#no one who couldn't be bothered to vote will be bothered to pick up a gun

[a-method-in-it]

The number of people who seem to think we'll be able to somehow stop a fascist regime from seizing dictatorial power after the wannabe fascist dictator is placed in charge of the military --- and therefore we don't need to vote --- is disturbing.

Baby doll, you won't even vote against fascism. You're not taking up arms against it.

[suksatoru]

002. CARNATIONS

Touya wasn't fitting in very well.

There were a lot of things you noticed about him during his first week. He didn't talk much - he'd sit in silence a lot more than he should. It was bad. He was spending too much time with his own thoughts - and you were becoming afraid that he would end up swimming too far into his own mind where drowning would only be inevitable.

He didn't eat much either. Only when he absolutely needed to - and he'd take a few bites before stubbornly pushing his plate away. It was hard trying to get him to talk to you too, because he simply refused to cooperate.

There was this faraway look in his eyes. Like he couldn't believe what his life had come to. He had so many plans - so many things to do. They were all hopeless now. He had an entirely new checklist- and he couldn't even be bothered to pick it up. Was it bad that he had no will to live?

Touya didn't understand why his father wanted him alive. He hadn't seen him since the war, only hearing his name whispered amongst the doctors when they thought he was asleep. Touya truly didn't see the purpose of his family fighting so much for him - he was falling apart. Both mentally and physically, straining the doctors for no reason when he should just die. He'd done terrible things, and in his mind, he deserved death.

"He won't listen to anyone besides you."

You blow out a breath of air with a nervous chuckle, shifting your weight from one foot to the other as you look up at your supervisor. She looked mad. Her brow was ticked upwards, a wrinkly finger holding up a sheet of paper that had 'Todoroki' scribbled at the top. His latest speech evaluation report.

"He can talk just fine with the insults he was spitting at the other doctors. That man has a foul mouth, and an even fouler mood. No doctor that comes even within five feet of him is spared his horrible remarks and glares. But in all of your reports, you never once mentioned him saying anything exceptionally rude. He's... quiet around you."

Your brows pinch together as your gaze stays on the report in your hands

Touya was confusing you.

"And I understand you have other patients, but they've all progressed nicely with their treatments. Todoroki - well, he is a special case."

You were being asked to accept the job of having Touya as your sole patient. You knew his condition was bad - but you didn't think it was this bad. The other doctors had all come to the same conclusion, that he was in desperate need of a single support system. Someone who could help him every step of the way - and they had made a unanimous vote for you to be that person.

You accepted. You thought you'd have to think more about the proposal, but...

"Touya, do you like board games?"

For the first time this entire evening, his eyes lift from the tiled floor he'd been glaring at as he turns to you with a look of disinterest. You try not to let him see the way you're fighting back a smile when he finally speaks for the first time this afternoon

"I haven't played one since I was a kid. I don't even remember how they work."

"That's ok - I can teach you!"

He looks out the window, gently rolling his shoulders as the muscles under his hospital gown shift from the movement

"Why? Just sounds like a waste of time to me." He says, his voice gruff as you gently drag your chair closer to his bed

"Well, some of these games involve some brain work. Don't you think it'd be a nice challenge to try and work them out? We can even-"

"No."

You pause when he interrupts you, folding your hands in your lap as you patiently wait for him to continue. Your smile falters when he starts staring again, his eyes opening a little more to watch you as he remains silent and still - not elaborating any further.

"Ok-"

"Call Endeavor."

You pause, trying not to show your surprise as you quickly close your parted lips when you meet his gaze.

Nothing. His eyes were devoid of even a speck of emotion as he stared at you. If it hadn't been for him moving to run a tired hand through his white locks, you would've thought he was dead. That is just how dull his eyes looked.

"Well... let's talk about this first, okay? Why would you like to call him, Touya?" You ask softly, moving to grab his hand like you'd do to comfort any other patient before your fingers awkwardly hover over his hand

Touya did not like to be touched.

He narrows his eyes at you with an annoyed sigh before he looks away again, clearing his throat before speaking

"I need to do something."

You frown, taking a quick glance at the emergency phone across the room. There were a few contacts Touya would be allowed to call - one of them was, unfortunately, Endeavor's.

"Are you sure you'd like to call your father-"

"Don't fucking call him that."

You freeze, a chill running down your spine that feels like being dowsed in ice water when he snaps at you. His eyes burn to life, the hatred in them so strong that you can't even bring yourself to look at him as you realize you'd crossed some sort of an invisible line.

"I- okay, I'm sorry. Do you not like it when I address him as that?"

His silence was all the answer you needed.

Maybe it was your guilt that had you hesitantly reaching for the phone. You power it on - and you can see the poorly hidden surprise on his face when he quirks an eyebrow, surprised you were fulfilling his request.

He almost feels bad for what he's about to do. Almost.

"I'll hold the phone up to your ear, Touya. Let me know if I'm too close, ok?" You ask gently, and he nods his head with a grunt. He's not staring anymore - he's actually avoiding your eyes. Maybe you should've taken that as a sign that something was wrong, but you were too busy trying to understand what was going through his mind that made him want to call his father so out of the blue.

You pray silently that Endeavor won't answer - but the phone is barely on the third ring before it cackles to life

"Touya? Touya this is your number calling me - Touya are you there?"

The air is tense with your anticipation - could this mean progress? Barely two weeks in seemed a little early, but you sent Touya an encouraging smile anyways.

That was the last thing he needed to give him the courage to open his mouth

"Fuck you Endeavor! Burn in hell you flaming piece of shit!"

Your yelp doesn't surprise Touya at all as you hastily end the call, fumbling with the phone as he kneels over and grasps the railings of his bed - before he laughs.

It hurts so much to smile, but he does it anyway - his laughter is a hoarse wheeze as his chest shakes. You power the phone off with trembling hands before whipping towards him

"Touya- y-you tricked me!" You sputter, clutching the phone to your chest as he struggles to breathe. He whacks his chest, as if he's trying help the oxygen reach his lungs - and your eyes widen in panic

He lets out a deep exhale, turning to you with a barely noticeable smirk when he sees the dread in your eyes

"That was too easy. You shouldn't be so nice to me, Doc."

"Well... this could be considered progress, sir! He's, uhm - open to communication?"

Endeavor is not amused. He drills you for another fifteen minutes - demanding to know every little thing about Touya's recovery process, and each minute you shrink further and further into your seat.

Who knew Touya would be the one to come to your rescue?

The undeniable beep that comes from your pocket immediately rips away your attention from Endeavor

Beep beep beep beep-

"What is that?" He nearly growls as you fumble with the small device in your hands, desperatly trying to turn it off as your feet move towards the double-doors quickly

"Touya's emergency button, he's calling me - I'm so sorry but we need to continue this conversation another time! " You yell over your shoulder before he can even get another word out, racing to the elevators as you come to a stumbling stop in front of them - you press the third floor button four times before the beeping starts up again.

Your mind immediately thinks the worst, and you're practically flying to the stairs as you run by two families and nearly knock a fellow doctor off his feet in your race towards Touya's room

Touya jumps when his room door slams open, his brows furrowing as he discreetly tries to see what made you run into his room in such a haste.

There were a few strands of hair that had fallen from your updo - you're panting as you take in Touya - sitting just fine on his bed as he stares at you. There's a hint of amusement in his eyes when he sees you before he slowly turns away.

He peers down to the device in his hands as he points it at the TV - clicking the small red button on it over and over again.

"A-Are you-"

"It won't turn off."

He waves the remote at the TV again, grumbling all sorts of profanities under his breath as he stubbornly tries to will the screen to shut off - the news played softly through the speakers as you slowly nod your head

"We use this remote for that."

He eyes the device in your hands before holding up the one in his hand

"Then what the hell is this for?"

"Emergencies. You press it when you need me and it is urgent - I check in periodically anyways, so you only use this remote when you really need me to come right away. You pressed it a lot of times before, so I had to run here. I thought something was wrong." You sigh, rubbing your temple as he turns over the device in his hand with a thoughtful hum. You gather the fallen strands in your palm and work on quietly fixing your hair.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

You pause from where you were tying your hair - lowering your hands into your lap as you tilt your head at him in confusion. Touya's glad he interrupted you while you were tying your hair - because now it falls over your shoulders in soft waves. He thinks you look... nice like this. He wonders if this will be the only time you'll let your hair flow freely in front of him.

The bluntess of his question was what made your hands drop. His words hang in the air as you try to formulate a response, but he cuts you off before you can get a word out.

"The other bastards treat me the way I deserve to be treated. How come you're actually trying? What's in it for you?"

He seems annoyed. But then you see the sincerity in his eyes - and you realize he genuinely didn't think he deserved any form of kindness. You want to hug him - but you also would like your limbs to stay in tact, so instead - you lean forward with a soft smile.

"You see, I like to think of people as flowers."

He stays silent, waiting for you to continue.

"Some grow in open fields with the sun shining over them all the time. Some grow through the cracks in concrete - and some die from drowning in too much rain or being dried out from the heat."

Something in his eyes softens at your words

"All flowers are beautiful you know - the ones people say are too far gone can still be preserved. I really like pressing flowers, you know, in glass. It reminds me that their beauty is an everlasting type of thing."

You pretend not to notice the sheen in his eyes when he stares at you. It's quiet. The curtains move from the gentle breeze that enters through the open window, and it catches wisps of your open hair in it as you smile.

Touya had thought he'd seen it all. The ugliness of the world, the terrible parts no one should venture into. How many times had he lied when he'd say "I've seen it all." ?

He realizes how wrong he was when he understands he forgot to look through the cracks in the dark walls he'd been surrounded by for so long - the splits and breaks in the surface where hope seeped through. There was still so much he wanted to see.

Flowers. Who knew something so little could mean so much?

CARNATIONS MASTERLIST.

@dabislittlemouse @rueclfer @kawaiidemoneart @porusuniverse

@starrmage @lilbeatlebear @bokukenmakuroo @bbluefllame

⬆️ i love u all for the support 🥺🩷 thank you. i am seriously so greatful :(

please let me know if you would like your username to be removed or added!! i got a little excited with the taglist sowwy 😖

[kislnd]

possessive - george clarke~

synopsis: george has to collect a tipsy y/n after a night out with her friends - there he is introduced to one of her old coworkers.

notes: i managed to accidentally post this several times before finishing it lol (pain) 😭 thanks to anon for requesting this plot x

warnings: alcohol & angst (good resolution dw guys)

word count: 2.4k

masterlist

"are you almost ready?" george called out to y/n, who was in the bathroom finishing up her makeup. she knew her friends were here to collect her for their night out and george was just making sure she didn't end up keeping them waiting for too long. "yes, just give me a sec!" she replies, throwing a brush in the general direction of her makeup bag haphazardly.

"all done," she smiles, coming out of the bathroom, finishing touches all complete. "you look gorgeous y/n." george beams, wrapping his arms around her middle. "thank you." she returns the hug and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to walk towards the front door, with george following behind her. "have fun and be safe," he says, "and when you're ready to be picked up just give me a text." y/n nods, she was always grateful that he was willing to do things like that for her no matter what time of the night it was. "see you later then," she grins, a grin that he couldn't help but reciprocate, and steps outside to join her friends.

the pub that y/n's friends had chosen was a local one, but one that she had walked past countless times without ever giving it a second thought. she wasn't sure what to expect upon entering the establishment, but that didn't make her nervous. she had always thought that trying out new things or places was one of the things that kept life exciting.

once over the threshold, her senses were immediately flooded - loud music blaring from what appeared to be karaoke (something she anticipated she would have to pry her drunk friends away from later in the evening), several conversations, most of which were shouted in a desperate attempt to be heard over the music, and a strong smell of alcohol. at least, y/n thought, the people seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"we can either sit next to the speaker and go deaf or nearer to that group," one of her friends gestured to a fairly large group of rowdy guys near the bar, "and also go deaf." they all laugh at this, although their laughter was short-lived - the options really weren't good. "i vote anything but that," y/n scrunches her nose up thinking about the group - if they were already unpleasant from the safe distance at which she was observing them, god knows how insufferable it would be to spend a few hours practically on top of them.

after some deliberation, y/n and her friends settled on a table closer to the music. with everyone situated and ready for the night, a few of the girls made their way to the bar to grab some drinks.

"is that everything?" y/n questioned, scanning the array of drinks that had been poured for them. "seems about right," her friend shrugged, "we'll figure out if we ordered everyone something when we give them out." y/n nods, she was right. thankfully, enough of them had come to the bar to help out that what would have otherwise been a horrendous balancing act, was actually a swift and tidy transportation of drinks. y/n placed the last few glasses down on the table before turning to one of the girls and saying quietly, "i'm just going to pop to the toilet."

"do you want one of us to come with?" she asked, to which y/n shook her head - the bathroom wasn't far from where they were sitting and she wasn't worried about anything else. they had specifically chosen to sit across the room from the disruptive group of guys so she figured they wouldn't bother her.

either way, y/n decided she would move as quickly as possible, sliding past the few people nearby and into the room. she didn't want to spend more time than she needed to in there - pub toilets were unpleasant at the best of times and she also didn't really want to miss out on anything. nevertheless, she took a moment to freshen up - her makeup was still in position and her hair didn't seem to be so different from when she originally styled it so she simply gave her hands a wash and made for the door.

grabbing the cool metal handle, y/n threw the door open and set off with the intention of walking briskly back in the direction of her friends. instead, her stride was broken by a figure colliding with her as she stepped out of the bathroom. "oh!" she jumped back, her body flush with the door, "i'm so sorry." she exclaimed. the person, whom she had now realised was a man who had just come out of the bathroom himself, smiled warmly down at her. "don't worry, i wasn't really looking where i was going." y/n studied his face for a moment, she could've sworn she recognised him but she couldn't quite put her finger on where from. "sorry," she brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face, "do i know you from somewhere?" she paused, wondering if that had been a strange question, "i just feel like you look familiar," she added.

"you're y/n aren't you?" the man cocked his eyebrow, but didn't wait for a response. "we used to work together." realisation hit y/n, she couldn't believe she had managed to briefly forget him, they had spent almost every day for a number of years side by side. she couldn't even blame this one on alcohol. "of course!" she laughed at her own silliness and also in the hopes of relieving some tension - she was praying she hadn't offended him. "we had some good times." she smiled. much to her relief, he smiled back, "absolutely, i can't believe how much time has passed. i'd love to catch up with you." y/n liked the idea - she had to admit that she had wondered what he was up to and this would be the perfect opportunity to check in. however, she also recognised that she was here with her friends and it would be wrong to abandon them, especially when they were the ones that organised the evening.

"i'm kind of with people at the moment," y/n gave him an apologetic look, she had tried to word it kindly, in a way that didn't seem like a harsh refusal of his offer. "no worries, just whenever you have a free moment later on," he smiles, "drinks on me, of course." y/n returns the smile, "see you later then."

//

y/n could feel her head growing fuzzy and she could tell her friends felt the same, so it had been a collective decision to end the night there. with everyone calling taxis or friends to collect them, y/n decided to drop george a text to come and collect her in around half an hour's time. as promised, she found her way to her ex-coworker's table, telling herself that she could only accept one drink out of politeness and as to not hate herself too much the next morning.

"so what'll it be?" he asks grinning, digging into his pocket to find his wallet. "just whatever you're having," y/n slid into a chair and waited for him to return with the drink. soon enough, the drinks arrived and after getting over some initial awkwardness, they were back to chatting like old friends. y/n was so caught up in conversation that she hadn't realised george had texted her numerous times that he had arrived until he entered the pub himself and informed her.

"i've been trying to get you to come outside for a bit now," george says, approaching the table where they were sitting. he wasn't angry, he was aware that y/n would be caught up with her friends and therefore a little slower to check her phone, but he was confused. who was this guy? he'd met y/n's friends on countless occasions, and she often mentioned them, but this stranger hadn't ever seemed to come up in conversation. "i'm sorry," she looked up at him with flushed cheeks, the alcohol had definitely gotten to her. george was about to open his mouth to ask her who the mystery man was but before he could get there, she interjected, "this is my old coworker, from when i worked at the shop."

suddenly it made sense - maybe y/n had mentioned him in passing, he was sure she'd talked about her time at the shop a couple of times previously. "well nice meeting you," george didn't really feel like engaging in any formalities, all he really wanted was to get y/n home and go to bed. "we'd better get home." he smiled somewhat apologetically, and took y/n by the hand in an attempt to coax her to stand up. "honestly, please join us," the man, who george still didn't know the name of (nor did he really care to find out either), said. "we were only just beginning to catch up." george glanced at y/n, although he wasn't so sure if she was in a good position to be passing judgement.

"that would be nice," she smiled softly, "george?" she looked up at him with big eyes, eyes that he often found very hard to resist. george still wasn't sold on the idea. "are you sure? it's getting quite late now." he questioned, in the hopes that she would agree and they could go. he really was not a fan of how eager this guy was to spend time with her, and it was made worse by the fact that he hardly knew the guy. "please?" y/n tightened her grip on his hand, willing him to just take the seat next to her.

at this point, george obliged. it was clear y/n was enjoying herself and this guy didn't make her uncomfortable. it was not worth ruining her night and mood by forcing her to come with him. "alright." he said flatly, admittedly through gritted teeth. y/n raised an eyebrow at his tone but brushed it off, maybe he was just tired and besides, he absolutely could tolerate sitting down and talking for a short while.

//

the more he talked, the more george was sure he couldn't stand the guy. the way he looked at y/n with such blind adoration in his eyes, the way he kept reaching out to touch her on the arm briefly during the conversation and his body language, completely focused towards y/n as if he wasn't there - it was all far too much.

george made a point of blatantly checking the time and announcing it to the table, "right, i think we should call it a night here?" he turned to y/n, who was obviously more tired than she had been when he first arrived, who solemnly agreed. george stood up first, quickly helping y/n up and wrapping his arm around her shoulder protectively. "thank you, that was a lovely evening," her former coworker smiled, "we should do this again y/n." the fact he had purposely left george out of the conversation, without even having the decency to offer an invite to him (or to any of her friends) confirmed every suspicion.

george's body stiffened, his grip on y/n tightening slightly. "i don't think that would be appropriate." he said calmly, masking how truly infuriating it was for him to be witnessing this behaviour. "we're leaving now." he didn't give y/n a chance to wave goodbye or say thank you to her old friend, and instead took off briskly towards the exit and to the car.

"what was that about?" y/n looked puzzled, to her the night had simply been catching up with someone from her past and nothing more. "could you seriously not tell?" george himself was dumbfounded, it was beyond him how she could be so oblivious. "tell what?" y/n snapped back at him, "all i could tell was that you hated him. your face was sour the entire night."

"well forgive me for not taking a liking to the guy who was practically undressing you with his eyes," george began to raise his voice, he didn't like getting angry and wouldn't ever want to upset y/n but it was impossible to contain his rage in the moment. "he was not!" y/n protested, "he is just an ex-colleague, what has gotten into you?"

"to you maybe," george still felt disgusted, "i mean, did you even notice that he was constantly trying to touch you?" y/n shook her head in disbelief, "i think you're being dramatic. even if he was flirting with me, why would it matter?" silence clung to the air. george stared at the ground helplessly, he knew that no matter the number of ways he tried to explain this to y/n she would just be adamant he wasn't making advances on her. "i like you not him." she reached out to touch him on the arm, "george, i'm not angry at you. i think i was just surprised."

y/n stepped closer to him carefully and slotted herself under his chin, wrapping her arms around him in the most reassuring hug she could muster - he did the same. "i'm sorry." he mumbled into her hair where he had buried his face, "it's hard to not get jealous when you have such a beautiful girlfriend." y/n grinned, "you are silly." she paused, contemplating whether or not to share her thoughts. "and for the record, i do think you are extra hot when you're jealous."

"oh?" george raised his eyebrow, "well, as long as you don't keep meeting up with random co-workers that definitely have a crush on you, i can live with that." he chuckled. "don't worry, you definitely scared him away." y/n laughed, "i am not at risk." george mocked offense, "hilarious y/n," he smiled sarcastically, guiding her towards the car and opening the passenger door for her to climb in before getting in himself.

"i do love you, you know," she stared out of the windscreen in thought. "i know you do, and i love you," george patted her knee, "let's just worry about getting you home now."

[realcube]

WRATH & LUST . t.kei / y.tadashi

synopsis ✧ you hate tsukishima kei. you do everything in your power to make his life miserable but nothing works. now you have no choice but to fuck his best friend

cws/tags ✧ college au , enemies to enemies who screw, cursing, slut-shaming (both ways)

parts ✧ i. ii. iii. iv.

your friends call it 'inexplicable hatred', 'misdirected anger' and 'envy' but they couldn't be more wrong.

your feelings towards tsukishima kei were completely rational in your mind. he carried himself as though he was better than everyone and treated those around him like filth, yet he's still tolerated and his shitty attitude is even deemed charming by some self-loathing girls at your college.

it irritates you to no end how he behaves. too cocksure and too sassy; no dignified man should never act in such a manner, you believe. you could go on about other reasons you dislike him — his style atrocities and his punchable face, to name a couple — but you shan't.

you intended on going about your life, simply hating him from afar as you didn't see the need to stir up petty drama. but he made it impossible for you to do so.

one day he was sat behind you in a maths lecture. the seats are tiered so he is slightly higher up than you are. while making notes, his pen slips out of his hand and tumbles forward, landing somewhere under your desk.

you do the polite thing by making an attempt to search for it, but it is dark under the table you can't seem to find it.

a couple moments pass, and he remarks lowly, "are you just going to stare it?"

white hot rage courses through you at his comment. what ever happened to 'please'? to 'would you mind'? you were about to do him a favour by fetching his pencil and he still has the audacity to be snarky.

fuck that, he can pick up his own damn pen. you leave it alone and try to focus on the lecture.

you make it through the whole thing without him bothering you again, probably using a spare or borrowed pen. once the class has been dismissed, you gather your things and wait for the people in your row to start filtering out so you can leave, that is when you feel a gentle tap on the shoulder.

you turn around and lock eyes with a tan, freckled boy with mousy brown hair, he wears an awkward smile and point to your desk, "excuse me, my friend dropped his pencil and i think it landed under your desk. could you get it, please?"

his voice is meek and demeanour similar to that of a shy puppy, which is why it almost pained you to scoff at him and say, "tell your friend to stop being such a cunt, then maybe."

you rush out of the door, keen to get as far away from those two boys as you can. yet as you leave you hear the blonde's voice mutter in your wake, "what a moron."

after marinating on the situation during the retelling to your friend group, and a group vote, you came to the conclusion that perhaps your response to yamaguchi — you learned his name from one your friends — might have been a bit severe. but in your defence, you were peeved by the comment tsukishima had made prior.

it's as though manners and etiquette are totally lost on him.

ೃ⁀➷

two weeks passed since your last little altercation with tsukishima, and you were proud to say you haven't been involved in any conflict with him since then. mostly making snide remarks in passing or exchanging dirty looks in the hall.

however, that all changed when your professor was late to one of your classes. they expressed in the past that they prefer students to wait outside the lecture theatre when they aren't present, so naturally this caused many people to be clogging the hallways.

there was a long queue of people waiting to enter, you stood far away from the door, while tsukishima and yamaguchi happened to be standing opposite. you couldn't help but notice the outfit tsukishima had on: skinny light brown trousers with a black belt, and a pressed short-sleeve white shirt, that was a bit see-through.

you didn't know much about this guy but from his slightly toned figure, which was made apparent by his choice in clothes, you could tell he does some sort of sport. probably basketball, considering how tall he is, but maybe golf. he acts like a golf player.

lost in thought for too long, your finally yanked out of your own internal monologue by a familiar voice snapping, "what are you staring at?"

you blink, and before you even have time to process what he just accused you of, you blurt out, "has anyone told you that you're dressed like a slut today?"

yamaguchi must slap a hand over his mouth to suppress his burgeoning laughter. tsukishima's eyes narrow at his friend's offensive display, before they snap back to you and he argues, "really? me? i'm dressed appropriately. take a look at what you're wearing."

he motions to your outfit: jorts and a tank top. maybe not the most stylish choice but definitely not as whorish as his attire. "it might be more revealing but still not as slutty as you."

he rolls his eyes like what you said was contradictory, wearing smug smile. he wants you to believe what you said is nonsensical and 'proved his point' but all it does it anger you to no end.

not fond of his facial expressions, you retort, "don't pull stupid faces and play dumb. you're already dumb enough as is, so it isn't a very becoming look on you."

with furrowed brows, he opens his mouth to say something, but you cut him off, "and i can see your chest through your shirt. no one wants to see that!"

"you say that while your tits are out, have some self-respect."

"at least i have tits. you're wearing a short sleeve to show off the muscles you don't even have!"

yamaguchi is thoroughly entertained by this squabble, which is why it pains him to chime in, "uh, tsukki. the lecturer is here, let's go."

as much as he wanted to get the last word in, tsukishima glances between tadashi and the empty halls before he decides his education is actually kinda important and begins to make his way inside the theatre. it was good timing because he didn't have a witty response anyway.

your heart is beating rapidly, though you're unsure why. you gaze at the empty walls for a minute to collect yourself before heading into class as well. you totally won that fight, is what you tell yourself.

ೃ⁀➷

ever since the disagreement you had with tsukishima in hallways of the maths building, what was once comments and glares has escalated to threats and insults being made boldly in each other's face.

despite the fact you ate him up the first time, you've been on a losing streak since then. you feel as though nothing you say gets under his skin anymore.

you've tried belittling his face, his smarts, his personality, his mother but nothing seems to work. you even tried to ridicule his glasses but that didn't work either!

"hey, four eyes!"

"hey, five guys."

what the fuck? you weren't sure if that was a dig at your diet, your weight or your quantity of sexual partners but regardless, you could not let that slide.

verbal abuse wasn't working so naturally the next option was physical. you attempted to trip him in the halls but his legs were so long he stepped over you without even noticing. you attempted to pour milk over him but tadashi noticed and pulled him out of the way. you considered pushing his knees while he was standing in front of you but you realised that if he fell backwards his weight would crush you and you'd probably die.

all of that was so elementary and childish though; high school bullying at best. you need college level bullying. you thought about planting weed in his bag and calling the campus police on him but your friends said that was 'too far'. you thought about leaking his nudes but firstly you don't have them and secondly, he's already walking around college half naked anyway so he likely wouldn't be phased by it.

the hard thing about trying to torture a boy like tsukishima is you don't know enough about him to know what will truly drive him insane. you know he cares about his grades but sabotaging his test scores is beyond your means. he doesn't have any dignity so you can't humiliate him. even if you tried, his little gremlin of a best friend would probably catch onto you anyway.

that green haired boy was just as bad as his handler. always gawking at you to make sure you don't try anything; literally glued to tsukishima's ass at all times — it's so gross. and it gave you the most disgustingly perfect idea.

[heavyhitterheaux]

“I’m sorry, I know I overreacted.”

Ty @hoodharlow for helping me 😘💕

AN: Baby Jack and Baby First Lady when they were in high school

Sighing to yourself, you looked over the notes that you had made to complete your assignment that you got paired with Ezra Hamilton for in your AP history class.

Getting home just an hour ago, the afternoon had been spent over his house after school had let out and during that time, Jack had been blowing up your phone attempting to apologize for how he reacted to the entire situation.

Ezra didn't like Jack and Jack didn't like Ezra.

Jack didn't like Ezra because he thought at one point he liked you and Jack quickly put a stop to it and ever since then, Ezra would avoid Jack at all costs. Even though it was hard seeing that they were both on the varsity soccer team.

Jack was voted team captain and only won by one vote.

Of course the person that had been trying to get the spot of captain was of course no one other than Ezra.

Because of how competitive they both were, it was always tit for tat while they were always trying to one up each other.

When you told Jack after lunch as he was walking you to your next class about the project, he immediately got an attitude with you. You did your best to keep calm, but when he kept complaining about you having to go over Ezra's house to do the project, you instantly walked away from him and ignored him for the rest of the day.

“I don't want you anywhere near him.”

“Will you relax? It's just one project and he's not as bad as you try to make him out to be. He's actually really nice.”

Hearing this, Jack immediately turned up his nose and rolled his eyes.

“Oh? So you two are best friends now?”

“Jackman, drop this and drop it now. It's not like I picked him to be my partner. Our teacher paired us up.”

“Tell her you need to switch.”

“Will you get a damn grip? What the hell do you have against him?”

“He's probably going to try and steal you from me and I can't have that. You're mine.”

Hearing this, you stopped walking and Jack quickly did the same thing. You were quiet as you stared at him trying not to go off and yell.

“I'm not a fucking object so stop talking about me like I am. Last time I checked I was YOUR girlfriend who has actual feelings and I only want YOU. But if you are going to continue to be jealous when another person even GLANCES my way, maybe we need to rethink that. Don't talk to me until you lose that damn attitude. I'm doing this project and going over Ezra's house after school so don't even bother waiting for me. Go to class before you make yourself late for the millionth time.”

“I… baby… wait a minute.” Jack started to say as he attempted to grab your hand, but you immediately moved it away.

“No. Bye.” Was all you said as you went and sat down in your next to last class of the day and Jack muttered a quiet ‘fuck’ under his breath before running a hand through his curly hair.

You stared at your phone once more as it rang and simply watched it until it stopped. Your feelings of being upset with Jack were still at the forefront of your mind, and the last thing you wanted to do was talk to him.

After taking a shower, putting on your pajamas and wrapping your hair in order to get ready for bed, you heard a knock on your window and couldn't help but to roll your eyes because you knew it was Jack.

Opening your curtains, you simply stared at him with narrowed eyes.

“Baby! Let me in!” Jack exclaimed, but it came out muffled because the window still wasn't open.

“No. Go away.”

“Please! I need to apologize to you. You've been ignoring me all day.”

As you opened your window, Jack tumbled inside as you sat on your bed with your arms crossed waiting for him to speak.

“Baby girl…”

“What?”

“I'm sorry, I know I overreacted. I just don't like him. I trust you, please know that. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt our relationship. I was an asshole to you earlier.” Jack told you as he sat down next to you and kissed your cheek.

He was surprised that you didn't move away from him.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I only have eyes for you and only want you?”

“A million and one?” Jack shyly answered and you simply shook your head as you tried not to laugh.

“Too jealous for your own good.”

“So, how did everything go when you went to his house?”

“Oh, it was fine. We got a lot done. His mom made us snickerdoodles.”

All Jack did was look at you.

“Snickerdoodles are our thing and I know that my mom's cookies taste better.”

“Don't start. But I might have mentioned that they are my favorite.”

“So, you don't need to see him anymore unless we're in school, right? This was only a one time thing?”

“Babe, our project isn't finished.”

“Hmm, I can come and help speed up the process a little bit with my intimidating presence.”

All you did was stare at him with a blank look on your face.

“I can't believe that I actually take you seriously sometimes. You wouldn't hurt a fly.”

“I know, that's why we're a perfect match. You’ll beat someone's ass in a heartbeat.”

“I…. Jackman, I will throw you out the window.”

"See? My point exactly."

[thememoryofthatday]

A few miles from my house, there is a church where I take my daughter to get pumpkins every fall. As an atheist, I normally don't support churches, but this one doesn't bother me. My husband and I call it the gay church because they proudly fly a bunch of LGBTQIA+ flags out front, and their slogan is "A Place Where All Are Welcome." Their pumpkin patch proceeds don't go to missionary work; they go to supporting homeless teens and other actual charitable causes.

When we first moved here, the gay church would host various fundraisers for those charitable causes. One of these events was a family-friendly drag bingo night. Remember not too long ago how there was a big push by conservative groups to ban drag shows all over the USA? The gay church got caught up in that, suddenly becoming a target for far-right protests.

By some weird chance, I didn't drive past the gay church the day it happened. I drive past it most days, so I was surprised the next day when I saw the news. Neo-Nazi groups, including the Proud Boys, Patriot Front, and the Aryan Freedom Network came out to protest this tiny little church where we buy our pumpkins. Many of them were armed with assault rifles; some waved Nazi flags and gave Nazi salutes. Counter-protesters stood in front of the church with signs and pride flags, too. Police in riot gear had to keep them apart.

The local news reported that the two sides were at odds over "providing a safe place for all" vs. "advocating for children in the community," which is an absurd way of putting it, but sure. What struck me most about the reports, though, was not that they ignored the presence of the Nazi groups or carefully edited their footage to avoid showing any swastikas that were present. It was the non-Nazi protesters who came out to picket the church, themselves representing churches or other religious groups. Those protesters complained about being grouped in with the Nazis, whom they found despicable, and it made me laugh because... I mean, you chose your side of the street, didn't you? You might not be able to control who else was on that side, but you sure as hell had control over whether or not to join them.

That's how I feel about the people who voted for Trump in this election (and the last one, and the one before that). Trump himself has told us that there are very fine people on both sides, and to be honest, I kind of understand that. Everyone wants to think of themselves as a good person; even those who don't think they're particularly good still think they're at least right in their beliefs about the world. Everyone is the protagonist of their own life story, and few ever think of themselves as being on the wrong side of anything.

Maybe most of those Trump voters are very polite. Maybe they love animals and do charitable work and donate to causes that those of us on the political left would happily donate to. Maybe they make the best brownies you've ever had and always tip well. Maybe they're friendly with their neighbors even though their neighbors are immigrants. Maybe they are immigrants themselves.

But whatever else they might be, they picked their side, and it wasn't the side of inclusion or kindness. They crossed the street and stood next to the Nazis.

So to all the very fine people out there who voted for Trump, whether you did it because you sincerely believe that public schools are performing sex-change operations on children or whether you just wanted another fucking tax cut, recognize that you banded together with the worst elements of our society in order to achieve your goal. We on the left get taken to task for lumping you in with Nazis, but you lumped yourself in with them by choice. The Nazis are celebrating right now because of the decision you made. They couldn't have won without you.

Go sit in that for a while.

[random-knowone]

Hi! I'm glad you're posting so much about Harris. Almost no one I follow/am mutuals with has been talking about the election at all even though it's so close, even though they were doing so much back in 2020. Do you have any thoughts on that sort of situation? Maybe it's that they're tired of talking about it, but it's just really concerning. It's like the election doesn't even exist to them, and they stopped talking about it once they couldn't complain about it. (First they complained they didn't like Biden because of his support for Israel. Then he dropped out and Harris took over and they complained about her being a cop and supporting Israel. Then there were a few posts explaining that she was a prosecutor and actually did a lot to help people, and also that she also supports Palestine and wants a ceasefire. After that, it's been absolutely nothing from any of them for weeks. Many of them are Americans living in the US, too. (Though it's more understandable for someone outside the US to not want to bother, even mutuals and people I follow who live in other countries had been extremely vocal about US politics in the recent past, so it still feels strange for them to also be saying nothing about it now.)

Hey there, thanks for reaching out! I think it's a shame that I lot of folks aren't talking much about this election when so much is on the line.

I think a lot of people either don't realize how much is on the line, don't like Kamala for whatever reason they may have, or see it as "obvious" to vote for Kamala and don't bother talking about it because they assume that everyone already will.

My advice would be to talk about it yourself, make and reblog posts about it, be the change you wish to see. And hopefully, your mutuals will see those and reblog them, spreading the word. Especially posts about Kamala's plans for office, and her past record throughout her career, to help the folks who don't know enough about her to make up their minds.

A lot of people seem to have this idea that both parties are the same, or that Democrats never get anything done. I think a lot of this stems from people just not paying close attention to what goes on in politics, which is understandable. The main reason Democrats don't get as much done as they say they will is that they get blocked all the time by Republicans in the House and Senate, which the majority of people seem to forget about.

Many leftists on here don't like Kamala because she worked with Biden, or because of the ongoing issues with the war in Gaza, or because they just don't think she's left-wing enough. The best way to address these types is to remind them that even if they don't like Kamala, she's better than Trump. And one of them is going to be our next president, no matter what. An election isn't about picking the person who matches your values to a T, it's about choosing which of two options you prefer, even if neither are perfect.

In the case of people you're close with, you can talk to them about their views on this election, and answer any questions they might have, or address disinformation they heard.

The most important thing is to be kind and understanding, because at their hearts, everyone wants what's best for our country, and for their loved ones. We just don't always agree on what that looks like. The best way to convince people is to figure out what issues are important to them, and explain how Kamala is the best candidate for them.

[doctorbunny]

Hi! I hope you don't mind the sudden question, but i got really into Milgram recently and was wondering: What reasoning did people give when they voted Haruka guilty in the second trial? Like, generally speaking, what did the consensus seem to be?

Haruka is a character i strongly relate to, so i have a lot of Thoughts about him.

Firstly: Wow the start of the second trial was that long ago, huh 😅

Secondly: I need to explain that Haruka's trial was a bit different than most Not sure how recently you joined but in a normal trial, the MV will upload the same day a CD releases, and stuff like the instrumental, DECO covers and most importantly the voice drama will be officially uploaded at the same time

But for Haruka, due to some unspecified CD issue, we were getting the MV as planned then wouldn't get the voice drama for another two weeks This will be very important to his voting

Thirdly: Going into his trial, things were uncertain, a lot of people really liked Haruka and were very worried for him due to his new relationship with Muu. Whom many saw as a potential bad influence or threat. I won't get into it too much, but before this trial it was definitely more common to have a.... soft image of Haruka as a harmless little guy who had gone through a lot, who just made some mistakes because he didn't know any better

Its worth remembering that without the context of AKAA, Weakness is a very dream-like MV and not many were sure which parts were real or imagined One of the biggest debates about weakness was about if the blue haired child was a younger bother or Haruka himself It all seems quite quaint from here Some people thought Haruka might not have even killed a person, just animals, I was even considering a theory suggesting Haruka was in milgram for his own suicide (in the words of Danganronpa 'killing the person who is most important to you: Yourself') The girl with the plait wasn't thought about much as other than a possible childhood friend due to her being shown running next to young Haruka.

Fourth: The premiere of AKAA was super emotional and intense, it was a beautiful MV But like Purge March later, it would contextualise parts of Weakness we didn't expect it to Mainly the animal murder and the girl's death.

But without the voice drama, many were unsure what verdict would be best for Haruka Despite the failure of T1 Amane, many still thought we could fix the prisoners through voting right Some people saw this vote as a chance to get Haruka to break up with Muu if we played our cards right Overall people were confused and conflicted and couldn't wait for the voice drama to come out I think the best summary of feelings is a comment from the top of the AKAA comments section

This was posted right after AKAA came out and reflected a common mood

This part of his voting period was very strange. Because of the uncertainty, people were pretty split People didn't think he deserved an innocent verdict, but they didn't want to punish him so harshly with a guilty one either And it turned into an interesting situation: What happens if a prisoner gets exactly 50%? It was an unlikely truce between two passionate sides but for about 2 weeks straight, 50-50 was sustained Or more accurately, it was a constant flux of 49.9-50.1, changing by the hour if not minute (I actually dreamt up a fic of this causing Haruka to get a migraine but like most of my fics it never materialised)

Then the voice drama released

At the time I was the mod of the second biggest milgram server (rip Fancult - unfortunately that place got nuked so I'll have to go off memories alone) so I got to watch as a lot of people gathered and listened to the VD at the same time We were still waiting on translations, but still people could appreciate the acting and pick out key words like the prisoners' names and... other common phrases

お母さん, "Okaasan" The Japanese word for 'mother' or 'mum'

By the time we got to here it was Harukover 😔

Then a second Okaasan hit the verdict

And this giant mess ended with the suicide threat that's been haunting us for the rest of the season...

Needless to say, people were not too pleased

The 50-50 pipe dream was immediately shot down and betrayed

This graph (by paiplushie on twt) shows it pretty clearly

One thing to keep in mind is that even before Muu's MV was out, people were certain she'd be voted guilty, there was a fervour for it (mostly because people saw her as having taken advantage of Haruka and having the wrong attitude towards her verdict)

For some reason, voting Muu innocent was never really considered an option

It was 'Haruka threatened to kill himself if we vote Muu guilty, how do we stop him doing that after we do' [personally I voted him innocent because I had a pipe dream that if both Haruka and Muu were inno then they'd be obnoxious about it but unharmed]

People justified voting guilty in different ways, some thought it'd make him break up with Muu and not want to die for her, some just didn't want to enable his action (threatening suicide is awfully manipulative) and some people genuinely believed that physical restraint was the most effective way to prevent him from attempting suicide... which all I'll say is I disagree with that logic

But yeah, once the VD was out it never really showed any signs of returning to inno

[karisomk]

To see the Red Thread, Pt. 1 & 2

(Sometimes muses just strike me, LMAO. And this is just a head canon of Sylra picking up that something is different with Astarion after the rite of Ascension. Companions witnessing it beforehand. I already posted this on my secondary profile but sharing it here too.))

[[During the epilogue when wine is making everyone buzzing and everyone is having a good time. Halsin who still is sober and for reasons of trying to prevent wild shaping. I like to believe that Tav would have a buzz but not be drunk, and so they would have a conversation with Halsin about Asc. Astarion. Or at least Halsin picks up that Astarion definitely has a leash on tav.]]

“You should visit the grove! Thaniel has asked about you."

"I would love to, and would have to bring this to Astarion's attention so we can make time to go. He's picked up the reigns of being a magistrate again with my help. Seems like such a breeze when everyone is excited to have “Baldur's Gate heroes” in politics,” Sylra a slight bow.

“I assume you do not like it?” Halsin slightly chuckled.

“No more than dealing with politics when we were helping Wyll take his father's place. But he likes it, that's all that matters," Sylra mumbled with a slight shrug. Hiding the frown that formed on their lips behind a sip to their goblet of wine.

Halsin hummed in agreement, but still his gaze lingered in Sylra. Recalling how Sylra was less than eager to deal with politics but still helped when it was needed.

“Surely, Astarion can handle a few meetings with your absence? So you can leave the city for bit. Even the owl bear you helped raised misses you,” Halsin pressed lightly. The Druid never one to fully dance around his words, but was one of the first to know that Sylra was definitely close to the vampire in their former travels together.

Sylra wanted to say no, ignoring the way a knot formed in their stomach at the mention of the owl bear. The cub was missed so much, and not being able to keep him in hurt greatly. But Astarion would instantly shut down the idea of Sylra going off back to Moonrise alone or even wanting to own a little cottage on the outskirts of the city just to see the owlbear and companions. Not to mention an argument almost brewed just from asking to go visit Gale.

“I'm not sure,” Sylra offered quietly.

“As Magistrate, he aims to be Chief of Justice in the city and with me helping him gain votes with the locals it'll be easy, but this requires me to be in the city," Sylra shook their head slightly. A truthful singsong, that was told to explain why Astarion didn't let them stray too far. But in reality, if he didn't want to go then neither should Sylra.

Visiting companions, which Astarion was quick to say wasn't his companions, became an optional task to him. Unimportant. Him showing his distaste for the countryside all the way to Shadowheart's home. Something changed, Sylra couldn't place her finger on it just yet, but Astarion's open disdain that was no longer tied with humor was jarring. Even now, while at the party, he chose to stay away from others and only speaking when spoken to.

Sylra became startled once a heavy hand clamped down on their shoulder. Meeting Halsin's warm gaze,“ Nonsense! Astarion can take care of himself, I'll ask for you!”

Sylra felt their voice catch in their throat, trying to lean over in their seat to catch Halsin to stop him. Holding fright, similar to a child that was preventing another child to go speak to their parent. A slight groan slipped their lips, seeing just how quickly Halsin had beelined for Astarion. And her ever so spouse that looked bothered by Halsin being so close to him.

It wasn't long before ruby eyes locked onto Sylra before flicking back up at Halsin. Flashing a polite smile at first glance but strained smile to Sylra.

“Astarion said yes, Sylra!” Halsin chimed out loud with a chuckle.

Sylra lifted their goblet and gave a polite smile, but that did not remove the knot from their stomach. The false smile on Astarion's lips said it all, that he was not pleased with being asked that. And a conversation will happen about Halsin later when it was just the two of them.

●•◦●•◦●•◦●•◦●•◦

Astarion hadn't spoken since the party had ended, both of them returning to Baldur's Gate and back to the Ancunín Manor. If he did speak to Sylra it was purposely short, nor would he look at them. Even while at the manor, he purposely walked in front of Sylra keeping his distant. In their bedroom, while Astarion began to undress himself, he did not speak then. Still playing the silent game as long as he could to get his way.

“Gods below, Astarion. Enough!” Sylra blurted out, seemingly exasperated that he would still be petting over so little.

“If you do not wish for me to go, I will not. But Halsin merely suggested I visited, and then took it upon himself to ask. That's all! There is no reason for all of this,” Sylra gestured to him fully.

Only a slight chuckle came from him, though he still kept his back to Sylra," As if my thoughts even matter, having others speak for you when you could have just asked me then instead of the Druid." "Astarion-!" "If you wish to go, my treasure, then so be," Astarion stated casually, cutting Sylra off. Ignoring just how Sylra was becoming visibly upset over the conversation.

"No one is stopping you, I would hate for your friends to think I have some type of bind on you. Like the way, Shadowheart says," Astarion briefly sneering at the memory. "So go," Astarion had waved Sylra off similar to dismissing a servant. Sylra's eyes narrowed, heat flushing threw her chest from a wave of anger and mixture of hurt at being brushed aside. “ I do everything you ask me, and you sit there and try to hold this over my head to try to get your way. That isn't fair! “ Sylra snapped, their voice echoing in the elaborate bedroom.

“And just exactly what isn't fair, hm? That I am concerned about your wellbeing? That it is unfair of me to believe you should be here and not in the damned forest, getting convinced to do chores by random strangers that are beneath you," Astarion countered with such viciousness that what growing anger within Sylra had flickered for a just moment. A tone that Astarion has never used towards them, even before the rite of Ascension. "But I am sure Halsin will annoyingly try to stick on you, and you will still naively accept at the kindness of your heart. You never seem to think about yourself fully but stomp your foot when told no, and look at me as if I'm some wretch,” Astarion sneered, fangs baring briefly before he reeled himself in. His features going neutral, a soft smile forming on his lips.

"But you know what? Do what you want, my dear. I shall see you when you get back. Do try to stay out of trouble, my treasure” Astarion mused, closing the space between himself and Sylra to peck their cheek before leaving. Sylra remained planted in the same spot for several minutes, trying to shake the guilt and tension that clung to their frame. A faint taste of cooper feeling their mouth just from the slight chews of the inside of their cheek from anxiousness. Sylra didn't want to go now, not after everything Astarion just said, but to not show for Halsin would not sit right with them either.

●•◦●•◦●•◦●•◦●•◦

What was supposed to be a warm reunion was partially dulled by the last conversation with Astarion. Sylra noticing that Astarion was even petty enough to not tell them farewell but sent a servant instead. But the constant gentle headbutts from the owl bear almost worked in stomping out those ill thoughts. With the sight of the Moonrise towers being actively changed, the sight of the great tree in the center of the town, and with Halsin and the locals preparing a feast for Sylra's arrival. Sylra was almost content, but still longed for Astarion to have come around to the idea of visiting without arguing.

“You know you are getting too big to lay on me, my dear. You are no longer a little cub,” Sylra grunted to the owl bear who insisted on sprawling near them but placed his head in their lap for pets. The pleased soft happy chirps and purrs beg to differ in Sylra's statement. Chuckling, Sylra gave more scratches to the owl bear's ears and chin.

“I am surprised you arrived alone,” Halsin said quietly, moving to sit next to Sylra.

“Mm, he did say yes,” Sylra pointed out, dancing around what Halsin truly meant.

“But it seems begrudgingly so,” Halsin added with a light arch of his brow.

Slyra's lips parted, but a sigh came from them before looking to Halsin, “He needs my support while he works I can not blame from him for that is important to him.“

“Is it? This is just seems like Astarion reveling in control.”

'He doesn't control me or anything I do. He's just overly concerned, Halsin, more so with us being so open about what we did for the city Baldur's Gate,” Slyra said quickly. "Concerned? Over someone that has manned ogres with ease and fight a devil in their own home?" "With all of us being proclaimed heros, he just worries thats all," Sylra said with a light shake of their head.

Halsin silence was heavy, his gaze more often welcomed was now laced with worry. He did not press Sylra, but he was no fool to Astarion's behavior in the city and after the rite. Everyone in camp did not agree with the choice, more so La'zael and Shadowheart who witnessed the rite with Sylra. But it was Astarion's and Sylra's choice in the end.

“I know you care for Astarion, you two were bound to one another before either of you stepped foot back into the city. And, you know, that it is more than that.”

Slyra eyed her hands, slender fingers running through the chestnut feathers, gently scratching the ears of the owlbear who was now falling asleeping. “There are some moments I feel like I failed him or some part of him has been forever lost since the day of the rite, Halsin." "And any conversation about that day or Cazador is almost always shut down so harshly, Halsin." Slyra admitted quietly. The day Sylra mentioned that Astarion was acting strangely was the day he openly snapped at them . Astarion immediately forbidding Cazador's name to be mentioned in their home. Now this was the second time he snapped at Sylra.

TBC

[gachagon]

I guess I'm really just mortified that 15 million americans would rather stay home and just let this awful man ruin the country further and push us further into a dystopian hellscape then vote for a very boring woman. Like, they won not because of some bullshit contingency or old law or whatever, but because people were so "uninspired" by this one lady that they just didn't show up at all to not vote and instead just let him win.

"Well maybe she should've run a better campaign" "Maybe they should've picked someone else who was more likeable" "Maybe, Maybe, Maybe"

it doesn't matter now. All these people online saying how it's genuinely not their fault that they didn't cast a ballot it's the politicians fault are just pissing me off man. Because that's 15 million people who had one job and who couldn't be bothered with it. They get to sit home comfortably and at peace while other people who will very much suffer for this decision have to cope and find some way to live for 4 more years under this awful awful mans policies.

And I don't want to hear how it was all "fear mongering" and just people panicking because people weren't just saying this shit to rile you up. We ALL saw how bad it got when he was president, we KNOW how bad it will get now, and 15 million people just stayed home and let that man win again because the "Other candidate" wasn't likeable enough, didn't have enough time to get them motivated, said things about smoking weed after putting people in jail for smoking it, smiles "weirdly", is a woman etc

Meanwhile the guy who just won because people stayed home is a rapist, a pedophile, has said he will make america a dictatorship on day 1, staged a coup after he lost the first time, is a convicted felon, and so many more other awful things that should've inspired people MORE to vote than this one ladies boring policies. So I guess people would rather live under total right wing fascism than let a boring woman into office.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Jingle Bell Rock

Voiceplay weren't originally planning to release any proper full-length video for December last year (2023), just a Mini or two, as they were busy in November due to a special performance with the band Chicago. They asked their Patrons for song suggestions for Minis, and then put the three most popular suggestions into a poll for people to vote on. Jingle Bell Rock won out with 55% of the votes, but then a Patron provided a suggestion of doing it "Mean Girls style". Initially the guys were confused, (as was I when I first read the video title when the Premiere appeared) - was there some different musical styling that they weren't aware of? But they soon realised that "Mean Girls style" was referring to the iconic dance scene from the 2004 movie. And so, on the 16th of December, 2023, we got a proper video, not just a Mini, with plenty of absurdity and "Voiceplay brand of dumb", courtesy of Layne! (Layne was in charge of both the arrangement and the video, and is also co-credited for creative direction along with Tony).

Now please don't kill me, but I've never actually watched Mean Girls (*GASP*). However, I know a fair bit about it just from it being popular on Tumblr and the internet in general, and I know this specific scene in the movie quite well, as my dad and I would watch the clip of it every year in December. I have also rewatched the original scene before starting this post, because I'm gonna be doing screenshot comparisons! For one thing, this isn't a super long video, so I'm not worried about image limit, and for another, VoicePlay put a lot of effort into recreating this scene as closely as possible (albeit with some, er, aesthetic alterations 😜), so I wanna prove it, because why not!

Anyway, that's a fair bit of introductory stuff already, so I'll leave my other notes/commentary/thoughts for during the actual video talk bit. Let's get into this!

Making a shot from this little opening bit as the thumbnail was one heck of a choice ngl. Maybe they couldn't be bothered finding a better shot from the video, or maybe they just wanted to keep most of the video as a surprise for viewers, idk, but I was so confused from the thumbnail-title combo when the premiere appeared!😂

Also if you don't already know from the video description, this was all filmed on Tony's iPhone! (Doesn't mean it was all handheld though - tripods/stands for phones exist!). It was because VoicePlay were without a cameraguy for like 2-3 months, because their old one moved states.

So instead of doing any sort of "sexy santa/santa's helper" costumes like in the original, Layne decided that he and the others would be dressing up as characters from Christmas movies! Cesar as Buddy The Elf (perfect casting and also gets off easiest in the outfit department, lol), Layne as The Grinch, Geoff as Oogie Boogie (duh), and Eli as Santa/Sandy

(Also fun fact: the Oogie Boogie costume is the same one that Tony wore for his very brief appearance in VoicePlay's Kidnap The Sandy Claws video! (Also it's pretty hot to wear apparently, and Geoff had to tie his hair back to get the head/hood fitted properly, before he ended up asking for a wig cap, rip))

Also if you don't know the original scene, the original line after "but I'm always on your left!" is "that was when there were three of us, and now the tallest go in the middle", but here, the tallest (Layne/Grinchy and Geoff/Oogie Boogie) already are in the middle, so it's switched out for "now the fat one goes in the middle" (also watch for Eli's/Santa's quick surprised reaction to that line, lol)

(Also not a visual thing, but if you haven't picked up on it already, the announcer doing the "please welcome to the stage" bit is also Layne)

I know I didn't mention it in all my rambling at the start, but yes, shoutout to Adriana Arellano who is also in this video! (And blonde now!). This is her fifth full-length collaboration with the group, and second for a Christmas video! (Third if you count the Frozen 2 Medley).

Also do you recognise the set? Again? I'll say more later, but those curtains were almost definitely added in post-production I'll tell ya that!

Can't recreate the OG scene without an audience, and so we haveone! That just happens to also include the VoicePlay guys themselves! (Geoff must've been sharing his cloning machine around! 😜😆

Huldra has a video on her channel I believe saying who's who in the audience here, but they're also all credited in the description, so I'll list them here for you!

Standing up at the back: Michelle Arellano (Adriana's mum)

Back row: Eli, Ashley Jacobson (Eli's wife), Asher Jacobson (the baby that Ashley is holding; Eli's new son who was born in November last year!), Eileen McCarthy (don't know who she is), and Gayle Stein (Layne's mum).

Middle row: Franchezca Buiser (in shadow behind Cesar) (production assistant for Kathy/VoicePlay), Cyndi Stein (the blonde one behind Layne) (Layne's wife), Christina Arellano (Adriana's sister), and Adriana

And of course in the front row: Cesar, Layne, Kathy, and Geoff!

(Oh and "The Grinch" waving to Layne and him waving back (in the O.G. scene it's Gretchen waving to Jason) was definitely a cute touch)

Cyndi absolutely killed it playing Amy Poehler's part in the scene here, but wow already the similarities are stronger than I realized!

Totally the same picture! 🤣

So long as everyone had a good time, amirite? 😁

Pfft, Geoff acting shocked/scandalised, as if he hasn't done more than that in his Way Down video! 😆

Cesar is having the best time, and we love that for him honestly <3

Cyndi also really got into it! Stan! (She and Layne really are perfect for each other huh - same energies!)

Not a recreation of any bit in the original, but I love the little moment of Eileen and Gayle looking at each other in what can at best be called "great shock/surprise" 😂

Firstly, I love how they managed to include Ariana as a lead singer while still keeping with the original "plotline", by having a 'reveal' that Adriana was just lip-syncing to the boombox track, (still her vocals of course), which is revealed when it gets kicked and starts glitching.

Second of all, I love Cesar's attitude of "when in doubt, Remain Cute". Iconic 😂👌

Lol rip, had to happen! (And in the BTS video, they actually kinda show how this bit was done!)

Somehow I feel like Cyndi had the most fun out of anyone in this video shoot 😝

At this point I might as well make note of something you'd be forgiven for not immediately realizing - or perhaps not at all! And that is the fact that they're not actually on a stage! They made it look like one with the use of clever directions and camera anglings for the audience shots, but yeah no that's the same set VoicePlay used in 2022 for Christmas Don't Be Late, and the same set Geoff used that same year for Way Down, and it's totally flat! No stage!

And that's about all I have to say for Jingle Bell Rock actually! (No I'm not including the end bit - I do have some standards! 😂). That brings us up to date with VoicePlay's Christmas videos, but we're not even halfway into my 12 Days of Christmas In July miniseries! Next up, a couple of bonus VoicePlay Visuals posts, and then we'll be jumping over to Geoff's solo stuff! See you again soon!

[callibones]

uhhh hh ..... hello! this is the same anon who sent in that ask about object camps. the camps you suggested sound really interesting! im a little too scared to join them for now haha but they sound really cool. they will rotate in my mind for a while i think HGFDSFGHJGFDSDFGH other than that .. 1 . i came across the wiki camp two and it looked so creative and interesting to me! i dont program in css that often anymore but the site makes me wanna go over and put in a bunch of pages. problem is.. i don't know how to Apply? or Do Anything? rn the site is locked for voting but just in general i tried reading the rules but still couldn't understand how it worked. if you knew anything about it that'd be nice. it also seems to have a discord server..? again im scared to check myself but if youre in it i wanna know whether it's a nice space to be in.

2 . uhhghgfdghj i peered through the rest of the blog and found the shelled one blaseball fic you posted ? and i think im really Normal about it. So after reading that i now trust your fanfic opinions. are there any other blaseball fics you'd strongly recommend? and uh general.. uh, evil mind controlly fics would be really nice too (the book of bill is also sort of ruining me along with this so i am truly looking for ANYTHING and like omg hbdxszexrdcfdsxrctvdxszaf) and thats all i wanted to ask you! sorry this is getting REALLY LONG i wish you well and i am So Sorry for bothering you!

HELLO AGAIN! not botherin me at all. :-] i was hopin youd find that answer.... i made sure to answer it at the same time u sent the question so you'd have a MAXIMUM CHANCE of findin it, and u Did! so Yay! welcome back. im going to tag my answers to your Post's with 🩸🟪 so we Never Get Separated Again. but i want you to know.... i don't bite! i literally can't on account of my face is a monitor. so if you wanna chat, feel free to dm me! you seem like a really fun person and we clearly have a lotta interest's in common so Consider That: An Option.

ANYHOO.

1) the wiki camp 2 is ABSOLUTELY a welcoming community. in fact, check this out: here's an index of plainly written explanations of various community in-jokes, to ensure nobody's left confused! while i'm not super active on the discord due to hyperfixating on single spaces at a time like some sort of cryptid, i have a lot of wonderful friends in the community and i'd wholeheartedly call it nice.

you don't have to apply to write, either! while i don't think there's an ETA yet on when the wiki's re-opening, whenever it does you'll be able to make an account for free and start creating to your heart's content! sometimes people who do that even get roped into the camp due to Token Shenanigans....

2) look. i get it. how much do i get it? the post you're talking about was written by my bill cipher fictive. and guess what book made me pick THAT thing up? we're in the same boat. i'm (RELATIVELY) normal 'round these parts, but if you do end up dropping me a line, maybe you'll happen upon some of my stuff? just sayin'. but as for what i can do for ya at the desk here...

thing is, i actually haven't read that much blaseball fanfic. i know! i WANT to. i have a list, which i'll reblog with your special tag right after this. but my brain doesn't let me read a lotta long stuff these days, which is SUCKS! i might poke around some tags and see what i can find, but that spectacular shelled one fic's the only one of its kind i know.

if you wanna read something Long and Serious and Really Really Good that's haunted me for years, put your eyes on Oil and Water, the shoe thieves disaster marriage classic about grief and autism and family and other such things.

then read everything else that catches your fancy, and send me your picks! and hey. if anyone reading this wants to help a cute anon out and knows some fics (or wrote some fics) that fit the Bill i mean the bill, PLEASE lemme know!! i Understand wanting more evil mind control. it's kind of my whole thing. PLUS i'm literally the shelled one's favorite

[thatstormygeek]

"People don't understand how different things would have been if Hillary had won!"

This is true. Things would have been very different. Ideally we'd have fewer Trump clones running for office now. But Trump didn't make the GOP what it is. It's been like this. Forever.

Why are our choices Biden or (presumably) Trump? Liberals love to point the finger at the Republicans (while using the other hand to indicate the left is pretty close to just as much at fault, really), absolving their own party of all responsibility.

"It's this or fascism!" Okay, but why now? What have the fucking Democrats been doing while in office that it's gotten to this? Hmm? Feel like taking a look at Bill Clinton's presidency? And then maybe truly ask yourself why exactly his fucking wife thought we'd want her to be running the country.

I voted for Hillary (because what choice did I have), but the woman couldn't even pretend to support indigenous people protesting a pipeline on their land. People keep acting like she was this great progressive hero and she's not. She was not. And still, we fucking voted for her.

And liberals re-litigated the 2016 election constantly over the following four years, until Biden was elected. Then not a peep. They were content. Until 2022 midterms. And until now. Because now it's time to remind all of us to fall in line again, and they're so tired because they have to come out here again and lecture all of us leftists about our responsibilities to vote for their guy because we are all just too incapable of complex thought processes to understand the value of compromise and lesser evils and all that.

It's almost like the only activism y'all think is worth doing is beating leftists over the head with your "Vote Blue No Matter Who" stick. Which, fine. Just stop pretending you actually give a shit about anything else. Because we see you. And we see what you're not talking about. And when.

If the height of feminism to you was filling in the circle next to Hillary Clinton's name, here are some better targets for your messaging:

It's so fucking frustrating because it's clear y'all aren't listening to what folks on the left (people way smarter and with way bigger reach than me) are saying. And it reveals a lot of what the "Just Vote" bluster tries to conceal:

We're not real to you. We're not people whose needs and desires matter. We're there to be numbers to prop up your bulwark against fascism and a convenient scapegoat when you inevitably lose elections (because you will not win every time). But you don't want to make those defenses too strong because if the Other Guys aren't a constant threat, you might have to grapple with the ideas you've considered beneath you forever.

I'm going to vote. I've been voting for years. I'll continue voting. Never in my life have I told someone not to bother to vote. But I'm not doing it because of y'all. I'm doing it in spite of your messaging.

The chart that should scare Dems is this one

The votes of that 49%? They do not belong to you. You are not automatically owed them. And yes, maybe voting for Dems is in the best interest of that 49%, but there's nothing saying they will do so. People do shit against their own best interests all the time. And they sure as shit do things against the best interests of people in general.

Which means y'all have to convince them to want to vote for you. If you're the type of person whose mom said "Clean your room" and you immediately jumped to do so after thanking her for the reminder, I can see why the Democratic party's messaging is working out for you. I am not that person and I don't know a lot of people who are. So y'all are going to have to offer more than the constant demand if you're going to pick those folks up.

Not to be a doomer, but I think y'all are a lost cause at this point. You've been told the same thing over and over and refuse to adapt, so I have to assume you prefer things the way they are. Which means it's only a matter of time--and probably not a lot of time, really. You can't win every election forever and if that's the only plan, well...it sucks.

I'll tell you what, though: nothing would make me happier than the Dems proving me wrong here.

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

Im not that same anon, but i will say the way you jokingly talk like a taekooker can sometimes be triggering and hurtful to people like me who really love jimin and thought they curated their spaces to jimin focused accounts. Ive even seen taekookers use your blog posts in their arguments bullying jimin.

I’ve followed you long enough to know you’re being sarcastic but i do get sometimes triggered by how you try to prove Taekook in the exact way Taekookers do, a joke or not. but that’s our problem and you’re allowed to say whatever you want, and we can obviously unfollow you. Just adding my perspective.

- Allow me to give a honest opinion. I won't say you're a tkkr or anything because i know you're a ex jkkr and you don't ship jm with anyone. But from the way you write it definitely seems like you have alot of pent up anger towards jk and tae individually as well as together and that definitely reflects more into your writing when it involves those two. I think it's because you're an ex jkkr so it might be because feels betrayed by both of them on jm's behalf, like their behaviour towards him etc. Yes i myself recent the two guys the most and don't think they're worthy of jm's friendship too. Idk how long you have been on this blog but since the time i have followed you if i didn't know better i would think you're a jkkrs' hater more than of Tkkrs. It's one thing to to recent shippers it's another thing to turn it more towards just one group of shippers that is jkkrs. I remember you saying something like you felt betrayed or something about ITS tk talk cause even tho they said they're awkward it didn't show in their actions or something along that so i think you hate them both alot.

personally idc who you're calling husband or what cause all pjms call them husbands but they also think both of them are straight, would have unfollowed you long ago. I only replied cause i saw anons calling you tkkr. Anyways tk husbands married in Vegas currently with 3 kids and 3rd or 5th anniversary according to tkkrs. If you don't know they also has a shared apartment in japan jk brought for taehyung and he was staying there while jm was in hotel. Such a bad friend jk didn't even invite jm to come to their tk house 😔

---

Well, that I understand because taekook as a ship used to bother me just as much. It was annoying and sometimes it still is, tho it's become more of a dislike towards them as people rather than the ship itself.

In late 2019, there was some random poll in some irrelevant online magazine (like soompi and stuff) about "which member is the closest to Jungkook?". Jin won. Army voted for Jin and not Jimin, who was without a doubt the closest to Jungkook that year. At that time, things like that also bothered me and made me sad. Now, I guess it's been so long since I got over it and it's a joke. Besides, I understood that most of the information army picked up on was coming from the members themselves, and I couldn't spend a lifetime getting angry about things Taehyung, Jungkook and even Jimin himself weren't going to change.

That vminkook live in November 2021? Watching some parts of it felt terrible. I got over it quick, but at the time I didn't like it. A lot of taekook stuff bothered me, but what is anyone going to do about it lol. And I learned that, and I accepted it. Jimin literally posted taekook with their faces smashed together on his Instagram some weeks ago and pjms were laughing and rejoicing about him giving something to taekookers.

"Ive even seen taekookers use your blog posts in their arguments bullying jimin." Sorry but I don't believe you, like you just made that up.

Yeah but the thing is, I'm not trying to prove taekook lmao. I'm just making fun of the way shippers in general talk. Like, it would've meant the world to jikookers if it was Jimin with bam, right? They actually spent a lot of time trying to prove that Jimin is with bam often, but because it's Taehyung that has actual proof of spending time with Bam at Jungkook's house, they get annoyed at it and talk about conspiracy theories. Or ignore it. Now, Bam it's irrelevant. But if it had been Jimin, they would've also said the same thing I said about Taehyung spending time at Jungkook's.

And that's the whole point... call it satire if you will.

Before this discussion started, I was going through my blog, right. I reblogged some old posts. Remember when Jimin went to NYC and he wore shorts and jikookers were making viral sex jokes about how he'd shaved for Jungkook (Jimin is clean shaven in every BTS content btw, and so are the other members). Well, while going through my posts I saw this one where I said Jimin shaved and moistuzed his legs for Eunwoo like...

That stuff sounds out of pocket to me, and I will make fun of it. if people are missing the joke it's really not me. Or maybe they haven't been in shipper spaces as much as I have been. I'm sorry if I come across as too convincing??

Mind you, there were people who got angry because I talked about minimoni, or even about Saeon and Eunwoo. Someone literally came up once and told me that liking minimoni was weird because Namjoon talked about Jimin in a creepy and predatory way. Some people are just deranged, and I know that.

I honestly have no respect left for jikookers after face, or rather after this year, the way I have no respect for taekookers. They've become an easy punching bag with how delusional they were since 2021, and most of my jokes are me just saying the same things they say about jikook, but using it for different ships because it's all so ridiculous. And the most delusional ones are always Jungkook biased jikookers who thought Jimin was undeserving of support and talk about the two of them like Jimin is the lesser one in talents, ambition, or achievements.

[manyothermusingsofmine]

Strings Painfully Attached || Drabble

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3   Wordcount: 1880 Warnings: Nothing but angsty feels here Authors Note: "Thank you, for the dance. I won't forget it." hAHAHAHA OW. -insert emotional damage meme here-

Summary: After having to, again, romantically reject someone she only sees as a good and close friend, Willow is struggling to process feeling like the bad guy for having to state her boundaries. And the only one who notices she's not doing as well as she likes to (badly) pretend she does, is Halsin

------------------------------------------------

It was incredibly late at night at the last light inn. Most people had turned in for the night, including the chaotic bunch of people that had gotten roped into the inn last. Halsin was among them, and also one of the rare few still awake as thoughts of Thaniel haunted his mind. With a quiet sigh, he decided to look for some company in the hopes of easing his mind for a little while. And where better to find company than at the bar?

He greeted Wyll on the way there, as the latter went down the hallway and turned into one of the rooms to call it a night. At the bar sat Astarion and Willow, seemingly enjoying each other's company in silence while sipping from their mugs of ale. Well... enjoying?

Looking at the purple tiefling again, something about her body language gave away to Halsin that she was incredibly tense, occasionally looking into the hallway behind him before looking into her mug. He decided to not bring it up, sitting down next to the pale elf instead to give her some space as he also ordered a drink.

"So, anything new?" Halsin asked

"Not really," Astarion answered, and Halsin couldn't deny that he had actually wanted the answer from Willow. Still, he decided to listen.

"We were discussing a plan of attack earlier, when Willow told me she wanted to just sit at the bar for a spell and think about what to do next. Or at least, which problem we should tackle first."

Willow just nodded, still staring into the liquid in the mug, as if she was hoping to find an answer written on the bottom of it if she just looked hard enough. In a moment that seemed to take a lot more thought than it should, she carefully lifted up the mug to her lips to take a sip.

"We were talking about maybe splitting up the group so we can cover more ground. Willow seems keen on keeping you, me and Karlach around herself, so in any case we should assign someone to keep the rest occupied while we're exploring. And out of everyone there, my vote is on the only one with some semblance of sense, Wyll-"

Both men flinched for a moment as wood collided with wood in a hard thud; the silence of the inn only amplifying the noise to the degree that it sharply interrupted Astarions out loud planning. They both looked to Willow for a second, and Halsin frowned as the tiefling trembled a little for a moment, before pulling all her emotions back in and exhaling out deeply for a moment.

She then suddenly got up, leaving the mug, and walked off to the doors that would lead her out of the inn.

"Where are you going?" Astarion called after her, making her pause halfway in her stride.

"Outside. I need air."

Halsin just frowned once more at how weirdly clipped and carefully monotone she kept her voice.

"Don't wander too far," Astarion teased, "I don't think the others would appreciate me having to rudely wake them because you got yourself into a bad part of these shadow cursed lands that we need to fish you out of."

Willow just muttered something about how she didn't plan on wandering off, before going outside and slamming the door behind her, the sound once again amplified in the quiet inn.

It stayed silent after that. For what felt like way too long, Halsin and Astarion sat in silence, with Halsin just intently looking at Astarion. Had this supposed coy vampire really not picked up on any of the signs that something was seriously bothering Willow?

It took a while, but Astarion was starting to feel the piercing gaze of the druid onto him, looking at him from his peripheral and then away again a few times before it actually started to bother him.

"..... What?!" he eventually asked in a snappy tone, the silence having turned weirdly eerie with Halsin staring at him like that.

"....... By the Oakfather," Halsin huffed, absolutely incredulous that Astarion really hadn't picked up on this, "You're dense, mate."

He ignored the indignant protesting noises from Astarion as he got up, deciding that if Astarion wasn't going to go and talk to Willow, he would. The girl was clearly in need of a friend to talk to, so he decided he would be that friend.

"What is that supposed to mean, Halsin?!"

Halsin just threw his hand up in a dismissive manner, signaling that he wasn't sticking around to listen to Astarions protesting.

He gently pushed open the doors of the inn, and just as gently closed them behind him. In the moon shield domed courtyard, the air was calm and quiet. Everyone was asleep, so the mood was incredibly serene. If you ignored the soft sobs coming from the front of the blacksmith's abode, that is.

Halsin quietly made his way over there, finding Willow balled up on the ground. She was sobbing into her knees, that she hugged close to herself. He sighed softly, kneeling down in front of her.

"What happened between you and Wyll?"

The sobbing stopped. Willow flinched, looking up in a panic as Halsin had immediately found the source of the issue.

"Oh, come now, Willow," he said, voice kept soft and comforting.

"You all but slammed your mug down on the table when Astarion said his name. Just because he couldn't see that reaction for what it is doesn't mean I can't. What happened?"

She bit her lip, as her eyes filled back up with tears. Halsins gaze softened, as he stayed in his kneeled position; he wasn't sure if she would appreciate any kind of physical comfort.

"What keeps happening," Willow eventually settled on, her voice betraying the amount of heartache she was currently feeling. She got up, slowly, the trembling of her body returning and becoming more intense by the moment as guilt, grief and frustration started to mix all together in a vessel that couldn't contain it anymore. A bucket full of water, with the last few drops put in making it spill over.

Something gave out.

"What fucking keeps happening! First it was with Gale- Gods, the weave is amazing. And feeling any kind of connection to that is like playing with divinity, it was a wonderful feeling! A feeling I had to cut short because he was looking at me in some kind of way like enjoying it in any sense meant I felt something more for him than I do.

Then it was Karlach. She's finally untouchable no more; and I am so incredibly happy for her. I want to be able to touch her, to give her high fives when she did an amazing job, to hug her when she clearly needs a hug- what I never wanted her to do is interpret that as me wanting to drag any of that physical nature across the line of platonic!

And Wyll..."

Her eyes filled with tears once more, as she clutched fistfuls of her hair into her hands as a tidal wave of guilt came in.

"Gods, Wyll, I just want him to be okay. He got dealt such a shitty hand, and I want to tear his patron to shreds for what he's been put through, and all I want for him is to find solace and company in our group. He is so smart, and so dependable- I finally had someone I could just talk to and get an objective opinion about what to do; he's like a brother to me. So when he asked me to dance, of course I wanted to dance! Of course, anything to see him happy, if only for a little while, but-"

Tears poured down her face like an unrelenting waterfall as she recalled the look on his face when she pulled back, drew her walls back up, and rejected him in a romantic sense. She felt like his disappointment, and yet gentlemanly acceptance of her choice, was seared into her mind.

She knew he would never hold it against her, or act like he was somehow entitled to a kind of affection that she didn't have for him. But that did absolutely nothing to lessen the guilt that had a death grip on her heart.

"I'm sick of it!" she snapped at Halsin, who had said nothing the whole time as he realised all of this needed to come out of her so she could finally start to process these emotions.

"I'm just trying to keep this group together, and alive! They deserve the world and I want nothing more than for all of them to be okay. To be okay, and be happy, and be my friends. My friends.

Gods, Halsin, I am so tired of trying to help them overcome the adversaries they're up against because I want them to be happy, only for them to read more into it than there is to it! I don't want that, I don't want to keep hurting them because I don't feel the way they do. I want them to be my friends, just my friends!

I know that what I want is something I can't have, and- they- they keep showing me what I could have, and I don't want it. Not like that! I... I... I'm a monster. I keep leading them on, making them think I love them- I do, but not like- I just- I don't-!"

She trembled, still, as frustration and anger took hold.

"I'm not kind. I try to be, Gods know I try to be. But, clearly, I'm not, if it keeps fucking being interpreted as something it's not! And the only one, the only one, who doesn't see my kindness as some inevitable, telltale sign of something obviously deeper and more valuable than platonic adoration.... is Astarion.

Am I stupid for preferring his coyness and teasing over everyone's direct pining for me? Maybe. Probably. But I prefer how that feels over constantly breaking the hearts of my friends. And I just, I- They- With...."

Grief won. Willow just started full on sobbing, the pain of her deep-seated guilt pouring out in full force as a lot of this had been building up since the group first got together. And pouring it out to Halsin, who had been watching from the sideline, and only just got more involved and thus had no stakes in the manner in any way?

He could see that it had been a storm she had been desperately needing to weather, without anyone to turn to in order to weather it out together. Everyone else was either too involved, or not emotionally available to listen. Halsin closed the gap between them, quietly and gently pulling her into a protective hug as she cried her heart out on his chest. He softly hushed her, smoothing her hair down with his free hand.

"It's alright, Willow," he whispered, deciding he would be the life buoy she could hang onto while she felt like she was drowning.

"You are kind, or all of this wouldn’t bother you as much as it clearly does. I promise you, it’s going to be alright."

[karlie-what-you-want]

Lmao, people need to start getting serious and stop pretending that people immediately picking random famoua guys to pair Taylor off with after she announced she ditched Toe is something that would ever bother her, she is literally the woman who told a Vanity Fair interviewer in 2020 that in 2016 she and her dumb little female brain couldn't comprehend American politics until a big strong smart man with a superior man-brain came to the US from Britain and told her "Trump bad! Vote Democrat!" within like the first month he ever spent in America because for some dumb reason she thought it'd boost her chances of Miss Americana making the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary

I love Taylor too but people really need to stop putting her on a pedestal and pretending that she doesn't quite often and quite purposely use misgogynistic tropes and shit to promote and sell whatever she's got going on at the time and that misogyny is actually something that bothers her 24/7 instead of something she likes to use to her advantage on occasions 💀

Anon, I think you are assuming that these truths cannot coincide, when I just don’t think that’s the case. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this, because I think some of the language is harmful, and I’m not honestly sure if you’re actually a Taylor fan or just a troll. But, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

First of all, many of us have been perplexed and frustrated by some of the things she says and does—especially in the case of crediting joe for her political activism. However, Taylor has never portrayed herself as having a “dumb little female brain,” and I find that assertion to be offensive, even though I don’t think you’re actually knocking her intelligence.

I am also of the opinion that joe was a stand-in for Karlie in many ways. So Taylor saying that he encouraged her to speak up and be braver about her political stances could have been her way of honoring Karlie (who has always been politically outspoken) for encouraging Taylor in a similar way.

Taylor does a lot of things that mystify me. I don’t always understand her motives, other than to succeed in the music business. I think that’s always come first for her, even to the detriment of her personal life and relationships. Things like this or Grammygate perhaps are not the best look for someone who has framed herself as a feminist activist, but I think that can coexist with the fact that Taylor would be bothered by people constantly trying to tie her to a man.

It takes me back to the Archer: “I cut off my nose just to spite my face/ then hate my reflection for years and years” She does a lot of things that are contrary to her own beliefs out of fear and the need to be liked by the public. (See also: “I’ve never had the courage of my convictions as long as danger is near”). She doesn’t like that she does these things, and she doesn’t like that (to her it seems) the only way to succeed is by tying herself to a man. I think it’s clear through her lyrics (too many to list) that she wishes it wasn’t so.

Plus, it’s one thing to do it herself (and hate it all the while), but it’s a completely different thing to have others do it for you and rub your face in it. That would really suck.

So while you might say it’s hypocritical for her to be offended by the notion of people trying to match her up with a bunch of famous men, it’s not unrealistic for her to feel that way. I have always worked very hard to keep from putting her on a pedestal, as you mentioned, and I think part of doing that is recognizing the duality of Taylor, her beliefs, and her lyrics.

She’s a businesswoman, yes, but still a woman. Still a person. We’re all hypocritical sometimes, we all do things that we hate, and we all want to be told we’re strong enough to succeed on our own.