#but most of these could apply in either direction honestly

[cassynite]

9 Ship Songs

Tagged by @dragonologist-phd for this--thank you so much I always go nuts over song memes :D

I'm just doin all of them for Daerrow since...I don't really have any other canon PWOTR couple lmao

Tagging (is it like a tag 9 thing? I thought it might be so that's what I went for): @molochka-koshka @dmagedgoods @silversiren1101 @tenmillionbees @dragonflytehanu @thesolemnhour @spyridonya @commander-lariel @desnas and of course anyone else who wants to, it's tons of fun

So it Goes by Billy Joel

And every time I held a rose It seems I only felt the thorns And so it goes, and so it goes And so will you soon, I suppose

But if my silence made you leave Then that would be my worst mistake So I will share this room with you And you can have this heart to break

Stray Italian Greyhound by Vienna Teng

Oh no, not now Please not now I've just settled into the glass half empty Made myself at home

And so why now? Oh please not now I just stopped believing in happy endings In harbors of my own

But you had to come along, didn't you Tear down the doors Throw open windows Oh, if you knew just what a fool you had made me

Zephyrus by the Oh Hellos

So let me melt down like mountain glaciers Break the bonds I've been holding onto Let them soften me

Till every part that I am made of Waters deep to the roots of something greener

Shrike by Hozier

I couldn't utter my love when it counted Ah, but I"m singing like a bird bout it now I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted Ah, but I'm singing like a bird bout it now

The words hung above but never would form Like a cry at the final breath that is drawn Remember me, love when I'm reborn As a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn

Malibu by Miley Cyrus

I always thought I would sink, so I never swam I never want boatin', don't get how they are floatin' And sometimes I just get so scared Of what I can't understand

But here I am Next to you The sky's more blue In Malibu

All This and Heaven Too by Florence + The Machine

No words, poor language It doesn't deserve such treatment And all my stumbling phrases Never amounted to anything worth this feeling

All this heaven never could describe Such a feeling as I'm healing Words were never so useful So I was screaming out a language That I never knew existed before

Save me by Gotye

And all the dead ends, disappointments Faded from your memory Ready for that lonely life to end

And you gave me love when I could not love myself And you made me turn from the way I saw myself And you're patient, love And you help my help myself And you save me, and you save me, yeah you save me

Gold Rush by Taylor Swift

I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch

Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you Walk past, quick flush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush I don't like how falling feels like flying till the bone crush

Everybody wants you But I don't like a gold rush

Peace by Taylor Swift

But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm If your cascade ocean wave blues come All these people think love's for show But I would die for you in secret

The devil's in the details, but you've got a friend in me Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?

[herejusttosufferalong]

So did N post the Brazil restaurant pics and talk about it in an interview (a bit randomly) because she knew a lot of people were taking pics of them, and she wanted to control the narrative? Play it down and hush rumours? I don't recall her posting any other dinner photos during the tour?

Given the precise timing, I suspect the new photos/video that were released today may have been taken by staff who were under a 90-day NDA (from Part 1 release). I know of other photos that were posted in real time of L and N at the hotel restaurant. For some reason, they were not restricted to post? Maybe just a casual diner or guest? It just occurred to me that the two photos of them (on different nights) taken from a distance may have been screenshots from a video, as the quality is so poor? That's an interesting thought.

Then there's the NY Premiere videos. Why were some released in real time while others were released precisely 90 days after the release of part 1? Why would NDAs apply to some people but not others? Unless the videos posted today were purely by influencers via their official accounts and the other videos posted in real time were from random guests and anonymously leaked?

I'm confused as to why NDAs would be in place? Is it just a safeguard in case anything scandalous happened that would effect viewership numbers? And in the case of the Brazil hotel, just a general privacy thing? But why would it be limited to 90 days if that's the case? Unless they thought something would happen at the hotel that could effect viewership numbers?

Idk. I'm so confused about today. Particularly when you pair it with the week of posting from N. No surprises she posted something social awareness related today (all eyes on her) either because she anticipated today's events OR she had a look at her socials and saw that things had been posted and wanted to make the most of public interest. But still, why the lead up with her own cryptic and love-struck posts? And radio silence from L and all adjacents since he posted the Bridgerton bloopers?

Here are my key takeaways from today (and this week):

They spent a shit ton of time together in Brazil, and didn't get sick of each other. Even going to two separate restaurants in the hotel on one night. They had at least two outings together, without their teams in earshot, across two nights.

He enjoys grabbing her hand unnecessarily just as much as she enjoys grabbing his. Their level of physical affection is unsettling to me, even when certain adjacents are around.

Certain adjacents are just hanging around, whether they know they're being filmed or not. Where is the affection or physical comfort?

A few days before the Premiere, N posts a song about waiting for someone, asking them to give her 'a look again' to get things going. Then in the week leading up to the end of a 90-day period from Part 1 release (and possible NDA expiration), she proceeds to post about someone giving her a call after not hearing from them in a while, and admitting their love for one another (the caller expressing their feelings first). She then posts a song about getting it on with a person where there's no pretending, who knows her so well. Someone who makes her want to dress up and go dancing. Makes me think of that song she posted after S3 filming (I think) and possibly again during tour? - "we should kiss like real people do". What's this whole theme about pretending vs. reality? Being real/yourself vs. fake? What's this in relation to? I mean, I have a few theories...

I can feel it in my loins that the next few days are going to be enlightening, and could literally go in any direction. But did any of us predict this turn of events in what was suppose to be the 'dry period' before s4 filming begins??? This is honestly the best show I've ever watched.

.

[getvalentined]

I am so sick of people asserting that Cloud's father is some super special important person like it's some explanation for the fact that he was able to save the world. Superior bloodline stuff never sits well with me in the first place, but in this case it's just so antithetical to the actual thesis of FF7 and does such a huge disservice to multiple characters that it makes me white hot angry.

The most popular contender is President Shinra, because Cloud being a Shinra bastard would (somehow) explain why he's allowed into the company at such a young age (even though enlistment age appears to be 14 and Cloud left Nibelheim to enlist at 14) and how he wound up on so many important missions—because it can't possibly be that he's actually competent, he's so pretty, how could he possibly be competent? It's not as if we see him being staggeringly competent from jump in every title where he's featured, including those that start prior to him being forcibly mako enhanced by Hojo. Clearly this is nepotism.

After all, we know that President Shinra is always so supportive of his bastards! That's why Lazard hid his identity and worked his way up the ranks to become director of SOLDIER at the youngest possible age and then set about trying to orchestrate a hostile takeover of the company by allowing all three of his best operatives to defect in the middle of a war, a process that was only thrown off because one of them passed off every single mission where he would have had an opportunity to go AWOL.

This was clearly the result of nepotism. There's just so much nepotism going on there. Obviously.

The newest contender is Glenn Lodbrok, the lead character from the First SOLDIER section of Ever Crisis, because he's blond-haired and blue-eyed and presumably one of the first people in Project 0 to survive some level of the mako enhancement process. I guess this is supposed to mean that him being Cloud's father would be a perfect explanation for Cloud actually being capable of literally anything, since the only way for him to become the hero that was chosen by the planet to keep it alive would be if it's part of some bloodline destiny.

There are a whole host of issues with Glenn as an option here, not the least of which is the canonical lore about Cloud's father, namely that he was some nobody traveler who kinda passed through and got Claudia pregnant and then left; he may have died up in the mountains, but apparently all that was ever found was his pack, so there's no way to be sure. Further, Claudia was very young at this point—according to her original concept art declaring her to be 33 at the time of her death, she gave birth to Cloud at 16-17 years old.

Glenn is one of two possible age ranges: if he was active in the early stages of Project 0, being a character in the First SOLDIER battle royale game, then he was around 21 in 1985, meaning a 21 year old knocked up Claudia Strife when she was 15 and then walked out on her. If he's 21 during the events of Ever Crisis, which seems likely based on his character design, that would make him 14 at the oldest when Claudia got pregnant.

Okay, I know this kind of thing happens IRL, but I feel pretty confident in the statement that there is absolutely no way that that's the direction SE is taking this timeline and characterization. I'm not even sorry. That's not happening. Either he's giving "predator," or he's Deadbeat Dad: High School Freshman Edition.

But that's honestly not even the worst of it, the math not matching up is entirely irrelevant when the implications of this assertion are applied to the actual thesis of this series as a whole, to the characters we already know, to the actual lore. Claiming that Cloud is only special because of the sperm donation of a man who abandoned him literally removes any concept of his competence as a character, declaring that he's just the newest iteration in a line of "worthy" men. He can't be worth anything unless his father is worth something. He can't be good at anything unless his father is good at something.

Beyond that, it casts Claudia aside entirely, asserting that the fact that she raised Cloud doesn't matter—she may have brought him up entirely on her own, but that doesn't actually matter. She didn't instill values and morals and guidelines into him that would allow him to grow up into a man who could save the world, she was just an incubator, a nursemaid, a nanny, a cook. She was just a servant who kept him alive long enough for his father's bloodline to awaken within him and make him into the hero he was always meant to be.

Insisting that Cloud's value as a character hinges in any way on his father, a person who had no place in his life whatsoever and whom he doesn't even remember, takes away his agency and declares Claudia to be irrelevant. It says that a sperm donation matters more than an upbringing. It says that the place he started is the only thing that defines where Cloud will end up.

This is literally, 100 percent, the opposite of the thesis of this series. The entire concept of these games, of these storylines, is that the way you were made doesn't have to dictate what you can be, who you are, where you're going. Your genetics do not define you, and assumptions to the contrary are literally what make people into monsters. What matters is the people you love, the people who love you, and the person you are now as a result of those people.

And the fact of the matter is that regardless of timelines, regardless of characterizations, regardless of theories, Cloud Shinra and Cloud Lodbrok didn't save the world.

Cloud Strife did.

Claudia Strife's son did.

And I think people could stand to give both of them a hell of a lot more credit.

[redjennies]

hey I'm gonna be honest, I'm touched to be seeing all these posts about the flooding in Appalachia, but I do have to say, as an Appalachian, be VERY careful who you give your money to. a lot of Christian charities (and charities that don't advertise themselves as Christian but nonetheless still fall in to this category) in this area are extreme far-right evangelical fundamentalists who are going to at best only help people they think are deserving of help and at worst going to channel that money into political causes that actively harm poor and marginalized Appalachians. (I live in the state that tried to ban drag after all.)

I've been in touch with a lot of my friends up in Northeast TN (I used to live very close to Unicoi County and I know a lot of folks with family there) and the current on the ground response is mostly direct help by federal government employees trained in disaster relief (to Biden's credit, this is not looking like another Katrina at least in Tennessee.) and locals doing direct item drives and providing immediate shelter that untrained outsiders simply cannot provide in the same way. because of the power outages, there is a lot of confusion where the best place to donate is, and I honestly cannot tell you that either.

I'm not saying don't donate but I am saying even as someone who lives relatively close to the affected areas, the ability to organize has been very scattered but mostly localized. it's worth doing your research or if you don't feel comfortable with your ability to verify waiting until Appalachians can say "hey here's a group I'm personally familiar with and know isn't some Christofascist extremist group that's providing relief directly to victims" or you could be putting money directly in the hands of GOP campaigns that actively want to kill us.

note: turned off reblogs to avoid this getting too far away from me and becoming ~discourse~ when I really just meant it as a note to direct followers as what I personally knew about the situation (and a warning about my personal experiences in east Tennessee with religious-based charities.) in days to come this will no longer apply as it becomes easier to find good places to donate directly to victims, but the way Tumblr works most people will not see any additions once a post is in circulation.

[yandere-paramour]

How would the yanderes react to their darling wanting to be a doctor, ever since they were a kid they were always interested in the medical field so they worked hard everyday. Staying up all night to study, getting straight As, applying for scholarships

But when they got kidnapped, they thought their whole life was down the drain. All that hard work for nothing. Would they let their darling pursue their dreams?

Vivien does not kidnap you until he absolutely has to. He does NOT want to do it. He will only kidnap you if you are somehow planning to leave him, whether by breaking up with him, moving away, or something like that. Even if you don't know about him yet. Don't just up and move guys, you might get kidnapped by Vivien. If he did have to kidnap you, he would be absolutely apologetic, begging you to stay calm and listen to him. Your hard work is not for naught, because he doesn't want to restrict you. He wants you to be able to live well, to follow all your dreams, just please keep him with you. Honestly, if you're level-headed and pragmatic, you can convince him to let you go if you move into his place or let him move into yours. As long as you agree to keep him around, you can do whatever you like. It's really not a bad deal. He'll cook, clean, give oral sex, and basically do anything he can to make your life easy and comfortable. And he's pretty so you have something to look at

Atalanta is... stricter. She kidnaps you the second she sees you, and she cannot be convinced to let you go. She will hold you, stroke your hair, and sympathize with you, but she's not letting you go. She really doesn't want you to be a doctor either. She will try and dissect why you want to be a doctor. Money? She has more than you could ever spend in a lifetime. Want to help people? See earlier question, that money can do more than you ever will. Just like medicine? Well... She guesses you can go to medical school, but wouldn't it be more fun for you to teach in a classroom and see Atalanta every day after school? She will charm and deftly steer you in the direction of being a good girl for her, but in the face of someone who is absolute and unmoving, she will be forced to compromise. The most you'll get from her is a very safe job somewhere in a private hospital where no one can hurt you, you will not be overworked, and you will come home every night to be loved and cuddled and pampered by Atalanta.

[v3nusxsky]

heyyy I was wondering if you could write smut for Larissa??? where the reader is a 7’1 vampire teacher and Larissa is absolutely smitten with the reader. I would like Larissa to be a sub bc honestly sub Larissa hits different but could you include a strap on (reader giving) face sitting from Larissa 0_o, marking and blood drinking?? You really don’t have to do this but I would love it even if you just did vanilla tysmmm

Little bloodsucker 18+

*Authors note~ I thought this was a super good idea. And I'm obsessed with the idea of vampire r rn as well as a/b/o universe*

Trigger warnings~ vamp r dom r sub strap on (l receiving) face sitting (r receiving) marking and blood drinking body worship

Prompt~see ask^^^^^^^

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

Larissa was drawn to you the moment you applied for the teaching position of creature anatomy. When the seven foot one vampire walked into her office she  immediately felt weak at her knees. Your eyes darkened to a raven black, drawn to Larissa and her scent. Her scent called to you like an unmated vampire would experience when they are around their soulmate. It was uncommon but not impossible to mate with other species of outcast and you knew you were a unique case as soon as she opened her gorgeous mouth.

A few months later, you couldn't handle being around her no more, the need to mark her, to taste her blood that practically called for you was so overwhelming for you. Larissa wasn't fairing much better either, she desperately wanted you to be in her bed, to fuck her senseless. Most nights she imagined it was you pounding into her sensitive cunt, forcing her violently over the edge into pools of  bliss, your fangs sinking into the expanse of her beautiful neck.

It was another night for Larissa Weems that would be extremely lonely night, where she constantly fought to bring herself to orgasm with your name on her lips. However, you needed to speak to the blonde about a course trip you were planning. However, you stopped in your tracks when you heard a breathily mewl of your name coming from Larissa's office. You decided to forgo knocking and slipped into the room to find Larissa Weems sat with her legs up on her desk as a vibrator worked on teasing her pearly clit. "Woah!" You gasped causing Larissa to drop the vibrator and flush bright red. "I um I oh god I'm so sorry" she whimpered. "No no no it's okay, do you want some help?"

You really couldn't control it anymore, her arousal making her scent that much stronger. You were there in an instant, gripping her chin and guiding her lips to yours. You kissed her passionately before your fangs popped down startling you. "Oh god! I'm so sorry Larissa" you murmured, "I just you smell so good and you call to me."

Poor Larissa didn't know what happened but your vampire strength allowed you to scoop Larissa up and carry her to her adjoining bedroom. "What? Darling you don't have to-" she murmured only to be shut off by your lips, "let me help you darling." Her hips rocked upwards to show her need and want for you. It was crazy how fast you could strip yourself and Larissa's clothing off, the blonde women soon found herself sat on your face.

Your tongue rapidly fucking up into her fluttering hole as Larissa withered and whined above you, drenching your face in her arousal. You were relentless and your inhuman speed allowed Larissa to approach that wanted edge so much quicker than she normally would. You didn't stop until the blonde was screaming for you as she came. Your face smothered in her orgasm as she panted her way back down from the high.

"Oh fuck, darling you're so good at that" she whimpered as her eyes found the strap you adorned. Packing made you feel more confident and comfortable in your body. Turns out now it would be useful. "Larissa? Do you have lube" you mumbled quickly following her directions to add a generous amount to the shaft. "Do you want it darling?" The blonde immediately became doe eyed and nodded as if she were a nodding dog.

"Hands and knees baby" you purred causing Larissa to instantly follow the command. "Such an obedient think for me, a good girl hmm" you mused before a teasing smack landed on her right ass cheek, which Larissa moaned at the praise. "Please, please fuck me, I've wanted you for so long, please want you to mark me make me yours" Larissa babbled as you teased her soaked slit with the faux cock head. "Okay imma fuck you stupid sweet toy."

You definitely knew what you were doing with the strap on, your thrusts hitting that very spot that drove Larissa mad, her hips bucking backwards to meet your thrusts, you got frustrated with not being able to see Larissa's face so you expertly flipped the blonde on her back.

Larissa's tits were on display and you couldn't help but bring your mouth to each boob. You showered both of her fleshy mounds with equal attention, never slowing your thrusts as you worked the blonde to another high. "Mark me, make me yours, please please feed" she mewled causing you to lose all composure and bring your fangs to her expanse of her neck bitting down hard enough to make Larissa as yours and suck some of her blood up. You couldn't help but feel the waves of pleasure feeding off her created, while her thrusts became less precise. "Oh fuck darling cum please, I'm yours, your mate. Please oh god I'm gonna" Larissa mewled as you both feel over the edge, blood still draining from the woman's neck.

Immediately, you slipped from the woman's pulsating hole and began to search the room for some water and something to snack on. Finding a little granola bar and some bottled water you encouraged the woman to eat and drink something while you used your venom to soothe and close the two fang holes, you knew they'd scar but you also knew you'd be tied to Larissa now for life, something that would definitely not be horrible.

Word count~ 1051

[themiimagebehindfire]

I just want to clear something up cause I saw confusion:

No. Jensen is NOT the one who gave Tom his scars. It was all part of the dream. Nothing in that dream sequence actually happened.

(Even though I do agree it’s weird how Aiden is there when this takes place before All Stars)

The whole point of this is to showcase Tom’s mental state at this point in his life. And dreams are very ludicrous in logic in anyone’s case. Just because the dream is ludicrous, doesn't mean it's irrelevant to understanding Tom as a character.

CANONICALLY, Tom is a torture survivor. He was kidnapped when he fumbled his spy mission and the captors proceeded to heavily torture him, giving him his scars. And it's heavily implied that his co-workers and boss shamed him for being tortured, as they weren't happy with how the mission went.

The show doesn't really NEED to show the actual backstory of Tom getting tortured, one cause I think that'd get OddNations demonetized, and two cause the aftermath of the incident is the more important detail.

It shows with almost all of his actions and insecurities and how he views himself. Honestly, it's a miracle he's not worse. He hid his face in a mask, he constantly viewed himself in the mirror in shame, he talks very lowly of himself, and he has a hard time not jumping to the instinct to put a wall up so he doesn't get hurt again.

You see where I'm going with this.

I admit, I too was very frustrated with him in the first half of All Stars. Mostly cause I was giving all my sympathy towards Jake like a bias bitch. (He is NOT innocent either) But then Episode 9 happened and we got the explanation, and after that, Tom took accountability and did what he could to make up for what he'd done. I at least appreciate that. (Do I think it could've been directed better? Absolutely. But at least the accountability is THERE. It could've very easily not been there at all.)

I DON'T want this to be read as 'Tom is now excused for all of his bad actions'. Because that's NOT what the episode, or the story, is saying.

Now, I am NOT a torture victim/survivor, so anyone who IS can clarify better if this is accurate portrayal of the psychological aftermath, better than me. So take my words with a grain of salt.

Tom DIDN'T avoid Jake because he hated Jake and held a grudge for what happened. (Which is what I thought at the start of All Stars before it was explained otherwise) He avoided Jake because he loved him, but hated himself so much that he couldn't see himself as good enough, both to be around him or to survive another potential future that could lead to torture. (The very thing that scarred his face, which ashamed him)

You want to love someone, you got to love yourself. Both of them hated themselves. So they couldn't love each other until they found good in themselves. Jake just had the more obvious arc cause unlike Tom, Jake is there the entirety of All Stars.

Trauma does not 'make you stronger'. It makes you a pain in the ass to deal with. That's because it causes a lot of psychological damage and anxiety.

And in Tom's case, it is GETTING HURT. Getting hurt in several ways both physically, but even more so, mentally. His life is surrounded by getting hurt. And getting hurt is something painful, so he doesn't want to be hurt if he can help it.

The show doesn't NEED to show the backstory of the torture, (That's for fanfic writers to do if they love making Tom suffer) because the aftermath of that backstory is what was important.

It's also the aftermath of All Stars that was important because despite how hurt they got, they still worked it out and that was what mattered in the end. Maybe not to every couple, but to them it's what mattered.

Can Tom be excused for what he's done? HELL NO. But sometimes you gotta understand the character's POV and what was established that they've been through before you can make bold claims.

I said this with my post about Jake and this applies to Tom too: Nobody is going to make the most rational choice every time. Nobody is going to make the correct choice every time.

You think a simple slap in the face is going to undo a ton of baggage and trauma and make a character act perfect immediately afterwards? No. That's crazy to think about.

[fantasy-on-parchment]

Make It Up to You (Pt. 2)

Evangeline x Jacks

FAIR WARNING this fic was started before the release of ballad, so it does not line up with the plot!! But also, no spoilers that I know of...

Warning: angst, smut, happy ending duh

Summary: After the miscommunication at her childhood home, Evangeline does her best to steer clear of Jacks. However, the fate has much different ideas in mind.

unedited bc id rather write more than go back an edit, sue me <3

Love ya's!!

She would not cry again. She would not cry again. She...

Evangeline repeated the mantra in her head over and over as she finally approached her room. Sliding open the wooden door, she quickly slammed it shut behind her and pushed to lock. She wouldn't allow herself to be alone for long, fates knew Wolf Hall would need her attention as soon as possible. Which, for once, was most likely a good thing. If she sat alone in her room for too long, she'd begin thinking too hard about everything that was said.

"--he probably didn't love you in the first place!"

With a groan, Evangeline twisted to pull the cape off her back. She threw all thoughts of the prince of hearts out the window. She didn't need to think about him. Him and his blue eyes, his crooked smirk, his veined hands... they wouldn't get her anywhere.

She threw the cape into her wardrobe and the satchel on the bed before proceeding into the ensuite bathroom to wash the tear tracks on her cheeks and apply enough blush that the splotchy color of her face would look purposeful.

Princesses weren't supposed to cry. Not over their exes, and certainly not over unattainable god-like creatures such as Jacks. So, she finished in the bathroom, changed into a silky, golden evening gown that stopped just above the floor, and exited her chambers.

He hadn't followed her, which was honestly surprising. She expected him to have more to say, to mock her tears maybe. But when she got to the castle stairs after the return, she turned to see he had not yet followed her. And he wasn't waiting at her door now either.

Good. She forced herself to think, good.

"Princess Evangeline!"

"Your highness!"

"Mi'lady!"

Suddenly she was swarmed by nobles, postmen, and even servants. In the middle of the decent sized crowd, she couldn't make out the faces pushing to get towards her. Different letters and offers were pushed into her hands as she was also pushed around the circle. She huffed at the annoyance of it all, she had only been gone a little over 6 hours and this is what she returned to?

"Excuse me?!"

She pushed her way out of the swarm of voices and brushed herself off when they all turned to her with alarmed expressions.

She went to speak again when a different voice entered the mix.

"Now that is no way to greet our future queen, is it?" The drawl came from beside her, and she turned to see blue eyes and that insufferable smirk.

As if she thought she could catch a break today.

The corridor was quiet for a moment as the crowd looked between each other and them, and then, as if nothing had happened, they charged forward once again with their questions and letters.

Evangeline felt Jacks shift to grab her, and as her breath caught in her throat, she did the only thing she thought to do at the moment.

She dived straight into the bustling crowd. Ducking down, she gathered her skirt to herself and moved quickly around the bodies who still moved in the opposite direction as if not noticing her escape attempt.

"Little Fox!" The bustling of the crowd did nothing to drown out his heavy footsteps, they were all she heard as she bolted down the corridor.

Should've stayed in her rooms, no one had to know she was back in the castle yet. But it was almost dinner, and the nobles were used to her dining with them. In the Prince's absence, going over events and decision-making this way comforted the civilians.

"Little Fox, stop this instant!"

She took a sharp turn, and pulled herself into an alcove where he wouldn't find her. The alcoves of the castle were covered by curtains, and she pulled that across the opening and waited for his footsteps to pass.

She took deep breaths and waited a minute, soothing out her bodice and fluffing her skirts. She couldn't hear him anymore, and pray tell he couldn't make out her labored breaths.

She stepped out of the alcove, quickly going back in the direction she came.

Or she would, if it weren't for a hand pulling her back.

tsk, tsk, Little Fox

Once she processed being back behind the curtain, she quickly wrenched her arm out of grasp and turned towards Jacks.

"How did you see me?" She demanded.

His smirk was all wolf, and she hated it. Damn it, she hated every bit of it.

"You're easy to find, when you want to be."

"But I do not want to be! So kindly leave!" She gave all the authority she could to her voice, but the look on his face didn't even falter.

But then he was pushing her against the dark wall of the alcove, absolutely out of to any passerbyers. He leaned down to her ear to whisper, "Oh I beg to differ, love."

"You don't know anything." She countered, but it was meek while she was pressed to his chest, surrounded by the scent of apples and pine.

He hummed against her throat, his breath traveling down her neck and ghosting over her breasts. It took everything in her not to gasp.

"Well, I think I know one thing..."

"And what is that?"

"I owe you an apology."

Oh.

Oh...

Evangeline certainly hadn't expected that. If anything, she expected him to snark at her again. But not want to... apologize?

"Jacks...?" She softly laid her hands on his shoulders and pushed back until he met her eyes. They still held the heat that she imagined hers did, but behind it was something melancholy, almost regretful.

He seemed to breathe deeply before saying, "I am sorry, Evangeline."

"Oh..."

"I do not always think about how my tone might be taken, as I'm sure you know. And... as we've established in the past, I am a jealous fate, a possessive fate at times... and when I saw you upset over him I just-" He cut himself off.

The alcove was quiet as she watched him, not wanting to interrupt what was obviously a difficult situation for him.

"-I meant what I said, Eva-"

"I-" She started.

"No. Don't get angry with me yet." He stepped closer again, allowing their chests to press flush together and her back to press against the wall. "While I'm sure Luc loved you in the way he knew how, he did not know how to love you in the way you deserve. And you do deserve love, Little Fox."

Evangeline knew she was naive at times, but she simply couldn't help the way her heart swelled at his validation.

But she squared her shoulders anyways, "That does not permit the way you spoke to me."

"I know, I do. I am sorry for not seeing past my own desires."

Her brow furrowed as she looked up to him, her nose close enough to brush his. "Your... desires?"

His smirk returned at that; she had obviously zeroed in on the part of his sentence that he hoped she would. His hands lifted to her waist, pushing her back further to the wall as he leaned back and roved his eyes over her. This apology was getting more and more confusing.

His eyes returned to hers, the heat back in place as he studied her. She felt herself blush, red covering her cheeks down to the tops of her breasts. He leaned back down to her ear.

"Do you want me to leave, Little Fox?"

She tried to inhale, but the air was thick, and her lungs simply would not take much air. "I... I need to go to dinner."

He laughed lowly, "That's not what I asked, so answer my question please?" He leaned closer, his lips down her neck to her collarbone.

She held back a gasp, trying to compose herself before her mouth spoke for her: "No."

"No?"

"Please, no."

Another chuckle, "Good... because just because I apologize, Little Fox, doesn't mean I'm done with you."

He leaned back, stepping away until her entire being craved his touch. He looked over her.

"Where did he touch you?"

"What?" She was breathless already, oh my it was embarrassing.

His smile was viscous because he knew, "Tell me, Evangeline Fox, where did your little vampire boy touch you?"

She actually almost laughed at his possessiveness, "Jacks--"

But he stepped closer, grabbing her hand. "Here?" He placed his lips against her hand in the whisper of a kiss. It was sweet, almost loving.

But then his lips were under her ear, "Here?" He licked, and nipped slightly as he worked his way across her neck until she moaned out.

He chuckled, "Did he ever find the spot that makes you sing, hmm? Right here?" He bit down again.

She went to say no, but it came out in a whimper as she pushed against him.

He pulled back again, his thumb brushing her lip. "Obviously here... but we know I can't kiss you-"

"Bite me." She jumped, too quick to give him the opportunity.

But he leaned forward, "So eager," he praised before his teeth sank against her bottom lip. He whimpered again, moaning his name as he pulled away.

"So tell me, where else?" He held his hand out, giving her the control to show him.

With a shuddered breath, she took his hand, moving it over her neck again and letting him give a gentle squeeze before she gathered her courage and moved his hand down to the tops of her breasts. She watched his face as she did, watching as his eyes battled between rage and lust. She was grateful for her skirts, for once, for the way he couldn't see her rub her thighs together. She usually hated his anger, but the rage he had at the thought of another man touching her... suddenly her panties felt tight and... wet.

"... Just the top?" He asked through his teeth. She bit her lip, only knowing how to shake her head.

Jacks growled, gripping her waist and turning her roughly so he could shove her against the wall. She almost shrieked before she felt his hands at the small of her back, he was careful to not tear the lace, but he roughly pulled the laces apart until the bodice hung loose at her waist before turning her back around.

Eva pulled at the sleeves as Jacks stepped back and watched the dress fall to the floor of the alcove until she stood in her slip and flats.

"What if we're caught?"

He didn't stop looking at how the slip hugged her curves to say: "I can control what people do, love, don't worry about it." And then he was stepping forward to grip the hem of her slip.

"But-" She didn't have time before the slip was pulled over her head and his hands landed on her chest.

He cursed as he leaned down to nip across the swell of her breasts. Her head fell back against the wall, but she hated not doing anything. So she reached forward and began unbuttoning his shirt. When she began to struggle, she got frustrated and ripped the buttons apart until his was standing shirtless. She moaned again as her hands landed on his hot skin, just has his lips closed over her breast.

Evangeline gasped, "He-he never..."

"Of course, he wasn't creative enough." Jacks grunted.

Before she could say anything else, his hand slid down her stomach to her panties. He wasted no time running his fingers over the fabric, "Here?"

No, she'd never been touched there. She'd heard from fellow girls that certain feelings derive from that area, but she had never been courageous enough to explore.

"No... no one." She whispered.

He smiled against her stomach as he knelt onto his knees. "Good, I'd have to kill anyone who had."

The words alone felt like she might shatter. It was a feeling she didn't understand. His fingers skimmed her skin up to her hips, lightly gripping the sides of her panties as he looked up to her. She'd never get over it, the way he looked on his knees. His hair was disheveled from where she had gripped it as he sucked on her skin. The look in his eyes neared on begging as he asked, "Do you trust me to show you?"

She didn't know, but she couldn't help but nod, "Please, Jacks."

That was all he needed before his grip tightened and her panties her ripped from her skin. She squealed as he dropped them.

"I need those!"

He chuckled, "No, Eva, I promise you do not." But then his eyes moved to between her thighs, and the groan he let out was so tortured that the knot inside her stomach strung tight. "I always knew you'd have a pretty cunt, Little Fox."

With his words, he lifted a finger until it reached her center, running through her folds and picking up something slick.

"And oh, my fates," his forehead landed to rest on her naval, "You're so wet for me, aren't you, pretty girl?"

"Yes..." She breathed out, still unsure.

He looked up at her, but only as his thumb pressed hard against the nerves between her thighs. He watched as her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened with surprise. Oh, my fates indeed. Jacks continued to push that thumb in lazy circles over that spot as her hips shuttered.

She thought she'd felt it all, but that was before his thumb pulled away and was replaced by his ring finger nudging against her opening. It pushed forward with equal sting and equal pleasure. Eva's head fell back before Jacks demanded: "Look at me."

She obeyed, suddenly willing to do anything he asks. "Good girl, good little fox." He praised as he brought that finger in and out, over and over. "I've just got to taste you, you know that?"

"W-what?" wouldn't it taste... awful?

He returned his attention down, smirking despite her question as he used her other hand to push her legs further apart. As he leaned forward, her hand shot out to grip his hair and stop him.

Before she could blink, her hand was pulled away and pinned to the wall as her side. His eyes held heat as he looked up from her, "Do not stop me from pleasuring you, Evangeline. Do not stop me from erasing the very memory of that boy."

She paused, thinking, before relaxing and shifting her legs open wider. As unsure as she was, she also found herself liking the idea of submitting to what he wanted to do to her.

Happy now, Jacks let go of her hand to steady himself as he leaned forward. Before she knew it, he what nudging her center, and suddenly his tongue was in the spot his thumb had been and-- oh.

"Oh, Jacks, please!" Her hands returned to his hair, but only to push him closer. Her hips rolled in a way she'd never felt as his tongue flicked and his teeth grazed while his finger found that spot.

She felt him hum against her, "Such a perfect cunt, princess. You're going to fall apart for me, okay? Fall apart on my face." He practically moaned the words, but they still held all the authority.

And she couldn't take it, one more lick and suddenly she was shattering against him and he was gripping her, his tongue taking everything she had. He didn't stop until the shaking became light tremors, and he went to stand up.

She felt awkward suddenly, "Um, well..."

"Oh we're not done." He scoffed, hands finding his pants as he cornered her again.

"We're... we're not?"

"Not unless you want to be." He shook his head, undoing the buttons of his trousers as she watched. She knew the male anatomy, knew that size and width always differed like height. But she still wasn't prepared for the outline indenting his pants. Still, she reached out simply because she needed to do something.

Grabbing the top of his pants and underwear, she took a deep breath and shoved until they fell below his knees, and he stepped out of them and his boots. There they stood, nothing on. She tried not to look but she couldn't help it. If he'd touched her down there, maybe she could...

She reached out before he knew, her hand wrapping around what she could fit and naturally pumping up and down. It was the first time she'd heard Jacks gasp, and he caught himself with his arms on either side of her head.

"My fates, Little Fox, that feels so good." She smiled at the praise, liking that she was doing something right.

"Can I... also use my tongue?" She was curious.

He let out a breathless moan, "Yes, yes you can. But... not tonight. Tonight, you're mine."

She didn't know what he meant as she dropped her hand just for him to seize both of her wrists in one of his hands. He positioned them above her head and left them there so he could grip her waist. She loved his touch, so demanding, so adamant.

He lifted her against the wall, "Wrap your legs around my waist, princess."

She did as told, and watched as one hand returned to her wrists, and another grabbed his dick. She was entranced as he rubbed the head of it against those nerves once again. And suddenly she was back to square one, writhing and rolling her hips.

"Good... good little fox." He cooed. And then he pushed lower, to that same hole his finger had been.

"No.'' He paused immediately, "How... how will you fit?"

He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers, not a kiss, but brushed. "I've got you ready, my love, let me take care of you."

He waited for further protest before pushing forward. It stung, but less than she thought it might. More so, she felt full. She felt him stretching her as he groaned against her neck. She watched where they connected, as he only went in a little, before pulling back and pushing in further and further. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but her mouth opened in a moan.

"Please, please, more." She cried.

She felt him tense, before he pulled out and suddenly slammed into the hilt. She screamed, praying no one was near.

"Oh my, Jacks, please."

"You like that?" She asked against her ear, "You're taking all of me so well, Eva, and you like it? You hated me mere hours ago but look at you so obediently obeying me."

"Yes, yes, please." In and out, in and out, she couldn't stop watching. She'd never felt this way before, never felt so safe and so on edge.

"Let go with me, c'mon baby." He pushed harder, faster. Over and over until they both shuttered and fell apart together. She wanted to kiss him, and the way his forehead landed on hers when he let go told her how badly he longed too as well.

"Oh my fates," She breathed as he let her legs fall to the floor. Jacks chuckled before picking up her slip.

"We're doing to get you dressed, then you're coming back to my rooms to clean up, okay?"

She simply nodded, too dazed, too in love.

[azquine]

Can I get something on the JoanFK tag that ISN'T just complaining? It is ok to be feeling shit that things went badly in the show, but do you have to tag that negativity on the ship? The negativity is all that there is to see whenever I try to interact with the show and it's making me feel horrible.

I've been in far worse fandoms, and they didn't make me feel this bad.

It all feels so puritanical, like you have forgotten what a teen drama parody entails. Did you forget that they were ALL assholes in the first season who backstabbed and did shitty things to eachother for their own selfish gain? You are applying pretty strict rules of morality onto characters who intrinsically must break those rules to allow the narratives of their genre to move.

This was a short kiss, the result of feelings that JFK and Harriet had actively been trying to avoid for the sake of Joan. This could have been resolved by open communication, but that's not how either drama shows OR stupid hormonal teens work. After making this mistake, they did the most responsible and moral thing they could have and confessed it literally within the same episode as soon as Joan would not, you know, DIE as a result.

All things considered, it wasn't a secret relationship, it wasn't sex, it wasn't a long term secret held until it accidentally spills out and ruins everything. It could have been SO much worse, it was none of my worst fears, and I'm honestly relieved a kiss was where it stopped. And I am also really glad they confessed to quickly because I HATE liar revealed plots more than ANYTHING and I probably would have stopped watching. If they were going to do this plotline it was the best case scenario for me.

And do you know what is even better? What should be the bare minimum but is actually pretty rare in dramas from my experience? Neither of them tried to mitigate Joan's reaction, to say she was overreacting or to dance around the issue to make it sound better beyond a truthful 'we felt nothing'. Joan was allowed the space to fully process the information and her emotions, even if through a montage. And damn I wish I saw that more often.

As for those saying JFK would need a redemption for what he has done- does being open and honest about his wrongdoings not do that pretty succinctly? Beyond having not done it at all what else do you want? Pretty puritanical to want him to suffer before he can be forgiven.

And granted, Harriet got plenty of unjustified hate before she had even done anything, but post-kiss most of the discussion and anger I have seen has been directed solely at JFK. Harriet was part of that kiss too, knowingly going against her friend. Why is the romantic relationship deemed worse to betray? Both of them did a stupid thing together, and fixed it together.

And I'm not saying Joan putting all the consequence on Abe is justified, he didn't do shit wrong either, he tried to keep his friend alive in a tricky situation.

All of your feelings are valid, and I do see why the dominant opinion is what it is. Cheating is an awful thing to do and you should not be with someone you do not trust, I cannot refute that.

Yet at the same time, I felt it was important to put forward some differing points that I had been having. This show will not be enjoyable if we hold a position of being negative and moralistic. To some extent there has to be an acceptance that this is a fiction and moral failings are often part of a narrative structure.

(And while many of you have legitimate critiques on the execution of the show, it feels like some of you are taking the 'thing done badly because I don't like it' route)

I really hope nobody takes this as me trying to enforce cheating or to say that JFK and Harriet kissing was ok. It was shitty of them to do in the first place, but they are not morally irredeemable. Teen do stupid bad thing is not new. I'm also not interested in having an argument over this, I get caught up far too easily in that so I won't be answering any replies or asks. It is fine if you disagree, I'm here to propose a counterpoint.

Sorry if this was repetitive or lengthy. It just felt like I had to get it out there despite it being the early hours of the morning.

[smalltimidbean]

hi again! So I have a lot I wanna say following the anatomy post, as I'll be calling it, because even though it's fresh I read the whole thing and I'm glad we know more about the clones :D and also I assume now would be a good time to ask about because of how fresh it is. ANYWAYS let's get to it!

So I wanted to ask about these specific parts, and what I could tell from them:

To summarize, a clone bearing a toothy grin is threatening, and a clone sticking its tongue out/drooling/licking it lips is not threatening. This is the premise I worked under when I made this:

(In like, 2 minutes. I wonder if anyone can tell!)

As you can see, I added a few facial expressions that weren't mentioned l, and that I wonder their meaning in relation to what has already been stated. I think I can confidently predict what the first two mean, thanks to the fact that clones have made those facial expressions before. Though anyone is welcome to correct me if I'm wrong!

Closed-mouth and open-mouth smiles are not threats, unlike the toothy "smiles" which are. The quotation mark around "smile" in the original post(as well as a part of pep's toyhouse page(which didn't appear in the Tumblr post from several months past)) also indicate that the threatening smiles are not genuine, and so smiles without teeth are genuine expressions of joy.

The other one, though, seems to send somewhat mixed messages. That expression is saying both that "I am a threat" and "I am not a threat, " which when a applied to the only clone we ever see donning this face, Pep, is true. Though, whenever he smiles like that, it is genuine and not an attempt to threaten anyone. Is this because he's smiling at something or someone other than a fellow clone, and he knows that, in order to communicate the same emotion he has to make a different facial expression depending on if he's making it at clones on non-clones?

But uhh yeah :D hope this wasn't too long winded and that I made any sort of sense lol!

Yaya! I have a ton of clone info I wanna post, but I have been trying to figure out how/where to do that, so I might just unload it all here in chunks kjlfdkfg

Asking questions about clone stuff is alright, and it helps me figure out stuff, or point out if I have contradicted myself - which happens more than I would like kjfgkjfg

Although for these points, perhaps I spoke too broadly as this post was supposed to be on anatomy and not behaviour, but I guess I can't help myself kjdfgk - it is also why I did not mention other types of smile

But for clones there are genuine smiles, and there are threat 'smiles', like this;

Threat smiles are not expressions of joy, they are meant to convey 'I have teeth, and I will use them if you continue to upset me' or simply 'you are bothering me' if they are not showing teeth - whereas genuine smiles are just that, they are happy

If you add a tongue to a threat 'smile', it is still considered a threat due to other aspects like the eyes and stance etc, but more along the lines of either a submissive threat ('I am scared, please leave, or I will attack') or the clone is hungry ('I will eat you if approached, so back off for your own good') - but honestly it depends on the situation, sometimes clones already have their tongues out before threat 'smiling' and it ends up hanging out regardless dhfsdh

And yes, most of Pep's smiles have been genuine - there has been at least two with a threat 'smile' (both directed at or implied to be directed at Peppino) - but most of the time he is genuinely happy

It can be a bit confusing since clones are kinda animal, kinda people, so they get both that 'smiling is a threat' (animal side) and 'smiling is friendly' (people side) lfglgfd

When I make a post(s) on clone behaviours, I will be sure to make this more clear! But I still appreciate the questions!

[dansconcepts]

Quirky RC!Hajime - Talentsharer HCs

This is kind of a different approach to Hajime having all the talents at once, and merely just him having access to one talent at a time through whichever Ultimate touched him recently (or vice versa). He's still a Reserve Course student, he's just a little quirky (HAHA).

How long does it apply for? For an hour or two before wearing off.

How does it work? For the duration, Hajime will exhibit similar interests and experience as the person who interacted with him, but he won't have the same quirks (i.e. Being the Ultimate Musician, he'll have a nice voice/desire to sing, write songs, and play instruments, but he won't have the same music taste as Ibuki). Afterwards, it just fades away slowly until all the knowledge and experience is gone completely (sorry, I imagine Hajime's voice is also average, which honestly, mood). His memory of what he did and accomplished doesn't go away though. If someone else touches him before the hour ends, his thoughts will shift accordingly to the new person's talent and the previous talent isn't accessible anymore (i.e. if he's tinkering with something because of the Ultimate Mechanic talent but Mikan trips and accidentally bonks Hajime in the head, he'll be unable to finish the project).

Who's giving their talent most often? Kazuichi and Ibuki through constant casual touches and/or hugs (mainly Ibuki for that one). You can bet 100% you've got a Hajime having to deal with a sudden compulsion to fix everything with schematics in his head, along with very sensitive hearing mixed with a love for humming and strumming. Nekomaru's up there too, because he comes up to Hajime to give him a hearty slap on the back and give him tips to be a great rugby player. It makes Hajime match his energy and suddenly they're plotting together on how best Hajime could succeed ("Hey, actually, don't you think I'd make a great snowboarder?") As well, Hajime looks at his classmates and mentally judges whether their physique would befit an athlete in x sport, and makes off the cuff comments about it.

Who's giving their talent least? Nagito goes out of his way to avoid touching or interacting with Hajime when he knows he's in the Reserve Course (Nagito gets a LIL curious though when he observes Hajime hanging out with his fellow classmates). Peko isn't the type to touch people unwarranted, even casually. Kuzuryuu isn't either, but he'll give Hajime a friendly shove every once in awhile. I can't imagine Mahiru touching him much, but they do get along decently enough.

How does this affect Hajime's day to day life? No one actually knows about it, and he's not even aware of it. Once he meets Chiaki, he still isn't aware of it. After all, it's kind of hard to notice if you're not interacting with Ultimates that much. It becomes prevalent after he's been adopted by Class 77-B and he's being casually touched or brushed against, with his impulses shifting in different directions. He starts noticing it and he thinks he's gone insane, and that's when he tries talking about it with other RC students and a handful of Ultimates. Nagito's pretty interested in this whole mystery and how it manifests, considering the circumstances. Chiaki says he's collecting power-ups. "Like Pokemon! Why don't you try to collect 'em all?" "...yeah, no thanks, I don't want to get my ass kicked by Mahiru."

How would this impact the Killing Game? Well, the implications are kind of silly... for instance, when Hajime's trying to figure out his talent with Nagito, he'll be casually brushed (or bumped into) by his classmates and suddenly have hints of having that talent (I have a drabble for this). Of course, the knowledge wears off, and it's dismissed for being beginner's luck. On that note, Nagito considers the idea that perhaps Hajime also has a luck based talent or something to that effect, but they don't get to pursue that thought much before, well, y'know. Also features some shenanigans where Nagito brushes Hajime throughout the game and Hajime starts dealing with a luck cycle but on steroids (considering the 1-2 hour length). Imagine that just because Nagito touches Hajime through encouraging shoulder grips and wrist grabbing, the whole killing game doesn't even start because other chaos ensues. Even Monokuma is baffled because there's suddenly a tsunami??? He didn't even do that???

Some conceptualization rambles under the cut.

I 100% made this because I want to make (more) drabbles for this.

I love Hajime and I'm not overly partial to giving him a talent (although I do have a talentswap AU with him having one bc that's free real estate), but I do find the idea of giving Hajime in a non-despair AU (or even in context to the game) something a little unique fascinating.

I do have more concepts along the lines of "Hajime is a Reserve Course student but he DOES have something strange about him". All of the ideas are on a silly note and not the most logical, but I do enjoy finangling them around in my head.

Also, unintentionally I made most of the Quirky RC concepts so far with him meeting Nagito first instead of Chiaki (except this one). I do have a reasoning for that. I needed to give Hajime a reason to be... less willing to meet the Ultimates. That'll makes sense whenever I post my next quirky!hajime idea.

[deityoftherain]

his artist - redscape fanfic

Rating: Gen

Relationship: M/M

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 1,467

Summary: Scar is late to a modeling gig, but he stays where he is just a bit longer so the handsome stranger can finish his sketch of him.

Full fanfic underneath the cut! Please reblog, leave kudos on the AO3 fic slash notes/likes here on Tumblr, comment either place, and etc if you enjoy the story :D

Scar was late.

Again.

It was for a really good reason this time, he promised, typing to his manager. She didn’t buy it, of course, and Scar couldn’t blame her. He knew he deserved her doubt, and his actions now only proved that fact! This wouldn’t be the first time Scar was late to a photoshoot for an objectively stupid reason, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. 

Luckily for him, he was hot enough for the industry to adapt! Like, who wouldn’t want a handsome guy with definition on his abs, mobility aids, and the inability to keep a shirt on?

That last part was mostly a joke.

Mostly.

So yeah, anyway–

What was he doing again?

Ah, right! Posing, looking natural, totally not glancing at the jaw-droppingly stunning man drawing him across the street.

Scar hid his giddy grin with the book he was one hundred percent actually reading, truely! In his defense, he’s read it so many times that he could recite the whole thing from memory! It was one of his many, many Star Wars books, contributing to his encyclopedic knowledge of the franchise.

By the way, did you know that, in The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader actually says “No, I am your father” and not “Luke, I am your father”? Scar’s main theory as to why that came to be was so the quote would spark recognition as a reference when said to others. Of course, there were also other reasons why that sort of thing could occur, but Scar was fairly confident that he was correct! In fact– ah, right, not the time. As much as he loved Star Wars, that was not the reason he had parked his wheelchair there, ever patiently. 

Scar tried to be subtle, he really did, but he kept sneaking glances towards his portrait maker, his butterfly-inducing artist, a man who he’s never had a proper conversation with. Despite that, whenever Scar got to see the artist’s almost freakily pale skin, overly bitten lip, and graphite covered hands, he mentally noted the time as a highlight in Scar’s day.

The two of them did this song and dance whenever Scar could help it, though Scar wasn’t sure if the other had caught on just yet. It moved like clockwork, so precise that Scar knew exactly where he would be sitting starting at exactly 3:17 PM on a weekday.

And no, memorizing part of a pretty stranger’s schedule didn’t make him gay, it made him egotistic, or maybe even possessive, wanting the artist– his artist– to draw him and study him, not anyone else. Not that he seemed to draw anyone else, not when Scar was around, anyway. 

Maybe this made them both a little gay, and that was okay. At least, Scar was trying to convince himself that it was okay, as long as he took steps to respect the other man’s boundaries. His issues with his now blatantly obvious queerness wasn’t for any internalized homophobia reasons, but more because his infatuation was such a surprise to him. Honestly, after spending so much time without experiencing romantic attraction, Scar had been starting to think he was fully aromantic! Void, how wrong he was. For as much as Scar was confident and unafraid of a challenge, he was still human. Even supermodel Scar Goodtimes wasn’t immune to nerves!

The butterflies within continued to flutter around as Scar daydreamed about the man with the most pristine and glorious mustache he’s ever seen. He stared off in his direction, the amount of yearning he felt almost unbearable because, no, they’ve barely talked, but Scar felt as if he knew him. Watching his artist interact with the world around him was enough to make his grayromantic heart to beat faster and cause his stomach to do barrel rolls.

Scar had let himself drift too far because he hadn’t realized his artist caught him staring until it was too late. His eyes went wide in panic, hoping he didn’t scare him away. His hopes were squashed as his artist fumbled to shove his sketchbook and fancy pencil case into his artistry bag.

His phone started vibrating, the screen lighting up only to show his manager’s caller ID. Scar flinched, not even needing to hear her voice to know how angry she must be. He really needed to get a move on, but this is not how he could end the impromptu live art modeling sessions.

“Hey, wait!” Scar called out to his artist, hoping to catch his attention. The other man was taller, so his strides would be longer, but Scar was extremely skilled at the act of speed rolling his wheelchair. It took years of practice, but Scar’s arm muscles were well equipped for such a task! “C’mon, I won’t bite! Unless you’re into that. My agent says I have a pretty good set of chompers.”

His artist blinked at him, gobsmacked and sputtering. “That– that would be an absolutely ridiculous thing to say to someone, I reckon.”

“It would be if I wasn’t paid for my looks!” Scar chirped along happily, unashamed. “Based on how often you sketch me, though, it seems you agree. You don’t gotta feel bad about it! I like it.”

His cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of pink. He cleared his throat, seeming to accept that he was caught red-handed, or, uh, graphite-handed? Scar almost made the joke out loud when Mumbo spoke instead, stealing his attention away from himself. “Well, if I’m gonna be honest, you are incredibly satisfying to draw.”

Pride swelled within Scar as he beamed ear to ear. “Well, I would love to see them sometime!”

“Uh, I don’t normally share my work, but maybe–” he started, but Scar’s phone buzzing put a stop to his words. Scar wanted to curse her for interrupting them, but he did feel bad for ignoring her. He was very grateful to her, and while he wasn’t always the best client, he didn’t want to disregard her completely. “Shouldn’t you get that?”

“She’s reminding me that I have a commitment I can’t weasel out of,” Scar admitted before hastily continuing, “but I would love to talk more! And see your work that you’re willing to share! Would you be interested in going out with me sometime?” He blinked, and then blinked again, almost as if Scar could see his brain processing his words. “Like, on a date?”

“Yeah,” Scar rolled his wheelchair back and forth excitedly, more fidgeting than actually attempting to get anywhere “why not!”

“Why not?” he repeated with a stutter. “Why– I don’t even know your name!”

“My name’s Scar!” He introduced himself with an over-dramatic yet grand bow. “How about you, fair sir?”

After a moment of brief hesitation, Scar was granted his answer. “Mumbo,”

“Well, ain’t that a super lovely name? Nice to officially meet ya, Mumbo.” Scar offered his hand to shake and Mumbo tentatively took it. “Now, how about that date? I promise I’ll make sure it’s an a-may-zing time!”

Mumbo considered Scar’s offer for what seemed like forever (but what was likely only a few seconds) before returning Scar’s smile. “It would be nice to get to know the person I’ve been sketching all this time.”

“Perfect!” Scar fished out one of his many business cards and handed it to Mumbo. “My contact information is on this, so feel free to text me when you can. The ball is in your court, my friend-maybe-more! I’ll be–”

“Scar!” He knew that shrill voice anywhere. It was his manager, having to hunt him down because of how late he was getting. Scar was surprised how she managed to find him before remembering the tracking software she had downloaded onto his phone. He had consented to it, knowing that her desire to have it installed was warranted. Most agencies nowadays planned for Scar to be tardy, but there was such a thing as being late to being late. At least, there was in Scar’s world.

Scar flinched, a tad embarrassed as he flashed Mumbo a sheepish smile. “I got to go. Talk to you later?” “Talk to you later,” Mumbo confirmed, his facial expression softening as he clenched the card tight in his hands.

Scar wanted to say more, but his manager cleared her throat. Picking up what she was laying down, Scar waved Mumbo goodbye before wheeling after her. She lectured him about his punctuality as he rolled beside her, but her words fell on deaf ears. All Scar’s brain was capable of doing at that moment was playing Mumbo’s voice and incredibly attractive accent on loop in his head, much like a wonderfully broken record. Though, if Mumbo was involved, was it truly broken, or was it exactly as it was supposed to be?

[idesofrevolution]

Hey! I have a small request regarding a story you wrote long ago in 2019, untitled on Tumblr and called "Musky Leathers" on blogspot. One of the MCs is a Russian biker named Maxim who grew up in Sevastopol. Without any additional context, the most plausible interpretation is that he is a Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizen and travelled/immigrated to the US with a Ukrainian passport, since Russian passports issued in Crimea after 2014 are not recognized by the US.

Can you make an edit to that post (either on Tumblr or on blogspot) so that his background could be more ... straightforward? As in, just from a typical Ukrainian or Russian city. I know I’m being entitled but honestly, I feel slightly nauseous reading sexy stories and the only thing that comes up in my mind is the KGB botox man. Also, if you want a guy brought up in machismo culture („proud, stolid, lionhearted”), a city known for heavy industries as his hometown would seem more suitable than Sevastopol, which is perceived more as a touristy place.   

The MC could be a Maksym Drahomiriv from i.e. Kharkiv or a Maksim Dragomirov from, say, Chelyabinsk. For the former case, he would still use Russian on a daily basis and only learned Ukrainian at school. If you have a knack for country boys, then a Ukrainian Maksym would be all the better :] A stereotypical Ukrainian accent when speaking Russian is very singsongy and viewed by city-dwellers in Russia as resembling that of rednecks.

Thank you so so much for the correction. On tumblr any edit I make won’t apply to the story that’s been reblogged already. But on Blogspot I will absolutely make that fix today. I’ll also fix it on the Tumblr post as well and reblog the fixed story.

Please reach out directly, I’d love to hear more direct feedback on things to fix from that story, as it hasn’t aged well due to the current conflict. I appreciate it tremendously. ☺️

[colourless-hydrangeas]

Of A Past Left Behind

Chapter-4

Tagging: @mynameiskan @just-somehuman

POV: Hydrangeas

Two days passed by in the blink of an eye... I did not have too many patients to tend to, and Shinano was a strangely peaceful place, unlike the seas. Though, the castle was too crowded.

How could a single family have so many relatives, I wondered... This new world was much unlike The Lands Of Endless Rain, as was the culture.

However, I had to do more than just prescribe medicines, tend to wounds and injuries, and remove arrows. Apparently, they had assumed that I was a great doctor skilled in Western medicine, who could teach much to one of the daughters of the elderly lord.

It was hectic, answering stupid questions humans always ask. Though, it was fun too, discussing poisons and poisonous herbs with her.

The night before Tsukiko's wedding, I was sitting outside, on a log in the garden, polishing my surgical knife, the one that I had been keeping for 'self-defence'. I was humming an old song about the dragons of the hills of my homeland, the endless drizzle and the lush green woods, when I was interrupted by muffled noises of sobbing.

I looked towards the direction of the noise, and saw a woman in a flowery kimono, weeping, on the branch of a tree.

At first, I thought it was a hallucination, but I climbed up the tree to get a better look.

The weeping woman looked at me. It was Tsukiko. I was puzzled.

Why was she so weak, like most humans?

"What troubles you, Tsukiko?" I asked her, giving her a half-hearted, forced smile.

"Nothing. It is none of your concern." She stopped sobbing, but it seemed that she was afraid of falling off the tree. It was interesting to watch.

"You're getting married tomorrow. You should be happy."

"I don't know what to think of it, honestly... Or even if it will go well for me."

"Why? I am certain that you have considerable knowledge of poison."

"That would be foolish."

It seemed that she was too morally upright. Unlike me...

"Why not use knowledge to improve your life? Besides, I don't know what benefit they shall get from this marriage."

"I don't know either. But I'm not poisoning anyone. It would be wrong."

"Why? What's wrong with applying your knowledge to real life?" My question was ignored, left unanswered.

"What are you doing with that surgical knife?" She seemed to be interested in the knife I was fiddling with.

"Oh, this? This is my 'self-defence knife'. Easy to carry and hide. Isn't she cute?" I said with a slight smile.

"You are a doctor, and yet, you are an odd one..."

"What does being a doctor have to do with any of this?"

It seemed that she did not like me, for she seemed to avoid answering my question.

After a few seconds of silence, Tsukiko looked at me and asked, "Are you not human? Please do not mind me asking this question again."

"Maybe? But does that matter?"

"It doesn't, but I'm curious."

"I'm a plant."

"What?" Tsukiko seemed to be in disbelief.

"Well, I was a plant... Then I died, and woke up here..."

"That is strange."

"Indeed, I have yet to meet any of my kind in this world..."

"Why are you a 'traveling doctor', then?"

"I wish to find a way back to where I am from."

It felt odd, having been honest for once in a long time...

"What is your homeland like?"

"Perhaps my words shall not be enough, yet it is a beautiful place... Much more beautiful than you can imagine. The skies are cloudy most of the time and it drizzles endlessly... Sometimes it rains heavily, and hails, but I do not have much to mention about those... And there are forests... Plenty of them."

"It is cold? You said it drizzles all the time..."

"Not so cold. Though, the higher hills may be a little windy and chilly."

"Do you have family?"

"I did, but they are no more."

"I am so sorry for asking." Tsukiko looked at me apologetically.

"No, I don't mind..."

She stayed silent, so I spoke... "Doesn't it feel terrible when someone you've known your whole life, destroys it completely?"

She looked at me silently, panic and worry in her eyes.

I had nothing else to say, so I let out a dry, maniacal laugh.

Perhaps, I had terrified the young lady. Without exchanging any words, I helped her climb down the branch and watched, as she walked away, towards the castle...

I was beginning to feel a strange... empathy... for the Lady Tsukiko...

She reminded me of when I was younger, and had to do things no one my age would have ever thought of doing, under the Queen's orders...

I let out a sigh, looking down at the knife in my hand, and tucked it into my obi.

Note: This was initially supposed to be about Motonari and Hydrangeas. I somehow ended up writing about Hydrangeas and Tsukiko starting their friendship. Guess my hand slipped. :v

[shrimpmandan]

I honestly fucking hate when antis bring up that fiction DOES affect reality as a counterargument to proshippers bc the thing is they’re not even technically wrong. Fiction and reality are inherently intertwined on some level. For example, fiction often depicts the ideals and standards of the time, or the creator’s lived experience. Fiction can impact reality in the form of individual people, both positively and negatively. For example, a propaganda cartoon vs an educational cartoon. The thing is, antis refuse to acknowledge that the “fiction =/= reality” argument (in the context of proshippers using it) is a direct response to the incorrect assertion that fiction will make people act against their morals. This can be about anything from “incest/abuse/age gap relationships in fiction will normalize it irl”, “video games cause shootings”, “porn causes violence”, or any other amount of honestly baseless and reactionary assertions about the world.

I see propaganda brought up a lot, which is especially frustrating, because antis don’t understand how propaganda works. Propaganda is not something that you watch and suddenly, you’re racist. Funnily enough, propaganda on its own isn’t particularly persuasive or logical in how it’s presented-- it’s just manipulative. Propaganda specifically takes advantage of preconceived ideas, fears, and prejudices-- for example, anti-gay propaganda would play into the idea of gay men being predatory, deviant, and mentally disordered, because that was already the general consensus of the time. Propaganda, by nature, plays into existing emotions, or preys on the human fear of the unfamiliar. This is why the best combatant to propaganda is education.

You can apply this same thing to taboo fiction, violent video games, and violent porn. You could make the argument that these things could have negative influences on children, seeing as they’re much more impressionable and may have a harder time distinguishing between fiction and reality, but the bottom line is kids are not the target audience for any of these things. They are not supposed to be viewing NSFW writings, videos, or games. We already have things like ESRB ratings, “are you 18?” verification checks (as paper thin as they may be), and tagging systems in place for the express purpose of deterring kids (or parents of kids) from seeing something that aren’t meant for them. After a certain point, you really just have to place the responsibility on the parent for either not monitoring their children, or being careless about what kind of content they consume. Aka: NOT the fault of the adults who make or enjoy violent or explicit media.

Going back to propaganda for a minute, with taboo fiction in particular (incest, age gap, etc.), it’s already, y’know, taboo. Meaning people are actively discouraged from participating in, or even just talking about it, since things like incest and pedophilia are already largely considered immoral. Most Western citizens would agree that irl abusive relationships, rape, and the like, are all immoral. So why would reading about it suddenly make them go against the entire worldview and moral upbringing they had? That’d be utterly absurd! However, if someone who was already considering or apologetic towards something like pedophilia were to consume media depicting it positively, it might, and I repeat, MIGHT have a chance to influence them into actually committing an offense. And even then, any evidence of that is extremely flimsy.

There’s been a small handful of IRL cases around fiction and reality. One that comes to mind is the murder trial of Scott Dyleski, wherein the prosecutor asserted that the Invader Zim episode Dark Harvest inspired Dyleski to commit murder. However, this statement was hardly backed up with any kind of proof, and in my opinion, is a weak argument on the prosecution’s end. There just isn’t any psychological evidence that makes a strong connection between dark/violent/explicit media and moral degradation, and while there have been studies done surrounding things like “do video games cause violence?” and “is porn making young men misogynistic rapists?”, these studies either came back inconclusive or even outright stating that no, these things do not lead directly to IRL violence. Simply googling “do video games cause violence?” or “does porn cause violence?” will yield countless articles stating that there’s no strong link between the two things. And, at its core, this is what proshippers mean when they say that fiction =/= reality. To say that fiction is responsible for all of society’s ills, instead of the fact that fiction takes inspiration from the tragedies of the real world, is an absurd take.

Overall, I think I’m still happy with the “fiction =/= reality on a 1-to-1 level” wording that’s since replaced “fiction =/= reality”. It’s far less generalized and overall more difficult for antis to counter with actual evidence (which, let’s be honest, they barely use anyways), even though the only reason proshippers were using such a generalized statement to begin with was to counter another generalized statement: that taboo or violent fiction will always, or almost always, lead to irl crimes and normalization.

[canmom]

went to the big palestine demo today.

perhaps because the government kicked up a fuss about Armistice Day, or perhaps by gradual snowballing, it was probably one of the largest political demos I've been on - street was packed from end to end as far as the eye could see. maybe the BLM demos in the summer a few years ago were of comparable scale, but honestly i think this one was bigger. hours after i reached the end the column of marchers was still stretching back to the bridge at least. i can post some pictures when I've had time to scrub faces out of them.

i decided to improvise a protest sign this time. i had to buy permanent markers en route, so i wrote out the sign by the side of the road. some fascist prick walked by as i did this to call me a leftist pedo who doesn't know what gender I'm supposed to be in a tone of the most vehement disgust, which was oddly affirming. cunt must have fancied himself a poet, answering me giving him the finger with 'what are you, a man or a mouse?', which is cracking me up in retrospect.

there was a lot of rightful anger in the protest. lots of people led chants - at one point i saw the megaphone was held by a child who looked about 7. it was affirming to be surrounded by people who give a shit, even if they're all strangers. the organisers led us to the US embassy, where there were two different stages set up for speakers - most of them Palestinian but there was one Welsh MP there as well, maybe the Welsh politicians are less cowardly than England's. there were also the usual panoply of SWP gazebos trying to recruit people to help them carry out the important socialist activities of flogging newspapers and recruiting more SWP members. the end felt a bit aimless - after the focused energy of marching A to B, it ended in people going forward to the SWP/bookstore/painfully loud sound system area and then milling around, then either coming back to either stand by the first stage or gradually go home. it is frustrating to me that the willingness of a political demo to cause real disruption tends to be inversely proportional to its scale. but this was largely a symbolic march, that will make headlines just by virtue of the scale.

the US embassy itself (which has a fucking moat) was pretty locked down with cops and thick barriers stopping anyone approaching the entrances. my ears are still full of protest chants and my voice is a bit hoarse. apparently the UK gov is due to vote on whether to call for a ceasefire in a week. exactly how much diplomatic pressure they'll apply if that vote goes through, i can only speculate. in the meantime, we really need to be applying direct pressure on Elbit factories and other components of the weapons industry. but that's a lot riskier than an A to B march and requires much better opsec, so you know. if someone's working on that and they're any good at what they're doing, it won't be planned in public.