#can you tell i'm trying to think of a different way to say Alexander was made by Summer

[s0ckh3adstudios]

Alexander's like Willy Wonka except no he's not. Anyway ignoring that sentence umm some more UTB doodles. A bit of a look into Dalv and Kanako's inclusion :]

(Alexander was birthed by @capt-summer)

[avacoleman]

good grief, charlie brown, it's once again been eons since I've done one of these. i'm really hoping to finish this fic and post soon, but we'll see if the universe can work with me here for a change. this is an infidelity fic (cheating WITH each other not on) but still, fair warning as i know that's not everyone's thing 😌💜

Henry keeps watch of the room, eyes scanning like he’s anticipating a potential threat. He figures preparedness is his best chance. If he can locate Alex before his ex finds him, he’ll stand a better chance of bracing for impact. 

It takes another ten minutes but there, a few feet away, Henry spots a familiar head of curls. Even though his back is currently to them, Henry can easily recognize Alex. No amount of time could ever disabuse him of that skill.

Henry is a married man. His heart should not be reacting to Alex and yet it jackhammers behind his ribs all the same. He tells himself it’s just nerves and excitement in seeing an old friend. He thinks nothing of the fact that, in the almost ten years since they broke up, Alex still very much owns his heart.

Alex turns and looks around the room. He seems adorably unsure of himself in this sea of people, clearly trying to find a familiar face.

Pez squeaks, spotting Alex now, and places his empty glass on a passing tray.

“Alexander,” Pez sings loudly like a long lost Schuyler sister.

Alex smiles and follows the sound of his name being sung to where Henry and Pez stand. There’s a brief look of surprise on Alex’s face when his eyes land on Henry. His smile is still in place but it morphs into something a little different, something a bit softer. Perhaps even shyer and reminiscent of the man Henry once knew.

Henry only has a few seconds to collect himself before Alex starts coming over to them.

Henry takes stock of Alex as he approaches, snaking his way smoothly through the crowds. Time has been good to Alex, ridiculously so. If Henry is being frank, Alex has only gotten hotter—objectively speaking, of course. His hair is a little longer. A hint of a 5 o’clock shadow dusts his face. He’s even opted to wear his wire-framed glasses tonight. Needless to say, the look as a whole works.

It’s been one thing to see pictures of Alex online. It’s quite another to be faced with him in the flesh.

“Alex,” Henry greets softly, his eyes still raking over his ex as he joins him and Pez. 

Suddenly Henry feels like he’s in university all over again. His heart flutters, his stomach twisting into knots. It’s been forever and yet still, Alex makes him nervous.

“It’s been…far too long.”

“Eight years, if you can believe it,” Alex replies.

Henry can. He’s loathed every single year that’s separated them since they phased each other out. 

“You look great,” he says, hoping it’s not too forward of a compliment to pay to an ex.

Alex takes it in stride, placing a hand at his sternum and smiling. 

“So do you.”

Alex reaches out a hand and touches the lapel of Henry’s tux. Henry’s breath hitches a little at the unexpected move.

“Very nice,” Alex says, running his palm down the fabric. Henry wonders if Alex can feel his heart racing two layers of clothing below.

tagging my darling @sunshineacd just in case there's anything you'd like to share with the class 👀

[changingplumbob]

Chopra Household: Chapter 6, Part 8

The birthday continues! Most of the family have appointments to attend afterwards leaving Savannah and Viola under the care of nana Lavina. I mean it's not like she could be any worse than Alana the (insert your favourite swear word for mean nanny)

BTW it was daylight savings here so that's why my posts may seem an hour shifted for you...

If Viola is attempting to say something it will be in brackets, otherwise you can assume it's just trying out sounds Mercedes has a speech delay and may get words wrong, correct wording will be in brackets if that is the case Savannah aka Honeybee Mercedes aka Little Ladybug Viola aka Green Bean

Mercedes: Hey nana

Lavina: Happy birthday kiddo

Mercedes: I have bad news, papa went to the doctor and they found out he’s sick

Lavina: What? Oh why didn’t he tell me? I can’t lose him

Mercedes: Kidding!

Lavina: That’s not very funny young lady

Bizarre thing happened. Mercedes had rolled a like of deception but after this got a prompt saying she felt mischief was wrong? I like the game to have some say so while I did not add a dislike of mischief I changed her like of deception to silly behaviour to match her sister.

Milton: Oh hey you have cake

Savannah: Of course Milton, it’s a birthday party

Milton: That’s uncle Milton to you

Savannah: Mama do we really have to call him uncle? He’s only 2 years older than us

Cassandra: It’s important to be polite to family honeybee

Lavina: And respectful! You girls could learn more respect

Mercedes: *sighs* It was one joke nana

Cassandra: Lavina I have an appointment and Rahul needs to take Mercedes to one. Could you watch the kids for us please?

Savannah: I can watch the house mama

Lavina: Of course I can dear, take all the time you need

Savannah: But nana I can do it

Lavina: You’re six, you couldn’t take care of a fire. Now I hear your sister crying, go play outside or learn something

Savannah: Oh maybe I can find some cool bugs!

Lavina: Just don’t bring them into the house

Poor Viola has been trying to get to sleep but is still a bit overwhelmed by the party.

Lavina: Now what’s all this? You are making a habit of crying every time you see me Viola

Viola: *cries* ge da noo lu (I'm so tired, clapping took it out of me)

Lavina: Is nana scary huh? Big bad nana. Close your eyes and sleep, big bad nana can defend your crib from the monsters huh

Following some soothing Viola does manage to fall asleep as Lavina watches over her.

Outside Savannah isn’t having much luck. But around by the garden she spots some locusts, perfect, papa will approve of catching them! She grabs at them and manages to get hold of 2. Perhaps she can convince mama and papa to take her and Mercedes to Granite Falls so she can find more! Back inside she decides to tackle some homework.

Milton: Why are you holding your pencil like that

Savannah: Like what

Alexander: Don’t be rude Milton, not everyone does things the same way

Milton: Did you never use crayons

Savannah: *gruffly* I have a motor delay actually, pencils are hard

Milton: Oh, sorry

Alexander: That’ll teach you not to be rude

Savannah: I think I’ll go see if mama is back

Milton: I am sorry!

...

Cassandra is pumping in the spare room when Savannah finds her.

Savannah: Mama, can I still go to OT now I’m a child

Cassandra: Of course you can honeybee. It might be called something different but any support you need, we’ll find for you

Savannah: Then Uncle Alexander told him off

Mercedes: Nice!

Savannah: So what did the brain doctor say

Mercedes: They want me to do… Papa how did they say it?

Rahul: Your sister is getting referred to another type of doctor to see if she needs extra help at school

Mercedes: Can I not go to school?

Rahul: No! Whatever you need we can sort but you’ll be best having your first day with your sister

Savannah: Yeah. You don’t want to leave me alone do you? We do everything together

Mercedes: Except OT and word class

Cassandra brings Viola to the table and the family begin eating. For some reason everyone is migrating away from Viola?

Mercedes: Mama did your point tent (appointment) go okay

Cassandra: Apparently I have ADHD which I guess is a bit of a surprise but I’ll be fine. Everybody’s brain has to work in its own way

Rahul: Exactly! Now Viola, how about some peanut butter puffs? Nice and yummy

Viola looks at her papa, confused. Why is what he holding bigger than the things on the plate? It can’t just be her eyesight playing up, can it?

Savannah: Mama, can we have a trip to Granite Falls? I’d love to see some more bugs

Cassandra: Actually papa and I have been talking and we’d like you two to join scouts

Mercedes: Scouts? Why

Rahul: Nature is important to us, we want you both to learn to love it

Cassandra: Plus it will leave after school times free for OT and word class

The girls remain skeptical but agree. Meanwhile Viola is unsure about the taste of peanut butter puffs (and their creepy resemblance to banana once she picks them up) but one thing is for sure, they are fun to play with!

Savannah: Do we have to go to bed mama

Cassandra: It’s getting late honeybee, and don’t you want to check out the new bunk beds

Mercedes: I call dibs on the bottom one! That way you can still tuck me in mama

Cassandra: *smiles* alright but we need to clean up dinner first

Savannah: I got the plates

Cassandra: Mercedes could you put the leftovers away before they spoil please

Mercedes: Yes mama

Rahul: How do you two like the bunks

Savannah: It’s great papa. I can be up high just like butterflies are

Rahul: Good night rugrats, I love you two

Twins: Goodnight papa

Savannah climbs up to the top and snuggles in while Cassandra tucks Mercedes in.

Cassandra: Goodnight Mercedes. I love you both, have good dreams

Twins: Love you mama

Previous ... Next

[dearanakin]

Break Free - Bucky Barnes x f!Reader / Part 3

Summary: You were an infiltrated nurse working for HYDRA and takes care of Bucky Barnes, who's still triggered and being used as The Winter Soldier.

Part Two

Warnings: blood, violence, fluff

Word count: 2.4k

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

You felt every little hair on your body chill, and your spine stiffened by the look Bucky gave you. He didn't remember you this time. He didn't know it was you. He only knew you were his mission.

He walked towards you while holding a knife in one hand and used his metal arm to grab your neck, making you gasp for air. His grip was tight, and he never left his gaze, his blue eyes were darkened, his frown showing pure hatred.

Alexander Pierce was standing by the cell, watching you almost fall apart in front of him, because that's what he wanted.

Barnes pointed the knife on your stomach, and you flinched, trying to find strength to make him recognize you. You tried to hold his arms, but he's too strong and shakes you off of him.

"Bucky, it's me. It's (Y/N). Please, don't do that", you beg. Your voice is wavering as you try too hard to keep yourself alive. You feel the tip of the knife piercing slowly through your skin and you groan.

"I am not Bucky", he said. His voice as cold as his metal arm touch. He still looked at you like he wanted to make you his trophy.

"Tell me, (Y/N). Why did you think that, for a second, you'd outsmart me?", Pierce asked. He walked towards both of you, standing behind Bucky. "You think you can come to my place, fool on my people and leave without paying for that?".

The Winter Soldier still had your neck around his metal hand, while slowly pushing the knife on you. You felt your skin burning.

"What makes you think we're that stupid, you bitch?", Alexander came closer to you, and you tried to hold his gaze. At the same time, you looked at Barnes again, with pleading eyes.

"Please. Just don't", you tried holding your tears that started streaming down your cheeks, your body was stiffened and you were sweating from all the stress.

For a slight second, James noticed his eyes flicker, and he felt a stomp in his brain. He let go of your neck, holding your arm closer to him, taking you out of the cell.

"She's my mission, I'm going to finish it", he said, simply. He walked on your side outside your cell, and Pierce asked him where he was taking you. "I'll take it from here."

You weren't sure it was safe out there with him, especially when he's been triggered for less than an hour, and he always acted dangerous by then. You were walking in a hallway you never learned about and felt his grip loosen when a man stood a few steps away from you two.

You've seen him there before. Once, at least. He said he was German, and he wanted to work for HYDRA, but by the time they turned him down. He had this different way of looking at Bucky, and you straightened your sight.

"Hello, James", he said. "You might remember me, I'm Helmut Zemo". Oh, so that's the one. He was holding a .40 in his hand. Zemo didn't make a move, you felt Barnes breathing on your neck and realized this wouldn't be a conversation.

The soldier fired without a warning, but the other guy had learned how to dodge and had good reflexes and started shooting against him as well. Nothing would be more terrifying than standing there in the middle of a shooting, while Bucky tried to protect you.

"She's not your mission anymore, Barnes. She's worth a lot of money now, millions of dollars, I might say". Helmut sounded like you were some kind of gambling game he was about to win, and then the feeling of regret hit you in the pit of your stomach.

You didn't want all of this to be happening, but if you were to guess, you kinda could see that coming. Zemo aimed the artifact straight to your face, in an attempt to shoot you dead instead of making you suffer, but James made his metal arm an armor and the bullet ricocheted.

Bucky made you run with him, your body completely glued to his while he was looking for a way out. You still had no idea what he wanted to do with you at that point, but he saved you anyway.

While he was trying to find a way of getting out, going unnoticed, Zemo made his presence more than surprising and choked Bucky from behind. You let go of him for a second and stumbled on a pile of boxes, making a lot of folders hit the floor, papers spreading all over.

There were countless notes about super soldiers and people who were given the serum. There were pictures of them, reports and applications. Maybe there was something about him there, but you didn't have time to look for it.

Maybe you should, but that would slow you down. "Fuck it", you thought. You crouched on the floor, picking up all the papers you could, flipping through them. You spent several minutes looking for it, both of them still fighting hand to hand, leaving bruises on each other.

The sound of a shot makes you feel goosebumps in your body, and you look up, watching Barnes lean on a table, holding his flesh arm. Helmut was dead-staring at him, holding his gun while aiming for his head.

As soon as you get up, you get his attention, trying to confront him. "You want to play a hero only to get money, I thought you were smarter than that".

He looked at you, letting out a sarcastic laugh. His facial expression changed to amusement, while he was walking towards you to get closer. Zemo made it to you, and his expression changed once again.

"And you should know a woman doesn't get to be as important for the system as you think", he replied, slowly. He let out a scoff, turning around, looking at Bucky.

The soldier started to get on his feet, but Helmut stopped him, pointing the gun at him again.

"No, I'll be back to you in a second. No, I want you-", he said, now pointing at you. "To know no bitch screws around like that with my people".

His people? You thought he wanted to work there. You thought he was trying to get something from them, sure, but to understand he was already one of them made you tremble.

"And you know why you were his mission? Because that's what you deserve. You are playing a smart-ass princess who helps the others, but you're just another scumbag here". His words were thrown out like shrapnel, and they hit you hard.

You obviously didn't expect to be treated nicely there, considering the kind of company you were working for. But you had no idea you'd be one to be with a gun pointed at you.

Barnes was silent until he realized Zemo's words affected you in a way that made the soldier strike his knife on the man's back. You heard a low groan and watched as he searched for an object in his pocket and landed it on the floor.

You only had time to feel your heart thumping in your ears before you could run only a few feet away and the small device blew up the room. Helmut was lying on the ground, the knife still placed on his back. You were on your back on the floor, the entire room filled with fog and wreckage all over.

Your body hurt and it weighed you down, your legs were weak from all the stress and fright you've been through. Panting, you stood up and started looking for Bucky across the room, there were piles of ripped papers all over, the furniture was in a million pieces and Zemo was probably dead, at least you hoped.

You found Barnes unconscious again, he was bleeding through his arm and his face was injured from the fight and the blow up. It didn't take longer for him to wake up again, coughing from the dust.

"Hey, hey. It's me", you grabbed his face gently, and he looked at you concerned.

"What the hell are you still doing here? He could've killed you", he said. You weren't sure it was the Winter Soldier, but you could tell when Bucky was a little softer to you.

"So? You could've killed me too", you replied. He looked confused. You helped each other out of the building, sneaking through the vent he found. You were both miserable, and it took you ages to finally find an exit, but it happened.

You didn't want to think about it now, you didn't know exactly what to expect from him if he's not Bucky yet. You didn't know if it was safe to stay with him, but he wasn't trying to kill you, and he pulled you out of the living hell inside that company.

Pierce was still alive, though. And you thought maybe it would be a good chance to actually ask Steve to deal with him instead. You remembered of a place you were told about a few months back, one place out of the city no one would find, besides you and your coworkers.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

You found a gas station where you and Bucky cleaned up yourselves and took a bus to the place. You didn't have clothes with you, you probably didn't even have your phone, but it was probably for the best anyway.

As soon as you got there, the man responsible for the small houses recognized you as one of his private investigator friends and let you in. It was like a motel facility, but it was secure. You paid the man a few extra bucks and asked him to go get some clothes and shop at the drugstore, which he did with no complaint.

The facility worked as a refuge, and it was hard for any other person to find it unless you have the location. You and James walked over a mile until you find it. You were bruised, and had to stitch yourself up.

Barnes still hadn't said a word since you took the bus, and it wasn't like he was going to say anything. You didn't care to leave the bedroom as it could be a good chance for him to escape, so you stayed as close as you could.

And then again you were there to patch him up, give him painkillers and treat him like a loyal patient for the hundredth time. He still didn't interact even then. While you were removing the remaining of the bullet, he sat still in the bathroom toilet, eyes looking at nowhere specifically.

It hit you again to see the amount of scars in his body, the small bruises with dry blood. The way his body language works every time you touch him to take care of him explains a little why he never actually killed you.

"You should not be near me", Bucky said, still looking straight. You didn't care about what he actually thought. You didn't care he was a threat.

When you didn't respond to what he said, he grabbed your wrist with his metal hand and squeezed it a bit. You stared at him, surprised by his sudden movement. He still had that frown, he carried a little of gray in his blue eyes.

"Don't get closer", he whispered. You knew why he was doing that. You knew he was trying to protect you from himself. But like a magnet, you gripped his chin, forcing him to look at your eyes.

"Bucky. I know you're there", you breathed. He didn't change his expression, but you could see his eyes flickered for a slight second. "Please, I want to do it".

He didn't say anything else, letting your wrist loose so you could finish patching him up. The way he looked vulnerable made your legs waver and your heart started beating faster.

You couldn't help but look how built up he was, how well worked out he looked, his abs perfectly shaped, his arms with big biceps. He felt your gaze upon him and stormed out of the bathroom, leaving you in your trance.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

After taking your shower and getting something to eat, you were ready to get in bed. You were sharing a king-sized bed, and there weren't any other single ones in the building. Barnes was lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling like he was frozen.

You crawled until you reached his flesh arm, he felt an electricity there. He looked at your hand on his skin and then looked at you. He had the same confusing ones after he woke up from the trigger.

You settled closer to him, leaving traces of your fingers in his arms until you reached his scruffy beard. He was still looking at you, sort of amazed. His blood was burning inside him, and he wasn't sure it was a good idea to stay so close to you.

Deep in his mind, it felt the right thing to do. He cupped your cheek with the metal hand and bashed his lips into yours. It felt desperate, it felt warm, it felt messy, needy. When he felt your tongue caressing his, Bucky shivered under your gentle touch.

He groaned on your mouth, and it sent a shockwave through your whole body. You fixed the hair that was falling on his face and he sighed. Bucky didn't know he actually needed to kiss you this much until he felt it.

He doesn't remember being his old self, he doesn't remember he actually had a bit of your taste the other day. He knows, though, that the reason he wouldn't kill you, that the reason he never actually went after you to kill you, was because you were always there.

You were always the one who would clean him up, who would take care of his wounds, of his injuries, of his mess. You never actually complained about it, and you would always show how much you cared eventually.

Barnes gripped your waist with his metal arm in order to pull you closer, like you'd merge into him. He was desperate to feel your touch a little more than that, but at the same time he didn't want to feel like he was depending on it to feel sane.

When he broke the kiss, the soldier rested his forehead into yours, holding your hand with his. He opened his eyes to look at you, realizing something was different. It took him a moment, but he finally figured out what it was.

"Hey, it's me again", Bucky said. You felt your heart warm up and this time, you had no intention of stopping that kiss.

[skarlitt]

hii !! i wanted to ask what tarot cards you use? i dont know where to get any from, i think i can get them from amazon right ? do you know if i need to charge them with incense or anything ? would making my own be an option ? if so, what do i draw onto the cards ? sorry if this is overwhelming, im fairly new but wish to use tarot to communicate w my deities hahdjsbdkndj

OooOOOOOo I love this question!!! I can finally rant about my tarot hehehee

I had decks upon decks upon DECKS on my altar for years! (I only had so many because I got new decks of cards from friends and family pretty much every year for my birthday and what not lol) but I've recently gifted and donated all of them except one, and I now just use the Rider-Waite deck.

I will say firstly: EVERYONE will tell you different things about tarot. Some will say to only buy second-hand. Some will use them as a medium to communicate to their deities, others believe the deck IS the deity. And some people even use the deck to answer yes/no questions despite them not being intended at all for that lol. It is entirely up to you how to use the deck and what you believe it is capable of. And sometimes, you have to let the deck itself teach YOU how it wants to be used.

The simplest deck to use would be Rider-Waite, it's the most widespread and probably least expensive. But any deck you connect to intuitively will do- you are essentially establishing a spiritual relationship with it, so you may as well get whatever deck you like best! Amazon is ok, but I would honestly recommend going to Indigo/Barnes and Noble or a metaphysics shop and getting a real-life feel for the cards they have. How they fit in your hands and make you feel is extremely important! (if you go to B&N or Indigo, tarot cards are in the New Age/Spiritual section!)

A great book on Tarot (if you have extra cash) is The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need by Skye Alexander. I read it when I was 12 and it's such a great tarot reference! If you can't buy a book or need to hide your tarot usage, go to Biddy Tarot's website. They've got all sorts of great stuff there too :)

Making your own is definitely an option but it can be expensive depending on how you do it...I've been thinking about making my own too actually! I'm honestly not sure how to answer that one yet, still trying to figure that out myself 😅

If you need to charge the cards with your intention, you can do a LOT of different things. Incense/sage is good to cleanse them (which you should absolutely do after taking them from the store!), but charging is different cuz that's essentially how you bind the cards to you. There's lots of enchantment/charging spells and rituals on Pinterest if you wanna be fancy, but honestly? You can just reach out to your deities and ask them to bless your deck, if youre using them as a medium for communication to them. A simple visualization meditation is also useful- just hold them in your hands and visualize yourself projecting your power into them. There's no wrong way to do it! Follow your heart :)

Lastly: as I mentioned before I currently just use Rider-Waite cards, but! I recently pre-ordered a copy of a fan-made Hades Game tarot deck. Only because I really love the game, and the cards feature art of the gods! Unfortunately I have yet to find a specific Greek God tarot deck though. But once I do, I am taking a copy IMMEDIATELY lmao! Some decks I've had in the past that I've loved are the Triple Goddess Tarot (my first deck, they were stolen on me and I miss them dearly), Yoshi Yoshitani's Tarot Of The Divine (100/10 my absolute favorite deck ever personally, each card reflects a fairy tale or myths from around the world), and of course the Rider-Waite deck (Classic and simple to understand, really great if you don't want any extraneous vibes from any flashy art other decks might give you). The links might be to the Canadian websites, sorry about that 😅

Hope this answers your question! Just remember to not overthink it, and follow your heart :) sending you good vibes ✨

[alexanderlightweight]

I don't think I even have an ask but Lawd that older Alec raised by his strict Trueblood grandparents is just gold. That ending where he smirks at Jia and sends Izzy and Jace back to Alicante? *chefs kisses*

My asexual ass is so so attracted to a competent confident Alec who knows his boundaries and had the freedom to demand and enforce them. Just ... I adore him putting everyone in their place. How does he meet Magnus in this verse? Do we know how the differe t power balance at the beginning changes their dynamic, if at all?

I am so happy with everything in this verse but will always always appreciate more when others can send in prompts you like for it.

oh i'm glad it's being enjoyed! have a piece because this will kind of explain some of the power dynamics between them.

and well, i think it's pretty well known how much i love competent!malec and individually impressing each other with competence, not just their teamwork. and this alec was raised differently, he's much more confident than canon!alec.

<3 lumine

-

Alec takes a breath and then, before Magnus twirls his fingers and excuses himself, steps around his desk.

Their meeting is done, they are no longer meeting solely as leaders to different factions of the same world.

“Magnus—” Alec says, because he hasn’t let himself get this far to be held back by his fears. “I can’t go out with you publicly, not anywhere right now. It wouldn’t be safe, for either of us.” Because Alec knows the clave will try and use this as a reason to attack Magnus.

He’s the High Warlock of Brooklyn and on the Council of Elders. He’s the inventor of the portal and the Inventor.

Magnus is as feared as he’s revered and renown and Alec can’t afford to let either of them paint a target on each other’s back and Alec isn’t prepared to protect Magnus from Alec’s enemies, or himself from Magnus’.

“I— you can say no. You deserve someone who can stand proudly by your side—” Alec doesn’t see the wide-eyed, shocked way that Magnus is staring at him. He’s nervous but he knows what he wants and it’s only because he wants this so badly that his words try to slither away.

“But I want that, someday. So, if you’re okay with it, we could start with drinks? Somewhere just the two of us.”

“And where would we find the right level of privacy, Alexander?” Magnus says and he steps over to Alec, gliding like an arrow through a cloud and Alec bites back a sigh of want.

“Anywhere you think is safe. I trust you Magnus,” Alec tells him, because he does. Alec would never have asked Magnus back to redo the wards entirely if he didn’t trust him, no matter how beautiful of a man he is.

Alec trusts his instincts and his instincts purr when he’s near Magnus. Magnus’ presence and his magic and even now, the wards of the Institute, are soothing and Alec adores them.

“It’s the clave I don’t trust. I have no real family backing anymore, Magnus. I’m a valuable asset to the clave but I’ve never dabbled in politics. I would have no leverage in the face of their bigotry, and I’ve seen what the clave does to people it doesn’t like.”

—

Magnus waits a single breath and then he steps up to Alexander and reaches out, tilting Alexander’s face up from where Alexander is studying his hands with a determined furrow.

At first, Alexander’s gaze met Magnus’ own, but it grew shuttered and shadowed as Alexander remembered the evils of the clave. It’s what assures Magnus that this isn’t because of shame — Magnus has had quite enough of being a dirty little secret — and is entirely about survival.

Alexander is wise and methodical in a way that tells Magnus he must have plans and Magnus is willing to extend a little trust, to make this a mutual admittance.

“I’ve lived it.” Magnus tells him quietly, “so never doubt that I understand the power and hatred the clave can wield. If that is your reasoning than I can accept it, I can even agree with it. You wouldn’t be safe here, not yet.”

Alexander seems pleased and a little surprised that Magnus is being mutually considerate, and Magnus mentally tuts as he leans forward and presses a kiss to the corner of Alexander’s mouth.

This will be — by Alexander’s admittance — his first relationship due to Alexander growing up with what he calls ‘higher standards than what my mother had’.

Which is a rather low bar until Magnus realized that Alexander has denied every single person he’s ever met, until meeting Magnus. Which means that Alexander must feel the same instinctual, almost primal interest that Magnus does.

So, in the interest of respect, Magnus is going to be as gentlemanly and courteous as he can bear, for Alexander’s sake.

That is the plan, at least until Alexander whines against his mouth.

There’s a displeased grumble when Magnus starts to pull away and then strong hands are wrapping around Magnus. An arm around his waist and a hand on the back of his neck.  Alexander is inexperienced but hungry and eager and determined.

He licks into Magnus’ mouth, their teeth clacking together until Magnus croons and gentles him, tugging on Alexander’s hair. He sucks on his boy’s tongue until he has Alexander’s fingers leaving bruises on his skin.  Magnus groans into the kiss and drags his teeth down Alexander’s tongue, leaving a sting behind that has Alexander grinding up against him.

“Magnus—” Alexander whispers against his lips, “unless you glamour yourself, you’ll need to portal out of my office, and I don’t think we should give that part away just yet.”

Magnus freezes, because he didn’t realize Alexander knew he’d left a backdoor just for Magnus. Alexander smirks at him, kiss bruised lips pulled into a smug grin as he lets Magnus pull himself away. 

Magnus knows he must look much the same kind of debauched and he sighs, snapping away the signs with his fingers before he gives Alexander a leer.

“When you said you’d never been interested in anyone before, I didn’t expect this, Alexander.” He raises an eyebrow teasingly and gets a chuckle in return.

“I said you’ll be my first, I didn’t say it was because of a lack of offers.” Alexander smirks at him and Magnus wants to lick it off his face. “I’ve had enough past suitors hoping to become my wife that I’m not lacking in my self-worth, Magnus.”

“Did you?” Magnus asks something writhing inside of him and he steps forward, giving Alexander a parting kiss and biting his lip in farewell. “Well, perhaps darling I’ll just have to give you even better reasons to be confident. I’m sure I can find ways that outmatch those of failed suitors?”

Alexander nods, delight in crinkling of his eyes as smiles, basking in Magnus’ promise and attention.

[shamrock313]

Alexander Skarsgard (Nov 13)

This reading is for entertainment purposes ONLY. Please take everything you read for a grain of salt. Acting Career: Hermit (OC: Air Sign) = "contemplating next steps in his career" "searching for purpose in career" "Not feeling fulfilled". Okay, so I don't know much about Alex career other than right now, he has a podcast. (Note: Saw he's going to be in show called Murderbot and that's about it).

As for Air Sign, I saw that isn't his zodiac. Here's what I can say about it. Air Sign represents being intellectual. socializing, communicating, and curious nature. Despite not listening to his podcast, I've heard the trailer a few times (back when I did this reading) and I'm assuming it has a philosophical perspective to it. Alex POV: AoS + 5oS = This is interesting. These two cards are about "inner turmoil" "seeking clarity and truth". I can't tell if this is a battle with himself or someone else. Either way, he's going in a direct approach and wants to resolve things.

OC: Spiritual, Crush, Boundaries, and Catfish = With crush and spiritual together along with the AoS and 5oS, I would say its a "I'm willing to work things out with you. I want us to be mature and have an adult conversation about how we feel". Breaking boundaries. Breaking the mold. Things could be changing. Also, I don't know how Alex presents himself, but with catfish we can assume he's very different when not around fans. I would take this lightly. Tuva POV: King of Swords (Up and Rev)= Okay, so they could possibly be in a tiff right now, but I think they are working things out and that's good. Couples have that. I don't know her or how she is as a person but if she's blunt or has a dry sense of humor it makes sense. She might be a dry person like not boring but there's just (not to be rude) nothing special about her. She's just there. (Up) I think she's being very clear about how she feels (Rev) "cold, distant, or selfish". I just think they might have just had a rough time. Hopefully it works out.

OC: Unrequited Feelings and Be Present = Yeah so this matches with the card, so, there could be some feelings changing in a negative way, but they should just try to work it out. Be communicative, fair, and understand where the other is coming from. Overall Dynamic: Knight of Pent + 3oC = "Personal growth, supportive relationship, working on goals with dedication and seriousness". "Maintaining balance".

Oracle: Have Faith and Unbreakable Love = As long as they can overcome their issues, they will be a-okay.

[zee-has-commitment-issues]

For the secondary yr ask game 1-4, 10.

hello hello

Favorite secondary character I love them all! It's hard to pick just one, but I think maybe Henry takes it. He's so funny and mostly nice. Entertainment 10/10. Also I was named briefly the president of his fan club, so I might as well go all in.

2. Favorite secondary romantic and/or sexual pairing canon or noncanon? Because those are two different answers lol. Canon is Stedrika, I think. I just love them. There's something so believable and relatable about the way they fell for each other throughout the seasons. Non canon is probably Nilcent. I'll die on that hill. (Liking them as couples does not excuse their behaviors)

3. Favorite platonic friendship Maybe Maddie and Felice? Maddie seems like she really tries, despite being far from perfect, and Felice really needed that. Felice is a main character, but I'm sneaking her in here. (I'm trying not to say the big main character ones like Felice and Wilhelm or Simon and Ayub because obviously those would win, but this is about secondary characters.) Walter and Alexander's background friendship in season 3 is also a lot of fun to watch and very very sweet lol.

4. Favorite triad or polyship I answered this one here.

10. Favorite s1 scene centered on a secondary character Can I give you a funny answer? Because truly one of my favorite moments in the entire show is when Vincent and Nils are pretending to play chess and moving the same piece. It's a very short moment in S1E4 right before August interrupts them and it never ever fails to make me laugh. Honorable mentions: Henry and Walter bonding over their parents dating in high school; Stella and Fredrika telling Felice she's been named for Lucia; Vincent asking who was willing to go down on their principal.

list here

[fluffykitteninabox]

Hey... I'm curious about something. How do you and your family treat Greek mythology and superstitions? 👀

Do you believe in them to a degree? If there were Gods and Goddesses, why wasn't it a full religion?

I hope this isn't rude. I'm more than happy to talk about mine.

Don't worry, it's not rude

Sorry, this took so long, it's a surprisingly hard question to answer because I needed to think about how I view Greek mythology vs how the rest of the world sees it and this accidentally turned into a rant 😅

also some of my opinions might be considered controversial but... I don't care! lol I guess the 5 Greek followers I have can unfollow me if they don't like this or whatever 😂

Anyway have some sparkles because this is kind of long oops ✨✨✨

WARNING: me trashing on Americans

The Greek pantheon was like any other religion in ancient times, but it's not really treated like one anymore. The main religion of Greece now is Orthodox Christianity, and the largest religious minorities are Islam and Catholicism. My parents and I are atheists. I'm certain there's still people that practise it, but they would probably be seen as foolish by the general public.

We are taught part of our mythology in school at the age of 8 (unless they changed it idk 😂). It isn't taught like a religion, but more like fairytales.

The way it's taught is very lacking in my opinion. Instead of explaining for example how sexism influenced the creation of these myths and what a giant asshole Zeus was, we are just told Hera was "the jealous type" and that's why she's the antagonist in most of the stories she appears in.

Achilles and Patroclus were definitely gay, but no one ever talks about it. According to our school books, they were just really close friends! In fact, this specific topic is avoided so much that I first heard about it from foreigners on the internet! A lot of people deny this, even saying that "friendship was just different back then, it was deeper"!! I'm sorry sir, I don't think I'd ever ask to be buried with the ashes of my just a friend™ no matter how close we were! Technically speaking there's nothing explicit in the original text, but Aeschylus, Phaedrus, Plato and Alexander the Great all read it as a romantic relationship and the first 3 even had their own headcanons about it, so that's enough for me!

I'm guessing a lot of these depend on what type of teacher each person has, and it's been a long time since I was 8, so teachers might be more open about it now, but if you just read the 3rd year history (mythology) school book this is the content you'll get. I don't think withholding this information is done because it's being taught to kids, it's not a "they're 8, so they wouldn't understand sexism". That would be a silly argument considering our mythology is filled with incest, rape and gore, which our school books very openly mention throughout. They are just trying to avoid it.

From 9 and up, we are taught more actual history than mythology. We focus on real historical figures and events, so most of the less know myths get forgotten. At 13-15 we're taught the Odyssey and the Iliad (by Homer), and Helen (by Euripides). Yes, that is in fact the order that they teach us these 🙃!! Supposedly it goes from easier text to harder text for each year, but I personally think that's stupid because the story is completely backwards now, and we get it translated to modern Greek anyway, so what's the point of telling it backwards???? It's not convenient, it's confusing! Anyway, these are taught in a similar way to literature. We analyse the text and characters and all that.

Ages 16-18, I honestly have deleted most of these from my brain tbh 😂. OK, not exactly, the first and third year are more historical texts and philosophy. The second year we do another play, Antigone (by Sophocles). Actually wait, the first one was about a war and there was a ton of political intrigue in there, and it was super interesting. The third one was more about philosophy.

The plays aren't exactly the same as mythology, it's more like fanfiction about historical figures and gods! I mentioned them because..... I just like them lol

I kind of deviated a lot from what you actually asked me and answered more generally. For me and my parents specifically, religion isn't really something we participate in. My grandma is very religious though. She used to go to church every Sunday before covid. Now she watches it from the TV (there's a specific Christian chanel that broadcasts church service from different parts of the country). I personally hate how brainwashed some people are by Christianity (including my grandma). Thankfully, we haven't reached American levels of religious fanaticism.

Mythology isn't really something that's on our minds often. My grandma didn't go to school, so I doubt she knows much about it. My parents probably learnt some of it. Outside of the school environment, ancient Greek mythology isn't really a topic most people think about (maybe I think about it more than the average Greek person, because I'm an art student and a bit of a history nerd). But even then, I've seen more about Greek mythology from people who treat it like a fandom on the internet and make AUs with their characters and stuff like that. Now, I know I made jokes earlier about fanfiction and headcanons, so this is probably going to sound very hypocritical of me...

However, Homer's poems and other ancient Greek plays are not the same as myths. They're not treated the same. They are theatrical performances based on historical events/figures. I don't care much about people's modern interpretations of these, because they are fictional stories. Now, myths are also fictional, I even compared them to fairytales at the start. But they were still based on ancient people's religious beliefs. People practised it as a religion, they had rituals and traditions, some of which are still done today (though they have changed and evolved over time). The myths were more like the framework for what the Gods represented in their lives. Kind of like how most Christians don't believe the events in the Bible literally happened.

I'm fine with people taking inspiration from a myth and doing a modern retelling as long as they're respectful. I've seen some modern, more feminist retellings of Medusa that I personally really liked. I've even thought of making my own version of Arachne (=spider) but without the religious propaganda and classist undertones.

What I'm not ok with, is people wearing bedsheets to "dress up as Greek"! I'm sure you can probably relate to this because Americans do this with a ton of cultures. If you want to "dress up as Greek", do this:

I'll respect you more!!

(this is obviously a joke, don't do this either, you'll get laughed at. This dude is part of a parody show)

And secondly, I'm not ok with people taking mythology and twisting it into something completely unrecognisable that doesn't even seem like it's from the culture it was based on. Basically, Americans shouldn't be allowed to make movies about other people's cultures!!! Ok, I'm exaggerating, but if you're going to do something based on mythology/religion of some other culture, you need to do proper research and be as respectful as possible.

Good example: Dreamworks-Prince of Egypt, 1998

Even as an atheist who was only taught religion in school, I can tell this is a very respectful adaptation. The team that made this met with religious experts to make sure they got it right.

Bad example: Disney-Hercules, 1997

This is the most American a Greek myth has ever been! It's more like Superman than Heracles. Don't do whatever the fuck Disney did here guys. I'm actually planning on tearing this film apart in a future review, so I'm not going to say anything else right now.

I'm not saying don't make changes. Greek mythology is very "fluid" in a way. Every myth has multiple versions, with minor or major differences between them. Changes are fine, even making a parody is fine. But I think the end result shouldn't just resemble its inspiration on a superficial level. It's not enough to have your characters wear a tunic and sandals and have them say Zeus instead of God every couple of sentences. The important part is why a particular myth exists. What is the original message? What does the story/character represent? That needs to be kept the same, otherwise the adaptation won't be an adaptation anymore. It will be a different story disguised as an adaptation. At that point, you should just make an original story.

Alright last thing and then I'm done talking I swear 😂!

You also asked about superstitions.

Here's a small list:

if you spill coffee it's good luck

if your right palm is itchy, you'll get money, but if your left palm is itchy, you'll give money. The first one is usually interpreted as like: "you'll find coins on the street or win one of those scratch lottery tickets". The second one is like: "a sign that the electricity bill is coming, or you need to pay rent". (my dad believes this one)

if you're born on Saturday, it means you're lucky (I was born on a Tuesday 😔)

evil eye: a curse when someone "glares" at you/has bad intentions. If you have blue eyes you're immune to this, otherwise you can wear an evil eye charm. (this comes from the Middle East, I think. You might know about this, because there's a ton of different countries that believe it. I personally just like the charms)

when you visit a house for the first time, you need to enter with your right foot first for good luck. If you enter with your left, it's like wishing bad luck for the people who live there. This is also done for the first person to visit the house on New Year's Day.

if you enter a place from one door you can't leave from another door, you have to use the same one. (supposedly it ruins your matchmaking if you do that)

if you're talking with someone, and you say something simultaneously, you say "touch red" and then you need to touch something red before you continue speaking. (I remember doing this a lot as a kid)

if you talk about something bad happening hypothetically, you knock on wood or say the phrase "knock on wood", so it doesn't happen

if you get served the last drop of wine, you get bitches 😎!!

There are a lot of traditions that are really old that a lot of people still follow, even if they're not religious or the tradition comes from a different religion. I'll tell you one of my favourites that's relevant right now. Every first of March people in a lot of Balkan countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia and others) wear a bracelet made from intertwined red and white threads. This is worn for the whole month of March, and it is supposed to protect you from getting burnt by the sun. At the end of the month, we take them off and leave them for swallow birds to use in their nests. Swallows are believed to bring spring.

hand reveal lol:

If you read this far, you are a legend.

It's your turn now. How do you and/or your family view Philippine mythology? What about the people in general? And also, do you have any traditions for spring?

[kimium]

You asked about Housewarden’s favourite video games…but what about Vice Housewardens? Ignoring the in-game canon video games, what do you think their favourites would be??

(My friend is referring to this post HERE.)

Thanks for the ask, friend! I'm super excited to write this! I hope you like my answers!! Also, do note that even though the game never outright says Ruggie or Ortho are "vice house wardens" they're treated as such in game.

As per my last rules: I'll only talk about video games I've had personal experiences with. If a game is part of a series and I think they're basically similar, I'll just list them all together. Also, I'm trying to avoid any mobile/gacha/MMOs just because 1) I'm super unfamiliar with most and 2) I want to pick mostly PC and console games.

The Vice House Warden's Favourite Video Games

Trey - Cooking Mama (1 and 2)

Is there any contest for me with this one? Now, I do admit, I never really played Cooking Mama myself. However, my neighbour, who I grew up with, played Cooking Mama 1. I remember watching him play it, so I think that counts towards personal experiences. Anyways, this game is perfect for Trey! It's all around cooking and perfecting the different recipes! I think he'd love that element to it! There are also many different techniques and ways to do the various recipes, so it presents a challenge for Trey. However, it's one of those games that people only complete if they're completionists, which I don't think Trey is. So, he can put it down whenever he wants because he's a casual gamer.

Ruggie - Mario Kart (any of the games)

For Ruggie I think Mario Kart is the perfect game! Do know in my heart it's Double Dash as that's the one I'm most familiar with, but I'm saying any because the core element of the game is the same: race and win. I think Ruggie loves the party element of this game as he can play it with the kids back home. He loves sabotage and being a bit of a little shit when he plays too and with items and evil courses, I think he'd have a blast. I also think he'd on purpose drive off the course for the fun of it.

Jade - Amnesia: The Dark Descent

"But you cannot do horror" you may be saying and you're right, I can't. However, I have played at least 50-60% of the first Amnesia game! It has a vibe and aesthetic I think Jade would love. He'd eat up any horror game without flinching and probably laugh at the monsters/Daniel's misfortune as he ventures downward to kill his evil ex, Alexander. He'd also be delighted at the water level where most rational people cringe and cry thinking about it. This is also a game that Floyd would love shouting "encouragement" while Azul winces at certain elements.

Jamil - Just Dance (any of the versions, really)

For Jamil I think a fun, casual game works best as I don't think he's a big gamer. I picked Just Dance because he can do two things at once: play a game and work out. This game also has some great songs and I think Jamil would love picking and choosing. This game, like Trey's, is one that can become a little "completionist" and maybe spark some "competitive" spirit inside of people, which I think suits Jamil. He'd be the kind to pretend he's casual about the game before utterly destroying someone's score because they pissed him off.

Rook - Shadow of the Colossus

Originally I was going to try and pick a game with shooting or hunting in it but I figured if Rook wants that he can, you know, go outside? No, that's too much of a blend of his other hobby, hunting. So, I picked Shadow of the Colossus which is on my top list of "Master Piece Story Telling Video Games of All Time". Look, this game has it all: breathtaking scenery, gorgeous music, a story that has to be pieced together as you progress, and some of the most creative, impressive boss fights. I think Rook would get very invested in the story and the cinematic master piece of this game. He'd definitely be praising it as he plays and enjoy the overall experience.

Ortho - Pokemon (any of the newer ones)

I know I put Pokemon in my last list, but I specifically said the older games. For Ortho, he's playing the newer ones like Scarlet/Violet or Arceus. He's also Very Into the Meta and knows all the best Pokemon to grab and train. He knows the best move set for them. He knows which Pokemon to make HM bots and which to avoid catching. Ortho is planning his optimal strategy with Idia as they banter back and forth as he creates his "perfect team". They probably have a three day argument over which starter for Ortho to pick LOL. I also think Ortho would love to try a Nuzlocke and ask Idia to help him set one up with many challenges and difficulties. Also, the games have a small companion piece as two people can buy the opposite games and trade with one another. So, Idia is right there with Ortho, playing the same game just the other version.

Lilia - Fire Emblem (any title)

Do know in my heart, if I had opened this list up to mobile/gacha, I'd say Honkai Star Rail for Lilia because I'm just imagining him having the best luck and rubbing it into everyone's faces. Also, space theme is top tier.

Anyways, I picked Fire Emblem not to be self-indulgent, but because I think Fire Emblem has many elements Lilia would love: fun story, even if some games have better or worse plots than others, fun characters, and strategy. I'm imagining Lilia loving the game play as he strategically plays through the maps. He'd play on classic mode for sure, though I do like to think he'd never let characters die. Just because I can't bear doing that. I also think Lilia would love the supports and romance elements some of the newer games have. I bet he'd have his ships and also try to get their paired ending. Finally, I think Lilia would also LOVE to play a game where he picks all the WORSE classes for his units. Like making Lysithea a melee unit or something equally ridiculous.

There you have it! My list of what I think are the vice house warden's favourite video games! I do hope you enjoyed this list! Let me know what you think and what your choices would be, friend!!! I'll be eager to read them!

[mesaprotector]

I began writing this Elden Ring review when I felt the game nearing a close. Today I finished it. First "AAA" game I've ever played to completion, and I have mixed but mostly positive feelings. At any rate, my life to come is going to be a bit different not fighting wolves for hours each week.

Graphics

Anywhere from "fine, but relentlessly grim" (Caelid, much of the Mountaintops) to "I want to move here right now" (Siofra/Nokron, Leyndell, the Roundtable Hold). The game looks very good, though I can't say the same about some of the enemies and NPCs. When the designers cared, they made some very cool-looking stuff - Astel, Naturalborn of the Void is one of my favorites.

Music

The region themes were definitely a highlight. Above all, the terribly sad theme of Leyndell, a lone city clinging to life in a world falling gradually to pieces. The way the horn-using enemies harmonized with that theme was a beautiful touch. I wasn't as impressed with the boss themes though that might just be my personal preference for chiptunes.

Characters

Overall, this isn't a character-driven game, and that's fine. The voice acting definitely lends a hand with best boy Margit/Morgott and other characters like the Blackguard; but most characters who are memorable are memorable because of their designs or combat abilities. I do have to ask, though, why do most of the characters have to die? Even characters whose arcs I completed just up and died at the end. Alexander should've survived!

Combat

I think for the most part this aspect was fun. I definitely can criticize certain enemies getting reused (those awful ulcerated tree spirits, if you're going to reuse a boss that many times at least pick one that's fun). The balance was a bit off, as the game very clearly expects you to be playing a Str/Dex melee-focused build with a lot of dodging, weaving, and blocking, and doesn't bother balancing for anything else. Never mind that you can snipe enemies from a distance one by one or mow them down on Torrent, and then certain boss fights are MUCH harder doing anything except melee. (Hi, Rennala... or any of the Crystalians.) I don't know if it was intentional that some dungeons are torture but have easy bosses at the end.

I played Dex/Fth, using the Treespear for most of my run until I went for the Blasphemous Blade later in the game, with the Cipher Pata as a backup. I was terrible at dodging and only attempted it on bosses with telegraphed attacks like Mohg and the Fire Giant. I spent most of my time on Torrent, because the Treespear is an S-tier mounted weapon, and turned into a stealth-sniper every time I was in a dungeon. People sleep on bows and crossbows - their damage is terrible, but they're fantastic for aggroing one enemy at a time or hitting those dungeon pillars that breathe fire.

Despise the weird balancing, I think my only major quibbles with the combat in Elden Ring would be that, one, items are mostly useless - why use a Rune Arc to try to beat a hard fight when it's not enough of a buff to guarantee a win, and you lose it permanently? - and that the boss fights being occasionally hard throws progression out of whack if you're anything other than very, very stubborn. Which leads me to my main complaint about this game.

Questlines

Oh dear lord. I've always hated "guide dang it"-type content in games, but it's fine if it's like, secret rooms that have a bunch of coins and a cool sword. Not if there are obscure quests that you're all but required to play for much of the game's plot to make sense. (Rogier! I'm talking about Rogier!) I'll get into this more in the "story" section but I scarcely had a clue what was going on for most of the game, because almost all the lore for the game is hidden deep in questlines which can easily be permanently missed. I praise Miriel his Holy Turtleness every day for being one of the only NPCs who tells you about the gods without you having to find the Dubious Runebear Medallion first (or whatever). Without him I'd have had no idea who Marika even was.

The game also punishes you, over and over, for daring to explore areas early. Nepheli and Corhyn both died because of this in my playthrough - I'd already explored the Albinauric Village and the cliff by the Royal Colosseum, respectively, so I didn't re-explore once they moved to those locations. Then they just both died when I burned the Erdtree. Thanks, game. Really appreciate it.

While I'm at it - gesturing should never have been a mechanic in questlines except when you're explicitly told what to do (like the Finger Snap to summon Blaidd). Same with the Prattling Pates - there was zero indication they were anything but a joke item and then suddenly, dead Boc because you missed the single chance the game gives you to use one. (Rebirth with Rennala didn't kill me the three times I did it... so why did it kill Boc?)

I'm not sure I'd have completed even a single quest had I not had the bright idea to look them all up after the Fire Giant. (Maybe Fia's?) Turns out that was already a bit too late.

Story

I will say that the game's story and world is very, very good. It's a shame it's so hurt by the poor quest design, because I genuinely wanted to learn everything I could about the demigods, about the conspiracies and factions and everything else. Unfortunately I've learned more from the game's wiki than from the game itself. Even when I burned the Erdtree I wasn't totally sure why I was doing it, except that Melina told me to.

I was told by a friend not to heavily RP my character because it'd make the game too hard, but I did do a bit of it. I played a tough old lady, pious but brutal, who would never dare talk to the Three Fingers or do the bidding of a heretic, but wouldn't hesitate to slay a god. I intentionally skipped Tanith's questline because of this, and left the Dung Eater to rot.

Endings

I accidentally picked Ranni's ending. I was in the boss room after finally beating that obese flying salamander and instinctively pressed E when I saw a message below me, and instead of asking to confirm the game went straight into the cutscene. (Yet another example of this game being poorly designed for PC!) I think I was eligible for two other endings, and Fia's was my favorite concept of the three, though its 20-second cutscene I watched later on Youtube wasn't much. It does feel like the endings have the same issue as the rest of the game - very good ideas that never get explained well enough to be appreciated.

Overall

7/10; an amazing world with passable characters and very fun gameplay, but held back by the terrible quest design. If the game provided a lot more lore by default (for example, at the end of each major boss fight, or through Gideon and other NPCs who rarely change location), and made it very clear what the quest breakpoints were, it could easily be a 9/10. The game breaks the unspoken rule that hidden content should never be core to the plot. Anyone who plays this game should do it with a guide - not an exhaustive 100% checklist, but enough of a guide that nobody ends up dead without you intending it, and that you don't miss the most plot-relevant quests in the game.

[autisticempathydaemon]

Hi! If you're still doing the ask pairing thingy, here's my submission! This is kind of a lot of stuff, so a quick apology for the Sheer Volume of Said Stuff, and let's get into it!

Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays, and if so, which is your favorite and why?

Channeling the Idiotic Nerd Energy here, but hear me out:

Mathy video essays are my lifeblood. What can I say, rat brain craves sustenance. These are two of my favorites.

This is an hour-long essay on the continuity of splines, and Holy Shit. It tickles the few braincells I have left in the most wonderful ways... (Cool stuff!!)

https://youtu.be/jvPPXbo87ds

This one's a little shorter, but it explores the basis and applications of a different number system than the reals, known as "p-adic numbers." (Also cool stuff!!) Scratches the brain cell SO GOOD.

https://youtu.be/3gyHKCDq1YA

What song are you fixated on at the moment? What lyric or verse, and why?

И ты пытаешься снова дать очень дельный совет мне/Но я бы твоему рту предложил лучше скотч.

(Trans. You're trying again to give me such wise advice, but I'd offer that your mouth is better suited for scotch.)

The above lyrics are from 19 by ssshhhiiittt! (Fantastic song, though a little depressing). My russian is limited, but I Love this Song. This lyric, along with the rest of the verse, stands out to me because it captures the feeling of needing to change in some way, but nobody is giving that advice that you need; the advice that is pertinent.

Re: the Bois

As for the Bois™, I was never able to vibe with Asher or David (at least, not in a romantic sense.) Nothing against them, just not that into them. Platonically, I would forcibly befriend Lasko for nothing but "nefarious" reasons (DnD and hyperfixation talk).

Re: Eepy Talky Subjects

I get eepy and talk about either fountain pens or pretty dice. They bring so much joy to the rat brain. I could talk about fountain pen inks and bodies and makes and models until the universe dies, probably don't quote me on that though.

Tell me about that one book/movie/tv show you know all the words to.

I could probably recite most of Fantasy High or The Unsleeping City (both season 1) off memory. They're both part of Dimension 20, a live-play DnD show hosted on Dropout, and just, *chef's kiss*. Brennan Lee Mulligan (the GM) is a goddamned national treasure.

Other stuffs

Other than this, I'm just. A Guy. I'm studying to be a math teacher and I'm a type 5 on the Enneagram. I can tend to be a nervous wreck, and I also have Extreme Cool Guy Syndrome (my doctor says it's called ADHD.) So, ye! Have fun deciphering this trainwreck of an ask!!

Oh, we abso-fucking-lutely stan a couple in STEM. The nervous math teacher and the soft-spoken technician- you and Anton would be a great pair.

Type Five’s are characterized as inquisitive, innovative, and intellectual; it can be so fun to pair Fives with together because you’ll learn so much from each other and it’ll be flirting! Maybe even do the flirting in Russian, because that definitely was a factor in my complex, matchmaking algorithm.

Anton seems like the type who would love to listen and absorb, to pass the minutes hearing about the hyperfixation of the moment. Your students, math, dice sets- I don’t believe this man’s ever played a single session of a TTRPG in his life, but he’d try just because of the way your face lights up when you talk about it.

Song:

So, please, you must have faith in me/ There's no place, I'd rather be than home with you/ Where all is safe and warm/ But now I need to fight this storm

I’ve obviously got to plug my favorite Russian-singing boy. What can I say? Rybak is a dreamboat, and 5 to 7 can work really well for Anton missing you while he’s sequestered away at ETS. (Ignore the sad bit. Don’t listen to the third verse, or do! Maybe you’re an angst with a happy ending kind of babe.)

Runner-Ups:

Gavin, I like for you because I think he would be immensely charmed by the ADHD, nerd energy. Like with Lasko, there’d be so many teaching double entendres. Guy, I also like because he strikes me as a TTRPG kind of guy. He’d love actual play podcasts and series, and his chaotic energy would be great for improv if he actually played.

Note: oh my love you don’t need to tell me who Brennan Lee Mulligan is I worship and serve at the altar of Adventuring Academy 💌

Want a match-up of your own? Read this post, and tell me about yourself! 💌

[changingplumbob]

My top 23 gameplay moments

Thanks to @anamoon63 for tagging me! You've probably seen my top 23 screenshots but as I was trying to narrow them all down I did feel like my favourite storyline moments were not the same as my favourite pictures. So I'm going to take this tag and tell you the top 23 gameplay events I've had this year. Not all have screenshots as some of them happened before I started writing down and capturing my gameplay.

23. I did actually enjoy writing Bella and Mortimer pulling away from each other as Mortimer began to prioritise his writing over his family.

22. Seeing in thought bubbles that Paris and Samir both had crushes on the sims I wanted them crushing on. Sweet success!

21. Back when my game correctly did university grades and three out of five of my university students earned their degrees with honors! Devin, Luna and Cassandra.

20. Adding in Dina and Nina Caliente. Sadly Mortimer died so they haven't gotten a lot of screentime yet BUT I think they look great and have plans to bring them back in in time, they still control the Goth fortune after all.

19. Getting Bob his dog Dale which allowed Bob to get fit and healthy. He's still heavy set but it's mostly muscle now.

18. When Reece got a pop up about his crush randomly showing up at football practice despite his actual crush Samir being on the football team...

17. When Deanna and Paris completely ruined my story plans by kissing during a shopping trip in a different rotation, and I had to do sneaky screenshots so you couldn't see them in the background. Then when I went back to play Deanna she still had the first kiss option so I could write things my way.

16. When I was able to edit settings so that Devin and Luna could have kids that would be genetically related to them both. I usually like to keep my gameplay semi realistic when it comes to having kids but I knew Devin would not get pregnant being an actress and wanted the chance of a kid that looked like her.

15. My sims commiting home invasion before it became EA official. See Devin walking into the Pancakes house like modern day Goldilocks. Taking a bath, cooking a white cake, and only half eating some food.

14. Joey's glow up from little kid to attractive young adult was a nice surprise. I'm so glad he rolled wanting kids because if I can't get a Devin lookalike, maybe I can get a Joey lookalike down the line. Note to self, put eyelashes on more of my male sims.

13. When this new blonde girl in high school kept looking miserably at Deanna during the lesson. And I had Deanna go cheer her up only to discover when looking through her traits that she was also a lesbian. Cheers Paris for spawning at just the right time.

12. Kelly rolling the evil trait after being a destructive toddler was hilarious. I never would have picked it by myself but now I revel in writing him being a jerk to others.

11. When I got Milton to waddle across the road after Bella went missing. And again when I got him to ditch Dina and Nina and run away to see Alexander.

10. Rahul repeatedly spawning outside the Goth house for no apparent reason. This of course led to a friendship and eventual romance with Cassandra. Stalking may pay off???

9. Just watching Kaori ski has honestly been so fun. I look forward to it when I play her household. For those that don't know Charlie used Mix & Mingle for a blind date and Kaori was the second woman she met from that.

8. INFANTS! Specifically playing with alien infants like Silas and Pollock who are even more adorable and hilarious than human infants.

7. Writing Bob and Eliza as being in love. Taking the opposite nature of their personalities and finding a way where they actually work well together. I always smile when they go to woohoo and Eliza also dumps her clothes on the floor like Bob rather than in the basket.

6. When Reece got a crush on Samir after literally saying one thing to him, guess they'd been bonding off screen. In the York rotation Samir had come over and yelled at Reece, and my brain went he's probably just a closeted gay. Then I checked and he actually was! For storyline purposes though I have him as never being in denial of that.

5. Savannah and Mercedes being mini clones of Rahul. I love it so much. I also have really liked playing this latest storyline where they are not pleased at the idea of a sibling, they can be two little terrors.

4. Adam accepting the birth of both of his kids despite not wanting children. I didn't know if I could do enough to get him there but each time he was able to.

3. Keira getting sick during her Halloween party date and Marta looking after her. Not planned but ended up pretty sweet.

2. James proposing to Alexander when he was a townie, despite autonomous proposals being turned off and the fact that he had a living wife at that point. You rebel against the code James!

1. When Adam ignored autonomous proposals being turned off, and showed up in the middle of Suzanna's shift at the science lab to propose. They were living together by this point and clearly he got sick of me ignoring his wants while I played him at home.

So @azuhrasims @marcishaun @sharona-sims and anyone really if you have some top gameplay events from this year, doesn't have to be a whole 23, want to share? Also @julesbbsea17 I KNOW you must have had some kind of crazy memorable gameplay events in your game this year... *flashes back to that random unknown thing bobbing in the water beside your lot in Sulani that we still don't have the identity of*

[themarcspector-hasmoved]

OCs as Siken Poems

i was tagged by the lovely @blissfulalchemist to do this uquiz with some of my ocs. i went with my Witchblade fic au ocs because this au is kind of chewing up my brain at the moment and I might actually post something about it...maybe? But yes, this was fun and painful because I love Siken.

Any who, I'm tagging these lovelies, and you can do the uquiz if you choose to, or if i didn't tag you and you want to, just say I tagged you: @fayelistic @marlenealraune @thelittlestspider @outfromthesea @neutronstcr @theaisstillhere @wordsacrossemptypages @targentis @elysianfiields @rendipity @ellieswilliam @arcanedreamt @korblez & whoever else.

alexander roscoe | witchblade 1980s au

Scheherazade "Tell me about the dream where we pull the bodies out of the lake / and dress them in warm clothes again." poem about the terrible and beautiful intensity of love. makes me feel like i'm sharing a space with a significant other and we have many new and beautiful moments together. and it doesn't fix everything but it makes it easier, bonus poem: Self-Portrait Against Red Wallpaper * all interpretations are my own and you may interpret them differently which is awesome !! have ur own experiences with them i love you :)

ricardo valdez | witchblade 1980s au

I Had a Dream About You

surrealist dream piece but in a very homoerotic and fluorescent lit way. reminds me of going to waffle house at three am with my friends, or late night road trips. about the idealization of the good wild moments you have with people you love but also about the harshness of living outside of those moments. also kind of about crime, which i think is sexy. bonus poem: The Worm King's Lullaby * all interpretations are my own and you may interpret them differently which is awesome !! have ur own experiences with them i love you :)

claudia dardashti | witchblade 1980s au various

The Torn Up Road

"I want to tell you this story without having to confess anything." poem about having a hard time, the kind of hard time where you don't want anybody to see you like this, but somebody is seeing you like this. and somebody is doing everything they can to help you but you are reckless and they are young and you both are just trying to get through it one day at a time. bonus poem: Landscape With a Blur of Conquerors * all interpretations are my own and you may interpret them differently which is awesome !! have ur own experiences with them i love you :)

[moonlightstar27]

The Cowboy Virus

Sombra x Cassidy

Contains: Smut, Death, Intoxication sex, cursing, rough sex, fluff near the end.

"Sombra where are you?! The target is getting away stupid girl!" Oh I don't think so, widow was always so mean to me during missions but it didn't matter we still get paid the same. "Already on the target widow, tell reaper to meet me on the east side of the building!" I was running so fast not even the cameras could catch me.

But then that's when it hit me. "OH FUCK!" A flashbang, but from where could have it come from- oh you have to be kidding me. It was none other then Cole Cassidy. That asshole, how dare he get in my way! That's when I threw my translocater and sprang back up just in time for reaper too show up.

"Sombra go get the target I'll take care of the cowboy." Nodding as I went along I found Alexander Turner, he had been an ex Talon scientist who was planning to sell out Talons sleeper agents. "It's over amigo, you know how this goes. You should've never turned on us." The door then busted open. "Oh no you don't, you're gon' leave him alone Pumpkin. I don't want Morrison on my ass."

I grabbed Alexander by his hair and twisted around and pointed my SMG to his head. "Mmmm, I don't think so and besides, I had two blood thirsty teammates who would kill me if i don't get this job done so....." Cassidy started chuckling then pointed his pistol at me. "I'm the fastest gun in the new west, what Makes you think you can beat me?" how foolish can this man be?

"See what happens when you try to play hero cowboy? People still die because you failed." Cole then fired off six shoots which only 2 of them managed to hit him. "Reaper, Sombra we must go now. They are ready for us." Reaper was the first one to leave. Making sure to take care of anyone else he saw on his way back.

"Oh cowboy don't look so down, you see me one day or another." I then booped his nose and left him there.

After that mission, I kept seeing him more and more. He was always there like he was tracking me down just so that he would be the one to take me out. But I always manage to slip away from him and laugh at him. But sometimes he dose cause me problems. I swear the last thing he did Moria nearly mademe her next test subject.

I spent most of the days trying to just rid of him, he's becoming a real pain to my fun. I don't like when people ruin my fun. "Aye dios mio, that man is gonna get my pay docked. I need a drink." I immediately went to my favorite bar in town where they make the best tequila shots ever.

I was on my fourth shot when the bartender yelled out "Cole Cassidy welcome back friend!" Cole.... Cassidy.... Well, this could be fun. Of course he took a sit right next to me, we locked eyes for a moment but only a moment. How does someone so annoy look at me with such eyes.

"Bartender the usually please." I continued to drink my shot and slammed it down on the table. "So, how many times did Morrison get on your ass for not catching me?" letting out a small chuckle I tilted my head into my hand which made a fist and looked at him.

"For the amount of shit you put me through, I reckon that you would make a nice cash reward." Nice huh? I thought my worth would've been more. I feel hurt. Cassidy then took a sip of his whiskey. He looked so somber. "Well, how bout I buy you a drink, one different from this?" for the first time tonight his brown eyes looked at me differently.

Loud laughter came from the both of us as the night came closer to the end. "Oh and then I shut the door on his face. Oh reaper was so mad!" Cassidy and I were at the point of tears, this night was one of the best I had since I joined Talon. "Okay guys you. I have to close up, don't worry about the tab Sombra. I'm too scared you might just empty my account if I even ask."

I just had to Boop his nose before cassidy pull me away. "To think a troublemaker like you would turn me on like this." Before I could say anything Cassidy turn my head and kissed me. It tasted fiery, guess it's from the whiskey, I could help but wrap my arms around his neck. It was like fire meeting Electricity.

Pulling away from the kiss he went straight to sucking and licking my neck, it felt so warm. "Mm wait, is this a trick to try and turn me. If so at least mm~ buy me dinner first cowboy." removing his self with a loud pop noise he looked up at me. "Now, if I wanted to that pumpkin. You would've beenbout the moment I step in. But no I want you doll. If you mind following me?" Wow this night just got interesting even more.

I found myself at the overwatch base, it turned me on that he was sneaking me in to a high level place like this. When got too his room. He immediately threw me to the bed. "I am going to show you things even you didn't know pumpkin."

Our lips intertwine once again that night, it felt so good. Cassidy then started kissing down my neck, stopping near my chest. Cassidy started fondling my chest. I started letting out soft moans. It didn't go unnoticed luckily.

"All those times you saw me, I wanted to be the one. I wouldn't let it be anyone else but me." That's when he started sucking on my titties, like he was hungry. It made me arch my back an make the loudest moan ever.

"Let me hear those beautiful moans pumpkin, let me be the one that makes you feel this good~" After he said that he switched tit and started rubbing my clit through my soaked panties. It felt like I was on fire at the moment.

The assault on my body didn't let up my legs started closing around his hands. "Oh come on, don't tell me you don't like this." He then moved down and pulled my legs open and started eating me out. He took his sweet time licking my clit. Giving it soft licks before he started eating it out like a hungry man.

My hands went straight to his hair pulling him closer to me, to feel it deeper within me. He wrapped his arms around my legs and lift me up. "Aw f-fuck. What are you that hungry. You about to... Shit- about to make me c-cum." He started sucking faster after I said that.

I was so lost in the feeling I nearly blacked out from the pleasure. After I few more sucks, I came all over his face, he had drunk every last drop. His beard was soaked in my juices. "You taste delicious doll~"

He then pulled me towards him and kissed me once more. His dick was pressed up against me, I started grinding on him and he started grunting and bucking his hips up towards me. "Woah there cowboy, at least let me take your pants off before you even cum."

He chuckled and let me down. I had unbuckled his pants and took his cock out. I gave it a few good rubs before popping it Into my mouth. "Yeah that's it, get it nice and wet for me. It's- fucking damn. It's so warm inside your mouth doll."

He grabbed the back if my head and thrusted into it roughly, then held it there for a moment. I felt like chocking cause of how deep it was in my mouth. He removed me from him and lifted me back on to the bed. He pumped himself before rubbing his tip against my pussy.

"You're such a fucking tease Sombra, but god do I love it so much." He pushed my legs up and plugged himself in me. His movements were slow, slowly pushing in and out, in and out, in and.... Out. He managed to drag out every moan from me. He grabbed the head board to giving him support.

I wanted him to go faster, I wanted him to pound me. "Hey, Cassidy. Oh~ G-go faster." He chuckled at my request. "Beg for it. Beg for me to go faster." He stopped waiting for me to beg. I rolled my ears and looked at him. "Please Cassidy, please pound in to me." That's all he needed before grabbing my sides and rammed into me.

He was fast and brutal with his onslaught oh my pussy. It was so intense I had wrapped my legs around him and clawed at his back. He then pull out all the way to his tip and slammed back down in me. His way of fucking me made me scream his name out loud.

At this point I was in tears, I felt close to cumming and it started to get really hot. "C-cassidy! I'm gonna cum!" He rammed deeper into me, I could feel he was close to. Cassidy then grabbed my face and kissed me, his paced quicken fast until he stopped.

He had still as he emptied his cum into my warm pussy. Cassidy then rolled over on the other side of the bed and pulled out. His cum poured out of me, I was tried and out of breath. Cassidy wrapped his arms and pulled his cover over us. "You're one bad cowboy." "You're one helluva good kisser." We bussed out laughing, till we cuddled and when I was just about to sleep.

"I love you Sombra."

[gerandor]

alexander accepted nandor's invite out of pity though so i don't know where this idea that he would want to see nandor again when their first outing was a disaster is coming from here. nandor can be pretty off putting to people who aren't used to him. so can all the other vampires, they're not exactly the most sensitive bunch or even the most up to date with social conventions as shown by nandor talking through the movie (that shit's annoying when you're watching tv at home but at the theatre that's just a full stop no for me). and i know we all collectively breathed a sigh of relief that the show didn't go down some antisemitic road but talking about wanting to meet a jewish person so badly like you'd talk about collecting pokemons and calling a jewish person a slur (yeah i know jewish people use it to refer to ourselves but goys really really shouldn't) is the kind of shit that flies around the vamps because they don't care and guillermo because he knows nandor doesn't mean any harm. but if nandor said any of that weird shit around alexander... yeah i don't think he would call again.

Hi! Sorry this answer got a bit too long!

Ok so for context, this ask is most likely in response to this post i made about one possible interpretation (actually two. I added another reading immediately after the first one) of the scene with Guillermo on the phone.

I think it's fair to assume that you know about interpretations and different readings of text as this is exactly the same practice you used to read Alexander's words “he seemed harmless and kinda lonely” as meaning “I pitied him and was so annoyed at him at the movies that I didn't want to be around him anymore.”

And well. That's also the same method i used. I had a text and I tried to use cues from the text to read it in my own way. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In fact that's what we all do with text. We try to read it in our own way and it's our different readings that enrich the actual text. But yes when the readings aren't supported by facts from text it gets annoying and unbelievable. But i thought i gave enough reasons in that post, so I won't repeat them here.

But i will expand on it.

In that scene when nandor asks if it's Alexander on the phone, Guillermo presses the phone to his chest and he actually cowers and he sounds so guilty for some reason. I'm not saying it definitely means it was Alexander on the phone but it shows Guillermo is hiding something. So the question is, what? I tried to come up with one possibility.

Also i thought most of us agreed that Guillermo looked jealous when nandor was talking about acquiring a new friend? He definitely didn't look pleased that nandor was spending his time with someone new.

And you used your own personal feeling about people talking in the movies to support your view that Alexander didn't want to be around nandor after watching a movie with him. But that's just a reading. As long as we don't get Alexander actually saying in words that he didn't want to be around nandor bc he found him so annoying at the movies, we can all have our own interpretations why he didn't want to be friends with nandor anymore. (And the scene with nandor showing him his...ehem penis, i think that was just the last straw, bc before that he was trying to completely ignore nandor.)

And in fact, the show seems to be encouraging our various readings by not actually telling us who it was Guillermo was talking to on the phone. Isn't it interesting that the scene immediately cuts off to nandor smashing the phone and saying ‘it's not fair’? What isn't fair? Who was Guillermo talking to? The show doesn't tell us bc it wants us to speculate.

I also wrote in the tags that i actually hope that my reading wasn't correct bc if Guillermo is being petty and jealous (like how he was about gail and jenna, so it's not too ooc for him) and wants to sabotage Nandor's friendship with others, then i want the show to actually be upfront about it. I don't want it to be sth people speculate about when every time nandor messes up, it's there for everyone to see (and hate nandor for it.)

As to the whole jewish discourse which i don't know how it's relevant to my post…i’m not jewish and i’m not the right person to talk about it and tbh i have no idea about the slur you talked about. But i have seen some posts by Jewish people who said they actually loved the representation. The episode was directed by yana Gorskaya who is of jewish descent and ive heard that she said she had taught kayvan the jewish slangs. I personally didn't think it was offensive that nandor always wanted to have a jewish friend. He even described them as brave and fierce warriors which are the kind of qualities nandor appreciates in others and prides himself on.

But you're welcome to your own interpretation.