#more of that side project for y'all to see~ ;)

[low-budget-korra]

Activism for likes

Okay, let's talk about something serious that thankfully I don't see here but in other social media is everywhere : Activism of likes.

That's when I truly feel my age because every time I see a - 25 having the same Ctrl c Ctrl v arguments, being hypocrite, only seeing things as black and white and playing white saviour...I lose a bit of faith in the future.

In Avatar fandom, an older show, I don't see much of this but in Arcane... People thinking they are doing woke comments when in reality they are just exposing themselves as someone who didn't even watch the show.

Ekko forgives Jinx , who quite literally killed his buddies and was his enemy for years. He also befriends Heimerdinger, a 200+ council member who never did anything for Zaun. Why do some people fully believe that he wouldn't forgive Vi for becoming an enforcer for a brief time? Just bc y'all don't understand her reasons to do it, doesn't mean he also wouldn't. He would be disappointed (as he should) but he would understand and forgive.

They also give Jinx a pass just because she is poor. And I say this bc when a rich girl (Caitlyn) does the same shit, she is fully hated. Talk about projecting your world frustrations in a fantasy world right... And again, you should disagree with Caitlyn radical action bc they were bad, but pretend that she didn't have a solid reason to do so or even ignore the fact that she was also manipulated, is just dishonest and hypocrite. I don't know y'all, but I would not care if Jinx also had reasons to blow up the council but if my mom died there, I would do the same as Caitlyn (and, you probably would too, if you have a good relationship with your mom. Don't play the all righteous here.)

And it gets me because if ppl are unable to understand that a fantasy world such as Arcane, where as viewers see both sides of the wall. Imagine they trying to talk about real world problems, which is a lot more complicated and nuanced.

Activism is only "true" when it has substance, when it has argument, when the person behind study stuff and it's always trying to learn more and more. It's when they can hold a discussion without insulting the other person.

(yes, I understand that there's radical activism but even for these. People need to study or else it will be violence for the sake of it and the bigger enemy will destroy it)

Be unable to hold a discussion with people who think differently, oversimplifying the world and seeing everything as black and white is conservative agenda and not activism

[genericpuff]

an epitaph

[nerevarswritingstuff]

Line (Albedo/Reader) Pt. 2

“An assistant??” You turn from your easel to Sucrose, tilting your head. “For who, again?”

“Mr. Albedo—he’s an alchemist. He has a few official titles… Kreideprinz, Captain of the Investigation Team, Chief Alchemist…” Sucrose plays with her hair, twirling and twirling and twirling it around her finger.

You hum, turning back to your easel to continue painting. The name was familiar, you’ve heard it before while traveling around the streets of Monsdstadt and overhearing conversations during your sketching breaks. Actually meeting the guy was a different story. You’ve heard plenty about his accomplishments in alchemy and apparent charming personality.

Already your mind is painting a picture of what he could possibly look like, but you quickly bring a white brush to that canvas to keep it blank. For now you’ll just imagine him as a stick of chalk for now—considering one of his titles. No face, no personality. Just a blank canvas with a simple line that can be added to however you wish.

“I remember you were leaving soon for Sumeru for your project with the Amurta scholars—is this why you're offering me the position?” You ask, eyes glancing at her before going back to your piece.

No one really asked you to paint it, you just felt like doing something after so long of unpacking all your things. With your artist supplies finally out of the endless pile of boxes, your painter’s hand was itching for something. You decided to settle on painting the statue of Barbatos from memory first before actually trekking outside to do a more proper one.

“Essentially speaking, yes.” She takes a seat beside you, keeping arm’s length to stay out of your way. “At least—it could be a—uh—a trial run for you both.” She plays with her hair again, looking to the floor. “That way, if it doesn’t work out, there'll be no hard feelings… I hope that’s okay?”

“I don’t see an issue with it so far. What’s he like—if you don’t mind my asking?” Best to go in with a base idea of what his personality is before you go jumping in. You’ve gotten screwed over too many times by going in completely blind and would prefer to have at least one eye able to see.

She plays with her gloves, then her collar, her hands never able to sit still for long. “Well—his accomplishments in alchemy are nothing to laugh at, it’s because of him that Mondstadt was able to thrive in so many new discoveries—and also why so many people from around the world come to meet him.”

“Mhmm…” You hum to indicate you were still listening to her, leaning back in your stool to look at the whole canvas, eyes flickering over the piece before catching a small mistake and going to fix it. While it didn’t fully answer your question, it certainly gave you an idea to what level his intelligence was at with alchemy.

“He’s a very kind and intelligent man—oh, and he also is an artist as well!” She perks up at remembering the little detail and offers you a smile. “He’s… well, more into sketching, but has painted a few pieces before.”

Ah, a fellow artist. You can’t help but wonder what his style would be like—is he the type to stay realistic or go abstract, or just go with whatever weird mixture he thinks looks nice to him?

“So he’ll be a mixture between my boss and an art buddy?” You chuckle, catching the blush on her face at your teasing. “He’s not the type to talk down on you… is he?”

Sucrose quickly waves her hands and shakes her head. “Oh no, no, no! Never! He actually is very patient and understanding, even if talking to people isn’t his strongest suit, he still is extremely polite.”

Alright, that’s good to hear. At least he wasn’t a stuck up know-it-all. You nod, keeping your smile gentle. “I was just checking. Maybe teasing a little. Just a bit.” You laugh at the look on her face. “Hmm, I suppose we can work out a meeting. Is he available to discuss it right now?”

“Ah—I believe so. But—aren’t you busy? I can go let him know—he asked me to anyway—”

“Not busy enough to keep me from setting up a meeting at least. I’d hate to use you as a messenger back and forth because a) it’d make you tired and b) it’d be inconsiderate of both of us to assume you’d be okay to do this when you still need to pack your things for a long trip to Sumeru soon.” You do one final stroke of the brush on the statue’s wing and go to stand up.

“Well… I might have… just told him about this before coming to you to tell you…” She pokes her fingers together, unable to meet your gaze. “It was—a bit of a—uh—last minute decision, since the plan kind of got a rock thrown in the way, and—and I was trying to find a way to make it work out, and—”

“It’s okay, Sucrose. I understand, and I’m sure the Chief Alchemist wouldn’t mind either.” You give her shoulder a pat and a reassuring smile. “It’s not in your control when things get changed around, so the most you can do is try to work with it, yeah?”

“Ah... yes… thank you for understanding. Then, I suppose I can show you where his lab is in the Favonius Headquarters…” She stands as well, fiddling with her hair all over again. “Are you sure it’s no trouble? I can take you there later, if you’d like. I’d hate to inconvenience you.”

“It’s not an inconvenience, it’s best both of us know what time and place we’ll be meeting at in the next day or so—that way we can prepare our own questions and whatnot.” You smile, then frown and ask, “He won’t care if I’m covered in paint, will we?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so. Besides, you’re not that covered in paint, at least.” Even as she says that, she’s already grabbing a wet cloth to give you and pointing to her cheek. You take it with a chuckle and wipe your face.

You take a moment to stretch, hearing your back pop in several different places, before heaving a sigh. Grabbing your hat with your Dendro Vision, you secure it to your head and smile. “Alright, lead the way.”

“Of course.” Sucrose takes you outside, making sure to lock the apartment before hurrying down the streets towards the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Already several people were giving you a look of curiosity—mainly because of your clothes being covered in paint. Your pants were the worst of it, absolutely coated in a mixture of colors from you brushing your paint covered hands or your brushes onto them.

Not like you minded anyway, it was no different from all the other places you’ve been to and needed to go out in the middle of painting to get errands done. You just walk with Sucrose, ignoring the looks, but unable to ignore the feeling of someone staring at and through you. Yet when you look there is no one to be found.

Weird, if not slightly unsettling.

Entering the Knight’s Headquarters is when you start to feel very underdressed. The knight’s armor looks pristine, secretaries and messengers alike dressed to the nines. But you quickly push the feeling away, no need to fret over something so trivial. Not like this was a fancy gathering or anything.

You glance at your painting of Jueyun Karst hanging in the main hall and smile. Ah, what wonderful memories of several days camping out in the wild, keeping your painting safe from the wind and rain alike, and dealing with hilichurls trying to eat your paints, thinking it was some kind of food paste. Sure won’t be the last time that happens.

You follow Sucrose down a hallway towards a door that has a sign on it, reading No Experiments in Progress. You raise a brow, looking at your friend but she says nothing as she knocks twice on the door, stepping inside after a gentle, masculine voice says, “You may enter.”

You step inside, eyes roaming about the area. Yup, it’s your typical alchemy lab. Plenty of beakers, tables, notes, and a lot of things you know absolutely nothing about. You keep your hands to yourself, despite the desire to poke and prod at a few funnily shaped beakers and look forward to the source of the voice—whom you safely assume is the Chief Alchemist.

The first thing you’re met with is a pair of eyes that remind you of two chips of glass with the sea behind them. His blonde hair held such a stark brightness to it, it could be mistaken for white if the light hit it just right. It was askew in several different places, haphazardly tied back but several strands still lay in his face. You tilt your head, eyes taking in each detail as the blank canvas in your mind of his appearance continues to paint it and put it to memory. 

He’s only a couple inches taller than you, from what you can garner.  He somehow manages to look young, yet mature. Perhaps your age, give or take a year? A soft curve of his cheekbone, but a strong chin, a short nose that seemed to detail his face well, his eye shape round and giving it a gentle appearance. His outfit was as you expected any alchemist to be—white lab coat and all. A bit more detailed than you expected, but you suppose that’s because of his standing as Chief Alchemist. Your eyes linger on the Geo vision nestled on his collared shirt, then the star shaped birthmark on his neck. A curious sight indeed.

Your eyes flicker back to his, noticing he was taking in each detail of your appearance as much as you were with his. He takes in your face, your paint-stained clothes, your own messily brushed hair, to your Dendro Vision clipped to your hat. His expression didn’t change by an inch as he committed your appearance to memory, yet when he noticed your Vision, there was a shine in his eyes that hinted at curiosity.

You can hear the wheels turning in his head, but can’t think of the thoughts that could be going through that mind of his. Perhaps he was curious on how Visions work for every wielder and wanted to find out what yours could do. Maybe it was something else.

During his examination of you, somehow he manages to keep his expression blank yet serene. Then his eyes meet yours and you offer a smile, asking with a light lilt in your tone, “Chief Alchemist Albedo, I presume?” You step forward, offering a hand to shake and telling him your name.

He nods, a smile easily falling into place on his features that somehow makes him look more tranquil. You can’t help but wonder just how many people crush on him just for his looks alone. He takes your hand and gives it a single shake. “Yes, though you may simply call me Albedo. I’ve no need for such official titles,” he says, making your brows shoot up. 

Admittedly, you weren’t expecting such a voice to come from him. At least not one that mature, given he looked so youthful. Yet it seemed to add the finishing touches to his entire person. Gentle like the padisarah’s from your homeland, yet also firm and sturdy like the mountains of Liyue. It fits him well, you feel.

Shaking off your initial shock, you mentally pen down his request. “Alright then, Albedo. Well, I won’t beat around the bush—Sucrose said you needed a new assistant since she’s leaving for Sumeru soon. I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot, but obviously we’ll need to arrange a meeting so we can get down and dirty with the details.”

A pause, your eyes roaming his face. There was a slight twitch in his shoulders, relaxing some. Hmm, curious, but you make no comment. He says, “I believe it would be best suited for us both to go over the details of the arrangement, yes. I’m assuming you being here is to arrange the time and place of the meeting?”

“Mhm,” you pocket your hands and shrug, “I’d hate to use Sucrose as the messenger between us since she has her own schedule, so I figured she could show me to your lab and we can discuss from there.” You turn to Sucrose with a soft smile. “You don’t have to stay, I know the way back home. You should get your stuff packed up.”

“Ah—are you sure?” Sucrose looked between you and Albedo.

“When is your caravan leaving, Sucrose?” Albedo asks, putting his thumb and index finger to his chin.

She doesn’t answer immediately, eyes darting around as she recalls the details, then says, “It’ll arrive in… three days, and will be leaving at noon.”

“Then it’d be best to ensure your equipment and supplies are packed post haste then,” he tilts his head to her, saying in a soft tone, “There’s no need to fret over either of us, Sucrose. This project is important to you, therefore it should be number one on your list of things to prepare for.”

“It’s exactly as he says,” you pat her shoulder, “you’d say the same to me or him. So go on, I’ll meet you back at home.”

She looks like she wanted to argue a bit more, but after a moment of giving it some thought, she  relents, “Alright. Thank you so much, both of you.” She gives you both a smile, adjusting her glasses, before hurrying out the door.

You face Albedo again. “So—about our meeting, I’d like to make sure we at least have a time and place set up before anything else.” You hum, tapping your chin, then ask, “Would you prefer it to be private, or somewhere in an open space?”

“I was actually going to ask you the very same question,” he chuckles, “I have no preference for either, truly. Though, giving it more thought, perhaps a private setting would be best for this situation—it would be less likely for us to be interrupted, as… admittedly, many people try to converse with me on the streets about new alchemy findings.”

You can tell just from the way his voice dipped and shoulders drooped that he’s not the biggest fan of interruptions. It’s possible he’s too polite to say much about it, but that remains to be seen. You smile, saying, “Alright, so a private setting then. Perhaps here in the lab, or my apartment, or is there a specific place you’d prefer?”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t wish to impose on you or Sucrose and the lab has too many volatile things sitting about right now… Ah, there’s plenty of meeting rooms within the Headquarters we could use to discuss the terms of this contract, if that sounds reasonable to you?” He gestures to you, brows raised in question.

“That sounds fair to me. How does… two days from now sound, around noon? I can bring us coffee—or do you prefer tea?”

“Coffee, please. Just a simple two cream and two sugar.” He takes a pen, writing something down on a piece of paper, then faces you again. “I’ll meet you within the main hall of the Headquarters—there’s many meeting rooms here so it would be beneficial to ensure you didn’t get lost within.”

“My thanks for that, I’d like to not get lost in such a big building,” you laugh and he shares a small chuckle with you. “Alright, then two days from now, noon, coffee—two cream, two sugars. Sounds like an appointment.” You hold your hand out to him again. “We’ll obviously discuss everything else in further detail during the meeting, but I’ll get out of your hair now since you’re most likely busy.”

“Ah—yes—that is much appreciated.” He takes your hand, gives it one shake, and then pulls away. “Until then, I look forward to our meeting.”

“The feeling is mutual. Until then.” With that, you step out of the lab. Remembering the path Sucrose took with you in tow, you follow it towards the main hall and exit, beginning your trek back to your apartment.

Alright, so first impressions of Albedo were a mixed bag. Nothing negative so far, but it certainly looked like he wasn’t expecting you to just show up and arrange a meeting. Nor did it seem like he was the type to enjoy long-winded conversations just from his mention of people stopping him in the streets.

A bit introverted, isn’t he?

Even so, just from the way he spoke to Sucrose, you could tell there’s a kind soul in him. Much like she said, Albedo has this air about him that radiates patience and understanding for unexpected situations—such as Sucrose’s impromptu offering of you being his assistant. Even if talking to people didn’t seem to be his strong suit, it looks like he still does what he can to accommodate others.

Such an interesting guy. You find yourself growing more and more curious about him.

Well, you have two days to wait—might as well utilize that time to help Sucrose pack and get some sketching done.

[windrunner]

i wish people weren't so... annoying about fiction. like i'm never calling myself any of those "baby's first media literacy discourse" terms from twitter but i do need people to know that i loveeeee fucked up horror. my middle name is literally from a horrific tragedy/thriller play

[kindlythevoid]

So anyway I did a thing today.

[icarus-suraki]

I don't like wading into Ao3 debates, but I want to give my professional opinion on Ao3 with regard to archives vs. libraries.

I am a professional librarian (MSLS) and I have worked in both archives and public libraries and a lot of the confusion and concern I see surrounding Ao3 is a fundamental misunderstanding of How Archives Work.

An archive is a collection related to a subject. That subject is often a person but sometimes a field or concept or project. And the purpose of an archive is to keep everything. And I mean everything. I was going to say "short of biohazards" but since I know there's a sealed R. Crumb Devil Gal chocolate bar in the UNC Chapel Hill archives, we really do mean everything.

When a collection of materials--which are usually unique and original and can be photos, manuscripts, letters, recordings (audio and/or visual), notes and notebooks, objects, published books, whatever--on and/or from the subject arrive at the archive, they are examined, preserved for longevity, accessioned and cataloged (added to the archive's records), and added to the archive. You measure collections in linear feet. As in, once it's all preserved and boxed and secure, you note how many feet of shelf space it takes up. And some of y'all on Ao3 have a lot of linear feet to your name (and I'm proud of you).

This is an archive: it is designed to preserve the original materials related to a subject. That is its purpose. Archives are how we have the original scroll manuscript of On the Road, for example, or the Lomax recordings of American folksongs, or Tijuana Bibles, or James Joyce's loveletters to Nora.

Now you, a member of the public, can access some archives. Some are easier to access than others. The one I worked in was open to the public; good luck getting into the British Archives without a good reason.

So now apply this to Ao3--which is an archive both in name and in purpose. It is intended to preserve fan-created content long term. And this means everything, whether you personally like the materials or not. It is a repository for as much as possible.

And the "whether you personally like the materials or not" is important, hence why I mentioned Jim's loveletters and Tijuana Bibles in particular. (RIP Jim, you would have loved pegging.)

If it's made by fans and it exists, we should keep it to document the history and progression of fandom. That is the point. We have lost enough materials related to the subject of fans of media and we don't need to lose any more.

The fact of the matter is that Ao3 is only one facet of the OTW, which preserves other fan-related materials (convention booklets and zines, for example). Somehow Ao3, an archive on the subject of fanfiction, has been divorced from the rest of the project, mostly by way of "purity culture" and panic over "dangerous" fiction.

The fact that you can go through an archive and find interesting information is the other side of archives. No, they shouldn't be like the banker's box of old letters stuffed in my closet. Yes, they should be organized and as accessible as is appropriate for the state of the materials.

It's really, really cool to find stuff in an archive, I'm not even going to lie. I have done it before and I will do it again. And yet there are other items in an archive that I might not want or need or be interested in at all--but they're still there. That's the cataloging and accessioning: to keep up with what's there, to stay "on topic" with collecting, and to be able to find things in that archive. Bless the tag wranglers who are doing the cataloging at Ao3.

The pearl clutching seems to come from 1. the creation of "dangerous" fanworks and 2. public access to those "dangerous" fanworks. These are issues of "purity culture" and opinions on censorship and should not involve Ao3.

Ao3, under the umbrella of the OTW, is a documentation and preservation project first and foremost.

[helslastangel]

I'm back bxtches

Random Observations #9

Y'all still need the disclaimer or will reason prevail?

🦂 Scorpio Mars are POWERHOUSES in my not-so-humble opinion. If you are prone to procrastination, especially in your career or as an entrepreneur, Aries Mars might hype you up but a Scorpio Mars (esp in 10H) is gonna make damn sure you finish your to-do list.

I had a friend with this placement and she literally bribed me with weed to come to her house, then she took my phone and house keys and made me sit and finish designing my business cards and send them to Vistaprint before she'd give my damn keys back. Made over $5K USD from my next few clients though so I wasn't even mad about it lol

🦀 I don't care what the astrology girls like to say - my observations of Cancer moons is that they are FORGIVING AF. Like it takes a lot for a Cancer moon to be really done with you and chances are you're more wrong than they are.

Cancer moons come off as manipulative to a lot of people. But when you actually dig below the surface, you'll notice this common thread where people who aren't good at seeing other people's points of view unless they need something immediately project that attitude onto people who genuinely give a shit.

Obviously there are evil Cancer moons and they're extra terrifying for the above reason, but they're the minority and the slander is unnecessary imo. The people who have literally put up with my WORST behavior the longest and genuinely dropped it after a good open conversation were all Cancer moons.

👬 Which leads me to another interesting astro trope I'd like to kick over right about now. Gemini moons. Love them but in my experience they are usually what people think Cancer moons are. Gemini moons, from my observation, don't soak up as much, if any, of other peoples' energies. They're gonna keep it moving emotionally regardless of how you wanna be in the moment. That means they can easily smile with you for years if that's the path of least resistance, but that does NOT mean they particularly like, care about or think highly of you at all. They MIGHT, but you will NOT know unless they want you to know or you somehow trigger them enough to rip the black tape off the redacted parts of their mental file on you.

If you're someone who is used to everything being totally transparent and straightforward, you're in for a wild ride with a Gemini moon in your life. I've had quite a few as friends or coworkers, etc., and I promise without fail there always came the day where I ended up wiping tears of laughter from my eyes, feet up on my desk, twiddling my thumbs listening to the 11-minute voice note from the latest Gemini moon in my life. Pretty much telling me in no uncertain terms exactly what they thought of me, where I should go, why, and how happy they would be to direct me there personally.

As a Capricorn moon, I never have the kind of reaction they'd like to this but it's always interesting to see the abrupt change as they can literally seem perfectly cool 3 minutes before the other twin takes over. I don't even think it's a good or bad thing, just how it goes.

Cancer moons seem this way but chances are you chose to ignore the VERY OBVIOUS SIGNS THAT SOMETHING (probably everything) was wrong, lol. Cancer moons can't hide their feelings for shit (reason #101 why I love them; it's easier for me to fix a problem if i can quickly see there is one 😂).

🦁 Let's change tracks and talk about Leo mercuries for a minute. Y'all get your inside and outside voices mixed up a LOT, lol. Every Leo mercury I know had trouble speaking quietly in quiet-appropriate situations but then catch them outside trying to get their friends attention at the other side of the street and suddenly it's like Tom got their tongue and tossed it to Jerry. Can barely get a sound out. Why is that? I know it wouldn't be all Leo mercuries but for those who experience this, please tell me what it is, I'm genuinely curious lol. As a Libra mercury I kinda have a similar problem. On another note, I've noticed that Leo mercuries can be highly persuasive people even if solely because of the amount of power and confidence they put behind the things they say.

My ex-husband has Leo Mercury at 24° (Pisces degree) and I promise you that man could make you believe anything against your will 😂 One time he was trying to get out of having to go to a friend's event and rather than just decline like a normal person, he crafted this masterpiece of an excuse that somehow involved me needing his attention (I had been on the couch under his arm half the day so no lol) but the way he spoke on the phone?

I swear to God even I caught myself nodding along all like "yeah, yes I did feel a bit neglected today and wanted more time with babe"... 😂😂😂 like NO TF I DID NOT FEEL NEGLECTED AT ALL but I got second-hand convinced lol. And yes he was loud when I or his friends were 12 inches away but couldn't raise his voice for shit to order through the drive-thru at McDonald's lol it was cute, though, I'd do the yelling into the intercom thing 😂

�� Lemme say this about Pisces suns - you are very underrated, from my observations. I've noticed Pisces suns in particular struggle with one of two major issues when it comes to others' perceptions of them - either people seem compelled to minimize/infantilize their contributions and achievements, or people fail to notice they exist altogether (or forget about them easily). I've always held my Pisces sun friends close for as long as I could and hyped them up because nearly every Pisces sun I've met has been incredibly talented and usually creative in some way. I'm talking genius levels of ability in some area that goes completely overlooked or undervalued by the majority of people in their circles.

These are the people who you vaguely notice as the cool server, hot bartender, friendly delivery guy, helpful sales associate, only for you to run into them somewhere else and you find out they run a whole personal training business or play 6 instruments perfectly and give lessons to kids, or taught themselves professional photography and have a camera in their bedroom worth more than your savings account. I've met so many Pisces suns who seemed to be one way and then there were so many layers to them that it was like reading an interactive novel.

That's what was on my mind for now, drop your favorite placement from your own chart in the comments, I'll compile them for random observations #10 😘

[uno-san]

Bill Cipher Vs. Self-Hatred

Howdy y'all! Today I just wanted to go over some thoughts I had over everybody's favorite triangle that may or may not have occurred to some of you already. Naturally this will contain Book of Bill Spoilers.

To start off our little essay I thought it would be important to first sum up my thoughts on one of Bill's more complicated relationships: Stanford

Now we've all seen his dynamic with Stanford plenty of times in the show but with recent information coming from both the Book of Bill and thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com more light has been shed on the subject from both Bill's perspective and Ford's.

There's more than meets the eye when it comes to dissecting Bill's interactions and thoughts on Stanford, with the ever enlightening "EVEN HIS LIES ARE LIES" making theorists scratch their heads. Within the Book of Bill are these codes and their meanings: hbh grfwru ri d gliihuhqw nlqg/ zkr zdqw wr pdnh klv sdwlhqw eolqg

eye doctor of a different kind/ who wants to make his patient blind

Qeb alzqlo pxvp/ qeobb pfmp x axv/ tfii jxhb qeb sfpflkp/ dl xtxv

The doctor says/ three sips a day/ will make the visions/ go away

Ixvvb hdwhu/ edeb eloob/ zrxogq'w gulqn/ xqohvv lwv vloob

Fussy eater/ baby billy/ wouldn't drink/ unless its silly

As well as:

Finding out that both Stanford and Bill have a genetic mutation that made them Black Sheep suggests the possibility that Bill saw a kinship within Stanford. After all, he did make the offer for Stanford to join him. No doubt being able to sympathize with Stanford's situation yet misreading his motivations, causing the rift in their once savable relationship once Bill's lies were uncovered.

Now I'll admit it was others who came up with this theory in particular, especially when drawing comparisons of how Stanford was treated and how Bill allegedly was for having a strange eye. Stanford, in some form of other, might represent how Bill was before he saw the destruction of his world by his hands. A mere outcast looking for his place in the world. To be believed rather than ridiculed or "fixed".

Self-Hatred

And now we get to the Bill we all know today:

The chaos loving and nightmare inducing three-sided maniac, who may be hiding more insecurities than he ever let on in the show, thanks to the Theraprism.

Someone far more traumatized

Who's had to convince himself to fully be the bastard he is today

But if the theory that Bill had a type of kinship with Stanford thanks to their mutations was true, then wouldn't it be possible that his relationship with someone else might represent the inner struggle with himself?

For you see, the original title of this post was...

Bill Cipher Vs. Stanley Pines

As my own theory is that Stanley Pines is what Bill decided to project his self-hatred on. Nobody can doubt that the two have similar qualities, yet as I read the Book of Bill and thisisnotawebsitedotcom I couldn't help but notice the absolute malice that Bill has for Stanley whenever he's mentioned.

There have been many opponents before that have strived to take Bill down. Whether that was the Shaman, the Anti-Cipher Society, or Time Baby, none of his interactions with them have appeared as vitriol as compared to Stanley.

Not even Stanford has this same reaction, who, by really no contest, was the closest to ever defeating Cipher by himself. Both with the gun that he near successfully killed Bill with and the secret of the barrier of Gravity Falls he refused to give up. Bill didn't even have a real interaction with Stanley until the last episode.

Yet it isn't Stanford that causes Bill to break while he's in the Theraprism. It's Stanley.

"-A resume-inflating, cheap trick loving, past-denying overgrown child protected from failure only by a force field of DENIAL AND shamelessness!"

"Self-pitying"

"Stupid"

"Smug"

"Hack Jokes"

"UNWORTHY"

Now it could be just me, but those are a lot of specific insults to fling somebody's way that you've barely interacted with. Especially if Bill credits the Twin Swap to Stanford entirely as opposed to allowing Stanley the credit.

"STEP RIGHT UP, it's time to play my FAVORITE GAME!! BOOTLEG SIXER over HERE spent a LIFETIME trying to hide his humiliations, BUT I'VE BEEN INSIDE HIS MIND, so NOW they’re ALL YOURS for the low low price of BEING MY NEW PAL! ITS SHOWTIME FOLKS, AND THE ONLY WAY TO LOSE IS TO BE NAMED STANLEY PINES!"

“SHAME:TM - IT'S THE ONE FRIEND WHO NEVER LEAVES!”

This out-of-character hatred doesn't come from the fact that Bill thought Stanley wasn't worthy, it comes from the fact that Bill sees himself in Stan. Who by all means is a lying and conniving screw up. Somebody who let his family down.

This could possibly be proven by the poem Bill had wrote about Stanley:

The whole poem suits my point but I decided to highlight the sections that caught my eye specifically. That when you put into consideration Bill's clear trauma and regret about the Euclidian Massacre, his own words can clearly be flipped back on him.

That he sees himself as a curse and a mistake. A self-made monster. Someone who's left the past behind when the loss of his home is still on his mind.

And what truly gets under Bill's skin about Stanley Pines?

"He got his life and family back.

His big break, it finally came,

Redemption from a life of shame"

Stanley got back what Bill can't.

[theabigailthorn]

Not really much of an ask and more of a "I hope this brings a smile to your face.", feel free to read and delete if it pleases or share.

Tonight at 8pm CST I am torn between two projects launching on streaming at the same time. On Disney Plus a new episode of The Acolyte launches and on Nebula the movie IDENTITEAZE launches.

Two projects featuring Abigail Thorn launching at the same moment on two different (streaming) networks.

I hope the little kid you whispered "we did it" to gets to enjoy the decision paralysis y'all have induced within people who wish you well. You're doing great!

Don't forget to tune in to House of the Dragon on HBO Max too!

Don't forget to catch me on the side of your box of breakfast cereal!

Don't forget to see me living behind the eyes of your neighbour and all the people on your street!

Don't miss me scuttling under your fridge impossibly in the middle of your night, folding my body unnaturally and vanishing giggling into the shadows!

Don't miss me!

Don't miss me

You will only get one shot

Don't miss me

[catboybiologist]

Hey it's a life update that probably no one cared about or asked for

tl;dr: I'm likely quitting my PhD via mastering out, and leaving my program in June.

sappy, overly emotional vent/explanation:

I'm wrapping up my first quarter as an out-of-the-closet trans woman. I've had some serious conversations about where me and my work stand. This was always my intention after coming back from my summer hiatus/social transition: see how "reentry" works, and then assess from there.

For those that don't know, PhDs in the US take 5-7 years. Oftentimes, however, they either give you a master's along the way, or give you an option to quit halfway through with a master's. I'm in my 3rd year and have more than enough to use that option. I've toyed with this idea before, but it feels a bit different now. Last year, I was burned out from science, my project was failing, and I was under constant stress of boymoding and remaining in the closet. Now, I'm out and proud, and I deeply love my project and find it exciting. I fixed some things.

Unfortunately, I have a recurrent problem. Whenever something goes wrong in my life, the first thing to drop off is my ability to drive forward my own thesis project in a coherent way. What the actual problems are vary, but that motif stays the same. I could list off what's going on right now, but I think y'all can assume a bit of what a mid-20s, broke, recently transitioned trans woman in the US is going through at the moment. There's a lot of specifics, of course, but I'm not at liberty to say most of it.

So I'm looking around and realizing I have scraps of half finished projects, I've given support and help for other people's projects.... and then made little progress on my actual thesis. It's enough to pull together into a master's thesis, and maybe even another paper or two, but.... not a PhD.

And then there's the other side of it. The nicer reasons. Could I stay here, buckle down, maybe add years to my degree, and get through it? Probably. But honestly? I don't really want to put myself through that now. It used to be that academics was all I had. It was all my failures and all my successes. It's what I threw myself at, because I genuinely had nothing else going on. Since transitioning, the world seems so much more beautiful and rich, so much more complex and vast, with so much more to do in it. I've even had more negative experiences unrelated to academia, and while they've sucked, they've shown me that life is so much bigger than it was before.

To be blunt, to experience more of my life... it helps to have money, and it helps to have career stability. It's not the only factor by far, but certainly one defining moment when making this decision was trying to create a timeline and budget for transition related surgeries, and realizing that its near impossible in grad school.

Not to be dramatic, but I've also had a couple extremely jarring experiences in the past year that are reminded me that life is short. And I want at least some time to enjoy it.

My heart is honestly broken here, and I'm feeling extremely emotional about this. I love my lab, my colleagues, the environment of doing research, and my project. But I'm realizing that it might not be viable, or what makes me the happiest at the moment. I'm genuinely a bit distraught, and I've been crying a lot for the past few days. A lot of me feels like this is what I am, and this is what I'm good for. That I'm failing myself and every mentor that got me here. Some part of me knows that isn't true, some part of me can't let go of those feelings.

But, I know this doesn't mean "never". So many of the people in my program are significantly older than me, coming back later in life to get their degrees. I'm honestly almost positive that I'll come back to a PhD someday if I quit now. In my 30s or beyond, I think that I'll be able equipped to handle it much better.

So what's next?

Obviously, nothing is decided, and I'm just spitballing here. But I'm honestly shocked at how many viable options I have, in a very good way. A cursory scroll of Indeed was honestly therapeutic. As I said, I still love the academic research environment. I just need more money and stability, and would prefer to have a slightly different relationship to the work I do than a thesis project. Ideally, I would want to be a staff researcher in an institute or academic lab. That lets me keep a lot of the things I like about what I do now, while also making literally 2-3 times the money and having a more stable position.There's positions out there that maximize the contexts I'm the strongest and happiest with, while still being more steady and paying more. Hell, even if my responsibilities were identical, but I had more pay, I could probably more effectively address the personal problems I'm going through right now. I'm gonna stay in California for a lot of reasons, and I'm lucky that there's so many options within the state.

I have a bit of an oddball set of experience. I'll actually have two nonoverlapping master's if I do this. I already have a MS in bioinformatics, which was granted by a CS department. But my current program is in more "pure" molecular and cell biology. I'll have 5 years of grad school, 8.5 years of research experience if I include undergrad research, and instead of a PhD, 2 MSs. Which is kinda funny. But it think it helps represent my experience for what it is. I like to consider myself a "full stack" bioinformaticist- someone who can do both the experimental and analysis portions of experiments that produce large data. Hopefully I'll be able to put that to good use.

I have a lot of professional contacts that I'll slowly be reaching out to over the course of the next 6 months while I tie things up. I know this is a wildshot on tumblr of all places, but if anyone has any recommendations, advice, or contacts, I'm all ears- both for professional and job hunt related things, and also the emotional state I'm in right now.

Thank you to everyone that's made up this wonderful community we have online. I hope I'm not letting anyone down. I'll still be a biologist, I'll still be my trans self. I just won't be "Doctor" anytime soon.

[daisywords]

anyway life is better when you let yourself just get a lil crazy and make stuff

process photos under the cut as always

the good news: finally started* my new bookbinding project (making a sketchbook for a birthday present for my brother—I think I'm going to do some variant of a sewn boards binding if I can find some kind of card with the right weight. thinking of doing some kind of loz design or at least a sword on the cover? also I found the scraps of gold leaf I scavenged from the trash this has so much potential)

the bad news: it's 1 am and the high of starting something is making me. not tired

*folded the signatures and that's all

[genericpuff]

LORE | REKINDLED EPISODE 54 - BETWEEN YOU AND ME

Previous episode | Next episode

phew Episode 54 is finally here! I know it was only delayed by a week, but I swear it feels like it's been an eternity.

This episode was admittedly... really hard to get through. Not for any outstanding reason, just due to a lot of sudden IRL stuff that sort of piled up on my plate at the last minute and caught up to me. I feel bad for not doing more to avoid that plate from spilling over which resulted in this episode being delayed another week but I've been trying not to beat myself up for it too much. Thank you all so much for your patience and kind words while I worked through this hurdle. The good news is, I have an appointment booked this month for an ADHD assessment, so if all goes well, I'll hopefully be able to get on some medication soon to help manage the ADHD-side of my ND brain. It's been very unmanageable this past month and has led to a lot of careless mistakes and subsequent stress, anxiety, and depression that's been making it harder for me to have fun doing what I do, so I'm hoping things will go well on that front and at the very least take the edge off a little.

Anyways, that's enough personal dumping from me but I figured I owe y'all at least an update of how things are going on my end. Thank you so much for reading and for your patience through the delay <3 And of course, a huge thank you as always to @banshriek for being my creative other half in this project. As hard as it turned out to be to get through an otherwise very simple episode, it would have been even harder still to do it alone and so having them in my corner has been an absolute blessing to help carry the weight of it all and hold me accountable to boot. Now that the work is done, it feels great to see it finished, and has one of my favorite panel redraws that I've been looking forward to for ages in it (the scene of Persephone sitting on the rooftop!)

now ima go treat myself to some shitty bar food and play the rest of Dawntrail LOL

[pedroscurls]

training partners (pt. 13)

summary: now that filming for deadpool & wolverine has finished, you and hugh go back home to new york and he asks you a very important question. pairing: hugh jackman x fem!reader warnings: smut (18+, mdni), hugh can't control himself, spooning (?) position, light choking, dirty talk, unprotected p in v, fingering, creampie, implied age gap (hugh is 55, reader is in late 20s-early 30s), no use of y/n. word count: 2.7k a/n: surprise! new chapter dropping a day early hehe. anyway, i've anticipated that this story will have a total of 19 parts (at least for what i have outlined!). we got a few chapters of some good ol' fluff and smut, so hope y'all enjoy! thank you all for reading! 💙💛 as always, this is purely fictional! i mean no disrespect to hugh jackman. prev part. - next part.

You and the rest of the cast and crew are listening to Shawn make a brief speech about the movie, about all the hard work everyone’s put into creating this. It chokes you up, tears stinging your eyes as you do your best to take more photographs. This opportunity was once in a lifetime and now that you and Hugh will be heading home, you wonder if things will change. You had been by his side for the duration of filming and you can’t imagine going back to New York and not being able to sleep next to him, or even wake up with him by your side. 

You look up at Hugh for a moment, still in his Wolverine costume but a large black coat draped around him to keep him warm. You lean against him, his eyes gazing down at you as he leans down to kiss the side of your temple. After Shawn’s speech finishes, everyone claps and celebrates the end of filming. 

You pull away from Hugh to continue to capture moments, smiling to yourself. Some are smiling, some are crying – everyone who was part of this movie had given their all and you just can’t wait to see the finished product for it. You manage to sneak away from the crowd, deciding to walk around the set. You don’t think you’ll ever be able to get to do this again and certainly not with this group of people. It’s bittersweet actually – having to go back home and face reality. 

You stop walking for a moment and hear Hugh’s voice calling your name. You turn to face him, seeing him jog slowly over to you. He gently takes your hand and pulls you into him, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “You snuck away,” he points out.

“Just wanted to get one last look,” you smile, moving your arms around him. “Can’t believe we’re gonna be home tomorrow.” 

“This project has been a dream,” Hugh admits. “And having you here made it even better.” 

You look up at him, linking your hands at his lower back. “Thank you,” you say softly. “For bringing me here with you.” 

“I’d miss you hell of a lot if you weren’t here,” Hugh chuckles. “Are you ready to be back in New York?” 

You shrug. “I’m gonna miss seeing everyone everyday. I’m gonna miss seeing you everyday.” 

Hugh smiles, bringing a hand up to tuck a few strands of hair behind your ear. “Me too, baby. I’ve gotten used to you being next to me when I sleep and wake up. Hard to think that we won’t have that when we get back home…” he continues. 

“We’ll manage,” you smile. “I believe in us.” 

Hugh grins. “You’re just perfect, aren’t you?” he teases.

“That’s something I usually say to you,” you laugh, burying your face against his chest. 

Hugh chuckles and holds you close, shutting his eyes as he holds you in his arms. He isn’t sure how things will change when you both go back to New York, but he has been thinking of asking you a question for months now. When he pulls away, Hugh looks down at you and gently leans in to peck your lips. “Will you stay the week with me when we get back home?” 

“I’d like that.” 

“Good,” Hugh says quietly. “Because I don’t think I wanna let you go yet.” 

“Hm,” you whisper. “You must really love me.”

“More than you even know, baby.” 

—

Back in New York, Hugh finds that having you in his apartment is where you should be. You’re so comfortable in his space and he enjoys the ability to wake up and sleep next to you. It’s something he had gotten used to during filming. The question he’s been wanting to ask lingers over him – even now, when you’re sitting on his couch in a pair of shorts and one of his t-shirts with a book in your lap, he wants so badly to ask you the one question that’s been on his mind. 

He wonders if maybe he’s moving too fast, if maybe you’re not quite ready to take that next step in your relationship. Hugh slowly walks over to you, seeing you look up from your book and a smile immediately lines your lips. He feels his heart race at the sight – almost like he had fallen in love all over again. He watches you set your book on the coffee table and lean back against the couch, arms spread open for him.

Hugh crawls over you and settles himself between your legs, head resting against your chest as his arms wrap around you. He shuts his eyes, feeling your fingertips run through his hair as he lets out a contented sigh. “Hi, baby.” 

“Hey,” you whisper, smiling down at him. “How was the run?”

“Would rather have done cardio with you,” he teases and nuzzles his face further into you, pressing a soft kiss on your chest. 

“You’re insatiable,” you laugh quietly.

“Not true. I’m just addicted to you,” Hugh corrects, slowly opening his eyes to look up at you. 

You roll your eyes playfully, a small smile lining your lips as you feel the heat rise in your cheeks. “What’s gonna happen when I have to go home then?” 

Hugh bites his lower lip, chin resting against your chest as your fingers continue to run through his hair. “What if…” he whispers quietly. “What if you just stay here?” 

“I’ve been here for almost a week, Hugh.”

“I know, but I mean…” Hugh crawls further up your body, hand moving to prop himself up as he stares down at you. “What if you just move in?”

Your eyes slightly widen and you slowly begin to sit up, Hugh following your movements to sit next to you instead. His arm drapes over the back of the couch, a nervous expression written across his features. “You want me to move in? That’s– That’s a big step, Hugh. Are you sure?” 

“Only if you’re comfortable,” he answers. “I want you here all the time, but if you still need time, still need space, then I understand. It’s just–” Hugh sighs. “I’ve been thinking about asking you to move in with me for months now.”

“Hugh…” 

He shakes his head, standing up from the couch. “Ah, it’s okay, baby. I don’t want to push you. We can reevaluate at another time.”

“Wait, hey,” you sigh, watching him walk towards the kitchen. You stand up and follow him, seeing him gather his cup and protein. He isn’t looking at you, focused on making his protein shake. “Hugh…” You walk around the counter and gently rest a hand over his forearm, urging him to look at you. When he does, you can see the distress in his features, the subtle embarrassment flickering in his expression. 

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” he sighs. 

“Are you sure about me moving in?” you ask hesitantly. 

“Baby,” Hugh runs a hand over his face and lets out a shaky breath. “I’m sure, but if you’re not ready yet, that’s okay too.” 

“Ask me again,” you say.

“What?” 

“Ask me again,” you repeat. 

“Baby,” Hugh shakes his head. 

“Hugh, ask me again.” 

He bites his lower lip and turns to face his entire body at you. Hugh moves his hands to rest on your hips, clearing his throat anxiously. “Will you move in with me?” 

You move your hands to his cheeks, brushing your thumbs across his soft skin. “Yes, I’d love to move in with you, Hugh.” 

“Yeah?” he asks. 

“Yeah, Hugh,” you smile. 

Slowly, a large grin lines his lips and he wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you gently off your feet. “Oh, baby, I love you.” he leans in and presses his lips against yours, moving his hands under your legs to lift you onto the counter of his kitchen island. 

Pulling away, you move your hands to his shoulders as he stands between your legs. His hands move along your thighs, biting the inside of his cheek as he keeps his eyes focused on you. “So, I’m moving in.”

“Yeah, yeah you are.” 

—

The next couple of weeks were spent moving your things out of your apartment and into Hugh’s home. This last year with him doesn’t feel real – part of you feels like you’re going to wake up and realize it was all just a dream. You’ve been doing a lot better with your self-talk, with your confidence, and it helps having Hugh and your personal trainer to help you. Jack, on the other hand, hasn’t reached out to you since that night on location. You’re grateful though because you aren’t sure what would happen if he continued to be persistent. 

After all of your things have been moved to Hugh’s place, you look around and notice that your life is now blending in with Hugh’s. He had told his kids about you, even having had the chance to meet them in person. You had told your parents about Hugh, hesitant at first because of the age gap, but they were just glad to see you happy after Jack. 

Hugh comes home late one night after dinner with Shawn and Ryan, only to find you already lying in bed, back facing the door as you’re asleep on your side. The blanket doesn’t do a good job at covering your body because it’s tangled between your legs, exposing your legs and backside for him. He clears his throat at the sight of you, dressed in one of his t-shirts and a pair of black panties. Quietly, he undoes his jeans and lowers it down his legs, kicking them silently to the side. He grabs the end of his shirt and lifts it over his head, letting it fall to the floor. Now clad in a pair of boxer briefs with his manhood straining the fabric, Hugh slowly climbs into bed, snuggling you from behind. 

His hand moves to your hip, slowly brushing it down the side of your leg and back up to tease the waistband of your panties. Hugh feels you move back against him, your backside now flush with his growing erection. You let out a quiet whimper and unconsciously roll your hips back into him. Hugh leans in and presses soft and light kisses along the side of your neck, your whimpers and moans coming out quiet and breathless. 

He moves his hand lower and pushes your panties to the side, his fingertips brushing against your slit. Hugh sees your eyes flutter open, mouth slightly agape as you stare up at him with slightly sleepy eyes. 

“H– Hugh,” you moan. “You’re back.” 

“Sorry I came home late,” Hugh whispers into your ear, nibbling on your earlobe as he slowly slides one finger into your depths. He groans quietly, feeling your wetness soak his digit. “Been dreaming about me, baby? You’re already wet.”

“Always dream of you,” you whimper, tossing your head back against his shoulder. 

Hugh smirks against you and uses his free arm to wrap around your shoulders, cupping your neck as he applies slight pressure to your throat. He hears you gasp and he thrusts another digit into you, beginning to move his fingers in and out of your soaking heat. “Love coming home to you,” he whispers, teeth grazing your earlobe. 

“Hugh,” you whimper, moving your hand to wrap around his wrist that’s slowly thrusting his fingers in lazy strokes. 

“I can’t control myself when I’m around you,” Hugh admits, keeping his fingers deeply flushed into your heat as he slowly begins to curl them within your depths. You arch your back against him, the sensations of his fingers, his throbbing length against your backside, and his hand around your throat becomes overwhelming – this wasn’t what you expected to happen when he came home from dinner.

“Baby, please,” you moan. 

“Need you bad,” Hugh growls. He pulls his fingers from you and uses the same hand to push his briefs down his legs, kicking them off and away from the bed. He takes a hold of himself and uses your slickness from his fingers to lubricate himself. “Won’t last long,” he admits. 

“Just need you, please,” you whimper, feeling his tip brush against your opening. “Hugh, god, please!” 

Hugh chuckles lowly into your ear, tightening his grip around your throat just slightly as he pushes himself past your folds. He groans and moves his hand from the base of his member to grip your hip, pulling you back into him as he pushes his hips forward. “Fuck, baby,” he moans. “Always feel so good around me.”

He moves the top of your leg slightly forward, opening yourself even further to him as he slides inch by inch into your tight and wet heat. Hugh drops his hand from your throat to grasp your breast from over the shirt you’re wearing, your back flush against his chest. This position is new for the both of you – it’s intimate, slow. 

With his hand on your hip, he grips it tightly as he continues his slow and deep thrusts, eyes falling shut. Hugh’s sounds of pleasure – grunts, growls, and groans – echo in your ear and it only drives you closer to your high. You feel every inch of his throbbing manhood move in and out of you, but your eyes widen slightly when his hand moves from your hip to your front, beginning to rub your bundle of nerves over the fabric of your panties. “Hugh!” 

“Yeah, I know,” he whispers with a growl. “Gotta come for me, baby.”

You nod and push back against him, his fingers applying pressure to your clit as he rubs it in circles. His thrusts become a bit more quick, almost erratic and you know that he’s close too. 

“Feels so good,” you moan, your walls beginning to tighten with each thrust forward. You rest the back of your head against his shoulder, eyes shut tight. Suddenly, when he growls into your ear, your walls tighten around him and you push back into him, body trembling against his own. 

Hugh grins to himself, holding you close to him as he thrusts in and out of you, using your tightened walls to get him closer and closer to his own release. “Baby,” he groans. “Gonna come, oh fuck–” Hugh shuts his eyes tight as he releases into you, his hips coming to a slow stop. 

You feel his warmth fill you up and he’s panting into your ear. When he pulls back slowly, you whimper, feeling the emptiness that his girth and length has left but feeling his seed trickle out of you. 

“I’m so glad you moved in,” Hugh whispers, placing a soft kiss on the side of your neck. “Can have you whenever I want.” 

You smile and slowly move to lie on your back, readjusting your panties to cover yourself up as you stare up at him. You reach up and place a hand on his cheek as he leans into your touch, turning his head to kiss the inside of your wrist. “That was a nice thing to wake up to,” you admit.

“Yeah? You like that, huh?” Hugh winks. 

“Oh yeah,” you smile. “Guess I have to return the favor and wake you up in my own way now.” 

Hugh smirks and lies on his back, pulling you to his side. “Looking forward to it, baby.” 

“How was Ryan and Shawn?” 

“Good,” he answers. “Just planning for the press tour,” he says softly, his arm wrapping around your shoulders. “Wish you could come with me.”

“I’m all booked with shoots for the next three months, baby.”

“I know,” Hugh turns his head and presses a soft kiss on your forehead. “You’ll at least accompany me to the premiere of the movie right?”

“Like a red carpet premiere?” 

Hugh nods. “Yeah, I’d really love for you to be by my side that night.”

“It’ll be the first event since we got together…” 

“Is that okay?” 

You nod and lean up to peck his lips. “As long as I’ve got you, Hugh, that’s more than okay.”

Hugh grins. “And you’ve got me, baby. Always have, always will.”

---

taglist (if links don't work, i'm sorry!): @corvusmorte - @dragonqueen89 - @whimsiwitchy - @kellyxo1

@wolviehugh - @moonxknightx - @sullyselena - @angelofthorr - @spectorrrhgf

@needz1nk - @fandomxo00 - @godlypresley - @kythefangirl25 - @callsignyourmom

@sue8724 - @squishyfruitloop - @sylviavf - @emotrash1 - @dissentientss

@sir-thisisadndserver - @absolutepie - @millajay - @itsallyscorner - @haytchee

@wolverigrl - @its-in-the-woods - @d3ad2you - @definitely-not-chill - @khxna

@jules-and-gemss

[er1nne]

unraveling threads

Pairing – coriolanus snow x female!reader Word Count? 1.4k Summary – Modeling for Tigris leads to an unexpectedly tense encounter with her cousin, Coriolanus, that leaves him questioning his composure. Tags: some cute fluff, some indecent exposure, flustered coriolanus AN: Something I wrote in-between classes, something cute & sweet & not too long. lol hope y'all enjoy. again, do not plagarize or copy my work, if you do you're going to hell.

The workshop buzzed with the creative chaos that was Tigris’s signature. Bolts of fabric spilled from their shelves, pooling in soft heaps on the floor. Pinned sketches of daring designs adorned the walls, each one a whisper of ambition and artistry. You stood in the center of it all, perched on the raised wooden platform framed by three mirrors. Today’s project—a delicate long-sleeve blouse with sheer detailing and an intricate open neckline—felt like something out of a dream, shimmering faintly under the warm afternoon light. The soft fabric hugged your frame like a secret meant only for you. You had been friends with Tigris since before she started attending fashion school, and when she asked if you would help her with her projects, it felt natural to say yes. She needed someone to model her work—her doll, her muse—and you couldn’t resist the idea. You’d stepped in to be her muse and “living mannequin,” thrilled to help a friend bring her visions to life. “What girl doesn’t like playing dress-up?” It was fun to see her artistic vision come to life on your body, and even more so to support her as she poured her heart into every stitch. Sometimes, you wondered if she realized how much you truly enjoyed being part of her creative world.

Tigris circled you, her sharp eyes taking in every angle of the unfinished design. “Stay still,” she instructed, her tone clipped but not unkind. Her fingers deftly adjusted the fabric near your collarbone. “The neckline is tricky. If you move too much, the stitching might—” Her words were cut off by a faint but unmistakable rip.

The silence that followed was heavy. You froze, glancing down at the blouse in the mirror. A seam along the neckline had given way, causing the fabric to slip lower on one side, baring more of your chest than you intended. Your breath caught, heat rushing to your cheeks as you instinctively clutched at the torn material to keep it in place.

“Well,” Tigris sighed, straightening and pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I warned you, didn’t I? It’s not a disaster, though. I can fix it.” She stepped back, scanning the damage with a critical eye. “Just stay here. Don’t move, or it’ll get worse. I’ll grab my sewing kit.”

“I didn’t move,” you protested softly, your tone tinged with indignation and humor. Your reflection in the mirror betrayed your flustered amusement, caught somewhere between embarrassment and mischief.

Tigris waved you off with an exasperated flick of her hand, already walking toward the adjoining room. “Of course you didn’t,” she muttered absently as she disappeared.

Left alone, you sighed, holding the torn blouse carefully in place as you studied yourself in the mirror. The design, even in its incomplete state, was stunning. The sheer sleeves were embroidered with delicate golden threads, catching the light like tiny strands of spun sunlight. But now, with the neckline slipping dangerously low, the blouse seemed to transform from ethereal elegance to something daringly seductive. A small smile tugged at your lips. Perhaps the rip wasn’t such a disaster after all.

The sound of the door creaking open behind you pulled you from your thoughts. Assuming it was Tigris, you didn’t bother turning around. “Did you find the—” The words died on your lips as you glanced over your shoulder.

Coriolanus Snow stood in the doorway, his tall frame framed by the soft glow of the hallway light. His usually composed expression was frozen in surprise, his pale blue eyes locked on you. His gaze flickered to the torn neckline of the blouse, lingering for a fraction too long before darting away.

“Coriolanus,” you said, your voice calm despite the sudden tension thickening the air. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”

His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. For someone who always seemed to have a sharp reply or calculated observation, he looked completely undone. “I—I thought Tigris was here,” he stammered at last, his usual smoothness replaced by a rare awkwardness. His hand tightened on the doorknob, his knuckles pale against the polished brass.

“She stepped out,” you explained, adjusting the fabric with deliberate slowness. “The blouse ripped. She went to get her sewing kit.”

His jaw clenched, the muscles working beneath his pale skin as if he were physically willing himself not to look at you again. “I shouldn’t interrupt,” he said stiffly, already stepping back toward the door. His movements were abrupt, almost frantic, as though the very air in the room burned him.

“You’re not interrupting,” you said, tilting your head slightly. A teasing smile danced on your lips, the sight of his flustered expression too tempting to ignore. “Unless you’re afraid of a little torn fabric.”

His eyes flicked to the torn neckline, and for a moment, he forgot himself. The fabric had slipped just enough to bare the soft curve of your chest, still modest but undeniably daring in its exposure. The delicate embroidery and sheer material only added to the effect, catching the warm light and creating a shimmering contrast between what was hidden and what wasn’t. He could he should look away—should step back and give you space—but his gaze lingered a fraction too long, drawn to the elegance of the moment. It wasn’t just the exposure that held his attention; it was the way you stood there, unbothered, one hand carefully holding the fabric in place while the other rested at your side, as if you hadn’t noticed how the blouse now seemed to toe the line between sophistication and seduction. The faint smile on your lips, almost amused, only made the image more arresting. He blinked, realizing too late that his hesitation betrayed him, and he forced his gaze upward, his expression carefully blank.

His cheeks flushed a faint pink, the first crack in his stoic façade. “I’ll come back later,” he muttered, his voice strained. Before you could say anything else, he turned and fled, the door clicking shut behind him.

Later That Day

When Tigris returned minutes later, she found you still standing on the platform, the torn blouse carefully held in place. “This design,” she muttered as she worked to repair the seam, her skilled fingers moving with practiced ease, “is going to be the death of me. But it’ll be worth it when it’s finished.”

You hummed in agreement, though your thoughts were elsewhere. Coriolanus’s reaction played on a loop in your mind, each detail more amusing than the last—the widening of his eyes, the faint flush creeping up his neck, the way he couldn’t seem to get out of the room fast enough. For someone so composed, so calculated, it had been thrilling to see him unravel so completely.

“I didn’t move,” you murmured again, a quiet chuckle escaping your lips. Tigris glanced up briefly, raising an eyebrow at your cryptic remark, but said nothing.

Later, you found Coriolanus in the sitting area near the back of the workshop. He was hunched over a teacup, the porcelain dwarfed by his long fingers. His back was to you, but you could see the tension in his shoulders, the rigid line of his posture. Tigris was already there, leaning casually against the table with an amused smile playing on her lips.

“Something wrong, cousin?” she asked lightly, her tone laced with faux innocence. Coriolanus didn’t look up, his gaze fixed intently on the steaming tea as though it held the answers to all of life’s problems. “No,” he said curtly, his voice clipped and controlled.

Before Tigris could respond, a soft laugh escaped your lips, drawing both their attention. You leaned casually against the doorway, still dressed in the repaired blouse, the shimmer of the fabric catching the light just so. “Thanks for today, Tigris,” you said with a smile, your voice warm and genuine. Then, turning your gaze to Coriolanus, your tone shifted into something softer, lower. “Goodbye, Coriolanus,” you said, the faintest hint of teasing lacing your words.

His breath hitched, his posture stiffening as your words lingered in the air. You slipped out of the room with a playful sway in your step, not bothering to look back. But you didn’t need to. You could feel his gaze burning into your retreating figure.

Once the door shut behind you, Coriolanus let out a heavy sigh, his head falling into his hands. “She’s impossible,” he muttered, his voice muffled but laced with something that sounded suspiciously like defeat.

For the first time, he admitted to himself the truth he’d been avoiding all afternoon: he had a crush on you. And worse, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Tigris smirked, watching him over the rim of her teacup. “You’ve got it bad,” she teased, but he ignored her, groaning softly as he leaned back in his chair. The memory of you—half

© ER1NNE est. 2024 belonging to @er1nne, do not plagarize or copy

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Romanced! FO4 Companions and the Little Things They Do in Relationships

Alright, so this one wasn't really a request, but just a lil amalgamation of relationship headcannons that I compiled recently.

I'm definitely still getting back into the swing of things in terms of writing, so my output hasn't been fantastic lately, but hopefully this lil tidbit makes y'all smile 😊

I hope you enjoy!

Cait:

Gives her partner massages often. When there’s that rare bit of downtime, she’ll take the opportunity to help both her and her partner relax, and this is a great way to do it. She's exceptionally gifted at them, given her time spent in the ring and having to combat that bodily soreness herself. She also loves how they tend to end up leading to a lil something more with her partner (wink, wink). 

Curie:

This girl compliments you at every turn. Any little good thing that comes to mind, she's the first to say, and she does it often. Always the first to see the best in people, to see their potential, and you, of course, are no exception. Her compliments tend to be about your clothes, words, and actions rather than just flattering your physical appearance. Though, she definitely does that on occasion as well. 

Danse:

He always checks in with his partner a few times a day. Even if you're both working on projects separately, he likes to come over and ask how your day is going/how you're feeling. Even if you spend the whole day at each other's side, he takes a couple rest stops and asks how you're doing along the way. Maybe it stems from his time as a CO, always checking in with his team and getting/giving status updates, but it’s one of the main ways he shows that he cares.  

Deacon:

He notices a lot about his partner. The way your nails are torn and shortened means you're stressed, or when you bite your lip that certain way it means you're nervous, when you’ve been particularly spacey, it means you’re dwelling on the past and probably not in the best headspace that day. He’s not great at bringing it up and chatting about it, but he adjusts his behavior and his humor to fit the mood you’re in, and when time and space allow, he does what he can to distract you from some of the more negative feelings that may be rising up.  

Hancock:

He always needs a hand on his partner, or just to be touching them somehow. It's not that he's really trying to be possessive, per-say, he just can't get enough of you. Always is holding your hand, or throwing an arm over your shoulders, or pulling you practically into his lap with a giddy smile on his face. When you’re not actively in his lap, he’s happy to settle for leaning his head on your shoulder, or brushing your thigh with his own, or even just holding pinkies.  

MacCready:

He's a great gift giver. Definitely the partner that often finds little things that remind him of you, and he tends to gift them to you with a blushy explanation of how you come to mind with so much of what he sees. He’s also quite crafty, and enjoys giving homemade gifts as well. Definitely the one to suggest homemade presents for anniversaries and birthdays and such.  

Nick:

Always kisses you before he leaves, and it's the first thing he does when he returns to you. Real old-fashioned, but it's a trend that he'd never give up, cuz it means all the more when it's with you. The memories of it with the old Nick just don't hold up the same way. 

Piper:

The partner to leave little notes all over the place to let you know she was thinking of you. In the bathroom, on the kitchen counter, over your pillow, anywhere really is fair game. They just contain little compliments and inspirational quotes or reminders of memories with you. Whatever good thing she thinks of you, she just writes it down and leaves it for you to find and reminisce upon yourself. 

Preston:

He always brings you flowers (or another, equally thoughtful, gift) whenever he returns home. Usually he tries to find your favorites in terms of blooms, but he just loves the extra color in the house and the way you light up when you see them (he doesn’t really realize that the true reason you’re lighting up is because he’s coming home to you).  

X6-88:

He remembers all of the little details about you that anyone else would usually ignore or forget. Favorite color and food, your allergies, your favorite number, favorite song and the artist it's by. All of it is duly noted by the courser, and put into consideration when he's gifting you something, when you two go to eat, or when the radio is playing. He may not be too long-winded in speech, but he’s a tremendous listener and observer. 

[moonastro]

Pick a Picture

--𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊--

left to right(top)-> 1,2

left to right(bottom)-> 3,4

sidenote- do y'all like the four picture layout or would you prefer more pictures?? let me know to keep or switch it up a bit>

°DO NOT take this as literal, take everything with a grain of salt as this is purely and intendedly for entertainment purposes.

°don't be afraid to give feedback and opinions about this post (as i would entirely appreciate it).

𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓮 1-

✦ they love how you break the norm and are not afraid to do your own thing.

✦ love how nurturing you are and how you always help out other people- this can be helping the homeless, helping stray animals, donations, charity work.

✦ they love how you care and provide so much care for your loved ones- they view you as someone who would literally leave everything to fly across the globe to help out a friend or family member and then come home the next day 😂.

✦ they love how careful you are though- like you aren't the who who wings everything- you plan every precise detail and like that about you.

✦ yeah they love how you take time with certain projects- how you are patient with everyone. they love the nurturing side of you.

✦ you arent easily distracted, they love how when you choose something, you stick by it. like whenever you promise something you do it- i feel like they love telling their secrets to you because you are so good with keeping them.

✦ they might like your hair- they may prefer it when it is down and not tied- might be their preference.

𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓮 2-

✦ love your work ethic- love your work in general. they love how you work for yourself and not rely on someone else. they see you as a person who strives for success and independence and they love seeing you earn your own possessions and finances.

✦ they love your compassion, how you let go of stuff that no longer serves you.

✦ they might love how easily you fit into new environments. like you may join a new class and within like 10 minutes you make a new friend. your just really likable and they lovvee that.

✦they love how straightforward you are-how you tell the truth. they love the honesty- there is truly no lies that travel from your mouth.

✦ they might like how you are not too introverted nor too extraverted- you are just the perfect amount of both which i think makes them want to be more around you.

✦ you believe in standing up for yourself and being a good person at the same time which your fs highly respects and finds it unique.

𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓮 3-

✦ they love your goofiness. lol, they love how you just liven the whole room and never appear awkward. like you may just always know what to say at the perfect time which your fs will find fascinated.

✦ they find your mind very interesting. you might have questionable ideas or thoughts but they make really good sense in a way??? they find it very interesting and find it appealing.

✦ yeah, they will find your soul very freeing, which will motivate them to become more free as well. i feel like you will be an inspiration to them, you will be a role model to them which of course they find it very attractive.

✦ woww, they literally love your body movements- how you walk, move your hands, move your body- just anything to do with moving your body, they looove. you might actually like to/ do dance so they might love it when you dance for them or when you dance for fun (a scene of someone dancing in the kitchen while making breakfast just popped up😂)-take it as you may.

✦ they love how studious you are. you might like to read, write, study etc. whatever it may be they find it attractive.

✦ i feel like they might love your back. like they love when you show your back off, maybe by wearing a dress that shows off your back and such. they might actually love the way you dress yourself up like they love the neatness and classiness of outing clothes.

𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓮 4-

hellooo pile 4, welcome!!!

✦ random, but i feel like your fs will like the little bursts of anger that you let out sometimes when you get annoyed or angry- lol they find it cute. aww.

✦ you may be very good at seeing the truth, seeing the reality of a situation/or person. like i feel like you are a person who tells a friend to not trust a certain person, a few months later that same friend comes running back to you saying you were right!!!

✦ they love how easily you adapt to a new/unknown situation. like whenever they suggest something you are like 'yeah, sure lets do it!'.

✦ they love how in control you are in your life. how responsible you are.

✦ they love how you accept other people's advice and how you don't criticize others' opinions. they love the generosity.

✦ i feel like they will find your hands attractive- you might have beautiful hands.

✦ they might find it attractive when you act the bigger person. like when someone tries to start some argument with you, you just exit without it becoming heated. like you just know when to leave a situation to prevent any conflict.

that's it everyone!!❣️ thank you so so much for reading this, i am so grateful for all of you🤍 feel free to interact with this post and don't be shy to share some thoughts or ideas