.

If there isn't a slash fic about this occasion, all the straight dudes and lesbians of this fandom have been letting themselves down, just saying.

“Since you seem to be asleep standing up, child, I suggest you go to bed.” For one instant her glance flashed to the nearly concealed papers in Egwene’s hands. “You have much work to do tomorrow, and for many days thereafter.”

I am relatively certain that Egwene will indeed get almost no real breaks between now and her demise, except maybe a little time at the Stone between this book and the next.

She did not want to be alone, could not stand the thought of it, and so she hurried to the Accepted’s quarters, thinking that tomorrow she would be moving there herself, and immediately after knocking pushed open Nynaeve’s door. She could trust her with anything. Her and Elayne.

It's really sweet that Elayne is already a member of the group like this, for Egwene to trust her so reflexively.

Elayne lifted a face red and swollen from long crying, sniffing through her sobs when she saw Egwene. “I could not be that awful, Egwene. I just couldn’t!”

I wonder what Elayne's three visions were. The first one was probably at the Royal Palace and offered her an idealized version of her family, but the second and third are harder to guess at, except that I think that the third would probably be more like Nynaeve's and take place post-Last Battle. Even the first one's not a certainty. She might well have found herself back in Falme. Anyone got good fic recommendations here?

“It eases with time. It eases, a little. One day we will make them pay our price. Hush. Hush.”

Nynaeve's the best comforter, but sadly they never do manage to make the Tower pay for much of anything, do they?

Next time: The most popular fight in the series!

[pendulum-sonata]

1 and 21.

1. Character that everyone gets wrong.

Lol, we're starting with the heavy weaponry aren't we? You know? To spice things a little bit, I'm gonna choose an Arc V character and a Kubera character, even though only one of my mutuals reads the last one >.>

Arc V

Well... as much as I would like to say Reiji again, I think I've established enough times how misinterpreted his character is, so this time I'll choose...

Ray Akaba, I wasn't even aware that there were still people around who apparently hate her so much, that they would call for the "Ray hater nation" or whatever, I'm not gonna mention who it was but it was very recent, which honestly makes me remember that one tweet pointing out how silly people sound when they justify not liking badly written female character, how they'd supposedly love them if they were better written, when they couldn't handle any of them having one bad feeling for they boyfavs.

And that's really all there sees to be behind A LOT of the Ray hate going around: They hate her because canonically she defeated Zarc and she split him and then split herself to chase him across dimensions, and hate that she was the one who had to give the coup of grace in the duel against him.

They hate that canonically, Ray is one of the best duelist in the yugiohverse, and they will pull the weirdest excuses out of their backside to justify why she's the worst, how she was "too conceited" to believe she could take Zarc on her on, like excuse me, she absolutely took him down, TWICE, not sure what series you were watching, how she supposedly pulled a deus ex machina with the En Cards, as if the requirements to use them weren't ridiculously difficult to meet and wouldn't require a very skilled duelist, how she was dumb for sparing Leo because he caused an wat to bring her back, like, sweetie, the world would have ended anyway because with or without Leo, Zarc would have awakened eventually, that's why Ray set herself to always chase him down and defeat him over and over, like honestly i could dedicate a whole rant essay to the ridiculous claims I've seen made about her.

But the one thing everyone ALWAYS gets wrong is this, and I'm gonna put it in all caps and bold text because it needs to be said:

RAY ALONG WITH ZARC CREATED THE PENDULUM SUMMON AND THE PENDULUM CARDS!!

(AND VERY LIKELY ALSO YUYA'S PENDULUM NECKLACE)

Seriously people, this isn't rocket science, the entirety of the 6th opening and ending is FULL of visual cues about how the both of them did it, we have visuals of Yuya and Yuzu forming the energy for the Pendulum, we know Ray was able to create and give cards to Reira in her spirit-like form, heck, lately the card game has released a bunch of cards that attach the word pendulum to Ray as well, come on.

And that's just something that a large portion of the fandom always gets wrong about her.

Kubera

For this webtoon there is way too many people with the worst takes on many characters, befitting as the characterization of the story is very complex and well-made, and many of them are girls, and the girls can just as flawed and commit terrible actions as the dude characters.

But one character that seems to exceed the number of bad takes rather than the good ones is Menaka.

Menaka is a nastika, a race who in this story are sort of like opposing force to the gods, the author has even mentioned that humans sort of see them like "evil gods", some fit the label more than others, and others like Menaka are the exact opposite of evil, she was actually hailed as the one nastika who was qualified enough to eventually become the wisest king of the clans, and would be the first one to reach enlightenment and defeat one of the main villains. Unfortunately this one villain would have none of that and screwed her over on a cosmological level to the point it costed her everything, her power, her life, her clan, her future, and she ended up being screwed over after her death and then some more.

Without saying too many things confusing to non-readers that's the gist, as as the type of character who was tricked into abandoning everything for the greater good, and lived and died to regret it because she ended up doing a lot of damages for her decisions as well, and then sacrifice herself once more she's the perfect candidate to be hated, mischaracterized, mocked, straight up make things up about her character that you'd thing they're talking about someone else.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that people called her a groomer and the true villain of the story, not like a joke or hyperbole, but as like what they actually think of her -_-'

Uff, that was hard to write without possibly spoiling anyone lol (don't judge me, Kubera in ongoing, Arc V is over :P)

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

Arc V

The Xyz arc, that all I have to say, I mean, you guys know me, for those who follow me when it was airing, you know my feelings about it and you know the absolute boredom that brings me every single time any of the xyz dimension characters were the focus (unless Yuzu, Dennis, Sora or Yuya were in them lol)

People love to say that the series did them dirty because they deserved a full arc, but honestly, we deserved a full arc dedicated to the fusion dimension, and I will die in that hill.

Kubera.

You know? Kubera doesn't have overhyped parts, because the series as a whole is just so underrated and obscure, and everything is so interwoven together, that it's impossible to remove any parts without affecting the overarching plot so... *shrugs*

[thelibrarian1895]

Random Veilguard thoughts

First thought, I am vaguely disappointed that Mourn Watch Emmrich gets to hear Spite when he's in the party with Rook and Lucanis but my own Mourn Watch Rook does not hear Spite unless Spite speaks through Lucanis, or a Lord of Fortune mage Rook who may have some rivani seer training

I am going to sulk for a moment and then imagine that as my Mourn Watch Rook gets more experience and generally better with necromancy and spirits she'll start hearing Spite too

Also Neve's comment about defeating the demon in the fade being a potential way to deal with possession is wonderful and I love that callback to Origins.

Second random thought, Solas tells Varric that he's taken steps to minimize the collateral damage. I would like to imagine that Solas has appointed a certain number of spirits to specifically help/save/watch out for high approval/romanced Inquisitor, Josephine, Cassandra, and Varric himself and ensure that they would have made it through the destruction of the veil. He justifies it with them being best suited to help rebuild but really he wants his friends to still be there even if he knows they won't forgive him/talk to him anymore.

Third thing, I did not choose between Harding and Davrin. If it had just been a matter of Harding or Davrin, Davrin would have gone down, sorry not sorry, only Grey Wardens I hesitate to send to their deaths are Alistair and my Warden. Evka and Antoine are also on the list.

I did however choose between Harding and Assan. And I believe that Harding would have 100% sacrificed herself for Assan.

Fourth thing, Lucanis needs to be more stealthy. He probably could have gotten Ghilan'nin that second time without needing another distraction if he hadn't grunted or whatever the sound was and gotten Ghilan'nin's attention before he stabbed her.

I imagine not entirely his fault. I don't think that the Crows in general have more than an average emphasis on stealth in their training. Their assassinations are about sending a message after all and they want people to know it was the Crows.

Fifth thing, if the First of Veilguard had been First Warden during the 5th Blight then I will maintain that he has been making incredibly dumb decisions virtually his entire time as First Warden. I base this on the fact that in the Awakening DLC, if you sacrifice your Warden, the replacement Warden for the DLC is an Orlesian. The First Warden completely ignored political tensions and sent an Orlesian to have command in a noble posting in Ferelden. Yes Wardens are supposed to be politically neutral and the nationality Warden Commander appointed by the First Warden shouldn't matter but the Wardens had previously been kicked out of Ferelden for attempting to perform/support a coup against Ferelden nobility when there was no Blight to justify anything on the greater political stage. Appointing an Orlesian Warden to be Arl/Arlessa of Amaranthine was enormously stupid. The only sort of appointment that could have been almost as bad would have been a Tevinter Warden. Also the First Warden not calling Dorian's bluff implied to me at least that at some point those letters that Dorian talks about did exist. What they heck sort of leader agrees that mass demon summoning with your non mage wardens as blood sacrifices is a good idea as a last hurrah? Even against darkspawn?

[lameravigliadoro]

French conversation starters…

if you like your coffee with lots of cream and sugar in it

est-ce que vous pouvez rajouter du lait s’il vous plaît ?

c’est possible de mettre plus de sucre ?

vous faites autre chose que des expressos ?

un café crème, merci

→ bonus point : your friend wants to make you coffee!

moi j’aime bien quand y a beaucoup de lait et de sucre

rajoute un peu de lait…

tu peux me passer du sucre s’il te plait

if you’re afraid of making mistakes in french

je parle pas super bien français (i don't speak French that well)

corrige-moi si je me trompe, mais… (correct me if i’m wrong, but)

je vais sûrement dire une connerie, mais… (i’ll probably say something dumb, but)

j’ai commencé le français y a pas longtemps (i started learning French not long ago)

… putain mais c’est dur aussi comme langue! (it is a hard language, for fuck’s sake!)

(note de la rédaction : never apologise for making mistakes, but if you really made a huge mistake, like if you misgendered bread, you can just say “désolé.e”)

if you want to impress your friends and order in french at the restaurant

alors du coup, euh, (-> gap fillers are important too) moi j’vais prendre (insert name of food on menu), avec juste de l’eau en carafe (tap water)

c’est quoi le plat du jour? (what’s the meal of the day?)

mon ami.e va prendre des tagliatelle (my friend is taking the tagliatelle, pronounce /ta-KLI-a-t-è-l/, sorry Italians)

le pain, il est gratuit? (is the bread free?)

le poisson, il est d’aujourd’hui? (is it the catch of the day?) 

et vous le faites en végan? (do you have a vegan version?)

on peut r’avoir de l’eau ? (more water please)

le café gourmand, y a quoi avec? (what sort of mignardises/pastries/sweetmeats do you put with the expresso?)

ah bon… on va prendre le moelleux alors je pense… ah vous faites juste un fondant, bah va pour fondant alors… (so, uhm, I think we’re gonna take the spongy chocolate cake, ah you only do a chocolate fondant, well, we’ll go with the chocolate fondant then…)

on peut avoir l'addition ? (could we have the bill?)

(note de la rédaction : always say s’il vous plaît, it doesn’t hurt a fly to say it, so say it! even if the waitress/waiter doesn't seem very nice, they have to deal with French people on a daily basis, show some kindness…)

if you go to thrift shops

c’est quoi la taille ? (what’s the size?)

elles sont à combien les lunettes/bagues ? (how much for the glasses/rings)

ils sont à combien les bérets/bonnets/bijoux/foulards/pin’s ? (how much for the berets/beanies/jewelry/scarf/pin’s)

vous la/le faites à combien ? (how much for this?)

vous auriez des salopettes ? et des pattes d’eph ? et des dos nu ? (do you have dungarees? flared trousers? halterneck?)

regarde ce que j’ai chopé en fripe l’autre jour! (look what i got at the thrift shop the other day!)

if you like to talk about politics

t’as vu les infos ? (did you check the news?)

putain t’as vu ce qu’il a dit (insert name of Minister, President, MP, political figure) ? (did you see what they said?)

ce projet de loi c’est n’importe quoi de toute façon (this bill is nonsense anyway)

c’est qui les candidats aux :

Européennes (for the European Parliament)

Municipales (Local)

Régionales (Local too)

Sénatoriales (Parliament, but with the old white men)

Législatives (Parliament, but with the younger white men)

Présidentielles (also white men)

c’est quand la prochaine manif ? (when’s the next protest?)

c’est des polémiques à la con (these are bloody stupid controversies)

moi, je suis d’accord/pas d’accord avec :

les verts (green MPs, called EELV)

les insoumis (“the unsubmitted” from “La France Insoumise”, they’re a left/far-left leaning group, and the biggest left-wing group at the Parliament atm, called LFI)

les macronistes (Macron’s group, right-wing liberals)

les républicains (traditionally, they're the right-wing group, called LR)

les communistes (pretty transparent, they're call PCF)

les socialistes (same here, called PS)

le RN ("Rassemblement National", the far-right group, heirs of the French version of the Nazis and Vichy France)

les macronistes et républicains sont d’accord sur (insert typical right-wing policies)

les députés RN sont des fachos, t’es pas d’accord ? (the National Rally MPs are fascists, don’t you agree?)

j’ai écouté (insert name) à la télé/radio/sur twitch/au meeting, c’était pas bête quand elle/il a dit que…

if you want to chat in French with your cat

t'as déjà mangé tes croquettes toi ? (did you eat your kibble already?)

t'es trop mignon comme potichat (internet slang for "petit chat") toi ! (you're too cute a kitty)

il est où ce sale chat ?! (where's the bloody cat?!)

descends de là Félix/Biglouche/Garfield/Caramel/Noireau/Tigrou/Gribouille/Minette/Blanchette/Mistigri/Minou/add other typical French names for cats ! (get down from here!)

miaou (meow)

à la prochaine!

[bonefall]

Tell me more about Fire is Tigerclawstar's son. How would Fire and Swift deal with Lynx's death? What about windclan? Would Fire help Feather and Storm escape? How would Swift react to Fire becoming Firestar? How would Bramble and Twany grow up with 2 older brothers?

You got it boss

Lynx's Death

I think it would act as a formative moment. Lynxkit wasn't born very strong, and she knew that she was only growing weaker as her brothers became bigger.

Firekit was a very attentive brother, he'd be the person to make Swift slow down when they're playing so Lynx can keep up. Swift came to terms with the idea that they wouldn't become apprentices with her early; but Fire was DEVASTATED when she died.

I think it's a moment where Tigerclaw tries to have a bonding moment with Firekit, and Fire takes away a very good lesson.

"...of course I miss her," He coos, wrapping his tail around his son, "Sometimes StarClan sends us a child who isn't meant for this world, and they need to go back. She's just gone home."

"Home is with US!" Firekit trembles and blubbers, his grief too big for his tiny body, "I did everything right, I was good, I made sure she ate, I..."

When he's too choked up to continue, Tigerclaw licks his tears away.

"We don't fight to win. We fight for honor... and you were a very honorable brother, Firekit."

"...does that m-matter?" For a brief, genuine moment, Tigerclaw really sees himself in his tiny kit. Not just what he wants from him. He can barely see Firekit's blazing fur under his tabby mane, and he's proud that he can be the father he wishes he could have had.

"It will matter to you," Nightkit and Mistkit slip away into his memory, "Some day."

WindClan

Bluestar would have WANTED to bring WindClan back, but there was no home for them to return to. They never come home.

But I think they'd pull through. SkyClan died out for some pretty extreme circumstances, I like to think WindClan would find a new place, beyond Chelford. Tallstar's last lives dedicated to finding stability away from the carnage that's about to go down in the Forest.

Would Fire help the Graykits escape?

I think he would. I can't see him letting it happen; but it is worth mentioning that Graystripe would be much older than Fire. He'd also be raised learning that Graystripe is a traitor who joined RiverClan, and I'm not sure if he'd unpack that yet.

I think Graystripe would die at this execution, possibly alongside Stonefur. But Tigerclaw does just want to get rid of Stonefur to get rid of Leopardstar's deputy; his grudge against Bluestar for exiling him never happened.

It would be possible for Fire to play politics enough to possibly change his mind.

The trial might change to Stonefur being told to kill Graystripe, and Stonefur refusing.

Swift reacting to Firestar

I don't think he'd be able to forgive him for killing their dad, but I don't think he'd be dumb enough to act on it right away. He'd plot for a very long time and possibly stage a coup of some sort.

Maybe a sort of Caesar scenario, where he gathers a bunch of Tigerstar supporters and surprises him many years later. It would make for an interesting way for Bramble or Tawny to end up on the throne.

(Throne because, post-TigerClan Victory, Tiger's gonna abolish leaders in the other Clans. We're looking at power consolidation and monarchy.)

Bramble and Tawny

To begin with, their childhoods are MEGA different because Tigerstar is a very respected figure. I can see them possibly being used as hostages at some point, by rebel forces.

Though I will say I don't see Tigerstar the same way I see Tigerheartstar, who would kill and die and kill again to save his kids. Tigerstar WANTS them back because he does care about them, but not enough to sacrifice his own ambition.

But anyway, possible plot threads aside, I think Bramble idolizes Fire, and Tawny idolizes Swift. Possibly even mentoring their little siblings.

[filmophilea]

the different stages of song writing from one falling chair to the other › ej & elena.

the page is bare except for the title on the top left corner, ‘there are monsters in my closet.’ slender digits fidget with the pen, cap dislodged as he carefully swirls it between the back of his thumb and index. the piece of paper is so blank and depressing that it’s screaming back at him in despair but he thinks to himself, this isn't too bad. the deadline is, what, in a day? totally doable.

so he proceeds to wait until the last possible minute before starting and the next thing he knows he’s couped in a hotel room somewhere in tokyo, a show to catch in eight hours, sleep to bank on for at least three and an album draft that he’s got absolutely nothing on.

he doesn’t sit himself down, even though he really should. instead he makes a run for the lawson’s a block away because he needs all the sustenance he can get as he sources his folders on his phone that somehow contains 243 unread articles.

53:41 length youtube documentary from 2008.

safari? maybe so, inspiration could be sitting somewhere in the 103 tabs open.

the elevator door dings, opens wide and he slips inside, eyes constricting at the brightness of his screen.

click, scroll, click, tap, tap, boom. brightness fixed. there are monsters in my closet. cool, cool, cool, he’s got this.

six words, twenty-six letters. he thinks to the speed writing song seminar he just attended, thinks on the 80/20 rule and lets his thoughts wander as he aimlessly makes his way out of the elevator. the doorman greets him and ej salutes because why not?

then he thinks of coffee. it's technically my first coffee of the day because it's past midnight, he thinks as he ponders over hot or iced, decaf or caffeinated. he thinks hard over something that should be an easy decision but alas there’s a preschool that he passes by and he stops in the middle, stealing references from their educational and promotional posters. his japanese is basic at its best but he can read pretty well.

leave the lights on. the stars don’t want to sleep until it’s time. good night.

click, scroll, click, tap, tap. an email chain is sent to his creative director and fellow producer, 4:13am: is being a dumb fuck a valid reason for an extension? he snorts and think of the title funny as he tries to configure how to set the font in times new roman, size 12, double spaced. how the fuck do you do this on the phone?

he breezes through the entrance of lawson and makes his way to the refreshments aisle where several tables are conveniently set adjacent to. he purses his lips and pulls a stool to sit on, picking up on the original task. writing the set list? the email? no yeah no, the archives you dumbfuck.

he sorts through a few drafts he actually likes. more than a few, there’s actually quite a lot of it and who knew being in a 24-7 convenient store would give all the motivation? an hour passes and the only thing he can think of is did i just plagiarize an original work of mine? fuck it, we ball, and then hits submit. it’s quarter to six now and he knows this because his alarm jolts him awake just as a figure crouches over the aisle right across, a small section allotted animals. food and toys and a few other knick knacks that puts any pet store’s decor to shame because theirs is actually pretty well made. he stares at ground and tries to find his way back to his own business when he sees the kuromi tattoo on the ankle. he takes a second glance at her profile, a loud gasp bubbling from his lips.

“oh shit, elena?!” he hurriedly stands in excitement so quickly that he stumbles over his own footing, knocking over several stools on top of the other like a domino effect. the staff behind the counter begins to shuffle towards the rare commotion and he quickly grabs her by the arm, tossing one over her shoulder and ushering her towards the exit.

he thinks he hears laughter from her but he could be hallucinating. and wow is that the sun? it’s morning time?

and when she tells him what a coincidence it is that they’re both in town at the same and she asks him how he’s been, he tells her, “i think understand my next album a lot less now. how about you?”

[akisstobuildadreamon]

Been thinking about this a lot and some of the only possible explanations I have are Hardin coup and expansion -> NCR base takeover -> quick absorption of outside factions to fill their ranks -> Another coup, this time by more fanatical cultist members and/or the other Elders are still running things behind the scenes. Keep the scribes as their own shadow faction, keep all the information from the masses, great recipe for a loyal army. Chain-Of-Command code is a hindrance for this new ideaology, but fables of blessed conqueror Saint Maxon of Mariposa certainly aren't.

On absorbing outsiders (whether Legion, NCR, etc.): Brotherhood numbers are few, and the lands they want to take are expansive. So... make a rank of expendable footsoldiers into their forces, brainwashed with the idea that "maybe if I try hard enough, I can make it too!!!". This fused the BoS with many outside good and bad ideas and values of wasteland cultures in the process in ironically the exact way Caesar described in his weird tumor-addled excuses. They may have had a sort of Operation Paperclip with promising outsider higher-ups, as well. Might be a state of emergency as a reason. Might be a lorebreak/tweak, with the EXCEPTION of Maximus, since:

The Brotherhood of Steel is not ever explicitly stated to be (as far as I remember, and though virtually functioning as) a hereditary order. It's more along the lines of "these savages can't help but destroy each other, so we must save them from themselves". Prove to them through impossible odds your dedication (all the fetch quests in F:NV, going to the most irradiated crater in California to retrieve a disc) is established in the games that an adult waster can actually get in, and even then, they expect you to just give up or die in the process. Children, though... bringing in somebody very young means that they haven't absorbed what they believe is the "wasteland mindset" yet, so Maximus would be the perfect candidate.

Walls of text aside, the whole "no women" thing is so dumb. In Fallout 1, you can talk to a FEMALE GUARD literally standing watch the interior entrance at the door who explains to you how the Brotherhood is egalitarian. Fallout 3's Elder is literally a woman. Sexual dimorphism does not matter when you're in a walking tank, and the Legion explanation doesn't really hold water either, considering that they're likely absorbing survivors from everywhere. Only thing I can think of is a recent rule added in the Brotherhood's slide into a cruel Theocracy.

Speaking of, I thought the Cleric change was weird at first, but they fit. It's in "the wasteland/power corrupts" mindset where they have no faith in outsiders to obey, and what's more effective in keeping people obedient than religious doctrine?

"wahhhh they made the brotherhood of steel a cult and abusive wahhhh" my brother in Christ. Have you played the games

[spaceyraccoon]

I was really looking forward to reading the book Coup de Grace by Sofia Ajram, but found myself profoundly disappointed by it, for a few key reasons.

The prose. Dreadfully overwritten. The use of purple prose was a slog and obviously done in a way that the author was using a thesaurus to make herself seem more profound than I think the work really is. Sorry, but that's my opinion. The story and the shallowness of the "message" within it doesn't really reflect the pretentiousness of the writing.

The glorification of self-harm. I'm not going to go too much into detail on this because of how triggering it could be to some, but the way the author approached this subject is just downright disgusting, and not due to the imagery presented in the book, but due to the way it was handled. Self-harm is not beautiful. It is not artwork. It is harmful and people are in pain and need help. Stop propping it up like it's something cool.

You spend 2/3 of this book trudging your way through all this dreadfully overwritten purple prose and glorification of self harm, and for what? For the final 1/3 to sudden slap you in the face with an open-ended choose your own adventure multiple ending "ending", in which the first person character, who is a pretentious annoying dipshit glorifying his own suicide, berates you for not choosing the "correct" ending. I'll tell you what. I don't care how this man's story ends by this point in the book, because the author didn't make me care. And this is coming from someone who loves The Stanley Parable. I care more about a man who never speaks, than I do about the guy in this book because for some reason he thinks we are supposed to find his death poetic.

And this one I found especially egregious. The use of Elisa Lam's death in this story as some sort of gimmick. Elisa Lam is a real person, who really died tragically and under terrible, mysterious circumstances, and whose very real family did not deserve to have their family member's death paraded around as part of some ridiculous, dumb shit gimmick in some shitty, pretentious book, probably without their permission. I sure didn't see any credits or permission given in the book, and if it's referenced elsewhere then I will stand corrected.

Fuck this book, fuck the author, and fuck people who think it's okay to write self-harm as a glorifying thing. This book is harmful. End of story.

[faceglitchsworld]

It's the first of August! Let's celebrate the beginning of the month by celebrating the King of the Sun, Lim Jihun!

Happy Birthday, Jahan! 🥳

Please, look at the collage I made for him 🥺

I just want to say that I didn't have any idea about the couple pic. I wanted to put him with one of my biases but then I had a sort of illumination and I went "wait...what if I put the maknaes here?" so now you get Hwon(nie) anb Jahan together because I make the rules.

Ok, enough with the explanation about the collage, there's nothing more to add...get the letter, hehe.

Ok, I want to start with one of my anecdotes. You can't have a birthday letter without my anecdotes after all.

So I want to start by saying that, when I got into Kingdom, I didn't believe that Jahan was the maknae of the group.

Yeah, I know you're all acting surprised right now, you're probably thinking that I'm very dumb for even thinking about this. And I was it actually, because I have this habit of never checking a group's profile while I'm getting to know them and I still do it to this day! I like following the vibes, ok? And also see if I'm right at the end because I need to boost my fragile ego I think it's fun.

But I know you're still asking "but why, Teresa, don't you see that little cutie bear you put in the collage here? That's maknae behaviour 101!" And my answer would be "yeah, you're right but don't act like he likes showing it 24/7, uh?"

In fact, in my defense, the main reason why I thought he was older was because of his serious face���. You know, the one he always shows in the MVs and when he performs and when he sings (most of the time) and most of the time. You know, that one. And if you're asking "what about the deep voice?" I would say "nah, I didn't think about it" although I should have considered it, since one of my men is Changkyun and he has a deep voice and he is, indeed, the maknae in Monsta X. I'm just dumb, ok?

And apart from all of this...well, guys, I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't know more about him. Yeah, I know, I can hear your heart shattering and going into pieces and you're probably crying right now but I didn't do the homework aka watching more extra stuff with him in it.

"Oh please, this is just an excuse you're making", uhm, it actually isn't an excuse, it's the truth! See, if there's one thing that makes Jahan special is that he's...mysterious.

Ok no, he's actually very shy like the biggest introvert ever but, you know, that still makes him ✨ mysterious ✨ you need to watch some more stuff from him before getting to know him or at least grasp some little details that you might miss.

But I want to add a little thing that I noticed and that thing is the duality that Jahan shows when he plays his character in the lore versus his actual self (for the few things I saw ofc). Ot don't know if the creative director did it on purpose but his character gave me the impression to be, yes, an able calculator (after all, he did a Coup d'État 🤣), but also kind of a straight forward one? I mean, he's a character that would kill if that means going further with the plan, so...

But then you see the actual Jahan and you see a shy boy who acts awkwardly in restaurants and he refuses to do aegyo because he doesn't think he's cute and shows his shyness every time he can like...boy, how do you do that? 😭 Teach me 😭

Dear Jahan, I'm sorry, I feel like someone who failed their exams while I'm writing this letter. I probably wasn't the best candidate to do that. But I want to assure you that there's a mutual of mine who deeply loves you. I don't know if it will read the letter because the timezones will probably not timezoning when I'll post the letter but I assure you that I never saw a fan loving an idol more than it. You would probably love it if you ever met at a fansign.

My birthday wish for you is very realistic. Remember when last year you started your series where you ate in a fancy restaurant and tasted delicious food? Well...what if...what if you'll make a part two, mmmmmh? I can also give some suggestions! And if you're wondering about the money, I'll bring them through the power of magic.

Happy birthday, little bear 🐻