#like yes that’s true. But it kind of sucks. I know it’s fine. But sometimes I feel like it sucks.

[countess-of-edessa]

i kind of understand why ancients thought that women were just defective men. it kind of sucks tbh

[brekker-by-brekkerr]

There's no way you can convince me the writing for Eloise in part 2 of season 3 was good.

We're expected to believe that Eloise Bridgerton, who gets so upset about injustices to women, who cares deeply for her friends, would hear about Cressida's issues and be like "hmm yeah sucks to suck."

And people can't say it's because Eloise is only concerned with herself because we've seen her get so upset about the plight of other people, we've seen her going and engaging with conversations outside her circle, we've seen her empathizing with Theo and his circumstances, we've seen her trying to hunt down LW to help Pen back before she knew the truth.

JUST THIS SEASON we saw Eloise go to Cressida's house to check on her because she noticed that she was acting off. So you can't even tell me Eloise doesn't care about her. I feel like the writers are trying to gaslight the viewers in part 2 to thinking Eloise didn't ever care that much about Cressida when WE LITERALLY SAW THAT SHE DID. Cressida even says Eloise was a great friend to her.

Yeah, I understand that Eloise has a lot going on right now, and so to some extent, I could see her not being as present for Cressida as she needs. That happens. But the level to which they made Eloise act like she doesn't care is so insane and is clearly just to prop Pen up.

Eloise heard Cressida tell her about her circumstances so she should understand why she's doing what she's doing.

It just felt like such an insane 180 for Eloise to turn around and suddenly be like "Cressida is a viper" and "our friendship was falling apart anyway" and "I should never have trusted her," when the last thing we saw before part 2 was them BEING GOOD FRIENDS!! And when Cressida hadn't done anything bad, she just claimed to be LW RIGHT AFTER she had explained to Eloise how messed up her circumstances were and that she needed help getting out of them.

I get that the show was going to put Eloise and Pen back together because they have such a clear bias towards her character, but did they have to decimate Creloise in the process? Is Eloise not allowed to have multiple friendships?

Like, Pen can do all these terrible things and cry and be like "sorry about that" and it's fine El and her can be besties everyone will love her and forgive her. But Cressida was sometimes mean (and the show goes to lengths to show us how she became that way, even explicitly spelling it out with her mother's comments about how she raised her to believe in "every woman for herself" AND shows Cressida acknowledging her mistakes and showing true change and growth) and lies about being LW and she's dragged through the dirt, she's "the absolute worst," every single character says awful things about her while we see snippets of her in this dark awful house with her life falling apart and this is supposed to be something we root for?? Literally why. Why even make Cressida sympathetic if this is what you're going to do with her.

It feels so out of pocket for Eloise to be saying Cressida is soo horrible and etc. etc. when we SAW their friendship before. We saw Cressida taking in what Eloise was saying and making changes, we saw Cressida challenging Eloise's beliefs and making Eloise self-reflect. Eloise got a peek into how awful Cressida's home life was and into the kind of good person Cressida could be and that's just suddenly thrown out the window with such little support to back it up.

Even if Creloise just HAD to stop being friends, weren't there better ways of going about it? Couldn't they at least have waited till after the fake LW paper came out bashing the Bridgertons for Eloise to break off the friendship? Yes, that was Cressida's mom writing that, but Eloise wouldn't know that and that would more logically line up with Eloise's random coldness towards her.

Still, why exactly do they have to stop being friends? Why can't Eloise have different kinds of friendships, especially one like hers with Cressida that challenged her, one where they mutually helped each other become better people? I love that Eloise is going to go off on this adventure to Scotland and meet other people but could she not also have retained her friendship with Cressida??

I would have loved to see the Eloise I know and love in part 2 teaming up with Cressida to help her, scheming together, doing everything in her power to help her bestie because that's who she is. That's what we should have seen. Maybe it would take her a second to get there, since she was already wrapped up in the drama with her brother and Pen, but she wouldn't just completely brush off her friend. She would do something.

And I could go on about how messed up it was for the writers to make it pretty clear how bad things have become for Cressida and then make her face the most consequences ever, while Pen gets to ride off into the sunset all happily ever after despite doing things 1000x worse than anything Cressida ever did. I'm actually disgusted.

[fandoms--fluff]

Could you make a Hope x fem reader story we’re ready ends up getting in trouble at school for something stupid like getting into a fight and hopes worried at first but the once she knows Y/N fine she gets mad about her being stupid and getting the fight also if you can make Caroline in change of the school instead of Alaric bc he sucks

Together

Female hybrid reader x Hope Mikaelson

Warnings: Mentions of death and blood, and murdery tendencies?, anger/rage issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Can I go now" You huff, leaning back into the un-comfy arm chair across from Caroline Forbes, the headmistress' desk. Where she's sat, hands folding on the desk.

"No. You started a fight between two other vampires, killing one of them and almost killing the other." Caroline states, anger clear in her tone.

"So? They were annoying me and wouldn't. shut. up. They kept on going on and on about how much stronger they are than I am, even though I'm a damn hybrid. And so I snapped. Kind of. If I snapped all the way they'd be bloodied up way worse and both'd be dead. Not. just. one" You ground out, eyes turning an amber yellow and your veins appearing under your eyes.

Caroline shudders back and removes her hands from the top of the desk.

"Hmm, not so tough as you claim to be, or want to be seen as" You chuckle, not bothered with the caution and fear in her eyes and body stance.

"Oh come on, Blondie, no hard feelings, right?" You smirk and stand from the ugly chair, leaving the office with a mouth hanging open Caroline in your wake.

"Wait-ugh" Caroline huffs, giving up before she herself faces the consequences. She's annoyed with how easily you can get under her nerves and how, and she hates to admit it, she's a bit scared of you.

You have more than anyone has kept count of people you've murdered, and one more just got added to that giant never ending list twenty minutes ago.

Smirking, you walk down the hallway and head to your room. Once you got inside and shut the door, you sigh in relaxation when your head hit the pillow on your bed. You pick up the book from your bedside table and flip to the marked page you left off on.

"Please don't tell me what everyone is saying is true" Hope bursts into the room, slamming the door behind you. You look up to your girlfriend from the book and sigh.

"Is it really that bad?" You say sarcastically. "Yes, it is! Are you alright? Did something happen beforehand?" She exclaims, worry evident in her voice.

"Depends what you mean by 'something'" You relax back into your pillow.

"God, what were you thinking? Why did you kill that boy?" She huffs, sitting down on the foot of your bed.

"Well he was annoying so I fixed the problem" You shrug your shoulders in boredom. "Killing people is not a way to fix your problems, Y/n. Haven't we been over this before?! I swear we have" She's on the verge of yelling.

"So what if we have? You knew what you were getting yourself into once you started dating me, death, killing, trauma, the whole damn nine yards. Just like you. Except for minor differences obviously!" You stood up from the bed, crossing your arms as to not lash out and hurt your girlfriend. Even if you are fighting at the moment, you still care about her.

Sometimes you can't control your rage and you've ended up hurting people you love.

It all surprisingly got easier when your girlfriends father, Klaus Mikaelson, turned you into the only living hybrid this day. And ironically you ended up dating his daughter. Yeah, you're life is kinda...weird? to say the least.

Hope followed by standing up and tried reaching out to you. "No" You step away, backing into your desk. "Don't come any closer, I don't want to hurt you" You clamped your hands over your ears, holding tight until you couldn't hear anything but your thumping heart.

"You won't hurt me," Hope sighs. "Look, I know how the anger you feel is heightened, even more so than mine, but I'm here for you. All you have to do is let me in. And maybe ease up on the spontaneous murders." Hope walks over to you and pulls your hands away from your ears.

"At least at the school" She finishes. Baby steps, that's where she'll start. You chuckle in between deep breathes. "...Fine. We'll work on it. Together?" You slowly say.

"Yeah, together" She places a kiss on your lips.

[roseadleyn]

𝙃𝙚𝙢𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠. || 𝘿𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚.

a gift for @dion-s-lawyer and @d10nsaint <3

hemlock is a poisonous plant, toxic to both humans and animals, and it means 'you will be my death.'

...aah, can you tell where i started losing motivation?

— rose.

affection — how do they show their love and affection?

dion does not know what affection is, or how to show it. he takes you with him on a 'mission' and gets confused when he gifts you a dead person's head and you start screaming. don't you like it?

blood — how messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

he's willing to bathe in a pool of blood when it comes to you (baby it isn't like you don't already do that). and he doesn't hesitate to snap off anyone's neck — be it his own family or anyone else. he's not waiting until someone proves malicious intent towards you, either. talk or reach out to anyone other than him, and that person is dead.

cruelty — how would they treat their darling once abducted?

he treats you just like he treated you before the abduction. he's a lot more.. hm, is condescending the right word? he keeps you on a leash and when he's feeling spiteful, makes you crawl. he likes it when you look up at him with pleading eyes to not put you through this humiliation. (he's still gonna do it, honey. sucks to be you <3)

darling — aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

uhm, this is dion? definitely yes. he doesn't care whether you're okay with whatever he does; he forces himself into your personal space and then expects to be taken care of. makes you sleep with him or on the floor. you're eating at his feet or not eating at all. the usual fare.

exposed — how vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

he feels like there's a knife in his side that's constantly twisting. are you okay? are you hurt? did someone try to harrass you and he has to kill them? his worries are never ending.

fight — how would they feel if their darling fought back?

amused. it's funny to see you trying to escape and act defiant. precious pet, you actually think you have a chance?

game — is this a game to them? how much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

it's.. a game at some points. he's fine with you crying, it's nice... but when you cry for him, give him that pitying look, he feels a rush of feeling like he's lost something. give him that look and he'll really give you a reason to cry. as for your escape attempts... he'd enjoy at it the beginning, but as soon as you get too audacious, he'll crush your little rebellion in absolutely no time.

hell — what would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

once, you tried to slip poison in dion's tea, unaware of his immunity.

dion locks you in the dungeons and whips you until your back is in bloody tatters. he takes a break when you fall unconscious and then starts again, making sure you're able to feel the pain.

ideals — what kind of future do they have in mind for their darling?

he doesn't care. as long as he has you, he's fine, he's not too worried about the future.. but sometime in the future, he'll marry you. not because of any loving reason. he'll just have a justification of being by your side at all times then.

jealousy — do they get jealous? how do they handle it?

if you ever give a second glance to someone else he gets jealous. and then he kills that person or gives them in as a toy. simple.

kisses — how do they act around or with their darling?

he tries to be a bit.. less frightening, but mostly he still gives you shivers with how he's surveying your body.

love letters — how would they go about approaching their darling?

he'd either get lant to arrange a meeting or he'll just abduct you straight away. it's not that deep for him. if you catch his eye.. oh, it isn't gonna be good for you. you'll most probably be knocked out, so you don't notice the pitying looks his siblings give you.

mask — are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

no. he acts with you just like he does with everyone else — stone cold, monotonous, blank. however, you two sit in the stairwell during a ball sometimes. he tells you about how he used to wait for his mother to come tuck him in as a child. she never came, of course.

naughty — how would they punish their darling?

blood. a lot of it. he'll lock you up and whip you, or he'll 'test' out a new knife on you, or he'll lace you up in a too-tight corset and enjoy watching you beg and plead for air.. the possibilities are endless. just please try not to anger him, especially on days in which he's already in a foul mood.

oppression — how many rights would they take away from their darling?

rights? is that like a thing? that you actually get?

patience — how patient are they with their darling?

not very patient. he'll let you defy him for a month. a week more if he's feeling generous. then you better prepare yourself. any more further disobedience will not go down well for you.

quiet — if their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

sort of? he just feels more hollow than ever. throws all your belongings in a fire and never speaks of you again. as far as anyone else is concerned, you never existed.

lant finds him a replacement girl who cannot for the life of her understand why her husband refuses to talk of you or why her husband almost strangled her to death for touching the picture he keeps of you.

regret — would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling?

just a tiny little bit. maybe this wasn't the amazing thing he thought it was because you're just crying and crying and — then it's swallowed up by justification. he believes a pet's rightful place is by their master's side — exactly where you are right now.

stigma — what brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

a neglectful father who views him as a weapon, and an insane mother who dissects people on an hourly basis, and a crazy family. blame maria and lant if you want, but they're both unhinged and mental so they don't really care 🤷‍♀️

tears — how do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

he will make you sob and then wonder why it doesn't feel good. isn't he supposed to feel delighted at the sight of your tears dripping down the bridge of your nose? why does he feel an urge to cuddle you until you stop weeping?

unique — would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

yes. he can't live without you yet he acts like you're absolutely nothing. makes you feel pathetic and worthless so you don't see that you're the one thing he can't live without, ever.

vice — what weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

none. no visible weakness. if you want a chance to escape, take a leaf out of roxana's book and patiently, subtly manipulate him. don't overdo it, though. he's not an idiot, he'll see through you in an instant.

wit’s end — would they ever hurt their darling?

with pleasure <33

xoanon — how much would they revere their darling?

sometimes, when he sees you asleep or in his clothes.. he feels his heartbeat speed up and something constricting his throat. he doesn't know how to express it or what even is it. just mutters a rushed 'you've got clothes of your own' before walking away.

yearn — how long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

he doesn't pine after you. he sees you, observes you for a week or two, and then kidnaps you if you grab his interest. he's not the waiting type of person. and either way you'll end up with him, so what's the point of delaying?

zenith — would they ever break their darling?

yes. dion often leaves poisons outside; he's immune so he doesn't necessarily need to fear. that being said, you are neither immune nor illiterate. you heard once how soldiers used to take suicide pills to save themselves from torture and imprisonment.. isn't that exactly what dion is doing to you?

the pills are in your hand before you can think about what you're doing.

—

taglist ; @hmerus, @dxmoness, @giyuus0nlywife, @parkykwho, @lady-navier0357, @sidra-29, @mysticmeena, @loekas, @hevaenly, @ylxntis / @ykassu, @that-one-pretty-bitch, and @elychee. (ely, jacqueline, i know you hate dion but i just. i couldn't not tag u i'm really sorry 😭)

[hanjisungfanboy]

Idk if this is too much, but can you do what skz thinks about pegging and how willing they’d be to do it? Most to least?

Of course! I don't think it's too much at all! Thank you for being my first request. <3 This actually made me think a lot and I had to switch the order around a little bit, but my brain loved the challenge! I really hope you enjoy it and it's what you wanted. If not, I can write another one based on your feedback.

This is for fun and should not be taken seriously or how they act in real life. (Mood board not mine btw!) Mature content below, MDNI please! <3

Content and content warnings - Pegging (obvi-), anal, smut, gn!reader(I got a little carried away and wrote a little for each member, and maybe a lot for Han), lots of subby members (I live for sub skz), praise, anal virgin Binnie, hands being restrained/tied, dom I.N, and experimenting. (Please let me know if I missed anything and I will add it!)

Most to Least; Pegging

MOST

Han

Are you surprised? Cause I'm not- And maybe I'm biased. BUT I just have this feeling. So, I'd say he's very willing and it would even become a normal thing in the bedroom. He's super open to a lot of stuff, bro is just freaky like that.

His legs are spread eagerly, Jisung on his back as he stares at you lovingly, slowly slipping into subspace as he gets that dazed look in his eyes. He went into the bedroom reassuring you that he was gonna take charge tonight, even if it was your strap on in his hole. And while that did hold true for a while, it didn't last. For the first several minutes, he was on top, riding you like his life depended on it as he sucked hickeys onto your collarbones. He even restrained your hands from touching him, giving you a sweet yet lust filled smile. He was doing just fine keeping this up, even taunting you when your strap on hit a spot within him just right. His body shook and he whined, stopping momentarily which got a response out of you, "What happened, Ji? Too much?" He bit his lip at your teasing, your smirk setting his nerves on fire. "N-No, not at all! I'm just..pacing myself, that's it." He tries to go on further, bouncing up and down on the strap despite how much he struggled to keep upright. He wanted to prove to you he could finish one night being the dominant one but as time went on, he starts to slow down, body growing tired from how eagerly he was bouncing on top of you. You leaned towards his ear as he whimpered, "It's okay, you can let go tonight. Let me take care of you. I'll make it feel really good, Jisungie." Your words went straight to his dick. He locked eyes with you, finally giving in. "Yes- Please fuck me." You chuckled, flipping him over, which lead to where the two of you were now.

Changbin

Listen, I know those muscles don't lie but I feel like once he fully trusts his partner in a relationship, he lets go a little and wants to be pampered sometimes. He's never received anything anally, but he was always curious to how it felt. So, when he brought it up to you, you were shocked as he had always taken the dominant role in the bedroom. That was the default for you guys until now.

"Pegging? No, I've never pegged somebody before. Why do you ask, Binnie?" "No reason..But uh, when I fucked your ass for the first time, did it hurt?" "Well yeah, it hurt a little bit, that's kind of norma- Wait, are you saying you want me to peg you?" His cheeks went red, and he cleared his throat. He averted his eyes, pretending to look at something so very interesting on the floor. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah..Yeah, I wanted to try it with you." "You could've just said so, Binnie." You chuckled at his rare timidness. He was usually very bold, but his shy attitude made you want to spoil him. "Is that a yes?" He mumbled, glancing into your eyes. "Absolutely, my dear Binnie."

I am so convinced that once you play with his ass, he falls apart. Shoving his head into the pillows and everything as you two are in doggy style. And it has to be doggy style cause dat ass- (I'll stop now)

Felix

I believe Felix is such a sweetheart and softie in the bedroom, leaning more towards being submissive. He loves to please you, wholly devoted to making sure you both enjoy any experience you two go through. This being said, when the topic of pegging came up, he was intrigued but not at all opposed to the idea. Usually, he always makes sure your pleasure comes first but good boys deserve to be spoiled so the first time you peg him, he'll be your pillow prince for the night. <3

His head is thrown back, blonde and luscious locks falling onto the bed below him. His hands were gripping onto your arms as you eased the strap into him. He's biting his lip, trying to conceal his noises. He didn't expect this to feel so good. "Come on, Lixie, let those sweet sounds out. Tonight is about you, Angel. My pretty and good Angel." He always melts at your praise, a sucker for your approval. His teeth release his bottom lip and he gives you the signal to start moving. As soon as you do, he's a moaning mess, moans growing higher in pitch as the night goes on. Long story short, that night was one of the best things he's ever experienced.

Minho

Okay, hear me out. I think he would be hesitant to the idea. It would take a few days to digest. After those few days, he thought, 'Why not? What could go wrong?' Hmm...What could go wrong? He could love it more than he thinks he should. Aaand, that's exactly what happened. He definitely likes it on the rough side after getting used to it.

Minho's hands grip onto the sheets for dear life as you railed into him from behind. He was trying to keep calm and pretend he didn't love this, but his hips betrayed him as he kept pushing back into you. He was scared he would get addicted to this feeling, but his thoughts started leaving him as he whined quietly. "Does it hurt, Min?" You were nervous about how he was holding up, considering how much he hesitated to do this. "M-More..." He mumbled, more to himself than you. "What'd you say?" You genuinely didn't catch what he said, and this only drove him to beg. "More! Please, Y/N-ie, give me more. Faster, please." He whined loudly, afraid to look back at you. He was scared you would be disgusted that he loved this. You smirked and leaned forward, causing the strap to go deeper as you grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at you. The tears in his eyes only fueled your desire to ruin him. "Alright, bunny. Let me devour you, tonight."

Seungmin

Hear me out(x2), I feel like he'd be super hesitant about it and wouldn't prefer it whenever you two have your intimate moments. BUT he decides he'll give it a try after he had a rough day and just wants to be taken care of for one day. It's a rare opportunity so of course you seize it! Long story short, he doesn't hate it, just doesn't prefer it unless he's feeling it. He prefers to take control more than give control so it's not often that he lets you peg him.

Seungmin was relaxing on your shared bed after a long day. He was stressed and just wanted to relax but you were horny. You plopped onto the bed right next to where he laid. He sighed; he could tell you wanted something. "Long day, Seung?" "Mhm..I know by how you're acting that you want to fuck but I'm not sure I have it in me tonight." You visibly pouted at this when he got an idea. "You know what? Grab that strap I know you've been holding onto. We can try what you've been wanting to try for a while." "Really?! Are you sure?" He laughed at your excitement. "Yeah, come on. Just go easy on me, today was a rough day." And with this, you scrambled for the strap-on and lube, eager to take care of him tonight.

Chris

Similar to Han, he's open to a lot of things and always tries everything once. He wouldn't be like, super excited to do it, but he wouldn't be dreading it either, y'know? He gives dom vibes, but I think he would be willing to be submissive. I heavily believe you would have to bring it up to him for him to try it, but he would be willing! I feel like it would be super soft and loving too! I feel like Chan would lean more towards the rough stuff, but he enjoys the romantic nights too.

Your hands were entwined with his while you fucked him, both of you locking eyes as you slowly thrusted into him. "How is it, Channie?" "Not as bad as I thought..But I definitely prefer fucking you." You both giggled as your bodies lovingly pressed against each other. Night like this were heavily cherished. It just proved how deeply you two trusted and loved each other. "Don't worry, I prefer you fucking me too. Though I do enjoy seeing how your body reacts to me." You whispered as you leaned closer. Your lips brushed against each other, and he chuckled softly before capturing your lips with his.

Jeongin

When you brought up pegging him, he thought you were joking at first. He laughed hysterically until he saw that you were serious. I am pretty convinced he would take much longer than Minho to digest and think about it. He loves being dominant in the bedroom, as he had never thought about being anything other than dominant. If he does end up letting you peg him, he wants to still be in charge.

Jeongin was on top, riding you as you sat upright. He had tied your hands behind your back with a ribbon, insisting that 'you can look but you can't touch', with a wink. He had one thigh on each side of you, trying not to put all of his weight on you as he bounced up and down on the strap. You absolutely loved the image of him riding you, but you wanted to touch him and mark his body up. "Innie..Please let me touch you." You whined, staring up into his eyes. He chuckled at your desperation. "You wanted to peg me, so right now you're going to enjoy the view. You'll get to touch later, I promise."

He didn't hate being pegged, but it's definitely not on his favorites list so maybe he'll entertain you once in a while.

Hyunjin

Spoiler alert, y'all tried it once and bro said never again. He didn't like the feeling and to be fair, pegging isn't for everyone. Even with all of the prep and lube, he just wasn't digging it.

He was on his back as you inserted the strap-on into him. His eyebrows furrowed the deeper you got. You noticed this and stopped, "Does it hurt, Jinnie?" "No..Just doesn't feel right." "Do you want to keep trying?" "Yeah, just a little bit longer." You nodded at this and slid the rest in, making sure to check in on him as you two continued. "How is it?" He made a face, trying to enjoy the feeling. "I don't really like it." "Do you want to stop?" "Yeah, if you don't mind." "Not at all." You assured him, kissing his forehead before pulling out completely. "Sorry, I just don't really like how it feels." He mumbled, feeling bad since you had wanted to try it. "Don't be sorry, babe. We tried it and I'm more than happy about that. I'm not gonna make you do something you don't like. Do you want to do something else or call it a night?" "Thanks, Y/N." He said, smiling softly. "Let's do something else, I'm still horny. As long as you're down." You chuckled. "When are you not horny?"

LEAST

I hope this was good! If you enjoyed, consider sending in a request, I don't bite. <3 (Unless you want me to- jk) Anyway, here's my request post if you want to see what I will or won't write. Bye!

[gallierhouse]

asking for opinions about armand on a friday night is crazy because ive been terrorizing the people in my life about him for a month and now?? im being asked to talk about him?? anyway so i couldnt get thru s1 back in 2022 bc it felt like a kind of rehash of hannibal (character dynamics wise) in a different setting and kind of bored me. i really liked louis in the pilot and honestly would just watch a historical drama about a black pimp and his gens de couleur family in 1930s nola and that was cruelly ripped away from me and ill never forgive lestat. BUT THEN s2 arrived and i gave it another go and armand just rose out of this show as a character ive truly never seen before?? his identity-lessness, his role as a bad stage director, that eager black hole growing around 500 years of life, its so fascinating. the Moment for me with him is obviously the donor painting seeing the whitewashed beautiful pleading garish (when compared with the real man) painting just shifted something in my soul. and THEN getting hit with the arun/maitre stuff and them the entirity of ep5 directly after? ive literally memorized the loumand argument from listening to it so many times Television of All Time fr. i love failmarriages that rot and decay and are inescapable and loumands whole thing felt so good and fresh and so so tasty. those bitches do not like each other. they dont even like each other and yet theyve stayed together for 77 yrs in a relationship built on abuse, spite, and 24/7 power exchange bdsm and thats CRAZY ! plus ive never seen toxic yaoi executed so well with two nonwhite, darkskinned characters and as a south asian that lowkey made me happy lol. anyway i love armand so much he sucks so bad but i do feel deeply seen and deeply compelled by his little gremlin ass

I miss Louis’ New Orleans era too. I get why Lestat fell in love with him, though, if I saw this beautiful creature pull a knife on his own brother in the middle of the street I’d stop at nothing to pursue him. It’s alluring. I think that’s the part of Louis Lestat has always loved and loathed most, his fierce independence and survivor’s instinct and capacity for violence. I say loathed because Lestat’s always torn between wanting Louis like that and wanting Louis to be his little housewife. He’s stupid like that.

I thought his stage direction was nice. Were his plays “good”? No. But were his notes well thought out? Yes. His notes for the trial were good. So it’s the playwright’s fault the scripts were bad, actually.

Re: his identity, I really think he’s doing fine. Not everyone needs a laundry list of hobbies and characteristics to “have an identity.” It’s true that Armand molds himself into whatever shape that’s required of him and sometimes he makes erroneous assumptions about it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an identity. I think Armand doesn’t perceive himself as having an identity, and it’s obvious that he structures his life around whatever role he’s occupying, and that it’s all very fragmented and difficult for him to see the continuity in it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an identity. His priorities and thought process are fairly obvious to the viewer, so that’s his identity. You can see the structure of his mind. That’s him. Right there. We don’t have to wait for the “real” Armand, he’s already here.

I don’t remember when I started loving him, but it was before the painting. Maybe the hunt, or when he starts participating in the interview. The painting did change something for me, though, and so did the bench scene. But I liked him from the start of season two, really, from the moment I found out he’d essentially been stalking Louis the whole time in Paris. I like him most when he’s got a little bit of edge, but then again, I love him when he lies. I actually have a shirt with their argument printed on it. It’s so fucking funny.

Well, I think there was love, at least before Armand strangled it to death. I don’t know if Louis ever loved Armand again, not after the trial, but I think Armand loved Louis, although not in a way that would really be comprehensible as love to anyone else. Maybe only the way you love something you own. But I think he at least enjoyed the performance of it. Besides, all the best relationships are 24/7 BDSM built on abuse and spite. You don’t agree? I think it’s very romantic.

Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve seen something like that too. And it was the greatest thing ever and I’m really glad we got a South Asian lead, even if I’m unsatisfied with AMC’s promotional strategy. One million seasons of Armand and one million posters of his face splashed across all major cities around the world, please. He’s perfect! More people should see him. More people should be subjected to him.

[dootznbootz]

Literally just found out about you today and I'm already follow in you. As fellow tele-GONE-y hater, I absolutely stan with all the hate we have for that stupid fan fiction. Circe used to be one of my favorite books, I still think the writing is good. But when you look at the original source material? Yikes- I don't get why Miller chose CIRCE out of everyone. If she wanted to write a feministic story that's fine. But why chose a female character whom you have to make better and corrupt all the other characters in the source material so that Circe is more sympathetic? Why couldn't she write a TRUE feministic story about some other character?? I personally would've loved a story about Nausikaa. Which would make more sense considering she is a character who is often forgotten in most retellings of the Odyssey.

Circe isn't a sympathetic character, she was never supposed to be one. To make her sympathetic is to make everyone around her terrible. I'm so angry when people use this book for insight on Circe character because it is so different to actual Circe.

I'm also so very salty about what she did to my boy Hermes because what.

Thank you so much!!! Sorry this took a while to answer! Thankfully most folks are not a fan of the Tele-GONE-y either :'D it's mostly the "well, actually" folks who talk about it. >:(

"If she wanted to write a feministic story that's fine. But why choose a female character whom you have to make better and corrupt all the other characters in the source material so that Circe is more sympathetic?"

This right here, is exactly how I feel with so many of these "feminist retellings". Feminism is about lifting each other up. If you have to make everybody else "worse" to make your main character better, then...that's just not good storytelling.

This goes along with the whole "all men are bad no matter what" that happens all the time and I hate it so much. Even if the system may be sexist, that does not mean that every single male agrees with it.

You put everything into words well but I like to ramble so Ima say shit too but it's basically the same thing lol

With the whole "every horrible thing Circe has done is done fo a reason. she's defending herself, she was wronged, men are so evil uwu" is just fucking lazy and SUCKS. >:( LET WOMEN BE FLAWED, COWARDS!

I actually really love Odyssey Circe as a character. She's morally gray and does whatever she wants as a goddess. Yes, she terrifies Odysseus but she's COMPLEX. Why does she need a reason to turn men into pigs? Why can't she just do it "for funsies"?

I think it takes away from her as a goddess to always have a reason for her to do the things she does, you know? Immortals are fickle and don't have the same morals as mortals. I think Miller changed so much as "to have a morally gray protagonist?? No, that's wrong!" which BORING!!!!!!!

I fucking love Penelope. But I still have her a lil mean and even a bit snooty sometimes as her and Odysseus are like-minded. Hubris would be her downfall as well. She is petty and holds grudges like no other. because she's a PERSON. Not "bland empowerment in a can for everyone to consume". Ofc, she has her wonderful qualities like her intelligence, devotion, determination, and yes, she does have her kind moments (she goes 0 to 100% real quick. She takes the "Do no harm, Take no shit" phrase to the extremes. lol)

But honestly? I think there's a real problem in writing in many YA books and especially in fandom where people treat female characters as goddesses (which yes, understandable) but then they can't...make her human you know? Almost like they cannot see any of the woman's flaws or even WANT her to have flaws because "woman doing a bad thing that isn't done 'cutely' ("endearingly clumsy", "quirky chatterbox", etc. traits that are usually not the greatest are "cute" now simply because she's a woman. Maybe a love interest sees her that way but those traits would probably be considered annoying to many others.) regardless is antifeminist"

And even then, so many things that I want to write about are what many would consider feminist when...She's just existing. And I'm getting silly with it. Penelope is athletic and a naiad (75% but you know. with her parentage) but I don't write her that way TO make it feminist. I'm not doing it for that. I just like tiny but mighty wife ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't plan to write other women as "lesser" for not being athletic for example. Anticlea doesn't understand why Penelope likes doing that stuff but she's still supportive and they enjoy weaving together. I am NEVER putting down another female character for not being "girlboss" enough.

I really hate that this book has made people constantly bring up the Tele-GONE-y AND Shittalking all of them. I don't like looking at retellings and seeing "a new feminist take". Usually goes against the entire story to begin with. Often portraying good male characters in the original as "bad and horrible".

Also no hate to those that enjoy Circe the Book, but to me, it sounds like trauma porn. adding rapes that were never there, making the victim of the situation the PERPATRATOR because, clearly, a man cannot be a victim. I heard about her hating being a mom despite her literally having servants and she's a GODDESS in the Odyssey. She could literally have a nanny/nurse if she wanted.

Fun fact: I was watching a video essay about villainesses and how to write them well and as soon as it started to talk about historical villainesses and how Circe was a "femme fatale", I exited the video. She's an "antagonist", she lets them stay there but she's still...Not GOOD. To be a femme fatale means to usually seduce. She does not seduce Odysseus. He was literally commanded to by Hermes and her.

[lillysilvermoon]

Messages from your guardians

Pile 1

Signs: mentors, spiritual guides, ancestors (old woman), dragons (I heard "dragon soul" but I don't know much about dragons so,,,, takes what resonates), guardian angel, Archangel Raphael, green color, rivers, 1111 (I heard that you should read about this number's meaning and also to pay attention to how you feel when you see this number, it's important because has some kind of message in this and will be different for everyone!).

I feel like some of you has been through some kind of "spiritual awakening", it's like something has happened and now you understood what was necessary and a change of some kind is coming. Wait this is the message of someone: yes you understood and yes the change will happen - well, actually already is lol - and that's your confirmation. Also: there will be a "crisis" of some kind, or happened already, it's to remind you what YOU truly want and what's need to let go, it's kin the way of the Universe test you (I know it's sucks, believe I know......... but, this kind of situation teaches A LOT so me EXTREMELY aware, try to take notes because I swear to you, helps!).

Humm, some of you need to do little adjustments here and there and have a moment of rest, you know when we start our spiritual journey and we read about so many things, we wanna try it all but at some moment just feels like you are stuck? That's it here, it's like you are a vessel and you have been filled more and more and some of this was good but some wasn't and you need some time to "take the trash out", you need to stop and look at all this and see what servers you and what not.

If you are going through some hardships your guardians want you to know that first: you are not alone (please call upon them when you need, I promise they will help. But you need to ask guys😭💗) and you need to have trust to move forward of this situation.

"What you believe it's true becomes true, kid. You are halfway of your goal but you need to be more disciplined and put effort. Commit yourself to what you wants and don't give up." Alright for you all I need to say this: remember the thing about the universe test us? It do this to see if we have learned our lesson, so any dramas that may happen you need to see just as a stepping stone to where you want to be/your goals.

This is now just my own advice: call them, talk to them. It can be ANYTHING. Light a candle, write a letter to them and read out loud, pray, meditation. Can whatever y'all want to be. They are with you and really want to help.

You shall receive good news because abundance is coming at waterfalls to you, give abundantly and you accept with gratitude if you are given (I feel there is people here that just don't know how to accept things, either material or emotional help and your guardian wants you to learn this).

For anyone trying a business: it's gonna be blessed!! Expect thing to work really well because I can tell you: wealth is on its away to you.

Please have more faith in yourself Pile 1, seriously you guardians see you like someone SO capable (king of Wands) you can do it! (Whatever this "it" means to y'all, know that YES U CAN! and I believe in you👽🙌)

Last but not least: When was the last time you heard your feelings? You give them some kind of, you know, attention?..... pretend you are fine, you are strong, a warrior blablabla it's needed sometimes, but if this is your normal it's bad, blocks your heart center and the energy which can make you feel sick and warm you hole body. You need more balance when related to your emotional and self-care. Take more care of your spiritual body. (People who likes crystals: rose quartz it's good for you!)

Pile 2

Signs: green color (pile one had this too lmao maybe y'all need to work on your heart chakra just saying 🤷‍♀️), leo, fire signs and fire placements at your big three (so weird when I receive this things because it's very specific and because I don't even know too much about astrology so I was be like "damn... its really specific" lmao never mind ignore me), aquamarine (loved this because the picture of this Pile is a mermaid���🥺), color pink, pisces, 111, 444

Humm okay, first of all your guardians want you to know that some things need to comes to a end because teaches you what was supposed to teach and now it's just time to end, and you don't need to be sad about that because ends also means create space for new things, people, experiences. I feel like this is Love matters, well there is 2 options here: the first one it's all that I said, and the second one is that you are ending this to meet your "special someone" (since there a increase of Twin Flames on earth this time, maybe you are ending this relationship because you gonna meet them soon and you learned the lesson with this person). But for some of you is a friendship. Yeah, it's right, nothing will come of this situation (its literally what the card says), meditation, time out and you know, just be a little contemplative will help you. Surrender to the Divine (whatever The Divine are for you) will help, believe that you will get what you need (I thought this were for the people that are working on there skills but your guardian was like "NO! IT'S NOT!!!!!!) and I came back here and yes it is for you really).

If you are into mantras I recommend "Om Namo Narayani" which basically means I surrender to the Divine.

(I think this is for a really small group: don't let your pride get in your away okay? You need to work in group and balance your needs with the needs of others. Its important and you need to work on this!)

The other message here is that: you are doing SO GREAT at your job/craft. Really, your guardians are proud of you for better your skills and know that you are doing a really good job!

And you need to hear you on thoughts, someone here has been anxious as and your guardian wants you to calm down, repeat to yourself "this thought isn't mine" and start to calm yourself, your guardian wants you to know that you are not alone, but you need to take better care of yourself especially related to your anxiety!

Pile 3

Signs: male guide, trans men (fo explain: someone here reading this are and this is the sign that yes, this is your Pile Hello😙💗), seashells, collect rocks (I don't who you are but you have such a good and fun energy lmao you know this person who just looks like a really good friend and person? It's you), color read, Divine Feminine path (or something related to the topic), life path number 3? (You got FIVE number 3), 666, number 9, pink hearts, Grenade and red jasper (it's more likely you should try to use them, will help you have more energy)

This pile have STRONG feminine energy and also priestess energy (which means that you can be one, become one in the future, was one in some important past life or just have the characteristics of one!)

Okay, some of you has Mother Mary as one of you main guardian (She and Archangel Mary are not the same! I can talk more about this if y'all be interested♡) and I feel a lot of you are working on something new and she wants you to know that: it's worth, this project is important, the world deserves to see the incredible person you are. And also to know that you are entering a knew phase and will bee FULL of good things and blessings, omg I can't calm myself its SO AMAZING really there us so many blessings, so many good moments. Okay I need to calm myself down or things gonna be all messy lol sorry I get really excited with this messages, your faith will be renewed, you are entering a peaceful loving phase, filled with calm energy and personal growth. Your belief that your dreams can manifest are working well, there us a big "yes" coming your away (I'M SO HAPOY FOY YOU, HERE, TAKE MY HUG). Whatever situation this is: is blessed, if you chose this pile probably you are starting all over again in some away, can be on a new/better course or just feeling more positive about archiving your goals.

(Very small group who are feeling stagnant: life goes on cycles and you are going enter a new one now! Likely our friend Pile 3 it's a moment to you to trust in the Divine (again: whatever the Divine is for you). Your guardians want you to trust your feelings and intuition (because logic won't work right now) and speak positively because "your words have power. Say what you want will work, and believe in it" (someone guide said and it's a man).

I need y'all to take care of yourself, your guardians want you to be more in touch with your intuition, your body (dance, yoga and stretching can help) and on do creative things, also try to just go more with the flow, be less controlled (some here are control freaks help) and just... take better care of you, u know?

Oh, I almost forgot: Its time to spread your wings and fly, universe is supporting u right now (your guardians want you to know that because apparently you don't have much physical support so ita important to you to know that). Youe hard work will pay off, I promise you (and for anyone who was wanting to travel: can happen soon)

Pile 4

Signs: aries, pisces, waterfalls, Mexico, ireland, 333, 6666, Angel's, Saint Mary (it's a place in Jamaica).

"You need to take a break" that's what I heard, for some of you I feel like you have to much energy, and you are doing to much things and it's time to get inwards and have some time of to chill, I think you don't like to open up to others because what I'm feeling is that you guided are talking but I just can't understand (like you didn't want help from other person, or that anyone no one knew what going on...) okay I assume its related to your job, or group you live with, looks very...heavy, a sense of hostility and conflicts. Your guardians want you to know that: first isnt your fault! Sencond: try to find common ground and focus on mutual collaboration rather then the competition. You need to focus in maintai you inner peace and don't let the environment you are get the best of you.

For other group here: your guardians always you to take action, to do you best and BE HAPPY (and proud) WITH THAT! (My perfectionist group, maybe?). I think there is something you want and this is a huge YES, but you need determination (and probably a long term plan).

And our last group (but I think this applies to the one before) you need to balance spirituality and practicality (I feel you, same boat here 🤡) WAIT A MINUTE BECAUSE I'M A HOPELESS ROMANTIC SIR, the card says "a new male is coming into your life" nd the other one (the one about balance) SAYS THAT THE PERSON CAN BE A SOULMATE OMG GUYS THE CARDS COMPLEMENTS EACH OTHER THIS IS SO CUTE I CAN'T I'M SORRY-

I couldn't help myself to freak out sorry Pile 4, getting back to what I was saying: Your intuition won't let you down and you need to trust it, and your guardians also wants you to know that you need to take more practical steps and be with your head in the clouds less, they ask you to find balance between your responsibilities and your dreams (maybe you have to work but are trying or want to try your new business, stop dream about it and think "what can I do NOW to make my dream happen?" Or "What step can I do NOW with what I already have to start my business?" Questions like this will help!.

This is coming so strong omg: Your soulmate is coming guys, I mean really appeared 3 times in 2 cards (besides you got The Emperor which can means Divine Masculine depends on the topic. Anyhow just takes what resonates).

COME HERE: When things get hard you have emotional balance? Your guardians want you to work on this, because sometimes the solution is right in front of you but you are to angry, sad or agitated to realize.

I hope this message reaches everyone who needs. Bye bye from me and your guardians 🤣🤭 see y'all soon.

- Lia

[analoghorrorexplained]

I feel like I must do this every few months but here we are.

YOU SHOULD NOT BE CONSUMING ANALOG HORROR, UNFICTION, OR MOST TYPES OF INTERNET HORROR CONTENT IF YOU ARE A CHILD OR HAVE A MENTAL CONDITION THAT MAKES IT HARD TO DECERN REALITY FROM FICTION.

No, you are not mature for doing it.

No, you are not immune from being triggered by the content you watch, no matter how often you expose yourself to graphic, violent, or sexual material.

Yes, the content can make whatever condition you have worse and be bad for your mental health.

No, creators should not have to make their series more "minor" friendly or toned down to accomidate for people easily triggered by horror/the subject of the series.

No, minors should not be in these spaces at all.

No, I am not gatekeeping by saying this.

There is a profound difference between calling out series and their creators for their haphazard and lazy use of shocking subjects such as child abuse, sexual abuse, etc for the sake of "oooo scary" and setting the boundary that keeps mature genres for mature audiences and draws a concrete line beween fiction and reality. If you are a child (this is even more true if you are 15 or younger) you should not be regularly consuming this type of content at all. The "I turned out fine" excuse is absolutley bullshit. I know many of us older folks who were the first to grow up with the internet were also kind of left to run wild, but that does not mean we did either. This isnt some race to be mature and we do not need to keep encouraging and welcoming kids into spaces where they should not be.

The same thing goes for people who suffer from conditions that cause delusions, psychosis, hallucinations, etc.

You should generally not be consuming content that triggers your illness or that is greatly distressing to you. This isnt to say mentally ill people cant consume this content at all and enjoy it; but the defining word here is "enjoy". You are not enjoying something if it begins to consume your life and manifests as part of your condition. You are not enjoying something if you are in actual fear for your life or think things are out to get you. You are not enjoying something if it takes you back to a very dark place. Analog horror, unfiction, and other forms of horror are no different than the movies you see at the theater or TV. The thing that makes them extra "potent" is the fact that 3rd person prospective is removed. That line between viewer and character is removed. Its easy to get sucked up in that if you are already struggling.

Sometimes things are just not made for you. And thats fine. They might be for you in the future but not now. Maybe not even ever. But forcing it and warping your sense of personhood and reality isnt how you cope with that.

[star--joy]

Inspire

Vex doesn't understand why Percy keeps giving her arrows, but she's sure there's some ulterior motive to the whole ordeal.

-

Prompt: “You really inspire me.” (creativepromptsforwriting.tumblr.com/post/673924497584291840)

-

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: Arguments

Words: 1644

Originally posted: 8/11/23

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49274167

The first arrow was a simple thing.

Well, that’s not true. The first arrow was complex in construction, delicate and complicated enough that it kept Percy tinkering for weeks. Crafting one that explodes upon impact is no small feat. In that way, it hadn’t been simple at all.

Perhaps a better way to phrase it is this: the first arrow was nothing important.

Yes, Vex was pleased to have such a weapon at her disposal, and yes, she was flattered that Percy spent so much time creating it, but that was it. A small gift between friends.

Except not much time passed before the second arrow was presented to her. Similar to the first, but more fine-tuned, according to Percy.

Well, fine. Vex can handle that. She knows how their gunslinger likes to perfect his inventions, to improve them until they can’t be anymore. That’s what she’d assumed it was. He’d simply wanted to create it for his own benefit.

The third arrow, yet another advancement, was considered the same.

Sometime around the fourth one, however, Vex hears a warning bell sound off in a deep corner of her mind.

“It’s a siege arrow,” Percy explains, ignorant to her sudden caution as he hands her the weapon. “Maybe now we’ll have more luck getting through doors.”

“Indeed,” she hums, testing the feel and weight of it, though her mind is elsewhere. “Thank you, Percy. I have to say, you’ve been spoiling me with all these gifts.”

The unspoken question of why hangs over her head, but apparently, it goes unheard to the gunslinger. He just grins. “Yes, well. I do hope you enjoy them.”

And then, just like that, he’d walks away. Vex watches his retreating form, lip caught between her teeth, before retreating back to her room for a night’s rest. Sleep does not come easy as she ponders the motives of his kindness.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh arrows come and go, each one sparking more confusion in Vex. Barely a week ever goes by without a new creation finding its way into her hands, and a part of her is going mad with it. If he wants something so desperately, why doesn’t he just come out and ask? Percy never struck her as particularly manipulative, at least to his friends, so why the fuck is he desperately trying to suck up to her?

Perhaps he had done something terrible, and this is his way of apologizing. Yet even then, Vex can’t figure out what he might have done to warrant such profuse gifting.

Well, she’s done with it. No more beating around the bush. Steps firm and steady, she finds herself marching down to his workshop, fully intending to put this whole ordeal to an end.

Percy meets her halfway down the stairs, another fucking arrow in his hands. “Oh, Vex, I was just about to come find you,” he says.

Vex looks down at the arrow in his hands, looks up at his proud expression, then grabs him by the collar of his soot-covered work shirt and drags him down into the workshop once more. Percy yelps. “What in the hells—?”

“What are you playing at?” Vex demands, all her careful composure thrown out with the force of her frustration. “What’s the goal here? And don’t lie to me, Percival. I’m not in the mood.”

Slowly, he reaches up to fix his shirt collar from where Vex had snatched it. “I’m afraid I don’t follow. Have I done something?”

“You know what I’m talking about! What do you want? Money, is that it? You want me to be looser with your funds? Fucking— fine! Here,” she snarls, unclipping her personal coin purse and chucking it at his feet. The anger coursing through her is more potent than it’s been in years, boiling her very blood in a way that’s almost alarming. Percy has no right to play her for a fool. Vex thought he’d respected her more than that, but apparently she was wrong, and it fucking hurts.

Percy stares at the coin purse on the ground, mouth open and eyes wide. “Vex, I— are you alright?” He’s stepping closer, arrow still in hand but long-forgotten. 

“I’m fine. Take your money. And next time, just ask. Don’t play these games with me.” Her voice is wavering and she hates it, hates how much she cares.

“What in Pelor’s name are you talking about?!” he asks, sounding so genuinely baffled that it gives her pause. Then, “Vex’ahlia… Vex, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Teeth grinding together, Vex snaps, “The fucking arrows, Percy! I don’t appreciate your bribery.”

Percy looks at her, looks at the arrow in his hand, looks at the coin pouch on the ground. His face twists, but not with guilt or anger. Instead, he just adopts the expression of a kicked puppy, all furrows and pouted lips. “Bribery? That’s what you think I’m doing?”

“You’re denying it?” Vex asks, arms crossing over her chest as if that could shield her from the way his sadness is wringing her heart.

His mouth opens and closes several times. Slowly, he picks up the coin purse and hands it back to her. “I apologise. I hadn’t realised that you— that I was giving that impression.”

Vex twitches. She couldn’t have been wrong. What other reason would he have to be so fucking kind to her? And, Gods above, if she is wrong, then why is he handling it like this? “What impression were you trying to give, then?”

Percy’s hand ruffles through his hair. When he speaks, it’s little more than a murmur. “It’s— I spent a long time creating things out of anger, Vex. Horrible things that I had no right to invent.” It’s clear that each of his words is chosen with a great deal of thought. He won’t look at her.

Stepping forward, Vex lets her hands uncross from her chest and fall to her side. “So, what, is this some kind of penance? Your way of apologizing?”

His jaw flexes. “No. It’s more selfish than that, I’m afraid. I… when I made the things I did, the firearms, I was inspired by rage. When I make arrows for you, it’s different. Rage isn’t my inspiration.”

“What is?” she asks, breath held.

He looks up at her, all gentle and sad. “You are. You really inspire me to create something better. To be something better.”

Oh.

Vex swallows, breaking his gaze to stare at the arrow in his hand. Her heart withers with guilt as the reality of the situation sinks in. Gods, she’d been screaming at him, accusing him of such terrible things, when his whole motivation was that? “I’m— Fuck, I’m such a dick. I’m sorry,” she whispers, burying her face in her hands.

“No, I’m sorry. I should have been more clear with my intentions—”

“Shut up, you did nothing wrong. I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, why I assumed—”

“Nothing is wrong with you, Vex’ahlia,” Percy interjects, voice still quiet, but with a firm, passionate undertone. His footsteps approach, and then his hands are gently pulling hers away from her face, exposing her distressed expression. “Of all people, I understand not knowing what to do with kindness.”

Vex breathes in, inhaling his unique scent of soap and metal. He’s very close, and she feels utterly exposed to his eyes, but it’s not such a horrible feeling when he understands. “Percy… do you still want to make the arrows? I understand if you don’t, but… I really do love them.”

His lips curve into a smile. “I’ll make as many as you want.”

And then, somehow, their lips are connecting. Vex doesn’t who leaned in for the kiss first, or if they were both in sync, but either way, it’s wonderful. Soft and slow, like nothing she’s ever experienced.

Her hand finds purchase on the back of his neck, idly stroking through the baby hairs there, smiling against his lips when he melts into her touch. His own hand is on the small of her back, holding her close to him, thumb rubbing mindless patterns.

“That was…” Percy whispers when they finally break apart for air, coming to rest their foreheads together. “Wonderful.”

Vex laughs, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Agreed. Do you think you can pull yourself away from the workshop for the rest of the day? I would like to spend some time apologizing for… everything. I really am sorry.”

“I’ve already forgiven you, Vex.”

“I’d still like to make it up to you. However you like. Besides, I’m not exactly getting the short end of the stick here, darling. Your company is a lovely bonus.”

Percy’s throat bobs. “I would enjoy a dinner with you, if you’re offering. But I don’t want you to do it as a payment, or an apology.”

Vex sighs, pushing through her instincts in order to be honest, peel back some of her armor, exposing her vulnerable underside. “That’s not what this is. Not in your case, anyway. I… I care for you, Percy, and I am going to keep apologizing for a little while, because I feel really fucking bad. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t also enjoy a dinner together. Genuinely”

His smile is radiant as he leans down to kiss her once more, if briefly. “Alright. I’ll ask Laina to cook something for us. There’s not much privacy to be had in the dining room, but we’ll make do—”

“Oh, don’t be silly. My room is big enough for us both. Meet me there with the food, yeah? Don’t keep me waiting,” Vex hums, pressing one last teasing kiss to the corner of Percy’s lips, quite enjoying his blush as she flutters out of his workshop. 

She’s sure of one thing: this is going to be a lovely dinner.

[qqueenofhades]

you can tell you work in academia with how much patience you have for some of these asks...."I don't know what is and isn't true anymore" is such an indefensible cop out of a way to exist in the modern world. morally clean "Leftists" could at least have the decency to learn the history of the people and places they pretend to care about for internet points, but hey, it's way easier to take the Opressor Approved route and give into despair and recycle repurposed right wing propaganda like the TERF version of geopolitics. a lot of people need to ask themselves, if there were no internet asspats involved, would you actually still care?? anyway thank you for your patience and willingness to engage, you're a better person than me :')

So far as the other anon goes, they have apologized and taken responsibility that it was a dumb thing to do, I have accepted that apology, and I think that matter is now closed. And yes, I do actually appreciate (as discussed in many other posts and asks) that it is difficult to always and automatically find reliable information, that it has been made deliberately even more difficult to do so by various bad actors, and that this results in a big ol' Bad Take Sea even by people who are genuinely otherwise well-meaning or want to make a positive contribution. So I really do have sympathy for that. Perhaps the previous anon did not put that sentiment across in the best of ways, but as I said, we should all have a bit more grace in remembering that we are real people behind the computer/phone screen and are dealing with different stressful things, and therefore sometimes make mistakes and do or say things we don't mean. (You know, for those of us who aren't pornbots. Oh tumblr.)

Where you and I absolutely agree, however, is that just because it is sometimes difficult to acquire that information, or that systemic and deliberate barriers/misinformation has been put in place to increase the difficulty, it does not excuse people from the responsibility of doing so, especially if they want to put themselves in the position of being the Perfectly Correct Social Media Oracle who will judge and criticize everyone else's responses and act as if that has some real-world impact or is a real marker of someone's "personal morality." And there are for sure plenty of people who are doing that with literally no self-awareness or other critical tools, because as you say, they want the Internet Asspats for being seen as a "Good Person" according to a very narrow and limited definition. But they can't think about what that entails, how to challenge it or correct it, or otherwise apply it carefully, so, yeah.

As I said, I am generally willing to answer asks that are made in good faith and show a real willingness to learn, because (as noted and which is doubtless visible again here) I am an academic and I enjoy having these kinds of discussions. But this topic in particular, and modern social media in general, is really not made for it, and it's easy to get sucked down the Discourse Black Hole that doesn't do anything for anyone, and I try to avoid that. So I answer only when I think I can contribute something useful to the discussion, which results in those kinds of long and careful responses where I do always worry that I haven't said enough or said it the right way, especially with the bad-faith reading police eager to leap on any small misstatement or sentence taken out of context. That is of course a hazard of being a person on the Internet in 2024, and since I am still here and still answering questions generally, I have clearly decided to accept it. But I also don't have an obligation to respond to *everything,* and I don't. It is a fine line to walk and again, I am a middle-aged tired academic and ordinary person doing my best. I appreciate your support. :)

[flirtyletters]

Headcanons of how Mitsuo, Iketeru, and Uramichi react to their shy crush giving him a love letter from them?

yes i did get both asks! not to worry >:)

his shy crush gives him a love letter

mitsuo, iketeru, uramichi

gender neutral reader

mitsuo kumatani

a quick glance at the letter in your hand and he knows what's going on. he accepts it and bows before you graciously like a true gentleman. he will still read the letter you put so much effort into before answering. haste is not the key. then again, he needed to make plans to confess properly.

before long, you are gone and he is left alone to stare at the envelope. in soltitude, he lets a rare smile play on his face as brings the letter to his lips to kiss it. your first ever gift to him in a way.

being a man who knows his own heart, he does not take a long time to tell you his answer. he accepts, of course, because he had been cultivating feelings for you for a while too. you spared him the worries of confessing so he is grateful.

his expression does not betray his happiness but he vows in his heart to make you happy. mitsuo is the kind of person who keeps his promises.

iketeru daga

he seriously didn't want to make the situation uncomfortable for you but he mishears your low whispers and starts laughing.

"please accept this, iketeru!" you somehow manage to utter softly after days of practice. the only response you get is him clutching his stomach and trying not to burst out. that just sounded so wrong and hilarious. his habit of laughing during the most inopportune moments will be the death of him, for sure!

in case you decide to run away, he instantly regrets his actions. still doubling down with mirth, he tries to regain his composure when his eyes fall on an envelop. oh, it's a letter.

after quickly examining the contents of the letter, he looks at the spot you just left with wide eyes.

he finds you later and apologises like a gentleman for being rude. then he offers you homemade onigiris and himself if you will have him.

uramichi omota

what...?

he opens the letter with a certain misgiving. on one hand, he wants to believe that you are confessing your love for him but on the other hand, he knows that you are shy and that reality sucks. hell, sometimes he just wants one extra hour of sleep in the morning and he can't even get that. getting you would be surreal with his eternal poker face and giving literally nothing away. he isn't the best at showing his feelings. it's exhausting.

but then again, there is always a possibility. two adults dating is quite a commonplace occurrence.

his heart starts racing and before he knows it, he has opened the letter and started reading it.

you fidget shyly before saying, "eh, ah, uramachi, is it fine if I leave? ... you can give me an answer later."

by then, he has scanned the contents and suddenly yells at you to stop. no, he can't let the chance go!

his face looks terrifying. he doesn't want to scare you but he doesn't want to let you go either. you understand his awkwardness well so you let him finish speaking. by the end of it, you have plans for a date that weekend.

[mattitties]

No cause I agree on your opinion on Madi and laura like 😭 laura sucks at managing them and to be honest I’d feel like they would have been hella more famous if they weren’t under her management 🤷‍♀️ the woman isn’t even doing much for her own daughter AND madi just seems so fucking bleh like she’s been in more videos then any of their other friends (I’m assuming) and their other friends (nate, elmer, alahana) even that one girl mikayla who was in one fucking video showed a bunch of personality more then she ever did it’s crazy ☠️☠️ Like I don’t know she just strikes me as stuck up and I don’t see nothing so appealing to her besides her looks

LITERALLY!!! their growth has kind of plateaued and i don’t see them getting much bigger than they are now unless they switch managements. and yeah she seems to have kind of given up on madi’s “career” but part of me wonders if madi has realized she doesn’t want that life and is trying to get away from the social media scene and get a real job. i heard something about her applying to colleges (no idea if it’s true or not) but if that’s true, good for her

and yes, all of their friends from boston are so much more interesting. madi just seems like your typical LA girl which is fine because thats where she grew up but i genuinely don’t understand how they like her so much, especially nick because all of his best friends from home (mikayla and alahna for example) match his personality so much better.

this may be so far fetched but sometimes i wonder how much of their friendship is just forced because of laura 😭 i know they have sleepovers and she’s barely even in their videos anymore so i’m not saying it’s for clout but it just seems like such an odd relationship and i don’t understand how they’re “best friends” when their personalities are so opposite

[mountmortar]

also kind of down the same vein as this post, the idea that "what's most important in an operating system is that it works for you" can also be expanded to "what's most important in a browser is that it works for you". i say this as an enthusiast of firefox (and its forks) myself and someone who daily drives it: sometimes firefox fucking sucks (ESPECIALLY on mobile). it can be very resource-intensive and it does have a history of memory leakage among other things. despite what people online may tell you (and i have seen plenty of like. fear-mongering posts about it. for SOME reason) it is not the end of the world if you have to use a chromium-based browser because firefox keeps fucking up on you for whatever reason and nothing you do seems to fix it. yes it sucks that chromium has a monopoly on the browser market but like goddamn sometimes you do need your shit to just work. if your main concern when web browsing is privacy and you don't mind putting up with jank sometimes then yes, firefox and its forks (e.g. librewolf) will probably be a perfect fit for you. but if you're someone who just cannot fucking get it to work for you then there are a lot of other chromium-based browsers out there that aren't google chrome that you can also try to see if they work for you. and like. That's Fine. just find what works best for you and doesn't fuck up your computer.

if you'd like a couple extra options to consider, currently the two most popular chromium-based alternatives to chrome (but absolutely not the only ones!) are brave and vivaldi. i've used both extensively and can vouch for the fact that they work damn well (on both macOS and linux, at least. i can't say anything about windows because i don't have windows). in my own personal experience, brave outperformed vivaldi on macOS and vivaldi outperformed brave on linux (tried it on a few different ubuntu-based distros).

that being said, brave might be an automatic turnoff for a lot of people because it has a fuckton of cryptocurrency + AI features baked into it. you can disable all these features and wipe them from your sight, but obviously a lot of people will understandably take issue with the fact that these features are built into it in the first place. and getting out of the tech side of things for a moment just for the sake of transparency (and because i know it's important to some, though the Average User is probably not going to give a shit), the ceo of its parent company is brendan eich, who is also the creator of javascript. and he also sucks bad, to put it lightly (link to wikipedia article; he did donate to a campaign against gay marriage in 2008). but i can say that the browser, which is open-source, runs very well and it plans to hold on to support for extensions like ublock origin (which google is planning to fuck over for chromium-based browsers) for as long as possible, even when the plug for manifest v2 is pulled entirely. it has its own adblocker as well, which, while not on ublock origin's level, is pretty good. i can vouch for it on mobile (android) as well—it runs smoothly and i never had any issues with it whatsoever.

brave's privacy policy can be found here. an article getting into a controversy regarding brave's handling of user data can be found here.

vivaldi catches a bit of flak for being proprietary freeware instead of totally open-source, but it has no crypto/AI features and is probably one of the most customizable browsers out there (note: more customization means the likelihood that something breaks on you is increased, but that holds true for literally anything you do. think macOS vs. windows for example). for the sake of equal comparison and transparency, i'll also mention the ceo of its parent company, jon stephenson von tetzchner, who co-founded the opera browser (originally released in 1995, still used today) before he eventually left and started vivaldi in 2015. he doesn't seem to suck bad on the like brendan eich does at the time of writing this (no donations to oppress gay people, lmao). getting back into tech things, i will say that while vivaldi has its own adblocker like brave, it is not nearly as good. also, they are not currently planning to try and hold on to support for extensions affected by the manifest v3 change like ublock origin at the time of writing this, and instead are going to continually upgrade their own adblocker to be better than it currently is. ultimately, vivaldi can be a bit more resource-heavy than brave because of all the customization options, but i didn't find it to be too over-the-top and the browser itself worked just fine with no breakage. vivaldi is actually my main mobile browser!

vivaldi's privacy policy can be found here. as of the time of writing this post, there have been no privacy controversies associated with it.

[jeniffercheck]

what do you think shivlina’s first big blowout fight is over and how does it play out?

omg first blowout fight i had to really think about it (shocking considering how many shivlina arguments i've written). under the cut bc i had a lot to say i suppose

i'm considering it under strict terms of canon, so fully affair files, & i think it would have to be over something extremely inconsequential that gets blown wayyy out of proportion just due to high emotions and a lot of miscommunication.

my gut is honestly that it would have something to do with shiv's pregnancy mixed with karolina's press release call when logan passed in the plane. there would be rocky moments for sure before that point, but first extreme blowout fight, definitely a compound of those two events.

thinking about it based on that, i think it could start with karolina accidentally finding out about the pregnancy, or shiv tells her a very bad moment to tell her -- keeping in mind that karolina is also riding the wave of all the tomshiv drama at this time as well, like full emotional labor on her end for shiv -- and her reaction would be good, but of course not great, because she's in love with shiv and they're having an affair and now they're bringing a kid into it?? which feels wrong and she hates tom and now tom is kind of inside of shiv and the layers just go on and on and on. that would be the first crack of like, something is not right between the two of them but they're both going to keep pretending that things are fine, because so many other things are fucked up and they're both the most stable thing in each other's lives currently.

then logan dies, and karolina has to make that phone call, and she's calling shiv, yes, but she's in a small plane with a lot of people and logan's body is literally right there, and she doesn't know who is with shiv and it's not like she can just go into girlfriend karolina mode, like she's literally on the clock and someone needs to write the press release so she is writing it!!!! (babygirl is compartmentalizing the whole house down) and she needs one of the roy kids to participate!! and obviously shiv is mad at her. like if there's one person in the world she could use comfort from at that moment it's karolina, and karolina is the one essentially driving the knife in, treating logan's death like business, and shiv our sweet selfish girlfail is pissed.

and to me, it wouldn't be that specific thing that she's mad about, but it's something small enough that she can latch onto and blame karolina for, and then she'd drag the pregnancy into it, and then she'd bring tom/caroline's betrayal into it ("did you know?") and it would all come pouring out with karolina as the target (shiv our fave emotional war crime) & karolina wouldn't take it, bc all of this has sucked for her by proxy and she doesn't take shiv's shit ever, even sometimes in moments where she could be kind and let shiv let it out, but shiv would definitely get mean and say things that just aren't true, and karolina would defend herself and she'd be honest with shiv, and it would be truly awful and horrible and they would probably cry :(

[salamanderwrites]

not sure if requests are still open but imagine visiting shu all the way to Paris ( yall were ok with a long distant relationship btw ) dude is like " I told u I'd come visit u in Japan if u want!! " but all u want is to see his pretty face and live with him, he's okay at the end with whatever u want bcs deep down he loves u so so much :D

Shu x Gn!Reader ;; Precious

"Come on love, let's take some rest together. The flight must've been long, hm?"

a/n: Ahhh first request I'm so excited!!! Thank u for requesting shu. He's my silly bingus I wanna give him a hug. Sorry if my english kinda sucks

SYNOPSIS: You decided to finally visit Shu after months of being in a long-distance relationship! You didn't warn him about your visit, though…

Content: Fluff. Very romantic Aerophobia mentioned multiple times. Word count: 658

Staying in a long-distance relationship was a hard decision to make.

Although you were always supportive of Shu's actions, to say his departure to France didn't affect your mood would be a lie. Every day you longed for his touch, smell, the sound of his voice - and everything else. Itsuki's closure wasn't replaceable, and sometimes texting made you even sadder. Goddamit, why couldn't you be next to him? Well, there was a reason. A simple one, but strong enough to keep you in Japan. Flights terrified you, and that made you feel guilty. Sure, it was the safest form of travel, but that's still not enough to convince you.

Shu said it wasn't a problem and never insisted on you coming, but sometimes you felt like it wasn't the case. So, after a few months, you decided it was finally time to face your fears.

And you put your lover in front of a fait accompli.

At first, he didn't believe you when you told him to pick you up from Charles de Gaulle, but it didn't take him too long to realize you were serious. Was he mad? Uh, yes and no? He was happy you were finally next to him but tried to play offended because you didn't tell him about your plans. It took some time before you arrived at his apartment, but you were happy to see his pretty face.

"I told you I'd come and pay you a visit in Japan if you wanted. You could've told me you needed a visit." he scolded you, but the only thing you could think about was how happy you were. The flight was the scariest experience you had, but it was worth it. "I know you're scared of flights."

"Non! I couldn't. I knew that's how you'd react." You mumbled, causing him to raise an eyebrow at copying his speech patterns. "You're right about one thing, though. I'm not going through the flight experience ever again. It was scary."

…

"Pardon?" He fell silent for a moment, thinking about what he had just heard. The feelings you evoked in him were indescribable. Sometimes he couldn't keep up with the impulsiveness of your decisions, but it had its charm. Closing his eyes, he pulled you close to his chest. The way he hugged you made it seem like he was scared of you disappearing. And he was. Shu wasn't the kind of person to show affection, especially when separated, so that was a shocker. "A-ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Shuuuuu!"

"Hush." He whispered as you wrapped your arms around him. He stroked your head gently to reassure you that everything was fine. Shu's touch and the sound of his heartbeat washed over all of the stress you had. It didn't matter that you never told him. You were here now - that's all that mattered. "I… thank you." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

The things he felt for you couldn't be closed in one, simple I love you.

"Thank you for being so close to me. And for flying over despite your fears. I can't believe you're finally next to me, y/n. You're a true blessing, my dear. I'm not going to let you go. Ever." You felt your eyes involuntarily start to tear up. Tightening your hands on his coat, you found yourself sobbing pretty quickly.

Oh, how you loved this man. And how he loved you.

You raised your head, and even though you couldn't stop the tears, the only thing one could see in your eyes was the sheer adoration you had for him. "Did… I say something wrong?" He asked, placing both of his hands on your cheeks.

"Of course not, Shu." You sniffed. "I appreciate that so much." Both of you stayed silent, but after a while, with a gentle smile, he grabbed your hand.

"Come on love, let's take some rest together. The flight must've been long, hm?"