#d efinitely

[sculptambitio]

𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 "𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔" 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔?

"you're the exception"ㅤㅤyour emotional walls have walls. seriously, you've guarded yourself so well, you sometimes forget how to look over your own walls and see the beauty of the world outside the safety of the protection you've set up. you forget how to escape the confines you built for yourself, that is, but some people (some incredibly rare people) somehow know their way through that intricate maze of walls and thorns around you. they're the exception, and terrifying as it might be at first, you'll let them know eventually. you smile at them where you'd scowl at another. you crack a joke where you'd usually stay quiet. you find yourself opening up more than you'd ever imagined. don't tear your fortress down if you don't want to, but maybe try to build your loved ones a little home inside it instead. you don't have to be alone. you deserve better than being alone in there.

Tagged by: stole it! Tagging: y o u.

[tolsunflowerboi]

I got together with a bunch if friends last night and we decided to put on a movie for like, background noise, and one of them suggested a musical called 'Diana the musical' and my guys, my dudettes

We were fucking captivated

It was amazing, the backing dancers and singers were scathing, the wardrobe and costume changes were on point, the songs??? Were so catchy???

I've added some to my Spotify playlist ngl

Honestly 10/10 would recommend watching. Especially with others, we were side eyeing each other throughout the whole thing-it was spicy!

[beforus-for-real-justice]

{Y}ou know I can see the tags right?

QUICK WHICH MODS DO YOU SHIP

(] Shipping real people is for wrigglers [)

[haharuspex]

guess who has a birthday today!! :D

this year has been de-efinitely something and, y'know, not to sound too cheesy but reblogging my art would be the best gift ever!! <3

[in-stitchesx]

My arms are... Admittedly hellishly ticklish

From my hands to my shoulders, nightmarish /pos

Would (hypothetically of course) d..efinitely want unbearable tracing all over my arms until I'm begging for attention on an even worse spot 😵‍💫😵‍💫🤍

Art coming soon!

[jessicalprice]

Ethnic Reasoning in Early Christianity (2. Introduction)

(Part 1 is here.)

On to the introduction.

With the context I outlined in the previous post, Buell opens with a question from the Epistle to Diognetus, one of the earliest known examples of apologetics, a discipline primarily within Christianity that attacks other cultures/systems of belief and defends Christian ideology.

Why this new race [genos]? the author asks about Christianity.

The question, asked almost 2000 years later, is a challenging one. As Buell notes:

Most people—Christian or not—do not think of Christianity as necessarily linked with race or ethnicity. Indeed, most historical reconstructions published in the last twenty years depict earliest Christianity as an inclusive movement that rejected ethnic or racial specificity as a condition of religious identity.

She discusses some attempts to associate Christianity with particular race(s) much later in its history (guess when!), which are of course about as gross as you'd expect. Put a pin in that.

Sidebar: The poisonous legacy of Renan's The Life of Jesus

In general, and in contrast, the idea of Christianity as above race has been almost universally seen as positive.

Christianity [is] a kind of religion that is defined by its being not linked to race, and... higher value [is] accorded to Christianity on this basis.

Indeed, most academic study of Christianity has been marked by:

[A] widespread view of Christianness as emphatically not a race. In the study of Christianity, and especially Christian origins, this shift has translated into an emphasis upon defining the difference between Christianity and Judaism as that of an ideally universal religion versus a religion of a particular people.

Christianity can be liberatory for some of its adherents, and I don't want to suggest that that experience of it isn't real. But one of the reasons empires have found Christianity a useful religion of empire is because while it can be liberatory, it can also be pacifying. Its liberation can be all in the realm of the spiritual and not at all in the realm of the material or political. After all, in positioning suffering and martyrdom as holy and instructing slaves to obey their masters, Christianity can be constructed to reinforce social hierarchies and oppression and abuse by treating life as a testing ground and promising a reward--and equality--after death.

Over and above whom?

The problem is it generally gets there by scapegoating Jews:

[C]laims that earliest Christianity transcended ethnoracial distinctions have often been formulated over and against a definition of Jewishness... [D]efinitions of Christianity’s racially inclusive ideal will perpetuate a racially loaded form of anti-Judaism if the implied point of contrast to Christianity’s inclusiveness is Jewishness.

(It also often serves as a loophole letting white Christians off the hook in examining their own racism--after all, if Christianity is the solution to racism, they can see themselves as antiracist simply by being Christian.)

As I discussed in the preface, this also contributes to one of the defenses of what Lee Leviter has dubbed "the myth of Christian innocence." This particular defense of Christian innocence posits a single, original, "pure" Christianity from which modern iterations have fallen, allowing defenders to posit anything bad that comes from Christianity as an example of "fake" Christianity (a largesse, one might note, that extends only to Christianity--other cultures are judged on what their adherents do, while Christianity can only be judged on its ideal form).

The interpretation of these New Testament passages as indicative of explicitly nonracialized Christian origins depends on a historical model of Christian history that moves from “pure” origins to less pure realizations of Christianity over time. When Christian practices and structures contribute to racist and ethnocentric oppression, this outcome has often been interpreted as a failure to realize the universalistic and egalitarian ideals inherent in earliest Christianity.

The problem can never be anything about Christianity itself--it can only be because people aren't actually doing Christianity. (This is diet culture logic writ large: if you don't get the results you want, the problem is clearly with you and not with the diet. If you are harmed by Christianity, the problem is, in essence, with you for thinking it was Christianity that harmed you, when actually, it was this imposter Christianity.)

Fluid or fixed ethnicity

So, we have a Christian vision of early Christianity as something that liberated people from their ethnic specificity.

And yet:

Christians also referred to themselves using other language that their contemporaries would have understood as positioning Christians as comparable to groups such as Jews, Greeks, and Romans: the terms ethnos, laos, politeia (Greek), and genus and natio (Latin) pepper early Christian texts... Instead of positioning Christianness as not-race, or aracial, many early Christian texts defined their version of Christianity as a race or ethnicity, sometimes in opposition to other rival articulations of Christianness, and sometimes in contrast to non-Christian groups and cultures (including, but not limited, to those defined as “Jews”).

So how do we reconcile a Christianity anyone can join--indeed, a Christianity that has as its end goal a world in which everyone has joined--with an early Christian self-conception of Christians as a race or ethnicity?

Buell's answer is that the difficulty is due to a false binary.

Race and ethnicity are positioned as irrelevant to early Christian self-definition because they seem to contrast with universalism. In this way of thinking, racially or ethnically specific forms of Christianity may exist, but these variations are viewed either as incidental (not affecting a perceived underlying essence of Christianity) or as problematic (obstructing the achievement of a Christian ideal to dissolve racially or ethnically linked forms of religion and society). This interpretation of the relationship of race/ethnicity to Christianity was especially elaborated in modern historical contexts in light of arguments that race/ethnicity are natural, biological traits.

She argues that this has led to a modern understanding of race/ethnicity as "fixed," a characteristic that wasn't necessarily as present in the ancient world. (The non-fixity of membership in a people certainly makes sense from a Jewish perspective--one can join the Jewish ethnoreligion, and that makes one fully Jewish.)

A universal ethnicity

An ancient-world conception of ethnicity/race as dynamic makes it possible to understand both Christian self-conception as a race/ethnicity and Christian univeralism:

Christians conceptualized themselves not only as a group formed out of members of other peoples, but also as a people themselves... Like Romans, early Christians do not view descent as a bar to (or a precondition of) becoming Christian; nonetheless, Christians also develop and ritually elaborate claims of primordial descent as a basis for defining the Christian community.

In the end, though, we can still use contemporary understanding of these terms to help us parse early Christian self-definition.

The central argument of this book is that early Christian texts used culturally available understandings of human difference, which we can analyze in terms of our modern concepts of “ethnicity,” “race,” and “religion,” to shape what we have come to call a religious tradition and to portray particular forms of Christianness as universal and authoritative.

Four reasons for ethnic reasoning

Buell outlines four reasons that ethnic reasoning was useful to early Christians:

First, race/ethnicity was often deemed to be produced and indicated by religious practices.

Christians (cultural and practicing) often have trouble grasping that Judaism is an ethnoreligion--they often want Jews to identify either as "religious Jews" or "ethnically Jewish." That distinction is not natural to Judaism: Jews are a people with our own culture, and that culture has, as part of it, distinctive religious elements.

Today, in a hegemonic Christian society, being an ethnoreligious culture makes us unusual, but it's important to remember that it was normal in the ancient world.

Second, although ancient authors frequently refer to membership in a genos, ethnos, laos, and phylon as a matter of one’s birth and descent (that is, as fixed or ascribed), such membership was nonetheless seen to be mutable.

Again, this is something about the way Judaism functions now (it's a people/ethnicity that you can join under certain circumstances) that often trips people up, but that's not because Judaism is unique, it's because we're using an older understanding of peoplehood than contemporary Christians do.

Third, this juxtaposition of fluidity and fixity enabled early Christians to use ethnic reasoning to make universalizing claims, arguing that everyone can, and thus ought to, become a Christian.

Finally, early Christians also used ethnic reasoning polemically, especially to compete with one another.

Framing is everything

Buell notes that attempts to reconstruct and understand early Christianity are usually framed by two questions:

“What is the original form of Christianity?” and “How and why did Christianity ‘succeed’?” Although it may not appear so at first glance, both of these questions rely on modern ideas about race for answers.

She outlines how the first question treats Christianity and its development as if it were biological:

It also contains within it a prior question: what makes Christianity different, distinct, or unique (that allows us to even speak about it having an origin)? Christianity is then studied implicitly in organic terms as a life form, with the presupposition that there is a fundamental essence or structure to this life form that may be altered in subsequent strains but which can be uncovered by tracing Christianity back to its original roots.

This biological framing leads to some interesting hangups:

Moreover, these metaphors encode organic notions of racial and sexual difference that appear in preoccupations with what we might call miscegenation. Three concepts in particular signal this concern with early Christianity’s sexual/racial purity: “syncretism,” “Judaizing,” and “heresy.” All three are used to explain differences within Christianity in terms of improper “mixing” of some original essence of Christianity with allegedly external elements... There is an irony here. Naturalized ideas about race help to structure the very classifications of religions despite the insistence on defining Christianity as not-race.

And of course, that leads both to gendering things like heresy (both in terms of describing it in feminized and sexualized terms, such as whoring, and in belief that women are especially susceptible to heresy, especially Judaizing) and scapegoating Jews and Judaism as especially racialized.

By distinguishing Christianity as universal and racially unmarked, Judaism is constructed as its constitutive other—the racially marked particular... [T]he Jew becomes the “other” by which the self is defined.

On to Chapter 1. (To come)

[cybernatedbeholder]

Brenya would you rather fight ten duck sized horses, or one horse sized duck?

--E-> D-Efinit-Ely hors-Es. Knowing ducks it would try to fuck me and I'd rath-Er avoid that- -Ew.

-> he shuddered at the thought of that happening, really a hell no situation for him

[myfuckingfrontier]

You represent space right? Is that why there are multiple spaces when you type?

Y ES. D

EFINITELY. N O OTHE

R REA SON.

[cybernatedbeholder]

-> You couldn't help but focus on just how long he's been holding onto your hand but looked at his face the whole time, which allowed you to notice expression change for a moment.

-> After he let go of your hand you stood up straight, looking down at him like the royal bitch you are.

"I gu-Ess you do hav-E a point th-Er-E."

-> He didn't hide that this was the main reason why anything happened. But not to be a complete asshole your tone softened.

"Oh d-Efinit-Ely, unb-Eli-Evably charm-Ed~ Pl-Easant to m-E-Et you again. ...Br-Enya H-Ekami."

-> You didn't know what would happen, but at this point there was not much to lose, you tilted your head lightly while pushing a hip out to the side.

"You doing anything sp-Ecific out h-Er-E? Or just wand-Ering around hoping to bump into an incr-Edibly attractiv-E tyrian?"

-> At that moment he wanted to burst out laughing but his helmet did an excellent job at hiding that.

rambunctiousrunt​:

-> You almost got offended by his words, about to threaten him or walk away from the situation but then you realized who’s voice you were hearing. Well, that’s hard not to recognize. With a smirk under your helmet you looked at the silly image in front of your eyes for a second, before gathering your thoughts and doing the first thing that came to your mind.

“ You at l-East r-Em-Emb-Er something, th-En~ ”

-> You offered the violet a hand to help him stand up. You briefly wondered what he’s doing out here, but decided against asking for now, if he wants to share, he will.

-> You got hit with the realization of how condescending you must’ve sounded right now, but oh well, fuck it, too late to back out now.

> You could almost feel the offense flowing then ebbing away. It was almost exhilarating but you knew better than to give in to wanton desires.

> Especially those that’d drive away someone you got along with.

“Oh I rEMEMbEr Many thIngs; just..not how I got thErE and how I got hoME..”

> Your tone implies jesting..but you definitely don’t remember most of that morning.

> You smiled that soft charismatic smile of yours as you took the offered hand, rising to your feet so fluidly one would think you were still in the water.

“Or If I E^En askEd your naME. Though I supposE forMalItIEs go out thE wIndow whEn onE Is just MErEly lookIng for a good tIME.”

> Now it was your turn to accidentally come off as condescending. Your brows furrowed ever so briefly as if chastising yourself though smoothed out as you finally let his hand go.

“EIthEr way; I’M Vierya Aragan. CharMEd I’M surE~”

[beels-burger-babe]

A Little Voice Told Me - Pt.2

Poly! MC Summary: Words hurt and leave their scars. MC learns this the hard way after hearing some not-so-nice whispers about them while on a date with Beel. How are they supposed to be the partner of the seven lords of the Devildom when they just don't measure up? Part 1: HERE, Part 3: HERE ***Good Golly!! Y'all really like the angst, huh? Here you guys go. Cry your hearts out and enjoy! - B*** Beelzebub woke up the rest of his brothers early the next morning. While most of them attempted to flip him off or threaten him at the initial disturbance, all it took was him saying that they needed to talk about you for them to shoot out of bed. In a matter of minutes, all of them, except Levi, were seated around the breakfast table. "If we're talking about MC, why aren't they here?" Satan asked while poking at a piece of fruit. "I don't know about you, but I personally don't feel right talking about them behind their back." Belphie scoffed and laid his head in his arms. "It's not like we're gossiping about them or anything. They were acting off last night, and Beel thought we should discuss what we're gonna do about it." Beel nodded, "They pulled into themself halfway through the night, and was upset but kept brushing me off whenever I tried to talk to them about it." Mammon huffed and crossed his arms. "Maybe they just didn't feel like they could talk to ya about it," he rose to his feet and began to walk towards the door. "I'm the first! I'm sure I can get it out of them, easy peasy! I'll just head in there and-" "Mammon, sit down!" Lucifer hissed. Mammon grumbled under his breath but did as told. Lucifer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We've talked about this. Stop bringing up the whole 'first man' thing. MC is in a relationship with all of us. Not just you." The second-born pouted and stabbed an egg with his fork.

Lucifer rolled his eyes at his brother's antics and looked back at Beel. "Something clearly happened during the date. Do you have any ideas at all at what it could've been?" Asmodeus stirred a swirly straw around in his drink. "I mean, I would be pretty upset if I spent three hours of my evening at a barbaric sporting event too," Asmo chuckled and smirked. "The only good thing about sports is that you get to see all those rippling muscles of the athletes in action." Beel scowled at his brother took a bite out of the omelet that was on his plate. "It wasn't because of the game. MC loves coming to my Fangol games and was having a blast with me until halftime. Something had to have happened while I was gone." Asmodeus opened his mouth to counter the statement when Leviathan came rushing into the room carrying his laptop. Lucifer raised an eyebrow at the sight, "What have I told you about devices at the table?" Leviathan shot him an annoyed look as he plopped down in one of the chairs. "This isn't about table etiquette. This is about MC," he looked over at Beel and Belphie. "I think I have an idea on what may have caused them to start distancing themselves." Everyone perked up in interest at the news; each one of them eager to know what was distressing their loved one so much that they felt like they couldn't talk to them. "Well are you going to tell us, or are you just going to sit there?" Satan quipped, his anger beginning to get the better of him as he sat on the edge of his seat. Levi gave him a flat look before he typed a few things on his keyboard. "I was doing a raid last night trying to keep my mind off of what might've happened with MC and decided to ask my party members about it," Leviathan's expression darkened as he began to explain. It was clear to everyone that whatever was said, wasn't taken lightly by the otaku. Rather than reading the conversation out loud, he turned his laptop screen for all his brothers to see. Leviachan: Gaaah! I just can't focus on the game tonight. My partner came back from a date tonight and has been acting kind of sus. There's definitely something bothering them, but they refuse to tell anyone. Ruri-Chans-Husbando: Dude, you're talking about that stupid human right? Why are you even with them? You shouldn't give a Normie like them the time of day. Waifu-Addict: Exactly! Listen, we've all been talking and you need to drop that whore. They're totally just using you and your brothers for your titles and power. The demons read in horror and rage as the chat room filled with messages from the members of Leviathan's party all saying similar garbage about you and degrading you in every way they could think of. Satan stood up and began to pace near the table as he used every inch of his self-control to keep himself from lashing out. "I want names, Levi. Who are they and why do they seem to think it's okay to talk about MC like- like that?!" Satan snarled as he curled his hands into fists. Levi tsked and crossed his arms, as Lucifer took the laptop to look more closely at the messages. "You say that as if I haven't already used my 'title and power' as Grand Admiral to have my men collect and imprison them. They're at the navy base waiting for us to get our hands on them as soon as we sort this whole mess out." Belphie growled, now sitting up and wide awake. "Get our hands on them is right. No one gets away with this shit," Asmodeus glared at the computer as though it had just dyed all of his clothing brown. "Rotten brats. They're all just jealous of stunning MC. Ugh, Diavolo, haters are the worst." Beel pushed his plate away from himself as he frowned deeply. "As disgusting and horrible as this is, what does it have to do with MC getting all quiet during our date?" A low rumble came from Lucifer as he handed the laptop back to Levi. A fiery hatred was burning brightly in his eyes as he gritted his teeth. "If a bunch of anti-social shut-ins are going around talking about our dearest MC like this, I believe Leviathan's point is that others probably are."

"Ouch. I wasn't going to say it l-like that, but yes," Levi winced and continued, "MC probably overheard people saying something about them. I mean, if people said that crap about me I'd probably hide in my room and not come out for months!" Mammon, who had been surprisingly quiet during all of this, had a very serious expression on his face. "Right, and we don't want MC to go through that. For Diavolo's sake, they've left alone to overthink this enough," Mammon stood up and headed towards the door again, Satan hot on his trail. "I'm going up to there to talk with them. Ya'll are welcome to come with, but you ain't stoppin' me." "Actually, Mammon, you're not. We should wait until MC comes to us," Lucifer interrupted. An animalistic snarl tore its way from Satan's throat as what little self-control he had snapped. Wrath incarnate lunged himself at Lucifer, grabbing his older brother by the collar of his cloak. "Are you serious, Lucifer?! You're seriously putting your stupid pride first, now?!? MC needs us!" Lucifer growled and pushed Satan off of him as he stood to size him up. "No. What they need is to not feel pressured to open up when they aren't ready! We can't make them feel like they can't come to us!" Mammon scoffed from where he stood in the back. "Oh, cause that's perfect logic! News flash, oh wise one, They ain't gonna come to us if they're thinkin' they're a burden! But you wouldn't know anything about that would you?!" Lucifer's eyes widen and he took a step back in shock at the statement. "What is that supposed to mean?" Mammon and Satan both opened their mouths to put Lucifer in his place when Beel all of sudden cleared his throat loudly. All three of the angry demons turned to snap at him but froze as they saw you standing in the room behind them. They instantly straightened themselves up gave you their full attention. The air seemed to lay still between you as everyone waited for the other to make the first move. As with almost every situation, it was Mammon who broke the silence. He took a step towards you. "MC, I was just coming to get you actually. There's somethin' we all wanna talk to you about." They could hear your breath catch in your throat as you took a step back. Panic filled your eyes the moment the words left his mouth. "O-Oh. I, um, I was actually just going to grab an apple and then head off to RAD for class. M-Maybe we can talk afterwards?" Satan frowned as you walked past him towards the fruit bowl. "MC, it's the weekend." You stopped mid-step. An uncomfortable tension filled the room as the obvious excuse was exposed. The brothers waited for you to move, to speak, to do something to give them any sort of sign for what you wanted them to do, but you just stood there, still like a statue except for the tremors in your hand. "Come on, Darling," Asmodeus spoke softly. His face clearly showed the hurt and concern that was coursing through him. "Everything's alright, I promise. We just need to talk about a few things." The brothers had thought of a number of ways you could've reacted to them confronting you. Lucifer thought that perhaps you would snap at them and distance yourself further. Mammon, Levi, and Asmo expected a few small tears followed by a cuddle session. Satan imagined a slightly more dramatic telling, like something from one of his novels, that ended him being your hero and massacring all those who dared speak ill about you. Beel thought perhaps you could talk over a bunch of comfort foods that allowed you to remain calm and feel safe. Belphie had hoped that perhaps you hadn't believed what you overheard, and the two of you could laugh at how idiotic even the idea of them not loving you was. But you, breaking down into tears, sobbing the words "I'm sorry" over and over again? None of them had expected, nor were prepared, for that. ***Apparently this is now going to be a three-part series. This part was interesting to write. I fully believe that if the brothers were in a poly relationship with the MC they would definitely bicker and argue about

who knows MC best and who had the better date whenever MC isn't around. Honestly, they probably have a score chart 😅 I hope you guys liked part 2! Keep an eye out for part 3, where MC finally opens up to the boys and we have some hurt/comfort times \uwu/ ***

[sawwyfac3]

Sal and Larry titfucking their S/O

I loved writing this, although I’ve only written one n/sfw fic I feel like I’m getting better. This reader has breasts but is written as gender neutral. All characters are 18+ and N/sfw under the cut

WARNINGS: N/SFW content, titfucking, dubious use of condoms/contraceptives (wrap it before you tap it), 18 +, should I mention cum even tho it’s obvious?,  the writer doesn’t know what she’s doing

Sal 

- When you first brought it up he went completely red. He never thought of something like that and didn’t think he would be into it but the blood rushing to his crotch says otherwise

- Constantly tells you that you don’t have to, even when you start he tells you that you can stop any time you like.

- His cock is SUUPEER sensitive, especially around the tip so take extra care.

- Absolutely loses it when you start licking the head of his cock while rubbing your breasts up and down his shaft. 

- Strokes and plays with your hair as you go down on him. Mutters sweet nothings on how amazing you are and how much he loves you.

- Cums quickly, he wants to cum in your mouth to keep you from getting messy but ends up cumming on your face, collar bone and tits. Which ended up making him hard again. 

- After some passionate sex, you and Sal take a hot shower, followed by a horror movie marathon on the living room couch, covered with fluffy blankets and binging on snacks, enjoying each others company.

Larry 

- When you propose the idea he’s excited. He’s only ever seen it in porno is ecstatic on trying it out.

- Larry has a specific vein on the underside of his cock. If you lick or lightly bite he will lose his mind, he might even tear up from the sensitivity if he’s been teased for long enough.

- Finds it extremely hard to keep his hands to himself, gets a little rough and grabs the back of your head, not too hard to hurt you but just enough to get a good grip and push you down on his length.

- Mutters how good you are to him, saying that you might get a reward later. 

- Loves seeing you covered in his cum, like a dirty reminder that you’re his, you’re real, you did this for him. 

- Definitely keeps his promise of a reward later, after a nap and a nice cuddling session. 

[writingquestionsanswered]

do you have tips for writing kind of awkward small talk? i have two characters who are meeting again after a long time and i'm trying to figure out how to do the whole "so how have you been?" thing without dragging it out

Dialogue: Awkward Small Talk

We want dialogue to be believable and sound real, but real life dialogue doesn't translate well to the page, and that includes "awkward small talk."

The Function of Dialogue in Fiction

Fiction is a balance of exposition (narration), action (things happening), and dialogue (conversation.) Just as with exposition and action, dialogue needs to pull its weight. Every line needs to convey something the reader needs to know, either about character, world, back story, or plot. This includes lines that let us see a character's mood, sense of humor, feelings, and opinions.

The Problem with Awkward Small Talk

Let's start by defining what qualifies as "small talk" and what makes it awkward. In 1923, anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski defined small talk as:

"Purposeless expressions of preference or aversions, accounts of irrelevant happenings, [and] comments on what is perfectly obvious."

Look at those keywords: purposeless, irrelevant, obvious.

See the problem? Purposeless, irrelevant, and obvious are another way of saying "pointless," and why would we want dialogue that's pointless?

How to Avoid "Pointless" Awkward Dialogue

One could argue that if you want to illustrate awkwardness between two people talking to each other, that awkward small talk does serve a purpose, and that's true... to a degree. However, the key to doing awkward small talk right is not to overdo it. In other words, you don't need to have a drawn out conversation where the characters play a ping-pong game of awkward comments. Just one or two for each character is more than enough to get the awkwardness across.

I was busy scrolling through my phone when someone sat at the counter beside me. When I turned and saw it was Jack, I almost froze. We hadn't seen each other in almost two months, since the night we broke up.

"Oh, hey, Jack!" I said, dying a little inside when my voice cracked.

"Kate? Oh my God. How have you been?"

I couldn't comprehend how to answer honestly, so I said. "Um, great. So busy. Doing lots of yoga, got a dog. And you?"

"Doing great. I've been flying a lot... for work. Really racking up those frequent flyer miles. You know how it is."

"Yeah, of course. Flying is... great. Well, speaking of yoga, I have a class soon. It was nice seeing you!"

"You too, Kate."

Jack smiled, and I smiled, too. Then I walked out into the L.A. heat and didn't look back.

Definitely feels like awkward small talk, but it doesn't go on and on. In fact, outside of the initial greeting and the "nice seeing you," they both only have one awkward line. And that's enough. Both sentences pack a big awkward punch, so they do the work without filling the page with a completely pointless conversation.

I hope that helps! :)

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[badjokesbyjeff]

‌‌After s‌‌ex w‌‌ith m‌‌y n‌‌ew g‌‌irlfriend l‌‌ast n‌‌ight s‌‌he s‌‌nuggled u‌‌p n‌‌ext t‌‌o m‌‌e a‌‌nd s‌‌aid, "‌‌You a‌‌re d‌‌efinitely t‌‌he b‌‌iggest I‌‌'ve e‌‌ver h‌‌ad."

Apparently "‌‌ditto" w‌‌asn't t‌‌he c‌‌orrect r‌‌esponse.

[sevensins-stuff]

Hi! I saw you were taking requests for writing. So, it's my birthday today, and I'd love some comfort fluff. Could I request hcs of Asmo, Levi and Simeon together with someone that has MAJOR confidence issues (insecure of their appearance, doubting everything they do, seeing themselves as a failure constantly, etc)?

Oh, happy birthday!!

Asmo, Levi, and Simeon w/ an Insecure Mc

Asmo

If confidence is the name of the game, then Asmo's your number 1 player

If confidence starts from the outside, then he's ready to give you a top-to-bottom make over!

He's going to make you look as beautiful as he sees you

But if after all of that you still can't see how amazing you are, he'll take it all off. Even the avatar of lust knows that you can't just be beautiful every day

He'll clean you up and talk to you. Even if he can't fix it, he knows that getting it out is better than keeping it in

When you tell him about how you really feel on the inside, he'll silently wipe your tears

"If anything, I'm not perfect all the time. But that's something we have in common."

He'll hug you and help you let it all out

Levi

If there's anyone who understands what it's like to be insecure, it's Levi

He's not the best when it comes to expressing his emotions, but he truly understands

He actually likes when you come to him to vent about something so personal

He likes hearing about your feelings of worthlessness and wishing that you could just hide away because he not only feels the same, he has it somewhat figured out

"The feeling doesn't go away, I know. I've been alive for thousands of years and I still feel the same way! But it doesn't feel as bad now as it did when it first started. I can help you out a little if you want?"

He isn't the best at consoling either, but he knows exactly what you need

Simeon

Unlike the previous two, he's indifferent when it comes to his own sense of confidence, so he doesn't know exactly what to do to try and solve your confidence issue

But that's what makes coming to him the easiest

He's willing to take the time to listen to you instead of jumping to the first solution that comes to mind

"I'm always here for you. We can take it slowly and work on it together."

Definitely believes that every problem has a root cause and it can only be figured out once you know where the problem is.

Metaphorically speaking, he wants to be your stepping stones, not your guide

He wants you to grow stronger on your own but will help you when you really need it

It's also his form of helping you build your confidence

[cybernatedbeholder]

😨 FEARFUL, 🍁 MAPLE LEAF, and 👑 CROWN for Brenya

😨--E-> D-Efinit-Ely fight. I hav-E my guns r-Eady at all tim-Es.

🍁 --E-> Wint-Er, I can stay away from -Ev-Eryon-E and hav-E a valid -Excus-E of th-E wat-Er surfac-E b-Eing froz-En.

👑 --E-> I don't think I hav-E anything in mind. But... As som-Eon-E who stay-Ed strong until th-E -End.

[aziraphales-library]

Hellooo, looking for an Aziraphale/Crowley fic. I don’t remember all the details but I think it involved something along the lines of crowley telling aziraphale that he loved him and aziraphale denied it because his experience of “love” was with the angels and he had bad experiences with them. He doesn’t want Crowley to “love” him. Think it ended up fluffy and they talk through it but I can’t find it for the life of me. Would be much appreciated if you could help!

Hi there! I believe this is the fic you're looking for:

Definitions of Love by organizechaos (G)

Aziraphale thinks that all the abuse and trauma he endured in heaven is ‘love’. After being freed after the apocalypse, the angel is beyond happy. He wants nothing more than to spend eternity with Crowley but the demon is ready to put a name to their feelings. They both know that they care for each other deeply and when Crowley finally has the courage to put it in words (‘I love you’), it sends Aziraphale spiraling into believing Crowley will start treating him like heaven did.

"We- we don't have to pretend anymore.” Crowley stuttered out, golden eyes looking frantically about the angel. His sunglasses were clutched tightly in the palm of his hand, “The apocalypse is over, it has been for years. Can't we- can't we say it now?" his voice wavered only slightly.

"I don't love you, Crowley." Aziraphale emphasized each word to better help the demon understand. He had never truly loved something in all his years of existence, he didn’t think he was capable. To love another being — especially Crowley...

"I could never love you."

- mod c