#i cant see any historical figures the same again

[only-a-moment-ago]

the aoas brainrot really has gotten to me bc i was just trying to read something for school and then i saw...

[c12ly]

dk if this might be an unpopular opinion, but i like wednesday and tyler as a couple, even if they never got to be.

there are three love interests, enid, xavier and tyler.

xavier is an idiot and the only thing he and her have in common is they met as kids, they dont have any chemistry at all and hes all over his head with bianca, wednesday and whatever else, going to the raven with bianca ans then asking her to make him forget about wednesday as if he hasn't been bringing at any chance he gets her manipulating him. in general, i think he needs to get his shit together before dating again.

enids and wednesdays friendship and bonding trope is really nice and all but i just like them as that: friends, platonic soulmates if u want. besties who are the completele opposite. i dont think theyd work as a couple for the same reason weve seen them disagree and fight on the show, theyre way too different and not very willing, especially wednesday, to see each others pov. i just dont think they have chemistry as a couple, even with all the shipping and fan arts i saw when the show was first aired, i personally, never saw it.

but with tyler, since the very beginning he seemed so curious and interested in wednesday. she helps him and as part of the deal he has to help her but then weens find her. at the fair, again, the plan cant be executed. he could've ditched her both times, but he stayed.

every time he sees her lurking around, appearing from nowhere with her glommy aura, intense staring and lifeless expression, he looks at her and grinds with curiosity, a liking one.

besides when he tells her shes been showing him these "signals", he never expects anything from her, never tells her how to act nor minds how she just is, she literally slammed the door on his face and he just started looking at pictures.

he likes her.

and she also likes him. if she didn't, she wouldn't have lied about the letter, she doesn't need him anymore to escape and im sure she would've figured how to get to other historic places from jerico and other information like that. during goo goo muck her dancing is focusing on him, not in a "look at me im so charming" way, but she could've just started dancing not giving a fuck about him and instead, her sight and movements are always back to him. and they literally kissed, which wouldn't have happened if she didn't liked him.

for me, they really had chemistry and if he wasn't the monster, they could've been an odd, but cute in their own way, couple.

[naehoonx]

1920 - jjk [chpt 2. ]

→ SUMMARY: a photo of a beautiful smiling boy; an old tree in your grandparents garden ... and a feeling of sadness. all those things are connected to each other ...

→ GENRE: time travel au; changing fate au; rencarnation au; university au; death; sickness; historical setting; trigger topics; smut; dirty talk; switching between present and the past.

→ chapt. 1 / chapt. 3

→ RATING: 18+

→ NOTE: thank you for blowing up the first chapter with so many reblogs and welcome to all new followers. also if there are any creative people among us, feel free to design a header for this story. i will try to include every pic in the next chapters + linking your account. ( no must! ). Also please enjoy the second chapter <3 DISCLAIMER; this is a piece of art, not many events will be historically correctly.

BTS MASTERLIST ♡.°₊ˎˊ PLAYLIST FOR THIS CHAPTER

The Past:

as you fell down into the grass again the boy looked at you more than confused; probably because of the strange clothes you were wearing. he never saw a woman wear pants before, at least not such weird ones. you on the other hand looked wide eyes up to him as he scanned your whole appearance. yes right now you didnt looked really good as your hair was standig in various directions. still that wasnt a reason to stare at you like this. you crumpled the photo up with your hand before putting it in the back pocket of your jeans. seems like you are stuck here now for a while, at least until you would manage to go back. the wind and the weird voice was gone also the force which pushed you through the tree. wait, of course the tree. you were quick back onto your feed before running to the tree again. from behind you could heard the footsteps of the boy following you. he must think you are crazy as your hands searched for something "unusal" on the tree trunk. there was nothing. the wood felt strong and didnt budged against your pushing or pulling.

"what the hell ...? how?"

your mind was still in denial that you really fell right through it. this must be a joke from your grandparents, for sure. you probably forgot to water the plants or something, before running into the library.

"are you okay? you look .. restless" from behind you could feel a hand on your shoulder. "yes, yes im fine ... just a little bit confused i think?" "maybe i can help you with that? are you looking for something?"

as you turned around; your eyes became a bit puffy and started to burn. normally you didnt cried that easily but now you were stuck in a place you didnt knew.

"what year do we have ..?" your question left the boy speechless for a second "uh .. 1920 why are you asking?"

1920 ... the same date as on the photo. this cant be possible. there is no way you just travelled back in time, standing in front of a boy who should be dead. was this a sign? a sign that you were the one who should help him from his fate? for a moment you just stood there, thinking about the possibilities. changing fate can be fatal, for this timeline and for your own. what would change if you were able to save him? something must change.

"jungkook! Jungkook where are you?!"

another voice from a young man starteled you. how many of them were here? at least you figured something out, the boy in front of you was, indeed, jungkook. the one, the voice of the woman called out for inside your mind. while you were deep in thoughts; jungkook turned around to wave at his friend. that said friend panted a bit as he climbed up the hill.

"what the hell are you doing up here? the others are looking everywhere for you" with a heavy sigh the boy ran his hand through his hair. "uh well ... i found her here. i dont know who she is but ... she seems lost"

as jungkook mentioned you, you finally came back to your senses. scanning the area you noticed that the two of you werent alone anymore. upon seeing the other boy, your heart suddenly stopped again. thats not possible. he cant be here too.

"yo, you. whats your name?"

lifting one of his eyebrows the boy looked at you, waiting for an answer ... which didnt came. instead you took a few steps forward, cupping his cheeks between your hands. the stranger jumped immediately because of the sudden touch. no wonder; they lived in a time were woman werent so straight forward. both of his cheeks grew red as he looked helpless to jungkook. instead of helping him, jungkook just stood there laughing at his friend. you squinted your eyes a bit, they really looked alike. the same eyes, the same confused expression hence even the hair is the same.

"whats your name?" now you were the one asking the question. still a bit lost the boy looked at you "m-me? ... im jimin, park jimin"

slowly you let go of his cheeks. this isnt a coincidence, if you are really back in 1920 there was a high chance that this person is your crush's ancestor. at least thats what is probably happening here.

"okay alright this is crazy but .. i will play along for now. im y/n ... you are jimin and you are jungkook right?" jimin widened his eyes; he looked at you like you just killed someone "hold on; dont speak so informal with him." slightly confused you looked over at jungkook, he didnt looked like a prince or someone else from the royal family "what do you mean?" "you must be new around here ... but in front of you stands Jeon Jungkook. The berserk ... the one who won every single war for our holy land!" jimin must really think highly of jungkook as he stretched his arms out.

a war hero. you tucked this information away into the corner of your mind. if you ever came back home you would check his name in your grandparent library. to be honest on the first glance jungkook didnt looked like an berserker, more like a normal farm boy. his features on his face were soft and he had a beautiful smile. nothing which screamed "berserker" into someones face. but who knows how war heroes really looked like in this time. your gaze went back to the tree as the two boys started to quarrel with each other. somehow you already missed your family, they must be worried sick about your dissapearance. the picture suddenly felt really heavy as another wind came up ... and there it was again... the faint voice:

"you must save him... you must save him for your future"

"... what?" you turned around but no one was there.

jungkook and jimin were gone .. and right in front of you were your grandparents mansion again. what is going on here? did you really just relieved a memory snippet of this place?

"this isnt funny anymore! come out!" you screamed at the tree right in front of you.

first there was silence and then out of nowhere small little hands appeared on the tree trunk. a small head popped out behind it. for a moment you believed that you totally lost your mind now. it was a little fairy, smaller than your thumb. shyly she flew into your direction, fidgeting with her fingers.

"did you pushed me through the tree?" she nodded. "... please tell me what is going on? where are jungkook and jimin?" slowly the little fairy opened her mouth "i needed to bring you back in order ... to explain everything to you. if they would had saw me ... they would declared you as a witch."

this whole thing became more and more complicated. "okay so ... what is going on here?" the fairy suddenly had a serious expression on her face "listen to me. my power is limited .. in order to let you travel back ... i need you to find trigger points to certain events in the past. they are all hidden inside this mansion ... with every object or info you can find ... you will be able to stay there longer"

your head started to hurt. why you? why is it so important that you are the one.

"got it but .. why me? what does this have to do with me?" the fairy bit down on her bottom lip "i cant tell you ... you need to discover it for yourself what your role is ... the only thing i need to tell you is .. that you MUST save him. please." saving a war hero ... of course its not an easy task considering all the battlefields he needs to go. "fine but how?" "you need to look into his death more. no source documented what really happened... but your grandparents have a grand collection of books. find out what happened ... so you ...will be ... able to ... go"

with every word the fairy faded away more and more until you were back alone on the hill. your hand reached into your back pocket, grabbing the picture again. the only info you had was the year, the place ... his name and what he was.

"great .."

with a heavy sight you walked down from the hill, the first direction will be your laptop. maybe some history nerd already researched those events back then. according to jimin, jungkook was pretty famous ... so there must be some kind of records, right?

taglist:

@junecat18

[bonnieura]

I think my favorite thing in the world is connecting/referencing historical figures for clone characters. i dont think i am Being clear right now. like get this: referencing the historical figure the clone was cloned from?? I love that so much. making the little connections between them and the person they were based off. as much as i love the idea of the clones being their own person n shit in the end (and in the lore imo) they ARE a clone . They have their DNA and they share almost the same attributes . like what do you MEAN jfk doesnt have blue eyes????? Like if the guy he was based off, the president, had blue eyes he has a right to have them too. i think thats the only headcanon ive ever had for a character and i dont even THINK its a headcanon because like? why wouldnt jfk have blue eyes did they fuck up the dna or something?? labrat malfunction?? i think the reason why they dont appear in the show is because of the show's style. and with this logic that means abe has blue eyes too, and im not just talking about eyes im speaking for every single other attribute the h!figure had [im just using eye colours as an example]

i also like to believe this when it comes to facial features too. because again theyre clones of the dna so likeeeeee why wouldnt they look exact! if not exact then at least considerably similar. that's just my opinion though. like you cant tell me this isnt what any of the characters look like

okay KIDDING! but like i do enjoy and completely support the idea of the characters at least showing some great resemblance to the people they were cloned from . like thats just a must. and honestly i really love little references OUTSIDE their appearance, like secondary personality traits or something. parts of their childhood (which is honestly not a wide field of interpretation because.. 16 still IS childhood at least compared to the real ages of the historical figures so theres not a lot of room for improvising i suppose) or even references to their later life? I find that so cool. i really enjoy it whenever i see someone's interpretation of a clone containing little neat trivia that directly corresponds to their clone father. I am such a sucker for u.s history you do NOT know how HAPPY it makes me see to see people actually talk about like abraham lincoln or something or lem billings when referring to whether or not jfk (clone high) was/is bisexual or not ((((and ive seen people theorize his sexuality based off john f kennedy's sexuality which is a whoooole other can of worms)))))))) like i just get so excited because That Means I Can Add A Lot More Trivia And Fun Facts For Them And I Like That . I Like being Historically Accurate and adding Fun References for those who Do Know. I would write more but im tired like shiiiiiiit ok god goodbye

[localgardenweed]

Ok I was originally gonna write how I wanna go back to Eddsworld and do stuff for it again but felt out of the loop with the modern fandom and shit but ended up being a rant about how I hate Beyond so like gonna write this again but keeping part of the rant cause i need to share how much i cant stand Beyond again

So like I wanna come back to Eddsworld cause as much as it was a dumpster fire for me it was my first real fandom I was apart of online so it holds a place in my heart. I mean probably technically whatever I did on Framecast was my first ever online fandom space but shhhh that dont count i was but a wondering traveler looking for my place in the world. It actually got me into Eddsworld someone made a animation to Youth by Daughter and had me hooked. But still was very important to me and my art development.

Its so crazy to me cause i was into Eddsworld HARD in the 2016-2020 era where alot of the ig modern fandom was born i watched cities fall and crumble I was deep in the amino trenches, Pork Sodaing and seeing so much historical fandom events happen before your eyes. I was watching everyone consume every piece of Prince of Mints and Moho art I was a sucker for them which probably wasn’t okay for like a 5th grader but i definitely turned out all right /j.

I left for a little bit on and off cause Hetalia was choking me and like keeping me prisoner but like it still had a place in my heart for it but like ya know i still was there but idk now I just dont find the same spark anymore from the first go around. Something changed and maybe cause i just had my tastes change and maybe cause my ex-best friend was making fun of my oc all the time but i made him when i was like 11 and figuring out identities and ways to express yourself without sticking to the gender norms and dealing with alot of stuff at the time i finally caved and just didn’t feel the same any anymore about the show.

Cause I loved that fandom more than anything but, I don’t know I just don’t know how to get back that spark and go frolic in the fields with my TomTordOc love triangle of my 5th grader dreams and just be cringe and free and feel joy again but I just cant enjoy the material anymore like THEY ARE MASSACRING MY BOYS WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO THEMM

It doesn’t hit the same and i know i dont need to consume Beyond i doubt anyone actually does at this point but i cant stand beside while they murder everything i loved about the Classic and Legacy eras.

Also just, I think I hit a road block with it too like, I got stuck on where to do and what to do with Eddsworld like. I make aus i made ocs i made a ask blog i made animatics, now what? And like idk i felt weird and like stuck in the mud with them. Also just had the friend falling out who was also the co-creator of the ask blog so now i dont know how to pick it back up all by myself again but them again i really was just doing it by myself all the time anyway so i just have to figure out how to get back into the swing of things

I have some ideas for aus and maybe just finally be free and bring my oc back from the grave for realsies and make you all consume it but, I don’t know. Im scared to come back cause also weirdly alot of the new fans are younger than me or the older fans are older than me so its kinda awkward, also im just awkward im scared to talk to people online, there is and were some people i desperately wanted to be friends with both in and out of Eddsworld but im too scared and either just watch from afar or abuse the Anonymous function in ask boxes. 

If i cave enough i might come back to Eddsworld to at least finish my lore for the ask blog cause IM SORRY I LEFT YALL HANGING I HAD SCHOOL AND THEN JUST FORGOT ABOUT IT but forever haunted by the people who like every single post and then i get excited cause i see like 99+ notes waiting for me and i think one of my new posts blew up but no its just the ew boys who screw around likes and reblog and the occasional comment

One day ill return to my rightful birthplace and one day I shall be free and one with nature and draw as much as I want for it and as many ocs i want without someone telling me its cringe or make more for the ask blog or hell start doing animation and animatics again

Ok here is the Beyond rant now if you wanna read it

I feel the difference between Beyond and Legacy is that, Beyond is trying to horriblycopy their older brothers Classic and Legacy and almost dumb it down a bit with more childish humor, and Legacy takes inspiration from Classic: It’s different but a natural difference/evolution. Or the fact a whole new guy was writing it all with a slightly different style so he wrote what he knew idk maybe a bit of a factor idk

Also i cant stand the Tord bait sorry I cant, especially when they used to like get annoyed by the fandom by asking and then just realized he was a cash cow so like now we get Tord merch and the hints and Tori and the skit with the cavemen like OMG TORD- and he got crushed by a rock thanks gang, cause like dude I think as much as we love Tord like maybe this go around respect Larson’s choice to like not use him in the series anymore and take him out but like ig that doesn’t apply to merch so yeah lets do one more go around bring out the red one. Or idk maybe they contacted him and was like “yo dude can we like use him for merch” but i dont think that happened. I think it was just better to leave him absent from the show and be like “yeah no Tord guys, no Tord” and we could have all had our thumbs up and be like “Ok Eddsworld Beyond we are okay with that”. Like I know Red October was for charity but idk it still felt weird to use Tord, like could this really not have just been the main 3 or like bring in some deep cut old characters or side characters did we really need Tord here.

[helpallthenamesaretaken]

EPISODE 5……..🥺

Right off the bat, i love the idea of percy’s forehead peeking out of the water, like the mysterious mermaid he is

Annabeth was the best part of the episode as always

Thought they were gonna talk more about thalia percy parallels grover just looked a lil tad distressed and that was it but whatever

Percy and his lil ‘hi’s will never stop being funny

the usual “i thought annabeth was gonna punch me but she was actually nice to me guys who would’ve thought someone would be happy to see me” narrative still shining through WITH THE HUG PLS CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW SWEET THE HUG WAS

grover’s so confused like “literally an hour ago you guys hated each other….am i missing out on some plot point”

dude was ‘looking for new tickets in the st. Louis arch as if they were going to be on the floor lying somewhere💀

Percy’s face when he addresses grover after the hug, he’s so proud someone actually hugged him 🥹his face is just like “hey grover look SHE’S HUGGING ME🥺”

Can I just say the writing for percy is perfect

like he’s so 50% there like he’s so good at communicating and asking what’s wrong and trying to understand the other person’s feelings (sally jackson’s son for you) but at the same time he has NEVER had a friend before so he ends up embarrassing himself 😂😭

”im pretty sure that’s what friends do” “….at least i think that’s what they do” pls 😭

grover’s face too help you’re already tired of being third wheel???oh honey this is THE FIRST HALF OF THE FIRST BOOK get comfortable

not their lil heads popping out and going back in. Peak comedy right there

Seriously adam did reallyyyyyy good as ares. Theres no one else i can imagine anymore as ares. The delicateness of his ‘good mood’ as if it is gonna break any second, the rage and fury but at the same time being extremely funny???

the diner looks so cosy it’s so cute

was kinda missing some percy rage in this but it comes out at the last so its fine

The real reason for grover to be so okay staying back is not the strategy of getting answers out of ares but because of how tired he was of taking care of annabeth and percy.

I feel like they should be showing luke more (later on they will, i have faith) im already forgetting about him it wont hit as hard if i dont remember him

Percy “ive not seen many movies since im broke” jackson x annabeth “ive never seen a movie since i live in a magical camp” chase

but the fact that annabeth’s never seen a movie kinda erases the fact that later on in hoo, annabeth talks about watching cheesy old romance movies with her father which kinda contributes to their dynamic but

the fact that percy would probably be the first one to take her to the movies makes me not care

honestly tho IM REALLY REALLY HOPING THAT THEIR FIRST MOVIE WONT BE THE ONE AT THE START OF BOTL I’d rage as much as annabeth when i see percy with rachel (not that im a rachel hater, im a circumstances hater)

grover is such a good therapist, like he is THE EMPATH. He tripped the god of war into talking about his life this is a grover appreciation post

annabeth zoning out with fascination at the mechanics and also i love the “percy being done with annabeth” representation

i cant see anything so nothing to say here

SEAWEED BRAIN THIS IS A HISTORICAL MOMENT IN PJOTV HISTORY THE FIRST SEAWEED-

grover manipulating ares through his emotions>>>>>

also ares roasting athena

Percy sacrificing himself AGAIN like the depressed kid he is

annabeth immediately reassuring percy that she would save his mom the character developmentttttttt from being inconsiderate about percy losing his mom to promising that she would save the lady EVEN THOUGH SHE BARELY KNEW HER

This is giving me too many feelings guys the lady she’s promising to save is the lady who will be the best mother figure who will singlehandedly heal her mommy issues AND BECOME HER MOTHER IN LAW

“Its warm” i thought this was gonna be the last thing he says before whatever was gonna happen to him so i was like lol famous last words

but fr tho the intenseness of annabeth crying for percy to GET UP and percy’s just fading out of the world trying not to cry trying to reassure annabeth that he’s okay IN WHAT WOULD BE HIS LAST FEW WORDS, literally everything he does is for someone else even in his dying moments its just magelhi”gdsjihoawerhoudfjls

especially with the “im not…..” [okay] lol we have always known that percy, it aint a big surprise

i got to applaud leah for how she portrayed annabeth’s brain chemistry altering every minute with percy and how that influenced her speech with hephaestus

i cant believe thats leo’s dad hes giving santa claus i do like him tho

Now that i think about it the percabeth hug should have been after percy comes back to life not after the louis arch scene since they were just starting to have two minutes of chemistry there and have the “you dont have to feel bad about the hug” in the zebra truck scene

percy trying to intimidate ares lolllll walker scobell did his best to make it look real tho so good for him for not representing it as it was; a lil 12 year old child threatening a wrestler looking god of war

”Thanks for the emotional abuse and the cheeseburgers” will forever be in the cinema hall of fame

i feel like grover either is going to say the wrong person or he’s going to figure out it’s luke but something’s going to stop him from saying it out loud

or he’ll say it which causes some angst amongst the team who dont trust him cuz both annabeth and percy worship luke like there’s no tomorrow

RAINBOW?? OHH THEYRE GONNA IRIS MESSAGE LUKE??

LIN MANUEL MIRANDA

[firstknightss]

GWAINCELOT ESSAY THREE???

[commentary voice] ah yes and this gwaincelot essay.... which turned into a fic was inspired by @nextstopparis and @little-ligi

GWAINE TEACHING LANCELOT HOW TO READ. and thats how they actually CONFESS.

imagine gwaine seeing lancelot trip up reading leon’s plan for the day, seeing him trying to understand it. and gwaines, hes a little in love. Hes. Hes a little hit with feelings for this Noble (tm) knight. So OF COURSE he CANT EMOTION and he tries to show his affection for lancelot without yknow being in ‘loVE’

he comes over with his swishy hair and bantery tone like “oooOhHh LANCELOT! Lancey! Hey! Hello! Can’t read leon’s goddamn awful handwriting huh?”

And Lancelots embarrassed and flushes red and gwaine thinks hes Fucked Up (and he really doesn’t want to fuck this up, this is the first time he’s actually felt emotions this deep for someone) and tries to fix it panickedly, like the Anxiety Clown He Is.

He keeps on saying sorry and apologising, and Lancelot, the EVER CALM KNIGHT GUY, goes “it’s fine, it’s okay. It’s nothing to do with you...” and then he hesitates. He HESITATES. “....it’s just that...” and then he BITES HIS LIP and gwaine thinks he might just faint there and then, “...i cant read.”

and now it hits him, gwaine, gwaine, who thought literacy was something trash and something he didn’t really need, realises how important it is. and so, yknow because hes kind of wrapped in those Emotions (tm), he pulls lancelot’s sleeve after practice, when they’re alone in the changing room. (and if lancelot wasn’t so tired and miserable, he would have easily seen gwaine BLUSH)

And he, shyly asks if lancelot wouldnt mind being tutored by him.

Now Lancelot is OVERJOYED, and he’s borderline CRYING because lancelot, poor old village boy lancelot who’d been kicked out of the knights of camelot, and had to become a MERCENARY and fight for masters who didn’t care for him, has NEVER HAD someone literally CARE about him so much. (Apart from Merlin. He loves merlin <3)

so now imagine lancelot waking up an hour early the next morning, and showing up into gwaine’s room. He knows gwaine literally doesnt sleep with a lock, so he just barges in, and starts shaking gwaine.

Now GWAINE sleeps like a Log (had so much shit going on irl, time to sleep it away) and when he opens his bleary eyes, seeing lancelot in one of his stupid v neck shirts over him, hes like “....h...helo??”

and lancelot’s all like. “We- werent YOU gonna give me reading lessons.” And gwaine nods, yawning (and in that moment lancelot thinks gwaine looks unimaginably cute, so cute that he wants to literally ruffle gwaine’s hair and run his hands through how silky and brown it is.)

THEN gwaine pulls on the dont care-ish mask, and makes his arms into a pillow under his head, as he leans against the wall behind his bed, in some kind of somewhat???flirty??? manner??? [i dont...i dont know what hes trying to do. On the other hand! Not does Lancelot :) ]

Lancelot, does not realise this is gwaine’s poor attempt at flirting - since he’s seen gwaine ACTUALLY flirting and this is like. Nothing. And its also poorly executed. Which is NOTHING like gwaine.

So he pulls gwaine’s arm, and half hauls him out of bed.

As gwaine’s head crashes into lancelot’s stomach, he can smell lancelot’s clothes. They smell of flowers, and cotton and everything so natural and gwaine, who literally smells of wine, and wood and Tavern. (And aftershave, or the 500AD equivalent)

[see here, see im trying to bring themes of dionysis okay. OkayyyyyyyyY. yours truly likes looking at greek mythology. And both these two complete dionysis]

Gwaine, in his sleepy stupor, nestles his head on Lancelot’s hip, who gives a sigh and stands there. One hand clutching gwaine’s, leaving the other free.....

....to rake through his soft, flowy brown hair. And twirl his fingers through its waves, and Gwaine cuddles in further.

And since Lancelot left the door open, Leon (the other bitch who wakes up at 4am to do idk nothing) sees them two...like that, illuminated by the SUNLIGHT behind them, and smiles a little.

And then he trips over the stairs, the moment is lost.

Gwaine and Lancelot pull away at the same time, and gwaine’s face turns back to “ha ha im a Jerk (tm)” and if he wasnt too busy trying to hide how flustered he was, he’d see Lancelot looking at him the way he used to look at GWEN.

They both blink and look at each other, understandingly, neither of them to speak of this again.

And then Gwaine drags himself out of bed, and Lancelot raises his eyebrows as he watches him (totally not checking him out) haul out a book from his cupboard.

Gwaine’s too sleepy for this, he keeps yawning and rubbing his eyes (looking like a cat, Lancelot notes) and Lancelot takes a deep breath, his eyes understanding.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“Lancelot, I love..” he bites his tongue, cursing his half asleep mind “..doing this, and love hanging out with you...I just cant stay up this early.”

Reading lessons, from now on, are at 1:30am-whenever Gwaine and Lancelot stop rambling about Odysseus and Circe and Telemachus

[i dont know any other ancient books apart from like. Ancient greek/Roman ones. So i guess. Its not historically accurate,,,,BUUIT this is a fanfic for a pair who had like no scenes together SO i think i can take some ✨creative liberties✨]

Lancelot has heard of the journey of Aneas from travelling bards, singing songs in his native old english. Gwaine’s eyes are quick at latin, and he learnt the flaws of Romulus and Remus in his pure latin. Gwaine’s a good teacher, and lancelot is a quick study, and it’s not long before they’re arguing over which Goddess caused the most harm in the Illiad.

Gwaine’s never met someone who he could reveal that he loved reading to, he loved doing.

Lancelot’s never met someone who he could tell he couldn’t read, and ask if they could teach him, love learning.

They make it work.

The other knights notice, of course they notice. Percival notices how Lancelot stumbles into the Gwaine’s room at night, bright eyed. Elyan notices Lancelot and Gwaine’s voices from Gwaine’s room opposite him; sometimes slow, Gwaine speaking slowly and Lancelot following; sometimes heated and passionate.

(They’re arguing. They’re arguing about how to pronounce Minerva)

Merlin finds the two, in the early hours of the morning - when the birds are figuring what song they sing today - on Gwaine’s bed.

Gwaine leaned against the bedframe, his trousered legs splayed over the sheets. Loosely braided, long brown hair fell over his closed eyelids, his mouth in a small smile.

And Merlin follows his arm draped over Lancelot, snuggled beside him, his head on his broad shoulder, every breath of wind pushing against curly black hair, making it almost /bounce/. His eyes are covered by the other man’s hair, and he looks...content. More content than Merlin has ever seen him.

He slips out as quietly as he came in, and smirks, hes gotta tell arthur they finally got their shit together oh GOD

Its no surprise to anyone but them, when Arthur pulls Lancelot out of training, and into his chambers.

“I’m glad you’ve found someone Lancelot.” He starts, his face geniune, his voice giving away hints of relief. (He thought he was never going to see his knight smile again after all the ordeals that had happened to him)

“Oh...” Lancelot’s heart sinks, “...how did you find out, Sire?”

Arthur blinks, taking in the change of mood in Lancelot, maybe it wasn’t anything important, maybe they were trying to keep it casual, hell they didnt want the king knowing.

“I- uh, I just noticed...” Goddamnit Merlin, and Goddamn his need to tell him everything he saw. (Merlin had advised him not to do this, as they sat on his bed after a long night. This was really his fault.)

Lancelot pales, and he places his hands down on the table beside him, palms slapping stone as he did so.

“Well, I guess I should tell you the whole truth then,” his voice is quiet, and Arthur steps closer, “Sire I am not of Noble birth, and was born in a village - as you know.”

Arthur nods, his arms crossed, but his Kingly Bravado fell away at the sight of his knight, and one of his closest friends, being this vulnerable.

“Yes I know, but what does this ha-“

“And we children in the village we-“ he falters, “-we were never taught to read.”

“Yes, no I understand, I-“ he pauses, Lancelot’s words hitting him a bit too late, this was about literacy?

This, this whole conversation was about literacy?

Not being gay?

Merlin was going to have a field day

“Sire?”

“I understand Lancelot, and is this why you feel a little out of place with the other knights?” He carries it on, with a smile, he has a few questions to ask merlin.

“Yes, and that’s why I asked Gwaine to tutor me from time to time, although, the sessions carry through late into the night, which may have been affecting my performance at practice. I’ll have you know that this is a temporary th-“

“It’s fine Lancelot,” Arthur places a hand on his shoulder, “You are still exceptional at practice,”

“Thank you Sire,” Lancelot twinkles.

✨

“Theyre, theyre not together?” Merlin cant stop laughing, tears streaming down his face, “theyre not TOGETHER?? oh my God arthur what did you DO”

They sit together on Arthur’s bed, drinking wine from stemless cups together, with Arthur recounting the events of the day; red faced.

“I mean, it was your idea Merlin.”

“I just saw them, and I assumed...I didnt...I didnt think youd ASK them.”

“What do you think I’d do then?? Let them be on their merry way.”

“Yes!”

✨

“Do you like me?” Gwaine asks, unexpectedly, one night, the moon vibrant against the loud sea.

“You’re...tolerable...” Lancelot says, a smile tugging at his lips, as the silver moonlight falls against his hair, a halo around him.

✨

The knights give them the look every morning, as the two of them stumbled out of the same room, more frequently than ever.

Sometimes Lancelot would throw on Gwaine’s shirt, when he’d crumpled his own beyond repair. Sometimes Gwaine would put some of Lancelot’s hair oil on, when his hair was frizzy.

They gave each other knowing looks when Gwaine and Lancelot started whispering and giggling like a bunch of schoolgirls.

✨

And then Stupid gwaine had to go get fucking stabbed, and their delicate dance was like trying to waltz through a minefield.

Lancelot clutches onto Gwaine’s arm as Merlin feels his forehead with shaking hands.

“He’s burning up.”

“Infection...?” Lancelot sounds broken, and nods, fumbling with his pack to find some bandages.

It was just a simple quest; a save the day, get the girl, do various harmless shenanigans type of quest.

He’d half expected Gwaine to get the girl, and he cant help but give out a half choked laugh. Gwaine had no idea what hit him when she turned out to be the evil one all along.

He tries to forget that Gwaine showed no interest in her, he tries to forget that Gwaine’s been less frequent at the Tavern, he tries to forget that he hasn’t seen Gwaine with anyone since months now.

Gwaine, his beautiful Gwaine was lying on his lap, hot red blood rushing from his side, staining his polished chainmail with dark, sticky blood.

He’s been out for nearly an hour now, and Lancelot remembers carrying him, through the entire forest, forgetting his sword and his helmet and just grabbing Gwaine and getting the shit out of there.

Gwaine’s lack of self preservation was really rubbing off on Lancelot nowadays.

Merlin watches as Lancelot holds back tears, his own eyes stinging. Gwaine can’t die like this, he can’t die like this....

“hælan beorn adl”

Merlin’s eyes flashed gold, and Lancelot could feel warmth coming back into the fingers he was grabbing.

He was coming back.

And then the weight of everything hits him.

He was in Fucking Love.

✨

“Hey.” Gwaine’s voice is rough from disuse, but Lancelot nearly sobs when he hears the voice.

“Don’t fucking do that to me again, amor meus.” He puts his head down on Gwaine’s chest; finding the hammering of his heart calming.

He shimmies onto Merlin’s bed, which Gwaine had been lying in for the past few days.

“Did you mean, ami meus?” Gwaine sounds tired, too tired to be awake.

“Huh? Did i say something else?” Lancelot decides to play dumb, a sparkle in his eyes,

“I thought I heard amor meus,” Gwaine pushes his nose into Lancelot’s hair, taking in the wonderful smell of coconut.

“Well then, at least your hearing’s okay, amor meus.”

Gwaine gulped, and was sure Lancelot could hear his loud swallow.

“Lancelot, I hope this isnt a big joke with me teachin you latin and all,” Gwaine’s voice is a little wobbly from the slee deprivation and the magic and the pain numbers, “because I’ll have you know that I really love you, and I cant go on like this any longer,”

“Its okay Gwaine, I learnt latin from the man I love, of course it’s not a joke.”

“The man you love? Who’s tha-“

Realisation hits him like a brick.

Oh.

Oh.

“Me?” His voice cracks, and Lancelot looks up, a smirk on his face.

“Of course dumbass.”

“Like I’m meant to know that,” Gwaine tries to keep his dont care-ish aura, but they both know he’s too exhausted to keep that up.

“mmm?”

Gwaine kisses him on the nose, and he wraps himself around him.

And thats how Merlin finds them later that day, eyes blinking as he stood there.

✨

“I’m glad you’ve found someone, Lancelot.” Arthur coughs.

“Is that what that whole talk was about???”

“Answer the question.” His words sound harsh, but he’s barely hiding a smile.

“I’m glad too, I’m Glad I found Gwaine too.” Lancelot blushes, turning to gwaine.

“Why are you asking anyway, Princess?”

“Oh just, making sure this time.”

[like-rain-or-confetti]

Request: Running Away (Volturi leaders x Reader)

You would have loved to admit you had planned this but you didn't. The idea sprang to your mind and before you could think any further, you took off out the door. Sunlight hitting your face. You inhaled sharply, realising what you had done. 

You had crossed the border. You were out of the castle and in the sun. You turned, looking back to see a hooded figure seem to looking at you before turning and moving down the hall. No doubt they were going to tell their leaders that their mate had just ran out the door. You took off running again, down the streets just in case they figured out how to get to you without exposing themselves. 

This was the last resort, a cry for help even. However it was a cry for your mates rather than anyone else. The truth was that you didn't want to get away. You loved Aro, Caius and Marcus dearly but they weren't listening to you and push had come to shove. You needed out of that tower and they were dismissing you for 'safety'. They'd better come up with something else because this wasn't working anymore. You couldn't bare another minute of feeling like a prisoner. So whilst you went beyond the square. You were looking for somewhere empty.

The sun went down, night had arrived and it was quiet. Peaceful even, despite knowing your impending doom. A cool breeze hit your face. You took in a deep breath of fresh air you hadn’t had in weeks. It wouldn’t be long now. It wasn’t. 

Fifteen minutes later, Aro, Caius, Marcus, Felix, Jane, Demetri and Alec. The guard kept their distance as the three leaders approached. Surprisingly, the leaders also kept a distance, however were still close enough to be in your earshot.  “Explain yourself.” Caius said icily and it was very apparent that they were furious, even before you turned to look at them. You knew by that tone alone that you had very much upset them.  “I couldn’t go back there.” You said quietly. Your tone was softened by your racing mind, the environment as well as your thoughts distracting you from them. “I was going back to the tower, the door was open, i saw outside and without thinking I ran.”  “Yet you failed to think of returning?” Caius responded, his tone making it evident that he didn’t believe you.  “Would it have changed anything?” You retorted. “It doesn’t change that I ran.”  “Why did you do this?” Aro finally asked with an unreadable expression, his voice didn’t give any hints either.  “You can’t keep me locked in there anymore.” You began. “I’ll lose my mind. I will go crazy if i spend anymore time in there. I can’t go back.”  “Cara mia, we have been through this.” Aro sighed. “You’re in there so that we can keep you safe.”  “No! Listen to me! I can’t stay in there anymore, it’s the only reason that I ran! I cant get you to listen any other way! I’ve tried to talk to you but you won’t listen. I need you to hear me when i tell you I can’t take it anymore!” You felt tears of desperation build in your eyes as you tilted your head back, trying to remain calm. “That castle is huge, historic and amazing and i don’t get to see it! You tell me about how amazing the vampire world is but you won’t show it to me!” 

Marcus was the first to move, closing the gap between you and pulling you to a stand. “If I were to agree to this-”  “Brother!” Caius said sharply. Marcus raised a hand to Caius as to settle him. “Don’t give them false hope!” Caius snapped.  “If I were to agree to this,” Marcus repeated. “You can never pull a stunt like this again. If you do, I will personally drag you back into that tower and keep you there for the rest of eternity.”  “I promise.” You whispered, staring into Marcus’ eyes, silently pleading that he’d allow it. Marcus looked to his brothers. 

Caius looked startled and angry all at the same time and Aro was eerily silently.  “What if something were to happen to them? Then what?” Caius growled. “You of all people know what that would do to us!”  “I do.” Marcus agreed. “However, I’m also thinking of what this could do to them. I do not wish for them to suffer on my behalf, for my peace of mind. I am not permitting them to go out of the castle but if roaming the castle is going to keep them happy then so be it.” Caius scoffed. “That’s why we have Chelsea and Corin!” Your expression turned to one of horror. Caius was so willing to make you complacent that he’d suggest it even to your face.  “Brother,” Marcus said lowly. “of course that is an option but do you really want to use it?”  “I will to keep them safe!” Caius bellowed.  “Think of the consequences, (Y/N) would then be there, not because they want to be, but because they’ve been manipulated into doing so. I’m suggesting that we compromise as to keep them with us willingly and happy. Wouldn’t you prefer that?” Caius was caught of guard, of course he would but that meant backing down  and he wasn’t prepared to do that. Caius turned to Aro. “Say something!”  “I’ll make my decision once we’re back in the castle.” Aro said smoothly.  “You’re considering this!?” Caius screeched. “Am I the only one who’s concerned about (Y/N)’s safety!? The tower is guarded! If we had an intruder they’d have guards to protect them! Not to mention if they got to close to a guard who needs to feed! We can’t guarantee they won’t be ripped to shreds!”  “Caius, I’m not prepared to ruin my bond with them nor am i prepared to control their mind. No one here is willing to let them get hurt.” Marcus argued. “You said the same with Didyme!” Caius yelled.  “Enough!” Aro finally spoke up. “I said i’ll consider this on the way back, right now i’m concerned about getting (Y/N) home. It’s getting late and they are going to get cold.” 

Before Marcus could say anything, you hugged him tightly.  “Thank you.” You whimpered.  “For what, dear?” Marcus asked.  “For hearing me.” You whispered.  “Remember my terms, (Y/N). This isn’t an easy decision for me to make.”  “I know, I know.” You pulled back to look at him. “I promise, I won’t let you down.” Marcus turned his gaze to Caius. “Brother, if you ever mention Didyme like that again-”  “Don’t misunderstand my words, you know i’m concerned about their safety.”  “Don’t misunderstand mine. You do not use Didyme against me.” Marcus growled slightly, you quickly put a hand to his arm to settle him. 

“Come with me, my dear.” Aro looked at you pointedly, clearly removing you from the situation so Marcus and Caius could speak privately. However he didn’t reach out for you as he always did, his jaw clenched.  “Are you angry with me?” You asked him quietly.  “Yes.” Aro responded.  “I’m sorry.” You responded.  “I know.” Was his response. His short responses were very out of character for him, showing just how angry he really was.  “We will speak of this back home.” 

All three of your mates came to visit you before you went to bed.  “We’ve agreed to limited freedoms, some areas like the dungeons are off limits. One of us or Jane, Alec, Demetri or Felix must be present. When we are feeding, we want you here. Would that suffice?” Aro asked. You nodded frantically, jumping out of bed and hurrying over to them, all the while chanting ‘thank you’ repeatedly. You barely noticed that your happiness had caused Aro to smile slightly before you rushed into his arms. 

He pulled back, cradling your face in his hands. A pleased smile crossed his face before he kissed your forehead. “Thank you for being honest, cara mia.” Aro wanted to trust you and the fact that you proved time and time again that you could be trusted filled him with joy and even more love for you. 

However, you noticed Caius clearly not happy about the decision and leaning against the door. You were quick to move closer to him and wrap him in a hug. He allowed it and even coiled his own arms around you, pulling you closer.  “Don’t be angry with me.” You whispered into his chest.  “I am not thrilled but you do not need to concern yourself with that.” Guilt flashed across your face. “I love you...all of you.” 

Finally, your attention was on Marcus.  “You know i can’t lose you, (Y/N). None of us can.” Marcus said.  “You won’t lose me.” You assured him, your arms still around Caius. “You listened and that only makes me want to stay even more.”  “Get some sleep, darling.” Caius mumbled, letting you go. 

The three leaders sat on their thrones. Aro sighed. Marcus immediately moved to get the very heavy books. They studied the arts at night, a peaceful passing of the time whilst you slept.  “So you’re sending Chelsea in the morning?” Caius asked.  “Yes.” Aro responded. Marcus had a grim expression. It was the only way they would agree to letting you out the tower. He wasn’t comfortable with artificially strengthening your bond to them but he had made certain that it wouldn’t be too much. Enough to repair any damage made by your actions. A way of keeping you comfortable without the use of Corin.

[clairebeauchampfan]

When bullshitting history distorts the REAL truth and weakens your cause, however righteous

Saw this post today

Did you think this figure was real? Do you think people who truly want justice for Native Americans have a responsibility to tell ‘the truth’ without gross, blatant distortions of the ‘historical fact’? 

Don’t get me wrong; the United States (and the whole of the Caribbean and Latin America)  witnessed terrible acts of genocide against Native Americans, committed by people who thought of themselves as Christians but acted in an un-Christian manner, especially when they found themselves in mortal peril (and if you think things were bad on the Western Plains in the 1870s, read up about Argentina’s war of extermination against Native Americans, the ‘Conquest of the Desert’, in the same decade)  Sadly religious teaching to ‘love your enemy’ and ‘thou shalt not kill’ goes out the window when lives, money  and property are at stake, whether your are a Christian, a Muslim, a humanist,  or even - as we’ve seen in Myanmar/Burma , a Buddhist. Or, again  as we have recently seen in Canada, when right-minded Christian people thought they were absolutely doing the right thing but ended up doing the entirely wrong thing.

Let’s look though  at some facts though about the ‘slaughter’ claimed above.

The population of the Pre-Colombian Americas  as a whole, that is North America, Central and South America, is best estimated at around 60 million, of which 3.8 million lived in the United States and Canada  (it takes an awful lot of space to support hunter-gatherer communities, even those who additionally grew squashes, beans and corn). See 

 (https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-01-31/european-colonization-americas-killed-10-percent-world-population-and-caused)

and 

https://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/0289.htm

By 1650, only 30 years after the Mayflower, but 158 years after Columbus sailed the ocean blue,   the native population of the whole of the Americas  was estimated to have reduced to  six millions (!)  Whilst many tens, even hundreds of thousands were undoubtedly ‘slaughtered’ by European invaders (slaughtered in the sense of killed by act of war, or murder, or to stretch the meaning of the word, being worked to death in plantations and mines) , the vast majority (some estimates put as high as 90% of the population)  tragically succumbed to disease. , So even if European settlers had just come to trade, as many did, rther thqn settle, the Native American population  had no immunity or defence against smallpox, measles, flu and other diseases introduced from Europe (tribes such as the Mandan and the Minnetaree were almost wiped out by a new disease, Asian  cholera, in the 1840s, which had swept Europe before arriving in the States.). Whilst there are indeed a few recorded instances of deliberate spreading of smallpox by infected blankets, the fact is that the vast majority of Native Americans were not ‘slaughtered’ by Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish or English settlers, any more than hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Europeans were ‘slaughtered’  by Native Americans giving them syphyllis. Or millions of Europeans were ‘slaughtered’ by Mongols bringing  the ‘Black Death’ to Europe by way of the Crimea, wiping out up to 90% of the population in some places and perhaps a third of the population of Europe. Or millions of people around the world are today being deliberately  ‘slaughtered’ with Covid in an act of genocide by the Chinese - whatever the Far Right might claim. 

But perhaps the author of this poster can’t handle the truth, let alone the historical facts. I suspect he/ she/they are a White property owner (s) , or the guilt-ridden son or daughter of   White property owners in  the United States. Are they prepared to stand by their principles, back up their righteous indignation with deeds and not words,  and surrender their, or their parents’ house and land without compensation back to the original owners, the nearest surviving Native Americans, or at least pay them  a market rental over and above the rental they pay their existing Landlord.? 

(Unless of course they live in Manhattan, which was purchased from the original  owners fair and square in what realors call an ‘unimproved’ state, as is well documented.)

 No?  Not prepared to impoverish themselves to right an historical wrong? As canting an hypocrite as any of those bible-bashing, gun toting Christian settlers whose actions they so deplore but yet they so richly benefit from today?  But, they’re very welcome to come back to Europe and join all the canting hypocrites here. And at  least here they’ll get a free health service. 

[dogduocatquartet]

@kung-slinger i genuinely almost don’t know what to say to this reply, it reads as if you didn’t even look at my post before responding. i specifically said very clearly that i don’t have anything against pit bulls and nowhere did i imply anything about violence being a need for that or any other breed of dog.

dogs will more often than not prefer to avoid fighting, they have a complex language which in large part consists of navigating around conflict (similar to wolves, since you bring that up, since they’re both social species and good communication skills are essential for functioning in groups). there are many breeds of dog that, due to a number of factors, have weaker or less clear body language than others (language between dogs is also in no small part learned, so socialization is also a factor here). pit bulls are generally considered one of these breeds, which makes a lot of the signals they send out disappear or get misunderstood, leading to heightened stress and may accidentally end up in a fight/bite even though the pit bull may have been trying to signal “i need some space”. the exact same could be said for a retriever with poor body language due to lacking socialization. a lot of owners also punish dogs’ ways of communication, such as growling (“leave me alone”), unintentionally leading to their language growing even poorer and instead of a ladder of escalating signals, the dog in question may end up jumping straight from “this is starting to become uncomfortable” to biting, rather than modifying their language accordingly and having opportunity to remove themselves from the situation. none of this is exclusive to pit bulls, but a higher tendency of conflicts CAN be seen in breeds that have poor body language, just as with dogs that are poorly socialized with other dogs.

if the word “aggression” makes you uncomfortable, let’s call it “stress” instead. a stressed dog may engage in behavior we consider aggressive, so these often overlap or are basically interchangeable anyway. some breeds are more predisposed to stress around either other members of the same sex as them or just other dogs in general, though again there are many factors to consider as to why this is. it’s been a while since i read up on this specifically, so anyone is free to correct me on this, but breeds with same-sex stress often have a higher production of hormones, making them more “competitive” with members of the same sex. for wolves, this can be a useful trait if they break off from their original family group (that’s generally what wolf packs are; two parent wolves and their children) to mate, establish their own territory, and create a new familial group (aka pack). akitas, frenchies, shibas, and st. bernards are some other dog breeds that have a relatively high occurrence of same-sex stress. terriers, guarding breeds, and herding dogs tend to have this in higher degrees than hunting or companion breeds. but again, ymmv.

stress, aggression, fights etc. between dogs are also often triggered by resource guarding. any dog can have issues with resource guarding, but breeds that have typically been bred to guard often have a higher tendency of this, and may be quicker to escalate the situation, because that’s what they’ve been bred for. dogs that have been bred to be independent and guard the home also have a higher tendency to “deal with” conflicts on their own, than dogs bred to be more handler-oriented. again, these are things to consider when getting a dog. for some people, these traits are desirable, for some they’re a downside that other traits weigh up for, for others it’s a dealbreaker. all of these are fine, and should honestly be encouraged more, because, as i said, not all dogs are suited for any person, and not all people are suited for any dog.

the reason pit bulls are often overrepresented in discussions of shelters/rescues is partly because it’s more of an umbrella term than a very coherent breed, referring to bull-type terriers and mixes thereof. there technically IS the american pit bull terrier, though this is not a breed recognized by the FCI or the AKC. regardless, a lot of different dogs often get lumped into the same category, especially when the history of the dog is unknown and it kind of looks like a bull-type terrier breed. ive seen plenty of “pit bulls” that probably have more pinscher or molosser/mastiff in them than bull-type terriers. so just on that alone, you have a huge span of dogs with varying temperaments and historical uses, and that’s before you consider more “immediate” factors like genetic lines and socialization (or nurture, if you will). there’s also the fact that due to their appearance, history, and reputation, there are a lot of terrible bull-type breeders out there, who breed for unethical reasons or for profit, which in turn produces a higher amount of dogs with poor backgrounds and poor parentage, which in turn makes a lot of these dogs end up in shelters (good breeders will commonly take the dogs back if there’s an issue or the owner has to surrender it, so more bad breeders = more dogs in shelters). this is not the dogs’ fault, obviously. in my experience, huskies and border collies are also breeds that make up a big chunk of shelter populations, because they might be cute when they’re puppies, but they often end up being more demanding than someone just wanting a family dog can handle. no amount of nurture can change an individual dog’s energy level or need for stimulation. what you CAN do is meet the dog’s needs. this is not the same thing as nature vs nurture. i cant love or train away a husky’s energy level, but i can let it use its natural resources by taking it for longer/more frequent walks/runs, maybe do some sledding/pulling/packing with it, making it a happier and more well-adjusted dog.

i recently saw a family with a staffordshire bull terrier who was very sweet with them and all around a great dog, but who would bark and pull incessantly whenever he’d see another dog. they had no idea how or why this happened, as he was otherwise really nice and they’d tried to socialize him a lot as a puppy. turns out, what they’d done when the dog was younger was let him meet every single dog they saw or walked past on the street, which created an expectation which created stress which ended up in very strong “stay away from me!!!” signals (barking, showing teeth, leaning forward). this is extremely common for dog owners of all breeds and it’s honestly both annoying and saddening, because no dog needs to befriend every dog they happen across, and it’s often counterproductive and create stress instead, especially since leashes limit a dog’s body language. your dog can hate every other dog in the world, but as long as they can walk past them without acting out, it’s literally not a problem. some dog breeds are less inclined to get along with other dogs, and that’s fine! they don’t need to hang with other dogs to be happy and if you train them to walk past other dogs it’ll likely never be an issue. like i said earlier on, dogs will almost always try to avoid conflict when they can, so you’ll be doing you, your dog, and other people and dogs a favor if you stop trying to “socialize” your dog that doesn’t like other dogs with said other dogs, and instead focusing on walking well on a leash. which is something that all dog owners should be aware of, not just owners of breeds that aren’t generally sociable with other dogs or people outside its family, which are typical traits of bull-type terriers.

and just to sum it up and really spell it out: i don’t think any dog is born “aggressive”. i think genetics, socialization, instincts, and training all play a role, and sometimes you can do everything right and still get a stressed dog that may lash out. dogs have also been selectively bred for all kinds of purposes by humans for thousands of years, so dogs of different breeds and origins may have very different behaviors, reactions, and instincts that we’ve often deliberately created. it’s bizarre and just plain wrong to state that all dogs and all dog breeds are born essentially with the same configuration and everything else is just “nurture”. pit bulls are often singled out or used as examples like in the post i reblogged because of their high density in shelters combined with their bad reputation, media sensationalism, and stereotypes. they’re not inherently worse or better than other dogs. they’re similar to rottweilers to me; fine dogs, can be great family pets, but you should know what you’re getting beforehand because they’re big strong dogs that may possess strong prey drive, same-sex stress, or guarding instincts + for which there are a lot of shitty breeders. id say the same for poodles or retrievers honestly; they can be high energy and were originally hunting dogs, so you should do your research, as with any other breed. i feel like over-defending and figuratively “defanging” pit bulls may end up doing more harm than good, even if the intentions are good, because downplaying a dog or breed’s potentially negative traits and specific needs will likely just result in the dog ending up with people who don’t know what they’re doing and who were expecting, like.. a bichon in terms of temperament and drive. how about we all just have a normal, neutral, informed approach to these breeds instead of this insane, eternal discourse where both sides can be equally fanatical? thanks

[sword-brainrot]

DARLING SWEETIE HELLO ITS MEEEEE. IM SO GLAD UR OKAAAAY. I MISSED YOU TO MUCH 💜💙❤💙❤. But yes. Matchuppy thingy uh. Call me Vy. A dumb bisexual who studies history and mythology as a major but fairytales in my spare time. Smol, very giving and spontaneous with gifts and hugs and adore physical affection. I uh...have a bad habit of apologizing a lot due to self confidence issues (getting there fam, getting there. Im better at least!!) And I also tend to internalize my anger and sadness. I also have...no filter once I get to know a person. I tend to compliment them out of the blue (someone says im pretty and i will immediately say back "not as pretty as you!!") Which peeps mistake for flirting which uh...i also cant tell how flirting works. Dont take compliments well either. I think...thats it??? I hope dis helps! THANK YOU DARLING💜💙❤

I Match You With...

🌸Higekiri 🌸

♡  Higekiri is a pretty excitable and no filter type of guy. He will say what is on his mind and say it with a smile. He never says it out of indecorous intentions. He is a guy that is looking for fun and is always smiling (for the most part), he isn't afraid to pull your string a little and get you riled up. Of course, making sure there is a line so he never actually hurts you. He would be able to bound off your energy whenever you want to go on hour long rants or let out your energy. Honestly, he would love to do anything like that instead of sitting around waiting for work to do around the citadel or missions.

♡  It might be surprising by just looking at his outward appearance, you would assume that he is a little bit of an air head at times and mostly happy go lucky. In actuality, he is very good at reading others. He is normally the one that is the middle man when people have an argument. He keeps the situation light hearted and make sure both sides understand each other. He would do that same for you. Higekiri will notice when you start to internalize your true feelings and take your out of the situation where it is just the two of you. He won't ask about it but know he is willing to listen to anything you have to say. He is ready to lean you a shoulder and embrace you so the burdens aren't so hard to bear alone. He would never judge you for showing the more vulnerable feelings.

♡  He would also help you break the habit of constantly apologizing. As much as he loves you for how you are, he doesn't want you to feel like everything you do needs to be apologized for. He wants you to know that you are not always in the wrong and don't have to apologize for just existing. He would take it slow and at your pace. Higekiri wants to help you love yourself just as much as he loves you. He is also the type that will say, "If you apologize again, then I have no other choice than to kiss you, ya know?" Just to get you to blush and think it more carefully. His Cheshire Cat like grin glaring back at you, full of love, of course.

♡  Higekiri is the Genji brothers that doesn't have much memory of his past. He doesn't talk to much about it and often jokes about it with teasing his brother about what his name is. (next part is my headcanon) It is no lie that he has forgotten his past but he did that to himself. When he manifested, the past was too painful for him to bear and his brain needed up giving him dissociative amnesia. Which is why Hizamaru remembers their past, but Higekiri doesn't. Even though he doesn't have his memory, he would love to lay his head on your lap as he listens to you tell him stories of all types of historical events and any mythology stories you may know. You may actually help him slowly regain memory of his own. Don't try to push it though, it could be very dangerous making someone remember something their brain forced them to forget!

♡  Higekiri's favorite spot to lay is on your lap. He is also the type of person who likes to give gifts and a bunch of physical affection. Don't be surprise if he just wraps his arms around you when he tired and use your shoulder as a pillow while you both are standing. He may even get really excited and hug you, lifting you up in his arms and spinning with you. He loves affection a lot. He also gets cold very easily, so expect him to cuddle you for all the warmth you hold.

♡  Higekiri is 5'8" (178cm), so if you are shorting than him, he is going to have a blast. He will give you piggy back rides constantly and lift you up whenever he can. He will also adore giving the top of your head a kiss when he first sees you in the morning. He finds people shorter than him to be absolutely adorable.

♡  You said that you are oblivious to flirting and don't take it well when you do realize. Higekiri isn't into being subtle. If he is going to flirt with you, he is going to make it known and he very clear about it. If he ever goes too far and you start to feel uncomfortable, he will back away and stop. He wants you to know that he is interested you and loves you a lot that he will constantly give you compliments. "Why are you so pretty? Makes me want to stay with you forever, so don't go running off on me, okay?"

♡  He will make sure you get at least one compliment a day until you start to get used to it and start to see the stuff he compliments in yourself. There will be mornings where and he sits in front of a mirror with you and start to compliment one part of you in a very detailed fashion (doesn't even have to be about your appearance), and tells you every little thing he loves about that part and how it makes him feel knowing he can have you in his day to day life. He knows it will be a slow process and you aren't just going to accept the things he says as facts but he is willing to stick with it until you can love yourself just as much as he loves you and you can see yourself with how he sees you.

♡  You like giving compliment? You fight when someone compliment you and compliment them back? Well good luck, you are entering the ring with Higekiri. You two will have compliment fights and I figure you both are very stubborn to give up so they will go on forever. Until one of you get pulled away, get too tired and fall asleep, or Higekiri does something that makes you go red and silent. You two having tallies of who won? Most likely!

[septiembrre]

just reread So I Come To You My Love and i am soft!!! they're awkward, smitten teens trapped in the bodies of adults

Awwwww!!!!! THANK YOU for rereading!!!! So I Come To You My Love was so softtt and so much fun to write. To start off this post, here's the song I listened to a bunch when I wrote it.

I love thinking about Beth and Ruby on the plane. I had this fantasy of them away together on a trip and finally having rest and non-stressful adventures. I figured they'd be typical Americans and want to go somewhere romanticized like Paris (especially bc it seems like a place that American Black folk have identified is a relatively comfortable and safe place to travel). Like can you imagine them doing all the cute touristy things in Paris? Walking about looking gorgeous and eating bomb food? MY HEART.

One day when I have more time, I want to do a vacation series where everyone gets to take a break. They deserve it. I also really want to write Brio on a beach.

Lmao, I'm just going to quote an enormous, self-indulgent passage now:

But, historically it had unfolded the other way around. There had never been a precedent of Beth being the one to smoke bomb out for a few weeks...

Of course, she wasn’t smoke bombing anywhere, slipping away into the ether. This was a long-planned vacation, months in the making, decades in the dreaming. There had been careful plotting to adjust the slack in the printing schedule and there had been deliberate calendering with the children’s summer activities. And well, Rio knew where to find her -- both where her rental was in Paris and where she more permanently lived (with him).

And it’s not like they hadn’t talked every morning and every night and sometimes in between of these past three weeks

God, she feels clingy and codependent and too much like her teenagers. Ruby had called Stan half as much.

And she’s still itchy.

…And kind of oily now?

She keeps scratching at a spot on one of her shoulders, at her palms, blotting at her face.

The people around her are going to think she has some sort of disease.

Except for Ruby, who knows.

So, Beth sits there, tapping, scratching, sighing into the void of time.

And it shouldn’t be so much of a surprise when a little more than halfway through the flight, Ruby’s hand emerges from its blanket cocoon to clamp down on Beth’s jiggling leg. Regardless, Beth all but levitates a foot into the air, gasping.

“Chill out.”

I loved writing this part!!!! Ha, and now I have it as a personal writing headcanon that I like for Beth to startle, and i always have it in the first drafts of everything (and then i write out bc i have control!!!) and I love writing her children startling just like her.

Oh my god, I'm direct quoting the whole thing now. I tried to argue to sothischickshe a while back that AO3 should allow us to annotate or endnote fics to be able to add like a director's comments feature on it. Oh well!

“So… message him again?”

Beth cants her head low, letting her hair fall to obscure her face.

“He’s being… you know how he is.”

“I… do but I’m not sure I want to know what that means.” Ruby pauses, sitting with it. “Oh my god.” She clamps her hand down again, this time on Beth’s wrist. “Does he want you to take naked pictures in the bathroom?”

Beth tries to snatch her arm away, flailing in the seat.

“What if Delta sees your nudes?! Please, tell me you did not do that in that sardine box ten feet away from me, Elizabeth. Marks.”

“I didn’t. I would never.”

Someone a row over shushes them.

Ruby relinquishes her grip to press at her eyebrows. “Y’all are too much.”

Beth shrugs. “He really liked those caftans we bought at that boutique.”

Ugh, they're CUTEEEEE!!! I love the lead trio, but damn if just wouldn't love more one-on-one Ruby & Beth bff scenes. Beth has a particular type of emotional vulnerability with Ruby, and I love them being the same age and having come up together.

And, in regards, to Brio~~ like you know our guy was like mad texting the whole time they were apart. He tried to play it kind of cool for the first few days, wanted to let B have her space, but they end up getting all itchy sleeping apart and it just ~d e v o l v e s. He's like already thinking about when they would get to have their own vacation together, looking up the plane tickets.

I don't imagine them being ridiculously unboundaried about the calling but they're navigating a more clingy relationship stage and they finally have reason to not be immediately near and they miss each other. Beth is having this really wonderful time with her friend, but during her downtime she wants to call the person she's romantically in love with and eagerly share all the details. I enjoyed imagining a Beth who is slipping into the territory where she has the comfort-level of being able to pick up the phone without overthinking it and call Rio (ala her sister and Ruby). And Then starting to realize that she has that comfort and being like O H. D:

And of course, I loved writing the kiss. My partner and I used to do long-distance at the beginning of our relationship. Even now that we have lived with each other for many years, when we're apart, I really look forward to that first kiss and I liked sharing that with Brio. Especially, as a couple that has historically~~ textually~~ not done much kissing.

I'm a sucker for the Big Romance kiss.

Oh, god. Sorry for talking your ear off but let me know if you have any questions about it! I'm also very happy to take prompts in that universe.

[youareunbearable]

Catch me not having a clue who any of these gods(?) and people are, but still sitting here like, "I ship that pretty one with the gruff one, and that brown haired one with the other(?) gruff one?" without knowing names or what this is except the fanart I see you reblog, because this fandom apparently has lots of nice art

Fam i have no idea what ur talking about or when u sent this im so sorry asfkjhfkjhf but i thiiiinnnkkkk??????? it’s “Heavens Official Blessing” or  Tiān Guān Cì Fú (TGCF for tagging stuff) its originally a chinese gay novel that is soooooooo long by the author  Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX) who wrote 2 (two?????) other novels that I know of that are also gay historical fantasy but i personally havent actually read TGCF???? im just watching the anime and looking at the wiki and reading fanfics so i have a vague idea whats going on but not really???? so i cant really give a good review BUT i LOVE THE CHARACTERS MXTX WRITES SO MUCH AFHAFKFHKFAKF IM SO SORRY IM SHIT WITH TAGGING SO U HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IM HYPER FIXATING ON BUT

LISTEN

LISTEN 

LISTEN

Pretty one and the gruff one im THINKING is He Xuan (or Ming Yi/ Ming-Xiong/Ming Bro) for the grumpy one and Shi Qingxuan for the pretty one and both are kinda gender fluid?? (more Shi Qingxuan but they both change their forms to be both women and men which is Iconic and the anime put her in the TRANS FLAG COLOUR instead of her canon white and green which is ICONIC) AND THHEYRE SO TRAGIC AND HOT AND I CRY JUST THINKING ABOUT THEIR STORY LIKE AFHDFKJAFDSGS like i want to kinda read the book just for them, the two super minor characters, but i also read somewhere that their story doesn’t really have a clean ending so im also holding back from just getting Emotionally Hurt because im a cancer and i know it’ll wreck me

I think The Two Gruff Idiots are Feng Xin (dark haired gruff boy) and Mu Qing (brown haired gruff boy) and theyre both martial gods and both knew each other for over 800 years and both tried to take care of Actual Human And Heavenly Disaster Xie Lian, failed, and tried to do it again 800 years later but with stupid glasses with moustaches in hopes that Xie Lian cant figure out that they care about him but OOPS Xie Lian does in fact have the braincell of the three of them fajfafjajf 

Heres the link to watch the anime, there are 11 eps rn but it updates every weekend (I dont actually know when but i watch it on sundays) Make sure u have ur ad block on tho lol there is a manga too and the art style is TO DIE FOR like its GORGEOUS but its roughly at the same pace as the anime so eh

Heres where to read the whole thing online, just a warning its BIG AS FUCK like 244? plus extras I think?? 

I’d also recommend MXTX’s other books!

Mo Dao Zu Shi (or Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation/ The Untamed/MDZS) is both a Book as well as an Anime (the whole thing is on youtube) , a Live Action which you can watch on Netflix (look up Untamed, also a warning, the plot is a little different from the book and anime cause of uhhh censorship?? also i guess to make it more live drama friendly, my friends an i binged it and really liked it, but some of the fandom doesn’t), a manga which is not finished I think???? idk im not caught up, and a fucking chinese AUDIO DRAMA LIKE BITCH ITS SO WELL DONE but i have to stop listening sometimes cause like there is a difference between watching/reading characters kiss, and then like just hearing them, i get so embarrassed i have to skip the kissing scenes and god forbid i accidentally click on the smutty extras alfjajlfjalfjaljf u can find it on youtube, i linked the one i listen to but i havent finished it and i don’t think it’s all of it, but you can find other episodes/chapters easily

Its about 1 Dumb Yet So Smart gay/bi man (Wei Wuxian) who honestly tries his fucking best, fucks up everything, dies for over a decade, and then is forcefully brought back to life to solve a murder mystery with the guy who has been in Super Gay Love with him since they were teens (Lan Zhan), a bunch of teens Who Are Just Honestly Here For A Good Time And Yet (Lan Juniors, Jin Ling, and Best Boy Ouyang Zizhen ) while badly hiding his real identity from all the people he knows, including his foster brother (Jiang Cheng) who is out for blood and hunting his ass down with a whip and also Lan Zhan who is travelling with him. Also the Killer. There is a killer on the loose and is willing to murder whoever to keep their secrets. Also Nie Huaisang. I adore him and his brother Nie Mingjue, if there is one bitch u gotta remember from this summary it’s this little twink (he and his brother also have a fucking spin off movie from the live action drama THAT I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A ENGLISH SUB VERSION AND ITS BEEN KILLING ME SINCE I STARTED WATCHING THIS SHOW LAST YEAR. GOOGLE GIVE ME MY FAVOURITE TWINK AND HIS BEAR OF A BROTHER HAVING A FUN FAMILY ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!)

My Personal Current Favourite is Scum Villain’s Self Saving System (SVSSS) which is SOOOOOOO FUNNY Like it’s not as popular cause the comic was discontinued, and the anime looks like its from 2005 with the weird 3D animation but its my current comfort media!!! 

Its basically about a spite reading millennial (Shen Yuan) who died after reading a REALLY awful popular cheesy smut harem novel (think like 50 shade series but worse cause the protag had 600 wives) and was forced into the body of a minor but important villain (the protagonist’s teacher, Shen Qingqiu) from the novel who was fated to die with all his limbs cut off and his eyes and tongue plucked out and is told he has to fix the story so its not trash, he reasonably freaks the fuck out and hugs the protagonists (Luo Binghe) thigh so hard he turns him gay without realizing. Sadly, he does have to make sure certain plot points happen, which fucks him over a lot,  and he thinks Luo Binghe still wants to kill him instead of love him cause he has the Emotional Intelligence of a Rock, but its so funny reading about him handling all the awful tropey stuff, like imagine u have to be a character in My Immortal But With Porn?????? without breaking out of character too much?? I wouldn’t be able to handle it ajhakfkfhjfj He also finds out that he’s not the only transmigrator in the novel either, but it doesn’t matter cause theyre both So Fucking Stupid Collectively but everyone would honestly die for the both of them

warning for this story though, the main relationship is a teacher/student relationship, but nothing happens until the student is in his 20s and also kinda not his student anymore cause he’s running hell??? but if that squicks u out i totally understand and offer you to PLEASE still enjoy some of this media, and instead of the BingQiu ship, I offer you the LiuQiu one, where both me and the main character cry over how a beautiful man/fellow immortal lord loves the main character so much that he literally fought every day for 5 years to be by his side and I Think Thats Beautiful and I kinda like this ship more than the main one tbh PLEASE just look at the art for Liu Qingge because i love him so much, he’s like if you took Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng from MDZS and mashed them into one beautiful man the author is trying to tell me is straight but u take one look at him And Tell Me Otherwise

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 21 - Gone with the Wind's relation to BLM.

K: Ok, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, starting this episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san. Welcome. Well, um..you know, Dir en grey...we've cancelled our Pia Arena concerts.

J: Ahh, thats right.

K: Its a bit...

T: Its a shame.

K: Well..it is a shame..it was kind of a build up of different things. We did search for ways which we could make it happen. We went to the venue in person, and tried to come up with ideas about how it could work, incuding our staff in the discussion, but...in the end it was quite difficult.

J: Ahh, really?

K: I had thought if we started to be a bit active things might begin to change. I really wanted to get moving, but...well..there would be people who wouldn't be able to go...

J: Well, yes.

K: So when we thought about whether we should do it...hmm..yeh.

J: Well, we want to let everyone know that you went as far as going to the venue to try to figure out what to do, and it does not mean that the band will disappear..

K: Yes

J: And in this sense, its a matter of waiting for the right time.

K: Yeah.

J: Right?

K: When will that be though, right?

J: Ah, well, the number of infections in Tokyo is in a state of increase at the moment, in particular, the night time entertainment sector is being blamed, so it seems as if live houses, or so called places of entertainment may be facing tough times for a little while yet.

K: Well, the numbers...if you decreased the number of customers..there are some places starting to operate again in that way, right?

J: There are, yes.

K: But packed standing areas are probably still a bit far off.

J: Yeah. When I think of a Dir en grey live show...I think of Shinkiba etc, I mean, thats what comes up in my mind. One way to see that type of place is like the three C's woven together (Cramped and poorly ventilated, crowded with people, close contact setting).

K: Yeh.

J: So it is really painful not being able to do that. But while it may take a while until we can, in the meantime we can find different ways or hybrid ways of doing it.

K: Yeah, we have to keep looking in a foward direction. Well...but on the days that we ought to have been performing, the 24th and 25th of  this month, we are planning to stream the intended setlist live on Youtube, so if people can, I'd love them to watch that.

Kami: Um....um...

J: Ah, Kami is here.

Kami: Have you considered playing live wearing face guards or something?

K, J: Face guards?

K: No, we didn't consider that, hahaha

J, T, K: Hahaha

J: This wouldn't fit with Dir en grey.

K: No, we actually talked about it, jokingly. Like how about it?

*laughing*

J: No, if you actually did, it would be like you were making fun of it or something like that. Hahaha.

Kami: Have you thought about ventilating the venue during the show or something?

K: Hmm, yeh, we'd have to make an interval in the middle and doing something like that.

T: I see

J: Well, its difficult isn't it? You'd have to deal with a lot of things. But just like you want to do it, people want to see it too, we are all the same.

Kami: Watching a Dir en grey show with interval breaks would be quite hard, right?

K: Hm, yeah it would probably break the tension.

T: Yeah.

K: Kinda.

Kami: What do you think about doing that?

K: Doing that...well..

Kami: Raising the tension, they saying  Ok, ventilation time!

K: We'd have to make it kinda like smoothly seperated waves.

J: Like leading into something when there is a break?

K: Leading into something. For example, like something sanwiched between the different sections, like showing a piece of film or something.

J: Ahh, its difficult! The people making the rules, have probably never been to live cocerts, because they don't imagine this type of thing at all. We'll have to think about all these small details at the time of performing from now on.

K: Ok, well, today...Joe san, can you please go ahead.

J: Ok, I'd like to go ahead with today's news. This is the news of how Gone with the Wind relates to the Black Lives Matter movement.

With the ongoing anti-racism Black Lives Matter movement, the expanding movement fighting for the lives of black people to be valued, the American streaming service HBO Max who halted the broadcasting of the Hollywood movie Gone with the Wind, have decided to start streaming the movie again, this time with a disclaimer attached....I'm sure you all know it...a movie which is set during the era of the American civil war, in which the system of slavery existed. This was announced by the American entertainment site TMZ. The same service had stopped streaming the movie earlier this month, after Oscar winning screen writer, John Ridley had pointed out that it includes affirmative portrayals of the system of slavery. Ridley won an Oscar for his work on the movie 12 Years A Slave, which depicts the experiences of slaves who were brought to America during the 19th century. According to TMZ, Jaqueline Stewart, a professor know for her research into the history of black people in cinema, has prepared a video containg some historical background to accompany the movie, in which she asks why we need to appreciate this 1939 movie in its original form, and says how it is  important to discuss our interpretations of it. Furthermore, a video of a panel discussion about this movie which took place in April last year will also be shown at the same time. Gone with the Wind is a movie based on the story by Margret Mitchell, featuring top star of the time, Clark Gable, and English actress, Vivian Leigh.

Soo, Gone with the Wind...the news that streaming was stopped once, but has been restarted with a disclaimer attached. What do you think about this, Kaoru?

K: This type of stuff has been said for a long time, right?

J: Yes.

K: And there are a lot of movies like this aren't there?

J: There are. When looking back now, some parts seem problematic. Well, even so, its a difficult issue, but I don't really think there was any need to halt streaming it in the first place. When watching a movie with such a background as this, people will have various feelings about it, so I don't really...but of course including these extras..the American Black Lives Matter movement has grown huge in a way no one imagined, so in order to prevent adding fuel to the fire, these extra videos are being screened too. But, in the first place, I think its important for people to watch works like this, and think about it for themselves. If you are always telling people how it should be, the nuance or message contained in these movies might be lost. Its quite difficult.

T: Well, if it is lost, we'll end up forgetting how that generation used to see the world.

J: Yeah

K: But we won't lose it, right? Just from this..???1* So, well..it was a problem which couldn't be stopped at that time, it was a growing problem. You can sense that meaning, but its like, how you put it across.

J: Yeh, thats right. Well, this isn't about this movie, but for example, as for books, the publication of Hitler's Mein Kampf was halted for 70 years after the war in Germany. There was the idea that it would be bad to let people read Hilter's autobiography, after what he did. But a few years ago it started to be permitted to be published again, based on the idea that banning it also isn't a good idea. And people do actually want to read it, it is selling. So what do you do? Its a very difficult issue. If the works are by people who have done very bad things, like, a if they are written by a very bad person, should we ban it....Like some of Dir en grey's videos are also quite...when you majored, weren't some of them withdrawn or denied release?

K: With that ????2*

J: Ahh, I see. Some bits were ok, and some weren't? Well, with corona changing the world now, this problem will...

K: Well, this type of thing has an influence on a lot of stuff.

J: It does, yes.

K: Like Japanese anime.

T: Also, people are questioning this idea of 'whitening' beauty products.

J, K: Ahh, yeah.

T: That type of thing has come out recently. But even if you say 'whitening' in the context of beauty, what does it mean? Does it mean, white people are beautiful, or does it mean your skin is ???*3 That has become a talking point.

K: Now that you mention it, you are not allowed to tell someone they're short are you?

J: Right.

K: The same for if they are tall, right.

J: Yeah, if you worry too much, you'll end up trying to censor words. Especially with younger people, like sometimes  you have to express things in abbreviated forms, and if they jump on this and say, 'you can't say that!', then the amount of expressions we have will shrink. Well, it is difficult.

K: Well, I mean there are lots of ???*4 with that type of person.

J: Well, its difficult  to know where to draw the line with this type of thing. But with regards to Black Lives Matter, it doesn't appear to have a lot to do with this country, but Black Lives Matter has been closed in on the event where a policeman kneeled on the neck of a black man and killed him. However, if you look at the broader scene, one of the policemen standing by and watching is thought to be a man of Asian descent. And the store that reported the black man who died was run by middle eastern descended people, so its certainly not an issue unrelated to Asia. Its often said that its an issue of only whites against blacks, but actually there are clearly people of Asian descent involved in this situation. On a global scale, there are a lot of issues which you cant simply separate into white against black. So i think we should get our imaginations working a bit more, and think about all the parties involved. It might be a bit hard to imagine living in this country, but we need to realise these are not just other peoples' affairs.

T: Its really imoprtant to try to imagine yourself in someone else's situation, isn't it?

J: I think it is really important. ...Kami?

Kami: Yes yes yes. Were you talking about Gone with the Wind?

J: Ah, you want to return to the topic of Gone with the Wind?

Kami: No, I just thought this was about Gone with the Wind. I have no interest in the movie Gone with the Wind, just the title puts me off. I wasn't really listening this time.

K: He hates this type of movie, right?

J: Yes, he hates it, haha. You don't like this type of thing much?

K: What type of movies do you like?

Kami: Anything, even banned movies.

T: Kami sometimes...

J: He's like Chabudai gaeshi!

T: He appears at times like this.

K: Well, Kami probably likes action movies or that type of thing.

J: Oh you like that type of thing? You don't care  if streaming of Gone with the Wind is stopped?

Kami: Yeh, if a big fuss is made when its stopped, then people will wonder what its all about and try to watch it won't they?

T: Ahh, I see.

J: Ah, on the other hand, yeh.

Kami: I won't watch it though.

K: He's really pressing that point. He won't let us forget.

J: Ahh, so thats that. It doesn't meet Kami's expectations.

K: Okay, well, lets end here. Please subscribe. Thank you very much.

J, T: Thank you.

*1, 2, 3, 4 Couldn't figure out these bits.

[stuckylibrary]

Group Ask 177

What is a group ask?

Previous Group Asks

AO3 Search Tutorial

Please send us an ask stating which group ask and which person you are replying to. Thank you so much in advance!

scottiedotmp4 said:

i’ve scoured the apocalypse and post-apocalypse tags on AO3 but can’t seem to find this fic. all i can really remember was that steve and bucky lived in a cabin and thought they were the only survivors. i think bucky found steve bc steve kept trying to contact ppl with a radio broadcast. they had a garden and chickens and at some point contacted tony who lived in the west coat. thanks so much!

emzy2, time-lord-no-more, oh-ursmari and Anon sent in The Day the World Went Away* by 74days (complete | 21,323 | T) *chose not to warn

Anon 1 said:

hey :) so there was this fic i read a few months ago that i wanted to read again but i cant find it. basically, the avengers are wondering why steve is not getting in the christmas spirit and try to figure it out and then they find out that bucky died on christmas or something and that’s the reason why. sorry if that’s vague, thank you so much!!!! :)

dolphinqueen10 sent in For the Holidays by togina (restricted, oneshot | 11,279 | T)

Anon 2 said:

Could you please please help me find a fic where bucky and tony are running from cops. Its a cacw canon divergence where tony hates bucky as he has murdered his parents but ends up befriending him eventually when he realizes how much steve loves bucky and that bucky is a good human. I guess stucky is established relationship in this story. Congrats on the new blog, the fandom loves you!! Thanks!

getstucky sent in i need a forest fire by tomorrowsrain (complete | 65,812 | T)

Anon 3 said:

I CAN NOT find this fic where Bucky is living with Steve post hydra and isn’t able able to jack off and he goes to Steve’s room one night thinking that Steve will have sex with him. Steve is horrified and gives him a lecture about how not masturbating is dangerous with their increased sex drive with the serum and ends up letting Bucky fuck him instead. Any suggestions helpful, I’ve tried every tag combo I can think of!

sheetsforwhichimmade and possibleplatypus sent in  Deep-Six* by Claudia_flies (oneshto | 3,474 | E) *chose not to warn

pekinessa22 said:

Hi! Ok so i have lost two fics (the travesty i know) The first one is an ABO fic where steve is about to give birth and he is isolated for religious reasons and after the baby is born bucky kinda smugles himself in (if i remember correctly it was like old roman vibes but i cant recal for sure). 

(Polyamory:) The other one is nat/bucky/steve pure smut where the three live together and i remember bucky at one point laying nat on the dining room table like a snak for steve (smut ensures) THANKS

delilahdraken said:

I'm looking for a post-apocalyptic AU where skinny Steve is working as a mechanic. He finds Bucky in a landfill while looking for parts to repair something. Bucky is still a Winter Soldier, but different. They tried to make soldiers that could survice a nuclear winter, which they did, but it also made them sort-of vampiric and difficult to control. There is mention of a neural implant that stopped working for Bucky. Also Bucky's blood heals and only he can open a weapons cache Nick Fury wants.

Anon 4 said:

Hi! Do you know the fic where Steve died before the war and Bucky joins the Howlies and gets taken by Hydra but is saved by the Avengers and he kinda sees Steve? I think Peggy was Cap! Think you can find it?

Anon 5 said:

Hey there! Thanks for all that you do!!! I'm looking for a fic where Bucky has memory loss and video chats with Steve everyday from his room and then one day Steve doesn't video call him because he's depressed and Sam talks to Bucky. Steve maybe also reads Bucky a story every night? I would appreciate any help identifying this fic!!!

yumathings said:

Hi. I am desperately looking for a historical fic. I went through all the tags and .... I can’t find it. It’s a poor Bucky with a title and Steve with money. I think. But FOR SURE Bucky ja a war injury that keeps him in bed and they think he will die soon. So may as well marry and get a good settlement for his sister. But Steve is a good guy. And he figures out how to help Bucky and .... obviously.... they fall in love.... do you know that one?

greyhavensking, possibleplatypus and Anon sent in The Bargain by GoodbyeBlues (complete | 20,647 | M)

Anon 6 said:

Hello, I'm not really sure how to use tumblr but I'm looking for a fic where there's accidental noncon. Bucky asks Steve for stuff after sex and Steve doesn't realize that Bucky is using sex to barter for things he wants.

possibleplatypus sent in Uberrima Fidei* by asocialconstruct (oneshot | 3,075 | E) *rape/noncon

Anon 7 said:

Hi there! I’m trying to find a fic without results, maybe you can help. I remember just one thing: bucky and steve stuck behind enemy lines have sex and the scent of hormones kind of make the bad guys fuck too, so they can escape. I think it was abo and it’s either set during the war or in modern setting, but I don’t actually know. It’s really old, I tried to search in the abo tag, but I didn’t find anything. Sorry I couldn’t be more specific. Oh, it was multi chaptered if I’m not wrong

lesbucci said:

There’s this Fic I’m trying to find, but I only have a screenshot and I’m worried it might be deleted? The part I have screenshotted goes like this: “What kinda fucking stunt you trying to pull here, Rogers? Fucking left a note? Like that was supposed to fix it?" Bucky wants to rage, more than anything, twist his bones into something formidable so he can break, but there’s no one to hurt here but himself, and baby is all he's got. Only thing he ever owned, besides Steve.

Not a Stucky fic, Anon sent in a deleted Supernatural fic:  The Dark Descent and Up To Reascend by Theboys

Anon 8 said: (possible underage?)

hi! Im looking for a fic where Bucky was modern and Steve was still Captain america. They lived in the same apartment building, I think Buckys was directly under Steves, so he keeps sneaking in until Steve catches him. I'm pretty sure Bucky was younger, a lot younger. The ending was something like Bucky showing up at one of Steves events and Steve sees him and just smiles in Buckys direction? please help me! thank you

possibleplatypus and Anon sent in erupted with rubies* by yasgorl (oneshot | 8,009 | E) *chose not to warn

Anon 9 said:

Hello! i love this blog thanks for all your organizing skills. I’m looking for a short fic where Natasha gave bucky a bath bomb and steve realizes he likes them so he buys him more. thanks

[readingaccountability]

snow crash - neal stephenson

my playlist (because of The Way That I Am)

final thoughts:

okay, im going to be honest right out of the gate- i cant decide whether this is a book id recommend or not. it was really fun for the most part, but personally there was a lot more exposition than id like. the early portions of the novel have exposition which feels completely fair, mostly things relating to worldbuilding. stephenson creates his own vision of future america, and some places online referred to it as cyberpunk, and some as post-cyberpunk. id be more in the latter camp, mostly due to the way he plays with tropes, leaving the reader unsure of which will be subverted and which wont.

the use of language was really fun, and i enjoyed the worldbuilding a lot. his vision of a futuristic capitalistic earth feels surreal in its immediacy and recognizability. the back jacket blurb ends with "a future america so bizarre, so outrageous, you'll recognize it immediately." which, yeah. a texan info-tech magnate? two competing corporations owning the highway system? suburban city-states? this was another enjoyable thing- everything was colorfully named, and names treated totally normally, which kind of poked fun at how we have everyday things named very ludicrously and for the most part we are totally blind to it.

one aspect i really enjoyed was that the author often doesn't make certain things clear to the audience, until he does, and then it becomes necessary to reassess the entire story and setting. this goes to underscore the theme of the importance of information and the ways we take it in and perceive the world based upon it. for example, we don't learn that y.t. is fifteen until maybe 75 pages in, at which point a lot makes sense in retrospect. the same thing occurs in the worldbuilding, as suddenly a detail is given in passing and the reader must incorporate it into the setting, which by default we assume to be similar in many ways to our idea of america. it keeps the reader on their toes as well as furthering the worldbuilding. for the most part, the tech stuff didnt feel outdated to me, despite being a future projected out from '92.

however, aspects of the book are definitely very 1992. id put these into two camps: the first, being that the book does at different times use slurs. the main character is black and asian, the n word is used a few times by racist side-character/antagonist types, as are a few other racial slurs. there was also the occasional usage of the r slur, within the narrative prose itself, rather than usage as an insult within dialogue.

the protagonist, who is named, unfortunately, hiro protagonist, is a great character and felt very fleshed out to me, though at times he reminded me more of dirk strider than normally would be ideal. (its obvious that stephenson and andrew hussie are of a similar type of writer, and play with similar tropes, lmao.) hiro is a man of many worlds. he seems to shift between them easily, though never fully existing in any of them. this is reflected in his background, both in his biracial identity and in having been raised on a myriad of army bases. this is layered further in his fluidity in interacting with both reality and the metaverse, yet remaining slightly, consistently aloof. fascinatingly the first moment i sensed this drop was when we meet juanita- aka where his real and meta realities coincide. the description of them as the adam and eve of the metaverse is both insanely romantic and thematically key (good god i wish we had more than like, two conversations between them). juanita designed the facial component to metaverse avatars, doing the majority of this work when the two were together, and hiro can see echoes of both their facial tics in the face of every avatar in the metaverse. in a way, by having done this work juanita is positioned by the narrative as one of the gods of this digital realm. she is also hiro's call to action, being aware of the coming trouble and alerting him to it, as well as connecting him to the informational database he needs to prepare.

y.t., the secondary protagonist, fucking ruled. i loved that she was just a fifteen year old punkass kid whose mom doesnt know how crazy this part time job is. y.t. being worried about her mom was a great thread throughout, and a really good balance to how obviously independent y.t. is. i do wish there had been a chance to explain more about her background (she has a dad who left who is mentioned in a throwaway sentence, and a boyfriend who is mentioned near the beginning but never again.) i really enjoyed how obviously hyperaware y.t. was at all times about her own place within the insanities of the setting, while also consistently writing her as a teen maybe in way too deep who thinks about things in typically teenage ways. but like, that wasn't ever held against her? the narrative meets her where she is. it was honestly awesome. HOWEVER,

i absolutely hated the raven and y.t. scenes. how creepy!!! he basically statutory rapes her!!! we know hes at least late 20s early 30s, because hes the same age as hiro. if this sort of content is upsetting to read for you, i definitely do NOT recommend this book. (if you want to avoid reading these bits: ch 47 y.t. meets raven, ch 50 they are in a bar eating, ch 52 things happen that result in y.t.'s anti-assault device activating- she did not activate it on purpose, but forgot it was there- and raven is knocked out.)

please PLEASE dont take any of the following analysis as like, trying to be apologetic towards this scenes. because again they were awful and hard to get through and really gross. but im also cognizant that the author was obviously trying to convey something by making the choice, like the way it was written is obviously not condoning this sort of thing.

i think maybe what stephenson was trying to get at with that, was that we see hiro internally negate any potential for anything untoward with y.t. basically immediately, since he kind of senses that she might have a small crush on him (though this doesnt last more than a fleeting moment, especially from her perspective). vs raven, whose 'poor impulse control' warning tattoo eventually elicits a sarcastic remark from hiro after he finds out raven and y.t. were "a thing". i really dont think hiro knew how far it went? like it was just suuuper weird, but i figured it was meant narratively to 1. execute the chekovs gun of y.t.'s anti-assault device, 2. contrast hiro and raven (especially considering the bike-racing argument where theyre telling the story together, which is supposed to parallel them, while contrasting the differences in how they ended up?), and 3. just to get raven unconscious, i guess. but good god it was weird and i hated every second of it, why couldnt the device have like, activated way earlier?? gah. fucking upsetting. moving past that!

honestly i was really frustrated by how little screentime juanita got, because the way she was introduced was so fucking interesting and then shes mostly off doing her own thing. the bits of explanation she gives at the end about what she was up to on the raft are so sparse and im like damn, can we get a little bit of her pov in here? please? that would have ruled. additionally, shes supposed to be hiros love interest, but we see so little of them interacting outside her intro scenes. a huge portion of why hiro is getting into the sumerian mythology is literally framed as something that will help him understand juanita, but we dont get to see him talk to her about it barely at all.

the supporting characters were quite fun, i particularly liked the librarian. big surprise, i liked the overly literal ai information-dispensor, lmfao. watching him and hiro interact reminded me SO hard of geordi laforge having honest to god conversations with the computer where he tries to coax information out of it, aka one of my favorite little aspects of tng.

and lastly, the major plot themes themselves. i adore the way stephenson approached action, it was very entertaining. usually i cant really visualize action scenes written out, but his use of language was really really effective and engaging. the plot itself was absolutely fascinating, though i found the premise pretty contrived. which isnt bad in itself, i was fully suspending my disbelief until the last hundred pages or so. which for a 550+ page book, isnt too bad.

i did like the approach of linking the ancient to the modern, that is always really neat. and i think ultimately stephenson did it in an interesting way, not how i would have done it, but definitely interesting! creating these ideas about information infrastructures, and there being words that can access those and be used to control people, was wild. not sure if i agree about the equating of religion to a virus, though he did specifically establish that it was more the approach to religion, than religion itself. (maybe if juanita had been more goddamn present in the narrative that could have been elaborated on a little more. literally her perspective would have been perfect in balancing that out!!)

ultimately what did me in was the very very very long winded MONOLOGUE where hiro re-explained the whole premise, in ways that didnt really neatly organize into a cohesive argument. a lot of the scenes where hiro talks to the librarian, which are interspersed throughout the book, are really exposition heavy, because stephenson is rooting his ideas in historical concepts that need to be explained to both hiro and the audience. and i thought all that was fine, because it was a conversation where hiro was grappling with the information, and he was figuring it out along with the reader, and most importantly it was a conversation between him and the librarian computer program.

howeverrr later on we get a full rehash of all that, where hiro makes clear some stuff that was just implied for the reader, and hes literally just telling these important men whats up in this big long monologue. utterly worthless. i kept reading it and going YEAH, we KNOW, we know this we know this. and the important men barely interjected. it added basically nothing to our understanding of the situation, other than reframing it. but everything added was already an implicit thing, and didnt really need to be said again.

the resolution to the book was stellar, the last 30-40 pages, once hiro is onto the raft, were great. ultimately after reading and giving some time to digest it, i think it was a solidly great book with a few big drawbacks near the end, but which dont carry through and sully the ending.