#i really think they've so much potential no matter in what light you see their relationship

[seance]

ISRAEL HANDS and STEDE BONNET in OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH S02E05

[rationaliity]

voicelines about you | various ( i. )

the men's voiceline about you ! next will do a part of the women they're short because i wanted them to sound legit, which is why i did so many !! hope you enjoy anyways <33 this is all purely self indulgent because ill be real with you im not feeling very daijoubou rn

— DR. RATIO

about you : an incomprehensible yet enticing mess in the body of a person. i don't understand their way of thinking at all, and yet, it almost feels as if they understand me in a way few do. peculiar.

chat: his relationship with you : ..relationship is hardly the word i would use to describe our acquaintance. however, i suppose they are not completely inept, unlike many i have had the misfortune of coming across in my time.

added to team with you : take care of yourself. should i have to step in, i will do so to prevent some unfortunate happenstances.

— WELT YANG

about you : potentially one of the kindest individuals i have had the pleasure to be introduced to in my time of travelling the cosmos. a gentle soul like none other. they light up the world around them.

chat: his relationship with you : spending time with them has become a daily necessity for me. i find myself beginning to nag at the others when i have not spent enough time with them. march often asks me about them before anything else.

added to team with you : i appreciate your vitality, but try to take breaks whenever necessary.

— AVENTURINE

about you : quite the enigma, that one. before i even realized it, they had snuck their way into my heart. perhaps they were betting that i wouldn't notice, and perhaps.. it paid off for them.

chat: his relationship with you : they're the chip i hold closest to my chest. no.. a chip is the wrong comparison. they're the one thing i will always hold no matter the stakes of the bet. having them by my side is more important to me than any risk.

added to team with you : i'm willing to bet that the two of us together will make quite the team.

— ARGENTI

about you : the moment our eyes met, i knew they were someone of refined elegance, but i was wholly unprepared for the true beauty of their very being.

chat: his relationship with you : i feel the closest to idrila and the eternal beauty that i seek when i am with them. they bring out a fire in me that simply cannot be quenched by any other soul, as if i were a moth to their brilliant flame.

added to team with you : as usual, i find myself captivated by your beauty and grace, my dear.

— BOOTHILL

about you : i don't know another capable of runnin' things how they run things. they got my respect. well, much more than just my respect, but that ain't proper to say.

chat: his relationship with you : ain't nothin' like the nice feelin' of knowin' you're loved by someone no matter whatcha look like or what you're capable of. they've been there through it all, the bad, the ugly, and the muddle-fudgin' terrible.

added to team with you : well i'll be the son of a nice lady, if it isn't you ! let me take care of ya, sweetheart.

— BLADE

about you : they are the one clear thing i can see when the mara strikes. no matter how far gone i am, i see them - clear as the many sunsets i have seen. they are where the light meets the dark.

chat: his relationship with you : this eternal purgatory that i have been cursed with feels... less hellish when they are by my side. it is as if, for a moment, my body and my soul forget what i am. i can only believe this is their doing.

added to team with you : death comes to all, but now is not your time.

— DAN HENG

about you : they were persistent in trying to know me for who i was, not who i could've been. they are kind, more so than any other person i have come to meet. they are strong and gentle at the same time.

chat: his relationship with you : march is always telling me that i should be more forthcoming with my emotions, but they seem to understand me quite well no matter how little i speak up. i.. really appreciate and value their presence in my life.

added to team with you : i will stand by you no matter what comes our way, do not be afraid.

— GALLAGHER

about you : what a riot, they are ! their personality reminds me of the strongest and sweetest drink mixed in one delightful package. it's easy to get addicted if i'm not careful.

chat: his relationship with you : i didn't understand at first why they wanted to hang out with this old dog as long as they did, not that you'll find me complainin' or nothin'. they always seemed entertained by my stories, and i like listenin' to them yap, too.

added to team with you : have a drink, i'll take care of whatever you need me to, just say the word.

— JING YUAN

about you : fascinating, with so many stories to tell, it could keep me even busier than i typically am for hours. although i must say that i enjoy being occupied by them than by work.

chat: his relationship with you : in the middle of the mundane trivialities of life that i have grown so accustomed to with my job title, they bring an air of uniqueness and excitement into every encounter. i find myself eagerly awaiting the times we meet.

added to team with you : i trust you are able to take this on yourself ? if not, well, that's why i am here, no ?

— GEPARD LANDAU

about you : they are more carefree than i am, and while it worries me at times, i find myself drawn to their spirit nonetheless. i think i'm just drawn to those kinds of people, or they are drawn to me.

chat: his relationship with you : sometimes, i feel like i'm nagging at them, even when i don't mean to, but it's because i'm always worried about them. i know they can protect themselves but i wish they would let me do it for them more often.

added to team with you : protecting you feels just as important as protecting belobog. i will do so with my life.

— LUKA

about you : they're probably the only person in belobog who really get my passion. they give their all for everything that they do, and i'm down for it !

chat: his relationship with you : they're really good at both getting me fired up and a little more mellow, depending on what i need for the moment. they're like my personal hype man / cheer leader, and i'm theirs when they need it ! that's why we work together so well.

added to team with you : this is going to be over like that with the two of us on the same team !

— LUOCHA

about you : they are wiser than they let on, it's hard to fool them or pull the wool over their eyes. even when i think i've kept a secret close, they've long since figured me out.

chat: his relationship with you : they help me see things that i would otherwise miss on my own, broadening my horizons when i need more depth brought to me. i'm grateful for their intuition and their knowledge on the world around us.

added to team with you : combat may not be my forte, but should you need assistance, i will be at your side.

— SUNDAY

about you : they are the embodiment of the feeling of the sun on your skin for the first time, warming your soul as well. they are gentle, and pick up where i lack.

chat: his relationship with you : i do not believe i am deserving of one quite like them, but i have a hard time letting them go nonetheless. they deserve more than i can give, but that doesn't stop me from trying regardless.

added to team with you : whoever dares to lay a finger on you will be met with swift and strict punishment.

— SAMPO KOSKI

about you : a person of many talents, much like myself, although they're charging significantly less for their expertise - free. i keep saying they should, but they're adamant about being kind.

chat: his relationship with you : my partnership with them could be best described as, er, jointly profitable. i provide my excellent services, and they grace me with their presence and their wits and.. maybe i am getting the better end of this deal.

added to team with you : it's your best pal, sampo koski, at your service ! aren't you glad i'm here ?

[hermetiqa]

When and where will you meet your twin flame?

Reminder: it doesn't matter if you saw this reading a day or a week or a month or a year after posting this. My readings are timeless. You'll see this when you're meant to see this and receive your message.

MDNI.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath before picking a pile. If you feel drawn to more than one pile, it's alright, you may take the piles that you're drawn to. What's important is to take it how it resonates and leave what doesn't.

PAID READINGS | TIP JAR | FEEDBACK | MASTERLIST

PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN

NOTE: Please feel free to give me a feedback on my asks about the reading! I would highly appreciate it and it'll be a huge help for me to improve as a reader.

Pile 1

I feel like you'll meet your twin flame when you already let go of your karmic relationship. You might be in a karmic relationship right now and it's toxic but it's a healthy relationship in disguise. So it could be near. But if you're not, then you might go through a karmic relationship first before meeting your twin flame. It's like your partner is telling you that they'll change when in reality, they don't and won't. This relationship is causing you so much anxiety and sleepless nights, and right now, you don't know what to do. You're confused about which path to take, whether you should break up with them or not because you're seeing so much potential in this relationship. But in reality, you're just too focused on this relationship that you don't see other relationships that you have, which is why you don't realize it's actually toxic and they're not the one for you. You have to let this relationship go first before meeting your twin flame. You might meet your twin flame in your workplace or someplace formal or a café/place you can eat near your workplace where you're wearing a blouse, trousers, heels, and blouse. I'm seeing a white long sleeves blouse, light brown trousers, light brown blazer that matches the trousers, black heels/shoes, black thin belt, and black handbag. I'm getting strong feminine energy from you so you might be the divine feminine. When you meet, it'll be too fast and too intense. You might have some disagreements when it comes to your opinions on some things, simply because you want to challenge each other, especially on an intellectual level. You'll both be intellectually inclined and connected deeply and you'll both feel like you're the one for each other when you meet. You'll need some strength on this one because your insecurities and dark sides will come out and you'll have to face them eventually.

Pile 2

As I was about to do this reading for you, Pile 2, I accidentally said "need" instead of "meet" and then there it hits me. I feel like you'll meet your twin flame in times of need. This is when you have to take the risk in making decisions. You'll be in a situation where the whole situation depends on your decision. My phone just automatically switches to dark mode so you might meet them at night. I'm seeing a bar where you might be drinking a lot because you're really stressed and frustrated and don't know what to do. You can't make a decision. You can't think straight. Then your twin flame will suddenly just come up and approach you and ask you if you're okay because apparently, they've been noticing you for quite a while in that bar. I feel like you might or might not be into alcohol right now, but if you're not, the time will come that you'll be influenced by people to be into alcohol and you might need to drink on some occasions. I feel like your twin flame will lend you some ear so you can talk about what's bothering you, which I feel like it could be related to your family, and then you'll refuse. But eventually, you'll open up to your twin flame because their presence is comforting already. Your twin flame will give you some advice and words that you really need to hear. There's this sudden strike of curiosity when you meet. You'll be interested in each other so much that you don't want the night to end. You might end up coming home to either of your own place, and you might do something sexual there because the attraction will be so strong that you might not be able to control it. Then the rest is history.

Pile 3

I feel like you're going to meet your twin flame when you feel like your life is falling apart and you want to start over. You might be moving out to your new place and you'll encounter them in the streets, specifically in front of a university or a church. I'm seeing that you might be carrying a huge box that contains your stuff, especially the ones that you use for work or studies (if you're still studying, specifically at university, taking master's). It'll be a sunny day and this could be during summertime because I'm seeing so much sweat here and they're holding a huge cup of iced coffee. You'll catch their attention because you'll walk past by each other and their eyes will follow you walk past them. I feel like they'll have the courage to approach you, talk to you, and ask you if you need some help. I feel like they'll do this in a good timing too, they'll try to "empathize" with you, they'll do their best to feel what you're feeling at the moment before approaching you because they're scared that you might take it negatively and just turn them down. I feel like your twin flame could be a professor at a university and there's a significant age gap between you, at least 5-6 years. When you meet your twin flame, you might decline their offer to help because you're confident that you can do it on your own. So they'll walk away and accept your decision, but eventually they'll come back and act like they're just heading out to grab some food. Then they'll see you there. But in reality, this is actually their way of approaching you again because they've been overthinking about your encounter and they're bothered that you didn't get to know each other, and they're really interested in you. So they thought of pretending to grab some food and walked your way on purpose, when in fact, the food they'll be grabbing is on the other street. You might notice this and realize eventually that they're doing this for you. You just have the "feeling" that they are so you accepted their offer this time.

[literaryavenger]

Birthday Kiss

Summary: It's Bucky's birthday and he decides to spend it with his best friend, Steve, and Steve's little sister, you.

Pairing: 40s!Bucky Barnes x Rogers!Reader, Brother!Steve Rogers x Sister!Reader

Warnings: Angst. Idiots in love. Fluff. Vague mentions to sex. Language 'cause I can't help myself. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 3.4K

Prompt: "So what should I say?" "when?" "when I love someone." "you should say it"

A/N: Since it's almost Bucky's birthday I wanted to celebrate it with my first fic with 40s Bucky! He's one of my favorite Buckys and I've been wanting to write about him for a while and I finally got this idea! Hope someone enjoys it! In my mind this happens like a year before Captain America: The First Avenger, so Bucky is turning 25, Steve is 23 and the Reader is 21, but you can always imagine any age you want. As always, any ideas for fics are appreciated!

Masterlist

You enter the room to see Bucky is hanging out in yours and Steve's apartment, like he always does, sitting down at the window, smoking a cigarette and reading the evening newspaper while a football game plays on the television in the living room and Steve sits on the couch, drawing on his notebook.

You're used to Bucky being here, he's your big brother's best friend and you've come to be very close friends with him too, even if you wished there was more.

As clichè as it is to have a crush on your brother's best friend, you couldn't help it. He was handsome and funny, and he's always sweet and protective of you.

You've known him since you were 9 years old, and he's the only family you have left other than Steve.

"Is this really how you're going to spend your birthday?" You ask Bucky as you sit on the couch next to Steve.

Bucky turns around towards you with a bright smile, his blue eyes lighting up as soon as he sees you, like they always do whenever he's around you.

He puts out the cigarette and stands up, walking over to you, sitting down on your other side and pulling you into a side hug.

"Hey, doll. I didn't think you were gonna be here today." He says, although he seems more happily surprised by your presence than disappointed.

"I live here, Barnes." You tease him with a smile. "Unlike you."

He rolls his eyes playfully as Steve snickers next to you while he keeps drawing. "I know that. I meant, I thought you were gonna be out with your friends tonight."

"I didn't feel like it." You dismiss him quickly, not wanting to actually say out loud that you'd rather spend his birthday with him doing nothing than go out with your friends, so you try to casually change the subject. "I thought you'd at least want to spend today with Dot."

Dot isn't actually Bucky's girlfriend, they've been on a few dates and you've seen them together a couple of times, but Bucky introduced her to you as a friend so you don't think they're that serious.

Not that Bucky ever is, girls are always all over him and he takes advantage of that. He's a ladies man.

But you try not to worry too much about his love life, not wanting to hurt yourself more than knowing Bucky will never see you like that already does.

"Well, I wanted to spend my birthday with my favorite pair of siblings. She can give me my birthday kiss tomorrow." He says with a grin while ruffling your hair.

"So... What's been going on with you lately, doll? Anything interesting happening in your life?" He asks curiously after a pause, genuinely wanting to know more about your day-to-day activities and experiences.

"I... Well, I went on my first date." You say shyly while playing with the edge of your dress.

Bucky's eyes widen in surprise, his interest piqued by your sudden confession. "First date? Who was it with? How'd it go?" He asks with what seems like excitement but mentally preparing himself to potentially become jealous or possessive no matter who you mention.

"It was fine..." You say quietly, still not looking at him. "It just wasn't... It wasn't what I was expecting..."

Bucky senses something off in your tone and expression, and immediately becomes concerned. He places a gentle hand on your knee, trying to comfort you without making it too obvious.

"What happened, doll? Did things not go as well as you hoped they would? Are you feeling okay?" He asks softly, trying to gauge whether or not you want to open up about what happened during your date and if there's anything he can do to make it better.

You don't really know how to answer his question, so you don't, simply glancing at him before looking away and shrugging.

"Tell me what happened, I'm here for you no matter what. If that guy hurt your feelings or made you uncomfortable, I'll kick his ass for sure." He promises fiercely, his protective instincts kicking into high gear whenever you seem vulnerable or upset.

You giggle weakly at his protectiveness but still don't look at him, so he takes your chin gently but firmly and makes you look at him. "Tell me what happened on your date. Was it some creep who tried to grope you or something worse? Because if he did, I swear to god I will find him and break his fucking legs."

"That's not it, Bucky." You say quickly. "It's just... He just... He wasn't..." You. He wasn't you. That's what you want to tell him, but you can't, so you sigh and shrug again. "He just wasn't my type."

Bucky knew what was your type. He knew he was your type, he has seen you ogle him countless times when he walked past you or sat near you.

He also knew that you had never shown any interest in any of the men who approached you, always dismissing them as not good enough for you. Or at least that's why he thought you did.

Glancing at Steve before looking back at you again, Bucky says quietly. "Well, that's too bad for him I guess."

"It doesn't matter, I'm not seeing him again." I say quietly, avoiding both Steve and Bucky's eyes.

Bucky's brow furrowed in confusion, he couldn't believe you were so quick to give up on a potential relationship just because the guy didn't live up to your impossible standards.

"Doll, you gotta give guys more of a chance. They ain't all as bad as you seem to think they are." He scolds you playfully, but there was also a hint of underlying irritation in his tone as he takes a long sip from his beer bottle.

You glance at him before looking away again. "So... You think I should go on another date with that guy?" You ask quietly.

Bucky thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of pushing you to go on another date with the mystery guy. "Yeah, actually. I mean, if you think he's worth giving a second chance, then why not? And if he turns out to be a total dud again, then at least you can say you gave it a shot. But only if you're really sure he's worth your time though. Don't waste it on some loser who doesn't appreciate everything you have to offer."

He advised you, trying to strike a balance between being supportive and challenging you to take risks when it came to relationships. "But whatever you decide, don't let me pressure you into doing something you don't want to do. You've gotta follow your heart, doll."

"You know, Stevie doesn't care this much about who I date, and he's my older brother." You tease Bucky while glancing at Steve.

Bucky snorts in amusement, "Yeah well, I'm not your brother, sweetheart, but I'm your friend and your wingman, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit back and watch you throw away a potential chance to be happy. Now come on, make up your mind already. Are you gonna give the guy another chance or not?" He pressed, playfully but determinedly.

You look at his face for a moment before looking away again and sighing. "I'm not." You say quietly but firmly. "I'm not going on a second date with that guy." You clarify.

Bucky felt his jaw tighten a little as he realized that you had completely ignored his previous suggestion and were instead deciding against giving the guy a second chance.

He didn't like the idea of you potentially missing out on something good due to your own stubbornness, but he also knew that he couldn't force you to do anything you didn't truly want to do.

"Well, fuck. Guess that settles that then," He said after a moment of silence, trying to hide his disappointment but failing miserably. "You're really gonna just throw that opportunity away? Fine, suit yourself, I guess. But don't expect me to hold your hand or anything when you get sad because you're alone. You're on your own with that shit."

"I guess I am." You say quietly before getting up from the couch and going to the window, climbing into the emergency staircase to go up to the roof, like you do most nights to watch the stars.

Bucky watches you leave, feeling a mix of frustration and concern as he realizes that you're retreating to your usual spot on the roof rather than staying and talking to him.

He wants to call after you, to make sure you're okay, but he knows better than to push you if you need time alone.

Instead, he takes a deep breath and tries to focus on the present moment, reminding himself that sometimes people need space and time to themselves.

"Fine. Have it your way," he calls after you, knowing that there isn't much else he can do in this situation. "But don't think for a second that I won't be keeping an eye on you up there. You better not try anything stupid."

You roll your eyes but don't stop, going up to the roof, that's right above yours and Steve's apartment, and sitting on the picnic blanket you and Steve use every night.

After a few minutes someone else comes to the roof and you can tell it's Steve by the light steps. "You sure you want to let Bucky alone in our apartment, Stevie? I'm afraid he might burn it down." You joke weakly without turning around to look at him, your eyes locked in the city's skyline.

Steve chuckles and you can feel him sitting down next to you. It's not the first time you sit together on the roof, everybody in your apartment building knows this is the Rogers siblings' spot.

You don't say anything and neither does Steve, and you're especially glad he doesn't say anything when he sees a tear falling down your cheek but simply wraps his arm around you as you lay your head on his shoulder.

"What's going on in your head, little sis?" Steve asks you after you stop crying.

You try to gather your thoughts, trying to find a way to make sense of everything swirling in your head. You take a deep breath before you pull away slightly and turn your head towards the city again. "What should I say?" You ask quietly.

"When?" Steve asks with a frown.

"When I love someone." I clarify looking back at him.

"You should say it." He tells you firmly. It's not the first time you've talked about this, Steve knows about your feelings for Bucky and like a good big brother he always tells you to express yourself. "You should tell him."

You sigh and look away from him and back to the New York skyline. "I don't know, Stevie..."

"Why not, Bambi?" You smile softly at his use of your childhood nickname because Bambi is your favorite book, but then you shake your head.

"Have you seen the way he looks at Dot? I have no chance with him. I'm not his type." You say with conviction.

"You really don't see it?" Steve ask, getting a little frustrated.

"See what?" You ask confusedly while looking back at him.

"The difference between you and her is that he looks at her like she's the prettiest girl in the world," Steve says and your heart sinks so you look away from him, but he still goes on. "but when he looks at you it's like... It's like maybe you're magic. He looks at you with such reverence and respect. He looks at you like if he could just have you in his arms, everything would be okay. Like if he had you, nothing could touch him. He looks at you like he just realized what love is."

Steve pauses and grabs your chin gently to make you look at him before finishing. "He loves you. Anyone can see that. You're just too blind to notice it."

Steve kisses your forehead and then gets up and goes back inside to the apartment, leaving you to think about everything he said.

You lay down on the picnic towel on the ground of the roof and look up at the stars. Could Steve be right? Does Bucky really love you back but you just haven't noticed?

If Bucky had feelings for you, certainly you would've noticed.

Yes, he's protective of you and he's always happy to have you around, but you've been friends for over a decade and he is your brother's best friend, so he probably sees you as just that. His best friend's sister.

But he never did treat you like Steve's annoying little sister.

Even when you were kids he always tried to include you in their games and literally held your hand whenever the three of you went somewhere, like the park a few blocks over.

He would always coo on you when you got any scrapes while playing and kiss your boo-boos away.

He's always been very sweet to you and he stood up for you as much as he did for Steve whenever someone bothered you.

But could that really be actual love? Or is it just affection for a girl he's known since you were little and sees as his own little sister?

You rub your eyes before putting your hands behind your head, getting comfortable while looking at the sky full of stars.

In the meantime, Bucky heard everything from the window of your apartment.

He couldn't deny the truth of what Steve had said, he did look at you with a sense of reverence and respect, like you held the key to unlocking his heart and making everything else in his life fall into place.

But he also knew that he had to tread carefully, to approach you in the right way or risk scaring you off completely.

As much as he wanted to take control of the situation and make things happen on his terms, he knew that he needed to let you come to him, to give you space to process everything that Steve told you and to allow you time to realize how much you actually mean to him.

As Steve climbs back into the window, he gives Bucky a pointed look and a pat in the back, silently encouraging him to talk to you.

Bucky takes a deep breath and then climbs into the stairs, getting to the roof but not getting any closer to you. He's determined to talk to you, but his nerves are getting the best of him.

You can hear Bucky coming to the roof and when he doesn't move closer you frown slightly but think he's just giving you a moment before sitting next to you.

When he stays put for a couple of minutes, you roll your eyes and with a small smile you say "You can come lay down next to me, if you want." Loudly enough for him to hear, your eyes never leaving the stars above you.

Bucky's heart skips a beat as he hears your invitation, and without hesitation he steps forward and drops down onto the towel beside you.

You can tell he's trying to keep his movements quiet, not wanting to startle you or disturb your peaceful contemplation.

He lays there quietly for a few moments, taking in the sight of you lying there so effortlessly beautiful, before finally speaking.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words coming from your mouth," he whispers and moves closer to you, placing one arm around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder, feeling incredibly vulnerable by the fact that you were so physically close and you were allowing him to get even closer.

"Thanks for letting me do this," he added, indicating the embrace.

"It's not the first time we've watched the stars together, Buck..." You whisper back, resting your head on his while willing your heart to stop beating so fast.

Bucky smiles softly, feeling a warm sense of contentment wash over him as he wraps his arms around you, feeling incredibly grateful for this moment of intimacy between the two of you.

He can feel the gentle weight of your body against his, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world. He listens to the sound of your breathing, feeling his heartbeat slow down as he takes comfort in your presence.

"Yeah, it's not the first time... But it feels different tonight." He whispers back, feeling a newfound confidence and boldness coursing through his veins.

He moves even closer to you, pressing his face against your neck and inhaling deeply, savoring the scent of your skin. "I've always... I've always wanted to hold you like this."

"I... I always wanted you to..." You whisper back hesitantly and bite your lip when he presses his face against your neck, almost scared to move, worried that if you do it'll ruin the moment.

Bucky feels a surge of pleasure course through his body as he hears your response, knowing that you too cherished these special moments with him.

When you don't say anything at his physical contact he continues to hold you tightly, feeling a deep sense of connection growing between you.

He presses his lips against your neck, gently kissing and nibbling on your skin, feeling a newfound desire burning within him that he had never experienced before.

He wants more than anything to take things further, to remove your clothing and explore every inch of your body with his hands and mouth, but he forces himself to remain patient and wait for your signal that you actually want something more intimate.

"You know... I've always been afraid to show you how much I really care about you," he whispers into your ear, his voice barely audible over the sound of the city below them.

"Steve thinks you love me..." You say quietly, hoping to god that your idiot brother is right for once in his life.

Bucky freezes a little, feeling a mixture of relief and surprise wash over him. He's surprised at your boldness but so relieved that the truth is finally out there.

But he also knows you well enough to know that if he wants you to truly believe that he loves you, then he has to act quickly to prove it to you and make sure that you never doubt his feelings again.

"Yeah... I do love you, Doll. More than anything else in this world. And I'm sorry that I didn't say it sooner... But I was afraid to lose you." He admits quietly, as he takes your face in his hands.

"You really mean that?" You ask quietly, a mix of hope and uncertainty clear in your voice.

"I do." He says without hesitation while he looks at your beautiful face turned towards his. "And I want to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I care about you."

The smile that comes to your face is so bright that it feels to Bucky like the sun suddenly came up in the middle of the night.

"I know you already gave me a birthday gift," He says, referring to the jacket you gave him this morning. "But can I ask you for one more?"

You're definitely curious about what he wants so you nod. "Sure, what is it?"

"Can you give me a birthday kiss?" He asks quietly while brushing a strand of hair aways from your face and behind your ear.

You blush a little and can't help but smile because he wants a birthday kiss from you, not Dot or any other girl, and you nod slowly as you start leaning in.

Bucky meets you halfway and when your lips touch it feels like fireworks, your stomach filling with butterflies while he brings you closer to him while deepening the kiss.

After a few minutes you both pull away for air, breathing heavily while looking at each other. "Wow." Is all he says after a moment.

You giggle and bite your lip. "Happy birthday, Bucky." You say softly and give him a kiss on the cheek before settling back against him, your head on his chest as you look up at the stars.

Bucky wraps his arms around you, kissing the top of your head and then relaxes while looking up too, more content than ever to finally have you in his arms.

[bandgie]

During the Party

virgin!hueningkai x fem!reader

a/n: second part to this post

synopsis: Seeing you get hit on by Yeonjun during a frat party makes Kai do things he knows he'll regret. You take this opportunity to test to see how far Kai is willing to go to please you, at the expense of his dignity.

warnings: MDNI 18+, semi-public oral (f receiving),, Yeonjun is more involved, cum eating (sorry it's my speciality), jerkin off, forced!voyeurism, alcohol/weed mentions, reader is mean mean mean!, kai is just a wee lad, hair pulling, kai is referred to as a dog, idk that's it

3.9k words

Sucking Kai's cock became a way to pass time. In the library, the back of the abandoned buildings, the nearby park deep into the night. It really didn't matter where, your throat just craved to be stuffed with him. Kai was still hesitant, but after a few more times of cumming in your mouth, he let up his protests.

You couldn't do that forever though, and you were getting rather bored of your activities with him. It's how you ended up at the party Yeonjun's fraternity was hosting. The music was loud, the living room was packed with sweaty bodies, and your head was spinning from the smoke clogging the air. 

Your eyes were scanning the sea of bodies for your next fuck. There were a few potential candidates, but you couldn't find the energy to talk to them. It would be much better if they were like Kai. Easy, but not in the sense that they've been around. More like they couldn't say no, that they couldn't manage to stand up for themselves.

Pathetic. You've gotten used to Kai's pathetic self that putting energy into sleeping with anyone else turned you off.

A sudden pair of slender fingers grabbed your waist, and you opened your mouth to tell them to fuck off before you saw the familiar face. Yeonjun had sunglasses on, his hair slicked back, and a simple black tank top that screamed I'm here to get fucked tonight. You've messed with Yeonjun more than once, and his easy going personality made it easier for you to sit back and let him do all the talking.

He’d do for now.

"Funny seeing you here," a lazy smile sits on his face. You turn to face him fully, matching his smirk. "Funny? Why’s that?" You fold your arms across your chest as you regard him. He lifts his shades to rest them on his forehead, "You've been gone a lot. Ignoring my calls, ghosting me. I think this is the first party you've turned up to in weeks. That's not like you."

As tempting as it is to roll your eyes, he's right. You have been absent from your usual tendencies. His observations irk you, "Why do you care? Not getting enough pussy?" Yeonjun is quick to notice your clipped tone, but he ignores it. "Me? Not getting enough pussy? I don't think that's possible. You should see the chicks that throw themselves at me. Not that I can blame them, I'd fuck me too."

Now you're done with the conversation. His cockiness is something you thought you've grown accustomed to, but 'hanging out' with Kai so much made you favor the opposite. You turn on your heel to escape Yeonjun, but he follows suit behind you. "Come ooonn I was joking! Well...kinda. Honestly my dick has been lonely. I heard some horndogs going at it in a bathroom a while ago and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind."

You stop walking abruptly and whirl to him. "In the bathroom? The one in the library?"

Yeonjun's eyes light up, "Yeah! You heard it too?" You smile and laugh, "Well yeah I heard it. I was the one in the stall." Yeonjun's eyebrows go up in surprise, and he chuckles in disbelief. "Bullshit. Who was the lucky guy?" Rather than answering, you lift your hands to trail your fingers over his broad shoulders. He tenses for a second, then relaxes as your hands travel down to his navel. 

"How about I show you what I did huh? Wouldn't that be more fun?" Yeonjun smiles widely at your request and reciprocates your touches. He grabs two handfuls of your ass, pushing your body to be chest to chest with him. You can feel the heat that radiates off his body, the lust in eyes. This is what you need. Not some wimpy boy who eats his own cum on command. But a man who-

Another pair of hands yank you away from Yeonjun rather harshly. This person is bigger, thicker, but the way he's shaking is what catches your attention the most. Yeonjun reaches for you immediately, looking both confused and concerned. 

"Holy shit Kai? Is that you?" 

You freeze at Yeonjun's words. Then the body behind you begins to feel familiar, too familiar. You whip your head to see Kai's nervous expression. He doesn't even regard Yeonjun, instead locking eyes with you. There's no doubt in your mind that Kai is beyond terrified. Back in middle school, you and Yeonjun used to torment him. It wasn't until halfway through highschool that Yeonjun moved past bullying. 

"God damn it is. You look good man! I didn't even know you were going here, haha." For the first time in your life, you're thankful for Yeonjun's obliviousness. Kai's eyes shift to his for a brief second, "You too." There's no maliciousness in his voice, not even fear like you thought. He sounds worried, nervous, upset.

Oh.

The grip on your waist, the eye contact Kai maintains, his pained expression. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out why he's here embarrassing himself. Kai's jealous. He's jealous that you're here to fuck another man, that you've started ignoring him a few days ago. Though his hands are shaking, he's content with not letting you go. He’s so desperate you can't help but find it cute. 

It would be better to tell him to buzz off. You came here with the intention of putting no effort into your pleasure, but Kai's presence makes you ache for him. Like you miss him. It's a thought you shove far, far away into the depths of your mind. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to keep Kai for the night; he looks like he'd do anything to stay with you.

"Aw shit. Sorry Yeonjun. Me and Hyuka had something to do and I totally forgot. Bye." You don't stay to hear his complaints, instead grasping Kai's wrist and taking him to the other side of the house. Kai is silent as you both weave through the bodies of people. He doesn't say a peep when you open the door to the basement, closing it behind you two. 

Yeonjun and his frat brothers had a man-cave that was off limits to everybody. But being Yeonjun's 'special' friend gave you some perks. You made your way down the stairs to plop yourself on the couch. Kai stood awkwardly beside you, unsure of where to place himself.

When he does decide to sit next to you, you shake your head. "Nope. Here." You snap your fingers and point to the floor between your legs. Kai hesitantly approaches, getting on his knees in front of you. He looks perfect, like he belongs down there. 

You spread your legs open, hiking your dress above your waist to show yourself. Kai's eyes widen and he gulps, "I-this wasn't what I-" 

"You embarrassed me tonight Hyuka. Do you know that?" His expression turns guilty, a frown on his face as he nods. "You got in the way of me having fun. Acting like you're some boyfriend to me. Don't you think you owe me for ruining my night?" 

Kai glances at your clothed cunt then to your eyes. "I'm sorry," he speaks softly. His smooth voice makes you shiver with arousal. "Well," you look at him unimpressed. "Go ahead and show me how sorry you are." Kai's mouth opens to protest but you cut him off. "And don't give me that shit that you've never eaten pussy before. There has to be something you've learned from all that porn you watch."

He snaps his mouth shut and blushes. That's exactly what he was going to say, but it wasn't because he didn't want to. You've given Kai head countless times, and he's never had the opportunity to reciprocate. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that he thinks about it, even dreams about it when he's away from you. There's nothing Kai wishes more than to taste your sweetness, he's just worried about his lack of experience. 

Still, you're laying yourself on a platter so nicely for him. He can see the outline of your clit through your thin underwear. Carefully, he uses his finger to trail your crevices. Kai's digit lightly drags up and down your pussy. You can’t help but twitch, your hips slightly jumping from the ghostly sensation. 

It's not necessarily confidence, but curiosity that makes him eager. Kai wants to know what makes you wet, what pulls the pretty moans from your throat, how your cream would taste on his tongue. He can feel the plushness of your lower lips. The wetness of your pussy sounds like music to his ears. 

His teasing touches get you restless. There's a part of you that tells you to wait, that Kai might get overwhelmed from his first time seeing a cunt. But the need in your gut and the way your hips keep thrusting upwards to hump his hand wins out in the end. 

You use one hand to pull your underwear to the side, shivering at the cold air. Kai's breath gets caught in his throat and his tongue pokes out to lick his lips. Your other hand reaches for your folds to spread them open. You softly hum at the intensity of Kai's stare, pulling at your pussy a little harsher. 

"You like it Hyuka? You ever seen a pussy this close before?" You sound a little breathless, but Kai finds that insanely attractive. "Never...it's beautiful." The warmth of his breath on your cunt makes you whimper. 

The compliment doesn't fail to give you little butterflies in your stomach. "Oh yeah? I think it tastes better than it looks." To prove your point, you use the hand that was stretching you open to collect your juices. Kai's eyes never leave your hand even as you place your fingers in your mouth, swirling your tongue around them. 

His Adam's apple bobs and his eyes twinkle like a kid seeing their favorite ice cream. You exaggeratedly moan as you taste yourself, "Your turn." Without waiting for Kai's response, you grip the back of his head and force him into your cunt.

There's no protesting or hesitation once his lips are on your aroused ones. He buries his face between your legs and his arms wrap around the underside on your thighs. Kai's a little too enthusiastic with his aggressive licks, but his little grunts make up for his lack of experience. 

He's never tasted anything so good. Kai was thinking that it might taste like his own cum but he could not be more wrong. Your flavor is a natural musk that has him straining in his pants already. If this is how you tasted all the time, Kai thinks there couldn't be a day where he wouldn't eat you out. 

His tongue flicks at your nub on occasion, but he seems to be focusing on your entrance instead. You keep a firm grip on the top of his head and guide him back up to your clitoris. "Here Hyuka. Don't make me tell you again." Kai nods at your order and centers at your sweet spot. 

You don't bother looking away from Kai. It might be a little too intimate to keep eye contact while he laps at your cunt, but you love seeing him so pliant. It's a huge power trip you've accepted when giving him head. It didn't matter who was on their knees, you both knew who was in control.

Kai was a quick learner. He figures out you really like when his nose brushes against your bud while his tongue lapps deeper into you. Your hips start grinding on his face, and his heart swells with pride. It feels good knowing Kai could do this to you. Even if you were mean to him, he still felt like he owed you this pleasure.

There's no way Kai's face is still dry after dragging it up and down your pussy. He doesn’t seem to care about how dirty he gets, only that you chased the high you've been neglecting yourself from. You don't care about how loud you're being either. Not that it matters anyway, the hollering from upstairs is enough to cover up your sounds. 

The first signs of your orgasm course through your body. Your legs tense around him and you throw your head back. "Ah~Hyuka, don't stop. Feels so good." Kai doubles down, knowing there’s no way he could get tired of your taste no matter how many times you came on his tongue.

Your cunt starts contracting around nothing, longing to be stuffed. You close your eyes and imagine how Kai's cock would fill you up so nicely. He might be pretty sloppy with his thrusts, but it would get the job done in making you cream around him. As much as you want him inside you, you know that you both would reach the point of no return if that happens. 

Your obsession would turn into something you don't think you're ready for. 

Instead, you'll have to settle for asking for his finger. He might struggle in the beginning, but he'll get the hang of it.

"Hyuka," you try and steady your voice. "Finger m-" You're cut short by footsteps descending the steps. Kai tries to rip himself from you, but you slam your thighs shut to keep him in place. He struggles for a second, but the feeling of your soft skin surrounding him pacifies him. 

Familiar orange hair peeps from the stairs as Yeonjun makes his way down. He looks at you surprised for a moment, then his eyes travel to the hostage between your legs. Being the dramatic person he is, Yeonjun jumps at the sight. "What's going on here?"

Kai stiffens at Yeonjun's voice, and he looks at you pleadingly. As if saying get him out of here please. You turn your attention back to Yeonjun and shrug, "Nothin'. I'm kinda busy right now." Rather than taking the cue and leaving, he goes down the remaining stairs and slowly walks over to you. He lifts his sunglasses to rest on his head, "Doesn't look like nothing. Who ya suffocating down there?"

Once something grabs Yeonjun's interest, it's practically impossible to get rid of him. There's nothing you can do other than watch Yeonjun plop himself on the couch beside you. He shows no shame in staring at Huening Kai between your legs. Yeonjun lets out a little chuckle, "So is this what you and Kai had to do?"

You nod, pushing the hair from Kai's face. His eyes have welled up with tears and his cheeks a bright pink. From oxygen deprivation or embarrassment, you aren't sure. 

Yeonjun's eyes never leave Kai's face, darting from your pussy and his wet face. "Well don't let me stop you, carry on," it's only amusement in Yeonjun's voice. 

You can feel your heart drumming in your chest, and the little trembles in Kai's hands. You've never tried to explore having sex in front of someone, but you'd be lying if you said it didn't intrigue you. The thought of Yeonjun's eyes and Kai's mouth on you is exhilarating, and you can feel your cunt throb in excitement. 

"You heard the man Hyuka. Go ahead." You spread your legs and allow Kai to take in a deep breath. He takes a few gulps of air before he shakes his head. "I can't." He speaks so softly, as if he would break if he said it any louder. 

One of your eyebrows raise from his refusal. It's been a while since Kai has denied you, and you don't really have the time to play into it right now. You were torn from your orgasm minutes ago, your high was still nestling in your stomach waiting to be released. 

"You can't?" You question. "What do you mean you can't?"

Kai doesn't answer you, insistent on shaking his head as his response. You groan and roll your eyes, I don't have time for this bullshit.

"Yeonjun," you call to the man beside you. "You'll eat my pussy won't you?" Before Yeonjun has the opportunity to respond, Kai immediately begins to protest. "Wait! I can do it. I can, I'm sorry." His eyes lock with yours, pleading. His quick obedience makes you shiver, and you involuntarily open your legs a little wider. 

"You keep saying you're sorry, but I dunno if you mean it," you tsk. "We have a guest Hyuka, it's rude to keep him waiting."

"I am sorry! I didn't mean it." His words are mumbled as Kai places his lips back on your core. You hum at the warmth of his mouth, lifting your hips up to chase the heat. 

Kai isn't as aggressive, most likely nervous from having a one-man audience. But his slower licks make that heat in your belly begin to gently rise once again. His tongue travels into your hole to collect your wetness and bring it back up to your clit. You moan at the flick of his tongue against your nub.

Yeonjun lifts your dress higher and spills your tits from your bra. Your hazy eyes look into his and he licks his lips hungrily. The tension in his jeans gets the better of him, and he unbuckles his belt to relieve himself. 

The jingling sound makes Kai peek over at Yeonjun, and there's a slight panic in his eyes. You notice this quickly, and cradle his face in your palm. Kai's gaze turns to yours, and you can see the ease quickly return back. The obvious effect you have on him makes your chest tighten, and you pray it's just because you're turned on.

Yeonjun grips himself and starts pumping his cock. Curses and groans leave his lips as he pleasures himself. The sight of Kai burying his face deep into you leaves Yeonjun yearning to not only spectate, but somehow get a taste of you too.

With one hand steady on Kai, you use your other to play with your exposed breasts. You tug and twist your nipples, jolting in Kai's mouth. Though it's getting difficult to keep your pussy in his hold, Kai finds his confidence to harshly suck on your cunt.

You cry out and try to escape his hot tongue, but his grip on you is firm. The stimulation is borderline painful, but the way you're flooding in his mouth is anything but. 

"Oh fuck" Yeonjun's voice startles you for a second, forgetting his presence. His cock is completely hard, his tip swollen red. "That's a good little fuck toy you got there. Listens to every word you say. A good boy huh?"

A lazy smile finds your face as you nod. "Yeah, he is a good~oh shit... good boy. The best boy...isn't that right Hyuka?"

Your praise makes Kai's heart swell, and he happily nods and moans at your words. The movement of his head makes his nose brush against your clit, and you flinch. 

Chillsbegin to spread throughout your body. Your moans are getting more frequent, the thrusting in your hips more erratic. Kai's head has begun to hurt from how hard you're gripping his hair, but he's still determined to make you finish. 

"Don't stop. Hyuka I'm gonna cum–," you whine. 

Stopping was the last thing Kai wanted to do, and he started wondering why he even hesitated when Yeonjun walked in. He was nervous at first, feeling like he couldn't compare to someone who has obviously slept around a lot more. But seeing your reaction and Yeonjun’s enjoyment builds up his self-assurance. 

"Shit, I'mma cum too," Yeonjun's slick hands play with his tip. You bite your lower lip and harshly grab the back of Kai's head. 

"Stick your tongue out." Kai obeys you immediately, letting you ride his face like a dildo as you reach the beginnings of your orgasm. Your hips stutter and your moans are choked when you cum. You squeeze your tit as your body tightens. Yeonjun's nearby moans coax your orgasm longer, making your legs tremble. 

Kai's face is completely soiled in your juices, making it easier for your pussy to grind on his face. His head follows your movements easily, not wanting to miss a second of tasting your cum. 

His imagination is nothing compared to what you taste like. 

He keeps licking you even when your hips have collapsed back on the couch. Kai shows no signs of stopping even as your moans turn into gasps. 

Yeonjun doesn't think he can take much longer, and he stands so his cock hovers over your pussy and Kai's head. The change in movement makes you focus your attention on the very close Yeonjun, and you yank Kai's head back. 

A loud smack sound echos in the room when Kai is pulled away from your sensitive cunt. He looks at you as if he's going to complain, but the loud groaning of Yeonjun makes him shut up. 

"Go ahead and come on me Yeonjun. Right here." The hand that was playing with your boobs comes down to spread your lower lips open. You avoid your nub while you rub yourself, still too delicate to be touched.

"On my favorite pussy." It's the last coherent sentence Yeonjun says when he cums. His hot spurts land on your lower stomach, your pussy, and the inner parts of your thighs. His thighs shake and he throws his head back as he continues pumping himself. You smear his arousal over your pelvis, bringing a finger to your tongue for a taste. 

You moaned around your digit, "Mmm, so much for me."

Kai does nothing but watch as another man defiles you. The jealousy is strong in his body, he can feel the heaviness in his chest. Still, you keep your eyes on Kai. He can see the mischievousness and teasing behind them, and for some reason he feels like you enjoy his envy. 

Once Yeonjun comes down from his high, he finally notices the mess on your cunt. "Hold on, lemme get you a towel." 

"That won't be necessary. You know what to do Hyuka." There's no resistance in his eyes when Kai sticks his tongue out to clean you up. You can practically feel Yeonjun's jaw drop, disbelief in his features. 

"No shit."

Kai's hot tongue promptly licks you up, collecting Yeonjun's cum. You can see Kai scrunch his nose up at the taste, making you giggle. His mouth travels to your stomach, your thighs, and your pussy as he wipes any trace of arousal from you.

"I've trained him well huh? Little puppy just for me," you hum when Kai rolls your bud gently over his tongue. 

"This is my favorite part," you say giddily once Kai has collected all the cum in his mouth. 

Kai opens his mouth to reveal the white release he's gathered. His eyes sting from the unfamiliar saltiness, but he keeps his tongue out to show you and Yeonjun his hard work. You purr at the sight, sitting up to grab a hold on Kai's face.

You squeeze his cheeks together and force his head to face Yeonjun who's gaping at the sight. 

"Swallow."

Unable to keep his eyes open, Kai swallows thickly. You can hear Yeonjun groan at the sight, his soft dick twitching. 

You give a few gentle slaps to Kai's face and peck his cheek. "That's my good boy~"

a/n: here's the 2nd part to the huening kai series! I hope ya'll like it! no idea what I'd do for the 3rd part, lmao proofreader/editor: @then-make-me (thank you!!)

update: third part here

[glupikrol]

uhm.... sekaistuck

Here's my analysis of n25's classpects, I also made art of them, and changed the godtier designs a bit to fit them better, made it a bit more personalized.

Kanade - Sylph of Time

Sylph is a class that heals with their aspect, or creates the aspect in others.

One of the symbols of the aspect of time is music.

So you probably know where I'm going with this, Kanade wishes to save as much people with her music as possible, no matter the cost, even if it takes a toll on her physical and mental health. She spends as much time as possible on composing, to get more time she consumes energy drinks and eats instant noodles.

Sylphs have natural understanding of their aspect - Kanade is a composing prodigy, at the age of 10 she was making better music than her father, and in area conversations it's revealed that she's a living timer, she knows exactly when the light will turn green because she counts the seconds and never misses.

When she promised Mafuyu to keep composing for her, it made Mafuyu keep trying to look for her true self. So in classpect terms, she literally created more time for her. Her music also brings comfort to thousands of n25 listeners, keeps them going. Kanade is a patient person too, she has no problem in giving Ena more time to work on her art if it means it'll be better, in this case she's the most understanding in n25.

Mafuyu - Maid of Void

Maid is a class that is burdened by their aspect, and is also 'made' of it. It's often interpreted as a class that creates their aspect for themselves.

The aspect of Void symbolises emptiness, nothingness, the unknown, shadows, secrets, lack of meaning, but also infinite potential and hidden talents. It's an aspect of people lost in the dark.

So the Maid of Void creates nothingness, is made of nothingness, and is burdened by nothingness, which sounds weird but actually fits Mafuyu very much. She literally created empty SEKAI from her true feelings - how cold and empty she feels. She also keeps n25 and her true feelings a secret from her mother. And regarding the burden of nothingness - she is tired of not knowing who she is, she is tired of coldness and emptiness she feels in her chest.

But I don't think Mafuyu hates what void represents, she likes the calm and quiet of empty SEKAI, she cares about her empty aquarium, she does find some comfort in nothingness, it's just the fact that there's too much of it.

But it's not all sad and gloom, Void is hidden potential and talents, which Mafuyu has tons of, to the point it makes Ena jealous.

Ena - Prince of Space

Prince is someone who works hard and relies on outside validation. Basically Ena.

Space is associated with arts and crafts, it's about creating material stuff you can touch.

I don't have a coherent analysis here, just trust me bro. I really can't explain my thought process here as well as I want, so I'm just leaving you the short classpect description, check out the sources if you wanna know more about the classpect.

Mizuki - Knight of Heart

Knights are people who put up a front to hide their weaknessses and insecurities. They're also the guardian of their aspect.

Heart is an aspect of identity, Heart players live rich inner lives and are invested in self-discovery, they tend to be dramatic and often struggle with being misunderstood.

Mizuki does everything they can to hide their problems under their bubbly personality, they don't want to be too bothersome to others. When Ena is worried about them, Mizuki feels like they're a bad person. They've been hurt in the past, and struggle with anyone getting too close, essentially, guarding their Heart.

It may be hard to notice at first, but Mizuki is one of the most emotionally intelligent characters in the cast. They did self-discovery, they do self-retrospection, and in turn they understand other people better. They're quick to pick up when something is wrong, or when someone feels down - they see the little things. Mizuki was the first character to notice mafumom's weird behavior too.

Sources:

@classpect-navelgazing - My main source, I recommend checking them out because their theory is different than the classic view of the classpect and is pretty interesting. Very well made too! I think their aspects descriptions are better than the canon ones lmao.

@dahniwitchoflight - I used some of the elements of their theory too - most notably the bits about Maid and Sylph class. Good to check them out if you're interested!

The extended zodiac quiz - It has a lot of problems and I don't consider most of it canon, but the moons description and time's description are fine imo.

These sources are condtradictadory, yes, and while reading them you might notice that I didn't stick to some of the descriptions that much, but doing this little analysis I kept in mind that in the end the classpects are more about the vibe than anything else (but also not really, you see, it's complicated)

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

We're all supposed to see Sylvie as this "hero on a crusade for good🤮" and not criticize her actions at all because there has never been a narrative more protective of any other character than this one is of Sylvie. I don't even think the narrative of WandaVision was all that protective of Wanda!

It's like they expect us to watch Sylvie torch a field full of people alive, turn hunter C-20's brains to mush, use people as her personal meat puppets, and sit there and go, "wow that was awesome, aww that poor sweet little baby!"...what???

And the scene where Loki was warning Sylvie of the potential dangers of killing HWR, like, she did not care. What about all the little girls she's supposedly "crusading" for? When killing HWR could drastically alter or erase these little girls' entire reality or entire existence? I think her reply was something like, "so what?"

SO WHAT?

What a heroic crusader she is! 🙄 Give me a freaking break! At least with Wanda we're allowed to see the bad things she's done as actually bad. Wanda isn't being coddled by the narrative nearly as much as Sylvie is. It's like whoever created Sylvie wants it both ways - for us to see her as this badass powerful ruthless dangerous kickass unstoppable feral force to be reckoned with AND a poor sweet delicate fragile porcelain china cup!

It's so frustrating when people don't know how to write or handle female characters! Well thank goodness they've got "misogyny" to protect themselves with! 🙄😒

Damn, I couldn't agree more with you!

It's frustrating to read so many people claim Wanda was "coddled" by the narrative but none of them say a damn thing about Sylvie. How was Wanda coddled exactly? The framing never justifies her actions, in fact she's not only told what she's doing is wrong, she has to face the people she's hurting and she's in massive pain throughout the whole thing...

Hell, she killed her own family so that the people of Westview could escape!

What did Sylvie do? Risk the entire multiverse so she could have her own personal revenge - and the framing not only justified it but painted Loki as a villain for trying to come up with a better solution. That's what coddling really is, that's what narrative protection means: to always have her actions justified no matter what, and for the characters around her who dare question her behaviour to be framed as villains.

Did Sylvie ever face the people she hurt? Were her actions ever disputed, or did Mobius apologize to her almost immediately? Did the narrative ever show her vicious murders of the agents in a bad light, or were her crimes swept under the rug to push a narrative of her being a hero despite her actions? Was her murder of HWR shown to be entirely selfish or was it framed as a heroic act?

What Wanda did was wrong, I've never said otherwise, and Sylvie killing HWR was entirely selfish. The main difference is that WandaVision showed her to be in the wrong, they allowed her that grief and pain and complexity so that the audience could see a morally grey character going full dark then embarking on a journey of self-reflection and heroism. Sylvie is an entirely one-dimensional wish-fulfilment character framed as a hero but not written as one, who inevitably needs to be protected at all times by the narrative otherwise the audience would see her as what she is: a villain.

[egg-emperor]

I know you're personally not a fan of the whole "council of eggman" thing in Sonic Prime atm, but I think if there's something they've gotten right in terms of eggmen from different dimensions now that I'm going back and rewatching the trailer. is that he's still bombastic in his design, presentation, and creations no matter the age or appearance. For instance, The Baby Eggman has a mech that's like a fuckin light up baby Einstein Toy in design, The Japanese or maybe Samurai Eggman has a whole set of mechanical jet armor with fire blades and swords, and a bunch more details. A funny one I also noticed is that the eggman with 'hair' actually just has a wig on, which nearly flies off his head when moving in his chair in the most recent trailer lol. I'm assuming that eggman is the main one that took over, as we see his star symbol everywhere, and the design choices he's made in the city just SCREAM pure Robotnik to me. The benches not having Anti-homeless bars, but instead Anti-everyone bars, the sidewalks being conveyor belts as if people are machines/tools to him, etc. While being the same person, they're all VERY distinct, and VERY much the same, it's super fascinating too me. There's so many tiny details in costume design, and enviromental design for each of these variants I'm loving now that I'm going back and rewatching the trailer. I know everyone feels a bit iffy on their designs tho, and that's fair, but I think once we get to see them more in action, folks will warm up too it eventually.

Yeah you're right, I might not be sure how to feel about the execution entirely right now and we still haven't seen enough to really say but there are some qualities in the designs and behaviors we've seen in the small moments we have. It's good that it seems they've managed to capture parts of that quite well and when you point it out, I can see some more and the little details are neat.

My favorite visually so far is the one with the wig, totally not because he looks the closest to the regular Eggman or anything lol- but noticing the wig made me like him more too because that's funny. But I can see good things about the other ones in terms of what they've got going on with their creations and behaviors now that you mention it and the designs don't bother me too much.

But the most appealing to me so far is the city, I always love seeing the effects of Eggman's control and it's close as they're versions of him. I just wish regular Eggman was there, where is he‽ :( But yeah the anti everyone benches like nobody there gets any rest because they have to slave away all day and potential implications of the conveyers and all that have me like 👀

And yeah I always try to go into things with an open mind and not be quick to judge too fast, so maybe as I see more I'll warm up to it. But I hope they don't take a lot of screentime from regular Eggman because I don't know where he is but he needs to get his ass over there because another thing that would probably make me like them more is him interacting with them XD

[kuvvydraws]

3/?

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming?

🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons?

🎶 Music they like → As stated before, Cirrus doesn't have a lot of music knowledge in general, they're barely familiar with it and they've always heard it from afar if anything. I think Cirrus wouldn't like loud music much, based on how it can cover the sound of people approaching, and their paranoia is too strong to allow that - and if there were going to be music in a safe area, for the sake of argument, then it'd would have to be something light, nothing with a lot of percussion or very high sounds, screams or sudden movements. As you can see, Cirrus is incredibly easy to unsettle and trigger.

💯 Three random facts → This could be anything so...

1) They chose their name themselves. For the longest time, they were known as the Skeleton, since the Other Skeleton, aka Órdago, was dusted when they were a very young child. They grew up however they could, forgot their name, and didn't feel the need for one since other monsters already recognized them, as they're the only one of their kind left - after going through a period of playful teasing and trying new names at least every day, and even changing it every other hour, they settled on Cirrus, around the time when they started being forced to learn how to read.

2) They will eat anything, from rocks to tree bark to glass... It's a very bad habit they developed after having to find food in the trash, it's simply easier to eat anything and hope something actually nourishes them however foul it might be than picking their way through it, and often they were chased away for rummaging through garbage so they had to be fast, not careful. Eating things potentially dangerous is one of the reasons why they barely summon a tongue, since there's nothing worth tasting in trash and more often than not they'd get cut and hurt.

3) Most of their bulk is actually layers upon layers of clothes for protective reasons - they have fashioned themselves bits of leather armor you can see here and there, as well as roughly stapled or sewn on their pants. The leather vambraces are for self protection though, as they often claw at themselves when they're anxious.

💤 Light or heavy sleeper? Sleeping habits → Cirrus is an incredibly light sleeper in most circumstances. One reliable place they found Underground to dwell would be the little nooks and caves lining the inner walls of the mountain, and they're small enough to fit in the narrowest ones. However, gangs and other smugglers would use the wider ones for contraband, and they had to be always ready to be found, chased, attacked or all at once. Once they finally find a safe space (ask about details and do involve @mochamashi) and they get the chance for a deep sleep, it'll take them a lot more to wake up and they'll be really groggy - deep sleeps kind of ruin them, even if they're very worth it.

🔱 Can they swim - do they enjoy it? → Nope to both. Kinda yes sometimes? Allow me to explain - Cirrus can and will be in water no matter its depth, but they're all bone, so they don't really swim. They kind of... Go in the water and walk? It's a very dirty business, especially if the bottom is muddy or full of debris, but that doesn't really affect them, nor the water pouring out of all their face holes like grim murky waterfalls.

🔺Weapons → Yes and no. Cirrus can summon bones to fight, and they have very strong bine attacks - they also have incredibly strong and sharp claws, curled like hooks and black like an omen, and they won't hesitate to use them ever. At the same time, they're rather small, quick and flexible, and even when they're not a target to be underestimated for their capabilities they'd still rather run and hide than actually get in a fight. So, can they fight? Yeah, of course they can! But they'd rather avoid it as much as possible

[risu5waffles]

i guess this is just my life now.

Geeze... 10days goes by like nothing. Anyhoot,

This level is still very pretty, but still not quite as good as Gate to the future. That's just how things shake out sometimes.

This one, tho', this is the real sauce. Expansive, inventive, goofy as heck. Gribbly goblins to collect, superficially random, but hewing to its own, quirky environment and style. i had no idea what i was going to get when i started the level, and was just knocked back a step wiv how much fun i wound up having.

This one is broken, and it's such a shame, because i was really digging on what i got to play. It's such a nice, detailed haunted house environment, and doesn't hide all that by dumping the lighting settings too low. The gameplay isn't screaming pizzaz, but it's fun and keeps you moving. There just seems to be something that's gone sideways in the logic for that last cutscene, 'cause it just snaps the camera back to the checkpoint and sits there doing nothing. You can't even access your poppit, so i don't know what was going on.

yu-kamone is such a Jside creator, and it's a shame they've left for the (potentially) greener pastures of Dreams. i have played their stuff there, but i don't know how often the project gets updated, or if it'll ever be completed; it's been ongoing for a few years at this point. This one is a really good example of their work, and one i'd somehow managed to have never played before queuing it up for the Archive.

As far as i can tell, this one is just a set of reskinned Collected Object obstacles strung together for a race. Don't get me wrong, i had fun enough wiv it, and i bet it'd be more of a hoot wiv friends, but... at least it's an actual level; i'm used to these kinds of things just being a bunch of objects plunked down willy-nilly and maybe some smeared Dark Matter if you're lucky.

Quite a nice environment on this one, and the creatinator was neat, if perhaps a little unintuitive and overly limited in range. It's, perhaps, a little too short, but even that isn't the worst thing. Sometimes it's nice to have a nice, robustly presented experience that doesn't wind up being 45minutes to play. i kinda feel like that was a bit of a more common thing in LBP2, levels could just be over stuffed sometimes.

There is a tonne to see in this one if you put in the effort to poke around and explore. There's not an awful lot of direction in it, so i could easily see players accidentally bee-lining right to the end, and not realizing how much they'd missed. Now, it is LBP1-kludgy, so if you feel all that exploration was worth it is very much a your-mileage-may-vary kind of deal, but i feel like it was fun enough for what it was.

We talked about this one a couple days back, and i still don't like it very much.

Simple, and a little frustrating at times, but not wivout its charm. Reminded me a bit of my very first level in LBP1, which, unfortunately, has long since been deleted. i took it down to do a little work on it, and never got around to republishing it. Since i didn't have PS+ when my first PS3 died (were cloud saves even still a thing back in 2013?), all my unpublished levels died wiv it. The saddest of sad trombones.

i wound up really liking this one, as simple as it was. The gameplay was pretty smooth for an early level from a creator, and i had a really good time wiv the race. Enough that i went back to it enough times to get first place (i think there were only a handful of folx on the scoreboard, tho', so not really a major feat).

-------------------------------------------------------- So that's another ten down, and just 40days off from episode 100. It'll be here before i know it, i'm sure.

[auraphoenix1500]

Somehow this popped up on my dash (after I saw it on reddit like a day ago. Is it psychic or something?), so I want to go ahead and say this (I'd like to believe that we've grown as people since this was posted, but JUST IN CASE):

It is fine to be horny. It is fine to make them tiddies jiggle wildly all over the place. It's objectively pretty funny.

I'm going to paste something I saw on the reddit post that had this on it:

"The “we meant the mod creator” is particularly bullshit.

OOP downloaded the mod, played with it, thought it was funny, and posted the results. It wasn’t a critical “look at this outrage” post, just comedy. So what possible reason is there for saying “oh the creator of that is awful, but we didn’t mean to criticize you!”

Except, of course, the obvious one - OOP was bad too until they posted a selfie, and then the standards changed to whatever exempted them."

Do I think these people were actively malicious? No, I think they were just being stupid on the internet, or venting anger they've bottled up for a while. We've all done it before.

But just to reiterate, being horny is not a crime. Wanting big ol' dobonhonkeros in your games is not a crime. These are fictional characters.

It is 100% possible, and in fact, very easy, to both be horny and not objectify real women.

In fact, let's get something straight (hah) here: The "male gaze" does not mean "sexy women" or "women's proportions exaggerated heavily beyond recognition or reality." It was an academic term used in media criticism, for works that assumed that the default and primary audience of media were men, and approached their writing from that assumption. It has been reduced to only referring to any depiction of women in a sexual light, even if said depiction is empowering or feminist in nature.

Now that that's cleared up (and it's fine if you didn't know this, I only learned it a couple of days ago myself), I want to pose a question:

Even if OP was a straight guy, does that really matter? Who would OP be hurting, really? I mean, I'd much rather see people expressing their sexuality in healthy, harmless ways like this than...well, anything else, really.

I don't like getting too political on this blog, so I'm going to end this here. Just remember:

Being horny is not a crime.

Being horny is okay.

Expressing horniness online in ways that don't harm real people is, in fact, a very healthy way to go about it.

Humungous hungolomghnonoloughongouses are objectively hilarious and more people need to recognize their comedic potential. Gandalf's big naturals are two hefty steps in the right direction.

Good night, y'all!

chaos reigns 

[recre8ed]

@r3loaded : continued from discord. ( luck and rain )

"I should really get better shoes for walking at some point," Hakkai muses aloud. "If the road does get too dangerous, it definitely won't be drivable again that quickly. We can add that to the long list of wonderful things the rain brings to our journey."

Hakkai manages to tear his eyes away from Sanzo to quickly scour the room with his eyes, going so far as to look briefly underneath the beds. He comes up with nothing. Sanzo isn't going to be thrilled about that, but lighters are easy enough to lose and replace, and the likelihood is just that it's gotten itself mixed up with everything they've brought into the room.

He does have matches, though. He wonders how Sanzo knew; the only reason he carries them on him in the first place is for minor conveniences—easier ways to light a fire, especially when the two smokers aren't immediately available.

"Here," Hakkai draws attention to the small matchbox he's grabbed from his own belongings, mostly full—there haven't been that many actual applications for them, but he's thankful now that he's been carrying them. "I don't see your lighter, but we'd have an easier time looking for it in the morning anyway."

He pushes himself off the bed, removing any pretense that he still intends to even relax through the earlier parts of the night, and passes the matches over to Sanzo. He sits himself down again right after anyway, though this time on the edge of the bed and not the middle of it.

"I think," he says, faking a higher level of contemplation than necessary for what he means to say, "for starters, good luck probably involves not losing your lighter. Or maybe it was human error that caused you to lose it, and good luck meant that I was carrying matches."

Hakkai smiles, not even trying to hide the cheek in the expression.

"But I don't actually think it matters, to tell you the truth. Luck is more of a broad concept to begin with, and nothing that's happened to us was exactly random. Except for the weather, I suppose, but that hasn't been as much of an issue for us as other things. We get ambushed as soon as we split off from eachother because we're not always cautious enough about the potential for an attack—that sort of thing."

Without realizing it, his eyes have found themselves drifting towards the cloudy sky outside of the window. Hakkai is almost grateful that he won't be able to see the smallest starting droplets of rain when it begins to fall, thanks to his eyesight.

He drags his gaze back to the room and the man before him. "Do you believe in luck, Sanzo?"

[daryascurse]

Is it sick that I kind of want a “happy” ending for reader and snow? I know it can’t be all light and fluffy because let’s be for real, our baby corio is a sick fuck, but I want to see them together and content somehow

🥹 ommmg noo not sick at all. i am really falling more and more in love with them lol and my heart is soo warmed to hear this <33

i have one ending kind of in mind that.. would be a bit of a dark route to get to, but, i think would be best called bittersweet, which feels appropriate for the subject matter. i'm not wedded to it, though, just because i do think certain aspects ... how can i say this without giving it away; there are aspects of that potential ending that are divisive .. not particularly nasty (though YMMV) it just falls as a hit-or-miss with people's content preferences. from looking at the subscriber/ bookmark count, i don't think it would be fair to spring it on readers without advanced warning that that's what they've gotten into. however, i will say, there are bits of unintended foreshadowing to that potential in the 2 current chapters hahaha.

to ramble a little more, i kind of boxed myself in a bit with choosing to be canon compliant (to the books most specifically) so like, he still has to end up president and all that, but i think there's a lot of leeway with what can happen to someone in their 20s (speaking from experience). i'll put my musings and canon references under the cut because this could get long / spoiler-y to anyone who hasn't both read the book and seen the movie; but, these are the main canon anchors for how i'm structuring coryo and the overall plot:

it's implied pretty clearly (imo practically outright stated) in the book epilogue that he plans on marrying livia cardew, specifically because he has disdain for her and therefore he's safe from love distracting him in his greater goals. i have to dig out my copy for specifics but i think something in her family is also of use to him, wealth/ status/ maybe both (is her mom a reporter or a banker? something like that...) she comes up much more specifically in the books; if i remember correctly, she's mentioned in the movie during the reaping, but that's the extent of it. given that both the book series/ movie confirm he has a granddaughter, it's a safe assumption that he did get married, had a child, ergo, granddaughter. and because suzanne collins is a genius, i do think she pretty clearly established that livia was that first link in that familial chain. so, that's where the livia stuff comes from in caveat emptor, and why i think it's inevitable to confront in some way.

i also think this is something the book, by virtue of the medium, is able to convey so much better than the movie -- but where we are in his young adult life, coryo thinks of himself as much more clever, sneaky, capable, etc., than he actually is. i absolutely love how he twinges on unreliable narrator (for lack of a better word) in the sense of how he views himself vs. how others see him. he does, however, over the next few decades, manage to become president and hold that position. by no means does that inherently value a person or give merit to their mind and skills, to be president, lol, but, it does mean that he becomes at least more refined in those senses. life does that to you. but even looking at who we are before / after starting higher education, that is nowhere near the end of adulthood evolution. my friends and i often discuss the "ego death of 22," where, sometime after your early 20s, when you think everything is pretty solid and you have it figured out, you look back and go - wow - no, nowhere near it, and maybe i was actually kind of horrible. i have a ~24 year old colleague / good friend of mine who went through a really severe breakup last february and we've discussed this, he sees it at his 'ego death' event in a sense. while things don't need to change by a big shocking event (i.e. personally i can't say there's one specific earth-shattering thing for me that contrasts 22 vs. 25 year old me but there was definitely a personality shift pre-covid lol), i do think we're eeking up on that natural human timeline at the end of TBSOS book/movie alike, and, would be rapidly approaching post-University graduation. i think there's something really.. meaty there, so to speak.

also clearer from the book but implied in the movie's last meeting between coryo and dr. gaul (to the best of my memory, i don't recall how specifically she talked about him studying under her) - he does become at the least an apprentice gamemaker and i would call it an externship during the uni years. now, personally, i think that, while the games clearly became more and more integral to politics/ society under their work together as they grew and became overall more intricate, it wouldn't have been the only thing he worked on. i don't want to forget / downplay how significant his access to the plinth fortune is. we don't know when exactly he became president, who he networked with -- goes back to livia and her family's status definitely being integral to him as well, to have all his ducks in a row to become president. he would have had to formally turn to more outright political avenues at some point. but, without knowing much more about how government actually is structured and works in panem, that feels like too much speculation that i could definitely have fun with writing buuuut as I said, this fic is kind of rooted in canon compliancy, and i don't want to steer too far into the weeds. so, i think it's a very reasonable assumption that, at least by now, he would be on the way to be head gamemaker. i also don't think that dr. gaul would particularly willingly give up her own status and power, but, (1) i do think that especially after 4 years of exclusive training and refining of the games (and i think it's a safe assumption to model the University after traditional american higher ed in that respect) she would be a little more comfortable handing over the reigns to a worthy replacement because she's definitely proud of her work but still finds great joy/ satisfaction in having others see the value of her work and spread it themselves (we never see her being AS megalomaniacal as others and she can/ does delegate and co-work without resentment) , and (2), this is possibly another big foundational step in coryo's bloodthirsty climb to power. even though the 10th games were wiped from society as per the book, coryo still made waves, and people would remember/ start to see and keep him in mind, especially as the capitol flourished more and more growing out of the war reconstruction decades and everything moved towards the grandeur we see in the original trilogy. so, i think having him be head gamemaker upon graduation would be functionally and visually advantageous.

last point with this then goes to the timeline: it's said in TBSOS book that the games happen before Academy graduation. there's mention of a neighbor gamemaker-in-training who "recently" graduated from University and is just starting the gamemaker position. we know the games happen with a specific note of July 4 - and again, that graduation comes afterwards. there's also a musing by coryo that other secondary schools have earlier graduations. but the neighbor note to me implies that university graduation comes first - and again, this aligns with traditional american timelines at least that i am familiar with: most compulsory education starts in sept and ends in june, whereas higher ed starts in august and ends in may (again, based off my own knowledge). so, even if the academy adjusts that timeline to have a later graduation in july that's post-games, it woud still be reasonable and canonical to assume that university graduation is roughly a month earlier. this is why i put the graduation happening in june and thinking of the games coming a month later, and how that could, again tying into PR considerations, be why coryo could plan out an engagement and wedding along this timeline, very conveniently before formally starting his professional life and putting himself out in the public sphere as an adult. to bring this all full circle back to livia- while coriolanus, definitely by the time of the original trilogy, understands that the games are more than a spectacle with a winner (RIP the cranes), and was most likely molded this way after TBSOS events/ direct tutelage under gaul, he also knows very keenly the power of appearance and appeal. i think that, to him, appearing confident, accomplished, with an excellent resume, and a "perfect" family to show off - especially with grandma'am's likely decline/ likely imminent passing, and tigris distancing herself more and more, as well as the plinths basically only being as good as a bank book for him... how else can he present his impeccable image, perfectly polished and rounded off, than by showing off the perfect wife?

UGHHHGHGHGH oh wow i'm so sorry this is so long, i used your comment as an opportunity to really just show how i'm thinking and lay out the transparency of where my assumptions and the fic come from. i kind of wonder if, with all of this in mind (if ANYONE reads it hahahahahaha) if anyone can look back on chapters 1 and 2 and pick up on where i feel like the fic could be going. again, all remains to be seen.

[purplesurveys]

1751

What are your plans for the day ahead? I'll be taking a few of these, but sometime in the afternoon I plan to do some pre-work/research for an upcoming pitch. The potential client is huge and I personally like them as a consumer, so if we bag it it'll be a really big win.

This evening I have a meeting with my college org's alumni for a brainstorming session. Apparently the org has been in a dying state since the pandemic, and some alumni have volunteered to help in reorganization efforts, including myself.

What was the last thing you cleaned? I tidied the dining area and kitchen after having dinner last night.

When do you go to your soonest appointment? I don't have any booked any time soon.

What did you last order online? Yabu a week ago.

Can you see any bottles from where you’re sitting? Does the paper cup my coffee comes in count? It's right in front of me.

What time do you usually try to wind down in the evening? It's earlier these days; I usually want to be in bed by 11 PM and start falling asleep by midnight-ish.

What’s something you have been putting off? A side project. I want to kickstart a passion project of some sort so that I have somewhere else to invest my time and energy in besides work, but I still have no clue what it is I want to do. Do I start a blog, and if I do what do I write about? Do I want to be a contributor at some media publication, and which one would it be, what would I want to write about? I'm still at a loss but at least I'm already in that mindset where I know I want to be doing something more; it's just a matter of identifying the best thing I can do at the moment.

What restaurants do you frequently eat at? I don't dine in restaurants frequently tbh but when I do it's usually a Japanese place with a focus on either sushi or ramen.

Do you like banana pudding with a lot of bananas or more vanilla wafers? I do not enjoy banana pudding.

How many books would you guess you’ve read in the last 5 years? I'd say 2-3 is a safe guess.

What was the last message you sent? I was telling my friends that I'd love to discuss 3D with them the next time we get together. After my initial hype for the song died down, I had time to think about how polarizing the material actually is. I have no qualms with JK's part at all, but the rap part stinks to high heaven and everything about it is a goldmine for discussion.

Have you ate anything green today? What’s your favorite way to add greens to your diet? Uh, kind of? I had a chicken pesto wrap for breakfast if anything, lol.

When did you last light a candle or incense? Maybe more than a year ago. The last related thing I used was a reed diffuser, which I prefer these days.

Is it currently warm where you are? It's warm all the time where I live, except for maybe from Jan-Feb where the temperature can drop to the low 20s.

Have you ever fallen out of bed? Only as a kid.

What do you like on your hot dogs or burgers? I never have hotdogs but I imagine I'd look for mayo in mine. For burgers, I like a mayo-based sauce, caramelized onions, and jalapeños.

Are you currently listening to anything? Yes, BTS.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside? Go to coffee shops, visit museums, and walk/explore – especially if I'm in an unfamiliar place. I walked SO MUCH on my own when I was in Malaysia.

Are there any celebrities that you are a big fan of? These days that would be BTS. I like other celebrities too but don't really make as big of an effort to catch up with what projects they've been up to.

Do you ever watch award shows? Sure, but I only watch when BTS is expected to appear. That said I don't think I'm going to be watching any of them anytime soon, and maybe I'll just be voting from the side.

Do you usually run out of shampoo or conditioner first? Conditioner, by a mile. My hair is very thick and gets very hard when exposed to water due to all the bleaching it's been through, so I need multiple pumps of conditioner at a time to soften it back.

Do you have any LED lights in your home? I think our lights outside may be LED? Not fully sure though.

What is your biggest challenge? Having it in me to take risks.

What was the last sweet thing you’ve eaten? I had a slice of Starbucks' brookie cheesecake just now.

Do you prefer buying new clothes or thrift shopping for clothes? New ones, but I don't mind thrift shopping too. It's just that I do it much less often because knowing it was owned and worn before gives me minor ick.

What is something you need right now? Well, a demotion is definitely one of them. I just want to go back to what I was already previously doing.

What’s something you like that is blue? Denim jeans.

Have you treated yourself today? Kind of, but not as much as I would've wanted to as I'm already going over my budget. I already took myself to a coffee shop today but I think that's all I'm doing, even though I really want to get ramen.

Have you ever traveled alone? Nope.

What color is your most worn jacket/hoodie? Blue.

Who is someone you would like to get to know more? Val, the newest member of our work team. She's going to be replacing one of my senior bosses, who'll be migrating to Canada by next month. I really hope she lasts with us and has a good rapport with the team; but from what I've experienced from her so far, she seems to be promising so at least that's a positive.

What toy do you miss the most from your childhood? My cash registers haha. I miss how many buttons they had.

Have you ever lost something valuable to you? Sure, a few things here and there.

What or who has impacted your life the most? My parents.

Would you say you are toxic in any way? We all have at least one red flag, I feel.

What’s one of your favorite memories from the past year? Going to Thailand with my friends in what was my first non-family trip abroad.

How often do you use a straw? Maybe once a week?

What’s your current favorite song? I don't have any at the moment.

What are some books you’d recommend to someone? I don't think I'd be able to give any! I don't read a lot anymore.

[tudhalias]

Ok, so (1) this is an excellent show and you should watch it, but (2) Please to understand that this is really huge in some ways. This show was broadcast on NHK-G, channel 1 on most Japanese TVs. Broadcast TV may not have the reach it used to have, but the basic broadcast channels are still a Pretty Big Deal in Japan, definitely much more central to the culture than in the US. I'm not sure what the viewer participation figures were for this show in particular, but the potential reach is easily in the tens of millions.

NHK, as you may know, is the government funded station, and in common with a lot of government funded stations in a lot of countries, the programming is very often didactic and "public interest" centered. "Tskuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna" definitely fits into this mold, with many episodes being "very special episodes."

What I'm leading up to is that this show was broadcast on basically the biggest mainstream, mass-communication platform you could ask for (at a crappy time slot, but still), with the specific intent to teach and inform. Yes, it's an amazing show that will touch your heart, but it's also a national PSA. And what was it teaching?

How to explore your sexual identity (in a very honest "thinking and talking about what this identity means and how it could fit into my life" way, not in an exploitative "I kissed a girl for sweeps week" way)

Finding queer elders to help you think about your sexual identity, and move through society as a sexual minority (and, yes, sure, said queer "elder" is like. 41 1/2 years old. which i personally feel should not qualify one to be an elder rich in years. but I also feel like we are not exactly strangers to that dynamic here on tumblr dot com)

Explaining the various shades of what "Lesbian" and "Asexual" can mean

Negotiating physical affection in an established relationship with zero expectation that either partner is entitled to or interested in physical affection. Seriously, this show is light-years more ace friendly than I ever expected to see in mainstream Japanese media. Minor spoilers, but at the end of season 2 it's left ambiguous whether either of the main couple is allosexual at all, but it is unambiguous that they are 100% committed to each other (and 100% adorable to the audience) no matter whether both are allo, both are ace, one is ace and the other is allo, or some spectrum of combinations in-between.

Rejecting your birth family and finding a chosen family instead. (They literally play the song "Chosen Family" on the radio while one of the characters does this, they really really want to get this point across)

Workplace microagressions from well-meaning straight allies

Multiple characters stating, in various ways, that Japan really needs marriage equality and that there's no good reason not to have it

Navigating homophobic housing discrimination. My jaw was on the FLOOR when I saw this. They had TWO very special episodes on how to navigate housing discrimination as a queer couple. On Japanese Broadcast TV.

Now, I realize that NHK is not a perfect bellwether for Japanese public opinion or political will. For years, they've had Very Special Episodes on why you shouldn't be racist towards immigrants, and how the immigration system is unjust, and it very much did not result in any perceptible lessening of xenophobia. The immigration system has gotten... slightly less worse in some ways, worse in others, but it's still pretty fucking bad.

BUT STILL! NHK is treating homophobia (and cisheteronormativity in general) as a crisis of public morals on the level of workplace sexual harassment and pension scams (two other social crises that often receive Very Special Episodes)! They are publicly acknowledging, on a very wide scale, the existence and the serious impacts of systemic heteronormativity! They are treating societal problems affecting LGBTQ folk as a public crisis in need of remedy by the national broadcaster! Effectively, they are telling millions of Japanese retirees to go scold their children about heterosexist microaggressions.

I'm not in Japan so I can't weigh in about how much change is being seen "on the ground," but like. holy shit.

This really goes beyond "representation." Representation, being fiction, is usually of limited direct utility (for members of the minority being represented) and can easily be compartmentalized as just a story (for those in the majority, who don't want to think too deeply about the minority being represented).

This show, though? This is actionable. This show makes it very clear that it is offering concrete, usable tools for how to thrive (if you are LGBTQ) or tools for how to help your neighbors thrive (if your are cishet).

....Also it's an adorable show and they have a card giving links to the recipes at the end of every episode. You should probably go watch it!

TSUKURITAI ONNA TO TABETAI ONNA (2022), ep. 07

Is it just me, or is it hot in here?

translation credit @furritsubs

Image description in ALT text

[dumpsterhipster]

The Trash Dweller's Dumpster Dives: 2

[1] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Far From Ourselves - by Babble / @expended-sleeper

fandom || Skyrim rating || M categories || gen, f/f, m/m genre || drama, action/adventure characters of note || Miraak, Sofie, Vilkas, Lucia status || 25/37, 116k

I guess I care about the Companions now.

"Finish it," Sofie ordered, glancing at Miraak and his opponent. The remaining bandit dropped his spear and cradled his injured arm. The potential of his next move rendered Miraak lightheaded. With a swift motion, he could end this Argonian's life. He had not known such a power in many years. But where is the honor that Aela, Vilkas, and Farkas spoke of with such reverence? Certainly he did not see it in his reddened spearhead or the dripping edge of Sofie's axe. Nor did he feel a twinge of honor when he looked down at the cowering bandit bleeding on to the dirt. Sofie took a step closer. "Now, Miraak." "But-" The bandit's hidden dagger slashed and Miraak reacted. While the dagger found no purchase when it hit the leather pad covering Miraak's leg, the spearhead made its home in the Argonian's chest. Miraak stared in disbelief at the living organism that had swallowed the end of his weapon The bandit took a final bubbling breath and went slack against the weight of the spear.

A decade after Alduin's defeat, in a Skyrim still scarred by the barely-repelled Thalmor invasion, Whiterun is about to play host to a new power--one which will test the Companions to their limits, and shine a light on what has always been kept in the darkness. Among those swept up in the conflict are a broken former-Dragonborn looking to regain lost power; a whelp struggling with her inner nature and the young priestess she loves, whose paths seem set in opposition; and the Harbinger of the Companions, who must protect his home and family against this dire new threat.

I'll be honest, it's going to be difficult for me to be coherent about this fic. It's an absolute standout among the current crop of WIPs; a unique, gripping premise executed flawlessly, with a cast of characters who could walk off the page, no matter how small their roles, and the richest and most thought-provoking exploration of theme I've read in a fic possibly ever. Babble's writing is unbelievable in every sense, and this is a fic which deserves so much more attention than it gets.

I'll confess that my usual fic interests don't tend to lead towards the Companions: while there are many very well-written fics set surrounding the guild, they usually tend to focus on the romance between one of the wolf twins and the LDB rather than the rich narrative and thematic potential of the Companions themselves. Absolutely no shade to the many, many people who enjoy those fics, but they've typically fallen less within my wheelhouse.

Far From Ourselves is the Companions fic I've always wanted to read. There are some romance elements--and both the relationships between Miraak/Vilkas and Sofie/Lucia are brilliantly executed and very believable--but they are in the background, with the main subject matter of the fic really being theme. The story asks very meaty, thought-provoking questions about violence and honour and right and wrong and good and evil and all the many shades in between in a way which blows my mind with every chapter update, and inspires me constantly in my own writing. Of particular note is the way Babble asks questions, and examines them from every angle, but so far has yet to provide many answers. The reader is left to turn the problems over in their own mind, to think about the various beliefs and attitudes the characters have, and to arrive at their own conclusions (or not, as the case may be--they're VERY complex questions). It's incredibly well done, and leads to a plot and set of character relationship arcs which feel particularly coherent and meaningful.

This leads me into a discussion of how Babble approaches character. As you can probably assume from how they manage theme, the characters themselves all feel like real, living people with their own complex beliefs and values, rather than author mouthpieces/counter-mouthpieces. Babble is a true master of character writing. I was impressed by the sensitivity and nuance with which they wrote characters in Death of the Dragonborn (which I would also heartily recommend), which is particularly notable given that fic was written between the ages of 16 and 18. In the handful of years since that early promise has ripened and matured to the point where every character Babble takes a brush to comes alive within a few sentences; even the minor characters in Far From Ourselves are incredibly dynamic and three-dimensional. Special mention goes to Babble's sprinkling of OCs, including the wonderful additions to the whelps of Benajah and Hugs-the-Shadows, the Alfiq storekeeper Kishla, and Ruth, about whom I will say nothing other than that it's worth reading this fic for Ruth alone.

And then there's the main cast. Once again Miraak is not usually in my wheelhouse, but Babble paints such an incredibly complex, multi-faceted interpretation of a post-defeat Miraak that I was sucked in from the first harrowing paragraph, and have not been released since. I have never read a character like this Miraak in a Skyrim fic, and am awed at how consistently Babble portrays a mind so alien yet human. Babble's Vilkas is brilliant: he truly feels like the whip-smart, capable and thoughtful man we're given a glimpse of in canon, and a worthy Harbinger to succeed Kodlak. Grown-up Lucia as a priestess of Kynareth is both a delight and very fitting, but oh my god, for me the true standout of this fic's main cast is Sofie. I don't want to give anything away, but this is Sofie is probably one of my favourite canon character portrayals in a Skyrim fic, ever. Babble has done so much more with her potential than I ever could have imagined, and she is a true masterclass in just how much scope there is for both breadth and depth in turning the sketches we get in canon into fully rich and realised characters.

This review is already very long but it's worth noting that the plot is also incredibly fresh and gripping, with a really complex and nuanced 'villain' faction; Whiterun itself is beautifully rendered, as are those parts of broader Skyrim we have the privilege of being shown; and Babble's technical skills are excellent, with marvellous prose and dialogue both. I cannot recommend this fic highly enough--if you have any interest in the Companions, or in just really, really well-written and original, thought-provoking fantasy fiction, you owe it to yourself to check this out.