#i have in fact gotten ''why don't you just watch things''d many times but I AM I DO IT'S HOW I ENJOY THINGS weh

[transbee]

smtimes i worry the way i come off when talking ab Media and things like. story structure, themes, motifs, authorial intent etc etc etc comes across as pretentious but also the world needs more pretentious people. to be quite honest.

[krysmcscience]

Did somebody say Bill shouldn't be allowed to swear? I think somebody said Bill shouldn't be allowed to swear. Thanks to that, have these retooled The Good Place jokes:

The "powers that be" can refer to either the Theraprism staff, the Axolotl, or just. Ya know. Disney in general. Or all three! Whichever you think is funniest. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The "party" Bill's referring to is Weirdmageddon, of course. He was quite the ashhole to everyone back then.

Ford has probably gotten pretty good at the 'tune out your psychopathic ex with dank memes' challenge.

It must be very cathartic to be able to make Bill shut up whenever you want with just the press of a button. I'm sure Ford doesn't abuse this ability at all.

Oh, sure, 'Not now,' he says, before he immediately backs out of the newly-made hole in the Theraprism wall. 🙄

Don't worry, Bill doesn't get far.

also yeah i know this one doesn't have an attempted swear - i just wanted to use the joke because of the massive stink-eye involved in it because it makes me laugh

⬇️ More goofs beneath the brief ramble if you wanna skip it lmao⬇️

Why is Ford even there, you might ask? Well, he either decided he preferred to watch Bill suffer in person over being distantly and repeatedly harassed with the same evil desperation book for the rest of his life, or he got roped into some kind of contrived community service for 1.) all his many counts of interdimensional thievery, and 2.) his ignoring all the very clear warnings to NOT summon Bill in the first place (which I like to imagine is also illegal). Theraprism staff were just like, 'Wait, this guy matters to Bill? Ooh, we can USE that! It might be the only thing that can help him want to get better!' It is not considered that throwing Ford at Bill so soon after Weirdmageddon could instead make them both WORSE - in new and altogether special ways! :D

Anyway, I'm calling it the Community Service AU, and I am most likely not going to do anything else with it beyond appropriating these silly Good Place jokes. So, feel free to adopt the concept if y'all wanna??? Just make sure that Bill is still not allowed to swear, no matter what, full stop. It's gotta be a real linguistic corkblork of a situation for him, is all I'm sayin'.

Finally, have these bonus Good Place jokes, but with Handyman!Bill this time:

'Opposite tortures' doesn't sound so bad...at least until it's an all-powerful chaos entity known for torture saying it.

you may think i forgot mabel's cute pink cheeks but the truth is that i did in fact forget but then immediately stopped caring which makes it okay, SHHHHHHH

And, finally:

lmao this is shit

True facts, if you cram Season 1 Eleanor Shellstrop and Michael into a singular triangle shape, they turn into Bill Cipher. This is science, look it up. Or don't, and just trust the source that is me, bro.

Anyway, I should be in bed, y'all have fun with these, I guess. Tune in after like a week or so and maybe I'll have an addendum to my comic about how Bill was drawn naked for karaoke night. Because him actually being naked was not the only thing I considered as a plausible explanation. XD

Also if you see any inconsistencies or errors in any of these comics, No You Do Not :D

Also also, reblogs are rad as hell and I appreciate every single one, just don't repost, please and thanks. Every time a repost is made, an artist somewhere cries. :,)

[yumeka36]

After hearing all the hype, I finally decided to watch Frieren. I was 99% sure I would like it based on what people were praising about it. And now that I've watched all (currently) 28 episodes...yeah, it's really good.

I knew it was gonna be a slow-paced series that's mostly driven by the characters and world-building as opposed to an ongoing, impending plot...and I'm totally okay with that. While I do enjoy series with a lot of flashy action and emotional angst, I also like when series don't pander to this typical way of being entertaining. Cool fights and suspenseful plots will always be popular, especially for anime/manga, so I greatly respect a series that dares to be different and still delivers. While the characters in Frieren do have an ongoing goal, it's not the main focus of the series: the focus is on their interactions with the world and each other. This is especially unusual for a series that takes place in a D&D fantasy world with monsters, demons, and magic. Such a world is full of potential for fast-paced fights and angst-ridden action, but Frieren does it differently. The handful of battle scenes in the series so far are handled very "matter of fact" - they're not given any more fanfare than other things that happen. Anyone who's watched a decent amount of shonen anime is probably used to all the intense violence and raw emotions that pour out during fight scenes, so seeing how relatively calmly the characters in Frieren handle similar situations may not be for everyone. It even took me a while to get used to how the more suspenseful action scenes in Frieren are handled compared to most other anime.

One of my favorite things in anime, or any medium really, is having characters with appealing but also unique relationships - relationships that can't really be defined by "typical romance," "typical friendship," etc, but something special and unique that I want to see develop as the series goes on. This is a big reason why I like Spy x Family so much, and why I like Frieren as well. The relationship between Frieren and Fern is something like this: On the surface they have a "master/student" relationship, but there are so many more layers to it, like Fern often being exasperated by Frieren's obsession with new spells or the fact that her interpretation of time is so different from that of humans', that sometimes Fern acts like the more "mature" one of the group. But at the same time, despite her elegant air, she has a childish side to her in how she pouts and sulks whenever she's upset with Frieren and Stark, plus her no-nonsense personality that often clashes with Frieren's easy going approach to things. But despite this, we still observe the intimacy between them and how comfortable they've gotten with each other over the years. Then there's Fern's relationship with Stark, that I find incredibly adorable mostly because, again, of how nuanced it is. They're not constantly emoting or yelling at each other, yet you can tell there's something going on between them based on more subtle things, like Fern giving Stark a hard time compared to how she relates to everyone else, and Stark being sensitive to her mood changes.

Another interesting thing about the series is how long the timeline is. Over 100 years have passed for the characters, Frieren in particular of course, since episode 1 to episode 28, yet nothing seems rushed. The series focuses on the bits of their lives that matter through flashbacks here and there, and that makes the series' world more engrossing when you have an idea of all the events that transpired over such a long time. Characters who aren't even alive/present during most of the story, particularly Himmel and his group, can have so much influence in the narrative. All the scenes where Frieren is reminded of things Himmel says and does make so much sense, not just because he was such an important person to her, but because someone who's lived for as long as she has is bound to have these deja vu moments where she had experienced a similar situation before.

The latter part of the series involving the mage exam made me a bit apprehensive, since I don't like when series introduce a bunch of characters at once in a competition with the protagonists. When there's so many new characters that need to play a role in the current plot, they probably won't be well written. But honestly, by the end of the series, I thought they were all interesting characters. This is mostly due to, again, the series giving ample time showing how each of them thinks and strategizes, how they work together with others, what their motivations are, etc, rather than just showing off their powers. Even a character like Serie who's shown to be an antagonist was still interesting as I could at least understand her motives and beliefs.

There's more I can say about Frieren but I'll stop there. Overall, an excellent series and one of the best I've seen in recent years. Looking forward to more anime, and I may even check out the manga!

[cazort]

I've heard a lot of people express frustration that they don't know how to help Harris and the Democrats win this election. They say that everyone they know either already supports Harris, or are Trump supporters who seem impossible to reason with because they don't agree on basic facts.

Here's the thing. You're not going to convince many people by talking to people who are already talking about politics. These people have entrenched views. Don't waste time talking to someone who is vocal about supporting Trump.

But there are A LOT of people out there who are quiet about politics, and don't follow politics much. They might be registered to vote but not always vote. They might be planning to vote, but not have a strong opinion and are just going along with the opinions of the people close to them.

These are the people you need to talk to. Talk to everyone. Ask random people you come into contact with. Reach out to people you haven't talked to in a while, especially people who live in swing states.

Share information with people that will speak to them. If someone is Puerto Rican, ask them if they heard about the insults made to Puerto Rico at Trump's rally in New York and how Trump and Vance didn't really apologize for them. If someone is concerned about the economy or stressed with finances, talk to them about how economists and reputable media like the Wall Street Journal agree that Trump's tariffs will hurt the economy and drive up prices. If talking to people with family in the military, talk about how Trump disrespects people in the military, and how he spoke ill of the two generals he himself appointed. Share John Kelly's remarks about Trump wanting his generals to be more like Hitler's, tell them how you trust Kelley because of his service record, and how that concerns you.

Trump is so unhinged that there is literally something he has already said or done to alienate just about every possible demographic. The only way that his movement is maintaining power is by keeping the people ill-informed. The information isn't reaching people, and Trump has gotten people to distrust even reputable media.

The people who read and trust reputable media have already accessed all this information, and we all already support Harris. We understand that Trump is a threat to our country and democracy and our world. And we understand this regardless of our political views, whether we're liberal, conservative, or anywhere in between.

We need to talk to the other people. We need to talk to those who aren't as engaged, and we need to be like: "Hey, did you hear about this? Did you hear about that?" Use that personal connection. Talk to people who know you to be a reasonable person.

If people are skeptical you can share with them how you check what is sound and what isn't. Show them the website Media Bias / Fact Check and use it to look up specific sites. Be like: "I don't believe everything I see online, but I trust this source." if they ask you how you can know something. Explain which sites you consider biased if they saw something that you think is fake news. Tell them why you don't trust a particular site.

Don't argue with people. If you share a thing, and get pushback, you can use understatement. Don't be like: "You're wrong!" and start arguing. Rather you can be like "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that." and then drop it and move on if the person keeps arguing. You have other people you can talk to, and you might have started the wheels churning in this person's brain.

If people generally agree with you, ask if they are voting and planning to vote for Harris. If you're able to help like by offering a ride to the polls if they need it, or to help watching someone's kid, or anything else that would help them vote, offer it. Ask if they are talking to other people, if they know if people around them are also voting for Harris that they could encourage. Tell them that you think this election really matters, because it does.

We can make a difference by talking to people. Don't believe the polls that say that there are few undecided voters left. The polls often report as few as 1% undecided voters. But here's the thing. In the past week alone, I've heard from Puerto Ricans who said they had been planning to vote for Trump, and then those comments came out, and they changed their minds. You might also convince someone who is not planning on voting to vote for Harris. Or you might convince someone who was planning on voting for Trump to not vote. One of my friends from high school who initially liked Trump and voted for him, has become frustrated with him and this election, recently said he is voting third-party. I've been talking to him about my frustration with Trump for quite some time, and he has agreed with some of what I've said.

Each and every change like this matters. There are a few days left before the election. We can still make a difference. Focus your energy where it matters most, which is talking to people who you know or interact with who respect you, and who are not talking a lot about politics.

[solarmorrigan]

Hello! I was tagged for this by the marvelous @paperbackribs about... *checks watch* four months ago! I'm so late, I'm sorry, time is meaningless and slippery!

How many works do you have on AO3? 300 (!)

What’s your total AO3 word count? 976,101

What fandoms do you write for?

At the moment, I'm only writing for Stranger Things, but I've written things for about 40ish fandoms over the years.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Phony Matrimony [Fantastic Beasts]

Shared Space [Homestuck]

Simple Association [James Bond - Craig movies]

Made with Love (and Yarn) [Stranger Things]

These Days I'm Fine (These Days I Tend to Lie) [Stranger Things]

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I used to get fewer comments, and it was easier to respond to each of them. Having recently been in some much larger fandoms, though, I've kind of been getting overwhelmed and have fallen behind. I'm so grateful that people take the time to even just send a little heart--to tell me that they read this thing and enjoyed it--and I'd love to respond to everyone, but at this rate I'm not quite sure I'll manage to catch up D:

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably either For the Love of You (James Bond, established 00Q, in which Bond is forced to go after Q when he turns out to be a traitor) or either of the fics in the Forever and Ever, Amen series (also James Bond, 00Q, in which Q is a necromancer and won't let Bond die). I've written other dark things, but I tend towards hopeful endings even with those

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most things I've written! I'm a big fan of happily ever after and I write a lot of short fluff pieces. But as far as fics where the happy ending is sort of earned, I'd say maybe He Dreams, Until Such Time (Hades game, gen, in which Hypnos is the Elysium boss fight after having been banished from the House, and Zagreus finds a way to get him back in) or We Have Surplus If We Need It (Pacific Rim, established Newmann, in which Newt tries to figure out who he is in a post-kaiju world and cooks a lot about it)

Do you get hate on fics?

Not particularly. I've gotten a few randos trying to tell me off for writing slash, and one or two people who were clearly just mad at a specific trope and happened to land on my fic, but I've been very fortunate to get largely positive feedback

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I'm not sure it's exactly my strongest suit (and, in fact, often worry that it's not very good at all), but I guess I keep at it?? I've written PWP and plotularly significant smut before; whatever serves my purposes at the time

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not often, but I have! The first fic I ever tried writing on my own was a Buffy/Scooby-Doo crossover, and I've written a fair bit for Gravity Falls/Over the Garden Wall. Not sure how wild either of those are, though?

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I've been alerted to, but I've been posting fic for something like 20 years now, so it wouldn't surprise me if at least one of them has cropped up elsewhere under someone else's name

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yyyyyes...? Pretty sure I remember that happening! I think it was over on ff dot net, so I don't remember which one it was. Good odds it was one of my Criminal Minds fics, though

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

A few times! I've done RP-style co-writing, round robins, half-and-half, and just plain collaborating. Most of them never reached the point of being able to publish, but they were still fun

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Gotta confess: I don't think I have one. My favorite is usually whatever I'm focusing on at the time; I don't dislike ones I've shipped previously, but they tend to settle fondly into the background once I've left a fandom

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I had a whole Stranger Things fic planned out exploring the potential relationship between Steve and his mom, and I'd love to get at least the bare bones of that done, but there's something about it that just kind of refuses to come

What are your writing strengths?

Characterization and emotion. Emotion is something I feel like I don't identify particularly well in real life, but I think I'm pretty good at getting the intended response from people in my writing. (Also maybe dialogue, but that's just so fun to write)

What are your writing weaknesses?

I! Am! Impatient! I tend to rush through things sometimes and screw the pacing up or skip over important details because I worry writing it out in full will take too long and I'll lose interest. I can also get a little too rigid in trying to achieve a particular outcome, instead of letting the story flow

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't tend to do it, but that's because I'm only fluent in English and don't want to jar anyone with a bad auto-translate job. If someone is speaking another language, I usually try to find a way to signify that based on whether or not the POV character also knows that language

First fandom you wrote for?

It was either HP (forgive me, this was over 20 years ago) or Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Scooby-Doo (crossover fic I wrote when I was, like, nine?)

Favorite fic you’ve written?

Ever?? In my life?? My dude, I could pick a favorite per fandom maybe, but just straight up favorite?? I cannot. Of things written more recently, I'm very fond of Under My Skin (Steddie, exploring the possibility of Steve with physical scars). Of things written slightly less recently, I still have a complicated soft spot for We Have Surplus If We Need It

Gently tagging (if you've already done this, I'm sorry, just ignore me): @spiritofcamelot @ato-the-bean @puppy-steve @emchant3d @lexirosewrites

[righteousness-and-tea]

As a D&D nerd I must request 🧚🏻‍♀️ fantasy 🎠 royalty with Byakuya. Please and thank you! Also welcome back, I do love your Byakuya hc’s

I was actually so excited to write this, haha. It gave me such a flash of inspiration! Thanks for the warm welcome, and I hope you enjoy!

-Mod Celeste

2o0+ Followers Event: Byakuya in a Royal + Fantasy AU

-So initially, I thought he'd make a good high elf prince or something.

-But then, for some reason my mind said: Demon prince.

-For whatever reason, he strikes me as the type who would make deals with humans-- in exchange for their souls, like a Supernatural-esque crossroads demon.

-Even with his high-ranking status, he gets enjoyment from toying with foolish mortals. Something about karma or consequences...

-Not that he'd be unfair or anything. Byakuya would spell out all of the intricacies of the contract and what it would mean when it's over. All in a very cool, aloof manner.

-He dislikes most humans. The majority of the ones he's interacted with are full of greed, malice and other malevolent natures.

-To him, these deals were not callous, but a means to show their inevitable damnation-- regardless of their wishes, they'd probably go to hell anyway. He was just hedging his bets.

-That's why, if you summoned him to wish for a selfless act... he simply wouldn't understand.

-"You do understand the terms, correct? Whatever you desire is yours, until the end of your life. But once that has run it's course, your soul will be in my possession-- why would you possibly wish on behalf of another?"

-Byakuya frequently checks in on his clients. When he comes to see you, every couple years, life is relatively unchanged, save your one wish.

-You came from a small, rural village outside of the kingdom. Your little brother had gotten a terrible disease that no healer in all of the realm could cure... it was hopeless, until the miracle arrived. People claimed it was a blessing from their God.

-"If only they knew the real truth," Byakuya thinks to himself often. Though, he was on par with that-- fate could bend at his will, and most of hell feared him.

-Grateful as you were, Byakuya had a very hard time understanding that. "You could have done anything at all with your soul. Love, riches, conquest... and instead you chose the wellbeing of someone else. Does it bring you joy? Some kind of satisfaction? Surely, you don't benefit from it other than sparing the heartbreak."

-You often reminded him that sometimes people don't do for themselves, out of love. Why wish for more when you have everything you want already?

-He would watch the years go by. You lived your humble life, proudly watching your brother grow up to see a life he almost didn't get. The kingdom slowly but surely improved the village, and things continued on.

-On some visits, he'd come simply to hear you out. "What is it that makes you happy in this life? I've given men lavish surroundings and countless honors, and watch them suffer greatly even still. What makes you so different?"

-Your answers were always the same. The joy of loving those dear to you, of appreciating every moment and miracle you get, big or small.

-You fascinated him. Maybe humans weren't as horrible as he once thought?

-Time marches forward, ever so slightly. You grow, and age, and wither away. Usually Byakuya is unfazed by this-- he knows when his contracts are due, after all. But he had to admit, there was something bittersweet about your case.

One day, in your old age, he appeared to you. Byakuya had never startled you: his appearance was never monstrous, or cruel-- just calculating, and otherworldly. You welcomed him. For once, you saw a bit of... hesitation, in his eyes.

-"I know what I do is far from saintly. In fact, it's been the ruin of many men. They're consumed by their desire of something so unimportant in our vast universe. In the end... well, many of them see the error of their ways. Do you... do you, by chance, regret your choice?"

-Gently, and without faltering, you express that you do not. Byakuya smiles-- a genuine, surprised smile, and laughs.

-"Ah, I think I finally understand you. After all these years, I see I'm the one in need of guidance."

-When your time finally comes, and the deal is up, Byakuya is there to greet you. There's a sadness in his eyes. Most of his clients fear this moment, but not you. He almost doesn't want to take you away.

-He takes your hand, takes you away into a place you'd never expect to see. He clears his throat, ready to explain himself.

-"Under most circumstances, a deal is final, and contracts are not to be changed. But you... you have shown me a kindness, a love that deserves to exist without damnation. Consider yours as "on the house", if you will. In exchange, I ask that you... perhaps, stay with me, in the afterlife. You may negotiate to your liking, should you choose."

-And so, you stay by his side. He was not as cold a ruler as he once was, having seen the virtue of humankind. Byakuya ended his deal-making escapades, opting to answer an occasional need for a miracle instead.

-If heaven considered that a sin, it was a sin well-earned in his eyes.

[mental-mona]

10 things not to say to someone with bipolar disorder

These are the 10 most unfortunate comments that I and other friends with bipolar disorder have gotten over the years, with an explanation of why they're so wrongheaded.

"So you'll take that and be fine in the morning, right?" Yes. No. Maybe. See, once my mood's gone off the rails, anything can happen. It's possible that I'll temporarily raise the dose of something or add something in and wake up in the morning feeling perfectly fine, but it's also possible that recovery will take weeks, especially if my meds weren't adjusted optimally to begin with. Alternatively, I might wake up the next morning in a normal mood but feel like a zombie because of the medication's side effects.

"Have you tried antidepressants?" No I haven't, at least not by themselves. If I have taken them by themselves, most likely bad things happened. See, when you give people with bipolar disorder SSRIs without mood stabilizers, they go manic. Imagine that in your brain there's a switch. In depressed people it has 2 settings, depressed and normal. In people with bipolar disorder it has 3 settings, depressed, normal, and manic. Antidepressants flip that switch from the lowest to the highest setting, regardless of what you intended "highest" to be.

"Have you tried [alternative/additional therapy]?" Just to clarify: the prevailing psychiatric theory is that bipolar disorder is a chronic biochemical imbalance in the brain. If what you're pushing makes some kind of sense, I might consider it, but the best it will do is make me feel slightly better or give me a coping mechanism. It won't make the problem actually go away; only medicine and psychotherapy combined with lifestyle changes can do that. Yes, there are some amazing herbs out there, but many of them conflict with various prescription drugs and can't be taken by people with certain medical conditions. Yes, prayer is wonderful and G-d is a great listener, but doctors are His healing hands.

"This is happening to you because you [insert vice(s)]. If you'd just [insert virtuous thing(s)], you'd be fine." If you're lecturing me about getting enough sleep or cutting back on substance use, you are likely correct. If you're lecturing me about almost anything else, then yes, I might feel better overall, but it won't stop me from having random biochemical blips that make my mood go nuts. Also, you sound obnoxiously self-righteous when you lecture me like that; if you still feel the need to suggest whatever it is, please phrase it better.

"I have no idea what to do with you." If you mean that you have no idea how to treat me overall, ask me! Hopefully I'll be able to outline my basic emotional support needs. If I can't or won't, Google guidelines for supporting someone mentally ill and go from there. In fact, you should probably research that regardless. If what you mean is more like "I want to do you a favor but don't know what you need," know that I probably won't be able to answer a generalized "what do you need?" Instead, ask about something specific you can help me with, e.g. a meal. If I can't give you a straight answer on the specific thing, it's now my problem, not yours. If what you mean is more along the lines of "You need more help than I can give you" or "I don't have the energy to deal with you all the time," then you should have said so, albeit gently.

"When's the last time you took your meds?" or "Are you going into an episode?" in response to a strong emotional reaction. I am a human being with the same basic emotional responses as everyone else. Please do not pathologize my feelings and/or brush off an outburst as the product of a diseased mind until you have talked to me and tried to understand what I'm reacting to and why. If you're still concerned, watch for other signs of an altered mood, and tell me if you see them.

"Are you sure the meds aren't making you sicker?" If by "sicker" you mean more mentally unstable, then no, they're most likely not. It might appear that way because episodes often keep getting worse without treatment and whatever meds my doctor's prescribed either haven't had a chance to take effect yet or just aren't right for me, but I should stabilize within a few weeks once we get a handle on what works. It does occasionally happen that a psych med will make things worse, but it's unlikely. If by "sicker" you mean something physical, then indeed they might be, but sometimes that's a price I must pay for emotional stability. Hopefully it's only a temporary adjustment period. That said, if the medications' side effects are unbearable I can always ask my doctor if we can try something else or change the way I'm taking the meds in question.

"You're crazy." "Crazy" is a very loaded word when applied to the mentally ill, and some of us are more sensitive to it than others. Even if I'm ok with the word in one context, I might not be in another. If I choose to use the word to describe myself and I seem genuinely comfortable with that description, it might be ok to jokingly call me "crazy" in conversation with me. However, if I'm desperately asking you to reassure me that I'm not crazy or I shy away from the word altogether, definitely avoid it. Oh, and even if I'm cool with using the word in conversation with you, I'm almost certainly NOT ok with you telling other people that I'm "crazy." As a rule of thumb, if you're unsure whether the word is acceptable, assume that it's not.

"OMG I feel so bad I didn't know what life is like for you I'm so sorry that I reacted like that!" or "I feel so useless that I can't help you!" Odds are that you said this in reaction to my explaining how bipolar disorder can make my life hell and/or how it changes things even when I'm not actively cycling. Odds are that when I explained this to you, I was looking for support. You have just turned the tables and made it about you and how you're a bad friend, thereby forcing me to expend energy that I may not have had in order to reassure you that it's ok. Fail.

"Do it! I dare you!" in response to a description of manic urges. If I'm fully manic, I have very little judgment or impulse control. If I have an insane urge to streak down all of Main Street, your egging me on might be all the impetus I need to actually do it. It'll stop being funny when I get arrested for indecent exposure, and I don't think you really want to be the reason it came to that.

[fancyfade]

hi i really like your in-depth comic read-throughs! i was perusing one of your NTT posts and if you don't mind an anon about this, i wanted to say i found your reaction to the arranged/political marriage subplot really interesting. i feel like i had the completely opposite view on the conflict: this was a time where i entirely sided with nightwing over kory because i couldn't see how nightwing could accept kory going back to do the bidding of the parents who had abused her so much and even sold her into slavery as a child. tbh maybe i'm biased because i'm not white american and i come from a culture where arranged marriages are still extreeemely common today, but it's impossible for me to not view it as intrinsically archaic and abusive system that's used to treat women and children as vessels and assets :/ so i was really mad at any implication in the comic that it's just a cultural difference that nightwing should've gotten over. especially because kory was the princess of the whole planet, so any kids she'd have either with her arranged match (or honestly even with nightwing) would undoubtedly be called back to serve the planet and be forced to fight in the gazillion wars that tamaran seems to have - after all, tamaran's royal family seems to have no issue calling kory back when they need her even after selling her into slavery :/ and i felt really gross watching kory and karras have sexy times (xD) for their wedding night or whatever even when she and nightwing still loved each other it was so...bleh. i think this was one of the many times where the 2003 cartoon had a way superior version of a plotline over NTT, i was happy when they explicitly made starfire's arranged match a really ugly alien thing because even though it was on-the-nose, it really showed you that what was happening was completely wrong and not just a cultural difference that people should accept (which is an excuse that a lot of people use to justify abusive treatment in different cultures imo). but also i think wolfman might not have treated the concept of arranged marriages with the gravitas it deserved, being a white american himself, so that's why i feel more strongly about this since it's so personal (and i think a lot of MENA/south asian women would agree) - and tamaranean culture kinda makes me really uncomfortable anyway with how it's emphasized to be extremely "war-like," and violent or whatever. if it really was supposed to be a nuanced conflict and not just "kory is repeatedly pulled into doing the bidding of her evil abusive family" then wolfman should've made tamaran far more sympathetic imo. sorry for all this text, i'm not trying to change your opinion or anything - it's more like i'm one of those fans sending in mail to DC's "letter to the editor" columns :D

I'm guessing this letter to the editor is in resposne to this post? (link) Specifically this bit?

Dick acts selfishly, and does not understand Kory’s situation with her planet (the complex political situation, doesn’t like her having tamaranean morals even though she doesn’t kill people on earth, her just saying she would be OK with it is something he hates) and generally focuses on himself when he apologizes rather than on her,

Which I did sound kind of 'it's just a cultural difference' thing, but that really wasn't my intention, especially since earlier in the post I mentioned that she was forced into the position. His problem is the fact that he doesn't seem sympathetic at all to her being forced in this situation.

(like specifically these panels):

None of that interacts with Kory being in an impossible situation or her parents being abusive. Dick's just treating it like she personally betrayed him.

Anyway, so like... I agree that kory being pushed into an arranged marriage is awful but I don't see how dick being the biggest jerk ever about it is helpful? Like I don't think I ever said the arranged marriage is a good thing (and... I don't think the plot of the TV show was an improvement for reasons I'll get into soon) but if your gf is being treated badly by her family treating her badly yourself and telling her her culture is savage (after dick himself has acted wary of kory herself and said she's too bloodthirsty, so the judgment clearly is of her herself and not the practice of arranged marriage) is not gonna help. It would just make her feel like you don't understand and she can't be open with you. Like how is Kory supposed to separate Dick's judgmental-ness of she herself as a person and Tamaranean from his feelings towards her arranged marriage? She already canonically felt as if she was being asked to hold herself back and could not be herself.

So I'm saying... I totally get why you don't like the arranged marriage and why it has bad real world context. I'm just also saying that dicks actions are still terrible boyfriend material, he seems more worried about her being non-monogamous from his perspective than her being forced under the thumb of her parents who signed her up for abuse. Like, we see a scene where he compares a woman who's husband wants to kill her because she cheated on him to him and Kory. That doesn't strike me as "Dick understands this practice is abusive". it strikes me as "Dick views this as cheating and blames Kory for her parents putting her in this position".

Getting into the toon: i think that making the arranged husband an ugly alien just correlates beauty to goodness and it seems as if the general idea is not "its awful she's being forced to marry someone she doesn't love", but " oh no she has to marry an ugly thing". Like, going into the issue with arranged marriage: it's the forcing the marriage itself, not the 'the person might be ugly'. If I recall correctly for the toon (It's been a while since I watched) Kory also still was going to go through with it, before her friends revealed that the invasion fleet was a scheme, so it's not really she got a chance by the writers to actually say no or have agency herself, it was just her friends vs blackfire.

WRT Your assessment of Wolfman: I definitely do think he wasn't intending to portray it as a terrible thing, since many people besides Dick seemed chill with it (and like I said earlier - a lot of Dick's complaints seemed to be that he viewed it as her betraying him, not 'she's going back to people who hurt her and ruining her own happiness'. IIRC he said something about her parents like. Once. But his general angst, especially once the marriage goes through, is about the non-monogamy). I think Woflman was playing it up for cheap drama, rather than treating it with the appropriate gravitas, as you said. (and in general, yes, Wolfman does stereotype the Tamaraneans a lot).

I think the plotline could really have benefited from having people besides Dick and Joey there. I think Donna could talk some sense to Kory without lashing out at her like Dick did, and Kory might feel more supported.

Anyway TL;DR: Sorry if it was unclear, I'm not saying my analysis of the arc in a pro-arranged marriage thing. (I didn't realize I had to clarify that was something I was against). I still think that Dick acts like the world's least helpful, worst boyfriend in the arc, and due to the previous way he treated Kory, it's not really read as something to help her or as him understanding why it would hurt her to be in this position. He mostly seems to be focused on how it hurts him, especially once the arc's over.

Thanks for sharing your perspective, though! It was interesting to read and food for thought and definitely made me think to be more clear in what I'm critiquing

[policemanofprincesspark]

different anon I’m sorry but in terms of compelling evidence, the bears aren’t that much better than astrology since so much of them are up to interpretation. Sure they make very explicit gay references, but the stuff fans associated with babygate especially could just as easily been flat references to a baby existing, rather than some covert exposé on how fake it was. There’s too much wiggle room. Me personally I don’t think there’s enough evidence to 100% say it was HL controlling them the whole time. That isn’t to say there’s zero evidence, I simply have reasonable doubt. Maybe there’s more I haven’t seen, but so much of the fandom treats everything about the bears as settled facts everyone already knows about, it’s gotten to the point where newer fans like me trying to ask questions about things we weren’t there for get treated like antis for not just accepting everything second hand, no matter how little sense it makes. I want to be logical and live in reality like you said, and I’m not saying the bears should be debunked or thrown out or whatever, I’m just saying there’s too many holes for me to consider them some of the best evidence we have.

And if you’re just going to tell me I’ll never understand/be a real fan because i wasn’t there from the beginning, please just don’t. I get enough gatekeeping from older larries from the rest of the fandom, i don’t want to get it from a blog i actually like.

Don't worry! I totally get what you're saying. I think for every piece of Larry evidence, there is usually wiggle room like you say. It's when you consider it all accumulatively rather than individually that you realize it's far more likely that Larry is real than not. Like, you could see that clip of Harry saying he'd like to "marry someone from another planet" while looking at Louis right after Louis said he'd like to have a "hit single on another planet", and you could brush something like that off as a joke and say it isn't enough evidence to conclusively say that there's an entire secret relationship going on there; that's actually what I did a lot as I combed through masterposts when I was first introduced to Larry. It's good to try to debunk things. That's kind of how science works anyway. You're supposed to try to prove your hypothesis wrong, and if you are unable to prove it wrong, then that means your hypothesis is probably right.

I think at the time of the bears, I had been in the fandom since around October 2014. I had read the masterposts and I'd seen everything that went down in 2014 and early 2015 in real time. I had already been fully convinced at that point.

Then when the bears started happening, they just kept making obvious Larry references, references to RBB being Harry and SBB being Louis, and then for me the real kicker was the "Love, Larry" photo frame with the bears having a wedding. But the main point definitely needs to be "were Harry and Louis behind them?", and, like I said before, there's never going to be huge evidence for them being behind it. It's not like we're going to catch a video of them dressing the bears up since naturally they would do that in private, and it's not like they'll admit to it either. That goes for pretty much everything in regards to Larry, otherwise we would have caught them kissing on camera in 4K by now (and I've said before that it isn't hard to hide a relationship, though Louis and Harry have done a not-so-great job of hiding it aside from not kissing publicly lol). You have to consider everything accumulatively and try to think of what outcome is the most likely.

So let me compile a few links if you want to read through/watch them. These are pretty much the main reasons why I'm convinced it was Harry and Louis behind the bears:

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Source 4

Source 5 (Watch their individual reactions and listen to the way in which Harry responds.)

Source 6 (SKIP TO 6:30 AND WATCH UNTIL ABOUT 7:07) [Listen to the way in which Louis responds and note the duping delight on his face (which is when a liar smiles in a way as if they're about to laugh) when he says "no" near the end. It's easy to conclude that he's lying rather than telling the truth, because of his overall body language, anxiousness to defend himself (this can happen to even innocent people when accused of something falsely, but that's usually only when the thing they are being accused of is something serious, such as cheating on their partner or something that could put their job on the line; if being behind the rainbow bears could put Louis's job on the line, it's safe to conclude that it would have put WHOEVER was behind it's job on the line, which adds less fuel to the notion that it was the sound engineer behind them, who was just there to do a job and was getting paid well to do it), and his word choice.]

If we looked through an entire list of every Larry proof in order to find the best evidence, in my personal opinion, RBB&SBB would at least make ~the top three. But that's of course only my opinion.

[cryptidsurveys]

❄️ Wednesday, November 6th, 2024. ❄️

We got our first snow of the season!

Do you think it’s cute when you’re going down the road and see a dog with its head hanging out the window? It's cute, but I'm also like please don't jump, please don't slip, please don't fall…

Do you know what a capo is? I don't.

When was the last time you wrote down a schedule? I'm not sure. I did manage to keep up with a calendar for a few months, but I was writing things down after the fact, like a very short form diary to look back upon.

What does your favorite hair tie/accessory look like? I don't wear any accessories in my hair.

When was the last time you used a touch screen monitor? My monitor is a touch screen, but my cats use it more than I do. ;D

Do you have a favorite kind of milk? 2%, whole, etc? Almond or whole milk.

Have you ever tried Parmalat milk? No.

Are there any buttons on your keyboard that you don’t know what they’re for/never used? Yeah.

Have you ever had to take prenatal vitamins? No.

Do you have anything unusual tacked onto your walls? No. It's all pretty "normal" stuff.

Do you have a favorite drummer? I don't.

Do you like to earn your own money or do you prefer that your parents/family buy you things? I am on a disability income, but I am very close to being able to work and earn at least that much on my own. I'm thinking of applying and becoming officially employed at the animal shelter the next time there's an opening in cattery.

Have you ever heard of the man with rubber skin? That feels familiar, but I'm not sure.

Does anyone in your family play in a band? What band? No.

Why do you think a lot of girls claim to hate the color pink? Yesterday, Hannah (coworker) mentioned that she doesn't own anything pink, but she didn't outright say she hated it. It's probably just a preference thing.

Are there any symbols that have personal meaning to you? i.e: dice, a necklace, etc. What are they? Not really.

What’s the biggest spider you’ve come across? The one on the laundry room wall at the shelter was pretty big. I don't know if it was quite as big as the one that got into our house when I was a child - fear might have magnified that memory - but it was definitely not going to fit into the water dish that Riley brought out to capture it. :') (Lol, sorry to my fellow survey takers who absolutely hate spiders!)

Have you ever been bitten by anything poisonous? No.

What brand is your remote? RCA - etc. N/a.

Do you know anyone who has been knighted? I don't.

Have you ever heard of the band Goatwhore? No.

Have you ever met someone who thinks they are a rockstar because they can play Guitar Hero? No.

Which Mario game would you say is your favorite? That is, if you even like Mario? I enjoyed Mario Kart and Mario Party when I was younger, but I haven't played any of the more recent games.

Do you have one of those creepy family members that no one really talks to? I probably wouldn't use the word "creepy" to describe them, but my sibling has some serious issues, especially highlighted by the recent drama. My dad and I no longer have contact with them, but my mom still keeps in touch.

Do you have a DeviantART account? I don't.

How many quarters would you say you had on you right now? I don't have any quarters on me, but there's a stash of change under the bathroom sink that contains at least a few dollars' worth.

Have you ever seen any Bruce Lee movies? Possibly. I can't think of any off of the top of my head, though.

Ever started watching a movie, then forget why you watched it in the first place? I've stopped watching movies that didn't hold my interest, but it wasn't like I forgot why I started watching them.

When was the last time you used a hot glue gun? I don't think I've used one since I was in school.

Do you have a junk drawer? Lol pretty much all of my drawers are junk drawers.

Have you ever gotten wasted off cough/cold medicine? Not wasted, but high.

Did you know that if your baby’s gums are hurting you can rub whiskey into them to numb them? Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think that sort of thing would fly these days…?

What’s your opinion on thoroughbred racing? It's not something I've looked into in order to have an informed opinion.

Ever watched Jerry Springer just to remind yourself that your life isn’t as messed up as theirs? I mainly watched it for entertainment purposes.

Have you ever had acne? If not, you’re so lucky. Yeah.

Have you ever been spelunking? I've never been spelunking, but I have visited Cave of the Winds and Carlsbad Caverns.

Ever walked into a facility of the opposite gender - like restrooms? Yeah. The bathrooms at the animal shelter are kind of a free-for-all because there's almost always a kitten or two being housed in at least one of them while we wait for space to clear in ISO/cattery. Sometimes a small dog, but that's less common. There's one kitten in the women's room and two in the men's room right now, and the ones in the men's room have ringworm so only management/vet techs can enter. There's a unisex bathroom at the entrance, but I don't often use that one. Oh, and they're all "single stall," so it's no big deal either way.

Ever lost your car in the parking lot? If so, did you use your car alarm to find it again? I haven't.

If you’ve ever ridden a roller coaster, which one was your favorite? I've been on a few of them.

Has there ever been a Christmas where you had to do without gifts-wise? I've never had to do without, but there have been years without gift-giving. It's just not as important or exciting to me anymore. My mom and I did exchange a few gifts last year, though.

Do you type with capital letters and proper punctuation? For the most part.

What’s so cool about Sweden? I'm probably most enamored with their forests and arctic landscapes.

What’s your favorite piece of your silverware and why? I don't really have a favorite piece of silverware.

If you’ve ever had a crush, what is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you around him/her? Idk.

Have you ever pet a tarantula? No. I cared for them while I worked at the pet shop, but I never handled them.

Have you ever been to the Olympic Games? No.

Have you conquered any fears recently? Yeah.

If you’re in school, and have a bookbag, what does it look like? I'm not in school, but I take a light gray backpack to the shelter.

Have you ever shopped for clothes at a thrift store? If not, why is that? Plenty of times. I love thrift shopping.

Let’s say you win a trip to Australia (if you already live there, then you’ll go to Russia.), at any city of your choice. What would you like to see first and why? I don't know. I'm not all that interested in visiting Australia.

Have you ever written your own Bucket List? If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a list of goals to accomplish before you die. Yeah. Aside from building a secure and comfortable life for myself, the main things I would like to do are visit Japan and hike either the Colorado Trail or the Appalachian Trail.

[mostlyvoid-partiallyflowers]

For the ask game, can you answer the letters that spell KEVIN DAY? :3c

oh my god absolutely! this is the best ask thank you so much!

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

probably andrew, i love how he learns to find community and satisfaction in neil over the course of aftg and begins to heal

honorable mentions being kevin, i love seeing him being able to stand up for himself and know his worth, and trent crimm from ted lasso actually, i love how he went from this really jaded reporter to being a friendly, community oriented, queer role model to the team, it just makes my heart happy

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

no not really, but the first fic i ever published on ao3 (back in may) was one where kevin basically got kidnapped by allison and taken to a sex shop to buy lingerie which is kinda hilarious

V - Which character do you relate to most?

my top five characters i've related to over time has been: jo march, remus lupin, yuri katsuki, henry from red white and royal blue, and probably kevin day

note: i am a recovering harry potter fan, that series was my hyperfixation for over 8 years of my life so i can't get rid of the fact that it was so important to me. i fucking hate jkr and i have serious critiques of the series as a whole which i'm happy to discuss at length

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

i can't get into ofmd anymore, people were campaigning super hard to get it renewed back in oct/nov after taika waititi signed the "good on you biden" letter and it was just really off putting for me, like there is a genocide happening and you're worried about a tv show getting renewed? like i wish ofmd had gotten renewed for a third season too but i just really don't like the culture the fandom turned into in pursuit of that. it just felt really toxic and uncomfortable and i just can't really engage with the show anymore without feeling vaguely uncomfortable. this is just my take tho, no hate on anyone who still loves ofmd

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

more aaron minyard love, he deserves the world and i feel like he gets written off as homophobic or boring by a lot of the fandom which is a shame. by extension, more kevaaron. it's my favorite ship rn and i just adore them together so i wish there was more of it. i love it when people draw/write andrew as a big guy, like he's super built but also built like a brick shithouse, that's a fave

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

idk i like most pairings or can at least see where they're coming from so there's not any i really can't get into under certain circumstances. maybe jonelias? i don't like it that much but i can see why people like it

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

kevaaron, andreil, kevjean, kevjerejean, kevkateaaron, i love jean and neil's friendship, i'm a big fan of kevin and allison being friends, dyhard from tmagp is big rn for me as well, labru (laois/kabru), tedpendent (ted lasso/trent crimm)

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

there's so many at this point lmao. the silt verses and malevolent are big rn and lots of 9-1-1 and i weirdly get a lot of buffy the vampire slayer posts from time to time (i tried watching buffy a couple years ago and just couldn't get into it but i do appreciate a lot of the posts). i've got lots of tags blocked though because i just get overwhelmed by the number of posts i see about some stuff.

link to the prompts: https://www.tumblr.com/mostlyvoid-partiallyflowers/756757932546359296/gehayi-a-ships-that-you-currently-like-a-lot?source=share

[kitkatwinchester]

F*CK ME!

UGGGHHHH!

I can't believe I ACTUALLY THOUGHT that that episode WASN'T gonna end on a cliffhanger.

D*mmit.

I hate myself for not appropriately mentally preparing for that.

UGGGHHHH.

And the worst part is that I probably can't watch the next episode until tomorrow night.

But admittedly, I suppose technically, the rest of you who were watching this live had to wait four months or something like that for the next episode, so waiting a day really isn't that bad in comparison.

BUT UGH I REALLY WISH I COULD WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!!

Anyways.

Time to overanalyze that final scene like I always do lol.

First of all, I'm just so excited that our pack is being a pack again. Things always go better when we're all together.

Second of all, I HATE THIS PLAN AND IT SCARES ME BUT I KNOW IT'LL WORK AND I KNOW THEY ALL WANT TO TO DO IT TO SAVE THEIR PARENTS BUT I HATE IT AND WHY DO THESE KIDS HAVE TO ENDURE SO MUCH TRAUMA?!

Third of all, YES to those pairings, okay? YES!

I really appreciate how quickly Lydia went to Allison, because it seemed obvious, but I appreciate even more how quickly Deaton stopped her and put her with Stiles. Which makes sense, because between the three of them, Lydia and Stiles have the closest emotional connection (I mean, they just kissed for crying out loud!).

But then I really appreciate the way that was handled between Scott, Allison, and Isaac. Because that could've been so awkward, and Scott could've gotten angry, or been hurt, but in that moment, saving their parents had to come first, and even though he obviously loves Allison and probably isn't super pleased about her new closeness to Isaac, he knows that in the end, it's more important that they all come out of this alive. And if Allison being with Isaac is what's able to bring her back, then that's what matters.

And yes, that makes me ship Allison and Isaac even more, and gosh darnat I'm so sorry Scott, but I think I'm picking Isaac (I'm sorryyyy, I feel so guilty, but I REALLY love them together <3).

FOURTH OF ALL!

"If I don't make it back, and you do, there's something you should know. Your dad's in town."

THAT STATEMENT KILLS ME FOR SO MANY REASONS STOP!

The fact that Stiles is even considering the fact that Scott might be the only one to make it back hurts like h*ll. Especially because, as frightening as it is, he's right about the likelihood. Scott is the werewolf. If anyone is gonna be able to survive this for sure, it's him. Stiles and Allison are MUCH more at risk.

But then add to that the bomb drop of Scott's dad being back in town, and the look on Scott's face right after he says it...

God they better all make it back alive, because if that's the last thing those two talked about, I'm gonna be very upset.

AHHHHHH!!

They're gonna be fine.

I know they're gonna be fine, because Stiles and Scott and Allison are all in more episodes together after this (spoilers save my sanity sometimes lol).

But how fine are they REALLY going to be??

When Deaton says "darkness"...what does that mean exactly?

...wait a minute.

Is the darkness the reason that the Nogitsune is able to take possession of Stiles in the second half of this season (yeah yeah, I know. Sorryyyyy. This is what happens when I discover a show long after it's ended lol.)?? Cause that would actually explain a lot and make a whole lot of sense.

Like, I know a decent amount about that part of the storyline, but I don't know EVERYTHING, and this would certainly be one of the puzzle pieces I'm missing.

AHHHHH I'M SCARED!!

I HOPE IT WORKS!!

I HOPE OUR TEENS ARE MORE OR LESS OKAY!!

AND I CAN'T FREAKING BELIEVE Y'ALL WAITED FIVE MONTHS (I checked) FOR THE NEXT EPISODE!!

I NEED TO WATCH IT ASAP!!

...maybe I can sneak it in tonight.

Either way, you know you guys'll know one way or another lol.

THIS SHOW IS GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME I SWEAR!!

(I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS AHHHHH!!!)

[nervousgardenerkid]

I wish I knew you wanted me.

a/n: okay i honestly didn't think it was gonna be this long,,,,so i had to split it into two parts LMAO part two will probably(?) be up tomorrow? or on tuesday :D enjoy this steve angst mwah mwah! credit to gif owner!

read part two here!

There was one thing that was clear in Steve Harrington’s crazy upside-down life.

He doesn't get the girl. He never does. He didn't get Nancy, he didn't get the girl he went on a day with last week, and he most definitely, didn't get you. He watched with a glare as you and….you and…okay Steve doesn't even remember his name, he just doesn't know if he chooses to forget it on purpose or if he's gotten in one too many unsuccessful fights.

“Jesus dude,” Robin mumbled as she came back with a small stack of tapes in her arms. “You know, if you stare a little harder a laser may magically appear and vaporize him.”

“You think so?” he mumbled while glaring a little harder as she suggested.

“No, you dingus!”

He let out a sigh and finally looked away from your giggling figure while running his hands through his hair.

“I just don't get what she sees in him!”

“Maybe it's the fact that he, oh I don't know confessed to her, unlike someone I know.”

Steves let out a sigh and tried to fight the urge to look over at you but failed. You were wrapped in the arms of…whatever his name is, smiling while trying to choose a movie.

“For the last time Robin she didn’t feel that way about me, and she sure as hell doesn't now.”

Robin rolled her eyes and clutched a tape in her hands trying so hard not to throw it at him. She can't let the intrusive thoughts win, not today at least.

“My god it's a good thing you're good-looking cause clearly your brain refuses to work.”

Steve turned to her with a smirk and ran a hand through his hair.

“You think I'm good-looking?”

“I think you're an idiot.”

“Fuck you.”

Robin didn't have time to register the fact that you were coming up to the counter before she launched the tape at Steve only to let out a groan as he caught it with no trouble.

“You guys are kinda cute together,” a deep voice said

You let out a snort only to cover it up with a cough.

“Oh, we're not-”

“It's all platonic with a capital P over here Mason.”

Mason! That was his name…ew. Steve thought while he stepped forward ready to take Pretty In Pink out of your pretty hands.

“Hi, Steve,” you said with a smile.

It took everything in him to not fall to his knees and finally confess everything he's been feeling for nearly a year. Who knew saving the world multiple times together could cause so many emotions to bloom? His thoughts were cut short when he felt a foot step on his not so lightly. He curses whoever pissed off Robin today cause he's the one who has to deal with her temper.

“Hey Y/N, just pretty in pink for today?”

You opened your mouth but Mason cut you off.

“Yeah, just that stupid movie for today.”

You rolled your eyes and pushed Mason away from you.

“It's not a stupid movie! I saw it at the theatres with Steve and it was really good!”

Mason let out a snort and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

“Well since you both love it so much then maybe you can watch it with him.” he sneered out.

you let out a sigh and turned to look at him while mumbling “Mason cmon, we were having such a good day-”

“Actually I'd love to watch it with them,” Steve said while standing a little straighter than before. Robin let out a quiet “oh boy” before making herself comfortable against the counter.

Mason scoffed and stepped around you that way he was face to face with Steve. “You know, if I didn't know any better, I’d think king steve is trying to get a date with my girl.”

Steve swallowed hard trying not to say what he wanted to say. Maybe he was asking you on a date despite you having a boyfriend. Hell, maybe he could treat you better. No, scratch that, he could definitely treat you better than Mason could. His thoughts were cut short when you let out an awkward chuckle.

“Okay Mason that's enough,-”

“No, I don't get why you hang out with this loser. He's a high school has been and he doesn't have anything going for him besides this lame-ass job! Doesn't he babysit on the weekends or something?”

Robin let out a scoff and stood by Steve.

“The hell are you talking about with this whole high school has been? What exactly are you doing with your life?”

Mason let out a scoff and said something to Robin that caused bickering between them. Steve tuned them out and looked down at his hands. He knew he didn't like Mason but now he really doesn't like him, although he did make a couple of points. In Steve’s eyes, he didn't have much going for him. Every day was the same. Wake up, go to work, take robin home, pick up Dustin, Mike, and Lucas to take them to the arcade, then he goes home to repeat everything the next day. Oh god, he is a loser. He blinks rapidly trying to push down the negative thoughts and emotions that are stirring inside him.

Don't cry, Steve. Whatever you do, don't cry in front of the girl of your dreams and her stupid, mean ugly- his thoughts are cut off when he hears a loud smack echo throughout the store.

“We're fucking done,” you said with venom replacing the usual sweet tone you have.

“Are you seriously-”

“Yes! Yes, I'm seriously dumping your ass in Family Video in front of my best friends! Get the hell away from me!”

“Have fun walking home then!” Mason shouted as he stormed out of family video.

The tension in the air was thick as Robin cleared her throat.

“Steve you should totally take Y/N home.”

Steve turned his head towards her his mouth slightly opened as he mumbled out a small “huh?”

Robin kicked his shin and tilted her head towards you. “Y/N. Home. Take. Her.”

“Oh. Oh! Y-yeah I can totally take you home!” Steve rushed out while fumbling around for his keys.

“But what about robin-”

Robin waved her hand and insisted Nancy would pick her up cause she needed to rant about Jonathan to someone. Steve nodded his head and jumped over the counter ready to walk out the door with you until Robin said something.

“Hey Y/N?”

You nodded your head at her signaling for her to continue. She put a hand over her heart and glanced at Steve before looking back at you.

“I love you.”

You tilted your head to the side and furrowed your eyebrows. “Thanks Robs…I love you too.”

Robin let out a sigh of relief and chuckled.

“Wow, that just…it feels nice to get off of my chest.” she locked eyes with Steve and cleared her throat “It’s almost freeing in a way! Like, oh I don't know like someone could say it and fix so many problems!”

Steve rolled his eyes as he got the not-so-subtle message from a robin. He flipped her the bird and sent her a sweet smile.

“Robin…did you hit your head today?”

Robin’s jaw dropped and put her hand near her heart. “I just told you I loved you and that's all you have to say?”

“I said I loved you too-”

“Well!” Steve chuckled out “we better get going bye robin I owe you one!” Steve said while he guided you out the door.

“Idiots,” she mumbled. “They're both idiots.”

The ride back to your house was silent. You and Steve we're both too caught up in your thoughts, what if you thought he was a loser and that's why you never liked him? Why the hell did robin randomly say she loved you?

“Hey, so I'm sorry-”

“Steve I'm sorry-”

You both stopped talking and let out small laughs.

“You first,” you said while turning towards him.

He nodded his head putting the car in park once he reached your driveway and let out a sigh. “Um, sorry,” he started “about you and Jason-”

“Mason.”

“Whatever the fuck his name is.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile on your face and grabbed his hand. He tried to ignore the warmth that danced along his face as he turned the other way praying that you didn't see.

“Don't worry about him. I'm sorry about all the stuff he said about you.”

A dry chuckle escaped his lips, he shrugged his shoulders.

“‘S fine. He kinda had a point.”

“Steve no-”

He shook his head as he let go of your hand and anxiously chewed on his fingernails. “It's like everyone was right about me ya know? I-I don't have anything going for me, and my closest friends are a group of high school children. I love them, I do but,” he puts his hands in the air trying to find the right words. “I see everyone I use to know find something for themselves. They found their dream career, and they find the perfect college to attend,” he locks eyes with you. “They find that perfect person who always makes them smile. The person who can make everything seem fine even when the world goes to shit. The person who makes the feel, fuck my mind is blanking.” he mumbles while snapping his fingers trying to find the right words.

"Makes them feel whole,” you whisper.

“Yes! That's the word! God, you're so smart.”

“Have you found that person?” you asked. You find yourself silently praying he says no, and if he says no you pray that he opens his god damn eyes and finally sees you. He nods his head and your heart drops as you see a smile make its way on his face.

“Yeah, yeah I have.”

You nod your head and sniffle while letting out a shaky laugh. “Cool. I mean, that's good. Um, I think I'm gonna head inside now. Pretty sure my parents are wondering where I am.”

Steve feels his shoulders drop and he clears his throat.

“Yeah. Yeah of course. I'll um, see you around?”

You nod your head and mumble ���thanks for the ride.” while slipping out of the car and walking into your home. Steve stares at the front door and blinks multiple times. Every bone in his body is aching to run after you. His arms are dying to wrap themselves around you, and his lips crave leaving small kisses on your delicate skin. He wants to run to you, he wants you to be his but for some reason, he can't bring himself to get out of the car. The fear of rejection is much too strong and overpowering every other emotion he's feeling.

He reverses out of your driveway and makes his way home with a heavy heart, mumbling how stupid he was for even thinking he had a chance. He knew robin would kill him for not confessing how he felt but he has a bad habit of biting his tongue in situations like this.

If only he knew how you wished that he wanted you.

[esther-dot]

i don't understand why people say dany burning kingslanding is misogynistic. we've seen her burning people that has gotten in her way. her dragon even ate a child! was fine with drogo saying he'll have his people r*pe their enemy's women.

i am honestly confused. can't women be villains as well. no one takes issue with cersei as a villain. heck a lot of people demonize catelyn and even sansa (who i think has yet to do anything that's i consider terrible in canon aside from telling the lannisters about ned's plan but like, was it her fault that ned bit more than he could chew?)

I didn’t like how they wrote Dany’s massacre and death in s8, but her villain arc as a concept isn’t inherently sexist. How D&D did it in s8 felt sexist to me, but Dany was always going to burn KL and a lot of BNFs now admit she will too, they just don’t think it makes her a villain. 😬 So, really what people are objecting to isn’t a woman committing atrocities, they just don’t like us saying that makes her a bad person.

Personally, I like a female villain. I really enjoyed show Cersei, so I'm with you. It bothers me that so much of the conversation was not "did the show do a good job progressing Dany to her inevitable end?" and instead, "it's sexist to make a woman do this." As you point out, there were things to indicate it early on and if anything, D&D backed off and tried to make it a more sympathetic version of her ending than they had once intended.

I don't find fault with Sansa going to Cersei behind her dad’s back because no one cares when other characters are willful and perfectly obedient children aren’t characters we uphold as ideals or favorites. I can’t stop them from blaming her for her father’s death, but in doing so, they’re acting as if she were supposed to know that this time, there would be dire consequences to disobedience when her entire childhood and several times in AGOT, her sister disobeys and doesn’t suffer. That’s the context for her choice there. And Sansa is linked to the innocents suffering due to the decisions of the powerful, so I also think in the process of misinterpreting her they’re missing out on important themes. The fact that people include Sansa alongside Dany as both victims of misogynistic treatment by the fandom, as if they’re on par morally, as if we didn't end the first book with Dany personally burning a woman alive, as if we didn't watch her threaten to burn cities season after season, as if in the books she didn't use forced labor or profit from the slave trade etc really bothers me. Sansa had no reason to believe the family that was meant to become her family by her father’s choice was evil, but Dany saw the cost of war and decided it was all worth it. Childish naïveté isn’t the same “crime” as accepting the rape, enslavement, and death of others as the necessary cost for a pointless conquest. It’s reasonable to point this out and take issue with Dany’s choices.

The fandom pretends it’s all awash for their own reasons, but it’s ludicrous to think that Robb (who initially had a justified war) was punished by the narrative for not choosing peace when he could have but the story will reward Dany’s war campaign. It isn’t sexism that Dany dies too after doing far worse than Robb. It’s thematic consistency. And considering how many male characters we have who are cruel and evil intentionally, I don’t think we can argue that having female villains as well is sexist. There are just a lot of bad people in ASOIAF. Some of whom you know upon meeting are evil, others are sympathetic but gradually do worse and worse things. I understand she isn’t thinking she will intentionally do evil things so book fans ignore what she does, but that’s their choice. Dany orders the death of children, and the fandom actively defends (or did at one point) her for it. Why were they fine with the kiddie killing but not the massacre of KL? How can they act like her burning KL is totally ooc as if when it happens in the books they won’t do the same shit they currently do and defend all her other mistakes? IMO, their issue isn’t that D&D had Dany do a bad thing, Dany has done bad things all along. It’s that this time, there was no way to defend her actions, no way to pretend it wasn’t what it was. Their objection is to other fans saying if you do villain things it makes you a villain. We can criticize certain aspects of the writing without going wholesale “female villains are sexist” and I wish that’s a distinction fans could make.

[father-time-and-baby-new-year]

alphabet boy

SYNOPSIS: You should feel extremely lucky that the handsome and intelligent Armin Arlert is your tutor...even when he's a little mean to you. Because that's your fault, isn't it? He wouldn't have to be mean if you weren't so damn stupid.

PAIRING: Armin x FEM!Reader

DEDICATED TO: armin fuckers. non armin fuckers, i hope i can convert you.

TW: dubcon touching, manipulative behavior, gaslighting, academia shaming,

WC: 1.8k

“Maybe you’re not cut out for this class.”

He said it so casually, a comment spoken between the flip of textbook pages. You couldn’t shake off the undeniable hurt.

“I-Uhm, uh, yeah I have to study a lot...but I like this class. It was a pain to get off the waitlist.” You keep your voice optimistic and light, hoping to mask the offense taken.

You don’t know why Armin would say that, but maybe he was just being logical...he’s seen you struggle, of course, he’d think the class was too hard for you.

The blond sighs, closing his novel that he brought with him while he waited for you to finish your practice problems.

“You can barely keep up with the weekly homework assignments. You didn’t even hand in your assignment last week, right? Better drop out now before the add and drop deadline.” His voice is soft and cold at the same time. It’s unnerving.

You tuck your hair behind your ears, eyes set low, too ashamed to meet your tutor’s. Armin had been your tutor for the past few weeks now, and you thought it was going pretty well. He was so so smart that you couldn’t help but be a little starstruck. He was handsome too, short-cropped blond hair, wide blue eyes, with a wardrobe that was composed of slacks and sweaters.

Usually, he was always overly polite and charming. You could make countless mistakes and his patience was endless. He had some off-days where he was a little withdrawn and quiet. You never held it against him though, knowing he had no obligation to make idle chatter. But sometimes, you could feel his chilly gaze watching you even though he had a book propped open.

“I emailed the professor, he was really chill about it. Last week was really rough for me, you know? I wasn’t feeling well and...”

“You know excuses don’t fly in the real world right? You’re in college now. Professor Ackerman was just being courteous. He probably thinks you’re lazy.” Even though you try not to look at him, you can feel Armin’s azure blues burn holes into you. There was this quiet intensity about him that made you worry about when the restraints would come off.

Armin can’t help but let condescension drip over his words. Any self-respecting person would defend themselves, but not you. Not when you’re already broken by your own insecurities that make it that much easier for him to trample on.

He can already see pearly-sheened tears leaking from the corner of your hopeless eyes. How cute. You part your pretty little mouth to say something, but no words come out. You close your mouth soon enough, looking every bit like a dumb little airhead.

So he continues: “You know your classmates learned all the first few chapters from high school right? You’re the only one starting fresh.” He moves closer, elbows inching closer to infiltrate your little personal-space bubble, knees knocking into yours under the desk.

More tears form under your lower lashes, and Armin mentally counts the crystal droplets. You’re recoiling into yourself like a shrinking violet which only encourages Armin to go just a little farther.

“You don’t even have your major picked out yet. This is a core class for your classmates, you know. You’re wasting your-no, everyone’s time.”

Not wanting to cry in front of your tutor, you rub your eyes with the sleeve of your jacket, fully aware of how utterly pathetic you look right now.

In a small voice, you manage to utter, “I have a right...to be in this class. Even though I’m slow now, I think with some decent amount of studying...I’ll catch up. Even if I’m not-” you take a deep breath, “as quick as my classmates, I still really enjoy what I learn. And..and...I think at the end of the day, that’s what really matters!”

Armin scoffs, “Do you really like the class or are you staying for Ackerman? God knows how many fangirls he’s had to put up with.”

Even as he spoke those words, Armin knew it wasn’t entirely true. You admired the man zealously and had read all of his published papers. Honestly, your admiration had always annoyed him.

You wince at the insinuation but you could feel the anger simmering in your gut, “You have no right to imply that! Wh-why-” Your voice breaks, “are you being so mean?”

Armin thinks you’re so cute, the way you jut out your bottom lip. So cute and pathetic. The corners of his lips quirk upwards. It’s almost endearing how you say “mean�� like it’s the worst thing a person can be.

“Am I being mean or am I being realistic?” The blond coos, “I’m your tutor, right? I know the best for you.”

He takes your silence as an invitation to goad you harder: “You’re only upset because I’m telling you what you don’t want to hear.”

You don’t notice the proximity until Armin lays his hand over yours, squeezing the soft flesh of your palms. His voice is gentle as he reassures you: “Hey, hey, don’t cry. It’s okay.”

He made you cry, but you don’t have it in you to pull away from the only semblance of comfort given to you. His chair scrapes the floor as he sets it right beside yours, wrapping an arm around you, encouraging you to lean your head against his shoulder.

It’s a little sad but this is probably the most physical contact you’ve gotten in a while. You’re an utter mess, and on top of all that, touch-starved.

You’re still sniffling like a crybaby, trying to sort your own emotions out. You take a few deep breaths and force yourself to face the facts:

You’re behind.

The class is too much work for you.

Armin’s right, you’re upset because he’s telling you what you don’t want to hear.

“D-do you really think I should drop the class?” Your voice is so defeated, a pinch louder than a whisper.

His long fingers play with the ends of your hair, “I know this class is really important to you and we both want you to do well...so why don’t we increase our tutoring sessions? Maybe we should meet three times a week.”

He smiles at you, and it looks so genuine. You’re immensely grateful, you are, but confusion washes over you, “Wow, Uh, that’ll be great actually but um, uni tutoring services is once a week...so-”

Armin dismisses your concerns with a gentle wave of his hands, “Don’t worry, It’ll be off the books. Think of this as private tutoring. Of course, we’ll have to start meeting in my room from now on.”

While he doesn’t elaborate on why you have to meet in his dorm, you assume Armin has a good reason and it probably involves university-sanctioned student-tutor guidelines.

You’re stammering out thank-you’s, still trying to rub the tears out of your eyes until you feel a soft handkerchief wiping them away.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” He reassures, “Don’t use your sleeve. It’s too rough for your pretty face.”

You blush under his words, wide eyes locked into his oceanic blues, “I d-don’t know if I’ll be able to compensate you f-for the private tutoring.”

His eyebrows crease as he gives you a smile full of pearly teeth, “You don’t have to worry about that for now.” His hands graze over your knuckles, “We’ll figure something out.”

“Thank you Armin.” You say it so sincerely, trying to muster the biggest smile you can after the blond essentially trampled over your self-esteem to only nurse it back with sweet promises.

“Well, we better finish today’s work then.” He responds calmly, not bothering to detangle himself from you. You can feel his body heat radiating onto you, and how his hand moved to casually rest on your thigh. But that’s normal right? If you think about it, Armin was not exactly adverse to touch. During your past tutoring sessions, his hand would always be on the small of your back or shoulders.

“Hey, you’re not getting distracted again, are you?” His voice is playful like he isn’t sliding his hand up and down the span of skin between your skirt and tights. When you don't respond, he pinches your inner thigh, eliciting a startled gasp from you.

"Focus." It's a demand so it must be followed.

Embarrassed, you nod your head and return your focus to the problem sets even though your hands are shaky as you grip the ballpoint pen.

You don’t notice how the blond’s eyes gleam under the fluorescent lighting at your easy compliance. He’s always liked obedient girls.

Your thighs are growing warmer, and it doesn’t help to have Armin peering over you. Still, you try your best to lull yourself to focus until a ringtone breaks your concentration.

Armin breaks away from you to find his phone and you find your body subconsciously missing the warmth. He lightly curses under his breath once he sees the contact name, but answers nonetheless.

“Yeah...sorry babe. I forgot. I’ll be right over.” He sounds apologetic but he looks downright bored.

And like that, the call is over. He looks over at you with an apology falling from his lips, “Sorry about that. I forgot I had something to do today. We’ll end early.”

Your throat is dry as you ask, “Was that your girlfriend?” You regretted your words the moment they escaped. That was none of your business. It doesn’t matter if he was holding you earlier. He was doing so because you were bawling like a baby. But why did he touch your thighs?

That doesn’t have to mean anything, you rationalize. Besides, Armin would never make a move on you. He was a handsome senior with a perfect GPA and a powerful position in the student government. Stupid freshman girls like you are not worth the time he so generously gives out.

The blond smirks, seeming to notice your internal struggle, “Something like that. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure she won’t distract me from our future sessions.”

That was a puzzling comment. His girlfriend supposedly distracting from your study time wasn’t even a concern you held.

“No, no, that’s ok.” You quickly assure, “You’ve already helped me out so much.”

The blond pats the top of your head like you were a puppy, “I’d do anything for my cute little student.”

The way your face heats up with a dark blush should be criminal. All he did was pat your head, and you’re looking at him starry-eyed like he didn’t grope your thighs under the table. Honestly, all your cute little blubbering had gone straight to his cock. Annie would have to handle his big problem.

These private sessions are going to be fun.

part I ---- complete

[hopespeak-hs-hostclub]

Since I don't have an original idea maybe Gundham NSFW ABC's

Also if you do anon names can I be 🦎 anon? If not it's okay I just wanted to ask!

YES I LOVE TANAKA SO MUCH I planned on doing this anyway 🦎 anon so I’m DOWN! Also yes you’re officially my first anon with a name I love it! Welcome!!!

NSFW ABC’S : Gundham Tanaka 💖

A (Aftercare) Gundham is so sweet and loving after sex with you. The two of you always shower together, and while you’re getting dressed he’ll make the two of you hot tea, and put on a movie in bed so the two of you can just snuggle and drink tea all evening until one of you (usually you) fall asleep.

B (fave body part) ASS. GUNDHAM IS AN ASS MAN! He likes to grab it and smack it and kiss it and bite it. He’s a sucker for your ass.

C (cum) he’s literally the ultimate breeder. So naturally he cums inside of you every. Single. Time. And you love it of course.

D (dirty Secret) it’s no surprise that Gundham is a little old fashioned about things. Well, same goes for romance obviously. He hates sexting and sending nudes, but he loves writing you erotic notes and leaving them on your nightstand, or bathroom counter for you to see when you wake up/get home. Usually they include something about how he can’t wait for his dark beauty to come home so he can absolutely ravage them. Ya know, cute romantic stuff like that

E (experience) You’re his first and only! He’s very shy and doesn’t express himself well, so when you two finally started dating, you were his first everything. Relationship, sexual partner.. all of it. But he caught on quick and he’s damn good at it.

F (favorite Position) he actually prefers missionary because he wants to constantly be able to kiss you and be as connected and close as possible. But don’t think that’s the only one he loves. Gundham is also obsessed with fucking you doggy style. From that position he can pound into you as hard and deep and rough as he wants, and also don’t forget that he has a preference for your ass.

G = (Goofy?) a little bit. Since he’s only ever slept with you there’s always some errors that embarrass him, but make you giggle and kiss him. Which makes him do the same. It’s super cute and makes you both fall more in love with eachother. Also since he was a virgin before meeting you there’s lots of experimenting that makes you both a little embarrassed and laughing sometimes.

H = (Hair) He’s never fully shaved, but he does trim and groom himself regularly. He doesn’t mind what you do either way, because he loves you regardless.

I = (Intimacy) sex with Gundham can definitely be goofier, but it’s usually incredibly intimate. He wants to touch and bite and leave marks all over your entire body. He usually lights candles and on birthdays, holidays, or your anniversary, he also has some rose pedals because even though he’s an emo boy, he’s also super romantic. He doesn’t give his love to just anyone, so he’s gonna absolutely shower you with it.

J = (Jack Off) Before meeting you he would jack off all the time. Here lately not as much. But when you’re not able to come over, he’s not afraid to think about you and enjoy himself.

K = (Kink) well he has a breeding kink. But besides that, he also realized he liked overstimulation and orgasm deprivation- but not to you. He wants to be over stimulated. He wants you to do all of that to him. Even though he has a “I’m better than everyone” thing going on most of the time, in the bedroom he’s actually very submissive. He does take charge every now and again, but for the most part he wants you to dominate him.

L = (Location) mostly your apartment/ dorm. But for his birthday you got a romantic hotel room with a jacuzzi bath tub you fucked in more than once. You’ve also had sex in hot tubs, pools, tents in the woods while camping, and in his car at night on a cliff. As long as you’re alone and together he’s so happy.

M = ( Motivation) sit on his lap and whisper in his ear. “Hey my sexy prince of darkness” something like that. Kiss his neck. He’s going to m e l t. Anything you do that’s even remotely sexy is all it takes.

N = (NO) he doesn’t wanna do animal play. He won’t use a collar or leash or treat you like a pet. He loves you in a different way than his animals.

O = (Oral) as much as Gundham adores when you blow him, he almost always cums too quickly without meaning to, and usually tells you not to do it. He’ll always happily give you oral though. He loves making you feel so blissful with his mouth

P = (Pace) slow and long, but also deep and hard. He wants to be buried inside of you, but never want it to end.

Q = (Quickie) oh yes. Shower quickies, after work quickies, just because quickies, waiting for dinner to finish quickies. But he also loves to make an entire evening out of having sex with you.

R = (Risk) yes and frequently! As mentioned before he’s never gotten to experiment with sex or kinks before meeting you, so the two of you have tried a lot of stuff.

S = (Stamina) at most he cums 3 times, but usually just two within like and hour and a half of foreplay and sex. He likes orgasm deprivation remember? Wink wink

T = (toy) can’t say you two haven’t used any toys ever. You’ve both been handcuffed, whipped, blindfolded, and tied up

U = (Unfair) he doesn’t like teasing you at all. He always feels bad and gives in as soon as you start to beg him. But he fucking loves when you tease him. At first, becoming such a whimpering mess was embarrassing for him. But now he’s obsessed with it.

V = (Volume) He isn’t quiet by any means, but he’s not the loudest. Gundham’s voice is so deep that all of his moans, groans, and grunts are very very loud in your ears. He also screams when he talks without realizing it sometimes, so you can imagine he accidentally gets real loud sometimes.

W = (Weird fact) if you’re ever trying to get him horny, wear something sexy in the color black. As the true overlord of the underworld, he loves black, and he always thinks you look so sexy in it. Especially when you’re trying to be sexy.

X = (X-Ray) 9 and a half inches. hard. When he told you that you literally didn’t believe him and eventually made him measure for you and prove it. He knows how to work it too.

Y = (Yearning) he doesn’t just want to fuck you. He wants to make passionate love to you every night of his life. He’s grown addicted to your body, and you feel the exact same for him. That’s why you have so many quickies and long long nights together. Because you both crave each others touch so frequently.

Z = (ZZZ) as stated before he loves to make you two tea and watch a movie in bed. Typically the two of you watch half the movie, finish the tea, and pause it to take the dishes to the sink and use the restroom. Sometimes somebody makes a snack to enjoy in bed once you resume the movie, and cuddling. 9 times out of 10, you fall asleep first, on his shirtless chest, arms wrapped around him tight. Doing his best not to move, he turns the tv off and adjusts the two of you to lie down more; and he falls asleep holding you to his chest.