#do people actually still operate like that??

[megamindsecretlair]

hey i just need something real nasty between husband and wife with mr.aaron (i say it key and peele😂😂) with some angst before the actual plot🤭

A/N: Ask and ye shall receive, beautiful.

Made You Fall For Me

Pairing: Husband!Terry Richmond x Wife!Black!Fem!/ Plus Size reader

Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, You are in charge of your own reading experience. Intentional use of AAVE. SMUT. Cursing, teasing (fem and male receiving), PIV, oral (female receiving), Reader is able to be picked up, use of pet names, angst. Mentions of death of a loved one, trauma. All consensual. Sorry if I missed some.

Summary: It had been two weeks since the anniversary of Mike’s death and Terry still beat himself up over it. Tired of Terry not letting you in, you join him in the shower and show him that he has a life to lead right here and now with you. Story by @uniqueoutlierblog

Word Count: 5,371k

AO3 Link

A/N: Thank you so much for dealing with my hiatus. I'm stronger mentally than I have ever been. Definitely worked on myself and stopped being so hard on myself. The kind asks really helped me find my way back, so have this smutty fic as a giant thank you! Thank you so much for all your continued support! Toss a coin to your blogger by leaving a comment, gif, or unhinged ask.

Terry sighed as he entered the bedroom. You looked up from your phone to watch your husband. 

His tall frame moved fluidly around the space, taking off of his pants and his shirt. It was soaked through having just finished at the gym. He sat on the edge of the bed to fling off his socks and toss it in the knit hamper. 

“Hey babe,” you said. 

“Hey baby,” Terry sighed.

You stared at the back of his head as his shoulders drooped the longer he sat on the bed. He looked so…dejected. Like someone sucked the air from his tires. You leaned up and let your powder blue throw blanket fall from your shoulders.

This was the second week in a row that your husband was still in this funk. Two weeks since the anniversary of Mike’s death where it seemed like Terry relived it all over again. It started with a dream, the very moment he ran into the hospital carrying Summer. Hopped up on adrenaline, a bullet in his shoulder, and him looking for the next threat. 

Then he would slowly withdraw mentally, checking out of conversations. Floating through the motions of going to work and getting back home. You were worried that he would get into an accident but he was able to operate on auto-pilot, navigating the world just as he normally would. 

It was both sad and amazing that he was able to do so. But this wasn’t your husband. This was a guilt ridden man who sometimes realized that he had no family. You were his family, of course, but he had no living blood relative alive. Mike was his one and only connection and that was severed by hate and pride. 

“Baby, will you please talk to me?” You asked. You fiddled with the edge of your phone. He wasn’t facing you, but you were still nervous to look at his face. You didn’t know which would be worse. Hearing you and choosing not to speak or not hearing you at all because he was lost somewhere you couldn’t reach?  

“I-I’m trying,” he said. He tilted his head to the side. You longed to comfort him, hold him, console him in some way. But every time you reached out, he would stare at you as if he couldn’t feel it. Couldn’t feel you. 

You didn’t know how to help him through this. You’ve lost people, sure, but you always had enough family and friends to fall back on. You didn’t know what it was like for him and he was too stubborn to let you take some of his pain. 

You moved forward and crawled on the bed towards him. He stiffened as you got closer and you wrapped your arms around him anyway. You held on and placed your hand over his heart. It beat rapidly beneath your fingers and you inwardly sighed in relief. He was still in there. His heart still beat.

“You have to stop beating yourself up about this. He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself forever,” you said. You kissed his back and rested your cheek on his skin. He was always so warm, like your own personal fire pit. But due to the sweat, he was cold and clammy. 

“I was supposed to protect him. That was my one and only job,” Terry said. 

“You were supposed to love him. But what happened was out of your control,” you said. 

Terry sighed and stood up, breaking your embrace. He hung his head as he walked to the bathroom. The door closed decisively and you flinched from the harsh sound. The light turned on underneath the doorway. The shower turned on and you didn’t hear anything further. 

Some days you wanted to knock your husband’s teeth in. His overprotective instincts went into hyperdrive, past the point of what was healthy. He refused to think of himself and the consequence be damned. Other times, you just wanted to wrap him in a floofy blanket and never let him out of your sight. You couldn’t very well fault him for wanting to keep you safe when you were the exact same way. 

But this…it varied on when he’d be able to pull himself out of this. Sometimes you’d say or do something to bring him back. Sometimes he’d take a deep breath and release that dark cloud. And sometimes, he’d disappear for a whole day and return back to the sweet, loving man you married. 

But fuck this. You missed your husband. And you were tired of seeing him walk around like a zombie. You got out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom.

Steam rushed out and passed over your exposed skin. You closed the door behind you and noted the discarded underwear on the floor and a red towel on the edge of the sink. Terry’s silhouette moved just behind the foggy glass doors. 

You quickly stripped, flinging your lavender sleep set to the ground with his briefs. You stuffed your bonnet beneath a shower cap and slid the glass doors back. Terry looked over his shoulder at you and you entered the spacious shower behind him. 

The custom shower with tiles painted in different shades of brown was roomy enough for about three people comfortably if they were all intimate. Water cascaded down from a waterfall shower head, pouring down over Terry’s strong body. Water dripped from the edge of his wide nose, his full lips, and his well-defined chest. You followed the trail of water down his belly and over his long, thick dick. Water fell down in his long legs and huge feet. 

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“I’m taking a shower,” you said. You shoved past him and grabbed your wash cloth, pulling it under the spray of water to get it wet. 

Terry huffed. “Had to be now?” He asked.

“Yup,” you said, popping the ‘P’. Instead of grabbing your favorite soap, you grabbed his and lathered up the wash cloth. 

“C’mon,” Terry said. He tugged on your arm for you to turn around. 

You did so and slapped the wash cloth against his chest. “I miss you,” you said, cutting off whatever he was about to say. He closed his mouth and grimaced, jaw flexing. 

You flattened both of your hands against his chest and stepped closer. Water hit your back at a lukewarm temperature. You had no clue how he could shower like this but that wasn’t the point. “I miss my husband and I need you to come back, right now,” you said. 

Terry closed his eyes and his long eyelashes fanned across his cheeks. His mouth worked like he wanted to say something but the words never came. Whatever he wanted to say lodged in his throat and he couldn’t choke it out.

“So after this shower, you better step out of it and remember that you did everything right for Mike. And he made his own choices. That’s not your fault. It has never been your fault. And it’s time you accept that,” you said. 

You moved the wash cloth over his skin, scrubbing him down. Soap transferred to his body in thick suds, falling down his skin. He watched you and shut his mouth as you scrubbed him all over his chest and moved on to his arms. 

His eyes never left yours as you massaged the cloth between his fingers. He sighed and hummed as you found tense spots. You rubbed him deeper in those areas, working out the tension. 

You maneuvered behind him so he could rinse and then washed his back, creating big circles of soap. You moved down to his ass, teasing him a bit. He grunted and then chuckled. Well, that was a good sign. If he was chuckling then at least he was starting to relax. 

You washed down his legs, tickling him in areas. He danced out of your way and you warned him to be careful in this slippery ass shower.

“If you die, I’ll bring you back and kill you again,” you warned.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and smirked. 

You worked your way back to his front. His dick twitched and bobbed in your face. You looked up at him and his head was tilted to the side as he looked down at you. Fuck, he was pretty like this. Above you, staring at you, and in all his naked glory.

He needed to walk around like this more often. For your eyes only. That beautiful male body needed to be on display 24/7. 

You looked at his dick and then slowly dragged your eyes up his body and back to his striking ocean eyes. He took in a deep breath as his mouth curved upward. The rise and fall of his chest had an answering throb in your clit. You dropped to your knees on the hard flooring but it barely registered in your mind. 

Your husband worked his way back to you in the best way you both knew how. Sex was everything to the both of you. The one way you knew you were on solid ground. From the moment you two met, it had been electric and consuming. Always finding ways to touch each other or be near each other and breathe each other’s air. 

You dragged the wash cloth over his dick. At the first press of your hand, he hissed and jerked his hips towards you. You steadied your left hand on his hip and then stroked him with your right. 

He lifted his head towards the showerhead and let the water run down his face. Since he leaned back, water fell on top of your head and face but you kept looking towards him and the look on his face. 

He was hands down the most beautiful man you had ever met. And the kindest. He wasn’t always nice. He had more than enough words to say about folks that crossed him. But he was always kind, always treated people with respect. And he was a gentleman on top of it. Always opened your doors, always stood on the side of the street closest to danger. Every day, you found new ways to fall in love with your man. You only wished he’d forgive himself. 

“I love you. And I miss you. I need you to come back,” you told him. You increased the pressure, giving him long, slow strokes. All the way down to his base, squeezed, and then worked your way back to his tip. 

He groaned and rolled his neck, moving his hips. Your pussy throbbed seeing cum leak from his tip. He leaned one hand on the side of the shower, fingers pushing into the grooves. 

“Fuck,” he muttered. “I’m sorry.” 

“You have to let me in when things get dark, Terry. I don’t like feeling like I’m on the outside,” you told him.

Terry nodded his head and his eyes turned darker. But he didn’t look so far away now. His eyes were clearer, more present. “I hate feeling like I failed,” he said. His jaw flexed and you matched him stare for stare. 

“You did everything you possibly could. You deserve a life too. Not to punish yourself for the life Mike doesn’t have,” you said. You paused stroking and let the sound of the shower fill the room. 

Steam rose to the ceiling in wispy clouds. Soap and water rushed down Terry’s body. His chest rose and fell in heaving sighs but then evened out. Once his breathing returned to normal, you began stroking him again.

He groaned and dropped his head as you increased your strokes. You watched his face and watched the emotions play across his features. His lush lips parted and he moaned, deeply and guttural. “I’m gonna bust,” he moaned.

“Give it to me,” you whispered, just loud enough to be heard above the spray of water. You kept your same pace and three strokes later, Terry’s dick throbbed and his cum splashed onto your neck and titties. 

Terry’s moans were sweet music to your ears. You grinned evilly and kept stroking. He jerked and stuttered with chuckles and reached out to still your hands. He huffed and chuckled, giving you a saucy wink. 

He pulled you up by your arms and crushed his lips to yours as soon as you were within reach. He grabbed the cloth from your hands and hung it on the lip of the shower door. He cupped your neck in both hands and angled your face to meet his rough kisses. You moaned into his mouth. You missed this. You missed him. So damn badly.

The ache in your chest finally lifted now that your man was back. He healed and soothed with every kiss, every swipe of his tongue, every caress of his thumb on your wet skin. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he harshly whispered between kisses. 

“It’s okay,” you whispered back.

Terry pulled back and looked into your eyes. He narrowed his and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. “I will call and get help later today. There’s no excuse for how I’ve been acting. You deserve better from me,” he said.

You tilted your head and kissed his wrist. “I do. But I also know we’re in this for life. So I need you to let me in more,” you said.

Terry nodded. “I promise. Thank you, for sticking with me through this shit,” he said.

“That’s what wives are for,” you said with a giggle. 

Terry took a deep breath and then a mischievous gleam made his hazel eyes twinkle. A smirk curved his lips and he began to massage your neck. You hummed and your eyes drooped. “Husbands are for protecting you and taking care of you, right?” He asked.

“Yes,” you said slowly, eyeing him. He was up to something…

Terry flipped you around and pressed your chest against the glass shower doors. You cried out from the sudden cold on your nipples as he pushed until your titties flattened against the doors. He kicked your legs wider to spread for him and your body shivered from his casual roughness. 

“T-Terry,” you sighed. 

Terry locked your arms behind you, hooking his arm around your elbows so that you were unable to move. Terry licked the shell of your ear and you shuddered. He slipped his free hand around your throat to pull your neck back and rest your head on his shoulder. 

“I’m gonna make up for my bullshit,” he promised with heat laced through every syllable. 

“Terry, you don’t–”

Terry cut you off by moving his hand from your neck to his dick. He ran the tip through your dripping folds and then plunged inside with a rough thrust. “Oh shit!” You cried out, twisting your hands to try and slow him down. But because he had your arms trapped, you had no choice but to take his dick.

He angled your hips into a more comfortable position and then he slipped his hand back around your throat. He grunted with every deep thrust, filling you up, and making you take it. 

“Too much, too much,” you whined, trying to lean away from him. Terry pushed into you harder, pinning you to the door, while he continued to fuck you. Your forehead leaned on the doors and your breath fogged up the glass with your moans and sighs. 

“You can take it, baby,” he said, sinking you deeper and harder onto his length. He kissed your neck, licked and nibbled in areas, and moved upwards to your ear. “I love you so much. And I know I’ve been an ass. I haven’t been fair to you,” he whispered in your ear while he continued to dig into your guts.

You weren’t quite prepared for him to be so sweet and so nasty all at once. He gave you no time to fully hear his message or fully focus on his dick inside you so you were stuck in a twisted limbo. Suspended between absolute pleasure and your heart swelling with emotions. 

“That ends today, okay? I’ll prove that I’ll do better,” he said. He grunted and cursed under his breath. 

“Fuck, you feel so good,” you moaned. 

“That’s my job as your husband. And it’s a job I take seriously,” he said. He smiled against your neck and then pulled you into a rough kiss over your shoulder. Your lips danced and played with each other as your orgasm rushed to the surface. 

You began to cry and stutter as it washed over you. Terry moaned as you squeezed around his dick. “Fuck, that’s it,” he panted into your ear. 

When you came down, Terry let your arms go. He slipped out with a grunt and stepped back. You missed the heat of him instantly. He rubbed the feeling back into your arms from having them bent back for so long. He grabbed the discarded wash cloth from the top of the shower and rinsed it out.

He lathered up with his soap and then carefully washed down your back and your ass. His finger slipped between your cheeks to tease as he washed you down and you giggled with him. 

Terry turned you around and washed down your front. Washed the cum from your chest that didn’t rinse off from the water. You smiled at each other, finding your way back with every swipe of the cloth across your titties, your tummy, and down your thighs. He ran the cloth between your legs, careful not to get soap in between, and you moaned just from having his hands on you again.

His lips on yours. His eyes seeing you again after weeks of zoning out. Hints of your husband poked through that barrier he erected and now you were let in behind the wall. You grinned at him and leaned on your toes for a kiss. 

The kiss was meant to be innocent and sweet, just something to show that you loved him. That you were there and never letting him disappear again. But Terry kissed you deeper, grabbing you about the neck once more and crushed his lips to yours. 

His tongue slipped inside and then he gently nibbled on your bottom lip with his teeth. “Terry,” you sighed. Your stomach flipped with desire. Pussy throbbing. Once wasn’t nearly enough. 

“I know,” he said. He lifted your chin and brought you in for a sweet kiss. He deepened the kiss even as he maneuvered you towards the shower wall. He lifted you by the ass to wrap your legs around his hips. 

“Fuck,” you cried out. It never ceased to amaze you that he was so strong. He worked hard in the gym to take care of himself but also to lift every pound you had. He lifted without effort, without strain, and grinned when he caught the look on your face. 

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Terry said. He stared into your eyes as he pushed back into you. Back into your warm, wet heat and you both groaned as he pushed in slowly, all the way down to the base. 

Your nails dug into his back and shoulders, clutching on for dear life. He was huge and thick. Long. He pulled back and then sank in once more, repeating this over and over to make you feel every last inch of him. Feel his mushroom head push against your soft, spongy walls welcoming him in. 

Your mouth dropped open, needing to release something. A cry, a moan, a word. Nothing came as he stroked into you, increasing with each one. Soon, he was slamming into you. His wet, loud strokes echoed in the tiled shower and your cries soon joined it. 

“You feelin’ me?” He asked. 

You nodded. You adjusted your arms around his neck and he dropped his forehead to yours. 

“Look at me,” he whispered. You locked your eyes with him and it somehow made his strokes even more intense. He throbbed inside you. 

“You feel me. Right here and now. I’m not going anywhere. I’m never going away again,” he moaned while he stroked. 

“Terry,” you sniffled. 

Fuck, this was all you ever wanted. You didn’t need him to be perfect. You didn’t need him to be a textbook definition of a husband. You just wanted him present and with you. Sharing his pain and his joys. Sickness and health. Better and worse. Those were the vows you swore before a room full of your close friends and family. 

“I feel you. I feel you right here,” you promised. 

Terry switched up his strokes, getting deeper than before and bottoming out. You both groaned and threw your heads back, getting lost in the sensation of him filling you up. Connecting the both of you. As close as you could possibly be to another human being. 

Terry leaned down and kissed you, playing with your lips, even as his hips slammed into you over and over. Pressure built in your belly, making your thighs quake and your arms tremble. “Terry, please, I can’t,” you begged. It was too much. It felt like you were out of control, out of your norm, unrooted. 

Terry only continued exactly what he was doing. “You’re taking me so well, baby. You can keep going,” he said. 

Your eyes swam and your vision turned blurry as you clung to him and came undone on his dick again. Your cries were loud enough to echo and bounce off of the tiled walls and ceiling, giving you a feedback loop of your own pleasure. It amplified your orgasm and you shut your eyes and surrendered to the overwhelming feeling. 

Terry kissed you all over your face, neck, and shoulders. He pumped you into you until his own hips stuttered and shot loads of thick cum into your pussy. You whined and shivered as he fucked his cum deeper and deeper. 

He slowed to a gradual stop and you stayed connected like that while you both recovered. Water still pelted the both of you and you kissed on each other, soaking up the moment. Terry leaned over and turned off the water, still holding you.

He smiled and kissed your lips. He nuzzled your nose. “Missed this,” he said.

“Me too,” you said. You kissed his cheek. 

Terry carefully stepped out of the shower with you still wrapped around him like a spider monkey. You were glad. Because now that you had him back, you weren’t ready to let him go. As if you would keep him here with you by sheer force of will. 

He moved the towel from the edge of the sink and placed you down, slipping out of you. You kissed and loved on each other while he dried the both of you off. Greedy for more, you reached between you to play with his heavy balls. 

Terry groaned and tilted his head down at you. “You sure you wanna do that?” He asked.

You continued fondling his balls, rubbing them between your fingers, and making him moan. His hips canted towards yours and you bit your lip, needing him back inside. Two orgasms weren’t enough. No number would satisfy you. 

“It’s been too long,” you pouted and looked at him. 

He chuckled and kissed you, taking possession of your poked out lip. He suckled on it and you moaned, feeling your pussy respond and ache from just this small action. 

“Get that sexy ass on our bed. Let me clean up in here and I’ll take care of that,” he said. 

You pouted again and whined but he bit your lip. “Now.” He deepened his voice and arched a perfect eyebrow at you. 

You rolled your eyes and his eyebrow lifted higher. You grinned and hopped off the sink. While being punished for your attitude would be fun, you just wanted him right now. No extras, no games. You wanted to enjoy him and enjoy his body. 

He smacked your ass as you walked out and he chuckled after you shrieked and hid your ass behind your hands. You skipped to your bedroom and laid down on your bed. Cool air blew across your damp skin but it wasn’t freezing or uncomfortable.

The temperature was just right to make you hyper aware of your body. Of the feel of your skin and the thorough fucking Terry just gave you. Your pussy was still sensitive but you couldn’t resist teasing your clit. You ran your other hand along your skin, your belly, and your titties. Squeezing your nipple between your fingers and moaning from the dual sensations. 

“Terry…” you called out, drawing out his name. If he didn’t get in here soon, you were about to take matters into your own hands. 

The afternoon sun was setting low, rich oranges and golds slanting through your curtains and casting a warm glow about your room. Most days, you hated that your place faced east and west, but on lazy days like today, it was perfect. 

Terry moved about the bathroom, you had no clue what he was doing. So you closed your eyes and continued to play with yourself. You grew wetter by the second, your mind filling in with images of Terry’s broad chest. His narrow hips. That monster he had between his legs and the unbridled pleasure he managed to provide every single time. 

God, you loved that man. In every which way you were able to get him. You didn’t have the words to convey it but you’d spend the rest of your life trying to find them. 

You moaned as your imagination took over. Replaying what happened in the shower, the look on his face, the fire in his hazel eyes. You sighed as Terry entered the room.

“Oh, you bold,” he said, his voice laced with amusement. 

You didn’t stop though. You spread your legs further and shifted on the bed so that he could get a clearer view. “All warmed up for you,” you teased. 

Terry’s eyes dropped to the core of you, at the way you held your pussy lips open. Your other hand teased around your clit in figure eights, dipping into your pussy every so often to gather up more essence. 

Terry’s tongue swiped out to lick from one side to the other. Your fingers lost their rhythm. “Keep going,” he commanded. 

You whined and started up again but you couldn’t think straight. Not with him leaning against the wall looking at you like you were a five course meal and he was a starving man. When you just couldn’t find that spot again, Terry smirked and walked closer.

“What happened?” He asked.

“You,” you said. 

Terry smirked and took his time kneeling at the edge of the bed. He grabbed your thighs and pressed his thumbs to your inner thighs, massaging them. “Fuck,” you moaned and twisted, trying to close your legs and trap his hands there.

“Naw. Open back up. That’s what you get for trying to handle it yourself,” he said. 

“It’s been too long since I’ve seen you,” you said and smirked. Terry lifted an eyebrow but his eyes were still on your throbbing pussy. He had to see how you were clenching around nothing. Clenching and reaching for him. 

He leaned down and kissed your clit. He retreated too quickly for your blood and you whined, pushing your hips back towards his face. 

“I’m still apologizing so I won’t make you beg this time,” he said. Without further ado, he dragged his pink, juicy lips through your folds, hunting for your clit. His tongue darted out and teased, dragging the tip through your folds. His tongue was warm as it flattened against your clit and he licked.

“Fuck!” You screamed out. 

Terry smiled between your legs before getting down to business. He suckled and licked and nibbled while he feasted on your pussy. Your pussy throbbed and ached while he slurped up your essence noisily. 

“Fuck, baby. Right there,” you moaned.

Terry locked in to the spot and swirled his tongue around in tight circles. You clutched to the covers, nails digging in for dear life as you twisted and jerked. You reached down to grab onto the back of his head and push his head deeper. 

Terry placed his hands to your thighs and pinned them to the bed while he ate you out, never stopping for breath. He just ate like a man possessed until you were twitching and crying out on his tongue, reaching your climax in record time.

Terry continued to eat you out through it, whispering into your pussy how perfect and sexy you were. How much he had to make up for. Your throat was scratched raw from all the moaning you were doing, too spent to respond. To tell him that he didn’t have a damn thing to make up for. His pain was valid and he had a right to see it through, but he had to see it through. Not just disappear into his head.

None of that came through. Your vision swam as you looked at the popcorn ceiling, too blissed out to form a coherent sentence. Terry replaced the view of the ceiling, leaning down on his fists, as he smirked at you.

“Still with me?” He asked.

“Always,” you sighed. 

He chuckled as he climbed onto the bed. It dipped beneath his weight, jostling you a bit. His knees pushed your legs on top of his thighs. His eyes sparkled as he slipped into you, meeting no resistance from your pussy.

“Shit,” you grunted. You pushed feebly at his chest. Not necessarily to make him stop, but fuck, you needed time to recover. Time to catch your breath. He stole the motherfucker, the least he could do was let you gain it back.

“Nothing feels better than this,” he said. He sank deeper into you, making you curl into him and squeeze his hips with your legs. He grabbed both of your hands and pinned them above your head, poking your chest out for his lips to capture your nipples.

He suckled on them, going back and forth between the two, while he fucked into you lazily. Unhurried. Like he managed to pause time long enough to focus on delivering you pleasure. His eyes found yours and he smiled, his dazzling grin turning you stupid and pliant.

He groaned as he felt your body relax and he dug into you, harder, deeper, faster. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you,” you moaned.

“Cum with me, baby,” he said.

You whined and focused on cumming with him like he said. You could feel him throbbing inside you, close, oh so close. You panted, sweating, legs trembling, back bowing. He leaned to one side so that he could slip his free hand between your legs to play with your clit.

Your moans increased to a near panic as your orgasm came running at his beck and call. You cried out and your squeezing pussy milked him. He moaned and dropped his head as he spilled into you over and over, his body trembling from the force. 

He kissed your cheek but you otherwise laid there and enjoyed the feeling of him crushing you to the bed. Who needed oxygen anyway?

Your stomach rumbled, breaking the beautiful silence after such a powerful moment. You both laughed as it rumbled again. Terry released your hands and you covered your tummy. He pushed your hands away with his chin and then kissed your belly. 

“We’re gonna need another shower and then I need to feed my wife,” he said.

“Feed your wife or feed your wife?” You asked, waggling your eyebrows. You were spent and tired but you could find another round in you for him. Always for him. 

“Both, nasty ass,” he said. He stood up and then pulled you with him to stand as well. He gave you a sweet, tender kiss and promised over and over with both his tongue and his actions that he would become a man worthy of your love. 

The end.

I love you all. The Secret Terry Richmond Files

Taglist: @planetblaque @chaos-4baby @amethyst09 @ciaqui @we-outsiiiide

@browngirldominion @iv0rysoap @thecookiebratz @harmshake @00aijia00

@judymfmoody @multiversefanfics @tvchi @xo-goldengirl @superhoeva

@avoidthings @lovedlover @blackgurlnhermoods @flydotty @sageispunk

@semi-yah @halfreal-and-halffiction @motheroffae @melaninpov @pinkpantheris

@slutsareteacherstoo @blackerthings @dreamsinfocus @brattyfics @mermaidchansons

@monaeesstuff @henneseyhoe @blowmymbackout @charismablu @playgurlxoxo

@misskiki90 @miyuhpapayuh @satoruya @starcrossedxwriter @yamst3rdamctrl

@steampunkprincess147 @sweettea-and-honeybutter @theblacklewinsky @soft-persephone @notapradagurl7

@thegreatlibraryofalex @amyhennessyhouse @hihellogoodbyebruh @becauseimswagman1

[windandwater]

OP knows all of what I'm about to say, but researching scientology also used to be my hobby and while reading this with the context I have from all that background, I have absolutely no fucking doubt that this man is still in this cult. You do not just quietly leave, almost ever, but especially when you're that high up. Based on his previous activity and his family's status, if he had actually left in 2000, even if he'd tried to do it quietly, it would have meant a blackmail & harassment campaign. That clearly didn't happen.

The cult is designed to keep you in it and to keep you active. You don't just kind of stop showing up at services the way you would in what we would think of as a regular church. You might be able to avoid their phone calls and barrage of contact at a lower level without them deciding to declare you "suppressive" and force all scientologists to disconnect from you, but at a high level? Absolutely not. And continuing to send them money is, in this situation, where the entire cult is designed to make money, the same thing as being active.

Also, it is an extreme red flag, in my opinion, to put scientologists on the level of being "persecuted" with other actual persecuted religious groups. That is something scientologists believe about themeslves, and like to spread as propaganda within their group to make themselves feel like everyone is against them and everyone outside is evil and trying to destroy them. It's not something anyone who's gotten out would ever think.

Another red flag in the Vulture article that makes me, at this point, unsurprised by this, is his aversion to therapy. A man who had left scientology a while ago might have a hard time coming around to the idea, but be willing to be talked into it. But someone still involved? Absolutely not.

Again: at that level, you do not simply stop going. You have to leave, and leave hard, and you don't get to keep talking to your family that's still in. You don't still send them money.

This man is still in.

(This is my opinion on the situation and I don't claim any actual knowledge as to what's going on with Neil Gaiman's personal life in any way.)

(I also wish I could source link you to an article that tells you the reason I believe everything I've said but I've been learning about these people since around 2005/2006 and it's difficult when it spans a couple decades and defunct forums/podcasts/videos. I highly recommend researching this cult yourself even just to get a glimpse into how fragmented the research is; it's very hard to learn about them because of the way they operate. They're scary and shitty and their survivors are incredible human beings who deserve to be heard.)

About that Scientology connection...

One of the details that came to light this week in the latest article detailing the horrific allegations against Neil Gaiman (which I believe are true, to be clear, but not the primary focus of what I'm writing about here) is the extent of his ties to the Church of Scientology. I was most engaged with Neil's work as a teenager and in my early 20s, and I didn't recall seeing mention of the connection at the time (granted, that was more than few years ago!). I couldn't let it go after reading the Vulture article, so I started to dig a bit and found a lot of information being shared on Reddit and even further digging uncovered archived forum posts from over a decade ago by former CoS members.

There are a lot of details in this article by Mikey Crotty, who appears to be an independent comics journalist, which was published by Mike Rinder on his blog in 2023. Rinder was famously an executive in the "church" in Australia and ran SeaOrg (the elite force of CoS, essentially, and responsible for internal discipline within the broader org) before ultimately leaving the organization and speaking out as loudly as he could about the abuses he had been complicit in as a member (at great personal risk, as anyone who is familiar with the tactics used against former CoS members will know).

The piece was written as an exposé about Gaiman's then recently published novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was semi-autobiographical. Crotty discusses details about Gaiman's family, Gaiman's participation in CoS, and the coverup his father orchestrated for an apparent suicide of a student of Scientology who had immigrated to the UK and was living with the Gaimans at the time. This suicide is written into The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Neil's father, David Gaiman, was head of worldwide communications for the Church of Scientology in the 60s, and was leading the PR spin to protect the organization from increasing legal scrutiny in the UK at the time. Around the same time, a suicide occurred while a young man, Johannes Scheepers, was living with them (the Gaiman's took in CoS students as lodgers at their home on a regular basis, apparently). The Gaiman family launched a campaign to depict him as a broken down gambler to avoid further scandal for the organization. The logic doesn't quite add up, and it's more likely that Johannes was a new adherent who had been badly taken advantage of. You can read more details in the article I linked. Crotty makes the case that not only were the Gaimans lying about the death of the student, even going so far as to claim he wasn't actually lodging with them, but that Neil then went further to spread these lies in the form of fiction decades later (we now know this book was written as a result of the prompting of Amanda Palmer, who was encouraging him to confront his childhood experiences with CoS per the article in Vulture).

The article also points out evidence of Neil's continued involvement with Scientology:

Neil Gaiman’s history with Scientology is very murky; deliberately so. His family are practically Scientology royalty in the UK, he met his first wife Mary McGrath while she was studying Scientology and lodging at Harrow House and he himself worked as a Scientology Auditor for several years in the Eighties and was a Director of a Scientologist’s property company ���Centrepoint’ until 1999.  He now won’t discuss his own Scientology connections and states, without any details, that he’s no longer a member of the Cult that supported Apartheid up until the mid eighties, believes homosexuals are deviants and mental illness is a manifestation of personal failure in the sufferer’s current or past life; beliefs which are anathema to most of Neil’s adoring audience. His connection to Scientology and apparent departure from the cult first went public as part of a court case in 2002 where when asked “Are you still involved with the Church of Scientology?” Neil said “I don’t understand the question”, subsequently asked “Are you still a member of the Church of Scientology?” he replied “I don’t consider myself as such”. Even then his admission that he worked for the Church for 3 years is somewhat confusing: “I worked for a 3 year period after getting out of school as a ‘Counsellor’ for the Church of Scientology”; in fact he actually worked as an ‘Auditor’ in a process made famous in the award winning 2015 Documentary ‘Going Clear’ which explains how officials in the Church of Scientology keep in-depth records on everything its members say during private ‘auditing’ sessions and then use their secrets against them. Renowned Journalist and author on Scientology Tony Ortega says that Gaiman “became a Class VIII auditor, and even ran the Birmingham “org” as its ED, executive director. “. While there is no contradiction in Neil’s actual admission of working for Scientology up till the late Nineties and subsequently leaving the cult and its beliefs sometime in the early Noughties, conflicting details arise in the period since, when Neil has insisted he’s not a Scientologist. According to public records he was a shareholder in the family firm G&G Foods, which produces the vitamins used in Scientology’s highly criticized Narconon and De-Tox practices, since 2011. He transferred approximately a quarter of a million shares to Scientologist shareholders in 2013. There’s the book ‘Ocean’ also from 2013 and then there’s also his production company ‘The Blank Corporation’. ‘The Blank Corporation’ is Neil’s production company which works on all his adaptations such as ‘Sandman’, ‘Anansi Boys’, ‘Good Omens’ and the upcoming ‘Ocean at the End of the Lane’ in partnership with Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros, the BBC and others. According to the website and any interviews, Neil founded ‘The Blank Corporation’ in 2016 with his Vice President and former P.A. Cat Mihos. According to the official Companies registration however, the company was actually set up by Neil and then wife (and still devout Scientologist) Mary McGrath in 2000. The company is still registered to a Scientologist’s P.O Box in Wisconsin, where Mary McGrath still works for the Church of Scientology. One company; two very different stories, it’s just another mystery, like what really happened to cause Johannes Scheepers to take his own life in 1968.

I want to note that based on what I've read, being a Class VIII auditor is the highest level you can go as an auditor in CoS without becoming a member of SeaOrg. Auditors are individuals who are key to the brainwashing process members of CoS undergo; they utilize the org's "technology" to identify past sins by doing intensive interrogation sessions with members. This means Neil was well trained in how to psychologically interrogate org members and held a position of relative power over them as he documented their dearest secrets for the org (primarily to blackmail them with should they ever want to leave, based on CoS records and former members' experiences).

I found forum posts where others reviewed public records that confirmed the majority of these claims, although unable to confirm the PO Box in Wisconsin. His sister, Lizzy Calcioli, is the current company director of G&G, which supplies pseudoscientific vitamin treatments to drug rehabilitation seekers that are horribly abused by Narconon (CoS does not allow actual medical intervention or medical practices in its org). According to public filings, Neil still owns shares in G&G.

There is also this interview from 2010 with the New Yorker, in which Neil claims he is no longer a member of CoS, but expresses sympathy to them:

These days, Gaiman tends to avoid questions about his faith, but says he is not a Scientologist. Like Judaism, Scientology is the religion of his family, and he feels some solidarity with them. “I will stand with groups when I feel like they’re being properly persecuted,” he told me.

It is also well known that celebrity members of CoS are encouraged/allowed to lie about their connection to it in order to support their monetary success. Because of course they're going to contribute back to the organization through that success, which it appears Neil has done.

Additionally, we know from public accounts of CoS's practices and leaked documents that once someone "goes clear" and leaves the organization, they are not allowed to continue to associate with anyone within the cult. Isolation of former victims is one of the many tools used against them. The fact that Neil maintained a marriage for decades to an active member who still works for CoS, as well as relationships with his family members who are leaders in CoS, indicates he is either still on the books as a member or is contributing to CoS in order to avoid alienation from his family. Any sympathy a desire to remain connected with his family might conjure is misguided in my opinion, because we know that he's likely profiting off of shares in a company that takes advantage of and contributes to the traumatization of vulnerable patients as a CoS affiliated business.

Had I known Neil Gaiman was so closely connected to the "church" sooner (one degree away from L. Ron Hubbard himself as a child!), I would not have supported his work in the way that I did in the past. And I think he knew that a significant portion of his audience would respond the same way, which is why he obfuscated and downplayed those connections.

His alleged ongoing involvement also changes the way I perceive his actions - Deception and manipulation is, by former member's accounts, standard procedure for leaders within Scientology. It should come as no surprise that he will continue to deny any evidence, attempt to blame his victims, and lie lie lie to avoid potential consequences. It is, after all, the example he was given and trained in as an active participant in a destructive cult that he has never publicly disavowed and that he appears to continue to support.

I think this information should be taken into account in how former (hopefully) fans react to his responses to these accusations. I wish for peace for the victims who are now speaking out, and I hope they are able to reach the resolution they deserve.

[rochenn]

I think some of the older fandom vocab like lemon and lime needs to be kept alive. But. We must kill the seme/uke tagging system

[do-androids-dream-ao3acc]

They say a meteor is going to crash into Texas. Buck turns away from the TV – not even Taylor can deliver such news without a shocked face – only to be met with a satisfied expression on Gerrard's face.

“God’s punishment,” says the interim captain.

Unfortunately, he doesn't mean himself, because if you ask Buck, Gerrard is definitely a punishment from God. Bobby has to undergo what is supposedly a routine operation, and as if that weren't stressful enough – for Buck –, Gerrard has once again taken over the helm. Is that guy really the only available fire captain in the whole LAFD?

“We're far enough away from Texas, don't wet your pants, Buckley,” he says, patting Buck’s shoulder before he leaves to annoy somebody else. 

It's hard to escape such news, though. It seems to be the talk of the town; most of the people they're helping today seem eager to be putting their pain and problems on hold for a moment. 

“There's always someone who's worse off,” says Hen, ”it helps people to relax.”

“Sure, I'd rather be in a car accident than be squashed by a meteor,” Chimney remarks.

Buck doesn't want to imagine it, which is why his thoughts go into overdrive, and he's still somewhat agitated in the evening.

“Statistically, around 20,000 meteorites fall to Earth every year,” he explains to Tommy while they’re preparing dinner. 

“You mean those that are bigger than 3.5 ounces,” says Tommy casually, peeling the carrots. “Small ones happen almost every day, but you don't notice them. And big ones are rare anyway.”

Buck, who shouldn't be surprised by anything Tommy does, almost cuts his finger and puts his knife down.

“How do you know?”

“You think I haven't seen the news?”

Popping a slice of carrot into his mouth, Tommy grins. “A meteoroid is a piece of rock that is usually knocked out of an asteroid by a collision. When the meteoroid enters the atmosphere, it sometimes causes a luminous phenomenon, a meteor. And only when it touches ground it’s a meteorite.” 

“Y-you looked that up because you knew I was watching the news.” A somewhat embarrassed expression crosses Tommy’s face, scrunching his nose in that adorable way. 

“Too much?” he asks.

“What? No! You knew I'd spiral over the news, and…”

“Just because you have a very compassionate heart,” says Tommy with a wink, taking his hand. 

“Right,” Buck huffs in amusement. 

“Of course,” Tommy replies, while his hand squeezes Buck's, ”it's certainly not because you're worried about Bobby, or because Gerrard is constantly breathing down your neck, or because everyone has probably told you that a meteor will definitely not hit L.A.”

Maybe the man is a clairvoyant. Or maybe he just knows him too well by now, which is a much more heartwarming explanation. Because in fact, it wasn't just Chimney who – with the best of intentions – told him that an earthquake is statistically more likely than a meteor strike. 

“You're right,” says Buck, wrapping his arms around Tommy, ”but do you know what actually fueled my anxiety? One more natural disaster, what does it matter?”

Tommy raises a brow, but he doesn’t object. Because that’s another thing he knows by now: when it’s necessary to speak up (oh, they’ve worked on this, together), and also when it’s better to remain silent. 

“I was thinking about where I would want to be when something like that happens. I was thinking of all the people who’d not be able to make it to their loved ones in time, who would have to say goodbye over the phone. I couldn't help but think of those who would lose everything, not just their own lives.”

“That's dark,” Tommy breathes into Buck’s hair. 

“Maybe. But it was also somehow reassuring, because I knew where I wanted to be.”

“Right here,” Tommy says, holding him close. 

“Right here. And do you want to know something else?”

“Hmmm?” 

“The fact that you learned all this facts for me is extremely sexy.”

Tommy looks at him, “Oh?”

“Yes, oh,” Buck replies, laughing. “Disasters can wait, kiss me.”

[cha-melodius]

#16, Alex/Henry?

(Also requested by @firenati0n. I feel like there were two obvious options for this one: post-leaks in canon, or post-rescue mission of some kind. You can probably guess which one I chose. 😂 read all the hug ficlets)

Firstprince, 16: The “it’s okay, I’m here” hug.

Add’l note: This is more or less a tiny sequel to So Close to Something Better Left Unknown. You don’t have to have read the fic to read this ficlet, but it does contain minor spoilers for the very end of said fic.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

When Henry gave him the watch, it was half a joke and half because Henry’s in love with him and his hopeless heart latched onto the slim chance to keep an eye on him, at least from a distance. He’d expected Alex to leave it behind, or disable the tracker, or at the very least not wear it, but as far as he can tell, Alex had done none of those things. The tracker bops around the globe, giving Henry far too much information on CIA missions merely through its location. Not that Henry would ever pass on that information to his own agency, or anyone else for that matter.

That Alex trusted him not to, to keep his secrets… Well, it means a lot.

He assumed that at some point his own work would bring him within striking distance of Alex again, and he’d make use of the tracker to find him and… oh, hell, he doesn’t know. Say hello? It sounds absurd for a spy, but it’s pretty much all he could hope for. But before that happens, the tracker gets stuck for a week in a remote part of Guatemala, and Henry starts to get worried. Maybe Alex just lost the watch, or abandoned it for some reason. That’s the most reasonable explanation. Even so, Henry quietly requests recent satellite images of that area and zooms all the way in on the watch’s coordinates.

It’s a high-security compound of some sort. Not good.

He tries not to let his imagination run wild. The tracker he’d left in the watch is extremely high resolution, and he watches it occasionally move around the compound, as if someone was wearing it, though mostly it stays in one place. Alex could have traded it or gifted it as part of an operation; it was a valuable watch, after all. Still, it nags at Henry. He’s not going to be able to rest until he finds out what actually happened. The most straightforward way would be simply asking, but he has no way of contacting Alex except a burner phone he has no reason to believe Alex would be monitoring.

He sends a message anyway, but after a few days without a response, he can’t take it anymore.

It’s completely mad, he knows it is, but he makes up an excuse about tracking down a lead on a long-cold operation and books a ticket to Guatemala City. He covertly watches the outside of the compound for three days, keeping track of the men who come and go, and sends photos of them to Bea with a request to run facial recognition and not ask any questions. (She does, of course, but she doesn’t push, even when they come back with the names of some very bad people.)

Finally, once the compound’s primary resident leaves and takes with him what should be the majority of his armed muscle, Henry makes his move. The watch is still inside, and Henry follows the tracker’s signal down into the basement of an outbuilding, taking out a handful of guards with tranquilizers as he goes. The building is dark and dank, and the series of locked metal doors he finds do nothing to help the cold, hard knot that’s settled into his stomach. His hands don’t shake as he picks the lock on the one the watch is resting behind, but that careful composure slips when the door finally swings open to reveal a miserable lump curled on a thin mattress, a head of matted curls just visible through the murky darkness.

Alex flinches away when Henry first reaches out for him, scrambling into the corner, but then his eyes land on Henry and his mouth drops open. He blinks rapidly, scrubs frantically at his eyes, and blinks again.

“Henry?” he croaks in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for you, love,” Henry tells him, holding his hands out in front of him as he slowly moves closer. “I’ve come to get you.”

There’s a beat of silence, then another, then Alex surges toward him. Henry almost shies away himself, unsure of what Alex means to do, but then Alex is grabbing him and wrapping him up in a hug so tight it squeezes the air out of Henry’s lungs, and Henry can do nothing else but curl his arms around the trembling man now occupying his lap.

“It’s ok, I’m here,” he murmurs, rubbing a soothing hand down Alex’s back.

“How?” Alex chokes out. “How did you…?”

His voice trails off as he raises his left arm and looks at his own wrist, where a bit of watch strap peeks out beyond the filthy cuff of his shirt. Inexplicably, his captors had let him keep it, though that becomes more understandable when his sleeve slips further down and Henry sees how he’s smeared it with mud. The exquisite Patek Philippe now looks like a beaten up piece of junk.

“I didn’t want to lose it,” Alex says, his voice cracking over the syllables. He drops his arm and tries to bury his face in Henry’s chest. “That probably sounds dumb.”

“No, love, it doesn’t,” Henry says, holding him tighter. It’s torture to pull away, but eventually he must. “Come on,” he says, tipping Alex’s chin, now covered in a scraggly beard, up so their eyes meet. “Let’s get you out of here.”

[zeamaysblog]

I see people saying this but I don't think Donovan necessarily has to know Twilight is a spy at this point. Consider if his powers work like Anya's, it means he can only read people's surface level thoughts, and only on activation.

If you go back to Chapter 38 (Loid & Donovan's first meeting) you see Donovan doesn't really seem that interested in what Loid is saying, kind of blowing him off until after Loid agrees with him that "People will never truly be sympathetic with each other." After that point, Loid doesn't have any more thoughts about 'how he's a spy,' so if we assume Donovan didn't start reading his mind until after Loid said that, his identity is actually still safe.

Donovan as a politician probably gets hounded by dozens of people every day, I doubt he goes out of his way to read the minds of every single person he meets, after all.

This would also explain why Loid's cover hasn't been blown yet, as the alternative explanation is that Donovan knows Loid's a spy (or at least a conniving man trying to extract information out of him) who's infiltrated Eden's schools and for some reason Donovan chooses to do nothing with that information, not even seeming a little bit interested. For a man characterized as being "careful," that seems like a rather careless action to take.

That's all the Watsonian explanation of course, but the Doylist one is that having Donovan already know Loid's identity basically invalidates the entire plot of the story and renders everything that's been done so far pointless.

Here's how I see this going down: Anya realizes that since Donovan has telepathy, Operation Strix is almost instantly doomed, and Loid interacting with Donovan again is sure to get him killed. Anya then hatches a plot to convince Loid telepathy is real and possibly teach him a way to counteract it like Demetrius does. This might end up requiring an Anya identity reveal, but maybe not. We might also see some flashbacks from Anya's time at Apple and how she came to get telepathy.

Well, seems like something that was just a theory before has come very close to truth...

Because of this major revelation, I wanted to take a deep dive into what we know about Donovan so far and how hints throughout past chapters could indeed indicate that he can read minds. While we still don't have concrete proof for this other than Melinda's word, I don't believe there's anything that discredits this idea, either. In fact, many things throughout the series support it.

First we have Loid's encounter with Donovan way back in chapter 38. I always found it strange that we never got insight into Donovan's thoughts throughout that whole exchange. We always get to know what characters are thinking, even without Anya's mind-reading support. It's not an uncommon storytelling mechanic in general after all, especially for manga. Yet, Endo chose not to give us any insight into what Donovan was thinking. I figured this was simply to avoid spoiling anything about what his exact plans and motives are for future stories (also why Anya was absent for this). But now it seems like this could have also been to hide the fact that he can read minds. If he can read minds, certain things he said during that exchange take on a more ominous meaning. For example, what he said below about how people can never truly understand each other.

It's been a headcanon of mine that the reason why Anya, and perhaps Donovan, were given mind-reading powers, stemmed from the desire for world peace...the idea being that if people could read each other's minds - in other words, always know what others are thinking and feeling, sympathy and understanding would abound.

We learn later on that Donovan had ideas like this even as a kid when he made a similar comment during his debate competition speech. He said that it's impossible to know the true intentions of others so people will forever doubt each other, thus war is inevitable.

We also have the little detail in today's chapter that Donovan did not have the scars on his head during Melinda's flashback (of course, he didn't have them as a kid in chapter 99 either).

Now this is totally my theory, but if we take Melinda's words as the truth, without any misunderstanding, then sometime in Donovan's adult life after he married and had a child, he was experimented on and was given mind-reading powers, perhaps by force but most likely by choice. Now that he has these powers, his laments about people not being able to understand each other are no longer true, at least not for him. Perhaps the experiments done on Anya were preliminary tests that he put together to perfect the mind-reading implementation science before actually doing it to himself. Again, totally just speculation, but not out of the question.

Then we have Demetrius...we learned in chapter 93 that Anya has trouble reading his mind.

If we put that together with Melinda's comment in today's new chapter, that Demetris also took note of Donovan being able to read minds...

...then perhaps Demetrius conditioned himself to think in ways that would make it difficult for his mind to be read, specifically to thwart the "alien" that's impersonating his father. I mentioned last time that I don't think Donovan is actually an alien, and that this description is the only explanation Melinda could come up with to explain his mind-reading powers. If this is true though, it really does make the Desmond dinner scene all the more telling...that throughout all those panels without dialogue, Donovan was absorbing the deepest inner thoughts of his family members (and again, no insight into his own thoughts, just like in chapter 38).

But if the "Donovan can read minds" theory holds true, then the most disturbing idea of all is that Donovan knows that Twilight is a spy. He knows that he's the target of Twilight's mission, and that Twilight seeks to thwart him. Not only that, but depending on what he's read of Damian and Melinda's minds, he knows that they're fond of Anya and Yor, respectively - people who are close to Twilight. Mind-reading powers in the hands of a child are one thing, but in the hands of a shrewd and power political figure...I'm both excited and anxious to find out what Donovan's next move will be!

[ashtxrie]

we stay locked in

— alternatively, enhypen as (my) high school classes!

PAIR. high school! enhypen x gn!reader (rest under cut) GENRE. humor, high school au, blurbs WORD COUNT. 1.3k total NOTES. hello enhablr i am BACK. sorry guys this is alternatively known as a super self-indulgent enhypen as my classes this year so i don’t crash out in semester 2 post

이희승 — lee heeseung

philharmonic orchestra. he’s there for the vibes (and to fulfill his performing arts graduation credit requirement) but he’s secretly super invested in music theory. the type to say “i didn’t practice at all lol” the day of the audition but still eat that shi up anyway?? people tell him to stop the cap but honestly, he has the raw talent to pull it off as well so nobody really knows. he WILL be that person clocking people who use the restroom for the nth time in the middle of the firebird suite though, but man, sometimes people really do need that bathroom break for their mental and physical wellbeing. as his stand partner, he’s really good at covering for you if you make a mistake and even takes mutual blame for coming in early even though it was definitely your fault for taking a nap during your 5-measure rest... he’s that one student who gets to conduct the orchestra when the conductor is absent (or “sick” on a vacation to disney world) and the ensemble actually respects him enough to take him seriously.

박종성 — park jongseong

ap us history. we all know this man loves history; he would actually be the type to read the textbook for fun and not just search up summary pdfs or upload the whole dang thing to chat gpt! i feel like quizlet would be his best friend and would probably terrorize all his other friends to build their quizlet flashcard streaks with him. lowk he’s just in this class so he can flex random history facts on uninformed people I’M SORRY he secretly enjoys somewhat resembling the “umm actually!” meme. but honestly you go jay, being educated IS rightfully a flex. i feel like he’d actually talk to the teacher after class just to ask a clarifying question or just to confirm something totally random; he’d be like “was there really a u.s. entomological warfare field test called operation big itch?!” and the teacher would absolutely love him for that. on practice dbq days, he’s the best person to have on your team — you know you’re set when he gives you the look and little nod that communicates that he 100% got this. 

심재윤 — sim jaeyun

ap calculus bc... THIS MAN WILL GLAZE THE HELL OUT OF AP CALCULUS BC. just like how he is adamant about his physics glazing, math is no exception. tell me why he’s legitimately taking advantage of ten minutes at the end of class to get started on his homework? put that TI-84 AWAY and look me in the eyes. he’s the one classmate who’s super nonchalant and sporty and sits in the back of the classroom, but is secretly an academic weapon. “jake sim, wonderful work. you were the only one in the class who got 100.” HELLO??? good thing you always go over to him for a post-exam debrief, because he’s basically the answer key anyway. during class, he’d be quietly doing his own thing and joking around with the people around him, but the teacher lets it slide. everyone in the class is conflicted between loving and hating him, but he’s genuinely so nice and is always eager to help the people around him who need it — that still doesn’t stop the entire class from naming him their D1 opp though! 

박성훈 — park sunghoon

ap biology. the one who spites people who obliterate the curve. he’s also the best frq peer-grader though, he’s going off of vibes! if you mention anything remotely close to the answer key, you bet he’s giving you the point because people suffer enough already. sunghoon is surprisingly good at the labs though, he managed to not kill a single fly in the mendelian genetics lab and he’s super diligent at counting them too. your other lab mates had exhaled a bit too harshly one time and the sedated flies went FLYING across the lab table from under the microscope — you swear sunghoon’s eye twitched because he had JUST sorted them all by phenotype. he didn’t say anything to them though, and just started recounting the flies again because he’s just a chill guy like that. what people don’t know about him is that he actually scores high enough to potentially set the curve, he just chooses not to raise his hand when the teacher asks for top scores because he’s #taking one for the team. what a legend. 

김선우 — kim sunoo

advanced journalism. producing a newspaper? more like an excuse to know ALL the gossip and put everything under the name of investigative journalism. it’s literally his JOB to be on top of all the school events and the niche hobbies and passions that students have, and he absolutely loves it. combined with his social personality and strong writing, he’s for sure the editor of the “spotlight” category. and honestly, he’s the best the school has had in a long time. his feedback is always something to look forward to too — as one of his staff writers, your drafts are handed back with a colored pen circling a particular phrase you used, with the words “someone cooked here” or “OH YES GIRL” written in the margins. he brings the best food for after-school mandatory work days too, from donuts to chips to canned drinks — sunoo knows that the people need the snacks in order to gain enlightenment mid-article! his pages in the newspaper are also the most visually appealing too, this man knows how to use adobe indesign. 

양정원 — yang jungwon

ap english language and composition. with how diligently he uses duolingo, i have no doubts that jungwon will succeed in ap lang. imagine if he applies that study technique to memorizing rhetorical devices? he would be reading something completely random like the instagram terms of service and going “omg wait guys this is anaphora” like okay english king. and the effort he puts in shows in his results too. when jungwon checked his grades to see a 100% on the timed write while every one of his friends complained for a whole week about getting an 80, he knew he was locked IN. he participates a lot during class discussions too, so everyone knows who he is. as a fellow #taking one for the team legend, he always agrees to be the sacrifice to share out to the class the table group’s ideas. also — something not exactly english-focused, but he’s also so alarmingly good at time management. like how is he maintaining a solid sleep schedule and clear skin while watching alchemy of souls during his pomodoro breaks? the world will never know. 

西村力 — nishimura riki

ap chemistry. hear me out he signed up for this class thinking he could blow stuff up. he did not, in fact, get to blow stuff up all year — the blowing was done instead in the form of a huge blow to this man’s gpa. like what do you mean there’s solubility rules, polyatomic ions, vsepr geometric structures and their BOND ANGLES, plus gas law equations to memorize?! he went slightly delirious mid-semester and came up with insane, unhinged references just to drill all the content into his memory, from connecting acetate (CH3CO2-) to his “esteemed rizz mentor” heeseung (3 letter e’s in his name and he breathes out CO2!) and imagining his friends on a fucking seesaw to memorize the <90 and <120 degree bond angles. he tried explaining his logic to you (rapping out the equation for the van der waals real gas law?) and you just went along with it. he actually pulled through though with a B+ at the end of it all, but he swears to never have jake in charge of his course selection ever again. 

TAGLIST: @star-sim @boyfiejay @jlheon @jwsdoll @dimplewonie @suneng @en-gelic @mygnolia

[loveemagicpeace]

North node in Pisces & South Node in Virgo🦋🧜🏼‍♀️☁️

Pisces is a signs that is the most dreamy, illusional. You can expect a lot of things to be very spiritual. People can talk a lot more about mental health and things that are not seen. You will be much more committed to your world and to believing in something you believe in more.

*Sparkles ,shiny things, ocean, crystals, magical things, cakes, nostalgia, just vibing alone by the river ,listening to the music, cute things, hugs, hopeless romantic things. *

Love that is expressed in a much more selfless way. During this time, you can meet many people with whom you share a more magical path. Soulmates type of vibes. Love can become different, unconditional and sacrificial. During this time, you can sacrifice more for the people you love. Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind type of love. Messy things, white dress with crystals. Having magical days. Connecting with your inner self, meditating, getting to know your subconscious. Sunsets & Sunrise. Magical path to stars. Finding imperfections in everything and loving it. With the North Node in Pisces, we're drawn to go deeper, beyond the obvious. Finding meaning in life is essential.

Feeling fulfilled and connected to the universe is incredibly important. Searching for answers beyond what's visible or measurable is a fundamental human drive. We are learning that it is okay not to have an answer, it is okay not to understand what is going on, it is okay not to know exactly where we are going. Just going with the flow - the fool (tarot card) journey. Things don't have to be logical or make any sense. Just you knowing and believing that this things exist it is enough. Believe in magic.

South node in Virgo

Forgetting what hard work feels like forgetting everything, not being perfect. Change the routine you have had so far and follow your body more closely. Give up the work you've been doing so far and take a new, better path. Wear something you feel comfortable in and don't wear something just to please others or to look good. Eat healthier foods. It will help you release the need to micromanage and over-analyze. This opens space for creativity and emotional connection. And there's no rush! Doing things more slowly.

In Virgo, the South Node's focus will be to clear up the path so we can actually make progress and navigate effectively. It could also mean exploring different approaches to diet and exercise. Instead, it encourages us to find ways of adjusting our lifestyle that feel natural and sustainable for our unique needs. We're likely to see shifts in how we run our lives and operate on a day-to-day basis.

The South Node in Virgo is an invitation to release the excessive need for control, perfectionism, and rigid planning, while still appreciating the value of order, organization, and effort. This combination of energies reflects a general inclination towards overthinking, overanalyzing, and overworrying. Ultimately, this transit teaches us to let go of impossible ideals and expectations, accept our humanness, and acknowledge the beauty in imperfection.

If u have nodes reversed

The nodes in reverse transit challenge you to revisit the lessons of your North Node (Virgo) while simultaneously confronting the patterns of your South Node (Pisces). Virgo north node in chart-Your soul's growth path is about practicality, organization, discernment, and service. You're here to refine your boundaries and embrace the material world, focusing on creating tangible results.

South Node in Pisces: Your comfort zone involves spirituality, imagination, escapism, and an emotional connection to the collective. In past lives (or earlier in this life), you may have avoided practical concerns or become too absorbed in dreams and emotions.

You might feel drawn to spiritual practices, artistic expression, or moments of surrender. This is an opportunity to reconnect with your intuitive side and integrate it into your life without losing your grounded focus. Your Virgo North Node lessons may temporarily take a backseat as you're asked to reflect on whether your pursuit of order and practicality is serving your highest good—or if it's become rigid or overbearing. Themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, and emotional boundaries may come up. Be cautious of falling back into self-sacrificing patterns (South Node in Pisces) but remain open to deep emotional connection. This is an ideal time to deepen meditation, explore creative outlets (like poetry, music, or painting), or connect with mystical experiences.

The nodes in reverse transit challenge you to revisit the lessons of your North Node (Virgo) while simultaneously confronting the patterns of your South Node (Pisces). Virgo north node in chart-Your soul's growth path is about practicality, organization, discernment, and service. You're here to refine your boundaries and embrace the material world, focusing on creating tangible results.

South Node in Pisces: Your comfort zone involves spirituality, imagination, escapism, and an emotional connection to the collective. In past lives (or earlier in this life), you may have avoided practical concerns or become too absorbed in dreams and emotions.

You might feel drawn to spiritual practices, artistic expression, or moments of surrender. This is an opportunity to reconnect with your intuitive side and integrate it into your life without losing your grounded focus. Your Virgo North Node lessons may temporarily take a backseat as you're asked to reflect on whether your pursuit of order and practicality is serving your highest good—or if it's become rigid or overbearing. Themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, and emotional boundaries may come up. Be cautious of falling back into self-sacrificing patterns (South Node in Pisces) but remain open to deep emotional connection. This is an ideal time to deepen meditation, explore creative outlets (like poetry, music, or painting), or connect with mystical experiences.

For Rising Signs

Aries Rising: The North Node in Pisces will activate your 12th house, urging you to embrace spiritual growth, solitude, and deep introspection. It's a time to let go of control and trust the unseen forces of the universe. The South Node in Virgo in your 6th house will challenge you to release perfectionism in your daily routines and work habits while balancing your need for practical organization with intuitive flow.

Taurus Rising: The North Node in Pisces highlights your 11th house, focusing on spiritual connections, dreams, and your role in the collective. You may feel drawn to compassionate friendships and humanitarian efforts. The South Node in Virgo in your 5th house asks you to release overcritical tendencies in your creative expression or love life and to embrace joy without judgment.

Gemini Rising: The North Node in Pisces will activate your 10th house, asking you to align your career with your higher purpose and to trust your intuition in professional matters. The South Node in Virgo in your 4th house invites you to let go of the need for control in family dynamics or home life and to create a balance between work and emotional grounding.

Cancer Rising: With the North Node in Pisces in your 9th house, you're encouraged to explore spiritual teachings, higher learning, and the bigger picture of life. Let your intuition guide you toward personal growth. The South Node in Virgo in your 3rd house asks you to release overthinking and excessive focus on small details in communication and daily interactions.

Leo Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 8th house brings transformation, deep emotional healing, and a focus on spiritual intimacy. You're encouraged to surrender to the mysteries of life and trust in rebirth. The South Node in Virgo in your 2nd house challenges you to let go of material security or overly analytical approaches to finances, focusing instead on emotional and spiritual wealth.

Virgo Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 7th house shifts your focus toward spiritual partnerships and relationships based on compassion and unconditional love. It's a time to open your heart and trust in deeper connections. The South Node in Virgo in your ist house asks you to release self-critical tendencies and embrace a more intuitive approach to your identity.

Libra Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 6th house brings attention to holistic healing, spiritual practices, and service to others. You're invited to align your daily routines with emotional and spiritual well-being. The South Node in Virgo in your 12th house urges you to release guilt, overthinking, and tendencies to self-sacrifice behind the scenes.

Scorpio Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 5th house encourages you to explore creativity, romance, and joy with a spiritual or imaginative touch. It's time to embrace vulnerability in self-expression. The South Node in Virgo in your 11th house challenges you to release overly critical judgments of your social circle and to embrace a more compassionate view of friendships and group dynamics.

Sagittarius Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 4th house highlights emotional healing, spiritual connection to your roots, and finding peace in your private life. It's a time to create a sanctuary for your soul. The South Node in Virgo in your 10th house asks you to let go of perfectionism in your career or public image and to prioritize inner fulfillment over external validation.

Capricorn Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 3rd house inspires intuitive communication, spiritual learning, and imaginative thinking. Trust your instincts in how you share ideas. The South Node in Virgo in your 9th house challenges you to release rigid belief systems or overanalyzing philosophical concepts, encouraging a more fluid approach to personal growth

Aquarius Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 2nd house invites you to align your values with compassion, spirituality, and emotional richness. It's a time to trust your intuition in financial matters. The South Node in Virgo in your 8th house encourages you to let go of obsessive control over shared resources or deep emotional entanglements and to embrace trust and flow.

Pisces Rising: The North Node in Pisces in your 1st house calls you to embrace your spiritual identity, intuitive gifts, and compassionate leadership. It's a time of self-discovery and authenticity. The South Node in Virgo in your 7th house asks you to release overcritical tendencies in relationships and to allow partnerships to flow with grace and understanding.

-Rebekah🦋☁️🧜🏼‍♀️

[thebaldursmouthgazette]

List of ways slavery is depicted in Tevinter because people are still on this for some reason:

(Possibly non exhaustive. I think I’ve got everything but I still haven’t played saving minrathous, so I’ve most likely missed some shadow dragon content)

- Minrathous based faction is dedicated to freeing slaves.

- Depending on background, Rook can either have freed slaves before the start of the game, or could have previously been enslaved in tevinter.

- Multiple Minrathous based quests reference slavery

- Multiple ambient dialogues in Tevinter reference slavery

- Multiple tevinter decorative assets depict slaves, showing how ingrained the practice is in tevinter culture

- There are multiple characters who were previously enslaved, notably the Shadow Dragons vendor, who was one of the elves in the denerim alienage that Loghain sold into slavery

- There are multiple codex entries discussing slavery in tevinter

- One of these codex entries is acquired by walking through piles of corpses dressed in identical uniforms. Nothing else nearby has anything to do with slavery. The codex entry is there because those bodies are murdered slaves.

- There are several areas on the minrathous docks where people are locked in warehouses under armed guard

- The Minrathous docks are full of cages big enough to hold people in (keep in mind filling them with people would put a LOT of extra strain on computers for little practical purpose. We know what the human sized cages on the minrathous docks are for without that)

- There are multiple quests where we, personally, free slaves.

- There are further quests where we aid the operations of the faction dedicated to freeing slaves e.g keeping the catacombs safe so that they can be used to help people escape slavery

- In multiple quests with venatori enemies (keep in mind that at this point most of the more traditional/supremacist tevinter magisters who support slavery and blood magic have joined the venatori because that’s what their goals are, which is why it’s so easy for them to seize power), we hear them discussing their slaves and sacrificing them for blood magic rituals

- In one quest we walk down a hallway filled with the rotting corpses of slaves sacrificed for a blood magic ritual

- In a gathering of venatori we see slaves being used as furniture. These slaves are wearing the same uniforms as the bodies next to the codex entry.

- When you recognise this as a slaves uniform you notice that there’s actually quite a few slaves about, even in the poor area we visit.

[infiniteeight8]

for alpha/alpha ironstrange could we have a part after afghanestan

Oh no could we have one with Stephen meeting obie. Obie is one of those betas with alpha complex so he regard Stephen as some weak alpha but then stephen shows him he is maybe a submissive in bed but he isn't anyone bitch. 😏

The rest of this series can be found here: Alpha/Alpha IronStrange

-

Stephen is in his office, reviewing the file for an upcoming surgery, when Obadiah Stane knocks and then walks in without waiting for Stephen to answer. Tony had warned Stephen to expect this, but even if he hadn’t, Stephen wouldn’t have been surprised. Stane is one of those betas who simultaneously believes that alphas are inherently superior to all other dynamics and also that his own dynamic was some sort of clerical error. It shows in every press conference he gives. Not to mention the way he tries to bully Tony about company matters.

Someone like Stane will be incensed by Tony’s relationship with Stephen. Not only because Tony hasn’t chosen an omega—the rightful property of alphas, from Stane’s point of view—but also because Stephen is somehow betraying alphakind by bending over. Not that Stane knows anything about their sex life, but of course he’ll assume Tony tops. That he’s correct is immaterial, since the whole premise is bullshit.

So when he walks into Stephen’s office like he’s entitled to it, Stephen ignores him, instead focusing on his computer.

It only takes Stane a few seconds to break, too used to people kowtowing to him. He wouldn’t last ten seconds in a real dominance contest. “Doctor Strange,” Stane says sharply. “I need to make some things clear to you.”

“You must not need it very badly,” Stephen says, still not looking up, “because you failed to do anything that would ensure the conversation actually takes place. Like make an appointment. I’m busy.”

“Blowing me off doesn’t say much for Tony’s importance in your life.”

“Tony is aware of his importance to me. Anyone else is irrelevant.”

“Look,” Stane says, thumping his hands onto Stephen’s desk and leaning down into his space, “I—”

“You are interfering in essential work,” Stephen interrupts, finally looking away from his computer to lock eyes with Stane. “My familiarity with these records can make the difference between life and death in an operating room.” Slowly, Stephen stands, holding Stane’s gaze as he does. Stane straightens up with him, refusing to look away and not seeming to realize that letting Stephen control how he moves is one of the oldest dominance plays in the book. “You are not entitled,” Stephen says, circling his desk without ever breaking their gaze and stepping into Stane’s personal space, “to come into my territory and presume on my time.” Stephen pushes closer to Stane, forcing him step back, and back, until Stephen backs him right out the door. “If you want to talk,” Stephen says, “make an appointment.”

Finally breaking their gaze, Stephen catches the eye of the security guard down the hall, and then the neurosurgery department’s secretary. He looks back at Stane and smiles when he sees Stane has absorbed just how public his defeat has been. “Melanie can assist you.” Stepping back into his office, Stephen closes the door.

The ‘inherent superiority of alphas’ is bullshit, but it can still be used against the idiots who believe it.

[thespectralwitch]

Tik tok is “back” ….

I won’t be going back. Tik tok is dead. I hope other creators choose to also stay off it, but I understand why they wouldn’t. This feels like a stunt to put trump in a positive light or at least utilized to try and paint that hes a savior. Tik Tok being down didn’t even last 24 hours. There is ZERO chance that trump called them up this morning and said actually go ahead and put it back up! Even if by some crazy chance that is what happened- tik tok is still banned!!!! You can’t even download it in the apple App Store still. Trump just isn’t enforcing the law. That means Tik tok won’t get punished for operating in the USA but the law is still there. That means he can enforce it at any point. Someone posts something he doesn’t like? Boom it’s down. CEO doesn’t do something for him? Boom it’s down. They will now have to go out of their way to keep him happy while this law is still in place. I think I’m the USA we should all treat it like tik tok is still down. It hurts me that an app who’s given so many people a space and community, where we learned more then we did anywhere else, was taken and weaponized to put trump in a positive view. That’s insane.

[blazehedgehog]

what was the deal with games media and forums during the 2000s being so harsh and in many cases downright unfair towards games that wanted to experiment or do something interesting? part of me feels that is why the 2010s had so many massive game series pumping out boring and "safe" games.

We were a lot more ignorant back then. You have to figure that games media has a definitive age, right. Now we had video game magazines going ball the way back to the 80's, but it feels like there was a real boom in game magazines in the 90's with things like EGM, Gamepro, Game Players, Game Fan, Nintendo Power, Game Informer, Edge, Next Generation, PC Gamer, CGW, Tips & Tricks, PSM, etc.

But the age of the industry back then... even if a lot of the writers were in their 20's, 30's, and sometimes even 40's, the readers were all pretty young. I started reading gaming magazines when I was 11. And to some degree it felt like the industry grew up with us. It also reflected the wider era as a whole.

We used to be a more innocent people. More ignorant. Unaware of the wider world at large. American white males (the primary demographic for gaming magazines) lived in this tiny little bubble where they got to feel like they were kings. The world was their oyster. Racism? Nah man, civil rights solved that back in the 1950's. Racism is over. We beat the nazis in the 40's, they don't exist anymore either. Women belong in the kitchen making us a sandwich. I'm American, I'm straight, I'm white, I'm a man, and that makes me the center of the known universe. As long as I have beer, boobs, and bacon, my life is perfect.

And the thing about being comfortable is that people like to be comfortable. Comfort usually means cozying up with something you already know you're going to like. A known quantity. So that's this era, right: repeating familiar ideas and milking them for all its worth, completely unchallenged, because nobody is comfortable when they are being challenged.

But widespread, modern internet access began to spread across the world. Smartphones and social media connected us more closely than we ever have before, both for better and worse. And suddenly all those Straight, white, American males are rubbing elbows with very different international cultures than they're used to, and the perspective on American life begins to shift. The veil is lifted. Eyes are opened for the first time. The world is a very different place than what most Americans thought it was.

Racism? Not actually solved. Nazis? They're still out there, actually. Women? Minorities? Equal rights are not as equal as it sounded. Plus, we trample all over other cultures constantly. And bad actors are rapidly trying to muddy the waters so they can continue to operate unopposed. Welcome to the real world.

Some people embraced this new knowledge with open arms. Learning, and growing, and changing, seeing fresh perspectives and new ideas. And other people just wanted to stay comfortable, sticking their heads in the sand, and trying to deny what was now right in front of them.

My point is, as a people, a worldwide planetary entity, we're a lot more diverse now. We're a lot smarter and more accepting of others. We're a lot more mature.

And then there's something I haven't touched on and its the fact that corporations love "comfort", too. They love being able to avoid taking risks and feeding us the exact same content in perpetuity. But with the indie game boom, more people than ever before can put their art out into the world, which just drives diversity even more.

My point being that we used to be pretty dumb and ignorant, but some of us are less dumb and ignorant nowadays.

[whetstonefires]

fun! foxhair, huh...and with those ingredients, that's really 'polish' like furniture polish, sort of thing. not the kind of plastic lacquer we usually give that name.

also gonna pick up these tags from @luminarily: #My understanding of martial sects is they become superhuman #They are supposed to cut off any relation with the mortal world #Even if there is an emperor the sects are too powerful too longlived and too detached from mortal power structures to actually be beholden #In any tangible shape or form #Why should they listen to some old and powerless guy?

i mean, that makes sense in some cultivation settings, but mdzs is about as low-fantasy as you can get and still make claims of being xianxia.

these guys mostly kill each other normally, via stabbing with swords. when Lotus Pier falls it's very much a matter of human-on-human violence; the big showstopping techniques showcased are 'ring that turns into a whip' and 'guy who can punch the magic out of you,' and neither of these compare in strategic value with 'having more guys with swords.'

even sword-flying typically features in the narrative as a form of emergency escape rather than an routine means of transit; people walk or take boats mostly. there's horses. i can't recall anyone but occasionally lan wangji even doing the thing where you stand back and send your floating sword ahead to make ranged attacks.

they barely even ever rely on the kind of superhuman qinggong movements that are routine in wuxia stories, where if sects are standing apart from temporal concerns it's generally either because they're renunciant religious orders or secret or both--i think there's more qinggong in cql than in mdzs, just because it looks good and is a bit of a genre staple, and ofc the film lot has the rigs.

very few people can use talismans with any flexibility or in-the-moment usefulness; wei wuxian's trick in the xuanwu cave where he draws a thing in blood and creates a huge plume of fire is an outlier. wen qing is accepted as the foremost doctor of her generation, but no one at any point expects her to be able to create miracle cure pills out of special spiritual ingredients or any of the other stuff Amazing Doctors in less grounded xianxia settings manage all the time, and the idea of a surgical operation on your qi system is on the extreme end of medical techniques.

the advantages of cultivation to your health and strength in this setting decidedly exist, but they're subtle. people get to be superhuman but it's on a scale of 'not dead after a week of no food or water,' not 'can perform inedia indefinitely.'

i mean, those were teenagers, and injured, but they were the strongest teenagers of their generation, which means the bar is pretty low as these things go. the grandparent generation of sect leadership is largely dead, and this is not considered weird enough to require explanation; old people die. wen ruohan is the most powerful cultivator around and also the only one intimated to have a particularly extended lifespan. jin guangshan is notably still young-looking and handsome with adult children, but when he dies in an orgy no one looks for foul play.

surely an immortal could do much better, but this story is provided with exactly one (1) extant known immortal, and not only does she not appear, no one alive has ever met her. baoshan sanren is off on a mountain above petty concerns like politics, but nobody else is on that level.

even the top of the game, like Nie Mingjue and Lan Wangji, don't have the kind of powers or techniques that make you an army-killer. Nie Mingjue's final madness might have killed as much as dozens, but they were fundamentally killed by a man chopping them with a sharp object--when we see him in combat briefly during the war he beheads the enemy general with his saber in a fairly normal 'man killing man with a sword' sort of way. the big scary dark lord waging war on the world dies to a single backstab.

Lan Wangji stood one against 33 once, but those were 33 people who didn't want him dead.

they're just human beings.

furthermore, while mxtx is very vague about scale as a rule, their armies seem to operate more in the single thousands than the tens or even hundreds of thousands that a well-established chinese imperial state could put on the field.

in conclusion, a proper emperor isn't just one man, that's the whole point of him, and a decent imperial army could roll right over this clownshow, especially once they've thinned themselves down with all that internecine strife. they would be so outnumbered, and they do not have the epic powers to counterbalance that.

cultivation gives you combat buffs but they're not all that huge. a good suit of armor might actually protect you better from death.

and if there was an emperor, even if he never did anything, he'd be relevant enough that characters would be both 'keeping the court in mind as a potential political player' and 'trading on the legitimacy of the imperial court to bulk up their own status.' you know people like Sect Leader Yao wouldn't be able to shut up about their first cousin the second-ranked imperial scholar, or whatever.

and when there was conflict about what to do about something like Wei Wuxian or Xue Yang, the existence of a temporal authority would provide a sort of emotional safety valve--even if they never actually did so, people would feel much better for saying 'why don't we just turn this over to an impartial imperial magistrate to decide.'

that's literally the point of at least half the classic features of chinese imperial structure--to make everyone within the territory held by the state conceive of legitimate power in terms of relationship to the imperial center, and see their own ability to rise in social status as necessarily linked with the status of the emperor and the bureaucracy. and thus to create the idea of 'being chinese' and standardize it on a massive scale.

it was (and in many ways still is despite the vast gulf between modern china and traditional court-centric empire) a really effective system. one that the society depicted in mdzs is very much not equipped to resist.

i mean, huge amounts of their aesthetic as 'high status families' are directly lifted from the gentleman-scholar cultural norms developed at the imperial courts of various dynasties. they're already basing their status on the imperial status system. it's just. not operating right now. for some reason.

and the thing is, it has to be like that for the plot to work. the sect leaders have to be where the political buck stops for the political story beats to make sense. cultivation has to have a subtle impact on your physicality for wwx's con to succeed, even with all his misdirection--what would give him away is not being able to use his sword. so he doesn't try to use it, and passes this off as asshole behavior. voila.

and the top of the normal power scale has to be low enough that only Wei Wuxian, with his mobilizing-external-energy method and his freaky spiritual weapons, can operate as a one-man army. no one else can do this. he is unique. that's why he's a big deal. when he went crazy he killed so many more people than nie mingjue was capable of taking with him.

which means that in theory, taking his special amulet is the only available shortcut to having the kind of personal power that high-level cultivators in high fantasy wuxia can throw around, and not have to care what people with armies think.

clearly it isn't that, since wwx does in fact have to care what people with armies think, and probably no one else could use it half as effectively. but that's the lure.

being above such concerns is the aspiration, but i would say it's quite central to the story that it's not something this society is remotely close to actually achieving. the story is kind of directly drilling into the gap between giving above-it-all names like 'wangji' and 'bichen' and the reality of actually living in the cultivation world, which very much will not let people be clean and free of worldly concerns.

and to the extent that the privilege of being at the top of the system allows you to approach close to that ideal when everything's going smoothly...that's kind of dick behavior, huh?

being fixated on the same piece of fiction for several years is great because you wind up drilling down to the most fiddly detail shit like:

qin players need their nails to be a certain minimum length on the right hand, to get the proper pluck effect on the string.

however, there's ofc a maximum length the human fingernail can be before you can't grip things firmly without risk of breaking it and/or stabbing yourself, and lan wangji also wields a sword right-handed.

therefore, an essential part of his personal grooming must be frequent self-manicures to keep his nails on one hand exactly the right length, in good condition, and filed very smooth. the latter both because the qin strings are silk and you don't want to snag and because a nail that isn't filed into a clean curve is more prone to catching and tearing, and if he breaks a nail he can't use his ranged music attacks etc.

(also i think having untidy nails would bug him even if it had no practical consequences, and it's arguably against lan sect rules.)

this was especially important to keep up with during the war, when he had to use both implements frequently, and as well as he possibly could.

so lan wangji on the war front, not necessarily managing to keep up his usual standards of hygiene and personal dress (i think the only detail we ever get about him in that period is Wei Wuxian instructing the kid roleplaying sunshot-era hanguang-jun that he was uncharacteristically covered in blood) still carefully trimming and filing the nails of his right hand, every day.

what sort of nail file do you think he owns. what's a historically accurate nail file going to be made of, huh? what's a luxurious historically accurate nail file going to be made of?

you probably could get a nail-filing texture onto jade but i have a hard time believing anyone would.

[the-last-butter]

HC they first met a year or two after Yelan got her vision; post fighting the in abyss but when Kaeya was still navigating his identity from Kaeya, Brother and Right hand of Diluc Ragnvindr to Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain and Quarter master of the Knights of Favonius.

[kaiserouo]

"Huh."

[dreamyintersexouppy]

haiii green back with another gender thought, realized that as boy as i may be i still exist in a transfeminine body and live a transfeminine life, even if i don't specifically identify as transfeminine i still exist in a tma space in the eyes of society, my gender as a boy doesn't really affect that much. the people who know me and treat me like a boy are not treating me like i'm tme they're just respecting me... so basically all the tmra boys are jealous of me, the one true trannyboy