#like. im not taking the test for my OWN benefit

[bananonbinary]

just spent 50 DOLLARS on 5 whole covid tests for the family to take (we have immunocompromised friends and don't take any chances with them)

this is a fucking travesty

[lovegasmic]

──── . THE ONE WHO FELL FIRST, AND THE ONE WHO FELL HARDER ; SUKUNA × F!READER.

꒰ request : Sukuna is a popular businessman, nice to everyone but you, thinking you managed to plot everything to marry him. the wrong accusations only cause him to have conflicted emotions and unable to admit he's falling for you ꒱.

 𝜗𝜚 modern au ◞ angst to fluff / slow burn◞ forced marriage◞ reader is a business student and also comes from a slightly rich family◞ req from around august im so sorry ◞ 3K WORDS BABEY ★ taglist

wasting precious time in such a banal thing like your feelings, was something Sukuna was not willing to do.

time was money, and he knew you liked the latter, or else why would you even consider marrying him?

the deal was not yours or Sukuna’s idea, of course it had to be a dumb old man with equal old beliefs like “a man your age must be already married and stable” bullshit, Sukuna had enough wealth and health to be worrying about not finding a wife or getting onto procreating an heir.

but for the pink haired man, his investors were more important than his own family, so, he agreed.

and of course, one of them happened to be your own father.

the man was not stupid, with that hand rubbing and gruff voice while luring Sukuna into considering a marriage that would benefit both parties, almost like a leach attached to the pink haired by the hip until he gave in.

Sukuna knew you, of course he did, the pretty girl who tried to mingle in those boring business parties that were nothing but a place to brag about each one of their successful companies.

and you always were there, listening, almost as if testing who could be a suiting partner, the richest the better.

for him, you were just another money grubber on the list, truly a pretty girl like you must have thousands of suitors knocking on your door, yet you subtly but excitedly agreed on the deal, eyes almost shinning as if you were already imagining Sukuna’s millions in the bank

he scoffs at the thought, his idiotic self had to fall, didn’t he? right into the trap.

the champagne is a tad bitter due to the circumstances, the golden beverage that usually slid down his throat quite smoothly was now dry, leaving a gross aftertaste, perhaps the champagne was not the issue, but this whole fucked up lie.

hands clasped and congratulations were given, each one welcomed by a polite and quite charming smile from Sukuna, as if he was genuinely happy, although you knew otherwise.

the man was so kind, a bit stuck up like most businessmen, but that did not stop him from chit chatting with friends and other people in the business, asking about their families and such, to which you observed with a smile, genuinely happy to be found in a marriage with at least a decent man.

but when his attention turned to you, he was a whole new person, that smile fading and sticking to a stone cold mask that always stuck when speaking to you, solely to you.

“Sukuna—” you try, shoes clicking on the luxury wooden floor of his mansion, where you now resided as well, there was no honeymoon as you, —naively, expected, almost bouncing on your spot as the limousine drove away from the wedding reception, perhaps the cute lingerie set you got underneath will be useful.

but no, how your heart crushed upon the sight of the mansion, nor a helicopter or private jet to take you to some sort of fancy and private spot. instead, all you got was silent as Sukuna climbed off the car, already loosening his tie as soon as the butler opened the door, your hurried steps behind and the limo’s trunk filled with your belongings.

“let the butler show you your room” is what he interrupts with, the suit jacket tossed onto a nearby couch which a maid was quick to fold, almost making your face burn in embarrassment at your husband’s dismissal in front of other people.

you stop for a second, blinking confused before following him still, “my room? what do you mean with my room? aren’t we sleeping in the same bedroom?”

how naive, and Sukuna’s scoff followed by a cruel laugh is just adding onto your embarrassment, “i don’t believe so, sweetheart” that last word sounds so cruel right now, “you already got the fame and money you wanted, i’m not going to indulge your spoiled princess whims” 

the door slams shut and you freeze, unsure about what just happened.

the first night was unnecessarily cold, the lingerie forgotten in an empty drawer and the luggage you brought from home all stacked up in a corner of the wide room, everything lacked of color, of life, there was no wall decors, white sheets and comforters, beige curtains against boring beige walls, and of course, the warmth of the man you have longed for so long was missing.

deciding to blame the wedding nerves on Sukuna’s foul mood from the day before, making the bed and opening the curtains to allow the gentle breeze in from a barely open window that had a perfect view to the perfect backyard garden and pool.

the day was beautiful, and so you joined the chef to chat a little meanwhile Sukuna came downstairs with a serious expression like the day before, “good morning” is all he says before sitting down on the dining table, not sparing you another glance or waiting for you to sit as well as he already began on his breakfast.

“good morning, did you sleep well?” you try, again, and fail, again, since Sukuna doesn’t even reply, wiping his lips with a smooth movement that your eyes longer on, “the room you gave me is quite nice” your brain begs you to stop talking, “i just thought it’s a bit too dull, don’t you agree?”

“...” 

“maybe we can buy some decorations, or if you’re too busy I can do it on my own!”

“you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

you blink, once, twice, “excuse me?”

“nothing” he stands up, the chair dragging on the ground and a napkin left on the emoji plate, “i have business to attend to, don’t bother me” with a thank you to the chef, Sukuna leaves again towards what you think must be his home office.

what you don’t know is the fact that Sukuna double checks all of his credit cards to be in place, muttering a “that damn gold digger woman”

life with Sukuna was not going to be as quiet and calm as you thought, almost two days later after your first night at your new home, Sukuna brought in the news of some charity ball you ‘had’ to attend to, of course, a place to show around how your marriage was perfectly fine, how he was stable like those dumb old men said, but at least, the appearance of a married man will definitely be successful for future partnerships.

with a mental slap, the pink haired man turned on his spot as soon as you walked down the stairs, looking ethereal with the dress he got you under the threat of “not wanting you to embarrass him” a longer look and he would have probably said something nice, and you did not deserve it.

“let’s go” he says gruff, not even opening the Benz door for you to climb in, but you did not mind, you were not really expecting anything from him anymore.

“you look good” is what you say instead, and his hands clench a little around the wheel, keeping his eyes ahead without a response.

for a second you wondered if Sukuna had some sort of double personality, he was cold and serious to you, but as soon as you stepped into the gala, his hand tightened on your waist, and a kind and even soft smile plastered on his face while greeting the other guests.

your parents were there, and your husband simply rolled his eyes at the sight of your father sporting a self praising smile at the sight of your fancy attire and multiple diamond jewels decorating your neck, wrist and fingers. 

unable to deny how well you behaved yourself, and so as the hours passed, his thumb unconsciously began to rub up and down on your waist, chatting with a casual and soft look that made your heart skip a beat. this was the man you fell in love with.

a little too good to be truth, since as soon as you got back home, the usual stoic Sukuna came back, “perhaps you’re not as useless as I thought”

that should not have hurt as much as it did, you were already used to Sukuna’s dismissals, to his mean comments about wanting to suck his money like some sort of leech, about how you should stick to your own business and stop pestering him, but that really hurt.

so this time, it’s you who turns and leaves. 

a little shaky sigh leaves his lips, splashing cold water onto his face to ease the strange thoughts inside his head, was he too mean? that can’t be, you deserve it, you were nothing but a gold digger, a walking… temptation.

“fuck…” he grips the bathroom sink until his knuckles turn white, the previous night kept repeating on his head, over and over again, the look on your eyes, his harsh words and the way you left without a word, why did his heart was thumping so hard?

with another curse he leaves his room, grumbling and sliding his fingers through his hair to comb it back, just to stand frozen on his spot at the sight of you all dressed and holding a bag on your shoulder, “where are you going?” the words leave before he can stop them.

the look on your eyes is a bit duller than usual and that hurts bad, “to school” you say as if it’s the most obvious thing.

“what—” 

“i’m running late, we’ll talk later” and you leave just like that, leaving Sukuna with a frown and a look of disbelief that pushes the previous guilt to the back of his head.

“this damn brat”

although it was barely a week after your wedding, the whole attention his employees have you was, overwhelming, with big smiles and attentions showered as soon as you stepped into the fancy building, swinging your bag over your shoulder as a lovely, and way too cheerful, —probably fake, woman guided you to the elevator, explaining which floor to take to meet your husband.

you scoff inwardly, you’ve been to this building multiple times in the past, although just as a shadow, as a nobody, now that the boss was your husband everything was awfully over the top.

“sit, and explain” straight to the point, how kind was your husband.

with a sigh and a click of the door you sit on the chair opposite to his desk, “i told you I was going to school”

“what does that even fucking mean? are you a teacher? student? I truly hope you don’t mean highschool or i’m sending you to jail”

“what the…, no, of course not, I mean university, ugh”

“that’s better” his shoulders relax back but his eyes are still narrowed and hands in front of him, it was a bit funny, “explain”

“you really don’t know anything, do you?” you lean back and hum, “i’m at two semesters from getting my business degree” 

“why haven’t you told me?”

“you never asked” you swear Sukuna’s eye twitches slightly.

“from now on I don’t want you to keep secrets from me, you’re my wife, I must know”

“oh, so i’m your wife now?”

another twitch, “you are my wife, whether we like it or not”

whether we like it or not. those words kept replaying, you liked it, or at least that is what you thought before. 

your younger self would have been giggling and kicking her feet at the sole thought of marrying Sukuna, the man you admired and observed from afar when you were still a bit too young to approach him, barely out of highschool and your inner self longed for the man, saving his pictures on your phone and setting it as screensaver.

how ridiculous, you now thought, closing the first magazine you bought and sliding it under your pillow, the one that, of course, had Sukuna on the cover, and the one that inspired you to follow his path and get into business school.

fairy tales were now ridiculous, what you thought could be a perfect life with the man of your dreams turned into morning and goodnight greetings alongside some forced chats and questions about whereabouts.

but instead of sulking, you did what was best, shop.

the sudden sound of voices outside brought Sukuna from his thoughts and piles of paperwork, immediately standing up to step into the living room, only to be greeted by the sight of multiple men carrying boxes inside the house, “what the fuck is all this?” he asks with a low and almost scary tone, one to which you’ve grown used to.

“decoration for the house, I told you I was going to buy it” you reply nonchalant, and Sukuna couldn’t deny the way you look kinda cute with that rolled up sleeves shirt and overalls, like damn bob the builder.

unconsciously Sukuna taps his back pocket, checking his wallet, “i mean, with what money you got all this?”

“huh? with mine, obviously” 

“your what?”

“what? did you seriously think I lived from your money? please, I am very dependable, thank you very much” you scoff with a frown, Sukuna did not had to know the many business you invested in with a capital from your father, which you obviously paid back and now the percentages of profit in said business just kept increasing to your good luck.

“i didn’t mean—” no, he totally did mean to imply you are a gold digger, but now… with this, things were a bit different.

he scratches his cheek, standing next to you with his towering form as you observe the boxes getting placed into the living room, yet the pink haired’s eyes remain on your side, on the way your brows are knitted in annoyance and the soft cute pout on your mouth.

you mess with his head, and now with his house, wonderful.

so ask him why he’s unpacking boxes and moving the few paintings you bought according to your commands, “up, up, a little to the right, a little more, there, perfect!” you beam and climb onto the stool to hammer a nail into the wall and allow Sukuna to hang the painting. 

the maids, the butler are all gone under Sukuna’s order, and most likely gossiping over the development of the couple’s relationship.

“i should sue you for making me work unpaid” for the first time, Sukuna teases, slumped on the couch with his shirt a bit unbuttoned and his eyes locked on the way you placed a few cat like ceramics near the chimney, under the large picture frame of your wedding.

“you are soooo exaggerated” you roll your eyes with a little chuckle, “you won’t die from a little bit of hand work” 

“maybe not, but my hands will get calloused because of you”

“oh, i’m sorry i’m messing with your princess hands, I will give you my creams if that makes you happy”

his smirk widens, “hey, the only princess here is you” 

it really is the little details, month after month, and you notice how his behavior is slowly improving, he is no longer mean or cold, nor he leaves you speaking to yourself anymore, surprisingly he joins you on the couch now, with an arm around the back of it and over your head, yet sometimes you feel his fingers playing with the hair at the top of your head.

he is smiling, big and happy with a package under his arm, he remembers when you bought items for the house, but the floral silky set of sheets you wanted ran out of stock before you could get it, and the defeated look on your face haven’t left since.

he is a good husband, the best husband you could ask for!

“wait” where did that thought even came from?, and why was his face slightly hot, shit, shit.

never mind, he keeps mumbling to himself, hurrying to your bedroom before you arrive from your classes and is quick to undo your bed to change it into the cute sheets set.

but as he is hasty tugging the fabric, something comes flying from under your pillow.

he kneels to grab it, and his face just shows shock at the sight of it, he remembers that too well, the first magazine cover he ever did, his most proud moment and you had a copy, all those years, and so he turns the pages until it lands on the column, there's stickers and pink pen scribbles around, some words highlighted and even one or two hearts drawn around.

the pen ink was slightly worn out as if it was written years ago, and the idea makes his heart clench.

“... got some from the store, where are yo—” you both stand frozen, eyes on each other and the mess of sheets, fuck the surprise, “what are you doing?” your heart drops at the sight of Sukuna’s awestruck expression while holding the magazine open, “t-that’s personal, you know?”

“i- know, I should not have but…, when did you write this?”

how unavoidable was the conversation, “like two years ago” your gaze drifts to a side.

“did you… were you in love with me or something?” he gulps.

what was the point of denying it anymore, so you nod.

“where you or… are you?” and you softly nod again, avoiding his gaze.

“fuck” he mutters, sliding a hand through his hair in frustration, “fuck, i’m sorry”

“huh? what—”

for the second time you can’t finish a sentence before Sukuna is stomping to you, an arm around your waist and the other on your cheek before your lips clash together, it’s tender but also raw and needy.

“i’m sorry, i should have never been so rude to you, I was an idiot and thought you just wanted my money” even after the kiss he does not let you go.

“what? but I never asked for a penny”

“i know” he says even a tad frustrated, “i know, i should have trusted you”

“it’s okay, I mean, I would also be suspicious of someone who suddenly agreed to marry me without even knowing each other”

“but still…” he is still not letting you downplay the situation and his part of blame.

“Kuna, I promise it’s okay” you smile just like you always do that makes his heart melt, “i love you, and that’s all it matters”

a soft sigh leaves him, sliding a palm over your cheek, and suddenly the ring on his finger is just the perfect color that contrast your skin, “yeah, I love you too”

additional part of Sukuna finding the lingerie lmao

[alexanderlightweight]

Greetings and loves lumine! I'm so happy you’re feeling better!

For writing wednesday: tethers of fate is my favourite, can you write more about Arawn and the unseelie court, please? Or anything about the mafia Au or possessive Magnus

Thank you!

thank you! Im so happy to be feeling better too that i'm writing even though I was supposed to try and sleep an hour ago, I had fun so it was worth it

this is for tethers of fate and a bit of a mix of things in that universe. kind of a tiered view of where things are at. I hope you enjoy and sending love back!

<3 lumine

tethers of fate

“Isn’t it getting more dangerous in the above?” 

“It’s more dangerous everywhere, tad.” Alec keeps his hands steady, carefully extracting the thin, delicate roots of the plant he’s digging up. His tad’s arrival is a surprise but not an unexpected or completely unwelcome one. “Magnus is powerful enough that I’m safer than most.”

“Most isn’t completely.” 

Arawn’s voice is snide and Alec can hear the rustle of leaves against his tad’s antlers, the way his hooves dig angrily into the ground.  Around him the plants surge in angry hunger and Alec sighs as roots and leaves cling to his fingers and wrist. 

“If I need sanctuary I’ll come here first. Always.  Even Magnus has agreed to such a pact.”  

“Oh, and here I thought he’d try to stash away in one of his dear warlock's lairs?”

Alec carefully digs his fingers into the earth again, feeling out to see which plant is most receptive to transplant.  

“Well he did suggest that, yes. I just pointed out that if he really wants me safe, a place that Valentine and his rogues have never heard of is far safer than the lair of someone he’s actively hunting.”  

“That easily? I’ve never known him to give in so easily.” His tad is testing now, seeing where the current coils and where the deep undisturbed waters lay.

“I leveraged it with sex, tad.  Just like you always tell us to.” While it's true enough that Alec used sex to convince Magnus, it didn’t happen quite the way he’s implying it.

However Arawn seems pleased, which was Alec’s goal and now that he’s reached it, Alec wonders yet again just how exactly he’s supposed to balance the two great extremes in his life.  

His family and his lover.

—

The moon is high when Alexander’s message arrives.  

Instead of fire it appears in a scattering of petals, a simple request for a portal that Magnus fulfills immediately.  The magic shimmers as Alexander steps through, arms filled with boxes of plants and for a moment images overlap — a bony hand with nails like talons clinging to his arm — before it blurs from existing as the portal erases.  

Alexander smiles at him, soft and sweet, as if nothing has happened and Magnus smiles back, fury flickering up his spine even as he welcomes a kiss to soothe his rage.  It’s over far quicker than he’d like and then Alexander is instead setting the plants down.  Realizing it will be a while before he can greet his lover properly, Magnus follows him, studying his bounty.

“You know darling, I’m surprised Arawn let you bring so many, these are rare even for a prince of the realm.” Magnus truly is surprised.  Arawn is petty and just knowing Magnus might benefit from these plants would normally be enough for him to revoke Alexander's permission to take them.

“Yes, well I distracted him by telling him I leveraged sex to get you to agree to my taking sanctuary if something goes wrong up here.” Alexander already has three of the plants in the ground, working quickly and efficiently as he keeps an eye on the height of the moon.

“He thinks you needed sex to get me to agree to something that keeps you from harm?” 

Magnus is outraged.

So what if he only agreed because against this particular enemy, Arawn’s kingdom is the safest for his love. There’s nothing wrong in being careful when protecting ones heart and Alexander is his heart.

“I did need to use sex to get you to agree.” Alexander is smiling up at him, smug as if assured of his own victory and Magnus can’t help but laugh as he runs his thumb over a streak of dirt on Alexander’s cheek.

 “I was always going to agree, darling.  I just wanted to see how far you’d go in your efforts to convince me.”

—

“He’s growing too close to him.” Arawn truly hates admitting that any of his children have fallen in love but it’s worse now that it’s Alec.  The only one of his children not born of his seed and blood — though claimed by his magic, word and deed — has fallen for someone outside of Arawn’s control.  

It would have been so much easier if Alexander had just fallen for one of Arawn’s steadfast guards or knights, or even one of the wild artists that perform for his court.  

“Magnus Bane isn’t a weed we can easily pluck, tad.” Auraline’s voice cuts through his daydreams of handpicking Alexander’s future faerie spouse and brings him back to dismal reality.   

“Even the seelie queen is leery of him.”Keiran takes a honeycake and breaks it in half, “and right now he has the upper hand.  He holds both Alec’s affection and interest.”

Arawn’s current youngest groans, Iolanthe’s riot of curls bouncing as she smacks her small fists into the table, “why isn’t he bored already?”

“Later, Iolanthe.” Keiran offers her half of his honeycake as the first of Arawn’s court join them. “Quietly watch the proceedings and I’ll let you ride my fastest warhorse at dawn.”

Arawn leans towards his youngest as the seats fill and murmurs, “neither are bored yet because your brother is immune to that kind of magic and Bane has protections against such things.” Arawn taps Iolanthe's nose fondly as her face falls, “I already attempted it at the beginning.”

-

Alec is politically neutral. He’s the safe zone in a game where there are no rules. His siblings are already very fond of him and the fact that there is no maternal family/faction behind/backing him up is a huge bonus because any debts incurred stay in arawn’s court which is what’s safest. He’s also great because he’s arawn’s favorite.  None of arawn’s kids want to be his favorite, not even alec. Mostly because the meddling happens and not just how he usually is it’s times 5000. So yeah, alec is the safest sibling and also the mediator etc.  he’s also the only one who doesn’t even have to give up his claim to the throne, he just doesn’t have one.  Alec meanwhile has a lot of siblings. thankfully all he needs to do for these siblings is give them affection, a little advice sometimes (which is generally just common sense nothing complicated) and sometimes stop them from trying to kill each other.

if Alec seems more obviously sly in this, then good. he's meant to because he was raised by unseelie. all that political strategy got melded into unseelie plottwisting loophole mannerisms. he and Magnus are constantly playing little word and power games with each other. Alec is also trying to play chess with his dad and Magnus while his dad and Magnus are playing checkers with each other

alec: I just want to live with my boyfriend five nights a week and spend weekends with my family. is that too much to ask?

the unseelie court and Magnus: yes

alec is calling arawn tad which is Welsh for father

[homestuckreplay]

Pesterlog Timestamps

I’ve wondered before about pesterlogs not having timestamps the way real instant messages generally do. Some pesterlogs begin with a timestamp - ‘-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 16:13 --’ (p.26) – but that doesn’t show the time between messages. It might be harder to read and would probably make the screen more cluttered, which is my guess as to why they’re not there, and for the most part it’s extraneous information.

But there’s one pesterlog that I think would really benefit from timestamps for each message, and it’s the late night unanswered messages Dave leaves for Jade on page 829. This page is such a great insight into Dave’s head, and there’s this clear ebb and flow to his thoughts that feels like bursts of frantic typing interspersed with pauses to wait or do other things. We know the messages start at 05:14 Dave’s time (CDT), so here’s what it might look like with timestamps.

05:14 TG: hey

A classic greeting; testing the waters and giving nothing away.

05:17 TG: oh 05:17 TG: youre asleep again arent you 05:17 TG: or do you even know if you are 05:17 TG: i still dont know how that works 05:17 TG: its like nothing means anything 05:17 TG: its so cool getting hella chumped by your coquettish damn riddles all the time 05:18 TG: i dont know why i believe anything you say im like the grand marshal of gross chumpage 05:18 TG: waving around my faggoty chumpductor baton 05:18 TG: assitant director of chumpography 05:18 TG: celebrated author ernest chumpingway 05:18 TG: wait weak 05:19 TG: chumpelstiltskin 05:19 TG: uh 05:20 TG: chumpeldipshit 05:20 TG: yeah

Dave’s first ‘hey’ must come from seeing Jade online, and these kids are very responsive to each other, so it probably only takes a few minutes of no reply before Dave realizes that Jade has fallen asleep while logged in. Instead of a quick ‘talk to you tomorrow’, he quickly descends into rambling about how ‘nothing means anything’ due to Jade’s ‘coquettish damn riddles’. Dave’s emotions don’t show on his face but they do show in his hands (p.464) and it’s not surprising that he lets some things slip in the middle of the night, maybe even hinting at some feelings for Jade.

In Dave’s earlier/later conversation with Jade (p.382) he’s a little thrown off by her powers, but overall staying calm. Here, late at night and without someone to bounce off of, he’s getting frustrated and talking himself into a corner, workshopping his own jokes, maybe coming up with a word he’ll reuse in a comic someday. These messages are very stream of consciousness, and only pause when the chump puns stop flowing through his fingers and need due consideration.

05:22 TG: youre asleep y/n? 05:23 TG: a/s/l? 05:23 TG: s = species 05:23 TG: baboon? 05:23 TG: kangaroo rat? 05:23 TG: if kangaroo rat yiff twice plz

By this point in the story we know about Jade’s interest in furries, and that Dave is (ironically?) supportive of this. I’m sure this is an excellent source of humor for Dave and something he jokes about all the time. I could read lots into the ‘s’ being species here, where it’s typically sex (biological sex, used synonymously with gender) only the traditional ‘s’ isn’t something that’s relevant to Dave. I know that he does not intend that meaning and is just making a furry joke. Maybe these are jokes Jade gets annoyed at, and Dave is poking at this in case she’s ignoring his messages and this gets her to respond.

05:27 TG: ok well youre not saying anything so i guess whether youre nonawake or unasleep or whatever youre just not around and im wasting good material 05:27 TG: even worse im wasting a killer fursona here 05:27 TG: like 05:28 TG: i dont know like a wide open v shaped leotard and a fuck ton of body paint 05:28 TG: some like sinewy back arching cirque du soleil looking motherfucker 05:28 TG: always low to the ground gettin a good prowl on 05:28 TG: like i dropped my keys in the dark 05:28 TG: nimblest son of a bitch who had the gumption to glue a nasty pair of latex cat lips to his face 05:28 TG: for a reason that wasnt a joke

Dave goes into his second set of rambling messages, forgetting that he’s annoyed at Jade as he enters full fursona creation mode. He’s ‘wasting a killer fursona’ but he literally can’t stop himself from doing it – he either doesn’t think of saving his ideas until Jade’s around, or he wants to give her something silly to wake up to. The ‘i dont know like’ gives the sense that Dave started typing not knowing how the sentence would end, and also downplays his ideas before he even gets to them. But as he keeps typing he forgets to be so self conscious for a few messages. He has an artistic vision and a great vocabulary and is using all these evocative words – ‘sinewy’, ‘arching’, ‘prowl’, ‘nimblest’ and ‘gumption’ paint a picture of this proud and athletic creature. One that doesn’t resemble a kangaroo rat at all, which is even better. Dave’s imagination is all over the place.

05:32 TG: jade hey 05:32 TG: where are you 05:32 TG: seriously im sitting here tonight with a fucking bag of kibble jacked open on my lap and primed for goddamn bear 05:32 TG: and youre gone

After running out of steam on his fursona, Dave might try turning his attention elsewhere for a few minutes, and then remember that he’s tired, lonely, and didn’t get any validation on his recent jokes. These are the most heartfelt and open his messages get. I don’t think Pesterchum has a ‘delete’ option, otherwise Jade wouldn’t have seen these ones. Dave’s still got furries on the brain here as he goes straight for an animal metaphor, and once again he’s thinking of himself like the victim of Jade’s attacks, and the bear attack is a lot more visceral than just getting chumped by her riddles. There’s a desperation behind Dave trying to restart the conversation with another ‘hey’ followed by a ‘where are you’ that he knows by now won’t be answered. It’s so lonely, but it doesn’t feel selfish; the ‘bag of kibble’ metaphor reads like Dave knows Jade would enjoy this conversation and he wants her to share in this with him.

05:34 TG: btw my name is Akwete Purrmusk 05:34 TG: hardest buttock in the jungle 05:34 TG: tempered steel

Dave has a disease called ‘commitment to the bit’ and it’s terminal. He also needs to make a quick recovery from those actual feelings he expressed above. By this point in the conversation I have a visual in my mind – it’s a big black cloud in Dave’s mind of all the problems he wants to avoidthinking about, and two shining bats at either side marked ‘talk to Jade?’ and ‘kangaroo rat fursona’ and his thoughts are rapidly ping-ponging back and forth between those to avoid all the bad in the middle. So with Jade not responding to his pleas, of course he returns to his two standards of imagination and wordplay, adding to the slightly cursed but incredibly well drawn mental image of Akwete.

05:38 TG: hey yeah just wanted to give you this remix i finished 05:38 TG: here turntechGodhead [TG] sent gardenGnostic [GG] file "explore remix.mp3" at 05:38

It is at this point in the conversation that we learn Dave had a reason for messaging Jade. He probably wanted to drop this into conversation casually like it was no big deal, and might have distracted himself into forgetting about it until now. It’s also possible he wasn’t intending to send it, but was embarrassed by all his ramblings above, so came up with a quick excuse. ‘Explore’ was originally written by Jade (in-universe) and we learn on the next page that it’s not the first time these two have collaborated. Dave is outwardly confident in his musical abilities (p.339) and has the ready-made excuse of irony that makes it easier for him to share his art, protecting him from negative responses. Jade is also reluctant to criticize others, so all those factors combined means Dave is probably comfortable with sending Jade his remix.

05:41 TG: so yeah 05:42 TG: you dont have to respond to any of that btw 05:42 TG: ill probably forget half the shit i said anyway 05:42 TG: talk to you tomorrow

Maybe Dave’s finally heading to bed, or maybe he doesn’t like to leave things hanging (p.445), but he rounds out the conversation and officially signs off. By both taking the pressure off Jade to respond, and claiming that he’ll forget what he said, Dave denies any importance to his own thoughts. Maybe he hopes Jade will scroll to the bottom and see these messages first, and ignore everything from above. He definitely feels ashamed of some or all of what he’s said – whether it’s the general practice of sending a large volume of messages to someone who’s offline, the hints towards his own loneliness, the possibility that his new fursona could be serious and unironic, the remix as the whole basis for conversation, or all of the above. Dave has a tendency for speaking without thinking and then regretting what he’s said, struggling to meet the high standards of self control that his bro has set for him, and since he can’t go back and fix his slips, this is his only way of correcting them.

Dave’s hope to talk to Jade tomorrow wins out over his embarrassment, and softens the couple of messages before it – Dave is dismissing his own thoughts, not the overall idea of talking to Jade. He’s not the type to send a ‘<3’, but it feels implied.

[babybearnation]

Gender neutral baking uni student 👀

Liam, Jack and Arthur?

-💙

im assuming this is meant to be a uni au with a reader who loves to bake but forgive me if im wrong lol. also all of my knowledge is based on uk unis so please forgive me if this seems unfamiliar/weird to my non-brits. alsoalso i randomly assigned them degrees lol

gn!baker!reader (university au)

liam lawson (music major):

you two probably met at a university event where you were hired to bring the sweet treats and he was hired to bring the sweet tunes

you two bond instantly, especially when he realises you made the very yummy cookies that he's been snacking on in between sets

he's always very willing to taste test new recipes you work on and if they're really truly amazing, he might (keyword: might) be willing to share with some of his friends

if you get demotivated or something goes wrong, he will try and bake something himself to prove to you that you're fantastic and literally any mishaps can happen to anyone (because, let's be real, he's not good at it)

always willing to spend money on ingredients and equipment for you because he benefits from it (aka... more sweet treats)

will try and make a cake for your birthday because you shouldn't have to make your own birthday cake in his opinion - it takes him multiple tries and its not very pretty but its the thought that counts and it does turn out very delicious

jack doohan (sport science major):

a secret lover of all things sugary and sweet, even considering his major, and therefore is always found buying sweets from you when you have bake sales and stuff

eventually, after being at literally every single day of every single sale you have during the first semester, jack decides to ask for your number and you two soon find yourselves dating

your personal assistant and willing taste tester, jack can always be found in the kitchen with you because he loves helping you bake and claims that the food tastes even better because he made it with love (feel free to laugh at how cheesy he is)

jack is so sweet and kind that its very hard to get demotivated around him, but if you do, or maybe you're too busy with uni work to focus on your baking, jack will legit just do everything for you and, when something maybe turns out wrong, he will demand you teach him (he's just a lil silly guy)

much like liam, jack is willing to spend all amounts of money to ensure that you can continue baking because, again, he benefits from it

absolutely loves sharing your sweet treats with friends, family, his classmates, his professors - literally everyone must know how good your baking is!

arthur leclerc (engineering major):

you are close friends with his brother and therefore, when you first brought some snacks with you to the leclerc household, arthur had only one thing to say - can i have your number?

even though he loves your baking and sweets, arthur very much considers you to be the sweetest thing of all

do not let arthur in the kitchen with you. he will break something, hand you the wrong ingredients, burn something, etcetc. - literally, if there is something that can go wrong, arthur will 100% make it go wrong

arthur doesn't let you get demotivated - he can't bake, and he refuses to eat store bought goodies, therefore you'll just have to make good treats for him and revel in the multitude of praise he has for you

the first time you followed one of his maman's recipes and didn't tell him until you handed him the sweet treat, he burst into tears because you were so sweet and you got along with his maman and his brothers, and isn't that the best combination?

a hoarder, an over-snacker, and definitely not a sharer. arthur gets all grumpy when you give your baked goods to anyone who isn't him and he's not afraid to tell you that

© all rights to babybearnation 2025.

[turtlestm]

i think this art has deeper meanings that no one talks about (banana fish theory)

take this opinion with a grain of salt because im definitely not someone who's been a long-time fan of banana fish therefore im relatively fresh in this fandom. i also havent read the entirety of the manga so take that too. this is just my thoughts on this art from angel eyes

yall ready? okay so here's my take: when ash initially conceptualizes someone who desires him, eiji in this case, he approaches it as if it's sexual rather than emotionally sensual because it's all he's known desire as. the only way he's known desire directed towards him is a sexual desire, one for his body in one way or another. however, when eiji shows his desire for ash, he desires his whole self, inside and out and all the ugly parts, therefore gazing deeply into ash's eyes, his soul.

this also makes me think abt the fact that in the prison scene, ash decided to kiss eiji right on the lips even though he didnt really have to (let's face it, he could've given the note thru a handshake) despite eiji showing no desire for his body prior to this, but he inadvertently showed that he wants to stick by ash's side despite hardly knowing him. ash probably was using that kiss to test the waters in some sort of way, most likely how eiji would respond rather than if he himself would enjoy the kiss.

i don't think ash had fully formed any kind of actual romantic feelings for eiji at that point, but i do think he was trying to convey a genuine trust for eiji when he kissed him back then while eiji didn't seem to really care for kissing ash and only stuck around for him

with this example i mean to say that ash saw the way eiji was treating him and how he showed ash kindness and wanted to test to see if ash's company or whatever is really what eiji wants by kissing him and seeing how eiji would respond. but since eiji doesn't seem to care about ash for any ulterior motive or sexual attraction, eiji's innocence shines through and he sees ash as only ash, not as his body or his benefits

this is especially meaningful to their relationship and development because this indicates that eiji has seen ash for who he is from the start. i also believe things probably would have turned out a bit worse (at least on an internal level) if eiji kissed back, which would probably have shattered some of the trust that ash had placed in him so early.

someone also mentioned on twitter the composition of this art rather than just the poses themselves; eiji is above ash, as if initiating an act while ash is grappling with how he should feel about his sexual attraction to eiji. as ash's story has not given him the freedom or bodily autonomy to decide a sexuality for himself (even taking away the one person he liked when he was fourteen, a.k.a. his one chance he had to explore his sexuality at his own will), he technically doesn't exactly have his own sexuality discovered and thus does not know how to interpret the way he feels about eiji. yes there is love, yes there is affection, and yes he does open himself up to eiji in ways he would never open up to anyone else in his life, but sexual interactions have been so tainted in his eyes due to his trauma. he only has ever been taught to associate sex acts with trauma so eiji is new to him.

eiji is not just an experience, but a person. the type of relationship they have is new to both characters. it's eiji's first time experiencing romantic love (as far as we know) and it's ash's first time experiencing sexuality that he doesn't want to run away from.

it's clear that ash wants intimacy and he wants to accept that desire, but it is a rough journey for him that eiji is willing to stick around to see through. that's probably why eiji is initiating the kiss here, because he wants to give ash a little push to evaluate how he feels here. i believe that he is waiting for ash to respond and ash's eyes scan eiji's lips while eiji watches his eyes to see what ash observes.

[drdemonprince]

Hello! You have opened a fascinating door into kink communities I didn't even know existed. Thanks for that. I was describing some of your steamworks adventures to my partner, who works as a Disease Intervention Specialist (aka DIS, a government healthcare worker who administers free/low-cost STD testing and then attempts to track down and notify+test the recent sexual partners of any infected individuals). (He brings some INSANE stories home from work and gets to give sex ed talks at the local Christian college using a model penis that actually ejaculates--but I digress.) He was horrified by the hypothetical situation where an infected person could have blindfolded sex with an unknown number of nameless strangers. It's hard enough trying to track down partners when the patient only knew them by their Grindr username. How do you have safe sex in these situations? Some STDs can be transmitted via skin-to-skin contact even with a condom. Do venues like steamworks enforce any rules around testing/protection/etc.?

If your partner is 'horrified' by the actual sex lives of the populations he ostensibly serves I think he needs to read more from harm reductionist thinkers and queer activists from a variety of past eras and work on processing his feelings of judgement to ensure it doesn't impact his actions in that line of work.

The books and Melancholia and Moralism, Saving Our Own Lives, and Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality are good places to start.

If you're having anonymous or blindfolded sex in cruising spaces, one route of managing risks is to assume that every person there could be infected with STIs you do not have and to plan accordingly. Vaccines, condoms, PreP, testing, and education are just some of the tools at one's disposal, and one should always be cognizant of the risks that one is consenting to. Steamworks has sexual health educators and testers present within their space regularly, but they don't gatekeep based on serostatus, health status, drug regimen or use of protection -- doing so wouldn't be feasible and would be problematic on multiple grounds.

I don't believe the goal of a public health initiative or a life well lived is to eliminate all risk, or to regard the presence of any infection in any human body as unacceptable, but rather to empower people to make informed decisions about the level of risk they are comfortable confronting, or that is worth the numerous benefits to them.

Personally, I was in far greater danger when I didn't have access to such spaces. Cruising spaces make negotiating sexual consent far safer than privately dating and hooking up with someone, and Steamworks are vitally important queer community spaces, and for me are well worth the trade off. No one should have any illusions about this ever being an experience that they can eliminate all risk from, rather they should anticipate it and plan for it.

I think "safe sex" is an unhelpful framework to pursue because it is so binary and can't ever be guaranteed. What does safety mean? Which types of exposures do we consider to be "unsafe"? Am I unsafe if I encounter another person who, like me, has had a cold sore before, like 80% of the population? Or someone who has a strain of HPV I am vaccinated against? What about if I have an encounter with somebody with a cold? I'm "safer" being fucked by an HIV positive person who is undetectable and wearing a condom than I am having barrier free sex with a long term partner who cheats. I can't even know I'm taking a risk in the latter case; at Steamworks, I'm assuming my risk level to be on the high end and planning accordingly.

I understand that testing and tracing are important parts of public health for our populations. It was vitally important when monkeypox broke out. Maybe Steamworks should collect member emails and alert them if there was a reported transmission on a night that they visited. Though even then, there are some negative public health implications to dozens of people panicking. But there is no means of eliminating all risk entirely or tracing all human sexual behavior and I would be myself pretty horrified if there was.

[quixtrix]

let's talk BL manga lore; on grooming, identity, and racism

spoilers for the official captain laserhawk bl manga ofc, plus brief discussion of grooming I've refrained from speaking about it because of spoilers, but it's been well over a month and I believe that it's time to openly discuss it. if you would still like to read the manga before reading this discussion, here's the link to buy a physical copy and you can search up 'Captain Laserhawk: Crushing Love' in your digital book store for it. okay time to talk about two, basically three subjects; racism, identity, and grooming. i'm starting with the grooming first, because that's the main focus of this manga. i would have to preface this by saying i've already discussed this topic in an earlier post (albeit it is a prediction, but it is a spot on prediction.) i'll briefly elaborate on it right now with what we know.

dolph's very first day with alex was carefully calculated to where dolph would be exposed to the world, but heavily rely on alex. he is shown around to alex's friends and is able to buy his own clothes, but it is under the heavy scrutiny of alex. alex ultimately decides what dolph wears, alex decides how the day goes, alex leads dolph. even when they have a beach day, take note of how alex holds dolph, dragging him around.

even the romance and the events leading up to when alex takes dolph's virginity are calculated. note how alex grasps dolph's hand, grabbing on tight enough to almost press down on his knuckles, loosening his hand, making dolph relinquish control. the context for the fight page is that after their sweet lil beach day, alex takes dolph down an alley where alex knows that he'll come across people who aren't the fondest of him. this event was calculated, alex knew it was going to happen, and he used it to test out his new lil boytoy.

also, alex taking dolph out to fight isn't just so he can get in the pants of a barely 18 year old. while holloway notes during this flashback that adrenaline is the greatest aphrodisiac, this is a test to see how good the new weapon he picked up is. how the new boy works, to see how eden's boy robot can benefit his group, not just him. its literally in the morning panels we get where alex talks with that woman, anna. they're talking about how loaded he is with tech, and while alex does consider that, he still actively thirsts over dolph.

also im jus saying if i personally was talking with one of my greatest confidants and they refer to someone i'm thirsting over as KID, i would personally be icked out. i would have a conscious and not do some weird shit, like literally refer to dolph in passing as kid in the next page. dolph aint even the first one who alex has done this shit to, as evident by this line by one of his friends, grace.

alex is a groomer and groomed dolph, case closed.

anyways! time to get on with what i really wanted to talk about, how racism and loss of idenity ties into dolph's character!

in this manga, during pillow talk between dolph and alex, we get dolph's backstory. dolph literally has only known this man for a day and he's giving him lore because alex treats him more normal than eden did. god. ANYWAYS ENOUGH DWELLING ON DOLPH BEING A VICTIM IN ALL WAYS INCLUDING BEING ONE OF THE OXFORD STUDY, we get to know about his brief life before eden took him in.

now let me turn for a moment to the show, and how we were told about dolph's backstory. this is VASTLY different than what we got in the show, with it being implied that dolph's parents were a white prostitute and a darkskinned immigrant man. this adds onto the idea that this supposedly impoverished, crack addicted boy came into this world not as an act of love, but as a mistake. not just a mistake though, his parents are supposedly the epitome of immoral, a prostitute and a criminal. not to mention that this also ties into the idea of the uncultured brown man and pure white woman, basically a racist idea that the scary immigrants who aren't like us good white christian americans (and honestly jus any homogenous group in general, though in america its ofc more applicable to white people), are corrupting our mother marys, our women. eden takes on this perspective in order to subconsciously frame in the minds of post american viewers the idea of this man as an other that they are helping and didn't at all snatch up from his mother for child experimentation. the concept of other is something that finds it's origins in fascism, and in order to mask the presence of said fascism, someone who is seen as apart of the other is given a seat at the table with the collective us, (as in the majority, or the ones that are supposedly superior), and will ultimately serve as an example of why the other are labelled as such. i go into this more with my rayman analysis. I brought up the specific portrayal of dolph's backstory from eden's documentary to showcase how eden has manipulated the view people have of this man. eden has not only manipulated the view of the in universe audience, but eden has manipulated our view.

in the propaganda documentary, we are shown photos of this man being a captain, someone of relatively high rank in the military. you can't even normally earn that through having an education, you'd have to have years of experience. he's portrayed as older than he is.

another thing, dolph fans, let's be honest with ourselves; before the manga, it was not uncommon to headcanon that man as a FREAK. with both the supposed images of dolph at a nightclub and the flashback of alex and dolph meeting outside a club, it wasn't too hard to think that the hottest man alive in that show who was fully born human was a freak. a sexual deviant. someone that a christian mother would be horrified enough by that she faints. the manga however, shows us that dolph really isn't any of that. hell, he didn't even get to go to a club before he met alex. in reality, he's around 18 years and his only sexual experience is his groomer.

say that again with me, he's around 18. he's just around 18, he's a young adult, and the environment he's grown up in has stunted him by treating him as a subject, a thing, cutting him off from anything that would humanise this child by not allowing him to see his mother. hell, even his childhood best friend serves eden by being the one in his ear, having him at her beck and call all in the name of eden.

we get none of dolph's true backstory in the show for any number of reasons. maybe it's on purpose, maybe it's a result of having to possibly cut down episodes, who knows? what matters though is that this adds a layer to the core problem defining dolph's life; the perspective others have on him warping who he is.

back to the pages with dolph's memories of his mother, we see dolph as he was when he was just a boy. he's his mama's boy, her son, a child. even when eden takes him in, he stubbornly clings to that bit of him that's pure, untainted by the idea of him being an experiment, a tool. this bit of him, this hint towards who he is supposed to be as a person, is something he clings to desperately. it leads him to follow eden's orders again because they promise that they've found his mother.

and yknow what happened with who dolph was told was supposedly his mother?

she was just a random ass indian woman.

wasn't even the right woman. they just used his identity issues because he's indian, and she was indian and in a cult that eden needed to take care of.

this, while admittedly is kind of funny, (like the confusion is funny in the moment look at ts) is actually fucked up crazy racism. they literally said that this random ass woman who happened to be indian was his mother like HELL!?!??!?!?

this insane fr. lucy didn't even double check LIKE GIRL THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR FRIEND'S MOTHER WHO HE HASNT SEEN SINCE HE WAS LIKE 6 AND YOU DIDNT EVEN DOUBLE CHECK IF SHE'S THE RIGHT PERSON?!?!?!?

moving on from that, this actually brings up a deeper layer of dolph's identity issues; the lack of cultural identity.

i want to preface this by saying that i am not entirely sure if this is the right term for this identity issue nor am i claiming to be an expert on the type of identity crisis that i am about to discuss. that being said, this specific disconnect of cultural identity that dolph has is actually reminiscent of those adopted from other countries, or transnational adoptees. there seems to be a need within these adoptees to find out more about their own heritage or their own mothers and families that they now struggle to find. while dolph does not actively go out to reconnect with his heritage, he does exhibit desires to find his birth mother. this type of identity issue seems to ask the question of 'what could I have been if...?,' and it tends to mess with the idea of the self. adoptees that struggle with this question hold a desire to go back, to almost reclaim what would have been. yes, dolph is not adopted into a family, but he is still a child under the care of eden, which became like his family, which is why i believe that this kind of identity issue could reasonably be applied to dolph. it explains why he does what he does in the manga, and how it's ultimately wrapped up by him losing this desire and moving forward. albeit he moves forward by alex instead becoming his main purpose, but this serves as the first chain of the past that he leaves behind. with this, he severs a tie that would have made him continue to be stuck under eden's control, and possibly find himself. he answers the question of what could have been with 'it doesn't matter anymore.'

but actually, he doesn't answer that question. he leaves it be.

i am reading way too into this tho lol. i would say that he doesn't explicitly say it, and that we do see a lack of dolph's past being used against him in that way because dolph has freed himself from that part, but in reality, it's because eden can't pull the same trick twice. im aware that the manga focuses HARD on dolph's grooming, but i feel like they really could have properly wrapped up dolph's identity arc with his mother if it was acknowledged at the end, but i fear we are left unsatisfied. that's one of my gripes with the manga. it gives us things that tie up loose ends, but some of these ties have entirely missed the holes they were supposed to secure. but what is done is what's done, and here we are.

tl;dr, dolph was groomed by alex. dolph's identity has also been warped by eden heavily, by how they dehumanised him as a child to be a weapon internally, to how he's shown to the public to be a case that they've saved, and yet he still becomes something that is "disgraceful." textbook example of this poor boy that we have saved that is actually jus like all the others that we know. dolph also suffers under similar identity issues as adopted children do, and this specific issue of his is let go in order to allow him to begin moving on and finding himself.

as always, im open to discussion and critique! my askbox is open as well if you want me to yap abt smth else in the show :P

[myrunawaymind]

Booked appointment

It started small, called in for my first session. I've been nervous and unsure of what too expect for a while now over this... I'm greeted warmly and invited in too an surprisingly decorated office, framed diplomas on the walls and small old grandfather clocks beside them with metal pendulums swishing in time with the ticking. A couple of normal and easy too take care of houseplants in the corners. He invites me too sit on the couch that's positioned close too his desk and starts asking about my life and what I expect out of my time there, the basic questions too ask at that time. He was really warm and wanted too make sure that I was comfortable in his space and could relax. He start too explain all of the ins and outs of what I am there for, why Im not sure it was all in the papers they sent me when I applied for the assessment. Psyke - I have something I want too try with you if you would permit. A theory I've been thinking about too help you ease into things easily and help alleviate some of the stress with these test. All with you consent of course. Me - I don't se why not. What is it about? A big grin of genuine excitement as the mask of professionality slips. Psyke - That's wonderful! I'm glad that you are interested, what I am hoping that you would allow is that I guide you in a relaxation exercise that would take you into a hypnotic state and help you ease into the tests we will do later. Me - Hypnosis? I thought that was a joke... I don't mind trying I suppose, if it works then it works. Psyke - Thank you for agreeing too this! I am sure you will benefit greatly from this! Well then... Why don't we begin? Could you please lean back and make sure you are comfortable? Good, good. Now What I need from you is too focus on my voice and let me guide you thru a couple of breathing practises... As he kept on talking telling me too do small things like lifting my arm and dropping it. Focusing on my feet and tensing them and feel the relaxation flow into them as I let go. All in a rhythmic and honey smooth voice. After a while I started too feel something, tingling in my feet flowing over my legs and flowing up my legs, hips, stomach and shoulders. Difficult too move my limbs, my fingers. Not sure if I want too move them... After a while of sensing the...Nothing in my body the vibrating energy start too move up my neck feeling so good. pulsing, relaxing, soothing it flows over the back of my neck and wrap around my mouth and nose only too encompass the whole of my sku-... - Psyke - And back up~ there we go, nice and easy. Stretch out your arms and legs just so. How are you feeling?- Me - Yeah! Im feeling great! was not expecting it too work actually! I never thought hypnosis would work, I definitely feel ready too start now! Psyke - Start? We are are done actually. Did all of the test we where supposed too. You did good! Me - What? I dont get it. You ju-. Psyke - It is completely natural too feel like you dont remember anything but I assure you it is completely normal. Especially if it is your first time.

We both stand in unison and he puts his hand on my lower back gently escorting me towards the door speaking about something I cannot hear because every fibber of my being is narrowing down too his touch on my back feeling the same electric tingling I felt when he… hypnotised me? flowing like warm soothing water across my spine from his hands. All encompassing. All demanding of my attention. - Psyke - So you have everything that you need for next weeks appointment? - Me - Huh!? what? I- I mean yeah! yes. I have all I need. Thank you for today. truly! - Psyke - I am glad that I can help. Make sure that you drink plenty of water when you get home. And I am proud of what we have accomplished today. With a soft click the door closes behind me and I'm left with my own thoughts and a feeling off… excitement and joy from his last words, that probably should be ignored. that is inappropriate!

[calcja]

SAINT OR SLUT PT. 2

CHARACTERS: Haitani Ran, Haitani Rindou, Kokonoi Hajime

THEMES: 18+//NSFW//PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ❗️❗️

SYPNOSIS: Here's what i think whether these bonten members are virgins or nah

A/N: Hello! this is the pt. 2 of Saint or Slut. Thank you very much for liking the first one! I DIDNT EXPECT THAT IT WOULD HAVE THAT MANY LIKES SO THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE HUHUHUHU!!! Again, There might be some grammars and spellings error bc english is not my first language.

❗️This does not follow the manga❗️

❗️Bonten timeskip, They're not minors here anymore❗️

❗️I do not own any images here. CREDITS TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS ❗️

link to first part:

• RAN HAITANI

• 😁😁😁😁... no.

• He's not a virgin anymore. End of the topic.

• Ran is a high maintenance guy, He canonically likes to take care of himself, inside and out. Ran seems to be the type of guy who fills up his needs and wants as a man.

• Now every guy have already imagined themselves having sex AND wanting sex, most of them engage into it just like Ran.

• Just like Sanzu, this man always do his job first especially when it benefits him (and his bro)

• Ran might not be THAT slut but he's a BIG FLIRT especially to girls his types

• idk but i dont rlly see him fuck some random bitches, THIS MAN HAS STANDARDS. he would probably test that person first before he leads them to bed and what i meant by testing is flirting w them first duhhh

• RINDOU HAITANI

• Not a virgin anymore

• Just the fact that he's a DJ in Ropponggi says it all. He's a club owner. He's a Haitani.

• He spends his free time at his own club or sometimes at the club he and his brother own, hosting parties and socializing w other people.

• It's either u're the one who's gonna approach him at the dj booth or he's the one who's going to approach u when u got his eyes and attention.

• Rindou would be the type of guy to chat w u first and have a nice conversation before u end up on his bed

• Would definitely interrogate u first abt what type of music u like lol

• I can see him fucking u in a much more private settings not just in some bathrooms or small romms or what

• This is so random but he gives me "i'm alrdy taken" vibes 😲😲😲

• Kokonoi Hajime

• yuhhh (a virgin)

• cmon give my man a break

• He's defo the most stressed person at bonten

• Always busy. 24/7 paperworks. short breaks.

• He's too busy to fuck w someone, bro just want 8 hours of sleep.

• but im sure he alrdy made out w someone

•If he ever will makeout w someone, i dont see him meeting someone to makeout w at some club like the other members but rather i see him at the office or sumthn

• Koko rlly needs to know u first before he gets freaky w u, It will take long bcs he needs to be comfy w u first.

a/n: That's all! thanks again for reading the first part of this series

[sbk-zgvlt]

Ok. Here me out. Sebek in Octinavelle. It’s canon that if Sebek had to choose any other dorm to be in, he’d choose Octinavelle on the basis of picking up more people skills for Malleus’ political benefit. Think about it. Sebek, uptight and an adamant rule follower whose not that great with hidden meanings and the like, being stuck with Azul and the Tweels, arguably the sleaziest sons of bitches on campus. It’d be the FUNNIEST shit on this earth bro.

Sebek working in the lounge (playing WAITER of all things; it’s priceless seeing Azul begging Sebek to not accidentally scare the customers off), Azul trying his HARDEST to instill some business sense into Sebek and get him to pick up some habits worthy of a member of Octinavelle (It’s not working) (Sebek has no fucking clue how to do the whole bargaining thing, he’s incapable of lying)

Sebek and the Tweels interacting?? PLEASE. Jade just likes messing with him. Floyd likes to mess with him as well (he says outta pocket shit to try and rule Sebek up) (It works.) They’ve actually gotten to the point of physical altercation because Floyd was still trying to figure Sebek out and didn’t know WHEN exactly to stop pushing so hard.

I'll be honest I thought he would choose Octavinelle because there's a chance that salmon could be there/hj

BUT OH MY GODDDDDD SEBEK GET OUT OF THERE OCTAVINELLE ARE DRAMATIC AND FEEL THE NEED TO USE CRYPTIC FUCKING RIDDLES DURING DAY TO DAY SPEECH YOUR AUTISTIC LOOKS WILL NOT CAPTIVATE THEM

Just imagining Azul trying to get Sebek to understand business lingo but failing immediately. "Sebek, don't bother boiling the ocean." "???? IM RE-ORGANIZING THESE FILES. WHERE DOES THE OCEAN COME IN."

Sebek scared off the customers at first but the first brave student who decided to give him a shot quickly found out that Sebek...is not fit for social interactions. He asked him what he'd recommend from the menu and Sebek covered his face with it while groaning in pain. They felt so bad for him they took the notepad from him and wrote down their order instead 😭

Azul never made him play waiter ever again

They realized he was incapable of lying when Floyd suddenly ran up to him and told him to not tell Azul where he was or else he'll squeeze him. He hid in a closet. Azul rounded the corner and asks Sebek in an impatient tone where Floyd was. Sebek asked him who Floyd was.

...Floyd was too shocked with how BAD Sebek was at lying he didnt bother going through with his threat

THEY DEFINITELY FOUGHT 😭😭😭 Floyd finds it fun that they have their own prominent freshman of the dorm! Sure, there are other freshmen, but theyre....eh. Nothing too special. Sebek on the other hand BAWLED when he was assigned to Octavinelle and tried to sleep in the courtyard of Diasomnia (It was too cold) (He returned to Octavinelle). This kid is FUCKED UP Floyd wants to shake him around.

Jade meanwhile wants to observe him in a fucking petri dish. Constantly compares Sebek's crocodile form to his, Floyd's and Azul's. Wonders out loud who would win in a fight between a crocodile, octupus, and an eel. Sebek isnt entirely too picky about food because anything better than Lilia's is a GODSEND, so he's the perfect test subject for all of Jade's dishes. Sebek is clueless to how far his mushroom obsession can go.

Azul has to take care of the tweels AND Sebek. He has to make sure that Sebek doesnt get into a fight with another Octavinelle member because Sebek didnt pick up on their sarcasm, tries to jump into any and every body of water, and let his temper get the best of him when the tweels mess around with him.

[downbadumu]

even at the best of times, i am out of my mind

༄𓏸ଳ˚࿔⋆ content summary: fluff (i hope), maybe like a sprinkle of angst, a teeny tiny sprinkle of sex and kinky play, the morning after, a somewhat prequel to this and this but can be read as a standalone, reader and caleb are friends/co-workers with benefits, reader is not MC, domestic themes but reader is too caught up in thoughts, dom/sub undertones but very lowkey, all lowercase and formatting might be fonky cuz i half wrote this on my phone so bear with me <3

༄𓏸ଳ˚࿔⋆ word count: 2154

༄𓏸ଳ˚࿔⋆ shanna's note: i literally poured my soul into the ending but tumblr didn't save it so i had to rewrite it and im giving up writing forever

you woke to the sounds of cooking, in your not so tiny studio nothing's quite able to escape you, you tried to take a glance at your kitchen from the comforts of your bed but caleb pulled your curtain divider shut when he left.

it was a rare feat that caleb was making breakfast for you, usually he'd have left before the night ended since it has been an unspoken agreement between the two of you, but maybe today (or last night?) he has been off his meds you reasoned.

you took another 10 minutes to toss and roll around in your bed more before deciding to head out to see if you were the one who should be taking medication for hallucinations.

caleb was indeed in your kitchen wearing nothing but his pants (you hope) and making food, you weren't hallucinating so that meant he was off his meds.

"good morning," he greeted without turning. it's really hard to miss anything in this apartment. or maybe you both were too aware of each other's presence.

"hey," you tried not to offer much, brain trying to connect dots that weren't fully there. but you just couldn't help needing to know. "to what do i owe the pleasure?"

he huffed, flipping your egg on your pan. "is that how you thank someone who's making you breakfast?"

"i'm not sure if you're making it for me yet," you sassed.

"i am," he said so easily you questioned if you were actually dreaming.

"oh," you replied weakly.

you both fell into a somewhat comfortable silence, unsure of what to actually say to each other. you openly oogled at his back, how his muscles flexed and moved as he does; studying him as if he's your next test, you noted the still red scratches you left on his back, you closed your eyes trying to memorise this moment.

"i'd offer you coffee if i knew how to work your fancy machine," caleb said breaking your concentration.

"is that your way of asking me for coffee?"

"i wasn't sure if you'd want to share your precious stash with me," he quipped. "you ran out of your regular stuff."

you hummed, getting off from where you were sat to go around to your coffee machine. "i don't mind."

so you started up your espresso machine, trying not think too much about what you're doing and existing in the same space as caleb doing something like this. you tried not to pay attention to the way he practically synced up with your movements, his hulking figure making way for you and accurately predicting where you'd for reach next. you don't want to remember something like this.

you handed him his cup of coffee once you were done with his, he hummed appreciatively and you cursed yourself for not asking him how he'd like his coffee as if you didn't already know.

you made your way back to your seat quietly. you didn't have to wait long because caleb gentle placed the most delicious and well-balanced meal you've ever seen on your kitchen island. "eat up," caleb told you merrily as he moved away to wash up the pans he used.

"i didn't know i had proteins in the fridge," you muttered poking at the neatly arranged food. "or fresh greens or bread or butter."

"you didn't have anything in your fridge except for eggs," caleb tutted. you watched as he grabbed his own plate with an equally beautiful presentation and a plate of fresh cut fruits. "i took the liberty of stocking your fridge for you."

"you didn't have to."

"i already did."

"well, you shouldn't have."

you meet his glare with your own steely gaze. caleb picked up the coffee you made for him and then joined you at the island. you should’ve been shocked or terrified at how quickly he was able to shift his expression to a soft one if you weren't already familiar with it, you were practically looking into a mirror after all.

"let's not argue, yeah? it's still so early, come, dig in!" his manner was back to his usual puppy demeanour.

you broke eye contact, batting away your negativity and returned his smile kindly. “thank you for the meal, caleb.”

the rest of breakfast went by quietly. you don’t bother offering to clean up after you’re done, you know taking care of everything for you is something caleb enjoyed so you don’t feel bad when he shooed you away to your living space. you were shameless in the way you continued to watch him in your kitchen, and caleb doesn’t bother calling you out on in because you think he liked the attention.

with your head propped up by your hand you leaned forward to get a better view of him as the morning sun filtered in, usually you hated mornings but maybe this one could be ok in your books. your eyes focused on the way the sun catches caleb’s hair, turning it golden in this light, he worked at a moderate speed, he wasn’t in a rush to leave. then you wondered about your dynamic with him, the past twelve hours with him haven’t been bad at all, and maybe this had been the longest consecutive time you’ve spent with him outside of work. maybe they need to double his medication dosage, maybe he doesn’t actually know what he was doing.

you sighed softly, eyes flickering down to feast on the shadows that dance on his skin. there was a faint bite mark right on his ribcage, a reminder of last night for you or him you weren’t sure. his pants hung a little loose on his hips, he hadn’t bother to buckle up his belt yet. it must be uncomfortable to move around in his work pants first thing in the morning, he really should’ve already left already. but a smile tugged on your lips; he looked so pretty there.

you should schedule an appointment to get your brain checked out, you thought.

caleb turned to meet your eyes probably, but you were still busy taking in how his wet hands were so perfectly placed on the counter. “had your fill?”

“uh-huh,” you answered dreamily.

“good,” he smiled. “i have a gift for you, stay there.”

“a gift?”

“mm-hmm,” and he disappeared behind your curtain divider into your room.

you stayed put; because you knew he’d be pleased that you did, but you told yourself it was because you wanted to see if you were actually dreaming. a beat passed and you willed him to not come out of your room but he did, holding something behind his back.

“is it my birthday?” you pondered out loud, a gentle smile forming on your face like it was natural as caleb padded closer in all his topless glory. he didn’t put on his shirt you laid out for him on your bed because he truly did thrive on attention.

what you were really thinking off was if you had died last night and are now in the afterlife.

“it’s something to convince you to come to the gala tonight,” caleb answered, crouching down to your height where you sat.

“uh-huh,” you don’t bother taking your eyes off him even as he pulled out a medium sized box. you could almost see a tail wagging excitedly behind him, fast but not too fast as if he didn’t want you to know how excited he was.

“i had it custom made,”

how thoughtful.

your eyes lingered on his face then his pecs before you forced it down to his arms then down to the dark purple velvet box he held, thicker than you imagined. if he wasn’t in a rush to get out of your place then you wouldn’t hurry him away.

inside it was a matching set of jewellery; a pair of asymmetrical drop diamond earrings, a necklace and two pairs of bracelets. your eyes darted back and forth the box, the earrings was fine but the design of the necklace and bracelets were unique. you thought about pulling caleb up from his place to sit next to you but he hadn’t made a move yet either.

so, you took your time looking at the necklace that looked suspiciously like a martingale collar. the inverse of it was made of fine leather, the other layer lined in plush white-grey velvet with a –what you think might be— white gold hardware. small diamonds were studded into the velvet to look like water reflecting off the surface of water, there were irregular sized diamonds hanging from the chain at the front of the necklace at different lengths. you imagine it’d looked like water droplets once you put it on. there wasn’t a buckle at the back the necklace, only one tiny heart shaped charm connecting the delicate but sturdy looking chain at the front of the necklace. the bracelets matched the design of the necklace but without the velvet.

you whistled lowly and caleb hummed in acknowledgement.

“where’s the key?” you asked.

caleb chuckled lowly. “you’re a sharp one, aren’t you?”

you hummed, eyeing the corner of the box where a tiny black ribbon sat. caleb’s hand slowly traced the exterior of the box to where you were looking. he gently lifted it and the box clicked revealing the hidden compartment at the bottom.

“kinky,” you scoffed at the small key placed in the middle of the box amongst other things. you met caleb’s gaze just so you could make sure he watched you roll your eyes.

you didn’t look as closely as before you saw the matching martingale waist and thigh belt, the bust harness, the bell on the end of the leash, and bells on the nipple clamp attachments. you’ve seen enough to know caleb had this set custom made to be play proof.

“you’ll definitely come, right?” he purred.

caleb’s hand reached up to your face, firmly making you look at him again. you feigned a disinterested look.

“i suppose,” you sounded nonchalant. caleb’s eyes flickered from yours down to your lips then back up again, fast enough that you couldn’t follow along but slow enough for you to notice.

there was a delight in his eyes that you could only describe as feralness, you want to cross your legs or lean forward to head butt his stupidly attractive head just to test him but there was nothing more you craved than being good in his eyes. you remained still.

in your peripheral, you see caleb put the box up on the couch close enough to where your fingers laid, close enough for you to almost feel the velvet exterior of the box.

"perfect," he cooed, hot fingers tracing your cheeks achingly slow, so close but so far away from your lips. oh, how you wished he had outright said it to your face that you were.

your gaze darkened, face twisted into a scowl. anger flashes through you as fast lightning, mirroring the lust that was coursing through his eyes.

you glared at him because a spark ran up your spine so quickly you almost didn't register it. "you are so fucking ugly, caleb, do not kiss me right now," you growled lowly though you remain unmoved.

he tilted his head curiously, he was drinking you in. if it weren't for the fact that his grip on your cheeks had tightened you wouldn't have known how turned on he was by you. caleb makes one of you wishes come true by tracing his thumb with faux hesitation across your bottom lip. you want to scoff.

"have you been learning reverse psychology?" he asked sweetly, a sharp contrast to the storm that was brewing in his eyes. "you’re sure you don’t want me to kiss you right now?”

"no," you snarled but let him pull you down.

his grip was almost rough on your jaw, you sucked in a breath roughly, you weren’t preparing yourself to be kissed at all, you glared straight into his eyes. you let yourself fall onto your knees, he doesn’t catch you but lets you knock into his sturdy form.

then his warm lips land gently on yours, kissing you in a way that will screw up your life forever.

it lasts for only a millisecond, you thought. too short for your liking which puts you in an even more foul mood. “i hate you,” you want to tell him.

caleb smiled at you gentle but not with the kind of warmth you want. you glare at him as he got up, you trying to strike him down with your mind, make him grovel for your forgiveness; you’re well aware of the heat in your cheeks, however. and you just know you don’t look like how you picture yourself to.

he leant back down to kiss the top of your nose. “i’ll see you tonight then, princess.”

[spiders-notagain]

Vulcan Education

I haven't seen much else on what Vulcan Schools are suppossed to look like so I came up with my own. Intermixed are some bits I like from Memory Beta. Im ignoring all the parts from 20 yrs and after because it may only be applicable to the Lyr Zor clan and isnt compatible with Alpha canon anyway.

kan-tuihal-shi'oren (Nursery School): Ages 3-5

Its not a necessary prerequisite for primary school but many parents consider it to be important in the schooling process anyway. Benefits include the fundamentals in most every subject for primary school, peer socialization, and a variety of new ideas (er well vulcan-filtered ideas). A bigger emphasis is made on the arts in this school than in later schools. Students learn and perform dances for their parents and community.

Vulcan toddlers are capable of a great deal of self sufficiency when well taught, however not all parents have the time to cover all the basics and can't afford the multiple tutors some clans spring for (or just choose not to).

Newborn children til the age of four were known to take part in visual mathematics, basical calculation as well as beginning the neurological organization of their brains which was followed by an identity meld. By the time they were four, they began mathematics and species identification as well as began to coordinate the use of their physical bodies. Furthermore, algebra, geometry and physics dominated their study life at this time.

During their early education, Vulcan children took part in a curriculum where they learnt the most rudimentary telesper skills to better control their innate telepathic abilities.

nenik-shi'oren (Primary School): Ages 6-14

Schooling is largely made up of lectures and frequent homework, intermixed with regular progress testing via skill domes. Skill domes also serve a part in final exams. With the exception of certain classes, in-classwork is rare. Schoolwork is done mostly through padds. It's more reminiscent of a college with a few differences: 1. Youre not allowed to skip lectures 2. More classes are required as per graduation. In some classes, resources are provided and learning is mostly self directed. There are multiple education paths that come more into play by graduation but primary school is generally understood to be non-specific. By the graduation of this school, children would have the education equivalent up to 14th grade. Classes are separated by skill level rather than age, although most classes happen to be made up of children around the same age anyway. Many 'fun' events (like crafts or holiday parties) that would be common in schools of other species do not exist in vulcan schools. Although some teachers of alien cultures include a sampler of such activities in their lesson plans. Because they are young, children are permitted frequent mental breaks as a sort of vulcan pomodoro technique to increase productivity. As they get older they will be expected to train their mind to do this naturally.

While most schools go over the basics of psychic training, the bulk of it is expected to be handled by family. Usually by a parent but some clans have someone who specializes in it. This is also the kind of thing some families get a tutor for.

An informal social heirarchy forms between students as they hit certain milestones, with these students being admired as older and more mature. At 7, their kan-telan (bonding ceremony). And at 10, their kahs-wan. The latter being more important and noticable. (The kahs-wan can be taken as early as 7 but not often)

When they were eight, children began preliminary telepathic communication and were taught etiquette as well as their clans history along with Vulcan anthropology, calculus and quantum physics. When the child was ten, they learn to suppress cortical stimuli in the dominant hemisphere as well as learn of their races cultural history and began a study of Vulcan rites of passage. By the time they were eleven, they learn of the pressure points needed for mind melding in addition to learning memory accuracy and internal time counting. Furthermore, they were introduced to logic and definition, the principles of analysis, concreteness of thought and physical deportment. These early years of study were expected to continue til the child was between the age of thirteen to fifteen after which their formal training began.

dahrik-shi'oren (Secondary School): Ages 14-20+

Schools at this stage are often specialized and considered precursors to advanced academies such as:

Vulcan Science Academy (VSA)

Vulcan Medical Institute

Vulcan Institute of Defense Arts (VIDA)

Vulcan School of Diplomacy

Studies here aren't as fast paced and ruthless as full colleges. And unlike primary school they have no government standard learning criteria to meet. Most students would be either in the direct midst of puberty or finishing out its second stages. In some areas they have just one school which contains the pathways necessary for whichever trade schools are popular in the region (more like a skills center).

In more isolated areas this is where students would have either moved to the city to pursue higher education or found a job locally to help out at home (likely picking up an apprenticeship).

For those that choose to take it, the Rite of Taloth is commonly undergone around this time. While it is an acknowledged accomplishment among peers, a social heiarchy is not formed around it as that is now viewed as childish.

When formal training began, the first rite conducted was Tal T'Lee where they were assisted in their meditation by an adept of their clan council. They learn to control their subdominant cortices which was followed by Dwemish Hi-An where identity isolation was learnt along with brain control with numbers systems and equations. They also learn multiplication left to right whereupon they took part in Enok-Kal Fi Lar which was the processes of definition and the concepts of given. Once this was complete, the child took part in An-Prele between the age of sixteen to nineteen where they learn pain control meditation from a clan council adept. They were also expected to read Essays of Discipline and Analysis of Pseudodoxy as well as was expected to learn to segregate the lobes of their brains.

*I came up with the names through stuff on VLD and VLI but if anyone wants to consolidate it to sound catchier go ahead.

[evilcokito]

How’s Angel Sam going Coco~

HEHEHEHEH look it was brain- rotting in my head for awhile so like might as well share it with you here.

Angel Sam who’s burnt up his beautiful wings just for a chance to touch you with his own hands. He fell quite literally just for you, isn’t that just so romantic of him?

But he’s well aware he can’t freeload off your kindness forever… Sam hates seeing you so stressed over finance, so he gets a part-time job to help you out, and elevate your worries, even just by a bit.

He doesn’t tell you about it, though. The most you got out of him was a chuckle, and a light peck on your cheek as Sam tells you not to worry about it~ Let your angel keep some of his secrets, hm?

Imagine your surprise when you see him behind the counter of your local bar, dressed in an ebony black suit, sleeves rolled up till his elbows. Sam blinks at you in mild surprise, as he grins mischievously. Well, well. A guardian angel and his beloved meet in a bar… this sounds like a beginning of a joke.

Either way, he beckons you over. Telling you to pull up a seat right in front of him, as Sam busies himself making a personalised cocktail just for you. Sam puts on a show, twisting and tossing the cocktail mixer. His heart just leaps a beat whenever you gaze meets him, admiration in your eyes. Those hands of his were truly magic, juggling the metallic container with practised ease.

Once he pours it out for you, you’re transfixed by the way it seems like liquid mist, purple trendies curling through the drink. Dancing seductively within the glass. You hold it up to the light, only to notice the purple was the exact same shade as his eyes.

The same pair of eyes that were staring at you softly, affection apparent within his gaze. The gentle sort of affection that would benefit a lover. So filled with love.

He nudges the cup closer to your lips. It’s a special service, y’know? A personalised cocktail, just for you. Sam tried his best to make it something you’ll like, so take a sip already, hm?

It’s just for you.

He’s just for you.

You have no idea of ​​the magnitude of what you just caused. I went from 100% to 1000%. Totally insane right now. Completely.

LORD HAVE MERCY.

WHAT HAPPENED??? YOU LOST YOUR KITSUNE CATER SO YOU HAVE TIME TO COME ATTACK ME?? LET'S SEE IF YOU TIE THAT FOX BETTER!!!??? HOLY SHIT- WHAT'S HAPPENING??? THOSE RED ROPES WERE NOT STRONG ENOUGH OR WHAT??!!

CERU I READ THIS MANY TIMES IN THE DAY, THE STUPID DOVE - FRIED THE WINGS. HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO SAY BUT IM IN A STATE OF CONSTANT SHOCK EVERY TIME READ THAT- FIND SAM IN A BAR? THE BARTENDER ANGEL?! COULD THE GUY BE MORE PERFECT??? NO- CAN'T!!!?? DAMN PIGEON, HATE IT!!

You walk into a bar -> totally me.

AN ANGEL IN A BAR??? WITH SUIT ROLLED UP SLEEVES MY LORD HAVE MERCY DON'T MAKE ME SIN IS GOD TESTING?? SENDING A SENSUAL DOVE OR WHAT???

My brain runs, imagine the "human" Sam, his shadow projects his wings even though he no longer has them. What kind of abilities will the angels have beyond human understanding??? Altering destiny could prevent something from happening since you are quite careless. Well angels don't have that much control unless they are rebellious, fallen, wingless angels.

Mhh? talk too much?

Screamed and cried a lot but you know me, can't help it.

[mlikesmilkshakes]

Makeup ❀ Skin Prep

A personal guide to skin prep that layers  perfectly  with makeup.

Some disclaimers to us start off...

The products I recommend specifically tackle issues that have to do with dryness in the skin. If you have oily or combination skin then you can still look at the steps here and take some inspiration for your own skin prep routine but take in mind some of the products I use for dryness might not work the same way for you. That said, if it is requested of me I can try and do some research and make a post later on about skin prep for those with oily or combination skin . Lastly, for those with sensitive skin I find this should work well but it is important to mention that what your skin reacts to is unique to you so some experimentation with different products may be needed. 

Get to Know your skin:

An important factor in your skin prep routine is getting to know your skin and being familiar with how it works. For dry skin you should be able to pin point those areas on your face where you get exceptionally dry. In contrast, for sensitive skin you might have to watch out for specific products that irritate your skin. For example, one important thing I always like to check is if a product is fragranced. Fragranced products are known to irritate skin at times to it’s best to avoid them. Because of this in this guide all the products listed that I use aren't fragranced.

( im sorry glow recipe 💔 the packaging is so cute but i simply cannot with the fragrance)

Your skin prep routine should protect your skin and help with its needs while working well with your makeup routine. In most cases less is more so if you can skip out on any of these steps go for it as too much product on your skin can cause pilling and the separation of makeup as well as weird application of certain makeup products like cream or liquid blushes. If you can keep your skin prep to a minimum do it! I've tested this routine out with my day-to-day makeup and it works well for me, keeping my skin hydrated  and providing longevity to my makeup while looking good.

Lastly, before we start the routine, you should wash your face and get any gunk off of it. Being so real here, I almost never do this step and the routine still works well if I don't wash my face before applying my skin prep. I tend to be lazy about this step but it is something you can and should do if you have the time. If you are going to wash your face just use a good cleanser (youth to the people has a good one) that works for you and dry your face afterwards with a towel GENTLY. I BEG of you, be gentle when drying your skin, your skin will thank me in 30 years.

Now for the actual guide...

1. Toner

The toner I use that I find works well for me is the ILIA Base Face Milk. Technically this product is listed as an essence but I find it works perfectly as a toner! I've noticed that the watery consistency of this toner really helps my skin and gives it that first initial rejuvenation. A toner usually helps with hydration and redness in the skin while providing the skin with some skin care ingredients. I have redness near my cheeks and would like to mention that no toner will completely remove redness, it simply tones it down. If you want to know more about the skincare benefits of the Ilia toner you can honestly just ask me and i'll expand on this topic a bit more :).

I do have to say this toner is EXPENSIVE at the full size with a price of $58 USD for 100ml. Even though you don't have to use a lot (meaning the product will last you a LONG time) this is still a lot of money to drop on a product so I have decided to give yall some alternatives. Firstly and probably the most famous one is the Rhode Glazing milk that goes for $32 and comes with 138.998ml of product. The Rhode glazing milk is highly praised by many but sadly I haven't gotten the chance to try it but one of my initial observations reveals to me that it is thicker than the Ilia one so if you tend to like thicker products then you might love this! Another alternative is the LANEIGE Cream Skin Refillable Toner & Moisturizer which goes for $36 with 170ml of product. I know all of these are EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE so I tend to recommend always purchasing a mini of these before getting the full size. If you use the mini a lot then I’d recommend getting a full size of these products.

2. Serums

Your serums should tackle specific skin care products you have. There are anti aging serums, brightening serums, serums that tackle dark spots and more. In my case since I have EXTREMELY dry skin. I simply use one hydrating toner. I use the LANEIGE Glowy Makeup Serum as another layer of hydration as well as some glow to my skin. This makeup serum also is described as a primer but don't use it as a primer, doesn't really work well as that. If you're looking for a serum, you can honestly just look on Sephora and look for a serum that tackles a problem you might have. 

3. Moisturizer + Sunblock

This is the most important step to dealing with dry skin. If your skin at this point still feels a bit dry and you have dry patches in certain locations you should try to apply a moisturizer. You can can apply a light moisturizer here but I find that a heavy hydrating one works just as perfectly in this routine for me. It really depends on the person and also the weather. In colder weather dry skin girlies suffer so using a heavy moisturizer might be better. I personally use the skin-fix barrier+ strengthening moisturizer in the mini size since you don’t really need a lot. By this point your face should be decently hydrated and you should only use this on the areas where you are more prone to dryness. You can also mix in some of your sunblock in this step as you are finishing your skin prep here. SUNBLOCK IS ESSENTIAL it helps protect your skin and just saves you from future problems so make sure to use a sunblock that really protects you and works with your makeup. I use the La Roche Posay one but I��m looking for a new one. A note to add here is that if you don’t need moisturizer/ live in a hot climate well then you can skip this step.

4. Primer

If applying makeup your last step is to prime. What I look for in a primer is really just how well it wears throughout the day, how long it wears and whether it is well suited for my makeup routine. I’ve been using the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Glow Serum and it just works really well with this routine. It adds the last glow I need and really locks in everything. Other alternatives can be the Saie Beaty super gel illuminator if you want more glow or the MILK makeup Hydro-grip if you want more longevity and hydration. For the MILK makeup primer you do want to wait a few minutes before applying your makeup when applying it to let the primer get tacky to get the full use out of it. I should also mention your primer should work well with your foundation so figure out if you want to use a silicone based primer and foundation or a water based primer and foundation. I can expand upon this if anyone asks and try and give some recs!

If you've made it this far thank you for taking some of your time and reading this! I hope this really helps and if your interested in hearing some more yapping about makeup and certain makeup products just lmk and I'll try and make some posts about it!

[lucky-rabbits]

puts my head in my hands and starts bawling

i was working on selanaxa art but nope its time for my husband......... the visuals were SO fucking sick and knowing right away that... oh god this is what his ascension ritual looked like to claim strife's divinity... we didnt see i happen in the story (nor did we see what phainon was seeing when he attempted the ritual)

his character is just SOO GOODDDD... hes not just the 'buff stupid meathead that likes to kill' trope hes got DEPTH and you can see so well that violence like this scares the shit outta him, he didn't want to go down this path for a reason... but now hes the titan god of strife he gets the make the rules for his people to go down a better, less bloody path. what are they gonna do? disrespect the mortal king who literally became their GOD???

but man i just. throws up everywhere

and like.... god i love seladei even more looking like this bc its making me realize that yeah the two of them are literally COMPLETE opposites..... but the life that mydei wants so bad is within sela...... like yeah she has her fair share of trauma and a lot of that pain is completely unknown to mydei... but sela is just a girl who as much of a domestic life that a citizen on amphoreus could have. she protects and looks after her young siblings with love and care, she can pursue her own passions and interests freely without any expectations, no obligations to an entire kingdom of people or a whole prophecy. and i can see that mydei wants it sooooooooooooooooooo bad

like the final cutscene on the 3.1 quest where he returns home to be the first line of defense against the black tide, ALONE (which hes SCARED of he doesnt like being alone), and the way he says 'mother... im home' like GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD he deserves so badly to be soft guy who loves his mom and have a normal family without patricide existing in his blood and be a warlord who sends his own people to their deaths...

it makes me go insane because... hes soooo greek tragic hero coded yet the ending we have with him so far is literally the BEST case scenario for him.. this is the good end... instead of leading his people down a dark bloody path and continuing the cycle of endless violence and death for violence's sake... he fully leans into being the god of strife so that he can rework the rules for his own benefit.. he no longer fights for the sake of fighting.. but he fights to protect those who he loves and literally the whole world... which u can see in the plot with his old man mentor who is pissed as hell that mydei isnt continuing on the traditions of their people and tries to brute force his way into taking on their ritual to become the next titan of strife. just to hold onto the fact that their people are supposed to fight to death and to teach the future generations to do the same.... but in the end his teacher does the very thing mydei wants his people to do... not to fight aimlessly but to use their might to protect those who can't protect themselves..................

which is why he leans into becoming strife... bc he plans on being that shield of all amphoreus against the black tide, but at the cost of living a lonely existence fighting on his own until the prophecy is fulfilled

but back on the topic of seladei.. since there is a lot of things mydei doesnt know about sela's past and her near future... sela isn't this soft and sweet normal citizen away from the front lines. she ALSO killed her own (adopted) father for using her and her young siblings as test subjects for experiments into the black tide to try and stop its spread. she poisoned her own father with the poison he used on his own kids. she has this darker side that absolutely no one knows about

and then... shes not a normal citizen either.. she IS a chrysos heir.... but was just pretty unremarkable and not a candidate to become a coreflame bearer. but her being unremarkable with nothing else to loose, she takes on the ritual trial to become the next titan of time.. the most mysterious and unknown titan... and her being so seemingly unremarkable leads her into taking on oronyx's divinity (idc about canon i do what i want) and now she's also a god and destined for a lonely existence as the guardian of the flow of time, the past present and future in a secluded corner of amphoreus

man... its so good but so sad because i sooo badly that him and sela have a good ending... the two deserve get married and have kids and mydei fumbling to be a good dad despite his own upbring and trauma around literal patricide and sela deserves to have a protector because no one ever protected her.. now she has someone to share her burdens with.. i want them to be goofy and silly shenagaians with the other chrysos heirs (mostly phainon bc i think it would be funny. i need him to the godparent to seladei's daughter and be the worst influence on the girl) i want them to bake and cook together and throw flour at each other while in the kitchen and other tooth rotting fluffy things.......

ANYWAYS IM GONNA GO CRY AND THROW UP SOME MORE