#getting them outside and around people can genuinely be so beneficial

[beatrice-otter]

Genuine question for you, since iirc you're a pastor? Are there other ways to understand the Great Commission? I am not a Christian, but I am trying to be friendlier to Christians. My problem is: evangelism has deeply hurt my people through colonialism, forced conversions, and supercessionism. I cannot be neutral about this. On the other hand, I know it's a central Christian teaching and it's not so easy to just uproot things that are the word of God to their practitioners. I don't want outsiders forcing interpretations or suggestions on my people so in the spirit of interfaith understanding, is there a Christian way (or ways) of understanding it that doesn't force Christianity on the rest of us?

The Great Commission, as practiced, has done a lot of harm to a lot of people (understatement).

Short answer: no. Long answer: yes.

If your question is, "is there a way of interpreting that specific passage so that it doesn't mean Christians should try and convert people to Christianity," the answer is no. It's cut-and dried, and it's by itself--it's not a single verse in the middle of a longer passage of teaching that can be recontextualized. 'Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”' (Matthew 28:18-20). That's it. Boom. Done.

But there are two major factors in how it actually plays out that have HUGE impacts on everything about it.

The first is power. When Matthew was written, Christians were a persecuted minority. The idea of Christians being fed to lions and whatnot was largely a myth, the persecution was never as widespread nor as harsh as Christians remember it being, but it was still a thing. Christians had little or no social power in the larger community; a very large proportion of Christians were poor and/or women and/or enslaved. "Making disciples" could only happen when the prospective disciples voluntarily decided that following Jesus was the right thing to do because they could see the difference it made in the lives of Christians around them, or because Jesus' words touched something in their hearts. That is a very different thing from a colonial power coming in and imposing Christianity by force, and then trying to eradicate anything that doesn't fit within Christianity.

We get a lot of examples of how that worked in practice; the entire book of Acts is "what did making disciples look like in the early church." And what it looked like was ... tell people about Jesus, and if they don't want to hear, then don't bug them about it and move on. We also have Jesus' instructions to his disciples, when he sent them out to preach the first time: if people want to listen, great, stay and teach. If not, move on. (Note: at this point, their preaching would not be proselytizing Christianity, because Christianity didn't exist yet. Jesus was one of a fairly large number of traveling rabbis wandering about Judea teaching whoever would listen. The disciples were being sent as Jewish teachers into Jewish communities--this is before any of them believed that Jesus was the Messiah.)

In the 4th and 5th Centuries, Christianity became welded to the Roman Empire and became a tool of Imperial unification. Most Christians of the time seem to have thought it was a good thing because power! authority! wealth! and yet it warped a LOT of stuff about Christianity. Pacifism got jettisoned immediately, for example. There are a whole bunch of Jesus' teachings that are fine or beneficial when practiced by people with little or no social power that become toxic when they are the Official Position of the power structure. The Great Commission is one of those teachings. And now, of course, any thoughtful Christian has to reckon with that. Even as we lose our political and social power and hegemony (and I believe that's a good thing!), we've still got to reckon with the toxic and harmful ways we've used that power in the past.

Which brings us to the second mitigating factor, which is "what relative importance do you put on the Great Commission?"

That command is three verses long. Matthew has 1071 verses. The Great Commission is therefore only .2% of the Gospel of Matthew ... and it's not found in any of the other Gospels, or anywhere else in the Bible. There are 3,779 verses in the Gospels (the books directly about Jesus' time on Earth) and 7,957 verses in the New Testament as a whole (the specifically Christian books of the Bible). The Great Commission is mentioned once for three verses. Add in the Hebrew Bible (which Christians call the Old Testament), and the Christian Bible is 31,102 verses long.

And yeah, Jesus sent out disciples to preach ... but not to outsiders. And yeah, Acts is all about spreading the Gospel to new people, but the Gospel message is not "you need to learn this and pass it on like it's a pyramid scheme." Not to mention, Acts is very specifically clear that they are going out and spreading the Good News because the Spirit is calling them. Not just "Christians should go out and tell people" but "this specific person should go to this specific place and tell this specific person about Jesus." It's not about humans choosing to go out and conquer the world for Jesus, it's about following the call of the Holy Spirit. So if the Holy Spirit isn't calling you to proselytize ... shouldn't you be listening for what the Holy Spirit is actually calling you to do?

If you add in the book of Acts and count it as part of the Great Commission, that's 1,010 verses out of 31,102. We're up to 3% of the Bible, but still only 3%. Then we turn to the rest of the New Testament, and it's just not there. Paul spends a lot of time telling his churches what they should believe and how they should act. You know what he doesn't tell them? He does not tell them they should be going out and converting other people. Paul himself spends a lot of time making disciples, but he is not concerned with whether or not those disciples then go out and make other disciples. He has his ministry; theirs is to be the Body of Christ.

How much weight do we give to three verses out of 31k+? How much time and attention do those three verses require of Christians? When Christianity was the religion of the great imperial and colonialist powers, it was given a lot of weight because it provided a religious justification for imperialism and colonialism. But that's not an inherent reflection of how important it is in the Bible itself.

Most Christians in most times and places have not spent much time worrying about making disciples out of non-Christians. Even if you lived next door to non-Christians, it's not something the average Christian spent much time thinking about. It wasn't something theologians spent much time thinking about, and not something ministers spent much time preaching about, either. If God called you to be a missionary, great. If you were such a good example of Christianity that your neighbors saw your example and wanted to become like you, even better. But "making disciples" was not a major concern ... until you get to the massive wave of colonialism in the 19th Century. All of a sudden, it became this major thing. Every Christian was expected to participate in one way or another--missionary societies sprang up like weeds, dedicated to learning about missions to "heathens" and raising money for missionary work. The Great Commission came to the front and center of Christian teaching just as colonialism was coming to the front and center of European and American political concerns. This was not a coincidence.

Let's contrast that with another foundational commandment, shall we? The Great Commandment: 'Jesus replied, “The most important [commandment] is Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You will love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”' (Mark 12:29-31) Now, besides the fact that Jesus himself says that this is the greatest commandment, it's recorded in multiple Gospels (cf. Luke 10:27-28, Matthew 22:36-40). Also, Jesus is quoting! The "love the Lord your God" part comes from multiple places in the Hebrew Bible (most notably the Shema Yisrael, Deuteronomy 6:4-9). "Love your neighbor" comes from Leviticus 19:18 and is the driving theological point behind a lot of the Law and the Prophets (in the Hebrew Bible) and the Epistles (in the New Testament).

Moreover, the Great Commandment is the lead-in to one of the most important parables, the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). And while it doesn't explicitly appear in the Gospel of John (which is a very different book than the other three Gospels), John has the Farewell Discourse. After the Last Supper (but before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane), the Gospel of John has a timeout where Jesus spends three whole chapters giving his disciples one last lecture and then praying for them. And while that lecture covers a lot of topics, one of the ones it keeps hammering home is love of God and love of neighbor.

The Great Commandment doesn't come out of nowhere, nor is it isolated. It is laced throughout all of Scripture. Multiple books of the New Testament are meditations on what it means to love God and love your neighbor.

The Great Commission, on the other hand ... is three verses.

When "loving your neighbor" and "make disciples" conflict, which one should we follow? I know which one I choose.

[archivalofsins]

Not gonna lie. I had multiple life things happening. However, I can now appreciate the comedy behind people bending over backward and attempting to manipulate time within the canon of Milgram to say this grown mam was still seventeen. Because why the fuck does that matter?

It's giving age is just a number when I say it is so treating a child like an adult is fine we don't treat children differently a crime is a crime and a criminal is a criminal anyway.

Besides that minor said to not treat her as a child.

Actually, that minor articulated that she didn't want all her actions and personal failings to be blamed on her parents or upbringing. Something that several other prisoners outside of her have done. Including Yuno and Haruka. Because that is an overarching theme in Milgram and directly pulls attention to the mindsets of other prisoners who come before here.

Even though Haruka recognizes that his parents' treatment of him impacted and fostered the situation he now finds himself in, he doesn't blame them outright for any of the crimes he did. He doesn't come into his second voice drams like you're right guard it's my parents fsult that girl is dead they caused that.

No, he says blatantly, you forgave me. So what I did was right it was right of me to do that. Then he doesn't even attach his mom to that or bring up his dad at all. He just goes you're nkt my mom people only have one mom the mother who never looked at me wasn't my mom it's Mu who cares about me, gives me attention, clothes to wear and supported me in anything I want to do.

His second trial wasn't about the murder anymore it was deconstructing his concept of what a good mother looked like. Bwcause that's not a mother that's a friend and a bad one. Parents aren't supposed to let their kids do whatever they want. If a kid goes up to their mom and says i wanns go skydiving without a parachute-

A parent is supposed to care enough to say no, to go that's dangerous, that's wrong you can't do that. Not for the safety of those around them or to save face but because they genuinely care about their child and want what's best for them. Everybody who doesn't have kids imagines themselves as the cool parent who's understanding when they need to be understanding, accepting when they need to be accepting, and ear that's always their to listen.

People fail to understand that having a kid will never make someone any better of a person than before they had that kid. That is still a person with flaws who will never fully understand what this other human is going through, everything they like, or dislike and need to be communicated with as well. The thing that made it clear Haruka understood was the fact he was asking to have it explained at all.

He didn't just go you're wrong I'm not even going to bother with hearing your side, I don't need to be lectured like that, no thank you it's none of yohr business. He went tell me I want to know. Then the audience went you were right you were having a hard time that's unfortunate to-

Hey, you were wrong, and we don't think you understand what a mother is or what genuine care and kindness is. That sunk in he's not wearing the shit Mu gave him anymore in that video, he doesn't say she's kind like he bothered to tell Futa. He doesn't even call out to her in the end.

In the same vein a majority of the audience saw Mu's behavior and went hey no I don't think you understand what a friend is. I think this is a rather callous description of what friendship is and I disagree. Friends aren't just people who are convenient to you who you let do anything because you have a mutually beneficial relationship.

What was the longterm goal of a trial two innocent for Mu. We vote her innocent trial two no one gets mad about that she continues to live and then what she just keeps leveraging Haruka's until the trials are over. I personally believe if she was voted innocent again she would have been murdered. But let's say she wasn't for this point. How many times could she have gotten away with having others stick their neck in the guilotine for her?

Dor just how long could that not have been her fault? How long would she have narrowly avoided accountability? Blaming on Haruka because she didn't force him to say or do that, blaming it on Es, blaming it on her victim for doing horrible things to her? How long can this blame game go?

That's the tie between Futa and Mu. The whataboutism of it all. What about them? Why are we focusing on me? The convenient cover of well everyone was doing it everyone was having fun. What about them, why just me? There are so many people in the world that are bullies online and in real life? Why am I the only one being punished to this extent?

How am I different from you?

In contrast, Haruka never did this shit he said there was no one here like him. Because they were all good people, and he viewed himself as a selfish murderer. There was no point where Haruka just blamed his parents for his crime. He blamed them for withholding their affection and care after he became a certain age. For changing on him suddenly which is fair because that's a decision they fucking made.

He never said my parents were at fault for the harm I caused to others. No, he goes,

What else was I supposed to do to get their attention at that point- Which isn't blame it's a genuine fucking question. A question he asks people repeatedly. It is even implied he asked his parents to explain this to him in a way he can understand. Because from his point of view he has tried everything. Stealing, destruction of property within the home, lashing out all attention seeking behaviors that went ignored.

He also apologizes for having his family waste their lives on him in the second voice trailer glitched line. Because he does understand that what he did was bad and will reflect not only on him but his entire family. The first thing the public is going to do is blame his parents for this outcome. It's a natural response regardless of how active or inactive the parents were in the person's life.

I can't wait to hear what the fuck people have to say about Yuno's family when Life drops. Because people were already blaming them to the point she had to go my family and I get along fine in her second voice drama. Yuno has stated that the thing she did was a decision she made for herself. Haruka stated the thing he did was selfish. They both showed that they understood from the onset that their behavior was wrong.

That it may not have been the best decision they could have made or even the only one they had.

Yet it's what they decided to do, and Haruka regretted it. Amane is (barring her lying as well) the youngest here. However, that information has rarely held much weight when it has come to her trials. People have fussed about her second trial innocent verdict as others just being too easy on kids. So it's funny to see age latched onto in not only Haruka's case now but any of the prisoners cases. Because it shouldn't matter based on logic used elsewhere.

Yet a lot of people have consciously or subconsciously noticed that in Haruka's case, it matters. It matters because it's the difference between a minor killing another minor and an adult killing a child.

It's not like him being seventeen excuses it more.

Regardless, he's still attacking someone several years younger and much smaller than him. Like I'm not gonna go,

"That shooter was a minor too, so it's fine. That's just kid on kid violence."

Because that's fucking weird and ridiculous. If someone fucking like actively kills a classmate I'm not gonna go petty middle school drama. Oh, the babies took it too far again. Come on, hand me the weapon. Aww, little baby Jessica's dead, but let's get you down for your nap. This must have been traumatic for you.

As Jessica is on the floor like, "Please an ambulance."

I'm just standing there like,

"Ha ha, kids being kids am I right? Nothing we can do for her now. Well, who wants their apple juice? Who wants their little juicey box?"

What does this change?

Someone could make an au where Haruka and his victims were the same fucking age and I would still have the same amount of an issue with fucking murder. It's murder it doesn't drastically change depending on the age of the person who did it- It's a very stagnant crime. This is as weird as people swearing up and down that people just forgave Amane because she's a kid, which honestly is just giving projection now that we've gotten to this point.

Like the fuck- Look, I can forgive most things. I have a line. There are certain things I will never forgive. But um, like, if we're just talking the murders in this work of fiction, I'll play devils advocate. Honestly, I could forgive anyone here and find reasons to forgive them.

However, when it cones to real-life actions, trust me, I have verdicts that I have clocked in and am waiting to make. I don't care if it's not the verdict majority. I'll clock in those last three months of the prisoners' milgram trials. I am here like, "You think that warning of death scares me? I don't give a fuck about that. Keep raising the stakes. I'll meet you there."

I've never backed down before I'm not gonna start now. These prisoners better convince me like their lives depend on it because they may. Like trust me, others fear mongering has never convinced me before, and it won't now. Honestly, if things worked, how others alleged they would then certain prisoners should not be dead right now.

I gave one dude leniency so he could help one person, and he failed to do that. The restraints were supposed to allegedly stop Haruka. I didn't believe this, but um, it was said. The innocent verdict was supposed to allegedly alleviate the mental stress on Mahiru and foster an environment that would be conducive to her recovery.

Blaming the fact some of those things didn't happen on one person is very weird. Especially since the situation seems to have multiple factors. As well as inconsistencies. Amane killing Shidou leading to Mahiru's death without his care makes sense. However, what doesn't is why she still needed the care after so long why Jackalope said at the end of trial two notice it may have been better to stop his treatments just to then go she needed that. It's kind of odd.

The fact Mahiru died in front of Yuno and is stated to have died after Shidou by Jackalope. It's weird but I'm not really surprised just baffled. What could he have been doing that no one else could have done with what they had in Milgram when he himself stated to Es last trial they needed to stop to get these people proper care at a hospital. I can't wait for that to come to light in some way. Especially since if Mahiru was getting better, honestly, she should have recovered by the point Shidou died but she hadn't.

We saw her in fewer tinelines after their innocent verdicts, and the one time we did see her, she was implied to be looking for Shidou. It really feels like an unfortunate and avoidable outcome in her case. Yet it also would have been funny if we did vote Amane guilty and Mahiru still died. Like straight up because I do think she was fucked. Her life had been tied to Shidou's by the point their second interrogation started.

I am invested in seeing this imagery. Because like I'm still not understanding how

If people want to hit me with, but what does that say about you- I mean I guess it says I like to do what I want when it comes to the media I engage with and I do to an extent take media seriously as more than entertainment but something that can educate someone on themselves and the world around them. Something that can allow people to look into different and new perspectives.

But like the fuck I'm not writing it.

I'm engaging. I can't control the actions of anyone but myself. I won't lie about my feelings on the prisoners or the verdicts I believe they deserve based on the information I'm given. Because I want to engage the work earnestly. I don't like engaging with things I enjoy halfway.

I want to enjoy it fully for everything it is.

I feel like, honestly, a lot of people make assumptions about what will make the prisoners look more innocent in the eyes of others- Simply because that is what makes them look more innocent to themselves. It's easy to assume all these things about what makes someone innocent or forgivable. All the while never asking what forgiveness or innocence means to other people viewing the same thing.

A lot of miscommunication and animosity could be resolved from just simply going,

"What do you think about this?"

Instead of just jumping on defense right away. Because honestly, the things that I believe make someone appear more innocent could be why people see a character as more guilty..the same reason that people will say shouldn't equate to innocence in one case may equate to it in another. People are complicated and sometimes when it comes to the prisoners in Milgram age will only matter as far as the observer say it does.

So we can have cases where people are arguing that Haruka was younger and the report is lying or time shenanigans all the while stating age doesn't matter in other cases. I think what does matter as always is how we interact with each other and we realize these biases before they turn into resentments towards the audience and verdicts aren't dictated by what the characters has done but how one has been treated by those characters fans.

All that to say, at the end of the day, it never hurts to be a bit nicer.

[jillsandwhichs]

Cleon Oneshots/AUs Collection, Chapter 3, Dinner Date

Masterlist

Pairing: Claire Redfield & Leon Kennedy

Summary: Leon takes Claire out on a date to a new spot in town

Status of their relationship in this oneshot: Dating

WC: 3.2k

Type: Sfw

A/n: Hi! Hope you all enjoy. Please check out my masterlist, there's a lot of stuff there. You can get to know me, you can see the rules of my blog and then you can see all of my fanfictions. You'll be able to find the previous chapters to this fic and upcoming ones. You'll also be able to find my Wattpad & AO3. Thank you

Leon looked at himself in the mirror, touching up on his hair and suit, making sure he wasn't looking like a fool. He also tried to not get to dressed up, it wasn't like it was some formal event. It was only a date. Then again, they were going to be attending a nice restaurant, so maybe he was dressed up perfectly.

Today, Leon is taking his new partner, Claire, out to eat. They've been friends for quite some time now, and he had finally pooped the question of asking her out. When Claire had said yes, Leon remembers how good he felt, as if he could accomplish absolutely anything. They have been dating for about two weeks now, and when he asked her on a date, he couldn't of felt more joy.

Despite the hardships Leon faces in life, and how tough his job can be, he always wanted someone he could keep close to him. Someone to love as much as he loved them. It's genuinely difficult to find somebody whilst working in such a busy line of work.

Wandering towards the front door, he opened it and went outside his apartment, walking down the narrow hallway, making his way to the staircase. Their date started at 7 pm and it's currently 6:20 so Leon definitely has time to get to her place, then their destination.

He wasn't particularly nervous about the date or anything, rather just highly anticipating it. Leon barley gets time off to do anything personal so this meant a lot to him, especially since it was with Claire, and he really likes Claire. Love is probably to strong to use for now, eventually though. Eventually...

Stepping out of the complex, Leon took in the outside air. It was perfect out. Not to hot, not to cold. The sun was still up as well, which was highly beneficial, he had hoped it'd be up by the time he'd arrive at her place. Unlike Leon, Claire does live in an actual house. It's small but just what she wanted. Besides, it's not like she's living with anyone, therefore, no need for to much extra space.

Pulling out his keys from his suit pocket, Leon clicked the unlock button, hearing his car making a sort of shifting noise in the distance. Leon doesn't tend to brag, but he does drive a pretty expensive car. Courtesy of his job, which pays extremely well.

Getting into his car, Leon turned it on and let out a deep breath, not moving for a second. It had been a long day, and seeing Claire was all he wanted right now. He buckled up and pressed his foot down on the gas, pulling out of the parking lot, and driving into the busy streets.

Late in the day, especially near The White House, the roads were insanely packed. People were driving home from work, from extracurricular activities or running last minute errands. For Leon though, he's just going to see his girl. He had also hoped that the restaurant wouldn't be super busy, like the streets are. It'd be romantic if it was partly empty, it'd feel like the two have the place to themselves.

The sunshine was so alluring and was perfect for tonight. Claire was a big fan of the summertime - nature, the sun, the water, she loves it all, so Leon hoped she'd be happy with the result of today's weather with their ongoing date.

Leon tapped his steering wheel lightly as music played in the background, it was mostly out of habit, he's been doing it for years. He was getting closer to Claire's place, it was around 6:40 now, 20 minutes had passed, so she should be already set to go when he arrives. He wondered how'd she look. No matter what, she was beautiful, but he was just curious as to how her hair would look, or what she'd be wearing.

The road Leon was driving down had a forest surrounding both sides, the dark green leafs on the trees looked so searing, they looked fitting for the current weather. There was also a small creek that was glistening beneath the sunlight. Leon could imagine himself fishing again, he only has once or twice, and it was never really his thing, but it's nostalgic.

Beavers and other little critters roamed around the creek. Animals were everywhere around here, which means sadly, there's a lot of roadkill, especially deer, which happen to be one of Claire's favorite animals. Whenever Leon sees a deer, his mind instantly goes to Claire, she's similar to one. She can be quite timid, but also extremely brave. She's a deer.

Turning onto a new st, Leon sighed as he realized her home was just up the road. Claire lived on the more quiet side of town, it was much less chaotic and more so relaxing. Leon sometimes regrets taking residence in the city, when he could've gotten a house around here. It also would've benefited him, he would've been closer to Claire.

Spotting her house, Leon smiled to himself, pulling inwards to her driveway. She lived in a small, cottage-like home. It wasn't really in the woods, morely just outside of it. Claire's older brother, Chris, helped her pay for it a little while after the whole Raccoon City incident.

Since he first noticed it, the sun has went partly down since then. Claire won't really care, but Leon hoped the weather would be how she liked it, he isn't God though ; he can't control when the sun comes up, and goes down.

Leon stepped out of his car, standing up straight. He adjusted his top, making it not so crinkly and messy looking. Her front porch had a light on the wall, it was turned on, indicating she was awake/home. Leon treaded through the grass, to the porch and stepped onto it, knocking on the door a few times, waiting for Claire to answer, hoping she'd have a bright, cute smile.

Hearing a knock at the door, Claire had already knew who it was, it was Leon. She had been awaiting this moment all day, and hoped it would go well. Before answering the door, she quickly checked herself out in her bedroom mirror, making sure she looked presentable. "Good." The girl whispered to herself, knowing she looked pretty.

Claire opened the door with a little smile, looking Leon up and down. "Hi." Claire spoke, stepping outside with him, closing the door behind her. "Hey." Leon spoke, also gazing at her, taking in the way she had looked. Claire was wearing a red long sleeve shirt, black jeans and her adorable slip-ons, she didn't get to dressed up like Leon did, but she looked absolutely gorgeous in his eyes.

"You look great." She spoke out, placing her hand on his arm, gandering up at him. "You look beautiful." Leon responded, placing his hand onto her cheek, stroking it softly, staring into her eyes as he did so. Claire's cheeks heated up as he made a move, but she turned her head so he wouldn't be able to see. "I'm ready to go, if you are." Claire added. "We can get going." Leon said, taking his hand away from her face.

Both Leon and Claire made their way to his car, and both got in, buckling up and making sure they were both comfortable. Leon started his vehicle back up and placed his hand behind Claire's seat, scanning the area behind him as he pulled out of her short driveway.

Heaving out, Claire looked over at Leon, taking in the way he dressed up for the date. Claire felt like an idiot for not dressing up more. Were they going to some fancy restaurant? Claire had assumed it wouldn't be all that. Hopefully Leon didn't pay to much mind to the way she had looked. He did say she was beautiful, so he couldn't of cared to much.

Noticing a concerning look on Claire's face, Leon began to speak, "You feeling okay? Would you like the heater on? Maybe some music?" He questioned, placing his hand on hers. All Leon wanted was to make this might special, not only for himself, but for Claire too. They both work pretty tough jobs and deep down, he knew they both deserved a break like this. Even if it was just for the night.

"Oh, no, I'm okay, thank you for asking though." Claire replied, squeezing his hand. "Okay, just making sure. So, I never told you, but I'm taking you to this new Chinese place, heard it's really good and I know you like that kind of food, sound good with you?" Leon questioned, taking his eyes from the road for a second to see her expression.

"Sounds perfect to me, I'm glad you remembered something so little about me." Claire spoke out, she was impressed. No man ever really cared enough to remember something so little, yet so vital. "Of course, I take mental notes." He teased, squeezing her hand. Despite the two only dating for about two weeks now, they automatically felt comfortable with one another, due to being good friends beforehand. It just feels elating.

-

About ten-ish minutes later, Leon drove into the parking lot of the Chinese place, looking over at Claire as he did so. The building was brand new, freshly painted and looked well designed. It wasn't to large, nor to miniscule, Leon just hoped he'd find good seats for him and Claire. "Let's head in, shall we?" Leon chuckled, stepping out of the car along with Claire.

Leon steadily interlocked his hand with Claire's, their hands now holding one another's as they ambled into the restaurant together. As they walked inside, the two were both hit with the smell of professionally made food, it was insane, rarely any restaurants around the area were this good.

"Reservation for two, under Kennedy." Leon said to the man standing by the entrance, a small laptop in front of him. "Right this way." The man spoke, nodding for Leon and Claire to stick right by him. They got a good table, it was in the back corner of the establishment, a small window right beside it, showing off some of the city lights and the lively town.

"I'll be back with menus shortly." The man said with a kind tone, trotting off back to the front. "We got good seats." Claire giggled, sitting down across from Leon. "Tell me about it." Leon replied, taking in the outside view. "What do you plan on getting?" Leon asked his girlfriend, looking at her with soft eyes. "Don't know yet, I usually get orange chicken always though!" Claire tittered. "I like Crab Ragoon." Leon replied.

"Thank you for taking me out tonight." Claire said with a loving tone. "Anytime." Leon responded, smirking at her. "I found it sweet that you remembered I like Chinese food." The girl admitted. "I'll remember as much as my brain allows me to." The man spoke, kissing her hand playfully, causing Claire to giggle.

After the two talked for a minute or two, the man came back over with two decently sized menus, placing them neatly onto the brown, wooden table. "Here you guys go, a waitress will be back over shortly." He said, marching off to his regular spot.

"Let's take a look." Leon grunted, analyzing the menu, they had all the basics and more, it looked great. "I already know I'm getting some Ragoons." Leon muttered out, "How about you, hun?" Leon asked Claire. Claire couldn't help but feel nervous and shy when he called her 'Hun', they're just getting comfortable with using names like that, so it felt exlierating.

"Definitely Orange Chicken, maybe some Lo Mein." Claire spoke out, clearing her throat. "Okay." Leon replied. The two were quiet for a moment, deciding what they were going to order.

"I think I'm gonna order some Orange Chicken, Lo Mein and Sweet & Sour Chicken, doesn't that sound good?" Claire stated, beaming at Leon. "Yeah. I'm ordering Bourbon Chicken, Lo Mein and Crab Ragoons." Leon responded, running his fingers through his hair as he did so, trying to enhance his appearance.

A waitress came over and smiled at the two, holding out a notepad before speaking, "Good evening, what can I get you guy's?" The woman asked aloud. "So for me, I'd like Bourbon Chicken, Lo Mein and Crab Ragoons. For her, she said she'd like Orange Chicken, Lo Mein and Sweet & Sour Chicken." Leon announced to the waitress, watching her as she wrote their orders down. "Okay, sounds good, should be done soon, thank you for your patience." The woman spoke, treading off to the back, giving their orders to the cooks.

"I just wanna say this again, you look amazing, Claire." Leon muttered out, she was so admirable. "Thank you, you look very handsome." Claire replied. Claire looked alluring, like she was just meant to draw Leon in, and he couldn't help but follow that force. "I'm sorry if I overdressed, most of my clothes are either work clothes, or business attire, you dressed well." Leon denoted, wanting to explain his choosing of clothes. "I keep it casual." Claire responded, snickering as she spoke out.

"I've always liked it when women don't try to hard in their appearance and can still look beautiful, exactly like you, for example." Leon said, his choice of wording was sometimes questionable but Claire knew he meant well. "Is that a compliment?" She chortled. "Sure is." Leon laughed out, it lived shortly though.

"Have you ever tried coconut chicken?" Claire asked. "Next time we come here, we should get it, I totally forgot it existed but it's tasty." Claire added. "I have not, but I also hate coconut." Leon chuckled out, he was willing to try anything for her, but coconut flavored foods was crossing a line. "Oh trust me, it taste completely different from an actual coconut. It's sweet but savory." Claire snickered out, reassuring him. "Okay." Leon smirked.

That previous waitress came over with two plates, steam uplifted from them, showing they were still hot and fresh. Claire couldn't help but be excited, it has been some time since she ate a real, freshly cooked meal. "Here you two go, enjoy." The woman said, nodding at Leon and Claire before walking off, her demeanor was sweet. "This looks good." Leon expressed. "Agreed." Claire added, taking the wooden chopsticks provided and unpackaging them.

Leon just sat there for a moment, watching Claire as she seemed to know how to use chopsticks like a pro. Claire glanced up and giggled before talking, "Leon, babe, do you not know how to use chopsticks?" Claire teased. "Actually, no, I always used forks but I don't wanna seem dumb." Leon snickered, admitting to the silly truth. "You can use a fork, that's why they provide them, it's not a crime to not use them." Claire gave him a cheerful look. Leon nodded in response, taking the fork and sticking it into the bourbon chicken, eating it, chewing thoroughly.

They sat in quietness for a bit, both politely eating their food, gazing at each other every so often. "Is it good?" Claire questioned Leon, wanting to see if he enjoyed it as much as she did. "Yes, it's better than any Chinese I've had before." Leon denoted, "And you?" "It's great! Thank you, again, you're the best." Claire muttered out, slurping up some of her leftover Lo Mein. "Of course." Leon mumbled, eating another Crab Ragoon, which was his favorite part of his meal.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Chris wanted me to tell you he's happy to train you, he said you emailed him last Thursday, so I wanted to just catch you up to speed." Claire vocalized, taking a minute bite of her Sweet & Sour Chicken, it tasted delicious. "That's exactly what I had hoped to hear, I'll take any extra training sessions that I can, and your brother seemed to be the perfect fit." Leon spoke out, joy in his voice. "Yeah." Claire exhaled, finishing off her Sweet & Sour Chicken.

"Does he like... Fully know about our relationship?" Leon asked, genuinely curious. "Sort of...? I told him that you were taking me out tonight so do with that what you will." Claire said, a small smirk resting on her divine facial structure. "I see... Do you think he minds?" Leon wondered. "No, I'm my own person. He may be my big brother but he doesn't have a say in who I go out with, he always used to get on my old boyfriends in college but then again, he knew what they were up to, he was once a student." Claire tittered. "Yeah." Leon laughed, taking a bite of his Bourbon Chicken.

"How has work been? Like, I know that's such a basic question but I'm inquisitive, you work for President Graham, I can't help but wonder what it's like." Claire asked, taking a nibble of her Orange Chicken. "It's okay. Just, it's stressful, I feel like I never get time off. It's a miracle I got today off. Graham is lenient but only to a extent." Leon spoke, his tone dull now. "I see, I can see that. Terrasave is okay, I suppose. I'm tired of people downplaying my organization as if it's not a really hard job, y'know?" Claire expressed, clearly irritated at the topic. "I know, I know." Leon said, love filled his tone, eating his last Crab Raggon.

Eventually, the two ate most of their food, both becoming full. "I don't think I can eat anymore." Claire laughed, her laugh was adorable. "Me either, I can grab us takeout boxes, okay?" Leon added, standing up. "Okay, hurry." Claire gave him a gleeful look. "Yes ma'am." The man teased, walking towards the front of the restaurant.

Claire rested her head in her head, her elbows placed on the table. She was happy with their date tonight ; it was actually perfect, most likely the best date she's ever had. All the other ones ended with her and the guy never speaking again, or it just went poorly overall. Leon was a great guy, Claire's known that, but she feels like she's met the real Leon, the sweet one. Claire couldn't help but feel her lips curl into a smile at the thought of him.

Leon came back with two styrofoam containers to place their leftovers in. "Here." He grunted, placing one in Claire's hands. "Thank you." She said. Both filled their boxes up and closed the tabs of them. "Should we mark them? So we don't mix them up?" Claire questioned. "Great idea, you're a smart girl." Leon chuckled, pulling out a sharpie and writing 'L' on his and 'C' on hers, the twist though, was that he drew a sloppy yet cute heart beside Claire's initial, causing her to hit his arm playfully. "Such a dork." She teased. "I prefer the term 'romantic.'" He uttered, his tone full with bliss.

Standing up, Claire stood beside Leon, grabbing her container and purse. "Leon, I can pay, if you'd like me to." Claire spoke, her tone gentle. "Hell no, I'm paying." Leon laughed, pulling out some cash and placing it on the table. "We can go now, I'll take you back home." Leon said, his tone was kind-hearted. "Let's go then." Claire replied, taking Leon's hand in hers as they now both walked out of the restaurant, hand in hand.

[fairytail-whathesays]

Could I ask you to please feed me some Laxus x Cobra headcanons? Both sfw and nsfw ofc

Do u want to get married real quick --

sorry.

Anyway, yes, of course. Anything for my one true pairing.

I elaborated here that Cobra and Laxus fit together well because they can understand each other without the need for words, something especially beneficial to guys that aren't good at communication.

They're both involved, but a little on the outside too, not able to match the energy of the main roster of characters. They get each other because they're of the same inbetween space that's trying to be a decent dude and not always sure of how to go about it.

I've also said that Cobra is very possessive and jealous, and this is where that comes in. Cobra is intensely aware that despite not always being easy to get along with, Laxus is well-liked and respected, and could basically have anyone he wanted. It's not nearly as cute as with other relationships, since Cobra can be pretty bitchy and temperamental given his insecurities. But they work through it.

Cobra and Laxus have a tense early relationship, because Laxus' instinct with a guy he's dating is to have an arm around them at all times, whereas Cobra disdains and deters being touched. There are silent arguments that arise from Cobra feeling like Laxus is trying to make some pretty little girlfriend out of him and Laxus feeling like Cobra is disgusted by or angry at him.

Among those insecurities I mentioned is Cobra's body. Cobra was raised an underfed and abused child slave, then raised by Brain in a guild with him and two other skinny guys, and then underfed in prison for seven years. Despite Laxus genuinely thinking he's sexy, he's often uncomfortable thinking about how Instagram-ready Laxus is, and how much bigger and well-built Laxus is than him. That, on top of the slashed-out eye, leads Cobra to believe he's going to lose Laxus to someone else because he isn't attractive. He's wrong, of course.

Despite everything I've said, these two are attracted to each other and fond of each other, and when they're getting along, they're really getting along. Laxus will think of some smart remark he's barely holding back and Cobra will laugh, or Cobra will bluntly call a spade a spade and Laxus will smile. They'll be having an argument and Cobra will make some remark about Laxus being such a bitch because he's into him, and Laxus will silently respond, and Cobra will blush--actually, genuinely--and then punch him in the side.

I cannot stress this enough, Laxus thinks Cobra's giant snake, dragon scaled arms, and eye scar are legitimately badass and sexy. Like, he's so into Cobra's aesthetic. Cobra obviously wants to come off cool but, after the dissolution of the Oracion Seis, isn't sure how to feel about someone thinking he's cool for him.

At first Cobra thinks Laxus is just one more Fairy Tail wizard, and then Laxus just starts casually talking about that time he punched Master Hades in the face, and Cobra stops short with the most stunned look on his face.

Laxus is the perfect lover for Cobra because he understands what it's like to be angry, and prideful, and wrathful, and not understood well by a lot of people. Loving Cobra is like loving a wounded, scarred animal that will lash out if you move too quickly, and he wouldn't rather love anyone else. He is so real with Cobra when he needs it, and so tender with Erik when he needs it.

NS/FW:

I also said here (in the tags) that Cobra is the one guy who could make Laxus consistently bottom, and I stand by that. There are plenty of tops Laxus could date and conceivably coax into adjusting, but Cobra is not one of them. And as with Gray preferring a more intimate sex life, Laxus is just as amenable to Cobra being strictly on top.

Cobra is very dominant and domineering. He needs absolute control in the bedroom because he is that against feeling any kind of vulnerability or intimacy. Laxus takes it well, even though Cobra is very rough sometimes. Even though Cobra is scared of vulnerability, he's also very against doing anything he thinks Laxus might not like, so he keeps very careful track of Laxus' thoughts and bodily reactions to make sure he's fucking Laxus in a way he likes.

Laxus might be a top in the average day-to-day, but Cobra very quickly works out the right ways to get him moaning and gasping. Not even the mighty Thunder God is immune to a good dicking that makes him see stars.

There is, as with most dragonslayer ships, a lot of biting. It's different with Cobra, though, because his fangs are longer and sharper than average, and kissing him can be a dangerous game if he doesn't keep control of his powers. Laxus loves that risk and loves taking it, and savors every kiss Cobra gives him and every bite mark left on him.

Cobra accidentally lost control and went dragon force mid-fuck once. Laxus was thrilled and thought it was the hottest thing ever.

There are, very rarely, occasions where Cobra bottoms. He still needs absolute control, and he's very slow and cautious when he goes cowboy. But Laxus loves it because he gets to actually see Cobra, feel him, and Cobra loves it because he can hear all the lustful ways Laxus is thinking of him, seeing his body and genuinely finding it sexy.

Cobra'd probably be more amenable to bottoming if Laxus' dick weren't so damn big

Laxus treats Cobra's body like a work of art, got it? Whenever he gets the opportunity, his hands are everywhere, his lips and tongue everywhere, every scar gets kissed. Cobra is treated to blowjobs so good they send him to the shadow realm for a few minutes.

After they get done, so out of breath and fucked clean of any bad feelings, they just lay there, and they both sleep away all their exhaustion and wake up with the strangest, yet most secure contentment ever.

Laxus has no ability to read thoughts. But after he gets bent over, face pressed into the pillow, and fucked vengefully while hearing "Don't - you - ever - leave - me - got - it?!" he figures out what's really up and calls Cobra out on trying to avoid saying "I love you". It's the one compromise he won't make for Cobra's sake--he makes him say it, right then and there, and when he does, he tells him he loves him back and kisses him.

[gunsli-01]

for milgram oc ask game ages 11 and 16 and questions 4, 8, 10, 11

Oh, yay!

4. Do they view their murder(s) and justifiable?

Jester is a pretty simple and straightforward person. He tends to view anything as justifiable. He takes things from every angle and isn't the quickest to anger. In a Milgram AU he'd be a bit of a frightening case because he simply could justify anything and feel nothing about doing it. In his regular canon this is beneficial.

Yet it'd make him the worse sort of person in Milgram. His whole stance would be similar to Yuno's.

"The fact I'm here and this is happening is proof enough that what I did needed to occur. You seriously think I'd get myself into this much trouble for what- Fun? If I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't have and the fact that I needed to is justification enough. There's really no need to talk about it any further than that."

Would be his only mindset about it and he would view someone else judging his behavior as a waste of his time. He's a pretty chill kid for the most part but incredibly picky about who he talks to and the opinions he allows to hold weight to him.

So, he'd probably be a standoffish prisoner if he were amongst a bunch of strangers. Not because they're murderers. Simply put he just has no interest in forming connections he doesn't want to and being forced to be around a bunch of people is the best way to make him not want to.

8. What do the voices of the outside world tell them?

"You're a really selfish person." "How could someone like you have the audacity to call yourself anyone's friend let alone theirs'." "A terrible person." "I'd feel sorry for you, but I know what happened to the last person who did that." "It must be hard..." "You seem to miss them deeply." "It gets better." "You did what you had to." "The situation was just all wrong." "I hope you feel better."

10. What is their image color?

Amaranth Purple- Amaranth would also be the flower most prominent in his birthday art.

It can represent immortality and means

"Unfading Affection" or "Everlasting Love" when given as gifts. Here's some facts about it.

X X X

11. What reoccurring themes present themselves throughout their music videos?

A lot of allusions to travel, small almost suffocatingly so rooms in large houses, superficial acts of communication that lead to increased loneliness, and a disdain for the genuine.

(I'm so fucking sorry i misread sixteen as twenty-six and I have no real explaination as to how outside of it's late and I was tired. So, now you get three ocs. I'm just adding this here to avoid confusion.)

Ah this next one may be a bit of a copout of an answer given that they are the age you asked for in real time but in their canon they're only nineteen. Hope that isn't a bother. Especially since I don't get to talk about them often. Despite them being one of my personal favorite characters to write.

His actual story is under reconstruction, and I haven't gotten to touch his character in a while as a result. technically it's being merged with another story.

Though if he did wind up in Milgram, he definitely would not be his age in canon which is why I went with his age by the current year when it comes to a Milgram au. Jester on the other hand would fuck up that young.

4. Do they view their murder(s) and justifiable?

"I didn't mean it, I didn't- mean it. This isn't the solution I wanted."

No. He does not. However, the problem was successfully solved. No one was satisfied though.

8. What do the voices of the outside world tell them?

"Your life is fucked up." "That's scary." "You deserve to stay in there." "This is just sad." "That's not how family is supposed to behave." "I don't know how to feel about this." "I want to forgive you but I also think it's safer if you stay in Milgram as long as they're not killing people at the end of this." "I'd say get therapy but that was part of the problem in this case." "Yes king dissociate harder. Reality is flawed." "In a unique twist of fate everyone here was so wrong that we've gone straight to a neutral outcome." "Those people kind of deserved it." "After a point a solution becomes a problem somehow you reached that point at birth." "Everything that could have gone wrong here went wrong. Good job team. Pack it up we can stop having things occur for this man now."

10. What is their image color?

Because I brought up a flower for Jester, I feel bad not bringing up one for Leyton.

His flower would be Azaleas.

Azaleas tend to mean Temperence and are used to remind people to take it easy.

"While azaleas represent passion, they also symbolize temperance. In other words, the plant reminds us of our ability to practice moderation — even when it comes to those things and people we love the most. You can still live a life full of love, romance, beauty, passion, and abundance while remaining level-headed and avoiding overindulgence. Self-control is a must-have in order to achieve stability and groundedness in your life. All things in moderation." X

They've also been related to family.

X

Something that generally makes them fit Leyton nicely.

11. What reoccurring themes present themselves throughout their music videos?

Persistence, distortion, power imbalances, responsibility, existentialism (primarily focusing on the right one has to exist and repaying those who made it possible for them to exist without question when asked), familial duty, housing, fiscal stability. Depending on his current mindset sibling relationships.

I'd love to hear your opinion on them. I love all my ocs dearly. Even though they're all a bit fucked up.

Goes up to reread ask to see if I answered correctly-

Oh, fuck you said sixteen! Damn it how did I read twenty-six. I'm sorry it's late and I'm still sick. So, I guess you're getting three ocs because it would be a waste to erase all that.

So, say hello to one of the specialist of girls,

4. Do they view their murder(s) and justifiable?

"Ha-ha, what a funny question. Do things people do need a reason or to be justifiable? It's such a immature way of looking at things... Guard, are you sure you're up for this sort of job? Not everything needs or has a justification you know. Besides even if I did have one that wouldn't make my actions any less objectively bad. Sorry, I'll stop teasing. Since I got what I wanted I'd say it was justified."

Yes, but no, but yes. If the ends justify the means then yeah she guesses what she did was justifiable but she also really has zero inclination to justify it. She's just an outcome based person.

8. What do the voices of the outside world tell them?

"You're not sorry at all!" "Your hair is super cute!" "How can you still be having a good time after doing all that." "Do you even feel empathy?" "You had way too much free time." "Well being raised like that what should we expect." "It's not bad to focus on one's own needs but..." "How exactly did you get what you wanted here this is a terrible outcome? It's a surpise you still have friends. I couldn't imagine speaking to anyone who did this ever again." "You plan to just go back and what pretend you didn't do all that?!" "YOU STILL HAVE AN ACTING CAREER BITCH! HOW?! I LOSE JOBS FOR JUST BREATHING WRONG AND YOU'RE STILL EMPLOYED!" "This is gonna be bad to say but I'm ultimately just impressed at the level of thought put into this at this point. I mean instead of being normal you truly went fuck it I'll escalate this further. Really went we can be insane together." "How the fuck is he not here- oh wait... Yeah, he's the victim." "I know voting innocent isn't going to make her better but she had me at 'Dead and gone- Oh she's crazy my love's eternal but you'll fade quickly'. I'm not fixing this I want her to get worse actually." "She's soooo normal." "This is what he would've wanted." "Toxic heteronormativity sweep!" "What you and your victim had was special. You both made each other so much worse and I have no doubt there's a universe in which he's here instead of you."

(Side note there is. If being worse was a contact sport James and Luna would be the worlds best team even though they're actually shown to be quite reasonable in their respective canons. They're both really susceptible to living in extremes. The only thing that leveled these two out was putting them in a polyamorous relationship with the nearest individual with a moral compass. However in a Milgram au one of them must be dead for the other to be here and they never spoke to that third person.)

10. What is their image color?

Her flower is Orchid the white variety mainly.

X

11. What reoccurring themes present themselves throughout their music videos?

The sun (in it's many forms but mainly sunlight), lack of presence, authenticity, boredom, extreme thrill seeking behavior, the feeling that there's only one opinion that matters and it's not the audience's or hers, contentment, memories.

[toraawa]

*bouncing up & down* HERE!

☯︎☮︎♦️☆⬜ (both of em ofc)

thanks my dudette!

Yuri

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

He likes people who don't treat him like some untouchable animal. If he's not actively wanting to card you and you confront him confidently, he'll be less bothered to talk to you. On the other hand, he despises hypocrites. Yuri can find amusement in a liar floundering to avoid the truth or keep a facade, but being a hypocrite is the easiest way to earn his disfavor.

☮︎ - friendship headcanon

When he was much younger, he thought just existing and doing fun things together was all it took to be friends. Now, he believes there is no such thing as friendship — only a transactional, "we'll keep each other around and fake smile as long as it's beneficial" sort of relationship. This changes post canon after a while, though it's still very hard to earn his trust.

♦️ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Since he's only known Academia all his life and has no family or friends, one of his hobbies is listening to other students talk about the outside world. He's particularly interested in family dynamics and love between people. In the rare instances his usual sneer is absent as he walks through the halls, it spooks the shit out of anyone that meets his gaze from how intently he watches people. In truth, Yuri's just listening and gets absorbed by what they say (so he can better get under people's skin, or so he says). He also relays the interesting stuff he hears to his plants.

☆ - happy headcanon

When he's genuinely happy, feeling real joy and not the empty thrill he's drunk on, his eyes light up and his face gets so soft that no one would believe he's out there hurting people by the thousands. Of course, it's a sight that no one has ever seen — except Leo when he first made Yuri his protegee. Seeing it made him feel disturbed and, for a second, conflicted. But the more Yuri embraced Zarc's influence, the more his faces of genuine happiness and sadistic glee became indistinguishable. Post canon, it takes a lot of work and trust to get him to express genuine happiness again.

■ - Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

Wherever Yuri's living, be it his place at Academia or a house, it is impeccably clean. He's a huge stickler about clutter and dirt, and he'll take the time out of his day to clean everything himself. Of course, there's potted plants everywhere Yuri can fit them while also making sure its aesthetically pleasing. He especially likes his room to be dark and full of plants, like a lair in a jungle.

Serena

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

She likes learning about how to be more socially aware, and therefore likes people who are very patient. She thinks people who stay understanding and resist getting frustrated is a sign that they are genuinely kind. On the flip side, one thing Serena hates more than anything is liars. Even if it's something she doesn't want to hear, tell it to her straight. Hiding the truth is the easiest way to make her lose trust and respect for you.

☮︎ - friendship headcanon

Seeing her friends happy and content is a major source of happiness for her. She's a very selfless friend, constantly taking the time to make sure they're okay and putting their needs and wants before her own. She does notice that no one ever does the same for her... but Serena tries not to let it bother her. Having friends who are willing to keep her around after believing in Academia's ways is more than what she deserves, or so she believes.

♦️ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Serena has a lot of pent up curiosity, so one of her hobbies is trying out mundane things she's read or heard about. For example, if she sees a baby in a stroller, she'll try making silly faces to see if it'll actually laugh. If she finds a stray cat or dog, she'll mimic the sounds people do to beckon it closer. It embarrasses her quite a lot when others laugh at her, so she appreciates it when people just let her try new things in peace.

☆ - happy headcanon

Expressing happiness is something that she has had to work on a lot, since Academia has trained her that such emotions are unnecessary. But when she does, people often comment on how cute her smile is. Even so, Serena still feels herself holding back sometimes. A part of her feels vestiges of guilt for experiencing happiness, and she's also self-conscious about how others will judge her since she's known for being serious and no-nonsense.

■ - Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

Out of sheer habit, Serena's living spaces tend to be pretty barren. Her room in Academia was comfortable but very plain, and she wants to be as little trouble as possible if she's staying with someone else. If she ever got her own place, the most important aspect would be having tall windows that let her see the night sky. She also needs a night light in her bedroom due to fear of the dark (which she will never admit). Overall, she prefers someplace spacious, clean, and open enough so she doesn't feel constricted again.

[lesbianmichelmishina]

theories on how the hisuian variants/species went extinct:

sneasler: outcompeted by invasive weaviles. yes, sneasler has a type advantage, but that's not everything. weaviles are explicitly stated to be pack hunters while sneaslers are solo. sneasler has the higher attack, but weavile is faster. a pack of coordinated weaviles could take out a sneasler before the sneasler could even fully react. weaviles are also dark-types, so underhanded tactics are kind of their thing: stealing from sneaslers, setting up traps, sneak attacks... incidentally, this is part of what wiped neanderthals out. sapiens were smaller and weaker, so had to get more creative, which lead to us gaining the advantage with things like the atl-atl.

avalugg: look i'm sorry but ice/rock is a godawful typing. two quad weaknesses and four normal weaknesses? not to mention that hisuian avalugg sacrifices its special stats for speed compared to the kalosian, but that extra 10 speed is useless when the end result is only thirty-eight. it's a big target, it's slow, it's not going to do well.

zoroark: human hunting, probably. it's the 1800s, people only barely have an idea of conservation. if an animal/pokemon is seen as a threat to humans, it gets wiped out. the dark-type variant got away with it by just being a prankster, but the hisuian form is outright hostile to humans.

overqwil: the hisuian qwilfish is not a water-type, but it lives in water. that's... not ideal. probably got outcompeted by tentacruel, which fills a similar niche as an aquatic poison-type.

wyrdeer/kleavor: probably not actually gone completely - people just lost how to get them to evolve.

ursaluna: similar to the above, but i want to point out that outside of outbreaks, there is only ONE wild ursaluna in the game, and that one is a special case. ursaring is already a massive predator. can the ecosystem even handle multiple ursalunas in the same area? it might actually be beneficial for ursarings to not evolve.

basculegion: firstly, the white-striped basculin is noted to be very docile compared to its unovan counterparts. secondly, most of the game's basculins are found in the coastlands. firespit island will one day become stark mountain, and based on the relative sizes of the islands and the apparent fertility of the area around stark mountain, i'm guessing that a volcanic eruption happened between PLA and DPPt. take the two together, and basculin may not have been aggressive enough to survive in the suddenly much more hostile environment.

arcanine: again, fire/rock is just a bad typing, especially for something that lives so close to water. the upheaval caused by this hypothetical eruption could have been enough to push the growlithes and arcanines over the edge.

lilligant: i'm genuinely not sure. i guess maybe that gaping flying weakness let roserade outcompete it?

braviary: weaviles again. psychic/flying vs dark/ice, in an environment that the dark/ice-type is perfectly suited for? yeah, whoever introduced weaviles to sinnoh really fucked up.

electrode: honestly wouldn't be surprised if they all just lost the grass-type and became the modern version when modern pokeballs were invented. even today, top pokemon researchers are baffled.

[briamichellewrites]

22

“Bipolar disorder can sometimes make you feel uncontrollable. Your moods and feelings will determine how you behave. Manic episodes cause you to act in ways that you would not normally. such as using drugs, drinking, or sleeping around. When your manic episodes end and you realise what you have done, you feel guilty. Additionally, depression is very challenging. For six years, I suffered from depression. Even with medication, I was putting one foot in front of the other. I had a mental breakdown from exhaustion and spent 72 hours in the hospital. I was so sick of being depressed.”

Maura and Sally Field were meeting with Bria to learn more about bipolar disorder. The diagnosis was given to Sally, who portrayed Maura's mother on the show. When she was not taking medication, she was erratic, which had a detrimental effect on Maura's character's early years. Bria had high functioning bipolar disorder, which meant she could still function well in every day life.

What was the frequency of her episodes? It was contingent upon the circumstances. She could experience mania for two or three days when she was excited about something. She might be depressed for a few days or for a week. For her, what did depression mean?

She felt "heavy," as if everything was pressing down on her. It also gave me the impression that the world was gloomy. She wanted to be genuinely happy before receiving a bipolar disorder diagnosis. She was terrified that something negative would occur, which is why she was simultaneously so afraid of happiness. Throughout her depression, she did experience moments of true joy.

“In summary, depression can be compared to mental and physical abuse perpetrated by one's own thoughts. You are continually disparaged for everything you do.”

In between her manic and depressive episodes, she did experience "normal" moods. What gave her the strength to face each day? Her cats. They were adept at predicting her emotions. Sometimes they would beg her to take them outside or pet them when she needed a distraction. She had leashes for them. She found that to be very beneficial, particularly at school.

She was very familiar with her therapist, whom she had seen since she was twelve years old. They chuckled. When she was at home, she saw her roughly once a week.

"You must distinguish between the illness and the behaviour of someone who has bipolar disorder or any other mental health condition in your life. You must discover what is their fault and what you can hold them responsible for. For instance, I am still responsible for my words if I say something hurtful to Anthony when I am upset with him. I could never do that to him, so it has never happened.”

Both the person with bipolar disorder and those around them experienced exhaustion. Did she suffer from any additional mental health conditions? She also had an unidentified personality disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD.

This indicated that although she did not fit the criteria for a diagnosis, she did exhibit the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. She feared being abandoned, whether in real life or in her imagination. It was believed to be brought on by the divorce of her adoptive parents and the placement of her for adoption by her biological parents.

The disorder known as borderline personality disorder was complicated. Although they could be diagnosed together and had some similar symptoms, it was distinct from bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder was less severe than borderline personality disorder. Those who had the disorder had a black-and-white perspective on the world.

Either everyone was good or bad. They had their "favourite people" , who they thought were flawless. Until they felt like they were about to leave them. Then they threw them away. Their mood swings were also uncontrollable. They might get upset over something trivial.

“I called Noah once because it was about nine at night, I had just woken up and I was so hungry. He informed me that he would be going to bed.”

They chuckled.

“Someone who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD, would be upset with him for turning them down. He would be accused of being a bad friend by them. How could he do that to them after all that they had done for him? By drinking, using drugs, or hooking up with someone, they may destroy themselves. Given their diagnosis, Noah may contact them the next day. They will repeatedly apologise for their anger because he reached out to them. They will implore him to stay with them.”

She didn’t have those symptoms. Her symptoms were more pushing people away to see if they stayed with her. When Anthony first entered her life, she treated him that way. She needed constant reassurance that he was not leaving. The same applied to her stepmother. They gained a better understanding of bipolar disorder as a result of her candour.

It was a treatable condition. as long as they followed a healthy routine, took their meds, and monitored their moods. Having a network of support was one of the best things. It could be exhausting and was very challenging at times. But when they were not taking their meds, it was much worse. She urged them to read up on the disease and its effects on children. She had no idea what it was like because she was childless. They both expressed gratitude to her for speaking with them.

They were greatly appreciated. If Noah actually did that to her, Maura questioned. Yes, he did. She chose to go get something to eat by herself, which made it crazy. That was when she happened to run into Goran. They ate dinner together late at night. He then asked her out a day or two later. According to what she had heard, Anthony was involved.

"You two looked adorable together. Why did you split up?”

"He believed that he was working too much and not spending enough time with me."

“How is it possible not to love Goran? He’s one of the greatest guys.”

"I understand. He is just as adorable as Noah and Anthony. He was adored by Janis and Amber.”

"Who are they?" enquired Sally.

“Oh, they’re my cats. Their human names cause a great deal of confusion.”

They laughed. When Goran heard what Bria had to say about him, he was moved. She was among the best girls he had ever had the pleasure of dating. She deserved all the best, so he sent her his best wishes. It is possible that they will reunite in the future. For everyone, that was the ultimate goal. Before she flew back to Boston, he would need to see her. He should get in touch with her, Maura advised. That is what he would do.

@alina-dixon @feelingsofaithless

[zigmenthotep]

Addendum to my previous post, because it was getting too long already and this isn't exactly on topic.

If you're under the age of like 60, and/or not familiar with contemporary film history, you might not be aware that indie films were being shown in movie theatres as recently as the early 1980s.

The Texas Chain-Saw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and The Evil Dead were all independently produced and then just picked up for distribution—there are other examples, but I have a specific area of expertise so deal with it. And outside of that, there were other independent films that were just being distributed to theatres either directly from the filmmakers or through smaller distribution houses. So how did we get from indie films decupling their budgets at drive-ins and grindhouse theatres to major studio films making a 50% profit? There are a few factors.

Theatre Chains

As eluded to, small independently-owned theatres could literally just show whatever they wanted, and around the 1960s they started doing that. Movies like Blood Feast and Two Thousand Maniacs! completely bypassed the Hays Code by distributing directly to theatres without the traditional distribution channels.

However, as more and more theatres became chains, they do what all chains do: provide an identical experience at all locations. So that meant that theatre owners were no longer choosing what movies to show, and absolutely were not getting movies from outside the major studio distribution network.

The Birth of the "Blockbuster"

There used to be way more variety in movies. As a movie studio, making a bunch of different movies was a good business plan. There were big incredibly-successful movies, but any movie that turned a profit was a profit.

But in the 80s the studios really started moving all their efforts toward trying to make the next "Blockbuster" which meant killing off any projects that may turn a modest profit in favor of funneling everything into a handful of releases.

Look at current studio films, everything is now expected to make obscene profits. A movie that brings in $250 million is considered a bomb because they spent $200 million making it, and that $50 million profit isn't going to sustain a major studio when they only make 4 movies a year.

Home Video

Yes, home video—and now streaming—was very beneficial for independent film. However, it also kinda created an entire separate distribution channel for independent film. If it's 1983 and I'm making an indie film, I can cut costs and raise potential profits substantially by making that movie for the home video market instead of hoping for release in the dwindling number of independently-owned theatres. Essentially, as the studios were working very hard to make it impossible to compete in theatres, indie films just moved somewhere else. And now that the big streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime are becoming mainstream media, we're seeing older and indie films once again being pushed off of those platforms and onto "Lesser" ones like Tubi and Pluto TV.

So in conclusion, that's why when you go to your local 20-screen multiplex they're only showing five movies on four screens each. And why people genuinely believe that the strike will take those five movies away from them. As is so often the case, when we rip off the rubber mask it's once again decades of unethical unchecked capitalism starting in the 1980s.

[kelseyreads22]

Amelia Rose Blossom

from “What Lies Between Us” on Wattpad and AO3!

Thank you to my girl @newdreamlove95 for the tag!!! I loved learning about Bee 🥹

I am choosing to tag @somegirlyoumetx @narratedforyou-blog xx

READ MORE ABOUT MEETING MY MC BELOW!

Amelia is my MC from my story “What Lies Between Us”. She is 16 years old and a complete and utter Muggle attending Hogwarts under their name Muggle Integration Program, having been chosen for her family’s status back in America. She is the only Muggle sorted into Slytherin which puts her at unique disadvantages.

Her relationship with Sebastian is “fake”. Right? Totally fake. Because the fake relationship which just so happens to be beneficial to the both of them also includes making out, excessive touching, and forcing the “real” feelings to go away. But, yes, it’s a “fake relationship”!

Her full name is Amelia Rose Blossom but her nicknames include Lia, Petal, Flower Petal, Flower, and any other pet name that Sebastian deems acceptable.

Her personality traits consist of:

•Resilient: Despite being thrown into an unfamiliar world where she is treated as an outsider, Amelia refuses to let it break her. She keeps pushing forward, even when things get difficult.

•Witty/Sarcastic: She has a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humor, often using sarcasm as a defense mechanism when dealing with difficult situations or people.

•Proud: Amelia refuses to let anyone see her as weak, and she struggles to accept help or show vulnerability. She is determined to prove herself despite being a Muggle in a magical school.

•Loyal (to a fault): Once she considers someone a true friend, she will stand by them no matter what. This loyalty becomes particularly evident in her relationship with Sebastian and her bestie Poppy.

•Defiant: Even though she is powerless in a world of magic, she refuses to be walked over. She stands her ground, even when it gets her into trouble.

•Guarded: She hates the idea of being seen as weak and struggles to express her true emotions, even to those she trusts. When overwhelmed, she sometimes pushes people away rather than let them see her struggles.

•Cunning: While she’s not traditionally “Slytherin” in the magical sense, she understands how to use words, social dynamics, and intelligence to her advantage when necessary.

•A Secret Hopeless Romantic: Despite acting indifferent or skeptical about love, deep down, she craves real, genuine affection but is afraid of being let down.

•Protective: Amelia may not have magic, but she won’t hesitate to stand up for the people she cares about. If someone messes with her friends (or Sebastian), they’ll regret it—whether that means a sharp remark, a well-aimed punch (I’m looking at you, Adelaide!)

•Short-Tempered: She has a fuse about as long as a matchstick. While she’s good at keeping her cool in certain situations, when someone really irritates her (or if she’s feeling frustrated about her own limitations), she can snap quickly.

•Tea Hater Extraordinaire: Amelia absolutely despises tea, which is practically a crime in the UK. No matter how many times people try to convince her otherwise, it remains the bane of her existence.

•Dramatic: Amelia swears she’s not dramatic, but everyone around her would strongly disagree. Whether it’s dramatically flopping onto a couch after a long day, rolling her eyes so hard they might get stuck, or making an exaggerated scene over something as simple as being offered tea, she has a flair for the theatrical. Her reactions are always just a little over the top, making her unintentionally entertaining to those around her.

~~~~~

HER STYLE <3

Amelia’s eyes are a soft, light green, sharp and impossible to ignore—Sebastian’s favorite shade of green, not that he’d ever admit it out loud.

Amelia’s hair is light brown, mostly straight but with a natural, subtle wave that gives it just the right amount of texture. It’s impossibly soft, something Sebastian can never seem to keep his hands off. Whether he’s absentmindedly running his fingers through it, tucking it behind her ear, or gently tugging at a strand just to get a reaction, touching her hair has become second nature to him!

Amelia usually wears a light touch of makeup, just enough to enhance her features without drawing too much attention. A bit of mascara, a hint of blush, and a natural lip color—effortless but polished. However, when it comes to parties, she’s not afraid to go bolder—a sharper eyeliner, darker eyeshadow, or a richer lip shade, embracing the fun of dressing up. She doesn’t do it for anyone else, just for herself, but Sebastian definitely notices.

Amelia’s style is a mix of cozy and effortlessly chic. She loves soft sweaters, well-fitted jeans, and anything pink, always looking put together without trying too hard. But when she puts on a dress, she knows how to turn heads. She isn’t afraid to wear something that hugs her figure, accentuating her curves in just the right way. And as for Hogwarts robes? She’ll never stop calling them bathrobes.

Amelia’s comfy wear is peak cozy chaos. She practically lives in oversized sleep shirts, and the weirder the design, the better—a monkey holding a banana? Absolutely. A cat wearing sunglasses? Even better. Paired with her beloved teddy bear slippers, she’s a walking contradiction of elegance by day and absolute comfort gremlin by night. Sebastian never knows whether to tease her or find it endearing—so he does both.

Amelia was raised in a world of galas, fundraisers, and high-profile events, where looking polished wasn’t a choice—it was an expectation. Coming from a city like New York, where fashion is as much a statement as it is a lifestyle, she knows how to dress the part. When the occasion calls for it, she can pull off stunning, couture-like gowns with ease, dripping in elegance and confidence. She carries herself with the kind of poise that was drilled into her from a young age, every detail intentional—from the way she accessorizes to the way she walks. But while dressing up was once just a duty, she’s learned to enjoy it on her own terms. She loves heels—not just because they give her petite 5’1 frame some height, but because they make her feel powerful.

Amelia may be petite, but her curves are impossible to ignore—a full chest, defined waist, and hips that could bring a man to his knees. And Sebastian? He’s a devoted admirer. He takes every opportunity to mark her up, kisses trailing down the curves he loves to claim, leaving behind proof that she’s his and his alone. She’s always been put together, and that extends to her lingerie—matching sets, effortlessly elegant, even when no one’s looking. But when she wants to step it up? Lace is her go-to, delicate yet undeniably sultry, usually in soft, lighter shades that contrast beautifully against her skin. Sebastian is her sexual awakening, the one guiding her through unfamiliar territory, but while she’s still learning, she’s not afraid to take control—especially when she realizes just how easily she can undo him.

Somehow, Amelia always forgets her own robe. Whether she leaves it in the common room, “accidentally” misplaces it, or just decides she can’t be bothered to carry it, it mysteriously never seems to be around when she needs it. Sebastian has caught onto this pattern, which is why he’s stopped questioning it entirely. Without hesitation, he’ll just drape his own Slytherin robe over her shoulders, letting it swallow her petite frame. It’s far too big, the hem nearly dragging on the floor, the sleeves covering her hands, but she doesn’t care. Because it smells like him. Warm, familiar, and so undeniably Sebastian that she finds herself pulling it tighter, practically burrowing into the fabric. There’s something about it—about being wrapped in something that’s his—that makes her feel comforted, protected, and maybe just a little bit claimed. But nothing compares to the sight of Amelia wearing his Quidditch jersey. SALLOW is stamped across the back in bold lettering, and she knows exactly what she’s doing when she ties her hair up into a ponytail—just so everyone can see whose last name she’s wearing. It’s a silent statement, one that drives Sebastian absolutely insane. He’ll act cocky about it, smirking and making some teasing remark, but the truth is? There’s nothing in the world he loves more than seeing her in his name.

READ WLBU TODAY NY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW!

MC / OC Fun... What would they be as a dress, accessory, and lingerie?

Hey there! I wanted to set up a fun way to get to know some of our MCs and OCs! I'm going to tag some creators. Feel free to reblog with your own answers even if you aren't tagged or just make your own post!

Introduction #1: My OC's full name is Kate Camellia Mayflower. In my fanfic, it's 1899. She is 24 years old, madly in love with Sebastian Sallow, and is employed as the Hogwarts assistant librarian. (Art by @giselsann)

Kate as a dress: Kate loves gowns that are soft, romantic, and feminine. This dress seems like it accentuates curves, which would be flattering for my midsize gal. She also adores floral/botanical designs, so the leaves on this dress are perfect. Yellow is her favorite color, too!

Kate as an accessory: I couldn't pick. She has a LOT of accessories. Both of these items in particular are meaningful in my fanfic. One is a moonstone ring that was involved in an ancient reincarnation ritual. The other is a locket that Sebastian commissioned just for her. Inside, she keeps a miniature portrait of Sebastian as well as one of the two of them together. Whenever Sebastian is involved in dangerous field work, she opens it constantly to look at him for reassurance and peace.

Kate as lingerie: The items in the first pic are not period-appropriate, but they SCREAM Kate to me. The yellow color and the sunflowers would interest her right away, but the fact that it's all see-through would make her giggle when imagining Sebastian's reaction. The second item, the corset, is pretty while featuring her two favorite colors. Honestly, it made me think of her cottage, since green and gold are the two most featured colors there.

I also wanted to do this for my other OC!

Introduction #2: My other OC, the Hogwarts Legacy MC, is Ruby McKinnon. She is only a side character in my fanfic, but I enjoy yapping about her. 😁 In 1899, she's married to Poppy Sweeting-McKinnon and travels for work alongside her, researching the connection between ancient magic and beasts (a la San Bakar). (Art by @giselsann)

Ruby as a dress: Ruby usually prefers trousers or pantaloons. They're just easier and more functional, especially because Ruby works with magical creatures. However, she doesn't mind wearing a dress for a formal occasion. Her dresses are a little more plain than others, but they are still beautiful and classic. As a former Slytherin, green is her favorite color; it also suits her unique hair color well.

Ruby as an accessory: Ruby received these hair clips as an anniversary gift from Poppy all the way back when they were students at Hogwarts, and she's still wearing them in 1899. Obviously, they both love animals, but Poppy sees birds as symbolic of freedom and independence, which are traits she greatly admires in Ruby.

Ruby as lingerie: I'm not gonna lie - the attitude of this model was really what made me select this picture. This is sooooooo Ruby.

No pressure at all with these tags - making this post took me a while, but it was fun! If you aren't tagged but want to participate, feel free to just go for it!!! 💛

@newdreamlove95, @kaidynsarell, @writingsoftarnishedsilver, @witchyafterdark, @queen-of-stoneharts, @ladyofsappho; @honeyxmooncalves; @heylorrain; @hazyange1s

[samwisethewitch]

Banishing Nasty Spirits

If you’ve been following this series of posts, you know why a witch might work with spirits, how to establish a relationship with a spirit, and how to communicate with spirits. What we haven’t yet discussed is how to get rid of spirits that are bothersome, annoying, or malevolent.

I was planning to talk about pathworking and astral travel before getting into banishing, but in light of some asks I recently received on Tumblr, I think it’s important that we take a moment to discuss how to get rid of spirits that, for whatever reason, you don’t want around.

There are lots of reasons you might not want a spirit in your space. Just like with people, some spirits just aren’t a good fit for you and your practice. Part of being a spirit worker is cultivating a “spirit team” of beings that you can have healthy and beneficial relationships with.

Some spirits are mischievous and like to cause trouble. If you find yourself on the receiving end of lots of spirit pranks, you may want to gently encourage them to move along. And there are some spirits out there who just genuinely hate humans and will go out of their way to cause mental, emotional, and even physical harm.

Don’t get me wrong — malevolent spirits aren’t common. In my experience, the vast majority of unwanted spirits are more annoying than dangerous. I’m not saying this to scare you or make you paranoid. But these things do exist, and it would be negligent of me not to mention them in a series on spirit work.

There’s a reason that one of the most common truisms in witchcraft is, “Never conjure something you can’t banish.” If you’re going to be working with spirits, it’s a good idea to know how to banish them just in case. With that being said, here’s how you can clear out any nasties that may be lingering in your space.

Cleansing

The first step is to kick those unwanted spirits out of your space. There are lots of ways to do this, so choose the one that is the best fit for you.

Cleansing with fire and smoke is a very old and very simple method. If this is the way you decide to go, there are several magical substances you can burn to banish spirits. Burning sulfur or asafetida will clear out just about anything, but they both smell awful and are potentially toxic, so you’ll want to get an okay from the other people living in your home, burn a little at a time, and make sure you have lots of windows open. (Some people say sulfur and asafetida will banish all spirits, not just the unfriendly ones, so you may have to invite your spirit team back in later.) For something that smells a little more pleasant, you can try a mix of frankincense and myrrh resin, or burn a mix of dried rosemary, sage (garden sage, not endangered white sage, please!), and bay leaves — but again, make sure you have windows open, because these get smoky. Plus, you want the windows and/or doors open so the spirits have somewhere to go when the smoke chases them out.

If smoking up your living space isn’t an option for you, you can manually clean your space with a wash or powder. If you have hardwoods, you can make a floor wash with water, salt, lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. (This is adapted from an uncrossing bath in the book Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison.) Use this mixture to mop your floors, as well as to wipe down your walls and furniture. If you have a humidifier or essential oil diffuser, diffusing some of this mix would also be a good idea.

If you have carpet, you can make a powder by combining salt, dried lemon peel, dried roses, lavender flowers, and bay leaves. You’ll need to ground this really fine, so I recommend using a coffee grinder or food processor. Sprinkle the powder on your carpet, let it sit for a few minutes, and then vacuum it up. I would supplement this by also diffusing a mix of saltwater with rosewater, lemon juice, and lavender and/or bay laurel essential oil. If you don’t have a diffuser, at least sprinkle some saltwater around the room and on your belongings.

No matter which form of cleansing you decide to use, it’s important to verbally state your intention to banish these unwanted spirits from your space. Tell them out loud that they are no longer welcome here and that they need to leave. Don’t be rude about it, but be firm and speak clearly and with confidence.

After you cleanse your space, it’s a good idea to cleanse yourself as well to remove any psychic ties to the spirits you’ve just banished. The easiest way to do this is with a ritual bath. The floor wash recipe mentioned earlier can also be used as a psychic cleansing bath. Other options include a bath with salt, frankincense, and myrrh or a bath with salt, rosemary, sage, and bay laurel. You can use essential oils for your bath, or add the resins and herbs to a cheesecloth bag and drop it into the tub for easy diffusing and cleanup.

If you don’t have a bathtub, you can cleanse yourself in the shower. Place two cups of salt in a bowl. Add lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. If you don’t have essential oils, you can add dried lavender and crushed bay leaves. Add some of your favorite body wash to create a scrub (if you don’t have body wash, use olive oil). While in the shower, use this mixture to scrub your skin — visualize yourself scrubbing away any psychic gunk you might have picked up.

Protection

Once you’ve removed any unwanted spirits from your space, you want to lay down some protection to keep them from coming back. There are as many ways to ward off spirits as there are witches, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

One option is to create a ward. You can do this by anointing the door frames, door knobs, and window frames of your home with a protective oil blend and/or by creating lines of salt across your doorways and just inside your windows. You can use other protective substances if you prefer. As you lay down these protections, visualize a protective shield around your home, and speak aloud your intention to keep harmful spirits out.

Iron is said to repel spirits. Keep a railroad spike or other large piece of iron under your bed to prevent nightmares and to keep spirits from messing with you while you sleep. There’s an old superstition that says that hammering iron nails into the four corners of your home protects it from spirits — this may not be possible if you’re renting, but you can create a similar effect by displaying a piece of iron in each of the four corners of your home. Hematite is a crystal that is high in iron, so it can be used in a similar way to ward off spirits.

Aloe is said to protect from negative spirits, and to bring protection and good luck more generally. It’s also a common house plant that is easy to care for, so this method of protection is especially great for witches who need to keep their practice a secret. Keep several aloe plants in your home to protect those who live there.

For witches with a crafty side, making a witch bottle is another option for protection. There are lots of different recipes for witch bottles, but the basic method is to fill a bottle with sharp objects, add something from your body, and hide it somewhere outside your home (traditionally buried on the property, but leaving it in an outbuilding works just as well). The idea is that any nasty spirit that comes looking for you will be attracted to the bottle (because it contains part of your body), get caught by the sharp objects, and be trapped. To create a simple witch bottle, fill a mason jar about halfway with sewing pins, then add a bit of your hair and some of your fingernail clippings, and finally fill it with liquid (traditionally, this liquid is your own urine, but if that makes you uncomfortable vinegar will also work). If you want, you can also include some of your favorite banishing herbs, resins, or crystals.

Religious symbols can also keep nasty spirits away. If you identify strongly with a religion, display protective symbols from that faith in your living space. For example: a Christian witch might hang up a crucifix or set out a statue of Archangel Michael, a Norse pagan witch might hang up an image of Mjolnir, a Hindu witch might display a statue of Durga, etc. Sometimes the most effective way to keep nasty spirits away is to let them know that you’re under the protection of someone more powerful.

When dealing with unwanted spirits, the most important thing to remember is that you do not need to be afraid. You are a powerful witch, and you are more than capable of getting rid of them. Be confident in your abilities and know that whatever happens, you can handle it.

Resources:

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin

Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

[nothankyousirr]

my opinions on the different mbti types (from an intj)

enfp - you can be good to hang around in moderation. i appreciate your charitable nature; how you aren’t one to pass judgement, but that also leads to a lack in understanding one’s depth. i appreciate how easy it is to befriend you, you’re able to keep the conversation without any expectations on my part to contribute, and although you can be stupid and impulsive, it’s to a point where it’s almost fascinating, which makes it somehow nice to be in your presence. in moderation, of course. you can be very draining at some points.

entp - you’re funny to watch, but actually conversing with you can be...confusing? i do appreciate your ability to see things from other perspectives, but sometimes you need to take a step back and understand the overall reasons behind those perspectives. confidence is important, but don’t get too over zealous, we all have things to improve on.

enfj - i cannot understand you. at all. you’re so nice, it seems like you have some sort of ulterior motives. i do not trust you, you are just so warm i feel like i’m being judged every time i talk with you, or are even in the same room as you. your general demeanor is just so kind it’s threatening, you need to be less optimistic.

entj - a lot of people hate you, which i can understand on their part, but i appreciate your approach to things. with every entj i’ve met, no matter my friend’s/peer’s opinion, we’ve always had a mutual understanding of some sorts. although, i do see a lot of naivety; which i’m 99.9% sure none of you will ever admit. i admire your drive, your confidence, and things along those lines, but some words of advice; you can’t change anyone. as hard as you try, some people are just stuck the way they are, unfortunately. it’s something i’ve had to learn as well, but a lesson i think would do you well.

infp - you are adorably killing yourselves with every move; like small puppy who’s favorite toy just happens to be laid perfectly in the middle of ongoing traffic. your impulsivity hurts me deep inside. please, just try to be aware of your surroundings, at least a little. i know, ironic coming from me, but it’s all i could ask. think out your actions, just a bit. i know life may suck, but take it upon yourself to change that, instead of just falling victim to your own hurt. i wish i could just pick you up and live your life for you, it hurts to see you do these things.

intp - i like you. your humor is refreshing as well as your insight, you just cannot stay organized. you take pride in your discombobulation; your lack of care, which confuses me. because of that, it’s hard to empathize with you when you have troubles, because it could’ve been easily prevented. it makes me upset for you when i see you do this. it doesn’t come from a place of trying to overly pressure you, rather a place of care. i hope that can be acknowledged.

infj - i enjoy your presence, you are just are hard to get. i always seem to upset you in some way, so i implore you to be better at communicating those things. your productivity and insight is very much appreciated, i feel your anxiety is holding you back. we all experience anxiety, it’s a valid human emotion, of course, but don’t let it dictate your life. confidence is important, you’re allowed to acknowledge your accomplishments. also, i implore you to think deeper in terms of morality. why do you believe those things? what is the axiomatic rout of those morals? by understanding that, you gain a better understanding of the people around you. the people you deem to be bad, may think they’re good by their own definition.

intj - from one intj to another, i feel like there is a lot to grow on. we tend to be very book-smart, but oblivious when it comes to how people work, including ourselves, but just because those things are acknowledged from mbti posts and whatnot, that does not give any excuse to avoid improvement. knowledge is important if we ever want to achieve our goals, and having that insight can make things a lot easier. as much as it seems like time is easily slipping away from us, taking control and trying to pick up on those details we may normally be ignoring, may teach us something valuable. it’s also important to take care of ourselves. i find routines are an easy way to remember to do so. having designated times for everything helps maximize the amount of time to get things done, while also taking care of your needs. and give yourself breaks. having fun, relaxing, etc. can also be productive in itself. not everything that’s productive isn’t what’s directly seen as such.

esfp - you can be a lot. its very hard for me to truly understand you, and i get the impression that you feel the same about me. i feel like there’s a lot of miscommunication. we’re practically complete opposites, not just literally (intj-esfp) but in practice as well. what you find fun and what i find fun is so drastically different from one another, i feel like it’s impossible to truly have a meaningful time with each other. from both parties.

estp - i like your confidence. your humor as well. i feel like we get along quite well, although it can be hard at some points because i tend to live in the future a lot, while you’re the “go with the flow” type. that is appreciated, though, and i feel like there’s a lot to teach each other. that’s just a matter of taking the time to communicate with one-another and be understanding.

esfj - i like you, from the sidelines. i appreciate the way you think, i’m just not sure if that is reciprocated. i tend to come of very strong, which i think is quite anxiety inducing for you, but you’re very passionate about the things you enjoy. i do think it’s important for you to have more insight, though. the world is vast, and an understanding of it can be very beneficial to you. 

estj -  your drive is commendable. you’re very confident, know what you want, which i appreciate. i do think it’s important to take a step to think about things further to acknowledge the nuances in things, instead of dismissing them as confusing. not everything is as blunt as you’d like, and may take a bit of critical thinking to truly understand. things happen, yes, but why may they do that? is there anyway to prevent the things you don’t like from happening? those questions are something i think are important to keep in mind.

isfp - for lack of a more kinder way of saying this, i dislike you. i wouldn’t go as far as to say i hate you, but i am very frustrated with you. you tend to dismiss things for the main reason of someone just “being that way” without taking into account any other factors that may come into play for that behavior. with the isfps i’ve met, you’ve seen my behaviors as “trying too hard to be a certain way” or “pretentious” without truly understanding why i act the way i do. it gets frustrating. your very confident, but in thoughts that are lacking in insight. take a second to learn about what you’re talking about before you say things. for my own sanity.

istp - even though you seem like you’re about to kill yourself with your approach to things, you always some how get it done, which is respectable, yet fascinating. you’re surprisingly very fun, even though from the outside i wouldn’t think we’d be at all close friends. you’re not one for deep conversation, rather the kind of conversation that always leave’s me feeling refreshed. it’s important to sometimes take a break, and you’re the type of person that i can easily have that with.

isfj - you’re very adorable. your moral standpoint to most things can be a bit frustrating at some points, but you make up for it with your kind demeanor; a genuine kindness as well. your happiness and drive to help people is a commendable quality, just don’t let people walk all over you. you tend to be a bit too charitable, when sometimes it’s okay to recognize that people just aren’t the right match for you. it’s okay to take care of yourself. i know i come off strong and that can be a bit intimidating, but i promise that it comes from a place of care. be confident in yourself. to truly be able to take care of the people around you, you need to take care of yourself first.

istj - i respect you and your approach to things. i think there are a lot of things we can learn from one another. your ability to easily figure things out from your surroundings is admirable, and it’s interesting the way your mind works. i haven’t met many istjs (of my knowledge) but i think we’d get along quite well from the information given to me.

[lifenconcepts]

I’m all for people being weird about me 💥 I barely get uncomfortable and i totally understand the feelings and expressions, I’d also like to study you, like watching the cloudscape change and move and wondering just how they had formed in the first place while also basking in the view.

I also entirely understand the frustration of not being constantly changing but that thought for me simply doesn’t bring any strong emotion due to the fact I am disconnected with certain claims. I’m something beyond an Angel or something of that kind, but I still have no problem saying I’m an Angel just for conversations sake. A mixture of divine and something there just doesn’t exist words for. Beautiful stuff, I’d say. I’d explain it better if I could but alas I’m limited with my current vocabulary and thoughts. It’s just some deeper connection to existence as a whole, where I just know on what is happening around and feel deeply connected to both what began and ends, that all the living creatures are so similar within eachother and me, but I can’t see myself as them. I have a few small theories but still can’t pinpoint them without more information. Maybe it’s a conjoined experience of many people, to be so deeply involved with nature and involved with their own life and soul, but then our cement-jungles and prison of a society keeps us silenced and trapped and so we’re left with a lack of information as to what this is and why. I am thankful to live near nature but not as close as I would like to, and maybe just maybe, if we had time in villages (where people are more heartfelt, honest, open, genuine, respectful, helpful, and overall lots of nature and connection with what truly makes up the world and us) then maybe there’d be something else that appears in our minds. It’s beautiful!!!!

No matter when someone awakened and what even is the things you want to know or attempt to find out, sometimes even a lifetime isn’t enough. And that is why I wholely believe in reincarnation (especially with my past memories and soul’s stuff ahaha), but look.. sharing knowledge with one another is what allows us to thrive, and especially when the conversation is about the soul, it often is suffocated below what others consider ‘important’ (money, material wealth, romance, procreation, work, being of use) and the ‘inhumanity’ of which simply focusing on yourself and inner being is, and how demonised it is to spend time simply doing ‘nothing’ from an outside perspective but rather inner work. Tell me, would you rather work your ass off to get physical proof that yells ‘look! I did something! I’m not inferior! I fought for my right to survive! I will be remembered! Can you see me!?’ Or will you sit down and just look into yourself with a solemn smile and understand where you may be flawed and how that can be resolved. Recognising your good and unwanted qualities and feelings is so important to being happy with existing, and however that forms, that is fine. It can manifest with actual things - like writing for me,, but sometimes it can also not have any visible effect but simply behavioural.

I find it very important to try know more about yourself, I want to help others in this case too, but not neccesarily help them, more like, prompt and guide and question. I’m on my own journey but it is beneficial for me too to hear about other peoples experiences and thoughts. If you’re trapped in a world by yourself at some point you just won’t have anywhere else to go other than from your current situation and perspective on life, so that’s why it’s important to be challenges at times and interact with others! Not be stuck in a little bubble..

take for example someone who has been suffering for a long time now, they are practically ready to send off a letter to their loved ones with apologies and simply disappear into nowhere, but it isn’t neccesarily the want to leave that pushed them forth, but rather, an inability to figure out anything else. The emotions are confusing, as to why they formed and how to handle them, and so it’s easier to just stop feeling as a whole, even if you give up joy in the process. But what if I told you, that there are easy ways to solve this? It’s different for all but for this person let’s say they feel incomplete, that no matter what they do and where they go they just haven’t found themselves. They’ve searched high and low, from online to the people around, but everyone either seems to not understand or have the same problem, telling them to ‘suck it up, everyone feels this way, you can’t do anything about it’, but the reason for all of this was because they have been living wrong, in the wrong place, with the wrong people, doing the wrong thing. They moved, and tried to figure out what that nagging call is within them. Others told them it’s just their imagination but once they realised that they actually feel happy with and around water, they began to seek it out. Go swimming, fishing, visit the ocean.. perhaps they don’t yet know why, but they feel at home. They become a sailor, and feel happier than ever. Maybe this was what they were living for? Perhaps they’ll never know? What is even important now? But at this point, they solved what had bothered them. They didn’t feel like themselves, because their soul was ignored. It hadn’t gotten the stimulation and interest and attention it wanted and deserved. Now? It’s happy that it’s back with the ocean. But oh how many variables exist and the whats and how’s and whys… so let’s just say - attending the soul through a self written invitation is much better than attending it’s funeral.

Okay I got a bit off topic there but thought it was important still. It’s always good to prompt new topics and thoughts, maybe something can be refreshed and you can find use of it.

It’s well hard to know what is from your childhood and the people/things that surrounded you then, the things your mind has formed now over the course of your lifetime, or what the soul has, was, wants, and/or needs, it’s confusing to many and I think this alterhuman mindset growing in popularity is for the better even if baring many in-life sources such as through shame, guilt, hurt, need for comfort, need for change, fear, etc.. but there are also many whose experiences are irrefutable, and nobody can speak for everyone, but I’ll just say that I assume to most newly awakened (speaking from experience) they take things first hand and without thinking more on the spiritual connotations assume it to be the most popular thing they’ve seen. And to some, such as you and I, the plain terms have grown obsolete as no matter how inclusive and vague the definitions, they simply don’t fit us. And sometimes, a word won’t be able to satisfy the need to know everything. To read “horse” you understand what it looks like, acts like, and existence surrounding it, and so when you look at a term you know the basics of it already, and so the core of finding yourself isn’t through finding a word but finding the set of words to fit you. May it be paragraphs and essays or a few. Like, if I told you I’m a “nambidruvcowaer” you’d have no clue what that means because in all honestly it’s a mash up of words, but it could have all the meaning I need and crave and truly relate to. What is this supposed to say? That you still gotta know more before making small notes. People research for hours to then make a few short bullet points. A term is a conclusion, not the basic truth. It’s best to just say what you feel is right in the moment, don’t force a name/term upon yourself.

You’re fascinating, and I’m so glad we managed to have this conversation, and I hope you will find what knowledge and wisdom you want. I’ll share my experiences with you as much as you want, feel free to talk about whatever! I adore hearing about you.

hhhhhh

hiiii!

Questions! (about Otherkin, because I cannot for the life of me find any labels matching my experience. (although what you have in this blog is... quite fitting)

Anyways, hi! So I am Human(but not), but I am also an Animal(but, also, not). What am I??? I am everything and also nothing at once. Is this like a Shapeshifter? Or a FluidForm? (No pressure to answer this ask, I'm just mildly losing my mind)

I totally understand you and I would’ve loved if you got a notification for this but alright, listen..

going off the details you gave me, you consider yourself possibly both human and animal yet also don’t feel like you fit them, and perhaps it is something of the concept nature (conceptkin are as it says, concepts and ideas in a physical form. Some are fine being seen as human or animal and some hate being in a body. But there are thousands upon thousands of various concepts that could allow you to feel at home, or identify as, because although knowing yourself isn’t a necessity to exist, it’s still nice to think in this direction if other variables aren’t helping)!

Ofcourse, you could be formless. That’s an entire possibility of just simply not having a proper physical form and yet trying to convince yourself you must choose one, because unless you properly feel present, you may be apart of the souls such as I which just exist. There’s nothing wrong wit plainly being here, if you have a form or not. Some like to present as a creature, like I mentioned, but it’s never a strict rule.

Alterhumanity is for everyone! Any experiences, all sorts of beliefs, and I’m glad I can help people out with their own problems or questions, just an understanding view on the community and how varied some minds and souls are is enough to have thousands of possibilities to what we can be! It’s fine to not know, just be comfortable for now, and if you have a burning desire to know.. then study yourself.

HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK YOURSELF TO BETTER KNOW YOU (warning, there’s alot):

Would you feel happy if someone actively looked at you and made a comment on how you look? Let’s say positive for this situation, to not bring in any excess feelings. Something like “I like your hair. Your hands are nice. You’re pretty tall.”

How do you consider feeling tempature? Confusing Ik but is there a sense of self in it? Do you have a deeper understanding of the sense of warmth and cold, or is it merely an event you’re capable of feeling? Do you even notice it or does your body react by itself?

How do you feel when you look in the mirror or in your general reflection? Does it feel familiar? Weird? Kind? Hostile? Confusing? Unsettling? Wrong? Welcoming?

Would you say you have a species? As in, are there others like you? No matter if you know yet or not.. is there someone else you can truly call some distant relative?

Would you enjoy to be free from the chains of society and simply frolic in the woods? (Most say yes so, continue with: what specifically do you not like about humanity or other people, where exactly would you want to live if your body didn’t get in the way, what biome feels like home (no matter if you can survive there or not. Planets, underwater, super high, fantasy world, different countries..), how would you prefer to be able to move? Simply exist or to zoom around or run on all fours or have hundreds of little legs or fly?)

If you could assign yourself a singular emotion, or perhaps a handful, to be perceived as - what would you choose? (For someone to look at you and immediately consider you something, or even be invoked to feel something)

Are you happy with what you can eat? Vegetables, fruit, grains, sweets, yummy chemicals, bread.. or do you want to try those things that you can’t? Rocks, glass, oil, leaves, sea water, sponges, plastic, wood.. (this also is on the verge of being related to pica but them urges can go into a different lifetime or something more!!)

Do you feel that you’re not at home here? That you were home once but now you’re on earth and here that it just feels odd and strange? (Well lucky you, your soul has been reborn! This doesn’t mean you must have past memories of some other lifetime (although some do! But that’s vague and sometimes influenced by this life’s experiences) and often times the soul is just homesick for something it can’t remember. It can’t feel ready yet when it is still so young in relation to everything. Stimulation is a game of the mortal mind, and yet the soul craves fulfilment. It needs to be heard, seen, acknowledged. Sometimes it has a plan of what it should be but is still trapped in its own past. You have an idea of what you should be but you’re not ready to accept your current reality, and being a teenager is especially hard with how many people try shut down the voice of the soul, and yet it still acts out. It can be through strange urges, being overly emotional, having strange ideas youre not sure where they originated from, random triggers, perhaps even some kind of stuff that you just can’t define - like an altered mental state where you prioritises and focus changes)..

if you could fluctuate between being seen and invisisble, would you? Perhaps even more like some essence, a ghoul/spirit/ghost/felt presence? Maybe be a state of pure light or darkness? Have another material take over you and just disguise yourself as any ordinary thing (living or not..

Do you feel happy being seen as something but not neccesarily being it? Like, for someone to consider you an animal or person or item, but actually being something differently?

Would you change your body or mind if you could? Add some limbs, remove something, alter yourself, add a pattern, an ability such as breathing underwater, flying (wings or not), being immune to wounds, etc.. does it have any other explanation apart from “just would be neat”?

now concepts.. although I did try prompt that possibility with prior questions, it is hard, but here are some categories you can focus on: Elements , Colours , Emotions , Shapes , Processes , Sound , Smell , Feelings , Sensations , Ideas , Man-made things , objects, characteristic. Perhaps some specifics? Nature, life, death, rebirth, exploration, extinction, happiness, confusion, rot, skyscrapers, meaningless purpose, childish curiosity, watcher, growth, electricity, roaring/roars, warm water, crunchy items (leaves,snow,crisps,sand), an aquatic creature leaving its shell to move into a bigger one, a mammal caught in a trap, a rodent stuck in glue, pink car, a kid stealing their parents money, a squeaky door, the feelings of holding a baby for the first time, etc etc etc.

what’s your purpose here for? What do you personally feel inclined to do? What do you want to find and how do you want to accomplish true fulfilment and happiness? Where do you grow most?

and here.. no matter if this was accurate or not, I am always bound to vagueness unless you reach out and try to truly communicate. I hope this was of help even if you remain anonymous but I could help you if you were to also explain your predicament, and I could help organise things out! I’m always open to helping others through their alterhumanity, it’s something I’ve surpassed in all its stages and pride myself in understanding now, so to alleviate some of the stress and frustration with being worried over not knowing something.. i can answer any question.

[bonesandthebees]

Chapter 5 let's rock and roll.

Fuck Wilbur man. You really had to do Tommy like that?

This was very heavily mentioned in the discord and I do think that Wilbur doesn't realise how much control he has over his visions. His role as the Pythia is to guide Schlatt into making beneficial decisions; such as cancelling the ball when he got a vision of it going to shit. However in his mind that is the extent of his power; pass on the message or make sure it comes true because it is Clara's will.

This type of shit is going to take him so long to heal from and he might never actually fully grasp just how much control he can take of his own life and that is tragic. He's been stripped of his humanity and can't see a life where his vision is slightly blurred and his shoulders aren't heavy with the weight of Clara's gaze.

Also I've seen some hate on the previous Pythia for her words and I don't agree with that entirely. We've seen how much being the Pythia has affected Wilbur and using someone else's dream as a rough estimate for argument's sake, he's been the Pythia for about 10 years if my memory is right. The former Pythia served for a hell of a lot longer and has gone through the exact same shit as he has. She knows how it works, she knows how hard it is. She has also been stripped of her humanity and is only now getting it back because Clara has chosen the next Pythia. Imo she's trying to help him by getting it in his head that the only way to survive is to do this. The role of the Pythia is a cycle that they can't break because the rules and the people who enforce them won't let them and can't. They only know the rules that have been imposed on them and I don't think it's very fair to hate a victim for something that isn't her fault; she wasn't the first Pythia and Wilbur might not be the last depending on how the story goes. She's passing on what was likely told to her when she was chosen; years of experience to help this child survive an overwhelming role and try to adapt to their new surroundings. It's a survival guide, not someone purposefully being malicious.

It's the same shit as like being on team Kristin vs team Clara when they are not involved with how people worship them!!! They did not decide how people worship them nor are they responsible for how people act in their name. It's the same thing as real life Christianity. People use their religion as an excuse to be shitty people and twist the teachings to serve their own narrative. It does not take away the fact that the religion has been used to hurt people but it is not Jesus's or their God's fault that people used them to be assholes. It can harmful to some and cause them to turn their backs on it because it's better for them to heal but it can also be a safe space to be in for others! It is not as black and white as "one good, other bad". There are shades of grey and treating any one being or person in this story (and in real life) as good or bad is taking away the nuances that exist in our every day lives.

Anyway, rant over. I just had to get that out lmao.

Tommy in this chapter is rlly interesting. The suffocation scene was fucking horrifying and you can feel Tommy's panic as he realises what's happening and as he fights so hard to breathe. It's genuinely heartbreaking and dread inducing, since we don't know what condition he's been left in, the reactions of Phil & Techno not helping at all.

His relationship with Phil and Techno is really sweet and I rlly like seeing Wilbur being the outsider to a preestablished SBI trio instead of it being the other way around. Phil and Techno are going to absolutely rip into Wilbur for the escape attempt if Tubbo doesn't get to him first by like breaking into his cell or smth.

He's a lot more patient with Wilbur than the others and I think it's because he was the one to actually kidnap him and saw Wilbur actually in the role of the Pythia at the ball. He saw a taste of what Wilbur goes through and was like "fuck dude what" because Wilbur was just a pretty bird to Schlatt to flaunt, not a person with a gift that many would kill to have on their side.

His nightmare is extremely interesting tbh. We don't know what it's about but I've seen theories that it was the same vision Wilbur got but from his own perspective which is very interesting. The question could just be basic curiousity since his knowledge on the Pythia and their visions is very limited (as seen with Eret's question, the only ppl who rlly know about the visions are probably Wilbur and Schlatt) or it could be something deeper. Hmmmmmm. Only time will tell.

This chapter was amazing and I can't wait to see what happens in the aftermath. Great work as always Bee :)

(2/2)

- 🦈

yeah the thing is, the pythia's role has always been to be an advisor to the ruler. not the ruler themself. the pythia has to defer to the emperor's will because they're just the bridge between humanity and the divine. they interpret the will of clara and pass that on to someone who can actually make a decision with that information. wilbur doesn't feel like he has any control of his own life or what he can do with the visions. he's just there to pass along a message.

you're completely right regarding the previous pythia by the way. idk if/when I'll get into it more in the story, but the previous pythia was roughly in her 70s when wilbur was chosen as her successor. being the pythia is a lifetime commitment. while I've said before that wilbur hasn't forgotten his name, by the time the previous pythia was passing along the baton, she had forgotten her name. because it had been roughly 60 or so years since she'd used it. all of the advice she gave to him was exactly how you described it: a survival guide. same as wilbur, she had no choice in becoming the pythia, but she was given the same advice by her predecessor. it's the only way to survive in a position that dehumanizes you so much. you have to embrace it and lose yourself to it, otherwise you won't be able to stand it.

and like you said, it's the same thing with the clara vs kristin stuff. neither one of them is involved with how humans choose to worship them. I'll say a lot of my inspiration for clara and the way her name has been used to justify the means of control the government exerts on the country is heavily inspired by the way christianity has been used to exert control over others throughout history. religion itself is not evil because it can't be evil—it's an ideology and a set of beliefs. it's the way humans use it that can twist it into something that harms others.

the suffocation scene hurt me to write, man. but I do love writing the techno tommy phil dynamic in glass. I love subverting the common sbi tropes and putting wilbur as the outsider because it's just not something you see as often! phil and techno both care about tommy so much, so yeah, they're not going to be happy with wilbur after this lol

tommy has spent the most time with wilbur by far compared to any of the other deathlings. he's seen him actually in his proper role as the pythia, he saw him at his most vulnerable after he drugged him, and he's just talked to him more than anyone else. tommy is gaining a much better understanding of wilbur than any of the other deathlings which will be very important to their relationship in the next few chapters

thank you so much I'm so glad you enjoyed!! can't wait to get the next chapter out :)

[kaaytea]

How about being the manager of Inarizaki, Nekoma, Seijoh and Shiratorizawa and how the boys would feel when they finally finally get a manager? :0

New Manager

⤷Includes: Nekoma, Inarizaki, Seijoh, Shiratorizawa

A/n: I haven't written for the HQ boys in a hot minute so I was sUper hyped for this! Thank you for the request, dear 💕

----------------------------------------------------------

Nekoma

Nekoma has been manager-less for so long that literally the entire team was dumbfounded when they spotted you chilling next to Nekomata

Like hello??? Who are you and what are you doing in their gym???

There's a good few seconds of silence when Nekomata introduces you

Despite being cats, they greatly resembled their Fukurodani rivals as they blinked back at you with big curious eyes

That is until Yamamoto slumps to his knees and starts tearing up, blabbering on about how they've been blessed with a manager while a quiet Fukunaga pats his back in an almost humouring manner

Yamamoto's out burst is what loosens up the team and they start making their way to introduce themselves to you

The first is Kuroo, who approaches you with a welcoming smirk which was quickly followed by a gentle smile from Kai and a reassuring pat on the back from Yaku

The first years are VERY eager to meet you! Lev and Inouka are bouncing around you spewing out questions to the point where Yaku has to kick them both and send them off to warm up

Sweet Shibayama very nervously bows at you and thanks you for taking care of the team (what a baby 🤧💕)

The entire team absolutely loves you by the end of your first day (yes even the aloof creature that is Kenma, though he'll never admit it)

Nekoma's inner team dynamic is very familial and you're immediately sucked into the little family vibes they got going on

The first years love to be around you! (Specifically Lev bc you're not as mean to him as everyone else)

The first years are always volunteering to help you carry equipment or water bottles

You once caught one of the jokes Fukunaga muttered during practice so now the two of you bounce little puns and jokes off of eachother to see who can get the other to laugh first (he is currently winning. although, you got him to tear up from laughing so hard once which you've been counting as 10 wins)

The third years tend to mother hen you a bit, specifically Yaku and Kuroo

Kuroo made it very clear to you that you're apart of the team even if you don't play on the court, so as captain it's his job to make sure all his players are ok (mentally, physically, socially, you name it! He's always looking out for you and is basically your big brother)

You and Yaku bond over the fact that you're both the unofficial team moms. The two of you are very organized and have a whole ass check list that you BOTH go over at least twice before the team leaves for a game or training camp

Kai is like your calm in the storm that is Nekoma. The two of you have had numerous conversations about anything from books to cafés and he's always willing to lend an ear if you need to rant

Kenma is a fairly distant person but he warms up to you when he notices how caring you are. He even let's you play his DS on the train rides to and from Nekoma

Inarizaki

You're a brave soul if you are willingly becoming the manager of Inarizaki

Kita is actually the one who asked if you wanted to be the teams manager

He saw you cleaning the board in a classroom during lunch break and was impressed by how well of a job you did

It doesn't matter if you said yes out of fear from Kita's blank stare or because you were genuinely interested bc now you're standing in the volleyball gym, clad in Inarizaki's signature maroon tracksuit

The team notices you instantly, particularly a certain blonde Miya

Before Kita even got a chance to introduce you to everyone, Atsumu had wandered over to you with a lazy smile tugging at his lips

Atsumu introduced himself and then started asking what you were doing here

"Are ya lost?" "Ya here to admire me?" "Ya dating one of the players?"

You didn't get a chance to answer his questions as Osamu lovingly threw a Volleyball at Atsumu, cutting off any moment you had to respond

The only problem was that Atsumu noticed the volleyball rOcketing towards him and scrambled out of the way like a startled cat, leaving the ball to hit you instead of its intended target

The silence that hung over the gym was deafening as the younger team members watched Kita and Aran rush over to assist your now bloody nose

Just as quick as it had started, the silence was broken by Atsumu yelling at his brother for hitting a helpless person in the face and the gym quickly descended into madness

Aran held a towel to your nose and gave you a few encouraging pats on the back as the both of you watched Kita chew out the twins (safe to say Kita was hard on them during practice)

Osamu approached you during a water break to apologize and, to the surprise of the entire team, gave you the extra pudding he had as a peace offering

Since that incident Osamu and Atsumu stopped throwing volleyballs at each other's heads (at least when you were around that is)

The team is also surprisingly protective of you

The glares people get at tournaments if they try to flirt with you are terrifying

You become pretty close with Suna as the both of you tend to sit back and watch Atsumu and Osamu fight (you tried to step in once but they literally only respond to Kita so it didn't do much)

Suna also pats you on the head whenever he passes you

(it's something he does to his little sister to show some form of affection/appreciation and now he does it to you for the very same reasons)

This goes with out saying, but the twins love you

Osamu still feels bad about the whole hitting you in the face thing so he always shares any snacks he's got on him with you

Atsumu truly just likes being babied by you

Any ounce of praise or happy smiles directed at him has him acting like a puppy

(does 'Tsumu have a tiny crush on you? Yep he totally does!)

Kita and Aran are absolute sweethearts!! They are both very grateful for all the work you put in and treat you to boba every other week as a thank you :))

Seijoh

It was a new school year and you decided to push yourself out of your comfort zone a bit

What better way to do that then be a manager for a sports team!

Apparently one of your classmates let it slip that you were looking to be a manager for a sports team because you were approached by a very buff and very attractive guy a few days after asking if you'd be interested in helping the volleyball team

You happily agreed to do a trial day that afternoon, to which the player, who you now know as Iwaizumi-san, breathed a sigh of relief and said he'd pick you up after school to take you to the gym

So the school day is over, Iwaizumi meets you outside your classroom and you're off!

As you walk to the gym he fills you in on some of the tasks the manager would have to do

The job didn't sound that terrible so you were a bit confused as to why Iwaizumi was having such a hard time finding a manager

"Let's just say that the applicants were more interested in staring at our captain than the actual job." He had told you

Ok so first unofficial rule....don't stare at the Seijoh volleyball team's captain? A bit odd but who were you to judge, maybe the guy was shy and didn't like attention

Your thoughts were cut off by the crisp slap! Of a ball hitting the floor followed by a few short yells from the players littered across the court

Your attention was then caught by the sensation of someone draping their arm over your shoulders and a tangy apple smell invading your senses

"Oh? I didn't know you were dating someone, Iwa-chan~"

Iwaizumi shoved the brunette off of you and quickly explained that you were just here to test out being the manager for the day

The player's eyes lit up and he turned to you with a bubbly smile, introducing himself as Seijoh's captain, Oikawa Tooru

Ah, Captain.... Now you knew why they were having trouble finding someone who didn't stare

Your first day went fairly smooth, just a few blunders that were quickly forgotten by the team after Oikawa cheerfully told you: "Everyone has to start somewhere, (y/n)-chan!"

After the first week you had to admit that the Aoba Johsai volleyball team were quickly becoming some of your best friends, you all fit together like a dysfunctional family

Makki, Mattsun, and Iwa would always agree/praise you when you joined in one the daily Oikawa roast session

Oikawa (when he wasn't pouting about how "mean" you are to him) was fairly sweet to you

He spent the first month helping you learn the rules about volleyball and explaining the lingo the team often used during plays

Although, he does jokingly flirt with you about 40 thousand times a week so...

Kindaichi is a nervous wreak around you the first few weeks. Eventually his nervous demeanor melts away. Now he goes to you whenever he needs someone to toss the ball up for him so he can practice his spikes

Kunimi likes you simply because you let him get away with napping during water breaks

Kyotani acts like you annoy him but if anyone made you cry or hurt you in some way he would burn the entire gym down in a heartbeat

Did I mention that Seijoh are also very protective of you?

When at tournaments they travel in a small pack with you in the middle to reduce the chances of you getting hit on

Shiratorizawa

Shiratorizawa is a very nice and prestigious school so you thought why not participate in an extracurricular that would be beneficial for, not only your resume, but you yourself as well!

Out of all the clubs you chose volleyball which you're starting to regret a bit since one of your friends informed you that the team is a powerhouse school

Which means you can't make a bad impression or silly mistakes.....at all

That entire philosophy is thrown oUt the window on your second day as the official manager

You somehow managed to trip over your own feet and slam into a cart full of spare balls AND spill the water bottles you were carrying all over yourself

You were hoping that the team, by some miraculous reason, didn't notice but the stifled giggles from a certain red head said otherwise

You would give anything for the ground to just swallow you up and disappear forever

But then you saw a pair of gym shoes standing in front of you and when you looked up you were met with THE Ushijima Wakatoshi, captain and ace of shiratorizawa, offering you help to stand up

You hadn't seen Ushijima be more than a stoic and intimidating guy so you were even more surprised when he gave one of his spare shirts to change into now that you had spilt water on yourself

I guess you could say your little clumsy episode was what broke the ice for you and the team

Tendou loves talking with you

You're an interesting person to him and he finds great pleasure in teasing you (in his own words it's "out of love")

Ushijima ended up not being as intimidating as you originally pegged him to be. Instead, he was just a quiet guy who surprisingly could say some pretty funny things (whether or not he intended it to be funny)

Goshiki just loves you. Period.

You praise him and give him head pats so he couldn't be happier!

Tendou and Shirabu tease him all the time about how he has a case of puppy love for you (which Goshiki aggRessively denies no matter how red his face is)

Semi is someone who is grateful for your assistance with the team and does his very best to get Tendou out of your hair when you're trying to do your manager work. He also shares his headphones with you on long bus rides so you can listen to music together!

[shinjaeha]

bad buddy ep 6 (thoughts)

so i genuinely wasn’t intending on making this an ongoing thing. i thought this was gonna be a one and done thing with ep 5 (since i just couldn’t keep any of those feelings inside)...but i’m constantly finding things that i want to say with each new ep (and literally no one i know is watching this irl so i desperately need to dump all my thoughts somewhere).

there was so much i absolutely loved about this ep, so here i am, once again caving into my feelings and yelling into the void bc bad buddy can get me crying my eyes out one ep and then smiling until my cheeks hurt in the next. the emotional whiplash of it all 😭😂

pran touching his lips and thinking about the rooftop kiss completely devastated me. this poor boy’s gone from thinking that pat would never love him back (and thinking that pat was pursuing ink), to the blow up of feelings that happened on the roof that culminated in him giving into his heart and kissing pat like the world was ending. but now everything’s caught up with him, and nothing will ever be the same again. it’s such a mix of elation and terror bc this was never a part of his plan. he was content with just being in pat’s life in this undefined ‘friends, but not really friends’ relationship of theirs, but now pat’s changed things up yet again. flipped the script...bc pat’s always shaking up pran’s world like this.

the difference between how normal pran acts around pat at the beginning of ep 4, and how he acts around him in this ep, is that he’d prepared himself for heartbreak. he’s had years to prepare himself...but pat actually liking him back fr?? now, that’s something that he never accounted for. partly bc he didn’t think it would ever happen, partly bc he knows that if it DID, the fallout would be disastrous for the both of them due to all the outside forces they’d have to face. it’s easier to not think about something that isn’t going to happen anyway...until it does...

pat banging on pran’s door is just like him. he wants to confront things head on the moment they happen, but pran is an understandable mess rn. he’s had so much longer to dwell on this never coming true (only for it to come true) than pat ever has. he’s been in love with pat for so long this prob feels like a dream to him.

bus stop grand opening scene highlights once again that they’re constantly surrounded by people so they’re forced to keep the act up at all times. it’s only when they’re alone that they get to drop it. this is obviously more beneficial for pran rn given the current circumstances and how he’s trying to avoid pat at all costs, but it won’t stop pat. once this boy has his heart set on something, he’s all in. pran’s doubled down his defences since the kiss as he knows he’s already given too much of himself to pat by kissing him back...but if anyone can break them down again, it’s pat.

i think it’s been fairly obvious since the start that pran’s grown up in a household that’s a lot more strict than pat’s. they’ve dropped hints from the way the both of them speak to their parents (pat speaks a lot more casually to his dad than pran does to his parents), to the fact that pat’s dad offered to buy him a new drum set when pat got his class presidency title, whilst pran was never offered the same from his parents...likely bc it was already expected of him to be class president. now we learn for certain that his mum doesn’t even allow him to play the guitar at all, which explains why he had to save up for it by himself when he was in high school. and of course, the fact that pran was forced by his parents to transfer schools. it’s no wonder that pran is as emotionally closed off and defensive as he is. his parents won’t even let him have this one outlet to express himself (music), and any time that he HAS expressed himself (eg. the band, liking pat), he’s been punished for it, so naturally that just leads to him surpressing all those emotions bc if his parents find out what he’s feeling, he’ll just be punished for it again.

pran hiding the guitar at wai’s place is basically just him trying to hide his feelings for pat away again. there’s a significance in it being the guitar that he’s hiding since music (the band) is the main reason they connected and started seeing eye to eye with one another in the first place. not to mention, pat was the one who gave his guitar back to him. so he can’t let his parents find out about the guitar (about how he feels for pat). what makes me esp sad about all this is that pran really has no one he can talk to about what happened that night. no one to offload onto..and this is something that he’s likely used to :( he can’t even talk to wai about it bc of the feud between their respective faculties. he can only tell him in a coded way by using the guitar as a stand in for pat. “we know how it’s going to end, isn’t it better not to start at all?” that explains everything he’s feeling right there.

window scene!!!!! now this feels like some proper romeo and juliet/star-crossed lovers type stuff. pat’s open window contrasted with pran’s closed one as he peeks through the slight gap in his curtains is so symbolic of where they’re at rn. pran has his walls up again, but pat can still see a glimpse of him shine through telling him that pran wants this as much as he does...even if he won’t say it out loud. like the glass, pat can see right through him. so he makes the first crack in the glass by actually going over to pran’s house to try to talk to him. although he’s shooed away by pran’s mum, it DOES get pran to leave the window and linger outside his house. baby steps.

speaking of the family feud, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen from their parents and this looks like it’s just a brief taste test of what’s to come (and how far this feud runs). the story is clearly laying down the groundwork as we gear up for this arc later on bc something went DOWN between pran’s mum and pat’s dad...and whatever it was has given pran’s mum a lot of resentment and bitterness hmmm. these poor kids getting dragged into a war that was never their own. a war that they shouldn’t even be fighting in :( 

i find the scene between pat and paa really cute bc it shows just how similar the two of them can be. truly siblings. so much for love guru paa 😂 why do i get the feeling that they’re both as dense as each other when it comes to love (still absolutely convinced inkpaa is happening btw!!).

pat literally walking into enemy territory, not once, but TWICE, just so he can get pran to talk to him...pat best boy!! :’)

it’s so funny to me that pran is literally using the earphones pat gave him in order to ignore pat. and i absolutely love that pat turned the silent treatment into a challenge for pran bc he knew pran would rise to to it as he always does. great tactic. they know each other so well.

they’re so destined for one another. from being born next door to each other, to having dorm rooms opposite one another, to choosing the same vegetable name tag...the stars are always aligning for the both of them. it’s actually one of the things that i love most about their romance in general. that the main conflict is really all about the external factors around them pulling them apart, but the two of them just constantly being fated anyway. always drawn to each other despite everyone around them telling them that they can’t be together. it hits harder bc all you want is for them to overcome all those obstacles and CHOOSE one another, everything else be damned.

OKAY, what i love about newspaper game scene is that when pat tells pran that avoiding eye contact with him means that pran loses the challenge, pran actually listens. he’s paying attention to pat...it gives pat the hint he needs to know that, even though pran is avoiding/ignoring him, he’s still playing the game by giving into pat’s rules. in the same way that pran’s always putting up his walls, there’s always that little sliver of a crack that pat consistently manages to find and make the most of. it’s something that pat seemingly keeps in mind later on with the bet as he knows that it’s what will get pran to play along with him.

when he steps between pran’s feet on the newspaper, it’s symbolic of the way that he’s been inserting himself into pran’s life since the moment they met again.

ngl, pat holding pran’s head as he fell made my heart flutter SO MUCH. he cares about him so deeply. i saw someone else say that pat falling along WITH pran foreshadowed that he was going to fall with pran no matter what happens to them in the future and i felt that in my chest hard ;;;

not pat going over to sit with pran’s gang even though they hate his guts but totally not caring about what any of them have to say about it bc he’s purely there for pran 😭 yet again, quite literally inserting himself into pran’s life. i also love how visual it is with their coloured tags. all of pran’s table have green tags, but in comes pat with his red tag, marking him as the outsider amongst everyone at the table. red bc he’s not welcome.

it’s sweet how even though pran’s ignoring him, he’s still trying his best to make sure his friends don’t hurt pat. like pat is def provoking them (though i don’t really blame him bc he has to stand his ground against them in some way since the hostility is stifling), but it’s almost funny how everything he does is so mild yet they’re all so intimidated and weirded out by him bc they have no idea WHY he’s acting the way he is. to them, it just feels like he’s provoking them all for no reason whatsoever. it DOES get pran to talk to him though...so he succeeded in what he actually wanted at least.

i like how in the scene where pran finally talks to him on the beach that night, you can see green lights behind pran. like what pat’s seeing is green for go...he wants them to have this conversation. he wants their relationship to progress into something more. but behind pat, there are these flashing red/orange lights. pran sees caution. he wants to stop this before it even begins. he’s nowhere near ready to talk about what happened between them. it reflects their conversation and what they’re feeling atm. pat gets what he wants (pran talking to him again), but only so pran can push him away again. however, pat’s dealt with this before, therefore he knows he needs to change tactics if he wants pran to open up to him again.

the truck scene is actually so CUTE. what’s so great about pat is that he really doesn’t give up. if his previous methods to get pran to talk to him properly don’t work, he’ll try something new. he’s so clever when it comes to things like this. he adapts so well when he’s put on the spot (it reminds me of ep 3 when he would come up with things on the fly...like his pitch for the logtech sponsorship. he’s just so much more intuitive and observant than what you see on the surface). by talking about their relationship indirectly to junior and asking for his advice, it forces pran’s hand bc he can’t ignore junior the way that he’s ignoring pat. so even though pran indirectly calls him annoying through junior, it’s still a reaction from him...and pat will take what he can get. the fact that he FINALLY gets pran to actually talk to him of his own accord (”you’ve never been to a market before or what?”) shows that pran’s slowly starting to soften and let pat back in again. pat’s methods are working.

honestly, what i love so much about the truck and market date scenes are that they show pat and pran that, without all the toxicity fuelling their everyday life, it’s possible for them to exist in a world where they can be together. i like that most of the last half of this ep is set away from all of that so they’re able to see what it’s like to exist in their own space without having to think about everyone and everything keeping them apart. they can have their own feelings without anyone telling them how they’re supposed to feel, or how they’re supposed to act around one another. they also get to interact in a space where no one else knows about their history (tong, junior, any of the market vendors), so they don’t have to put up the act. i think this would be esp significant for pran, since we know that pran’s the one that’s more worried about what the future holds for them if they ever did embark on a romantic relationship. it’s also partly what helps soften pran to pat’s advances again. it reminds him of how much he just enjoys being around him. and that that’s his own wish, untainted by his friends and family.

the market vendor telling them they’re cute (TRUE), and the both of them thanking him :’)))

it’s a small detail, but i really like how when they’re in the truck on the way to the market, they weren’t facing one another, but on the way back from the market, they’ve changed positions so they’re facing one another. the body language!! pat’s been thawing the ice this whole ep, and pran’s been melting little by little. pat doesn’t even care that pran’s wiped mud on him bc pran’s interacting playfully with him again and that’s all that matters!!

anyway, BEACH SCENE. MY FAVE SCENE THIS EP. STUNNING!!!!! they both look so good too 😭

it’s legit just so adorable watching them have FUN like this with one another. happiness looks amazing on pran!! pat’s the only one who ever makes pran smile like that, and i know we (and pat) all love seeing those cute dimples of his.

i love everything about their conversation on the beach. i love the way pat approached the topic. he brought up that night, pran backed down bc he still wasn’t ready to talk about it, and pat dropped it. he always takes into account pran’s feelings. i love pat more and more with each passing day. he’s just so patient and understanding of pran. he does such a good job of never overstepping pran’s boundaries. like he HAS to be the level of persistent he is in order to get pran to open up (or pran will bury all his feelings as usual and never confront what happened at all), and even though pat knows that they need to address the kiss (and his personality is the exact opposite of pran’s when it comes to confrontation), he never forces pran into anything he’s not ready for. he’s tenacious, but it never feels pushy...annoying maybe, but it never feels like he’s doing too much, or that what he’s doing is too aggressive.

it’s just so nice that they’re finally having a heart to heart about how they’ve felt all along about their rivalry. that the both of them know it was never rooted in hate (at least from their own respective ends). they were just pitted against one another from the start and never given a say on the matter.

i esp like what pat said about how he put himself in pran’s shoes and could never hate him bc he knew that pran was basically in the same position as him. it really explains why he’s so understanding when it comes to pran. how he never tries to pressure pran into talking about what happened, but instead tries all these different strategies in order to prompt pran into opening up to him. instead of taking a wrecking ball to the walls pran’s built up, he makes such an effort this ep at slowly but surely chipping away at those walls bc he knows that sooner or later the cracks in pran’s armour will begin to show more and more (as they have time and time again). i adore the way he does this bc it’s just really respectful of pran’s desire for time and space.

when pran says that he was angry at pat (and his mum) for getting him transferred, it makes me wonder if pat was more directly involved (though unintentionally) in what happened than we’re thinking?? just the way that pat paused and said he was sorry made me feel like there’s more to the picture than what we’ve gotten so far. could be completely wrong about this, but i just get ~vibes (this is a pretty popular theory, but i’ve also always thought that pran’s mum found out about their relationship in high school/that pran liked pat, and that was the main reason for the transfer...granted, that’s still pure speculation since we don’t really know yet).

there’s such a vulnerability to pran in this scene. to the both of them really, but it hits deeper with pran bc he’s been so cold to pat for most of this ep. i love nanon’s acting here bc you can see just how much he’s softened since the beginning of this ep from the way that pran gazes at pat. no words needed. everything conveyed in his eyes and the expression on his face. the both of them are SUCH incredible actors. everything they do and say as their characters just feels so natural and real. there’s so much nuance in their performances.

not how i almost cried when pat touched pran’s hand and pran didn’t move away ;;; like he’s accepting what pat said about not caring about the world for this moment in time. it’s the most that pran has let his guard down this whole ep, and it must feel like a major victory for pat after trying for so hard and for so long to win pran over again.

how much do i love that the first time that pat started seeing pran in a new light was when pran saved paa in the lake, and now he’s thanking pran for it properly in front of the sea :’)

pat can be annoying, but he’s just so unbearably cute. i love that when things are getting too heavy/serious, he’s always there to make pran laugh (fake drowning). he’s always doing things to make pran feel better. he just wants pran to be happy...to make him smile, and he’s willing to do all these little things if he can get even just a glimpse of that smile. if anyone knows how pran feels, it’s pat. there’s a lot of trauma that pran has to work through due to his parents, so anytime he gets these little glimpses of pran where he lets pat in, though they might not seem like a big deal, they are to pat. bc he knows that they’re big steps for pran.

though i’m hoping that pat asking pran if he’ll save him if he drowns isn’t foreshadowing for something in the future...

tbh i’ve always thought the engineering and architecture gangs were as quick to anger/violence as one another (the engineering gang were just more in your face about it at the beginning), so it doesn’t really surprise me that we’re getting more antagonism from the architecture gang this ep. i can actually sort of understand this from wai’s perspective...like he knows that there’s SOMETHING going on between pat and pran, only he has no idea what it is bc pran won’t tell him. for all he knows, pat is intentionally trying to provoke all of them to get to pran. obviously, this doesn’t excuse the violence, but i can understand why he’d be so protective of pran when he sees this other guy (an enemy of their’s, no less) constantly up in his best friend’s business for seemingly no reason whatsoever (and esp after the drunken fight last ep).

i think a lot of people tend to get fed up with the friend/family feuds going on, but i get the purpose of them as part of the narrative. it HAS to feel like there’s a huge rift between their friends and family in order for the relationship between pat and pran to feel like they’re facing insurmountable odds. just like in romeo and juliet with the montagues and the capulets, the feud runs deep between both sides, but they can’t help but love each other despite it.

pat KNOWING that architecture gang are gearing up to beat him up (likely bc he knows his own gang would do the same if the roles were reversed), but pran thinking on his feet and saving him from that happening. i love them.

it’s interesting that all of the gang know that something is up, and are questioning pran about why he’s being so protective of pat, but haven’t really forced him into a answer before all of this. esp wai given what happened between all three of them in the last ep. i get the feeling that it’s bc they know that pran is a pretty secretive person in general, so they don’t really push him too much for answers?? he understandably keeps his cards close to his chest, but it really breaks my heart knowing that he’s had to do this for all his life. like he’s kept so much about himself hidden even from the people that are supposed to be his best friends. pat is literally the only one that knows most of his story (and not even all of it), and that’s bc they grew up together and were pushed into the same situation.

he reveals just a little bit of what he’s feeling (like when he talked about giving up the guitar bc of his mum to wai, or when he says he’s heartbroken bc his first love got into a relationship), but never gives anyone the full picture. just enough so it can stop the questions/ease the tension.

the progression of pran’s feelings is so lovely in this ep. he goes from completely stonewalling pat at the beginning, to slowly letting him in at his own pace after realising that pat’s not going to stop pursuing him. look at the difference in reaction when pat grabbed his arm earlier in the ep and pran pulled away and compare that to when pat grabs his wrist again now on the beach. they stay locked in the moment. he’s no longer pulling away. there’s an assurance and steadiness in pat’s gaze that makes pran feel more at ease. no more red lights in the background of these shots.

i’ll say it a million times over, but i love it so much how pat never gives up trying to get pran to talk to him about what happened no matter how many times pran shoots him down. even literally spelling it out for him since pran says he doesn’t want to talk about it. he knows that it’s important that they clear the air so that they’re both on the same page and there are no mixed messages between the both of them.

it’s just SO refreshing that they can actually have open and honest conversations with one another, and that they don’t let any misunderstandings fester. pat’s a great counter to pran’s stubbornness bc of the way he gently pushes him (without pressuring him) to actually communicate with him. like he himself says, if pran never says anything, how is he supposed to understand how he feels??

okay, but do you SEE how lowkey (highkey on the inside!!) delighted pran is when pat tells him that he doesn’t like ink in that way. it’s the assurance he needed. he was all “mind your business” two seconds ago and then suddenly he’s all up in pat’s business 😂 i love that pat turns what he said back around on him too.

what i like so much about their conversations is that while they’re honest with one another, they’re still always holding something back. things that they’re not ready to talk about (in pran’s case), or things that they’ll only reveal once pran’s ready to talk (in pat’s case). this way, it feels like like we slowly peeling back the layers a little bit more each time they have one of these conversations. it feels realistic bc you rarely bare everything to someone in a single conversation...and they’re addressing everything they need to at their own pace.

pran’s entire demeanour changes when pat reveals he doesn’t like ink anymore, and pat def notices. from here on, it’s like they’re egging each other on. by steering the conversation into more familiar territory (competition), the both of them become so much more comfortable. this is their element.

earlier in the ep, pran said that he didn’t know how to be nice to pat since they’ve only ever known how to be rivals, and it gives a whole new meaning to their interactions in the earlier eps. they had no clue how to act with one another again after all those years of not being in each other’s lives, so they defaulted back into fighting/competing with each other as it’s what they’d been taught to do their entire lives. here, it’s much the same. they fall back into competing with one another bc it’s what they know. and neither of them will backdown bc competing with each other is in their blood at this point (and it’s just plain fun for them).

honestly, i can’t get over how the bet is SUCH a great plot device in moving their relationship forward. it’s a great way of bridging the gap between the two of them from not knowing how to act nicely around one another (particularly bc they’re still not ready or able to define what their relationship really is without confronting what it would mean for their future) to being lovers. since all they’ve ever known is competing against one another, and they’ve both HIGHLY competitive people, this gives them a reason to flirt and woo each each other to their heart’s content. they get to be as cute and romantic with one another as they desire without thinking about what it really means...and this is what they REALLY want, but they’d never admit it at this stage of their relationship yet. it’s not about the bet, it’s about the bet giving them a reason to explore their feelings in an avenue that feels safe to them since their relationship is currently in this state where they’re no longer enemies, still not friends, but something much more that they can’t put a label to.

i think another thing i like so much about the bet is that it’s been built up since the beginning. we’ve seen them compete over the most minor of things, so OF COURSE they would compete over something like who falls in love with the other first. it doesn’t feel like a trope thrown in there with no meaning. it feels like it’s been naturally woven into the story bc of the nature of their relationship and their specific dynamic.

something else very interesting to note is that although pran lies and says he doesn’t like pat, pat never says the same back when pran goads him into admitting he likes him. he just dodges the accusation and turns it back around on pran. it’s so on brand for their personalities bc pat’s honest. he very obviously likes pran and wouldn’t lie about it. pran, on the other hand, WOULD (see: ep 4 ending scene when he tells pat he hates him). i just love the writing here bc pran’s so into the competition that he doesn’t even realise that pat’s not denying he likes him. it’s subtle, but it says so much. there’s no winner or loser in this game bc even if pat loses, he wins...since he got pran back playing the game with him again. he wins bc he gets to make pran happy. and this is obviously the same for pran, who’s been in love with pat for all this time and finally gets to act on it.

that seaweed scene was the BEST product placement scene i have ever seen!!!!!!!!! the finger lick felt around the world...PRAN I-

i love pat’s little eyebrow twitch after the finger lick. you just know that it’s the hottest thing he’s ever experienced...and that he’s thinking about just how much he might have underestimated pran in this game of love they’re playing.

i love that they’re both wearing tie-die shirts here (just couple things 😌). pat’s is bright and colourful...in your face and loud like we know his flirting is. pran’s is muted with splashes of colour...seemingly subtle, but when he attacks, he ATTACKS.

to think, pran’s been controlling his feelings and keeping them under wraps for all this time, and now he actually has the chance to EXPLORE them?? i feel an incoming explosion on the way 😂 pat can barely keep his feelings in check (it took him like what...2-3 days to come to terms with his feelings for pran and kiss him senseless on that rooftop??)...how is he gonna handle pran INTENTIONALLY flirting with him this time and not give in?? pran has some experience bc pat’s been flirting with him basically since the day they met again, but pat has no experience with the full force of pran’s flirting (and just based on the end of this ep alone, the boy is BOLD). i know there’s still the incoming angst arc on its way (and that this is just the calm before the storm), but it’s gonna be SO MUCH fun to watch that i have decided not to think about the future for the time being thank u!! i just want to see them fall deeper and deeper in love pls. i want to watch them set each other’s hearts ablaze!!

i was always under the assumption that the next couple of eps after ep 5 were gonna be a little more light-hearted and fluffy. eps 4 and 5 gave us a pretty heavy dose of angst, so we needed the reprieve from the tenseness of those eps. we also need these lighter eps to establish and build up more of their romantic relationship as it further strengthens the whole ‘us against the world’ narrative that they’re setting up for when the big conflict arises. basically, i’m gonna enjoy all the fluff while i can bc i know we’re only halfway through this rollercoaster of a show.

anyway, based on the domesticity of the ep 7 preview, new end credits, and how p’aof has mentioned that we’re all gonna d** next ep, i am absolutely going to cease to function once it airs. good luck to all of us!!!!!!!! we’ll need it!!!!!!!!!!