#but then it'll be like [thinking for a moment about like well how likely that the possibility of top surgery could never even be on the

[vaelynx]

Their solution to "end the war in Ukraine" is to withdraw aid and allow Russia to invade. It's literally pro-Genocide. So we're already starting out with the dumbest take possible. Not looking good for you.

Yeah, I think I know what to expect here now and it certainly is nothing smart. But, let's start. There is no genocide happening in Ukraine now, there is *war*, and in fact, genocide wasn't happening even before the war started. What however happened was military action by AFU aimed against the civillian residents of Doneck and Lugansk people's republics, ignoring the ceasefire and Minsk agreements as a whole - so Russia rendered them aid, which they asked for, striking against the illegitimate Kyjev government in defense of their self-determination and in protection of their citizenry.

And if you point out that it is nations, not nationalities that have a right of self-determination, well, that used to be true before what happened with Kosovo, so it is very much your precedent Russia made use of.

Try again.

Tariffs are just going to make things more expensive for the working class and no one else. That manufacturing isn't coming home. It'll just move to countries other than China where it's still more profitable for major corporations and the supply chain.

Where have I heard this stupid argument last. Oh wait, all the neoliberal think-tanks. In fact, this is a rehash of the already idiotic argument against increasing the minimum wage, tooted by all the neoliberal think-tanks. Let's examine why it doesn't work.

a) The government can go around increasing tariffs against specific goods (it's easy if, at the moment, the countries in question aren't actually exporters, to prevent a *subsequent* move) right until the aforementioned countries run out of cheap labour to exploit.

b) Things aren't going to get significantly more expensive for the working class for the same reason minimum wage hikes don't lead to that. You see, if the corporations felt they could hike up their prices and make a greater profit that way, *they already would have*. Taking the cost of materials and manufacture and slapping a profit margin on top is how prices are generated in a socialist economy, not in capitalism, and this is a textbook example of demagogy - advancing a fallacious argument, not because the originator is fooled but because he believes his audience is.

c) Allowing manufacturing to depart abroad in the first place was perhaps the worst decision anyone could have taken as it neatly hollowed out US economy and is the very reason the working class has been pauperized and can't afford anything but the cheapest, which creates a vicious circle that you can't get out of without government intervention. And, again, Vance has correctly pointed this out.

Look, I can break this down further, but it's clear we're dealing with someone who has fallen down right wing talking points so badly that any discussion is useless. They think the GOP, the party where folks want to remove bodily autonomy and are mad about women voting, is somehow "left."

Nah, we're dealing with someone who isn't blinded by party slogans. And uh, don't get me started on bodily autonomy because weren't the democrats pushing for vaccine mandates *on an experimental product that was repeatedly lied about*? Doesn't sound like bodily autonomy at all. Furthermore, all I've seen from the GOP on a federal level is allowing states to decide on the matter, which strikes me as something which should be true on as many topics as possible in the first place

Finally, yes, I think the current presidential candidate and his crew are more left-wing than the democrats, since they're the only ones remotely circling around the idea of doing things to benefit the working class, and to rein in the big business that has been writing US policy up to now. They're not *very* left-wing, but distinctly more so than the wing of corporate democrats represented by Kamala, Biden, Clintons etc.

Leftists don't win by allowing extreme right wing candidates to win the White House. Instead you keep pressuring Democrats during their term and it works. Like Biden is continuing to work on forgiving student debt even though he doesn't have an election ahead of him.

Don't be absurd. Biden touted a student loan forgiveness plan before the last election, then plain out said he's not going to forgive any student loans and sent tons of money into Ukraine instead (which flowed mostly back in to the military-industrial complex, and to democrat kickbacks) and he's suddenly working on it again, with earliest mentions being like, eight months before the election. They say fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, and this is basically a showcase for this principle.

We know it works because that's exactly what the Republicans have been doing for 50 years.

Well... that's the thing. Democrats sabotaged Bernie Sanders, then, after an election failure, ended up, among other things, bringing in a couple actually left figures into the forefront... then for Biden's VP chose the candidate literally nobody wanted (based on her performance in the primaries) and now used a sleight-of-hand to give her the nomination without primaries. If you think this is a party that is interested in your opinion any... my condolences.

And don't listen to weirdos who try to tell you Donald "Finish the Job" Trump and JD "Incel Couchfucker" Vance are somehow leftist.

*applauds* I knew you weren't smart, but ending the post with a personal attack (and an incredibly unimaginative, DNC-prescribed one to boot), which also somehow includes calling a married guy with kids an "incel" shows that you're a plain idiot. Thank you for broadcasting it to the world, saves me some typing.

This is the thing with the "I won't vote for Harris" supposed leftists.

None of them will tell you how allowing Trump to be elected helps.

Because they don't have an answer.

Because they don't really care about anything other than how they personally feel.

Actual leftism involves making pragmatic moves. The public will for revolution doesn't exist, and we live in a two party system. If you want to fight that system, great. There are things like ranked choice voting and the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact we need to be fighting for. But those are fights that have to happen year round, at the state level, and not just in an election year.

And in the meanwhile, you vote defensively and strategically, in an attempt to save as many people as possible.

Saying you aren't voting for Harris isn't taking a stand against genocide. It's putting your head in the sand and admitting you care more about your own comfort than making a difference in the world.

Why aren't you getting involved in your local politics? Why aren't you running leftist candidates at a local level, so you can move them up in the system and eventually move the political discussion left. You want to know why politics have moved right? It's because the right wing has been doing that for decades.

Your refusal to participate won't save a single life.

It only means you're abandoning everyone else.

[quantum1mmortality]

OMGGG I LOVE UR MARRIAGE HCS FOR CURLYYY (love that blue eyed man) also speaking of his child do you think he would want more than 1? And if so i might think that man has a breeding kink...

Using this ask to feed you guys while I work on my full length curly fic- hopefully it'll be out by Friday, then I can start working on requests again

I see Curly as the type of guy who would want 3 kids. No more, no less. Well, maybe more, it depends on your feelings of it though.

I know it's cliche, like everyone on Tumblr writes every man with a breeding kink, but curly would have one. Unlike every other man on Tumblr, he doesn't get off to the whole "marking territory" aspect of it. He gets off to the fact that you, his wife, chose him of all people to have kids with. He gets off to knowing that the woman of his dreams is carrying a child that HE helped make.

To him, it's much more about the intimacy of 'breeding' than anything else. He likes how close it makes him feel to you. Honestly, he didn't even know that it was a kink of his until you asked him to cum inside you for the first time. It's like something in his brain clicked, like his frontal lobe had been fully developed since that moment.

[squinch-depraved]

ok. now we need the whole damn gang getting their virginity taken, ted but like he’s a little more experienced (knowledge wise) and understands the female body ⁉️

here you go my lovelies part 5 of the virgin college au (new dividers how do we like them)

so.

ted knocks on your door, only a little bit nervous

and you answer it, immediately rolling your eyes and letting him in just like you did with his friends

"let me fucking guess," you start, already knowing what he's here for

"i can do better than them," he cuts you off

"i've done research, i've talked to my friends that are girls, i know i could make you feel better than they did for my first time."

his refusal to beat around the bush takes you by surprise, and you wince as you look around to see if your roommate heard him

"a-alright, ted. follow me, just... shut up. my roommate hasn't left yet."

he nods, grinning, and trails behind you all the way down the hallway and into your room, setting his stuff down on the floor next to the doorway as you crawl onto your bed

jesus, schlatt wasn't wrong. there are so many stuffed animals, ted thinks to himself as he stands there awkwardly, awaiting your instructions

"he talked about my fucking plushies, didn't he," you chuckle, noticing his expression as he tried to count how many there were

"to be fair, he said it was really cute. and he wasn't wrong," ted replies smoothly, walking to sit on the edge of the mattress

"does he know about charlie?" you ask quietly, unable to look him in the eyes

"the text you sent him. he read it."

"fuck," you sigh, running one hand through your hair

"i hope it doesn't cause problems between you guys. schlatt and i have talked; we're not exclusive. i told him that. he can't be mad."

"i don't think he's mad at you," ted reassures you. "i think he's a little hurt that charlie went to you the first weekend he wasn't here, but he'll probably get over it pretty quickly. he's not the type to hold a grudge like that, especially against one of his best friends and the person who took his virginity."

you ponder his words, shaking your head to clear yourself of the knowledge and focus on the task at hand after a few moments

"what exactly makes you think you could fuck me better?" you ask, reclining onto the pile of stuffed animals and stretching your legs out in front of you

ted stammers for only a second, then swiftly responds with, "for starters, i've heard quite a bit about you from schlatt and charlie. kinda goin' into this with a head start, don't you think?"

"'head start' as in you'll finish first? no thanks," you banter

but ted's quick to quip back

"i don't plan on finishing first. but even if i do, i'll go until i make you cum. i'll use my mouth, fingers, whatever you want. hell, i'll keep going with my cock if that's what you need. probably get super overstimulated but i want to make you feel good. i need to do better than them."

you open and close your mouth a few times, trying to find the right response

"y-you're really competitive, huh?"

he laughs quietly and shakes his head

"i just think someone like you deserves to be treated well. more so than those two can do for you."

"you know, you're really lucky you're attractive? because if you weren't, this whole confident, never-been-touched-before-but-i-know-what-i'm-doing schtick would be incredibly annoying."

ted grins, a goofy smile that warms your heart slightly, and jokes, "it'll get annoying fast. just wait."

with a snort, you motion for him to crawl on top of you, and he does, staring down at you with his gorgeous hazel eyes for a few seconds before leaning in to press a kiss to your lips

"mmmfhhh," you moan against him as he gently bites down onto your bottom lip

ted smirks into the kiss and uses one hand to cup your face as he slides his tongue into your mouth, other hand reaching under your shirt to feel for your chest

once he takes your nipple between his fingers, you gasp and arch your back slightly, desperate for more contact

frustratedly, you withdraw from the kiss, a string of saliva leaving you connected

he watches with a hungry smile as you peel your top off, taking the strings of your sweatpants in one hand and tugging on them gently

"greedy!!" you tease him

but you indulge him, slipping out of the pants and tossing them off the side of the bed

his breath hitches in his throat at the sight of you nearly bare in front of him, clad in only a skimpy pair of panties that he so desperately wants to rip off with his teeth

"thought you said you know what you're doing," you snicker, amused by his vacant expression

your joke snaps him out of it, and he pulls his shirt over his head with one arm, reaching behind him to grab the fabric from the nape of his neck and paying no mind as it falls to the floor

"f-fuck," you stutter

he's thrown you off a bit with how smooth the motion is, not to even mention how good he looks just wearing jeans

ted notices your hesitation and grins, spreading your legs open and crawling in between them

"they weren't this forward, were they?"

you let out a shaky breath as he plants a sloppy kiss to your neck

"no," you sigh. "they weren't."

"mm. bet you had to tell them what to do."

"yeah, i did. schlatt was okay, he got the hang of it, but charlie was- agh! fuck!" you hiss when he takes your flesh between his teeth and bites down, sucking a dark mark into it

"ted!!"

"what?" he purrs, pulling away to look at you

usually you were the one that left the bruises

now, whenever you saw schlatt, you'd have even more explaining to do

when he realizes you're unable to come up with anything to say, he smirks down at you and moves to kiss your chest

"you were telling me about charlie?" he asks before taking one nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue around it

"yeah. um, fuck. uhh, he was... he was good," you stammer, rolling your eyes back into your head slightly

"he didn't give a lot of details. i'm guessing he's more of a gentleman than schlatt?"

your face heats up even more at his words uttered against your warm skin

"you could say that." you decide to not say anything else in case charlie was embarrassed

"fuck, you're so hot," he groans as he presses his face between your breasts and brings them to sandwich his head

a laugh escapes you, the melodic sound filling the air and causing ted to raise his head to look at you

"this isn't sexy, is it?"

you giggle again and smooth down a wild tuft of his hair

"not in the usual way, but your awkward eagerness to please is kind of turning me on."

he grins again and sits up, unbuttoning his jeans and sliding them off

you try not to, but you can't help but stare at his clothed bulge

he looks so sexy in his boxers, a small happy trail now complimenting his chest hair

"what?" he asks, smile faltering for just a moment when you can't do anything but admire him

"n-nothing. i just-"

"doesn't matter," he cuts you off by clambering on top of you again, leaning in to make out with you passionately

a surprised, yet aroused moan slips from your lips, and he uses one hand to tug off your panties in a seamless motion that you swear he has to have practiced before

"so wet for me already, damn."

you can hear the smile in his voice as he leans back and spreads your folds open with two fingers

"gonna taste you now."

"mhm," you answer absent-mindedly, too focused on the way his cock twitches through his boxers

ted stares up at you once he positions himself right in front of your cunt, giving you a look of pure desire

gingerly, he scoots closer and presses a wet kiss to your clit, eyes flicking between your dazed expression and your soaked pussy to make sure he's doing it right

eventually he starts dipping his tongue into your hole, savoring the taste and mirroring you by groaning softly into you

you're whining and moaning and bucking your hips in pure bliss, because, for once, you don't have to teach this fool how to make you feel good

he's incredible; better than schlatt was at first

"ted!! fuck, fuck me, oh my god," you babble, bringing your legs to wrap around his head

"mm, not yet. enjoying how sweet you are on my tongue," he coos into your dripping core

with an agonized wail, you tangle your fingers in his hair and pull him even closer against your cunt

"this isn't fair," you whine, yet you smile dreamily as you say it

"i think it is. you put up with so many guys that don't know what they're doing, and finally one comes along who did the research to know how to make you feel good, and you just wanna rush things. it's sad."

"research won't mean shit if i get you worked up enough," you chuckle breathlessly

"maybe. we'll have to see," he muses, shoving his face back between your thighs

the unexpectedness of the whole situation makes it surprisingly easy for you to cum

ted picks up on your signals, speeding up when you start arching your back, curling his fingers inside you when you begin to scream his name

a mess is made all over his face, along with your bedsheets, when you release; stars fleck your vision and pulse in time with your heartbeat, which you can hear clear as day in your ears

"see? now i can fuck you," he pants, immense pride obvious in his tone

"shut the fuck up and take those off," you growl, reaching to tug at the hem of his boxers

he laughs and obliges, pumping himself in one hand and absorbing the look of hunger in your eyes

"fuck, ted," you whisper, excited to take his length, but unsure of how much it would hurt

"oh! hold on," he exclaims, rising from the bed and going to dig into his bag by the door

it takes him a second, and you impatiently blow some hair out of your face as you wait, but he returns with a condom

just tears it open with his teeth and slides it on, with relative ease, considering he's never used one before

once he's wrapped, he slides between your legs again, kissing you one more time before pressing his tip to your entrance

"you ready?"

he sounds so loving, so patient

so it's a shock when you mumble a, "yes," and he pushes into you forcefully, not enough to hurt, but enough to make you gasp and wince

"what's wrong??" he asks, taking one of your hands in his and bringing it to his lips to kiss

"nothing. big. hurts a bit. just go," you spit out rapidly

ted grins and proceeds to start pumping in and out of you, head falling forward as he processes the pleasure he's receiving as your walls envelop him

"fuck, baby!" he grunts once he establishes a brutal pace

"this good?"

"you like how i'm fuckin' you?"

unable to speak, you nod and dig your nails into his back, clawing him up and down

"not bad for my first time, right?" he chuckles

"you- fuck! have got the ego of a god," you gasp, locking your legs around him

"good thing i fuck like one, then, hmm?"

you let out a strangled growl, a bit mad that he actually is as good as he said he'd be, and dig your nails deeper into his back

"you're so fucking annoying," you manage to choke out

"hah! see, told you it'd get annoying fast," he laughs

"god, fuck, ted, i don't- i'm gonna cum again- i'm- fuck..." you ramble, squeezing your legs tighter and tighter around him

"you keep- ngh, clenching like that around me and i'm gonna cum too," he groans, more breathless than before

"fuuuck, teddy!!!" you wail, your whole body shuddering for a moment before going limp

ted just grunts and slams into you a bit harder a few more times, burying himself in you and collapsing onto you, chest heaving

"get off me, you loser," you tease in mock disgust, secretly enjoying the scent of his sweat as it drips down onto you

he rolls to the other side of the bed, smiling, and stares up at the ceiling as he tries to catch his breath

you joke with each other for a few minutes before your phone starts ringing

a glance at the screen reveals it's schlatt calling

ted starts getting dressed as soon as he sees who it is

and good thing too, because as soon as you answer, schlatt's voice rings through the phone, audible to both of you even though he's not on speaker

"i'm on my way over right now. we need to fucking talk."

that's all he says before he hangs up

the terrified expression on your face is enough for ted to toss his bag over his shoulder and rest one hand on your bedroom dorknob

"i should probably leave, huh?"

"yeah."

"...cool. we should do this again, though, right?"

a small smile spreads across your face

"...yeah."

[cuubism]

Idk if you are still taking prompts, but: After their first meeting, while Hob still thinks it is a joke, he escorts Dream out. It is only when Dream returns to the Dreaming that he realizes his ruby has been stolen by Hob. Thus begins a game of cat and mouse through the ages, and Hob keeps slipping through his Endless fingers.

oh dear, this was from last year. fun though! could be the basis for a much longer fic. i love thief hob

-

Hob knows better than to gloat openly about his winnings, but he can't help tossing the ruby a few times in his hand as he walks, admiring it. Such a stunning gem, he's never seen its like but in paintings of kings, and even those are rare enough. Invaluable. And the strange lord had just had it about his neck, for all to see.

Hob shakes his head, tucking the ruby away in his tunic. Money can't buy common sense, it seems.

He finds his horse in the stable and leads it outside, stepping into the stirrup and swinging up into the saddle. After a find like this, best to disappear. Easy as the ruby had been to snatch, that strange young lord will doubtless come back looking for it, once he notices it's gone.

Night is falling by the time Hob reaches the treeline. He hasn't been followed--the path behind him has been empty for hours, and the trees show nothing but birdsong as he steers his horse into the darkness. Hob knows this route well, and by the time the moon is high above, he's navigated to a familiar clearing, untacked his horse, and sat back against a tree for some rest.

He can't help but look at the strange ruby one more time before going to sleep. It glows unnaturally in the moonlight, a blue-white reflection on a background of venous red. He tilts it back and forth in his palm, studying the cut. Who, exactly, is going to buy this from him, he can't yet say. But it'll pay his way for years once he finds them.

Hob kisses the ruby's cool surface, then tucks it away in his tunic again, chain wrapped around his fingers for safekeeping. He quickly falls asleep.

-

The moon is still high when Hob wakes, startling back to awareness against the trunk of the tree. He scrubs a hand over his eyes, looking around, disoriented. Strange, it's like it's been only moments since he fell asleep--

His horse is gone. So's his pack. And for that matter, the clearing is smaller, closer, darker than he remembers--

Heart pounding, he scrambles in his tunic to find--

"I imagine you are looking for this," says a low voice, and from the darkness emerges the wine-red glint of the ruby. Following it is the dark shape of the lord Hob had robbed in the tavern, only he's-- he's--

He's horrible. His eyes glow white in the dark, his hair waves in a strange wind, and everything about him is sharp and wrong, like an uneasy nightmare Hob might have in the wee hours, consequences coming back for him.

"Look," he says, holding up his hands in self-defense. Shit, his sword's gone from his belt, too. "S'really your fault for swanning about with that thing, innit? 's bandit country, m'lord."

"Is it?" He... doesn't seem angry. He's smiling. Oh, it's a terrible smile, but nevertheless. "How foolish of me, then. To expect to maintain ownership of my belongings."

"Like I said, thieves about," Hob says. "Got to be careful, now." Really, what did he expect Hob to do? Let someone else get the score?

The strange lord sits down on the grass across from Hob, still with those glowing eyes and that terrible smile playing about his lips. "And what, Robert Gadling, ought I to do, having caught one of these thieves?"

And the thing is. Authority doesn't work very well on Hob. One of his 'flaws' most like to get him killed, 'cuz Authority didn't tend to care whether it worked on you or not. Hob's been hauled before the magistrate for theft before and no matter that he knew he'd be lucky to get away with his life he could never quite bite his tongue. Always a smart mouth, his mum used to say.

It's no different with this lord. Hob's hardly about to bow his head and apologize. He remembers the smirk on the other man's face at his challenge in the tavern. Pretty little thing to be talking big words about punishing thieves.

"Dunno," he says, tracking his gaze over the soft lines of the man's dark robe, his fine neck and narrow shoulders. The longer Hob looks, the less frightening he seems, though there is still something of the otherworld about him. God's teeth, if Hob's brought the ire of the fey about him... "What would you like to do?"

And the strange creature laughs. Just a chuckle, but nevertheless. "I could make you spend your next one hundred years paying a thief's price over and over again in the Dreaming, as penance for taking my ruby," he says. "Should I do that, Hob? Cut off your hands, and again and again as you regrow them?"

"If you did you wouldn't get to see what they can do for you," Hob says. Hell, Hob'll do it even without threat of punishment. He's a pretty little lord, for certain, even if he is fey.

The lord chuckles again, and closes his fist around the ruby, stealing its light. Without the reflection, his eyes seem even wilder. "Hm. Perhaps not this time. I am too curious to waste your next century in sleeping punishment." He takes Hob's face in one hand, holding his chin in sharp fingers. "Be wary what your hands touch in the Waking World, Hob Gadling. Not all creatures will find your insolence humorous enough to wish to be merciful."

He lets go, and Hob falls backward through the tree at his back, falls into darkness--

And wakes in sunlight, his pack beside him, his sword at his side, his horse grazing a few feet away.

Heart pounding, he shoves his hand into his tunic, though he already knows what he'll find.

Or what he won't find. The ruby, gone into the darkness, into dreams, with his strange, fey lord.

Hob shivers.

Well. He'll certainly have to meet him again in 1489, now. Not to retake the ruby--that hardly matters in the end.

But answers to all the mysteries it's brought: those Hob would gladly steal.

[arowyn-m]

Fandom Reception to Arcane S2

I've been seeing a lot of people worried about how the fandom will react when we finally have S2.

While I know it's likely to be an insane time, there's absolutely a good chance that, once we all get character moments we're looking forward to, it'll be much easier to settle back into the general awe and appreciation for detail we had in the years leading up to S2 promo.

Lol I don't have a big reach or anything but I do think Tumblr fandom is a good bit more curate-able than fandom on uhh Twitter for example. So while I do think there's going to be a lot of bad takes on most socials, Tumblr will likely be more populated by more long, thought-out analyses and discussions during release than Twt given the much larger character limit.

I personally can't wait to be proven right or wrong about my previous assumptions regarding all of Arcane's rich characters, and if we as a community approach S2 like a moment to LEARN more about these characters and not an opportunity for our own headcanons to become validated, the community as a whole will have more fun evaluating this upcoming season.

We're likely going to see a lot of newcomers enter the fandom in the next few months as well, which will help the general vibe (people don't typically enter fandoms with the immediate intention to start discourse, but rather to engage in discussion).

TLDR; as we approach this upcoming season, remember your roots! Arcane is INSANE artistry. Be respectful and kind especially to those who are clearly young and/or new to the community—we all love the show and we all love these characters in varying degrees :]

[serasarascreams]

Might as well add more thoughts into the mix. I was going to do it in the tags of the last post but it felt long enough. The last set of tags was a perspective I don't think I've seen yet, but then again I haven't been here too long. I think they're right in idea that the theme of responsibility doesn't just extend to Curly and Jimmy and that the game itself is a showcase of how all the little things add up and create the bigger issues alongside the certain major steps that were taken. They (aka @son-of-crows-and-rats) put it in much better terms than I did.

I was so focused on the main plot of the game a lot of other things went over my head, and while some things hit me later I'm sure there are more things like the person (and multiple others) pointed out that I'll catch here or again have it hit me later. Fuck Jimmy is the initial reaction I had at the end of the game, screaming disappointment in Curly came next, and the bleakness and awfulness of the events continue to seep through whenever I think about it.

I'm also very much on board with the statement that Curly did not deserve what happened to him and it's kinda messed up to say. Him getting deep fried, for lack of a better term, is another major consequence of him and Jimmy's actions (or inaction in Curly's case) while Anya is another. It's just a consequence that effects him directly now and I think that's a parallel to the way Anya was directly affected by Curly and Jimmy's actions. Neither Anya or Curly deserved the pain inflicted upon them, deserved to be forced to continue to live with it and all the suffering that followed, or deserved to have their autonomy ripped away from them.

Curly is not a trash human being, but I don't think I can call him a good man either. Good natured maybe, but not the best guy. The painful irony of his situation hits harder after the final conversation with Anya. His eye is always open, it's too painful to move, he can't speak. He can only watch and listen. There's no way for him to take responsibility anymore even if he desperately wants to. I think what's worse for him is that he got to live after seeing the monster beneath the skin of his friend destroy everyone and everything around him. I saw someone else say that when he froze the day of the crash it was a moment of "you were everything I feared you were" and I think that just adds an extra layer of awful to it. Curly could have been better, and if he gets rescued and lives, I like to think he will be. But I wonder if in the back of his mind it'll always eat at him that it wasn't when it mattered.

Sorry, that this partially ended up turning into a Curly post. It's just that he seems to be talked about the most. That's fair. He, Anya, and Jimmy are the ones who push the initial topic of discussion to the surface because it's there front an center.

I'll probably have more to say the more realizations dawn and the more I scroll through the tag. This is the first game in a long time that made me cry and the only horror game to really mess me up. Funny enough, it's because Curly scares me more than Jimmy.

I love this game and all the infuriating and saddening elements within and around it. I love and hate how human all these characters are. If Wrong Organ ever makes another game in the future, I'll be running to check it out.

[theloveoffootball10]

sᴛɪᴄᴋᴡɪᴛᴜ - ᴛ ᴡ ᴇ ɴ ᴛ ʏ ɴ ɪ ɴ ᴇ

m a s t e r l i s t

ᴛ ᴡ ᴇ ɴ ᴛ ʏ ɴ ɪ ɴ ᴇ

Falling asleep and waking up with Lando are probably two of my favourite things in the world. The warmth of his body next to me. His arm lazily resting across my hip. His soft snores when he's not talking in his sleep. It all feels very normal. When we're in bed like this he's just Lando. He's not the formula one driver everyone loves to have an opinion about. He's just my Lando.

"You have that look on your face what you pull when you're thinking. What's on your mind?" Lando mumbles one eye half open.

"You. I just love when we're like this. It's just us and there's no expectations. I get to just enjoy being with you and no one needing your attention for anything else" I knew what I was getting into with Lando, I've never been oblivious to that but when so many people demand his attention for media or fans or whatever it may be on a daily basis I appreciate being able to have these moments alone.

"I know you aren't a morning person but it's nice to just relax and not have a reason to get out of bed. It's been amazing having you in Monaco, I didn't realise how much I needed it until you were stood in my apartment. It wasn't a hotel. It wasn't a motor home or drivers room. It's my home and that means more to me than anything else".

"Lando I'll be here as much as you want me to be here. I've loved being here with you as well. It just feels like it's meant to be. I would love to stay in bed with you but we have a busy day. I need to arrange everything for Liv and Max's gender reveal" after brainstormings for a few hours I came up with what I think is the perfect way for them to find out if their baby is a boy or girl. I have the envelope so I could technically look but I want to find out with them.

"I still can't believe they're having a baby its wild"

"I know! Who would have thought them meeting in Belgium would lead to this. I need to shower and get ready for today I'll be as quick as I can" walking into Lando's bathroom I lock the door knowing Lando is likely to follow me. Normally I'd happily share a shower with him but I am a woman on a mission today. I loosely curl my hair and apply my make up in the bathroom before opening the door to allow Lando in.

"Fuck me baby you look stunning" Lando looks genuinely surprised at my appearance and I have no idea why. I've done nothing different.

"Thanks babe. You seem surprised" I stand leaning against the door frame of the bathroom as Lando brushes his teeth.

"I'm not surprised, you always look stunning but there's just something about the way you look today" feeling Lando pick me up and throw me over his should I can't help but laugh as I'm thrown on the bed "I need you. You've given me a semi just looking as good as you do"

"Lando..." I can't even argue as I feel Lando's lips on mine. He's always affectionate but I don't know what has got into him today.

"Baby I just need to eat you out" who turned my boyfriend into a teenage boy? Feeling my legs spread and my underwear pulled to the side I don't stop Lando. I have a list as long as my arm to do today but I want this from Lando as much as he wants to give it.

"Please Lando, I need you" my words are all it takes to feel Lando's fingers tracing my slit and his tongue teasing my clit. He's holding me down with his spare hand leaving me a moaning mess on the bed underneath him.

"You two are so loud when you start" Liv says to me as we're stood in Lando's kitchen ready to leave and my cheeks heat up with embarrassment "it's a wonder that I'm the pregnant one not you"

"I'm so sorry. You didn't need to hear any of that" I would say it'll never happen again but I'm never going to be quiet when Lando is giving me multiple orgasms with his fingers and tongue alone.

"It's nice to see you so in love so I'm not going to complain just don't wake me up when you're so loud and we're good. Plus Lando had let us stay here so I can’t complain" Liv says with a laugh knowing I'm dying inside. We all know it happens but no one wants to hear anyone having sex.

"Are you okay driving? You know where we're going and I know you hate when I drive" I ask Lando as he joins us in the kitchen knowing how dramatic he is when I drive us anywhere.

"Yeah I'm driving. I don't think I'd survive a car journey in Monaco with you" rolling my eyes I hand Lando the keys to his Lamborghini Urus so we can all travel together.

"Okay drama queen. Liv are you both ready?" I ask picking my phone and bag up knowing we need to leave soon.

"Yeah we're both ready. I'm nervous to find out" Liv tells me as we walk to the car and I can only imagine how she feels.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" I ask knowing everyone usually has a preference.

"I honestly don't think I'm bothered Lucía. I think I'll be happy with either but I know Max would love a boy but I think that's just a man thing isn't it? Did you look in the envelope?"

"Nope. I was tempted but then I changed my mind. I want to find out with you and Max" our conversation continues as Lando drives us through the streets of Monaco towards Monte Carlo golf club. I know Liv and Max are both confused as no one is dressed for golf and neither of the boys have their golf clubs.

"Are we playing golf mate? You could have said!" Max is gutted I can tell.

"Max he didn't know. I only told him when we left the apartment where we were going. He has no idea what I have planned" I can't let Max blame Lando for the lack of golf prep considering he didn't know. Today isn't about them playing a round of golf.

As Lando parks the car we pile out and into a golf cart. I may have had to pull the Alonso card and possibly the Lando card to pull this off but it's going to be worth it. The golf club have closed a section of the course for us that is out of everyone else's way. I want this to be about our friends, not people realising Lando is at the golf course.

"Why are you driving?" Lando asks expecting me to let him drive the golf cart "You're never allowed to drive when we're together"

"You drove here but now I'm the only one who knows where we need to be" I say with a shrug as I drive us around the course.

"This is almost criminal driving around the course and not playing a round of golf" Max complains as we pass every hole on the course.

"Max don't complain, you have no golf clubs with you. We're here for a purpose" I say pulling up to the quietest spot on the golf course where the team have absolutely nailed my vision in such a short space of time.

I didn't want anything too over the top but the small set up of a golf cart cut out, pink and blue balloons with a backdrop reading 'boy or girl with will our caddy be?' Is perfect. It's big enough for us to make a celebration but not too over the top when it's only the four of us here. The views behind us are incredible of the sea in the distance and the sun is shining.

"This is perfect! It looks so good! Lucía you've pulled this off to a point I didn't think you would! I was thinking just a balloon with confetti when I asked you to arrange something"

"Liv I've never done things by halves, I'm not about to start now" walking behind the back drop I grab the golf club that is now engraved with 'baby Fewtrell' handing it to Max "you have a few practice shots first then the golf ball printed with the baby footprints is the one that has coloured powder in it. I have my phone on the tripod recording, go ahead whenever you're both ready" leaving Max and Liv to have a few moments with each other I feel Lando wrap his arms around me from behind.

"You've done amazing to pull this off. It looks incredible, we're all lucky to have you in our lives you know that right?"

"I've only done what Liv would have done for me if it was the other way around. What do you think, boy or girl?" I turn my head to look at Lando as I'm stood in his arms. I know regardless he's going to be an amazing uncle. He's already amazing with Mila and Athena and they adore him.

"I think girl. I can see Max being a girl dad but I know he'd love a boy as well"

"I think boy but you know my thoughts on girls" I say with a laugh as we join Liv and Max who are ready for their moment.

"Go on mate it's your chance to shine" Lando tells Max as he lines up the ball. He takes a few practice swings away from the ball before getting into position with Liv by his side. As the golf club hits the 2 inch ball I scream with joy in Lando's arms as blue power explodes around us.

"No fucking way!" Max and Liv both shout as they embrace in a hug. Our best friends are having a baby boy!

"I'm so happy for you!" I say hugging Liv then Max once they pull away from each other.

"I wanted a boy so bad I didn't want to admit it. I almost convinced myself it was a girl so I wasn't disappointed if I ended up having a girl" Liv tells us as we take in the blue power spread across the green below us "honestly Lucía I'm so thankful you arranged this for us. It's been perfect. I can't wait to share the video with my mum"

“Her and Noah are going to be so happy” hugging Liv I try not to cry and ruin my makeup. I didn’t realise just how happy I could be for someone.

A few days later we’re in Austin and it’s media day. My time in Monaco has gone so quickly I almost don’t want to return to the UK after the race. Lando and I have fallen into a perfect routine together and call me insane but I could see myself living with him. I know I have to go home after this weekend as much as I don’t want to but right now I’m joining Lando for the interviews that are open to fans.

Standing at the back of the room I want to keep out of the way and let Lando’s fans get closer to the front but I still want to be here. I’m savouring every minute I have left with him and that means being by his side at all times except when he’s in the car. As the interviewer fires quick this or that questions at Lando one in particular catches my attention.

"Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?" The interviewer asks Lando oblivious to the fact I'm in the audience.

"Blondes" Lando says with a slight laugh barely able to get his words out before the crowd around me goes wild "my girlfriend is blonde and she's in the audience so I have to say blonde or she'll kill me" this is the first time Lando has said in public that he has a girlfriend which sends the audience into meltdown and I can't help but smile at him from my place at the back of the room. A few fans have realised I'm stood where I am and smile at me but my eyes are on the man at the front of the room. My man.

“And is it true your girlfriend is Fernando Alonso’s daughter?”

“Yeah it’s true, Lucía is Fernando’s daughter” I’m interested to see where this interview is going considering it’s taken a detour from rapid fire questions.

“How does he feel about you being in a relationship with his daughter?” Talk about digging for an exclusive! Lando already knows I’m happy for him to talk about me in public but I can tell by the look on his face he doesn’t want to give too much away. We’re both enjoying our relationship as it is and we don’t want anything to change.

“He’s happy for me. I think. He hasn’t pushed me off track yet which is a good thing I guess” Lando explains making the crowd in front of him laugh. He’s got them on a string. He could say anything and they’d believe him “I’ve known Fernando a long time and I’ve always looked up to him. Hopefully he knows by now I’m a good person and will always treat Lucía with the love and respect she deserves”

“You sound like the kind of guy every dad wants for their daughter”

“I have my flaws just ask Lucía she’ll give you a list” Lando says with a laugh as he winks at me. Never mind the audience being held on a string, the man has me hanging on his every word. As the interview wraps up Lando works his way around the room taking photos with the fans until he gets to me.

“I love you y’know”’ I say wrapping ay around Lando’s neck kissing him softly.

“I know and I love you”

landonorris

Like by esmelucia, mclaren and 785,993 others

landonorris LFG! Austin I’m coming for ya 🇺🇸

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esmelucia if anyone wondered what it's like to be on your knees for Lando its a similar view to this 🤤

↪️ landonorris seriously Lu 😅

↪️ esmelucia I'm so fucking horny

↪️ landonorris you're the only one

oscarpiastri I have a girlfriend and you two make me feel single

↪️ esmelucia sucks to be u

user93 Lando and Lucía quoting Sabrina Carpenter to each other is iconic!

↪️ user68 imagine the bed chem between them!

↪️ emselucia it's even better than in my head

↪️ user93 what an absolute queen!

• • •

This isn’t proof read and it’s shockingly bad but I’m sorry it’s taken forever for me to post. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to sit and write 🫣

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

I see “what was Aragorn’s tax policy?” as a philosophical exploration of the granular aspects as related to ruling, especially in terms of doing it well. It’s the very act of posing the question in the first place that matters, not the act of answering it and providing a clear cut solution.

And within the books too, GRRM challenges the ideals of a perfect king. For example, Gilly kneeling before Jon and beseeching him to help her in ACoK, based on the ideal that it is a king’s duty to give protection and justice to the innocent. GRRM has said many times that he is writing a low fantasy series with a dose of realism. Jon Snow is perhaps the most quintessential knight-in-shining-armor in his story—he’s undeniably a good person. And he wants to help Gilly in that moment. Given the trope he occupies in this story, that of the valiant knight, this moment is a chance for him to perform the chivalric ideal of the perfect knight, to be the king of justice Gilly needs. But he cannot do that given the little power he has as a mere steward. In that moment, Jon fails. That’s the point. It’s a bitter taste of reality, and a much needed one since Jon gets his call to action because he wants to be the typical fantasy hero. The lesson here is that may try to be a hero, but he can’t always be one. So he leaves that scene angry with himself, and angry with Sam for putting him in that situation! Is Jon’s failure any less interesting from a literary perspective? I’d say no, especially with him being a deconstruction of the fantasy hero.

Your mention of Jon’s failure in the tags that seems to be a sore spot for you, but I think that’s really the point. Failure for the sake of growth. Especially based on the full quote and historical example GRRM gives (and his previous non-ASOIAF work):

But one thing that I'm trying to get at in the books--a political aspect if you would--is to show that this stuff is hard. I mean, I think an awful lot of fantasy and even some great fantasy falls into the mistake of assuming that the good man will be a good king. That is, all that is necessary is to be like a decent human being and then when you're king, of course, everything will go swimmingly. And even Tolkien, who is the, I think, my respect for Tolkien is second to none and all modern fantasy flows from Tolkien, but there's an unspoken assumption in his books there that Return of the King. Aragorn is the king now. Everything will be hunky dory. The land will prosper and it'll be wonderful and the crops will be good and there will be justice for all and the enemies will be defeated. And you never actually get into the nitty gritty of Aragorn ruling. And what is his tax policy? [laughter] And how does he feel about crop rotation? [laughter] How does he handle land disputes between two nobles, both of whom think that they should have this particular village? So, they take turns burning it down in order to establish this claim that--. These are the hard parts of ruling and be it in the Middle Ages or now, and of course, it's not enough to be a good man to be an effective ruler. And it never has been. If it has been, Jimmy Carter would be the greatest President of the 20th Century. I mean, he's clearly, I think, the best human being to be President in my lifetime. But he not a particularly effective president. For all his decency and his humanity and his compassion and his undoubted intelligence. I mean, the man was a nuclear engineer in the Navy. But nonetheless, he failed at it. And there are some examples of medieval kings in history who were terrible human beings, but they were nonetheless very good kings for their country. So, it's complicated and it's hard. And I want to show not just with the women, but you see in my books repeated examples of both kings and the hand of the king, the Prime Minister if you would, trying to rule. And whether it be Ned Stark or Tyrion Lannister or Tywin Lannister or Daenerys Targaryen, in the latest book, Cersei Lannister in the book before that. And trying to deal with some of the real challenges that affect anyone trying to rule the Seven Kingdoms or even the city like Meereen. And it's hard. We can all read these books or look at history as, "Oh, so and so was stupid. They made a lot of mistakes. Look at all these stupid mistakes they make." But these kinds of mistakes are always much more apparent in hindsight than when you're actually faced with the decision of "My God, what would I do in this situation? How do I resolve the thing? Do I do the moral thing? But what about the political consequences of the moral thing? Do I do the pragmatic, cynical thing and just screw the people who are screwed by it?" I mean, it's hard. And I wanna get to all of that and be it a male ruler or a woman’s ruler.

Jon wants to effectively arm the watch and save the wildlings. But he does not have the resources, so what should he do? He should be able to rely on the crown, but the crown has betrayed it duty to the be ‘protector of the realm’. But Stannis is there—a king who actually cared! Can Jon realistically be neutral then? Can he realistically tell Stannis, “fuck you the Night’s Watch takes no part”? Especially when Stannis wants to liberate Jon’s father’s castle which has fallen into enemy hands. And Jon is loyal to his family, almost to a fault. And Jon’s sister has now been married off to a monster. So what should he do. The Night’s Watch takes no part….but can Jon truly abandon her? Would it really be a moral choice? These questions are right in line with GRRM quote above.

You say Jon is as far from Aragorn as he can get, and I think we’re touching on very different aspects of these two characters here. They share narrative parallels, starting with the character archetypes both characters are operating under; and add Dany too. And the point is that Jon doesn’t have the decades Aragorn has. He’s just a kid—literally. ADWD is a moment of learning for him, he’s not meant to get it on his first try. So come TWoW and ADoS when he gains more leadership positions, he can apply these lessons and evolve. The same with Dany. She fails too. That’s why her last chapter in Dance is so cathartic. She learns her lesson—to truly move forward, “fire and blood” is a necessity.

I think a lot of people are dissatisfied with Jon and Dany failing and not providing clear cut answers to “what was Aragorn’s tax policy?” But I don’t think GRRM ever set out to give any solutions in the first place.

This is actually so funny because….isn’t this literally the point of Jon’s political arc as a ruler in ADWD? 😭 What policies can he enact to ensure that the Watch and the wildlings are fed through the winter? The question even comes up during Alys Karstark’s wedding, because Jon knows that the Watch is down to its last sticks of butter. This is the same arc GRRM uses, along with Dany’s in Meereen, as a reference of how he would like to explore this very question. Btw Jon Snow is arguably Aragorn’s closest parallel in ASOIAF so 😭

[bobombun]

My brother, a Warframe veteran, told me about how the veteran players tend to help out the new players, proving this himself by trading me some mods I had no way of getting myself yet. I thought "fair enough, more experienced players tend to be like that, especially if they get bored" and continued on.

Later I had managed to slowly but surely gather up platinum (mostly by selling fish) and was so excited to go to the Market and buy the Feyarch skin for Oberon - I'd seen fanart of it before I learned Oberon does not by default look like it, and I had absolutely fallen in love with the skin. And I realised I was missing one platinum. One. I was so miffed, and ended up complaining to my Alliance's chat, but was resigned to wait till someone would again message me about those rare fish.

And then this one person sends a message to the Alliance chat: "yeah I could give you that." Huh? "I need [super common mod I have like 60 copies of, and I have no doubts that they had at least twice that amount]. Let's trade."

In short, I now have the Feyarch skin, and incredible amounts of gratefulness in my heart. Thank you, friend

[skunkes]

if life is categorized by Before Loss and After Loss then I exist in the before but with a countdown to the after. and the countdown is always always present and debilitating. the loss will be debilitating too but i cant help myself. i will always suffer twice.

[keeps-ache]

'please i have a family !! of ocs'

[bunnihearted]

ᡣ𐭩 🍓｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

[scissorcraft]

man... i won't be able to finish my Big Pride Art this month :(((

[unproduciblesmackdown]

another billions analysis thing is like so yeah while it's like "hmm let's think about power" but then doesn't really do that, what's there to offset that is "but let's think about what these people with billions(tm) are doing because of their like personal feelings & lives & whatever" and the personal feelings are the thrilling journey of s1 men following the compass of their ego & the way their personal lives matter at all beyond this is about their Relationships. except the relationships are also actually about the power billions isn't really thinking about because the ones billions focuses on involve this Fealty where one person does whatever and the other is just stuck with it. sure they might air some unhappiness sometimes, but if it's not punished or ignored from the start anyway, it'll still end up so inconsequential that it's as though it never happened. and what's left to offset the way that can't mean anything if you again take it for granted that of course people are just locked into such relationships & best they can do is fix it from the inside or embrace it as is? is "do you think this character is a winner among losers & you want to see them pwn everyone & do whatever they want forever" & if you like all the media the creators do like

[bejeweledmp3]

tell me why i'm considering opening the doc and writing fanfiction during my lunch break. ON MY PHONE

[martyrbat]

faces - batman: legends of the dark knight #29

[ID: Two Face in a round frame. He's shown from the shoulders up and is speaking to himself. He says, "I must not be over-confident. We're not home yet." END ID]