#even if i'm wrong a little or a lot depending on the context

[thydungeongal]

Having subjected myself to pre-WotC editions of D&D has robbed me of the ability to appreciate a lot of D&D humor contingent on "wow things were weird in the old days" because people will sometimes just get their references wrong and the anachronism doesn't actually elevate the humor for me. Like, if someone's trying to make a point about how weird old-school D&D was by saying something like "You know how Dwarf and Elf were classes in first edition?" while I do agree that it's funny when Dwarf and Elf are classes (and it also rules) I'm now more concerned about the fact that this statement is not true of any version of D&D that could be reasonably called "first edition." Or when someone makes a reference to THAC0 in the context of the three little brown books edition: THAC0 as a concept didn't even exist back then. Heck, the attack matrixes didn't even account for armor classes lower than 2. I know you're making a joke about how weird the old editions were but this is not the THAC0 edition. In this context you'd be better off talking about how this game relies on Chainmail for its combat system and the more well-known "roll d20 and try to hit a number depending on your character's level and the enemy's Armor Class" was an alternative system should the players not have access to Chainmail.

[amateurenjoyer]

I know the infertility stuff with Gemma has rubbed some folks the wrong way, and that's fair. These types of stories are not always handled with care and can feel as hollow as using a dead wife in order to give a man depth as a character. That said, I fear that criticism of the infertility story in Severance, or indeed criticism of the breadth of themes of fertility and parenthood in the series, has suffered as a result of gendering these ideas as being primarily explored through the women in the show. There was plenty of eye rolling when we met Gemma for real and her great trauma turned out to be the loss of her unborn child—"oh great, another woman defined by her inability to produce children!"—but this didn't come out of left field in a show that has put expectant parents, midwives, fraudulent lactation specialists, couples struggling to make ends meet for their kids, dads garage jamming with their daughters, and child laborers all on screen, not to mention the cult of Kier the Grandfather/Founder that props up the central mysteries of the show.

Parenthood, birth, and the power dynamics of progenitors and progeny all exist at the heart of Severance (right alongside love, agency, personhood, and capitalist critique), but I don't know that enough people look through this lens when thinking about the men in this show. Even when their stories explicitly touch on these themes, severed men like Petey and Irving and Mark—who, by the way, has every right to claim the same grief over the loss of their child as Gemma, though his experience is radically different as the parent who didn't carry the child—get kind of left out of the conversation.

They should not get left out of the conversation and the mpreg Kier statue in the birthing cabin was there to remind you of that.

Check under the cut for Mark Scout world's worst dad thoughts with lots more spoilers for the finale.

I don't know how many folks on Tumblr have Boomer parents, and I don't know how many of these ideas have filtered through to each generation of parents following, but I know that my Boomer mother and many (many) of my friend's parents had a whole litany of witticisms that they'd use to disempower and belittle the personhood of their kids, and they used these phrases with extreme regularity. "Because I said so," "My house, my rules," "If I were you (and thank God I'm not)," "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it," etc. Depending on tone and context, these could vary from pretty benign to legitimately threatening, but they all betrayed the same basic attitude: right now, you are not a person, and I make your decisions for you, until I say otherwise.

Boomers may have excelled at expressing this sentiment through phrasing that is worthy of shitty gas station hats and little else, but it feels as though it has been a dominant mode of parenting thought for a long time. The idea that it is the position of being a parent that confers power to someone, no matter how unearned that power truly is, is also extremely present in the outie-innie dynamic.

Mark S was straight up born from his outie's inability to actually grieve the death of his wife, his unwillingness to move forward through despair, and his complacency with his self-destructive coping mechanisms. Having lost his ability to work due to his alcoholism, Mark Scout created a whole new person who could do the work for him. He "hoped that [Mark S] would be spared the pain," but for much of the show thus far, he hasn't taken a single step to move away from that pain, be it in an effort to spare himself or his innie. This a couple in a dysfunctional marriage having a child to try and save it, only to absolutely fuck that kid up by refusing to acknowledge the reality of the situation or do anything to change it for the better. Only in this scenario the marriage is between Mark and the ghost of his wife.

Like the kid brought into such a marriage, Mark S doesn't need to know the details of his outie's life to carry his burdens. Their shared body is the exposure that ensures every hangover, every sleepless night, every pre-work weeping session, every fight with a rebound (sorry Alexa you deserve more than this title) or a family member worms its way into the innie's life. A life that is already deeply infantilized by Lumon's workplace culture more broadly, and doubly so because MDR is being babysat by step-dad Milchick while the literal Mother of the Severance Procedure goes rogue.

When he does learn the reason for his outie's severance, Mark S is compassionate, curious, and instantly willing to search for Miss Casey—not out of some deeply rooted love of Gemma that has somehow transcended the severance barrier, but out of recognition of his progenitor's personhood and pain and his desire to help a fellow innie with an unexpected connection to his own outie. How often do children make an effort to help and humanize their parents, even when they've been given very little reason to? Be it out of a sense of obligation or a misunderstanding that a parent naturally looks out for their child's best interests and so a child should do the same, many of us will go out of our way to try and understand our parents as people, at least once. Mark S does that readily, even when Helena-as-Helly pushes against the idea.

When we finally get a conversation between Mark Scout and Mark S, it begins on a disarmingly hopeful note. Mark Scout apologizes, willing to admit the world he brought Mark S into is not a sane or safe one. Things go off the rails quick when Mark Scout fails to recognize his innie has a separate person with his own motivations, and from there the conversation is steeped in patriarchal condescension and a fundamental sense of ownership. Mark Scout dismisses his innie's relationship with Helly R as an inferior, juvenile "experience," that naturally pales in comparison to the more.real, more adult life he had with Gemma, simply because the outies came first. He cannot fathom any resistance to the idea of saving Gemma, because he does not think Mark S is deserving of his own identity, desires, or agency. What claim can an innie have to such things when he doesn't even have his own body? "My house, my rules."

Mark Scout then drops the bomb that he's already started the process of reintegrating. Though he himself is not fully aware of how reintegration will actually impact their separate consciousnesses (or has seemingly forgotten what little he learned about it from Petey), Mark Scout positions it as a solution that benefits them both. Mark S challenges that assumption, and the outie is aghast that the innie fails to extend any trust his way. The trust was assumed to be there, because Mark Scout assumes authority over Mark S. "Because I said so." In the absence of more information about what reintegration really means, it sounds like Mark S will sit as a passenger in Mark Scout's life. Reintegration for the innie is not a solution, but a threat. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it."

This whole conversation happens inside a cabin at a birthing retreat, where a statue of a pregnant man (presumably an Eagan and presumably Kier himself) watches with it's mate, wearing a sort of cartoon grimace. The camera lingers on this icon as a moment of scene setting, signalling that the audience should be seeing this as a conversation between parent and child, the elder lording their power over the younger, and the progeny rebelling against the progenitor by asserting their own humanity.

[leashybebes]

inspiration saturday

tagged by @bidisasterevankinard, thank you love!

i am in the TRENCHES of post-heat exhaustion illness so this isn't super recently written, but i'm hoping it will inspire me to write something. here's some love in stereo which absolutely doesn't fit with the main fic, but will make for a cute outtake/extra someday.

for context, this is from the 'let's be the three of us' conversation from the main fic:

"How - how would that even work?" Evan asks, glancing between them. "We don't know," Sal says. "We don't exactly have a track record for it." "No? I mean, I thought you guys - w-well, you know - " Tommy shrugs. "We might bring another guy home occasionally. But we never wanted to keep one before." "A-and you do? Wanna keep me?" Evan asks.

and here is the outtake snippet:

"Hey," Buck says, his heart flip-flopping a little at the soft smile Tommy gives him. "I know I'm early, I just - really wanted to see you guys. Long day."

"Evan. Of course. Come on in. It's just me, but Sal's on his way, should probably only be a half hour depending on the traffic. You want a drink?"

"I want a kiss," Buck says, because he's learning that he can do that with the two of them - just say what he wants and ninety nine times out of a hundred, he'll get it.

Sure enough, Tommy holds out a hand and reels him in, the kiss that lands on his mouth almost unbearably gentle.

"You want me to draw you a bath or something?" Tommy offers between kisses.

"Or something," Buck says.

"Oh," Tommy says. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, c'mere."

"You think - you think Sal'd like that?" Buck asks, already gone a little breathless. "Walking in on us?"

Tommy laughs and squeezes Buck tighter against his chest. "Baby, I think he'll lose his damn mind. In a good way. Come on. Upstairs."

"Yeah," Buck says eagerly, lets Tommy tug him by the wrist across the living room and up the stairs. In the bedroom, Tommy doesn't hesitate, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it absent mindedly to one side. Buck, on the other hand, finds himself stalled out in the doorway, blinking hard because - god, it's fucking ridiculous - because his eyes are stinging.

"Hey," Tommy says, noticing. "What's wrong?"

"You, uh. You guys got a new bed."

"Oh. Yeah," Tommy says, with a glance at the ridiculously large bed that now dominates the whole room. "Sal's a fucking bed-hog on a good day, and you spend a lot of time here. Wanted it to be comfortable."

Buck's head spins a little as he reaches for Tommy's belt. God. They really meant it. They really want to keep him.

no pressure tags for @setmeatopthepyre, @ambernotember, @trombonechurchill, @chemistry66, and anyone else who has anything to share

[lxvebun]

flurry of colours

synopsis: asking the genshin boyfriends what color they see you as

content: Alhaitham/Kazuha/Wriothesley x gender neutral reader. Fluff! Use of nickname darling/dove. Wrio is pretty short I wasn't entirely sure how to write him😭. English is not my first language so i'm sorry for any mistakes♡

D*rk content blogs do not interact (*a)

Alhaitham

"It's not your problem if Kaveh's struggling with his color schemes, darling" he replies quickly, not even bothering to look up from the page in his book.

"Archons, Haitham, it's not like that. Just look at me and imagine what color I radiate :)

he sighs a little, closing the book but keeping his fingers between the pages. Even if he thinks it's a bit of a silly question, he does take a moment to let his eyes trace over you, shamelessly letting them linger on your lips too. for a second you think he's actually going to answer your question but then you see him failing to suppress a smirk and his gaze meets yours with an expression you can only describe as Are you serious?

"Humor me Alhaitham"

Alright, let me think.. he completely closes his book this time, placing it in front of him on his desk and rests his head on his hand

"Colors can actually invoke a lot of thoughts and impressions. Most people associate red with warmth, and passion, but also with danger or fear depending on the context. A lot of people view black as a masking color be it clothes to hide certain parts of yourself or the shadows in your nightmares, but you can also see it as a protective color as it doesn't reflect. Blue is usually related to the sea, the lighter tones with sunny mornings walking along the shore, darker tones of blue can relate to the deep cold unknown depth that's hidden from prying eyes......if I had to describe you a color..it would be green. Not necessarily because of the associations with it, wisdom, calmness, and hope. which do apply to you don't get me wrong, but green is my favorite color, and you're my favorite person. Simple as that. Now, care to read with me for a bit?

*he's so annoying but he does it so well. Bites him*

Kazuha and wrio under the cut♡

Kazuha

kazuha has been a bit gloomy as of lately. His usual flowery words have lost their petals, His leatherbound notebook has not made an appearance in a while, neither have the little poems he writes for you to wake up to, and his fingers are clean, not covered with his usual, and at this point, you believed to be permanent, ink stains. It's clear he's been going through the infamous writers block. something that most artist go through and also get out of but it's nonetheless an infuriating part of being an creative individual. But since Kazuha has made you his muse as he told you many many times before, who are you to not try and help inspire your lovely boyfriend.

It takes you a while of bringing him to random locations for sunset walks or stargazing and asking him random questions until one finally hits the spot. His eyes immediately lighting up as he turns to you with such a warm expression of love and adoration you're pretty sure your heart skipped a beat

"That's a very beautiful question, dove"

He takes a moment to think about it, eyes lovingly tracing over every little detail of you, the backlight of the sun, the glimmer of the waves shining in your eyes

"I don't think describing you as one color does you justice. You shift hues as softly and gently as the day shifts into night, and the sun makes place for the moon in the sky. But if I do have to say just one, I see hints of purple in you, but that could also be because the color reminds me of my hometown and everytime I look at you, my soul feels at home" He answers with a new found excitement in his voice

"Actually, maybe I can use this for a poem-"

*i'm projecting can you tell?*

Wriothesley

You often come down into the fortress to spend some time with him on his break. With both of you living on different levels of Fontaine, you'll take any chance you can get to be around him and even when it's not officially his break time, he could never say no to you....or tea time

That's why you're here now sitting on the edge of his desk as he hastily discared the paperwork to make room for the teapot and biscuits. As quickly as the tea flows, the conversation passes from deep and meaningful, romantic ones, to terrible jokes and banter as both of you just talk about whatever comes to mind.

So he doesn't raise an eyebrow when you ask him what colors remind him of you. it's quite endearing how he just goes along with whatever silly questions or requests you throw at him without making you feel embarrassed about it

"Probably between a pearlescent white and a warm honey yellow."

"Interesting answer...why?"

"the colours remind me of the sun and the moon, and living at the bottom of the ocean here in the fortress we don't have either of those of course. You're the closest thing I have to feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin or experiencing calm atmosphere of the moonlight. And to be honest I prefer you over the real thing♡"

Hes so cute *cries*

Thank you for reading angels!♡

[thattimdrakeguy]

WHO IS DICK GRAYSON??

I wish I could make this post a little more detailed. But this is a team book, not a solo book. I'm using Marv Wolfman's New Teen Titans as a source, because I'm not going back to the 30s when he was 7 and mainly written to be a role model for kids. I don't see where that'd get us.

Writing standards change, and that's how it be.

And I started from the beginning. So yes, a lot of this will be developed. I have to say that, because a few times when I make posts like this, people think I'm acting like characters can't change.

I'm just saying there's a base to the character you should probably understand above anything else if you're going to give the character a shot, reading or writing wise.

If you go too far from the base. You get into the realm of missing the point more often than not. Possibly even just straight up getting them entirely wrong.

These early stories focus hard on making sure you get who they are for a reason.

And I've said this a few times in different posts about different characters, so it's probably tiring for me to say it again for anyone that follows me.

But good character development adds, it doesn't take away.

Got that?

I know you don't Tom Taylor. Stop turning everyone into boot-leg Spider-Man's. I get it already! You had success with him.

(Do you like me yet? See I criticized him too. I do genuinely despise his writing though. He barely knows how to make people individuals.)

Let's begin already I've gone on long enough:

Dick gets more confidence around as the series go on. But I'll include this anyway, since it's important context to knowing the nature of Bruce and Dick's evolving relationship, and why Dick would later become Nightwing.

Although, really, he still shows a lot of confidence here, but that youthful defensive kind, that would soften into a more usual confidence as he goes he learns a lot from being the leader of the New Titans.

And some people call Dick an optimist, but I think it's more accurate to say he's ultimately a realist who has moments where both optimism and cynicism can sink in depending on the quality of his life.

Much like a real person. It's a very nice trait for him to have. Keeps him real while surrounded by all these abnormal and astonishing things.

He's also respectable, and overall polite, but has it in him to get stern when he isn't pleased. He's no longer a total boy scout role model for the little ones. He's becoming a man now.

One of his biggest traits though I've noticed across the series as I've read it so far is that he has a lot of pride. It seems to be one of his main motivations as a character. His pride in himself and his friends.

It seems to me, that's one of the reasons why he's not on good terms with Batman. He thinks Batman constantly undermines him, and it takes shots at this pride of his.

And the thing about pride is, it can be a good trait, or a bad trait, depending on when it's applied. So have fun, campers, with that one. You might get a lot out of it.

There's some of that sterness again. He wants respect and to be taken seriously. He's not a total jerk about it. But he will make it known. It's done in a way I would consider nicely balanced. Shows a thing about him that if it was in another situation could become a negative of it, but isn't overall.

And there's a little bit of a temper with him. Though, honestly, I don't think he really showed much of a temper in this specific situation until Wally punched him in the damn face. I know he grabbed Raven, but she literally disappears into thin air. How else is he supposed to get her attention before she does that? She's a mysterious witch who they don't know.

Like, oh, pardon him for making sure they aren't being led into a trap. Oh how freaking dare he.

Sorry, I really don't like Wally in this series. He's insufferable.

Because, as well, he's learned by this point in his life to not always be trusting. He isn't naive in the slightest. He's a person of experience, and he shows he knows what he's doing at many turns.

This? What character trait is he showing here?

I dunno. I just put this here because I thought it was funny.

During this part of the story where the New Teen Titans are being used and controlled, I think it's a cool way to show the depths of Dick's frustrations with Batman, without risking him coming across as unlikable by doing this through his own natural behaviors.

Gives you a peak into his brain, and what ails him.

I sort of like his early need to keep proving himself too.

This would also diminish as he became full on Nightwing, and was properly his own man who finally gets the respect he deserves. But still fun to show it here regardless.

I love how commanding he is through his confidence. He doesn't back down, and refuses to be seen as lesser. That's really respectable.

He's saying this to the Justice League.

The most powerful force on their Earth.

Balls of steel.

Look at this, man. He doesn't care if you took him in. If he thinks you messed up, you'll hear about it from him himself.

It's that pride of his again coming out.

He's still a very caring person though. He's stern, and can get aggressive when he feels disrespected. That's not to say he's some grumpy jerk. Just don't push him around or undermine him.

Dick's a lovely dude to have as a friend overall.

A skill of his seems to be a certain level of emotional intelligence. Not always with himself. But he's not Batman. Dick is no fool as we've seen. And he is right here. So the best way I can describe it is Dick being good at reading people when it matters most.

His greatest strength of all though is how he's a natural leader.

It's why he's here.

And to book-end it for now--

He sort of says it for himself how he feels. I can't imagine I need to spell it out for you any further.

There's still more to learn. This is a long series, but my tabs were getting overwhelmed with screenshots. And I figured this is a wonderful (Get it? WONDERful. Yeah, I know, it's not funny.) place to get to the basics of the character.

As I learn more, I'll make another posts where we get more into the depths of the guy. Where you get more out of what makes him tick, and define who is, instead of only basic traits he shows when interacting with people.

'Cause we all know there's more to this complex man than this alone.

Hopefully you'll be there with me when we get that.

And if so, see ya then.

Edit:

Dick tries to be a peacekeeper if he can. At least when he sees no benefit of being anything but.

Didn't really show a lot of depth, just a basic trait. So I saw no reason to keep this for the next post.

[alexanderlightweight]

Happy Wednesday! Hope all is well! Give nightshade a scritch and a treat! There is something wrong with my brain because you and saeths have labeled things as 3DNE and I read them and couldn’t figure out what was bad? I’ve been reading fic for too long.

Anyway I love Frost of Fury and All your cracks painted gold so could I prompt an update for either? :)

the night is going a lot better than the day so I think it's good enough ^_^

I have given nightshade several apple slices and some extra fish snacks so i assure you he has been happily pampered with extra care due to this ask. i mean he's spoiled af but he also got extra spoiling (I almost gave him a second chew bone but he's boycotting his kibble and topper again today and I don't want to reward him too much or fill up his stomach when he needs actual sustenance but is being a picky little biscuit). I try to rotate his food enough that he doesn't get bored but the problem is just because I rotate it doesn't mean he wants what I make or he doesn't like the texture the kibble becomes and will refuse. and he will spit it out if he doesn't like it!!! and he won't eat any kibble that falls on the floor and sometimes depending on how tasty the treat is, he won't eat those if they fall on the floor either.

sorry, moving on from my silly pupper. it's taken a while but this is for all your cracks painted gold and I hope you like it. some team immortal in that verse and soft malec ofc

also I mean something is wrong with my brain but I don't think it's that and I agree with you. i'm never quite sure which of my fics are 3DNE myself but I know quite a few of them are so I just assume they'll end up there at some point or another and plan ahead. plus while it's a soft obsession/possessive/violent adoration/literally salt and burn the world for you. it's still not healthy or condoned in real life context so therefore i'd rather be safe with my tags

<3 lumine

Ragnor’s cottage is warm and cozy despite the insidious dampness of the wet wind that presses against the windowpanes and the cold pitter patter of rain on the roof.  The fire dances merrily and Alec watches it, mesmerized in the way only those half asleep can truly be.

“He’s exhausted,” Magnus says from above him and Alec tries to protest but the words don’t make it past his lips, caught on the heaviness of his tongue.  “The Herbal Anthology you sent him had him up all morning. I woke up to find him still in the garden at noon and was going to make him nap when your fire message arrived.  There was no hope for him resting after he asked me not to use magic because he wanted to learn how to harvest the plants from me.” 

Magnus’ voice is soft and soothing, lulling Alec even further from consciousness as he blinks slowly, the room fading under the haze of sleep.

—

“I wasn’t expecting him to find so many of the plants I needed in that wild terrain you call a herb garden.” Ragnor mutters and Magnus finds himself shocked into silence by the sheer gall of his dear cabbage. If Magnus’ rooftop sanctuary is wild than Ragnor’s own garden — herb and otherwise — can hardly be called anything other than rabid. Even the few trails that only exist because of Ragnor’s frequent use can be described as nothing more than a faint impression in a landscape of bedraggled flora.

“Well, Alexander is quite clever in anything he dedicates himself to.” 

For a moment there is a peaceful quiet, the rain and the fire the only noise until Ragnor gets up to go put on another pot of tea and set up his phonograph to play a soft but hauntingly poetic violin. Magnus leans back into the sofa Ragnor had thoughtfully summoned so that it would be easier for Magnus to coax him into slumber.

There is a dreary comfort in the ambiance as Magnus accepts a hot tea from Ragnor, appreciating the warmth of freshly brewed tea through the delicate fine bone china cup.

Alexander makes a soft whuffling snore even as he turns, shoulders digging sharply into Magnus’ thigh before he settles, content to nuzzle his face against Magnus’s belly.

“How is he handling it?”

“Better every day, but still slowly.” Magnus smiles softly as he pets his fingers through Alexander’s hair while taking a sip of tea. “When I first met him I never imagined how wounded and tender he was under all his strength before I found him broken.  It was heartbreaking but also painfully beautiful, to see him find joy and hope again.” Magnus pauses for a minute and his smile turns sharp, “and of course I can’t deny how delicious his ardent devotion and dedication to me is.  I never imagined it would be like this.” 

—

Ragnor watches as Magnus smirk fades and he sighs in contemplation, “I never imagined someone could feel these kinds of things for me, not truly.  Especially not after my father and Camille. To be able to experience it is... indescribable. Whatever comfort I thought I’d found in life I realize now I was merely settling.  I could never give him up and he could never bear to leave and this—” Magnus pauses and then sets his cup down so he can press his own fingers to his heart.

“It’s freedom, Ragnor.  For us both from shades and wounds of the past.  If Camille asked me for help, I’d burn her on sight knowing that her mere presence is a danger for Alexander.” 

The confession is such a shock that Ragnor chokes on his pipe but he recovers easily enough and uses it as an excuse to blow his nose, carefully hiding any tears.  

Magnus would never judge him for crying but it would hurt him to witness just how deeply Ragnor’s relief and joy is.  It would give him a glimpse into how deeply Ragnor and Catarina have both worried and agonized over Magnus’ unhealthy but lingering attachment.  It’s deeply rooted in the night she saved Magnus — the only worthwhile thing Ragnor and Catarina think she’s done and one they are deeply grateful for — but she’d used that against him far too many times for them to ever help her again.

Camille lingers  like a festering wound even with decades upon decades between her and Magnus’ last meeting but finally, finally the stranglehold she’s had on him is gone.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Ragnor cheerfully admits. “Now shall we leave your boy to rest and move to the study?”

Magnus’ glare is downright frosty at the mere suggestion and Ragnor chuckles and instead lifts his hands, summoning a new and larger table while Maguns quickly snatches his cup back up — saucer and all — before it can fall. Magnus' left hand hasn’t left Alec’s hair since the moment he started petting his shadowhunter and Ragnor would lightly mock him if he weren’t still so delighted by it all.

Maybe in a century or two the euphoria of Magnus finally having found someone to truly treasure and love him in the ways that he needs will wear off, but until then Ragnor will gladly enjoy this.

-

so the reason it says Alec stayed up all morning is they should have gone to bed before dawn and magnus fell asleep while alec read in bed and then Alec got too invested and ended up not actually going to bed and going back to the garden where Magnus found him when he eventually woke up because there was no Alexander cuddling against him.

and i've mentioned it before but ragnor, magnus and catarina really truly love and adore each other in a deep ride or die kind of way that will not break and betryal would never happen and they're never going to suspect each other. ragnor and cat were grateful to camille at first until she started fucking with Magnus and then basically gratitude didn't mean she could fuck with their friend.

ragnor is just truly fucking delight and he can't wait to portal over to cat the moment Magnus and Alec leave because he's going to spill everything and share memories so cat too can experience the joy of Magnus healing and being happy and confident in his joy and his own self worth which is all they've ever wanted for him

alec is asleep in an unfamiliar place after basically being tortured and that's part of the reason Magnus won't leave him and also why would he leave when he can pet Alec and keep an eye on his rest and make sure he doesn't have nightmares while also enjoying that it's his touch, voice, scent and magic that comfort Alec enough to let him sleep in a strange location especially unarmed and still learning what kind of powers come with his new runes or weapons he can wield.

ragnor is also thrilled because before Alec got interested in the garden it was a side hobby that Magnus only worked on or in when he remembered about it and was interested or wanted ingredients of higher grade

[loppi-exe]

What the fuck is Psychocuties?

Is it problematic?

(english isn't my first language)

Hi, welcome to my TED Talk about this russian indie series made by TAMAKUZ. I’m creating this post for people like me, who are confused, don’t know what Psychocuties is and wonder "is it problematic?". Don't worry guys I got your back.

Plot and characters

Long story short, we encounter two main characters: Dr Masacrik and Mimi (Ushka in russian). Dr Masacrik is an example of mad scientist trope (typical unhinged guy with tumblr sexy man design) and Mimi, his pet/little toy? We know that he created her, basically brought Mimi back to life. Their relationship is toxic, anyone with basic knowledge about the world will see this. I would call this a Stockholm syndrome, but it’s notlike that. You can watch two first episodes on YouTube and you’ll probably understand my vision. Also please watch Elevator Man 2022 fan animation, I think it's the first content of TAMAKUZ ocs on YouTube and also will give you some additional context.

For the plot, for now I wouldn’t say it’s going anywhere. Creator show us how Mimi’s and Dr’s relationship looks like, maybe in future episodes we’ll see something more about the world and other characters.

I want to add that animation is amazing, smooth and good looking. Colour palet is eye-catching, realy vivid. Some people may think it's similar to Hazbin Hotel and you're not wrong, TAMAKUZ made some HH fanart in the past, so she's probably a fan of the series.

Problems with series and creator

I know you came for this segment and nobody can proof me otherwise. Thanks to JuniDrawz on YouTube for Psychocuties iceberg, my knowleage came mostly from them. I won’t cover everything they said, because I think some of those things aren’t problematic at all. But we have some bombs guys and I wasn’t ready for them.

!Disclamer! Topics I won't cover here, because I don't know enough about them: "Lolita" fanart Any VK/Patreon posts (all the photos I have are from TAMAKUZ official Twitter and Pinterest reposts of her art) TAMAKUZ Lolic0n figures collection

Nun art We know that sexualising nuns is bad, we shouldn’t be okay with this even if it’s normalised by society. Mostly this art isn’t sexualising Mimi as nun and Dr. as priest but some of the works are questionable.

N@zi art I wanted to make this whole post because of this. I don't know why so many of russian artists likes to put n@zi references in their art. If I had a nickle every time I met russian artist drawing this shit I would have two nickles, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. I don't have to tell you that this is bad. Drawing n@zi shit is bad, being a n@zi is bad. End of the story. Also remeber this is implied, you won't see whole ass swastika here.

So what now?

I'm not here to cancel TAMAKUZ okay. I presented you two things that some of you may think are worst than the others. Whole series is rated 18+ which is good. People on TikTok are arguing as always, it's "forbid women from having hobbies" vs "abuse is bad and media shouldn't have it" discourse. Having ocs who are bad people isn't a crime. Series is 18+ so people will (or should) understand that Dr. Masacrik is an abuser towards Mimi. It's very visible that he manipulates her and makes her depend only on him. I'm not here to judge how good TAMAKUZ executed their relationship.

All I wrote here is basic information, please watch JuniDrawz video for more context. Nobody really talks about why series and creator can be problematic so here you go. If you have any questions I'll answer them.

Have a good day.

[lifeafterpsychiatry]

can I ask for like, a spark notes on what anti psych is?

like. I'm very aware of and agree with the fact that psych as a structure is based in control and capitalism and such, and the structures of normal and such are all based around ability to perform in a white abled capitalist etc society.

But im also like, Dependant on psych meds to function even a little, and I think the way I have interacted w psych meds is the way everyone should have access to if thats needed. all med changes, starts, and stops have been because I went to my docs and said "I'd like to try this", and they told me abt options and what they thought might work well, but left the end decision up to me. and ik thats far from universal, but I do think that in an ideal world that would be more or less how psych meds worked. ive also had shit experiences with CBT, but had great success with DBT and more or less like the idea its built on (a lot of ppl w chronic mh issues didn't have the opportunity to build certain skills growing up, and helping them build those later can be super helpful to make their brain less stressful to live in)

are these views which have a place in anti psych? is there anything youd reccomend I read to get a better idea of anti psych's view on meds for ppl who benefit from them and/or less standard therapies like dbt?

When I say I'm antipsych, I mean that I am against psychiatry as a carceral institution with the power to deny people basic bodily autonomy in the name of coerced and forced treatment.

I'm not against the concept of deciding to take psych meds or go to therapy, and there would still be space to do so in a world without psychiatry as an institution of carceral power. I still think there could be relevant use of many individual tools associated with psychiatry for some people, and I fully respect your right to pursue both psych meds and therapy.

I just want it to happen in a context of full transparency and autonomy, where you are actually guaranteed the final say in what treatment you want and if and when to stop it, without the risk of someone forcibly treating you (or denying you treatment you do want) if they think you're making the "wrong" decision.

I do have many criticisms of psych meds and the (lack of) scientific evidence behind them, but I don't want to deny mentally ill people the right to decide for themselves what they want to try and what works for them. I am in favor of full autonomy for mentally ill people, not a new dogma for how we're allowed to live our lives.

[antispopausandstuff]

i think we should discuss the topic of "for someone who hates ( xyz ), you sure do talk about it a lot", because i've been seeing it around lately and, generally, when you're an anti of something, you'll likely get this comment at least once or twice.

for my end of the conversation, i'm going to use some comparisons.

imagine a spectrum with me real quick.

on one end, there's robin x raven ( stay with me here ), on the other, there's c//a, and, in the middle, there's huntlow.

let's go one by one.

robin x raven ( or robven? idk ).

what's wrong with the ship? nothing. i can see the appeal, i respect people who ship them, and there are times where i even think it's cute. it's just not for me. i don't feel anything particular positive or negative towards it. i respect and accept that it exists, and am happy for the people who find enjoyment in it.

now c//a.

what's wrong with the ship? well, if you've been on my account, you'd already know, but, in short - Catra is Edward Cullen but a thousand times worse and Adora is a more interesting and depressing Bella Swan. it's problematic ( abusive, incestuous ), and has consequences that could, and, in my experience, has, harm people. i accept that it exists, but i don't respect it, because there is nothing to respect. i don't harass the supporters, but i spread the message that this is not a relationship you should idolize, on an objective level.

and, finally, huntlow.

what's wrong with the ship? why's it in the middle? this is a little more complicated to explain, but my main issues with huntlow don't necessarily negatively impact reality. at least, not the show. the fandom is insanely toxic at times, but that's a different story.

i think the ship is forced, boring, and doesn't do anything substantial for either of Hunter's or Willow's character. at worst, it can feel like a damsel in distress kind of situation, depending on how you view Willow's insecurities that come up later. at best, it's just there and can make you cringe. again, depending on how you view it.

but that's not really anything harmful. there's way better, but there's way worse. sooo, why do i see it as in the middle?

personally, i think huntlow is a disservice to aroace representation. and bisexual // pansexual rep, to be honest ( cuz Willow is apparently pan? even though we... y'know what, nvm ).

Willow being aroace would've felt so natural and perfect to me. and, on top of that, if she was, she wouldn't have been a stereotype! the community is typically represented by scientists who have a difficult time with connections // relationships. which, while it isn't necessarily bad ( on the surface, at least, though i'd argue there's a few implications there that are... not great ), it would've been nice to see an aroace person just be... a person instead of an example, y'know? i'm not sure if i'm making total sense.

essentially, i don't think huntlow is bad for existing. i just think that it's a wasted opportunity.

my point is, context matters.

i don't like // ship robven, but i'm not going to talk about it at length because there's nothing wrong with it.

i don't like // huntlow, but i do talk about it every now and then because Hunter and Willow being in a romantic relationship felt forced, not positively serving either characters, and like a disservice to Willow. but it's existence can be discussed, as long as everyone is treated with respect.

i don't like c//a, but i do talk about it a lot because people are still romanticizing and idolizing it, when it is, objectively, a horrible idea and Catra is an abhorrent person.

try to imagine if someone who ships robstar ( like me ) constantly hates on robven, just because it doesn't fit their preferences. that would be childish, harmful, and close-minded.

now imagine someone who hates on c//a, because it has a harmful, dangerous message that shouldn't be given to anyone, especially children.

you see what i mean?

i think the "for someone who hates ( xyz ), you sure do talk about it a lot" topic is less black and white than its presented.

[ckret2]

I was asked to share some Aku thoughts so here, we're gonna talk about the Samurai Jack Action Pack comics.

Listen.

The Action Pack Samurai Jack comics aren't very good.

You can read most of them here. You can find the rest elsewhere online. They're just, they're not great. They get the vibes of the universe wrong and Aku's characterization is off, he's a little too "pointlessly annoy Jack" and not enough "try to actually kill Jack." As if he isn't perpetually worried about Jack actually assassinating him.

There are exactly two details out of it that I choose to treat as—if not always canon—then like, sometimes canon at my whim. Canon-ish. May or may not be canon depending on how I feel that day and what hypothetical fic-I'll-never-write I'm turning over in my head that day:

One: Aku pulled the Ikra stunt on Jack a SECOND time, it worked AGAIN, and this time Aku kept it up for… the comic just says "seasons pass" so at least half a year, I'm gonna assume a full year. Complete with wearing a full face of makeup and never speaking so that Jack can't recognize him. And he did this—holding hands, fighting evil, risking his life at Jack's sword should he ever realize—just so he could break Jack's heart and laugh at him for being all alone. He didn't even have a goal!!!

If you want a jumping off point for some Jaku brainstorming, that's a pretty good place for it. You can take it a lot of directions. "Aku did all this because he's hella gay for Jack but doesn't know it." "Aku did this because he's gay for Jack and does know it but he'd rather die than admit it out loud." "Aku wasn't gay for Jack but he sure was by the end of that year." "By the end of that year Jack was gay for Aku." "And they fucked." Every single time I read that comic I still think of "FOOLISH SAMURAI... I FAKED EVERY ORGASM! HAAAA HA HA HA HA HA!"

And, two: the Action Pack comics have a whole bunch of issues that are just… Aku telling very bad fairy tales to two sassy children. There's no explanation for why he's singled them out, or why they've apparently gotten so familiar with SHOGUN OF SORROW DELIVERER OF DARKNESS RULER OF THE WORLD AKU that he shows up and they're just like "oh aku you again, does this story have princesses?" Within the context of the Action Pack comics, that's just,, the sort of bizarre goofy OOC thing that happens in almost every issue.

But if you take it out of the context of the Action Pack comics, and go no actually Aku's usually up to his normal show-canon-appropriate wicked bloodthirsty murderous schemes like a proper terrifying villain ought to be and it's all gloom and grimdark… EXCEPT sometimes he tracks down two random children who aren't terrified of him to tell them bad stories—suddenly it's hilarious and kind of adorable.

How did this happen. Why these two kids. Why does he put up with their disrespect. Why does he care about their opinions specifically. Why, even though the kids seem to be pro-Jack, are they chill with hanging out with Aku like he's a slightly annoying friend rather than a world-ruining tyrant.

I don't even particularly like these two kids. But the concept of them compels me. And let's be real, I've fleshed out less interesting characters than that before, I can make 'em compelling if I want.

[crumplstiltskin]

i love ur aus! your interpretations of the relationship dynamics in new ways that still feels true to the characters is really cool- take supernatural crazy stuff and making it fit in a more normal dynamic can't be easy.

do you have any opinions on how sukuna or choso get along with wasuke? (and do sukuna + choso both privately think of themselves as The Oldest Brother, or is one of them a middle brother?)

hey!!! thank you for sending this. i take it as a really big compliment ! i get very particular about that kind of thing so i'm glad it reads the way i want it to.

i'll answer this in the context of my aus. depending on the au there are minor differences though! and i hope you don't mind if i yap a little bit under the cut!

the most important part of this question is how wasuke's personality would mesh with them respectively so it's important to first consider what type of person wasuke is and how he would engage each of them. besides his appearances in the manga/anime we can deduce some of his personality through yuuji (how he was raised, his conduct, etc).

wasuke seems to be very even-tempered, family-focused so i think choso would get along the most with wasuke. choso is very gentle at heart and also family-oriented himself so wasuke would think highly of choso who is very outrightly passionate about it. wasuke himself doesn't seem to be overly affectionate physically or verbally but we know that he cared deeply for yuuji. choso being sort of the opposite way complements him well, at least in the context of caring for yuuji and i see him appreciating choso for making up for perhaps what he would consider his own limitations. wasuke would probably find it embarrassing but as a grandfather who loves his family he would be grateful for having choso in their lives.

sukuna and wasuke would clash more but not to the point where there is any real tension. i think they would bicker a lot, but only because they both seem like the stubborn type....probably share other personality traits too...idk..i feel it in my bones (and tbh in normal peoples au sukuna had a weird edgy phase where wasuke found him cringe af and he never let sukuna live it down 😭). in unckuna au and 12 years au they would both be very involved in rearing yuuji so they'd have long discussions about things after yuuji went to bed or something so this gives them a purpose to get along. not saying that sukuna wouldn't get along with him but to be completely honest sukuna is not the type of character to really care about much beyond himself. so they're like coworkers........but the work is yuuji. sukuna would respect wasuke out of principle (principle being he is an elder, he is his father/grandfather) and wasuke expects that from him, the end.

but knowing people like wasuke, neither of them are getting praise from him no matter how well they do or how much they impress him lol. he will tell them off immediately if they do anything wrong, and is not the type to say pretty words. if he wants to be nice to them he'll probably show it through action though; he'll go out of his way to buy their favourite fruit ("i got x today at the market, peel/cut them up for us"), drink tea and have snacks in the same room instead of sitting on the porch alone, things like that.

about the birth order...i think that's complicated. in normal peoples au i usually consider choso the oldest by a couple years (kaori's child from a past marriage or an ex). if it's the cousin choso au (where kenjaku is kaori's brother) he's around the same age as sukuna give or take. in sorceror au where he is a death painting choso is the oldest by far but sukuna won't acknowledge him as family for reasons (usually infantile and superficial) 😭😭😭.

in most aus sukuna kind of looks down on him for not looking like them and/or for not being human, and in most aus choso is not interested in sukuna beyond asking him to stop being mean to yuuji. almost writing off sukuna as yuuji's brother at all. almost... if it's any uncle au it's harder for him to ignore that i think...choso respects his elders...unfortunately...(he secretly thinks ill of sukuna in his head).

[wonuwrites]

Seventeen Vs. Silent Treatment

angsty thought I had at 4:13am before I had to work the other day. being a creative is rough~

warnings: cracky angst, not my best work but I tried my best xo

❥ S. Coups:

Seungcheol will either force you to talk to him or will give you space there is no in between. He would be like "are you tired of being mad at me yet?" If it was serious he would be so confused why you both were not being adults about it. If it was a prank he would just be pouty and be like "don't do it again."

❥ Jeonghan:

Honestly I can see Jeonghan sighing then just sit next to you and say, "I guess I will wait until you wanna be an adult and talk." He would just be near you until you were ready to talk or come clean about the prank you were attempting to pull. I don't see him be as affected as other members tbh.

❥ Joshua:

You know the Taylor Swift song "The Story Of Us?" Well basically the line "This is lookin' like a contest of who can act like they care less" represented Jisoo and you when you were doing a silent treatment. If anything, he'd be like "two can play that game baby cakes." Whole time you didn't talk to him would drive him crazy (crazier) though. Even though he hates to admit it, he would break first and try to break the treatment.

❥ Jun:

Oh if you did this to Jun, I'm sorry but you are simply an asshole. I don't make the rules just write them. Jun would be so confused and would just be trying everything to get you to talk to him. He'd feel like shit and so confused by the thought of you being upset with him. If it was a joke he'd just be like "I thought jokes were supposed to be funny, (Y/N)." LMFAOOOO

❥ Hoshi:

Soonyoung would just stare at you and keep asking why. He would get a little annoyed by it and would just keep trying to get your attention and get you to talk to him. I can see him being super super dramatic about it and just sighing hella heavy lmfaoooo. He'd just spout random bullshit and just be like "you are ignoring the last tiger in Korea. That's so rude." Just a mess.

❥ Wonwoo:

Wonwoo would just have to give you a look which would make you fold quicker than a house of cards. Between both of you, you would be more of the yapper so if you were quiet or giving him a silent treatment he would find it weird and would be even more confused if it was a joke. If it was for serious though, he'd give you a look and maybe arch an eyebrow lmaooooo

❥ Woozi:

When Jihoon noticed you were quieter than normal he would ask what was up. If you said nothing was wrong and then continued to give him the cold shoulder he would just roll his eyes. You were being petty and would come around when you were ready. It was annoying but he would respect your need for space if you needed it. If you got upset by him giving him space, he'd just tell you "well you could've used your words..."

❥ DK:

Seokmin would just talk at you and try to get your attention if you suddenly did it. He would simply be like "hey, you can't ignore me forever. Come on. Please? Baby... Babe... Y/N... lover." He would be just so confused why you would ignore him so quickly. He'd try to hide it but he would be panicking a lot on the inside.

❥ Mingyu:

Depending on the context of silent treatment is how Mingyu would react. If it was over something he found a bit silly or could tell it was in jest he would be SUCH a diva and just say shit like "I knew you didn't love me." If you were being serious I can see him being mad or annoyed. He'd be like Seungcheol and wonder why you both couldn't just be adults about it. He would do everything in his power to get you to talk.

❥ Minghao:

Minghao would just give you a look if you decided to give him a silent treatment. It would honestly piss him off a little if you were genuinely giving him the silent treatment because he would want you to be an adult and use your words that you needed space instead of just ignoring the issues. However, if it wasn't serious and he knew it, he would just ignore you back and see who would crack first.

❥ Seungkwan:

Oh Seungkwan could go two ways. He'd either call your childish or he would be on hands and knees trying to get you to talk to him. He loved talking with you, he loved being with you, so when you took away what he found comforting, he would be so annoyed and hurt by it. If you were giving him the silent treatment as a joke, he would be so annoyed if he was pranked lolol.

❥ Vernon:

ngl, Hansol might not catch on for a bit but if he does he'd find it pretty childish. He'd want to have open communication on your arguments or whatever because, how can he fix something if he doesn't know how or what is broken? If it was a silly reason he might squeeze your cheeks and just be overly flirty to get your attention which would cause you to crack lol.

❥ Dino:

Oh Channie would be so confused if you just stopped talking to him. He might go to Soonyoung or another one of his hyungs for advice. He would find you so confusing. He would apologize and bring you flowers and chocolate even though he wasn't quite sure what the fuck he was sorry about. When you would talk to him again, he would just be like "baby, can we talk it out instead of being silent next time?"

[everythingblackblack]

How do you think Kaito acts when he's flustered? What flusters him the most?

I have a feeling that it depends a lot on whether he's KID or Kaito.

For example, as KID, I think he'd be completely silent, turn around, or blow up a smoke bomb and get hurt, and this would make the person who made him nervous feel uncomfortable. Inside Kaito is chaos, outside he's mechanically "don't let your poker face fall."

As Kaito, I think he'd be a bit more tsundere, you know? I feel like Kaito can't handle sincere acts of kindness or comments from the heart (that are directed at him). Kaito spends so much time hiding behind walls, earning people's admiration or dislike that he's used to "fighting with them or receiving praise," but, you know, for real things, he might be quite clumsy because he's not that used to it, and I think it would also depend a lot on the context and situation.

His reaction could be something like:

"Even though I don't agree with your methods, I like your magic, it makes me feel like for a moment miracles could be real."

That comment came out of nowhere from Hakuba, both of them just stood in silence, they were waiting for the girls to join them on the rooftop to eat, there was no previous conversation, Kaito was sure that Hakuba wasn't lying, so he ended up babbling some nonsense.

"I… what?"

"Wow, I didn't expect this to be enough to make you nervous."

"I'm not nervous, hakubastard!"

"Mmh, interesting, I just said that I think your magic is great, there's no need to raise your voice."

or also:

Having a peaceful moment with Akako is rare, just them, doing a task together without problems. It's strange, but nice, at least it is until she speaks.

"I'll protect you."

"What are you talking about Akako? Did your Lucifer say something to you again?"

"No, just that when you're in trouble, I'll protect you."

"You don't have to-"

"I'm doing it because I want to, I'm going to protect you."

When Kaito notices that she means it, and that she's not expecting anything in return he just looks away.

"Oh, this is unexpected." There's a small mocking laugh as she finishes her sentence.

"Whatever."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I think it's cute that you blush like that."

"I'm not blushing, let's continue with the task!"

"So Kaitou KID can be kind of cute, huh."

"I'm going to ignore you."

"Can't you handle a little sincerity?"

Maybe, mmmh, idk.

[eden-writes-stuff]

Action! pt.1

tags: sunkiller; pornstar!au; 18+; smut; dub-/non-con; toxic work enviroment; blowjobs; riding; implied/referenced panic attack

wc: 3596

The lights were too bright and there were too many people - even for such a large hotel room.

James was used to shooting in the comfort of his own home with friends and people he could trust, but when he had gotten the offer from an agency, that included enough money to pay all of his bills this month, he could hardly decline.

"Ah, James, you're here," a small man around James’ age greeted him. "Hi, I'm Peter, your producer. Barty is already in makeup, getting ready..." he placed one hand on James' shoulders, guiding him past the bed and towards the bathroom, "You got half an hour to get changed and everything, then we'll do the contracts and all that, and then it's action," he explained, pushing James through the door into the luxurious bathroom.

The first thing James noticed was the mirror with its fancy frame; all gold, and with a lot of little details. Then, his eyes met the face of a man. 

Barty.

Barty was the epitome of hot. Long lashes, clean skin, cheekbones as sharp as diamond, a black choker wrapped around his neck.

"Well, fuck me..."

"Very down to business, I see," Barty winked at him through the mirror.

Only then did James realise he had spoken his thoughts out loud. Immediately blood was rushing to his cheeks. "Oh, no, I- I just-"

"Don't worry about it," Bary grinned at him, but relaxed his lips again when the young man at his side pulled a lipstick out of a bag.

The next moment another person entered the bathroom. "Hi, I'm Lily. I'll do your makeup today." How was everyone on this set hot???? A small pin on their lapel informed James of their pronouns.

"I'm James," James answered bluntly, sitting down on the second chair.

"The boss said 'party makeup, but keep it subtle', so I'm thinking a bit of smokey eyes, and maybe some lip liner," they explained.

"I've never actually had makeup for a shoot. Is that normal?" James asked carefully.

"'Normal is the wrong word," Barty explained, pressing his now blood-red lips together, then smiling "This amount is… unusual, but it always depends on the background. I heard that the story is that we went home after a party together, so it makes sense in the context." He closed his eyes when the other man held a brush with powder to his face.

"Oh, thanks." James relaxed a bit in his seat. It was going to be fine. Everyone here seemed rather nice. Except maybe a little stressed.

James looked up at Lily and gave them a quick nodd.

He'd never had his makeup done professionally before. It was a nice experience; and it looked great. "Thank you. It looks really g-"

"You have three minutes to get dressed and prepare yourself. After that I'll fix our hair up a little," they said coolly, holding a stack of clothes in front of him.

Due to lack of a better arrangement, James started getting undressed there in the bathroom. They would all see him naked soon anyways.

His outfit was made up out of tight leather trousers and a mostly see-through shirt. With that was an anal plug. He supposed, they didn't want to have to do the preparation-part during shooting.

After he was done, he stepped outside where everyone was already waiting. Barty had been dressed in a black harness that was hung with many little chains everywhere, and what looked like a slip made of leather.

James bit his lip as he already felt blood collecting in his lower half.

"Alright then, everyone gather up," Peter commanded. Within seconds, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to him. "I'm Peter, the producer. What I say goes. This is James and Barty, our actors. I'm sure you two already met. Behind me is our crew. Light, the cameras, sound, You probably don't care. Anyways, to the story... You two come home together after a kink/bdsm-party. There's some making out at the door, then we move through the hallway, a short blowjob from Barty to smudge the lipstick. Onto the bed and from then on you're pretty free to do as you like. There needs to be a bit of Doggy and a bit of Cowboy, but apart from that, you can just have fun. Everyone clear?"

Everyone else nodded, so James decided to do the same.

"Great, here's your contracts," Peter pulled two stacks of paper from his bag and handed them one each. "Just basic stuff; filming-rights, hr, that sort of thing. I'll get someone to make you copies while we're filming. Payment for everyone is when we're done."

Another round of nods.

"Great. We'll start in five. If either of you needs some viagra, we got some next to the water."

And just like that, everyone went back to their work. A little irritated, James looked around to see Barty bowed over the papers with a pen in his hand.

James came up next to him, carefully tapping him on the shoulder.

"Just a second..."

James clasped his hands in front of his crotch, nervously drumming his thumbs on his hand.

"Alright, what is it?" Barty got up to look at him.

"I'm... Just a little confused. I- this is my first time doing this professionally, but at home, I always used to talk to people about boundaries and protection and stuff like that."

Barty's eyes softened a little and he put the pen down. "Right. Someone mentioned that you were new... Most porn is without condoms. Are you tested?"

"Tested?"

"for STDs?"

"Oh, yeah. I do that before every shoot."

"Good, then that won't be a problem," Barty shrugged, then stepped a little closer, lowering his voice. "About boundaries... It's always good to talk about that with your co-actors, but you shouldn't mention it to the boss. Or most bosses for that matter. If they ask you to do something and you don't want to do it, you're out. They're not rewriting the script for you. If you have a breakdown and can't continue filming, they'll find someone else," he explained quietly. "It even says so in the contract."

James blinked. "That's awful!"

"That's porn. You're only worth something if you can fuck. If you say something now, we'll have to go looking for someone to take your place and no one here can afford that. So get your shit together. You can tell me what you don't like and I'll look out for it, but that's all you can do, okay?"

Every cell in his body was crawling. Every instinct was telling him to run. He wanted to go back into his bedroom, to the safety of his friends. Then he looked around. Twelve people. Twelve people here were counting on him to do his job.

"I'm... I-" James took a breath. "I like looking at whoever I'm doing it with. I also like giving head. I like to know that the other person is comfortable and enjoying themselves. But I'd like to avoid stuff with blindfolds, or anything with sensory-deprivation."

Barty stared at him for a second, then shook his head slightly. "This industry is going to ruin you," he murmured, then sighed. "I'm into pain. On the ass, dick, nipples, hair, wherever. Gets me going, you don't need to be shy. Usually, I like being on top, but I'm fine with switching. I don't do bondage, but that won't be a problem today, since we don’t have anything to do that with anyways."

James nodded in understanding, thankful for every information he could get.

"Places, everyone. We'll start with one short introduction scene in the hallway, then move on in chronological order," Peter announced, leading them into the corridor.

On this floor were only three rooms, so they didn't have to worry too much about any bystanders.

James tried his best to look relaxed and like he was just coming home from a party. He took Barty's hand, intertwining their fingers. His hands were warm and soft. They helped to ground James just a little.

Barty gave him a small smile as they started walking side by side.

"I'm really happy you talked to me at that party," Barty smiled, biting his lip.

They didn't have a script, so James had to improvise. Say anything. "How could I not? With someone as sexy as you..."

Barty laughed quietly, walking a little closer to him. Only a few steps further, they arrived at the door to the room. James bit his lip. "I guess I should probably go home then."

"Or you could come inside." Barty pulled him closer so that their torsos were touching. "In the room, I mean..."

James blushed a little when he noticed the innuendo. "And what would we do there?"

"I have a few ideas..." Barty murmured, leaning forward, but leaving the final touch up to James.

With a smile on his lips, James kissed him, gently pressing him against the door.

Barty quickly started touching him, letting his hands trail over his body, greedily pulling him closer until their bodies melted together.

James did his best to ignore the presence of the camera that was filming their lips crashing together.

They kept kissing for a while to get different angles until Peter nodded in approval. "Okay, wonderful. Erm... hold on." He opened the door with his keycard. "Remus? I need you to be ready with your camera. We'll film from out here, then Barty will open the door, we'll cut to your camera and then they come in, got it?"

Remus - one of the camera men - nodded. Another hot person on set. "Got it."

"Oh, and maybe you guys can get into a bit of dry humping when you come in, maybe some groping. To get James hard before you take his pants off."

"Sure," Barty replied. James didn't disagree.

"Okay then, I give you the card, you make out out here for a few more seconds, then come in and get started."

He gave Barty the keycard and stepped through the open door into the room, pulling it close behind him.

"And action!" Peter yelled through the door.

Immediately, Barty was kissing James again, just as heated as before, turning the both of them around so that James was now pressed against the door while Barty held the card against the scanner. There was a quiet click indicating that it had worked.

Barty pushed the door open, shoving James through before closing it with his foot.

Remembering Peter's advice, James shifted slightly to start grinding against Barty's leg. He felt one hand on his ass, pulling him closer, adding to the friction.

James groaned quietly, tugging on one of the chains of Bart's harness. One of Barty's hands wandered lower and lower to the zipper on James' trousers. Teasingly, he let one hand dip under the seam, letting the fabric snap against his skin.

As he continued to rub his leg against James' growing erection, Barty kissed along his neck and to his ear, causing a shudder along his spine.

Peter gave them a sign to get on with it and Barty lowered to his knees.

"Alright, cut. Stay just like that."

Peter walked past them to open the door and let the other camera-guy in, that had been waiting outside until now. Meanwhile James tried to ignore the ten other people that were in the room with them.

Barty was hot and James got to have sex with him. That was a good thing, right? No matter the cameras. It was his job. And he'd just have to get used to it.

While the others were busy setting up cameras and fixing lights, Barty stroked his leg, grounding James, sometimes kissing the bulge in his trousers, keeping him focused on what mattered.

"Is everything out of the frame?"

Everyone checked their cameras, then nodded. One was right next to Bartys head, but it didn't seem to bother him. He was probably used to this by now.

James wasn't exactly self conscious when it came to his body, but he couldn't really believe that anyone looked good from that close.

"Oh, Barty."

"Hm?" Barty tilted his head slightly in Peter's direction.

"Make it wet and sloppy."

Barty nodded, shooting James a quick look when he turned back. "Do you want me to make him come?"

The producer hesitated for a second, eyeing James. "Can you come multiple times?"

James shook his head, not daring to speak. He wasn't even sure if he could come once under these circumstances.

"Oh, what the fuck. Save it for later then. Everyone ready? And action."

Barty's mouth was just as warm and soft as it looked. And his tongue... James had never felt anything like it. With a low groan, he let his head fall back, gripping Bartys hair.

"Oh, fuck yes."

It was more than obvious that Barty did this for a living. The way he took him all the way to the back of his throat, smearing the blood red lipstick all over his length... It almost made James forget where they were.

Almost.

"Cut. That should be enough. You two take your clothes off, take a sip of water if you need to, and onto the bed."

James took a moment to return into reality. A reality in which Barty was already getting up again, wiping his mouth.

As if in trance, James undressed, placing the clothes onto a chair and drinking some water. It didn't help his racing heart, or his spinning head.

He couldn't faint now. Barty said that James would lose this job if he didn't pull this through. And right now, he really; Really needed this money.

Before he knew what was happening, he was sitting on top of Barty, who gently held him. "You okay?" Barty asked quietly. James shook his head. He could see pitty in Barty's eyes.

"You're holding up fine. And from now on, it's just us here. They won't interrupt again, just relax and let me take the lead."

"It's not just us though," James answered quietly.

"You mean those guys? That's nothing compared to everyone who is gonna see the video afterwards. Just think of them as viewers. Nothing you haven't done before."

James nodded slowly. Just viewers. He didn't mind viewers. So what, if people got off on him. That's what porn was for, after all. And those people around him were just like those other people. Except, that they were holding cameras into his face or up to his dick... Nothing bad about that.

He kissed Barty some more, who gladly reciprocated- camera or not.

"Okay, we're good to go." Peter took his place in one of the chairs and leaned back.

Barty just looked at James, waiting for him to make the first move. He wouldn't force him to do anything.

James ground against Barty's dick once or twice before wrapping one hand around it and slowly sinking onto it.

Both of them moaned at the tightness. Obviously, James had prepared himself in the bathroom, but it still was quite a lot to take.

James knew he didn't have a lot of time to adjust, so he just started, rising and lowering himself in slow and steady movements. It was a good thing that Barty was there to hold him, or else James probably would have spiraled himself into a panic attack.

It was just sex.

Nothing more. He had done this before. It was just up and down while ignoring the cameras and people in the room and the fact that he couldn't leave this situation if necessary.

Why had he ever agreed to this?

He felt himself getting lightheaded, vision blurring, limbs getting colder.

Only seconds later, Bartys grip tightened on his hip and he was flipped around. He felt the other body moving over him, then weight pressing him into the sheets.

Suddenly, he was hyper aware of Barty’s warm hands on his seemingly cold skin, holding him down, keeping him from falling into pieces.

Letting himself be used turned out to be easier than actively participating.

He simply had to lie there and remember to moan once in a while. It was good. It was still hell, but a hell he didn't have to actively walk through. He just had to lie there and wait until the hell passed him. 

It all felt like hours, but it couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes.

In all that, he couldn't even properly appreciate how good of a fuck Barty was. Because, oh, he was! He could go from greedy-and-sloppy to slow-and-deep in a heartbeat, and James' body loved both.

The sex itself would have been wonderful under different circumstances. Barty took great care of him.

At some point - Barty had just flipped him onto his back to sink into him again - James remembered what Barty had said earlier about pain.

They were in this together, so James should make sure that Barty had at least some sort of pleasure.

He willed his arms to move, wrapping around his partner. Gently, he dug his nails into Barty's back, scratching over the skin.

"Fuck!" the man above him groaned, pushing deeper into James, gaining a quiet whimper. "Harder," Barty demanded quietly.

James obeyed instantly, digging deeper into the flesh.

For a moment Barty paused, readjusting before starting to fuck James again. But this time it felt different. It felt like he meant it.

Soon, James had his hands all over Barty, leaving marks on his back, his ass, his thighs, his shoulders.

The way Barty seemed to be enjoying himself gave James purpose and enough strength to take initiative for once.

"Are you up for a ride?" James suggested seductively.

Barty bit his lip and nodded. He continued for a few more seconds before pulling out.

James crawled over the bed, so that he could rest against the head. Barty followed quickly after, taking his place in James' lap.

One of James' hands found his way around Barty's neck. "Do you like getting choked?" He asked, lips brushing Barty's.

"Only if you do it properly", Barty answered, raising one eyebrow in challenge. James understood and tightened his grip.

A pleased grin started forming on Barty's lips. "Just like that," he praised.

Slowly, James pushed into him, making them both moan. Barty was wonderfully tight around him. His free hand landed on Barty's hip, steadying him a little.

Being inside Barty made it a little easier to ignore everyone around them. James looked right at his lover, focussing only on him.

Carefully, he started thrusting upwards, eyes fixated on the spot where their bodies were joined.

The choked little sounds Barty made as he rolled his hips against James were absolutely heavenly and made James only squeeze harder.

Soon enough, Barty was grinding down on him, getting himself off with the one hand that wasn't holding onto James, who was watching him in adoration. The way his mouth fell open and his lids fell shut was one of the most amazing things James had ever seen.

With a quiet grunt, James was fucking upwards again, meeting Barty halfway.

The movement of Barty's hand quickened again, so much so that James decided to help out. He took the hand from Barty's hip and placed it around his dick, squeezing gently before moving it at the same pace as his hips.

"Fucking God! Fuck, I'm gonna- I'll-" And just like that, Barty spilled over James' chest with a quiet, broken scream. Legs shaking, lips parted. He was beautiful.

James slowed his movements, gently pulling Barty into his arms. He kissed over Barty's shoulder, as he slowly came down from his high.

One look over his shoulder told James that Peter was satisfied with their performance.

"And cut! It's a wrap," Peter announced, rising from his chair. "You two get cleaned up, everyone else, start packing."

Placing a soft kiss on Bart's cheek, James pulled out. "Are you alright?"

Barty nodded. "Are you?"

Was he? James wasn't sure. He was still relatively hard, since he hadn't come, and his asshole felt sore. "Yeah, sure. I just need a shower," he said quietly, getting up from the bed.

The shower helped in getting rid of his boner, but it didn't make him feel any less dirty about himself. At least now, he could put some clothes on.

When he stepped outside again, the cameras and lights had vanished and the door to the hallway was open. Originally, James had planned to just vanish, but Barty had different plans.

As soon as James left the bathroom, Barty pushed him back in and closed the door behind them.

"You feeling okay?" he started after an awkward pause.

"I'm fine. I don't think I'll be doing this again though," James sighed.

Biting his lip, Barty nodded. "Listen, I... I had some fun... at the end. No one... You're the first person that actually asked me what I liked and then respected that. So, if you want. I could maybe... come by your place some time and then we can do porn your way."

James raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You mean, you'd wanna shoot with me again?"

"Yeah, sure. If you'd like that."

"I'd love that," James beamed before getting himself back under control.

Barty smiled softly. "Then just give me a call whenever you want." He pulled a card out of his back pocket and handed it to him.

James called him the second he got home.

A/N: Decided to make two parts. One angsty one and one wholesome one at James' place. The second part should come out some time next week. Comment if you want to be tagged.

[queerfortress2]

Hope your day is lovely so far 💕 I was wondering if I could request headcanons, perhaps, the Support Class (or just Sniper and Spy) getting into a heated argument with reader? Like, how they handle it, who apologizes first, how it would play out, yk?

I'm such a sucker for tear-jerking angst to cheesey comfort, it isn't even funny. Your writing is so good, love all of it so far! ❤

aww hell im a sucker for that type of stuff too, its just too fun to write — mod engie

GN!READER X SUPPORT CLASSES ; ARGUMENT

MEDIC

i think it’s not as hard to get into an argument with this man, he always wants to be right, it’s kinda hard to disagree without arguing for at least 10 minutes with this man

he’s just that stubborn!

however fights usually end quickly, he’s a lot more logic-based in argument and not so much focused on the emotional aspect of it, so once he can’t find anything else to say, he will simply end the argument, concluding it all fancy-like

One day both you two had gotten into an argument, Medic had been staying in work later and later as the days progressed and as a loving partner you of course got concerned with it! as much as you two argue over stupid little things and get over it, you couldn’t just get brushed off over something like this, so you continued pressing "And who cares? Work is important, more important than you seem to understand, I can’t just quit halfway—" His hands gestured as he spoke, he accent getting thicker as he seemed to stress more on the argument, he wanted to end it quickly, as he usually does. "Aren’t I important too? You can’t keep ignoring it— You’re barely home! I deserve to know a little bit too!" Now that was a decent point, pulling at heart strings but, Medic wasn’t an emotional person. "And so? My work is none of your business! If anything at all— Who are you to question it! You don’t understand any—"

medic wasn’t an emotional person but it was clear he could understand your worry and how emotion seemed to cloud your vision, while he thinks he’s perfectly in the right (which he usually isn’t), he understands you can get hurt. Which is why he silenced himself upon seeing your upset expression, however it’d been too late, you’ve already decided to leave the room.

he just gave you time. if he did come after you immediately it would only rekindle the argument and made it worse— he realises this, and so he only leaves you alone.

depending on where this is, will be how long he waits. if you’re a fellow mercenary he just decides to catch you the next morning, if you’re not, then he will usually give you 10 minutes before searching for you and trying to "apologise".

going to be completely honest, he also just isn't the man to apologise... he would either (depending on the context) tell you you're wrong but he forgives you for it, or shy away from admitting defeat and just comforting you instead, saying he didn't mean whatever harsh words slipped his mouth at the time

medic lovers.. this yo man?

SNIPER

he is a lot calmer about it, and probably gives the best apologies out of the three

he can easily realise if hes wrong and unlike medic, his ego isn't that far inflated to where he can't man up and apologise to you.

fights probably don't last long with him, i would imagine him to be the one who avoids it, and if it does come up, it has to be something hes extremely passionate about for him to seriously argue with you, otherwise its just fun and games, bickering over something stupid.

assuming you were a mercenary, maybe after a battle if you were extremely reckless and he saw through his lovely ol' scope, he would confront you after. not in public of course, but somewhere like your own quarters or his van.

"Now—" He held the bridge of his nose, have you seated in front of him. His free hand on his hip, gripping his side as he tried not to seem to angry with you. "Do you know what coulda happened to ya' out there? Bloody hell— You coulda been blown to pieces!" It was clear you didn't mean to, but he still wanted you to be safe, even with the respawn, it hurt to see you die in so many ways. He didn't want to witness it over at over again. At least you didn't have to see how many spies got him, or how the enemy sniper caught him out of his element. "Cmon! Look at y'self, so what if you were barely scathed, I still had m'self on end! Quit thinkin' about only yourself for once in a damn while!" Now he wasn't quite sure how harsh it looked to you, borderline yelling at you for what you thought was good fun, but once you stubbornly stood up and beelined for the door, he realised he was still a bit in the wrong there. Gently grabbing your arm, his frown softened from one that was of anger to one of pity.

he apologised upfront, he was quick to fix himself, and he only expects the same from you whenever you upset him. its just how healthy relationships go, no matter how cooped up he is, he was still raised right enough to understand what is morally right. hes professional, and professionalism contains being polite don't it?

im a little bias i love myself some sniper

SPY

don't even

like genuinely dont start arguing with this guy i dont think he would even apologise

like you would have to ask for one to get one outta him

mostly because he always thinks hes correct, even its so clear that hes not, he has a reputation to keep! so he more often than not refuses to accept the fact hes incorrect, and stubbornly keeps his opinion

so in the situation where he would argue with you, he would never accept he was in the wrong even if you were bawling at him. ...but he would comfort you, hes not that bad of a partner.

he would ease the conversation away from the argument and focus more on your tears, saying something along the lines of 'oh dont waste your beautiful tears on something like this, mon trésor.' or 'ah.. n'inquiète pas ta jolie petite tête pour ça, mon amour'

honestly hes trying to sway you away from being mad at him, even if he wants to be right, he still is very much your lover and wants to keep it that way. you being mad at him almost makes him feel bad enough to apologise

almost

after each argument i believe he would coax you into getting in bed with him and just relaxing together, sleeping away whatever ails you.

going to be honest i don't know what else to write for spy, he just isn't the type to apologise to you after an argument, hes SOOO stuck up. also my formatting broke three times while writing this so if you see a mistake, no you dont.

[nardaviel]

hi i'm talking about "i am the god of the gaps" again. i did a post a few days ago about it here, but i'm back

so it turns out that the god of the gaps concept came up in the teeth of god tour interludes. in the first interlude, he describes the perspective pretty much exactly. here's the link where i pulled these transcriptions from, with video, but i'll quote them here, too. here's the first:

To me, it seems that there must be something on the other side. We are all told that truth is merely a conclusion that can reliably be derived from some observable phenomenon. We forget that truth is a tool. It is the hook upon which we hang our deeds and the bed from which we rise each day. To assume that death is the end is to assume that our being extends no further than the physical substrate that carries us. This assumption does not account for the way in which we experience being alive, nor does it sit comfortably aside the fact that we are not yet able to comprehend the way in which our being manifests itself from the flesh and bone that binds us. I believe that those gaps in our understanding are still wide enough to cast doubt on such conclusions. I believe that those gaps are yet wide enough for our souls to fit through, and drift onwards into some new realm.

dude literally uses the word "gaps" twice. there's no way vessel doesn't know what's up

from my first post you might be able to tell that i think the god of the gaps concept is pretty flawed, as do a lot of people. even the term itself is meant to convey criticism of the idea. but there are a couple of interesting things here

first is that even absent the context of the other interludes, which are extremely important and i think key to understanding where he's going with this, the first interlude in isolation still talks in a somewhat self-conscious way, as though it knows the flaws in what it's saying. i'm looking at the word "yet" in the second and third paragraphs, and the word "still" in the third. the speaker is aware of the fact that a concept of the numinous which depends on the absence of scientific understanding is not reliable and can fall apart at any moment. they're holding on to their worldview for now, but they're not confident that it'll stand the test of time

second is that the next interlude just tells the first one that it's wrong. it doesn't take the angle of arguing against the strength or resilience of the god of the gaps concept, instead focusing on the discussion of souls and the afterlife. but it still strongly disagrees with the first interlude's conclusions:

To argue the existence of anything beyond death is to reject the idea of death itself. Death is not the opening of some eternal door. Death does not confer transcendence of any kind. To make such assertions is to act as though we do not know death; as though we do not spend our lives trying to drag forth some semblance of meaning from beneath death’s thick, dark shadow; as though we have not also inflicted it, no less than we sometimes revel in it. It is only the certainty of death that provides us with the darkness against which we all glow defiantly. Life without death knows no form, no boundary. Without death and our finite nature we would be stripped of all meaning, left to wander as little more than endlessly rotating gears in the quiet engine of a cold hell. But we do not die because it gives our lives meaning. We die because it is the way of all the things. And in the end, is that not all we are?

…which is pretty emphatic. it doesn't dispute the god of the gaps concept in so many words, but it strongly disputes the first interlude's only stated reason for believing it: that we have souls, and that they go somewhere after death. so we can say that whatever is going on, no matter why this argument is playing out, vessel is probably not fully in agreement with the god of the gaps philosophy. but this isn't the full story either, because the third and final interlude is not in agreement with the second. it synthesizes the first two, to some degree:

Death is not merely an event that occurs.* It is not simply some kind of existential threshold we are all fated to cross. It is far more than these small notions. One does not need to look as far as the end of their own life to be confronted with the unknowable. One does not even need to look that far to be confronted with death. Look around you, about what can you truly be certain? Death is a color; it soaks through part of every canvas. Death is a fabric; it can clothe the living. Death is merely another weapon wielded by the great adversary, another cadence in this terribly beautiful symphony you sing to hopelessly. Let it bring you hope in one hand and fear in the other. It is asking you to dance with both, after all.

*this sentence is missing from the reddit link. you can find it here (cw flashing lights, not for the interlude but for the video as a whole)

the third interlude speaks most directly to the second, rejecting its cold view of death. but it also doesn't explicitly agree that there are souls, or that there's an afterlife. it certainly doesn't claim that divinity lives in the gaps in scientific knowledge. rather, it talks about finding mysteries and the unknowable around you, discusses death as a presence with a profound emotional impact on our lives, and doesn't bring up the current state of human knowledge even once

so that's all cool, but this post is supposed to be about the line in LTW. "even in this garden of gardens, i am the god of the gaps." is the garden eden? arcadia? maybe gethsemane? i'm inclined to think arcadia, given the album name, but i suppose it could be any of them. it's certainly an important garden, a "garden of gardens", a garden to end all gardens. and whichever one it is, even there, he is the god of the gaps, whose existence he doubted during teeth of god

i still think my original analysis holds up tbh. it's a metaphor. the god of the gaps loses its identity and vanishes over time, like the narrator in LTW. if anything, vessel has shown in the teeth of god interludes that he gets that about the god of the gaps. but it's interesting to me that he's talked more about his thoughts on the concept, and especially that it was so recent. "teeth of god" and "i am the god of the gaps" are both EIA album lyrics, so maybe he was pulling inspiration from LTW when he wrote the interludes. or maybe he wrote the interludes first, then came back to it when he was doing the LTW lyrics. either way, it's been on his mind, i guess!