#i just almost feel like i owe you an explanation? idk

[euthymiya]

exes to lovers ; resolved (and poorly written) angst ; breaking up and getting back together ; emotionally stunted modern boyfriend sukuna and his self discovery or something like that idk

“Hey.”

You pause. Mid step, actually. You pause for long enough with your foot halfway over the concrete that you stumble for just a moment and then catch yourself.

“What are you doing here?” You squint.

Sukuna doesn’t like that look on your face. Not the look of anger or even mild distaste—that’s normal. A given, in fact. He has that effect on people and he’s well aware of it, too. It’s the look of shock that really weighs him down, pressing on his lungs enough that he has to cough slightly just to work out that hitch in his throat.

(He thinks, in a moment of stark, cold clarity, that you’re only shocked that he’s trying because he never tries. What does it feel like, he wonders, to feel love that doesn’t even try?

He’s always been privileged enough in this relationship to never have to know.)

He forces himself to grunt out, “Uh…just wanted to talk. ‘N stuff.”

“You wanted to talk,” you repeat. You mouth the words to yourself quietly once more, tasting them on your tongue again to be sure you got them right.

“…Yes….yeah,” he nods. It’s firmer the second time, like he really, really means it. You have to wonder to yourself why he never means it when you need him too.

The break up happens like clockwork, something like two weeks and four days ago (who’s counting, though? Not him). You storm out through salty tears and flailing arms and he walks you out through tired, rolling eyes and an impatiently tapping foot.

Maybe I should just leave, you say.

Then leave, he says back. (He remembers it so clearly, too. His mind is cruel like that—it plays his mistakes so vividly he wonders if some part of him is a masochistic freak).

I’m not coming back this time, Sukuna. I’ve had enough.

Well, that makes two of us! Don’t fuckin’ come crawling back then.

It ends like that. His slammed door. Your muffled sob. His irritated grunt. Your pounding footsteps as you run. His shrug of indifference as he convinces himself he doesn’t care. Your radio silence. His slow, bleeding heart that he staples shut and ignores.

That was two weeks and four days ago. (He’s counting, he realizes. He’s never counted before).

“I’m busy.”

You cut him off from his thoughts with the words plainly. They’re so bland yet blunt, he almost does a double take. It’s just so unlike you, so different and unnatural and weird. Faintly, he’s aware he deserves it. Acutely, he hates that things are changing.

“Yeah?” He huffs, staring at his feet as he shuffles on them. (He feels so weak. So seen. So scrutinized under your gaze. Why is it so hard to just get the words out like he rehearsed in his head?) “It’s just gonna take a moment.”

“And I suppose I owe a moment?” You raise a brow.

“I didn’t say that,” he clicks his teeth.

Agitation is second nature for him. It always has been. It’s easier that way, simpler to just be angry and done with it. People leave him alone more. Things are easier to process. He makes his way through life with downturned lips and an easy glare—things work out well enough that he’s never had to question it.

(Some time ago, you made some passing comment about his childhood developing his coping mechanisms or some bullshit like that. He rolled his eyes and insisted he didn’t need to be psychoanalyzed. Now, he thinks maybe he does need it—some logical explanation as to why he self destructs and destructs and destructs until it’s not self destruction anymore. Somehow, you get caught in the crossfire, too.)

You’re tired. Wary. He slumps his hands into his pocket as he clears his throat and mumbles out, “I miss you.”

It’s progress. That much, even you’re aware of because there’s a moment where you pause and blink. Almost instantly, your eyes soften. Almost as instantly again, you mask it with indifference as best as you can.

He sees through your resolve like it’s made of glass.

“You miss me?” You scoff incredulously. “And what, it took you two weeks to realize that?”

“Two weeks and four days,” he corrects with a scowl.

“Well, that really helps,” you say dryly, giving him a sarcastic smile. “What brought this on?”

“Look,” he pinches his nose, trying to get the words right. He just needs to get something right. For once. When it really matters this time, he’d really just like to get things right. “I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know how being in love and shit works so I’m trying my best here.”

“The first step would be to actually love someone,” you say blandly. “That might help.”

“Just because I’m not good at loving you, doesn’t mean I don’t,” he says back, frustratedly running a hand through his hair.

You shake your head, scoffing as you retort, “No, Sukuna. You can’t be bad at things you don’t even try to do. You can’t mess up and be bad at something you never even did.”

“I never loved you?” He asks incredulously, lips curling in a snarl.

(He’s hurt, you know that. Sukuna is so good at masking hurt with anger and indifference, some part of you always aches for him. For that part of him that learned to do that. That part of him that never knew anything outside of shoving aside his feelings.

It takes you a long time to start aching for yourself. To realize that every time he shoves down his feelings, you shove down yours, too.)

“I didn’t say that,” you shake your head, sighing tiredly.

“You don’t make any fuckin’ sense.”

“You can still love someone without loving them,” you shake your head, and none of it makes any sense. Not to him. Not to that part of him that’s stubborn and hardened and so disturbingly weak.

If he wasn’t so weak, he’d have no problem putting aside his stupid pride and be what you need.

“Now you’re just saying words,” he grumbles.

“I love you right now,” you spit out, “But I’m not loving you. I’m not picking up your socks or texting you good morning or asking about your day or holding your hand or god forbid hugging you once or twice, am I? There’s a difference.”

There is a difference. He knows it, too. Because it’s the difference between you and him.

You pick up his socks when he leaves them lying around. He doesn’t wash the mug you leave in the sink when you’re in a rush. You text him good morning as soon as your alarm goes off. He doesn’t text you when he’s awake so you know he thinks of you as soon as his day starts. You pester him about his nephew and his life. He doesn’t ask how work was or if that friend of yours was still being annoying. You latch onto his hand every chance you get. He doesn’t wrap an arm around your waist and pull you close. You scatter soft pecks along his jaw when it’s clenched from a long day. He doesn’t press a kiss to your cheek when life gets hard.

Yeah, he loves you. But you spend your time loving him.

It’s different. He knows it now. Maybe, if he’d cared enough to learn, he’d know it before. When you needed it. When you needed him.

Some fragile part of him, despite it all, still has hope that you still need him. Want him. Choose him.

Slowly, carefully, he walks up to where you stand. One hand cups your cheek and one hand finds your waist to pull you close. Your breath hitches and you stiffen. You don’t pull away, though—there’s a good sign in that.

“I love you too,” he says quietly. There’s a kiss to your forehead. He looks so unsure of what he’s doing, so unbelievably confused and lost. But not uncomfortable. It’s a start. “I’ll act like it more, okay? So just take back the break up and come back.”

“That’s not how it works, idiot” You ask through watery eyes, rolling them exasperatedly.

He rests his chin over your head, tightening his hold on you. “It’s how it works now. Take it back.”

“Why, so I can be sad over the same things again?”

“No,” he clicks his teeth. His hand cups the back of your head, tilting it to look at him as he grunts out, “I’m gonna fix this. So just take it back.”

He trying. You know it better than he does—and it’s not exactly good, but it’s at least better. Something about it is raw enough that your heart finally feels like it has a place next to his. That it’s not just there, alone and out of place.

You think your friends might call you stupid. Your coworkers might roll their eyes. Everyone might sigh in disbelief.

But you love Sukuna. Can’t help but keep loving him. Can’t help but look into his eyes and see the way he battles with himself not to hide the hope so you know he’s trying.

So, even if you maybe shouldn’t, even if it makes you stupid and weak and helplessly foolish, you whisper, “Fine. I take it back. But next time, I won’t.”

“Oi,” he huffs, “There’s no next time anymore.”

I won’t let there be—you hear it underneath his words. It’s the fine print, you think.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he nods, propping his chin on your head as he holds you close. Closer than he ever has. Closer than he thinks he deserves, but takes anyway. “Cause I’m gonna love the fuck out of you so you quit cryin’ about it. Be ready.”

“Oh, I’m very ready,” you snort. It’s watery, a touch breathless and maybe even naive.

But you love him, and you just want him to love you too.

[actiniumwrites]

patches

synopsis: even though you’re both self-proclaimed enemies, they can’t bear to see you hurt. or in which, you show up at your enemies door all bloodied and bruised and they’re forced to take care of you

characters: xiao, gaming, alhaitham, and arlecchino x gn!reader (separately)

warnings: angst to fluff, hurt/comfort, injuries, crying, enemies to lovers, some of them are kinda mean, extremely mild misunderstandings, probably swearing idk

notes: i’m in a massive enemies to lovers kick right now omg you guys don’t understand. this was also inspired by arlecchino’s voiceline from a heavy hit or something where she says, “wanted my full attention, did you?” she’s so fine i’m sobbing 😖

Xiao:

It was a relatively quiet night before you showed up at Xiao’s room at the Wangshu Inn. For the first time in a while, he had felt a semblance of peace. That was until the indistinguishable scent of blood forced itself in his nose and a weak knock sounded at his door.

Xiao opens it immediately. He doesn’t care to know who it is, but rather what they want with him at nearly three in the morning. No one ever bothers Xiao this late. Not unless it was serious.

“What do you—“ he starts harshly but stops mid sentence when he recognizes your face. You’re doused in blood, your clothes all ripped up. And god, you look so weak it almost makes him feel bad for you. “Get inside,” he grabs your arm harshly, but still manages to avoid all your injuries.

You start to speak, but your mouth is full of blood too. He can barely understand what you’re saying aside from a bunch of nonsensical, I’m sorries. And if your injuries weren’t enough to show it, the fact that you’re apologizing to him at all tells him something is seriously wrong. Most of the time you talk to him it’s a bunch of insults thrown back and forth, some even result in physical fighting. Neither of you have been able to get along for centuries, yet here you are getting patched up in his house.

Xiao remains mostly silent as he sets you on the counter and pulls out his medical supplies. First he cleans up all the excess blood with a cloth before tossing it aside and moving to work on the actual injury itself. You can’t help but watch him, feeling nothing but shame as you do. You couldn’t help it. There was no one else you could think to go to.

“You are unbelievably weak and irresponsible. It’s idiotic to think you could ever handle anything in this world, not even a few monsters,” he grumbles between stitches, “Pathetic.”

You just stare at him as tears well up in your eyes. You aren’t one to cry. In fact, you can’t even remember the last time something so bad happened that you did. But sitting here, terrified of the monsters that had you within an inch of your life combined with Xiao’s cold words made you completely shatter inside and out.

Quietly, you sob into your other half-cleaned arm, “I know. You don’t have to say it.” You begin to get up right after, mumbling about it being a mistake coming here but he pushes your knee back down before you can fully stand up.

Xiao looks up surprised from where he sits as he does, his hands drop the thread and needle against the counter. Without word, he stands up and furrows his brows. “I should not have said what I said,” he practically whispers, a twinge of embarrassment hitting him too. A darker look shades his gentle amber irises as he stares into yours, “I don’t entirely dislike you. As stupid as your actions may have been, seeing you injured makes me…upset.”

“They weren’t normal monsters,” you breathe out between the remaining sobs that still involuntarily leave your mouth. You know you don’t owe him an explanation, but you figured you could at least make it known you weren’t taken out by some random hilichurls. “I was down in the Chasm. Those…things weren’t anything like I’ve ever seen before. I didn’t even have time to react.”

Xiao nods and places the last bandage on your face, “You shouldn’t go down there by yourself. It’s too dangerous. The last time I was there I hardly escaped.”

“What do you mean?” you raise a brow, your interest suddenly peaked. Xiao wipes the remaining tears off of your face in silence before turning to walk away.

“Call for me next time and I’ll be there.”

Gaming:

Gaming and you had gotten off on the wrong foot when you first met each other years ago. As children, you always felt like he stole your spotlight and he never seemed to care. And as you got older, it never seemed to go away. You constantly bickered and loathed having to see each other whenever one another’s name was brought up.

Yet whenever you got hurt, he was always the first person you went to. Although normally, it was for small things like paper cuts and bruised elbows. Not for your face having a cut so deep you could barely see and an arm twisted out of place like today.

“Fuck,” you mutter as you bang on his door, hoping it was the right one. There was too much blood in your eyes. Every door in the village looks the same right now, and even if it is the right one, you aren’t sure he’s even home. “Please be home,” you pace back and forth. Gaming stopped asking questions years ago when it first started.

You were forced to go with him after a group of bandits had found and beat you up, taking nearly everything you had in your bag. Gaming had found you while on delivery, and like the sweet guy he is, he stopped and helped you even though you could both barely stand each other. He didn’t want to see you dead either.

You weren’t often hurt, but it became somewhat of a cycle whenever you were. You were a nice person, well liked by most, but you also enjoyed stirring up trouble and it often landed you in some pretty hot water countless times. You knew Gaming wouldn’t say anything to anyone or turn you away like other people would. And above all, you like the kinder side of him whenever he patched you up, which he was good at too.

“Gaming!” your fist pounds on the door again. It’s almost nightfall and a few villagers have begun staring. You almost go to knock again, but your body begins to give out. You mumble a few more curse words before the door opens and you fall forward, directly onto the very person you were looking for.

“Ow ow ow, oh my god my arm!”

“Sorry! Is that blood?! What happened to you?”

“I don’t know! Ask the guys who thought my joke wasn’t funny.”

Gaming picks you up off the floor in a state of panic and rushes you to the bathroom. Luckily for you both, his dad isn’t home to see all of this.

Gaming begins to wipe the blood off your face and examine the cut that runs all the way from your forehead to your cheek, narrowly missing your eye. “This is bad,” he says and begins rummaging through his drawers for medical supplies.

You scoff, “Yeah, you think?”

“You didn’t have to come here, you know. You should’ve gone to a doctor,” he bites back nicely. Sometimes you wish he would just be a little meaner to you. It was easier to hate him that way.

You quiet down and let him take care of your face, “I’m sorry. You’re the only one who I can actually trust to take care of me.”

Gaming hides a small smile while avoiding eye contact with you. Not that you could even see, but just in case. He’d never admit it, but he actually really enjoys when you go to him for help. He’s never resented you like you’ve resented him, but he never bothered to change it either. Somehow he hoped bandaging you up would make you change your mind about him.

“It’s alright,” he says softly, pouring disinfectant onto a small cloth and wiping the cut gently. You wince and he places a hand on your upper arm to silently comfort you, “If you want some good news, you don’t need stitches on your face.”

You breathe out a sigh of relief, having always hated needles, “Thank god.”

“But you will have to see a doctor for your arm. There’s no way for me to fix that on my own,” he says bashfully, “I can maybe…take you if you’d like?”

You peer up at him, shocked at the question. Perhaps this could be a new start between the two of you, and you’re not so against it.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Alhaitham:

It’s pouring outside when Alhaitham hears banging on his front door. At first, he ignores it thinking it was just Kaveh forgetting his keys again and he doesn’t care enough to let him in. But the banging persists and then comes the faint sound of pained sobs.

He slams his book shut and groans as he gets up and trudges angrily to the door. He swings it open only to be met with the sight of you clutching your waist, barely keeping yourself standing as the rain envelopes you.

“Please,” you whisper weakly.

Alhaitham scoffs, “Really? I’m not a doctor, go somewhere else.” He begins to shut the door, and he almost does so successfully before you collapse on the floor, blood beginning to mix with the puddle outside his door. And there’s a lot of it.

The next thing you know, you’re in your least favorite scholar’s arms as he carries you to his room. He sets you on a chair and you take the time to take in what his room looks like. It isn’t much different than you expected, yet you never thought you’d see it.

“Don’t move. I don’t want you making any more of a mess than you already have,” he sneers, walking off to the bathroom connected to his room to grab out a small bag of medical supplies. When he returns you’re blankly staring ahead of you, barely conscious as tears start running down your face. It’s like you don’t even know you’re crying. Alhaitham stares at you for a moment in utter disbelief before snapping in your face, “Take your shirt off.”

“Huh?” you snap out of your daze, confusedly wiping your tears as you do so. A few sniffles leave your nose as you do so.

“Do you want help or not?” he snaps again, losing his patience with you. He’s beginning to seriously regret not leaving you on his doorstep. You quickly follow his instructions, taking off your shirt to reveal a huge cut stemming from one side of your stomach to the other.

Alhaitham’s eyes slightly widen in shock, and he almost can’t pull them away. For a brief moment, you even catch them soften but it’s fleeting and doesn’t give you enough time to register that maybe the stoic scribe really does care for you, even just a little bit.

You both sit in complete silence as he begins working. You catch his eyes every so often, but he quickly looks back down at the injury before either of you can speak on it.

“Who was it?” Alhaitham grumbles as he finishes wrapping it up, his arms wrapped around your waist. The feeling of his hands distracts you from the question.

“What?”

“The people that did this. Who was it?” he repeats it, more anger this time around. You shake your head and look off to the side.

“I don’t know. It was too dark to get a good look at them,” you try to explain, but Alhaitham doesn’t have any of it. You’re not sure why, but he doesn’t seem like the normal him. The guy that normally finds any and every chance to torment you.

He gets up and grabs the bag, noting something down on a nearby piece of paper and shoving it in the left pocket of his pants before angrily walking out the door of his bedroom, “I’ll be back.”

“Wait! Don’t go,” Your hand reaches out and grabs his. You pull back suddenly, not realizing how impulsive your decision was until it was too late. You go to mumble a sorry, but before you can, you find your hand back in his.

You stare at him in shock, but he just squeezes your shaking hand. “Stay here,” he says somehow both coldly and warmly at once, pulling the blankets back and gesturing to his bed, “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Where are you going?”

“To deal with the people that hurt you.”

Arlecchino:

You wince as the door swings open aggressively, not expecting Arlecchino to open the door before you could even think to knock.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, squinting her eyes so as to scale you up and down. For a moment, they linger over your bloodstained clothes and the already bruising cuts that litter your body. You don’t notice the way they widen in shock for a moment, too distracted by the adrenaline wearing off.

You still manage to crack an arrogant smile and sarcastically mutter, “Couldn’t think of anyone worth patching me up but you.”

Without waiting for a response, you push past her figure and let yourself inside already knowing where the infirmary is. Although, you don’t make it two steps before your legs give out and your body tumbles toward the hardwood floors.

The clicking of heels stops from just beside you before a strong hand grips your arm and aggressively pulls you up, “Don’t dirty my floors. The children worked hard to clean those today.”

“Yeah? Well they can clean them again tomorrow,” you grumble and weakly attempt to push her hand off of your body. Arlecchino doesn’t budge, however. She instead drags you all the way to the infirmary and sets you down on one of the beds.

“Wow these are surprisingly comfortable. Didn’t know you had it in you to be so accommodating to all the children you like to hold hostage,” you tease to keep yourself from focusing on the pain. She ignores you and instead places a firm hand on your uninjured chest and slams your back against the bed.

Immediately, she begins working on all the little cuts and gently wipes all the blood away, saving your bigger injuries to be dealt with in a moment. For now, she didn’t mind if you suffered for a little longer.

“So,” Arlecchino starts after a few minutes of silence, finally deeming it worthy to have a real conversation with you, “was this your way of getting my full attention? If you wanted me to notice you, you should have just said something.”

“What? No! I got attacked, I wasn’t trying to ‘get your attention’ or whatever.”

“You don’t sound so sure.”

“I really wasn’t,” you cross your arms and turn your head away from her, “I was scared, you know? I didn’t know who else to go to. Make fun of me all you want, but it’s the truth.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

She doesn’t say anything more after the conversation takes its turn. You’re glad she doesn’t, not wanting to engage in the horrible embarrassment you already felt from having to show up here anyway. She was the last person you’d want to have see your weakness, yet here you are covered in the House of the Hearth’s bandages.

When Arlecchino is done with stitching up your leg, she moves to your face and gently brushes away the blood. And cut by cut, she heals each one and leaves you feeling brand new again. You stare up at her for a brief moment, unable to look anywhere else when the red X’s in her eyes are so focused on you.

“So who did it?” She asks suddenly, her tone a little more caring than before. It almost shocks you, but then again, deep down you knew she cared more than she let on. No matter how much either of you didn’t get along, you always had her back. Even if she didn’t know it. You always liked the think that she had yours too.

You sigh and scribble down a few names on a nearby clipboard left by the bed, “That’s only a few of them…the ones I was able to get talking before everything happened. I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding their leader though.”

Her eyes scan over the paper before she glances back at you and nods. She begins to walk away but stops at the doorway and calls out over her shoulder, “I’ll be back in the morning. My room is on the second floor, last door at the end of the hall. I expect to find you resting there when I return.”

[mintyeve322]

for anyone concerned by my writing style on my posts that my fic(s) might have no capital letters, random capital letters, or some other issue, i just wanted to clarify i type posts and messages very different from stories.

in stories I'll use proper punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar. (at least to the best of my ability) i just couldn't give two shits about that stuff while I'm rambling here.

just a warning or heads up, haha.

anyway, so that we're on topic, fiddlestan time below the cut.

I think their relationship is pretty quick to take off but slow to be official. i feel like Stan is so starved for affection that she's scared to acknowledge her feelings, especially since affection is sometimes just "platonic girl stuff". don't worry stan, overly affectionate heterosexual female friends drive me insane too.

on Fidd's part, i think she is hesitant to make things official because at first she's not sure if her feelings are genuine or if she's accidentally using Stan, but once she realized thats not it, she's still hesitant to say anything because she doesn't wanna make Stan uncomfortable if she's not right about her feelings.

Fidds is a people pleaser and unhinged as hell before she uses the memory gun, let alone afterwards, so she for sure has made or aquired some crazy shit as gifts for Stan. She for sure has made her at least one robot that malfunctioned and had to be decommissioned, she bought Stan a fish, I'll do some fish research to figure out what kind later but it has some sort of significance, to occupy the empty tank in the shack since Frilliam is lost at sea. She's probably helped Stan make exhibits and made a cryptid up that reminds her of Stan. I feel like she'd get gifts for Stan constantly, and Stan wouldn't know how to act about it because her instinct is to be skeptical of kindness but Fidds was her sister's friend and she hasn't asked Stan for anything in return and she doesn't know why.

Related to Stan's belief that affection is transactional, if Fidds ever gets nervous about the portal or if Stan keeps something from her, like why she got arrested last night or where she found a part and Fidds says she owes Fidds an explanation, Stan will shut down and probably cry in her room for an hour.

Stan is VERY worried that Fidds is gonna reveal one day that she's only there for some sort of payment or gain on her end, and if she even implies that Stan owes her something, Stan will spiral until Fidds is able to figure out the problem and apologize, even if she agrees that she does owe Fiddleford something for all she's done.

Related to this, there's probably a period of time where Fidds is working really hard, to the bone, for Stan. She hates not feeling useful and may have hit a road block she's trying to push through or something, and when Stan tells her to take a break, she interprets it as a sarcastic "just let me do it, idiot" comment and not the "please take a break im worried about you" way stan intended it, due to the fact Ford, with her one track mind, has been harsh to her in that way before.

Fidds is apologetic and swears she's almost got it she just needs more time and please don't maker her leave she promises she can do it, and Stan has to basically grab her, look her in the eyes, and tell her she just needs to take a break and come back later. Fidds says she just wants to be useful for Stan, and Stan tells her she doesn't care if she's useful, she just needs her there and burning herself out working on the project is not worth it. they have a long conversation about how even if fidds never worked on the project again Stan would still want her around and its sad and fluffy.

also a thing where stan gets frustrated and implies Fidds isnt useful and has to comfort her and insist that isn't what she meant because it genuinely wasn't what she meant agh i love miscommunication hurt/comfort

idk im rambling and i feel like we're all so busy unpacking Stan's trauma we forget that Fidds has very real trauma from her work with Ford that has plenty of hurt/comfort potential as well.

[pinklayla123]

Putting this reply here because I want it and it saves me time to say the same thing.

So, you, an elriel, I presume, admit that what Elain and Azriel were about to do was indeed wrong? That Elain pursuing another guy while still having the bond with Lucien is not right? Elain who is not technically, but canonically, undeniably, irrefutably Lucien's mate. So you admit that what was about to happen in the first part of the chapter would have been wrong? That if Elain was so in love with Azriel and dying to be with him as Elriels believe she should at least say it to Lucien's face and reject him instead of staying ever in silence because no, a mating bond is not something that you can just ignore away? That there are not just political ramifications to consider but also how Lucien, who has been a literal darling all the time and described by several other characters as a good male, doesn't fucking deserve to be treated this way?

Hello, person behind ghost blog with randomly generated name, who sent a screenshot of a blog that evidently doesn't exist but is tagged in Elucien fanfictions.

First of all, thank you for sending this ask. This is the first time I've gotten a passive-aggressive fandom related ask like this, so this is low-key a tumblr milestone for me. So thank you for that.

I assume the screenshot included is someone's response to an ask they received in regards to this post since the wording is somewhat similar, but I can't actually find the blog you screenshot so idk what's up with that.

Now, onto the actual ask. The screenshot says "Did Azriel think anything about touching Elain feeling like touching the Mother herself? Lol, no." I believe this is referring to this sentence in my post "Touching Elain is the closest this man has come to meeting the Mother herself."

I did not mean to imply, in any way, shape, or form, that Azriel wants to get down and dirty with the Mother and is using Elain as a conduit for that kink. I simply meant to say that touching Elain was a very monumental experience for him. In the back of my head I was thinking about how he was literally questioning the Cauldron ("What if the cauldron was wrong?") which is a large part of the "religion" in Prythian, therefore anything that made him question it is undoubtedly a big deal for him. I see now that this wasn't very clear in the original post, so thank you for allowing me this opportunity to clarify my thought process.

Now, if I may, I will reply to the paragraph you went to the effort of actually typing out. Yes, I ship Elriel, you presume correctly. Do I think Elain and Azriel almost kissing is wrong? No, I'm afraid not.

This seems to be a follow-up to "The situation is wrong because Elain is technically mated to another guy who is literally sleeping upstairs." in my post. Is Elain wanting to kiss the man who has been nothing but kind and caring and gentlemanly since she's known him wrong? No I believe not.

Despite her canonically, undeniably, irrefutably being Lucien's mate, she actually does not owe him anything at all, least of all an explanation, because she did not make him any promises. She never went up to Lucien and said "I wanna explore this thing between us" and then go behind his back. If that were the case, yes it would be wrong. But alas, it is not.

I don't have it in me to go pull out the actual quote, but Rhys said in ACOWAR I believe that a female being a male's mate does not equal to her being accountable to him for every breath she takes. Elain is well within her right to not want to do anything at all with Lucien, as demonstrated by her being more than willing to kiss someone else in the same house.

Okay, if this isn't wrong, then why on earth did I say that it is? Easy. Because while Elain and Azriel are not doing anything wrong, their actions will be perceived as such by others and will have consequences far beyond the two of them.

On the topic of sweet darling Lucien, I wouldn't go as far to say he is one of my favorite characters, but I certainly don't hate him and would like to see him get a happy ending. However, he hasn't really done much for Elain to say he actually cares about her or wants a life-long relationship with her. His inner monologue consists of thinking Elain was "thrown" at him and he chooses to spend his days living with another woman on the other side of the world. Doesn't seem to me like either of them want jack and shit to do with each other.

p.s. Just because someone is a "good male" doesn't entitle them to anyone's time and affections, especially someone who has shown no interest in them and even seem to avoid them.

Anyways, sorry this got a little long. Have a nice day 😊😊

[graves4girls]

for syzoothhhh... any fluff relationship hcs on your mind ?

☆ headcanons | syzoth

✮ wc. 1.2k ⚠︎ warning(s): gn!reader (i normally write fem!readers so if i put the wrong prns smwhere let me know and i'll fix it) i apologize if this is ooc i'm still learning how to write him (つ﹏<。)

also idk what species his family was so let's just say they weren't human/humanoid so this holds up

Just to start off, he finds himself taking a liking to you far too quickly, and he doesn't really understand why exactly you're so intriguing at first. Maybe it was the way you accepted him so earnestly upon meeting him, without a hint of dishonesty in your sweet voice, or maybe it was the simple fact that he found you to be incredibly appealing physically. Spoilers: It was both, and so. much. more.

He's hesitant to bare his natural form in front of you at first, worried he'd scare you off. And he panics when he spots you in a crowd, having just wielded his scales moments prior in the midst of battle, unaware of your presence until the damage was already done. 

You'd found him before he could flee the battleground, gently prodding questions at the scene that'd just unfolded before you, and he sheepishly offers a mumbly explanation, green eyes darting everywhere but your own. You had assured him it was "fucking awesome," and he fell that much harder.

When he does realize he's attracted to you romantically, he isn't quite sure how to run the news by you. Does he just outright blurt it out? Does he drop little hints and let you figure it out? He doesn't have a clue how human attraction works, not necessarily having much practice in the area, so instead he yearns from a distance for a good while. 

You'd catch him staring at you whenever you were in the same room, and he'd always be the first one to defend/protect you, were you caught up in any sort of trouble.

He isn't the best at hiding his infatuation, as much as he'd like to say he is. He slips up numerous times: lingering a hand on your waist when he helps you up from the sparring mat, offering you small trinkets he says reminds him of you almost on a daily basis, spewing mindless praises whenever you do something that impresses him before he can stop himself. I mean, can you blame him? You were perfect in every way.

You catch him alone one afternoon, giving him a knowing look as you tilt your head. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He'd stiffened for a moment, concerned with your sudden cornering. "Have I upset you?" You punch his chest lightly, rolling your eyes with a small smile. "No, you're not in trouble. I was just wondering…how much longer are you gonna wait to make a move?"

He was both thrilled and utterly mortified by your interrogation, but he wouldn't dwell on it. He'd finally been able to voice his feelings, and you'd accepted his confession with a sweet smile and a brush of your thumb over his knuckles. 

NOW to the ensuing relationship.

He was already protective of you prior to your relationship, but with the new emotional territory came his heightened need to keep you from harm or stress, following you like a lost puppy whenever you ventured into foreign land, unknowing of the threats that may be lurking, or clinging to you whenever you fell victim to unwanted attention, assuring whoever was heckling you knew he wasn't one to piss off.

Even behind closed doors, he's hanging off of you any chance he can take, partially owing to the fact that he's cold-blooded, and you're so warm. He can't get enough of your body heat, draped over you like a blanket as you tend to the most mundane of tasks, half-heartedly whining that he was too heavy to be dropping his full weight on your back as you amble around the house. 

He's not exactly accustomed to the physicality of an intimate relationship in this form, but he swears he falls even harder when he sees how patient you are with him. You don't reprimand him if he accidentally bashes your noses together the first couple times he tries to initiate a kiss, or when he kind of hovers his hands around you when you slip into his lap to make out, unsure of where to grab you. You'd giggled against his lips, mumbling something into his skin as you'd settled his hands on your waist, assuring him he was getting the hang of this thing.

When he learns how to kiss you without nearly breaking one of your noses, he's stealing kisses left and right, whether it be a quick, chaste peck to the lips or full on tongue. He's starting to understand the appeal of human relationships. 

He's not too much of a show-off when it comes to being out in public, he likes to keep your business your business. But, if need be, he'll wrap an arm around your waist, or press his chest to your back with a hand settled on your hip if someone tries to chat you up, his subtle possessiveness creeping up on him as he spits a few choice words. He avoids your eyes, a bit embarrassed at his childish behavior when you tease him about it later, but you follow up your taunt with a kiss, hand caressing his cheek. "It was kinda hot, honestly."

Selfishly, he loves to be praised and complimented. Be it due to his rough past, he absolutely melts whenever you shower him in heartfelt praises. You tell him how much you love him, how drop-dead gorgeous he is, how proud you are of him, and he's a mess. Thanks to your constant affirmations, he isn't nearly as ashamed of this form as he was before you met, and damn if he isn't grateful to have someone like you to call his.

He adores his alone time with you, soft caresses to his strong muscles as you ramble about your most recent training session, fingers absentmindedly drawing shapes into his skin as he listens to every word that falls from your pretty lips. He'll never get tired of the way your warm hand mindlessly trails all over his cold skin, ultimately ending the night with him curled around you from behind, arms like a vice as he silently pleads you to stay with him, nuzzling his nose into the side of your neck as he falls asleep.

He enjoys the days where you offer him a massage after a long sparring match, chilled skin warmed by the candles you light as he relaxes against your touch. Little hisses and grunts leave him as you knead at the tense muscles, working out all the knots with skill, and without fail he ends up fast asleep every single time.

He also likes when you run your fingers through his short hair, nails gently massaging his scalp as he hums, leaning into your gentle touch.

On the off chance he decides to morph back into his natural form, he'll curl up to you, big head nestled in your lap as you run your fingers along his rough scales, low, content grumbles rumbling in his throat as he lays there. 

He's absolutely head over heels for you, and he makes sure you know it. Nuzzling up to you in the quiet comfort of your home, longing gazes when he can't get to you from across the room, muttering gentle reminders of his unbridled affection in passing between training sessions or battles.

[allwormdiet]

Shell 4.3

In which we finally discuss the locker

Little surprised that Alec is taking the lead on this one, but pleasantly so

And yeah, here we finally get an explanation for powers and triggers and all that, or at least the foundations of it

...Also there's no way that Glory Girl triggered just because of a basketball game, that has to be a crock of shit. What's up with New Wave claiming to be the most open hero team and then coming off the shadiest? How am I trusting these people less than I trust the government capes?

I like that they make a point of reassuring her after her blunder. She couldn't have known, and they know that, and they don't hold it against her. I love these kids.

Brian seems more comfortable smacking Alec around than he does Rachel. I don't think that's a thing of not wanting to hit women, last arc he decked Vista like she owed him money. Maybe it's that Rachel intentionally provokes that reaction and Alec is just kind of a little shit? Idk

Again, I remain utterly fixated on how this is Taylor's one line, the thing she refuses to compromise on ever. I'll buy that she doesn't want outside interference from the Undersiders or other capes when it comes to the bully situation, but it's harder to do that when she never makes a move herself.

This is so. Evil. Like, the false friendship, the rotting tampons, the imprisonment. The fact that nobody who sees this play out even bothers to help her. The fact that she's trapped for hours. If that didn't give someone a trigger event, I'm not sure anything would.

Alec is actually so real for this. Like for all that he was disgusted with the story (which, fair) his disgust isn't with Taylor, it's with the fuckers who did that to her. And Brian agrees with him! Lisa is making a point of not disagreeing, even.

Oh hey, Taylor actually acknowledges her thing with anger and violent retribution. Glad she's cognizant of that, it'd be a whole situation if she wasn't tbh

Actually thank god for Alec keeping up this line of thinking, this might be the most passionate we've seen him get about anything. The runner up is like, him being annoyed he can't keep Kid Win's skateboard, and that's peanuts compared to this. Maybe he's wrong about the revenge thing but I don't know that he is, and he's definitely not wrong about the indignity that Taylor is allowing herself to suffer

I don't think this is half the lie that Taylor thinks it is. For all that she has noble intentions, and I don't doubt she'll do her best with those... I don't think Taylor's drive to be a superhero was entirely selfless. This isn't all truth and justice going on here, this is feeling strong and being appreciated by others and not being looked at like a bottom-feeder.

Wonder when she'll figure that out for herself

Get cared about idiot! Get absolutely blanketed with affection and approval from the people who would absolutely rip your bullies apart if you asked them to!

You know. I think Brian's trigger event is one of the ones I know the least about? I know the broad strokes of almost every other Undersider, but I don't think I know anything about his.

Current Thoughts

Even knowing what's coming, reading through Taylor's ordeal with the locker is so fucking heartbreaking. She could've died in there and the consolation prize she got was not worth the cost of admission, that's for damn sure. Emma Barnes is a fucking maniac for this one.

The stuff about powers and trigger events is a pretty neat concept, and I like how it kind of contextualizes most capes as being fucked up. Like, I'm thirteen years late to the party on this one, but what a fascinating fucking idea to build your superhero setting on.

Alec really shone through for me in this chapter. Maybe I relate as someone who finds it easier to get angry on others' behalf than to be angry for myself, or maybe it's just nice to see him get fired up about something. I like this kid.

...Got work and a family thing today, but I'll see if I can't slip some more updates in. I'll probably read some at least and double back with my thoughts if nothing else

[bloggingboutburgers]

um hi so i have a question?

how do qpr's work?

(not me being absolutely clueless-)

OK this is gonna be a tricky one but... I have no idea.

I've been in one for almost 6 years and I'm still clueless.

I can't even 100% pinpoint exactly most times what makes it so that it isn't romance. I just know it's not. Because if t were I wouldn't feel safe and comfortable in it, and I do, so something's gotta give.

And personally I think that's the whole point kinda? That it's a personal call. That you want to have something with a person, or several, that doesn't comply with the rules of romance. And then it's whatever you want to make it I guess? You set the rules and boundaries that work for you and your person(s), and you don't owe anyone an explanation about it. I guess that's how I see it.

Heck maybe that's the aromantic in me talking but I don't think anyone owes other people any explanation on any of their relationships no matter what their nature is tbh. Idk.

I just know it's a deeply personal experience, and just like no two people are the same, just like no two asexuals are the same, no two QPRs are the same, surely. I can only ever draw/write about my own personal experience and be pleasantly surprised and grateful if anyone happens to understand it or relate to it.

I dunno. Maybe my partner (who made me aware of QPRs to begin with) would have something different to say on the topic. Same for a lot of people in QPRs. But I guess that's my personal take on it.

[pinkcrocss]

What do you like about Marie and Jordan individually and what do you like about them as a pair?

Thank you for the ask! ❤️

For Marie, I just love her so much. First of all, I am always happy to see a black girl lead in any kind of diverse, non-stereotypical, non-sassy-side character role like this.

But I also appreciated how realistic she was. Like, I understood almost every choice she made. I saw people get mad at her at the start for not always doing the altruistic, "right thing", but for most people, self-preservation comes first. She didn't owe those other characters anything (especially after how they treated her) and I loved that she had a back bone and would actually talk back to people. But at her core, she is still a good person despite everything that has happened to her and still chooses not to be corrupted by Vought's influence once she understands the true material cost.

For Jordan, they're just such a nuanced character. One, I always have a soft-spot for the Lancer character archetype. The highly capable, second best, who can never quite out-do the main character (e.i. bakugo, reki (from sk8), Ron from HP (fuck jkr, but no other examples are coming to me atm)), and Jordan is just that. Like, yeah, they were kind of a bitch at the start, but it's so clear that they are secretly a softie and the world and their experiences have forced them to have a tough shell. Also, their powers as an allegory for gender identity, yes, it's on the nose (although, as someone who grew up reading 90s/2000s manga like Ranma 1/2, not that unheard of), but I think the show handled questions of their identity really well.

And finally for Limoreau...

idk where to start. tbh, as someone who has been hyper fixating on characters and ships since high school, I never really have a clear explanation of why I ship the characters I do. I either like it or I don't. But Limoreau is such a pleasant surprise because the chemistry was there from the start, but it felt like one of those queer dynamics that the writers would be too scared to pursue (think Arthur/merlin or Gojo/Geto). I think the fact that our MAIN PAIRING is a queer, interracial couple with no white people, shouldn't be as revolutionary as it is in 2023, but it is! I hope this is a positive direction for on-screen storytelling.

But also everyone loves a classic "enemies to lovers" (yes, I know they're not EtL in the true sense, but I consider Rivals-to-lovers as a subset of EtL, so I'm using it as an umbrella term). I think the reason people like EtL dynamics (Especially in het pairings) is that there is always an underlying respect beneath the "hatred". Like, to see someone as a threat, you have to see them as at least an equal.

It was clear from the start that Marie and Jordan were more alike than different and it was Vought and the corrupt nature of Godolkin pushing them to compete. They're both lonely in different ways, and I love the idea of them finding acceptance and a home with each other (Also all three actors are extremely attractive and have great chemistry, so that never hurts).

Do I wish their relationship had been paced out a bit more? Yes. But that was my issue with all of Gen V. I think the whole show would have benefitted from 12 eps, instead of 8, because development was needed in most areas.

I also just want to note, for all the people saying their relationship "came out of nowhere", I truly feel that if Marie looked like Erin Moriarty and Jordan looked like Chace Crawford, most people would have clocked the romance from the beginning, jus saying...

[in-stitchesx]

idk if you'll see this, if you'll get flooded by shit like this, or insert whatever else reason that may potentially invalidate what I'm about to say;

I have been following this blog for a long time and have seen your art (and yourself) change quite a bit over the duration I've been on this hellsite and I wanted to drop my 2 cents in the ring-

You don't owe us shit, you don't owe us art or posts or even an EXPLANATION as to why you feel down or bad or not yourself. I'm in the same boat, pal, I have a shit time explaining myself to anyone and it's so frustrating to feel this way and have no way of properly explaining it to anyone. You feel trapped within yourself and trapped with your emotions.

Sorry for all the profanity and I'm sorry if this comes off as aggressive and unwanted or even incorrect in my assumptions! But I just wanted to let you know that we, as the little back-pocket community you've created, care about you more than just as someone who feeds us delicious art from time to time. You don't owe US shit, you owe YOURSELF healing, love, and care. Ya can't pour water from an empty glass. So you do whatever you can to get yourself back on your feet ok? Whether it be days, weeks, hell- months!

sorry for the thesis lol

Wish you luck on your journey to getting better, and we'll see ya on the other side 🧡

Almost had a heart attack in the first part 🫶 /nm

THANK YOU!!!! just wanted to get that one out of the way. I'm not always the best with words!! But this does mean a lot to me. I'm very glad that you had the opportunity to send me this, and even if it's probably been a while since you sent it (notifs off ... Hehe 😅) I am feeling a lot better reading it. You're very kind, and so are a lot of the people who follow me on here

Wybie is fine!! I'm uhh ... Idk imagine I'm on this elaborate vacation where I get to go identify bugs (ignoring how that would be a dream-)

Still no clue when I'll be back but have this positivity on your feed until I crawl back into the Tumblr cave 🤍🤍 drink some water I know you haven't (I'm talking to you)

[hello-there-world]

anyway, have more...idk, niche?? obscure?? idk, these Rewrite headcanons are just random things that range from projection to things i think would be cool for them:

alright...ripping the band-aid off: Toxic Old Man Yaoi (it gets one-sided on William's end after...Y'know) is canon to the Rewrite. alright moving on-

(listen. i wasn't expecting to get into it. I Really Wasn't. and then it grew on me. and then i saw That One Line from the novels where someone stumbled on William's journals and read the parts about Henry and i just kinda went ??? oh so that's an actual line?? holy shit?? because i had seen someone post the line before but i didn't know if it was like. an actual line from the books. oh my lord.)

William wasn't exactly subtle, but unfortunately for him, Henry had the Autism Obliviousness (same here, bestie).

Claire, William's (now dead) wife, was actually aro, and viewed her and William's relationship as some sort of Lavender Marriage, because to her, she gets to raise the kids she wanted, and William gets to be gay for his business partner-

Anna also didn't mind too much, mostly because (unbeknownst to her at the time) she was a lesbian and already didn't really feel that way about Henry to begin with. she was more upset about the fact that Henry was so damn Oblivious.

Henry always struggled with his balance (i'm projecting), but before he got his cane, he'd lean on things for support or hold onto someone. Will would also help him get around by holding his arms or even hands. did i mention Will was not subtle.

William and Henry did Not have good childhoods. it's part of the reason why they're Like That with their own families (Henry being a good dad but a pushover, and William not being physically or verbally abusive, but being emotionally abusive instead because he's That paranoid about screwing up, and then ends up screwing up in another way).

William's obsession with rabbits and hares isn't purely a Special Interest thing (although that is a huge part of it), it's...also kinda partially something that came from some Childhood Trauma stuff, as well as kinda being a therian thing.

speaking of! 4/6 members of the Afton Household have some therian/otherkin shit going on. William is ockin (i don't think this one needs much explanation. like. i think the guy pretty much kins his own oc) and is a hare/rabbit therian. Michael is a dog/fox therian. Elizabeth is also a rabbit/hare therian. Cassidy is plushkin (look. do i even need to explain this one), and it's part of the reason he uses a lot of toy/broken toy metaphors for himself after he dies.

for William, being O'Hare was kind of this...escapism thing. he can be his true, genuine self and he isn't viewed as annoying for it. if anything, people find him lovable. he can be a playful silly hare and he's looked up to for it. but...after he becomes Springtrap, after years of being locked in a back room, stuck in building filled with spirits who either hate or fear him...at some point, William stops pretending he isn't a sadistic monster. it's hard to deny it. and so he doesn't. Springtrap is effectively William fully embracing being O'Hare....but becoming twisted at the same time, if that makes sense.

it's like...imagine you see this rotting green-yellow bunny that CLEARLY has a rotting corpse inside, but it's acting eerily cheerful and treating (checks notes) Chasing You Down With The Intent To Maim And/Or Murder You as a fun game you're both enjoying. yeah, by this point, William kinda Lost It (and by "kinda" i mean He 100% Did)

this is how several Fazbear employees died or Almost died by the way. Fazbear Entertainment owes them so much for therapy, both physical AND mental-

Michael struggles to figure out if he's dealing with Actual paranormal shit or if it's just hallucinations and stuff that he's having out of guilt and grief (USUALLY, it is the former)

Mike once dislocated one of his knees on the school playground back in elementary school (me projecting), and William practically spoiled him rotten during that time. Michael hated it, hated asking his father for help, hated being treated any different. but...with Charlie and his friends, it's like he was perfectly fine asking for help, welcoming of any assistance. oh well! i'm sure there's no deeper meaning to any of that- (something something "Fearing Dependency Yet Also Craving It")

Michael hates the fact he looks so similar to his father.

Jeremy's favorite song is "Mickey" by Toni Basil. take a wild guess why.

William and Cassidy are both technically nonbinary. William never figured it out because he never knew that there Were options besides Man and Woman. probably would've loved it/its pronouns. and neopronouns. Cassidy never figured it out for Obvious Reasons. look, both of them would've loved xenogenders and neopronouns. i honestly believe they would've loved those.

fun fact! Cassidy actually has a lot of similarities to William (of which i am All Too Happy to list. just say the word). uh...don't tell Cass that, though. it'd probably piss him off.

both Charlie and Mike inherited their dads' sexualities, technically (Henry and Charlie are Pan, Will and Mike are Bi).

Everyone's queer and a mess in so many different ways! William, just because you aren't hitting your children doesn't mean that you're a good dad. Stop. Read a parenting book. Actually, don't. I can't imagine 1970s-80s parenting books are that good for all that shit.

[split-regardless]

okay so this is a nice outlet ;3

bpd free write moment!!!!

🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡

ribbed skin

I feel like my flesh is patch-worked,

Held together by strands of some sort of consciousness trying to sew together some sort of personality.

the looseness & the hastiness of these stitches leave every limb hanging on, miraculously

I fly through life, blindly & enjoy the recklessness. While i was falling I needed to tell myself that I was going to get out of this, somehow.

I didn’t know how, but I knew where I wanted to be

i put on a face, and said somehow

🪡🧵🪡

I lied to everyone

The flesh may be stitched but inside is a stew

this mind lies to me about reality, teeter tottering between and through all emotions

It was a whirlwind

my stomach continuously falling out during the periods of starvation

I tore my heart out and threw it at a brick wall, hoping it stuck to someone ,,,, like a noodle

I became frantic, i was running out of time. sewing together every popping thread, unable to see or notice what’s next

I am actively losing time endlessly and the threads are growing brittle.

i am growing brittle.

🧵🪡🧵🪡 🧵

finding this out in a 15 page psych report was paralyzing and I was in a constant state of panic. I couldn’t sew the pieces together because they didn’t go together.

what do you even make of a 3D flesh puzzle that doesn’t have instructions? or any sort of picture on what it could be or should be or will be

I am so afraid of doing it wrong, but I’m afraid it’s too late

Time goes by and i am completely immersed in my vices

with a blank slate and mental illness soup, nothing tasted better than learning what love was through the sirens

I was ravished by them, as written in stone despite being aware of the prophecy.

I felt some sort of catharsis seeing my blood spill, I mean, I deserved it. I remember this kind of sharpness and the familiarity almost makes it feel nice.

the red O+ river rushes faster due to guilt, shame and mania. It felt good to laugh about it.

🪡

the predictability is boring at this point and I am so tired of falling.

trust me, I know that it is me

the over explanations, communication barriers & misguided passion has left my circles exhausted

it’s ripping them too.

I need to do something about it.

🛎️🛎️🛎️

the thing about thread maintenance on a doll like me is that the only way forward is doing everything I can to maintain balance between the pieces.

it doesn’t take long before some latch together like second nature & the flesh puzzle develops line work

🧩🧩✏️🧩🧩

I have to face these stitches everyday to keep it together - I owe it to those throughout time who’s believed in me. Given me a hand. Pushed me up.

the grip is easier but the heat persists, for them

on my best days, I can only feel the scars of my stitches. molded by the heat of disappointment, passion and unconditional love, my skin is thicker and I was somewhat weld together, only for myself

it almost feels painless to run my fingers across the scars

It will never go away, but on my best days

the threads of nurtured connections tie me to the earth

&

I can look in the mirror and know that somehow wholeness is near

after thoughts idk

uhhh I just wrote this on my couch while I let the brain worms have free reign on my notes app.

idk if it’s good, i’ll reevaluate during a time outside of the witching hours.

<><><><><><<><

my hair is getting longer & I don’t feel the need to cut it anymore.

it’s nice to feel capable

[gemsofgreece]

Hello, a bit of a strange question. I can't eat goat/sheep/strong cheese. If I visit Greece, will Greeks feel disappointed or offended by this? Is there something I should say to politely communicate this? If it makes a difference, I am ethnically Chinese and nationality American (so I look Chinese but sound completely American when I talk). I really tried to eat it well but have a physical reaction to the flavor :(

What are the odds that this ask came today that I just had the most feta cheesy dish in ages … like it has both a feta sauce and chunks of feta it’s almost like a feta soup lmao

Hello! No worries, you are not going to have any issue. There is not a very strict food etiquette in Greece. You can refuse anything as long as you don’t act like you are disgusted or something.

Cheese will be offered to you only if you order it yourself or rarely as a welcoming starter on the table but you don’t have to eat it. Cheese is mostly featured in many appetisers and some salads. Some other salads and most main dishes do not have cheese inside so you won’t have an issue finding a variety of dishes to choose from. But even if a dish seems otherwise great but has cheese in it, you can ask whether it’s possible that the cook makes it without the cheese. Nobody will ask you why you don’t want it, unless idk you are in a pretty traditional, remote place or some village in Crete. But you don’t owe an explanation to anyone anyway. In the unlikely case this happens and you feel compelled to answer for some reason, say something like “Thank you very much but goat / sheep cheese messes up my stomach / causes me stomach ache”. It doesn’t have to be the exact truth. You can also just say that you generally don’t eat sheep / goat cheeses but avoid expressions like “no it’s gross / it tastes so bad” because this will naturally make people offering it as an enjoyable treat feel uncomfortable.

I am however almost certain you will not have to explain yourself. If you are meeting people you know in Greece, friends won’t care that you don’t like it, you can be clear and honest with them, just avoid overdramatic reactions (“ewww how do you eat that?!” type of stuff).

Also, your ethnicity and nationality won’t affect the situation at all!

Greek cheeses are overwhelmingly made of sheep / goat milk, however I can recommend you three famous types of cheese made of cow milk, if you eat those. These would be:

Graviéra of Naxos. I think it might be my very favourite cheese or the second favourite! It is popular and common. You will find it mostly in Graviéra cheese pies in pie and bakery shops and in cafes and bars offered with wine. Then in some salads in restaurants. And in markets. Don’t confuse it with the Graviéra of Crete and the Kefalograviéra because those are sheep / goat. Some naxian Graviéras also have like a 20% goat / sheep milk addition maximum but perhaps you won’t have an issue with this because the flavour profile is clearly that of a cow cheese.

San Michele. A cheese exclusively from Syros island, you will find it only there and in upscale urban restaurants of the country. And in large supermarkets.

Metsovóne. A smoked cow cheese produced in the mountain town of Métsovo. You will find it there, elsewhere in certain restaurants and taverns with both hearty traditional and fancy cuisine and in markets.

[mewmewchann]

Mew has speculation about the new VBS cards teehee

just what it says on the tin after some discussion in a few Discord servers I have some speculation on what this next VBS focus event could be about and what could happen here

(SPOILERS POTENTIALLY, ALSO CARD LEAKS and also me freaking out about the Toya card)

So if y’all didn’t know. I am all in on the Nagi is dead theory. I’ve been on it for a while and these card leaks are proving it for me I think.

but anyway this post isn’t about me giving my case statement about the Nagi is dead theory

So. Potential event plotline. Running with the Nagi is dead theory, either at the start or the first third of the event story the kids find this out. Kohane and Toya are sad because one of the original participants of RAD WEEKEND is dead, Akito is that but even more so because he was actually there for RAD WEEKEND, and An is crushed because she actually KNEW Nagi.

Not that An’s gonna show it at first. In fact, it at first seems to drive her more, giving her more motivation to surpass RAD WEEKEND to honour her legacy. Which is what I think leads to this card.

So this is probably a bit of a leap but it looks like Rin and Len are very much putting on their smiles here I mean putting this card next to all the other leaked cards they look REALLY out of place, so that’s the best explanation I can give atm So maybe while Meiko is being sensible and saying “aha maybe take a break for a bit before throwing yourselves into beating RAD WEEKEND” these two goofballs are like “nah nah bro you can totally honour Nagi’s legacy if you try, you can do it!!”

So An rallies the rest of VBS and they get to work! ...A lot of work.

so Idk about everyone else but Toya and Kohane look almost tired in this card. And Akito is ✨dramatically kneeling✨ so something is probably going on there, right?

Here’s my thought. After finding out Nagi is dead, An rallies the rest of VBS together and they throw themselves back into beating RAD WEEKEND. Which isn’t really a good idea just after finding out that someone is dead. And Akito realises “fuck this isn’t working”, leading to his card.

But An and potentially also Toya insist that no, they have to keep going with this. What’s gonna happen to Nagi’s legacy if they stop? They have to keep going, no matter what.

Leading to.

TOYA WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU ARE GOING TO DIE WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS WHAT

ahem.

Leading to Toya attempting to battle Taiga in an attempt to prove his worth to him. This is what solidifies the “VBS are diving headfirst into beating RAD WEEKEND” thought for me, as. Uh. We saw what happened when Arata challenged Taiga, Toya Ily but he is going to wipe the floor with you.

After either a close battle or Toya getting his ass handed to him, I feel like Taiga is gonna be the person who gets VBS to stop and take a moment to breathe. So he’ll probably say something along the lines of: “...Okay. Kids, I like your fire. Challenging me directly takes a lot of guts Aoyagi, I admire that. But you evidently need time. You’re upset. I get it. But diving headfirst into practice after finding out isn’t gonna do you kids any good. So take some time. You need it.”

so they decide to take Taiga’s advice and have a moment to process. Leading to.

...Ow.

So An is able to admit that yes, the news about Nagi DID mess her up. The person she looked up to has been dead for a while and she had no idea. But that doesn’t mean she’s gonna give up.

Sure, the kids need time. But they’re gonna be okay.

...Okay speculation done I’m probably gonna be horribly wrong about all of this, like watch the event come out and Nagi not actually be dead lmao but Idc, these are just my thoughts after seeing the cards and going by what we know from previous events.

Anyway, thank you for reading my insane rambling!!

[crown-prince-zuko]

you're not alone!! most important is to remember that you don't have to live your life according to any rules. if you think you're just generally not attracted to men it doesn't necessarily say anything about you and you don't owe anyone an explanation as to why. not sure that really helps but for what it's worth, almost every queer person I know bounces in and out of labels all the time :) attraction is fluid and weird! good luck figuring it all out!

Thank you so much!!!

Labels are so hard and odd because I feel like everyone has a different version of what they define what as yknow? I get super confused especially bc I was raised Southern Baptist, so it feels like even though I don’t identify as a woman, since I’m AFAB there’s like comphet??? But not necessarily comphet since I’m like gender-queer/trans (? Not sure if there’s a word for that, basically bc I’m AFAB i feel like if I say I don’t like men at all then like idk why but it makes me anxious. Talking point for therapy I guess.)

But genuinely hearing another person say “no rules” helps. Being autistic and constantly intaking like all these “rules” or strict definitions on how to be lgbt really messes w me just bc it’s like “oh these are the outlines I’m gonna take these incredibly literally and believe this is the strict definition of that term” and breaking out of that mindset can be a challenge.

[flythesail]

That's a good question! I think it depends on how "official" of a thing the power of two is. Like maybe it's just a descriptor as opposed to say, a defined dynamic like Padawan and Jedi Master. So maybe the coven and Qimir use the same phrasing simply because it's the same thing. In the sense that when Mother Aniseya teaches the power of two, it's shown to be literal. Any two people = power of two.

But with Qimir, he also wants *more* than just combining powers. He even says he thought Mae wanted more than revenge, but he was wrong. Pair that with how he insists the Jedi would never love Osha how she loves them, after bandaging her wound, making her dinner, etc. he seems to be looking for an emotional connection too. And Mae did not like him enough for that lol.

I REALLY like the idea of Plagueis being there specifically because of Osha. That makes sense to me since she's the main protagonist, and personally, I'd be a little disappointed if all of s1 Qimir was shown to be independent and confident in his beliefs, only for s2 to be like actually! He's just been working for this other guy the whole time. It would take away a lot of his uniqueness as a character.

And agreed that he has to know about the Sith from when he was a Jedi. I can see him being super curious and into learning about different Force idealogy as a Padawan too. Which, could have made him an outsider and at "risk" of turning to the dark side. Episode 7 shows some Jedi don't respond well to anything that is different.

I totally think Osha and Qimir would start their own group! Tbh I remember almost nothing of the sequels lol, but from what I read about the Knights of Ren - yeah, I thought the same thing that they don't seem to match up with Qimir's beliefs. But... with Qimir's name still being a mystery and Kylo Ren's theme was used in episode 5, I think it's still possible he is *the* Ren.

The explanation could be as simple as the Knights of Ren change over time from how he and Osha start it. Or, a later season might have expanded the group's idealogy to the point it does fit them. Idk, it's one of those theories where I'm not that opinionated on it because there's so much we just don't know, but I also see the appeal of tying that all together.

I also love the idea of them forming their own group because it's the perfect conclusion to the identity struggle Osha goes through. She doesn't quite feel like she belongs in her coven, then as a Jedi she fails. Imo a lot of it is that she's never going to feel like she belongs anywhere until she accepts herself. So to form her own group and take in others who feel the same would be symbolic of her succeeding.

What I really wish we knew is if Qimir does have an actual end goal in mind. In episode 4, Vernestra says:

I fear Mae is only a small part of her Master's larger plan. A plan that is difficult to see. Some sort of shift. Something to tip the scales.

And Qimir to Mae, about "their" Master says:

I just owe him. You know how he is, he collects people.

Both of these quotes would imply he DOES have an overall goal (that sounds like forming his own group). But when he's talking to Osha it all sounds small scale. Wanting an Acolyte and the power of two only requires one other person.

So an idea I have played around with is Qimir doesn't actually *have* an overall plan. His overall plan is to essentially... survive and use his power however he wants. Which, could be a contrast in s2 with Plagueis and the Grand Plan of the Sith.

But this is just me speculating because we really don't knowwwwwww.

One of my favorite parts of The Acolyte is that it's a show you can watch and enjoy by simply following the story, but it's also a show where the more you look - the more you find.

This is evident with Qimir as a character. What are we told about him? That he's the Stranger, wants an Acolyte/the power of two, and was Vernestra’s Padawan. Compared to say, Osha, that isn't much. But the more you look at him, that's actually far from the case. At the apothecary shop, he has Mae recite part of the Sith Code: "Peace is a lie." This tells us he's familiar with Sith ideology and agrees with it enough to teach it.

However, on Khofar, he tells Sol: "Jedi like you might call me Sith." This suggests that while there's overlap between him and the Sith, he does not identify as one himself. A key idea being the specificity of word choice in regard to Qimir. Everything he says tells us something. He wants the POWER of two, not the RULE of two. "Rules, rules, rules. If you never follow them, you never have to break them."

To me, that's always meant if he had an opportunity to join the Sith, he would refuse. He wants the "freedom to wield my power the way I like." In regard to Mae, he says he was mistaken in thinking she wanted more than revenge. What would joining the Sith be? A path to revenge. Essentially, you're dedicating your life to the downfall of the Jedi. Is that freedom? Realistically, it's a close to impossible goal when the Jedi are an institution and you are one person.

So, to use his power how he likes becomes his defiance of the Jedi. An Acolyte is his opportunity to find someone worthy of being his equal. To kill without a weapon proves they are. Like Qimir, an Acolyte can kill the dream by simply existing. The power of two is then a way to double his power. But, he's not a Sith. He's not a Jedi. As much as he's looking for someone to defy the Jedi, he's looking for companionship too.

He refers to Osha's relationship with Sol as "one-sided." Not true in the slightest, but that tells us his relationship with Vernestra (from his perspective) was. His Acolyte becomes someone to share his beliefs and life with. Which is interesting when he split between two personas with Mae. What he wants (the power of two) was impossible with Mae because it requires a vulnerability he was unwilling to give her.

With Osha, that won't be the case. We've already seen his concern for her safety and the steps he takes to comfort her. The power of two must be a partnership. That's why they stand together in the end.

[timdrakee]

Yo for the rating, my fave gay book is Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

i love that book!!

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