#if anything can happen and there are no rules

[spearofheaven]

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE— ex boyfriend! gojo satoru

SUM. alone in a hotel room with your ex boyfriend after he pulled a risky stunt. what could go wrong?

CONTAINS. 18+ content, MDNI. non canon compliant/au. no plot just porn. x fem reader. 3k words. gojo’s lowk an idiot. ex sex. unprotected p in v. cunnilingus and fingering. creampie. some hints of body worship. nipple play. panty sniffing + panty taking. missionary. hair pulling (m receiving). belly bulge. some aftercare. unresolved feelings. reader probs folded too fast idk.

A/N. if you recognize this smut scene, no you don’t 🫡 #reuse reduce recycle

you knew this mission was bound for failure the moment principal yaga opened his mouth to announce that you and gojo were working together. no exceptions.

why he needed help in the first place was beyond you.

he was loud, arrogant, cocky, but he knew how to handle himself well (you would rather die than admit it, though).

and he also happened to conveniently be your ex boyfriend.

your ex boyfriend who you haven’t spoken to since your breakup—despite his various attempts to reach out to you: from extravagant bouquets waiting for you on your doorstep to cashapp requests in the thousands asking for you to unblock him. (which you accepted but never unblocked).

tensions had been running high since the moment the two of you stepped foot into your hotel. arguments left unsaid, lingering looks that the two of you ignored far too well. all until today, of course. when the idiot made the mistake of getting too close and letting his guard down, just for the sake of showing off to the first years.

“do you just get off on going against instructions? you could’ve gotten hurt.” you’d been nagging in his ear for the entirety of the way back, though he wasn’t complaining. after a couple months of silence, this was practically music.

“you still care about me, sweets? i’m flattered.” gojo could practically see the smoke coming out of your ears with that response.

"well, yes. but that’s not the point. you just can't do anything by the rules, can you? i swear, it's like it goes in one ear and ou-" your complaints were quickly shut down, his lips pressing against your own before you could even muster what was happening.

every single atom in your body was screaming to push him away, not to do this. again. but instead of doing just that, your fingers dug into his shirt and pulled him all that much closer.

kissing him felt all too familiar—a practiced dance you hadn’t quite managed to forget all the moves to. “be mad at me later, just.. let me have this please,” he pleaded, pressing his forehead against your own.

and you were certain that the man had done witchcraft, gotten some spell from a witch on etsy that’d been activated with the kiss, because somehow, someway, you found yourself nodding.

satoru hooked his fingers underneath your thighs, squeezing the supple flesh once while he made his way over to the bed. “mmph, fuck, i missed you baby,” he let out a quiet moan against your lips.

“shut it,” was your response, nibbling down on his bottom lip. your nails raked through his hair, tugging at the strands when you pulled him closer.

“yes ma’am,” satoru breathed out, walking over to the california king bed in the middle of the room before gently placing you down. you practically melted into the expensive silk sheets. (courtesy of gojo having millions upon millions to blow)

every second was savored—not willing himself to stay away from you for too long. he was hovering above you in a matter of seconds, holding your chin in between your fingers, “can i?”

once again, every thought in your mind was telling you to push him away. to remember how little he made you feel. “yes,” your mouth had a mind of its own, answering him before you thought better of it.

satoru let out a sigh, tilting your head to meet his gaze. “are you sure? i want you to want me. to want this as much as i do.”

you shook your head, reaching up and pressing your palm against his cheek. he was like a pathetic puppy, rubbing against your touch. “i do want it, toru. i want you.”

his touch was careful, almost like unraveling an expensive gift he didn’t quite want to ruin the wrapping of. a strangled breath left him upon seeing your lingerie, cerulean and lace framing your body in the best damn present he’d opened.

a cerulean blue that was too similar to his eye color—too much for him to deem as a coincidence.

looking over at you in disbelief, he asked, “when’d you make the switch to agent provocateur?”

you raised a brow at how quickly he recognized the material—deciding to leave it be though, “ever since i had seven grand to blow from a veryyy generous donor last week.”

satoru let out a quiet scoff, tracing the outline of the lace on your bra with the tip of his finger. his thumb barely circled against your clothed nipple, a featherlight touch, “and just who were you planning on showing this pretty set to?”

“wouldn’t you like to know weather boy?” a scoff of your own left your lips, rolling your eyes. but he was already in his own little world by now.

satoru had been deprived of the taste of you for months now—the very feeling of your skin underneath his fingertips nearly having him break out in a moan.

every nerve in his brain seemed to go haywire when he pressed his lips against your neck, the lingering scent of your perfume intoxicating whatever brain cells remained in that big noggin.

"did you just moan?" you raised your head as you looked down at him. never mind, not almost.

“you taste and smell good, what did you expect?” he licked a stripe down your neck, reaching your collarbone. gojo gently pulled the skin in between his teeth, sucking at the flesh. determined to leave a mark—even if you’d just have him for today.

each kiss trailed lower and lower down until he got to your shoulder, unable to resist the urge of snapping your bra strap. before you had the chance to glare at him, he reached for your back—unclasping the hooks and tossing your $300 bra to the floor.

you nearly winced.

“there’s my girls.” satoru took one of your breasts in his mouth, swirling his tongue around your nipple, “my favorite girls. missed them too, missed everything about you, baby.”

one of his large hands engulfed your other breast, rolling his thumb against your areola while he mindlessly sucked on the one in his mouth. “there you go. arch your back for me, sweetheart.” a groan left his lips, slipping his knee in between your legs to keep them open.

satoru alternated between each breast, giving each equal attention. leaving your nipples hard and covered in his spit. “so pretty,” he whispered in awe, giving each a farewell kiss.

he made his way down to your navel, pressing chaste kisses to whatever skin he had access to. kissing everywhere but where you needed him most—where he was rubbing his knee against.

you almost expected him to pounce up at the first opportunity, but instead, he settled by the foot of the bed. his touch featherlight as he dragged his fingers from your ankle to your calf, eliciting goosebumps down your spine in his wake.

“i’m sorry,” satoru started off, pressing his lips against your right calf before moving on to the left. “never wanted to make you break up with me,” he continued, kissing his way up your leg.

not a single inch of your body went untouched by his lips before he moved up, hooking his fingers into the waistband of your panties. you raised your hips, letting him slide them down your legs.

he looked up at you with puppy eyes, holding the slick-covered panties in his hand. a silent request.

your eyes narrowed, “no. you’re not keeping those.”

satoru let out a whine, bringing your panties up to his nose. taking an audible whiff and closing his eyes, practically relishing in the lace. “oh come on, i’m the one who got you these, technically.”

“generous donor, since we’re getting technical,” you shrugged, “put the merchandise down on the floor.”

“i’ll get you ten more. twenty, if that’s what you want. just let me keep these,” he spoke quickly, watching the way your eyes practically turned into money signs. “and maybe if you just show them off to me.”

he’d already spent over seven grand, what was a couple more thousand?

you looked at the pair in his hand, before shrugging, “i’ll be generous and only ask for fifteen.”

satoru quickly pocketed your panties, kissing up your thigh. “the most generous,” he mused, nibbling on your inner thigh. his hands spread your legs out, presenting to him like one of the finest meals.

and he was more than ready to feast.

he leaned forward, swiping his tongue in between your folds. your fingers ran through his hair again, gripping his hair tightly. or at least.. you thought your grip was tight. it was hard to tell when satoru moaned regardless, sucking on your folds.

“so good, so good, use me, i’m all yours, always been,” just one taste of you again was enough to have him pussy drunk, babbling against your cunt. you pushed his head further into your cunt, swiveling your hips against his eager tongue, “yeah, yeah, just like that, don’t stop.”

you looked over to see satoru laying down on his stomach, completely at bliss slurping and sucking at your cunt with his feet swinging back and forth. if his mouth and hands weren’t busy, you had no doubt that he’d be twirling his hair and giggling.

“come onnn, let me know how i’m good i’m making you feel,” he pouted as he looked up at you with half-lidded eyes, his lips glossed over with your slick.

"fuck you," you bit down on your lip, gritting the words out in an attempt to keep any moans at bay.

"aht, aht, that's my job, cutie. and first, you gotta tell me what you want," satoru gave your thigh a loud smooch, his fingertips tracing your folds and barely dipping inside of your dripping cunt before he’d pull away. only to repeat it again.

in a moment of weakness, you found yourself relenting, “your fingers, toru. please,” it came out low, barely enough for his ears to register. and almost like clockwork, he took that opportunity to tease you further.

“what was that, baby? couldn’t really hear you,” he retorted, clicking his tongue. when you went to open your mouth, he pushed his fingers inside of your cunt. the loud squelch cutting you off completely.

“your. fingers,” you gritted out, your request coming out louder, “please.” only the bastard would make you beg after apologizing to you.

he pushed his fingers inside of you yet again, bringing them to his lips and swirling his tongue around them, “please what?” another tease.

“please, toru. i want your fingers,” a whine was evident in your voice.

“there we go, baby. that wasn’t so hard, hm?” his fingers thrusted inside of you once more, curling in a come hither motion.

satoru closed his lips around your puffy clit, sucking on it before swirling his tongue. he started with drawing small circles on your nub, before your brows furrowed.

he was using your damn clit as a writing board.

the tip of his tongue carefully spelled each letter,

‘I. LOVE. YOU.’

“seriously?” it came out shakier than you would’ve liked, little gasps and unsteady breaths leaving your lips.

“mhm,” he didn’t bother on elaborating further, covering your clit in his spit as he sucked. the curl of his fingers hit that spot inside of you with each thrust, his fingers thrusting deeper than even some of your toys.

“ah ah, fuck!” you let out a moan, hips bucking into his face to meet his tongue frantically. “don’t stop, don’t stop, just like that!” each swipe and thrust brought you closer and closer, your back nearly off the mattress.

satoru simply shook his head, swiping his tongue back and forth. the idea was simply absurd—that he was even capable of thinking to stop. “not gonna stop, baby. just wanna keep tasting you,” he responded, swinging his feet back and forth again in sync with his thrusts.

you weren’t sure if you hated him or you wanted to fuck him even more. maybe a little of both.

that familiar coil tightened in your lower stomach, your nails practically digging into his scalp in response. “ah fuck, yeah, dig them in there, i can take it, i can take it,” satoru was reduced to a babbling mess yet again, each whine vibrating against your clit.

“i’m close, i’m close, gonna cum,” your moans had him pushing his hips into the mattress, seeking anything to relief his aching cock. but—this wasn’t about him. it was about you first. “come for me, baby, take what you need.”

the coil inside of you snapped, your orgasm hitting you at once. your hips stilled, your release coating his fingers and spilling out onto the bedsheets underneath. he sucked his fingers, cleaning up every. single. last. dribble.

gojo wasted no time in unzipping his pants, sliding them down along with his boxers. freed from its confines, his cock sprung up against his stomach. pink tip twitching and all—dripping drop after drop of precum.

wrapping a hand around the base, he swiped the tip against your folds. much like he’d be swiping his card later. up and down, letting your slick coat the head before he slowly pushed it inside. pushing against that initial resistance.

“biggg stretch, there we go,” a hiss escaped from his lips, feeling your walls squeeze against him tightly. he had to close his eyes, refusing to look down at you. he knew that if he did, that would be all it would take for him to bust.

satoru placed your legs on his shoulders, slowly starting to move his hips forward. pushing inch by inch inside with each thrust, up until he could see his tip bulging in your lower tummy.

“toru?” your voice broke him out of the trance, hazy blues meeting your own glazed over expression.

“yes, baby?”

“you think maybe, just maybe, you could go a little faster?”

satoru broke out into a cheshire like grin, making you instantly regret your ask, “anything for you, my princess.”

*PLAP* *PLAP* *PLAP*

the sound of your skin slapping against his own, the sound of your moans and his shaky breaths filled the room, mixing in with the heavy stench of sex. satoru’s grip on your thighs tightened, his fingers digging into you while he used your cunt how he pleased.

“that fast enough for you, baby?” satoru taunted, a smirk on his face. the sight in front of him was nothing short of perfect—from the way your jaw fell taut, drool leaking out from the corner of your lips with each punishing thrust. all the way down to the way your tits bounced, each bounce nearly putting him in a hypnosis.

“yes yes, fuck!” your hands dug into the bedsheets underneath as a lifeline, something to cling onto. you could even feel the slight curve to the left, each vein grazing your walls.

“y-yeah? finally good enough for you?” you could only nod in response, his cock drilling out every thought. your walls squeezed around him, toes curling against his back. you didn’t have to give him any warning this time—he simply knew.

“so good, so good,” you babbled like a broken record, his dick hitting your g-spot with such ease it had you wondering why you’d ever broken up with him in the first place.

“suck for me,” satoru prodded his thumb against your bottom lip. you instinctively parted your lips, swirling your tongue around it and sucking on it. all while keeping your eyes on him. he could’ve sworn you were trying to kill him now.

you released with a pop, his thumb glistening with your saliva. “ah fuck! keep going, keep going!” satoru rubbed quick circles against your clit, his own thrusts starting to grow sloppier and sloppier. heavy balls smacked against your ass with each push of his hips, one of his feet propped up against the mattress for an angle that had your eyes rolling back.

“t-toru! make me cum, please, please!” you whined, nails scraping against the cotton bedsheets. your walls clenched against him tightly, milking his cock, before your orgasm washed over you like a wave.

your release coated his shaft, your cunt squelching as he fucked you towards his own orgasm. he was close, so so close, but the man needed one more push. “tell me you love me, please,” his voice came out ragged, “i need you to tell me.”

“i love you, toru,” his name had never sounded so good, so sweet before. the quiet whisper of your admission was all it took to push him from the edge. a low groan left his lips, spurt after spurt of cum dripping inside of you. painting your walls white, pooling where he and you were still connected.

satoru pulled out carefully, the mixture of fluids dripping from his softening shaft onto the silk bedsheets underneath. “stay here, i’ll be right back with something to clean you off.”

he came back into the room with a wet hand towel from the guest bathroom, gently cleaning in between your legs. wiping away at the cum dripping down your legs, staining your thighs. “there we go, how are you feeling? you need water?” satoru tossed the towel to the side, pulling his pants back up.

“i’m good. but we should probably talk about this,” you gestured in between the two of you, “we both said.. a lot. and i do love you, toru. but just because we had sex doesn’t mean everything’s fixed between us.”

“i know,” gojo replied almost instantly, like he’d been equally dreading and looking forward to this conversation. “trust me, i know. i want to work things out with you. if you’ll let me.”

but for now, in the comfort of the hotel room, you allowed him to hold and snuggle against you like a human blanket. letting yourself momentarily enjoy the moment of peace before you reminded yourself that you were still exes.

yaga didn’t bother asking why the two of you showed up later than expected or why you two were less tense the next day.

[prokopetz]

i recall at one point hearing about a system(possibly an older white wolf one, but i'm not sure) where, due to the way botches were calculated, increasing your stats for at least some rolls also had a slight mathematical increase in your chances of getting a botched roll. do you happen to remember anything like what i'm describing, by chance? i'm not really well-versed enough in dice statistics to be able to look through games and tell which ones would work out that way, unfortunately

Classic World of Darkness systems use hit-counting dice pools with variable target numbers (i.e., you roll a bunch of d10s and count how many are equal to or greater than a given number), but also have 1s subtract hits, so it's possible to roll zero or fewer hits; for example, if you're rolling five dice against a target number of 7 and get 1, 1, 3, 5, 8, that's technically negative one hits, since you get one hit for the 8, but subtract two for the 1s.

The wrinkle lies in how a botch is defined. In the system's modern iterations, you need to score zero hits (i.e., no dice showing higher than the target number) and at least one 1 in order to botch; as originally designed, however, any roll with negative hits was a botch. This creates two distinct mathematical quirks:

Using the modern definition of a botch, there are some weird glitches in botch probability when very large target numbers interface with very small dice pools, but for the most part, the absolute likelihood of a botch trends strictly downward as the number of dice increases, since the odds of rolling no hits at all become increasingly remote; however, the portion of your failures that botch does rise with the number of dice, as – given that all of your dice missed – more dice means a greater likelihood that at least one of those misses is a 1. This isn't impossible to account for narratively – the idea that highly skilled characters tend to biff it big on the rare occasions that they fail makes some sense – but some players find it unaesthetic.

Using the old-school definition of a botch (i.e., any roll with negative hits botches, not just rolls that had zero hits before subtracting 1s), you can run into situations where increasing the size of your dice pool increases the absolute likelihood of a botch basically any time your target number is higher than 6. It does fall off again as dice pools become very large, and the likelihood of a botch never rises faster than the likelihood of success, but it does create some objectively goofy situations. A lot of sources recommend just not letting your target numbers go higher than 8 when using the old-school botch rules for this reason.

[zazaiafe2]

How to make Your shifting journey fun again

(and stop being haunted by pressure, guilt or mental exhaustion)

So… you’ve been trying to shift for a while. You started out excited. You thought it would happen any day now. You felt the spark, the drive, the wonder.

But time passed, and now… it’s not so fun anymore. You feel stuck. Maybe even stressed. Intrusive thoughts? Compulsive rituals? A sinking feeling that it’s "just not working"?

Yeah. I see you. And this post is for you.

First, let’s name the enemy: Negative habitual conditioning

There’s something I call negative nabituation:

It’s what happens when your brain gets used to failing.

Each time you try to shift and "nothing happens," your brain marks that experience. Over time, these “failures” become the default neural expectation, even if consciously you want it to work.

Your subconscious starts expecting not to shift, because that’s what’s familiar.

Your excitement drops. You stop feeling newness.

The mind begins associating the act of "trying to shift" with frustration, not wonder.

-> Familiarity without success = subconscious resistance.

This is not your fault. It’s how the brain protects itself from disappointment. But the good news is, you can rewire it.

We see that the majority of people who have never shifted, have, for the most part, knew shifting for more than a year.

Why this happens

The dopaminergic system thrives on novelty and small wins.(In easier language your brain crave novelty and success)

If you always repeat the same methods without results, dopamine drops, motivation follows, and you enter a loop of expecting failure.

The prefrontal cortex, responsible for self-monitoring, becomes overactive with pressure and stress.

If you develop intrusive thoughts, impulse fears, or even OCD-like rituals, that’s your brain reacting to pressure by trying to control the uncontrollable.

This is a brain based reaction, not a character flaw.

This is also why I think many people shift by accident when they consciously stop trying it creates novelty, no pressure, no stress the level of cortisol and stress drastically descend. It also avoids self-checking since the person no longer seeks to check anything and it allows the thoughts to soften without intrusive thoughts about the fear of not shifting.

So how do we fix it?

1. Reintroduce Playfulness

Stop treating shifting like a test or a job. You're not failing school. You're exploring your own consciousness.

Do silly, creative daydreams

Make aesthetic moodboards or playlists for your DR

Write letters to your DR self

Imagine flying toast if that helps. No rules.

Joy = new neural plasticity and it will help you build new beliefs.

The more positive emotion you tie to the experience, the more likely your brain is to let you go deep at the key moment because you will break the negative loop.

Personally, I have mood boards and playlists.

2. Cut out guilt-based content

Let’s be real:

A lot of content out there is filled with toxic messages like:

> “If you didn’t shift, you didn’t want it bad enough.”

“You just didn’t believe hard enough.”

“It’s your fault. You're stuck in the victim mindset”

No. No. And no. That’s not how psychology, neuroscience or even spirituality works. Guilt is a terrible motivator for altered states. It triggers cortisol, not calm.

Unfollow what makes you feel like shit.

You don’t owe anyone a perfect journey.

3. Do shadow work to find the mental block

Ask yourself:

What does not shifting say about me?

What part of me believes I don’t deserve it?

Where did I learn to associate failure with identity?

These beliefs live in the subconscious, and until they’re seen, they’ll run the show.

Use:

Journaling

Hypnosis

Voice memos

Inner child work

You don’t need to heal everything to shift. You just need to create space

4. Relax the rituals

If you’re doing 37 affirmations, 5 meditations, a 45-minute audio loop, and re-writing your script daily… you’re probably exhausted.

Fun fact: over-ritualizing creates a false sense of control and often signals to your brain:

-> “This is hard. This is dangerous. We need to over-prepare.”

Try this instead:

Let your rituals become gentle routines

Do 10% of what you used to do

Take 1 night per week where you shift without any prep

Surprisingly, this works better for many people.

The majority of those who shift on command do not have a comprehensive or lengthy method

5. Shift your beliefs with hypnosis & Ccgnitive Work

Sometimes, it’s not your method. It’s your mental model.

Your brain may be caught in:

"I can’t shift because of X"

"It only works for other people"

"If I don't do it right, I'm stuck here forever"

These are cognitive distortions. And you can:

Use self-hypnosis or subliminals to implant new beliefs

Write counter-beliefs and repeat them with emotion

Reframe failure as data, not identity

6. Use audio That sparks curiosity, pot pressure

Instead of going for the “perfect frequency to force a shift,”

try soundscapes that make your brain go:

-> “Oooh… what’s that?”

That could be:

Low alpha or theta beats

Psychill, ambient or fantasy music

Natural sounds + suggestion layers Let it feel like exploration, not performance.

A playlist that make you think of your Dr

This frequency is super cool for that.

7. Tiny Wins Build Big Momentum

You don’t need to fully shift to celebrate:

Did you feel vibrations? Success.

Did you enter a trance? Huge.

Did you have a DR dream? You're syncing.

Did you feel excited again? That’s everything.

Each time you reward your brain for even small progress, you reprogram it to expect success. That’s where the magic begins. Start to treat your own journey like a game

You are not behind!

You are not broken!

You are not failing!

You'll get there and you'll see how it was all worth it.

You're unlearning stress, expectation, and inner noise. You're coming back to your own mind. To your playfulness. Your awe. Your joy. Start to gently trust yourself and the process again i know you can do it, don't let "not shifting" become a part of your identity because you are much more than that.

Shifting is not a punishment.

It’s not a race

[ficletwrittenatdawn]

It's absolutely 100% true because i refuse to believe there is universe where the first thing they thought was "yeah of course Rumi's dead mother hooked up with a demon that's the most resonable answer" like not happening.

But I think it's also problem with movie that i have all along. Which is very little lore and rules the world have.

Like i have a lot of questions about how killing demons work but it's not important right now because for us viewers it was obvious. Rumi IS half-demon end of discusion that we forgot that it's not that obvious in their world.

Also about whole reveal thing the worst thing that make betayal even worse is that girls KNEW there was something wrong and they TRIED to help, multiple times with diffrent strategies i would even say all possible. And in right order too.

First being easy i know you are stresed we are here for you

Then we don't know what wrong but you can talk to us

And the most direct aroach "what's wrong please tell us"

Last two can be switched cause i'm not sure what was first in movie but you know what i mean

And they do EVERYTHING they knew what could help because to them the problem was voice not some existensial guilt that literaly was eating Rumi up.

And that's where we talk about their reaction. We saw the hurt AND doubt and it was beautifull (i just like a little hurt) but i think we all know that drawing their weapons was the only logical thing to do. Cause they don't know how much of Rumi there is. God we don't know if they know how big controll Gwi-ma have against demons (aparently big for example flying lady he literaly telekinesis to himself) they don't know if she would attack them or not. Mira and Zoey in my opinion never wanted to attack Rumi it was for defence.

And second after Rumi run away. This shared look "what we are going to do know?". I think even if they thought they could save Rumi (of course it's all if we could assume it's possible because it was never explained) they couldn't done it because they always sing in TRIO it was always Rumi, Mira and Zoey and if there is any idk exorcism ritual they would need Rumi too. But it's more theory/headcanon than anything.

Mira and Zoey's first thoughts when they see Rumi's patterns were pure horror and self-loathing. Because there's only two ways they know of that Rumi could have them. Either Rumi made a deal with Gwi-Ma before even attempting to open up about her needs to them, or she's a demon imposter who's infiltrated their group for who knows how long. If the first, Rumi has betrayed them in the worst possible way, and how had they failed so much as friends to let her get to that point? If the second, how had they not noticed? How long had the human Rumi been gone? Was she dead? Had she been gone since before they ever met her and their entire friendship a ruse? Had she been taken from them just weeks ago and they'd been so caught up in their own woes they had even noticed?

Celine had been clear; there were only two ways a demon was created. Birth, or choice. They were never victims. You don't just grow patterns one day. It doesn't happen by accident.

Yet the demon wearing Rumi's face came to them pleading. Came to them in the midst of a panic attack, acting for all the world as if she should still be considered friend by the two of them. She was crying. As if she were the victim here.

The way Rumi was talking about fixing things, the way she had never acted like Not-Rumi like, the secrets she'd obviously hiding for a while: it became clear which way Rumi had gained the patterns. She'd betrayed them for a deal with Gwi-Ma. Why? What had she possibly needed that they couldn't have helped her with? She really turned to their sworn enemy first? Before even telling them she was hurting?

Then she shouted and it was demonic and the honmoon rippled. So much work and effort instantly ruined as the honmoon weakened.

She had made her choice. She chose to betray them. Now they had to make theirs, and they had to choose humanity.

She left them first. She chose to become their enemy. Even if they were assuming wrong, and she was actually a demon imposter, she'd chosen to manipulate their emotions and lied over and over and wasn't their friend.

As much as Mira and Zoey wished otherwise, wished it was all a mistake, they didn't know of any possibilities that could make Rumi an innocent in this. So they guarded their broken hearts with their weapons and waited for the fight that never ended up coming.

---

When Rumi came back singing and saving their lives, they had no clue what on earth was happening. But one thing was clear, Rumi was choosing them and to do good, despite her demons. She was letting them in for the first time in their lives, and they were going to trust that for now. Emotional and in-depth explanations could come later.

[legally-allowed-to-slime]

Came to a realization about Life Series Gem:

Because she goes into every series with the assumption that she is a target and that everyone wants her dead because of her supposed “reputation”, she can justify literally anything she does as being on the defense. She can lie and steal and manipulate and it’s fine because surely the people she’s doing it to want her dead. She can declare people enemies over minor infractions, claim to be the victim in situations where she or her team struck first, and it’s okay because she is already a target, right?

She’s also so obsessed with the idea that there must be rules to this thing. Someone else just posted something about this but Gem creates this idea of what’s supposed to happen in a Life Series (how alliances are supposed to treat each other, how enemies are supposed to treat each other, how to play a social game, how violent a different player should be based on how they played the game before **cough cough Pearl**) and even when literally ever other player don’t follow her ‘rules’ and don’t live up to those expectations, she’ll act like that’s a failure on their part. Clearly she’s playing the game the correct way and everyone else is crazy or pathetic or something.

And then there are the moments when she breaks ��character’ and openly admits that she knows that some of what she’s saying doesn’t make any sense. The two biggest instances of this are with Pearl in Secret Life and then Pearl again this last episode. In Secret Life, Gem admits that she knows Pearl and Scar were allied and that she wasn’t actually that mad about what Pearl did. But she has to hold that grudge because they’re Gem and Pearl and in Gem’s mind they were supposed to be allies above anything, right? So how could Pearl pick someone else? Even someone who was a member of her main alliance, someone who hadn’t been responsible for 2/3 of her deaths like Gem. Who cares that Gem had killed Pearl twice? Isn’t Pearl supposed to be loyal to Gem no matter what? And frankly Pearl does nothing to dispel that accusation because yeah, she was loyal to Gem even after Gem killed both times. If anything, she was her most loyal directly after joining the Boogey Army and after Gem brought her to red life (which is when murder camel happened). But Gem acts like she already expects that of course Pearl won’t be mad at her, she’s Pearl! So when Pearl then turns around and DOESNT let Gem take her third and final life, it’s breaking the rules. And again, Pearl doesn’t exactly prove her wrong when she spends the entire next series begging Gem to team up with her again, which Gem refuses because Pearl broke her rule and Pearl isn’t behaving the way Gem thinks Pearl should act (based a misconception of Pearl on a season Gem wasn’t even there for).

And then in this first episode of Past Life, Gem expressly says to Grian that Pearl will of course join them no matter what because she’s always willing to team with Gem. But when you watch Pearl’s pov, Gem later interrogates Pearl about whether or not she thinks their alliance will go well and seems unsure and insecure when Pearl insists that it will because Gem is always loyal, especially to her and Gem always wants to be on her team (we have a whole season of this not being the case but okay). It’s like Pearl is kinda projecting onto Gem there. And while Gem hums and haws, she doesn’t outright reject what Pearl says. Of course she kept none of that in her own POV which is very interesting, but it still signals to me that Gem is bluffing about how great she is at manipulating Pearl. She is so close to admitting that Pearl isn’t under her control, that she keeps breaking ‘the rules’ in a way Gem can’t predict.

YES ding ding ding we have a winner!!! gem’s desire to control the circumstances surrounding her and how everyone else perceives her (COUGH COUGH c!scott parallels COUGH who said that). she sets certain expectations and “rules”, as you said, that put her in a favourable light, and expects others to conform to them.

and you’re right about the fact that gem is self-aware that she is creating a situation where it’s her way or the highway, like in SL when she unreasonably expected pearl to ally with her, and then holds this over pearl’s head for all of WL so suddenly pearl is the one in the wrong.

of course pearl is the most obvious example because those two have a toxic and manipulative relationship (as god intended and may it never end), but this shows up in her interactions with other people. she makes etho scared of her and acts puzzled when he does, making it seem as if he just suddenly decided to be terrified of her of his own will. with people like imp and skizz, who are sort of fatherly figures to her, there’s this implicit “you have to be nice to me”. i don’t think gem dares to try it with cleo that much, but as we can see from her getting an ingot from cleo in session 1, gem’s building a foundation to ensure that she and cleo have an Understanding. and she basically already had scott wrapped around her finger, especially in WL, which technically means SHE is on top of the social game and not blue hair man as if popular opinion.

back to pearl, we know gem expects pearl to basically do everything she says. she’s not entirely wrong for this, because pearl… does… basically do everything she says. gem explicitly tells grian “pearl will join if i ask”, showing her awareness of her power over pearl which we’ve been knowing since WL (WL!gempearl was so deliciously toxic i loved it), so when pearl is an independent entity that doesn’t immediately agree to everything gem says (which happens rarely because my girl is down bad), gem’s anxious to overcompensate.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Quite A Few More Writing Notes for your Sex Scenes

Threesome - any sexual activity that happens between three people.

If you're used to engaging in sexual activity alone or with one partner, a threeway can take practice.

What if one person feels left out? Is it okay to be the center of attention?

Open communication—and great positions—are essential for a successful threesome.

Tips for Having a Successful Threesome

Set your intention. Take time to think about what you want to get out of the experience, especially if it’s your first threesome. Are you trying to fulfill a particular fantasy? Do you want to explore your own sexuality? Is something missing from your current sex life? Clarifying your desires will help you navigate the intricacies of a threesome.

Discuss with your partner in the right context. The idea of having a threesome might intimidate your partner at first or cause them to experience jealousy. Stay calm and explain the reasons why you are interested in having a threesome. Be sure that you are not using a threesome as a bandage for or distraction from an existing problem in the relationship. Adding another person to your sex life will only complicate any communication or sexual issues with your partner. Remember that your partner needs to make the decision for themselves—don’t try to convince them. If your partner is the one suggesting a threesome, make sure it’s something you are excited about as well. If it’s not, be honest and discuss other possibilities.

Find the right third person. Once you and your partner are on the same page, discuss potential lovers to introduce into the relationship. Perhaps you met an attractive stranger on an app date, or maybe you want to include your best friend. As long as you and your partner both feel a chemistry with the third person, you can take the next step by approaching them and extending an invitation. Keep your invitation fun and casual, but remember to be direct and clear.

Set boundaries and ground rules. After finding the right person for a threesome, the three of you should sit down to discuss boundaries and ground rules. Agree on which sex acts you all are comfortable performing and receiving. This includes anything from kissing to penetration to oral sex to BDSM play. Always make sure you have consent before engaging in any sexual activity. It’s important for all parties involved to discuss safe sex practices to avoid passing on any sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Decide whether or not you need to use condoms, gloves, or dental dams. Discuss with your partner if the third person is invited to sleep over or not. Once you’ve established boundaries and ground rules, set a date.

Get comfortable and enjoy. Create the right mood for your threesome. Light some candles, share a bottle of wine, and listen to some sexy music. Get comfortable with each other by talking and flirting. Once the sexual encounter begins, try a few different positions until you find the right one that works for all three of you. Keep lube close by, and use it often. Consider introducing sex toys into your threesome. The right sex toy can add an exciting element to the encounter and ensure that everyone is being stimulated the way they want. Be sure to clean your sex toys before sharing them. Remember that if you are feeling uncomfortable at any point, you can stop the sexual encounter immediately.

Debrief. After your threesome, be open with your sexual partners about what you enjoyed. Discussing the experience can help alleviate any jealousy or awkwardness. Once you and your partner are alone again, be honest about whether or not threesomes are something you want to make a regular part of your sex lives or if it was a one-time thing.

With the right partners and clear communication, a good threesome can be a way to explore your sexuality, reignite a connection with your long-term partner, and experience new forms of pleasure.

Some Threesome Sex Positions

These threesome sex positions will help you and your partners get the most out of your session.

Daisy chain: The daisy chain is similar to the sixty-nine position but with three people. Each participant lies on their side, performing oral sex on one other partner. The daisy chain also leaves your hands free for fingering your partner’s genitals or stroking their other erogenous zones.

Double cowgirl: Start in the cowgirl position, with one partner lying on their back and the second partner straddling them. The lying-down partner can penetrate or stimulate the straddling partner with a sex toy, finger, or penis. Then, add the third partner, who can ride the lying-down partner's face for some oral pleasure.

Double penetration: If at least one sexual partner has a vulva, a threesome can be a an opportunity to explore double penetration, or simultaneous vaginal and anal penetration. One way to execute double penetration is to have the person being penetrated kneel, while the other two partners configure themselves around them—one in front and one in back. You can use fingers, penises, strap-on dildos, or vibrators. Remember to wash any toys or body parts used for anal sex before inserting them anywhere else.

Group blowjob: If someone with a penis is participating in the threesome, have them stand while the two other partners kneel to perform a blow job. One partner can play with the shaft while the other focuses on the balls, perineum, or anus. The partners performing oral sex can also masturbate or stimulate each other with their hands.

The Eiffel Tower: In this penetrative sex position, all three partners stand. One person bends over so they can be penetrated from behind, vaginally or anally, by the second person. The third person stands in front of the first person to receive oral sex. You can also try this position kneeling.

Dry Humping - (also known as outercourse, frottage, or dry sex) a non-penetrative sexual activity in which a person grinds against another person or object to elicit pleasure.

The sexual activity serves multiple functions: an alternative to penetrative sex, a form of masturbation, and a foreplay option.

For penis owners, dry humping offers pleasurable friction, while vulva owners receive clitoral stimulation from the grinding motion.

While straddling is the most prominent dry humping position, you can perform the activity using various positions and angles.

Tips to Improve Your Dry Humping Sessions

Dry humping is a non-penetrative sexual technique that anyone can perform, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of outercourse:

Wear the right garments. For vulva owners, the thinner the barrier between the clitoris and the external stimulus (like a partner’s body or a vibrator), the stronger the sensation. If you’re anticipating a dry humping session, wear thinner fabrics on either end of the compression spectrum, from silk to spandex. For penis owners, the friction from the sexual activity heightens pleasure, so wear jeans or bottoms made from thicker materials for your session.

Incorporate foreplay. Foreplay and dry humping can be a powerful duo, especially if your goal is to achieve orgasm. Before you begin your dry humping session, set the mood by lighting candles, and playing sexy music. A sensual environment makes you and your partner more comfortable to explore other forms of foreplay. Enjoy a long makeout session; kissing triggers the release of chemicals in your brain like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, giving you a sense of euphoria.

Practice safe dry humping. Exchanging bodily fluids (secretions or ejaculate) is still possible when dry humping, depending on your state of undress. If you’re trying dry humping with a new partner, discuss using prophylactics before your session to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or even pregnancy (ejaculation can seep through some materials).

Try different positions. While the straddle position is the most commonly associated with dry humping, you can perform the sexual activity in various positions, including standing, missionary, and scissoring. For vulva owners, the optimal dry humping position capitalizes on clitoral stimulation. For penis owners, friction is key, so grinding in the opposite direction of your partner is a great way to heighten pleasure. Get creative with different angles, speed, and pressure to find the most effective position.

Dry Humping Positions

Dry humping can be a highly effective path to sexual pleasure and orgasm. Here are a few of the most common positions for outercourse:

Straddle: By straddling a partner, piece of furniture, or a sex toy like a vibrator, vulva owners can control the speed and intensity of the pressure on the clitoris and better direct sensations across the entire vulva. Reverse the position to better free up your hands for fingering, massaging, or light touching.

Missionary: The missionary position is commonly associated with penetrative sex, but it can also elicit maximum pleasure when dry humping. For this position, one partner lies on their back while the other situates themselves on top, facing their partner. This position also makes for an easy transition from dry humping to oral sex, if both parties consent.

Standing: A standing dry hump is perfect for fans of doggy style, a position in which one partner rests on their hands and knees (or elbows) while the other partner is positioned behind them. For the standing position, choose a wall or surface for your partner to lean against, then begin rubbing into them, using different angles and pacing. While in this position, kissing your partner’s neck, shoulders, or earlobes can induce pleasure.

Scissoring: Scissoring refers to a sexual technique in which a vulva owner rubs their vulva against their partner’s body for sexual pleasure. While scissoring is typically associated with queer women or lesbian relationships, anyone can practice the technique, regardless of their genitalia, gender identity, or sexual preferences. In the scissoring position, partners lie side-by-side and intertwine their limbs as they grind—perfect for applying pressure to either genital area.

Wall Sex

Scope out your surroundings. Before engaging in sex with your partner against a wall, you want to be mindful of your surroundings. Make sure there's nothing on the wall that could hurt you or your partner, like a picture frame, shelf, or a stray nail. Choose a wall that will be a comfortable surface for you or your partner to lay against—rougher materials like concrete and brick could get uncomfortable. Wall sex can require a lot of physical effort, so consider choosing a space with a table or counter nearby, which you can use for extra leverage if you get tired.

Enjoy foreplay. Once either you or your partner are safely and comfortably against the wall, you can both enjoy some foreplay. Consider making out, dry humping, or stimulating your partner’s erogenous zones with your tongue and fingers. The giving partner can even kneel in front of the receiving partner, and use the wall as a surface to perform oral sex.

Use your hands to your advantage. You want to use the wall to give yourself leverage when you’re having wall sex because it can be physically demanding. If you’re the giving partner, you can lift the receiving partner up by shifting your bodyweight towards the wall, or using your hands to maintain that tight pressure against the wall.

Add extra support. To help prevent fatigue or injury during a physically demanding session of wall sex, consider using a sex swing or a stool to help support you or your partner’s weight.

Make friction your friend. During wall sex, make sure both partners’ pubic bones are level and free to grind up against one another for extra pleasure. Specifically for vulva-owners, this kind of sex can help with clitoral stimulation.

Wall Sex Positions

A few positions that lend themselves well to having sex against a wall.

Doggy-style to the wall: This doggy-style variation requires the receiving partner to stand facing the wall. The receiving partner can either bend over so their torso is parallel to the floor, or stand up so that their back is against the giving partner’s chest.

Against-the-wall oral: To execute this variation on oral sex, the receiving partner stands with their back against the wall while the giving partner kneels in front of them, at the level of their pelvis.

Standing missionary: Standing missionary involves both partners standing facing each other, with one partner’s back against the wall. As the giving partner penetrates the receiving partner against the wall, the receiving partner can wrap one or both legs around their partner's hips, so they're suspended in the air. If you go for the second option, the giving partner must be strong enough to support their partner’s body weight to avoid injury.

Stool sex: Using a stool is an easy way to help you both stay in the moment and enjoy your sexual experience without focusing on balancing and supporting body weight. Place a stool up against the wall, and have the receiving partner sit on it so their back is flush against the wall, with the giving partner facing them. The receiving partner can open their legs and tilt their waist slightly up towards the giving partner, who can prop one hand against the wall for balance while using the other hand to grab their partner. The receiving partner can also wrap their legs around the giving partner's buttocks to increase friction.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[lush-escape]

A Seal Upon Thine Heart

Chapter 2

pairing: knight!Jason Todd x princess!reader wc: 1.2k a/n: i honestly didn't plan to make this a series but uh... here tf we are i guess bc i don't know when to shut the fuck up and i have plaaaaans for this baby

Chapter 1

The weather around the kingdom is beginning to warm the next time you find free time to run away to the meadow with Jason. The wildflowers that surround the carved tree bed , the one he had carved for you with his own two hands, are in full bloom in a colorful array. Bees buzz along from flower to flower, butterflies weave between the weeds. The air is still cool but the sun warms your skin in an instant.

“Jason,” You call his name. Always using his proper name, it was rare to hear it coming from anyone else. And the way you said it always made him fall in love with you even more. The way you spoke to him like he was a person instead of a shield or weapon to be used and forgotten about.

You're sitting on the bed with Jason's head in your lap, your fingers running through his dark hair. His eyes are closed as he feels comfortable enough, safe enough with you to let his guard down for just a few minutes.

“Yes, Princess?” He responds in a tired voice. A long morning of training the new results in the barracks before guarding - coupled with the warmth that's surrounding the two of you like a comfortable blanket - has begun to lull him into a lazy slumber in your lap.

How voice is low and raspy, a rumble from deep in his chest, but still fully attentive to you. You smile down at him. The sun shines on his scarred cheek and it makes your heart thump.

“You're quite handsome, did you know that?” Jason turns a vibrant pink and he crosses his arms over his chest. His eyebrows knit together as he frowns.

“Don't speak lies, it's unbecoming of a princess. Unlady-like. Your father would have your tongue if he heard you speaking to me that way.” He mumbles and you laugh lightly at his reaction. You let a comfort silence fall over you both as Jason gets his heart back under control.

“Jason… What do you know of the Metropolis Kingdom?” You ask quietly.

And suddenly there's a shift in the air around you. You feel as Jason stiffens in your lap. He's fully awake now and he opens his eyes slowly - they're dark and narrowing.

“Not a lot.” His answer is calculated, he doesn't want to say too much and frighten you. “I know the king that rules the land is a maniac. Metropolis used to be a beautiful kingdom. Not many criminals or prisoners or executions. But not anymore. His son, Prince Alexander, is worse.” He scoffs.

You purse your lips together.

“I heard Father speaking to Mother this morning at breakfast when you were training. They are considering inviting them for the May Day celebration.” You inform him. Jason sits up making your eyes widen at the sudden reaction.

“What? Why? I haven't heard anything about guests. The King and Queen, they always keep the guards informed of any guests.” He questions you. The words spew out of his mouth in a haste. You can see the confusion, the panic, in his eyes.

“I- I haven't a clue.” You answer honestly. You watch as Jason runs a hand through his hair. He sighs deeply before he lets his fears melt away.

“We should get back to the palace-”

“No, I want to stay here.” You pout. Jason does this regularly. Cutting your already short visits even shorter when something mildly upsetting happens. He falters and you soften. “Please,” you beg quietly, “I want to stay here. With you.”

Your hand finds his and Jason looks down as you lace your soft delicate fingers with his thick calloused ones. He's sure his heart stops beating. He knows he needs to get you back home before anything happens, he also wants to get answers to his burning questions. But the way you look at him, the way you ask so nicely, he knows he's going to have a hard time saying no to you.

“Princess…” Jason's voice is low, a soft warning to not push his decision. “It's my duty to keep you safe.”

You open your mouth to speak up and argue but he cuts you off easily, almost like it's second nature to him now to predict how you'll try to get him to change his mind.

“And out of trouble.”

You exhale with a small frown. You know he’s right and you hate it.

“Now… may we?” his voice softens and he raises his eyebrows in question. You let out a reluctant breath of agreement.

“We may.” Your tone is begrudging as you roll your eyes to the side and your frown turns into a pout. Jason lets himself smile at your attitude and stands, your hand still in his.

He begins to lead you through the meadow where a path has slowly been flattened into the flowers by the two of you. 

“Jason,” you finally say, breaking the tense silence as your attitude melts away. You swing Jason's hand between the two of you, slow and soft. He hums in response.

“You will be my knight for as long as I live, yes?” You ask. You made the question sound so innocent but Jason's chest felt like it was being sat on.

“Of course, Princess.” He answers with his eyes focused on the green grass in front of him. “I will protect you until my last breath. Nothing will stop me.” He's resolute with his answer, so certain, so sure.

“And what if I am married off and move to a different palace? You will leave your family - your brothers - and follow me?” With the talk of a prince coming to visit with his family during a celebration like May Day you have begun to think of the endless possibilities of what it could mean.

Jason's hand tightens on yours, his face hardens, eyes set. He stops dead in his tracks and turns you to face him. His eyes are locked on yours. The moment turns heavy, serious. You swallow, your breath catches in your throat as his free hand reaches up to cup your cheek.

God, the thought of you marrying someone else has Jason almost shaking with rage and jealousy. He knows he can never be with you, not in the way he wishes or the way that you wish as well, and he hates having to be reminded of that harsh reality.

“It is my sworn duty to protect you, Princess. To keep you safe. Nothing will stop me from fulfilling those duties. I promise you that. Do you understand me?” Jason's devotion to you ran so deeply it was carved into his soul.

You feel the way your heart races at his declaration, the way he is vowing his life to you again - the same way he did all those years ago when he was appointed as your knight. When you two were strangers, quiet and shy around each other like children. 

“I understand.” You respond in a whisper. Slowly your hand comes to cover his on your cheek.

The setting sun casts a yellow glow around Jason making him look ethereal and all you can do is stare at him with awe struck eyes, like he was the only thing in the world that matters to you.

“Please,” Jason whispers, “do not look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I mean something to you. Like I am worthy of you.”

taglist: @vellichor01 @tinasdcstuff @delulupunk @thy-crimson-king

[cloverapple]

@stargirlsblogging so sorry to put you on the spot like this, but I need space to reply + you brought up a good point 😮‍💨💚

“If It’s an Illusion, How Do You Break That Illusion to See Your DR?”

First, let’s set the baseline:

Creation is finished. You already did the action that creates—be it intending, scribbling affirmations until your wrist went numb, running methods on loop, thinking about shifting until your skull ached—you did the thing. Creation is finished. That’s it.

So when you ask, “What else do I need to do to break the illusion so I can see my DR?” you’re already in illusion territory, because you’re assuming there’s still something left to do, some next step, some final piece you must prove or unlock before you can “break” it.

That’s the illusion.

Illusions (in this context) = The continuity rules, the “laws” you’ve internalized, the assumption that you must earn your desire, that shifting takes effort, that there’s a “how” or “when.” Illusions are the rules your mind clings to because it’s addicted to linear cause-and-effect—except it doesn’t realize that the real cause-and-effect is instantaneous: “I did the thing, so I have the thing.”

So automatically, you’re contradicting yourself, which makes no sense!

So how do you actually break the illusion? You see it for what it is:

It makes zero sense that you would still see your CR right now if you’ve created your DR.

That’s where it starts to crumble. All the old logic—“obviously I’m still here,” “I must be failing,” “if I’m the creator why the hell am I still in my CR”—gets exposed for the nonsense it is. Because if you did the thing, then it’s done, and the only explanation left if you’re “still” seeing your CR is: “No, the fuck I’m not.”

🍀 You questioning what more needs to be done? Illusion.

🍀 You spiraling over “wtf do I do now, I’m confused”? Illusion.

🍀 You wondering “why hasn’t it happened yet”? Illusion.

Are you wrong for wavering, doubting, or spiraling? NO! Give yourself grace. You’re not broken for “contradicting assumptions.” The point is that even in the middle of your “BUT BUT BUT BUT” meltdown, you already have your desire. Your only job is to acknowledge how ridiculous it is that you would have anything else, and sit with that fact.

You know those stories people tell: “Eh, I just said fuck it, pretended I was already in my DR, and then I woke up there.” That’s literally it. That’s the “how.”

And like I’ve said before: the moment you accept it’s done, the “how” stops mattering. It can come however it comes—waking up in your DR with zero fanfare, slipping through a lucid dream, sliding through a method that finally clicks. Doesn’t matter. The delivery system isn’t your concern.

Your mind will throw “continuity” nonsense at you because your ego clings to the belief that it can’t be that easy, that there’s always something else to do, some test to pass. Cool. Don’t fight your ego! Show it the proof so it can’t argue:

🍀 Did you intend to shift? Yes.

🍀 Did you take any action that implies shifting? Yes.

🍀 Did you spend months/years doing said action? (Shifting attempts) FURTHER PROOF.

🍀 Creation is finished? Yes.

🍀 So it’s done. It’s yours. No takebacks. Done.

So will your questioning, spiraling, or “contradicting assumptions” stop you from shifting? No. No no no no no no, never.

As long as you recognize that it’s already done and and it cannot be taken from you, you will shift.

Let me put this in the language this community likes to use:

You think that if you assume something, and then assume the opposite, you’ve ruined everything. You think that if you assume “I can’t shift,” you’ve now locked yourself into a reality where you can’t shift. You think that any negative assumption about yourself means you’re delaying your desire. That’s not how it works, that’s an illusion.

You Can Still Shift/Manifest If You Waver, Check the 3D, Doubt, and Have Contradicting Assumptions. None of It Matters

Actually, what if I said I want you to waver, to check for proof, to crash out crying that you “haven’t shifted yet” because you “don’t have your desire”? Wild, right?

1) I encourage you to waver, because once you realize it doesn’t matter, you’ll catch yourself mid-waver and go—“wait, this doesn’t even make sense” and it’ll reinforce that you already have your desire, if anything.

Why would wavering delay your desires, if you’re the source? Why would contradicting assumptions matter if, once you do the action, you have the outcome? If intention is cause and you’re the observer that makes it so, then wavering is just background noise, never the thing that decides what’s yours.

2) I encourage you to check for proof—not because you need to, but because if there’s proof to see, why wouldn’t you look? Why wouldn’t you let yourself feel the thrill of confirmation? The proof is that you did the thing. You decided, you intended, you took the action—so the effect must exist, because cause and effect is all your mind has ever known. You cannot do ABC and not have XYZ. It’s impossible.

3) And I encourage you to crash out, to spiral on your bathroom floor at 3 AM about how you “haven’t shifted yet” or “don’t have your desire yet,” because it’s in that crash and burn that you’ll see how ridiculous and impossible it is. That you—who poured decision, action, and weeks/months/ years of intention into this, could somehow not be the master shifter you already are?

Could somehow not have your desire?

Not be in your DR? It’s insane. It’s impossible. It’s weird.

And you need to notice how weird and uncanny it is. Because that’s the crack in the illusion. That’s the moment you blink and realize:

“Oh! It’s an illusion!”

What Are Illusions?

By illusion, I don’t mean the rainbow spiders you see on shrooms, or the whole “put your hand through glass because glass isn’t real” trick (I mean, I do, but that’s a conversation for another time).

What I mean is: it’s all an illusion tied to the laws you think this reality runs on—continuity, time, linear cause-and-effect, “realistic” expectations. These laws are just the house rules of a dream you forgot you’re lucid in. You assume that because yesterday looked a certain way, today will follow, and tomorrow will play the same song. You think your five senses are the final gatekeepers of truth, that the consistency of waking up in the same bed means “this is real,” that seeing the same face in the mirror means “this is me.”

But these are illusions of consistency. Illusions of repetition. Illusions that make you think you haven’t shifted, that you don’t have your desire, that you aren’t the source.

Because when you zoom out—like really zoom out—you realize these “laws” only bind you if you agree to play by them. And when you realize that, the whole “If I waver, I don’t shift” narrative becomes laughable, because it doesn’t even make sense under the truth of what you are.

Put simply:

• Intention (cause) results in the experience (effect) within awareness.

• The appearance of “no change” is just the illusion of continuity tied to how your awareness filters perception, not a true counter-proof that the cause-effect did not occur.

And from that place, it doesn’t matter if you waver, doubt, check, contradict, spiral, or affirm “I can’t shift”. None of it has ever mattered. Because it can’t. And that’s how you wake up.

I don’t know if I’m losing my mind, but the more I sit with this, the more I pick at it, the more it unravels. Circumstances, negative thoughts, wavering, checking your reality, contradicting assumptions—all of it starts to look absurd under the harsh, irrefutable light of what’s actually true.

Because if you are awareness—and you are—then everything flows from that awareness. Strip away awareness, and nothing remains. Take awareness away, and you are no longer aware of reality. Reality cannot exist without awareness.

You live and breathe because you are aware of it. Take that away, and do you exist?

Whether you believe you are THE creator or A creator, it doesn’t matter. You are the source, you are awareness, so you create everything. You are the creator, the source, the god of reality, whatever you want to call it.

And if we look at cause and effect—or call it decision, observation, assumption, whatever label you want—if I decide to do something, and I take the action, even if that action is simply affirming “I am in my DR,” there must be an effect because of that cause. The effect is that I shifted. I intended, I did, so it is. It’s impossible for it to be otherwise.

You can’t intend to do something, do it, and then not have it. Action is intention, and intention is action. And if you are the source, then wherever your observation goes, your awareness follows, and that’s the reality you’re living. It’s all in your awareness.

And that alone is the proof. The proof is that you did it. The proof is in the intention, the action, the decision, the observation, the assumption. So automatically, you MUST be in your DR, you MUST have your desire, because the cause is there, so the effect is there. You did the thing, so you have the thing. Full stop.

And if the question is, “Okay, if I’m in my DR because I decided and took the action, why am I not seeing it?”—the answer is: you are seeing it. You are. It doesn’t matter if your plan was to be in your DR already or have the ability to shift to it on command, YOU HAVE IT ALREADY.

“But my reality is that I’m still in my CR right now,” or “but my reality is that I still can’t shift no matter how hard I try.”

No. It’s an illusion. If you intended to have your desire, you have it because intention is action, and there cannot be action without an outcome.

The outcome cannot be that you failed, because you did not intend to fail

Your CR is an illusion layered on top of whatever your desire is. You’re not seeing it. It can’t be real, not if the cause has already created the effect. If you’re seeing your current reality, it’s illusion, illusion, illusion.

If you “don't have your desire right now” it’s an illusion BECAUSE you already have it. It’s not real.

Of course, you can explain it a million ways—“you’re observing not being there,” “you’re identifying with the one who hasn’t shifted,” “you still need to work for it a little more,” “Your assumptions are that you can’t shift so just change your assumptions”

Those explanations can be comforting, but they all collapse the second you go back to the irrefutable truth:

And the source is this: if you decide to do something and you take action (intention) to do it, you can’t not have the thing.

“But what if I failed—”

YOU CANNOT FAIL. YOU CANNOT CREATE FAILURE IF YOU DID NOT INTEND TO CREATE FAILURE.

Having the thing doesn’t always look like holding the end result in your hand immediately. You have it because you took action. You intended to shift, you did your method, you did your process, you assumed you would shift, you rolled over and went to sleep after saying “I’ll wake up in my DR.”

So you have shifted. It’s impossible not to.

And when you take this in fully, you see it: wavering, negative assumptions, all the noise—they’re illusions. None of it matters. They’re background static, clinging to a dying continuity that has no power over you anymore.

If I’m lying in bed at night, saying, “I’m shifting to my DR, I am in my DR,” I took the action, so I should have the thing. Any wavering, any “but I don’t see it,” is illusion. It can’t be real, because you already created it. Every bit of noise that shows up—“I’m not there yet,” “I can’t shift”—is illusion, illusion, illusion.

Wavering, contradicting yourself, doubting—yeah, all of that props up the illusion, sure. But none of it touches the fact that what’s done is done. If you intend to have your desire—by any action, whether it’s a split-second decision, a method, or months of trying—you already have it.

So even the “contradicting assumptions” like “obviously I don’t have my desire” are flimsy at best. Because under the larger observation—understanding that you did the thing, so now you have the thing—it doesn’t matter. It can’t matter. The noise of contradiction doesn’t override the fact that you claimed it, and so it’s yours.

And once you see it for what it is, you can’t unsee it.

It doesn’t matter if you spiral at 3 AM whispering “I’ll never shift.”

It doesn’t matter if you open your eyes every morning and think “Guess I’m still here.”

It doesn’t matter if you side-eye the 3D and think “Obviously, I don’t have it.”

None of it matters. Not the doubts, not the contradictions, not the bad days you think ruined everything. They’re background noise. They’re illusions. You’re still getting what you decided on.

So yeah, go ahead and waver. Have as many negative thoughts and contradicting assumptions as you want. But know this:

The moment you truly understand that nothing—no dumb rules and restrictions—can stop you from having your desire because they are ILLUSIONS that don’t even make sense.… this will be you, mid-waver:

[legalandnotease]

"Sam is Working with the government, not for the government": A Rebuttal

Sam Stans often claim Sam is working "with" not "for" the government. The main basis for this claim is that he's not taking orders from them.

Yet, in Brave New World Isaiah Bradley and even Torres say Sam would have to take orders directly from Ross. Everyone associated with Sam realized this. Sam himself realized this: he directly said he'd be obligated to obey Ross.

So why do Sam Stans insist the contrary? Part of it is cognitive dissonance and denial. Not wanting to admit the implications of Sam being subject to Ross.

Sam Stans often point to individual acts of disobedience as "evidence" Sam isn't beholden to the government. Yet there's a problem with this. Sam either engages in these acts secretly, or when Ross is incapacitated. He has to go behind Ross back or wait until he's unable to do anything because he won't be able to get away with it otherwise.

It is a little bit like breaking the rules when your boss is away. This doesn't mean the rules don't exist, or that you are not subject to them. It simply means there is nobody to enforce them and punish you for breaking them. This is what is happening with Sam.

In Brave New World, it's clear that Sam’s current setup allows him to work alongside the government while also maintaining his independence.

This first claim is also frequently made and comes from this post. It is interesting how closely this resembles Tony Stark's position in Captain America: Civil War. Stark maintained that the Avengers could sign the Accords but still retain their independence.

Like Sam Stans, Tony fans often point to instances Tony broke the Accords and wasn't punished for it as "proof" Tony's claim was true. The problem with this is that Tony was in a unique position of wealth and privelege. This allowed him to buy or bribe his way out of trouble when other characters could not.

Tony could sign the Accords and then ignore them because nobody could hold him to account for breaking them. He was untouchable. Nobody else had this privelege. Which is why this remark from the linked post is so interesting.

The exact details are unclear, it seems that his base is probably either a generous donation or that he’s worked out some agreement, which makes sense because he is Captain America.

The "details are unclear" because this is a headcanon. Brave New World makes it very clear Sam would be totally beholden to Ross, but the last part of this remark is what I want to focus on. The op is clearly aware that Sam's position as Captain America affords him certain priveleges. (Priveleges which FTR Steve Rogers didn't have...) but they don't want to consider the possibility this allows Sam exercize political influence and use underhanded methods.

If Sam has political influence, it means he's more closely tied to the government than the Sam Stans dare to admit. This is in fact he case: in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, for example, Sam is running missions for the military but can also be heard bragging about how he can get people pardons.

The US military are of course funded and controlled by the government. To get someone a pardon. Sam would have to have *considerable* influence with various people in the government and the legal system.

But there's more. There's a scene in Brave New World which previously made no sense to me, but now does. Remember that several people were mind controlled to try and assassinate President Ross? They were all sent to the same Prison to await trial but someone got in and murdered them before this could happen. Except Isaiah Bradley, who was conveniently moved just in time.

The reason this didn't make sense was because Sam was tipped off that such a thing could happen. Yet it seemed he did nothing with that information. Except... he did. There was a shot showing Ruth answering her phone. Sam made sure that Bradley was moved, but let the other mind control victims be killed.

This level of favoritism here is staggering. Sam was prepared to allow other people to be killed as long as his friend was safe. He did not even bother to try and save everyone: only the person that mattered to him. Which reflects terribly on him not just as a person, but as Captain America.

In other words, Sam has influence. He can use it as and when he pleases in ways that he wants, and can get away with things other people can't. In other words: Sam is corrupt.

There's one final remark in the linked article which merits consideration. The op refers to non-profit organizations recieving funding from the government and supposedly only using them for projects which "align with the organization's vision". He says that

"So whilst the money comes from the government, it doesn't feel as much like a situation of working for them as much as for them as with them, like Sam does"

This is an extremely naive attitude, or else one based in denial. Government funding isn't free. it comes with certain obligations and expectations. There are always strings attached. Funding has to be applied for, and governments generally only approve funding for organizations which align with their policies or do things they want: the moment this changes, the funding is withdrawn.

No matter how it "feels", organizations in receipt of government funding are beholden to the the government to a greater or lesser extent.

All the above serves as evidence Sam isn't working with or for the government. He's *part* of the government. He's literally a member of the corrupt establishment, just like Tony Stark was before him.

Note that in Civil War Steve didn't just throw away the shield: he also lost his role and status as Captain America. He was known as Nomad for 2 years. This is because it is not possible to be Captain America *and* be in open defiance of the government.

Unlike Steve Rogers, who consisently and openly defied government dictats even if it meant giving up his rank and status of Captain America, losing funding, or becoming a fugitive, Sam accepts them.

Sam became a government employee from the moment he picked up a set of wings and especiallly the Shield. (Which is after all "government property" as Natasha said in Civil War). Although he disagreed with the Accords, his actions in Civil War were more due to his desire to help Steve then anything else.

Its possible that after recieving a pardon following the events of Endgame, everything Sam lost in Civil War made him determined to never defy the government again. or simply that his new role as Captain America ave him more breathing room.

He didn't have have the same black mark against him as Steve after all: 2 years as a fugitive for defying the Accords and helping the Winter Soldier. He could say he'd been roped into all that, and the Accords being repealed helped. As did Bucky being pardoned and Ross snapped as well.

We do know that after Endgame he retained his contacts within the government and military, allowing him to access resources and exercize leverage. Furthermore, his status as a member of the elite, who never challenges the government in a meaningful way allows him to get away with small acts of disobedience. Provided he toes the line overall, and only recruits "respectable" people of course.

[colossrat]

Marvel is stressbaking

Miss Marvel (Mary) with her lunchbox, not at all happy: Yay, brownies again…

Kid Flash: You don't want it??? They look delicious, why are u sad???

Mary Marvel: Sure, i mean, yes, they are delicious. It's just that I've been eating nothing but bakery stuff all month. Ever since the League and Fawcett problems started happening at the same time, Caps is so anxious and stressed that he is baking nonstop in his free time…

Kid Flash: So... Want my sandwich for those brownies?

Anyway, Kid Flash will gossip with Flash about Marvel's stress baking situation, Flash will tell Hal that Marvel is really anxious right now because hes not really taking time off and is using the kitchen to relieve stress. And Hal will gossip with Superman that Marvel is so tired of so many problems that hes stressbaking so hard that his whole family has diabetes right now

Of course, Superman will say the same to Trinity, and they'll call a meeting to talk about how good it is to take breaks, to stop for a while when everything gets overwhelming, and to let the league know why they are a team

In the end, Captain Marvel says, "Yes, yes, I totally agree"

Superman: Oh, really…? You agree that those with bad workaholic habits should take a break?

Marvel: Yes! Of course, we are a team, we will continue to be here to protect people so that those who need it can rest without worries!

Batman: "we"?

Marvel: Yes, indeed. I know Superman was being very subtle, but I think everyone here knows that a break would help you a lot, Mr. Batman!

Wonder Woman: Actually, we called this meeting to persuade you to take a break, brother. But now that you mention it, rest would do great things for both of you

Marvel: Yeah! --Um, actually, excuse me? Me? I don't need a break. I don't get tired

Batman: Even if you're not physically tired, everyone gets overwhelmed by constant work

Marvel: Does that include you?

Batman: No

Marvel: Yeah, I'm not taking a break. I'm fine, guys! I don't even know where you got that, that i needed a break

Flash: You may look fine, but we know that when you're at home, you cant stop stressbaking to a point where your family can't even think about sugar anymore!

Wonder Woman: You're one of the most dedicated members of the League. You always show up for your monitor duties, you never ask anyone else to take over, in fact, you're one of those who always accepts to cover for others

Superman added: At one point, we had to make a rule to limit the number of monitor duties someone could take. You pulled almost a week of night shifts in a row!

Marvel looked a little embarrassed by that.

Marvel: Well, what can I say? I enjoy what I do… yeah, okay, it's been a lot lately. With league obligations, Fawcett has some new villains, drug gangs, and drug trafficking to keep an eye on… And I also help Zoom (Darla) and Circuit (Eugene) with the housework… I walk Thunder(Pedro) to his baseball practices and games… I deal with Junior (Freddy's) school problems… and I've been wanting to go shopping for new clothes with Miss (Mary) for a while now… I also got a new job… a civilian job… on top of the freelance work I started to help with the bills…

JL:

Marvel: actually i think I'll take a break. Yeah, it's not as bad as it could be

JL:

Marvel: But only If Batman takes a week to rest too!!

Just to recap some of the hcs here.

Billy is 15 years old and was homeless like all the other kids (except Mary, who lives with the Brombofiled)

The kids were adopted, and Billy still keeps in touch

He visits Darla and Eugene's backyard to chat and help with their homework with Solomon's wisdom.

He walks with Pedro to practice and never misses a game.

He waits for Freddy after school every day to defend him from bullies if they try anything

And occasionally hangs out with Mary as civilians to keep in touch with his sister

He works as a freelancer selling photos for the Whiz and was recently hired as an internthere too. Now he's even have a roof!! and a kitchen and money to bakestress, always making and sharing desserts with his siblings

[vijigenshin]

Venti headcanon alphabet!

Kinda important note? I do like following Canon closely for these so while they are definitely heacanons, to me these are closer to educated guesses ^^

A-nger: How do they handle their anger?

Venti handles anger with grace 99 percent of the time. The only times we see him 'give into' anger, or even just annoyance feels deliberate. Like I refuse to believe he'd let slip to Diluc that he's "way older than him" (paraphrasing a direct quote from the quest where we steal the holy lyre) in such a dire situation just because he got mildly annoyed by being told he looks too young to drink.

I think Mondstatd and or it's citizens itself would have to be in severe danger to actually piss him off, and even then I definitely think Venti goes full Barbatos mode and just silently deals with the threat. His anger turns into determination very quickly.

B-etter: How have they, or how would they go about bettering themselves?

This is a question that depends on what exactly happened during the cataclysm on Khaenr'iah.

Under the assumption and my personal theory that Venti had little choice in participating in Khaenr'iah, which is implied through a few different things.

Zhongli's contract with celestial in regards to the cataclysm, a contract that makes it so he cannot speak on the matter at all, and which seems to take HEAVY advantage of Zhongli's role as the archon of contracts and therefore implies he might have been in someway coerced into said contract.

Venti's subtle but active dislike(distain) for celestia, referenced in a voiceline when Traveler asks abt it.

And the unspoken inability for the archon to go against their stated epithets. Throughout Genshin the archons time and time again for whatever reason seem to be unable to go against their secondary epithets/title.

Zhongli agrees to and stays true to contracts even when breaching them would be more beneficial in the long run.

Ei adhered to the concept of eternity even when it was actively hurting her people and she only stopped when her concept of eternity was redefined as opposed to giving up on eternity whole sale.

Nahida gave up the gnosis in exchange for wisdom/knowledge even though she actively despised Dottore.

If we assume the archons can't go against one of their own key principles, then Venti as the archon of Freedom would never support much less participate in the calamity of Khaenr'iah. I could see him maybe not getting involved, but I can also see him wanting Monatadt to be truly free from all rule, which would include celestia. If anything Venti would want to fight with Khaenr'iah.

Unless Venti was forced.

Celestia is incredibly powerful, and we know by the celestial nails AND the heavenly principles that they have no problem imposing their power onto entire nations. I genuinely believe that celestia threatened Mondstatd in some way, likely by using Venti's own title against him by threatening a forced monarchy onto Monstadt.

I honestly don't think Venti would participate in the cataclysm willingly. I think the closest you'd get is him participating without goading from celestia, but still being motivated by fear of what they'd do to Mondstadt.

Regardless on if you believe my take or not, I think in Canon we see Venti bettering himself. I think his disapproval of celestia and the implications of him willingly giving Singora his gnosis (only pretending to protect himself) is enough to tell us he stands with the Tsarista, who is motivated by the fall of Khaenr'iah in some way, and is seemingly collecting the gnosis to inevitably wage war against celestia.

I think regardless on if he willingly participated or not, I think Venti feels very guilty, and is doing all he can to support the inevitable war whilst also keeping Monstadt safe.

C-hange: How much have they changed? Is it for the better or worse?

This one is really odd to answer since we don't have a full picture on how the archons as a whole used to be.

I don't think that as much as people joke about Venti being lazy, ditzy, and an all around absent archon that he DID start out that way. He was a wind spirit, just a little whisp guy as jovial and free from responsibility as can be. I think the Venti persona we currently get is a reflection on how he started out and how he wishes he could truly be.

D-aily: What’s their daily routine?

We actually get a tiny Canon glimpse of this in his birthday art!

Where he has a house... or an apartment...

Ok I know I said I followed Canon but this is one of two Canon features I do not engage with out if pure selfish indulgence.

In my world view the bard does not have a house dammit.

Anyway.

Venti doesn't have a routine, he literally and figuratively goes with the wind. Sometimes he wakes up at 5 am, others it's 5 pm. He does always make a point to give Mondstadt a look over at least once a day, just to make sure everything is alright. He also always does his braids, it used to be a sacred point for him, but the longer he spent in the nameless band's body the more he just accepted it as his own body in multiple ways, so now he does his braids mostly out of habit.

Tries to talk with Dhalia once a week, tries to drink once a week, but neither are fully concrete.

Might do more of this ltr, might not. Yell at me if there's spelling mistakes pls.

[preemptivejustice]

Arthur’s breath left him in a rush, as if someone had knocked the air clean out of his lungs. His eyebrows knit harshly together, his heart aching; this wasn’t right. It had been obvious from the start that this program was unfair, but seeing it like this had changed something. 

Kane’s voice was too real, cracked and full of too many things that Arthur didn’t deserve. Forgiveness, concern, care; a trust that Arthur had broken twice now, yet was still being offered to him all the same.

It hit harder than anything had, peeling up parts of Arthur’s mind. It forced him to remove whatever part of him that tried to shove away thoughts of what happened; it had been such a short amount of time, only twenty-four hours, and Kane had been treated with nothing but hatred, in such a cruel severity.

Arthur wouldn't forgive himself.

He stood still for a few moments, his hand still holding the mug. His heart was pounding in a way that only caused pain - but Kane wasn’t yelling. He wasn’t flinching, he wasn’t telling Arthur to leave - he wasn’t even sitting there silently, refusing interaction. 

He was asking if Arthur was okay. That fact broke whatever was left inside of the doctor, his legs leading him forward without even thinking. He sat down gently on the edge of the mattress, close enough to touch but not close enough to be imposing; he hadn’t said anything, still. It felt hard to find words, hard to do anything but sit there and look over the other. 

It was always hard, when he felt himself caring in this sort of way. 

“I’m fine,” he promised, first; though it felt tragically comical that Kane would feel the need to ask such a thing. “I was worried I wouldn’t see you again. “

It would have been his fault, of course. All of this was his fault - though he almost wondered if Kane simply didn’t know that. It made sense. Kane likely didn’t have enough of an understanding of the situation to connect the dots that this had happened because Arthur had broken rules. Arthur didn't want to confess as such, almost, out of fear of burning whatever bridges they had left.

“I’m sorry,” he continued, the words coming easier than they normally would thanks to the drug in his system. “For everything. What they did; it was my fault. And I’m sorry you had to go through that.” 

He had seen it all, of course. He had watched every bit of what they’d done, and he’d been worthless in doing anything to stop it. He was back now, at least, and he intended to stay here - though he doubted that they had seen the last of Six. 

His breath felt stuck in his throat, at that thought. He had had his own run ins with Six, of course, but the man couldn’t do anything to him. It would have brought comfort to think about that, were it not for the glaring fact that sat nearby - anything Arthur did against Six would be taken out on Kane, now. 

The building was becoming more and more of a trap by the second. 

Arthur took another breath, trying to pull his thoughts back on track. It wasn’t typical for his mind to wander this much. 

“I brought some things that might help you feel better,” he informed, gently. “Bandages, tea - I want to look at your bruises, if that’s fine.” He wanted to get them all wrapped and taken care of; it was the absolute least he could do.

The least he should do. 

“Try to take a deep breath for me, okay?” he continued, his thoughts just now catching up to the mental state that Kane appeared to be in. “Just take a deep breath - I’m going to stay here for a little while. As long as I can, alright?”

He hoped that it brought comfort, to say as such; at the very least, he could keep Six away from Kane. He'd stay until he was asked to leave. 

The well-known hiss of his door opening is enough for Kane to snap back out of the somewhat-slumber, somewhat-trance he'd been in; Muscles stiffen and tense within seconds, a breath getting caught in his lungs, eyes remaining closed at first out of---

...Fear, it might be. Fear that the bastard security guard without a name has returned to go on with whatever he's planned this time - some more pain, some more humiliation, both of it. Kane knows, after all, that the man is beyond displeased with the fact that he did not cry, did not beg in a way he'd hoped for...

Dread sets in, settles next to said fear, causing a stomach to cramp and a heart to miss a beat. Part of Kane wants to run, another part wants to keep fighting; He's been able to hold onto himself so far, kept his emotions in check, but he knows he might not be able to do such for much longer - might fall apart instead, turning into the pretty crier which that asshole had wanted to see just a short while ago.

He swallows again, brows knitting, as the seconds pass---

...But then, something else happens; Despite his eyes being closed, Kane notices the change in brightness immediately - and that surprises him, very much so, has his eyelids flicking open, gaze needing a second to adjust to the outright comfortable glow of soft orange instead of stark white.

He does notice a figure standing there, approaching him after a little while - but it's not that security guard he's so afraid of, nor is it someone else that he hasn't really met before...

No, it's... it's Dr. Harrow. He's just existing, the softness of his voice basically drilling itself into Kane's mind, like a punch to his stomach because of how kind it is in comparison to everything else he's gone through during the last day. Hey, he says, follows it up with chamomile tea...

And Kane blinks, stares as he sits up in a slow but steady motion - eyes wide, brows lifted high, like a deer in headlights, as he takes in the sight of the one who had disappeared not too long ago, but now has come back.

He's here. Harrow is here.

Lips part, the bottom one trembling the faintest bit as Kane blinks a few more times - like he tries to make sense of this, figure out whether this whole thing is even real to begin with. Is he sleeping, perhaps? Is this a dream? Has his body finally given in, with him being unable to keep holding onto his own self...?

Kane smells it, the chamomile tea. The scent of it cuts through the sterile air like a knife, but in a good way - like a blanket curling itself around sore shoulders, a promise of something better, something nice interrupting all the bleak and unkind...

"... Harrow?" A simple ask, a name spoken out in a question, yet it comes out broken and almost a little too high-pitched as that breath leaves Kane, not-Kane, it's lungs. Like someone who cannot believe what they're seeing, overwhelmed with all the emotions that crash down onto them with the force of a tidal wave.

No anger. No hate. None of it, not even a glimpse appearing within dark brown irises.

But so, so much else instead. So much else, in fact, that it's hard to pinpoint what it might be exactly - hope, surprise, relief, anxiety, sadness, happiness, all of them combined?

"I thought...I thought--- I thought you were... I thought they would---" Kane rarely stutters, but here he is - unable to form a complete sentence, his mind racing so fast that thoughts seem to slip right through his grasp, breaths getting stuck, one after another, as unsteady hands hold onto the edge of the mattress - left and right from his thighs, fingers digging into the fabric... "I thought I would never...---" ... "..Are you... are you okay...?"

[quirkwizard]

So, UA is the best hero school in Japan. What do you think an average hero school would be like?

So this kind of turned more into me writing about how hero schools in general may be different rather then what may be the average school. Sorry if that isn't exactly what you want. My brain just kept going on tangents and here we are.

So I think that there are three ways the other hero schools would be made distinct. First is what they teach. I always saw schools like UA and Shuketsu as the Havard and Yale of hero schools. They are the best of the school, and they are outliers to it. I see UA as a place where they have the resources and manpower to cover dozens of different fields. Even with such a profitable enterprise as hero work, not every one is going to have world renowned alumni wanting to put money back into it. It may be something as simple as a regular high school that happens to have a hero course as a part of it. There could be schools that specialize in rescue work, in making support equipment, or even heroes as public figures. They can teach other things, but those would be the major focus of their curriculum.

The second is the broader strokes of the schools and how they operate. When it comes to schools in the setting, I prefer to look to real life schools and colleges for comparison. Like when I wrote about my own ideas for Shiketsu and how they operated, I took a lot of inspiration from military schools and their culture. There are plenty of different kinds of schools, both real and fictional, that you could inspiration from. Maybe there is an old hero school that isn't as big as it use to be. Yet it still tries to emphasize the prestige of hero work and are kept alive by rich alumni. Kind of like a lot of blue blood boarding schools. Maybe there is a school that is far less restrictive in how it's teaching the kids. Maybe it focuses more on hero work through practical learning and focus more on personal branding. Kind of like new age schools.

Finally is just the culture of the schools. There are any number of ways you could make a hero school unique just how they live their lives. This could be anything from how the students are treated, to the kinds of rules that they live by, to even the traditions and events of the school. There's any number of ways you could make a school distinct like this. Maybe they have a strong focus on sports and similar games to train the students. Maybe the students are graded on their own points to replicate the hero ranking system. Maybe they are divided into groups to compete against one another. Maybe it's just like a typical high school where you get bullied by people with super powers. What I'm saying is that you can take any one of the gimmicks from your favorite fictional schools and probably find someway to make it fit into the setting.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen. What makes it possible for a totalitarian or any other dictatorship to rule is that people are not informed; how can you have an opinion if you are not informed? If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer. This is because lies, by their very nature, have to be changed, and a lying government has constantly to rewrite its own history. On the receiving end you get not only one lie - a lie which you could go on for the rest of your days - but you get a great number of lies, depending on how the political wind blows. And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please."  - Hannah Arendt

[artstennisracket]

art x tashi x patrick | modern au | ib: this tiktok

It was so stupid. And so beyond anything Tashi would have ever wanted to do. But Patrick was incessantly insistent. He was visiting Stanford this week and kept sending tiktoks to the group chat. Which is usually fine (meaning Tashi ignores most of them while Art replies to every one individually), except this time it was a trend that he wanted to do. With all 3 of them. Was it stupid? Yes. But Tashi gave in after Art’s reasoning of “The quicker we start, the quicker it’ll all be over and he’ll stop asking us to do it.”

Navigating this throuple situation was already a weird one. They’ve been together for almost 6 months now, after the much anticipated threesome that took Art by surprise. Being invited to Tashi’s dorm when Patrick was over and one thing led to another, followed by in depth conversation about how they were gonna move forward.

In other words, that’s how Tashi ended up here with both her boyfriends in her dorm. Patrick setting up his phone to make sure it can see everyone while explaining the rules.

“So basically, in the audio it’s gonna say something and you have to use your pillow to hit who you think it applies to,” He’s smiling big like he always does when he thinks his ideas are amazing.

Art and Tashi both nod, gripping a pillow each. Patrick puts the timer on to start record, going to stand at the end. So the line up was Art then Tashi then Patrick.

The first thing the audio calls out is Who was interested first?

Now because there are three of them it could get a little tricky, but for this one the answer was clear. Both Art and Tashi smack Patrick with their pillows. He braced for impact because it’s true, he knew about Tashi before Art ever did, and his interest in Art happening first was self explanatory.

Who said I love you first?

Tashi turns to hit Art, which he accepts. Then he goes to hit Patrick. Tashi still doesn’t really say I love you out right, it’s more in her actions, but Art made it very clear how he felt about Tashi before they even started dating.

When it came to Art and Patrick, Patrick did say it first. It took a long time for Art to put his internalized competition with Patrick to the side and realize that Patrick did actually love him. And once Patrick said it to him out loud, Art realized he felt the same.

Who’s more protective?

Tashi doesn’t even get a chance to think before two pillows are colliding on her head simultaneously. She didn’t see herself as particularly protective per se but she doesn’t like sharing. The only sharing that can be done is between the three of them. Whatever she’ll take it.

Who cleans more?

Obviously the three of them haven’t gotten a chance to live together just yet, but Tashi and Patrick seem to be in agreeable when they both target Art. Patrick knowing from first hand experience just how neurotic Art can be with keeping things clean, sometimes he swears Art has OCD. Which Art follows up with “You have no idea how OCD even works, dumbass. God forbid I don’t want to live in your mess.”

And from the times Tashi has visited Art’s dorm, it’s always pretty much spotless. He’d complain when she stops by randomly because his room is dirty, and by dirty it would be a notebook on his desk with study sheets and maybe some dirty tennis shorts in the corner at most.

Who eats the most?

Two hits to the head for Patrick. No shock there. That man can eat a whole pizza by himself and then some. Art wishes he didn’t know from experience.

Who spends the most money?

Now this was a trick question. Art has a full ride so he didn’t spend much besides the occasional takeout or going out to a bar. Tashi was also on a full ride but absolutely loved going shopping, it was her guilty pleasure. Mainly for new tennis clothes (if she didn’t like the ones she got sent from sponsors) and other things like skincare, hair care (because taking care of curly hair was expensive) or her recent interest in learning more about makeup.

So the answer was Patrick. Which checks out, he has the most access to money anyway. The amount he’s probably spending on hotels and food while on tour must be insane. He’s sure his dad will cut him off soon.

After that quick thought process both Tashi and Art smack Patrick with their pillows.

Who is most likely to start an argument?

No second thoughts needed, both Tashi and Patrick lean over to hit Art. “That’s not even true,” he grumbles but doesn’t move to hit anyone.

Who falls asleep first?

For Tashi she knows it’s not her. They’re both usually passed out before her anytime they’re all together. Patrick keeping her up with his ridiculous snoring, Art passing out regardless because he’s used to sleeping with Patrick as background noise.

But there are some nights where Patrick will call her at ridiculous hours while he’s on tour. So for that reason she hits Art. He’s too focused on getting a full nights sleep to perform his best at practice.

Patrick hitting Art because Art has always fallen asleep before him back at MRTA and some things never change. Patrick didn’t mind it back then because it allowed him so watch his best friend sleep in a non creepy totally platonic way…

Who is more annoying?

Tashi wishes she had two pillows to make it easy but she hits both Art and Patrick in quick succession. Art hitting Patrick multiple times back to back to back. It ends up being one huge pillow fight, the tiktok long forgotten as it plays over and over again the background.

They’re all laughing and so out of breath, chasing each other all around Tashi’s room. Art taking refuge on her bed which only results in being dog piled on by Patrick and Tashi.

So maybe it wasn’t such a stupid idea, it was kind of fun.

[runninriot]

Paths Crossed

written for the @steddiebingo prompt Dom!Eddie

rated: E | wc: 4.032 | tags: pre steddie, hook-up, dom eddie munson, brat steve harrington, teasing, rimming, anal fingering, anal sex, open ending (for now) | complete fic on ao3

Tonight is a good night, and Eddie is in the mood – a little high, a little drunk, not yet ready to head home.

His friends have all left, made him promise not to do anything stupid, as if that has ever kept him from doing exactly that. Inanity might as well be his middle name, and Reckless his last, because there’s no fun in always playing by the rules, always doing what he’s supposed to. He wants to live while he can; life’s too short anyway, better make the best of the worst of it.

That’s how he gets stranded alone in a club full of strangers, no one there to keep a watchful eye on him, keep him in check, preventing the inevitable mess of whatever sticky situation he’ll get himself into.

He is free to do whatever, or whoever, if he’s lucky.

Eddie lets the beat carry him from the bar to the dance floor where he becomes one with the swaying mass, mind blissfully empty, his insides thrumming in tune with the vibration of sound and indistinct chatter around him.

There, amongst all these nameless strangers, one guy stands out like a silver moon against a jet-black night sky. He’s dancing with his eyes closed, hands in his hair, moving his body like it’s one with the music. Shirt unbuttoned intentionally low, offering a perfect view to where a gold chain is dangling from a long neck into a patch of dark hair covering his chest. Pants sitting low on his hips, clinging to his form like a second skin, not leaving much room for Eddie to wonder what’s hidden underneath.

The guy is pretty and he knows it. Has the confidence Eddie never quite found in himself, that he compensates with other things.

Call it arrogance or plain stupidity, but Eddie’s never one to back away from a self-imposed challenge, no matter how little his chances are to actually succeed.

What’s the worst that could happen? Guy tells him to fuck off and Eddie goes about his way – no harm in that other than maybe a little scratch to his ego. Or rather a confirmation of what he already knows anyway. He’s not that delusional; surely, he’s not Pretty Boy’s type. Doesn’t mean he’s not going to try and shoot his shot anyway.

Eddie pushes his way through other people, eyes fixed on the flash of more exposed skin where the guy’s shirt has ridden up, revealing a happy trail Eddie would like to follow along with his tongue. Can already picture himself laying flat on his stomach between thick thighs, Pretty Boy squirming under him while Eddie takes his time to explore the space between with eager devotion.

It’s what leads him, pulls him like a fish on a hook getting reeled in. Moving closer and closer to the guy, until he finally sneaks up behind him.

   “Hey, gorgeous. Mind if I join you?”

Not his smoothest line, sure, but it’s hard to be charming when you have to yell at someone to be heard over the music.

The guy turns around, gives him a once-over with a bored, unimpressed expression. Lips forming a bitchy pout that makes Eddie want to throw him over his lap and-

    Look, Eddie has a thing for brats, okay? It’s not his fault the guy seems to have been put on this earth solely to tease him. A joke from the Gods that like to see him suffer in horny admiration of a guy who’s way out of his league.

Well, joke’s on them, though.

Because Pretty Boy slings both arms around his neck and starts moving again, directing Eddie’s body to match the rhythm of his dancing.

He says his name is Steve. Lips grazing his ear, he tells Eddie not to get his hopes up because he’s not that kind of guy, while proving the exact opposite. Grinding against him, creating delicious friction and heat between their slotted thighs, giving Eddie a taste of what his movements would feel like in a different context.

It’s too much, too close, too good to be unintentional. He’s playing with him, probably thinks he’s got Eddie all wrapped up, like he’s a clueless fly caught in Steve’s web of seduction. But oh, he’s made his bet with the wrong Devil.

Eddie lets him lead for a while, hands splayed loosely on either side of Steve’s hips, not giving in to the temptation. Ignoring the urge of wanting to get a feel of that tight ass, not listening to the naughty voices in the back of his mind telling him to let his fingers go on a little expedition.

If Steve wants to be in charge, he’s happy to let him think that he is. For now. Let him pull the strings, see how far Steve will take it before he gets himself entangled in them.

The music shifts to something slower, something darker. Eddie can feel the low frequency of the bass thrumming in his bones, his blood pumping to the beat. Steve turns in his hold and it’s maddening, the way his ass rubs against his half-chubbed cock, purposely letting Eddie feel what he can’t have. Not yet.

Eddie’s arms sling around Steve’s middle and this time he gives in, lets his fingertips sneak under the hem of his shirt, that useless piece of fabric that doesn’t do shit to protect the perfect body beneath from Eddie’s greedy hands.

He can feel Steve’s abs contract, can feel his racing heartbeat resonating in his lips when they connect with sweat damp skin, right above his pulse point. Lets his mouth linger there, impatiently waiting, until Steve’s hand in his hair gives him permission to press down. Trailing kisses down the long line of his neck from his ear to his shoulder and back up again, focussing on Steve’s reaction. He can feel him shiver, breathing harder than before.

   “Not that kind of guy, huh?” Eddie chuckles more to himself, but Steve must’ve heard him anyway, because he’s shaking his head in answer, before tilting back, catching Eddie by surprise when their lips touch.

   “No,” Steve insists when he pulls away, and Eddie’s whole body vibrates with knowing excitement – he hit a jackpot with this one, he can feel it. And it’s only confirmed when Steve looks at him and says, “I’m so much worse.”

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