#don't put all your reading eggs in the one basket

[offtorivendell]

Just wanted to tell you that I love your account ❤️ and I was curious how you manage to stay so positive in the middle of this ship war

Aww thank you so much! 💜

I'm definitely not perfect, but I mainly try to trust my own judgement and reading comprehension, and keep to my fandom bubble when possible.

I can compartmentalise almost to a fault, so while I know there's always a chance that I'm wrong about Elriel (and more than a chance that I'm wrong about my theories, as they can get very crackish/specific lol), I don't let it take anything from the enjoyment I get chatting about theories with my fandom friends. That's what I'm here for, the rest I just do my best to either laugh about or ignore.

At this point my Tumblr feed is (mostly) Elain and Elriel based positivity, at least with regards to SJM. I've curated my bubble, filtered out any tags I don't want to see, try to avoid the drama, and chill. If we get Elain's book next, then brilliant, but if not, I'm pretty much at the point where my enjoyment comes from my friends and theorising with them rather than the source material itself (I think that's about as negative as I'll get, because I do find the fandom negativity exhausting, hence I typically stick to private chats with friends, with the occasional foray into the subreddit - doing this has allowed me to separate the books from a lot of the extraneous bullshit). Also, I'm very lucky in that, while I've always loved/will love reading, fandom is more of a nice little bonus to my life; I don't rely on it too much in the grand scheme of things. If I "get my way" with Elriel then great, but my happiness isn't contingent on that.

So yeah - and not to be too "00s self help wisdom" - the enjoyment I experience from my current level of fandom participation is more about the journey than the destination. Don't get me wrong, I do hope I'm right about at least some things (thankfully HOFAS suggested that I may be on a few of the right tracks, so fingers crossed), but if I'm not then I am well and truly past the point where I don't care all that much. There's no point in stressing too much about what SJM will or won't write, because it's not going to change the end result. So why do that to yourself? Just have fun with your fandom friends (whether that be theorising, making art, whatever) and let others do the same, vent in private if necessary, be kind, and hope for Elriel the best. 😉✌🏻

Thanks for stopping by anon! Have a brilliant rest of your week.

[genericpuff]

CITY OF BLANK - IT DESERVES BETTER.

So it was implied recently by 66 (creator of City of Blank on Webtoons) on reddit that Webtoons had screwed over their recent return from a brief hiatus (one that they had arranged as they were moving and needed the time to focus on IRL stuff without deadlines looming over them, very valid). But it was confirmed in the episode description of their newest FP release:

So Webtoons has screwed over another creator in the advertising department. I don't want to point fingers, but we all know which series are constantly being prioritized in the banner reels while others are left buried to fend for themselves cough cough

Anyways, City of Blank is a webtoon that's been around for a loooong time. As in, Webtoons isn't even the first platform it's been hosted on, but this is the furthest it's come thanks to the Originals deal it got to be hosted exclusively on Webtoons. It's currently on its final season and while it got some brief amount of ad space at the premiere of its season, it since hasn't been given much ad space and even worst of all, not a single spot in the banner reel rotation since returning from its hiatus despite Webtoons promising 66 they would.

So now, unsurprisingly, City of Blank is struggling to be seen and read. It's a genuinely wonderful series with amazing thought-out writing (again this is a series that's been around for a while so you can tell the creator has put a lot of effort into refining the plot, which is a rarity on the platform these days) and the art is gorgeous and consistent, quite literally anime-quality.

Please, consider checking out City of Blank if you're looking for something new to read. It's a sci-fi series with loads of action, comedy, and character-driven subplots that delve into deeper topics like discrimination and social justice movements through a fantasy lens. If there's any series on the platform that's long overdue for recognition, attention, and opportunities for cool shit like printed books and TV adaptions, it's City of Blank.

[cassowariess]

Look, I'm not a Gaiman fan, I've just been keeping up with the tag for updates about the allegations, and I have to say I'm deeply disturbed at how many young people I've seen say things like: "I want to kill myself" over the possibility of Good Omens 3 being cancelled.

I'm not going to scold you, but I cannot stress enough that this is not a normal response to have about a tv show, let alone any form of media. So as someone who lost a family member to suicide last year(for reasons unrelated to fandom) here is some advice I hope you will heed. Some of this advice is geared towards people with hyperfixations as I know the neurodivergent brain works differently.

First of all, for the future:

Do not put all your eggs in one basket.

It's going to become more and more likely in the future that you will be disappointed in someone who created something you loved. That's why it's important to have multiple things going in your life that keep you tethered instead of projecting all your emotional well being on the status of one thing. I know hyperfixations cannot be chosen, but extra interests can, so you need to cultivate a bunch of them. Go for walks and keep a nature journal, learn a new skill with free videos online (there are also communities built around certain hobbies like knitting etc so there's the possibility of making new friends too). You might not feel better right away, which is why it's important you do these things as a routine (such as once a week or more). It will flex and strengthen your emotional muscles.

It's not always possible, but have at least one of these interests be something that has nothing to do with being online. Maybe there's a book group in your town. Check local boards or listings for activities. Once again, there's the opportunity to make friends.

If you're stuck online, watch a movie with your online friends in Hyperbeam. Do this every week and pick a movie from a list of films everyone has chosen. Pick entertainment that has nothing to do with your fandom. Roll a dice for each week's movie.

If it is available to you, access therapy.

I realize this is not always possible due to costs or waiting lists depending on what part of the world you live in. Sometimes there are free groups that talk about depression. I live in the UK so unfortunately I don't know how prevalent this stuff is in the USA or other parts of the world, but your local council might have leaflets about community services and activities that are good for your mental health too, like community gardening once a week.

You don't need to tell the groups about why you are specifically upset, but you can tell them "life feels dull and pointless" which is why you're reading this, right? But the more you talk to people and try to do activities around other people, the less dull and pointless it will feel. I know it's hard to drag yourself outside, but it becomes easier the more you do it.

Talk to friends in your fandom, but also talk to friends that have nothing to do with it. I've been in enough fandom spaces to know how insular fandom can get and maladpative coping mechanisms some people can share that actually make things worse, not better. Go talk to some normies once in a while. Your fandom friends will still be there.

Finally, some suicide prevention hotlines, should you need them.

Link to international phone numbers and resources.

Look after yourself, remember people love you and remember, it's just a TV show. There will be other TV shows and other joyous things in your life, and next time you will have more of them. <3

Signed,

A fandom old who is not in your fandom.

[lavenderangeltarot]

𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐/𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 🤍 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚍 ! 🪷🔮

Hey, angels ! 👼🏼 this will be my first pick a card on this account- yay! A general reading setting the intention for messages for the coming year :) Pick the image you're most drawn to, take what resonates and all that jazz (lol). + if you're interested in a personal reading from me, check out my Etsy store; Lavender Angel Tarot //https://www.etsy.com/shop/LavenderAngelTarot ♡

1 2 3

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💟 1

hello group 1! With you guys, what I am seeing is that 2025 will be a very reflective and introspective year for you, & for the better. It's definitely on par with the fact that 2025 is a number 9 year (a spiritual, mystical number in numerology). 9 also represents endings, closing cycles and reflecting on what has already been. I see those themes in this reading strongly!

I see you putting your hobbies and ambitions on hold for a bit in favour of self care , and I also see a lot of wisdom and maturity being accumulated in this time. The kind of wisdom that will stick with you for life and make you a more well rounded person. It looks as though the reflection and focusing on your own bubble that you're doing is going to ultimately propel you to success and abundance faster but also, much steadier than if you were to achieve your dreams prematurely. This year you're cultivating inner AND outer peace + habits of self care that will bring more stability and fast, positive advancement (especially in career!) in the longterm.

I don't see you losing momentum with your goals and hobbies altogether, but I see you realising the importance of not putting all of your eggs in one basket, realising that personal growth is a priority before outer success. It's as if the universe knows that you need to 'find yourself' in a personal sense before success comes your way so that when it does, it is harmonious and you are equipped.

I also see that this year you are letting go of feelings of needing external validation. Letting go of chasing things outside of yourself. If you find yourself constantly looking outward for opinions or always feeling like you need to prove yourself to the world, I see you truly healing that and finally walking a path where you are trusting in your own wisdom. Healing a lot of childhood learnt coping mechanisms and stepping into this GENUINE freedom that is stable rather than erratic/a constant struggle for air. I also see you embracing peace and quiet a lot more, when maybe in the past you've always felt this urge for stimulation.

Overall, 2025 will be a year of healing, maturing, getting to know yourself, and stabilising yourself to create a strong foundation for future success 🤍🪷

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 💟

hey group 2! In 2025 I see this group shininggg 🌟 and also, taking control of their past pain. I don't have a specific structure allocated to this reading aside from intending that the first card be the strongest/framing energy. With the 6 of Wands as your first card, for many of you this is the year you find success, or if not- it's definitely the year you finally feel worthy of success. I see you posessing confidence, gaining recognition, and making true achievements that both yourself and others around you will be proud of. Whether it be creating something that people gather around to adore and admire, or doing super well at work- I really see things looking up. I can also see you becoming generally more radiant appearance-wise as well as confident- this is going to be a really exciting year for you :)

In 2025 you are owning and moving past old pain, and that is definitely part of why success is ready to come in for you. A lot of the things that have caused you heartache still hurt- the pain is still there but you've finally reached a place where it is less raw.

You may be making up with somebody who's caused you heartbreak in the past, but for others of you, you could be meeting someone who will help you in your ambitions and further your emergence into this place of recognition, success, confidence etc.

I also see a lot of you are sooo done fighting for/defending people, relationships and causes that just aren't serving you... really, truly disciplining yourself to focus on what's relevant for you as an individual to focus on. Just in general, I see you stepping into this role as a leader. Whether this entails being a leader of others, or simply the leader of your own life. This role of aspiration and 'greatness' may leave you a bit tired and may mean saying no to frivolous pleasures at times; so I do see a bit exhaustion. I do see it all being worth it though :) like, the feeling of really owning yourself, being in control and getting things done outweighs the sacrifices.

In 2025, group 2 may FINALLY feel in control and that's something you've needed & craved for a long time :) 💟💞

Hi group 3! In this spread, I do see a bit of struggle in 2025 but I also see you having lotss of FUN! A bit of a mix. I see you facing inner demons head on in a way- any struggles you've had in your life with feeling imbalanced, impatient, maybe overindulgent (be it with food, screen time, time, or any other drug of choice).

You may grapple with feeling a lack of direction.. a lack of inspiration and this may exasperate and highlight these themes of imbalance in your life. I also see you revisiting past actions you feel don't align with you anymore, and having feelings of regret. Ultimately it's all for the better, because I see that facing these things is going to lead you into a place of purging toxicity, getting help you deserve or finding some form or structure, routine/practice or authority that really calibrates your heart and mind. Maybe it's a spiritual practice, maybe it's advice from someone you look up to, maybe it's committing to some form of eduction or work that brings the structure you need to your life, etc.

Despite all of this, like I mentioned at the start i do see a lot of fun! Lot's of opportunities, if you're in a 'dating' period of your life I see lots of adventure in that area. You might be extra 'hot' this year too lol, spicy spicy. 🔥

I just keep seeing for you, group three that this year will be a biiig purge of toxicity be it within yourself or externally.

There are a few different messages I saw with this group-

For some of you: to put it gently, I do see a bit of a tendency towards selfishness too. Maybe a sense of realising that there are things you do sometimes that only satiate short term desires/impulses. I see that you're becoming more aware of these patterns in a good way :) I don't see cruelty or anything like that, I'm sure y'all reading this are wonderful people but it's moreso an energy of always chasing the next party, the next high, the next adventure without much investment into building things that are long lasting and stable.

For others of you (actually, I think a lot of you): it's toxic friendships or toxic family members that have influenced you to behave in this way. OR for some of you perhaps it isn't you at all and this selfish 'indulgent' energy is just people in your energy field that are effecting you and have been holding you back. In this case, the message is about you paving the way and finding your own agency and joy away from the 'ickiness' surrounding you that was never your fault.

I really see 2025 as almost like the 'day of reckoning' for your inner and outer demons. You are ready to expel them far farr away and there may be a bit of chaos before you get there, but the result is positive.

Despite the struggles and metaphorical 'demon purging' (lmao) I really do see you having genuine fun, abundance in your social/dating life and joy, so be excited! 🌻💞💞

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy New Year, all :)

[animentality]

Tavtash leaves such a sour taste in my mouth. Like they could have had durgetash but they were too set on playing a manic pixie dream girl who is super sweet and lovely except that oh yeah she's fucking a mass murderer and a slaver

You know what's really funny to me?

I wrote a 5000 word rant about disliking Tavtash, and I think Tavs in general ruined the story of Baldur's Gate, but then I deleted it. Because people here just want me to fuel their Durgetash/Gortash thirst by making the funnies and the angsties.

They don't care to read things that challenge their viewpoints, offer a strong negative opinion, or encourage them to think critically.

And I know people wouldn't agree with it. Ultimately, that's why I delete a lot of rants. I come here so people can stroke my ego. I don't generally come here to start fights, because that simply bores me.

So it's just comedic to me that I get this anon, right as I deleted that post.

Because I'm glad someone understands.

Like oh, I'm sorry, you're too "nice" to pick the Dark Urge?

But you have no problem blowing a slaver?

You're like the stereotypical 90s love interests who are "nice girls" but also inexplicably dating a dude who knocks a kid in a wheelchair down the stairs. How the fuck can you be "nice" and compassionate, while the dude you're fucking is a sociopathic felon?

Durgetash works for TWO reasons.

Reason 1: They are both fucking awful, and we all know it. Them torturing and ruining each other is a tragic romance with broken teeth, and we enjoy the low moan of a dying animal, tearing itself apart in distress. They start evil, they end evil. Evil horny bastard sex. Tavtash could never be so demented.

Don't jump into bed with Enver Gortash if you intend to keep your hands clean either.

Reason 2: The Dark Urge was given a second chance, even though they didn't deserve it, and took it. They were given the opportunity to fix their mistakes in game. Gortash doesn't get that. The romance is in the tragedy of, he could never be saved. And you cannot save him, even as you save the rest of the world. You grow, and he stays behind.

The romance is in the longing and the yearning for something that is no longer there. The camaraderie of two lonely people...who were separated, and never ever came back together again. It's also about how you were born evil, but chose redemption, while he was born innocent, but chose damnation. Durgetash operates well on this level because it's always equality of opposites. It is character development, mirrored. And it's fascinating to consider.

And what does Tavtash have going on?

It's someone Gortash just met who has something he wants, who may or may not want to kill him but he's desperate enough to throw his eggs in that particular basket. And on Tav's side, it's weird because it's like omg.

I just met him, and he ruined my life, he put a fucking tadpole in my head, and I'm close to becoming a mindless monster without any free will, something he DIRECTLY did to me and my loved ones -

But I still think he's hot.

Hm. ok. that might be amusing if there wasn't a better precursor for a relationship sitting right there beneath you. rotting in Orin's dungeon.

I won't deny, Durgetash might be absolutely nuts - but it will never be as nuts as Tavtash.

But anyway. You didn't hear that from me.

If anyone asks, I looooove Tavtash. I loooooove Tavs. Especially YOUR Tav.

[lil-spider]

So Damn Pretty

Chapter 5

Part 4 : Part 6 :

Pairing: Johnny Slaughter X Female Reader

Summary: Johnny is sex starved and you’re very attractive, so attractive that he doesn’t want to kill you. Instead he finds ways to keep you around longer.

Note: My fav song when writing about Johnny.

Warning: This is 18+ and please do not read if your sensitive to heavy descriptions of non/con and violence. Including bondage, blood, gore, assault, objectification and unsafe sex. For those who don’t mind, I hope you enjoy.

I rise up groggily and stretch my tender muscles. "Johnny got some stuff from your van for ya'." She places a wooden box of stuff next to me on the bed. Looking in it, I find a collection of hygiene items, including hair brushes, underwear, clothing, and Jessica's beauty bag.

 

Jessica took it everywhere, even on the camping trip. It's all that I have left of her. "I took a few lipsticks from that bag; they were such pretty reds." Sissy tells me frankly. I’m upset she took them, but I don't want to quarrel with her; it's not worth it. I don’t know what she’s capable of.

"Have a shower, sugar, and meet me downstairs in the kitchen." She caresses my leg and saunters to the door. I wait till she leaves to grab my stuff. I slide the makeup bag underneath the bed, hidden away, so no one else steals from it. I’ll find a better hiding spot for it later.

 

I grabbed some of my fresh clothes, which include a pair of denim shorts and a yellow knit tank top. I head to the shower after picking up some travel-sized shampoos and conditioners as well as a body wash with a pleasant scent. I'm so eager to get refreshed.

I lock the door behind me as I use the restroom. I take off my dress, put it in a basket of dirty clothes by the door, and get into the hot shower. Scrubbing my body and hair made me feel as though I were trying to erase the previous days and start over.

 

Rising the soap, I feel much better, finally smelling like my old self. Squeezing all the water out of my hair, I decided not to use the towels, as I doubt they were clean. Uncomfortably, I put my clothes on while damp. Thankfully, it’s a hot day, so I won’t take long to dry.

I go back to my room to grab some old sandals from my box of belongings and walk downstairs. Entering the kitchen, I find Sissy making eggs and bacon for breakfast.

She grins at me. "Oh, pumpkin, you look lovely," she says examining me. "So do you." I respond, noticing she is wearing a short dress with dark red and white polka dots. She gives me another of her gorgeous grins.

"Thank you very much, sugar; this is one of my favourites." She does a little spin, showing the rest of her dress.

We cook breakfast together while conversing, and she tells me about our chores for today.

Repeating what I did yesterday, I prepared the table as Sissy plated the food. As usual, she rings the bell while I take a seat, waiting for the family to arrive. They seem to be normal—except for the killing and eating people—that's not so normal, but other then that they treat each other like every other family.

During breakfast I keep looking at Johnny. Every time I do, I get these butterflies in my stomach. Even though he’s dressed in his typical ensemble of a black shirt and denim pants, he looks so damn fine.

His hair is currently not styled, letting it frame his face. I want to glide my hands over those dark locks of his. Shit, he looks good like that.

I watch him with hungry eyes as he leaves the dining room first, returning to whatever he was doing.

As the others finish, Bubba descends to that dreadful basement. Nubbins was the last person to go as Mr. Sawyer headed out to open the gas station.

Nubbins mumbles something about wanting head cheese next time, and he scatters off up the stairs. Ew, what the fuck is head cheese? As soon as he departed, Sissy and I got to cleaning.

Finishing up, Sissy shows me the rest of the house and what other chores that need to be done. Right now, we’ve got a whole lot of laundry.

As we start on at least two baskets worth of dirty clothes, Johnny shows up. His hair now back to his usual style. He waltzes up, wrapping his arm around my waist and leading me off to who knows where.

“I’m going to take her around the property!" He yells back to Sissy while we walk away.

We step outside to the side-yard, which has a lovely field of gorgeous sunflowers, a collection of old abandoned cars, and a tool shed.

“Avoid wandering through the fields, Nubbins has set up some strange traps there.” He provides more details about the areas I'm not permitted to visit.

Guiding me around the vast estate he points over to the tool shed. “I'm generally out here, if you ever need to find me."

We stopped walking, now near a workbench underneath some shade across from the car graveyard. “I really like the sunflowers.” I tell him bashfully, glancing over at the flowers. He has a charming smile on his face as he puts his hands on my hips, facing me. “Do you now?” He smirks as I nod my head.

He moves closer to my ear. “Do you also enjoy eye-fucking me?” I stared wide eyed at him, embarrassed at being caught.

I thought I was being discrete during breakfast.

He holds my hips tightly. “I bet your pretty pussy is aching for me." He states picking me up and placing me on the workbench.

“And wearing such cute clothes, showing off this body to tease me, huh?” He slides his hand down my sides to the end of my shorts, tugging it off along with my underwear. "Johnny, what if someone catches us?" I ask him, worried his family might see.

“Don’t worry. Just focus on me.” He says annoyed, continuing to undress me.

I lift my hips up, letting him pull down my shorts and toss them to the ground. He skims his hands over to my chest and pushes me back. Getting me to lay flat against the bench, my legs hanging off the edge.

We're about to fuck outside in the middle of the day, I really hope no one sees us.

Johnny grabs my legs, placing them over his large shoulders, spreading them. He stares down unshamefully at my bare cunt.

"Such a wet, slutty pussy.” He smirks, taking pleasure in my embarrassment.

He squats downward, pushing my legs further apart, and presses his mouth on me. Eating me out in broad daylight.

He rubs his hot tongue over me. I close my eyes and rest my head on the bench.

I let out whimpering moans as he licks my cunt, teasingly avoiding my clit. His groans vibrate my poor, neglected nub. I move my hips while holding onto the end of the bench, attempting to direct his lips towards my clit for relief.

"Please suck my clit, Johnny!" I chuck my dignity aside and pleadingly grind against his mouth.

While he plays with me, he keeps a grip tight on my thighs. He leaves his tongue flat against my clit. I sit up, grab his head in frustration, and grind on his face erotically attempting to move his tongue against me.

“Please, lick my clit! I need you!” I pant out.

"Demanding little slut." He chuckles, pushing up my shirt and exposing my chest. I let out heavy breaths as he gropes them, giving my chest a hard squeeze, pinching and flicking my nipples while I continue my pleas.

I place my hands over his as he toys with my tits. I thrust my hips and keep my legs open as he goes back down on me. He kneads my chest while finally licking my little clit in sloppy circles. I gasp and moan out loud, holding his veiny hands harder.

I glance at the man between my legs and found him staring back. His eyes are observing me like a predator as he devours his prey. He’s so intense yet alluring. He leaves soft kisses on my clit as we stare at each other.

"Nnnh." I whimper, now slowly shoving his tongue into my pussy, rubbing my clit with his nose.

He takes his sweet time, savouring me. I tremble as I feel his tongue slide against my walls.

Just as I get close, he pulls away. He stands up and shoves me harshly back against the table again.

I watch as he drops his jeans; his hard cock bounces upwards, pre-cum dripping from his swollen head. He gives it a few pumps before pushing my legs back, holding them to my chest.

“Don’t you dare resist me. Keep em’ open.” He instructs. I head to his words, holding the back of my calves to my chest. He starts tapping the tip of his cock against my clit. “That’s my good girl.”

Now he’s dragging his heavy cock downwards to my hole, wetting it in the process.

Johnny pushes inside me very slowly. “Fuck baby, take my cock." He grunts, watching my cunt suck in his hard dick. I dig my nails into the back of my legs while he stays still.

He does a few agonising slow thrusts, and I moan at the sensation.

“You love this, don't you?" He mocks. I cry out a yes, agreeing with him.

Johnny grabs my calves, placing them over his shoulders while holding my thighs for leverage; He starts his brutal pounding.

I'm cupping my tits as they bounce roughly from his pace. The poor bench sounds like it’s about to collapse.

He‘s fucking like a wild beast that’s been starving for pussy. “Mine, mine, mine.” He grunts out, placing a hand over my mouth to muffle my loud moans.

Wanting it more intense he removes my legs off his shoulders and pulls his cock from my drenched hole.

He turns me over on my stomach, grabbing my hips, bringing them back, so I’m standing doggy style.

I gasp as he monovers his cock back into my pussy. I spill whiny moans as he thrusts in from a new angle.

"Come on, Darlin, give me a baby." He groans as he aggressively fucks me; I cry out a yes as his cock keeps hitting my sweet spot.

He’s turning me into a drooling moaning mess. His hard fucking makes my tits swing while his hips and abs are slamming into my ass. "I'm gonna fill ya full!"

He smacks my ass hard, watching the fat recoil. He growls, gripping my ass in an attempt to get a better hold on me.

He's displaying his strength by supporting my weak lower body while maintaining his speed. Before I could finish, he slows down. I whinge pushing back against him.

Cooing at me he reaches an arm around my waist. Putting a thick finger on my clit, rubbing it in circles.

Just shy of my peak, I ask him permission to orgasm. "May I cum on your cock, Johnny?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, release yourself, baby; come, you can do it.” He says breathless, picking up his original pace. I cum right there. My legs shake as I leave a mess on his cock.

He grunts, cumming right after me. Shoving his cock deep, drowning my insides with his hot cum.

We both pant heavy. I squeal as he thrusts his cock more deeply. He chuckles and slides out.

I feel his hot cum dribble over my clit. I rest my head on my arms, trying to compose myself. He holds my hips, muttering as he watches his cum drizzle out of my pussy.

“Fuck.” He moans out, turned on from the sight. Johnny goes back down on me. Using his tongue to clean me up.

I gasp and wriggle, super sensitive. He holds my hips still, eating me out from behind. I try to fight, but he's too strong. Holding my legs apart. I cry out for him to stop, but he just licks my tender clit faster.

He drags his tongue up, pushing his cum back inside me while rubbing my nub up and down with his thumb.

I bite my lip getting closer to another orgasm, humping his tongue and thumb.

I'm gasping, cumming again, hot tears rolling down my face. He shoves his tongue into my entrance sucking up my juices. “No more!” I cry squeezing my legs.

But he still doesn’t listen now tongue fucking me.

Once he's done, he stands back up, turns me around, and kisses me. I taste our flavours. I whine into the kiss, and he grips my ass hard, smacking it.

“The tour is now over, darlin'; better get back to your chores.” He says this with a cheeky grin, letting me go to putting his jeans back on.

He gives me a smirk at my dishevelled appearance and turns around, walking back to the house.

I fumble putting my shoes and shorts back on. I struggle to catch up to him on wobbly legs. Walking beside him, he takes a cigarette and lighter out of his back pocket.

He puts an arm around my waist and lights the cig in his mouth. Smoking it while we head back to the house. God help me, I think I’m in love.

[mileyjassie]

" 𝚂𝙾𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚅𝙾𝙸𝙲𝙴 "

Pairing: Kim Taehyung (V) x Reader

Word count: 1.6k

Genre: Fluff

Synopsis: Spending vacation together in a domestic way.

It so happened that when he called you to spend time with him during his leisure time in a little house in the countryside, you had to hide some of your contentment.

Changes have always been welcome to you, even though you find yourself more entertained in the big city, so not spending a lifetime away from civilization and actually just enjoy some time in a calm environment was simply a good idea.

You didn't feel bothered, you felt deeply thankful, because you couldn't have received a better invitation than this from the boy.

You were sitting on the floor working at the low wooden table in front of you, watching the long, thin door that divided the rooms slide to the side, seeing the dark haired brunette in light clothes watching you silently, despite the sudden entry.

You paused your reading for a moment to give him a serene look, waiting for any unpredictable comments.

"You came with me, but you only work, you don't have time for me, you don't spend the day with me." He said in a growl, but didn't change the neutral, emotionless expression that remained like a mask on his face, yet the way he rebelled was genuine and didn't faze you much.

You raised your eyebrows shortly thereafter, parting your lips to sincerely apologize.

"I hadn't noticed it was bothering you, I didn't want you to feel alone." You said calmly, redeeming to not add anything to his temper. "Tomorrow, I assure you, I won't touch those papers. Is that all right?"

He looked at you for a while, trying to figure out if the promise was real.

"Really?" You nodded, affirming with a slight smile, his chin puckered in acceptance with a nod. "You promised." He slammed the door shut, just as he had arrived.

You let out a small smile, going back to the papers in order to finish everything so you could have the free time you promised.

The next day Taehyung woke you up early, very early, because the sun had barely risen and there he was standing, you couldn't believe yourself how determined he was.

You found him while he was waiting for you in the kitchen, heading out to the back, the kitchen doors already wide open to a view of the backyard's cobblestone path.

"I didn't hear you complaining at any moment." He commented absently, leading the way towards the small building made of wood.

"I'm not afraid of chickens." You responded while brushing you hair out of your face as the morning breeze blew some strands in front of your eyes, holding the basket he gave you in your other hand. "I've lived in the countryside before, if you've forgotten."

"I remember you mentioning ducks, not chickens." He smiled, opening the hatchery door and waving a hand at some chickens that were scratching on the ground.

"Sometimes there was chickens as well" You waved to the same chickens, approaching those that remained seated. "Most of the time it was a very, very noisy rooster."

He chuckled, finding you as he turned around, seeing you stare at one of the sitting chickens.

"Are you trying to communicate with your eyes? That's not exactly how you make friends with a chicken, but I respect your methods." He pretended to take you seriously, holding the animal in both hands and pulling it out of its comfort, waiting for you to harvest the eggs it guarded. You picked them up, reaping a decent amount from most of them.

You walked up the cobblestone path to the kitchen, leaving the basket on the table. Taehyung washed the eggs and you dried them, putting them in the fridge, gasping in alert when he let one of the wet eggs slip out of his hand.

You stared at each other, then you both left a few laughs while the lazy dragging of Taehyung's flip-flops sang into the floor before he cleaned up the mess he'd made. You knelt beside him, helping him and finding yourself in a great mood.

"We both better take a shower, we must be smelling like chicken." Taehyung laughed with a disgusted expression in the face, nodding his head.

Taehyung went first, not accepting your protests and reaching the bathroom before you reached him, you waited long enough, noticing that his showers were longer than you thought.

You heard the bathroom door open and his footsteps run hurriedly to lock himself in the bedroom you shared, you laughed at the playful, shy gesture of him hiding from you before you could see anything.

You took all the time you thought you needed to wash yourself, considering the over-the-top shower he'd had, then you gone to the bedroom in desperate steps to imitate him, hearing his loud laugh echo from another room.

When you changed, you dried your hair and looked for him around the house, finding him sitting on the floor of the kitchen entrance, white shirt, light shorts, barefoot and messy damp hair while he stared at the floor or any corner of the kitchen, his fingers touching the toenail.

He saw you but didn't say anything, you approached quietly, sitting in front of him, a little distant despite not having to.

"The long time of the bath explains why you smells so good. I can smell it from here." Despite expecting a smirk, you only received a genuinely surprised look, but only slightly.

"You can?" His deep, relaxed voice asked without necessarily waiting for an answer, fading in the end.

His voice never went unnoticed, it was always noticeable no matter how he used it.

“I like talking to you." You told him, seeing he hadn't expected such a sudden comment.

“I like talking to you too." He said in no hurry, moving from fidgeting with his toes to sitting more comfortably. "But why the praise?"

“It wasn't a compliment." You answered, seeing his dark eyebrows tighten, almost disgusted. “It was a fact. My compliments to you would be a little different..."

His pupils expanded and glowed with curiosity, yearning for the words you still kept to yourself.

"What would they be like?"

"In a way, they wouldn't stop being facts either... Since nothing I admire about you is a illusion, nor is it fantasy." You explained, lying on your stomach, supporting your face in both hands. "Everything I see of you is real, I just make it a little more magical, in my eyes you can be charming like a prince, or tempting like a siren's voice, but I don't know how to explain it to you..."

His eyebrow jumped in amusement, his attention creating a certain strength over you, but it wasn't enough to intimidate you, you were calm, you were calm and collected, and there are only some few times when he would be able to unbalance your feelings about him.

"My voice, is that what you were thinking about?" He asked not too surprised, because he knew very well what you could praise him, and that was definitely his voice, however, his desire to be pampered was insatiable, and he knew that you would provide it to him very well. "Is that what you think of it?"

You smiled effortlessly, the comforting silence of it all almost bringing heat to your cheeks.

"Your voice is like a clean spell... Your intentions may vary but that doesn't change the fact that it continues to enchant all those who are lost to listen."

You saw his face finally redden, bringing back the memory that he is still the same person as always and not some demigod, maybe being so open could make him hold back, maybe it was a natural reaction, so you almost thought of sparing him of your ecstatic state if it wasn't for his unexpected pleading eyes.

"I have no interest in what I can do to others…" he insisted, which caused you a pleasant reaction instead of the embarrassment that it used to be common.

"It pleases me so much to see how much you long to know what I think of you..." You smiled while closing your eyes, stretching on the cold floor until your back touched the floor, arms stretched out and legs tucked in, opening your eyes and lifting your chin so you could see him.

You watched him a little longer, running your fingers through the strands of hair straying around your head.

"Every time I find myself in silence and your voice is the only thing I can hear, I have the impression that my head isn't working properly, I can hear your voice, but I don't understand what you're saying because I'm admiring you so intensely."

You confessed, closing your eyes again.

"When you talk to me, I feel like you're bewitching me, making me see only you and nothing else, you're the only one that matters, and when I realize it the only thing I can do is smile," You said almost contentedly, leaving the corners of your mouth rise freely. "Because I like it. And sometimes I imagine you singing to me, taking me down, sinking me into the sea, and I try to touch your face, you let me, you like to see me enchanted and completely in love, drowning in my feelings."

You heard him move, feeling his warm presence silently approaching. You opened your eyes, seeing his dark hair hanging down, his face above yours, searching for something for a few moments before his fingers landed on your cheek, lowering to lay his lips on yours.

You lifted your hands to find the back of his neck, feeling his lower lip press against your upper lip, staying there, gifting you with a slow, patient kiss.

Taehyung placed his hand on the floor again, intending to stay there for a while longer, not making much of a scene when you moved your hands from his neck to his back, going under his collar to stop on his skin.

He took your head and sat down, putting it on his legs, being able to hold your face in a more comfortable position and deepen the kiss.

The kitchen was silent for a long time, a long, long time.

[damnfandomproblems]

4702. As someone who had recently started their art journey, can I just say, wow. There are a lot of supremely sensitive comments in this one that totally misinterpret what OP said. I even went back like three times to double-check what I read.

OP didn't say anything even remotely close to "beginner artists don't deserve attention" like one comment said, and OP wasn't "shitting on beginner artists" like another comment said. They were literally just saying how very-beginner artists sometimes post art and complain that they're not getting a "lot of likes". They said a "lot" of likes, people. You all are literally reading the sentence, "beginner artists whining that they don't get a lot of likes", and getting a whole new sentence, "beginner artists don't deserve attention", out of it. Oh my god. It's the "I like pancakes- oh, so you hate waffles?!" debacle all over again.

You know what? I agree with OP because if you're a beginner artist, you need to curb your expectations that your art will be super popular and garner tons of likes and reblogs. That's just to be expected. There isn't anything wrong with that. You might get some hearts, and some reblogs, but you shouldn't automatically expect "lots" of it because while sure, that could happen, unflinchingly believing it will, indeed, happen no matter what? That's what leads people to whine and act affronted and ungrateful to the people who did give them notes. I've always posted my own art for both myself and to share it, and it's nice to get likes for sure, but if you're complaining that much about how many notes you're getting especially if you're just starting out, you might be putting too many of your eggs into one basket where self esteem goes. Don't rely just on whether you reach a "lot" of notes.

Posting since this is a response to a previous problem.

[lilbittymonster]

AO3 End Of Year Roundup 2024

Tagged by @crackinglamb 💜

Tagging @crystallineconflict @nidstiniens @myreia

Words Posted: 33,783

Additional Words Written: 64,946

Total Words Written: 98, 729

Fandom(s): Final Fantasy XIV

Works: 33

Highest Kudos: An Exercise in Submission, E, 2.5k

Highest Hit Oneshot: An Exercise in Submission.

New Things I Tried: I can now check "has written tentacle porn" on my writer bingo sheet lmao. ~Tendril porn if you want to be pedantic about it.

Fic I Spent The Most Time On: Song of War, T, 6.3k. I remember dragging myself through writing the fight sequence in the second half a hundred words at a time over the course of....five-ish months? I was really bogged down with trying to rewrite something that everyone had already played through while keeping it interesting to read.

Fic I Spent The Least Time On: Honestly that could be most of the XIVWrites fics, since that was sort of the point of the event, but I think it has to be Stable since I already had the scene in my head and it's the shortest word count of them all.

Favourite Thing I Wrote: Surrogate. I was up until after 3am writing this as it's a collection of several of my personal headcanons with Alberic and Estinien when he was younger. And I think that Alberic is a character that's overlooked and underutilised a lot for people who write with Estinien and/or dragoon OCs. So if I have to singlehandedly fix that then I will!

Favourite Thing I Read: A Land Long Dead by @nhaamazu. I'm absolutely enchanted by the worldbuilding and the Beauty and the Beast fairytale being woven into and through canon.

Something I Finished: ...just about everything? I won't list all 33 works here, but I only have a couple outstanding WIPs at the moment.

Miscellaneous Highlights: I joined a writing server again. I had sworn off joining big fandom servers after several bad experiences in various ship servers, but I had reached a point where I was the only one really actively writing and publishing in my private fc server and felt like I was boring everyone else. I also felt the need to put my eggs in some other baskets, so to speak, so when a mutual of mine created a server with the explicit mission statement of "curate your own experience" I decided to give it a go.

And so far it's been great! Doing the diet NaNo event got me to write 34k words in a single month which is easily the most I've ever written in such a short amount of time. And there's a small circle of regulars that have cropped up. It's been pretty chill for the most part.

Writing Goals For 2025: Finish and post the HW fic. Realistically, I'm going to finish the EW caster rolequest rewrite sooner, and I'm also looking forward to that one, but the HW fic is my big project that I'm actually really invested in.

Final Thoughts: I've been trying to fight XIV burnout for a while now. The social isolation is really starting to hit, what with half of my dashboard all vanishing into various discord servers and siloing shit there, instead of hanging out on the dashboard. The group I was raiding with disbanded quite some time ago and the discord finally got deleted. I've mostly withdrawn from a lot of shared canon stuff with Kitali because I really don't know what to do with her anymore. And I'm trying to find a love of creation again, and lately that means trying to bury myself in writing again and withdrawing into my own little bubble. And, y'know, I've gotten over 44k words in the HW WIP and some 3-odd thousand in another and 15k in the EW caster rewrite so I wouldn't call it a total loss. And I actually did a lot of words for XIVWrite this year.

And in a strictly fic sense, I sure am feeling some type of way about the most recent fic having over 3/4ths of hits and more kudos than my first longfic for XIV that has been around for over 2 years now. But, I get it. The former is a M/M smutfic between two NPCs and the latter is a G fic with no romance in it and is largely OC based. I get it.

I think for 2025 I want to actually get back into making shit instead of just mindlessly grinding the game. Dawntrail killed off any real drive for me to do late game content and I think that's a good thing since I have a whole other playthrough to focus on. I want to be able to turn the "I have an idea..." into an actual finished Thing that can be absorbed by other people so I'm not just going insane in my own mind over things only I know about.

This year was pretty rough on me so hopefully the next one will be. If not better, at least not worse.

See you all next year!

[loneworldgazer]

noooo! don't turn me into a marketable plushie!!

about: trigun guys with a reader who likes to make plushies

a/n: tiny vash (this is also short cause i was impatient to post this limau (lmao) )

pairings: vash x reader, wolfwood x reader

vash

best believe he does a little squel when he sees your works

he ADORES all of the little animal, fruit, veggie, whatever you make plushies you make and squeezes the living hell out of it in excitement

if you like gift giving, he will gladly show it off, keeping them on his bags as keychains, putting it on his table, hell even on his ears if he wants to feel silly

he's also the type to send those good morning messages with the small plush that you made sitting right next to his plate of eggs and bacon

and when you make a tiny version of him, he thinks he died and went to heaven (not literally though i haven't read the manga bro isn't dead right)

it is the most cutest fcking thing he has ever seen in his life, you even got down to the shade of his hair and coat!

for funsies, you would defitenely make his gun and he would scream if you added something that could make tiny him hold it

he would hug you and the plushie at the same time to thank you

he will cherish this gift forever

just know if anybody ever sees it and mskes fun of it, he'll just say that they don't have a wonderful, most coolest person to make plushies for them and fake cries to make fun of them and run off to giggle

gives it silly nicknames like vashie or vash the junior

wolfwood

would grip the ever living shit out of your plushies as if they'll respond

he thinks it's a cute hobby (and that you're cute too

i see him as a guy who just fucks with it, you do you

would buy you materials if you ever run out and you would panic every single time if you think you're running out but a new fresh batch (the exact same colour too!) would pop up in your sewing basket!

he doesn't admit this though, he thinks he's slick

he keeps some in his pockets and gives them to children if they're in need of a small companion/ cheer them up

very much suprising you when kids come at your doorstep to thank you for the plushies and they would grin in thanks

but his favourite one is the tiny version of him, how adorable

he places it into his pocket like it was his kid and brings it everywhere, so if he ever wants to pull out a cigeratte to smoke, he would always have to push away tiny him deeper into his pocket to get at his box of cigerattes

calls it little guy

knives

he doesn't have a need of plushies, it clogs up his space, he finds it useless

second chill guy? he doesn't care at all of what you do and he doesn't bother with your gifts, keeping it into a basket at first

until you made effort in creating a tiny version of himself to which he scoffs in amusement

and hey!! there's detachable blade coils, isn't that fun???!?!?

you have to look at him closely for a reaction, just a tense constipated look of focus on what you've done, intricate details of his suit means he kinda likes it (he doesn't want to admit he finds this action cute whether friend or spouse, it was nice to receive something that was really worked hard on especially when it was him, literally)

there was also a slight twitch of his lips, a quick lift at the end like he wanted to smile but he didn't want to give you the pleasure

(he find your methaphorical droppy ears on your head funny, what a meanie)

he keeps it on his piano, although he finds it bothersome when it falls face flat because of the piano's vibrations or his tiny him blade coils making it heavy on the back, he still likes keeping it close

he goes through that same basket of what you sewed for him and gradually the plushies you thought he threw/dump it elsewhere were now popping up in every corner of the house as decoration (atleast there was some use..? right?)

vash calls it little nai (knives doesn't do nicknames)

[threebooksoneplot]

This isn't a question but a confession. And I want to share it with you because I think you'll get a real kick out of it and understand the level of obsession I'm about to cop to...

Twilight is the reason I didn't get into medical school and changed my entire life trajectory.

It was 2009 and I was finishing my undergrad degree and putting all my eggs into the basket of medical school.

I know 2009 is a bit late to the twilight game but read it at the behest of a friend in the spring, exactly when I am supposed to be studying for my MCAT. I read the first book and i was immediately hooked (...something, something, my own personal brand of heroin). I think I read book one twice in a row before devouring the last 3, and and didn't pick up my MCAT prep until a week before I was to write the biggest exam of my life. Obviously I scored low on the test and was not accepted into med school. I don't know truly if I would have been a successful applicant had I not drowned myself in angsty teenage vampire land but I can guarantee it did not help.

So do with this what you will, but Twilight was a formative and life-altering experience for me. I love your podcast and feel the same joy and warmth (and cringe and judgement) that I felt back in the day.

Thank you thank you thank you for your podcast.

the way I laughed (painfully) when shannon read this aloud to me the other day!! I am so sorry that twilight victimized you personally and I hope the trajectory of your life ended up changing for the better. also this is unfortunately deeply relatable because I (g) once missed like 3 college classes in a row because I was obsessively hitting "next episode" on Gran Hotel (and I wasn't even in med school omg.) I'm so impressed with you for even attempting the MCAT in the first place holy shit —G

listen it sounds like you had everything figured out!! also I know i've already used this meme as a reply on an ask but:

—shannon

[genericpuff]

Tbh at this point you should just make your own webcomic app/website because it would probably be 100 times better than whatever going on with webtoon right now.

hahaha it wouldn't tho, sorry 💀

Here's the fundamental issue with webcomic platforms that a lot of people just don't realize (and why they're so difficult to run successfully):

Storage costs are incredibly expensive, it's why so many sites have limitations on file sizes / page sizes / etc. because all of those images and site info have to be stored somewhere, which costs $$$.

Maintenance costs are expensive and get more so as you grow, you need people who are capable of fixing bugs ASAP and managing the servers and site itself

Financially speaking, webcomics are in a state of high supply, low demand. Loads of artists are willing to create their passion projects, but getting people to read them and pay for them is a whole other issue. Demand is high in the general sense that once people get attached to a webtoon they'll demand more, but many people aren't actually willing to go looking for new stuff to read and depend more on what sites feed them (and what they already like). There are a lot of comics to go around and thus a lot of competition with a limited audience of people willing to actually pay for them.

Trying to build a new platform from the ground up is incredibly difficult and a majority of sites fail within their first year. Not only do you have to convince artists to take a chance on your platform, you have to convince readers to come. Readers won't come if there isn't work on the platform to read, but artists won't come if they don't think the site will be worth it due to low traffic numbers. This is why the artists with large followings who are willing to take chances on the smaller sites are crucial, but that's only if you can convince them to use the site in favor of (or alongside) whatever platform they're using already where the majority of their audience lies. For many creators it's just not worth the time, energy, or risk.

Even if you find short-term success, in the long-term there are always going to be profit margins to maintain. The more users you pull in, the more storage is used by incoming artists, the more you have to spend on storage and server maintenance costs, and that means either taking the risk at crowdfunding (ex. ComicFury) or having to resort to outsider investments (ex. Tapas). Look at SmackJeeves, it used to be a titan in the independent webcomic hosting community, until it folded over to a buyout by NHN and then was pretty much immediately shuttered due to NHN basically turning it into a manwha scanlation site and driving away its entire userbase. And if you don't get bought out and try your hand at crowdfunding, you may just wind up living on a lifeline that could cut out at any moment, like what happened to Inkblazers (fun fact, the death of Inkblazers was what kicked off the cultural shift in Tapas around 2015-16 when all of IB's users migrated over and brought their work with them which was more aimed towards the BL and romancee drama community, rather than the comedy / gag-a-day culture that Tapas had made itself known for... now you deadass can't tell Tapas apart from a lot of scanlation sites because it got bought out by Kakao and kept putting all of its eggs into the isekai/romance drama basket.)

Right now the mindset in which artists and readers are operating is that they're trying way, way too hard to find a "one size fits all" site. Readers want a place where they can find all their favorite webtoons without much effort, artists wants a place where they can post to an audience of thousands, and both sides want a community that will feel tight-knit. But the reality is that you can't really have all three of those things, not on one site. Something always winds up having to be sacrificed - if a site grows big enough, it'll have to start seeking more funding while also cutting costs which will result in features becoming paywall'd, intrusive ads, creators losing their freedom, and/or outsider support which often results in the platform losing its core identity and alienating its tight-knit community.

If I had to describe what I'm talking about in a "pick one" graphic, it would look something like this:

(*note: this is mostly based on my own observations from using all of these sites at some point or another, they're not necessarily entirely accurate to the statistical performance of each site, I can only glean so much from experience and traffic trackers LMAO that said I did ask some comic pals for input and they were very helpful in helping me adjust it with their own takes <3).

The homogenization of the Internet has really whipped people into submission for the "big sites" that offer "everything", but that's never been the Internet, it relies on being multi-faceted and offering different spaces for different purposes. And we're seeing that ideology falter through the enshittification of sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. where users are at odds with the platforms because the platforms are gutting features in an attempt to satisfy shareholders whom without the platforms would not exist. Like, most of us aren't paying money to use social media sites / comic platform sites, so where else are they gonna make the necessary funds to keep these sites running? Selling ad space and locking features behind paywalls.

And this is especially true for a lot of budding sites that don't have the audience to support them via crowdfunding but also don't have the leverage to ask for investments - so unless they get really REALLY lucky in EITHER of those departments, they're gonna be operating at a loss, and even once they do achieve either of those things there are gonna be issues in the site's longevity, whether it be dying from lack of growing crowdfunding support or dying from shareholder meddling.

So what can we do?

We can learn how to take our independence back. We don't have to stop using these big platforms altogether as they do have things to offer in their own way, particularly their large audience sizes and dipping into other demographics that might not be reachable from certain sites - but we gotta learn that no single site is going to satisfy every wish we have and we have to be willing to learn the skills necessary to running our own spaces again. Pick up HTML/CSS, get to know other people who know HTML/CSS if you can't grasp it (it's me, I can't grasp it LOL), be willing to take a chance on those "smaller sites" and don't write them off entirely as spaces that can be beneficial to you just because they don't have large numbers or because they don't offer rewards programs. And if you have a really polished piece of work in your hands, look into agencies and publishing houses that specialize in indie comics / graphic novels, don't settle for the first Originals contract that gets sent your way.

For the last decade corporations have been convincing us that our worth is tied to the eyes we can bring to them. Instead of serving ourselves, we've begun serving the big guys, insisting that it has to be worth something eventually and that it'll "payoff" simply by the virtue of gambler's fallacy. Ask yourself what site is right for you and your work rather than asking yourself if your work is good enough for them. Most of us are broke trying to make it work on these sites anyways, may as well be broke and fulfilled by posting in places that actually suit us and our work if we can. Don't define your success by what sites like Webtoons are enforcing - that definition only benefits them, not you.

[mairitess]

form 009-xm3rc, signed, in triplicate // to be known, ch. 2

summary: jordana has her own ambitions. and her own friends.

a/n: i'm giggling so hard i can't believe people like this and that i'm so influenced i whipped out this next part bc of comments luv and thanks? this is also ch. 2 but i don't think it necessarily haaaaaas to be read in order ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ do what u wanna do + also on ao3!

words: 2.8k

tags: angst, jaya mentioned, jordana characterization if it were up to me, and now it is up to me, jordana pov, dr s2 spoilers

warnings: n/a

preview:

They shrugged in tandem unnervingly. “You know us. There’s the form for filing a complaint of abuse of power, Form A17-PQ9 for actually complaining about an abuse of power, the form for filing a complaint of aiding and abetting a coup, Form A38-BU9 for actually complaining about aiding and abetting a coup, the–” “I get it!” Jordana interrupted. “Where do I file the form for filing a complaint about wasting my time?”

Nya’s last words echoed painfully at the tail end of all of Jordana’s thoughts, steady like a heartbeat, as Jordana walked through the fluorescent-lit halls of the Department of Reassignment. Gotta fill out form BA-7180. Gotta notarize form BA-7180. I’m not what I do. I’m more than what I do. Have to make sure Agent Walker has copies of Form 009X. Have to go to HR to corroborate Agent Walker’s statement. I’m not what I do. I’m more than what I do? Need to mediate a meeting between Lord Ras and Agent Walker. Need to find Nokt. I’m not what I do. I’m more than what I do.

Steady, for sure, but believable? Jordana wasn’t sure. Though maybe it would become more believable the more she said it. What was it that one wizard said? The more you believe something the more you manifest it? No – That couldn’t be right. Jordana ran with facts and figures, not signs and persuasions. Certainly not manifestations. Sure, there was elemental power; sure, she could harness Source Dragon energy; sure, she’d learned a good bit of Theroxian magic… Yet those still felt markedly different from simply sitting somewhere, thinking really hard over and over again, just willing something to be and it becoming.

Here were the facts and figures, at least those she liked to keep at the forefront of her mind:

Figure: Jordana had a 74% success rate while working under Dr. LaRow.

Fact: The success rate took the number of inventions she suggested, with the number of inventions she worked on, with the number of inventions tested and passing lab trials, with the number of inventions that were used practically outside of a simulated scenario.

Figure: Sora’s success rate, though she was working under Dr. LaRow for far less time than Jordana, was 84%.

Fact: Don’t ask Jordana how she knows.

Fact: She knows because she was counting.

Figure: Jordana’s success rate after being recruited by the Administration increased to 89%.

Fact: Jordana was only recruited as a mercenary.

Fact: If Lord Ras’ plans fell through, Jordana was more than happy to join the Department of Reassignment full-time.

Fact: It wasn’t an “if.” It was a “when.” Lord Ras had overstepped when he lost Nokt.

Fact: Jordana only knew because Agent Walker offhandedly told her. “It’s a good thing you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket,” he said. “That ship is sinking fast. We’re just making sure we have all the evidence for it.”

Agent Denholt begrudgingly walked Jordana over to an empty desk, and Jordana plopped her stack of files loudly on the table. “Agent Mantha is out doing surveillance for the next few hours, so make sure to finish by then,” they said.

Jordana hadn’t necessarily thought of herself as the “bureaucratic type” while she was working with Dr. LaRow, and the paperwork surely was not a highlight of the position she held now. But the more time she spent with the Administration, the more she warmed up to the idea of the Administration – not as pencil-pushers, but as enforcers of order. Jordana liked order the same way she liked her facts and figures: You were either right or wrong, good or bad, acting as you should or acting as you shouldn’t. All she needed was to be told where the line was, and from there, all Jordana had to do was sort.

When the Administration first found her, Jordana had just finished her first week with Dr. LaRow, and was still riding off the highs of achieving a childhood dream. Though Dr. LaRow mentioned Sora every two seconds, Jordana didn’t care – one of them was there, and the other wasn’t. She didn’t quite know, either, why Sora left. Probably couldn’t take the pressure. But Jordana could take it. She wasn’t a quitter.

“A girl of your talents could go much further than one realm,” one of the agents said. “It may just be one realm,” Jordana retorted, “but it’s mine.”

While extremely flattered by the Administration’s initial offer to join them, to put her skills to use with the Department of Reassignment, Jordana simply took it as proof she was good enough to compete with Sora. Was Sora getting recruited by the logistical gatekeeper of all the Realms? No. Well, probably not. But whatever the Administration was offering wasn’t enough for Jordana to leave the laboratory. Besides, what could an enforcing agency want with an inventor, a scientist?

The second time the Administration found her, two agents – Agent Pi’idi and Agent Urda – materialized from a bright portal right after Lord Ras had convinced her to join with his efforts. She’d just turned her back once Lord Ras sifted into the darkness of the night, and in his place were the Administration’s enforcers. Though this time, their recruitment tactics were different.

“Do you really think the Administration would let Ras go so far to achieve total domination like that?” They asked her. Jordana’s hands shook, yet she managed a casual shrug. “The Administration hasn’t stopped him yet.”

They shrugged in tandem unnervingly. “You know us. There’s the form for filing a complaint of abuse of power, Form A17-PQ9 for actually complaining about an abuse of power, the form for filing a complaint of aiding and abetting a coup, Form A38-BU9 for actually complaining about aiding and abetting a coup, the–”

“I get it!” Jordana interrupted. “Where do I file the form for filing a complaint about wasting my time?” She snarked, drawing a sarcastic laugh from the suited agents.

“Trust us,” Agent Pi’idi said, smirking. “We’ll make your time well-worth it.” “All we’re offering is a tour,” Agent Urda added. “You give us an hour to see what we do, we tell you what we’re looking for, and you give us a decision in a week.” “Do you have all the paperwork already filed for an outsider?” Jordana asked, jokingly. “Where’s my visitor’s badge?”

Agent Urda pulled a rectangular piece of plastic from his lapel while Agent Pi’idi pulled out a stack of files in triplicate. Jordana could see the notarized stamp on top, peeking through from underneath the carbonless copy paper. “We’re the Administration. Of course we do.”

------

The tour was exactly an hour as promised, Jordana circling around the Department of Reassignment and back where she started. While Agents Pi’idi and Urda brought her in, the department manager, Agent Walker was the one to give her the tour. At first, she thought his rambling and verbal meandering were nerves, but after 20 minutes, she realized – he didn’t really care. Jordana, surprising herself, kind of liked that.

“So you’ve seen each of the departments, met some of the other agents… This is my office. Rule of thumb: Do not call on me unless there’s an emergency. What counts as an emergency?” “Someone needs realm reassignment.” “And?” “That’s it.” “Yup. That’s it. Any questions?”

Agent Walker just did what he needed to. He must have been good enough at the work to become manager, but he didn’t gloat about it, nor seem like a try hard. And from the video game controller in his hand, Jordana could make a pretty good guess as to what he was really spending his time on while at work.

“Just one.” Jordana frowned. “What does the Administration want me for? I don’t understand how I could be of any help.”

Agent Walker shrugged, and pulled a slip of paper from the folder he’d tucked under his elbow while they walked. “It says here that the Administrator thinks you’d fit well with the Department of Reassignment. Uh… Hold on.”

He mumbled to himself as he skimmed through, flipping the page. “‘Jordana’s commitment and advanced technological understanding, notably through her development of containment and transference vessels for pure elemental power, would best be recognized as reinforcement of Administration duties and responsibilities as opposed to threats,’” Agent Walker quoted. “‘Jordana’s conscription or, preferably, allegiance with the Administration would be a useful asset to Administration goals.’”

He looked at her. “Does that make sense?”

Jordana turned the paper towards herself, re-reading it. “It says you’d prefer my ‘allegiance’ over my ‘conscription.’ So that means…”

Agent Walker returned the pages to their respective folder. “What do you know about the Administration, Jordana?” “Not much,” she admitted. “Just that it’s slow and bureaucratic. Nothing gets done.”

Agent Walker smiled. “Good. That’s precisely what they want you to think.”

He opened the door to his office, gesturing for her to step inside. There was a standard desk with two meeting chairs, no windows, and a small gaming set-up with a TV and beanbag. The TV’s lights were dim, but still gave away Agent Walker’s paused gameplay. Jordana took a seat while Agent Walker closed the door.

“Everything has its place, Jordana. Everything belongs somewhere. My controller,” he said, tossing it on the beanbag as he moved to sit across from Jordana, “connects to the console. My computer sits on my desk. And just as everything belongs somewhere, so does everyone.” Agent Walker’s brow furrowed, somewhat unbecomingly serious.

“I mean that in two ways. The first is in the literal job of the Department of Reassignment. After the Merge, all we wanted to do was make sure everyone got back to where they belonged. Call it going home, if you want.” Jordana nodded slowly, and Agent Walker leaned forward towards her. “The second is that everyone has their place in the system. And that’s where you would come in.”

What… System?

“Some people actively avoid their place. But that upsets order – everything was in order before the Merge. The Administration, sometimes, needs people…” Agent Walker trailed off, choosing his words. “Adjacent to the Administration to help find them. Why spend three days filing Form 5U-O3E to search a last known location when the subject may have left it two days before? Why not,” he suggested, “simply file Form 009X, to process and reattribute mercenary acquisitions of targets?”

The older agent smiled to himself, proud. “It’s practically a game, Jordana. You find them, we catch them, and I put them back in their place. A completely reimagined, completely expedited process.” Jordana’s gaze flickered up to a certificate framed and hung on the wall, just above Agent Walker’s desktop. Greatest Annual Contributions to the Department of Reassignment.

“And what do I get?” Jordana asked.

Agent Walker leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “When everyone’s back where they belong, Jordana… All the realms will have you to thank. Nobody could do it like you.”

He smiled, earnest. “That’s why we’re asking you, Jordana. Only you. And if you agree to help us, we’ll make sure everyone knows you saved them from the effects of the Merge.” He kept saying you. She’d never heard her name used so many times in one conversation, attached to such promises of greatness and success.

Bright lights started dazzling in Jordana’s head, the buzz of cheers and congratulations filling her ears. “Oh, and if you thought Imperium’s labs were advanced… Wait ‘til you see the Department of Innovation.”

“I get to work there?” Jordana asked, feeling lightheaded with fantasies of what could be. “The Department of Reassignment doesn’t just put people in their place, Jordana. We decide where everything goes.”

The next day, Agent Walker received a completed and signed form through the pipes, in triplicate. Form 009-XM3RC: Filing to Work in Consortium With the Administration.

------

Lord Ras was completely unaware of Jordana’s dual allegiances, completely engrossed in his own endeavors. Jordana didn’t mind. She felt what she was doing was bigger than Lord Ras, even if he managed to bring back the entirety of the Forbidden Five. The Administration pulled more strings than she could’ve imagined. Jordana felt lucky to be pulling on a few of them herself.

Her first mark was a test – a Juniper Long, attempting to evade returning to her work as a lighthouse keeper in the Never-Realm by hiding out in the Wyldness. Easy grab, at least, in between her orders from Lord Ras. Jordana had caught Juniper against a tree, Juniper confused beyond all measure, and Agent Walker opened his portal and swiftly took Juniper away. For sake of appearances, Agent Walker would often pretend to be somewhat cold to Jordana when he finished their tasks; he’d pretend he was taking her work from her, or that Jordana didn’t have as much agency in her work as she truly did. Jordana didn’t mind the theatrics. Besides, they couldn’t have people outside the Administration realize that there were more Agents and pseudo-Agents than the public thought.

“It’s a balancing act,” Agent Walker tried explaining to her once. “Remember what I told you about everyone having their place, everything being part of the system?” “Yeah. I don’t think I ever really understood what you meant by ‘system,’ though,” Jordana admitted.

He laughed. “Think of it like… Like yin and yang. The Administration isn’t on a ‘good’ side or a ‘bad’ side. We’re bureaucratic because order – systematic, global order – requires both. Life itself is about opposites moving together, forever, complimenting the force of the other as it goes.” Agent Walker’s voice grew quiet as he finished, as if he were recalling some distant thought he couldn’t quite place.

“… I guess.” Jordana shrugged, and Agent Walker laughed again. “You’ll get it when you’re older. Maybe.” She shoved his shoulder, and he clutched it closer to him in mock hurt. “Hey! I’m your superior!"

Jordana stuck her tongue out, and she felt like she was exactly where she needed to be as a grin spread across her face.

Agent Walker was perhaps one of the best people she’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was kind to her and gently corrected her mistakes while (maybe over-) congratulating her on her successes. Sometimes she’d visit the Department and hear him speak so highly of her it made her feel shy. No one in Imperium was proud of her the way Agent Walker was. Agent Walker would always ask about her new inventions, and as it turned out, he was pretty handy with technology himself. Soon enough, they were developing new gear together. It might not have been her dream job, but Agent Walker was far better than Dr. LaRow ever was. Even with his help, everything she did still felt like hers. It was Agent Walker’s idea for Jordana to etch a maker’s symbol at the bottom left corner of her creations, something he said was inspired by a blacksmithing tradition he’d heard about long ago.

------

A few months into their agreement, Agent Walker called Jordana into his office, handing her a tablet with a looping clip of a ninja Jordana had only seen before in passing. A woman caught on a security camera, likely about Agent Walker’s age, pretty despite the scowl on her face. She pulled her mask over her face, and it took losing sight of the woman’s entire face for Jordana to start recognizing her.

“Do you know her?” Agent Walker asked, his face stern and arms crossed over his chest. “I… No,” Jordana said, shaking her head. “But I’ve seen her. With Sora and Arin.” Her mentor nodded, pursing his lips. “She’s your next target.” He started to turn away from Jordana to return to his game. “Do I get to know why?” Jordana halfheartedly called out, still looking at the streaks of blue in the woman’s hair.

“She says she’s my Yang,” he responded, and Jordana turned to him in shock. She had so many questions – What were you doing with her? But that felt unfair, given his apparent disposition. It was the first time she’d seen him defeated, slumped in the beanbag, not even bothering to pick up his controller.

The Yin/Yang promise had fallen out of practice, to Jordana’s understanding. It was a Ninjago custom, but after the Merge, some rituals simply ceased to be. At least Jordana thought some of them had. But if Jay had a Yang…

“You’re from Ninjago?” Jordana asked, quiet. Agent Walker glanced up at her. “I guess so.” “You guess?”

He sounded sad. Jordana didn’t know what she was supposed to do other than watch and maybe awkwardly offer to sit with him.

“I… I didn’t know where I came from.” He took a deep breath, exhaling shakily though he tried to laugh it off. “That’s why they put me in the Department of Reassignment, I guess. Bringing other people back home if I didn’t have one.”

Sometimes when Agent Walker stepped the wrong way, she’d watch him grab his shoulder or brace his back. Jordana first thought he might be older than she’d assumed, but after this… Who was Agent Walker, really?

“Do you know her name?” Jordana handed the tablet back to her mentor gently.

“Nya,” he responded, her name rolling off his tongue like water.

[maybeyoullfindthissomeday]

And who is this "she", that may find this someday? I want to know who this person is that has impacted your life so much. What did they mean to you? How were they lost? Was this love? Love lost? My heart has asked my hands to send you this. Though it may be none of our business. You can respond privately if you wish. Or not at all of course. Right away or whenever you feel it most. I have loved and lost and lost it all once. Maybe more ...And maybe one day I will have the courage to share my story.

"She…"

…has been my best friend and really the only true constant in my life (besides my immediate family) the past 7 years, which included a marriage and subsequent divorce to someone else. And I feel stupid for saying this, but I didn't think we could be more than what we are now until very recently, only because I don't believe I was truly happy until this past year.

People say not to put all your eggs in one basket, but when I think of what’s beautiful in this world, I can’t help but to think of her. Presently, I don't see myself being with anybody else besides her. I am content with being alone, but it would be a grand journey if we did end up being a couple. And this poetry would only be seen by her if she reciprocated feelings in some way. So at this point, not a love lost, but love gaining every day until I tell her how I feel about her, until around 4 months from now, when I have written what I've wanted to be written. If she’s completely against the idea of us, then I would have to somehow let the feelings fade, and hope that our friendship can survive it. We’ve been through a lot and I think we know each other more than we know ourselves sometimes. We understand boundaries very well as best friends of the opposite sex. We’re mature and emotionally intelligent adults who communicate better than most, especially with each other, so I don't believe friendzoning really applies to us.

I have lost multiple loves in the past and I used to be able to write about it, but I found out it's not healthy for me. I cannot say the same for you and others, so I hope you do find courage, because some stories need to find their way to the light, even the sad ones. It can be cathartic and remedial, and maybe, you'll find others who have lost as well and you can connect as I have.

Thanks for reading and for your question

[whichbasketwitchbasket]

Quick Venus Sign Horoscopes

Timeframe: Next Hour to Next Week

Aries Venus: That kid with the red hair? Kind of brownish? Don't put all your eggs in one basket. They may be cute but they're really, really not worth your time right now.

Taurus Venus: Call your mother/mother-adjacent figure soon. Let her know you're thinking about her. She needs it.

Gemini Venus: Crop tops are for everybody, regardless of appearance.

Cancer Venus: What would happen if you stayed quiet for a full day? Didn't speak unless spoken to? Who would care? Who wouldn't? The answer will surprise you.

Leo Venus: When's the last time you took a bath? Like a bubble bath, pa,per style. Do a face mask.

Virgo Venus: Is cleanliness really a test of morality? are you a better person because you vacuumed? (The answer is no, and its okay to ask for help. You are not weak for having your moments)

Libra Venus: When's the last time you vacuumed? Dusted? Get that over with before Fall starts. It'll leave things easier to work through.

Scorpio Venus: I feel like the ones reading this have dogs, or like a more exotic pet. Play with it. Feel it out. You may learn some new tricks.

Sagittarius Venus: Watch a really bad movie. Seriously. You don't need to feel so uptight all the time. Don't take your media seriously.

Capricorn Venus: I have a feeling you've fallen out of love with some of your passions lately. Do a coloring book. Color outside of the lines and cry about it.

Aquarius Venus: Go on a date. A weird date. Ask out the person you would usually never think of asking. You only have one life, might as well try something new.

Pisces Venus : Do your homework. I know you're procrastinating.

☀️masterlist ☀️

[korekiyo-defence-squad]

this Kiyo post is gaining traction on the dangan subreddit any thoughts?

https://www.reddit.com/r/danganronpa/comments/1esdozi/korekiyo_shinguji_was_not_abused_by_his_sister_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

I think it makes a lot of valid points. I entirely agree that the idea that Sister abused or groomed him is a fanon concept. I've stated before that l think they're portrayed much more as an example of an unhealthy codependency than a power-imbalanced grooming situation.

Given that Sister is repeatedly mentioned as being sickly and lonely, I think it's likely that Korekiyo - even as the younger sibling - felt responsible for her. They were already close growing up, and now he's literally all she has. Given the similarities in their appearance I don't think they're that far apart in age, and given that Korekiyo is just kind of creepy and offputting anyway I imagine that he struggled to maintain friendships of his own as a kid and when Sister became homebound he pretty much gave up altogether and decided they didn't need anyone else, they could be everything to each other.

Is it healthy? Absolutely not. Is it a victim-abuser dynamic? No, I don't think so.

Furthermore, I agree about the DID thing, too. I really don't think the writer understands enough about the nuances of psychosis to accurately portray any kind of psychotic disorder (given the whole Toko Fukawa thing), so to say that it's him being a system or that Sister is an alter is I think, firstly, an ungracious representation of DID, and secondly, giving the writer too much credit. As is often the case with codependencies, losing the object of his fixation caused him to completely fall apart. When you put all your eggs in one basket and then lose it, you have nothing left. He's grasping at whatever straws he can to keep himself from feeling completely alone in the world.

On a slight tangent, this is why I struggle to read shippy fic about Korekiyo. Because he is not mentally in a place to have a healthy, respectful relationship with someone new. If he did start a new relationship, he'd get VERY intense with it VERY fast, I think, and he'd have no understanding of boundaries or privacy or 'taking things slow'. He'd try to use that person to fill the Sister-sized hole in his life, and when your life up to that point has revolved around one (1) person, that's a pretty big hole to fill.

The ONLY thing about this post that I SLIGHTLY disagree with is the idea that fans cannot portray him as a victim of abuse. If that's how you want to write him in your story, go for it. But yeah, acting as though your headcanons are gospel and using them to exonerate the character to relieve your own sense of moral purity is... poor media literacy and a bad faith argument to make.