#but i call her nomy

[vanilla-extracter]

big yippee eyes and homecut bangs

[wilting-fl0wer]

rarerpair: Nomi/Tammy. maybe as a background ship to calsol or something. maybe they bond over doing creative stuff together

Such an interestring ship!

i agree with the bonding over doing creative stuff part but also you CANNOT tell me Nomi wouldn't be obsessing over Tammy's ears

anyways, have Nomi doing just that and also finding out Tammy likes ear rubs :)

[trollprincess]

ten characters, ten fandoms, ten tags, borrowing from @annadream (yes, yes, I’m choosing more than ten characters and ten tags, shut up)

[gingerjolover]

can we prioritize jb controversially young gf pleaseeeee i vote yes

to ease y'all into it, get ya warmed up, here's a little appetizer (courtesy of my friends @boywithpinkcarnation and @ever-siince-new-york aka the loves of my life)

julien w a controversially!young gf

okay i have an (unpopular) opinion that i don't think julien would date someone controversially young not because there's something wrong with it but because she will get so existential and I feel like she would feel bad if your brain wasn't fully developed lol

however!!!! this aside, lets continue

I don't think it would be a best friends little siblings scenario or like the kid of someone on her team or the bg team

young!gf is probably a writer or an artist of some kind and julien is either a fan or is at a charity event or something similar and she meets boygenius and they all instantly love her sm

and jules and young!gf really hit it off and so julien leaves with her number but doesn't find out shes young until like 3 days later

has an absolute crisis about it, especially because she doesn't want to hurt you or change you

thinking young!gf is 20 about to be 21, like just old enough that some people will be like um??? but also you're a whole-ass adult so you can do what ya want

but julien and young!gf have a very serious convo bc they are both feeling the vibe and julien just wants a healthy, mutually beneficial, safe, and loving relationship

but anyways

lets get right to it, phoebe and lucy and MUNA love you

like the love u sm but they also love teasing julien

julien could be getting up from a chair or like be laying on the floor and phoebe is yelling "life alert" to you, a glare pushing its way onto jules's face

phoebe is the biggest instigator, always snapping photos of you both candidly and adding them to her photo dumps

I had that phoebe buys young!gf a t-shirt that says I love milfs but @boywithpinkcarnation said a shirt with I <3 cougars and its iconic honestly

phoebe will 1000% caption a photo of you sitting on jb's lap and be like "sugar daddy vibes🤑" or one of jb sitting on your lap with the caption "jb is taking babysitting wayyy too seriously" (@boywithpinkcarnation)

they all call you baby and they mean it

katie is the second biggest instigator and right after that is lucy, then nomi, then jo

katie always teases about "respect your elders"

lucy will post a very wholesome photo of the two of you but caption it "spend time and cherish your elders, they aren't around forever❤️" (straight from social queen @boywithpinkcarnation)

eventually young!gf gets into it and starts making jokes like kelli tiktok vibes (@ever-siince-new-york)

she gets asked in a day in the life vid or a live a question about jules and shes like "I'm not sure really...i just with her for the money," and julien is in the back like that interview when lucy says they're breaking up like "baby! don't say that! it's not funny!" and she's groaning coming into frame, her hand on young!gf's head, "they're gonna start to believe you, ya know?" like all sassy how jb gets🤓☝🏼

PRIVATE BUT NOT SECRET VIBEZZZZ @ever-siince-new-york, carlena said and i quote, "like they're not lovesurging on tiktok but if the paps get jb giving hickies on film... oh well😁"

they are also STOKED for you to turn 21, since most of them are sober the idea of getting you drunk is so appealing

and jb is SO protective, like already jb has her hands on young!gf all. the. time. like in the dip of her back or on her hips or hand on the back of her neck, jb is always making some type of physical contact

BUT especially in the club or at a bar

they do get freaky on her 21st bday hehe

maybe the day after bc young!gf just lets joi keep giving her shots and julien is just standing there jaw dropped because who knew their sweet baby girl was a mf tank

but lit katie, molly, kelli, jo, nomi, lucy, and phoebe LOVE you sm, like yes you're young and everyone is pushing or already 30 but young!gf is so profound and mature but not in a way that's not acting her age, she just has a very old soul and enjoys rest and knows what she likes and what she wants

and julien loooooves this, like jules doesn't want to groom you and mold you into something you're not, she wants you to act your age and like she doesn't isolate you or make you act 28 because everyone is around that age. like she fully supports if you wanna go out and party or like do something kinda childish or if you wanted to stress about school or be homesick, julien lets you just vibe and doesn't pressure you to grow up faster, she truly just wants you to grow up without the age gap looming over you

back to the daddy!jb antics, without infantalizing you, jb handles ALL of the "adult stuff" like y'all def split bills if you live together but she manages all of the subscriptions and pays all of the utilities and makes sure your car has gas and is always maintained like takes it to get inspected and stuff

if young!gf is in school than that's your biggest priority in jb's eyes, like yes focus on school or your work and then when you graduate we'll start to divvy up the household stuff

jb just loves to care for you, like she always has an extra hair tie on her wrist and its your scrunchie like the one you love

before you live together, jb is stocking her house w your stuff to make you comfy

your fave snacks are in the kitchen, your fave drinks in the fridge

jb buys a full size of your fave perfume and body wash, she has you pick out pajamas for her dresser and puts a jewelry holder on her dresser just for you (@ever-siince-new-york 🥹)

if you're in school, jb def has a desk set up in her office or music room and its one she built and it has cute pens and stationary and a pretty keyboard and a comfy chair where you can cross your legs and then under it is built in storage for some of your books and crocheting/knitting/crafting stuff

when you move in, jb designs (w the help of lucy and Katie) your own office where you can write and paint and it has the best sunlight in the whole house

julien also gets really anxious leaving you at home, not because you're not capable but she grows so attached and is like "you'll be a different person when i come back:("

always sending flowers and dinner and gifts while on the road (@ever-siince-new-york)

not smut but smut adjacent

julien is sooooo nervous to have sex w young!gf

maybe she hasn't done it before or julien just feels a lot of pressure to take care of her

and she has to be like "do you not like me?" kinda insecurely because julien is treating her like shes glass

and jb is like "oh my god sweet girl, no no no, i- of course i- i love you!"

and she's like "you WHAT??"

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hi! I want to know your head canons on SLANG! What sort of things to wizards say to sound cool or evoke thoughts or feelings? What sayings might they have? Do we maybe have any in common with them?

We know that “to have a hairy heart” means to be aloof or cold. (Fm Tales of Beedle the Bard)

I once read a very compelling headcanon that Americans would never use no-maj (for non-magical) as a term cuz they like to shorten things so much, and so American wizfolk would use either ‘noma’ or ‘nomie’. As an American I agree tbh.

I hc that the Hogwarts motto “Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus” [never tickle a sleeping dragon] to be a kind of slang for “don’t do that”.

Like, your friend is getting ready to sneak out of her dorm to go see a guy even though she knows Peeves has been feisty lately. “….Draco dormiens, Molly,” you whisper as she sneaks out the door.

Yeah! Any thoughts?

I love this, and I definitely think there are wizard versions for some common phrases we have (and we actually see some in the books). In my fic I try to add magical variations of phrases to make the world feel more real.

I'd say which shortened version of no-maj would be said would depend on where in the US the wizard is from. I imagine some areas would say "noma" some would say "nomie" and I'm sure there would be other variants. I think it'll just really depend on location.

But most of the idioms and slang I have headcanons for are for the UK.

Some examples I've written into my fic:

Hit him like a bludger - would mean having a strong emotional reaction, like "hit like a ton of bricks"

You look like a dementor’s got you - generally to mean one looks upset or down.

Eating away at his brian like the Fwooper’s song - to mean something is occupying your thoughts, but like, to obsessive levels.

I also like the idea of:

"Confunded" - being used as the word "befuddled"

"Demiguise" - used to the same as calling someone a wallflower, since they become invisible.

"Keep the egg under the toad" - references the process of breeding a basilisk, which is illegal. Means to keep something quite or on the downlow.

"Are you yanking my wand?" - used like saying "are you joking me?" and is an extension of the saying "yanking your wand" that appears in Deathly Hallows.

"Polishing your wand" - is a real thing Cedric and other wizards apparently do, but I am convinced it also refers to jerking off.

"Until the Jobberknoll sings" - kinda like "it isn't over until the fat lady sings", since a Jobberknoll only sings on the moment it dies.

Similarly, saying "Joberknoll song" instead of "Swan song"

"Swearing like a Jarvey" - Like "Swearing like a sailor" since Jarveys are known for being rude and swear a lot.

I have a few more I wrote/thought of, but these are some off the top of my head.

There is also this wiki page that has a list of wizard idioms used in Harry Potter and it's extra semi-canon content (like the video games and pottermore). I don't consider all of this list canon, but there are some I like there, like:

Breed like gnomes (From DH) - meaning breed like rabbits and said by Muriel about the Weasleys

Different kettle of Grindylows (from Hogwarts Legacy) - like saying "different kettle of fish" or "another can of worms"

Dodged a bludger - like "dodged a bullet"

Don't count your owls before they are delivered (from HBP) - like "don't count your chickens before they hatch"

The fire's lit, but the cauldron's empty (from DH) - like "the lights are on, but nobody's home"

I could eat a Hippogriff (from GoF) - like "I could eat a horse"

I'll take Cadogan's pony (from pottermore) - roughly means to make the best of a bad situation

Knockturn Alley's litter epidemic (from GoF) - means something obvious/boring

Yanking your wand (from DH) - means to joke around.

Anyone who has more of these wizard common phrases headcanons, feel free to add more!

[lanitalay]

One day : Chapter 1

Azriel x Reader

a/n: I saw the netflix series, bawled my eyes out then thought it would make a great Az x reader story.

warnings: anxiety, drinking

word count: 1555k

Masterlist

Summer Solstice was your favorite holiday. Each year you look forward to celebrating the longest day of the year in the most beautiful city in the world. This year would be slightly different, as you were no longer a student, having recently graduated to proper healer. So, for the first time in years, you were able to stay up until the sun set and came back out because there were no readings to do, no papers to write and no seminars to attend the next day. You had informed Madja that you would not be coming in tomorrow and she had understood. “I was young and capricious as well, long, long ago.”

The day was spent at the Sidra, lounging and playing in the sand and the water. It was packed, thousands of fae clamoring to the shore to watch the High Lord’s ship pass by. Cheering for it. When the sun set your friends dragged you back to their apartment to get ready for the night ahead. The Rainbow would be filled with street vendors, music and art. 

“I can’t possibly drink more” you gagged as more sparkling wine was shoved in your hand. “Suck it up!” Nomi laughed and poured a glass for herself. Bec did your hair, curling it in loose waves. Fran did your makeup, smoking out dark shadows in your eye lid. Nomi gave you a short, short dress. The four of you admired the collective beauty in the mirror, even if not one of you could see straight. 

“Onwards!” Fran called and opened the door to let everyone stumble out. 

A few hours after drinking, eating and dancing in the street, Bec insisted she needed to sit down. You were looking around to see where you could take her when you spotted a familiar sign. “Let’s go to Rita’s, she’ll let us sober up in there” you guided your friends through the crowd, weaving in between all kinds of fae until arriving at the sanctuary. 

Rita recognized you and waved you in, sitting you down in one of the booths. The place was not quiet by any means, but the seats were cushioned and Bec sighed in relief as she took off her heels under the table. “These shoes rubbed my feet raw,” she hissed. You waved your hand over her feet and channeled some of your healing powers to her blisters. “Oh my gods, thank you, y/n.” You laughed and announced to the table “I’m going to get more drinks.” 

It had been ten minutes of standing by the bar, trying to get someone’s attention. “Hey! I need liquor!” You heard a low laugh behind you and turned around to see a looming figure, wings tight against his back, biting back a smile. “What’s so funny?” Always confrontational when drunk. He shook his head “nothing, can I order something for you?” 

You considered his offer. He was much, much taller than you. If he wanted, he could reach through the bar and grab a bottle of wine. There was a cloudiness to him, or maybe you were far too drunk. You nodded and told him what the table wanted. He waved the barkeep down and placed the order. “Are you the spymaster?” He nodded once. “I’m y/n,” you stretched a hand, as much as you could within the multitude of party goers. He shook it gently with a calloused hand “nice to meet you, y/n.” 

In a few minutes the four drinks were on the bar, Azriel helped you carry them back to the table. When your friends saw who was behind you their jaws practically unhinged. “Thank you, Spymaster.” “Azriel is fine” he said with a smile, and gods… that smile.  “Thank you, Azriel.”

You wanted to drown yourself in the Sidra when Nomi, ever fearless, shouted over the music “does the Spymaster dance?” 

“I could, with the right partner” he turned his head to look at you. “Are you inviting me to dance?" 

“Yes,” now it was him who had a hand stretched your way. You did not have to convince yourself to dance with him. Putting the glasses on the table, you turned and took his hand, letting him lead you right to the dance floor. 

It must have been hours that you spent dancing that night. At one point your friends came over to let you know they were going to call it. Azriel asked if you wanted to leave as well but his hips were grinding against your behind and his arms were firmly holding your waist. So you shook your head “no.” When the song changed he spun you, slotting your legs together, keeping you impossibly close. So close his nose nudged yours. By then, last calls were being made and you asked Azriel if he could walk you back to your apartment. 

He led you out of Rita’s and you pointed in the direction of your place. Azriel did not let go of your hand until you stopped in front of a building and said “this is me.” He looked at the stone building, decorated with flower boxes on the windows “it's nice.” 

“Can I get you some water? Something to eat?” The night could not end like this. You didn’t want this night to end at all. So when he nodded you beamed and opened the door, walking up the three flights of stairs to get to your apartment. “I have bread and…” you looked through the cabinets and were embarrassed that you had not stocked up on any groceries in weeks “chocolate chip cookies, but they are probably stale.” 

“I’ll try a cookie” he bit into it and grimaced “it’s very stale, throw that away.” You giggled and threw the cookies in the trash. When you turned back to face him he was right in front of you. A hair's breadth away. “You know you’re quite beautiful,” you gulp, “you’re very handsome too.”

His hands come up to graze your cheek, “I really want to kiss you.” 

“So kiss me” it doesn’t take him more than a second to bring your lips together. You hold onto his shoulders and he pushes you pack until he helps you jump on the counter. Your legs spread, wanting him to get closer, closer. He pulls back to ask “where’s your room?” You point to the door behind him and he grabs your thighs, carrying you towards a proper place to bed you. 

Ever so gently, he lays you down on your bed but you stand, turning so your back faces him. “I can’t reach the zipper,” with a feather-light touch he grabs the tiny piece of metal and slides it all the way down. You pull off the straps and let the fabric pool at your feet. Turn again to face this, this time completely bare.

“Your turn,” you start to undo his buttons but he quickly takes over, throwing his clothes on the floor next to yours.  Now you lay on the mattress and he settles on top of you, latching his mouth to yours once again. “Are you alright?” You notice his heart is beating erratically and place a palm on his chest to assess. “Yes, I’m-” “You’re having heart palpitations, lie down, let me do something” you push him on his back, hand still on his chest as you try to soothe the distressed organ. 

“I’m a healer, I’m going to send some magic to your heart to calm it down. It won't hurt but it might feel tingly.” You bring all your concentration to his heart. “It’s really fine-” “Shh, be quiet.” 

A few minutes go by and you are satisfied with his pulse. “Does that happen often? How much did you drink tonight?” 

“Sometimes and a lot.”

“Well try to limit your drinking to water for the next few weeks, I’ll tell Madja to check up on you soon.”

“Perfect, now can we get back to-”

“Absolutely not, you are going to sleep right now, stay here.” You hop off the bed again and throw on a night gown, and throw him pajama pants an ex had left behind. Azriel looks defeated on the bed. “Sorry to kill the mood, but I vowed to put my patients' health first. It's not something I can turn off.”

“Now I’m your patient?” 

“Everyone is a potential patient,” you say and fluff a pillow for him to lay on. “You don’t need to do that,” he grumbles. 

“Just relax.” You fluff your own pillow and lay down next to him. “It happens to me too. Madja calls them panic attacks, they can happen for no reason or a million reasons. It sucks.” 

“We didn’t need to stop, you know?” 

“Yeah, yeah. We can try again some other time.”

“So you want to see me again?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“The Spymaster of the Night Court doesn’t scare you?”

“Ha, good one. I can’t be scared of a patient and don't flatter yourself. You're too pretty to be scary” you teased. 

“Come here,” he said and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you towards his chest. His heart steady.

“Tomorrow I’ll regret not drinking any water,” you mumble, words spilling into each other as the  weight of the day crashes into you, sleep taking over.

[whispering-radiance]

| OC Posting | Little Eiko and Nomi (Nomicon)

Eiko was always there to fight off bullies trying to make fun of her brother — but that unfortunately always led to the First Ninja being called for a face to face meeting with the school principal.

+ I believe that Nomi loved drawing and practicing calligraphy ever since he could hold a pencil

[andreawritesit]

WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO

Synopsis: After being a part of the Donquixote "family" for 10 years, a certain clumsy man with a heart of gold helps you escape the cage.

Pairing : None really, a little Doflamingo x Reader; a little sprinkle of Corazon x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Doflamingo's backstory and Doflamingo himself.

She stirred in her sleep as a small hand tugged at the green scarf that was tied around her neck. Cracking an eye open, she looked at the boy trying to wake her up, his cheeks flushed. She sat up straight and held the little boy’s hands in hers. 

“My my, you’re so cold Law! Come here, I’ll warm you right up. I’m sure Corazon will be back soon.”

Law nodded and huddled closer to her. She untied her scarf and wrapped it around his petite frame, calming his shivering body down. He seemed to immediately feel better as his teeth stopped chattering. She rubbed his arms up and down, while keeping an eye out for Corazon, who would be on his way back to them with the Ope Ope Nomi.  

Hurry up, Rosi. I don’t know how long he can hold on… 

Law had long fallen asleep and her eyes were starting to droop too. She slapped her cheek lightly to stop sleep from taking over her. Corazon should’ve been back by then but he was nowhere to be seen. Any hope she had left was slowly dying and terrible thoughts were swarming her mind. What if he got caught by the executives? Or what if Doflamingo caught him? He’s probably dead…

Snow was falling over them now as the little to no protection of the tree was rendered useless by the winds swaying the leaves around. Law was asleep but he didn’t look good at all. Most of his face had turned white and his cheeks were brightly flushed. Poor child. She looked up at the falling snow and her mind drifted to that day. The day her life changed. The day she met Donquixote Doflamingo…

--------10 years ago----------

Under the torn rug, a young girl with dark black hair lay hidden, hands over her mouth to stop any sound from escaping. She could smell the stench of death in the air as gunshots rang heavily around her. She couldn’t understand why the World Government would order a buster call on her island. In one instant, her entire life was turned upside down. The people who had miraculously survived the blasts were now being shot to death. A strangled sob escaped her lips and she quickly shut them together. The horror of being found silenced her voice and she closed her eyes. Her momentary peace was taken away as the rug on top of her was harshly pulled up. She opened her eyes and saw a weird man looking down at her. He had snot running down his nose and his appearance was quite disturbing.

“Nya Doffy, look what we have here”, he said to another person who was standing a little farther from her. As he came closer, she saw him clearly. He didn’t look that much older. He was wearing a wine-colored suit and his eyes were covered by sunglasses. He glanced at her trembling figure and said something to another man standing next to him. The other man was also weird-looking or maybe he had makeup on, she couldn’t tell. He nodded to the man in sunglasses who came closer to her and picked her up.

“Do you want to live?” His voice was deep. Perhaps he was older. She really couldn’t tell. All she managed to do was nod her head. He smirked at the response and handed her to the man in makeup. 

“Corazon, take her to the ship. We’ll leave this island in an instant. The Navy will handle the rest of the cleansing.”

Corazon held her wrist and dragged her away from the place that used to be her home. She looked back at the now burned down house and a tear slipped onto her cheek. The man took her to a ship where other weird-looking people were waiting for them. She looked around trying to make sense of everything. Suddenly she felt someone’s hand on her cheek and she turned to see Corazon wiping her tears. He gave her a wide grin which she tried to return but all she could manage was a small smile. The man with sunglasses also boarded the ship and gave the orders to leave. Everyone on the ship seemed to be in good spirits except Corazon. He was solemnly sitting away from them, glancing back at the misfortunate island now and then. She decided to go sit next to him but was called out by the sunglasses man. She thought it best not to disobey so she went to him instead. 

“What’s your name?” he asked her, sipping wine straight from the bottle. 

She didn’t reply. Her name was something that reminded her of her parents and she didn’t want to remember them at all. Her head lowered as more tears slipped out. The man raised an eyebrow at that and with a sigh, put the bottle down.

“When I ask something, I want an answer instantly, do you understand?” His voice was stern. She wiped her tears quickly and looked up at him. He truly seemed to be young, maybe around her age. 

“I apologize. My name is (___).”

“Hmm. How old are you?”

“I turned 18 last week.”

“Nya Doffy, she’s the same age as you but look how tiny she looks compared to you,” the snot-faced man commented and burst into laughter. No one else laughed. 

“How would you like to work for me?”

She wasn’t sure what to say. They were pirates and she had no such talents that would suit such a life. But this was her only option. She had nothing else left.

“I’m not sure what I can do for you…”

“Fufufufufufu, I’m sure we’ll find something for you to do.”

“Then I’ll be glad to help. You saved my life after all.”

“Young Master.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what you’ll call me.”

“Of course, Young Master.”

------------------------------------------

The first 3 years were very difficult for her. Adjusting to the Pirate lifestyle was the easier part. What’s difficult to learn was to live with Doflamingo’s family; to learn not to laugh at Pica’s voice, to learn not to make Gladius angry, to learn not to offend Doffy in any way, to not disobey him, and so on. If there was one easy thing, it was getting along with Corazon. She learned that he couldn’t speak but that didn’t stop them from sharing each other’s pain with each other. She soon learned that he was Doffy’s own brother and that he didn’t like how cruel his brother was. As for her role in the family, she was to look after the young ones, Baby 5 and Buffalo, and later Law. At least that’s what everyone thought. In reality, she used to sit with Doflamingo and listen to everything he had to say. One might say she was his therapist, only she couldn’t say anything. She listened and he opened up to her about his inner feelings and turmoil. He told her about his father – Donquixote Homing and how he had left his luxurious life in Mariejois. His father hadn’t thought about the repercussions at all and had led his wife to death and his kids to get tortured. His story gave her an understanding of why he was so cruel but it in no way justified his behavior as a grown-up. He was a tyrant and he knew it. She felt bad for him but she felt even worse for Corazon, whose real name she learned was Rosinante. He had gone through the same things that his brother had and yet he was a much nicer person. Over the years, Doflamingo had grown quite fond of her. Anyone who didn’t know him would think he was in love but he was incapable of that. The feelings he had for her were the thing closest to love but it wasn’t love. It couldn’t be, right? She tried to make herself believe that it wasn’t. However, his behavior indicated otherwise. He was much more polite and sweet to her than the other family members. He brought her gifts and took her sight-seeing. She thought it was a reward for listening to him without complaining. Perhaps it was. Or perhaps it wasn’t. Before she could find out, Corazon turned her life upside down. 

It was after he overheard Law talking to Baby 5 and Buffalo. He had picked up Law hurriedly and dragged him into an alley. It might’ve seemed suspicious to anyone but she knew Corazon well enough. She quietly followed them and hid behind the wall to see what was happening. What happened there shook her to her core. He spoke. He spoke clearly and well and said some things that changed everything. After Law ran back, she came out of her hiding place and decided to confront Corazon. He told her everything, about the Celestial Dragons and the Clan of the D. She decided to help him get Law away. 

---------- back to present day -------------

The boy and the woman were woken up by the loud gunshots. She got up quickly and picked up Law. He held onto her tightly as she took out her gun. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you with my life. Corazon will come here and he’ll get you away from here!”

“Both of us. Cora-San will save both of us.”

She nodded and held him closer, ready to shoot down whoever came down the street. Someone did come running their way but it was Corazon. She let out a sigh of relief as she recognized him. He ran to them quickly and took out a red fruit.

“Look! I got the Ope Ope Nomi! Eat it quickly. Doffy is here!”

Her eyes went wide and she looked around in panic. Law looked absolutely crestfallen and shook his head.

“Even if I eat it, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to do away with my disease…”

Corazon grimaced at his words and put the entire fruit into his mouth.

“What nonsense are you saying? It will work. Eat it! Come on!”

Law swallowed the entire fruit and wiped his tongue in disgust. Corazon smiled at the boy and fell face first. Blood oozed out from under him and they ran to him.

“Cora San! What happened?” She turned him around and fell backward in shock. 

“You’ve been shot!”, the kid exclaimed, panicked. 

He began flailing his arms over his body. “Get better. Get better. Heal him. Stop bleeding! Stop!”

Corazon laughed softly and put his hand over his head. “I told you, it doesn’t work like that. It’s not magic.” He took out something from his pocket and handed it to her. “Give this to the Navy. They’re around the coast. Hurry up.” Before she could stand up, Law took it and ran off. She tried to go after him but Corazon coughed up blood and she decided to stay with him. She put her faith in the kid and began taking out the bullets that were in his body. She tore the sleeves off her shirt and wrapped them around his torso. He smiled through it all and kept looking at her. 

“Why weren’t you careful, you idiot! If Doflamingo is here, we need you the most. How could you let yourself get shot like this!”

He clasped her hand and tugged her to himself. She leaned over him and with her free hand, she removed strands of hair from his face. 

“Listen to me carefully. I don’t think I’ll make it out of here alive. Once Doffy finds me, he’ll kill me. Take Law and get away from here. Doffy must not get his hands on the Ope Ope Nomi. Promise me, whatever happens, you’ll live.”

She looked into his eyes and saw no fear. She kissed his forehead and smiled at him.

“Law will be free. And so will you. We’re all making it out of here. Hear me? All three of us.”

“Of course. We’ll all be free.”

----------------------------------------

Doflamingo held her wrist tightly as she once again tried to run to her friend lying in front of the treasure boxes. She knew Law was in one of them. Corazon had used his Calm Calm Fruit abilities on Law to make him silent. 

“Why did you have to get in my way? Why must I kill another member of my family now?”

Corazon struggled to stand up but he did and pointed his gun towards Doflamingo.

“Law won’t obey you. Neither will she. They’re no longer prisoners, neither to their circumstances nor to you. They’re free!”

All hopes left her body as she heard the shot ring. Doflamingo shot his brother. Once, twice, thrice, a fourth time, a fifth, and finally a sixth, sending his body flying back to the treasure chests. A piercing scream left her lips as she tried to run to him once again but Doffy’s grip held her back. She looked up at his face which was stoic and emotionless.

“How could you?! How could you kill your own brother?!” Her voice was an emotional mess as tears flowed down her cheeks one after another.

He looked at her and tried to wipe her tears but she jerked her head sideways. “I don’t tolerate betrayals. He was my brother but he betrayed me. He only got what he deserved.”

“Then kill me too! I betrayed you too, didn’t I? I ran away from you! Kill me too you hypocrite!”

“Oh, believe me, I have much worse in store for you. You’ll never even dream of leaving me again.”

He turned to Trebol and nodded his head. 

“Nya, get the treasure, and let’s leave.” They picked up the boxes and left. She kept looking back at Corazon’s dead body, hoping to see him get up but he lay there motionless. Now her only reason to live was to make sure Law got out of there safely. As they reached their ship, the Navy began firing at them. During the commotion, she saw Law leaving one of the boxes and running away. She let out a deep breath, happy that Corazon’s death hadn’t been in vain.

“Go Law, be free. Live a long and happy life, my boy. Rosi will look after you” she said under her breath as Doffy dragged her onto the ship. 

[defira85]

GOD okay so some feedback on my predictions for romances based on the first twelve hours

BELLARA FEELING HAUNTED BY HER BROTHER'S DEATH??? When Kas is haunted by the fact that Vaaran left the Qun for her, to save her, and now Vaaran is dying from the Calling because she joined the Wardens for her, oh my god, I couldn't have WRITTEN BETTER MYSELF. Two bubbly mages HAUNTED TOGETHER

Dhraoibhan and Davrin. Hmm. He's got a much more gym bro vibe than I was expecting. It might work? Not sure so far if it'll work

Emmrich I've only just gotten, but he seems brighter and more enthusiastic than I thought he might, will have to see if that will work with Vaaran? I want him to feel more angst about her imminent death, I know I won't get that in the game and I'd have to write it myself, but hmm. Hmmmmmmmm.

NEVE AND HEDY. Oh boy. I think they'd work excellently together but. The Virmire Choice. People who have gotten far enough know what I mean, and the rest of you will recognise it immediately once it happens. I just... I'm struggling to find a way to justify picking Neve's path in ANY playthrough, let alone Hedy's playthrough which is all about helping the little guys because she's ex Casteless (Captain Brand, she literally wears it as a badge of pride). And I'd heard if you didn't pick Neve there it locks you out of the romance. FUCK. I don't know. I have to do some soul-searching

Harding and Luci is going to work just fine I think. Nothing huge about it

I'm thoroughly disappointed with Lucanis so far, you can absolutely tell they fired Mary Kirby 2 years before the game dropped because his writing is just so... flat. He's such a weird edgelord. On paper you'd think he'd be my favourite but jesus. Anyway I'll romance him with my bloodmage cousin of Hawke and ruin his life and I'll have fun where she can fully see Spite the whole time and pretends she can't to soothe his ego

Taash I don't feel like I've gotten to know well enough to know yet but I think she's fine for Nomi. We'll see once I get to know her more.

I think Beren is going to end up with Solas FUCK

Harding said that one line about "maybe you'll be the one to teach him how to see the world differently" or whatever it was and I was like WELP

[butch-with-a-deep-voice]

You want to know about me?

Call me Nomi 💕 28 year old trans butch with far too many thoughts bouncing around in her head. Purpose of this side blog is to explore being a trans butch, a stone lesbian, and my healing journey with masculinity as a trans woman (also often times a dump for my horny dyke shit)

Two-Spirit Stone Butch

Trans woman, and been on HRT long enough to have stopped keeping track

Pronouns: She/Her

Wolfie/Puppy 🐺🐶

I'm open to friends with anyone 18+ but I have no intention to flirt with anyone. Taken by the lovely @vampiref3mm3 (aka best girlfriend) 💕

18+ blog, minors DNI - While it's not the primary content I post these days, I still post/reblog a not-nothing chunk of nsft content and as such will block minors/ageless blogs

This blog is a safe place for me to get my thoughts out. I won't entertain any form discrimination or belligerence. As such it should go without saying, no TERFs, racists, homophobes, transphobes, etc.

Open to DMs and asks, but receiving unsolicited nudes in private DMs will get you hit with a block

I don't intend on turning anon asks back on any time soon. I've gotten far too much transphobic comments and questions, and I've decided I don't want to deal with them anymore. Sorry folks, a few bad apples ruined the basket.

Gonna do my best to tag my personal posts on here with "bite me"

Posts that are either talking about or meant for my femme are tagged #oh vampling... 💕

Banner by bloodlustbutch on twitter

[ingravinoveritas]

So what ur thoughts on the bafias nominations David been nomination for best comedy actor while Michael hasn't been nominated for anything and the fan on twitter can't understand why now I personally think after Al aggressive behaviour on a post when they got his name wrong on his favourite radio station and how her stories on ig recently just werid behaviour do u think Al may had sabotaged his chances of getting a nomination for anything

What ur thoughts

Hi there! So I am once again on the road and attending a conference in Las Vegas that just wrapped up, and now I finally have a chance to comment on today's exciting news.

I'm sure everyone has seen by now, but congrats to our lovely David on his first (main) BAFTA nom for Male Performance in a Comedy!

It seems almost surreal that David has never been nominated for a (main) BAFTA before now, and given the breadth of his other recent TV performances (Des, Litvinenko) nominating him for Good Omens season 2 is certainly a choice...especially in the absence of a nomination for Michael. Looking at the list of nominations, it appears that Best Interests was nominated for Limited Drama, as was Sharon Horgan for Leading Actress...but no nomination for Michael for Leading Actor, either. So very quickly, this starts to look like a visible and intentional snub.

In terms of why Michael would be snubbed, I think there are a few possible reasons, but none of them have anything to do with AL. Readers of my blog know that I am never hesitant to call Anna out when it is merited, but in all likelihood the BAFTA nominations were decided long before now, and in my opinion she would not have any influence on whether Michael is nominated regardless of when her social media posts were made. So it does not make sense to place blame on her in this instance.

My feeling is that the reasons for Michael's lack of a nomination (and really, David's nomination specifically for GO) are likely twofold. One is that I'm guessing Amazon/whoever submitted David for consideration didn't want to pit Michael and David against each other. If they were both competing in the same category, it could split the votes, so only nominating one of them seems the best way of avoiding that. The second reason (again, in my opinion) seems to be political.

I was surprised to recently learn that Prince William is the president of BAFTA--British followers, help me out here, because this is very, very weird to a confused American--and as we know, Michael has spoken out on a number of hot button issues over the last few months: Opening a conversation about Welsh independence. The question of the devolution of the crown estate to Wales. And of course, abolishing the title of Prince of Wales. Not to mention all of the backlash incurred by the release of The Way, which was roundly savaged in the press and accused of promoting anti-English sentiments.

Granted, there have been politically active nominees and winners at the BAFTAs in the past, but it really feels like the combination of all these things is somehow working against Michael. Let's also not forget this epic picture from the BAFTA film awards last month, with Michael giving Wills the side-eyest of Welsh side-eyes:

All this said, it is difficult (if not impossible) to think of Michael and David's performances in GO as separate things, because they are so inextricably intertwined. The reason that we got David's incredible performance as Crowley is because Michael was there as Aziraphale, and vice-versa. I think David and Michael themselves would be the first ones to say it, as well as to be in awe and so supportive of each other's acting. The response of fans to this nomination news--saying Michael is a better actor, Michael deserved to be nominated instead, etc.--is so perplexing to me, because I think he was probably the first one in line to congratulate David, and would chew out anybody who put down David's acting for any reason.

I also think that if the lack of a nomination is due to the above-mentioned political reasons, then Michael is probably wearing it like a fucking badge of honor. I think he is also happier for David than anyone else on the planet right now (because that's his boyfriend, damn it), and I truly hope the stars align and give us Michael presenting David with an award again like at the NTAs in 2021. (Michael subsequently carrying David off the stage bridal style would be the cherry on top of the already extremely homoerotic cake.)

I also feel that there is no question David is as taken aback by his nomination/Michael's lack of a nomination for GO as much as the rest of us are. While I have no idea what David's chances of winning truly are, I think he would wholeheartedly and enthusiastically share that award with Michael. And I think he will share that night with Michael no matter what, regardless of what happens on the broadcast.

So many possibilities come to mind, really. I can imagine David and Michael re-enacting Every (without the heartbreaking bits, of course) on stage. I've seen people making references to the infamous Slow Show fic/how it parallels to real life, and while I've only read part of it (haven't gotten to finish), the thought of any kiss between Michael and David is beyond gorgeous to contemplate. Not for the sake of "content" or as a joke, of course (because I don't think they would be willing to kiss as a joke, because if they were, they would've done it by now), but because we would see a facet to Michael and David's relationship that's always been there in private become public. And it would be their choice to share it with us.

Those are my reactions to the BAFTAs announcement today. I'd love to hear from my followers as well with your thoughts and comments. Thanks for writing in! x

[caitlyns-lost-eye]

│Intro post

꩜ Call me Mon, Monut, Nomi...

I'm Brazilian ( so ofc English isn't my first language , and I make mistakes sometimes )

My pronouns are She/her.

This blog is just for reposts/text posts/moodboards, but maybe, in the future, I could post some edits (I edit once in two months...)

Fandoms

Yellow jackets , Glee , Twd , Tlou ( women ) , Fallout , Sweet pea ( honestly anything Ella purnells in ) , Paper girls , Arcane , Taylor swift , DJATS + Sapphics books... I'm probably missing something, wathever.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have some opinions that you may not agree and that's OK! There is no need to fight. If you saw something that bothered you in this blog, you can always say (kindly) I'm just a chill girl sharing my chill thoughts and reposting chill things.

That's it :) Welcome!

[wolfy-star1401]

Little! Ms Delight HC :

Her little age is 1 - 5, at her oldest around 7 years

Regress to cope with trauma being trapped by her sisters & the stress as a teacher

She learned about this while reaching about coping mechanisms

Calling the Player/Angel : Mama, Papa, Nomy or Angie { a other word for Angel }

Her little nicknames are baby girl, sweetheart, sunshine, dear, little one & honeybee

Her favorite fruit are apples, apple slices, apple pie and candy apple

She has Apple,Space & adorable animal themed Onesies, pacifiers, teehers, plushies, ect.

Her favorite little activities are reading her favorite books, arts & crafts, learning about many different things

She drinks only from bottles

She‘s padded for both comfort & necessities

She likes to go to the playground & the library for outings {even to the fair & the museum}

Her favorite shows are Bluey, the bear in the big blue house & shows that are educational

When it’s nap time you can find her sleeping in her pillow front, on the couch or in her Crib

Request for @littlebabygirltoocute

@sw124 @i-ate-your-children @i-love-the-little-things @babyspace-sfw @h3ll0everybby1 @dragon-queen21 @theogclownboy

[gingerjolover]

You're not Bob the Builder - naomi mcpherson (MUNA) x reader (soft!gf coded)

this comes as a lil side story from mornings :)

synopsis: nomi and joey build soft!gf a vanity and chaos ensues before an early muna!christmas dinner

g's notes: i want so celebrate muna christmas w nomi baby and my bff kelli siiiiiiigh

Warnings: RPF, christmas!, noami and jo being chaotic, no fundamental physical descriptors, reader is soft!gf coded so she/her pronouns/afab?

Your brow is sweating, weight rested on one foot as you stand at the stove, whisking gravy in a medium-sized pot.

"Where do you want this babe?" Kelli asks, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, holding a charcuterie board, an assortment of cheeses and meats, both vegan and not, decorated with fruits and dips paired with edible flowers, an impressive spread made by Kelli herself.

"The fridge I gues-" you start to say cut off by a yell coming from your bedroom.

"Put the hammer down!" "Naomi I swear to god..."

Kelli rolls her eyes, albeit lovingly as she opens the fridge.

"Do I even want to know?" you snort, returning to the stove. Kelli giggles, coming and sitting on the island a few feet away from you, feet swinging to kick your legs softly.

"They're putting together your vanity, I think," Kelli shrugs, popping a grape from a bowl on the counter into her mouth.

"I thought it was pre-built... the box was huge," you shrug gently.

"Nope, I think Jo was going to help set it up in the room and attach the mirror, but it came disassembled," Kelli winces.

"Should've asked Julien," you mumble, getting a belly chuckle out of Kelli, you both know Julien is far better with furniture and building things then either of your partners.

"Who knows, maybe they'll get it done faster because there's two of them?" she shrugs, popping another grape into her mouth and hopping down, getting ready to cut a baguette.

"Yeah, or I'll end up with no vanity and holes in my ceiling or walls," you grumble.

"Oh, don't be like that-" her words were cut off by two deep squeals and the sound of the electric drill, something flinging against the wall with a thump; Kelli's eyes widened.

Kelli moves quick but you move quicker, you shut off the stove and move the pot to an unused burner.

You both climb the stairs, moving to stand in the doorway, Naomi standing shirtless with their back facing you, and hands intertwined on the top of their head. Jo lays on the floor, staring at the ceiling, both letting out small huffs.

"What the hell was that?" you ask, looking down at the floor; you and Kelli's eyes are comically wide as you stare at the scattered vanity pieces all over your bedroom floor.

"Hi, babydoll," Naomi says casually, walking over to you, brushing your hair back, and placing small kisses on the crown of your hairline. Naomi's hair is tucked into a baseball cap, small curls peeking out the sides, sweat running down the middle of their torso, and the windows cracked open, letting a welcomed breeze into the room.

Jo groans from her place on the floor, tank top riding up slightly, visible sweat on their forehead.

"Why are you sweaty?" Kelli asks, eyebrows scrunched.

"Because Naomi ordered a fucking whack ass piece of furniture and-"

"I didn't, Jo! It's not my fault it didn't come with instructions--" Noami refutes, both of them starting to bicker again, Noami rubbing their hands over their face.

"Wait, it didn't come with instructions?" you ask, jaw dropped slightly as you stare at the half built base of the vanity.

"Maybe we should call JB," Kelli mumbles; Jo and Naomi whip their heads towards her.

"Bite your tongue!" "Take that back!"

Kelli puts her hands up, eyes widening as she fights a smile, "Okay, okay, sorry... didn't mean to touch a nerve..." she says, her tone filling with humor.

"We can do this, we- we can do this, Naomi, we don't need Julien... we can build this thing ourselves," Jo says, standing up and gesturing between themselves and Naomi. Jo's tone is almost as if she's trying to convince herself and Noami simultaneously.

"Yeah, fuck yeah... we can..." Naomi starts, turning to look back at you with a lopsided smile. "I can build... a vanity, baby, I can," Naomi says, trying to convince you.

"Right, yeah, I totally believe in you..." you say, tight smile as you look at the dent in your wall, eyes widening again.

Jo looks at you sheepishly, hands coming out in front of them, "I'll fix it," they say quickly as Naomi speaks over top of her, "It was an accident!"

All you can do is shake your head, rubbing the skin between your eyebrows and the bridge of your nose as you look at the bedside table across the room where the alarm clock sits. "People will be here in 6 hours..." you say, biting your lip nervously.

"Jo, we still need to go home and get ready..." Kelli warns softly.

"It's fine...we got this," Jo says cockily, eyes filled with terror as they look towards Naomi, both sharing a look.

"Okay, well... we'll leave you two to it," Kelli says suspiciously, pulling her phone out as you both back out of the room, returning downstairs.

"Please text JB," you murmur once you're out of earshot.

"Already did," Kelli huffs.

BONUS:

"Yo!" Julien says as she walks into the house, Lucy and Phoebe behind her, their partners carrying dishes or flowers into the house. Julien's girlfriend kisses your cheek softly, kissing Kelli and Katie's cheeks before heading into your kitchen; everyone starts chatting as more of your friends arrive.

"So where's the vanity?" Julien asks, adjusting the collar of her dress shirt.

"Upstairs... I don't really know what you're about to walk into... It wasn't finished or stable when Jo and Kelli left to get ready, and I haven't been upstairs since I got ready so..." you smile sheepishly.

Julien winks and pinches your cheek gently before bounding up the stairs.

"Babe? You told Julien?" Naomi yells down, offended. "Kelli, really?" Jo yells immediately after.

"Just let her check your work!" Kelli yells up, making the room laugh at the antics of your partners.

"I'm sure they did a great job," Julien's girlfriend says sweetly, arm around your waist as she leans her head onto your shoulder.

"Tell that to the hammer sized dent in my bedroom wall..." you huff, her hands adjusting the bow in your hair.

"The what?!"

fyi: they did build it correctly, julien just tightened some screws and helped them secure it to the wall, AND jo DID fix the dent in the wall hehe <3

[april-is]

April 3, 2024: Positivity, D.A. Powell

Positivity D.A. Powell

“Anyway, it isn’t forever,” Chris said, “eventually you’re dead.” And we laughed

Besides, everything is better now. Not us but implants, blenders, children, heart attacks. There’s never been a better time to be alive than when you are. If you are. Black-throated blue warbler says chewchewchewchewchewww drawing the last chew out like a sucking drainpipe to say he has mated and is satisfied. Say what you will about that. His joy is uncontainable

and yet it has a form, a measure, to make it clear he’s not upset or feeling anxious. And if he’s bragging, well, it’s no shame to brag that you’re happy.

Honeybees cavorting on the goldenrod are working toward a common goal they’ll never see achieved. They lay down the walls of their cathedral of honeycomb and will not cope the spire, busy in the present task, trusting that the work continues. I’d like to write a children’s book called everybody dies. Upbeat, of course, and pragmatic. You only got so many days. Don’t think about death; when you’re ready, death will think about you. Go out tonight with your friends, like Chris, who went out big or not at all. Have a ball. Plan ahead.

--

Hear the poet read this aloud.

also by D.A. Powell (shared in year 1 of this project!): [this is what you love: more people. you remember]

More like this:

Overjoyed, Ada Limón

you can’t be a star in the sky without holy fire, Frank X. Gaspar

Today in:

2023: Picture This, Jiordan Castle 2022: Alba, Madeleine Cravens 2021: July, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz 2020: Poem Beginning With A Retweet, Maggie Smith 2019: Waiting for Happiness, Nomi Stone 2018: United, Naomi Shihab Nye 2017: If You Are Over Staying Woke, Morgan Parker 2016: High School Senior, Sharon Olds 2015: Dog in Bed, Joyce Sidman 2014: Persephone Writes to Her Mother, Tara Mae Mulroy 2013: Hook, James Wright 2012: How to Build an Owl, Kathleen Lynch 2011: Expecting, Kevin Young 2010: The Choir, Luke Kennard 2009: I Come Home Wanting To Touch Everyone, Stephen Dunn 2008: Visible World, Richard Siken 2007: Anywhere Else, Maggie Dietz 2006: After Work, Richard Jones 2005: The Sheep-Child, James Dickey

[misscammiedawn]

I Am Also A We - Integration and Functional Multiplicity in sense8

CW: sense8 depicts suicide, transphobia, medical trauma, deadnaming, chronic alcoholism, drug abuse, homophobia, homophobic slurs, intense sexual themes, plays sexual assault towards men for humor. Check DoesTheDogDie for more information.

If you watch the show be warned the first episodes involve a family forcefully trying to (allegorically) detransition a transgender woman and circumvent her agency in a medical setting. This may be more than most can handle.

"I've been thinking about my life, and all of the mistakes that I've made. The ones that stay with me, the ones that I regret, are the ones that I made because of fear. For a long time, I was afraid to be who I am because I was taught by my parents that there's something wrong with someone like me. Something offensive, something you would avoid, maybe even pity. Something that you could never love. My mom, she's a fan of St. Thomas Aquinas. She calls pride a sin. And of all the venal and mortal sins, St. Thomas saw pride as the queen of the seven deadlies. He saw it as the ultimate gateway sin that would turn you quickly into a sinaholic. But hating isn't a sin on that list. Neither is shame. I was afraid of this parade because I wanted it so badly to be a part of it. So today, I'm marching for that part of me that was once afraid to march and for all the people who can't march - the people who living lives like I did. Today, I march to remember that I'm not just a me but I'm also a we. And we march with pride." Nomi Marks (sense8 - Season 1, Episode 2)

Humans are fascinating and varied creatures.

Imagine for a moment, a transgender hactivist in San Francisco, a closeted homosexual movie star in Mexico City, a cop in Chicago, a Nordic expat DJ living in London, an orphaned gangster in Berlin, a bus driver in Nairobi who has never lived in a home with running water, a Hindu bio-chemist in Mumbai and a kickboxer in Seoul whose father owns a powerful investment firm.

Lives so disparate that it would be simple to create walls of division to keep them wholly separate and incapable of acting as a whole...

And yet the show is all about erasing the division between people and as the show goes on these 8 people with all their unique and individual perspectives and backgrounds, will become one and many. A collective as one.

That seems like something I may want to talk a little about.

sense8 is a Netflix drama that ran for 2 seasons (and had 2 specials) between 2015-2018. Created by the Wachowski Sisters of Matrix fame and J Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame.

It is a show about radical empathy, the full spectrum of the human experience and the virtues of living openly and connected in the face of a world that pressures the marginalized to hide and remain divided.

Yet in listening to our contributors, especially those with Indigenous ties or who identify as people of color and/or not bound by the ties of Western medicine, dissociation as it’s been described so far [...] can mean many things that are not helpful. A general consensus from these contributors is that trauma survivors ought never be shamed for doing what they have to do in order to survive, especially because so many of the contexts into which people are born promote division, disconnection, and marginalization. Usually this context is shaped by a dominant culture that relies on separation in its most unhelpful and wounding sense to uphold the power that the dominant culture so readily craves. (Dissociation Made Simple - Jamie Marich)

To acknowledge the flaws in both shows and creators, The Wachowski's tend to have a lens of privilege and blind spots to their works that undermine their messages of radical empathy, most famously their fumble in the diversity of Cloud Atlas' cast and the use of white actors in Asian roles (Natalie Portman was originally offered the role that went to Bae Doona).

sense8 is not immune to this and does have issues with connecting the 8 main characters without consideration to certain biases. Some mild examples are that the Christmas special having all 8 unanimously celebrating the Christian holiday (including a Hindu and a character with religious trauma centered on Christianity specifically) to the unchecked Copaganda and the show completely erases asexuality as a valid lifestyle with dialogue even going as far to say that sex is why we exist and to deny it is to deny being human.

Also as someone with an extreme aversion to depictions of suicide... this show does like to offer suicide as The Only Way Out a lot. The show opens on a suicide and the final episode involves no fewer than 3 attempts by various characters when they are cornered. One even succeeds. Lana's experience with her suicide attempt was important to her coming out as a trans woman. A version of that moment is even depicted in the 4th Matrix movie with Neo (allegorically Lana herself) helping someone else wake to their own identity in a suicide attempt. I do not want to rob her of the transformative power of that event and memory. It's clearly important to her and her work, but it's troublesome that averted suicide attempts are always depicted virtuously in her work. Again... it's a matter of blind spots and biases.

I acknowledge the show is flawed in these and many more respects but it does speak to empathy and connection in a way that though not perfectly placed upon the screen, is a message worth internalizing. Though it's okay to be uncomfortable with how it is presented and opt out.

Regardless of imperfect execution and the early cancellation, it is still a miracle of a show. In many ways it is a show that shouldn't exist. It cost $9 million per episode and its filming schedule required flying between 11 cities for 3 weeks of shooting a piece. It features full nudity, multiple sex scenes involving huge swaths of the cast at once.

To put all of that in perspective, the entire experience is literally bookended by a rainbow strap-on glistening from use.

But... this is not a show about dissociative disorders. Mental illness is only represented in that characters briefly question their sanity. So why am I talking about it in my Media, Myself and I essay series on positive representation of dissociative disorders in fiction?

Well... it just so happens to also feature the best depiction of Functional Multiplicity in all of television.

Functional Multiplicity or "Integration" is a goal in treating complex dissociative disorders where the dissociative system are able to function as a single person with minimal division between parts.

It is important to note that intergration and fusion are two separate concepts and are both valid outcomes for treatment within CDD therapy. Where fusion is the concept of merging all dissociated personalities into a single unified personality, integration allows the system to communicate and cooperate with full access to memories and skills with no inner-conflict exacerbating symptoms.

The final approach in Fraser’s article addresses the issue of fusion or integration, a strong area of potential controversy for those diagnosed with or identifying as DID. Many individuals with DID strongly resist or oppose a psychiatrist or any other provider’s insistence that they integrate the various aspects of their personality into a cohesive whole. This process can feel disrespectful to the members of a system, and if you are reading this passage and have ever felt triggered at the suggestion that you need to integrate, you are not alone. (Dissociation Made Simple - Jamie Marich)

The terms “dissociation” and “integration” have long been synonymous with one another—meant to signify that the only reasonable goal in working with splitting and compartmentalization must be the fusing together of dissociated parts to create one single “homogenized” adult. Daniel Siegel, however, makes a strong case against defining integration as fusion. He asserts (2010a) a different view: “Integration requires differentiation and linkage.” Before we can integrate two phenomena, we have to differentiate them and “own” them as separate entities. We can’t simply “act as if” they are connected without noticing their separateness. But, having clearly differentiated them so they can be studied and befriended, we then have to link them together in a way that fosters a transformed sense of the client’s experience, facilitating healing and reconnection. - (Healing the Fragmented Selves - Janina Fischer)

Acknowledging the separateness and clearly differentiating people to befriend, link and foster a transformed sense of experience, facilitating healing and connection.

Now that sounds like sense8 to me.

As mentioned above the shows protagonists are from different walks of life. Nomi, Lito, Will, Riley, Wolfgang, Capheus, Kala and Sun are all "born" into a "cluster", a nest of 8 connected minds who share their every thought and experience with one another.

The core 8 are able to share control of one another's bodies as well as speak telepathically in one another's heads. "Sharing" and "Visiting" respectively, if we are to play the YA Novel game of naming every single concept in a fictional world.

Each character has their strengths and weaknesses and connections that make up for their weaknesses.

To give an example Lito is an actor who has a little bit of a diva streak. He's good at lying under pressure, he can flirt with women effortlessly, he is deeply in touch with his emotions and he lives in absolute terror of his homosexual lifestyle being discovered for fear it will ruin his career and the comfort he has earned in life.

Wolfgang is ruthless and blunt and so leans on Lito's ability to lie under pressure, something that he is typically incapable of doing because he does not value roundabout methods of deception when he can just brute force his way to solutions. Lito helps him lie when the situation calls for it.

Sun is emotionally repressed, choosing to work her emotions through her fists, though she is one of the most privileged members of the cluster she has more than enough reason to be sad with a father who refused to show her love, the worst brother on the planet, a dead mother and a plot that involves her being wrongfully imprisoned and subject to multiple assassination attempts. She can offer the rest of the cluster her fighting skills but it is Lito who helps her to be able to cry when she needs it. In a beautiful scene late in season 2 a depressed Lito is crying in Sun's hotel room and Sun admonishes him saying that she is the one with reason to cry and Lito responds plainly "But you never would. Maybe that is why I am here."

On the flipside whenever Lito is in conflict about his life in the closet he pulls up Nomi, a transgender woman who has been through the entire coming out process, and leans heavily on her.

Though it takes much of the first season for the characters to understand what is happening to them we eventually get to see all 8 of them completely at home with one another's thoughts and perspectives.

They are separate, yes. But they are of one mind.

This is akin to the end result of trauma focused parts work in therapy. When a person is not yet treated for trauma based dissociation their inability to integrate their experiences creates a fracture and a disharmony that breeds emotional volatility and a breakdown in inner experience.

Disowning requires selective attention, a focusing away from whatever is “not me.” The senses fail to register what is taking place around us; we don’t feel our emotional responses, good or bad; we are in a zone. We can’t “own” our anger or dependence or fear when we don’t feel them. We can’t “own” traumatic events that we haven’t witnessed. We can’t know ourselves as whole human beings because only those qualities valued in a traumatic environment are accessible to consciousness. Segregating intense feelings, though, results in affect intolerance: if we can escape our emotions by automatically and involuntarily shifting into a different part of the self or different feeling state, we never get the opportunity to exercise our “emotional muscles,” and all feelings gradually become more and more intolerable. Inner conflicts are never resolved, just distanced. When that happens, acting out (self-destructively or addictively) and “acting in” (through self-hatred, self-judgment, punitive introspection) become the only avenues for regulating emotions and autonomic arousal. Splitting or fragmentation must become more complex and creative. - (Healing the Fragmented Selves - Janina Fischer)

As the main cluster of the show are able to expand their horizons via empathy and connection to one another they are able to challenge their blind spots and achieve a level of comfort in their world that was not accessible before. From our above example Sun can process her emotions thanks to Lito.

In a similar fashion, in Season 2 Kala becomes guilty about her lifestyle because she discovers that the company she works for is sending inferior medication to Capheus' region of the world and through experiencing life through Capheus' eyes she is aware of her position of privilege and uses her power to make positive change.

Had the show have been able to continue on this empathy would have been the center of the show with Capheus running for political office, Lito embracing his role as a queer icon who can inspire others and Riley risking exposure by touring her music and making contact with other sensates.

Alas. We'll never get the promised potential of the show's premise.

Another factor that was promised but was not fully paid off on was the concept of blockers.

In the show other sensates could visit (but not share) with a single member of a cluster if they make eye contact (Cloud Atlas which shared 3 directors and 3 writers with this show also included this concept of eye contact creating a human connection) and the only way to prevent their intrusion was to take blockers. A medication that cut off their empathetic connections and turned off their psychic ability.

The blocker allegory was about masking and hiding and working to blend in with the dominant culture without standing out. Part of the show's humanity was the characters wishing to go against the narrative that they needed to hide and to live loud and proud and inspire others to do the same.

It would have been interesting to see each of the sensates on blockers learning to act in ways their cluster would without being able to let them take control of their body. Show that the integration of the system is not a matter of separate parts in their own boxes but a cluster that is fully connected and capable of sharing their sole life.

To go back to my discussion on functional multiplicity, the concept of being able to share memories and skills is emphasized as a part of both integration and fusion models.

Sharing roles, responsibilities or tasks also enables other parts to help the System’s successful functioning in the outside world. Then, these parts can grow and mature individually. It also gives the System the opportunity to feel first-hand appreciation for what parts have done and contributed to the System’s survival and success, as well as better understanding of what it takes to keep the System functioning well today. (Got Parts? - ATW)

We are all in this together.

A beautiful thing that the show displays outside of the core cluster is the radical empathy and acceptance that exist within the side characters.

In the final episode of the show Wolfgang's surrogate brother and only true family Felix arrives to the help the cluster Capheus rushes over to him and embraces him exclaiming "MY BROTHER, FELIX!" and laughing with joy. This was Capheus' first time meeting Felix but the empathetic connection travels between them.

The same connection causes Kala's love for her husband to be felt by Wolfgang and allow the three of them to engage in a polyamorous relationship. The final orgy scene of the show literally climaxes with Kala's non-psychic husband exclaiming "My god, I didn't think such things were possible" after a threesome with his wife and Wolfgang who share the same love for him. This is the very last line of the show.

In a dissociative system conflict can breed between parts that are not integrated when their needs, desires and drives are not in alignment.

To give an example from our own life, Wynn is a part that is capable of turning off our empathy. When she perceives a threat to us from the idea of someone emotionally manipulating us (a parent trying to shame/guilt us into ceding to their demands or a partner threatening suicide) she will lock out the rest of the system who may be swayed and force us to act with hostility and coldness. More than once this has ended with us in further danger or emotional turmoil and it leads other parts to over compensate to try and "fix" the damage done when we were "emotionally compromised" by the part acting in our interests of survival over the harmony of the system and our relationships. Especially because the dangerous situations that necessitated her existence are not part of our present and her reactions may no longer be appropriate.

This kind of divide is natural in a dissociative system early in their healing journey.

The range of emotional experience, including both positive (e.g., joy, love) and negative (e.g., anger, fear, grief) affects, plays a vital role in human adaptation by promoting closeness in relationships. Relational distortions result when emotions repeatedly fail to achieve their purpose, when they are persistently activated, or when their expression is blocked or punished. Distortions in emotional regulation (and associated defensive distortions of behavior) refl ect distortions in care (Bowlby, 1969/1982) that manifest as dysynchronies between caregiving behavior and child emotional experience and needs (Sameroff & Emde, 1989) [...] A lasting split between self-preservation and integrative self-regulation leads to a vicious cycle. Extreme affective states become infused into the person’s selfand other-representations (“bad objects,” Benatar, 2003), producing disorganized and unstable mental representations, which further destabilize and fragment affect, perception, and behavior. Thus, dissociation results when extreme stressors necessitate a lasting split of the integrated relationship between self-preservation and selfregulation. (Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders, DSM-V and Beyond - Paul F Dell)

But towards the end of therapy parts, even when activated, are able to act in a way that benefits the stability of the shared life, preventing further dissociation and division between parts.

It is when one part, who wants to deny our condition to prevent thinking about our trauma, accepts that our multiple nature is integral to who we are and how one of our closest relationships function and in accepting this allows for us to carve spaces in our life to exist as a system. To take off the mask. To stop hiding.

To march and state boldly I Am Also A We.

There are times where we worry about using the term "Plural". We view our condition through a lens of psychopathology and constantly try to justify our existence through reading psychology textbooks and working with our therapist and constantly justifying.

We play by the rule books written for us and about us but not by us. Not by others like us. Well... mostly.

One of the quoted books in this essay is from Jamie Marich who is openly a diagnosed dissociative system. Her book is written from an insiders perspective there to promote love and acceptance. I selected her quote at the top of this post with care. She does get it. Got Parts? Is also written by collaborators with DID sharing lived experience.

There are so many things which divide us as people who experience plurality. There is syscourse raging in Tumblr inboxes Just Asking Questions about whether a person should be diagnosed to openly present as a system, there is fakeclaiming trying to witch hunt those who really have a CDD and those who are "roleplaying", the tone policing in support communities that admonish anyone who glorifies or fetishizes that which is a hard to live with disorder...

Over the years we internalized many of these narratives ourselves. We lived in fear of scrutiny, worried for the day we were exposed as Not Traumatized Enough, Not Performing Our Disability Correctly, Not Divided Enough or a number of other accusations.

We still are. It's terrifying to think that at any point someone could just deny all of our truth and no amount of paperwork, testimony or evidence would be able to make us any more legitimate than we already are.

In some regards we shouldn't be proud of being who and what we are. The fact that there is always going to be a part of us stuck in London reliving the worst experiences of our life is not a source of pride.

But we survived.

We survived. We kept one another alive. The part that needed to be an adult when we were a child kept us safe. The part that needed to seal off our heart kept us safe. The part that kept our emotions alive kept us safe. The part that pretended to be what our abuser wanted us to be kept us safe... and yes. The part that handled erotic concepts kept us safe.

We survived and we protected one another and we are the only Family who have been here the whole time. Experienced everything. Shared in all the pleasures and all the joys. We survived. And we will continue to... but not we're not surviving anymore. We're living. And we choose to live together. We choose to be 5 and 1. We are an I.

I am proud of that and this show helped us feel just a little bit more confident in saying that outloud. We are plural... and there is no shame in that. None at all.

-

Forgive me for the less than stellar work on this one. This essay was more a vehicle to talk about positive integration and use the show as a framing device for the topic. Plus I just wanted to be a bit Plural Pride because the show made a compelling argument as to why I should be.

The promised Act 6 of In Stars and Time essay and the Umineko follow-up essay are both in the research phase. Act 6 of ISaT is looking at characters who share a common history and I want to make sure I have some good examples without treading on other creators I respect's toes and the Umineko follow-up requires replaying all of Chapter 7 of that game and it's a long one.

Media, Myself and I is a series of Tumblr Essays for positive depictions of dissociative disorders.

Other essays include:

Time Loops and Dissociation (In Stars and Time) A History of Murder Alters Discworld and Plurality Incidental, intentional and accidental representation Gender, Dissociation and Clinical Stigma in The Third Person Recontextualized Memories in Umineko Derealization in Night in the Woods and Metal Gear Solid The Dangers of Hypnotic Personality Play in Penlight System Origins in The Incredible Hulk Relationships with Systems in The Incredible Hulk The Healing Journey in Mr. Robot