#neither of them communicating because. like.

[meddow]

I'm going to post exactly the same thing I did last time this popped up on my dash because still no sources cited.

Addressing the main point, here���s an actual source:

Today, agaves are important resources, cultivated by farmers and harvested by rural communities to make products like tequila, mezcal, bacanora, agua miel, pulque, and agave syrup. The leaves, stalks, and rosettes of agaves are also used to make rope, paper, fabric, soap, and to feed livestock. Plus, agave plants have extending root systems which help stabilize soil and control erosion. Alarmingly, extensive land-use changes, livestock grazing, drought, and other pressures are threatening agaves and the ecosystems that depend on them.

Source: Bat Conservation International

It seems there's many complex issues at play when it comes to the conservation of agave and it's not solely the production of agave syrup causing problems.

I'll also point out that agave syrup is not only purchased by vegans.

From a market analysis:

The demand for agave syrup is projected to grow in the forthcoming years, due to increasing incidences of diabetes, obesity, and other cardiovascular diseases. Increased prevalence of the aforementioned diseases is encouraging people to consume natural ingredients, such as agave syrup and products made with them, in place of sugar and other conventional sweeteners.

Source: Fortune Business Insights

lt appears agave syrup is seen by consumers and marketed as a health food/sugar alternative rather than a product purely for vegans.

And as a vegan for five years I've neither purchased agave syrup or honey. If I need to sweeten something I use sugar or maple syrup. There are more options out there than just agave syrup and honey.

Vegans of tumblr, listen up. Harvesting agave in the quantities required so you dont have to eat honey is killing mexican long-nosed bats. They feed off the nectar and pollinate the plants. They need the agave. You want to help the environment? Go back to honey. Your liver and thyroid will thank you, as well. Agave is 90% fructose, which can cause a host of issues. Bye.

[casscainmainly]

A Deep Dive Into Why Cass Threw Dick Out A Window

If you've been here long enough you've probably seen or heard of this moment, which is super hilarious and iconic. It's mostly discussed in reference to Dick and Cass' relationship. However, in my opinion Cass throwing Dick out a window had very little to do with her opinion of him, or even of Barbara; it has more to do with her understanding of romance and love. I briefly touched on this in my gender/sexuality post, but I'm going to explain more in depth my interpretation of how Dick functions in Batgirl (2000) as a whole. (This moment is very open to interpretation though, this is just my opinion!). So let's try to answer Dick's question: what was that all about?

Love, Language, and DickBabs

While Puckett's run is notable for not having Cass date anyone, romantic love does play a role in Cass' early understanding of the world. It's the impetus that spurs her to write: in issue 2, she sees a wife read a letter from her deceased husband, and her reaction affects Cass so strongly she immediately starts trying to write. (She also kisses the husband on the cheek earlier, which may or may not be a crush). Romance, and the ability to communicate your love, is a fundamental part of Cass' desire to learn language.

So we have Cass, who has experienced neither love nor language, living with Babs, who's in a relationship with Dick. This telephone conversation in #4 (the issue where a metahuman changes Cass' brain into understanding language) again links romance to communication. Dick and Babs are talking on the phone, unable to see each other but understanding each other perfectly; Cass and Babs, on the other hand, live together and can't understand each other at all.

"She can't talk, so it's not all that different [to living alone]." Babs is telling an eavesdropping Cass that her inability to speak prevents her from love and connection - a love and connection symbolised by one of the first romantic relationships Cass is consistently around, Dick and Barbara.

Dick as an Ideal

There's a debate whether Cass likes Dick or not because half the time they're friendly, and half the time she's punching him or throwing him out windows. This disparity makes sense if you consider that Cass strongly associates DickBabs with communication, understanding, love - very idealised notions - but she does not associate Dick as a person with them. Her interactions with Dick (sans Babs) are cute and normal - Batgirl #29 and Nightwing #81 feature some very adorable Dick-Cass moments, with no real tension whatsoever.

It's only when Cass sees Dick in a romantic light (as in associated with Babs) that she makes him into a symbol.

Cass often tries to copy Babs, thinking it's the 'correct' thing to do - in DC First: Batgirl/Joker, she goes after Joker because that's what Barbara did; later in Horrocks' run she'll wear Barbara's outfit. In a way, Cass' affairs with Tai'Darshan and Kon - as much as I do think Tai'Darshan was genuine attraction - is another way to 'copy' Barbara. In #42, Cass stares at a picture of Dick and Babs while asking if Babs likes boys. Obviously Cass knows the answer is yes, but see what she asks next, and how Barbara responds:

She shifts from 'like' to 'love', and Babs responds that she 'care[s]' about him. For Cass, whose arc in Horrocks' run is about parsing out the nuances of attraction, understanding the difference between like, love, and care is incredibly difficult. She struggles to separate familial from romantic (Bruce in #50) or romantic from platonic (Kon, and in somewhat the reverse way Steph). In this conversation, Cass comes to associate Dick with like, love, and care - DickBabs becomes not just a symbol of romantic love, but of any connection whatsoever.

The Old Costume

I've discussed elsewhere that Cass wearing Babs' old costume in #45 is a representation of her desire to be 'girly', and how she associates girlhood with someone other than herself, discarding her own costume for Babs'. But putting on a costume is not the only prerequisite for being a 'girl'. In Babs' speech to Cass, she emphasises being sexually attractive to men, with her final comment being about this "particular look Dick used to give [her]". For Cass, visual language is incredibly important; putting on Babs' costume is not about being or feeling like a girl, but about being perceived as one. Dick is symbolic of the perceiver: the one who can essentially 'grant' women their femininity.

But Cass is disgusted when Tim calls her hot, which adds to her confusion - why should Dick being attracted to Babs make Babs happy, but Tim (who's not a sibling at this time) perceiving her like that grosses her out? Cass' inability to feel good - to feel 'feminine' - through the male gaze is another sign, to her, of her failure to be a woman.

Which finally brings us to issue 46...

That Ableist Kon Comment

Cass finds out Dick breaks Babs' heart and then starts hallucinating on a drug. One of the things she hallucinates is Kon saying "who wants to date a cripple? Ain't that right, Nightwing?" and Nightwing responding "not me--at least, not anymore."

For the first time, we get to the heart of why DickBabs mattered to Cass: it was an example of a disabled person in a loving, romantic relationship. It goes back to that phone call in #4, where Babs implies that Cass is hard to care about because she can't speak. The Kon comment suggests Cass has carried that with her all this time, trying to find proof that she can be loved, no matter her disability. DickBabs showed her it could be done - the break-up shows her now that it can't be done.

Dick's hallucination mocks her disability: "look at her--she can't even read!" Attributing this mockery to Dick (whose real-life counterpart, unlike the other hallucinations, has never said anything remotely like this) shows that this 'Dick-as-ideal' is intrinsically tied to Cass' self-worth.

Honestly this whole post stemmed from me thinking about this one panel. There is no real reason, from Cass' view of Dick as a person, for her to think he's brave and noble and kind (more so than anyone else). But it's in the DickBabs context - that Dick seemed to love, wholeheartedly, a disabled woman - that makes Cass think this way. And now that DickBabs is broken up, it shows that she, too, is rotten to the core; that someone like her cannot be loved.

And so when Dick shows up, she throws him out the window.

Conclusion

In this moment, Cass isn't just reacting to Dick breaking up with Barbara, she's reacting to what it means to her. If Dick can't stay with Barbara, then that means Cass, as another disabled woman, is also unable to be loved. This all leads up to #50, which features another Cass punch to Dick's face, but more importantly is when Bruce and Cass reconcile through Cass' first language. It's a confirmation that though her verbal skills may not be fully developed, she still can communicate, and she can love and be loved.

I don't think a lot of the ideas I touched on here are fully developed, or conclude cleanly. For example, how does Cass' 'failure' to be a woman relate to her inability to be loved? Is she able to have a stable romantic relationship? There are lots more questions, but the role Dick specifically plays in Cass' understanding of romance is probably not going to develop further. I just think it's interesting how Horrocks uses the Dick-Babs relationship to explore Cass' identity.

[episodes-without-incident]

Drawfee Bits Wrapped (2024)

Cats (2019)

Episodes referenced: 13 (15.29%)

Episodes not referenced: 72 (84.71%)

This is a 0.40% increase from 2023, meaning the years were nearly equal in percentage.

First reference: January 11

Last reference: November 21

Longest streak of no references: 22 episodes (July 4–November 14)

Shortest streak of no references: 0 episodes (Referenced in the March 12 and 14, April 18 and 23, and November 14 and 21 episodes. They grouped them this year!)

Cascada (2005)

Episodes referenced: 8 (9.41%)

Episodes not referenced: 77 (90.59%)

It's hard to compare these numbers since Cascada counting only began partway through last year, when the bit was near its peak. References are definitely much lower in this year's time period (9% compared to 22%).

First reference: January 2

Last reference: November 7

Longest streak of no references: 22 episodes (February 13–April 30)

Shortest streak of no references: 0 episodes (Referenced in both the January 2 and 4 episodes)

Combined statistics.

Episodes where both were referenced: 2 (2.35%) (February 13 and July 4)

Episodes where only one was referenced: 17 (20.00%)

Episodes where neither was referenced: 66 (77.65%)

It's again hard to compare because of different timeframes, but comparing this year to the last five months of last year, there was an overall decrease in references.

Conclusion

We broke both records of no references this year (bringing both to 22 episodes without incident). I was starting to wonder if I would have to change things up! But as always, the bits came back around, and I bet they're here to stay.

And though I've had my suspicions before, this blog was officially interacted with by the creators for the first time this year, when David liked my post challenging them to a fist fight. Fun times! Also, scary. Get off my lawn.

And, well, I'm as grateful for Drawfee and this community as ever! Thank you all for coming along! You can check my pinned for the full spreadsheets and charts.

[gyaruhana]

Can u please write wlw smut for my glorious queen se-mi player 380

Se-mi/Player 380 - hatefucking

Synopsis: You and Se-mi can't stand each other so what better way to deal with that issue then fight for dominance?

A/N: i did combine this with another request for hatesex bc they both were wuh luh wuh so.. hope you don't mind!!

Warnings: smut content, choking, degradation, slight fight for dominance, fingering, it's hatesex..

If there was one thing you avoided, it was arguments. You preferred to avoid making enemies because; what was the point? It was far better to make friends than enemies who’d plot your death on the daily. Friends would be there to make you happy and comfort you when you're sad. Enemies would just laugh at you and pull you further down into the depths of sadness. That's why you always opted for only making friends and allies.

The only exception to this little rule was her. Se-mi.

Se-mi had been getting on your nerves from the moment you had both spared a glance at each other. There was something about her that reeked of over-confidence and judgement. The way she would look at you with that smirk on her face as if she thought she was better than you. It pisses you the fuck off and all you wanted to do was punch her face in so she could never smirk or scoff at you again.

Whether it was for good or bad, Se-mi felt the same way. You were always so nice to everyone, even to those who didn't deserve kindness whatsoever. It pissed her off that you'd try to be friends with everyone. Were you naive or just plain stupid? Whatever it was, she didn't like it. You were so happy-go-lucky as if you weren't trapped in this hell hole where people are being killed left and right. She didn't trust you at all because you seemed like the type who'd willingly stab someone in the back sooner or later.

In short, the feeling of hate was mutual between you two and, everytime you were near each other, there was a silent tension of unspoken dislike. Neither of you had actually communicated your dislike through speech, it was all just glares from across the room and the purposeful avoidance of each other.

Today, you unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to avoid each other like you two usually opted to do.

It was the third game and it was called ‘Mingle’. It wasn't a difficult game as long as you weren't one to crack under the pressure of a short time limit. All you had to do was form a group of whatever number was called out and then run into a room with them. The first four rounds went well for you since you were friends with practically everyone here and could always find a group to join.

When the fifth round came, the number two was called and chaos broke out quite quickly as people realized not everyone will be fortunate enough to get a room. As chaos broke out and lights flashed, you found it rather difficult to see who was on their lonesome and needed a pair. Luckily for you, you managed to spot the tall silhouette of someone who was on their own so you ran towards them and grabbed a hold of their wrist, dragging them into one of the last free rooms. You quickly shut it behind you as you let out a relieved sigh - glad you managed to find someone before it was too late.  

When you turned around, you were met with the unimpressed face of Se-mi. You almost let out a groan of annoyance at the sight of her. Maybe you should go back out there and just get shot. At least then she'd die as well and you could rest peacefully knowing she'd never plague anyone with her ugly personality again. 

“I'm not happy to see you either,” she says as she folds her arms across her chest and leans against the wall behind her. You let out a scoff of annoyance as the doors finally locked indicating the timer was up. Considering you'd probably be trapped in this room for a while until they clear out the bodies, maybe now would be a good time to confront her about her behavior.

“What's your problem? You're always such an asshole to me,” you say as you step closer to her. Your words may have been slightly aggressive but you couldn't help it when she was around. She just naturally got on every nerve in your body. In response to your words, she pushes off the wall and uncrosses her arms to step closer to you.

“My problem? You're the one with the problem,” Se-mi spoke as she looked at you with annoyance. The audacity you had to call her a bitch as if you were any better. Seeing you like this made her believe all your kindness really was an act for your own personal gain. That only fueled her hatred for you.

“You're the one who's been glaring at me since day one. You're a total fucking dickhead with your arrogant attitude,” you speak as you point an accusatory finger in her face. You were sick of how she'd act and the way she'd judge everyone silently. She needed a wake up call or something so she'd stop standing on her high horse. After all, she glared at you first. What were you supposed to do? Let her treat you like that? Hell no. You might be all for making friends but that doesn't mean you'll back down when someone chooses to be your enemy.

Then suddenly, out of the blue - her hand wrapped around your throat and she pushed you onto the wall. “I'd watch your mouth when you speak to me,” she says with anger bubbling inside her. Calling her arrogant? Who did you think you were? Someone needed to put you in your place.

You were taken aback by the sudden violence before grabbing her wrist tightly and glaring at her. “Or what? What are you going to do about it? Kill me?” you spoke sarcastically. You didn't fear her at all or the hand around your throat. It's not like she'd kill you. She couldn't have the guts to murder someone. You knew her type. Assholes on the outside, total pussies on the inside. They all just made enemies with people they assumed were weak so they could act tough.

She was quiet for a moment as she thought about your words. She couldn't kill you, no. You wouldn't learn anything that way (and she might get in trouble for that). She'd have to take a different approach if she wanted to make you learn a lesson about your bitchy behavior and, thankfully, she knew just how to make someone learn a lesson. She smirked for a moment before nodding her head.

“I won't kill you, no. I'll teach you a lesson,” she spoke before suddenly pressing her lips to yours. Her hand stayed wrapped around your throat, lightly squeezing to serve as a warning. You didn't expect her to kiss you of all things. It left you frozen in shock. Her kiss wasn't gentle either. It was rough as if its purpose was to silence you. There was nothing loving about it and, strangely enough, you found yourself actually being turned on by it. You didn't have feelings for her, no. You hated her but you were stuck in a place like this with no guarantee of a tomorrow so maybe a little hatefuck wouldn't be a terrible idea.

“Fuck, you're a shitty kisser,” you speak when she pulls away. She lets out a bitter chuckle at your words and shakes her head. “Thought I told you to watch your mouth?” She said as her free hand trailed down to the waistband of your pants. Oh, Se-mi was going to make sure you submit and watch your attitude towards her from now on.  “You think I'll listen to you?” You respond snarkily. 

“Oh, you will,” she says, her hand making it to your underwear as she gently traces the fabric of it. She moves her hand beneath the fabric and gently feels your entrance. “You're wet. You're just a whore, huh?” she spoke with a mocking smirk. She found it amusing that you were turned on by something like this. 

You were about to make a quick comment in response when she quickly slid her index finger into you making you let out a moan. God, you didn't expect her to do that so suddenly. She was full of surprises today. You quickly recovered from the initial shock as you noticed the smug look on her face. It drove you insane. If she thought she was teaching you a lesson like this, you'd have to teach her one too.

“Don't think you're in control,” you speak before grabbing the back of her head and pressing your lips to hers. Se-mi would be lying if she said she wasn't a little taken aback by the sudden kiss. She had assumed you'd fold immediately but apparently you were much more of a challenge. She smirked into the kiss before pulling her finger out slowly and then teasingly thrusting it back in. You let out a muffled moan at the feeling as you bring your free hand to the hem of her shirt. You lift it up slightly before putting your hand underneath and slowly trailing it upwards. 

“Might want to try harder to please me. You do a poor job at fingering a girl,” you speak after breaking from the kiss. She shakes her head with the smirk not leaving her face as she starts to thrust her fingers in and out of you quicker. “Oh really? Your body says otherwise,” she says, her hand tightening around your throat once more to serve as a silent warning. 

“I'm not even close to getting to cum. Can't you do any better?” You say as your hand that had earlier slipped under her shirt pinched her nipple. She tensed for a moment as her breath hitched, making you laugh. “What? That sensitive?” You tease and she sends a glare at you. She could try to dominate you as much as she wants but you weren't one to submit so easily.

She suddenly presses her thumb to your clit and starts to rub it roughly. The sensation makes you lean your head back against the wall as you moan. “Seems like you're the sensitive one,” she says as she watches your reactions carefully. As much as you wouldn't ever admit it, she was actually quite good with her fingers. She knew exactly how to move them and get someone to cum quite quickly. 

“if we weren't stuck here, I'd show you how good I could really fuck you,” you speak with a smirk as you look back at her again. “sure you could,” she responds sarcastically as she continues to thrust her fingers at a quick pace. She could tell you were close now as she felt you clench around her fingers.

“You're close, huh?” she says, clearly mocking you. You laugh breathlessly as you shake your head and look to the side. God, she was still such a cocky bitch. You looked at her before pulling on her hair and glaring at her. “When I cum, I'll make you lick your fingers clean, yeah?” you speak and the smirk on her face seems to grow bigger. Fuck, she really didn't think you'd still be acting so dominant. It was actually turning her on more - getting to fight for dominance like this.

With a few more thrusts of her fingers you came undone with a quiet moan. She slowly pulls her fingers out of you and you don't waste a second to grab her hand and pull it out of your pants. “C’mon, suck,” you say as you bring her hand to her mouth, her fingers wet with your cum. She looks at you for a moment before slowly putting her fingers into her mouth and sucking them clean of your cum. She pulls them out of her mouth after a few seconds and, as if on cue, the door unlocked meaning the guards had finished cleaning.

You both looked at the door before looking at each other again. “If you make it out alive of this place, I'll have to fuck you on my dildo next time,” she speaks as she steps back from you. “Looking forward to it- seeing you embarrass yourself, i mean,” you respond before walking out without another word and leaving her alone in the room. She watched you walk out before scoffing.

“She better make it out alive,”

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

Commission info!

I'm just going to give you a few pointers, I love your work. I entirely believe whatever you write I will love but can we please include these loosely. Go mad, change it about but something along these lines...

They have always looked out for each other from day one, she always checked in on him and made sure that he was okay and he did the same for her, they always had each other's back ever since the quarry. I don’t want it to be Daryl not being able to tell her that she loves him and the same for her for him if that makes sense. They both know that they love each other dearly and are fully aware of this but neither one of them likes the intimate stuff, the sex, the making out etc. They’ve shared sleeping arrangements before, cuddled, held hands a couple of times but they have never approached the subject as they were both scared about the thought of it or didn't feel the need to. But since arriving at Alexandria there’s been people flirting with one or the other, or making comments, or odd looks etc and it has been getting under their grill and realised that it really bothered them that they never actually made anything official either marriage or whatever but they can’t communicate about it because they’re both as awkward and as broken as each other and have this self belief that everything they touch just ends up in destruction. They end up on angsty terms and shut off from each other then something happens to either the OC or Daryl to the point of either almost losing them, something sparks between them and they decide that actually they do need to make it ‘official’ and shout it to the world. 

I hope that helps but either way let your creativeness flow my dear, do whatever you would like with it.

I know I’m going to love it <3

Fluffy-Dixon Commission

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Typical TWD violence & gore; allusions to smut

You loved Daryl. Daryl loved you. A sentiment that was never spoken but communicated nonetheless. You didn’t need words with him. It was almost as if you never did. The ability to read one another without speaking came naturally from even as far back as the quarry. Those days didn’t really seem like that long ago anymore, time bending and bleeding together as you struggled to just survive. 

The quarry, the Greene farm, the prison—a natural progression of something unnamed. It didn’t need a title. The two of you just fit. Stolen glances, smiles, and even holding hands while on watch. It just felt right. Given that the touches and gestures were reciprocated every single time without the slightest protest told you that it felt the same to Daryl. 

Eventually, you started sleeping in the same cell. There was nothing beyond holding one another, coaxing the stress from your bodies with simple touches that no amount of sex could ever achieve. No one questioned it, though no one really questioned any form of happiness anymore. It was too fleeting. 

“Today sucked.” You would whisper, nuzzling your cheek against the hollow of his throat. 

“S’over now.” He’d reply, fingertips dancing down your spine. 

It was an unplanned, nameless perfection. 

Carol had jokingly referred to you as an old married couple once, and while you didn’t get angry, it did raise several questions. You began to ponder things that had, until that moment, felt ordinary. You had never compared your relationship with Daryl to that of Glenn and Maggie or Rick and Lori. 

Such an innocent statement had been the birthplace of so many doubts. Should it be something that was made official? Should you talk to him about it? And then the prison fell, your combined grief straining whatever it was the two of you had. Though once you had been reunited with your family, things seemed to return to normal. 

Except the lingering thought that you should be doing more. 

“Don’t know how I feel ‘bout this place.” Daryl was perched on the chair just adjacent to the door of the house you, he, and Carol had been assigned, his legs outstretched for his crossed ankles to rest atop the railing. Whittling away at bolts, he didn’t bother to look up when a long time resident called out a hello. 

“It’s not so bad.” You smiled at your notebook and the run list you were creating. The archer grunted. He didn’t trust it. “It’s hard to get used to, I know, but Rick says—”

“Hey, Y/N.” 

Your gaze slid over to the steps, the one you had come to know as Spencer smiling at you from the walkway. “Oh, uh—hey.” The man had been watching you from the moment your group had arrived, his hungry gaze following you with a piercing intensity that made you a little more than uncomfortable. 

“So, the party is tonight.” He lifted a foot to the first step and you saw Daryl’s knife hand still from the corner of your eye. “I was hoping you would accompany me.” Your eyes blinked wide, dancing between the two men. 

“I—well I wasn’t planning on going.” You laid the pen and paper aside, placing your hands on your thighs. 

“Oh, come on, pretty lady. It’ll be fun.” 

Your eyes flitted over to watch Daryl’s hand tighten around the hilt of his knife. Was he just being protective? Was it something more? The questions you tried so valiantly to ignore rose again to the forefront of your mind. 

“M’a go talk to Rick.” The archer spouted suddenly, dropping his legs and standing. He was down the steps and on the walkway before you could manage to say a word. 

Spencer watched him leave, a visible tension draining from his form. Once Daryl was out of sight, Deanna’s son turned back to you with a smile that made your stomach turn. “So, about that party?”

You glanced over his shoulder to Rick’s front door. What would it hurt? Daryl wasn’t attending and making friends couldn’t be such a bad thing. If Spencer wanted more, you would simply set him straight. 

“Yeah, I guess so, but as friends, okay?”

The look he gave you filled you with instant regret. 

“Friends. Sure.” 

Oh boy. 

The gathering itself was a success, introducing you to some of the community’s residents while you gained a bit more knowledge about the history of Alexandria. It was Spencer’s relentless advances that had ultimately driven you to abandon the party early. You had acquiesced to one dance, yet that had been enough to send the wrong signals. 

“Daryl? Are you home?” You called, awkwardly removing the high heels from your aching feet. Of course they would give you the most uncomfortable shoes known to man. You’d definitely be sticking with your boots from that point forward, fancy dress or not. “Daryl?” Tired and more than socially drained, you wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with your archer and let your stress melt away into the mattress while secure in the safety of his arms. 

It wasn’t meant to be. 

Daryl wasn’t there. It was unlikely he had left the walls. Unlikely but not impossible. So, you shuffled off to change out of the outfit you’d be given and into your familiar attire. By the time he strolled into the house, you had fallen asleep on the couch. 

“Hey.” You croaked, wiping the sleep from your eyes. Daryl glanced your way and offered a jerk of his chin in greeting. “Where’d you go?”

“S’it matter?” He huffed. It almost sounded bitter. 

“I guess not.” You warily watched him move around, the air growing thick with tension. “Just worried, that’s all.” He laughed ruefully, a sure sign that he was ill at ease. “Daryl, are you okay?”

“Dropped by the party earlier.” He cleared his throat. “Didn’t see no reason to stick around.”

Uh oh. 

“Oh.” Why did you feel guilty? Nothing had happened. “You hungry?” You asked, realizing the ridiculousness of the question when there were other obvious pressing matters that needed to be discussed. 

Daryl stopped stripping off his gear to spare you a sidelong glance. “Nah.” That wasn’t what he wanted to say, that much was clear, but he refrained. You felt your heart shift and twist uncomfortably. 

“Daryl, I think we should—”

“M’goin’ to bed.” And then he was gone, loud steps echoing from the basement stairs until they were muted thuds that were followed up by the loud slam of his door. You weren’t welcome in the room that night. 

Wiping angrily at the sudden tears on your cheeks, you cast your gaze to the stairs leading up to the bedrooms, suddenly exhausted. In fact, the thought of trudging up to the extra bed was a feat you weren’t sure you could accomplish. Lowering onto the couch, you sniffled and closed your damp eyes. 

Sleep wouldn’t find you that night. 

“We should—” The words were cut off by a mighty yawn, drawing Daryl’s unwelcome attention. His expression alone spoke volumes. 

“S’the matter with you?”

As if he had to ask. He knew you better than anyone, like the back of his hand. You hadn’t rested, fitfully tossing and turning on the couch the previous night, missing the warmth of his arms and the sounds of his breathing. 

Knowing you couldn’t start a discussion that might lead to foolish mistakes, you heaved a sigh. “I’m fine.” Keeping your eyes downcast, you pushed open the passenger door and climbed out, heading toward the main entrance of the mall. A succession of slamming car doors followed. 

“Y’ain’t fine.” Daryl fell into step with you, pulling his crossbow from his back. His eyes, squinting against the sun, remained glued forward. 

Neither are you, you wanted to say. Still, you pressed onward. “Let’s just get this done and go home.” You chose instead, picking up the pace to leave him behind. Arguing with him wasn’t new by any means, but this—tension, it was new. It was different. It felt much like the stress that passed between the two of you after the prison. The questions, the doubts. 

“Y/N!”

You shook your head when you heard him call. You couldn’t deal with that confrontation at that moment. There were supplies to find, there were walkers to avoid and—

You didn’t even realize how close the teeth had come to your shoulder until you felt the sting of Daryl’s bolt slide across the back of your neck to pierce the young woman’s skull. Hand slapping over the cut the projectile had left behind, you spun to watch the body topple sideways, your eyes wide. 

“The hell were you doin’?!” 

Your brain had yet to catch up, your lips moving with mere silence the only result. When Daryl reached you, his weapon clattered to the ground, leaving the others to watch your backs.

“I—”

“Ya just stood there! Why didn’t—goddamnit, Y/N!” 

Your hand jerked away from your neck as you were yanked against his chest, face squished until you managed to maneuver your head just enough to breathe. 

“I’m sorry—I—”

Daryl sniffed above you, roughly letting you go and stepping away. He had turned away from everyone, arm moving to appear as if he might have been wiping at his eyes. “S’get this done.” He snapped, jerking his arm in a vague motion to beckon you. “You’re stayin’ with me, y’hear?” 

You nodded, though he couldn’t see, and picked up his bow for him. After he had taken it, he stomped toward the entrance, barking at you to keep up. 

How could you have been so careless? You’d allowed your thoughts and worries to cloud your judgment, blind you to danger. If Daryl hadn’t been there, you’d have been dead. Now things were worse between the two of you. He stalked ahead, his shoulders tense and frame trembling. Did you dare try and smooth things over?

“Got somethin’ here.” He suddenly spouted, rocking back and forth with the toe of his boot pressing into a creaking floorboard. He glanced at you, eyes narrowed in a silent request to watch his back. You jerked your chin in a nod. Crossbow placed next to him on the floor, he crouched and used his knife to pry up the board and reveal a bag beneath it. “Bingo.”

“What’s in it?” You inquired, looking to him for a reply and then back to the door. 

“Meds. Some granola bars and Spam.” He shoved the sack into his satchel. 

“Trip was worth it then.” You were smiling when you turned to him, your mouth turning down when you were assaulted by the expression he donned. He was stricken. 

“Worth it.” He looked down as he stood, licking his bottom lip before chewing it in earnest. “Nah, Y/N. It weren’t worth it.” Squinting, he shook his head and brushed by you. “We’re done here.”

Sighing heavily, you rubbed the towel over your damp hair. The day’s grime had been washed away, swirling down the drain to keep your tears company. Daryl hadn’t spoken a word to you the rest of the run, not on the drive back, and he had disappeared the moment the car had been parked. 

Pulling your sleep shorts up to rest on your hips, you reached for your camisole when there was a soft knock on your door. You were once again in the upstairs room, giving Daryl his space while suffocating in your own. 

“Yeah?” You pulled the garment over your head and stepped out of the bathroom, narrowing your eyes at the entryway. 

“S’uh—” Daryl cleared his throat, the sound muted by the wooden barrier between you. “S’me.”

Your heart fluttered before it sank. Another argument wasn’t something you were confident you could handle, but you couldn’t just turn him away. Padding across the cold floor on your bare feet, you turned the knob and opened the door enough to lean against it. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He was already rubbing the back of his neck and shifting from foot to booted foot. He was anxious. “Can we, uh—can we talk?” He requested without so much as a glance at you.

Not tonight. I’m too tired. “Of course.” You ignored every possible excuse to avoid the conversation. He merely grunted and squeezed by you with care not to touch. 

And that hurt. 

“What’s up?” You asked with feigned nonchalance, sitting down on your bed. Daryl paid extra attention to the furniture and the things you had taken with you from the basement room. 

“‘Bout today—”

And there it was. “I said I was sorry, Daryl. I was distracted.” You felt your eyes burn, wishing you could say so much more. Tell him you missed him, that you loved him. “It won’t happen again.”

“Yeah, I know.” His tone was solemn and it dawned on you that he didn’t seem angry at all. He turned toward you, taking a moment to chew on the side of his thumb. You hated when he did that. You hated anything that caused him discomfort, especially the things he did to himself. “S’my fault, ain’t it?”

You blinked, saucer-sized eyes following his hand as he lowered it. “Your fault?” 

“Just—” You tracked him as he began to pace. “Just saw ya with that prick at the party an’ I—” He stopped, fists clenching before he shook them out and continued wearing a trench into the floor. “I thought—weren’t we—nah. I shouldn’a come up here.” 

The confusion muddling your brain had yet to wear off before you were on your feet and stepping into his path to effectively block the door. “Slow down, Daryl.” His mouth opened but snapped shut with a click of his teeth. “Say what you mean.” You pleaded in the calmest tone you could manage while numerous sentiments twisted in the pit of your stomach, tendriling out to wrap around your heart like a vice. 

“Dunno what I mean.” The defeat on his face, the utter bemusement in his eyes tore you to pieces. It also refueled every burning question that had befuddled your mind into nearly getting yourself killed. 

“Daryl.” For some reason beyond your comprehension, you hesitated with your open palms just in front of his chest. C’mon, idiot. This is Daryl and he— Your train of thought nearly derailed, maintaining just enough contact with the foundation to urge you onward. “Daryl, if I said that I loved you, what would you say?” Your hands finally made contact.

He reeled back a fraction of an inch, his wide eyes mimicking yours from only moments ago. “I, uh—”

“I’ve always thought that you loved me.” You dared, your hands sliding over to settle on his ribs. “I know we’ve never really—decided that we were—”

“Sure, we did.” He cleared his throat, hand traveling toward his mouth as he inhaled. You caught his wrist before he could begin to gnaw on already abused skin. “Mean, I thought we—”

You smiled and released your grasp, content to allow his hand to rest on your waist instead. “I love you.” And you held your breath. Blue orbs danced and sparkled, scrutinizing you and your declaration. 

“Y’sure?”

You didn’t hesitate. “Very.” 

Your first kiss was everything you had expected and all you could have hoped for: sloppy, inexperienced, yet so passionate and honest. Daryl’s teeth clicked into yours, uncomfortable but still inspiring a giggle that had him smiling against your mouth. A real smile. A unicorn in a world that had lost its magic. 

And it stole your breath, precious oxygen that you weren’t sure you found again until you settled on the bed beside him, sweat-soaked, sated, and more in love than you ever thought was possible. 

He never said the words but you had all the answer you needed. 

You were his. 

He was yours. 

And even if he turned beet red each and every time, you’d shout it from the rooftops. 

[meelusinee]

ITALIAN FOR DINNER? | R.B X READER

word count \ 2.8k | fluff and stuff | slash / regulus black x reader

in which regulus takes you out on a date to a local italian place

A LITTLE LOAF SERIES MASTERLIST

ITALIAN FOR DINNER? | REGULUS BLACK X READER

Regulus had never felt more nervous in his life than what he did right now.

He had faced a lot of things. He had faced his father’s and mother’s weath. He had faced Sirius leaving. He had faced death over and over, either his friends or ones he might’ve done. He’d even faced the Dark Lord himself, no speck of fear shown in his face. 

The Dark Lord himself called Regulus Black a brave man. One of his bravest.

So why was he so nervous now?

He had changed his outfit about ten different times before Kreacher had gotten sick of his pacing and chose one for him. A black sweater with a black denim jacket on top, different patches of paint covering the pockets and back. He had on work pants similar to yesterday, the ends flaring out. Kreacher had also handed him jewelry to wear, gothic necklaces and rings each.

Even though he wasn’t sure, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter anymore.

“Kreacher doesn’t understand why Master Regulus is freaking out this much.” he grumbled, shaking his head and ticking his tongue. “Kreacher never freaked out this much when he was with his wife.”

“Because I feel obsessed with her,” Regulus stated simply, grabbing an eyeliner pencil before blinking. “Wait, you have a wife?”

“Oh yes, Kreacher has a wife!” he said excitedly, clapping his hands before standing on top of Regulus’ dresser while he did makeup. “Kreacher’s wife was sold to a different owner though. Kreacher hasn’t seen her since.”

“Maybe you should try and find her.” Regulus said. “Could you do that?”

“House elves have magical bonding to each other once they are together, yes.” Kreacher says. “It is how Kreacher knows she is still alive and well. We can communicate through the bond.”

Regulus blinked at that, having not known that was even possible. “Like telepathy?”

“Yes, like telepathy.” he smiled. “Think of it like a matching bracelet with a partner, with a part that buzzes your bracelet each time they press it. Whenever Kreacher thinks of her, Kreacher’s wife will feel it, and visa versa. No thoughts though.”

“You know,” Regulus mumbled, blending his eyeliner out to make a more faded look. “I’ll be gone for this date for a while.”

“Master could not possibly be suggesting what Kreacher thinks he is.” Kreacher muttered, almost in awe.

“You deserve so much more than her, Kreacher.” he said, patting Kreacher on the head. “You deserve the world. And I think finding your wife is a key to that. Go get her.”

Kreacher smiled happily at that, agreeing on the condition that he would help Regulus first. 

Regulus decided that he needed to stop worrying. That thought didn’t stop him from worrying, but the thought counted at least. He also decided that he was going to buy you flowers. Magnolias seemed to be a staple in your relationship now that he had talked about them yesterday, so that was what he was going to get.

He walked to the park about an hour before your date was meant to happen, spending about 20 minutes magically ensuring that the flowers were of the best quality. He made sure to cloak his magic though, not wanting neither Muggles to see or the Ministry to track him.

He had flowers. Now was the time to get to your house.

Your house that he didn’t know.

You were currently panicking in your room, dress laid on your body.

You really wanted to impress Regulus. Sure, you didn’t know Regulus all that well, but there was something about him nonetheless. He seemed genuinely nice, like a true good guy.

Which is why you had bought this dress just for him.

It was a purple mermaid dress with spaghetti straps and a black lace overlay. You thought that he might like it, it gave you a vampiric aesthetic kind of vibe. You thought he gave those too.

But would he like it? Would he think you’re doing too much?

You sighed, hands rubbing your forehead as you tried to think. You seemed to know about him, but you also felt like you knew nothing at all. He talked, but not about him. He mainly talked about you, if he was being honest, which made you feel extremely guilty now that you thought about it. Would he only talk about you once you got to the restaurant? Would your dress even hold up in the weather on the way to the restaurant?

You were dragged out of your thoughts when your phone rang. It was Regulus.

REGULUS: I planned on picking you up for our date, but I realized that I don’t know where you live.

REGULUS: Do you want me to come to your house, or do you want to meet at the restaurant?

You felt a flush growing even harder on your face as you read that. He wanted to come to you? Was that a thing that you wanted? 

Your heart had immediately said yes.

YOU: i really don’t mind either way, whatever u want to do!!!

YOU: i live just above the bakery, it’s a two story building. the stairs are in the back, tho it’s a bit of a climb

REGULUS: That’s fine, I don’t mind.

REGULUS: Do you have any vases?

Vases? Was he bringing you flowers? Did you even have vases?

Your eyes darted over to your kitchen counter, looking at the island counter. You had a vase when you first moved in, though gave it away after a month or two for a friend.

YOU: no vases :c i’m sorry reggie

REGULUS: That’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll see you in about 10 minutes then, is that okay?

YOU: that sounds lovely! i’ll see you!

You sighed softly, looking down at your phone with a lovesick smile. You were already so done for.

Regulus showed up to the bakery with a smile, going to the back and walking up the stairs. It was a bit of a long climb, though he didn’t mind.

He hummed after he knocked on your house door, the Magnolia flowers in a red vase. His hair was a bit tousled from walking, but he hoped that would add to an appeal of some kind. There was a flush on his face, smiling softly as he waited.

“Coming!” you called out, your voice echoing through the room behind the door.

Regulus smiled at the sound of your voice, hand tightening around his vase as you spoke. He held it even harder when you finally opened the door, almost dropping it out of shock.

How was it possible for someone to look so good?

There you stood in your magnetic glory, the purple dress you wore quickly becoming his favorite sight. 

“Are those Magnolia flowers?” you asked him excitedly, gently grabbing the vase. “From the tree that we saw yesterday?”

“Yeah,” he stuttered out, clearing his throat. He wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not. It all felt like a fever dream. “You, uhm, you look good.” he muttered with a blush. “Really good. Truly.” 

You giggled softly, holding the vase of flowers in your hand. “Let me put these up, okay?”

“Okay.” he whispered breathlessly, smiling dopily as you walked off. He felt his heart beating out of his chest, his face flushing bright red.

You came back outside just as quick, the large smile on his face making his heart beat even worse. It suited your face so perfectly, a sight that he wasn’t sure he could ever get out of his mind.

You looked perfect.

“Are you ready?” you asked him. 

He nodded, a small smile growing on his face. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

The walk to the restaurant was calm and serene; which helped your beating heart for just a moment. Then it made it worse. A lot worse.

Your hands were swinging together peacefully as you walked in silence, though you found the silence comfortable. You wanted to learn more about him, but you found this silence gave you more about him than things he might say instead. 

Regulus was a quiet man. He liked the silence, and didn’t like talking about himself much. Even still, he seemed caring. Like a man who cared too much but was never allowed to express it. 

You wanted to show him that it was okay to do that. 

Regulus held your hand as you both walked. He practiced the sidewalk rule. He bought you flowers, held doors for you, and did anything one could imagine for a partner to do. He was absolutely perfect, though you weren’t sure if that was a good thing or not. 

“Here we are.” Regulus said, smiling at you with an expression that just screamed love.

You wanted to see it every single day.

“It smells delicious.” you sighed softly, smiling as you inhaled the scent. It smelled like a lot of things. Bread, garlic, sauces that mingled so well together. “What do you think you’re going to get, Reggie?”

“Probably something light.” he muttered quietly. “Spaghetti?”

“We could share!” you said excitedly, arms wrapping around his. “We could have that scene from the Lady and the Tramp.”

“The what?” he asked curiously, looking over at you.

You grew a bright flush on your face as you realized what you just said, stammering as you looked down at the ground. He had a small smile on his face, though it also looked rather confused about your reference. “It’s, uh, it’s nothing. I mean, it was stupid.”

“I want to know.” he whispered, tilting your chin up to look up at him. “C’mon pretty girl, tell me.”

You flushed wildly at that, your stammering getting even worse as he spoke. How could one say things like that so casually? He was like a character from a romance book, or someone from your dreams. Someone you never thought you would meet in your life.

“It’s just a movie reference.” you mumbled quietly. 

Regulus smiled softly at that, caressing the line of your jaw. “What was the reference?”

“Well, the two love interests,” you muttered, stuttering out your words as you spoke. “They were eating pasta, and they had the same piece. So they, you know, ate the piece. Together?”

“You want to kiss through pasta?” he smiled knowingly, raising his eyebrow.

You pouted at him, crossing your arms. “You hush.”

“My lips are sealed.” he chuckled quietly, hand moving down to your waist as he guided you inside of the restaurant. “C’mon.”

You felt your face flush with every step as you both sat down, your fingers fidgeting with each other as you sat across from him. Your heart was beating out of your chest wildly, so fast that you were sure that it wasn’t forming any contraction.

The waiter came over and you ordered, though your date was mostly a blur because of your emotions. You felt everything all at once, warmth and fuzziness running through your veins.

He was so kind and caring. You got to talk about yourself. He talked a bit about himself, enough to keep you coming back for more. Maybe that was his plan all along, but you found yourself too hooked already to truly care about it.

There was something magical about him, something you couldn’t quite place. It was a feeling that felt so familiar to you, like the feeling of home.

Maybe that’s why you liked him from the beginning. Because he reminded you of home.

“Do you want a to go container for your food?” he asked quietly, pointing at your half eaten pasta. You had eaten quite a few breadsticks beforehand, which made your stomach rather full by the time the pasta came around.

“Maybe, yeah.” you smiled. “Thank you.”

He waved his hand mindlessly, calling the waiter over for a container and the check. You didn’t know how much it cost, since he took the check before you could even look at it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to split it?” you asked.

He shrugged simply. “I have money,” he said, putting cash into the folder. “Plus, I felt you’d want to focus your money on the bakery.”

You flushed brightly, smiling softly. “Thank you, Reggie. Really.”

“You're welcome.” he smiled. He grabbed your container after standing up, holding his hand out for you to hold. “Walk home?”

“Walk home.” you smiled softly.

Your walk home was absolutely perfect. The sun was setting down and created the perfect ambiance, although the air was still cool. The park was full of small children running around for their weekend play, images of your future ones running around with them.

God, you were being delusional.

But how could you not be? Regulus was the perfect man, the best one you had ever met. And so far, he had no issues with you either. He talked about himself when you asked, he let you talk about yourself whenever you wanted.

He was the definition of perfect.

Which is why you felt destroyed by the time you reached your apartment.

“I suppose this is goodbye for the night.” Regulus whispered softly, a small frown growing on his face.

“I think so.” you whispered. “I wish this night could last forever.”

He smiled softly, his hand squeezing yours. “Me

too.” he whispered. “But I read that having some time apart is healthy. I can stop by the bakery tomorrow, if you’re working?”

“That sounds amazing,” you giggled softly. “Thank you, Reggie. I really loved this date.”

He smiled softly, hand squeezing yours again. This time it was a bit harder. There was a blush growing on his face as well, though you decided not to comment on it.

“I did too.” he smiled softly at you.

You smiled softly, the both of you standing there for a couple minutes. There was no sound or movement that you felt could distract you from this moment, eyes locked on each other.

“I have to get back home.” he whispered under his breath, though he didn’t move a single inch.

“You do.” you nodded slowly, still holding onto his hand. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Of course.” he smiled softly, still standing there. He busted out into a small chuckle after a moment, looking down at the ground. “I know I said that it’s important for us. But I really don’t want to leave.”

“I don’t think you should.” you grumbled with a pout, before sighing. “But, you are right. We need our alone time each.”

He smiled softly, nodding. “We do.” he said.

Your hands finally separated as he looked up at you, his eyes looking down at your lips before up at your eyes again. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

You smiled softly at him, though it didn’t reach as far as it could. Did he not want to kiss you?

“Tomorrow.” you smiled.

He nodded, a large blush covering his face as he nodded you goodbye. His hands fidgeted with the other as he walked back, and you watched him walking away down the street.

You smiled softly. It was probably too soon to kiss him anyways. So, you made your way back inside your apartment.

The flowers were still on your kitchen counter when you walked in, the scent of the flowers permeating inside of the house. It reminded you of him.

You felt your purse buzz, most likely your phone going off. Your hands reached down to grab it, smiling brighter when you saw Regulus’ name.

REGULUS: I wanted you to know that I really loved our date today, Y/N. It was truly amazing.

REGULUS: I’m sorry for not being very expressive, or for not kissing you before I left.

REGULUS: I wish I did.

You felt your cheeks flushing as you read his messages, anticipation building higher and higher the longer you watched those three bubbles type.

YOU: i really enjoyed our date too!!! it was really nice, and refreshing? idk if that makes sense

YOU: and u can always come back for a kiss <3

You smirked proudly, feeling very proud at your successful teasing. 

You decided to change out of your dress, changing into a sweater and some shorts you had lying around. You were about to start a movie when your doorbell rang, feet carrying you to open it.

“Reggie?” you asked quietly, a small squeak coming out of your throat as his hands grabbed your face desperately. 

The kiss was perfect. Everything felt perfect with him, if you were honest. His hands were grabbing at your cheeks, thumbs caressing them gently as his lips hungrily kissed yours. 

“Jesu,” you chuckled breathlessly as he pulled back, taking a moment to catch your breath.

Regulus panted softly, looking down at your lips. “They felt better than I thought they would.”

“Really?” you asked breathlessly. Could he get any hotter?

“Really.” he smiled, kissing your forehead. “Thank you for that. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

You sighed dreamily, giving his lips one more peck. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

AUTHOR'S NOTE

thanks to everyone who's read this! i loaf all of u guys frfr (i have written so much that i have no regular people words)

AS ALWAYS - please like, comment, and reblog!

[idwl]

the idol sings you a song...

★ cosmos trans

[pt: cosmos trans /end pt]

reworkings of my cosmos trans flags, as i feel their colors were rather displeasing. in order of left to right, they are: transfeminine, transneutral, transmasculine, transnull, transfemmasc, and transgender. the meanings of the flags are the same as before.

i have more info under the cut of this post.

coined by us!

originals, tnull, tfemmasc

we do not consent to our creations being added to any wikipedia sites or reposted to other social media sites. anyone may use our terms and flags.

; tagging . . @radiomogai; @noxwithoutstars; @daybreakthing; @flutteringwings-coining; @rwuffles; @scr-ppup; @smilepilled; @the-astropaws; @somniabyte

lots of yapping, just fair warning

my cosmos trans flags were an attempt to offer trans flags that didnt have connotations about one's birth sex, and that anyone could use, irregardless of sex. thst means these flags are inclusive of all trans people; milieugender and non-milieugender folk alike.

i first made these because i disidentified with honeybee transfem. as far as i could tell, the flags had no meaning, and neither did the signifier of "honeybee." i liked the idea, though, because i disliked the idea of calling attention to my birth sex.

i chose "cosmos" to denote the vastness of transness, of gender, and the multiple ways to be trans, and the infinite possibilities of transgenderness and gender. i also chose "cosmos" as a signifier because just like how space is vast, the capabilities of the trans community are vast.

"cosmos" here is a signifier denoting two things; 1. that transness is vast, infinite, personal, and beautiful, irregardless of quality or sex, and 2. that transness should not be boiled down to birth sex and that i do not owe you information regarding my birth sex. these cosmos trans flags are not for those who are trans and spacegender.

while the honeybee and coffeebean terms are important to our community, and important to milieugender folk, and are beautiful and great terms, my cosmos terms and flags still hold a special place in my heart. i continue to use them to this day; however, i have now become displeased with the flags, resulting in the remakes you see here. i think the colors flow way more cohesively now, and i'm pretty proud of them!

you can still use the old ones, if you'd prefer. i just wanted to offer flags that i personally thought were more visually appealing and pleasing.

[pinkyprncss]

don’t force yourself

simple but very effective title, I say again “don’t force yourself”, if you joined this community you probably have desires no matter how big or small and I know that wanting something also means looking for a way to have that thing. you will come across a lot of ways here, some of them will suit you but some of them won’t. and again, I know that you are looking for the most guaranteed way that “everyone” has succeeded in to reach their desires. but I have bad news for you: there is no such guaranteed way. and I also have good news for you: there is no such guaranteed way!! this means that you don’t have to try the method that you don’t like but that those who tried it have succeeded just because it has a high success rate “b-but 1000 people succeeded with this method” so what? just because the majority tried that method and succeeded with that method, you don’t have to force yourself to try that method to have your desires. because that method won’t work for you either. whenever I find a method for void state and try it (even though I don’t like it), that method doesn’t work, why? because inside I say "I don't like this method and it won't work" and therefore the method doesn't work. this result is neither because the method doesn't work nor because of my incompetence. there is such a result because the method and I don't match. I saw someone say that you will eventually find the method that suits you (credits to them) and this is really true, you don't have to beat yourself up and try that method by force because a method didn't work for you. there is a saying in the my country, "beauty can't be achieved by force" and this is true. don’t try to force your desires to happen. find a method that suits you and stick to it, try it not because others have seen results from that method but because YOU like that method, your desires will come to you one way or another, so take a deep breath right now and take a break from trying to find the best method. have a good day/night ♡

(this is so unscripted so sorry for any mistakes and nonsense!!)

[homestuckreplay]

i can excuse electing yourself the mayor but i draw the line at appointing yourself the judge

(page 1100-1115 and somehow, 743)

This update is our first chance to command the Aimless Renegade! They feel like the anti-hero of a Western, the sole dispenser of vigilante justice in a lawless society. Their caution tape wrappings is the coolest thing about them in my opinion, as the ‘cop, judge, jury and executioner’ act is neither as unique nor as commendable as PM’s mail association. WV and PM both see it as their duty to help others and foster community and connection, while AR, even when prompted to ‘befriend the unwelcome rogues’, is all about violence, suspicion and putting up barriers. This contrast makes them an effective antagonist, as do their similarities to real cops.

Within the illegal pictography, I‘m seeing the outline of the frog head on top of the mystic ruins, the floating lilies n the lake, and the Sburb spirograph. There’s also a few creatures we haven’t seen before – a long nosed lizard, a spiky lizard, and a turtle – and one rune that could be a castle or a squatting frog. I wonder if this is all wildlife native to Jade’s island? It’s referred to as ‘hieroglyphs,’ so is this a message? If the ruins are from Skaia, will Jade be able to decode this message through her visions? This could explain why AR doesn’t like the symbols, if this is the language of the opposing side.

WV I think is originally from the dark kingdom, but has renounced that affiliation by turnng aganst the monarch. PM is originally from the light kingdom, but has also turned against them by taking up the dark sword. AR is from the dark kingdom and appears to still be enforcing their laws, suggesting a continued affiliation despite his name. So will there be a fourth member of this group who’s still part of the light?

AND putting together their associations with the kids, WV is able to command John, and came from Rose’s location (John’s server player). PM is able to command Jade, and came from John’s location (this might mean that John ends up being Jade’s server player, somehow???). I think that AR comes from Jade’s location, because there’s no third bunker visible, and WV and PM’s bunkers have landed perfectly evenly from the mystic ruins – and perfectly within AR’s caution tape (p.1108). So I think we’re expecting a third bunker in the front corner, immediately opposite the ruins, who came from Dave’s location. They could be here any moment. So down the elevator into the ruins, is it possible AR will find a way to control Rose or Dave?

AR’s tape perfectly mapping out the area where the group meets reminded me of WV’s ‘uncanny knack for tracking precise distances [he] ha[s] already traversed’ (p.743) which just finally clicked for me. WV is a chess piece construct and he has an innate sense of how far One Square is, and he’s just converting all other measurements into that like in the image below. All the future folks have apparently been programmed with impressive spatial awareness.

I gotta say these pages of AR inside the ruins are not my favorites visually. They feel busy, with too much going on and not enough cohesion, and the stuck elevator is more distracting to me than most Homestuck gifs. But despite that, this section is a great example of reader commands at work – page 1100, stating simply ‘You are now... the Aimless Renegade’, was posted at 5.23pm on the 2nd. Initial commands for AR presumably come quickly – I’m sure the person who suggested ‘quickly retrieve side arms’ felt very smart for that – and around 8pm a couple of the funny ones are picked, as well as one that reveals some lore about the hieroglyphs, and some that visually open up the space and reveal new interactable items, like the box of rockets, to prompt the next day’s commands.

Grandpa Harley has a ridiculous amount of ammunition, which he’s either stored in the ruins or around the island. He stamps his emblem on his crates, which seems unnecessary – who exactly is going to steal from him in such a remote location? What exactly is the need to enforce a Personal Brand here? I’m suspicious of his reasons for coming to the island in the first place, especially if it was once filled with reptilian life, and that life is now extinct (we haven’t seen any of it in Jade’s explorations). What if Skaia protected its ruins with a whole ass ocean because nobody was ever meant to come here, and Grandpa Harley trying to tame this island is what caused Skaia to take revenge on Earth when it did?

Jade’s wardrobifier is back to its random setting – she’s got the sun on page 1112, pleading face squiddle on 1113, and blue Slimer on 1114. And she delivers both the package and the harpoon rope without a hitch. I would LOVE to see what happens if Jade fails to carry out something she foresaw in a dream – what would she do in that circumstance, if she knew there was no fixing the timeloop?

Jade’s bass being what’s jamming the elevator makes me think she’ll play another tune. She apparently can’t harpoon the rest of the way – that must have been her one bolt – but we’ve seen her bass grow plants in her atrium on page 822 and 1026, so maybe it could grow the lilies in the pond enough to build a bridge? That will take time though, and Bec may be sleeping, but he has dog hearing and an infinite teleport. I don’t think Jade is soloing her way over to those ruins without another Bec encounter.

> Jade: Play Island Garden Song by the Mountain Goats.

[bigfan-fanfic]

You May Sanctuary Find (Winchester!Reader x Winchester Bros [PLATONIC])

A sequel to Brother Mine and Back Into Trouble

The title this time comes from "Little Brother," a poem by Robert W. Service that really, I think, epitomizes the relationship between the eldest Winchester and his brothers, especially the last verse: "Little Brother, how I pray/You may sanctuary find. /Peoples of the world succumb . . ./Fly, poor fools, the WRATH TO COME!"

Anyway, this time, the story takes place after the 1st episode of Season Two, right after John's death.

He's gone. After all that, it wasn't even a direct kill from a monster that did it.

It had been hard - you hadn't been able to see him at the end, because since you actually had insurance, you were able to get some better care. It was only after that you learned about how Dean had nearly passed and John had apologized to him before... taking care of things himself.

Neither one of them is willing to talk. Which makes sense.

This family has never been very good at communication.

Even if he tried his best to make peace at the end, it's still hard not to hate him for what he's done.

Even to save Dean, you hate that he's still messing up your little brothers.

You hate that he never even made an effort to talk to you before it all.

But while you're raw, you know how to deal with this. You've mourned the father you knew better than Sam and Dean ever got to, the one before your mom died when you were seven and he disappeared forever, stolen and replaced by a grieving, vengeful hunter of monsters.

It's rough for Bobby to see you all like this, brought so low after you all had hope that something would change.

That you'd get a win for once.

You call in from Bobby's phone, let your assistant know that you've been in a car accident, that you'll be on the way home soon to recover.

"After all this?" you hear Dean say. "You're still leaving?"

"We did this to find Dad. We found him." you reply wearily.

"What about Yellow Eyes? You're not going to help us take down the son of a bitch that got both our parents?"

He's shouting now, approaching, clutching his side that still hurts from the bruising from the accident.

"I'm tired, Dean."

"Tired? You don't get to be tired! You don't get to leave us again!"

You turn away from him. Trying not to lash back. He's allowed to be angry. It's reasonable for him to be angry...

"You're just scared! You're too damn scared to own up and be part of this family. You never loved Dad like I did! Did you even care that Mom died?"

In a scarily fluid movement, you have him pinned to the wall, an arm across his throat and a hand holding down his wrist, already preventing the counterattack before it happened. The wind is knocked out of him, and for a moment, the hunter you were is back.

Such anger, like it was never dealt with. Like it never left. Like you're still the seven year old who lost his mother. Like the fourteen year old with monster blood on his hands. Like the twenty-one year old who hugged his brothers goodbye without the strength to even pray they'd meet again.

Rage and hate, rage and hate. Monster after witch after demon after trickster after monster.

You let him go. The final monster you kill is that hunter inside you.

"I wrote you letters for your birthday every year. I dunno if Dad gave them to you. I would ask you to visit. To stay." you say, almost whispering. You don't even know if it's loud enough for him to hear. "I sent money for Sam. For college. For a house. For you to settle down."

He's trembling. Anger? Remorse? Sorrow?

"I never wanted to leave you. You're my brothers. And after Mom died, and Dad went hunting... someone had to look out for you. Not just your health, but your futures. I still put money away for you. I keep a couple of rooms ready in my apartment for you two. I can't force you two to come with me. I just have to wait. And hope that I can someday protect you again. It's the hardest thing I've had to do."

You look at him, in the eye, forcing him to look back. "I can't do this anymore. Hunting. It brings out a part of me that... that I fear. A part of me that is angry and hateful, and who likes that because it's easier than facing what he fears. I'm done."

Dean turns away from you, face contorting, and you grab his arm.

"But I will never be done being your big brother, Dean. And when you're finally done too, when you're ready to just fucking rest...

"I will be there. I will be there with a home, and peace, and a life. I promise."

He looks at you, on the verge of breaking. "I can't. I have to do this. I have to protect Sammy."

You pull him into a hug. "Then I'll wait for you."

He melts into you, crying and holding on to you tight.

You remember back when you left, all those years ago - Dean had looked at you with such hate. You were dead to him then, for cutting off the family, for breaking Dad's heart.

And now he holds on, because now he knows what you've tried to do. What you're still doing.

"You do what you have to do, little brother." you whisper. "But when you're done, you come home."

"Okay. Okay, I will." He says, voice distorted with emotion, teeth gritted to try and stop crying.

"C-can I still call?" Dean whispers, when you let him go.

"Of course. I insist on it." You smile at him through tears. "I love you, Dean-o."

"Love you too, big brother."

Dean watches you go to find Sam, to say your goodbyes, and he lets himself cry. Bittersweet. He knows you're growing, that this is good, but already he misses you terribly. How is he going to handle this all alone? This terrible task Dad gave him, to protect Sammy, or take him out.

But though he is full of fear, there's a new sense of hope.

You'll only be a phone call away. You'll be waiting for him.

And to a man that has never once had an alternative, that makes all the difference.

[olenoidedserratuspilled]

You spent this entire response talking about how, unfortunately, I wouldn't read it and surely I would block you

Because that is genuinely what I expected, and genuinely what the more long-term productive move in your end is.

and then at the end you basically asked me not to respond. Lol.

Yes, because I don't believe this conversation is productive to either of us, especially when you yourself stated that it's besides your original point. Keep reading if you like, but I know you are not going to shift on your stance, and neither am I in mine.

None of the examples you gave are using man-hating as a cover for anything, at least not successfully.

Emphasis on "Not successfully". The notes on all of those posts were full of the OOPs and their defenders arguing how their takes shouldn't be considered racist because they're only targeted men.

But women don't ask people not to complain about cisness or whiteness or wealth, just to stop singling out women and being misogynistic.

And I never said women should not complain about men. Only that the statement that TERFs like men is incorrect (it is), and that there very much are people who use man-hating to excuse actual bigotry to themselves and to their peers (there are).

Everyone else can complain about their oppressors, but women can't, because someone somewhere might use man-hating as a justification for something else.

I never said that. I only pointed out that it's something that happens, that it's something TERFs specifically do, and that it's a reason why the notion that TERFs like men is wrong.

If a woman makes a post about misogyny and singles out Indian men, it might because she's racist or it might be because she lives in India.

I wanna ask you if you saw any of the screenshots I posted and thought "Well, maybe that OOP is part of the racial minority they singled out". I don't think you did, because people talking about a racial minority they're part of tend not to paint them as demons or deserving of violence and death.

TERFs on the other hand, do that, and it is racist to do that. Pointing that out was the point of my post, and nothing else.

There is a long history of women of color being pressured to stay silent about misogyny within their own communities using the reasoning that the community must be united and any negativity will give ammo to racists. This puts women of color in a really difficult situation. It also serves to prevent them from forming solidarity with other women.

That's true, yes. It's also entirely unrelated to anything I said. Women of color are free to speak up against misogyny from men of color as long as they neither A) single them out as being somehow innately worse than white men (like the posts I showed) nor B) paint them as deserving of racially motivated violence for behaviors that aren't exclusive to their race (like the posts I showed).

Man-hating is not a good proxy for other kinds of bigotry.

Sure. It doesn't mean people don't use it as one. All I did was point out that they do.

You focused a lot on whether or not TERFs like men, which was really tangential to the actual point of this post.

Did you read the tags I was responding to? Because I was responding to a tag saying that TERFs like men. I focused on that because that's the statement I was responding to.

"TERFs like men actually" was referring to their eagerness to form relationships with right wing cis men to gain political power.

Right, so you can agree TERFs don't actually like men (especially not POC men), and that saying they do is just factually wrong. If you can agree with that statement, then you agree with my point, because that's the only point I'm making. You're also not the one who wrote those tags, so you don't know what their person meant.

Also, before it finally got taken down, a decent number of the posts on the TERF subreddit were from cis men claiming to be radical feminist allies who the TERFs gleefully and hypocritically pointed to as "one of the good ones" while they bonded over hating trans women.

Again, not remotely related to what I said. If what I posted doesn't count as evidence of TERFs disliking men, why should posts from a dead subreddit count towards evidence of them liking them? Didn't you just say this was just tangentially related to your post? If so, why is not conceding to that point seemingly so important?

TERFs live in the same society as everyone else (unfortunately) and in a society as patriarchal as ours, few people really hate men as much as they think they do.

Cool that you can read TERFs minds I guess, especially when I didn't think there'd be anything to read in there, but in my experience when somebody says something it's because they meant to say it.

Using man-hating as a shield for bigotry doesn't make a lot of sense because man-hating isn't socially accepted just about anywhere. It always gets pushback.

It is in TERF circles, and while TERFs do have many racist tendencies, a lot of them still at least performatively frown upon bold-faced racism that doesn't have "men" attached to it. They use man-hating as a shield for bigotry in the circles where it is socially accepted, and to justify it to themselves. That is the only point I'm making.

And TERFs spend a lot of time with the far right, where hating men is certainly not acceptable.

And they don't use man-hating rhetoric with them. They use it with themselves, with each other and to outsiders that are still receptive to it.

I don't know where you live, but on the anglophone internet man-hating is not generally accepted. And even when you do hear "I hate men," the power dynamics of patriarchy are such that it's just not a real problem.

Notice how I never said it is. That is just not a thing that I said. I only ever said that TERFs, specifically, hate men and use man-hating to excuse their own bigotry. You say you didn't mean to put words in my mouth, but you keep doing just that.

Quite often in hate movements like that, the ideology is a post-hoc justification for the bigotry. So the logic of men oppress women -> trans women are men -> trans women are bad because they oppress [cis] women may be what TERFs say but it's often not an honest representation of their thought process.

It is how they justify their thought process to themselves, to each other and to those they want to recruit, however. That is what I'm describing. That's the point I'm making.

TERFs will even say, disingenuously of course, that it would be fine if trans women would only live as gender non-conforming gay men. It's transness that transphobes despise, the act of existing while trans.

Yes, I'm aware. I've never said that wasn't the case, only that TERFs will use man-hating as a post-hoc justification for their own transphobia.

In general, a post that singles out transmascs is probably not okay, because the relevant part is that they are trans, and being cruel to trans people is… wait for it… transphobic.

Yes it is. It's transphobia that is being rationalized by the people doing it as acceptable because they're singling out men. That's the thing that I said is happening.

but that's an intracommunity issue that I'm honestly not qualified to speak on, because I'm cis. I only bring it up because I've dealt with analogous intracommunity in some communities I am a member of; it's a fairly universal concern but the particulars here are outside my lane.

That's cool, trans men still have to deal with takes like these, though:

These are people using man-hating to excuse their rancid behavior towards trans men. That is exactly the situation I described, and the one you claimed doesn't make sense and doesn't happen. And that you replied to by saying man-hating isn't a real problem - which is not a thing I said at any point, ever. Here or elsewhere.

I am not saying man-hating is a real problem

I am not saying you should not be allowed to do it

What I am saying is this:

A) Bad-faith actors have and continue to use it to excuse actual forms of bigotry. Even if you don't think they count, I've shown proof of it.

B) Whether or not it is relevant to the discussion, the statement of "TERFs like men actually" is just not factually true.

If this is what you wanted to read, I'll gladly say I agree with your original post's point. I simply reblogged to disagree with one person on the tags who said that TERFs like men, because that pure and simply isn't true.

If you're done putting words in my mouth, I do think we should stop talking here, because this is only tangentially related to your original point and fighting each other is a waste of time.

But I know you're not going to read this. And that you're not done putting words in my mouth.

Something I want this website specifically to reflect on! Are you mad at women for talking about men the same way you talk about cishets or neurotypicals? Why?

[theokusgallery]

There aren't enough toxic sunflower AUs. I need to make another one. I have so many ideas

[scoriarose]

She came up with a new activity

[chronologically-challenged]

I think that the party's communication issues can be summed up as "man, is it awkward to tell someone that you want to spend the rest of your life with them if you've only know them for a few months? Probably."

[rystiel]

would things have been different if stan told ford? will things be different since mabel told dipper?

[jesuis-assez]

↠ Tim & Lucy ↳ 2x10 - The Dark Side