#for some reason in my time of immense distress

[nonbinarycollector]

(bleeding out) deltarune save me.... deltarune by toby fox....... save me deltarune

[tadc-harlequin-au]

RagaPom fan kid when🥺?

Jk but I ADORE your art so much i might as well be called a believer of it 🙇‍♀️

Harlequin!Jesterdoll fankid - Anya!

I gotchu homie I should probably also clarify that the fankids aren't canon-

This is Anya, or Aanya Belle. She is Pomni and Ragatha's child, and is the second child puppet to ever grace the world. Quite possibly the most emotional one too, earning her the title "Little Sensitive Poppet". She's sweet and empathetic like Ragatha, but she doesn't have a temper. She instead inherited her harlequin mom's intense emotional reaction, but for other emotions. Her classification is a Mannequin.

She gets scared quite easily and ends up crying for hours, which made Jax give up a teddy bear he had been keeping near and dear to him. Aanya has been never seen without the teddy bear ever since.

Yes, to everyone's surprise, Jax is good with kids.

She has the largest sense of empathy out of anyone, a trait clearly inherited from Ragatha. So much so to the point that she's willing to abandon her "safety spot" (which is any furniture she can hide behind) and comfort you with her teddy bear if she so much as senses you're upset.

Her relationship with her half-brother was a little rocky at the start; Cade was overexcited over the idea of a new playmate (that wasn't Bubble) and kept wanting to bite her fingers off, and so had to be kept in his favorite box to calm him down, and make him get used to his new half-sister's presence. Soon enough, he learned to get along, and eventually, their sibling bond strengthened.

Cade would hug Anya if he notices that she's distressed (which is something that my irl baby brother does and I used it as inspo here) and would not hesitate to step in the big brother role to protect her if there's a threat.

He also attends her miniature tea parties, although for some reason he likes to stay in his box when the tea party commences. He never touches the teddy bear either, and even seems to want to avoid to touch it. Pomni thinks it's because he doesn't wanna end up ruining it.

When Cade turned six months, Ragatha started avoiding Caine, which made the puppetmaster confused. There were no more invites to tea parties, no more friendly talks, and no longer did Ragatha ask Caine if he had another vinyl she could listen to. All the more, Pomni looked extremely guilty everytime they would talk, and looked like she really wanted to tell Caine something.

Caine didn't prod at the girls' relationship, since he knows it's not exactly his concern/nor is it his business. But when one day that Pomni came rushing in to his office for help because Ragatha collapsed in pain, Caine wasted no time rushing to her aid.

Once all symptoms were described to him, he immediately managed to connect the dots that Ragatha's die was also housing two souls, and that it went on for so long, it was already starting to kill her off FOR GOOD. When the puppetmaster asked why she had kept it a secret, Ragatha admitted that she felt guilty; Cade was already in this world and that she had no right to have a child with Pomni, yet here it was.

Caine was immensely disappointed, but not because of the little soul's existence. Instead, he was upset that Ragatha would rather risk her very own life for something so non-trivial, and that the doll was freaking out over nothing. After an intense and dangerous procedure since the incomplete soul's grip onto Ragatha was stronger than Cade's was, Caine managed to extract and transfer the soul, but Ragatha remained unconscious for three moons because of the exertion it took.

He told Pomni to keep the die for now, and wait until Ragatha wakes up, so they can both decide whether they want to keep the little one or not. Pomni, guilt-ridden, questions why he's remained calm, and not exploded over the fact that she and Ragatha created a new existence without his permission, and Caine simply replies "Whoever told you that you both needed my blessing for it, needs their heads bashed in"

Eventually, Ragatha wakes up and apologizes to Caine for giving him so much trouble. The puppetmaster is quick to comfort the mannequin, and that he's relieved that Ragatha survived. He then reassures both Puppets that they didn't have to keep secrets like this from him out of shame, since their polyamory relationship was consensual from both parties in the first place. After a reconciliation, Caine asked the question: Will they keep the soul, or not?

They chose to keep it. And in only a few months thanks to Caine's prior knowledge, Anya was officially welcomed into the world.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5992

Jalsa, Mumbai July 14/July 15, 2024 Sun/Mon 4:05 am

🪔 ,

July 14 .. birthday greetings to : Ef Shalini from Allahabad (now Prayagraj) .. Ef Manish Mehrotra .. and Ef Anupam Srivastava .. 🙏🏻❤️🚩

It is late .. but not without reason or cause .. spending time with loved ones at the Gate and then at home with family .. ever such a joy to a whole bunch of relatives busy interacting, running around the premises and simply enjoying the little pleasures of togetherness ..

And GOJ .. that has been an experience each Sunday .. the ramp on wheels I asked to move closer to the well wishers .. and the mobility towards them is an excitement always .. you hear them better , you feel the expressive love better , you give those a chance to see and be greeted that at times stand at a distance and never seen ..

So the ramp has added the mobility much needed .. personal and public meets are restricted .. but some of the inevitable are complied with ..

... and the joy expressed in their eyes and faces remains with you for days .. despite the much opinionated fear often felt of appearing at the GOJ to meet them ..

At times the personal contact in the days after covid has been there but distant and this has been a point of immense disappointment with those that express a wish to meet ..

BUT .. dearest ones , give me time to get clearances fro the Medical Unit and I shall be able .. soon , if not too far ..

The years of yore ;

and the reel in the making :

There has been a suggestion to read a script given for production .. and one that relied on nthe values of theosophy and the occult ..

A most fascinating read in a precise rendering, but influential enough to set a vacant mind into a thought process, that keeps a consistent 'knock on the door' to turn away and change path for its search .. the search of humanity in the realisation of its birth and thereafter .. Dear O dear there is so much to learn and imbibe .. and time slips away as rapidly as it possibly can .. to hold it and refrain it from immediate travel ahead is well nigh impossible .. the movements of the Earth can never .. so we live a life of unanswered questions and beliefs and the presence of religion and more ..

A most fascinating subject .. and in many ways getting inspired by a movie !!!

AND the film, has many significant stories, hidden or brought about in a form KALKI 2898 AD .. which I must admit has been instrumental in its viewing 4 times .. at the iMax theatre .. which has the capacity of a perfect imagery on screen along with a quality of sound that seems to have been installed after considerable understanding and layout ..

SO back to the GOJ : and the giving out in equal distribution, umbrellas, to them that have stood there for some, bearing the heat and cold and the thunder and lightening of monsoon rain .. the umbrella, a gift from that very sincere well wisher Sunil Shah, from Surat Gujarat , who just does not attempt to stay calm and controlled , but instead continues to send these gifts as a token of his sincerity and love ..

I applaud the gestures he has made all these years .. his affection and love over brimming and so potent .. it just does not behove a telling off for him .. his mode of affection does not change ..

I am honoured and humbled by these intricate gestures, of love .. but really, they are a bit distressing and unreasonable for me in my countenance ..

I speak to him on this often , but he is adamant on his affection and just cannot stop these gestures 'in multiples'

I talk to him to be in control and not cause or give an unnecessary reason of disrespect .. but he just continues ..

So I accept .. and distribute them to the needy that spend their valuable time on a Sunday for the GOJ .. healthy and in all sincerity a show of immense affection !!

AND now for the Sunday and days .. :

... and the creative autograph hunters , their immense love to be in a photograph , but there are restrictions on health .. so we bear the loss of the occasion , walk away and sit and reminisce ...

Amitabh Bachchan

[velvetvexations]

I feel like a lot of the trans women saying that masculinity/manhood is always rewarded in everyone because patriarchy often forget that the opposite is true, actually, for people who are seen as women/put in the "woman" category.

Because yes, trans women are usually forced into manhood and "rewarded" for being men, and punished for being women. But that's not because manhood is universally rewarded in everyone, but because partriarchy sees having been born with a penis as "man".

It also sees being born with a vagina as "woman", and every deviation from that is *also* punished.

Yes, people who are seen as women/girls may have more freedom in expression of gender (depending on where they are from. I hate when ppl act like people afab everywhere can just dress like men without punishment. There are so many countries with laws on what "women" (and those treated as women because of their agab) can wear, and if anyone believes for one second that breaking these laws is REWARDED in any way, they're so fucking deep in their own head and need to talk to someone from these countries) but that freedom was fought for by feminists! Feminists have fought to be simply just allowed to wear pants. It's ridiculous to look at how it is now (in the western world) and make conclusions on that without looking at *why* it is that way now and how it was before.

And people are usually expected to grow out of their tomboy-"phase" by the time they reach their late teens, or early twenties at latest, and become a feminine woman, wife, and mother. If you don't do that, your masculinity gets punished.

And the masculinity of people afab is also only (begrudgingly) accepted (in SOME places in the world) as long as they're still visible as women or girls and their masculinity is hot and serves cishet men. As soon as they step "too far" out of these roles (by being non-binary or men, or being "ugly", fat, or anything that would make them "undesirable"), their masculinity gets punished. Horribly.

It's really infuriating when (trans)radfem trans women try to act like their experiences are universal and whenever someone says something that disagrees with them, they must be lying or "delusional" (yay, ableism! so progressive /s) for thinking that they were, in fact, punished for their masculinity or manhood...

Sorry for unloading this on you, didn't know where else to put it. And thank you so much for listening.

I think a major issue here is that no matter how much we try to reason things out and work through why they act the way they do, radical feminism, trans or cis, ultimately comes down, at some point, to a deliberate decision to prioritize egocentrism and their own desires over seeing other people as real, actual people - not even other transfems, who they just sexualize and try to control, or call a TERF if they can't. And it's hard to reason with that.

Like, they have to know on some level that they hyperinflate trans women in particular being "socially murdered"* to use as social capital and terrorize younger** transfems into isolating themselves. Maybe a very long time ago for some of them it came from the distress they felt from the legitimately immense danger transfems face in a variety of contexts, but they've shot far beyond that now and just don't really care. They've built a cage of unreality around themselves that makes me feel like I'm talking to aliens.

Like the other day, I was talking to one who insisted that the tee-em-ees will not show up for me. Like, I said they did, and she said they won't, and I was like, but they DO! They have! Always! I've seen it with my own eyes, directly for me specifically! But it was just "who hurt you," "let yourself be angry," "don't settle for just scraps," "they won't treat you better if you throw yourself at their feet," "social murder," and it's like WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ARE YOU HAVING A STROKE? WAS THIS A DREAM YOU HAD?

And what about the deliberately cruel fuckery, the constant derision of the most petty things like forcemasc? What the fuck do they get out of wrongly asserting that women are never punished for masculinity and never have a problem with being viewed as masculine, like why are they doing that, what is their goal? Because it seems like it's literally just "mock and invalidate the sexual interests of others and deem it an inferior copy of our thing."

What do they get out of misgendering cis and trans men for forcefem funsies and telling them to suck it up? They don't really believe that their forcefem joke is the only thing that might make an egg crack. That's extremely obviously a lie. They're doing it because they want to, because it's their kink, because they don't care about the feelings of other people, and they can use transmisogyny as a convenient defense when people ask them to moderate literally any of their behavior for the comfort of everyone else to literally any extent while demanding everyone else shut up and defer to them on every single topic in every single situation.

And this stuff with D20 and Ophiuchus and the transmasc character being treated better? A lie. Just fully making it up. Inventing it. Fabricating it. For attention.

I've never had one acknowledge it when I've tried to explain that I first learned about all of this from transmasc friends bringing it to me so they could defer to my opinion.

They're determined to stay like this. It sucks.

*truly a phrase that makes me livid to even think about now, they reduce it to about the same level of seriousness as forcefem jokes, every single time it's so thoughtlessly hollow and self-obsessed but you could guess that from it being a fair description of every thought they externalize

**let me make this clear, I'm referring to young adults, I am not accusing anyone of being predatory towards minors nor am I saying the motivations are necessarily sexual anyway, although clearly transradfems don't care about the effect their hyperbole will have on the mental health of minors exposed to it and trained from a young age to never trust anyone, so underage transfems are very much a concern here, but not in the sense that they're being directly and personally abused in any way

[ctheathy]

Seduction and hate-flirting w/ Yandere Popee

Popee x Reader

Yandere+NSFW Headcanons

Short Concept

Author's note: my yan. Popee is an absolute punchable disgrace to deal with, but even he is not unbreakable. It's time to watch him crumble~

The separate headcanons for Yandere Popee will get more into detail about his bad behaviour and torment towards the Reader. So these might lack context for the most part.

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Popee/Reader [Romantic Tendencies]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

Both reader+character are of legal age or aged-up for obvious reasons in this post!

These are partly smut headcanons, read at own risk. dom!Reader+sub!Popee • Manipulative Reader • Reader 100% has a sadistic streak • Unhealthy power dynamic • Toxic influence • Abusive+Destructive behaviour • Seduction • Sexual fantasies • Brainwashing(?) • Obsession • Masochism • Degradation • Swearing • Harassment • Invasion of privacy • Anger issues/Pent up lust • Assault • Tongue making out • Dirty talk • Climax mentioned • But it never actually leads to intercourse

This would certainly make for quite the dynamic. Popee, despite having an obsessive mentality driven by pure desire towards you, has been known to cause immense distress and discontent on your part. Purposely overstepping your boundaries, inflicting anguish and trying to put you in a bad light. Hating on you because you awakened these unknown emotions in him ...So much so that it would likely cause you to hold quite some resentment towards the boy with the bunny suit. Resentment you try releasing through some good old hate-flirting. You'd feel yourself craving more and more to bring out the worst in him, all the things that he's hiding and secretly feels ashamed of. And for someone like Popee with an ego the size of the Milky Way, that just makes the challenge extra irresistible to work on. While you can all imagine his reaction and denial as he’s forced to admit to himself that the one person he despises is the person he wants so badly.

You could literally destroy him from his heart, to his mind and it would cause him to become even more of a snobby bastard in general. Where he becomes even quicker to explode with his outbursts and lash out at Kedamono if he were to get that attached to you. Usually he’s such a loudmouth and he thinks he can never be phased with anything, he thinks he’s too powerful to be affected by anything. But you have the ability to absolutely break him, making him feel things beyond just anger from the power struggle and how you love to see him struggle to maintain control over you.

He 100% has a hate boner for you AND you 100% get off on teasing him. Just picture the mental gymnastics Popee would go through in his head as he desperately tries to convince himself that he hates this person while you can just have a ball teasing him and ruining his already broken ego. Which begs the question... for how long Popee could hold it together before he finally loses his cool and absolutely explodes on you. He has so much pent up anger in general and I feel like you could definitely be the one to set off the ticking time bomb inside of him.

Despite the tough exterior Popee wants to uphold, he is so goddamn sensitive and you could easily figure out that his tolerance for sexual activities is extremely low. He’d be so turned on the moment you even touch him in any way, if you even accidentally brushed against him a certain way he’d start getting hard. And when your clothes get all clingy from the practice sweat, he wouldn’t even be able to stand a chance. You could absolutely be feasting on his desperation and anger. You'd have this huge mountain of a man reduced to such an emotional and sexual mess that can’t think of anything but YOU.

You should absolutely go as far to try and make him moan in public. Just a scenario of him rudely bossing his assistants around, before you just go upfront, all personal and touchy with him as you egg him on. You'd have him making all kinds of noises that a man shouldn’t be making out in the open, you'd know how to push his buttons and you should not be afraid to do it either. The more he’s left broken and frustrated, the more he wants you. The more he denies his feelings, the harder he falls. He absolutely loathes the fact that he needs you, that he craves you in such manners. He might still act arrogant and prideful towards you but you just know he still contains those wet dreams that take him right back to square one.

You'd have the ability of being so very influential on him, he would be at the point where you would be able to make him do anything for you. Getting him all worked up and then leaving him to cool off by himself, before the cycle repeats itself. He would be cursing your name over and over in that tent, wishing that you were there to finish what you started. The thought of his quiet, furious little yells and moans of frustration from his tent would absolutely manage to crack you up, the way he would be so damn upset but so incredibly turned on at the same time. Because that’s direct proof of just how bad he really wants you, he wants you so bad that he actually tears up over it while actively touching himself. He would absolutely be sobbing softly in his pillow after the entire ordeal is done, but deep down he wants it.

You can twist his hatred towards you into the most raging, uncontrollable amount of desire for you. And at some point he would absolutely lose it and end up begging you to use him. Just pure sin. Both of your relationship would most likely get so incredibly bad that just the idea of you spitting in his mouth when he did something you didn't like, hurting him or stepping on him and just placing your full weight on top of him would leave him feeling moist and sweaty. He’d act like the idea of you stepping on him, sitting on his face, literally spitting on him, would be the most horrible thing imaginable... but the most embarrassing part would be how much he’d enjoy it deep down.

The more you humiliated him and treated him like garbage, the more he would begin to crave it. The more he would want you to degrade him, that would be the thing that would destroy who he is as a person. He would literally be your lapdog, but he wouldn’t even realize that he was. Basically Popee would become a full blown masochist for you, yet refuses to acknowledge the fact that he's submitted to you completely and is practically begging on his knees to be used and broken by you.

There have definitely been countless of instances where he'd get in your tent uninvited in the middle of the night, either wanting to vent out his frustrations to you or insult you to make you feel bad. To which I imagine you would start make some subtle, teasing comments but they gradually get more suggestive and flirty; mentioning how suspicious it is to show up at somebody else's bed, alone, at night, when everybody's asleep and are less capable of hearing their surroundings. And when he finally catches on to your intentions, his confidence starts to drain and gets replaced by feeling more flustered and embarrassed as he desperately tries to hide the growing bulge in his suit, feeling his arousal grow with every word and tease that leaves your mouth. He would be trying so hard to ignore you, but you can see right through his desperate little attempts and just make further moves on him.

He's in your territory now.

But all of his efforts go right out of the window as soon as you get up close to him. Freezing up as soon as your hand reaches out to touch his jawline and before he knows it ...with your lips pressed against his. It would be such a satisfying yet unexpected moment as soon as your tongue slides in to tease the insides of his mouth, an activity Popee just wouldn't be able to reject. Which is a moment where Popee would immediately lose all of his self control and start groaning, fighting tooth and nail to keep his vocal chords as quiet as he can. The moment that your tongue touches him he would just become a little drooling, submissive, desperate wreck of a person. He'd even forget that he hates you in the heat of the moment. Hell, if it went on long enough, it would likely evolve into pleas to keep going, be rougher with him and go faster. Pleas to just absolutely go out on him.

His brain would be too overwhelmed and overloaded from all the intense feeling and sensations and pleasure that he just wouldn’t be able to even think at all. He’d be too busy focusing all that energy in trying not to moan and cry out for you, he would absolutely feel like he was being assaulted with how it’s almost too much for him. You would be so talented at making him struggle and squirm. And there’s absolutely nothing he can do against you, as that tongue alone is enough to make him fall back in love with you. As soon as you pull back only to plunge it back in he would be completely disoriented, his eyes rolling back while he’s still moaning and barely able to even support himself. Which is something you shouldn't even be satisfied with at all, taste everything that big mouth of his has to offer and just keep on going until he’s a wet, messy, overstimulated little bitch.

You'd get him so deep into the rabbit hole that he would practically be begging on the ground for you, just for you to ignore him. You could be teasing him with your mouth, kissing him, biting him and just being absolutely filthy with him. And once he’s begging you to not stop, you should give him the most pathetic, pitiful, short little kiss on the forehead and just dismiss him like he’s nothing. You'd make him feel so dirty that as soon as you turn on that sadistic streak, he's basically your little plaything. The way that you would mock and tease him would make him want it so badly. Especially when being literal the reason that he ends up having such... unholy dreams with you in them. You would be the one to completely wreck him, all sense of pride and his dignity.

Which would be the best part honestly, seeing him absolutely breaking down and revealing his true feelings through his body language and physical responses. He’d be so much more sensitive and weak during his intimate moments. His lips would become more plush and his body would look more fragile than normal. The way he moves would turn into something more meek and shy, similar to his mirror counterpart, Eepop. His breathing would become heavier as his eyes and tail would droop, he would completely become a different man when you're together in that sense. Because unlike his other companions who try their best staying on his good side, you're not at all afraid to call him out on his bluff. You know what he wants and you're not stepping back from mentioning his not-so-pure fantasies and mocking him for it.

It’s such a humiliating thing for him to hear, that you would act so disgusted by the very thought of him wanting to breed you. Your dirty words would be sending red-hot shocks of pleasure through his body, making his entire body shake. Popee would just be so flustered, so utterly horny that he could barely even keep it together. And then his own fantasies start to make it even better... as his genitalia begins to drip in response to those very thoughts, thoughts that he’s so desperately trying to get rid of. This is exactly the type of humiliation that Popee would not be able to control at all. His legs would begin to twitch and his body would spasm with ecstasy, he’s desperate for so much more but he’s trying so hard to resist. Which is something that would infuriate him so badly.

Because even when looking at alternative options for release, a toy really isn’t really going to get the job done either. He wants someone to actually dominate him, he wants to feel helpless, he wants to be put in his place. He wants to scream out your name and have no control over it. Something that isn’t the real deal won’t quite work for him. Not to mention the fact that he isn’t able to actually ask you for anything even remotely suggestive, but the fact that he’s begging you silently makes him feel beyond pathetic.

And honestly, this just sounds like an exact scenario where Popee would give up and start begging you to just take him already. His entire face would be red as a tomato at this point, there would be no more of that smestering contempt or smug smile on his face, just pure, raw, desperation. All of his pent up rage at you for your antics would just turn into complete lust and need. If you play along with his deeply hidden fantasies, you'd have him at your feet. You'd have him sobbing on all fours, just whining out for you to make those imaginations a reality for him.

Something you obviously won't comply with, atleast not yet... As you instead continue teasing him with the very dreams he thirsts after, emphasizing it in an unnecessary amount of detail and mentioning the empty what ifs if you were to allow him to go a step further with you. Getting him so unimaginably riled up that it reaches a moment with him begging and pleading for you to let him have a second to calm down and stop playing into his fantasies, to give him any semblance of relief. Popee would so desperately try to hide himself with his hands as his pre would slowly leak out of him, feeling so very shameful about it. But no matter what he did, he’s going to let some out eventually. He just wouldn’t last, especially not with you baiting his constant arousal. If he began behaving like that, you would totally have to come up to him from behind and place your hands on his shoulders, pressing your body against his back all while while digging your fingers into his shuddering shoulders. But all it takes is just one single perverted whisper...

“You don't last long, do you...~?”

You just know Popee would be putty in your hands if you did that. He’d be breathing faster and faster and would likely be squeezing his own arm or something to try hard not to cum on the spot. His back would arch and his stomach would start clenching, he’d be making some cute, girly little sounds as you're all up close from behind. The desperation becoming more noticeable as you press yourself up against him even more and get a good view of his rear end from the position you are in. He would start to squirm and let out pathetic whimpers as he tries to hide exactly how much it’s affecting him. The things you can whisper in his ear would be the most intoxicating and humiliating things he’s ever heard in his entire existence. But even with his efforts, Popee just doesn’t have the self-control to hold back.

He would totally throw his head back into your shoulder as his load dripped and leaked all over his legs. Where he would release so much it would just be pouring down his leg and onto the ground. His eyes would start rolling as he releases those gaspy moans in a heavy, quick manner while he trembles. All while you would just look at him with a bitchy smirk as he completely ruins his suit for you once again... just being the most embarrassing little thing around you. Even if you gave him permission to feel you up for being such a good boy for you, he would still be too much of a loser to do it right, in which you should totally just smack his hand away and reply with a “bad boy~”

It also just adds extra fuel to the fire that you're not the type to physically harm him at all, with your antics all just being teasing and immense mind games. The most aggressively physical you've ever gotten with him being by grabbing his chin to make him look at you, not able to recall any moment where you've actually caused him serious pain, with his experiences with you being pleasurable more than anything... Which really keep him on edge as you continue using your own little methods to make him impatient, giving these teeny tiny scraps of backhanded affection while he's basically dying from touch starving deprivation.

But you wouldn’t even need to use any physical violence on him for him to break down and get what you want, you can just use every single dirty trick in the book and play him like a fiddle. You'd have him begging for punishment to the point where you wouldn’t even have to lift a single finger, he would want it. I can imagine him finally giving in to you at some point, just falling into your charms and letting out those loud, desperate, begging moans for you. He would absolutely hate that he’s letting you do this to him, he would HATE the fact that you've turned him into your desperate, hormonal little slut.

Where he's gotten to a point where he would just willingly let you do all of that to him with no resistance because you've already broken him so badly mentally that nothing else could even break him further. He’d already be so broken down that you stepping on him would be an absolute pleasure for him and his fragile mind. You could literally do whatever you please and he would accept it with open arms. His whole mind is already completely brainwashed and warped up in his own sick and twisted desires.

And there’s no way he’d have the mental fortitude to do any stunt after realising what addictive hell he's brought upon himself.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

[actualbird]

do you think the nxx ever cries or just… don’t deal with their emotions in a healthy way? they must be so emotionally repressed!

im so sorry but this is worded in a way i find absolutely hilarious omfg. do they cry or do they suck it up til the end of time? KJAHVSJFHAVSLFSFKJA

i like to think they Do cry, but my god it takes a Lot. this goes for All of them. like, we've seen in canon when the nxx boys and rosa cries, and it's usually during/after very high stakes or very emotional situations. some examples off the top of my head are

marius cries in SSR Unconcealable, the card where mc gets KIDNAPPED and then both of them get TRAPPED IN A FREEZER FOR A HOT SEC

mc cries in SSR Peaceful Place because she thought luke got shot and DIED,

luke cries in his Blossom Chapter Personal Story 4 because he thought mc DROWNED AND DIED

artem cries in SSR Two Hearts as one because he got so emotional acting like he was choking mc

vyn cries in...well, several cards like SR False Tears and SSR Neon Melody but those were 1) not exactly a "healthy" way of dealing with emotions or 2) caused by pepper spray KJHVSKJDF. im behind on vyn's cards, idk in which ones he cries honestly due to genuine in distress

so like, they DO cry. but it seems to take rather a lot to get them there. the flipside is that they also cry when overcome with immensely positive emotion (like, mc was on the verge of tears when luke finally proposed in SSR Orange Scent) so at least theres that!!!! but it's not much, chief....

all members of the nxx team all are IMMENSELY repressed. i think the most emotionally healthy of the team is DAVIS, which isnt a good sign, given that hes not even human

anyhoo this ask inspired me so

here are some misc headcanons on the nxx team and crying

i hc that luke as a kid was Such a crybaby. he'd cry over everything: when he saw a sad movie, when he saw a happy movie, when he saw a dog being walked but the dog was so dang small, when mc cries and his high empathy kicks in to make it Our Cry Session, just...he cried over IT ALL. he was just a very emotionally sensitive child, even to emotions from others. he eventually got emotionally steadier as he grew up but i think there are innocuous movies that, due to him crying over them as a kid, still make luke cry as an adult

[nxx movie night]

marius: man i love this movie, absolute classi---WHY ARE YOU CRYING??

luke: because ANYBODY can COOK!! EVEN A RAT!!!!!

mc, silently glaring at marius over luke's shoulder as if to say "Don't You Say A Mean Word To Him Right Now": O_O

(yes, they were watching ratatouille)

-

vyn has mastered crying on cue and can do it at the drop of a hat, but when he REALLY TRULY ACTUALLY is hit by the genuine need to cry for any reason, be it positive or negative, he cannot stop it at all until its run its natural course.

which is just AGONIZING for him, surely, but this is the price he has to pay for the power of being able to cry on command: not be able to stop when it's for realsies

marius: HAHA, CRYBABY

vyn: //throws a book at him because just cuz he cant stop crying, doesnt mean he cant attack

-

it slightly pisses everyone off a teensy bit that artem can cry artfully.

like, the single tear. the lines of silent tears streaming down his face. even the more desperate sobs. doesnt matter whether theyre stage tears for another play or if theyre during high stakes situations, artem seems to naturally cry in a cinematic manner

artem: //shedding a few tears because of the stress of an nxx operation or something

luke: hey it's okay, everyone's alright

luke internal thoughts: why is he so pretty while crying?????? .....wait what

-

and lastly, marius can hold back tears like nobodys business. like luke, he was a huge crybaby as a kid. but unlike luke, he held it back so much that when he DID cry as a child, it was REALLY CRYING. like wailing, like sobbing. it's heartbreaking to watch

so via his Entire Life Of Repressing Weakness And Related Emotions, he became rlly powerful at holding back the need to cry. it only happens during VERY EMOTIONALLY INTENSE scenarios ORRRR

during horror movies

because hes such a horror weakling and he gets so spooked that tears literally come out

mc: how did that jumpscare make you tear up but not the intro scene to Up

marius, hiding behind a pillow to avoid any more jumpscares: im a man of endless mystery, miss

thank you for the ask :D

[seneon]

Orter Mádl guy x reader

“have to get this off my chest, so i’m telling you today.” kinda shit but it’s him instead of reader :P

reader is a two liner but idk ya

HAUNTING THE HEART.

featuring. orter mádl x fem! reader — imagines.

genre. romance and a little argument cuz it's orter.

etc. something like enemies to lovers trope...

notes. he just like me fr, can't see without glasses. both are blind asses except i'm not gaara.

— orter mádl has always hated your living being from the very start ever since he laid eyes on you during the entrance exam. he simply thinks of you as a nuisance. nothing else but a bug that he would defeat. so why the change of heart when you lived as a normal mage student and he kept on annoying you?

— orter mádl couldn't exactly understand what he was doing either. he does not want anything to do with you. yet he kept going to you just to see your face which would twist into disgust the moment you saw orter. it was almost hilarious how it would always play out.

— orter mádl became a divine visionary only because you let him win. shame on orter, you managed to compress your second line right in your skin to hide the immense power that you have. but he knew you were doing this because you mentioned that you didn't want to be a divine visionary even if you were forced.

— orter mádl graduated high school and set his first step as an official divine visionary of the bureau of magic. but he saw that you are going the other path than he is. what a waste, he wouldn't be able to tease and annoy you anymore. he'll be sure to miss every moment.

— but wait . . . orter mádl keeps going to the library your family owns. he has no reason to go to a place full of magic books. he already knew every single magic there was. so why exactly did he found himself starting conversations with you all the time?

— orter mádl was confronted by ryoh grantz when he noticed the younger male facing a distress. ryoh told orter that he saw him going to the magic library quite the number of times and he always came out with a smile, which orter denied, and kept his fluster to himself. still, orter continued facing distress about you.

— orter mádl has made a decision. today, he will pay the library another visit just like any other day and push you into a corner.

"i'm telling you this today because i have to get it off my chest," orter said which made you raised a brow. you were just checking some book's pages with the divine visionary seated in front of you. he held a cup of coffee in his hands and fiddled with his wand in his other hand.

"tell me what?"

"you are annoying. you have been itching at the back of my mind every single day. it doesn't get any better the more i think about it. it's annoying. all i could think of was you. it's like you're haunting me and shit. would you stop making my heart beat abnormally fast?"

a scoff escaped from your lips as he raised a brow through his glasses. "what's so funny?" he adjusted his glasses.

"what's funny is, you just confessed your love to me. indirectly." you replied, going back to checking the pages before stamping the details. "it's cute."

— orter mádl flushed red at your words. confessed? his love? indirectly? there is just no way in heavens that orter have fallen in love with an old rival that he used to bully. but then again, that would actually make so much sense now.

— "it's fine, orter. i feel the same way. that's why i let you became a divine visionary," you slid a book to him. "a guide to romance. you might need it."

— why would orter mádl need a guide about romance? oh yeah, because he experienced his first romance with you.

[trashytoastboi]

Hi mate! :D If ya have time, Can i ask hcs for Hawkins, Law, Kid and Killer reacting to seeing s/o's face for the first time?, (male, pirate ally s/o) Since his very conscious of the big scar on his forehead reaching to his chin and why he always wear a mask

Hiya! Of course! Sorry for the long wait on this and hope you enjoy 🍞🍀

Headcanons: Hawkins, Law, Kid, Killer x Male! S/O – Reacting to seeing their S/O's face for the first time

(Male Pronouns)

Basil Hawkins

🔮 {Name} and Hawkins had hit it off so well that Hawkins fell pretty hard in a short amount of time. He truly was so charmed by {Name}, his personality and his little quirks or his witty sense of humour all became points that Hawkins really enjoyed about his partner. Some people brought up the curious question if Hawkins had even seen {Name’s} face as having it constantly covered created a very mysterious impression of him. 

🔮 The mask did have some difficulties such as eating and drinking restrictions, {Name} mostly ate by himself as the mask was not flexible enough to eat with it on. Hawkins never really minded so long as {Name} was comfortable. Hawkins being himself over held immense curiosity for anything unknown to him. Earlier on in the relationship he had the impulsivity to ask his cards for reason, even considering scrying to learn of {Name’s} appearance. Though he decided against it in respect for his partner. 

🔮 {Name} cautiously looked around the room, making sure no one was around before he took off his mask. Desperately needing a drink of water to ease his thirst in the oppressive heat wave. The mask was hot enough without the heat wave making it feel like an oven. His face was covered in sweat and he felt like he could breathe properly. {Name} reached for a towel to wipe the sweat, failing to notice when Hawkins had walked into the room and for the first time locked eyes with his partner without the mask. 

🔮 Hawkins is surprised to see {Name’s} face. By all means he really found {Name} attractive, but seeing how he panicked and tried to cover his face made Hawkins worry. “I didn’t want you to see it…” {Name} murmured sadly. The thing in mention was a rather prominent scar on his face, one that ran along the length of his face. So many people avoided {Name} and mocked his appearance that it became easier to conceal everything. He grew to hate his reflection just for the sight that was reflected back. He always assumed that others would hold an even harsher outlook. 

🔮 Hating oneself was not exactly a foreign concept to Hawkins, and while he could say from where he stood that {Name} shouldn’t have minded the comments of others he knew it was not as simple when on the receiving end. {Name} tried to awkwardly shuffle to where he left his mask and ended up tripping due to the poor visibility. Hawkins helped {Name} up and passed his mask to him. Hawkins felt a sliver of happiness finally being able to see the face of the one he so dearly loves, but his happiness is irrelevant if it caused {Name} so much distress. 

🔮 {Name} secured his mask on. Hawkins placed a kiss on the mask, an affectionate gesture the two of them developed. “I know it’s hard for you my love, but truly, you are still so beautiful in my eyes” Hawkins awkwardly said, attempting to comfort {Name}. Seeing his efforts really made {Name} happy, he felt a little more trusting and confident in slowly getting used to the idea of showing his face a little more around Hawkins. 

Trafalgar Law

🍄 Seeing someone with an out of ordinary fashion sense, was actually pretty normal amongst the various pirates. {Name} didn’t stand out even when wearing a mask that entirely concealed his face. Law is a very thoughtful person, physical appearance didn’t hold the first and foremost consideration of his partners. He wanted someone who resonated with him on an intellectual and emotional level. 

🍄 {Name} had yet to work up the courage to show Law his face. {Name} knew Law, and knew that Law most likely wouldn’t react badly when he discovered the scar on his face. {Name} flinched every time he thought about revealing his face. Picturing Law’s disgusted face or his expression when he saw his scar, {Name} pulled himself back and away from the idea of showing his face. 

🍄 Unfortunate for {Name} but a situation in which Law saw his face did arise. Law noticed his partner being out of sorts that in turn led to discovering that [Name} caught a cold and was running a very bad fever. Law had the savvy to get {Name} to bed to rest as quickly as possible. Law insisted on him removing his mask so he could have water, medication, and breathe properly without the masks’ obstruction. Law was not in any way rude about it, but was a bit forceful purely out of worry for {Name}, he did offer to leave the room or turn around if it would make {Name} feel better. 

🍄 {Name} could feel the genuine concern from Law over his health and decided to remove his mask. The entire lead up felt nerve wracking, so much so he wanted to hide or cry. It had been so long since anyone saw his face, and {Name} dreaded the idea of Law feeling repulsed by his appearance. After he removed his mask he averted his gaze, waiting for the gasp of shock and horror. {Name} felt a cool hand press against his forehead. “Your temperature is really high.” Law stated with a worried tone. 

🍄 Law smiled softly, his hand cradling {Name’s} face. He understood {Name’s} hesitance to show his face due to the large scar that ran from his forehead to his chin. A rather deep and grizzly scar that more than anything had Law concerned over how badly it must have hurt {Name.} Not only in the physical sense but in the psychological sense to completely conceal his face for years. Without thinking Law leaned in and softly kissed the scar, {Name} backed away slightly out of surprise. 

🍄 {Name} felt so reassured that all of his worry and expectation was shattered by Law’s honest and gentle affections. Law didn’t flinch or think it was disgusting, rather he showed concern and sadness for the reasons that had to do with his care for {Name}. Law comforted him with constant reassurance and telling him how handsome he looked. It created a safe space where {Name} slowly felt he could be accepted and grew comfortable enough to start removing his mask around Law.

Eustass Kid

🛠 Kid is direct and insistent that even if he didn’t care about {Name’s} face since he already liked him, he still wanted to sate his deep rooted curiosity of seeing {Name’s} face. Kid would never force {Name} to show Kid his face, but still he sometimes would tell {Name} about the kind of ideas he formed in his mind of his appearance. The lizard man was an interesting theory but {Name} did outright deny that one. To give Kid a crumb, something hopefully enough to satiate his curiosity {Name} explained how he looked, his features, some random marks or how some people have commented on his appearance. 

🛠 “So you’re a handsome bastard and you’re bragging about it?” Kid replied after his takeaway from {Name’s} explanation. “I also have a really large scar…It doesn’t look so nice…” {Name} explained running his fingers over the mask where his scar lay underneath. Kid stared at him with absolute shock, he frantically gestured to his face showing off his own scars. “So you don’t like my scars?” He asked, {Name} stumbled over his words saying it was different. 

🛠 “How so?” Kid questioned, well it came apparent in the way they regarded their scars. Kid wore them proudly, boasted the fact that he clashed head on with an emperor of the sea and survived with his life, one arm lighter and covered in the evidence tattered all over his body. Even if it hurt, it stung his pride that he lost in the first place he turned them into his point of pride. [Name} was the opposite, his scar became a point of insecurity and shame, he covered it and hid it away from others and himself. 

🛠 “So, are you going to show me or what?” Kid grinned, almost trying to challenge {Name}. Well, nothing to lose, Kid was practically covered in scars and it probably wouldn’t be anything new for him to see. {Name} slowly removed his mask, feeling awkward and a little regretful that he gave into Kid’s provocations so easily. Kid closed the distance to look at {Name’s} face from close up. Kid sighed. “It’s a crime covering up a face like that. Your scar barely affects how good looking you are.”  

🛠 “What..?” he muttered, confused over what Kid said so plainly. Kid’s hand grabbed {Name’s} face and pulled him into an unexpected and deep kiss. Kid grinned, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.” {Name} could feel the heat rising to his face, trying to process the last few minutes of compliments and the sudden kiss. “Oh? You can make a face like that huh?” Kid jeered, his grin only growing wider as he loved seeing the diverse reactions {Name} had to offer. 

🛠 Kid made a point of asking and encouraging {Name} to have his mask off around him, of course he relentlessly teased and flirted with {Name} including a stolen kiss or two. Kid’s abrupt and nonchalant attitude towards {Name’s} scar actually made him feel better about it, realizing that it did not encompass everything about him. There was so much more to him that just appearance and with Kid’s constant comments about how {Name} is actually good looking. 

Killer

🍜 Killer and {Name} occasionally got a few odd looks when they went on dates, two fully masked men awkwardly trying to eat or drink with their masks on without removing them. Killer and {Name} could equally agree they had a deeper understanding of their insecurities, more so than others. They often confided in one another about the things that troubled them or what they didn’t like about themselves. These discussions usually ended in a lot of back and forth of one another trying to explain that they were more than their insecurities. 

🍜 Killer and {Name} had been discussing the possibility of encouraging each other to remove their masks. In their own space when they each had the courage to do so. People may not have understood the courage that hiding behind a mask provided, or that you may have seen a person in a more genuine manner when they could differentiate themselves away from what they disliked. 

🍜 The act of showing each other their faces held a much deeper meaning than just curiosity, it was a form of vulnerability and trust between them. “One, two, three…” In unison they spoke, counting to the moment of their reveal. {Name} and Killer removed their masks. The surge of self-doubt came up. {Name} was happy to see Killer’s face, the joy of which eased his own distress. Killer looked up to {Name’s} face, he saw a large scar and could see {Name’s} aversion to his gaze. 

🍜 Killer didn’t want to dismiss {Name’s} insecurity over his scar, but on the same hand he failed to see anything wrong with {Name}. He is still as wonderful as he always has been in Killer’s eyes, if anything more so now that he had a face to put to him. Killer’s hand reached up to touch the scar, running his fingers along its length. “I know this won’t mean much, but your scar isn’t everything. You still have some of the prettiest eyes I’ve seen, and…-” Killer was cut off by {Name’s} laughter, “I appreciate it Kil” Seeing how Killer recited this like a romance novel actually convinced him all the more of the sincerity and truth all the more. 

🍜 {Name’s} initial worries had easily been laid to rest, though he still couldn’t deny that years of his growing distaste towards his appearance would not be so easily overturned. He found comfort in Killer’s attempts to reassure him and his awkward arguments of convincing {Name} that he was still so wonderful, regardless of his scar. Killer had an almost resonating understanding of how deep insecurities could go, how deep they could burrow in your mind and entire identity. He is still determined to try to encourage and comfort his partner. 

🍜 Killer and {Name} started to spend time together without their masks, getting used to the idea of being more comfortable without them. Killer grew a little more affectionate with this deeper sense of trust and intimacy. Not to mention having easier access for the occasional kiss or two. 

[atombombkaytee]

My Echo, My Shadow and Me

Summary: Hancock and I retire to The Third Rail after a long day to find that it’s particularly busy. Still, we manage to find a quiet spot to indulge in heavy flirting, booze and chems. However, I notice a shadowy figure across the room - somehow, neither Hancock or I recognise the stranger (another ghoul). Hancock is keen to introduce himself but the sheer amount of intoxicants we’ve consumed could have the potential to lead to a very interesting evening.

Pairings: Hancock x Female OC/Reader, Cooper Howard (The Ghoul) x Female OC/Reader

Warnings: (This first part is largely PG but we will see - in future parts - all of the following) Heavy alcohol/drug use, public groping, smut, MMF threesome, anal.

Part 1.

Occasionally, The Third Rail became so lively that you could easily delude yourself into believing that the bombs had never plummeted from the skies all those years ago. It is only when you're completely sober that you can discern that virtually every person in the vicinity disfigured by the enduring effects of radiation.

Nevertheless, the bustling crowds of sweaty bodies (dancing, laughing, and clinking their glasses without a care in the world) were surely reminiscent of what it was like pre-war. I couldn’t be sure. I was born into this shithole of a world. What would I know about living pre-bombs?  

I grunt a sarcastic chuckle into my pint glass, fogging the edges with my breath. I'm sure it was warmer in pre-war bars than it is here. Being underground in an old railway tunnel helps retain some heat, but there's a subtle yet constant breeze coming from somewhere.

Still, the alcohol helps. As do the masses of bodies. Alcohol helps with a lot of things. Even now, many still use it as a respite from the horrors of daily life. A beautiful dissociative escape, where the only thing that matters is the moment.

Unfortunately, I'm the only sober one tonight. Well, almost. I’ve managed to get one mixer deep, tucked in tight against the bar, waiting for Hancock to join me for a celebration. Today ended much later than we anticipated when a large group of Supermutants seeking revolution entered Boston Common. We dealt with them, of course, but it significantly cut into our relaxation time - something both Hancock and I equally hated. 

The dancing crowd swells behind me, swaying in time to Magnolia’s silky voice. Occasionally, someone brushes against my back. I'm desperate to feel more drunk. I tend to get irritable far more quickly when I'm sober, much like Hancock... maybe that's one of the reasons we've always gotten along. Feeling overstimulated, I swill back the ends of my glass and signal Charlie for another.

Lucky for me, no human could possibly serve booze as fast as that robot. It’s mere seconds before another full pint glass is in my hand and I greedily neck it back. I smile to myself, sensing the warmth in my belly spread into a pleasant haziness behind my eyes. These quadruple shots are certainly doing the trick.

An immense wave of gratitude washes over me as I perceive a hand between my shoulder blades. It unmistakably belongs to someone familiar, amidst the numerous inebriated strangers who have been using me as a prop for the last thirty minutes.

“Hey, dollface… how you holding up?”

He angles his head downwards, drawing himself nearer to me, enabling me to still take in his words amongst the competing sounds of music. In response, I offer a smile, albeit tinged with irony, and he promptly detects the subtle distress reflected in my eyes.

“Oh… well, why the hell are you sitting up here then?”  

With a light-hearted chuckle, he shifts his focus from me to locate Charlie. His hand instinctively wraps around the nape of my neck and delivers a playful squeeze, firm enough to hurt, yet, ultimately, conveying a sense of comfort and protection.

“Charlie - do this ol’ ghoul a favor and hand me that great, big bottle of whiskey - oh - and two glasses, if you’d be so kind?”

I can't help but watch him adoringly as he swoops in to solve all of my problems, like always. I've only spent a little over four months working alongside him, but I'm pretty sure that I'm falling for him. He's courageous yet gentle, sweet yet just, violent yet empathetic. I've come to realize that he's a very intricate person... well, ghoul. And, boy, does he know how to make me feel good.

Ignoring our rather large age gap - human/ghoul relationships aren’t uncommon in the wasteland, although they are generally disapproved of in most settlements. Except here. Here, in Goodneighbor, things are different. Here, Hancock and I can openly celebrate our relationship and relax in public without any judgment. As the Mayor, Hancock receives special privileges that he graciously extends to me. Moreover, the majority of the residents in Goodneighbor are ghouls themselves, and those who are human are generally open-minded outcasts who have found a welcoming home here. It's an ideal situation.

“Follow me…” He murmurs intimately next to my ear. With his palm placed reassuringly on the small of my back, he guides me smoothly through the mass of people - most of whom acknowledge their mayor with a rowdy toast of their glasses.

Once we’re out of the thickest part of the crowd, he grabs hold of my hand and leads me to a dimly lit table for two at the very back of the room. Both the noise level and the number of people are much more bearable here. I plonk myself down on the torn couch - enjoying the coolness of the leather seat against the back of my tired thighs.

“Jesus… thanks for rescuing me, yet again…” I snigger, holding my glass in place while Hancock pours a generous serving of whiskey. The liquid fills the vessel with a rich, golden hue.

“Why the hell is it so busy in here tonight!?”

Hancock puts the whiskey bottle back on the metal table between us with a thud, causing several small white flecks of paint to flutter to the ground. He leans back comfortably against the sofa, draping his spare arm around my shoulder while he surveys the room.

“You tell me, sunshine! Could be since we cleared up those raider gangs last week? Could just be a few more people traveling through.”  

His black eyes glisten and gleam like polished onyx under the sporadic beams of the spotlights that intermittently flash across his face. The aura of pride he exudes is palpable, adding even more charm to his demeanor. Seeking refuge in his presence, I nuzzle closer to the comforting warmth emanating from his body, finding solace as I press my cheek against his faded scarlet duster coat. Meanwhile, I continue to take measured sips from my glass of whiskey, relishing its smooth taste.

The mist brought on by alcohol is steadily encroaching upon my senses. I have firm intentions of becoming extremely drunk, and with Hancock already pouring himself another drink, it seems obvious that he shares that inclination.

(Part 2)

(Part 3)

(Part 4)

[mrs-snape5984]

“How can I take the pain away? How can I save a fallen angel, in the dark?”

“Fallen angel, just let go. You don't have to be alone. Fallen angel, close your eyes. I won't let you fall tonight.” (“Fallen Angel” by Three Days Grace)

I guess, I have to put another trigger warning on the next three paragraphs of this post. I never mention it explicitly, but my words might imply my suicidal ideation. If you might get triggered by this topic, please feel free to skip the aforementioned parts of my text.

As I already explained in my last few posts, I’ve commissioned some of my beloved artists of Snapedom for a special project of mine. I’ve asked them to draw different stages of my afterlife journey for me. In my imagination, I will finally be able to go home with Severus, when I shuffle off this mortal coil (oh, how very Shakespearean of me 🙄) and leave my unbearable torments and pain behind.

The varying phases of my everlasting life will be shown in multiple artworks of Severus and my undeniably self-inserted OC Jules. I’m clinging to Severus as my comfort character for more than 21 years already. He’s been there for me whenever the burdens of my existence became too overpowering for me. For this reason, it seems only natural to me to expect him waiting for me…and we will finally be allowed to live the life, we deserved to have.

Since I’ve already spoken to both of my closest friends about my wishes for the time after my demise - for which I’m still feeling immensely guilty and remorseful about - I just started to put my requests into writing in an official statement by formulating my “living will” and my “last will”, which I’ve also informed my mother about. And damn, I know, that I have to apologise to my friends for all those dark jokes, which I’m making about this topic (yes, I’m very aware of the fact, that there won’t be a coffin, which could be big enough to bury me with all the items and framed artworks of my personal Snape-Museum 😅), but I need to cope with my sorrows by the usage of my dry wit.

For this component of my personal project, I’ve commissioned my precious friend @opalchalice again. Her mesmerising piece of art shows Jules as a fallen angel in distress, desperately searching for guidance out of her misery. Severus is already awaiting her with open arms, ready to guide her into the pure bliss of her afterlife. This might sound strangely pathetic to some people, but nothing else can soothe my troubled heart as much as these daydreams.

Lia, I know, that you’re very proud of this beautiful drawing and believe me, I’ve never seen anything better from you, yet. I’m immensely impressed by your talent and dedication to the improvement of your skills. It’s always fascinating to me, to go through your former illustrations, recognising the progress, you’re making with every new artwork. Your creativity and your kindness are the reason, why I’ll support you as long as I’ll be capable of going online. Thank you for everything, my lovely friend!

🖤Severus & Julia🖤

🖤Sevy & Jules🖤

[setaripendragon]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Oh, I have extremely varied tastes when it comes to Jaskier and his relationship dynamics.

I do have a soft spot for feral!Jaskier who gets treated as the soft and squishy damsel in distress just because he hangs out with witchers so much, but is actually a feral little gremlin who can hold his own quite well against other humans, which usually culminates in saving Geralt from other humans that Geralt doesn't want to fight/hurt for angsty self-loathing reasons.

But I also have a soft spot for actually-pretty-soft-and-squishy!Jaskier who doesn't know how to fight or really have much of a self-preservation instinct, but... I remember seeing a gifset of an interview with the actor where he explains that one of the things he focused on in playing Jaskier was that he would save people when a fight broke out. Plays crowd-control and crisis-management and keeps people calm and morale up.

It's an over-looked role in a lot of high-drama fantasy stories, and I really like it when there's emphasis put on that. Which, I suppose, is an example of Jaskier helping save Geralt.

I also like the stories that put emphasis on how much his songs have helped not just Geralt's public image, but all witchers.

So, yeah, I think I can say I like it when Jaskier gets to save Geralt, I just like it when he gets to do it in unconventional ways. Geralt gets to be the dashing knight who saves the damsel in distress from mortal peril, but Jaskier gets to save him right back in quieter, subtler ways that matter just as much.

[luveline]

hi, could you possibly write some soft james please? doesnt matter what it is, maybe something where hes comforting r when shes not doing well. thank you, although i completely understand if you dont write this for any reason <3 take care

hi tysm for ur request I did some hurt/comfort about anxiety and friendship, hope that’s okay! <3 fem!reader

You and James have been walking in silence for the last few minutes. Your eyes are far away, out over the water of the lake. The dirt path crunches loudly underfoot and, besides the soft cry of birds in the distance, it’s the only sound. 

He starts to him to fill the space between you and eventually works his way up to a croaky rendition of Frank Valli. Your suspicious squint softens at his crackly voice, fondness melting your pretty features. You look much more peaceful. 

He offers his hand. 

“What’s eating you?” he asks gently, pleased as punch when you take his hand. He squeezes the four of your fingers with his own and is immensely reassured by their familiar weight, their shape. 

“Nothing, really.”

He nods though he doesn’t believe you. “Over the bridge or home?” he asks. 

You look toward the wooden bridge over the lake’s mouth and shake your head. “Home please.”

He’s saddened but not surprised at your teary eyes on the way back. He sneaks looks at you, perturbed, near distress at the growing glassiness in your eyes, and when the first tear falls a couple of minutes from home he stops and pulls you to one side to wipe it away. 

He’s very careful about it, sleeve over the heel of his hand while he dabs at your cheeks. 

“I’m sorry,” you say weakly. 

“It’s okay. Don’t be sorry.”

“I have something to tell you.”

He feels a horrible skip in his chest. What could you have to tell him that he doesn’t already know?

“Take your time,” he says, frowning at the strangled catch to your breathing. It’s like you’re breathing on manual. Like you’re forgetting to take the next one.

He holds your hand all the way to the front door, all the way to the kitchen table, where he encourages you into a seat. Kettle on, he leans against the counter and watches you tear yourself apart, your nerves and unhappiness evident. 

“Whatever it is, it’ll be okay,” he says. 

“I’m not sure it’s the kind of thing I should tell you, James.”

“If you want to tell me, tell me. I want to listen.”

You tip your head back. A tear races down to your chin and lingers.

“I don’t think I have any friends.”

James knows you. He knows you well. He wants to know everything there is to know about you, and he reckons he’s halfway there, but he’s not sure he knew this. 

“I mean- I have… I have people I talk to but- but nobody like- like Remus. Or Sirius.”

James blinks. He wants to say, Baby, if you want to be friends with those idiots you’ve lost all hope. He wants to say, Baby, if you want to be friends with those idiots then I will make it happen. But it’s not what you mean. Sirius and Remus are people James would kill for. His life wouldn’t be the same without them.

“I think you’re my only friend.”

He abandons the tea to stand by your seat, looking down at your heartbroken face with a creeping sense of uselessness. What can he do? What can he say to that? 

“I meet people and- Even when they’re nice, and- and cool. It’s like I can’t click. I always feel one wrong step from disaster, and-“

“Take a breather,” he says, encouraging your cheek toward his torso carefully. You fall into him, collapsed in relief.

“I can’t make myself what people want me to be,” you say. You sound especially strung out, words a sob into his shirt. You take a huge breath and find some composure. James bites the inside of his lip, because if you want to sob then you should. If you want to cry for days he won’t mind, he can support you. 

He rubs his thumb over the ridge of your shoulder. “Shortcake, you can let it out.”

“I’m just- So sick of feeling like I’m making people angry. I feel like I have to say sorry for talking sometimes… Like I’m always saying the wrong thing.”

James’ eyebrows pinch together. That’s a big leap from your first confession. From the raggedness of your tone, it sounds as though you’ve been holding onto that thought for a while. 

He kisses the top of your head, rubs the tip of his nose against your hairline. You shudder beneath him. 

James shushes you, a quick but kind succession of sound. “It’s alright. It’s alright.” Your hands tangle in the loose fabric of his shirt at the reassurance. “You’re not making me angry, okay?”

“Okay.”

You sound very young. 

He lets you cry it out for a while, his face pressed to the top of your head and arms around your shoulders, holding you together the best that he can. 

“Can I tell you what I think?” he asks eventually, having taken some time to think it over. 

You nod. 

“I think that- that people love you more than you think. But, if you’re feeling like you don’t have people you’re close to, that’s fine, baby.

“I know it’s not the same, but there have been plenty of times where I felt distance between me and the boys. People… change. You’re changing all the time.” He tilts your face up to his, meeting your eyes unflinchingly. “And every time you do, I love you more. One day, you’ll meet people who feel like I do. I promise.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Not everybody clicks. I haven’t spoken to some of my friends in years and it doesn’t mean I changed for the worse. It’s like us.”

You wince. “What?”

He laughs and strokes your cheek with the side of his pinky finger. “Not like that. Before we met, I had girls. Girlfriends. We didn’t last because we didn’t click. Not like me and you. Friends are just like that, they don’t always work. Doesn’t mean you’re wrong, or that they’re angry with you. And what you said before, about changing, for other people? You don’t have to do that.”

You nod glumly, another sad tear dripping from your chin. He pinches the wetness of off your face and cups both of your cheeks. 

“You worry a lot, Y/N,” he says, lightly chiding. 

You actually giggle at that, self-deprecating as you say, “God, I know.”

He beams. “And by the way? This is exactly the kind of thing you should tell me.”

His argumentative tone, playful but in earnest, has a spark reappearing in your eyes. “No, because,” — you smile sheepishly — “if you want to break up with me-“

“What?”

“- then you’ll think you can’t do it because I only have you.”

His brilliant smile tamps down a touch. He pushes his thumbs over your damp cheeks and sighs out of the corner of his mouth. 

“We aren’t breaking up. Blaspheme like that again and I’ll cry. Ugly cry, and I’ll make you watch.”

“Please do, I won’t feel so embarrassed then.”

James’ hands follow down to your neck, where he laces his fingers behind the nape. “Do you feel better?” he asks. 

You clear your throat. “Yeah, I do. Thank you, Jamie. You always know what to say.”

“The truth?” He kisses your cheek very quickly, a dive in and move out situation. “No thanks required, sweetheart,” he throws over his shoulder, eyes on the boiled kettle. He takes another look at you to reassure himself. You're tearstained and dishevelled. 

You’re smiling. 

“Can we have biscuits, too?” you ask shyly. 

“Obviously we’re having biscuits.”

[yamishika]

HCs about Jellal : Pre abduction / Jellal backstory

Since I am in a slump and have been struggling to find the motivation to write again and continue with my works, I thought I would just share my HCs regarding what I had thought about Jellal’s life Pre-Tower Of Zeref/canon events.

I am aware of the canon backstory that had come out about Jellal in 100YQ, but this is just my HCs/narrative that I had in mind and had been writing about way before the revelation. I wanted to share it just to see if anyone else likes the direction of it and just to get me back into the mindset of thinking about Jellal again since it's been some time.

I will mention though my HCs are more of a grittier, almost seinen like origin, so it can get pretty distressing, however with the darker themes of Fairy Tail I thought it could fit.  Just a heads up...This is a pretty long read so thank you to those who are patient with it, i'm sorry I write so much. I will however include some art alongside the HCs to show what the vision was for the narrative so it's more concisive! Note : Smaller bulletpoints/text in the the post are basically related to the parent bulletpoint or image above (I don't know how to format properly on this-) CW & TW : Darker subjects mentioned and discussed, possibly some distressing art beneath

Map of Almeta : Altaïr is the capital (The heart), there are smaller countries around it which are also not recognised by the main kingdoms (it looks big on the map but it's not THAT huge.)

First of all Jellal’s birth country (Almeta) is not on the main continents of Earthland (so neither Ishgar, Guilitina etc), rather it exists/existed as it’s own entity, completely detached from the known kingdoms due to a dark history that has caused the people as a whole to flee away from the influence of magic and in doing so, are not connected to the mainlands. 

Despite being detached to the forefront of civilization, Almeta is aware of the existence of the other continents/countries of Earthland, however the existence of Almeta is not apparent for those outside of it. To the point that it does not exist on maps (Of course this is because I wanted to be inline with the canonverse, but also there is a reason for the country being hidden which ties in with the lore of my HCs too)

Almeta actually demonises the use of magic, considers the use of it lawless and eventually leading to corruption, however in the same breath the country prides themselves as being the holders of Heavenly Body Magic - Only due to the fact this was the magic that was bestowed upon them by their gods after immense hardship and tyranny.

The only ones who can actually wield/use magic in Almeta are the protectors who are sworn in service to the nation. 7 bloodlines who are said to preserve the founder’s will, Fernandes being one of them.

That being said, now going into my HCs about Jellal directly…

Jellal (5-6yrs) seeking freedom beyond confinement

Jellal was born as an heir into nobility/priestly lineage

His mother (Kaileen) was a serving priestess (Heavenly Priestess), highly esteemed and revered in the nation alike to a goddess, whereas his father (Rais) was nothing of the sort and actually grew up as seen as a ‘threat’ to society. Regardless of the obvious mismatch, his parents married secretly in a said ‘love’ marriage and when Jellal was conceived a few years after, he was kept a secret from most of the nation who still wouldn’t approve of the marriage yet.

Jellal’s father was not in the country for his birth, he had gone on an expedition organised by the country to the continent for ishgar to take part in diplomatic matters between Almeta and the mainland, as Almeta was seeking to form bonds with Ishgar for the sake of creating new opportunities and gaining more knowledge for it’s people.

That being said there was an attack on Almeta a month before Jellal’s birth and that kept Jellal’s father from returning whilst also pushing back the said ‘reunion’ date until 8 months since the attack, it was uncovered that his father was deemed the orchestrator of the attack and was said to have fled the country through the expedition.

Due to Jellal’s mother’s connection to his father, she was immediately deemed as a co-conspirator and eventually the law of Almeta deemed her to be punished for her husband’s treason, which in turn stripped her from her noble rank entirely and with that, Jellal’s was too.

Almeta’s culture was very governed by their religion, one would even say the following/belief was similar to indoctrination, and any sin against the country and it’s people was considered unforgivable. So those who were tied to such sins (i.e. Jellal and his mother) were to be deemed outcasts, marked for their wicked connections and ‘devilry’.

This goes onto my HC of Jellal’s tattoo origin : (since Mashima never covers that)

Jellal (1 yr+) and his mother Kaileen in confinement

The tattoo on Jellal’s face was a marking put upon him and his mother to identify to the people that they were the ‘cursed’ and forsaken. So called ‘devil blood’ runs between them and they weren’t meant to be seen with the same status as other citizens due to their connection to someone (Jellal’s father) who was now proclaimed a devil by Almetian law.

To add, the design of the tattoo originates from the corrupt empire that had tormented/sieged and violated the citizens of Almeta before the founding of the country.  

The tyrant who had been behind all the suffering, before his death the insignia was carved into the right side of his face to mark him as the ‘first Devil’, which the tradition carried on by the people and by the ruling of the gods to mark those who follow in footsteps of the tyrant and those associated with the same.

Because of the condemnation Jellal and his mother Kaileen faced, he did not grow up as a normal child. Rather he grew up in captivity, his childhood years being wasted away by growing up in something barely short of a prison, completely deprived of freedom and he was always questioning as to why he was the one suffering like this, why his freedom was being stripped for sins of someone else.

^ This dynamic spurns into why Jellal has such a deep vying for freedom, the will for it is deep rooted beyond his time in the tower of heaven.

On top of being basically kept in confinement, Jellal and his mother faced horrific abuse for years, being the target for degradation, humiliation, cruelty, in Jellal’s case covert racism, and in his mother’s case objectification. The people were not kind to them at all, their gods had ordered the mistreatment of the ‘damned’ as it was seen as a symbol of ‘belief and submission’.

Now going onto where the canon bits of Jellal tie in with the narratives of this HC :

Jellal (5-6yrs) reading/looking at the book about the saint he idolises

Despite all the severe adversity and unfairness Jellal faced growing up, his way to cope was through a book that he somehow had that detailed the tale of a man who had faced similar adversity and was considered an outcast, who eventually went on to fight the tyrant and save everyone from great evil and be claimed as a hero.

The man in question is actually the founder of Almeta, Saint Siegrain, and Jellal idolised this man’s story to a fault. At first it was an innocent admiration, but as the world and it’s treatment becomes more clear to Jellal and his understanding of justice and himself becomes raw, Siegrain’s story became something he internalised and used to make sense of his own life and to give him hope too.

Saint Siegrain was actually the twin brother to the tyrant, and because of their likeness the facial tattoo that Jellal has, was carved onto his twin brother both as punishment and to differentiate the both of them.

Saint Siegrain was said to have been the one gifted with the destructive power of the heavens (Heavenly Body Magic) that the gods taught to him in his darkest moments under captivity by his own brother’s tyranny (I think you can tell what this is meant to parallel for Jellal)

However naturally as Jellal tried to cling to this idealistic ‘saint’ personality, the darker sides of his personality that started to grow naturally from the circumstances and injustice he grew up in became a fear for him. 

He always had a pretty black and white understanding of things, the conditions he grew up didn’t make it any better, but as a result Jellal’s darker side was something he denied on such a deeper level that he eventually went on to develop a split personality (Siegrain), who started to properly manifest when he was taken into slavery.  

His compartmentalization of his personality comes from not just wanting to align with his idol’s (Saint Siegrain) story, but also because he doesn’t want to acknowledge what it could mean if he does have these darker traits. As then he actually would be like the ‘first devil’, or the one he mostly despises, his father Rais - The one who gave him said ‘devil’ blood. And he wants to be the furthest thing away from either, because that would mean falling in line with the fate he wishes to reject.

Despite the narrative of the tale, Jellal is actually the ‘Saint’ persona, whilst ‘Siegrain’ is the ‘Devil’. (This can be explained in more detail later if wanted, but I wanted to stay true to canon here in some way).

Siegrain is the persona of Jellal who seeks freedom beyond everything and to rise beyond Jellal’s ‘damned’ fate, yet he’s a manifestation of all the traits/beliefs and ideals that Jellal denies due to his unhealthy idolisation and rejection of said ‘fate’ - He is a twisted persona that both wishes to protect Jellal yet also resents him, but Jellal’s denial of his darkness is so deep that he does not seem Siegrain as part of him at all - Rather Siegrain is his confidant, his friend, his closest, yet his destruction (Their dynamic I had in mind is very Jekyll and Hyde inspired - The extremes and absence of morality)

Because of how ingrained Jellal’s black and white thinking is, this trait of his doesn’t really ever go away even after post TOH events.

Jellal (7-8yrs) making prayers to the gods who he eventually finds out condemned him

Due to Jellal’s upbringing and the gods having basically fated his misery, it’s no surprise why he hates them. At first he prayed to them believing they would intervene for him like the Saint, but then he learned they condemned him for a sin which wasn’t his own and despised them there on out.

The only reason he eventually aligns with Zeref is because he sees his power as the thing that can break him out of his fate + ‘chosen one’ like the saint. 

Extra information about the canon info and how it ties into the HCs: 

How did Jellal get to the Tower Of Zeref? : He was abducted when the cultists of Zeref came to the Almeta and raided the country who were taking part in a huge festival for their gods, and seeking to sacrifice Jellal and his mother in order to earn the gods’s favour again…

Jellal’s personality when he arrived at the Tower Of Zeref? : Despite having been the abused ‘good boy’ in his home country, when arriving at the Tower of Zeref, Jellal takes the chance to reinvent himself. Trying to be confident, positive and everything that his past did not allow him to be.

Nirvana? : In my HCs Jellal actually knows the existence of Nirvana before he is abducted. He is told about it through his Grandfather in an innocent talk he was having about how he could ‘reverse’ his devil blood and be ‘good’ again. But that then spurns Jellal/Siegrain to actually search for Nirvana and information on it when he infiltrates the magic council.

Heavenly Body Magic (HBM)? - As established in the HCs that Almeta prides being the holders of Heavenly Body Magic, during the raid of the country the cultists steal their books and when Jellal rises to power in the tower he teaches himself the material + has a natural affinity towards the magic due to his bloodline having studied Heavenly Body Magic and being attuned towards celestial power. 

Survives being drowned in Ethernano? : Alongside being the heir of a bloodline powerful in magic ability (Fernandes), the Fernandes bloodline were known to take part in methods that would elevate their magical capacity and power + Jellal’s father had apparently been part of one of the countries underground experiments - Ethernano Absorption.

Ethernano absorption was a project done in order to increase the natural threshold for ethernano in the bodies of humans even in huge quantities, and to be able to filter out toxic potential so it could power said individual. 

Because his father underwent the experiment, Jellal being his child has also reaped the benefits of the experiment and has been able to absorb large amounts of ethernano to both draw power but also be able to survive incredulous circumstances such as being drowned in the pure substance since his body is capable of not succumbing (well better than the average human/wizard)

Scarlet? : Jellal’s favourite colour is red because it was the only colour that looked lively and caught his attention when living in confinement and everything was grey. He learned the name of the colour Scarlet when he learned of a flower that had it’s name in it’s description. 

Cats? : Because most people despised Jellal growing up, his friends were nature. He had cats that he considered friends and hence has a fondness for them.

Erza? : Jellal comes to the Tower of Zeref paranoid, despite trying to reinvent himself he feels that he is being seen through. He is wary of everyone around him. He names Erza in the midst of trying to be confident and doing something nice for someone (it's more explained in my fanfic), but it’s her kindness and her ability to see the good in him despite himself which really makes him fall for her.  

Origins? : Jellal never tells anyone about his true upbringing. He doesn’t outright lie as he is bad at it, but he is vague about what happened during the abduction so they can assume their own narrative and he seems more alike to the rest , as he is aware his childhood wasn’t anything normal, and he doesn’t want to tell anyone lest they discard him after finding out his truth.

Desire for Heaven? : As canon Jellal is obsessed with the idea of heaven and Zeref being the way to obtain it, in this narrative the reason why Jellal/Sieg is so adamant to achieve it is because he has been told Heaven is the perfect place. No misery, no pain. Everything will be peaceful and those who get there would not suffer anymore. (So tying it kind of into the abrahamic religions belief)

But. Because of Jellal being marked a 'devil', he is apparently not fit for heaven on his own and due to being outcasted, he wants to achieve heaven in his own means, defy his fate regardless what sacrifice it requires...Because it would all be worth it in the end.

It starts of as an innocent ideal, to combat the injustice of the world that he and many others have experienced, however then devolves into a controlling obsession, devotion in an attempt to spite the gods themselves and save him from his destined damnation

Extra information about HCs of Jellal and everything else : 

Almeta (pronounced - Al-me-tchi-a (it isn't pronounced how it's written, but this is only according to my HC-) : Means 'Ambitious' (in Latin)

Jellal’s surname comes from his mother’s side, whilst his forename comes from his father’s origins (who is considered a foreigner even in Almeta - Aramian/Azrakh (Equivalent of Arabian/Middle Eastern origin here).

When younger Jellal showed more resemblance to his mother (i.e in softness and colour), but growing older he resembles his father’s features more (and this is why the disgust and hate on him was so great in Almeta).

His father is the one who he gets the blue hair from (and growing up Jellal hated it and wished for something normal because his blue hair tied him to the ‘devil’). He started to appreciate it more because of Erza. (Unnatural coloured hair is actually not common in Almeta so Jellal stuck out like a sore thumb)

Jellal’s father is affiliated with the Tower of Zeref.  

One of the gods worshipped in Almeta is ‘Zerith’, but that being said he is not worshipped in a traditional sense. The other gods are worshipped in reverence and will, whereas Zerith has the reputation of chaos and destruction, so Zerith is worshipped out of fear.  

Because of Almeta’s connection to HBM, the country has a huge reverence for the stars and celestial wonder.  

There are subtypes of Heavenly Body Magic - Jellal’s one he studied is mainly offensive and somewhat all rounding. But the defenders of Almeta learned Heavenly magic that was extremely versatile - it could be performative, destructive, healing, defending etc.  

Jellal is actually not aware of what rank his family/mother or he could have had, he does learn Fernandes was an important people in the country but he is not aware to what extent.  

When Jellal’s mother was stripped of her rank, she was also stripped of her magic alongside and forced to live objectified and degraded for her ‘treason’ to a devil.  

His mother eventually went mad under the harsh persecution, abuse and from living in confinement. She began to hate Jellal and everything about him when she couldn’t separate him from his connection to the man who damned them.

Almeta’s inspiration is similar to the crusader period of the holy lands (hence emphasis of religion, mixed cultures, hierarchy etc). (was lowkey inspired by AC1 setting for this)

Ultear’s manipulation is a catalyst for something that was already afflicting Jellal rather than just completely brainwashing him.

Okay that was a really extensive post.

These HCs are based on a narrative I had created trying to do a character study on Jellal, trying to put more reason to his behaviours as a villain aside from Ultear’s manipulation. I wanted to really focus on the ideal of freedom for Jellal, the effect of sins and just building up his mentality from the ground and how it could have been moulded in the Tower of Zeref.

I didn’t want Ultear’s intervention to completely take away his accountability whilst in the same breath exploring what could actually turn someone to align with such ideals despite the circumstances. Especially since Jellal has so much potential.

I really love Jellal and just wanted to share my brain rot i’ve had on him, I know it’s of a darker and more philosophical/psychological angle and there are layers, but I just hope everything I have written has been cohesive and if there are any questions about it, I’d love to answer! I have a lot I could say on these HCs, but I don't want to exhaust it all in one post (the post is already so long to begin with ><)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this, truly.

Please do let me know your thoughts if you have any! ^^

PS : If anyone is interested in reading the fanfic I have been writing which implements the above HCs and narrative, i’ll link it below.

Also I will link the rest of the art I have been getting done related to this narrative for Jellal.

Thank you once again for reading all this 🤍

[justthoughts1310]

ATLA and Marvel have the same misogyny

So... I've finally made it to episode 8 of Netflix's Live Action ATLA.

This may be shocking for some of you, because I wrote a post about how Netflix ATLA is misogynistic a month ago, but now I'm back again.

I specifically want to talk about the absolutely ridiculous and bullshit feminist virtue signaling that we are habitually forced to endure.

The scene I am specifcally referring to is the scene in which Katara demands that Master Pakku let's her fight. Then all of a sudden, the camera pans to all of the healers in the Northern Water Tribe (the female water benders) who stand ready to fight.

Yet, despite their immense power, they are begging this old as man for permission, instead of just doing what needs to be done.

This scene is giving... stupid. It's giving the 999th Marvel movie that NOBODY freaking wanted... okay! Does anybody remember that scene from Avenger's End Game (of course you do), in which all of the female avengers assemble, and it's one female cameo after another? I have no idea who liked this scene, but I didn't. I HATED this scene! I thought it was tacky and cringe, and I didn't understand why I felt that way.

Then in the Marvels, there's this scene in which Captain Danvers gets knocked down, and then there's this sequence starting from when she was a little girl playing softball in which she gets knocked down and gets back up.

The whole thing is soooo cringe.

It's cringe because it's heavy handed. It feels like one of those inspirational quotes you put on your wall that says something stupid like "She believed she could so she did..." or "Shero" or "Herstory".

It feels like a moment in which the male writers were like, we got to make women feel seen, so let's stop the flow of the entire movie and series and whatever is going on and have this really stupid overproduced moment in which the women look like bad asses, before we hide the women back in the background and let the real heroes (the men) take over.

All of this despite the fact that in hindsight, of all of the avengers assembled there to fight Thanos that day (both male and female, alike), Scarlett Witch and Captain Marvel were the only one's canonically strong enough to stop Thanos. Yet, we can't have that, because a man needs to be the hero.

Like stop stealing women's W's. It happens all the time in shows like Naruto, in which the most powerful kunoichi will get caught up by the most stupid insignificant thing, so that a man can end up saving her and she becomes the damsel in distress.

The narrative of women can be strong but never as strong as men because men need to be the hero is weak and tired, tell a new story!!!

Especially, because it really isn't all that true anymore. After the industrial revolution and the boom of tech, women and men's physically strengths have become increasingly more similar for decades. Why, because very few people need to carry giant logs and chop down trees to survive anymore! You don't need to be swol to complete a spreadsheet.

I digress.

My point is what these scenes from ATLA and Marvel have in common. It's the reason why they are both cringe.

Men don't see women as women who are unique human beings with our own unique desires. Therefore, male writers force powerful female characters to embody male characteristics that appeal to men.

You know all that flexing and all the abs and the sweat and the thirst trap scenes of half naked men like Thor and Captain America (even the scene with Sokka in it). Do you think those scenes are for women? Well, they are not. They are for men. Men get hard-ons for these kinds of scenes, and these scenes are specifically created for men and the male gaze.

Then they try to extend this to female characters, to show that they are feminists. However, this completely ignores the female gaze and female motivation.

The scenes really are women quietly asking for permission (not really) and then men loudly given women permissions to stand out and be powerful, but only in a way that satisfies the male gaze. Which considering the fact that men are socially conditioned to like feminine or overly sexual women, I have no idea who these scenes appeal to!!!

Like bro... read a freaking book. Learn about history!!! Real history!!! Women do not need the permission of men to be powerful, intelligent, strong, tactful or ambitious. Women have already been all of these things since the dawn of time.

Therefore, women don't need weird cameos that break up the pacing of the story or scenes of little girls playing sports, getting knocked down, and getting back up to feel seen. Women and girls do not need to be convinced that we are powerful. We already know it. We've been working in the background for centuries while men have taken credit for our labors, efforts, and endeavors.

All we need is for men to get the hell out of our way! We can see it right now with education and employment. Ever since women were allowed to attend school, women have outperformed men in education is almost every subject (and men and women are at par with each other in Math and Science). Women are also out enrolling men in college 2:1.

So instead of giving women 5 minutes of permission to be powerful in movies and shows and embuing them with masculine characterists, write a compelling female character from the beginning of the show. Develop her character as a person, who has to deal with the unique intersectionality of being a woman. Don't make her whole personality being a woman.

And if you cannot, write a compelling female character, then get a woman to do it!

End Rant. Thank you for attending my TED Talk.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Thank you for the Ask! Typically I find these questions difficult because I consume a lot of content and I love so many things dearly, and I inevitably forget about things that I cherish and then feel bad about it. So here are 10 of my favorite pieces of media I’ve pulled from my mental list of all the things in the world that have made an impact on me, I’m going to do these in alphabetical order

180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us 

I only saw this show recently but it is an absolutely gorgeous piece of media. I have a bit of a theater background and this show definitely reads like a stage play, in the dialogue, in the setting, in the way that Nike carries himself around the space as Inthawut. This is a perfect piece of media in my opinion. The performances are a masterclass in acting, the use of vertical lines that place barriers between the characters or that cage them in, the complicated dynamics between the characters, the throughlines of grief and pain and loneliness that just radiates out of the screen for every character in this story. I have been through some shit, let me tell you, but there was a ten second moment in the final episode of this show that sent me in to the worst emotional distress of my entire life for a totally innocuous, complete reasonable, and minimally tragic scene and for that it does deserve immense praise. 

Big Eden 

I am making up for forgetting to put Pike on my Favorite Characters list by remembering to put  Big Eden on my favorite media list! I saw Big Eden for the first time in my freshman year of college. Back then I was not aware of, or at leas was not acknowledging my own queerness, and to find a film like this one just healed a part of my soul I didn’t know was wounded. When I say I watched this film back to back two or three times when I first saw it, I mean that this is one of if not the only film that I have immediately started from the beginning the second that the credits started rolling. I love this film for what it gave me, an older queer romance, non-existent homophobia, PIKE! Some of the greatest lines of all time, that to this day get reactions out of me, mainly:

“I just want things to be nice for him” 

and

"Well, screw you, Henry Hart. I do know what love is. You are my family. And I'm sorry... I'm sorry if that's not good enough for you."

And

“Why can’t you see how much love there is that people want to pour on top of you? I can’t help thinking that your grandma and I didn’t do right by you somehow. I feel like maybe we taught you something wrong, because you won’t tell me who you are. Did we teach you shame? Did I teach you that? Because it would break my heart if I had,” (watch the scene here)

Don't let the stars go out at night, don't let the moon break your heart, indeed.

I Told Sunset About You and I Promised You The Moon

ITSAY/IPYTM is two parts of one continuous story and therefore counts as a single piece of media. 

I just got done gushing about this show the other night, because for me it is a foundational piece of queer media. It is one of my favorite pieces of media, point blank, period. Queer characters are allowed to complex, three-dimensional, and frustrating. They are allowed to make mistakes, and hurt the people they care about in their quest to better understand themselves. They are human. And the emotional honesty and vulnerability that the script and the actors showed struck deep in to my experiences figuring out my own identity. It has some of the strongest characterization that I have ever seen in media. The actors commit to the craft, the production team clearly put love and care in to every aspect of this show, every frame of it. The director trusted the audience to understand what was happening and trust the actors to play with silence. There is so much silence in this show because the actors portray so much with just the way they move around the space, the way they carry themselves, the way they look at each other. It is a gorgeous, gorgeous piece of media. It took me three watchthroughs of I Told Sunset About You before I was able to form a single analytical thought about it, because the first time I saw this show my brain went fuzzy. This show rewired my brain and changed my DNA. 

And as a side note, anyone that thinks that Billkin is a bad actor or a bad crier can kindly meet me outside the Denny’s parking lot at 3am because I will not stand for Billkin slander in my household. That man is absolutely demolished the role of Teh. The constant fidgeting, the way his whole body just screams out whatever he is feeling without him ever having to say a word. 

Moonlight Chicken 

I have talked numerous times about why this show remains my favorite, and a lot of that has to do with the community that I gained around me because of it. But stepping back to the piece itself, I love how much this show is really dedicated to the importance of community. To showing the different mindsets of three generations of queer people, the way they struggle and don’t. The conversations that happen around poverty, and disability, and grief. The way that Li Ming and Heart are screaming to be understood. The way Jim has been hurt too many times and how that makes him scared to start over with Wen. The way Aof was able to take this BL structure and transform it into the story whose primary focus is on how a queer elder keeps and cultivates a relationship with his queer nephew. Jim and Li Ming’s relationship is the focal point of this show and I am so grateful to have that. The acting is phenomenal, the lighting is incredible, and it is a very technically strong piece. I know that Aof tends to tell us sad gay stories, but by god am I in love with every single Aof show I have seen (GOBK(with Jojo), ATOTS, HCTM, BB, MLC)

Pushing Daisies

What a deeply deeply tragic story wrapped up in the shiniest paper! I will never get over the fact this show got canceled because it is one of the greatest of all time. I love that Lee Pace has acknowledged how queer this show is, and how intentional that was, even though it was not discussed at the time of its release. Like, fundamentally this is a show about a man named Ned and his partner Chuck who can never touch. I’ll talk about this a little later too, but I am just such a sucker for stories where people can’t touch each other. I love the angst in it, the wanting to, the need to be intimate, to comfort, to care for someone and just…not being able to hold them. I loved watching how Ned and Chuck navigated this issue, the kissing through plastic wrap, the dancing in beekeeper suits, them getting excited for winter cause it meant they could wear gloves and hold hands like any other couple. 

This show is hilarious and funny and fast, with a really intriguing concept and an extremely clear vision and it did not deserve the end it got. 

I heard it might be on HBO Max, not sure if that is still true, but if you can find you, and you haven’t seen it, you should absolutely watch it, and if you have seen it, this is your reminder to watch it again. 

Sense8

Before I begin, I just want to say 

FUCK

NETFLIX

Once again, another incredible show, with very interesting themes, and things to say was canceled before it’s time. I will die mad about the fact that Netflix did not give this show the room it deserved to tell the story THAT THEY PITCHED TO NETFLIX AS A FIVE SEASON ARC. This show was so good, it got my homophobic dad to watch the whole thing without even squirming at the gay sex (like he did when he watched Game of Thrones). 

I love love love love love this show. I love the way it connects people from all over the world, I love that these random strangers become a family, I love what it says about every day people being important, having important skills, and how much that can vary from being a good actor, knowing chemistry, driving, and being a skilled martial artist. I love how sex positive this show was. I love the utilization of orgies to demonstrate the way these characters are all connected to each other. I loved the mystery behind it all, they way the function of this psyllium network got progressively more understandable to us as time went on in much the same way that the characters get used to it. I love the humanization of drug users, that it touches on the struggles of trans people, queer people, eldest daughters, poor people, etc etc etc; ON BODY AUTONOMY IN MEDICINE!!! I truly believe there is something for everyone in this show and even though I am mad we really only got a two hour filmed storyboard of general concepts the Wachowski sisters were planning on diving in to over the next three seasons, I do love with my whole heart, for the memes, that Nom’s mother gets over her transphobia as a result of one very good weed brownie. 

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

I got in to these books after seeing the first season of Shadow and Bone on Netflix. Full disclosure, I did not read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I will not read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I do not care about the Shadow and Bone trilogy. This is a Crows Only household. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are very incredible heist books first of all. The main plot is compelling in and of itself, before you even add the characters in to it. And what phenomenal characters we have: Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Matthias, NINA MY BELOVED. I’m glad they aged them up for the show, but it is very funny to me to think of a bunch of gremlin teenagers running around and taking down criminal empires for the sake of revenge...and coin. Leigh Bardugo is a disabled woman and I love that she gave Kaz her same disability because it means that we get a really authentic portrayal of disability. His cane is seen as important, he is never embarrassed by it, and his chronic pain is always highlighted. (can we also talk about how pissed Kaz was when Genya offered to fix his leg?). I love how contradictory he is, how much he loves Inej and wants to be with her, and wants to touch her, and the way his trauma and touch repulsion just constantly stops him from being physical able to do what he actually wants. Inej, who loves Kaz back, and sees the boy underneath the image of a monster he has crafted for himself, who has her own hang ups around touch and understands Kaz, but values herself enough to not pursue a relationship with him if he will not or cannot work on himself. Who grew claws with the knives she carries with her, who herself is a walking contradiction, deeply religious and also murderous, and so brave, and kind, and patient, and who I love with my whole heart. 

Wylan, whose own father tried to have him killed because he was dyslexic. Jesper who has been hiding who he is because of what his power did to his mother, who is always the comedic relief while harboring pain, our favorite gambling addict, ADHD, gunslinger. Matthais who has to confront a lifetime’s worth of propaganda. Nina who is just an all around badass motherfucker, who is fat and sexy and brilliant. My favorite superspy <3

The Fall (2006) dir. Tarsem Singh 

You really have to go looking for this film if you ever want to watch it, because it has almost entirely been wiped away, which sucks because it is one of my favorite movies. Why? 

Because it is one of, if not the most visually stunning piece of media I have ever seen. The plot for this film is a stuntman (played by Lee Pace) falls, is injured, and hospitalized at the same time as a 5-year-old Romanian immigrant who fell and broke her arm picking oranges. Roy (the stuntman) starts telling Alexandria (the little girl) a story, to manipulate her in to doing things for him, like spying on people and stealing pain meds. The movie cuts between real life, present day, and this grandiose epic tale that he is telling. This was 150% a passion project on Tarsem’s part, he spent 30 million of his own money making this movie, for it to only make 3 million in theaters upon it’s release. It took four years to film and was filmed in 24 different locations. 

I love the overarching story, and how the growing friendship Roy builds with this little girl literally saves his life. The cast of characters is certainly interesting, Charles Darwin is a character in Roy’s story, but by GOD is it just a great watch, hours of stunning cinematography, with incredible costumes. Would highly recommend watching this if you can find it. 

The Magnus Archives

I love this podcast for many reasons. First, because I think it was absolutely brilliant to start this show off as almost an anthology, lulling the audience in to a false sense of security by having each early episode be completely unrelated to one another, until they aren’t. Until names start popping up in multiple tales, until monsters and ghosts and any number of other unexplained creepy things start showing up in other people’s stories. How slowly you start to realize everything is connected and always has been. That set up was just…beautifully handled. Second, I love what this show says about survival and fear. That the more we believe in fear, the more powerful it gets. I love how often the survivors of these tales come out the other side of these experiences by thinking of people that are important to them, people they love. When The Buried tried to get that spelunker trapped in the cave, it was the thought of finding her sister, of getting help for her sister that got her through the other side. When Martin is in The Lonely, it is his thoughts of Jon that get him through the other side. I love that the avatar of Death is kind. I love that the Boneturner just wants to build a garden. I love the experiences and the world that Johnathan Simms builds in every story, and that he is able to create so many different types of fears, a little something for everyone. I love the heart at the center of this show. 

The Princess Bride

Again, another piece of media that is fast paced and full of quips, with a beautiful, ridiculous, hilarious story, and a solid emotional core. I was raised on this film, which is part of why I love it so much. You can see and feel how much fun the cast had making this film. To this day it is beloved, highly quotable, and poignant. Also a great fencing movie, but I’m biased on that end as a fencer myself. I don't have much more to say about this film because I think it is perfect and I have no notes, but I will say I love how much this film helped Mandy Patinkin process his own grief around the loss of his father.

[ellie-24]

Sooner or later

Summary: Here we go, another installment of my assistant!reader x elvis verse. This is set after Forbidden Fruit, but it can be read independently. Enjoy❤️

Word count: 3.1 k

.................................................................................

You sat on the sofa, surrounded by newspapers and tabloids, sipping your morning coffee. You waited for Jerry's arrival as the two of you wanted to go through a few details for the upcoming events and concerts. Elvis was still sleeping soundly and probably wouldn't be up until afternoon, as usual. Speaking of Elvis. After much back and forth between the two of you for weeks you had trouble keeping the mutual feelings for each other at bay. You didn't know what to call whatever it was between you two. Was is an affair? Was it a liaison? A deep mutual understanding? The beginning of a relationship? Whatever it was you decided that it was in your best interest to keep it secret from the public, even the Memphis Mafia. After all you still officially worked for him. It was difficult at times but first wanted to figure out what it was between Elvis and you.

With a sigh turned the page of the tabloid in front of you and massaged your temples. You almost couldn't bear to read it. The headlines about Elvis were getting worse and worse lately. Mean spirited articles about his private and family life, his weight gain, him slurring the words and songs on stage, forgetting his lines and appearing to be drugged out everywhere he went. Some even went so far to call him washed up and wrecked. It was truly horrible how they all allowed themselves an opinion about a man they didn't even know. They don't even know what he is going through and they can't imagine the immense pain he is suffering. Yet he still manages to get on stage and perform, like his life depended on it. In a way, it did.

 

You heard a knock on the door. This had to be Jerry. You closed the tabloid, tossed in on the table and got up. You opened the door and saw Jerry standing in front of you, smiling. "Hey Jerry, nice to see you." you said and pulled him into a brief hug. 

"Hey Y/N, how are you?"

"Ah, you know, same old." you shrugged and lead him inside. "What about you?" He simply nodded.

"Come on. Elvis is still asleep we'll sit in the living area." 

"Sounds good." he agreed and followed you. 

When you sat down you both immediately opened your notebooks and gathered the documents and schedules, wrote down important places and dates, phone numbers and contact information of hotels, performance venues and so on. As you were working through the days you realized how exhausting this whole ordeal will be for Elvis. He loved singing and performing for his audience, but under these conditions presented to you right now it was everything but healthy. He wasn't in his best shape right now, mentally and physically, and you felt bile rise up your throat at the thought of the Colonel and Dr. Nick pumping him full with medications to keep him standing. You huffed and rand a hand through your hair. 

"You alright, Y/N?" Jerry asked, noticing your discomfort. 

"Yeah.. It's just... It's a lot. He..." you trailed off with a deep breath and gestured to the wild array of sheets and papers on the table. 

"...I know. He isn't doing great, everyone can see that." he said with an equally worried expression. 

"Just...Look at this." you grabbed the newspaper you had just read off the table and tossed it over to him. 

His eyes shortly skimmed over the front page and he wordlessly looked up to you, taking in the distressed look on your face. 

"I've read a lot of this stuff as well." he muttered after a while. 

"Most of what they're writing isn't even true, or... wildly exaggerated. They don't know what they're talking about." you replied, throwing your arms in the air. "He doesn't feel good, anyone can see that, yet they continue trample on him for no reason. He is stronger than they think he is, I don't think anyone else could manage to to what he does under these circumstances." you finished your rant.

 

Jerry watched you, contemplatively. "...You're good for him, Y/N." he finally voiced.

"What?" you questioned. 

He hesitated. "Well, I mean to be honest, Y/N I didn't know what to think of you when I first met you. We all really didn't." He let out a small laugh and rubbed the back his neck. "...But you grew on us. Especially on Elvis. The last few months were hard..." You nodded nodded.  "...But you're there for him."

You laughed nervously. "...Well.. That's exactly my job isn't it?" you shrugged, shifting uncomfortably in your seat. Does he suspect something? Does he know? You knew that Elvis was terribly bad at keeping secrets.

"You're there for him in more ways than you realize I think. He speaks very often of you, Y/N. Very dearly as well. You've become very important to him. I've known Elvis for a long time and know how quickly he forms attachments, how he needs them. From what I gather when I talk to him is that you're what's keeping him up right now." 

Your tried not to choke on your coffee, feeling utterly caught. Instead you just managed smiled innocently and placed your mug on the table again. 

"Well, I'm doing my best. He needs his friends right now."

You started eating your breakfast, opting for a bit of harmless small talk before returning to more serious matters. After you finished you carefully watched Jerry and almost whispered "Jerry... Elvis... He won't stand this much longer." 

"There's nothing we can do. Elvis is a stubborn man. He won't change his ways. He's done it like this for years. He hasn't got the motivation to change anything." 

"I just wish we could help him somehow." 

"I know Y/N. But it's like you said. We just have to be there for him. That's everything we can do right now."

You looked up to him again. "...Yeah, you're right Jerry."

He put a comforting hand over yours. "Just make sure to take care of yourself as well, Y/N. You understand?"

You laugh and gathered your notes and papers. "Says you! When was the last time you took a break?"

"A what?"

You laughed again and got up with Jerry following you as you lead him outside the door. You briefly hugged each other and you watched him approach the elevator. "See you Y/N! And remember what I told you!" He waved his hand and the door of the elevator closed.

You briefly waved back at him with a "You too!" and went back inside.

Feeling the need to do something before Elvis woke up, you retrieved the newspapers and tabloids from the table before Elvis could see them. You knew it would send him into another spiral, so you quickly discarded them into to trash. Then went to the kitchen area and quickly did the dishes. Just as you were drying the last plate you suddenly felt a presence behind you. You didn't even have the time to turn around when you already felt his strong arms wrap themselves around your middle, his soft stomach firmly pressed against your back. He gently propped his chin on your shoulder and nuzzled his face against your neck, inhaling deeply. 

"Good morning, sweetheart" he drawled, running his strong hands up and down your waist. 

"Good morning to you too, darling. You're up early!" you remarked with a smile. 

"Don't blame me. I woke up all alone... and sad... and cold... I missed my best girl." he pouted and planted a quick kiss to the side of your head. 

"Sorry, but I met with Jerry and I wanted to let you sleep. I heard you tossing and turning and cussing almost until dawn... You missed Jerry by a few minutes actually." you said, placing the dry plate into the cupboard above. 

"Yeah, I heard ya." he murmured and subtly tightened his grip on your waist. "You two get along well, don't you?"

You hesitated, not really sure where he was headed with this. "...Well... we both want the same thing, you know." you shrugged. 

"And what's that?" he whispered into your ear, his hot breath tickling you slightly.

"The best for you." You turned your head and looked into his eyes. There was this swirl of emotions again that you couldn't quite make out. 

"...Hm..." he purred and you felt the rumbling of his chest against your back. "You know what would be the best thing for me now, yittle?" he murmured and placed a finger under your chin.

You raised your eyebrows at him.

He just smirked and leaned in, pressing his lips hard against yours. You let out a surprised squeal and dropped the towel you still had in your hands. He grabbed your chin with a bit more force to keep you still and stepped even closer to you, effectively trapping you between his strong body and the counter. You put a gentle hand against his soft cheek when you felt his warm tongue gliding over your lips, begging entrance. When you opened your mouth for him he moaned and let his fingers sink even further into the flesh of your hip. After a while he pulled away from you, making you mewl at the loss of contact.

His panting, the way his lips were parted, combined with his dark eyes, made you throw your head back onto his shoulder with a shuddering breath. He wasted no time and pushed your hair away from your neck, giving him free access. His lips moved across your pulse point down to your collarbone where he bit down hard, making you almost shout his name. Normally he was always very gentle with you, as if almost afraid to break you. Right now though he was marking you up roughly, surely leaving multiple hickeys all over your neck and shoulders. It was new, but you certainly weren't complaining. 

When he's had enough he placed his hands on your upper arms and quickly turned you around, making you face him. He smirked down at you when you wrapped your arms around his neck, playing with the strands of hair at the nape of his neck. You stood on your toes to meet his lips in a more gentle kiss. With an unexpected urgency he lifted you up and sat you down on the counter behind you. You let him step between your legs and pulled away from his mouth to look at him.

Now it was his turn to whimper as he felt your lips leave his. Your tender gaze was fixed entirely on his flushed face as your fingers rose to play with the strands of hair that fell over his slightly sweaty forehead. He closed his eyes and leaned into your touch with a content smile on his now swollen lips. He was so incredibly beautiful, you still couldn't believe that you sat here with him. Your mind briefly went back to the newspaper articles. They were all so very blind. 

"You're so beautiful Elvis." you hummed, a warm smile on your face.

He opened his eyes again and the raw emotion in them almost made you choke. He placed both of his hands on your cheeks, his thumbs caressing your cheekbones. "My beautiful, gorgeous, perfect, lovely, yittle Y/N." he sighed, grinning from ear to ear. You giggled and his smile widened even further, his eyes crinkling. Your laughter was music to his soul. "You're one of the most important people for me right now, you know that right, sweetheart?" his voice now sounded nearly pleading as his eyebrows furrowed a little. "Ya really are, Y/N..." he nodded to himself. He deeply looked into your eyes, as if searching for something. 

"Oh Elvis, dear, you mean so much to me as well. You are so sweet for saying that."

He lovingly smiled down at you and wrapped his arms back around your waist, holding you close to him again. With shuddering breath he slowly leaned down and buried his face against your neck, as if hiding himself from the world. "Ya gotta stay with me." he murmured and closed his eyes. He quietly started humming a tune that sounded kind of familiar, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. 

"...Promise me, yittle."

"I promise."

As you held him, your thoughts went back to Jerry’s words. That you were pretty much what kept Elvis going at the moment. What did he tell him? What were they talking about? You still didn’t know what Elvis really felt for you, but it really seemed to go deeper for him than you originally thought. You worried that you were just a temporarily distraction for him, like most of the girls he acquainted with. You acknowledged that the things between the two of you had developed rather quickly and that he probably wasn’t in the right state of mind for such decisions. Like Jerry said, he was feeling miserable for the past few months anyway. His health, his feelings for Priscilla and Linda that still lingered, the limited time he got to see his only daughter and the betrayal of his manager make him feel lonely, abandoned and vulnerable. 

You were so wrapped up in your thoughts that you didn’t even realize he removed his hand from your waist and searched for your hand. He gently grasped it and intertwined his fingers with yours. He was still humming the tune when he raised your joined hands up next to his head and once again tightened his grip around your waist. Then he started moving his hips, lightly swaying back and forth with you. 

"What are you doing?" you asked after a while with a light chuckle. "Darling, you haven’t even had breakfast, come on."

"No!" he whined, his face still nuzzled into your neck. "I wanna dance with you." he mumbled as he continued to sway. 

You smiled and pushed yourself away from the counter to properly dance with him. 

"You’re not scared I’m gonna step on your feet?"

"Don’t worry about that sweetheart, I’m not wearing my blue suede shoes." he whispered.  

You could feel him smiling against your neck when you laughed at his joke. You resumed to playing with his hair as he pulled you along, dancing in slow circles with you. With your cheek resting on his shoulder you contemplated your own feelings for him. What you felt for him was definitely no longer the silly, starstruck crush you initially had. But it certainly couldn’t be love. You haven’t known each other long enough. Of course there was this romantic sentiment of love at first sight but you weren’t that naive anymore. It wasn’t, it couldn't be that. You had to be careful, it would just over complicate things unnecessarily. Yet, you couldn't stop, nor hide your mind’s and body’s reaction to him. The way he’d look at you, talk to you and touch you made your heart beat faster and your whole focus would shift. 

He leaned back and made you twirl around with one hand over your head. He let out a small whistle as he turned your and pulled you back against his wide chest with a small chuckle. Small gestures and moments like these made your head spin, literally. You laid your head on his shoulder and you danced through the kitchen into the living room. It really felt more like floating than dancing and your cheeks already started to hurt from grinning non stop. His moves became faster and bolder and you could barely keep up with him.

Then he suddenly stopped and after a quick kiss on your hand he made his way over to the record player. He searched through the many vinyls until he found the one he was looking for. He set down the needle and turned to you with a bit of a mischievous grin. He waggled his finger in a come hither motion while the record player was still rustling. Then when you heard the music you finally recognized the tune he was humming the entire time. It was All Shook Up, you finally registered.

You approached him, laughing, and he started swaying his hips again. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from him, his moves were utterly captivating. Despite his failing health, his real talent would never leave him. Truly Elvis the Pelvis. He grinned proudly and came closer. You didn’t really know what to do with yourself and just moved along, though a bit hesitant at first. 

"...Yeah, that’s it, sweetheart. Just let the music guide you." 

"You mean you?" you laughed, becoming a bit more confident. 

"Got a problem with that, sweetheart?"

"Not at all."

Feeling more bold you started swinging your hips as well, matching him. He raised his eyebrows in appreciation and reached out for your hands. He sang along playfully as he turned you inside and out, making you laugh. When the song ended he dramatically dipped you down, and a surprised yelp escaped your throat. You both stared at each other, chests heaving. He furrowed his eyebrows jokingly. 

"What is it, doll? Afraid I won't catch you?" he panted, his glistening face hovering inches above yours. 

"Whew! It was just a bit quick for me I guess." you managed to get out after catching your breath somewhat. He lifted you up again and pointed a teasing finger at you. 

"Hey, none of that, I'm the old man here." 

You laughed and reached out to play with his collar. "...Old man still got them moves though." you whispered and leaned up to kiss him. 

He chuckled into the kiss and lead you to the sofa to sit down for a break. You draped your legs over his lap and he ran his hand up and down your calf. The other gently grasped a strand of your hair, absentmindedly playing with it. You scooted closer laid your head on his shoulder and pressed your lips against the side of his neck. 

"I wish we could just stay like this... Here-" he gestured around "-just you and me, Y/N."

"Yeah, that would be great huh." you answered. "But... sooner or later we have to face reality, darling."

"I'm afraid you're right sweetheart... I'd rather have it be later than sooner though." he murmured as he put his arms around you in an embrace of which you weren't sure if it was meant to soothe you or himself. You both certainly needed it.

.................................................................................