#but yeah could have been better but also could have been worse

[metranart]

Squid Game AU - JJK Shameless Smut

ft. Yuji x Reader (Nanami/Gojo/Geto and Toge x Reader in complete version)(teaser)

Your hands were shaking too much, you should have died but that pink-haired man saved you. Green light, red light was your favorite game when you were little, but that memory had already been overwritten with this massacre. 

This wasn't a normal game, and even though the rules said that if everyone voted it could be stopped, no one really wanted to leave, not with so much money at stake. What did that say about you?! Your breathing became more labored, your pulse became erratic, you felt cold sweats, you were a ball rocking back and forth in your bed, but instead of feeling better, you felt worse and worse, everything slowly becoming a blur-

"You're about to have a panic attack," It was him again, player number one, the one who saved your life less than five minutes ago. You recognized him immediately, that deep shade of pink styled in an undercut haircut was unmistakable, so cute, it even looked like he had teased it with pomade or a hairspray to mess it up. That sports suit couldn't hide the muscular body underneath. Broad back, big but elegant hands, with a friendly and trustworthy aura. You shouldn't be thinking about that when you were about to faint, ".... if you let me, I can help you."

He suggested, did he wanted to save you again? Really?? who were you to refuse? Your head nodded slightly and before you knew what was happening, your body was already between his open legs, he had climbed onto your bed placing himself behind you and wrapping your small body in his large one. Your back against his strong chest, his head hanging over yours, protectively.

"Feel my breathing and imitate it." This gentle creature suggested calmly, "you can do it, everything is fine, you are fine. I will take care of you." He was saying all the right words, everything anyone would want to hear. He didn't seem scared and that was saying something. You slowly began to relax, the tension in your muscles melting away within the safe embrace of this kind stranger.

"My name is Yuji," he murmured next to your ear, with your eyes closed, his voice sounding deeper, "I'm sure you have a pretty name-"

He was trying to distract you, to comfort you with small talk.

"(Y/N)." It was barely a whisper, but he was paying so much attention to you that he heard it clearly. "I knew it was pretty." 

His cheerful and honest reaction completely brought you out of this nightmare, slowly rocking you within his strong embrace. "Are you feeling better now, (Y/N)?" His question came a few minutes later, once your breathing was calm and pleasant. You slowly opened your eyelids and looked up, where you found him peeking at you from his vantage point, watching you, analyzing you with that gentle, friendly gesture stamped on his handsome face.

"Yeah, thank you," your words now slurred, lazy, "I feel much better, Yuji."

You could almost swear you felt Yuji shiver, the hairs on his arm standing on end, making you wonder what caused it.

"I didn't expect my name to sound so nice in your voice," he chuckled a little embarrassed, realizing you noticed his not-so-subtle reaction, still numb you smiled weakly at him, too comfortable in his arms to notice that detail.

"Seriously, thank you." You repeated, honestly touched, "I'm crushing you, if you want, I can move-"

"You don't bother me," he spat quickly, "...you don't weigh anything, I mean-..." were you making him nervous?  "I... I'd just like to-... let's wait a little longer like this, I feel like you're still a little shaken up. Of course, only if it’s okay with you."

You had never met someone so kind, usually the extra kind were also the ones you had to be more careful with, not knowing if their intentions were true, but this time you gave him the benefit of the doubt. You felt so comfortable and safe curled up next to him that you didn't care, you didn't acknowledge the red flags: the unnecessary possessiveness with which he held you close to him, the murderous glances he sent to any other contestant who dared to lay eyes on you, how he sniffed your hair on the sly and tangled it between his fingers, you were blind to all these curiosities, all in order, of this little piece of heaven. So warm and comfortable and… safe.

Yuji quickly became your shoulder to cry on and even faster he became your safe place, both of you had chosen high beds, side by side, to talk, eat and be together, friends in arms… But that very night you needed more than a friend or an ally.

Yuji opened his sleepy eyelids just to find you watching him from your bed. Hugging your blankets to your chest.

"Is something wrong?” he murmured softly, “Do you want me to accompany you to the bathroom?" asked in a soft, only-to-your-ears hush. 

You shook your head, and the darkness did not allow him to see the blush forming on your face. “I had a nightmare… can I sleep with you?”

It was a mostly innocent proposition, or so you told yourself, refusing to accept the hidden urgent need your body demanded to vent, after seeing all those corpses piling up and you miraculously escaping alive. You wanted to dissipate that energy, rather your body demanded it… and Yuji was so nice, so handsome, so thick and wide… so suitable for the job.

A soft smile took over his lips, no words were needed, he simply opened the sheets for you to enter, and you did, quickly making yourself at home snuggling up against his strong chest.

“A-are you comfortable?” he asked, a little worried about how small you were compared to him, not wanting to crush you.

“Very,” you conceded, snuggling closer and he grinned, pleased. 

You both pretended to sleep for a couple of awkward minutes. Eyes closed, breathing evenly, still, it wasn’t what you were going for, not tonight.

You almost felt bad when, as you pretended to settle more comfortably, you pressed your ass against his crotch. Snuggling his bulge into your warmth, Yuji managed to suppress the moan in time, but you could clearly hear him grit his teeth. His breathing slowly quickened, you did it again, smearing yourself innocently from top to bottom, enjoying the feeling of growing from flaccid to hard, to rock hard. His breathing became a hot mess. The effort to hold back increased by a factor of a thousand.

".... If you let me,” you whispered with cotton candy sweetness, “I can help you."

Using the same words he had used with you. Yuji let out a quiet chuckle under his breath before letting out a shaky, f-fuck between his tight lips.

“-I won’t be able to control myself, (Y/N).” He warned you and only his voice, completely husky and deep, told you how needy you had made him, how much you craved a sweet release too…luckily for him, you needed it even more.

“Everyone is already asleep,” you tempted him, “no one will hear us if we stay quiet.” You turned around and kissed your next words to the soft skin of his neck, “—…tomorrow we could be dead, so what does it matter?”

Yuji didn’t need to hear another word as he was already on top of you, pinning you down to the mattress. Eagerly bucking his hips against your warm center over your pants, your face hugged by his strong palms as he stole your breath, kiss after kiss after kiss.

Without warning, you squeezed his erect cock over the fabric of his pants and he groaned hoarsely. A tender laugh accompanied your quiet ‘shhhhhh’, making him chuckle and press his forehead against yours. Those brown eyes were now pools of unbridled lust, no gentleness in them.

“You're a breath of fresh air, (Y/N)-..." Yuji said, lost in thought, as if it were a revelation, as if he had been waiting for you all his life, "... I swear that if we get out of here alive, I’ll follow you everywhere… just point the way.”

You caressed his cheek tenderly with your thumb, looking straight into those honest eyes. He was pouring his heart out to you, but this wasn’t the place nor the time to make such promises, you barely know each other but given the circumstances you could easily understand the intensity of his statement, "-first, we have to get out of here alive."

He smirked. "Deal."

The pink-haired didn’t waste any more time, within seconds he was pulling his shirt over his head, even in the dim light you could see how muscular and ripped his torso was, a damn work of art. Biting your lip, he straddled you, so his hands slowly slid under your shirt, searching for your breasts.

“Oh, so soft and nice, gorgeous.” Yuji praised softly, squeezing in a provocative, exploratory manner and when you mewled, his smile grew bigger. Yuji licked his lips, pinching your nipples between his thumb and forefinger, staring into your eyes the whole time, holding your gaze, gauging your reactions, what you liked, how you liked it.

“Perfect fit,” he boasted, marveling, “we are SO made for each other.” Handful after handful of your breast making him painfully HARD. You were tailor-made for him. 

Those little moans of yours throwing him off balance sooner than anticipated, the clothes had to come off, and shuffling a little with your clothes, a huge smile curved his lips as he finally had you naked and at his mercy.

"What a glorious sight." 

A quiet mhmmm sound rumbled in gentle encouragement for him to keep going, and then he took just one more second to admire you, etching you into his soul.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that you have me under your spell.”

Such a cute smile from you could almost make him explode inside his pants, but instead, he cleared his throat, kicked his pants down, and tightened his hold on your body, dragging you up with his forearms until you were straddling his thick erection. 

“I can try to be gentle.” He brushed your lips with the whispered words, his eyes flickering from your eyes to your lips.

“Yuji,” his name trembled on your lips. “You can take me however you want as long as you make me forget this place…” You lowered your hips and smeared your wet pussy all over his throbbing cock, coating it with your juices for easy access. “I want you to make me feel good.” You felt vulnerable, not enough for him to be taking advantage, but enough to let him have you as he wanted. “Don’t hold back.”

Yuji looked like something took over him, desire reflected deep in his brown eyes, and you couldn't look away from him.

“Definitely, mine.” His husky voice said above you. “Then, I'll take care of you.” 

You arched your back as you felt him enter you, slow and sure, letting you feel every ridge of his thick cock stretching you like no one had ever done before.

"Halfway there, pretty," he growled breathlessly, already dizzy from how tight you were. "...fucking tight, little thing. I ne-need to go... ball's deep inside you, baby..." his hips pushed your legs wider, excitement dancing in his eyes, always inspecting your face for any sign of discomfort, earning inch by inch, "Oh, I'm gonna-..." your breath hitched, and toes curled, "---I’m gonna fill you up gooood."

Muffling the cry into his shoulders, you feel awfully full and cramped. Yuji was huge, like a forearm entering you.

“This,” Yuji managed, finally bottoming out inside you, “this is fucking heaven.”

You gasped, close to tears just from the effort of keeping it in, "...move," you hated how needy you sounded. “Good girl.” He murmured, obviously appreciating your efforts. “I know you can take it, (Y/N) …”

He grabbed your hips and forced you to slide up and down his thickness, knocking the wind out of you when you felt the amazing friction. The obscene noises you hear coming from his parted lips a hundred times more exciting that him fucking you like this, raw and deep, without an inch of fucking restraint, forcing that thick, vulgar cock all the way out only to plunge back into the hilt, again and again and again, picking up the speed a little with each thrust.

“A-Are you still with me?” Yuji chuckled breathlessly, checking out your flushed cheeks, your sweaty forehead, your eyeballs rolled to the back of your skull, already drunk on cock, yet you took it like a champ. “That’s my good girl,” he praised, pleased, “don't faint on me just yet.” 

You had summoned this frenzied exhilaration in him, now you were responsible for squeezing every last drop out of him, keeping it inside and giving him a whole litter.

Rough fingers kept you effectively anchored to his groin, too marveled with the way your breast bounced in time with his frantic pounding. He could only grin like a madman in response to your pathetic expression as he continued to unleash ruin on your helpless and completely conquered cunt.

“Y’know,” he said conversationally, disturbingly stretched grin and unfaltering brown gaze betraying his jovial tone and innocently cocked head, “I’m really glad, I got into these games… as a player, for once.”

As a player?... The little mind you had at that moment didn't know how to interpret his words. For once?... Wasn't there only one person who could win the game? Has he been here before? 

All these doubts didn't have much time to bear fruit, as soon this position bored him and you squirmed, face first against the soft mattress as his hot, sweaty and terribly muscled body pinned you to the sheets, his hips never skipping a single thrust.

"I like you better like this," he said more to himself than you. “You likin' it, pretty?” he kissed the question on the side of your face, holding you firm and still, his large hands like handcuffs around your wrists, “you like how deep I can go? Can you see how you’re panting for it.”

This Yuji seemed different, truly condescending and possessive, not the gentle, safe guy who had comforted you hours ago. To your surprise, it wasn’t unwelcome, he knew how to put you in your place, and he definitely knew how to make you cum, because his thumb had slid under your bodies and almost like a bloodhound found your clit, which he now bullied with circles, fast or extra slow, reading you like an expert until you saw nothing but starlight and fireworks.

“Ahhhh-…” 

Your delirious moan was muffled by one of his large palms, while the other held both of your wrists inside without any problem, his cock undoing you throughout the convulsing and completely spasmodic orgasm. Making you squirt like crazy, which only helped make the friction more pleasurable and easier.

“Such a good girl…” Yuji cooed, and a moan escaped your lips, his praise making your gummy walls tighten around him. “Now, I’m going to cum inside you.”

He told you, but you could barely register what he was saying, too far gone on your high from being used. A dopey grin plastered on your muffled lips, and he let go, only to grab your chin, tilting you up to make you look at him, your eyes bright in a permanent daze. “That was just the beginning, are you sure you can handle the rest?”

“I-I’m sure,” your voice shook but your resolve didn’t. You wanted to feel him cum inside you, your body rocking and shuddering, just to the thought of it.

“Then-… eyes on me. Always watching me. Look at me while I claim you. Look at me when I make you cum.” You didn’t know how to look away, and he smirked. “Look at me or I’ll die.”  

He gave you a wet, sloppy thrust pumping his cock into you and then fucked you stupid for the rest of the fucking night, bending you over in every possible position he could think of, cumming inside you over seven times, leaving your belly full of his cum. It was amazing, it was an incredible feat… but the real feat was cleaning up afterward, and yet somehow, he did it, alone, because at some point in the night you passed out.

A huge grin on your lips the only indication that you had been fucked to exhaustion. That and the video from the security cameras that saw absolutely everything…

“What an interesting player we have in these games,” said the square mask to his most loyal guards, who grinned mischievously beneath their triangle masks, licking their lips like cats eyeing a bowl of sweet milk that was no doubt meant for them. “I agree with player one, what a glorious sight this little player is, we’ll have to keep a close eye on her.”

....READ THE 10,000 WORD FIC COMMISSION IN HERE! (Includes NSFW art from scenes of the fic and lots of smut. Plus, lot of JJK NSFW content in general) ;)

[kilforheaven]

Ever think of how Jason tries to be the bigger brother to Damian and Tim that he hoped Dick would've be towards him when he was little? Even though he knows Dick was only a child too back then with his own struggles and that he couldn't have possibly done any better especially considering his relationship with Bruce at the time and the Titans in Bludhaven. Yeah, he helped them out in cases here and there, Jason and Dick even hung out maybe once a month. But at the end of the day Dick always went away. Jason always went to the bigass mansion to be alone with Alfred and Bruce. He was almost like an only child. Bruce took care of him and was kind. But at every mistake Jason made, he would be dreadfully reminded that he wasn't the only son and that he couldn't ever fit into the shoes of Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson. And yeah, Dick stood up for him when batman got angry at Jason in front of him. He even tended to take Jason away for a day or two, spend some time together (jason would never admit how much he enjoyed those times they spent together). But Dick always went away. And he would be left alone in the bigass mansion with Alfred and Bruce.

Dick was late to realise how leaving Jason alone was a mistake.

Dick Grayson moved back to Gotham only to look after Tim. Even though he couldn't bear being around Bruce at the time, he would never leave a little boy alone under the pressure of being robin ever again. Not after what happened to Jason. When Damian came around, Dick wasn't even absent to begin with. And not only did he have Dick 'wonder boy' Grayson around to be his older brother, but he also had Tim Drake, the boy that was good enough to replace Jason Todd. Dick spent almost all of his time in gotham with his brothers. Dick even seemed to actually get along with Bruce now. Dick took Tim on stakeouts, damian and him loved watching cartoons together, he played chess with Tim, monopoly all together. They had dinner almost every day every week. They were trying to function as a family and Dick was the glue. Something he never tried to be for Jason.

Jason knew it was unfair to blame Dick. He never quite got the gist of 'justice'.

He was furious and disappointed not only at Batman but at Dick too (seriously, he understood Dick growing up to be a better brother, but Bruce was a better father too?). Worse? Dick 'perfect brother' Grayson was the one trying to convince Jason to be kinder and more accepting of Tim and Damian. Dick was trying to make Jason forgive Bruce. The fucker didn't leave him alone until he would agree to drop by the mansion to have dinner once a week.

Dick would never leave Jason alone with himself ever again. Jason had a family wether he liked it or not and Dick would glue him to the batcave if he had to.

The thing is it worked, Jason did forgive Bruce. Heck he even started going to missions and having dinners with the guy. Jason did become an older brother figure towards tim and damian. He ate breakfast weekly with his replacement. He was the one to train the biological son in martial arts. He never left them alone more than they needed to be, he didn't want to (what if they ended up like him?).

But how could he ever fit in the role of being a younger brother? Knowing full on that he had been abbandoned by his elder brother only for him to realise his mistake after Jason's death and fix it only when it was too late. Maybe he was being too harsh on him. If he never fit into the role of being the younger brother, why did he feel a weird feeling in his chest every time Dick approved of something he said or did. Surely, there wasn't a reason that whenever he did something wrong or rash, he wasn't only afraid of Bruce's reaction but Dick's too. No rational reason for why he never insisted on driving the car when he was with Dick. He never tried to pay for anything when Dick was around. He had once or twice or thrice (or more) crashed into Dick's apartment at 3 am to ask his opinion on some chump he has been tracing and stayed there until morning even though that topic only lasted for five minutes. There was absolutely no reason he respected Dick's opinion more than any of his other siblings or even sometimes (most times) his own.

As in typical sibling nature, Jason forgot why he even was mad at Dick in the first place.

[ghostlyerlkonig]

i'm doing @batmanisagatewaydrug 's 2025 book bingo and 9 books in feels like a decent 'let's check in on this' time, with thoughts and feelings.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (2009) - Feels like it walked right out of 2009. I did not love any of the characters in this book, they are almost all major dickwads but I was enraptured by seeing what happened to them. 4.5/5.

The Magician King by Lev Grossman (2011) - I like the main cast now and care about them, granted half of the book was more interesting than the other due to prior book build up. 5/5.

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman (2014) - Good conclusion to the trilogy. I still like and root for all the characters (except one). The ending felt A Little rushed but not in a bad way. 4/5.

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (2024) - I fuck with this book so hard. For a historical fiction that does not stray tooooo far from it while also making Arthurian magics real, it never once attempts to 'explain' certain factors that do not need explaining. Best handling of a trans character I've read from a cis author in a HF. I'm biased to Arthurian based works but man this was so good. I finished it a month ago and I'm still thinking about it. 5/5.

Bring Me The Head Of Susan Lomond: A High School Story by Connor B. (2025) - Great queer comic from an artist I like a lot. I read most of it out loud with voiced because I could hear them so clearly. 5/5.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle (2024) - Beagle has the most wonderful way of writing the silliest shit and making it fun and beautiful. Not a complicated read by any means but I enjoyed a return to his voice, especially since he's in his 80s and has been put through the fucking ringer over the last 20~ years. 4/5.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman (2012) - Made me think more than I wanted it to. Somehow the surprise queer character was treated better than I expected (and a little worse). I can't believe it had me rooting for a pope for a solid 5 pages. Made me pull my European History text book from high school out of my closet so I could figure out how many miles one guy traveled and how bad the Bubonic Plague was in the towns he would have passed. Leaves a lot to your own imagination to freak you out with your own visual interpretation of the Christian mythos' angels and demons. And perhaps the giant catfish in Chernobyl. 4.5/5.

Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel (2012) - Psychology heavy. I've avoided reading it for a while due to how Fun Home makes me feel. Bechdel's illustrations are great as always. One review I read described it as "what happened to the ground after it is broken" and yeah. Rereading Fun Home before I started it didn't help the emotions beside parsing them better. 5/5.

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly (2025) - Wild book. Feels like an exposé more than a business book. Spotify is so fucked up. I knew this. Now I know it with more detail. Not the most outsider approachable if you aren't aware of the history of how predatory the music business is, but the MOST important things are well explained and terms are easily google-able. It dropped some details in regard to specifically Gen Z artists as victims of this new mainstream system, but that's my only loud gripe. I've been rethinking the relationship with music I developed while living in a 13x13ft room for all of 2020-21 and how I've experienced a "returned to form" from that constant need of background to enjoying records and albums as they exist for listening and paying attention to over the last year, this book solidified that active return to me as a good choice. I love music and what it is without capitalism breathing down its neck. 4.75/5.

Other books read (that i'm not putting on the bingo): Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Art of War of the Rohirrim, Fun Home, Tree and Leaf, and Bisclavret

Next up:

Dudes Rock: A Celebration of Queer Masculinity in Speculative Fiction edited by Romanus and Candra

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

All Down Darkness Wide: A Memoir by Seán Hewitt

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Reclaiming the Heartland: Lesbian and Gay Voices from the Midwest by Karen L. Osborne & William J. Spurlin

Ma and Me A Memoir by Putsata Reang

[creative-shine]

I know what buff louise means now and it's not as badly portrayed as I feared it would be LMAO

lou visually being trapped mid unification within Louise is actually a really cool idea, i get the buff thing yeah ok she worked out with Benjamin but it's passible for me. I DO wish they made her just a littleeeee but more creepy looking instead of just being buff imagine how cool of a monster design she could have had if it wasn't just buff 😔

[cangrellesteponme]

i don't think wonderland is ready for those alices

[claitea]

heard there are rumors going around that gen 5 remakes in the art style of the lets go games will be announced on pokemon day and. i dont believe rumors ofc but just the thought of gen 5 remakes is making me So nervous

[toaarcan]

Anyone noticed that Surge is like... aesthetically derived from Scourge, but her damage and reasons for hating Sonic are way more similar to Fiona?

Kidnapped by a mad scientist (Starline/Robotnik), experimented on in a traumatic fashion (turned into a lightning-powered anti-Sonic/used for the Auto-Automaton prototype), blames Sonic for her situation happening at all (because he didn't kill the villains before they could hurt her/because he didn't come back to save her), and is angry at Sonic for not taking a stronger position against the villains (explicitly/implicitly).

And given how well-received Surge has been, there's a level of "Wow they could've done something like this a while ago if anyone at Archie had seen Fiona as a character rather than a love interest" but honestly I'm mostly just glad they finally did something with the concept of "Person who feels that Sonic is to blame for everything that went wrong in her life and wants to kick his teeth in about it."

[zeb-z]

I dunno, and I haven't read the Ascendency novels to be clear, so I can’t speak of who he was before his exile - but maybe Thrawn accepting Grand Admiral for that shitshow on Batonn sealed his fate. Maybe he wasn't the one to pull the trigger, maybe he was appalled by the needless death - he still took the promotion, even if he didn't want it. The moment he took the rank plate was the moment the blood on his hands became insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The moment where all his intentions begin to be buried by his actions.

Everyone is all about how Thrawn isn't that bad of a guy - and honestly I do agree that his character is misunderstood more often than not - but he still did terrible things with the Empire. Turned a blind eye and condoned much more with silence.

Because the fall of Nightswan and Batonn may not have been his fault - but he accepted the stain when he took his promotion.

For all you try to keep things fair, it doesn't matter if you're working in a system that is instituted to be cruel. And while Thrawn had never claimed to be a good man, and had only joined ultimately for the protection of his own people, there's something to be said of this deterioration of morality. How he doesn't understand politics, but is still shaped by the dangerous and vindictive workings of Imperial political scene, forgoing honesty for station.

Pirates and smugglers turn to insurgents and rebels. Capture turns to execute. He kills to prove a point.

He develops for the worse. For all he shapes the Imperial Navy, it shapes him all the same. I dunno. Complex character and all o that. He’s no scum of the earth true evil, but he’s no shining star either.

[loserelf]

maybe i do need to go to therapy bc its probably not good that ive been living on autopilot and the last 7 years went by so fast but also bc i was deliberatly Wanting the time to go by to put as much space between me and the events of 2017-2020 as possible all while somewhat knowing my young adulthood was slipping me by and now both my teenage years and my early 20s are gone and i still feel like my 19th birthday was yesterday yeesh!!

[nexus-nebulae]

ok i get that people will have sex in some weird places both irl and in fiction but when a show has two characters trying to fuck in a hospital i cannot suspend my disbelief whatsoever bc when i was in the hospital any time my heart rate went Slightly above average a nurse would be in my room within minutes, if they've got a character hooked up to a heart monitor they'd notice that shit immediately

[szampers]

Casual life update! I have made a whole list of topics related to my szpd in my notes which I hope to write about. There's at least 15 whole different things, good amount of them being personal experiences. I'm not gonna run out of content for this blog anytime soon and in fact they'll probably keep on coming. These are some weirdly cathartic times.

[thecherrygod]

/

[fideidefenswhore]

"The end of Anne Boleyn marks the more sinister transformation in Henry's kingship which underlay his solemn protestations of spiritual headship and godly reform. Nobody could now call him to account in the sacred or secular realm, and although it goes too far to say that his will was law, since some respect was still due to the judicial process, the legal travesty of Anne's trial and execution shows what his unchecked authority could achieve. It also illustrated the forces which Henry had unleashed by breaking with Rome. From this point onwards, political division would be matched by a level of ideological division previously unknown. Anne had been backed by those who supported religious reform and sneered at papal pretension; her fall was hastened by the efforts of those whose loyalties lay with Princess Mary and the Catholic past. Cromwell had slipped adeptly (and temporarily) from the former group to the latter, and such political reinventions were to remain common, but many continued to be fired by strong religious convictions, allowing religious division to exacerbate political tensions to a dangerous extent." (Henry VIII, Lucy Wooding)

+

"For all Henry's protestations of the contrary, the atmosphere at his court in his final years was almost as unsettled and claustrophobic as during the Wars of the Roses. John Husee answered the charge that he no longer sent reports of state affairs to the Lisles by explaining, 'I thereby might put myself in danger of my life...for there is divers here that hath been punished for reading and copying with publishing abroad of news; yea, some of them are at this hour in the Tower.' Civil order was maintained, but only because Henry sold the bulk of the confiscated monastic lands at rock-bottom prices to willing purchasers to create a whole new class of property-owners with a vested interest in the status quo. Spies and informers stalked the country, safe-conducts were needed to travel abroad and the posts were intercepted-- no one felt completely safe." (Hunting the Falcon, Fox&Guy).

[blujayonthewing]

felix: [takes limerick aside early in the campaign and confides, with difficulty because he's ashamed about it, that he sometimes has trouble speaking at all, because he wants at least someone to have fair warning ahead of it possibly coming up if he's gonna be traveling in a group for any amount of time]

limerick the first time felix mostly loses speech: you've been really quiet, everything okay? do you have any thoughts to add [to this discussion]? :)

limerick last session when simon lowkey assigned felix to go do a social encounter: I'll go with you, to help with the talking :)

limerick as soon as we're in the social encounter: [looks directly at felix, expectantly]

[criticalrolo]

As a fellow Nie Sect apologist, I would love to hear your thoughts on Nie Mingjue's tragic hubris

ok just off the top of my head

thought he could protect his brother from tragedy forever, still ended up dying even younger than expected, despite his best efforts to take care of NHS it just made it that much harder / sadder that NHS went full Machiavellian after his murder

and also quite frankly. so sad to see a guy who Never wavered in his principles, for better or for worse, decide to go against his better judgement in JGYs case, and in the end that’s what killed him 😭 he was So Rigid but deciding to be flexible in JGYs case to try to fix him / give him a chance is the first domino in his murder

like. damn. there’s excuses / explanations for why jgy did the things that he did in the Sunshot campaign but it is also completely reasonable for NMJ to not trust him / not want to have any kind of relationship with him afterwards. it’s really tragic that compromising on his principles to give JGY more chances actually made things way worse than they would have if they’d never spoken ever again

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also quite the illustration in wags being like "'not asking permission' - wags" and plowing through someone expressing a physical boundary but he was already intending to use physical violence & violation & assumed corresponding distress as a tool to get his way....amidst the typicality, "correctness," permissibility of all that around here like five times an hour