#it is one of my BIGGEST landmines

[jiraiconfessions]

you know, i really do hate everyone in this community, and i really mean that. you can sit there and try to act as unstable as you want but in reality most people here are surrounded by loving families and this is just the modern version of the 2015 edgelord emo phase. none of you do fucking anything jirai-like except sit there bitching about shit you could easily fucking fix if you put any effort into doing so.

"i cant make friends" "im so suicidal" "i just wanna cut" i dont fucking care. can you talk about literally anything else? yeah its an unstable subculture thats very true but are you like actually aware that the reason you arent making any jirai friends is because nobody wants to be around people threatening to cut 24/7? its the same in japan, i feel like some of you have this weird notion that jp jirai are all friends with each other and dancing around in lovely circles while being drunk on the streets but in actuality its just like literally any other friend groups where people fight and cry and then never see each other again. except when you fight with a friend in one of those groups theres a chance theyll fucking overdose and die in the streets without ever having a chance to fix it

youre all so fucking weird. all of you, none of you are free from this except for maybe like 2 people in the community. "i want to join the toyoko kids" "i wish there was an american version of the toyoko kids" then go outside and fucking talk to the homeless people around you, they'll hook you up with drugs and alcohol so you can run around the street like a real toyoko kid. oh, wait, but none of you will because the fact of the matter is you dont actually care about the lifestyle itself you just want to be around cute asian girls— you know its fucking true, reposting random photos of random jp jirai from twt with some shitty caption above it, acting like you fucking care. one of the biggest girls who gets posted in those memes is currently going through domestic violence and is posting about it on her twitter, and for a community that "cares" about each other ive seen literally nobody giving her any support or anything. just more shitty reposts of her photos going like "omgggg this is so me >.<" like id fucking hope it isnt you.

by the way none of you freaks wanting to be a toyoko kid could survive it. you scream and cry when theres a pedophile in your dms but if you were a toyoko kid those same people would be dictating how much money you get to spend that month. "ewww there's a pedophile in my dms" omgggg no way?? in the community commonly associated with child prostitutes theres a pedophile trying to talk to you?? who couldve seen that coming

none of you have the right to sit on a high throne and call yourself "real jirais" when the only lifestyle you fuckers engage in is being minorly mentally ill. none of you get to sit there and call people elitists when you actively look down on sex workers and people who can afford higher brands. btw if youd have done literally any research youd know that the style is indeed called "jirai kei" in japan, and not dark girly, but that point has been hammered to death on this blog so whatever.

anyway to the non fetishisers in the community i love u

TL;DR A vast majority of this community consists of people who do not understand the struggles of Japanese landmines. It gets to a point where the complaining can be insufferable, and often misses the mark entirely. There's a huge fetishism issue, and a lot of landmines on here just want to be around Asian girls. Also, it's not called "dark girly," it's called jirai kei.

(Hopefully that covers it effectively.)

Normally I'd just flat out queue things, but I'm going to post this one immediately. Anon, I don't know who the user you're talking about going through DV is, since I'm not active in those spaces, but If you're able to please do send another ask sharing her username. I would like to post anything I can to help her.

Also, I personally would like to thank you for pointing out how people look down on sex workers. I don't usually insert my own opinion but as a former sex worker myself I often feel left behind in this community. Thank you.

[mariacallous]

MYKOLAIV, UKRAINE—Kateryna Nahorna is getting ready to find trouble.

Part of an all-female team of dog handlers, the 22-year-old is training Ukraine’s technical survey dogs—Belgian Malinois that have learned to sniff out explosives.

The job is huge. Ukraine is now estimated to be the most heavily mined country on Earth. Deminers must survey every area that saw sustained fighting for unexploded mines, missiles, artillery shells, bombs, and a host of other ordnance—almost 25 percent of the country, according to government estimates.

The dogs can cover 1,500 square meters a day. In contrast, human deminers cover 10 square meters a day on average—by quickly narrowing down the areas that manual deminers will need to tackle, the dogs save valuable time.

“This job allows me to be a warrior for my country … but without having to kill anyone,” said Nahorna. “Our men protect us at war, and we do this to protect them at home.”

A highly practical reason drove the women’s recruitment. The specialized dog training was done in Cambodia, by the nonprofit Apopo, and military-aged men are currently not allowed to leave Ukraine.

War has shaken up gender dynamics in the Ukrainian economy, with women taking up jobs traditionally held by men, such as driving trucks or welding. Now, as mobilization ramps up once more, women are becoming increasingly important in roles that are critical for national security.

In Mykolaiv, in the industrial east, Nahorna and her dogs will soon take on one of the biggest targets of Russia’s military strategy when they start to demine the country’s energy infrastructure. Here, women have been stepping in to work in large numbers in steel mills, factories, and railways serving the front line.

It’s a big shift for Ukraine. Before the war, only 48 percent of women over age 15 took part in the workforce — one of the lowest rates in Europe. War has made collecting data on the gender composition of the workforce impossible, but today, 50,000 women serve in the Ukrainian army, compared to 30,000 before the war.

The catalyst came in 2017, years before the current war began. As conflict escalated with Russia in Crimea, the Ukrainian government overturned a Soviet-era law that had previously banned women from 450 occupations.

But obstacles still remain; for example, women are not allowed jobs the government deems too physically demanding. These barriers continue to be chipped away—most recently, women have been cleared to work in underground mines, something they were prevented from doing before.

Viktoriia Avramchuk never thought she would follow her father and husband into the coal mines for DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company.

Her lifelong fear of elevators was a big factor—but there was also the fact that it was illegal for women to work underground.

Her previous job working as a nanny in a local kindergarten disappeared overnight when schools were forced to close at the beginning of the war. After a year of being unemployed, she found that she had few other options.

“I would never have taken the job if I could have afforded not to,” Avramchuk said from her home in Pokrovsk. “But I also wanted to do something to help secure victory, and this was needed.”

The demining work that Nahorna does is urgent in part because more than 55 percent of the country is farmed.

Often called ��the breadbasket of Europe,” Ukraine is one of the world’s top exporters of grain. The U.K.-based Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which has been advising the Ukrainian government on demining technology, estimates that landmines have resulted in annual GDP losses of $11 billion.

“Farmers feel the pressure to plow, which is dangerous,” said Jon Cunliffe, the Ukraine country director of Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a British nonprofit. “So we need to do as much surveying as possible to reduce the size of the possible contamination.”

The dogs can quickly clear an area of heavy vegetation, which greatly speeds up the process of releasing noncontaminated lands back to farmers. If the area is found to be unsafe, human deminers step in to clear the field manually.

“I’m not brave enough to be on the front line,” 29-year-old Iryna Manzevyta said as she slowly and diligently hovered a metal detector over a patch of farmland. “But I had to do something to help, and this seemed like a good alternative to make a difference.”

Groups like MAG are increasingly targeting women. With skilled male deminers regularly being picked up by military recruiters, recruiting women reduces the chances that expensive and time-consuming training will be invested in people who could be drafted to the front line at a moment’s notice. The demining work is expected to take decades, and women, unlike men, cannot be conscripted in Ukraine.

This urgency to recruit women is accelerating a gender shift already underway in the demining sector. Organizations like MAG have looked to recruit women as a way to empower them in local communities. Demining was once a heavily male-dominated sector, but women now make up 30 percent of workers in Vietnam and Colombia, around 40 percent in Cambodia, and more than 50 percent in Myanmar.

In Ukraine, the idea is to make demining an enterprise with “very little expat footprint,” and Cunliffe said that will only be possible by recruiting more women.

“We should not be here in 10 years. Not like in Iraq or South Sudan, where we have been for 30 years, or Vietnam, or Laos,” Cunliffe said. “It’s common sense that we bring in as many women as we can to do that. In five to 10 years, a lot of these women are going to end up being technical field managers, the jobs that are currently being done by old former British military guys, and it will change the face of demining worldwide because they can take those skills across the world.”

Manzevyta is one of the many women whose new job has turned her family dynamics on their head. She has handed over her previous life, running a small online beauty retail site, to her husband, who—though he gripes—stays at home while she is out demining.

“Life is completely different now,” she said, giggling. “I had to teach him how to use the washing machine, which settings to use, everything around the house because I’m mostly absent now.”

More seriously, Manzevyta said that the war has likely changed many women’s career trajectories.

“I can’t imagine people who have done work like this going back and working as florists once the war is over,” she laughed.

[hippolotamus]

Who would I be if I didn't come barreling in with queer feelings??? Inspired by this post from my wife @bidisasterevankinard, this morning's therapy session and a few too many listens to Cleopatra by The Lumineers 😘

late for this, late for that | 7x06 coda | 757 words | G

“Not late. Right on time,” Evan sighs, content and sated, turning in his arms so they’re back-to-chest. It allows him to settle into his newly discovered love of being the little spoon. And Tommy’s new found love of indulging Evan.

“Good to know.” He presses a kiss into Evan’s mussed, disheveled curls, chuckling at the light snores his – boyfriend? Date? Guy he’s seeing? – is already making. 

If he’s being honest, ‘right on time’ is the furthest thing from what he feels. Evan hasn’t said as much, but Tommy suspects he’s started to question things about himself. About his life in general, past interactions, romances, friendships, crushes. Eventually he’ll likely face one of the biggest, if not the biggest, questions. How could I not know? 

As someone who went on a similar journey, he’ll do his best to guide Evan through. He wants to wave the proverbial magic wand to produce easy, matter-of-fact answers and soothe any wounds, but Evan will have to do that part on his own. Eventually it becomes a rewarding experience, making those discoveries, but he knows as well as anyone that it can be a bitch of a road to travel. An often dark pathway loaded with unexpected landmines. Full of monsters that go ‘boo’ at the very worst times, usually just when the dust of the last jumpscare has settled. 

Not for the first time – and likely not for the last – the notion makes Tommy wish they could have met earlier. That he could somehow turn back the clock to meet himself earlier so he could be there for Evan. He’s already put himself through the wringer, in therapy and in his own mental torture chamber, about why he lied for so long about who he is. But, as his therapist reminds him over and over again, these things are never truly done. There are often new layers unveiled, triggered by different circumstances. Sometimes big and loud, sometimes ordinary and everyday. Tommy thinks Evan might be a bit of both. 

Either way, here he is, wondering how his own life might have been different if he hadn’t denied himself for so long. If he could have been brave like Hen and said ‘this is who I am’. Because it’s not as if he didn’t know. Tommy knew exactly who he was, who he is. He’s known since the first time he kissed CJ, his high school football team’s defensive tackle, behind the bleachers after practice one late summer night. God knows he had been questioning for a hell of a lot longer. 

However, he can’t time travel and change things. He can’t give past versions of himself options that didn’t exist. Well, technically they did, but it meant blowing up his entire life and being ostracized. While Hen didn’t have anything to lose, because she was already being isolated by that era of the 118, Tommy did. 

He had what he thought were friends, though, really, most of them were alliances. People he accepted as friends for the high cost of burying his identity. Paid for with girlfriends and the occasional male sex worker when he really needed to let go. With living an empty, lonely, fraudulent existence, constantly saying no to the things and experiences he craved. Because saying yes - to ‘just one’ gay club, one pride event, one secret boyfriend willing to be called girlfriend for appearances - meant risking being found out. Meant taking a wrecking ball to the carefully curated macho persona he’d built for protection. Meant having all of his ‘meaningful’ supports and relationships ripped away. It was bad enough that his own parents couldn’t be there for him. He didn’t need the camaraderie of firefighting taken away, too. 

Evan snorts and snuffles, pulling Tommy back to the present. He turns in his sleep, somehow burrowing closer as he throws an arm across Tommy’s waist. His mouth is slack and parted, breathing calm and even. 

A wave of fondness washes over Tommy as he watches his… Evan sleep, blissfully unaware of all the things tumbling around in his brain. It’s an emotion he hasn’t felt in a while, not like this, but he’s grateful for how naturally it seems to want to return. 

Maybe they couldn’t meet earlier or change their histories, save themselves or each other from pain. But they’re here now with their combined battle scars, ready for something, whatever that looks like. And isn’t that better than never? So, perhaps what Evan said was true. Maybe he’s not too late and they’re right on time. 

part 2 (Eddie's POV) here

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure: Our War Game, epilogue

Well, we finished the movie but I wanted to take a moment to go over these epilogue slides. Especially for those fans who only know the OVA from its appearance in Digimon: The Movie, where the slides are skipped over so it can move on to adapt Hurricane Touchdown.

So, in the wake of near-nuclear annihilation how is everybody doing?

We close out Takeru and Yamato's story at the barbershop. It seems Sho has convinced Yamato to fucking do something about his scraggly-ass hair.

This somewhat bridges the gap between Our War Game and 02, where Yamato's hair is still a bit unkempt but no longer looks like a porcupine died on his head and he kept it as a hat.

Jou finished his entrance exams and looks like he's about to drop dead on the spot. Diablomon really fucked up this kid's day, and he still doesn't even know any of that even happened.

Speaking of people who have no idea what happened, Mimi is home from her Hawaii trip and everybody's got suntans. The Tachikawa family is as close as ever.

Hikari is still at that birthday party despite Taichi screaming at her multiple times to drop everything and come home. She has elected to invoke the rule of Go Fuck Yourself, a popular choice among women who've been treated rudely by domineering men.

She, too, remains blissfully unaware of the horrifying fate that nearly befell Tokyo today.

Yamato's grandma seems to be enjoying the peace and quiet since Yamato and Takeru ran off.

Nobody ate any of Yuuko's destroyed cake. Diablomon truly did get the last laugh in the end.

Koushiro finally gets to go home after what must have felt like ten years in Susumu's office.

The Digimon return to Gennai's secret mansion to continue... Whatever they're doing with their lives.

And this is the big one. Sora types out an email to Taichi that reads: "Dear Taichi. I'm sorry. Thank you for the present. Sora." Then we close on the true final shot of the film: A picture of Sora, smiling and wearing the hairclip that Taichi gave her.

As with Yamato's haircut, this also serves to bridge the gap between series as 02 will see Sora no longer covering her hair with headgear. The emotional landmine Taichi stepped on has finally been cleaned up.

So. How we feeling about this film.

Assessment: My biggest complaint is that not one of the show's three female characters got to actually do anything.

Half of the cast was written out, with only Taichi, Yamato, Koushiro, and Takeru having any significant roles - and Takeru's really stretching the definition of "significant" there. That's fine, but it does bug me that not one of the show's women apparently warranted any serious inclusion.

I think that's why they gave Yuuko so much screentime. To compensate for the fact that all three of the Chosen Children girls were excluded.

Diablomon is... pretty straightforward. It's a buggy Digimon made of bugs who eats data, and its eating of data causes more bugs. There's something simple and childlike about its demeanor right up to the end, but any sympathy I may have had for it vanished instantly with the reveal of the nuke.

That the nuke was not a reaction to Taichi and Koushiro but rather something it did right at the start of the film really gives it a lot of added menace that didn't seem present in its earlier stages. And yet it's not super clear if Diablomon even grasps the severity of what it's doing.

But it's unambiguously both aware of and complicit in the nuclear threat. That didn't just happen by accident as a result of a bug. The whole thing with the clock shows that Diablomon knows it launched a nuke and is making a horrifying game out of it.

Which is... All it really does. It doesn't feel like it's trying to destroy the world on purpose. It would have fired more than one nuke if that was what it wanted. It just feels like it's playing games. With extremely high stakes.

What an odd creature.

The stuff in Shimane with Yamato and Takeru was a lot of fun. XD More than I expected it to be. I kinda love the barbershop randos.

Sora and Taichi's drama seems like it's meant to be the emotional center of the film. This is what we open on, and it's what we close on. It's something we keep coming back to as the OVA progresses.

But it's also kinda flat due to Sora basically being a glorified cameo like Jou and the other girls. Without giving Sora any kind of active presence, there's not really anywhere it can go. All we can do is listen to Taichi wring his hands and complain about the drama they're having until his email arrives and it suddenly stops happening.

It's hard to do interesting interpersonal drama as a solo act.

I think the missile itself is the breakout star of this OVA. If there's one thing Our War Game is remembered for, it's... Well, actually, it's the debut of Omegamon. But if there's two things, then it's being the one where an evil Digimon tried to nuke Japan.

All in all... still a fun OVA. Now, there's nothing left between us and Adventure 02. The old guard are retiring to middle school. It's time for a new generation to take over.

[justforbooks]

People will face terror and starve, many will die

The decimation of USAid is already having a terrible effect in some of the poorest places on the planet. It damages America: it will harm us all

An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or above could not have caused more carnage. Recent floods in Asia and droughts in Africa have been catastrophic, yet they have inflicted less damage and affected fewer people than the sudden withdrawal of billions of dollars of US aid from the world’s most volatile hotspots and its most vulnerable people. Coming alongside President Trump’s plan for a US takeover of Gaza, the US administration’s resolve to shut down its international aid agency sends a clear message that the era when American leaders valued their soft power is coming to an end.

But while the Gaza plan is as yet only on the drawing board, USAid cuts – which will see funding slashed and just 290 of the more than 10,000 employees worldwide retained, according to the New York Times - have already begun to bite this week. We have seen the halting of landmine-clearing work in Asia, support for war veterans and independent media in Ukraine, and assistance for Rohingya refugees on the border of Bangladesh. This week, drug deliveries to fight the current mpox and Ebola outbreaks in Africa have been stopped, life-saving food lies rotting at African ports, and even initiatives targeting trafficking of drugs like fentanyl have been cut back. One of the world’s most respected charities, Brac, says that the 90-day blanket ban on helping vulnerable people is depriving 3.5 million people of vital services.

One critical programme has been granted a limited waiver. Pepfar, created by Republican president George W Bush, offers antiretroviral prescriptions to 20 million people around the world to combat HIV and Aids. Its activities escaped the ban only after warnings that a 90-day stoppage could lead to 136,000 babies acquiring HIV. But it has still been blocked from organising cervical cancer screening, treating malaria, tuberculosis and polio, assisting maternal and child health, and efforts to curtail outbreaks of Ebola, Marburg and mpox.

Not only does the stop-work edict mean that, in a matter of days, the US has destroyed the work of decades building up goodwill around the world, but Trump’s claim that America has been over-generous is exposed as yet another exaggeration. Norway tops the list as biggest donor of official development assistance (ODA) as a percentage of gross national income (GNI) at 1.09%; Britain is at just over 0.5%, albeit down from the UN target of 0.7%; but the US is near the bottom of the advanced economies at 0.24% – alongside Slovenia and the Czech Republic. It is simply the size of the US economy – 26% of world output – that means that the 0.24% adds up to more aid than any other country. The US provided $66bn in 2023, making USAid a leader in global humanitarian aid, education and health, not least in addressing HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis.

On Sunday night, Trump told reporters that USAid had been “run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out”. “I don’t want my dollars going towards this crap,” his press spokesperson added, with one of the president’s chief advisers Elon Musk calling the agency a “viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America”. “You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair,” he said. “We’re shutting it down.”

Indeed, in a post on X last weekend, Musk shared a screenshot quoting the false claim that “less than 10 percent of our foreign assistance dollars flowing through USAID is actually reaching those communities”. The implication is that the remaining 90% was diverted, stolen, or just wasted. In fact, the 10% figure is the proportion of the budget going directly to NGOs and organisations in the developing world. The remaining 90% is not wasted – instead, it comprises all the goods and services that USAid, American companies and NGOs, and multilateral organisations deliver in kind, from HIV drugs to emergency food aid, malaria bed nets, and treatment for malnutrition. It is simply untrue that 90% of aid falls into the wrong hands and never reaches the most vulnerable.

In fact, the initial blanket executive order proved to be such a blunt instrument – the only initial exemptions were for emergency food aid and for military funding for Israel and Egypt – that it had to be modified to include exceptions for what the government called “life-saving humanitarian assistance”, although it stopped short of defining them. “We are rooting out waste. We are blocking woke programs. And we are exposing activities that run contrary to our national interests. None of this would be possible if these programs remained on autopilot,” said a statement released by the state department. The new secretary of state, Marco Rubio, now wants his department to control the whole budget and close down USAid entirely. “Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?” Rubio asked in a statement that suggested that the America which generally worked multilaterally in a unipolar era is now determined to act unilaterally in a multipolar one.

This new stance is not just “America first” but “America first and only” – and a gift to Hamas, IS, the Houthi rebels, and all who wish to show that coexistence with the US is impossible. The shutdown is also good news for China, whose own global development initiative will be strengthened as it positions itself to replace America. Desperate people will turn to extremists who will say that the US can never again be trusted. And by causing misery and by alienating actual and possible allies, far from making America great again, the cancellation of aid will only make America weaker.

The tragedy for the planet is that US aid cuts come on top of diminishing aid budgets among the world’s richest economies, from Germany to the UK. International aid agencies are now so underfunded that in 2024, for the second consecutive year, the UN covered less than half of its humanitarian funding goal of nearly $50bn – at a time when increasing conflicts and natural disasters necessitate more relief donor grants than ever. Yes, we can discuss how greater reciprocity can create a fairer system of burden sharing – but further cuts in aid threaten more avoidable deaths, and a poorer world will ultimately make the US poorer too.

US generosity is often seen as mere charity, but it is in the country’s self-interest to be generous because the creation of a more stable world benefits us all. We all gain if USAid can mitigate the spread of infectious diseases, prevent malnutrition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, halt the upsurge of IS in Syria and support a fair, humanitarian reconstruction of Gaza and Ukraine. Only the narrowest and most blinkered view of what constitutes “America first” can justify the disaster America has unloaded on the world.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[positivelybeastly]

If I may, what's your opinion on Hank from Earth-41001/X-Men: The End and GeNext: United?

So, I had to brush up on my X-Men history for this one, because Chris Claremont's post-2000 work often tends to slip my mind, especially his The End series, which has as many insane and weird choices as it does good ones.

The man really did lose a step after he got taken off the books in the 90s, and while I think that he's written some good stuff after that (his 2000s Excalibur runs are honestly better than I remembered them being), there's a reason he doesn't get asked back to do much more than the occasional story here and there, like the recent Uncanny #700 feature on Mystique, Nightcrawler, Destiny and Rogue.

Compare and contrast that to Louise Simonson, who got asked back to do a whole Jean Grey mini-series during Fall of X, and it's pretty clear that he's just not considered frontline talent anymore.

That being said, I think this Hank, and Claremont's work on GeNext, definitely skews more towards the good side of the scale.

This version of Hank is, of course, best known for his relationship with Cecilia Reyes, which, in this universe, blossomed into a fully fledged marriage with multiple kids - and that's a good choice, honestly! Of all his romantic partners, Cecilia has always struck me as the most level headed, the most stable, and the most likely to want to settle down, which Hank has, on some level, always wanted to do, and has perhaps the best ability to out of a lot of the X-Men.

Despite his physical mutation seeming like the biggest obstacle to him living a normal life, Hank's work with the Avengers and Defenders has resulted in a massive boost to his popularity in-universe, he's equivalent to a real life celebrity, and it's made it easy for him to settle down and stop doing superhero work if he so chooses.

It doesn't hurt that his public persona, of a well spoken, charming, and funny blue little guy, is an effective one, and one that's easy for him to maintain because, well, it's pretty damn close to what he's actually like.

But, back to The End and GeNext. It's a clear sequel to X-Treme X-Men in a lot of ways, something Claremont establishes pretty clearly by bringing up Hank's trauma regarding the death of Psylocke in Valencia, which I appreciate, because I feel like it really gives a lot of important emotional context to Hank's state of mind in New X-Men, and it weighs heavily on him. I don't think Hank is a person who takes death easily, and Claremont gets that.

I also have to include this, because it is hilarious.

I also really appreciate this moment, because . . . yeah, Hank is the guy you want to leave behind, because Hank is a fundamentally nurturing, bridge-building, educational force. There was a period of time, from roughly 2001-2005, where the X-Men became a lot more like the school focused book that people always kind of think of it as, where hundreds of mutants were running through the halls and the X-Men were teachers.

And, to be frank, a lot of those X-Men didn't really feel fit to be teachers? A lot of them have very good practical experience to teach certain applied subjects, but Hank, Emma, and a few select others have always felt like the most suited to actual higher education for the students, which is why Hank's recurring role in New X-Men vol. 2/Academy X always felt like such a natural fit.

Like, this man was born to be the cool teacher.

And born to be a dad, too.

I'll be real, I'm not . . . 100% on the clothing? I'm not an expert, but I don't know that a WASP man, even if he's blue, should be wearing this kind of clothing, even if he does rock it. Someone who's more of an expert on American cultures and African clothing would need to weigh in here, but it's not a choice I personally would have made? It feels a little bit 'older hippie accidentally strays onto the landmine that is cultural appreciation because he has a non-white girlfriend.' But, then again, this series was written in 2006, and Claremont is an older generation writer, so I can't judge it too harshly.

So, now we move on to GeNext, which, as the first issue states, deals with the premise that the X-Men's ages progressed in real time, rather than being stuck in the sliding timescale, which means that Hank is nearing 50. I've long since headcanoned that his healing factor, even if it isn't up to Wolverine or Sabretooth's levels, means that he should be just as agile and spry age 50 as if he were 20, and this series generally tends to hold to that?

I do appreciate that this series leverages the differences in Hank and Cecilia's outlook on the X-Men. Hank's always bought into Xavier's dream, always regarded the work the X-Men do as necessary, and while Cecilia holds to that, she reflects another aspect of Hank's take, which is that it's a worthy job, sure, but not everyone with an X-gene is suited to be an X-Man, and it's a worthwhile thing to consider.

Sometimes, people just want enough training that they can control their powers, and then they just want to bounce, and that's an outlook that should be respected, even if it doesn't always pan out.

This is a particularly interesting development, given where Scott would fall on the axis of letting kids be kids, versus making kids into X-Men, later on in the 616 continuity.

But it makes sense. In this universe, the Decimation never happened, and the arc of these two characters changed as a result - hell, Hank never turned feline, either, which I always regarded as a massive learning process and maturation for him, a furthering of his arc in New Defenders where he was learning what it meant to be a responsible adult.

It feels, in this universe at least, like he never quite lost the devil-may-care spirit that feline Hank's brushes with mortality beat into him. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe that's a bad thing, but it's hard not to see his point - if good kids have the power to effect change, then they're going to do it, with or without your say so. Denying that fact only leads to a New Mutants/Magneto situation, where they kind of end up resenting you for holding them back, even if your intentions are only to keep them safe.

His tune does change a little bit in United, though it's a very different situation here - rather than pushing the boundaries as an Xavier sanctioned X-team, seemingly with some training wheels on, as Hank seemed to be suggesting, here, Cooper is hinting at a more formal, more high stakes, more original flavour X-Men solution, which. Hank has thoughts about. Though, it wouldn't be Hank if he weren't capable of holding two contradictory viewpoints at the exact same time about the exact same thing.

It does always make me laugh when people say that Hank always turns evil in alternate futures. What about this one? He's like the coolest old guy ever. He's solid. He's reliable. He's flexible. He's understanding. There's not a goddamn evil bone in his body. He counts just as much as Dark Beast does, is all I'm saying . . .

Soft. Sweet. Gentle. This is Hank McCoy at his purest.

Hank McCoy. Everyone's friend.

That being said, I'm a sucker for moments like these.

Oh, shit, yeah, Hank IS strong enough to bench press ten tons, and he IS a raging beast with uncanny speed, reflexes, and brutality. Maybe fucking with him and removing the thing that tempers and controls and keeps him reasonable - his soul - isn't a good idea??? Oops.

There's not a ton more left to comment on, Hank is very much a supporting character in United, but it does remind me of something that I've always felt in my heart of hearts - that even though Chris Claremont didn't get to write Beast very much, he had a very strong appreciation for the character, and enjoyed writing him when he had a chance.

There's an alternate universe out there where Hank stayed with the X-Men rather than joining the Avengers and Defenders, and though I don't think I'd want to live in that universe - I enjoy New Defenders entirely too much to give it up for anything - I definitely think it'd make for an interesting What If, where Hank's present for much more of Claremont's defining 16 year run on the X-Men. I definitely think he would have done him justice.

[greater-than-the-sword]

I'm still in shock.

They killed my girl, rabbits-of-negative-euphoria. While she was on hiatus no less. The crime? A queued post quoting Michael Knowles during the CPAC. Yes that's right, covering the 3rd biggest political event in the US by quoting one of the speakers will get your entire blog nuked from Tumblr. A blog with 10+ years of good standing. Seriously? Quoting Michael Knowles is hate speech by the person who quotes him? Are we to be afraid of journalism now on this blogging platform?

Even the claims of hate speech against Knowles were retracted by the MSM. But watch out for anyone who dares to quote him on their blog, watch out for stepping on a landmine of covering some other political content.

[sourbinnie]

title -> voicemals to my ex lover (or the alcott)

genre -> the most angsty one yet

pair -> ot8!skz / ot8!ateez x gn!reader (not in order of age)

warnings -> cursing

lowercase intended

a/n -> this is my og style of writing / hope you guys like it as much as i love writing it :]

it's the last thing you wanted 

(tell me, which side are you on, dear?)

"hey (y/n), i know it's been so long and i should've called sooner. i'm sorry about the things i put you through, sorry i left you hanging, that i decided to walk out the door so abruptly. i wasn't thinking clearly and that's not an excuse but i wanted to see if i could come by someday? i know you sent all my stuff already but i need to see you, at least before i leave for tour. i know you're probably thinking that i'm putting my work first again and that's not how it is at all, you were never second. you're never not gonna be a priority in my life..."

- voicemail by changbin.

it's the first thing you do 

(give me some tips to forget you)

"i feel so cold without you here... fuck i know it was my idea but how do i even start to live without you? i want to see you so badly. i want to hold you, to call you mine, to take you out even though i can't do that. i was putting you through so much thought and you don't deserve that. the hate, the press, the 24/7 calls, the pressure of being with someone like me is a lot and i know it, i'm sorry for making the decision for you. maybe in another life we will be together without so much weight on our shoulders..."

- voicemail by mingi.

you tell me your problems 

(have i become one of your problems?)

"i'm gonna be straightforward, i can't do it without you. these past few weeks have been going by and i feel no motivation to continue a life without you in it. it might be an exaggeration, it might be overwhelming and it might be a bit fucking crazy but just let me talk to you one more time okay? i promise i'll make things right. i'm desesperate to see you and you won't fucking answer. i know this one's going to waste as well so i don't know why i even bother but please let me hear your voice, even if you say it's over again".

- voicemail by seungmin.

and i tell you the truth 

(could it be easy this once?)

"hi angel... fuck i don't get to call you that anymore right? just let me know when you're home. i know you're coming back from work and it's dark, i can't pick you up anymore and it just terrifies me that something can happen to you. i was tempted to leave practice just to pick you up but i guess that's not my job anymore. i guess this is my cue to say that i miss you? so fucking much? i don't know what the hell i'm doing anymore. praying that you come back to me maybe or that i can see you again, at least one last time".

- voicemail by san.

it's the last thing you wanted 

(everything that's mine is a landmine)

"i know i destroy everything i touch, i make it not easy to be with me. i feel like i'm falling apart without you, without hearing your voice, waking up next to you and just having your presence there. i fucked up, i really did and i wanna take it back so bad but today seeing you with him, broke my heart and you know i'm stubborn (y/n), i'm not gonna give up. maybe i won't have you back but i'll still feel the same things i felt when i first met you and i won't regret it even if i have to get your wedding invitation, i'll hold on to these feelings".

- voicemail by minho.

it's the first thing i do

(did my love aid and abet you?)

"baby i'm sorry, i was too much and i know that i didn't think things through. i know you were gonna walk through that door someday and it was my biggest fear, my clinginess and my jealousy always played the worst parts in me. i feel like i'm suffocating not having you here, not holding you and kissing you. i was so scared of this happening and now that it did, i truly feel lost. tell me what i gotta do to get you back okay? just message me, yell at me, fuck just talk to me and lie if you have to, i don't care anymore as long as i hear you."

- voicemail by wooyoung.

i tell you that i think i'm fallin'

back in love with you

"it's been so long and nothing has changed, baby... i still want you back and i still need you in my life. our plans are still on the table, our photos are still on the walls of our apartment that i don't visit anymore. i can't walk in and be invaded with all the memories again, not having you has been the biggest loss i felt. reconsider darling, please, i will send messages until you block me if i have to but i can't go without feeling like i tried to make an effort to save our relationship, to save us".

- voicemail by chan.

【★】 【★】 【★】 

i'll ruin it all over

(why don't you rain on my parade?)

"i fucked everything up didn't i? i took the only chance you gave me and screwed it again. fuck, i'm sorry (y/n), i'm so fucking tired of being like this and i know i need to get better at communicating, at putting you first, at so many fucking things. the frustration that i feel right now is unimaginable but it's nothing compared to how broken you must be from me saying those words to you. i'm sorry (y/n) if you don't want me back anymore, i'll understand and back off but... i'll always want you and only you".

- voicemail by hongjoong.

i'll ruin it for you

(shred my evening gown)

"this night was probably a mistake to you but it will never be to me, having you back for one more evening was what i needed. it was what i needed to understand that i need you back for the rest of my life, we broke up on good terms and i know that but we should've never broken up in the first place. i couldn't tell you i needed you then love but i can tell you right now that i need you more than ever, i don't care about my career, what my family thinks or anything as long as i have you, that's all that matters".

- voicemail by hyunjin.

i'll ruin it all over

(read my sentence out loud)

"i-i think i made a mistake letting you go that night. i've been thinking back through everything, through every memory, every photo, every song and i just don't know how to let go. maybe i just don't want to let go at all and this is the weight that i gotta live with now that i don't have you. i will hate myself for eternity if i didn't see you were the love of my life and i had to see you walk through that door while i stood proud of my decision when i just feel pathetic and worthless right now".

- voicemail by jongho.

and over like i always do

('cause i love this curse on our house)

"we're so messed up, we don't know what we're doing most of the time. we truly are hurting each other and i don't know how to handle it anymore, we need help. yet i still crave going back to our apartment and seeing you again, kissing you and telling you that we will be together till the end of time. i don't see myself with another person, i just want you (y/n) can we please work this out? one last time? for those promises, for the love that i know both of us hold for each other? or is it truly over?".

- voicemail by felix.

it's the last thing i wanted

(tell me, which side are you on, dear?)

"i was immature, stupid, all you wanna say to me is understandable. but don't say i did not love you, don't even think about it because all i did was always for you and i know, i fucked up that night. i know i didn't say the right words and it was justified that you wanted to break things off. fucking hell i will beg on my knees for you to take me back if i have to. i was so fucking dumb, incredibly dumb for not paying attention and being cautious like i know i can be. just call me back okay? one more chance is all i need".

- voicemail by yeosang.

it's the first thing i do

(give me some tips to forget you)

"i don't even know where to start. going out on the street i think of you and i, going to the studio i think of you being there for me, going to my parents' house i remember the evening i introduced you to them. every detail is a reminiscence of you, of what we had and what i've lost in the process of letting go. (y/n) for the love of god, just think about us, it was good right? we were good... but i have a feeling you're gonna move on. i have a feeling you're gonna continue and i'm gonna be stuck here forever, all alone".

- voicemail by jisung.

i tell you my problems

(have i become one of your problems?)

"the weight on my shoulders was driving me insane, the responsibility, the stress, everything was crumbling. the only safe place i had was coming home to you and being in your arms. i don't have that anymore and i don't think i'm ever getting it back after that night. i made you feel like you were part of that weight, didn't i? you're not, you will always be my spot to hide from the attention, the lights and the pressure. i'm sorry (y/n), i can't beg for forgiveness enough, i hope you're doing well and better now without me".

- voicemail by seonghwa.

and you tell me the truth

(could it be easy this once?)

"i was so inexperienced when we first met on everything related to relationships. you were my first everything and i wanted you so bad to be my last as well but i feel like i'm drifting away from you further and further as i stalk you on social media and see you move on. you're not dating anyone are you? 'cause i know i'm not, i can't even picture myself with a girl/guy that's not you. you're stuck on me like we were soulmates which i never told you after i met you but i'm sure you're mine, maybe i'm just not yours”.

- voicemail by jeongin.

it's the last thing I wanted

(everything that's mine is a landmine)

"you know what's funny? i did it because i wanted to protect you, how stupid of me right? thinking that the way to save you was to hurt you. i don't even know why i'm sending this, i just think that you should know the truth before you assume that i did it out of pure hate or because i fell out of love. you're the love of my life, quite literally the worst thing i could say, i know. going crazy without you doesn't even begin to explain how i'm feeling, i'm just lost and numb at this point. i'm sorry (y/n), your heart deserved better".

- voicemail by yunho.

[verdantcrimson]

Heaven and Earth / Discernment of Heaven and Earth - 9

(Unproofread)

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Koga: Oiiii, how long’re ya gonna keep chit-chattin for?

Koga: What about the recordin’? When’s that gonna start?

Keito: Oh, Oogami. Did Anzu come with you?

Souma: Have the two of you come to cheer for us?

Koga: Wonder if it counts as cheerin’, but it’s more like somethin’s naggin’ at me… Y’know you guys’ve been talkin’ my ears off about your troubles even though I never asked right?

Koga: I guess I just had to know how it turned out after hearin’ about the whole saga, ‘cause I was startin’ to lose sleep over it.

Souma: Fufu. ‘Tis far from an admirable motive, Oogami-dono.

Koga: It’s not like it’s anythin’ I gotta apologize for though. But really, are you guys doin’ alright?

Koga: From what I heard as a bystander, ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ was this landmine of a show in big trouble, right?

Koga: Is it even possible for things to work out?

Keito: Of course. There’s no need for you to worry, Oogami, though as you already know—

Keito: I’m the kind of man that always, eventually, somehow, finds a way by the end of it all.

Koga: Hmph. That bein’ said, you still failed a bunch and made loads of mistakes.

Keito: No matter how many times I fail, I won’t give up, and as long as I keep trying I can make it work eventually. You can do anything you put your mind to.

Koga: I see. Things must seriously be tough for Kiryu-senpai and Zakki, I feel real sorry for them.

Souma: Heheh. Are you envious, Oogami-dono? ♪ 

Koga: Haaah? Did ya even hear what I just said?

Kuro: Calm down now…… Oogami had a point. Honestly, we haven’t done anythin’ to solve the problem yet.

Keito: We're going to begin the process of bringing this mess to a swift resolution, starting now.

Keito: Or rather, that’s what the prototype version of ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth R’ is for.

Koga: What’s the ‘R’ stand for?

Keito: It stands for whatever you’d like, from ‘remake’, to ‘restart’, to ‘revolution’.

Souma: Incidentally, the ‘taitoru’ and costume ‘dezaeen’ were created under the supervision of Nobunaga-sensei, who has much proven experience in the field.

Souma: The most comprehensible way in which to convey that ‘a change has occurred’ is through the changing of the ‘taitoru.’

Keito: There was also a proposal to change the title from ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ to ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth ! ’ If that show ended up being remade too, another ‘!’ would be added, making it ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth ! !’, and so forth.

Kuro: Hard to tell the difference with that one.

Keito: Yes. So in addition to updating the title and costume design to be in line with newer trends, naturally, we’ve updated the contents as well.

Keito: The biggest change would be our role, the host.

Keito: In the old version of ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’, the host did as any host would, confined to the studio, merely asking the experts for their opinions—

Keito: Basically, all the host did was keep the discussion going.

Keito: However, in this reincarnated edition of ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’, that is to say, ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth R’, we as the hosts will be taking a more active role.

Keito: As ‘Spirits of Light’ dispatched from the heavens, we’ll cross space and time to experience various historical events first-hand.

Koga: Hold on. There were a buncha words in there that sounded like nonsense to me, whaddya mean by ‘the heavens’?

Keito: The set-up hasn’t been completely clearly defined yet, but please think of heavens in a vague sense, as a world where gods and Buddhas reside.

Keito: These gods and Buddhas have lived there since time immemorial, watching over us humans. This is the setting.

Keito: However, due to the accumulation of disasters like war, pollution, epidemics, and the like, they foresee that the world that we humans live in is destined to die in the near future.

Keito: In order to prevent such a miserable end, the gods and Buddhas sent us, ‘Spirits of Light.’

Keito: We travel through time and involve ourselves in various historical events.

Keito: Then, we correct everything that went wrong over the course of history, and set humanity back on the right path— That’s the set-up.

Koga: Uh, somethin’ seems kinda fishy.

Keito: Yes, I’m well aware that this sort of cold-hearted language sounds like what Eichi might say in a speech.

Keito: However, having just been born, we ‘Spirits of Light’ have no reason to doubt this development principle.

Keito: So we actively try to intervene in history. For example, we’d try and prevent tragic events from occurring.

Keito: But ultimately, for the most part, our actions change nothing, and when they do, they lead to even more suffering.

Keito: During all of this, we ‘Spirits of Light’ begin to change through our interactions with various historical figures.

Keito: We begin to question if we’re doing the right thing.

Keito: And we begin to think about what history actually is.

Keito: We think, “Is it really okay to tamper with and distort the shape of it by force?”

Keito: In the midst of this, forces who are also trying to change the course of history appear and oppose us.

Keito: Questions begin to arise, and we start to wonder if perhaps the destruction of the world will be brought about by the heavens attempting to manipulate humanity to suit their will.

Keito: …… Well, there’s quite a bit that happens.

Koga: Th-That sounds kinda grand. Felt like I was listenin’ to a movie synopsis.

Keito: Dramatic, right? Since the previous version of the show was lacking in the drama department, we decided to introduce a narrative element into ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth R.’

Keito: The narrative is further supported by our media mix strategy, through mediums like manga.

Keito: If we can get people to fall in love with the story and characters, we can attract viewers who would otherwise have no interest in complex historical tales. 

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[ghostywriter]

My Extensive List of Backstories + Headcanons for the Devil's Nest Gang part 1: Dolcetto!

Born May 4, 1882

At the time of his death in the autumn of 1914, he was 32 years old.

His height is 5'5"

Dolcetto is his last name. He gave up his first when he joined the Nest.

His father is an Aerugonian immigrant and mechanic. His mother is from the islands surrounding Xing. She was a traveler and swordswoman for hire before settling down in South City.

He has 3 sisters-- Two older twins (born 1877) and one younger sister. (born 1887)

He was born in the southeast side of South City and grew up in a slums apartment.

He's always been short-statured and was often bullied for it as a child and teenager. He gets really annoyed when people comment on his height.

He met Martel in June 1890, when he was age 8. She helped defend him from those bullying him and quickly became his best friend. He liked her for protecting him and teaching him how to be stronger.

Upon Martel leaving for the North when he was 14, he stopped attending school as much during a period of depression. He dropped out when he was 16.

Dolcetto was drafted for the Aerugo border war at 19. In training, he met Martel again and they resumed their friendship.

Dolcetto was the one who rescued Martel after she stepped on a landmine. While he was saving her, he was shot in his spine and nearly died, thus leading to his use as a test subject.

He is trilingual, speaking and reading both of his parents' languages as well as Amestrian. He's distinctly bad at reading in Amestrian.

He has dyscalculia which has led him to dislike solving math problems and handling money.

He's trained in both judo and boxing. He hadn't done much training with swords until he'd joined the gang. He likes swords for their extensive history, the skill required to use them, because his mother was a swordswoman, and because one of his older sisters was a fencer. His current katana was a gift from Greed, though he collects additional antique swords.

Cooking is one of his biggest passions, partially thanks to both of his parents having been fantastic cooks who'd taught him. He's especially invested in Aerugonian cuisine and particularly likes hand-making pasta and noodles.

His favorite smells are lavender, sandalwood, rose, and tomatoes. The former two originate from his mother using lots of lavender incense when he was a child.

Martel cuts his hair. She's the only one that he trusts to do it.

He's prone to depression and anxiety, and the main way to alleviate both for him is to constantly stay working. Unfortunately, all of those contribute to his insomnia.

His favorite drink is espresso and his favorite food is udon.

He's a complete snob about tobacco and refuses to smoke cigarettes unless they're his only choice. The first thing that he bought for himself when he got settled into the Nest was his favorite kiseru.

He takes after his father and is very mechanically minded. Whenever anything needs to be fixed in the Nest, they bring it to him and he can fix it very quickly.

He loves cars and working on them, but he also has developed a significant fear of them that's probably caused by the dog genes.

He likes to help Bido with gardening, work out with Martel, dance with Greed, and play shogi with Roa.

He's an incredibly lightweight drinker. He also gets terrible hangovers and has a tendency to be incredibly emotionally volatile when drunk, often crying or ranting to Martel.

He has lots of scars, most notable of which are the ones from knife training with Martel that line his arms and burn scars on his ribs from torture. He also still has scars from being shot in the spine.

He regularly gets overstimulated from sounds and smells, so he's gotten used to figuring out his sensory limits.

He instinctually reacts happily to having his head and neck scratched, and Greed often makes fun of him for that.

He deals with chronic back and joint pain, so his wrist cuffs are for compression. He's also been known to use a cane on particularly bad days.

[practically-an-x-man]

Your OCs are put in the Hunger Games! Who's surviving, and how?

Ooooh thank you!! Very good question, let's see....

(long ramble incoming btw, I love thinking about survival strategy with my OCs lol)

Rae: With her abilities or without, she's not afraid to jump into a fight. She'd probably avoid the initial slaughter, but would run back to the Cornucopia once it's cleared out to get a weapon and whatever other supplies she can grab. This strategy probably gets her a decent way through the game, since she's an experienced fighter from training with the X-Men, but she stands a much better shot if she has her shields. Without them, she's surviving somewhere in the realm of 75% of the way through the game before being double-teamed or taken down by a better fighter, but with her shields she might make it to the end (or close to it)

Robin: Plays things a bit conservative, and works on generating an alliance with another player or two. She'd most likely get offed by something in the natural world - she's a good fighter and can manage a team or alliance well, but she's not as experienced with nature and would probably end up getting sick from tainted water or mistaking a poisonous mushroom for an edible one.

Madison: Disappears into the wilderness. She's playing the long game for sure - she can survive in the wilderness for years if she has to, the enhanced creatures and traps would prove a bit of a challenge but nothing she can't handle. She waits for most of the players to take care of each other, then works on quietly assassinating her biggest threats (this would be easier with her abilities, with her venom and camouflage, but she'd find a way even in a completely power-neutral Hunger Games). She could very likely make it to the end, unless someone catches her in the act of trying to assassinate them and manages to kill her first

Ophelia: Hm... this could go two ways. On the one hand, she is wickedly smart and resourceful, and could thrive in a tech-forward Hunger Games. She'd probably be the type to repurpose the unexploded landmines like those people in the first book, and use those and other resources to set traps. On the other hand, she's been a city girl all her life, and reading textbooks on wilderness survival is different from being in the thick of it, so a nature-forward Games wouldn't be good for her. Plus, there's the matter of her knee - she can still fight, but she wouldn't be able to outrun Mutts or a wall of fire or any other traps like that.

Jasper: I'm gonna be real, they're not surviving the Hunger Games. Their main resources in the Games would be their medical experience, so their main plan would be to use their nursing skills as incentive to form an alliance (since they could very well be the only one able to stop a person from dying of infection/blood loss/etc. if it came down to it). But that strategy only gets them so far, since their only "fighting" experience is roller derby and a single college self-defense seminar. As soon as someone invades the alliance, or they get to late-stage game where they have to turn on each other, Jasper's probably going down.

Katherine: Sadly... also not making it out alive. With her magic, she stands a much better chance, since she can call on the gods to aid her (they're motivated to keep her alive since she's about the only one able to act as a priestess in the modern world, so they'd be willing to give her strength and cunning and protect her from whatever threats they can), but even that can only go so far, and without her magic she'd probably be one of the first to die - shot down or speared in the first rush to the Cornucopia

Kestrel: With their shapeshifting at their disposal, they survive without winning - they'd shapeshift into a mundane animal somewhere in the battlegrounds, and keep moving and transforming until both the cameras and the other contestants lose track of them. They don't fight, and don't even really consider themself a contestant, but they can survive in the form of various animals until the Games are complete, then slip away when the arena is abandoned. Without their shapeshifting, in a power-neutral games, they probably tie Madison with pure wilderness survival strategy and can last a good long while, but they're not cunning or ruthless enough to get rid of their competitors first and would only be able to kill in self-defense, which leads to them eventually getting struck down.

Quinn: She'd have the Foxface strategy for sure - all cunning. Physically she could be swiped down easily, against physically-abled and highly-trained fighters from the First District especially, so she becomes the master of mind games instead. She's got a thousand tricks up her sleeve, everything from swiping tools from her competitors while they're unaware to weaving such an elaborate lie that they convince an "ally" that poisonous berries are really perfectly safe. This strategy probably won't get them to the end of the game, since it usually always ends in a physical showdown that Quinn likely wouldn't be able to keep pace with, but it's interesting to watch and they get a lot of support from watchers of the games (she expected food to be an issue, since she's a city girl and knows nothing about hunting or foraging, but between nicking food from other contestants and donations from eager watchers she's actually in pretty good shape. Once they even managed to get her pain meds, since all the physical movement is havoc on her back and legs)

Eris: The better question is, is there any way they're not making it to the end of the Games? I mean, if there was ever a place that was made for them, this is it. Good god, I pray for their enemies. The only thing I can imagine taking them down is if it's a power-neutral Hunger Games, Eris would dive into a fight with the expectation of their healing factor and would realize too late that they can't shrug off their injuries like they usually do.

Nikoletta: She is the assassin of all assassins!! Especially if she has her powers at her disposal, she's finding a knife and picking off the contestants one by one (and diving into the shadows to escape). Even without her shadow-touch, she's sneaky and a good manipulator, so she'd make a good assassin either way. If anything's taking her down, it would be an alliance - in all likeliness, she's not even opening herself up to the possibility of an alliance, she's a lone wolf who just wants to get out alive, but if someone actually managed to break through her shell and form an alliance, that could turn into a point of weakness for her (either by them turning on her, them being used as ransom by another contestant, or Nikoletta being so focused on her ally's safety that she gets blindsided herself).

(also oh my god could you imagine the angst of them being put into the Hunger Games with their partners?? i mean i'm talking about Nikoletta's weakness being a surprise alliance bc that's basically an echo of her actual story with Abner, but could you imagine if it actually was Abner on the other end of it? Or Eris being forced to battle Rick one-on-one, knowing that even as good as he is, they'll always be the better fighter, and there can only be one winner? Or Madison choosing to go completely solo, since she doesn't trust her ability to keep herself and another person alive and hidden in the wilderness during the Games, but then having the thought of Alex fending for himself always simmering in the back of her mind and pulling her focus? Or- let's take things really dark, her taking out a competitor in the dead of night and realizing only once the sun comes up that it was Alex? God there's so much angst in a premise like this)

[natelia-aldelliz]

Guys... Listen I know I said I'd draw something for valentine's day but I had a bit of a rough week sooooo I'm just going to write it out instead, maybe I'll finish drawing it some day, maybe not. It's behind a show more because it's long.

(also there's talks about having sex but no actual sex, and like, general warnings about Ghost's backstory but it's very vague here).

Soap was hanging around outside, trying to bring himself to do something, anything. But the weather was nice for a February day, and the sun was out, and it was making him feel like a cat basking in the heat.

An arm wrapped itself around his shoulders, a huge body suddenly weighing on him. Ghost.

Soap hummed comfortably. This day was getting better by the minute. Any chill he might have felt from being outside in a tank top out of pure Scottish spite was instantly soothed.

Simon often times saw himself as a cold man, freezing to the touch, hidden behind a layer of ice. A proper little Elsa, Soap almost snorted out loud. The truth was that while yes, his fingers and toes' temperature was sometimes abysmal, especially in bed, the rest of him was the warmest place Johnny had ever been.

"I've got something for you in our room," Ghost whispered against his throat, making Soap shiver.

Simon had begun calling Soap's room theirs a few weeks ago and Johnny couldn't have enough of it. He was so in love it genuinely hurt sometimes to restrain himself from squeezing him to death.

"Is that so?" he purrs, knowing how Ghost likes that. If this day didn't end in sex he'd be very surprised. He'd long learned to recognize when Simon wanted sex and when he didn't, and the way he squeezed his pec in response to his voice was a very easy tell.

But then again Simon was way less subtle than he thought he was.

They made their way back to their room, and there it was, a repurposed shoebox, badly wrapped with cheap wrapping paper. Johnny couldn't be more excited, he had never received any gift from a significant other. To be fair he adored gifting but always felt awkward receiving.

But this was Simon. Something that Simon had chosen to give him.

He sat on the bed, leaving enough space behind him for Ghost to sit there so he could use him as a very comfortable backrest. When he did, he grabbed the gift and began opening it.

He knew that Ghost liked to tear the wrapping paper, liked the sound of it and liked tearing it into the smallest pieces possible after, but he himself loved carefully unwrapping it and folding it flat so he could later maybe do an origami with it or put a piece in his journal. Probably both.

This one was full of tape but he still very much enjoyed himself, considered it a challenge. He enjoyed the chase, wanted to drag it on. Ghost huffed impatiently behind him, a bit tense, probably nervous.

Inside the box was a weird old fashioned clunky thing. It was bright red, looked slightly like binoculars, definitely from the 70's, with a wheel of tiny pictures wedged in the top of it. Memories hit him all at once.

"Oh my god ah remember, my Ma had one of these when ah was a child! My sister and I loved it, it had pretty landscapes in!"

He put it against his eyes, excited to see what this one came with. At his biggest surprise, it was a picture of them. Simon had customised it.

The picture showed the back of himself a bit further away from the camera, pointing at something while in full gear, in a dilapidated town, Ghost's face in the foreground looking at the camera. It looked like Soap was talking to someone, but that person was cut by the framing.

"Wait, ah remember that mission, it's when ah saved Gaz from a landmine just to be shot seconds later," he laughed. "ah spent two fucking weeks in the hospital, ah was miserable. Ye kept joking ah should hiv left Gaz explode while staring at him, he was convinced ye actually wanted him dead!"

Then the next picture was indeed him in his hospital bed, unconscious but the state of his injuries told him he was probably just sleeping at least a few days after his admission, his life no longer in danger. In this one, Ghost was sleeping too, head in his elbow near Soap's head and his other hand holding Soap's hand.

"Who took this one?" Soap asked, moved by the tenderness of Ghost's hold on him in the picture. It would have been right after Johnny had admitted to maybe liking him more than friends, before they were officially dating.

"The hospital one?"

Soap hummed.

"Price did. Said it was for blackmail. Should have seen him, he looked like his child had just married the person of their dreams and had ridden off into a rainbow on a unicorn or some shit. Old man's sentimental as fuck, but I didn't call him on his bullshit, he's already old, that's punishment enough."

Soap giggled in response. The next few pictures were all of them together but each time he was either turning his back or asleep.

"Why the fuck am ah never looking at the camera?" he whined. He wanted some cute couple pictures, dammit!

"Couldn't have you suspecting what I was planning," Simon said, kissing his shoulder soothingly. Only then Soap noticed that he had taken his mask off at some point and turned to ask for a proper kiss, which he immediately got.

"Keep going, there's more pictures," Simon whispered against his lips when he tried to turn around to kiss him some more. His pouting only got him a smirk in response, so he got comfortable again and brought the slide viewer back against his eyes.

He was happy he did. The next picture waiting for him was just Simon in the mirror, almost in full gear, but with one gloveless hand dragging his trousers down so the camera could see the bottom of his stomach, follow along his happy trail and reaching the very top of his pubic hair. The picture cut of his head, but he could see that his mouth was uncovered and he was holding the glove with his teeth.

Soap groaned. "Steaming Jesus, love, you're so hot."

He felt Simon hide his face in the back of his neck, warmer than usual, and chuckled a bit. He loved him so fucking much.

There were four more pictures of Simon, in various suggestive poses and states of undress, some almost showing his cock but never quite committing, making Johnny feel like he was being teased.

He was getting hard though and so ready to be done with the pictures and access the real thing. But Simon was still tense behind him. In fact, he had only gotten tenser and tenser with each click.

Soap was unsure why. They never had a problem with their sexual life, Simon had already changed his mind about having sex after starting and Soap had absolutely no problem with that, was glad to hug him instead and reassure him when he had tried to apologize.

Simon knew that there was no pressure, ever, to have sex. Hell, Johnny would still be happy even if Simon decided that he never wanted to have sex again, and he had made sure to make Simon understand that.

Then he got to the last picture and immediately understood.

It wasn't a picture of either of them, just a little bit of paper, with a few words written in Ghost's awful handwriting.

Just a few words that made Johnny drop the viewer on the covers and turn around to grab Simon's face, worriedly looking in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking for any trace of Simon forcing himself. "Baby, ah'm happy to bottom for the rest of mah life, there's no pressure, okay?"

Simon looked at him with warmth in his eyes and his cheeks completely red, a wrapping bow added on top of his head. "I know," he said simply. "I just want to. I don't want to be haunted by memories anymore. I used to like it, and I want to like it again. With you. Just.... Be gentle, okay?"

Johnny kissed his forehead. "Ah dinnae think ah ken how no tae be gentle with ye, love."

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

https://www.tumblr.com/seasurfacefullofclouds1/767490228510474240/hi-sea-hope-you-are-well-i-just-had-an

I think i’ve mixed opinion on this ask, not that it matters but my 2 cents.. i totally agree that it has to be louis centric and louis, louis, louis because of our love for him.. the thing with parasocial relationship is that sometimes we get too attached, not a great trait but that’s how it is atleast for me.. i want to know about louis and make informed decisions because i was not here from the beginning.. so digesting years worth of content and no one to talk to irl sucks.. like sea there are very few spaces who talk with logic and give fair opinion which i think is a huge relief.. sometimes it tend to be about his band members and sometimes about Harry, because louis was affected the most because of him.. good or bad they were a team something which louis still holds dear to his heart, be it just the memories.. just because other members did not hold their end of bargain is not louis fault.. he has got a huge heart, even after everything he does not have anything but good to say about band or harry.. as much as it pisses me, it also shows his maturity.. so there are people who wants to have opinion of someone who has been through and have more info to weigh in on your opinion or thoughts or just seek more info.. i’ve seen how harries even unprovoked are always in louis space, so i think us discussing about things should be ok as well.. in the end its the decision of the person who’s managing the blog and their mental space to deal with stuff but it is a very safe space for people who wish they had friends to discuss about louis but cannot.. they might know him a singer but they are not stan..

Thanks for the considerate words!

I agree that in the end none of this matters that much! It’s just celebrity, after all, and Louis is gonna do what his heart wants to do, and life goes on. After all, we’re supposed to have fun!

Maybe we all carry a lot of emotional baggage, especially fans who’ve been here a long time and dealt with toxic fandom dynamics. Fandom stuff is totally crazy! People wander in thinking it’s like OTRA 2015 vibes when it’s actually like walking through a bomb shelter 😂😂😂 landmines and bodies everywhere.

I can’t even begin to understand some stuff like the timing of Louis blocking HLD in May 2022. Completely unexpected and unexplained from his end. Why then and what was the last straw for him? Was it the leak about AFHF information, as HLD claimed? Was it their charging for Superfans? Louis tolerated and benefited from HLD for years, but out of nowhere, in the middle of LTWT Latam, he decides enough is enough. He can be impulsive in some ways, and he has directly contacted fans in the past. Why didn’t he message his biggest UA?

There were other UAs and fans he used to engage with but no longer does. Some are mysteries, some not.

There are probably lots of fandom mysteries we’ll never solve lol, but mostly I’m curious how Louis thinks and how he makes his decisions. I love watching old interviews, but sometimes I get frustrated by the unbreakable surface of the “promo talking points.” Zach Sang (whatever his faults) at least brought Louis out of his shell so he talked more freely!

[dontjudgemeimawriter]

WIP Questionaire

Using an open tag from @sleepy-night-child

1. What’s the first part of your WIP that you created?

A character that no longer exists. I guess the first thing that is still there is Mika actually! Mika is a major character, but not exactly a main character (Like I rank Terran and Raymond above her as MCs), and she was a major character in the original draft, too. Her character is mainly the same, except the original MC saw her sweeter, gentler sides and Terran mostly sees her petty, angry sides. After that I'd saay Zachary, who's also been there from the beginning. Both Mika and Zachary were created before Terran was even born.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Ooh. I think if this was a show it's be a netflix original miniseries-- idk it just has that vibe I think? But probably a Sam Tinnesz song since I have a ton of him on my WIP playlist and they all definitely fit. I also thought of Landmines by BELLSAINT.

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

Damn, I love all my characters. I don't think I could have characters I don't love. I do think Terran is in a way my favorite-- like, this was a story I had abandoned, but I loved Terran so much I went back to it and took him and had the others follow suit. So yeah, he's my fave. I guess i love his struggle, how scared he is of himself, and how much he tries without even realizing he is-- and how much he is growing.

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fanbase would share?

I'm assuming this means other things they would also like? I kind of hope I Hunt Killers fans find it. But also there are a ton of books I know of that feel a similar genre, basically the things I read... trying to think of more well known things or non-books, I think... Maybe White Collar? XD. I don't know.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

Can I say writing it? I guess the biggest one is finding time and energy to work on it. Lately I haven't done anything with it because I have work, social commitments, and dnd to plan every week. Plus rest, doing chores/errands, and reading. No time.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Not really, I don't put a lot in. There's a cat that shows up at one pint that Mika is petting before she and Terran have arguement, but that's about it.

I will say, in Second Chance I decided the MC has a cat names Spoons.

7. How do your characters travel/get around?

Walking. Terran hates doing anything but walking, and they're in a city that's not so big that he can't. Right now though they are venturing outside the city and traveling by train.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

I guess I'm leading into Act 3 or right at the beginning of it? I know I've passed the midpoint, and it's been a bit since I have. And I think I can see the climax in sight.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) you think will draw your audience in?

I think what would most interest me about the WIP is the moral struggle and the crime aspects. Like, "Assassin who saved someone's life and now doesn't know if he can escape or should just pretend he never did that" is just super appealing to me and I hope it is to others. Also I kinda hope Rayran will draw people in because they're fantastic.

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

To finish it? That this one is able to be edited into something really good, that it can be published and enjoyed.

Tagging: @cowboybrunch @writingamongther0ses @betweenthetimeandsound @late-to-the-fandom @surroundedbypearls @cljordan-imperium @junypr-camus @thegreatobsesso @scribe-of-stories @ceph-the-ghost-writer and anyone else who wants to feel free

[dizzified]

P-O-P-P-Y, she's Poppy :3

The skunk cat ever, I love her so much, she's my precious daughter who I hold gentle in my arms and squeeze.

She's an orphan, and very lonely, she's always looking for new friends, and even sought friendship in imaginary ones, which, somehow, she says that they don't even like her.

Just in general Poppy fun facts:

She likes jumping in puddles be it rain or mud.

She's oblivious and unaware of her surroundings along with being hopelessly naive.

She likes dresses because she thinks if she twirls around fast enough in them, she'll fly away like one of those twinkle fairy toys.

She loves birds and flowers.

She has many dreams, like wanting to be a ballerina, and a gardener, and an astronaut, and a gardener astronaut ballerina.

When she sleeps, she'll curl up and cuddle against her tail.

Her biggest wish besides having friends is to have loving parents.

She's constantly on her own and talks to herself out of habit due to constant solitude.

Sometimes, she refers to herself in the third person.

She really likes to decorate, she would totally paint on walls.

She makes skunk noises, yes, she does, that's a canon thing.

There was once an AU death she had where she fell into a landmine rigged pit, got thrown the remote, and blew herself up unknowingly.

Curiosity killed the cat in another life.

[poprocksmbabie]

sigh. sigh. is it rewatch time.

(yes)

Yk now I can cry over it but I swear when I first watched it, deku crying to inko pointing to the all might video……he looked so much like mineta I could never cry at it

I will say the one thing I feel bad for bakugo about is the fact that he quite literally had no one to talk to about the huge block keeping him back, the fact that deku WAS QUIRKLESS. He really had to keep that all to himself until it all came apart at DvK2…….hmmmm. Like he really just had to take “this quirk was given to me” as an answer and go on like nothing happened. I mean he did say fuck it that it doesn’t change things for him but like ehhh. Even after all that. At the end of every roadblock it all came back to ‘how the fuck did he get a quirk.’ hm.

like he fr just said "fuck you i'm over it" ... i must say he did an excellent job of fooling everyone into thinking he's some brainless guy who doesn't care, bro does not EVER forget a SINGLE detail... motherfucker said "oh whatever you just beat me today that's all it was" acting like the rest didn't matter to him and here he comes up months later FUCK!!!!!!

"fortunately he didn't take it seriously" yeah you THOUGHT

dekus world getting rocked by the fact that bkg can get teased is SO FUCKIGN FUNNYYYYYY

kamimomojirou since day ONE BABEEYEYYY

dear lord i got to season 2 all might's letter to gran torino thinking about. like after the public has found out about ofa omfg could you imagine stephanie soo type conspiracy mukbang videos being made after LMFAO "and here's where it gets even CRAZIER the letter they found right? that was to his master in high school? so the previous user's child was shigaraki's grandma but his GRANDPA was the GUY IN THE LETTER"

todoroki was so damn dramatic gotdamn. literally unwarranted

forgot for a second how fucking funny tetsutetsu being there is RIGHT WHERE IT HURTS

sometimes i wonder if that part was just lazily written or what cause if I saw a landmine like that my FIRST thought is how do I use this as a rocket ...

bkg peeping in on the endeavor talk will never not be funny esp knowing how he is in s5, likeHHEUQUZUFHJE ‘this was the wrong convo i shouldn’t have come here i shouldn’t have come here’

I will always love the detail of bkg giving ocha back the charred jacket :[ do i care for kcchk? not much but gotdamn … gotta love those two … also it’s the fact that bkg even went “yea I know ur friends w fucking deku” HE’S SO ANNOYED AT THEM HAJSHIFHAJAHAA

when todoroki was trauma dumping and bakugo said “but Actually though WHO CARES” he was so real for that

not to be dramatic but wow i started bawling at todoiida again. like what the fuck you’re telling me todoroki who has literally not made a single connection to anyone in his class saw the pain that iida was in that even iida’s own friends at the time couldn’t tap into.

man … when deku was tryna understand how to be less stiff with ofa he thought of bkgs moves … sighhh sighhghggghhhh

the real question is what kind of microwave doesn’t fucking turn. the biggest epiphany for deku that took a season and a half was from seeing how a normal microwave works.

(At the time of this, chapter 385 has been released) rewatching stain arc rn is CRAAAZYYYY

back to todoiida like the opening bro the fact that deku is turning around to check on iida whereas todoroki had his eyes fixed on him the whole time HE KNEW FROM THE STAAAAART