#my kingdom for more questions about Talli

[fragaria-imagines]

I saw that you allow suggestive fics 🤭🤭

Can we please have one with Tuxam, like reader is teasing him while he's on his break from his service with Tuxedo Sam (if he does take breaks that is) (͡⁠°⁠‿⁠ ͡⁠°⁠) hehehehhe, thank you <3

Ahh thank you!! This is my first suggestive fic so I’m sorry if it doesn’t turn out well (,,>﹏<,,)!!

You consider yourself a very patient person, maybe even too patient, hell some might even call you a saint! When plans or dates are abruptly canceled at the last minute because your boyfriend has to work, you are more than understanding. Or when your boyfriend falls off the face or the earth due to work and doesn’t check in or call you, you once again, completely understand. Or when your boyfriend completely forgets to pick you up, —after promising you beforehand that he would—, because something at work came up, you still once again, understood.

But there comes a time in someone’s life, that being too patient and being too understanding, would one day run its course, and for you, that day is today. And while you knew realistically, that Tuxam wasn’t blowing you off on purpose, and that he really did have work to attend to, but for god’s sake, would it kill him to take a break from his service, every once in a while!

And as you made your way to the Strawberry Kingdom, bulldozing your way into the main entrance, scanning the room for Tuxam, you made sure to give him exactly that.

“Y/N, is that you? I wasn’t expecting you to come here today, is everything okay?” Tuxam asked in surprise, his eyebrows furrowed in faint concern, noticing how on edge you looked. You didn’t make it a habit to show up at his work unannounced or without telling him beforehand, so it was quite a shock and a bit worrisome to him.

Seeing the concerned expression on his face, did ease your annoyance and impatience from earlier, and you wondered if you were too hasty in your decision of confronting him head on.

However, as you stared at him a bit longer, those concerns quickly came to an end, as you took a really good look at him, a new set of emotions and urges took over you.

“Did he always look good in those tight leggings?” You thought to yourself, now no longer looking at his face, and instead, was blatantly checking him out.

You couldn’t help it, after all, when was the last time you two had some fun between the two of you? When was the last time he touched you? When was the last time you touched him? It seemed like your frustration with him earlier, didn’t seem to be stimming from just anger alone…

“Y-y/n…! Is there something you want?” Tuxam asked sheepishly, noticing how your attention shifted to his lower half.

You looked back at the knight in front you, who was now fully red in the face, barely able to make eye contact with you. And for a second, a slightly mischievous part of you wondered if he was just as red down there as his face was.

“Are you on your break?” You bluntly asked, avoiding his question, acting as if you weren’t blatantly checking him out and staring right at his bulge.

Subtly was never your thing, and while originally you were just planning to chew him out a new one for neglecting you so much. As you indulged further into your not so innocent thoughts, and noticed how just attractive he was in those tight leggings, a new idea popped into your head, an idea that would really show him just how needy you were.

“W-what? No, I’m not, I’m meeting with Hangyon right now actually, we’re supposed to be tallying up the fish population in the northern side of the blue bouquet” Tuxam answered, a bit caught off guard at how suddenly your mood seemingly changed from possibly agitated to gazing at him lustfully to acting nonchalant, in a span of three minutes.

“You look a bit tense, are you alright? Work hasn’t been too rough has it?” You asked softly, noticing the creases in his forehead deepening as he spoke.

While you knew Hangyon could care less about counting the fish population, and you were pretty certain that Tuxedo Sam did not ask Tuxam to do this, you knew that this was just how Tuxam is. How he always go above and beyond for the people he cares about, how he always so ambitious and driven when it came to fulfilling his knightly duties, it was one of the many reasons why you love him, and you hated to see him in so much stress, regardless if he did this to himself or not.

“Would you like me to give you a massage for your neck? It can help relieve the stress” You offered, before he could reply to your question.

Tuxam pondered at your suggestion, debating on whether he should take you up on your offer or not. On one hand, he had a lot of work to get to, but on the other hand, his neck has been killing him…

“I don’t know Y/N, I still have a lot of work to do and I don’t want to trouble you-“

“Oh come on! It’s no trouble at all, I’ll promise it’ll be quick, and you won’t even feel the pain in your neck, once I’m finished!” You promised hastily, knowing if you don’t act on it soon, you’ll lose your window of chance, the fact that he hasn’t bolted out the room already, is both of a shock and a pleasant surprise to you.

Before you could let him respond, you pushed him to the nearest chair, you placed your hands on him, starting to carefully massage his shoulders.

You felt him slowly starting to relax underneath you, a sigh of pleasure escaped his lips, when you started to apply more pressure. It was quiet, but you were certain that you heard it, a rush of excitement filled your body, as you wondered what other noises could you get him to make.

Your hands quickly traveled down his spine, carefully touching and groping every curve there is, under the guise of a “massage”. You pressed your chest on his back, practically leaning on top of him, you felt Tuxam breath hitched at the sudden contact of your body being so close to his.

“Y-y/n i don’t know if this appropriate, I still have a lot of work—Ah…!” A loud gasp escaped his lips, as your lips made contact with the back of his neck. He gripped the handles of his chair, biting his bottom to hold back his moans, as you continued your assaults on his neck.

You pulled back from his neck with a wet popping noise, taking a second to admire the hickey you left on his neck. Looking at the whimpering and shaking man beneath you, a thrill of excitement and pleasure rushed over you, as you roughly bended the smaller knight over the table in front of the chair that he was sitting in, his hat falling off his head and landing on the floor.

Your hot breath tickled his now bright red ears, and any thought or complaint he had before, were immediately shut down once he felt your body was fully on top of him.

“Is work really your biggest concern right now, Tuxam? Looks like I need to straighten that out…” You whispered in his ear, not missing just how flushed his face turned as you spoke. You slowly lifted his chin towards you, staring at his bright blue eyes that were once very anxious and stressed, now dazed and full of heat, and begging for you to take him.

You captured his lips with yours, and you were pleasantly surprised at the level of enthusiasm that you were met with. Even though Tuxam was not the tallest of his class, he was still a pretty strong knight at the end of the day, and if he wanted to, he would have no trouble flipping you over so he could leave for work, at any given moment.

So the fact that he not only stayed for this long, but was equally as needy and craved for this just as much as you did, made your heart flutter. You didn’t realize the growing insecurity that was looming over you about the state of your relationship, but as you felt Tuxam whimpering underneath you and trying to chase your lips, once you pulled away, you knew everything would be okay.

“You’re so loud Tuxam, do you really want the whole castle to hear you? That’s not very knightly of you~” You teased. Before he could retort, a loud moan escaped from his lips as you grind your hips against him, which only seemed to excite you and motivate you further.

As you quickly unbuckled his pants, pulling the waistband, exposing his rear end, Tuxam closed his eyes shut, fully aware that he was not going to be able to get back to work at all. And while usually, the thought of not completing work would put him over the edge, but today he didn’t mind at all.

For he has learned that maybe it’s not so bad taking a break from his duties every once and a while… especially if this is what’s in store for him when he does, then he might be inclined to take even more breaks.

[majorasnightmare]

so @theannoyingurge is indulging my setting headcanons for office drama in the Kingdom of Death which means everyone on the dash gets to hear me ramble ☺️

the biggest change is that my setting includes yet another mortal ascended god (who ripped vecnas divine spark out of him and talked Ao into not inheriting vecnas portfolio, as the god in question hates liches) who serves as a sort of middleman between kelemvor and myrkul+bhaal, occupying the position of reaper of souls and overseeing the release of the soul from the flesh and its escort out of the material plane. theres been fewer night hag soul snatching incidents because of it!

its relevant in large part because now theres a direct superior overseeing myrkul (and bhaal) and ensuring that whatever ELSE he gets up to, he IS still making a token effort to kill people through disease and old age and the like.

so the dynamic looks something like this. kelemvor judges and processes the endless influx of souls into his domain. jergal tallies their deeds and makes note of their identity. bhaal glories in murder and sacrifice. myrkul maintains the kingdom of death itself and ensures there is still rot and decay in the material plane. jergal gets along with kelemvor, and the new guy. jergal does NOT get along with myrkul and bhaal. not to the point of unprofessionalism, but as a personal disdain. everyone has those coworkers you dont like seeing in the office.

jergal is essentially the demoted veteran whos now doing grunt work that confuses ppl as to why hes still here and not fired. myrkul gets the strong sense that despite being a vestige, everyone affords jergal the respect of someone outranking him, even though by all rights he should be doing coffee runs. and the thing is, is that jergal DOES do coffee runs sometimes. just not for him

see jergal and the new guy get on FANTASTIC. dude is lawful neutral, makes a point of doing his work efficiently and on time, but isnt such a rules stickler as to gum up the works, which kelemvor can do sometimes. the new guy got hired as myrkuls boss and that ALSO rubs myrkul the wrong way. especially because the new guy can be shady as fuck but HES the one who gets flack. because this mf is exploiting a loophole where he utilizes his recent ascension out of mortality to take followers, not as clerics, but as WARLOCKS by making arcane pacts. all because he used to be a human NECROMANCER. so when HE wants a soul returned, he just chats up jergal at his desk and a name gets discreetly erased from the list all before it even hits kelemvors desk. but if myrkul wants to rez someone its a whole fucking ordeal. jergal never gives HIM freebies. bhaal doesnt even fucking hang around the office. myrkul LIVES in the office, same as kelemvor! its blatant favoritism is what it is

in reality jergal just doesnt care for myrkuls particular brand of petty spitefulness the way you look back on younger you and cringe a little. the new guy is doin some under the table shit, but properly acknowledges exactly who jergal is AND understands why jergal is working a desk job instead of ruling the place. so when jergal hits starbucks on the way to work it isnt really that big a deal to grab an extra coffee. myrkul is too invested in making something of himself instead of taking pride in his work and jergal just doesnt have patience for that kind of power seeking anymore. its lost its appeal. kelemvor is aware theres SOMETHIN goin on behind the scenes but his job has never gone more smoothly so he isnt that inclined to rock the boat until something forces his hand. myrkul and bhaal however, seem DETERMINED to rock the boat, but now theres a direct superior they answer to INSTEAD of either kelemvor or jergal, and their ibuprofen bottles have never been fuller.

its all just petty office politics where the coworker obsessed with getting placards keeps complaining about employees not following the handbook (quotas are still being met and everythings still being done before the deadline so its literally a nonissue) and then throwing a fit when he doesnt follow the same handbook he was throwing at everyone else but he gets in trouble for it. really the biggest office troublemaker is bhaal, and myrkul is VASTLY preferred over him, but myrkul doesnt get his coffee order dropped off at his desk despite working just as hard and it grates on him. maybe if you were just more pleasant to be around in the office?

[e-adlirez]

Okay so this is a part 2 to @echoflare841's question because I quickly realized that this is gonna be one helluva mega post if I slapped it all into one post. You might wanna sit down for this one, and uh, if you wish to maintain your innocence and not develop a whole new infuriation towards Scholastic for being so damn slow with translations, then uh, this is your chance to leave and keep Pandora's box unopened, I'll see you when my brainrot allows me to actually do something ^^. Here's a little guy to take with you on your travels.

Still here? Aight, cool. Buckle up.

Scholastic currently has five of the Thea Stilton series translated to English for us to consume, and that's 36 books in the main series, 19 books (on paper) in the Mouseford series, 9 special editions, the Treasure Seekers trilogy, and four Classic Tales. (The graphic novels were released by Papercutz, a company independent of Scholastic.) Now, if we're gonna tally up EdiPiemme's arsenal of Thea Stilton books (and I do mean arsenal), one thing you're gonna have to remember is that Thea Stilton itself is a franchise, not a series. Yes, the Thea Sisters are the spotlight in most of these, but there are some series that fall under the Thea Stilton franchise that are rather different and simply are an extension of the Geronimo Stilton Literary Universe.

Anyway so with that, this is what EdiPiemme has in Thea Stilton books, as of 2023:

59 books in the main series (Avventura)

61 books in the Mouseford series (Vita al College)

12 special edition books, plus the Treasure Seekers trilogy

12 Classic Tales or Libri del Cuore (they did Jane Eyre ya'll as a ninth grade Jane Eyre fan I am surprised)

11 Heart Detective books (Detective del Cuore, basically the girls open up a hobbyist detective agency dedicated to the romantic, the infatuated, and the people who are too shy to confess to their crushes. They play part-detective, part-matchmaker in helping two people who have crushes on each other get together. I think. The detective agency tho I'm very certain on, it's the cutest thing they've done so far)

5 Secret Diaries, just some extra content in the form of a diary all five girls share. Stuff about their lives you don't get to see in adventures that much, and it's cute :D

5 Secrets of the Thea Sisters -- i-it's just five kids' activity books but Thea Sister-themed and also some lore

3 books in Sirene, which is a fantasy thing where the Thea Sisters find a magic link in Whale Island that leads to a mermaid kingdom :D if you felt clickbaited by the special editions because they don't actually have the girls become fairies or something, then Sirene actually has them turn into mermaids for their time in the Cobalt Kingdom :D

23 books in Incanto-- it's a KoF spinoff that follows a group of KoF princesses and princes trying to save it from uh big baddies :D

3 books in Three Girls in the Court of King Arthur, once again another spinoff that circles around three lady knights in King Arthur's court hoping to save the world from Morgana and her mysterious Silent Knight

3 Adventures Through Time, yes the girls get to travel back in time, but it's more magic than science and there's an emphasis on some historical girlbosses

6 Stars Academy books

2 books in The Roses and the Spades, which is a sequel to TGitCoKA

1 SuperSisters book, which is basically a superhero book for the Thea Sisters so they can kick ass and stop having villains roll nat20s in intimidation--

2 Cases in Progress, an ongoing series where the girls are investigating some funky cases detected by an algorithm Paulina's invented that searches the internet space for funky anomalies and weird shnit to investigate

1 book in Spectralia, where three hooman girls get Jumanji-ed into a board game and they gotta Jumanji their way outa there, I only learned about this just now while doing research and it's an interesting premise :3c

And I think that's it? There's one choose-your-adventure type thing where you get to investigate with the girls on a case relating to a crown, but that's about it I think. I dunno, EdiPiemme and the Thea Sisters' blog's catalogues have been a mess since they updated the visuals on both, so I unfortunately can't say for sure if I got all of them or if I missed one because my original sources missed them, but eh. Anyway uh, hope you have fun with this new knowledge :'D

[christian-perspectives]

The Story Of The Unforgiving Servant

Peter asked Jesus a question about forgiving others. After specifically answering Peter's question, the Lord ended by sharing a story about an unforgiving servant. Our verse for today concludes the story Jesus told about this unforgiving servant. After we read it, we'll look at how the conversation began with Peter's question. Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. Matthew 18:34 Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?" Then, he decided to answer his own question with what he thought was a very generous number. Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22 The Lord, however,  multiplied Peter's number by seventy. Jesus wasn't really telling him to count up to 490 times and then quit. No! He meant for him to just keep forgiving the person.

Jesus Elaborated on the Unforgiving Servant

In His story, the Lord compared the Kingdom of Heaven to an earthly king. This king decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. When he tallied all the accounts, one of his servants owed him millions. When that servant couldn't pay his debt, the king decided to take action against him.  He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. Matthew 18:25 The man with this huge debt fell down before his master and begged him. He asked him to give him some more time to pay it. In response, the king did the following. Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. Matthew 18:27 He forgave him of a debt of millions of dollars! I'm sure that man left the king with his head up high and as happy as could be. As the story continued, though, he didn't learn anything from it. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. Matthew 18:28 His fellow servant reacted in the same manner as he did. He fell down before him, begging him for more time with a promise to pay him. But the first man wouldn't yield to his plea. But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. Matthew 18:30

The Servant Paid for His Unforgiving Ways

The servant forgiven of his million-dollar debt learned nothing about forgiveness. And when others saw his unforgiving way towards his fellow servant, they reported it to the king. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Matthew 18:32 Because this servant exhibited an unforgiving spirit after the king forgave him, he revoked his forgiveness. This brings us back to our verse for today. Take a closer look at the message in that verse. The king didn't send him for rehabilitation for his release to happen when he learned his lesson. No! He sent him to be tortured until he repaid his entire debt. How could anyone work off a debt when continually subjected to torture? Jesus then applied this story to every Christian. That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart. Matthew 18:35 I've heard people say, "I'll never forgive that person?" Hopefully, you don't feel that way. Because if you do, you learned nothing from this story of the unforgiving servant.

The Lord's Prayer

In Matthew 6, the Lord taught His disciples how to pray. We call it the Lord's prayer. We know it by heart and offer it to God word for word. It basically has five components. - Worship our Father in Heaven, - That our Father's will be done - Supply us with our needs - Forgive us our sins as we forgive others - Protect us from the temptation of the evil one. But do you know which component Jesus taught about immediately after teaching them that prayer? He continued talking about forgiveness even after telling about the unforgiving servant. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 A few years ago, I sat at the bedside of a man close to going into eternity. As far as I knew, he was ready to meet Jesus. But he asked me how he could be sure he would go to heaven. My answer consisted of two questions. First, I asked, you have asked Jesus to forgive you, and you are saved, correct? He said yes. Then I asked, are you harboring any unforgiveness towards anyone? I didn't expect an answer from him right away. But I suggested that he pray and ask God to help him to search his heart.

Forgive Like Jesus Forgave

Jesus made the importance of forgiving others clear with the unforgiving servant story. He has offered forgiveness without reservation to all who call upon His name. A songwriter captured His teaching with the following words. He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away . . .  Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay. Do you want the Father to forgive you? Then, call on Jesus for His forgiveness. When forgiving others, remember the story of the unforgiving servant. In other words, forgive others the same way the Lord has forgiven you. Lord, help us to understand the importance of forgiveness. Sometimes, others hurt us, but then we have done hurtful things to you, and you've always forgiven us. Check out these other posts related to forgiveness - What's The Best Way To Seek Forgiveness Of Sin? - Seek Forgiveness Of Sins Through Prayer - Will God Forgive Me If I Keep Sinning? - If We Confess Our Sins - The Importance Of Forgiveness Read the full article

[celestialmantdonna]

Mantis clasped her hands together as Vossler tried to fight her control over him. She could almost see the physical death of his ego in the beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

She stepped away from the bars in order to let Soryn and Munoh take it from there.

When Vossler said she had doomed Dalmasca, Mantis blinked guilelessly as if to say who, me? Not only was she not dooming Dalmasca, but she and the Guardians had the means to help the kingdom.

But when he mentioned Nabradia...

Nabradia.

Her hand gently applying eyeshadow on Ashelia's eyes. A knock on the door. Mantis being unable to hear it. Her mind wandering to that word over and over again. A sense of pure urgency taking over

(Nabradia)

her. Her body becoming paralyzed with

(nethicite)

fear. She could hardly think through the

(mist)

noise inside her own head.

Mantis blinked, pushing the thoughts aside to look at Munoh when Vossler admitted that they intended to assassinate King Raminas and his son, Caelen. She knew Munoh cared about the prince. And even though Mantis had only known Munoh for less than a day, they seemed like the kind of being that would go to unsuspected lengths for friendship. That was a feeling she understood well.

A small crease appeared between her eyebrows as Vossler explained why he had been working with the Archadian Empire. He had tried to get Raminas to surrender–

Mantis applying eyeshadow on Ashelia's closed eyes. Mantis idly humming Surrender by Cheap Trick as she did so. It was only a coincidence. A terrifying coincidence.

What is happening to me?!

She was an empath, not a clairvoyant. But then... why did 'Mantis' mean 'prophet'?

Soryn's voice addressing her brought her back to the present moment. Mantis blinked as he thanked her, and she gave a polite, solemn nod, but before she could open her mouth to speak she felt Gamora's hand on her shoulder.

"See? I told you so," Gamora said once Soryn left. "You are going to do what no one in Dalmasca has done before. Well done."

Mantis would've smiled, but she was too busy trying to think of more questions.

"How many?" Her arms wrapped around herself. "How many women?"

Try as he might to resist answering, the compulsion to do so was too strong for Vossler to fight.

"An untold number. I do not know for sure. Upwards of twenty, I would wager. Several maids within the palace, others within the city. I do not keep a tally, for they mean little to me. One is currently carrying my child, though I have denied all claim and responsibility for it." His face reddened and beads of sweat grew to such a size on his forehead that some began to trickle down his nose.

Mantis' expression morphed into something far less composed, a combination of horror and sorrow, and Gamora looked murderous as she stepped closer to the bars with her teeth bared.

"Tell me who else is willing to work for you. Tell me which other guards are a danger to my friend and teammate, and to your King and Prince," Gamora demanded.

"The palace guardsmen are fiercely loyal to the Crown, and therefore to its highest servants. They are no danger to King Raminas, Prince Caelen, or anyone else in Dalmasca. They trust the Knights of Dalmasca, and the top three ranking members of the Order have authority to issue orders without consulting the king first, a further indication of trust between the Crown and the Order. I rank second, under Basch, and therefore have such authority, and this is well known by the Royal Guard. The guard who made the attempt on Mantis' life was merely following my order. I told him I had information that she was planning to assassinate His Majesty, and that she needed to be done away with as clandestinely as possible. He trusted my word to be true, and by rights, it ought to have been. It was not his fault. He thought he was doing the right thing, as ordered by a trusted superior. He was the only one I gave false order to. No others were involved."

Gamora inhaled sharply and turned away to leave; it took all of her self-control to do so.

"Let's go," she said to Mantis.

Mantis took a few steps back, her eyes still on Vossler. Her expression seemed to say you thought you wanted me dead? Now you want me dead.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Groot smiled and waved at Reks the moment he saw him. Drax approached him, finding him innocuous enough. When the lizard fell on Reks' head, little Groot erupted in a fit of giggles. He then reached for the young man, tiny hands making grabby gestures.

"He wants to sit on your shoulder," Drax explained, and he picked up Groot from his own shoulder to place him on Reks' instead.

Groot clung to Reks' hair, admiring the lizard with a big smile on his face.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Gamora and Mantis left the dungeons, visibly eager to get away from Vossler.

"Guards!" Mantis called, and her voice was so firm she could barely recognize it as her own. "Guards, find the maids, please. I wish to change my clothes and... I need assistance."

Gamora looked at Mantis, understanding exactly what she was trying to do.

The empath wrung her hands. She would find the maid she was looking for without bringing up Vossler's actions in front of others, for she would be able to feel the baby the woman was carrying. Mantis wanted to comfort her. She trusted that Munoh and Soryn would warn their King and Prince of impending danger...

Another Time, Another Place (A Hollow Universe In Space) || closed with tarnishedxknight

@tarnishedxknight continued from here

The Guardians stood there, letting Captain Basch formally introduce them to King Raminas. They all then bowed respectfully except for Rocket, who only did so because Gamora pushed his head down. They trusted Basch for the most part, as he assured them no one would hurt them after telling them to leave their weapons at the ship. Quill and Gamora were the first ones to leave theirs; Drax didn't want to leave his knives, but did so after Mantis looked at him, while Rocket pulled a comical amount of retractable weapons from his pockets.

As they followed Basch, Mantis had stayed behind for a moment to approach Vossler. She felt much better after Munoh sent her some calm energy, and she smirked at the man. Suddenly, her hand was on his cheek, her antennae aglow. "Whenever you open your mouth to say something unkind, you will wail like a baby. Honestly, it might be more coherent than anything else you have said," she whispered. She patted his cheek twice as if to seal her whimsical behest, and hurried to follow the Guardians as Basch guided them through the palace of Rabanastre.

Quill straightened and cleared his throat to speak to the King. Mantis took his hand; Quill was a little confused, but he allowed it since he knew she wasn't feeling great.

"Your Majesty," he said, once again lowering his voice in an attempt to mirror Basch's formal tone and presence, hoping it would make the King like him more. "We come in peace. We thank you for your time, and we apologize for occupying one of your docks. I think I have–" He stopped talking rather suddenly, and swallowed. "Uh... I think... I have..."

What was happening was that Mantis was frantically reading his thoughts as he spoke, using her powers to interrupt him because he was going to say he had the perfect stuff to make up for it, wanting to show the King some Terran music with the Zune. While Terran music was excellent, Mantis knew not everyone would like it, nor find it an acceptable form of apology.

"I have no excuse," Quill said instead. "And I have to... shut up... now."

[vox-monstera]

Sliding in cos I'm curious (and apologies if you've already spoken about her anywhere) but could you share more about lil Tallulah Pax Ward 🥺 I'd love to know more about Vox & River's future baby <3

😭💕

Thank you for this ask @themightiestpotato! Where do I even start?!

I guess I’ll do a sort of character sheet???

Name: Tallulah Pax Ward

While Vox was pregnant, she read a book in which the protagonist was named Tallulah. She’d never heard the name before but thought it unique, and not long after found out it means “leaping waters”; it felt like it was meant to be. It was River who decided on the name Pax. It means "peace", and he liked that it had a similar look to Vox’s name.

Nicknames: Talli; Lulita

Vox was calling Tallulah ‘Talli’ since she was in the womb, and it quickly stuck for River as well. Most people call her Talli, though Mamá Welles calls her Lulita, which Tallulah really likes.

Age: Five years old

This is as of my current canon, though I hope to one day flesh out her own story growing up in Night City.

Appearance: Takes after dad…

Those Ward genes are strong. She’s the spitting image of her father; tender dark brown eyes, aquiline nose, high cheekbones. Her skin tone is closer to mom’s, though she’s just a couple shades lighter, and she also has Vox’s wild, dark curls. It’s been said that she’s tall for her age, so it seems like she may have also inherited her father’s height.

Personality: A handful!

Wicked smart, with a knack for netrunning just like Vox and Amp. She’s also crazy observant and witty, which she gets from River, so she can definitely hold her own in conversations; adults find this charming and Tallulah hates that. She wants to be taken seriously, even at five. More than anything, she likes adventure and using her hands, and it seems like she never runs out of energy. She spends a lot of time gardening with River or learning how to cook from him; she particularly likes baking. Vox and Talli go out to Rocky Ridge together to “explore”, as Talli likes to call it, and they always bring the family cat, Luna.

Other: Little fun facts

Has a thing for elephants, so Vox and River buy her a lot of elephant plushies and she now has a small collection. She’s also bilingual, like Vox, and is learning how to play guitar from Randy.

[gallusrostromegalus]

OP PLEASE EXPLAIN MOKUBA HAVING A GUN

Okay, so- YGO was my first fandom way back in... Middle school? and we could get into the psychology of traumatized baby me and the tropes of the series and the narrative anomalies of a fairly dark manga/anime getting the 4KIDS! treatment but:

Mokuba should have had a Gun.

Kid gets Kidnapped A LOT and until very recently, he and his brother were violent sociopaths and I feel like maaaaaaaaaaaybe Mokuba should have kept a bit of that. Not a Lot. He's doing much better now, but shit keeps happening to him and a touch of the night comes in real handy now and then, especially when your brother is comprised of equal parts hubris, hyperfixation and (repressed) homosexuality and *somebody* has to deal with this nonsense.

So I think Mokuba should have had a gun. Or Tire Iron Or Distressingly Large Knife. Something.

It wouldn't alter the plot much- in Deulist kingdom he's still like what, 11? and he doesn't know how to use that shit but I feel like he should have been allowed to go down fighting. By the time Battle City rolls around, he's had some more practice and someone beat it into him that "talk softly and carry a big stick" also means "Don't let your beloved but extremely neurotic brother know about The Gun". So it's just. There. For Emergencies.

Granted, the kid who's been to basically hell probably has a warped ideaof what qualifies as an "emergency" but hey. It adds something to his character, like coffee in chocolate cake or bolognese.

Here, have an Excerpt from the fic I started writing at 3 AM. The context is that they're at the island in Battle City part 2, and Prior to this, Mokuba had sucessfully downloaded Noah into a PS3, that he's currently carrying around like a Purse Chihuahua while he watches Destiny Happen or Whatever:

---

"Mokuba." Said Noah. It was technically a question but their father had always viewed Interrogative Intonation as Weakness.

"Yeah?" Mokuba replied, a native speaker of Abused Bastardeese.

"Is the clock on this device correct? It says it's 12:45 in the afternoon."

"Sure is."

There was a pause as there was some more dramatic monologing about the unfathomable power of the cards on the dueling platform.

"It is. Remarkably dark out for Luncheon." Noah tried.

"Oh! Yeah, while you were compling we all got moved into Hell." Mokuba nodded.

There was another pause as the first speech was rejoined by a second about the Power of Friendship.

"...Hell, you say?" Noah asked, feeling himself go a bit peaky about the exhaust fans.

"Yeah, Don't worry about it. Either this dingus-" he pointed to the more offensive hairstyle. "-will lose the game and physics will go back to normal, or I'll beat him with that piece of concrete and rebar and Physics will go back to normal. It's really just stage dressing."

Some of the Holographic effects were very loud, causing another pause in the conversation.

"Does this happen... often?" Noah tried, beginning to wonder if he'd made the right choice in leaving his digital hell.

"Not usually until the finals of a tournament but sometimes in the pregame. I got stuck here for a whole weekend once." Said Mokuba with the casual informative air of an old man speculating on whether this year's fishing was going to be any good.

"Your remarkable state of calm during the Digital Debacle earlier is beginning to make a lot more sense." Noah muttered, indicator light blinking sheepishly.

"Yeah, Like, finding out you existed and had been trapped in a videogame was probably the worst emotional gutpunch of the weekend, but that was maybe the fourth or fifth weirdest thing to happen today."

"Are we including everyone's hair in that tally?"

"Oh yeah, natch." Nodded Mokuba, shifting his weight and looking around for somewhere safe to set Noah down. "Sometimes I wish Seto would go back to his old Lime Green hair so he'd fit in with his peers more. Pull up some concrete." he set Noah down on a flat bit next to a pair of chunks that made a remarkably good child-size recliner.

"What, he took over my corporate empire AND stole my hair color?" Noah asked, trying to sound mock-offended but his real offense crept through.

"When I say Seto had an Identity Crisis I mean he had a fucking Crisis." Mokuba nodded. They watched another dazzling display of special effects. "I should have brought some snacks."

[inliar]

timing

word count: 5.3k

jinhwan x reader

you have the uncanny knack of running into kim jinhwan exactly when he needs it. he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued.

a/n: support ikon on kingdom!

-

the first time you meet him, it’s at your friend’s debut stage. once upon a time, you and your friend, yerin, had been trainees together in a decently small company. but while her skills only grew over time, morphing into something fascinating and breathtaking that deserved to be shown to the world, yours had stagnated. it wasn’t for lack of effort – you had put just as many hours into dance and vocal lessons as the others –  but it was, probably, for lack of passion.

at some point, you had stopped emphasizing with your fellow trainee’s heartfelt speeches on their dreams of debuting, and it was around then that you realized you weren’t meant to be an idol in the same way they were. it was alright, though, because if anyone out of the two of you deserved to debut, it was her. you’d never felt any regret after terminating your short trainee agreement with your label.

but your friendship had never ceased, and you’d kept in regular contact with yerin, as well as the other trainees set to debut in the rookie group. you often took to reminding them to eat their meals, or to take breaks in between lessons, because you’d experienced first-hand how thoroughly unchecked passions can blind a person to their obvious needs. 

finally, their efforts had culminated into a debut, and you wouldn’t miss their first stage for the world. their manager, minseo (who, in a different timeline, might have been your manager as well) was kind enough to let you visit them face-to-face in their waiting room for the music program.

“nervous?” you ask, taking in yerin’s brightly-coloured romper and her bleached, curled, strands of hair. it’s such a far departure from the tracksuits and messy ponytail you’d often seen her sporting during early morning dance practices, but it somehow suits her better than anything else you’d ever seen her wear.

“excited.” she responds instead, with a frightening degree of certainty. it must be nice, you think, to have something you want so desperately and unfalteringly. but watching your best friend get to live out her dreams is almost just as nice.

you nod, feeling the corners of your lips quirk up. “have i ever told you how proud i am of you?” you say, lightheartedly, suppressing the urge to ruffle your hand over her well-styled hair.

“no, but since it’s coming from you, i know you mean it.” she says with such sincerity that you feel an unexpected surge of pride lodge itself into your chest. 

you clear your throat. this won’t do. she hasn’t even performed yet and you’re already turning into a sentimental mess. “i’m going to go get myself something to drink,” you say, excusing yourself. “do you want anything?”

her eyes brighten. “ooh, can i have an orange soda?” she asks, before pausing and turning around. “wait, manager-nim, am i allowed to drink soda before a stage?”

minseo tears her eyes away from her phone and straightens up. “as long as it’s not something that will rapidly stain your teeth, it should be fine. are you thirsty? do you need me to get you something?”

you pipe up. “oh, it’s fine, i can get it. you should stay with the group, unni, you’re the manager.��� then, you raise your voice and direct it towards the rest of the girls. “hey, guys, i’m getting yerin a drink from the vending machine. does anyone else want anything?”

“oh, can i have a canned coffee?” you hear one of the members – jiyoung’s – voice ask.

“me too!” hyemin’s voice adds.

“vitamin water, please!” mirae’s voice calls.

you tally the drinks up in your head. two canned coffees, an orange soda, and vitamin water. you hold up an ‘okay’ sign with your hand and nod. jiyoung jokingly salutes in return.

“can i pay you back?” minseo offers, pulling out a credit card that most definitely won’t work on the rickety vending machines you’d seen on your way to the waiting room.

you shake your head dismissively. “it’s just a couple of drinks, and besides, i have a ton of coins i need to get rid of. you can buy me a meal later, yeah?” you offer, and minseo nods. “at this rate, i’ll have to hire you as my assistant.” she jokes, lightheartedly, and you smile. you wouldn’t mind that at all.

you recite the list of drinks to yourself as you make it out of their waiting room and towards the vending machine. two canned coffees, an orange soda, and vitamin water. two canned coffees, an orange soda, and vitamin water. two ca—

thud.

the small sound shakes you out of your mantra and, instinctively, you turn towards the noise. judging by the obvious frustration radiating from the person in front of you and his relative position to the vending machine, you figure he just kicked the poor thing.

“are you alright?” you ask, tentatively, and the person in question turns to face you. 

oh. it’s kim jinhwan. from ikon.

you try your hardest to suppress a smile. yerin loves ikon. she’d be so jealous to know that you ran into one of the members today, and in such an innocuous way at that.

“yes, sorry.” jinhwan offers, looking almost sheepish. “the machine stole my money, and-”

almost on cue, you hear a voice call out in the distance. “hurry up, hyung! you said it’d only take a few minutes!”

jinhwan’s expression instantly sours, and you nod in understanding. “what did you try to get, sunbaenim?” you ask politely, turning towards the machine and scanning its contents.

“just an energy drink. but i guess i’ll be fine without it.” he explains, trying a little too hard to sound lighthearted and unbothered. 

you identify the drink in question and punch in its code. after feeding your coins into the machine, you watch as the suddenly functional appliance pushes the energy drink out of its row and into the bottom of the machine.

squatting, you grab the drink and hold it out. “please, take this.” you offer as you stand up, suddenly noticing how heavily the foundation under his eyes is applied. you inwardly frown. he must really need the boost. “it’s the one you wanted, right?”

he doesn’t take it, instead opting to stare at it instead. “i couldn’t, i don’t have any more change on me right now.” he says, despite eyeing the drink longingly.

“hyung! we have to go!” the voice from before calls out again, insistently. he turns towards the voice before turning back to you, conflicted. you put on what you hope is a reassuring smile before pushing the drink with a little more force into his hands. instinctively, he takes it.

“please don’t worry about it, it’s just a drink. good luck with your stage, sunbaenim!” you cheer, gently. 

he looks at the drink, then looks at you, then glances behind him at what you presume to be his waiting room before looking at you again.

“jinhwan hyung!” the voice demands with an intimidating undercurrent of finality, leaving no more room to stall. you tilt your head towards it meaningfully.

“i.. thank you.” he finally says, tightly, before turning around and running away. satisfied, you turn towards the vending machine. what did your friends ask for? right, two canned coffees, an orange soda, and vitamin water. you punch the drink codes in, methodically inserting all of your loose change you had been trying to get rid of for so long, and add an extra coffee in for minseo for good measure. if she’s going to make good on her dinner promise, and you know she will, she should get a little something in return.

(you would have gotten her something even if you didn't coerce her into buying you food. a part of you thrives at the feeling of taking care of others, and you dimly wonder if that means anything.)

-

the next time you meet him is yet another case of being in the right place at the right time, for lack of a better phrase. 

you’d spent a good portion of your school days active as a trainee. so, when you’d eventually exited the entertainment industry, you were strikingly behind all the other students your age in the cruelly competitive system that was korea’s education system. you were planning on taking a gap year to figure out exactly what you wanted to do with the rest of your life (which was generally frowned upon, as students were expected to naturally know these things), but minseo had saved you from that fate. “since the girls have been getting a little bigger recently, i’ve been given the permission and the budget to hire an assistant manager.” she had explained through a spontaneous phone call, her voice crackling over the receiver as you shifted your cellphone to your other ear. “if i can trust anyone to care for them the way that i do, it’s you.”

“will it be okay?” you had asked, not against the proposition but not wanting to get her in trouble. “i have no managerial experience, and i’m in the same age range as the members. i don’t want the company to come off as unprofessional.”

she had reassured you that you wouldn’t be working on anything that she wouldn’t teach you to do first, and that, as long as you didn’t boast about your age, it would be fine. “i was allowed to write the hiring criteria, and if you just happen to be the perfect candidate, then so be it.” she had said, and you could almost imagine the conspiratorial wink she would have shot in your direction if you were talking face to face.

and so your reentrance to the entertainment industry had begun; except this time, you were on the other, more secluded, side of the stage. you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t considered being a manager before; you’ve always been the type to take care of others, and when minseo had joked about taking you on as an assistant before, a secret part of you had taken it a little too close to heart. but you had never actually expected her words to become a reality.

the job isn’t too hard to pick up. you’re assigned a lot of small yet useful tasks, like calling the salons and confirming hair appointment times, or writing the minutes for meetings about comeback concepts. sometimes, your only role for the day is simply coaxing minseo unni into stopping and taking a lunch break. you’re busy, for sure, but not yet at the juggling-octopus level of the senior manager, who is somehow able to coordinate every other task and responsibility that involves the group simultaneously and all without fail. while you just have to confirm the things she’s already set up, she has to do all the preparation work.  you’ve seen her meticulously arrange and assign each member’s schedules, all the while keeping an eye on album sales and concert venues and security payroll and feedback from their vocal or dance instructors. just by looking at her essay of a to-do list that’s propped up on her desk, you understand why the company gave her the permission to hire an assistant.

the most important responsibility she had given you, however, was to be the first line of contact with the members of the group. “you know them better than i do, so i think you’d do a better job of helping them out. they’re not too fussy, so it shouldn’t be too hard to work with them? just keep an eye on the members, and check on them every now and then. of course, let me know if you need any extra help.” a very harried minseo had told you, while on hold with the videography company who, annoyingly, hadn’t confirmed what time they were coming in tomorrow to film the dance video for the group’s upcoming comeback.

“yes, of course.” you had replied, fully intending to not do just that. you were going to avoid adding any responsibilities to minseo unni’s workload at all costs.

there wasn’t much that you needed to do. occasionally, you needed to get the members drinks or snacks while they were in their waiting rooms before music show performances, or make sure that they checked in with you before they went out anywhere. to help with this, you had gotten into the habit of carrying a backpack with you at all times, fully stocked with the necessities: an assortment of the member’s favourite snacks, an epipen for hyemin’s peanut allergy tucked in a small first aid kit, extra hair elastics, pads and tampons, and various sets of phone chargers. 

“you’re already, like, one of those overprepared asian mothers that carries everything in her massive purse, and you’re barely an adult.” yerin had snickered one day while you reorganized your bag in their dorm.

you had grinned, teasingly pushing her away. “it’s this overprepared asian mother that has your precious pocky at hand, so watch it.” you’d warned, shaking the snack box in the air. 

“don’t shake it!” yerin had yelped, cradling the cookie sticks protectively against her chest. “you’ll break them.”

it was the last week of promotions for the group’s third mini album, and you had just finished supervising the stage hands as they finished setting up the stage. satisfied, you grab your backpack from the chair it was lounging on, thank them for their hard work, and beeline for the exit, wondering if you can run into the girls before they get called down for their pre-stage interview.

“—ust going to have to wait, we don’t have any on hand right now.” you hear a gruff sounding voice say, and subconsciously, you look towards the source of the noise.

just across the hallway from you is what appears to be a very tall manager and a very short idol, judging from the casual apparel the taller is wearing and the shiny, glittery jacket the shorter one has on. the one in the glittery jacket is clutching at his shoulder in obvious discomfort. 

“how long do you think it will take?” the shorter asks, letting go of his shoulder and rolling it back, and you’d recognize that voice anywhere. yerin had recently been studying his stage habits by watching his fancams on repeat, and at this point, his voice was engraved in the back of your mind. it’s jinhwan, again. (“i can’t believe you got to meet jinhwan sunbae before i did,” yerin had pouted when you had told her about your previous encounter. “but why did you call him sunbae? he’s not technically your senior anymore.”

“so i used to be a trainee, and old habits die hard. sue me.” you had defended yourself, protectively, before making a mental note to stop doing that.)

“i’m not sure. i’m not supposed to leave the shooting site, and no one else has answered my calls yet. do you think you’ll be able to do the stage without a patch?” the manager asks.

the idol who you now recognize as jinhwan winces, and you take that as your cue to dig through your bag. after finding what you’re looking for, you take a nervous breath and walk towards the pair.

“hello,” you greet tentatively, bowing. the two of them turn to face you, and politely bow back. you don’t miss the way jinhwan’s face grimaces ever so slightly as he does so.

“i’m really sorry if i’m being invasive, but i happened to hear what was going on.” you start. at that, you offer him the pair of pain-relief patches you were clutching securely with both of your hands. “please, take these.”

the two of them pause, taking a second to read the upside-down text on the packaging. in hindsight, you probably should have held it so the text was facing them. “won’t you need them?” the manager asks, eventually looking back up at you.

you shake your head in denial, eyes wide. “no, no. i always have extras in my bag. besides, the ones my members use most often are the ankle patches, so i won’t miss these.” you explain, taking a short, meaningful glance at jinhwan’s shoulder before pushing the packages into his manager’s hands. 

he takes them. “thank you,” he says, gratefully, and you smile. 

“yes, of course.” you reply, taking another quick glance at jinhwan. he’s staring at you, expression carefully blank, but, upon making eye contact. he bows his head. “thank you,” he says as well, and you pause. there’s something in his tone that sounds off, but you can’t quite pinpoint what it is. 

you don’t have time to stand there and think about it, though, because your group is going to get called down for their interview any minute now. and while you don’t technically have to be there, minseo said that it would be a good idea for you to monitor them. “just so you can get used to your job,” she had said, and you agreed. it would be entirely selfish to back out on that now, just to stand and meaninglessly analyze a person you had no connections with.

“i … have to go now.” you begin, tentatively, ignoring the pressing feeling in the pit of your stomach thats begging you to stay and figure out what feels so wrong. “good luck on your stage, sunb- i mean! jinhwan-ssi, and i hope your shoulder feels better.”

you bow, reflexively, trying your best not to make a weird face out of embarrassment, and jinhwan bows back. “thank you, again.” he reiterates, and you turn to leave.

it’s only after you’re absolutely sure that you’re out of their line of view before you let yourself cringe. sunbae? you tried to call him sunbae? you really, really, need to get out of that habit. what kind of interaction was that?

‘but is he okay?’ a smaller, more insistent, voice in the back of your head asks, and you frown. you don’t know. 

- 

in between your last memorable encounter and the next one, you see him a few times. your group passes by him in a few music programs, you run into their group at a hair appointment, and a few other miscellaneous encounters as such naturally occur. but you never interact. as a manager, it’s not your job to play buddy-buddy with other idol groups, especially if they’re not even in your company. you’ve always done a very good job of staying out of the spotlight, and, as a manager, most people don’t spare you a glance. jinhwan doesn’t even look in your direction.

you’d be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed.

the third time you meet him is not, for once, at a music program. you’re in hapjeong-dong, meaning to visit a friend who’d recently moved into the area. but she’d last-minute changed her housewarming party time to a dinner party instead of a lunch meetup. by the time you’d got the memo, you were already halfway across seoul on the subway. since you hadn’t eaten anything yet, and you no longer had lunch plans, your first stop is at the first ramen shop you see after you exit the terminal.

“i’m afraid we’re a little full at the moment, ma’am, and the only seats available are at the counter. will that be alright?” the hostess asks, smiling warmly.

“yes, that’s great.” you say, and you let her escort you to the counter and hand you a menu. you prop up your purse and your housewarming gift on the chair next to you before taking it, thanking her.

as you’re flipping through the menu, mentally calculating how much more you’ll be able to spend this month, you hear the tinkling of the bell at the front door signalling another customer. a cursory glance around the relatively full counter area lets you know that there’s only one seat left, and you’re hogging it with your bags. you quickly take them off the only available chair and bend down to set them on the ground below your feet.

“... and here you go, sir, i’ll be back with a menu shortly.” the bubbly hostess says, smiling politely at the customer whose face you haven’t seen yet. you straighten up, taking a quick look at the hostess and the customer before turning back to look at your menu. 

“yes, thank you,” the customer says, and you freeze. you must be hearing things. there is no way that you are eating lunch next to kim jinhwan in a random restaurant.

the customer sits down next to you, and you shoot another quick look at the man who is taking off his mask. who is most definitely kim jinhwan. 

do you … do you say anything? idols deserve to eat in peace, so should you pretend not to recognize him? but won’t sitting in a stony, awkward silence as you eat next to each other be even worse? you contemplate burying yourself in your phone for the entire meal, before realizing that you left it in your purse. and there’s no feasible way that you can grab it without having to scoot back your chair, get off the stool to open your bag, and sit back up on it again. 

unfortunately for you, he looks in your direction as you’re gaping at him, panic-struck. the resulting eye contact is unbearably awkward on your end, but he looks at you as if he’s trying to remember who you are.

“pardon me, but are you the one who … with the pain-relief patch?” he asks, gesturing slightly with his hands as he sits dodwn. it’s vague and awkward, and if he did that to anyone else they’d be very confused, but you know exactly what he means.

you blush a little. there’s nothing else you can say now. “yes, uh, i think that was me.” 

“and … the vending machine?” he ventures.

your eyes widen a little at that. that was so many months ago. he still remembers? “the energy drink, right? that was also me. hello, jinhwan-ssi.” you offer, tentatively, bowing your head slightly. at this point, there’s no use pretending you don’t know his name. he bows his head in return.

“may i ask for your name?” jinhwan asks, tentatively.

“oh, ah, i’m ______.” you respond. “it’s nice to meet you, officially.” 

jinhwan nods in agreement, seemingly taking in all the new information for a few seconds. after a short pause, he continues. “do you also work in the entertainment industry?” he asks, slowly. 

“yes, i’m an assistant manager for kyubie, a new girlgroup at AB entertainment,” you introduce yourself. it still feels a little strange to say that title out loud. assistant manager. you’re an assistant manager.

“ah, i see.” jinhwan says, smiling a little as he processes the information, and you politely smile back. a part of you wants to help him carry this conversation out, but the other, more dominant part of you is just as socially awkward as he looks like he feels and is absolutely incapable of doing such a thing.

“you look quite young for a manager,” he offers, as an odd semblance of a compliment, and you take it in stride.

“i get that a lot! i actually used to be a trainee at AB, but i ended up becoming a manager inst!—ead …” you start, mouth running itself as it struggles to fill the awkward silence, before you register what you just said. 

“i, uh, i wasn’t supposed to say that.” you mutter, loudly enough so its audible but quietly enough to express your regret.

jinhwan, for what it’s worth, only looks placidly amused. “don’t worry, i won’t say a word,” he assures you. he doesn’t ask for any more details or for an elaboration on why it would be a secret. you’re grateful for that.

“thank you,” you say, trying not to let the relief show itself too heavily in your tone. if he notices it, he doesn’t say a word.

“i should be thanking you. for the drink and for the pain-relief patches, before. i don’t think i could have done my stage without either.” he assures you, kindly. “i didn’t get to thank you properly before.”

you shake your head in denial. “no, no, don’t worry about it. i get what it’s like to always be running low on time. and you did say thank you! i didn’t feel underappreciated, or ignored, or anything like that.” you explain, letting out your first real smile since the beginning of the conversation. 

(you miss the way his eyes linger on it for a beat too long.)

“i’m glad that you think that, then,” jinhwan says, faintly, as the hostess comes back with his menu that he barely even scans before ordering. you, too, order, ignoring the meaningful glances she’s throwing at the two of you. that’s a misunderstanding that can be resolved in the unlikely chance it becomes an issue.

“so,” jinhwan starts, “tell me about your group.”

and you’re gone.

conversation flows surprisingly easily once the two of you find your common ground. as a manager and as a friend, you have a lot to tell him about your members and how they act. “one of them, my friend, actually, she’s a really big fan of yours.” you mention, offhandedly. you’ve gone long past the point where you’re trying to filter yourself. 

“is that so?” he asks, calmly, and you grin.

“yeah. she was really jealous when i told her that i met you before,” you laugh, “and she’ll probably be a little bit jealous that i met you again today.”

“what about you?” he asks, and then looks a little bit startled. almost as if he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“i’m sorry?” you ask, despite knowing perfectly well what he’d meant to say. you do your best to not blush.

jinhwan, having seemingly decided to just go with it, smiles. “are you a fan of mine, too?” he asks, and oh, your cheeks are not supposed to feel this hot.

“i, uh—” you flounder, trying to think of a way to answer this professionally, before a strangely brave crevice of your mind tells you to be honest.

“before? i don’t know. but now? probably.” you admit, which is good enough for jinhwan.

he doesn’t push it (probably because you looked like a tomato just then and he wants to save your blood pressure), and instead steers the conversation back to your life as a manager and his funny anecdotes in the entertainment industry. for someone who is so soft spoken and looked so thoroughly awkward when you first met, he tries incredibly hard to keep the conversation flowing and comfortable. you’re half in awe at his easy going nature.

you eat slowly once you get your food, selfishly wanting the conversation to last longer, but eventually there are no more noodles left in your plate and half of the lunchtime rush has already cleared out. jinhwan excuses himself to pay, asking you to watch his jacket, and you grab your purse and your housewarming gift from the floor while you wait. your phone tells you that it’s been nearly two hours since you entered the restaurant, and you must have suddenly forgotten how to read time, because there’s no possible way you had spent that long talking with jinhwan.

he eventually comes back. he puts his mask on and grabs his jacket from the back of his chair, and you take that as your cue to head to the payment counter. “i’m here to pay for my order,” you say, pulling out your wallet, and the checkout man shakes his head. 

“you’re already paid for,” he explains, and you frown. “pardon me?” you ask, unsure if you heard him right.

“the gentleman who sat next to you has already paid for your meal,” he clarifies, and you stand there for a moment.

“are— are you sure?” you ask, confusedly. the checkout man nods. “here’s the purchase receipt if you want to be sure.”

the sound of the front door bell tinkling draws your attention, and you turn to see jinhwan’s figure leave the shop. “thank you!” you exclaim hurriedly to the counter, mindlessly stuffing the receipt in your left pocket before booking it out of there.

by the time you get to the outside of the shop, jinhwan is a good ten meters away. “jinh—!” you start, and then stop. yelling an idol’s name in public is most definitely not a good idea. 

you’ve never been the most active, but you run after him anyway. thankfully, he’s not making an effort to run away from you, because you wouldn’t be able to catch up with him then. 

eventually, you catch up with him as he’s waiting for a pedestrian walkway to turn green. “jinhwan-ssi!” you call, furtively, and the man in question turns around to face you.

" ______.” he says, curiously. “what are you doing here?”

“you paid for my meal.” you state, and he looks at you like it’s obvious. 

“yes, i did.” he says, frowning a little. the pedestrian walkway turns green. he doesn’t make any effort to move.

“can i pay you back?” you ask, hand instinctively going towards your wallet in your right pocket.

he laughs a little at that. “why would you pay me back? this is my thank you for the favours you did for me.”

“you don’t have to pay me back! i did those things because i could. besides, a vending machine drink and a pain-relief patch costs much less than a meal.” you argue.

“then, consider it like i’m doing this because i can.” he counters, and its very hard to object to your own logic.

“can i at least buy you coffee or something as thanks?” you ask, as the pedestrian walkway turns red once more. 

at this, jinhwan pauses, before he sighs. “i have vocal practice in half an hour, so i can’t right now. but—” he continues, seeing the look of disappointment you already knew was on your face, “did you get the receipt from the checkout guy?”

“the what?” you ask, confused.

his face pales. “oh no, did you not take it?” he asks, suddenly looking scared, and you remember mindlessly snatching the receipt from the checkout man’s hands. you clumsily pat through your pockets a little before pulling a slip of paper out from your left pocket. “no, i have it,” you say, holding it up, “but why?”

jinhwan sighs. “turn it over,” he says, and you do.

in pen, a phone number is scribbled over the back of the receipt. “jinhwan,” it says in neatly printed letters next to it, and you fight back the urge to smile. you probably do a terrible job of it, too.

“text me when you’re free, and we can do coffee sometime, yeah?” jinhwan offers. you can’t see his face well because of his mask, but the tips of his ears are red. it’s stupidly endearing.

“i will,” you promise, because how could you say no to that?

the walkway light turns green once again. jinhwan waves as he crosses the street, and you wave as you stay behind. its only after you’re absolutely, positively sure that he’s out of sight that you let yourself grin, burying your too-hot face into your hands. 

if you just played your cards right, you have a date with kim jinhwan.

-

(you text him the very same day, and make plans for coffee the next week.

you treat him to crepe cakes and lattes, and he pouts, claiming that the crepes were too much and now he just has to take you out to make up for it.

before you can tell him that no, it’s fine, it’s your treat, he has movie tickets for two booked and emailed to your account.

you agree to go, but only if you get to buy the popcorn.)

[justal0wk3yg4mer]

Things I've Said: Concrete Genie (Spoilers)

Me: *Player/My actions* Character Dialogue

Where the fuck are y'all parents? Is this a kids only island?

Oh no, weird glowing henti. And that is legitimate fear right now.

And nevermind, little assholes running around just got moved up above the henti.

Kid, imma ask you two questions. One, are you a conduit. And two, are you the illegitimate child of Delsin Rowe? (Those that have played this game know exactly what I'm talking about)

This is the cutest fucking game, I can't even.

I lied about the hide and seek tutorial from Dishonored being the cutest thing. This...this is fucking adorable.

Under no circumstances would I think that, that was a bigass paint brush.

New color=New power. Simplicity at its finest.

Luna can go wherever they want.

Every single genie I create in this game are baby and I would die for them.

OMG, it's riding the tram with me 😍

Seriously, Ash, are you Delsin's kid? The similarities are too much.

Small Girl: What a little woos. Me: What a lil' bitch.

*Me trying to draw and the cursor keeps acting up.* I can fuck up my genies on my own, thank you very much.

Luna is like, "That is good shit my dude."

Ash knows the best way to stop bullies. Fucking with them mentally.

This kid has a bright future in electrical and water engineering.

YOU BASTARDS!

I wanna say y'all had it coming but this is a little fucked.

Luna I'm scared--Luna? Luna. LUNA NO!!!!!

All my babies, they're so scared 😭😭😭

Ash be lookin' like a Kingdom Hearts character.

Bitch, why we huggin'?

The soul? Genies have souls? That is too precious.

Fuck 'How to Train Your Dragon', how to train your genie is much more fun.

Nasty henti bullshit, GET OFF MY GENIES!

I am the Genie Lord!

That is convenient................this a trap?

LUNA!!! 😃😃

I am the Genie Lord, I no longer require drawings.

Luna is like, "Go live your life."

This had to be the cutest, most wholesome game I've ever played. Don't get me wrong, Kingdom Hearts is easily cute but like a cheesy cute. It's Disney, what do you expect. Concrete Genie had some dark themes that were dealt with in a childlike fashion, it was believable. I could 100% see a kid responding to a situation like that. The artwork and gaming designs were beautiful and the genies were adorable. I had a lot of fun with this game. Anyway this posts tally is about my love for the genies, they were all sweet babies.

Sweet baby! : 208

[vivi-the-sky-kid]

Sowing the Seeds (of Love), Chapter 1

Aka the Resh/OC Fix-It Fic Nobody Asked for but I'm Inflicting on All of You Anyways as Punishment for Kai's Your Hubris

The King has always been a mysterious figure in the annals of the Sky Kingdom's history, generating both awe and fear within the hearts of the sky spirits. Few can claim to have met them in person; certainly not Tav, a researcher of light creatures for the Vault of Knowledge. But when they discover their research may be used to harm the very creatures they know and love, Tav knows they cannot allow this to happen.

Somehow, they must change the King's mind. If that means throwing butterflies at their royal face, then so be it.

-<◇>-

Warnings: Will be added to each chapter when necessary, but there's not gonna be anything graphic in this (do send me an ask if you think there's something I should warn about tho)

Rating: T (just to be on the safe side)

Pairing(s): Resh/OC

Tag(s): Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies

Additional Tag(s): Resh and Alef are twins, Resh and Tav are both nonbinary, Resh uses he/they, Tav uses she/they, Resh is demiromantic and pansexual, Tav is biromantic and demisexual, no beta we die like moths in eden

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

-<◇>-

Chapter 1

Word Count: 2,477

Warning(s): None

-<◇>-

Fury powered her strides as Tav marched towards the elevator leading to Elder Lamed's level of the Vault. What they had overheard... it was unthinkable! Outrageous! And they intended to let Lamed know exactly that! She couldn't let her research be used like this. Not to harm the very creatures they had spent their life studying.

Onwards and upwards she went, a lone figure on the elevator. Scholars sorting memory cubes and acolytes tending to the spiritual residue of the Kingdom's history flew past her vision. Finally, the elevator came to a stop, its power diamond moving to rest over the Elder statues, and Tav mustered their psychokinetic powers to fly the short distance to the grassy island. That had been a trick the mantas had helped her master; if not for them, she would still struggle to get around Vault's upper levels like before. They took a breath to steady themself, adjusted the prairie lily clipped to their hair, and moved forward.

As they crested the structure bearing the Elder statues, Tav looked around. She could see no sign of Elder Lamed, which meant, more likely than not, the Elder had withdrawn into their private domain. There was nothing for it but to light the altar candles, sit before their statue, and pray.

Their legs had started to fall asleep when they finally felt the brush against their mind that meant Lamed had heard their prayer, and was ready to listen. She relaxed and let the Elder pull their consciousness into that dreamy world. When they next opened their eyes, they knelt in the same spot, although the elevator diamond was now gone, casting the area in comfortable shadows. In the statue's place stood Lamed, gazing down at her with an unreadable look.

“Ah, so you are the one who prayed. Tav, was it? Head of the light creature research effort?”

“That's correct, Elder Lamed. I've come to you regarding a decision involving my research.”

“Is that so?” Their eyes flickered beneath the mask, before they dipped their head. “Very well. Speak.”

Tav jumped to their feet, hands clenching the fabric of their robe. “Elder Lamed, I cannot permit my research to be used to develop these 'dark weapons' R&D is proposing! Light creatures are beautiful, wonderful creatures that share a great deal in common with us. They are intelligent, gentle, and loving beings. To turn them into weapons is... is... is out of the question!”

The Elder's eyes had grown wide at her outburst, but soon closed as they pressed a hand to their forehead. “Really, Tav, you're being unreasonable. R&D has already gained permission from the King to go forth with this project. Are you saying you doubt His Majesty's judgment regarding the good of the kingdom?”

“Yes!”

Silence filled the domain. Sweat began running down Tav's back as a great pressure weighed down on them. When they almost gave in and knelt once more, it lifted, and Lamed turned away.

“I expect your research to be turned in to the Vault at the appropriate deadline. Is that understood?”

Tav was silent.

“I said, is that understood, Tav?”

“...It is, Elder Lamed.”

“Good. You are dismissed.”

With that, their vision swam, and they closed their eyes to ward off the nausea. Upon opening them, she found herself back at the summit, the power diamond shining coldly overhead. They looked up at the statue and sighed.

Resolve filled them once more, and they stood and walked back to the elevator. Lamed may not have listened, but there was one more person she could try to convince. All reports of the King had them as a kind and benevolent ruler who listened to the people, yet these latest projects said otherwise. Which was the truth, and which was a lie? There was only one way to find out.

Tav swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. This was no time to get cold feet. The light creatures were counting on them.

First things first, however. She needed to keep her research out of the wrong hands.

-<◇>-

Another day, another round of paperwork. Resh sighed inwardly as he dipped his manta quill into the inkwell to sign the latest report from the Golden Land's biggest sunsteel refinery. Production was holding steady due to the shipment of light from Daylight Prairie, and they would likely have enough in reserve for the little project Vault R&D had recently proposed.

A soft call from the doorway caught their attention, and they lifted their head. One of the guards—a new recruit, if their nervous demeanor was any indication—was standing there somewhat awkwardly, but snapped to attention once his gaze was upon them.

Yes, definitely new. That salute was just a little bit too sloppy to be one of the older members.

“What is it?” he said, fixing his gaze on them.

They stiffened. “Y-Your Majesty, there is... a researcher from the Vault demanding to speak with you. They refuse to leave otherwise.”

“Return them to the Vault. We have no time for a meeting, let alone with some unknown researcher,” they replied, returning to their paperwork.

“What do they want?” said a new voice, chiming up from the door leading further into the royal quarters.

Resh blinked and slowly turned towards it. Watching the exchange was their twin, Alef, still dressed in the formal wear of the golden mask, yellow-painted pizaine, and midnight-blue cloak they used for being the public face of the King. They must have returned a short time ago from their trip to the Valley.

“Your Majesty, they have requested you withdraw your support for the Dark Matter Bioweapon project.”

“Have they, now?” Resh shook his head. “Unfortunately, it is too late. The proposal has been signed and delivered to the Vault. To withdraw it now would be equivalent to saying We have made a mistake.”

They let the implications of that statement hang in the air like a sword above the guard's head. With a stammered response of, “Of course, Your Majesty,” they left, and soon only Alef and Resh remained in the office. The latter ignored the former's pointed look, turning back to the stack of paperwork that had yet to be completed with another sigh.

“You've been doing that a lot lately. Perhaps you should take a break.”

Resh shot them a glare out of the corner of his eye, but did not stop his work. Only when they had signed a petition to expand the Valley of Triumph, a tally of candle production in the Isle of Dawn, and a request for more light shipments to the Hidden Forest, did they gesture with their free hand to the desk's contents.

“As you can see, Alef, I am kept busy with the affairs of the kingdom. I am King, after all. My guidance is needed to ensure the kingdom's prosperity.” He dipped the quill into the inkwell once more and grabbed another piece of paper—this time, a request from the Valley to provide them with more boats, as some had broken recently.

“I cannot rest until I have dealt with these matters” —and they said this last bit under their breath— “even if they are incredibly dull.”

Alef hummed and moved closer, cloak swishing softly around his body. They picked up one of the papers in the discarded stack, scanned it, and then looked to Resh. “Surely you can rest from these for a short time? All work and no play makes one a dull star.”

“How rich, coming from the one who only concerns themself with attending celebrations and avoiding any work here,” they replied.

Alef narrowed his eyes, then shook his head and shrugged.

“You want me to do some work here? Very well.” They went up to the switch next to the desk, which would summon a guard when activated (not that Resh had ever used it), and called forth their inner flame in one hand to light it. Soon enough, the same guard from before came to the office. They gave the salute again, a little more firmly this time.

“You called, Your Majesty?”

“Is the researcher still here?”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty. I was on my way to relay your wishes when you summoned me back.”

“I have decided to grant them an audience. Please have them escorted to the throne room.”

“Oh, uh...” They cleared their throat. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

“What are you doing?” Resh said, eyeing their sibling with suspicion.

“Work. You said you were too busy to meet with them, didn't you? Well, it just so happens that I am remarkably free. As your dear elder sibling, it is the least I can do for you, Resh.”

With that, they glided from the office before Resh could stop them, leaving him standing with his hand grasping at air.

They sighed.

-<◇>-

The throne room was easily the largest chamber of the Palace, with a throne built to match—a deliberate choice on Resh's part, during its construction all those years ago. Looking the part was half the battle, and what better way to show your kingliness than by being five times the size of Elder Tsadi, he had said. Which Alef now was, having shifted in size to full height as they approached the throne room. The guards at the entrance snapped to attention, and he nodded in greeting as he passed through.

Near the far wall was the diminutive figure of the researcher, their head craned back to take in the full view of the mural displayed there. Two guards flanked them, ensuring they didn't go anywhere they weren't supposed to be. Alef cleared their throat, the sound echoing to every nook and cranny due to the chamber's acoustics, and every person in the room jumped. The guards soon lined up and stood at attention, and the rogue researcher turned to look at him as he took his place on the throne. One guard said something quietly to them, and the researcher nodded, brushed out their robe, and walked forward beside the guards.

“So this is the spirit who requested an audience with Us?” Alef intoned, glancing down at the guard who escorted them, and they nodded timidly. His eyes returned to the spirit, noting that, even with the crest typical of the Vault's senior members, they barely surpassed most of the guards in height. Despite this huge difference in size between them and himself, they barely trembled.

How interesting.

“We permit you to speak, spirit.”

They bowed in acknowledgment, and upon straightening, called out, “Your Majesty, I must urge you to reconsider this Dark Matter Bioweapon project! Light creatures are our friends. They do not deserve to be treated like mere tools, to be used up and cast aside!”

Alef tilted their head to the side thoughtfully, taking their chin between their thumb and index finger.

“...What is your name, star?”

“My name is Tav, Your Majesty. Head of the Vault's research into light creatures.”

“I see.” They leaned forward, casting their shadow over Tav. “Tell Us, Tav. This project is intended to better the kingdom's future. If light creatures are our friends, do they not owe this kingdom their aid, in whatever form we require?”

Tav stepped forward, their hands balling up at their sides.

“There must be a better way than this! Whatever future that project holds is worse than one where we treat the light creatures as our allies. I know it! Please, Your Majesty, let me show you.”

How very interesting.

And exactly what they needed.

Alef steepled their fingers before them, resting their elbows on the armrests of the throne. A sly grin formed on his face. Though it was hidden by their mask, Tav seemed to sense its presence, because they took an involuntary step back.

“We have an offer for you, Tav.”

At the same time, they called out to their sibling and requested their presence in the throne room.

-<◇>-

Resh sighed as they walked.

At one point, the magnificent tapestries and luminous murals decorating the walls of the throne room had brought him such joy. But that had been many, many years ago—too many to count. Now they were just another feature of the brilliant, intricate, boringthrone room, easily ignored in favor of dealing with the unwelcome researcher currently standing before the throne. The reason they had been called away from their work by their sibling.

“Ah, there you are,” Alef said from their spot on the throne. They turned back to the spirit. “Resh is Our Will, you see. They are the one who approved the project. Now, We will send a message to the Vault requesting that they do not proceed with the project until We permit. You have until then to persuade Resh of the truth of your words.”

...What?

The two of them turned, and Resh winced when he realized he had spoken aloud.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was just wondering what this task you have given me is.”

“Ah, of course. You see, Resh, Tav here would like to show Us that light creatures should not be used in the Dark Matter Bioweapon project. However, We have our duties to contend with, and so cannot leave the Palace for such a matter. You, on the other hand, are Our Will, and so We have decided that you shall go in Our stead.”

Even from this distance, and even with the mask hiding their face, Resh could feel the gleeful smugness radiating from Alef like heat from a flame. Their most venomous thoughts, directed like psychic arrows at their twin, only increased the smugness, and so, narrowing their eyes, they bowed courteously to the researcher—Tav, was it?

“As you wish, Your Majesty. When shall we be departing?”

“I assume Tav here needs some time to prepare their case. We shall permit them a day to do so. On the morrow, you shall follow after them to...?”

“Oh, uh, Daylight Prairie, Your Majesty.”

“Daylight Prairie. I can see why you chose to do your research there.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Tav said, bowing deeply before leaving with their escorts.

When they were gone, Resh unleashed the full force of their glare at Alef, folding their arms before their chest.

“What are you plotting?”

“Why, nothing! Simply giving you the rest you deserve,” they said, rising from the throne. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I do believe there is paperwork with my name on it. Don't be late for the boat tomorrow, Resh. It would reflect poorly on Us.”

With that, they waved and left, shrinking back down to a more manageable size as they went. Resh watched them go, scowling and boring holes into the back of their head.

Then he sighed and returned to the royal quarters to rest and prepare appropriate clothing for this farce.

Alef would pay for this.

-<◇>-

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

[nobody-knose--archive]

8 & 11 for the fic ask game!!

i have two (general) types of ocs. the first type (song type) 's development goes like this:

1. i listen to a song and think "hey there's sort of a plot or personality in here" 2. i try to piece together the plot and/or personality behind it into something more cohesive. this is when a character usually emerges, to either interact with the world or be represented by the song. 3. now there's a character. it either surpasses the limits of the song & starts doing its own thing in a world of my own creation or doesn't.

type two (self-insert) goes as follows:

1. i encounter some media i like (kingdom hearts, fire emblem, persona, etc) and think to myself "god there's so many things i wish i could tell these characters/ways i wish i could interact with the world/aspects of the lore i'd like to explore/etc" 2. i create a self-insert character to do exactly that (i. e. character is effectively part of the main cast, can interact with those characters; character ends up in an environment with possibilities not explored in the canon text; etc) 3. i decide this character needs a bit of backstory, further development, a more self-contained storyline, etc, and start kinda writing that. 4. this emerging plotline lives rent free in my head for weeks, months, years. depends, really. anyway they're developed now & probably don't have any more resemblance to me other than in base appearance.

based on that whole spiel i think the first easy answer to the next question is just. my least-developed self insert oc, which would probably be some nameless person from fire emblem or pokemon or something if it weren't for the fact that those ocs probably represent my 13-10 year old self better than my current one. the most recent self insert i've devised is fog but that feels like even more of a cop-out. hm. i should also say that i don't think i see my ocs (or myself i guess) on clear enough terms to decide what about them makes them like or unlike myself. my answers are kaguya, my persona oc, and steven from standing tally.

[momowho34]

Ever wondered whats actually in the Old Testament? Well that’s the only testament my religion has! Heres a summary of the Tanakh (old testament) from a jewish lens. I’ve read a lot of these books because I have nothing better to do so I mostly know what I’m talking about. Come on down to Judiasm, we have

The Big Five

The Book of Bereshit (Genesis): the world gets made then flooded and uh oh family drama fuck don’t get more then one wife these people need family therapy oh god oh no

The Book of Sh’mot (Exodus): pssst hey kid, want some freedom??? Wanna fucking starve and die in the desert??? Hey kid, wanna be free to suffer and die???? Or stay where you are as a slave and die a little more every day???? Also leprosy bad don’t do it be nice and have more babies lots of babies the population is at like 17 people right now-

The Book of Vayikrah (Leviticus) we’re going to the promised land I swear, part 1, also learning how to have your own agency as a human being and how to live as a good person now that you’re free. Also hygiene. Remember to bathe you fucks. Basically, the people ask god for laws, and oh boy, does he deliver.

The Book of Bamidbar (Numbers): we’re going to the promised land I swear, part 2, with more rules this time! Soooo many rules. Like too many. Like so many, mostly of the “don’t steal Sherman’s cow even if you really really want it because god keeps a tally of that shit and it’s really not good for your long term health”

The Book of Shevarim (Deuteronomy): more rules, repeat of everything god said, it’s a little doom and gloom, but hey, we finally made it to the fucking promised land! It should be a peice of cake from here on out!

The Interesting But Far Less Impactful Ones

The Book of Yoshua (Joshua): well... we finally made it. Things have gone... alright.... so far, I bet things are gonna be just fine.

The Book of Shoftim (Judges): things get legendarily worse. There are dismembered limbs everywhere. Ain’t pretty. Israel change leaders like a girl changes clothes, and these leaders are (including but not limited to): stabby-stabby left handed guy, a Woman [gasp], whatever the fuck Gideon was supposed to be, basically a pirate whose mom is a prostitute, and mr. strong man don’t cut his hair. Seriously.

The Book of Shmuel 1 and 2 (Samuel I-II): look just... shit goes down. Saul is a shit king so the random ass peasant child David becomes the king of Israel and is a hilarious disaster of a man. A lot of civil wars. A lot of David being a dramatic bitch. These are my favorite books I kind of cried in the beginning when Jonathan died. Hijinks ensue. Things go... okay for a while.

The Book of Malachim 1 and 2 (Kings I and II): Oho boy. David’s son Solomon becomes king, he builds the temple, he’s a fine king until he’s not, Judah splits off from the other tribes and becomes their own kingdom, Elijah gets really tired of babysitting all of these kings all the time, it’s a nebulous time period.

The Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Zachariah and Malachi: okay, this is... a lot. Most of these books are various essays made by prophets trying to convince people to stop doing whatever sin was prevalent at their time. A lot of it’s boring and not really relevant anymore. Except for Habbakuk, Habbakuk tries to have a fist fight with god, god answers his questions, he leaves satisfied. I think the temple gets ganked at some point and the Israelites get massacred so hard only Judah’s tribe, Benjamin’s tribe, and bits of Levi survive and everyone else faces exile. Anyway that’s booooring let’s move on

End of the Story (Last Section Part 1)

[imma start with some of the later books because they’re relevant to the earlier books and closure is important]

The Book of Daniel: Local Man is almost killed in every way you can think of but god protects him and he pursues his dream... of becoming a Persian bureaucrat. Not kidding.

The Book of Ezra: they return to the land! They rebuild the temple!! The Jews are sort of kind of a thing again!!!

The Book of Nehemiah: except Jerusalem is a wasteland and a perfect target for bandits so Nehemiah has the genius idea of building a wall around the city so awesome and cool that no one will ever mess with them again. Nehemiah is really good because it’s about healing and connection and redemption and all that good shit. Broken people trying to put their lives back together by connecting to their past. Makes me fucking cry damn it-

Miscellaneous (Last Section Part 2)

Lamentations: Jerusalem is fucked. It’s bad. Everything is bad. Again. Oh well. Better luck next time.

Esther: the Jewish queen of Persia manages to outsmart an evil guy who wants to kill her people yayyyyy

Ecclesiastes: its just a philosophy book with a disembodied narrator who was probably Solomon.

Psalms: David is extra and he wants you to know it so he wrote 150 verses of praise to god cause he felt like it

Proverbs: Solomon wants everyone to be good people, the usual.

Song of Songs: okay listen, this is basically a love poem supposedly written by Solomon, and it is like... really horny and genuinely kinda sweet at times. Weird book, don’t know why it’s here

Ruth: a converted immigrant widow follows her mother in law into Israel and marries a pretty cool guy named Boaz. That’s it.

[keplercryptids]

i'll take the following numbers for all three of them if you feel like it :D 1, 5, 8, 19, 22, 25, 38, 64 and 67

god okay, i couldn’t shut up! it ended up being so long! so i’ll put this under a readmore lmaooo. look, i love my kids, okay, and i wanna talk about them. (i also skipped ones others have asked fyi!)

1. why did they choose their class(es)? their subclass(es)?

had suri remained on the path she was supposed to stay on, she definitely would have become a wizard like her sister. but she left, traveled, and trained to become a monk of the nameless order (a homebrewed subclass). i think suri feels like the class and subclass chose her. she wanted a purpose that wasn't "you have a divine right to rule over people." becoming a monk and priest of the unnamed thirteenth gave her that.

z'ress was born a rogue. being raised as a pirate, he should have the swashbuckler subclass (and possibly he did at one point). but he chose to be a thief. that's his identity ever since leaving home and it was important narratively for him to have that subclass specifically! he multiclasses as a paladin these days and on a meta level it was so he could better buff the party lol. but narratively it makes sense too, as he is very much a person who cares about oaths, and being a priest of the unnamed thirteenth himself now, he deserves some god powers, you know?

mahety was literally born a storyteller. bard is absolutely the only option for her. she lives and breathes stories.

8. what are three songs that suit them?

omg okay I'll do one song for each (but yes i have full playlists for each of them lmao). suri: kingdom fall by claire wyndham. z’ress: the truth is a cave by the oh hellos. mahety: superbloom by misterwives.

19. what haunts them? what doesn’t?

ooooof. suri is haunted by her sister and niece. specifically, the fact that she absconded from the throne, making it so ohestra had to become emperor, and now cenora has to be a princess. the most important thing suri did in her life is also the most selfish thing she's ever done and i don't know if she'll ever move past that.

z'ress is haunted by his brother, obviously. tallis's presence in his life had healed a lot of wounds about his past. like, z'ress was a good older brother! therefore, they must be good. if tallis saw them as good, it was true. if they could keep tallis safe and healthy, they were doing the right thing. tallis's death flipped all that for them, made them unsure, and also made them less sure that, with the past they have, they can ever do enough good to make up for it. it's. a lot! they're dealing with it.

22. what is a promise they’ve broken?

I've answered this for z'ress already, so I'll answer it for just suri. suri mostly keeps her promises, but she breaks them when it comes to things she's promised her niece in particular. suri isn't really able to be an aunt to cenora the way she'd like. so there's a lot of "I'll see you for the solstice" promises she ends up breaking.

25. what stories do they like to tell? what stories do they like to hear?

I'll answer this just for mahety because it's the most relevant! god, her whole thing is stories. it's the source of her magic, it's the source of herself. she not only uses her own stories for arcane power, but the stories she hears, too. she loves talking about her family, her village, her adventures ever since leaving, all the different kinds of things she’s done and people she’s met. i think mahety loves hearing about people’s lives, you know? she’s very much the type to sit down and be like, “okay, tell me your life story.” she loves knowing where people have come from and where they’re going.

64. do they value mercy or justice more?

i answered this for mahety (mercy). both suri and z’ress value justice. again, this is a hard question for me because mercy and justice are inseparable, if you ask me! z’ress and suri are both very merciful, it’s part of their whole deal. but i think they lean more towards justice if forced to view it on a scale, lol.

67. what makes them laugh?

mahety finds humor in most things, tbh. z’ress has a teasing sense of humor so that kind of back and forth probably makes them laugh the most. nobody is funnier to suri than her niece, that kid is a comedian as far as she’s concerned.

[christian-perspectives]

The Importance Of Forgiveness

Peter asked Jesus a question about forgiving others. After specifically answering Peter’s question, the Lord ended by sharing a parable concerning the importance of forgiveness. Our verse for today concludes a story Jesus told about an unforgiving debtor. After we read it, we’ll look at how the conversation began with Peter’s question. Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. Matthew 18:34 Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?” Then, he decided to answer his own question with what he thought was a very generous number. Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22 So the Lord multiplied Peter’s number by seventy. Jesus wasn’t really telling him to count up to 490 times and then quit. No! He meant for him to just keep forgiving the person.

Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor

In His story, the Lord compared the Kingdom of Heaven to an earthly king. This king decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. When he tallied the accounts, one of his debtors owed him millions. The king decided to take action against the man when he couldn’t pay his debt.  He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. Matthew 18:25 The man with the huge debt fell down before his master and begged him. He asked him to give him some more time to pay it. In response, the king said the following. Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. Matthew 18:27 He forgave him of a debt of millions of dollars! I’m sure that man left the king with his head up high and as happy as could be. As the story continued, though, he didn’t learn anything from it. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. Matthew 18:28 His fellow servant reacted in the same manner as he did. He fell down before him, begging him for more time with a promise to pay him. But the first man wouldn’t yield to his plea. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. Matthew 18:30

The Man Learned About the Importance of Forgiveness

The man forgiven of his million-dollar debt learned nothing about the importance of forgiveness. And when others saw what he did to his fellow servant, they reported it to the king. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Matthew 18:32 Because this man didn’t understand the importance of forgiving someone else, the king revoked his forgiveness. This brings us back to our verse for today. Take a closer look at the message in that verse. The king didn’t send him for rehabilitation to release him when he learned his lesson. No! He sent him to be tortured until he repaid his entire debt. How could anyone work off a debt when continually subjected to torture? Jesus then applied this story to every Christian. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart. Matthew 18:35 Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ll never forgive that person?” Hopefully, you don’t have feelings like that because those who feel that way don’t know the importance of forgiveness.

The Lord's Prayer and the Importance of Forgiveness

In Matthew 6, the Lord taught His disciples how to pray. We call it the Lord’s prayer. We know it by heart and offer it to God word for word. It basically has five components. - Worship our Father in Heaven, - That our Father’s will be done - Supply us with our needs - Forgive us our sins as we forgive others - Protect us from the temptation of the evil one. But do you know which component Jesus taught about immediately after teaching them that prayer? He expounded on the importance of forgiveness. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 A few years ago, I sat at the bedside of a man close to going into eternity. As far as I knew, he was ready to meet Jesus. But he asked me how he could be sure he would go to heaven. My answer consisted of two questions. First, I said, you have asked Jesus to forgive you, and you are saved, correct? He said yes. Then I asked, are you harboring any unforgiveness towards anyone? I didn’t expect an answer from him. But I suggested that he pray and ask God to help him to search his heart.

Forgive Like Jesus Forgave

Jesus made it quite clear about the importance of forgiveness. He has offered forgiveness to all who call upon His name. A songwriter captured His teaching with the following words. He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away . . .  Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay. Do you want the Father to forgive you? Then call on Jesus and don’t harbor unforgiveness towards anybody. In other words, forgive others the same way the Lord has forgiven you. Lord, help us to understand the importance of forgiveness. Sometimes, we get hurt pretty bad, but we have done hurtful things to you, and you’ve always forgiven us. Check out these other posts related to forgiveness - What's The Best Way To Seek Forgiveness Of Sin? - Seek Forgiveness Of Sins Through Prayer - Will God Forgive Me If I Keep Sinning? - If We Confess Our Sins Read the full article

[rpgchoices]

I keep seeing your list of games with m/m options pop up, which is seriously awesome! Thank you! I’m definitely going to try some of those titles out right away, since I’ve never heard of them and they seem right up my alley. Do you possibly have a similar list for f/f games anywhere, too? Either way, thanks again for writing that out. Looking forward to some happy gayming, hehe :)

Absolutely!! I actually started with the wlw games for femslash february! Here's in three parts:

PART 1 + PART 2  + PART 3

(In general I use the tag useless recs for any specific lists!)

for a more succinct list of games that have wlw romances (and if you don’t want to be submerged by the gifs and pics in those three parts links), here it is:(I added a * for the games I played, so if you have any specific questions about those ones I can answer).

Also if you want more information, just check the tag what to expect and look for the title game! MEDIEVAL FANTASY RPGS

Dragon Age: Origins* = isometric fantasy rpg, the first in the series. As a female warden you can romance Leliana. If you start as noble human you can also have a fling with a woman in the prologue story.

Dragon Age 2*= second in the series, action fantasy rpg. You can romance Isabela or Merrill. In the dlc you can flirt with Tallis.

Dragon Age: Inquisition* = classic action rpg, fantasy. As a woman you can romance Sera (who is lesbian), or Josephine (biromantic, probably ace!). You can also flirt with Lace Harding.

Pathfinder Kingmaker* = fantasy isometric rpg. As a female character you can end up in the ultimate (but hard to get without a guide) Nyrissa romance, or you can romance other female companions: Kalikke, Kanerah, Octavia. Small warning, it’s easy to romance Kalikke, if you want to romance Kanerah I think you might have to start from a Kalikke romance. You can end up with both Kalikke and Kanerah. If you decide to romance Octavia, you’ll have to break up Octavia and Regongar, otherwise you can have a threeway relationship with both (but Reg is male).

Baldur’s Gate 1.5 Siege of Dragonspear* = isometric DnD fantasy rpg, sequel of BG1. As a female bhaalspawn you can romance Corwin (but the romance does not continue in BG2).

Baldur’s Gate 2* = fantasy DnD isometric rpg, sequel to BG1 and Dragonspear. As a wlw bhaalspawn you can romance Hexxat (mild warning: she is a evil character, so you might want to do an evil/neutral playthrough).

Divinity Original Sin 2* = isometric fantasy rpg (it’s here but is it really medieval? I am not sure). You can play as Lohse or Sebille, or you can start a new character. You can romance any of your companions, the female ones are Lohse and Sebille. (ex. if you play as Sebille you can romance Lohse). No need to play the first game. 

Divinity Original Sin 1* = not exactly romance in sort of medieval fantasy rpg. You play as two characters, they have minimal interactions, and at the end you can get the lovers ending.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen = In this fantasy rpg you can play as any gender and you will have interactions with different characters. Some of these npcs can become your beloved at the end.

Knight Bewitched* = small fantasy pixel rpg inspired by Jrpgs. You play as a female knight, Ruth. The story is linear, so Ruth will necessarily end up in a romance with Gwen.

Skyrim’s mod Enderal = this is a whole big mod for Skyrim with its own storylines and characters. In this mod you can romance Calia.

Sorcery!* = not exactly a romance, but if you play as female character or male has no influence on a female seer falling in love with you in game 3. If you play as male and have the Y’Bran god, you can turn into female for a night and have a fling with a pirate lady in game 4.

Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura* = not a full romance, but you can sort of have a thing with Raven (female elf) independently from your gender.

HISTORICAL (age of sail, renaissance, not exactly medieval) FANTASY RPG

Pillars of Eternity Deadfire* = continuing Pillars of Eternity, fantasy isometric rpg, more renaissance than medieval. As a female character you can romance Maia or Xoti (or you can match make them together!)

Jade Empire* = rpg set in a supernatural fantasy version of imperial Silk Fox is the female option for both female and male protagonists.

Pendula Swing* = adventure rpg, isometric, fantasy in the 1920s. You play as bisexual lady dwarf Bryalinne. Your wife is dead, so you are a widow. You will leave your house to find who stole your magic axe and in the city you can romance two female characters: Marla Lee, elf policewoman, or Joanna West, human adventurer.

Greedfall = in this new age-of-sail(?) turned fantasy rpg you can play as both male and female, and as a female protagonist you can romance Siora.

NON FANTASY RPGS 

Always Sometimes Monsters* = you play as female or male, and you select the gender of your partner. It’s a love story, with time and money management.

Expedition: Vikings* = historical viking isometric rpg. The female option for female playes is Roskva, the witch companion. 

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey = This game needs no introduction! You can play as Kassandra and romance ladies and women all around Greece. The romances are mostly romantic encounters, not really full Bioware romances.

Mass Effect (trilogy)* = Action rpg in space. As a female Shepard you can romance Liara, Samara or Morinth (Samara and Morinth don’t have full romances) who are all part of a female coded alien species, or the human Kelly, Samantha or Diana. Liara is the only romance that can be started in game 1.

Mass Effect: Andromeda = in this space rpg you can play as Sara and you can romance some of your female companions: Suvi, Vetra, Pelessaria or Keri.

Knights of the Old Republic = a Star Wars rpg that lets the female players romance Juhani.

Fallout 4 = the post apocalyptic rpg. As a female character you can romance Piper and Cait.

Life is Strange = in this adventure videogame you play as Max, a girl who has suddenly found herself with superpowers. Max and Chloe are main characters in the videogame, and they can end up together.

MEDIEVAL/HISTORICAL DATING SIMS

Arcana = money grabber phone game, do not buy anything with real money please. You can romance Portia or Nadia.

When the Night Comes = fantasy detective visual novel story with dating sim. You can play as female and there is one female romance option.

MODERN FANTASY DATING SIMS

Monster Prom* = Your gender has no influence in the game. The game doesn’t really have romance, it’s mostly you attending a modern monsters school and trying to get a date for the prom. Dating sim. Female possible dates are Vera, Miranda, Polly, the shop seller or The Hero.

Salting the Earth* = lesbian dating sim, modern fantasy with orcs and nymphs. You play as Roo, a nymphs, joining a chief/cooking team in a building mostly inhabited by orcs. Two romantic pathways in the game, both lady orcs.

FUTURE GAMES

We know that Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous will have some wlw romance options (for now Camellia is confirmed as a romance option and she will probably be wlw), The Waylanders has also been confirmed to have same gendered romances, same for the dating sim Errant Kingdom.  Knowing DOS2, there are also changes that BG3 might have some wlw options!

[newstfionline]

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Rash of mass shootings stirs US fears heading into summer (AP) Two people were killed and at least 30 others wounded in mass shootings overnight in three states, authorities said Saturday, stoking concerns that a spike in U.S. gun violence could continue into summer as coronavirus restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize. The attacks took place late Friday or early Saturday in the Texas capital of Austin, Chicago and Savannah, Georgia. In Austin, authorities said they arrested one of two male suspects and were searching for the other after a shooting early Saturday on a crowded pedestrian-only street packed with bars and restaurants. Fourteen people were wounded, including two critically, in the gunfire, which the city’s interim police chief said is believed to have started as a dispute between two parties. In Chicago, a woman was killed and nine other people were wounded when two men opened fire on a group standing on a sidewalk in the Chatham neighborhood on the city’s South Side. In the south Georgia city of Savannah, police said one man was killed and seven other people were wounded in a mass shooting Friday evening.

Summer camps return but with fewer campers and counselors (AP) Overnight summer camps will be allowed in all 50 states this season, but COVID-19 rules and a pandemic labor crunch mean that many fewer young campers will attend, and those who do will have to observe coronavirus precautions for the second consecutive year. “Camp might look a little different, but camp is going to look a lot better in 2021 than it did in 2020, when it didn’t happen,” said Matt Norman of Atlanta, who is getting ready to send his 12-year-old daughter to camp. Even though most camps will be open, reduced capacity necessitated by COVID-19 restrictions and the labor shortage will keep numbers well below a normal threshold of about 26 million summer campers, said Tom Rosenberg of the American Camp Association.

Mexico says COVID-19 has affected a fourth of its population (Reuters) About a quarter of Mexico’s 126 million people are estimated to have been infected with the coronavirus, the health ministry said on Friday, far more than the country’s confirmed infections. The 2020 National Health and Nutrition Survey (Ensanut) showed that about 31.1 million people have had the virus, the ministry said in a statement, citing Tonatiuh Barrientos, an official at the National Institute of Public Health. According to Barrientos, not all of the people in the survey’s estimate necessarily showed symptoms. The survey was based on interviews with people at 13,910 households between Aug. 17 and Nov. 14 last year, and confirmed preliminary results released in December.

Peru on edge as electoral board reviews result of disputed presidential election (Guardian) Peru was on a knife-edge on Friday as its electoral board reviewed ballots cast in the presidential election, after a challenge to the tally by the losing candidate Keiko Fujimori. The final tally gave the leftist teacher Pedro Castillo a razor-thin 50.17% to 49.83% advantage over his rightwing rival Fujimori, which amounts to about 60,000 votes. However, the country’s electoral authority has yet to confirm the win, and Fujimori, the scion of a controversial political dynasty, has refused to concede. She alleges fraud, even though national and international observers said the vote was clean, and has called for up to 500,000 votes to be nullified or reexamined, forcing the electoral board to conduct a review of ballots.

For Cornwall, G7 summit brings disruption (AP) Towering steel fences, masses of police, protests on the beach: The Cornish seaside’s turquoise waters and white sandy beaches are looking decidedly less idyllic this week as leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies descend for a summit. U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are arriving for three days of talks starting Friday at the tiny village of Carbis Bay, near St. Ives in Cornwall. The region is a popular holiday destination in the southwestern tip of England. Locals may be used to crowds and traffic jams during the peak summer tourist season, but the disruptions caused by the summit are on another level. A naval frigate dominates the coastline, armed soldiers guard the main sites and some 5,000 extra police officers have been deployed to the area. Authorities have even hired a cruise ship with a capacity of 3,000, moored offshore, to accommodate some of the extra officers. A main road is closed for the whole week, and local train lines and bus services have been shut down. A 3-meter (10-foot) tall metal fence nicknamed the “ring of steel” has been erected around Treganna Castle in Carbis Bay, where world leaders will stay. Security is also tight in the nearby town of Falmouth, the main base for international media covering the summit.

World leaders are in England, but beautiful British beaches have stolen the show (Washington Post) When President Biden shared a photo to Twitter on Thursday of him standing alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and gazing out onto an unspoiled, sandy white beach from the Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, England, the post was supposed to be a tribute to the “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States. But to many, it was the image of the picturesque coast that stood out. It looked somewhat suspicious. Too good to be true. Others questioned the authenticity of the scene, wondering whether it was photoshopped. Although it is true that some of Britain’s beaches have a reputation for pebbles, angry seagulls that steal food from unsuspecting tourists and diapers that float in murky waters, the county of Cornwall boasts some of the country’s best seaside destinations—complete with calm, clear waters that are perfect for swimming in and long stretches of soft sand that attract families from around the world. Carbis Bay is one of several beaches that make up St. Ives Bay, which, according to the Cornwall tourist board, is considered by the “Most Beautiful Bays in the World” organization to be one of the world’s best. The bay is described as being “surrounded by sub-tropical plants and lapped by turquoise waters.”

Ransomware’s suspected Russian roots point to a long detente between the Kremlin and hackers (Washington Post) The ransomware hackers suspected of targeting Colonial Pipeline and other businesses around the world have a strict set of rules. First and foremost: Don’t target Russia or friendly states. It’s even hard-wired into the malware, including coding to prevent hacks on Moscow’s ally Syria, according to cybersecurity experts who have analyzed the malware’s digital fingerprints. They say the reasons appear clear. “In the West you say, ‘Don’t . . . where you eat,’ ” said Dmitry Smilyanets, a former Russia-based hacker who is now an intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company with offices in Washington and other cities around the world. “It’s a red line.” Targeting Russia could mean a knock on the door from state security agents, he said. But attacking Western enterprises is unlikely to trigger a crackdown. The relationship between the Russian government and ransomware criminals allegedly operating from within the country is expected to be a point of tension between President Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin at their planned summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The United States has accused Russia of acting as a haven for hackers by tolerating their activities—as long as they are directed outside the country.

Pandemic relapse spells trouble for India’s middle class (AP) India’s economy was on the cusp of recovery from the first pandemic shock when a new wave of infections swept the country, infecting millions, killing hundreds of thousands and forcing many people to stay home. Cases are now tapering off, but prospects for many Indians are drastically worse as salaried jobs vanish, incomes shrink and inequality is rising. Decades of progress in alleviating poverty are imperiled, experts say, and getting growth back on track hinges on the fate of the country’s sprawling middle class. It’s a powerful and diverse group ranging from salaried employees to small business owners: many millions of people struggling to hold onto their hard-earned gains. The outbreak of the pandemic triggered the worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s and as it gradually ebbs, many economies are bouncing back. India’s economy contracted 7.3% in the fiscal year that ended in March, worsening from a slump that slashed growth to 4% from 8% in the two years before the pandemic hit. Economists fear there will be no rebound similar to the ones seen in the U.S. and other major economies.

‘Xi Jinping is my spiritual leader’: China’s education drive in Tibet (Reuters) Under clear blue skies, rugged peaks and the spectacular Potala Palace, one image is ubiquitous in Tibet’s capital city Lhasa: portraits of Chinese President Xi Jinping and fellow leaders. China is broadening a political education campaign as it celebrates the 70th anniversary of its control over Tibet. Civilians and religious figures who the government arranged to be interviewed on the five-day trip pledged loyalty to the Communist Party and Xi. Asked who his spiritual leader was, a monk at Lhasa’s historic Jokhang temple named Xi. “I’m not drunk ... I speak freely to you,” said the monk named Lhakpa, speaking from a courtyard overlooked by security cameras and government observers. “The posters [of Xi] coincide with a massive political education programme which is called ‘feeling gratitude to the party’ education,” said Robert Barnett, a Tibetan studies veteran scholar at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

Long overlooked, Israel’s Arab citizens are increasingly asserting their Palestinian identity (Washington Post) Growing up in an Arab village in northern Israel in the 1990s, Mahmoud Abo Arisheh was sure of at least two things: He was Israeli, and he was not allowed to talk politics. “Be careful, or the Shin Bet will get you,” his parents told him, referring to Israel’s domestic security service. Decades later, much has changed: Abo Arisheh is a lawyer, a poet and a theater director in Jaffa. He attends protests and talks politics freely—in Arabic, Hebrew and English. And while his citizenship may remain Israeli, the identity most dear to him is that of a Palestinian. “I didn’t know anything about being Palestinian,” said the 32-year-old, “but then I opened my eyes.” And now, it seems, so are many others. In just the past month, Palestinian citizens of Israel—also known as Israeli Arabs—have risen up in mass, nationwide demonstrations to protest Israeli evictions and police raids. They have been arrested by the hundreds following some of the worst communal violence between Arabs and Jews in Israel’s post-independence history. For a community that is often overlooked despite numbering nearly 2 million people—or about 20 percent of the Israeli population—these are momentous days indeed.

Nigerian police fire tear gas to break up protests over rising insecurity (Reuters) Police fired tear gas and detained several demonstrators in the Nigerian cities of Lagos and Abuja on Saturday during protests over the country’s worsening security situation, Reuters witnesses said. Anger over mass kidnappings-for-ransom, a decade-long Islamist insurgency and a crackdown on protesters in Lagos last October has fueled demands for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to do more to tackle violence and insecurity. Reuters witnesses in Lagos and Abuja saw police shooting their guns into the air and firing tear gas into the crowds to disperse the demonstrators, who held placards and chanted “Buhari must go”. Officers were also seen smashing mobile phones confiscated from protesters, who also denounced the country’s 33.3% unemployment rate.