#no research or effort put into it whatsoever

[shoyoist]

had to pause a bit and go 🙁 just now because this one person on twitter was listing down ways in which hoyoverse has been racist apart from white-washing and cultural appropriation, and... they pointed out locations in sumeru that are direct references to stories from the quran and went "these two locations are just racist jokes"

[i99zhuo]

A routine inspired by thewizardliz ? She has skin care hair care routine reads motivating books

How to live like thewizardliz 🧚🏼‍♀️🪄⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊ quit your lazy girl era!

This is a guide on daily routines inspired by Thewizardliz! This routine is perfect to stop being lazy and pathetic and finally start taking care of yourself!

content list (routines):

morning

study

workout

shower + self care

night

(_ _ ) . . z Z⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚୨ :★: ୧ ∗  ˖࣪ ໒꒱  ˚₊·

✸ ꒰ morning routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

🧼 First things first, after you wake up make sure to drink water to boost your metabolism throughout the day! Also, create a mind movie so you can watch it everyday after you wake up.

Now, take your journal and start writing about your dream, ideal higher self, ask yourself questions like ‘What reality do i want to create?´ 'Who do i look up to?’ ‘What is the behavior I need to change about myself?’ ‘What's a new habit that I would like to create?’ ‘What is a thing I can focus on right now?’. After we have in mind who we want to become, it's important that every little decision you make today is centered to achieve your goals, and become your dream self. You can listen to a podcast while doing this so you get motivation!

💶 Then, head to the bathroom and look at yourself in the mirror and start repeating positive affirmations, such as ‘I am so beautiful’ or ‘My hair looks so pretty today’, even if you don't believe it, having a positive mindset is going to help us to stay in track with our goals!

Take care of your teeth, Liz says that our smile is one of the most important things in a person, and one of the key things that is going to make you more attractive! so, make sure to brush your teeth, floss, clean your tongue, etc.

🛣 Liz has a rather simple skincare routine, since her skin is so sensitive, it only consists of using a foam cleanser, moisturizer and eye cream to help with her eye bags.

Next step is to research and find our own personal clothing and makeup style, find out your body type, personal color, face shape, etc. It doesn't matter if you have to mix multiple styles that already exist to make your own! The most important thing is to feel comfortable while wearing those clothes or having that type of makeup on your face.

🏔 Liz doesn't like to force herself to have breakfast, she just dont eat if she's not hungry, however if you are hungry rather than focusing on calories focus on how nutritious your meal is. Whatsoever if you are not hungry and you are not going to eat, make sure to always take your vitamins and supplements!

✸ ꒰ study routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

Yes, it's time to drink a little more water!

⛰ Liz doesn't have a settled study routine but, it's important to spend our time wisely, if you can finish an assignment way before the time it's due, DO IT! Also, she emphasized that knowledge leads to confidence. If you put effort in your studies, every little thing in your life will slowly fall into place.

✸ ꒰ workout routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

First, set healthy goals, like toning up your body or building muscle, try not to make ‘just being skinny’ your goal.

🧩 second, don't measure yourself with a scale or measuring tape and focus on how you look in the mirror, are you satisfied? if you are then you are done with the intense workout routine!

Liz goes to the gym and has her own personal training program, but here’s some kind of exercises she recommends; weight training, pilates and dancing with her main focus being toning up her abs and butt.

🏄‍♀️ Remember to drink water and that consistency is more important than perfection, go at your own pace, it doesn't matter if you can't do a 2 hour workout and look snatched in 3 days and you can only do a 5 minute workout, every little effort adds up!

✸ ꒰ shower and self care routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

Before showering, do dry brushing to exfoliate your skin and increase circulation (1-2 times per week). Then use shampoo and conditioner, research to find the best one for you, what may help others won't help you. Liz also uses a hair mask 1 to 2 times per week to get that shiny silk hair.

🎾 After showering take some time to shape and pluck your eyebrows depending on your face shape and what impression you want to give! 

Liz uses face masks 1 to 2 times per week to cleansing her face deeply, then she does her skincare. After applying all the products do a lymphatic massage on your face and neck, you can also cool down your face with massagers or cold spoons for an extra depuff.

🍾 For self care, you can journal again, search for shadow work prompts, think of what things you should unlearn and relearn and don't forget to practice gratitude. Or you can take time to clean your room or house, you deserve to have a clean safe place! 

Oh! and don't forget to drink water again.

✸ ꒰ night routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

🧃 Time for dinner! (only if you are not full yet), again, make sure to focus on nutrients rather than calories. Don't forget to drink a glass of water with your dinner. You can watch a documentary while eating to keep gaining even more knowledge.

Now, do your oral hygiene routine again. Also, put on eyelash conditioner and serum to wake up with perfect lashes! Then wear a silk cap or do a protective hairstyle to protect your hair from getting damaged while you're sleeping.

🍵 Then get in bed and drink a cup of tea with collagen to start relaxing your body. and it's finally time to manifest! watch your mind movie again and use your most useful method (affirming visualizing, subliminals, etc.), don't forget to ask god, the universe or whatever you believe in for signals and help!

Afterwards, you can read an inspirational book like ‘atomic habits’ or ‘the art of thinking clearly’ to keep nourishing your brain. keep a reachable goal like reading 5 pages everyday and then decide if you want to continue reading or not.

🥬 Before sleeping listen to a guided meditation, liz have one to be more confident and one to attract money, choose one that aligns with your goals!

Finally fall asleep in a healthy sleeping position, Liz sleeps in her back looking at the roof, but you can choose your favorite position, don't forget to get a pillow that fits the position (example: tall and lofty pillow -> for sleeping on your side)

🍈 Good night!

Woah second request done!! hope you liked this one was pretty fun to do and I might add some of these things in my own personal routine so I don't fall back into laziness, anyways how about you guys??

toodlezzzz!1!!!!!

[collaredsoldat]

Cold Metal.

summary: Soldat's arm gets cold. You are the solution.

warnings: Post!HYDRA Winter Soldier | Bucky is still in the mindset of Soldat | Medical treatment | IVs & needles | Malnutrition/re-feeding | PTSD | Post!HTP | Brief mentions of past SA and abuse | Past S/H & Scars | Trauma | Roughly translated Russian, might not be accurate

a/n: Yeah so this turned into a lot, I wrote more than I expected to. This is also my first 'fic' of him wooo. I always had this hc that his arm gets cold and it hurts him. The scars being more sensitive to the cold and cause tension around his arm. So I thought something like this would be nice. He deserves it okay ;; wc: 3.6k

At first, it was hard. Harboring a literal assassin from the government was not an easy task, especially with one as unstable and deadly as the fucking Winter Soldier.

How you ended up doing this, you had no idea. Someone like him wasn't easy to just stumble upon, yet here you were. Maybe your heart was too good, but seeing him curled up in that alley a few days ago, shivering and soaked to the bone, a dislocated arm and bloodied from what you assumed was some kind of assault, you couldn't just leave him to the elements.

He had looked so scared, his eyes so full of confusion and apprehension when you initially approached him. He instinctively reached for a weapon at his side - a gun, a knife, anything - but found none, and the panic of a wild, cornered animal spread on his face. He even attempted to stand to fight you, like you bored any sort of threat to him. You just put your hands up in a manner to try to calm him, something as simple as standing caused him pain. He clearly had more injury than what your eyes could see.

You weren't sure how, but you had convinced him you were a safe person and that he could stay in your home. You were just trying to be a good person. He looked so scared, pressed into the wall of the old building and trying his best to look intimidating despite all the injuries that covered him more than the rain soaking his clothes. Ironically, you didn't know just who he was until you had began to delve into the news...a day after you let him into your house. Everything about him being wanted, his crimes, who he was. A sleeper agent, an assassin, the deadliest in the world. And you brought him into your home. Willingly.

Sure, at first you didn't know what to do, the fist of HYDRA sitting in the corner of your spare room, lashing out like feral dog if you came close, or god forbid even stand in the doorway. With how deadly the news made him seem...to you, he didn't appear that way. He just looked hurt and scared. His defensive behavior easily mistook for aggression.

But, none of it scared you away. You didn't care. You might've just been a regular civilian, but you were far from ignorant. You were sneaky, you knew a lot about both parties, SHIELD and HYDRA. You immersed yourself in research, learning as much as you could about HYDRA to get more information about this sleeper soldier.

Despite your efforts, you only scratched the surface.

Honestly, you didn't want to dig too far. You didn't want him to grow suspicious or think you couldn't be trusted for any reason. He already holed himself up like a hermit, it was literally like placing a feral animal inside a home and watching it search around curiously but anxiously, then hide away in a small, dark place for safety. Besides, what HYDRA had on him was disturbing enough.

He was quite aggressive defensive at first too, he didn't want you near him whatsoever. He had a lot of wounds and you knew he'd need to see a doctor, despite the physical ones you saw, you could also tell he was underweight and malnourished a little bit. You weren't a doctor yourself, and you didn't want to attempt to do anything without some kind of advice. Problem was, he was wanted. You couldn't just take him to see a doctor.

"Must things be so complicated with you?" You sighed as you spoke to him while he practically barricaded himself in your closet. You didn't mean anything serious, you were just a little stressed and frustrated, thinking of what you could possibly do to help.

In the midst of your thinking, you remembered you had a close friend who worked in the medical field. They might have done some...questionable things...but that's honestly what you need right now. Someone who wouldn't blabber, and all above and below, you kept some pretty serious secrets for them in the past. You didn't talk anymore, not very often anyway, but they were always down to help you out if needed. It would be much better than trying to drag him to an office where he'd be discovered and you'd have to wrestle him down, which would be a pathetic attempt to restrain him.

Long story short, a quick home visit pursued with stolen medical equipment and a basic check up, it was confirmed he was malnourished like you suspected. He wasn't terribly thin, but you could tell someone his stature shouldn't be so skinny, his ribs protruded too much for your liking. He was also dehydrated along with having an extensive amount of old and new injuries, an untreated dislocation, and some minor infections.

The soldier surprisingly didn't fight that much when he was getting checked out, his blue eyes glued to you the whole time, only averting to watch the 'doctor' as they moved around him. But nothing could be too easy, when the needles came out, he became a bit adamant and aggressive. He spoke in Russian, which you didn't understand. He shouted and sounded angry, backing himself into a corner as he prepared to fight like his life depended on it. His body trembled with adrenaline and he watched the two of you with an unblinking, cold gaze.

You realized it was bad. His treatment prior to you finding him. He acted like a needle was a raging hot blade about to cut his other arm off. Patience and waiting him out proved to be the best way to approach this. He was stubborn and stood his ground for two full hours before he slowly relinquished and he allowed the needle to go in for the IV. With a quick rundown from your comrade, some supplies, and promised confidentiality, they left you both alone.

You also learned how to place an IV, thanks to the instructions left with you and some YouTube videos, since you had to do it every day for two weeks so you could feed nutrients into his body. Everything he ate he just threw up, his body rejected food otherwise. Broths and mashed potatoes were all he could eat. Sometimes his body would tolerate bread and heavier, more filling foods like chicken. He eventually got to eating some veggies like soft carrots and zucchini if properly cooked too.

You still had to feed him carefully. Sometimes his body would still throw it all up and he'd get sick again. It was a grueling process.

You stuck it out and now he could slowly eat again, which was a relief. No IV necessary. He seemed glad about that too.

Besides refeeding, there was an array of issues that came along with being his unofficial caretaker. The Winter Soldier, or Soldat, as he referred to himself as, it was better than asset, was pretty difficult to care for. He was wary of just about everything, you specifically, he didn't know why you were so nice to him. He wondered if you had an underlying motive, his scrambled brain so torn apart tried to connect the dots.

Rewards came with good behavior, rewards being basic human decency and kindness. Good behavior meant pleasing his handlers.

You never wanted to be pleased. You never asked.

Was he supposed to do it anyway?

He watched you as you cooked something in a big pot on the stove. He saw you chopping carrots. He liked those. He liked the broth you made him too, and the potatoes. Good, this was safe food. Another reward? Was he supposed to do something?

You walked over to where he sat, his icy gaze watching you carefully. He was thinking behind them, you could tell, but he barely ever spoke besides simple Russian words that you learned either meant 'yes' or 'no,' or other things like 'please' and 'thank you.' While you set down a glass of water for him, he reached out and grabbed your waistband, leaning forward suddenly. The touch surprised you and made you bristle, your hand snatching his wrist instantly. "Soldat! No, no." you pulled his hand away, it nearly melted off you. Your sharp words startled him, her flinched back a little, his gaze still dull but now held a hint of confusion.

He tilted his head, frowning. "Позвольте мне служить вам." he grunted, his voice rough and raspy like he had swallowed broken glass, so unused, it was the most he had ever spoken to you at once. And you had no idea what he said.

"Don't do that, Soldat." you reasoned, speaking gently, you weren't angry, just a little shocked. The confusion on his face was clear, and fear that flashed in his eyes made you swallow the sudden lump in your throat. Why had he done that? He had never tried to touch you in any way before, in fact he avoided any kind of touch possible. Now he had tried to...you weren't sure. But the cool metal that hooked into your waistband made you shiver.

He leaned back into the couch, looking scolded and anticipating something, he was tense and stiff. You watched him, he said nothing else, his eyes glued to the floor, not daring to tear away from the spot on the carpet to look at you. He seemed scared.

"It's okay," you spoke up after a few silent moments, "You don't need to...do anything." You had a good idea of what he was trying to do, perhaps some sick mindset or conditioning had trained him to serving people before you. You knew HYDRA well enough, it wasn't a long shot to assume. The agents there were barbaric and inhumane.

He ate his food quickly and quietly, refusing to look at you the whole time, then retreated to the guest room like usual. He locked himself away most nights, you were fine with that. He was eating and sleeping, two things he desperately needed.

You sat on the couch watching a show you enjoyed, it was well into the evening by now. The bustling city now quieter and dark, the sun had set hours ago. The door to the guest room slowly opened, your attention drawn there and away from your show. Soldat nearly stumbled over his own two feet, he appeared visibly irritated, in pain somehow. It made you sit up, his expression wearing how he felt as obvious as day. "Hey...what's going on? Are you hurt?" You stood and padded over to him, to your surprise he hadn't backed away.

"Да..." he replied in a groggy, rough voice, the strain dominated the sleep and you felt more worried. For the most part, he looked okay, no obvious injury that you could see. You still tried to look him over just in case there was something he might be hiding, or maybe he hurt himself? He wasn't wearing a shirt, his skin looked fine, all old injuries as far as you could tell. Healing wounds and scars, nothing looked new or irritated.

His metal arm was cradled slightly, so you paid more attention to it. "Your arm hurts?" You asked gently, your eyes scanning it. You weren't entirely sure how his metal arm could hurt, but the tech was advanced so maybe there were some nerves somehow integrated in there. He gave a sharp nod, securing your suspicions.

"Okay...where?" You hoped maybe he'd give you more of an idea, but you doubted it. If he did speak, you didn't know Russian, it would be pointless.

He pointed to his shoulder, where metal met flesh. The nasty scars there were swollen, but that didn't look any different than usual. You observed the area regardless, looking over it for several minutes before you frowned and leaned back. You couldn't see anything that would give away any sort of pain. "How...does it hurt? It looks okay, is it internal?" You questioned slowly, hoping he would tell you, in English...

He shook his head sharply again, jerking side to side. His brows were tightly knit together and a hard breath huffed out of his nose. He reached up with his right hand, his fingers carefully touching the scars. He was so tentative, like the scars were scorching hot, or like he was afraid to touch them at all. "Холодный." His voice came out with underlying discomfort, he had to force himself not to wince.

You frowned. Of course not.

"Uh...-"

"Холодный," he repeated, his tone more firm this time like he thought repeating the word would make you understand. The expression on your face just made him feel frustrated, he grabbed your wrist with his right hand and pulled your hand up to his scarred shoulder. You weren't sure why you flinched or tensed like you expected some sort of pain, but you did.

Under your palm, you felt the stark contrast between the hot, irritated scars and freezing cold titanium.

Cold.

Was that what he was trying to say? That couldn't feel good.

"Is...your arm...hurting because it's cold?" You asked slowly, trying your best to read his face. He nodded once, grunting.

You felt stupid now. Damnit. "I see...okay, let me see what I can do." You pulled your hand off his shoulder, walking over to a small storage closet you had down the hall. Your eyes scanned the shelves until you spotted the heat blanket you had stored in there for the colder months. You grabbed it and walked back over to him, "Here, if you plug this in and drape it over your shoulder, it will keep you warm."

You offered the blanket to him, he stared at it for several seconds before he stepped closer to you, his hand around your wrist and pulling your palm to his shoulder again. You frowned a little and looked at him, "Your shoulder was cold...right? This will help, I promise." You didn't move your hand, you weren't sure what he wanted other than to warm up his arm. "The blanket will be warm."

"Нет." Soldat stared down at you with an empty expression, his eyes had heavy, tired bags under them and showed his clear lack of sleep. You weren't sure what he wanted other than the blanket, since he was refusing to accept it. Instead, he held your hand over his shoulder, sliding it gently down towards the front where his scar was deepest. You could feel his chest rise as he breathed evenly, his eyes almost closing completely.

Did he like how your hand felt?

You remained silent as he gently guided your hand along the length of his scar, where the unforgiving metal pierced his flesh and embedded itself beneath the surface. Your own breath hitched feeling it, the cold, rigid tissue gradually warmed under your delicate touch, responding to the gentle friction of your fingertips. As he continued moving your hand in a soothing motion, you noticed his tense features begin to soften, the lines of worry etched across his face slowly fading away.

The soft intimacy of the moment hung heavy in the air, you found yourself captivated by the subtle changes in his expression, each twitch and relaxation of his muscles didn't go unnoticed. Maybe he was finding comfort in your presence after so long. He had never been this vulnerable with you, and yet here he was, literally grabbing your hand and making you touch his most delicate wound.

"Do you like my hand there...?" The words escaped your lips in a whisper, barely audible. Your eyes, fixed intently on his face, sought to decipher every nuance of his reaction. You watched closely, noting the slight parting of his lips, the flutter of his eyelids, and the almost imperceptible nod that followed your question.

He was so tired, somehow still standing. "Да..."

"Ah...I see. You like my hand there? Does it feel good to rub the scars?" you asked softly, your voice barely above a whisper. Your eyes traced his features, taking in every detail as you gazed up at him. Those dark locks of his hung slightly in his face, creating a disheveled yet alluring frame around his eyes. His hair was messy and tangled, clear evidence of disturbed sleep. The dim light from the tv caught the stray strands, making them stand out against the dark.

He gave a quick nod once more, his body inching closer to you in a subtle yet deliberate shuffle. His eyes, filled with an unmistakable longing, conveyed that he desired something more from you - perhaps your touch, your warmth, or simply your continued presence. "You know," you reasoned gently, your voice soft and caring, "the blanket would help warm up your entire arm, much better than my hand. Plus, it would make you much more comfortable if you decided to rest in bed..."

Even with your logical suggestion, it was clear from his intense gaze and body language that he was far more interested in you than in any blanket or physical comfort you could offer. His focus remained fixed, as if you were the only thing in the world that mattered to him in that moment.

You exhaled deeply, slowly withdrawing your hand from his body. A fleeting expression of panic flickered across his features before quickly fading. His gaze then fixed upon you, tracking your movement as you made your way towards the couch. You reached for the electric blanket's cord, plugging it into the nearby wall outlet. The cord snaked across the floor, a thin line connecting comfort to power. Your hand then moved to pat the cushion beside you, a silent invitation.

Maybe his earlier behavior wasn't rooted in discomfort or mistrust, but rather in a more fundamental human need.

Maybe he craved companionship, but it was hard to tell for sure, he was a stoic stature 99% of the time.

He approached with hesitation, his feet dragging across the floor as if each step required immense effort. His eyes darted around, scrutinizing the spot as though it were an elaborate trap waiting to be sprung. After a solid few minutes of tense silence, he finally lowered himself onto the couch beside you, his movements slow and calculated.

You opened your mouth, ready to suggest he cover himself with the blanket for warmth, but before the words could leave your lips, you found yourself gasping sharply as the heavy soldier unexpectedly collapsed against you.

His full weight pressed down, pinning you to the couch as he sprawled across your body. The shock of his ice-cold metal arm against your skin sent a jolt through your system, causing you to shiver involuntarily. Desperate for warmth, he burrowed his shoulder into your side, seeking out your body heat with an almost primal urgency.

The blanket, forgotten in his sudden move, lay crumpled beneath you both as he clung to you, his form trembling slightly as he absorbed your warmth through the layers of clothing between you. He certainly favored you over it.

"Ah, Soldat...-" You began to speak, but your words were abruptly cut off by a sound that was equal parts growl and whine emanating from him. His head found a comfortable resting place on your chest, and you could feel the gradual warming of his arm as it pressed against your body. He made it abundantly clear that he had no intentions of shifting his position anytime soon. Recognizing the futility of any attempt to move, you resigned yourself to your current predicament, secretly relishing the closeness.

Despite your newfound role as a human pillow, you still managed to reach for the heated blanket nearby. With careful movements, so as not to disturb his apparent comfort, you gently draped the warm fabric over his form. This additional gesture didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He sunk even further into the embrace, clearly content as long as he maintained his position pressed firmly against you. The combination of his body heat and the heated blanket created a cocoon of warmth that threatened to lull you both into a peaceful slumber.

You knew he had settled and probably wouldn't move from this spot, he had gotten too comfortable and he was asleep by now. His heavy eyelids having closed almost instantly after maneuvering into you like a demanding cat. His messy hair smelled like your shampoo, since that was all you had to use for him.

Since it was apparent that he wasn't going to get up from his spot anytime soon, you resigned yourself to sleeping on the couch with him for the rest of the night. His cold shoulder and arm were now buried against you, your body heat gradually warming the metal and soothing the sore scars he had accumulated over time. You let your arm rest gently on his back, a bit cautious at first since you weren’t sure if he was going to react, luckily he didn’t. Your head was supported by the arm of the couch, which was quite comfortable. You were happy and relieved that you had settled on the comfier set when you bought the furniture, it made the situation more bearable.

With the soft sound from the show playing, you let your eyes close and you both slept on the couch. Before sleep overtook your mind, you wondered if this was a one time thing, if he'd return to his usual behavior tomorrow, or if this would become a regular gesture he'd want from you. Had he been silently suffering from this the whole time? He's a little heavy...but he's sleeping and that's good. You're helping him sleep. You're helping his pain. If he began seeing you as a source of comfort, then so be it.

Better that than anything else.

Dividers by @/strangergraphics

Cover images from Pinterest. I do not claim them as my own.

[konpeitonom]

general dating headcanons for captain grant curly.

sfw— lowercase intended ^_^

g/n reader - no pronouns mentioned

requests are open, i do all the characters ^.^

notes; i love this guy. all of these are pre-crash on earth. i would love to write for post-crash/found curly someday perhaps. these are kind of everywhere. not proofread oopsies. wrote them sleep deprived zzz .. going to bed now!

— this man is extremely overbearing when it comes to his love. i mean there’s a reason everyone compares him to a golden retriever.

— in my small brain he is 6’2 and very beefy. he works out! it’s canon! gym bro and will annoy you about your protein intake.. but it’s because he cares!

— he is a morning person. it’s annoying unless you are one too. he will get up at 5 on the dot! he is not a coffee drinker in my opinion, or at least a morning one. he heard cold water is best in the mornings as a teen and stuck with it since.

— by the time you’re awake he’s already had breakfast (prepared you some as well, of course), ran a couple miles, and did all his chores.

— this man is the definition of acts of service. he is extremely considerate. If you're particular about food, how it’s cooked- how it’s served, he will make the effort to do so correctly.

— if you ever bring it up though he’ll just say ‘it’s the bare minimum for a man’ haha

— sort of likes it when you’re sick. not in a weird way, he just thinks it’s cute how you act. and he likes to take care of you. he is a very traditional man in that sense.

— i think he’s very private with his love! like everyone would know you’re together, no doubt about it. maybe subtle hand or cheek kisses in public but not much more than that. i think he thinks love is a very intimate, private thing.

— he’s not materialistic in any sense, quite the opposite. he’d invest and save in high quality things, get you the exact ring you’d want or do research in your hobbies to make sure you’d like what he’d purchase.

— i also like to think he sort of puts up a front when with others, but not with you. ideally, he’d want someone he can be vulnerable with from time to time and not feel as if he has to walk on eggshells constantly.

— he’d like pinching/poking at your tummy. he seems like a tummy guy. like he’d grab at it and squish it. i think he’d find thighs cute too.

— i think he’s definitely a cute-over-sexy kind of guy!! i stand by this!! no one can convince me otherwise.

— he likes playful banter! playful teasing! someone quick-witted. it eases up any potential tension.

— he would also just hold your hands and rub your fingers softly, kissing your knuckles. again, he’s very soft with his love. he’d be upset to hurt you in any way, especially physically. he knows he can be a bit too much when it comes to affection. and he never wants to make you uncomfortable!!

— back to his whole ‘private intimacy’ thing. he feels closest to you when you’re ‘parallel playing’.. doing mundane things, your own hobbies, but being beside each other- he feels so lucky to be able to do that. it feels domestic.

— we’ve already seen it in-game, but he does not like to argue whatsoever. sometimes it does him good, apologizes quickly, but in more serious moments it could definitely come off as him brushing off your feelings.

— he doesn’t intend to, he just wants to avoid arguing at all costs.

— more of a “let’s just talk things through” kind of guy. haha. as his partner you’ll have to understand how to talk to him, i assume.

— he is a good man. a great man even… husband material..

[thatonegenshinsimp]

Binding and Blinding (Alhaitham x fem!reader NSFW)

Notes: You guys thought you were getting some wholesome shit, but you were wrong, it’s all angst. I swear it’s like the first time I’ve ever written half of this stuff on this intense of a level and actually put any sort of effort into it so it’s probably not all that great, but I hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

Warnings: NSFW, unprotected sex, fem!reader, sub!reader, riding, bondage (Shibari), doggy style, spanking, sensory deprivation (blindfold), overstimulation, edging, dacryphilia, use of safeword (kinda??? Reader can’t say it because of how overwhelmed she is), rough sex, sappy feelings n’ shit, Alhaitham being the mean dom we all know he is but then being a big softie toward the end

NSFW, minors DNI, by scrolling further past this point, you have chosen to read the content below of your own accord!

You were a very bubbly and chatty individual, always willing to talk with people whenever you had the chance, and a stark contrast to your boyfriend. However, what truly drew Alhaitham to you at first was the way you handled things. You always took great care to plan ahead when doing things, and rarely cowered away in fear from any sort of intimidating situation because of said planning. However, when he got into a relationship with you, and more specifically, started getting intimate with you, he found that the one thing that truly terrified you was not having any way of knowing how to plan for things ahead of time.

You had been talking to Kaveh almost the entire evening at the bar, not paying Alhaitham any attention whatsoever. Since his roommate was spending the night in Ghandarvaville, he had you all to himself, and there was something he’d been wanting to try for a while now. In your eyes, sex was the ultimate show of love that anyone could give their significant other. However, there were times when your dear lover saw it as a stress reliever. That was what scared you, him seeing something so important to you as another tool to use to make his life easier and less stressful. You’d never told him how much it meant to you, but he had a small inkling that you liked more vanilla things in the bedroom than him. However, you agreed to try everything he suggested at least once, and unfortunately, tonight was another experimental night in the sheets. It didn’t help that he was annoyed at his roommate for taking all of your attention tonight, which also made him annoyed with you, which in turn added to his foul mood and therefore his stress and anger. The walk home was silent, with him tightly holding your hand the entire way back to his place. You gave his hand a gentle squeeze, trying to reassure him that you had eyes for him only, but instead of squeezing it back, he started walking faster.

You knew that tonight was going to be a long one when he told you to go up to his room. The moment you’d disappeared upstairs and closed the door, he grabbed the bag he’d gotten earlier that month when he’d traveled to Inazuma. He took out the teal silk rope and the matching silk blindfold from the bag, looking at the stairs. Shibari, which originated in Inazuma, was an activity that was a type of bondage, but could also serve as art, depending on the mood of the situation it was used in. Alhaitham had extensively researched it once the silk ropes had arrived from Liyue. As for the blindfold, he’d be using that on you as well tonight. He had memorized how to tie the knots using the rope, and he certainly knew how to tie a blindfold to where it wouldn’t fall off. He’d always wanted to try sensory deprivation on your sight, since he’d already done so with your hearing using his headphones. Since it had been so well received, and had left you panting and begging for more even when your legs were shaking, he wanted to try taking one of your other senses, which was, of course, sight.

He walked upstairs and opened the door to his bedroom, noticing how you turned shy under his gaze when you looked at him. “We’re trying something new tonight, two things, in fact. I’ve been researching the art of Shibari over the past few weeks, so I know how to tie the ropes, and I’ll be able to tie the blindfold easily. However, I’m still going to teach you a lesson tonight about paying too much attention to other men like you did at dinner. Get on the bed.” he said, watching as you nervously nodded and got on the bed. He focused on tying the ropes, making sure you couldn’t move when he tied your wrists together. He then gave you one last annoyed look before tying the blindfold over your eyes, knotting it at the back of your head. “Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” he asked, watching as you shook your head. You were much more flinchy now, but in all honesty, it gave him some sort of sick satisfaction that you were nervous. Whenever you were nervous, you didn’t like showing it, so to see you like this was truly a treat in his eyes. He needed to relieve himself of the stress from tonight, and this was the perfect way to do it. Alhaitham leaned in close to you and gently kissed your neck, watching as you shivered. You were speechless, almost as if he’d taken your ability to speak. He chuckled softly, the noise serving to make you shudder as a chill traveled up your spine. He didn’t waste any time on preparing you to take him, you didn’t deserve his touch, tonight. He slowly pulled back the covers and let you get under them, watching as you pressed your legs together and rubbed your thighs together to get some sort of friction. He slowly undressed and let his clothes drop to the floor, before getting in the bed under you. “Tonight, you’re going to be on top, and you’re going to ride me until I tell you that you can stop, understood?” he asked, watching as you nodded. “Lift your hips.” he demanded, watching as you did so. He grabbed his leaking cock and slowly lined it up with your slit, pushing himself inside. You couldn’t help but whine softly as he held you there, with only the tip inside. You were about to ask him to move, but cried out loudly when he fully sheathed himself inside of you with one harsh thrust, squirming on his lap. “I think I like you like this. You keep that mouth of yours mostly shut. It’s nice to get a break from your constant remarks every so often. We should do this more frequently.” he sneered, too busy mocking you to notice the fact that there were slightly damp spots where your eyes were on the blindfold. You couldn’t handle the intensity of it all very well, or the fact that you couldn’t move all that much. Sure, depriving you of the ability to hear like last time was a new and exhilarating experience, and left you both breathless by the time that evening was over, but being deprived of the ability to see wasn’t. It felt wrong, vicious, and much crueler than jealous sex with him usually felt. Your sense of touch was enhanced to an overwhelming degree, and you couldn’t help but occasionally shy away from his touch when he tried to give it.

He noticed that you didn’t want his hands on you, and smirked up at you. It was as if you felt his gaze on you, because when you tried to get him to hold your hips still, he didn’t, and put his hands behind his head. “You don’t want me to touch you? Fine, but I’m not helping you ride me if you’re gonna be a brat, sweetheart.” he said, watching as you kept pathetically trying to get him off. He thrust his hips up against yours every so often, watching you make those pretty little moans he loved hearing. Eventually, you mustered up enough courage to speak. “Haitham, m’close, m’so close. Please, m’gonna-” You didn’t have time to finish speaking as he grabbed your chin roughly and leaned in close to your ear. “You don’t cum until I say you can, this is what you get for talking so much all the time.” he hissed, roughly letting go of you. He kept thrusting, knowing that you wouldn’t last much longer. He wanted you to cum first, just so that he could punish you further. “Ngh~ Haitham, please, lemme cum! Please just lemme- AhHng~!” you didn’t even get to finish begging when your orgasm hit you full force, pleasure wracking your body as you squirted all over his lap. The moment you realized what you did, you were too late to apologize, as he pulled out and flipped you over, before sliding right back into you. You gasped softly, before yelping against the sheets as his palm made contact with your bare ass. You tried to ride out your high, but he pulled out completely, ruining your orgasm. It was getting to be too much, but you once again felt like you couldn’t speak, and could only lay there and take it until he was done.

When he came inside of you for the second time as he took you from behind, Alhaitham looked down at you and smirked, leaning in close to your ear as he spoke. “See? I told you not to cum without permission. Perhaps if you’d listened, I wouldn’t have had to punish you like this.” he hissed, before forcing you to ride him again. You were too sensitive, it was too much, but he didn’t see that. He didn’t see the trembling of your lip, or the way you flinched a little when his hands made contact with your hips. He also didn’t see what you were thinking as he kept bouncing you on his lap. You could only barely hold back your sobs as he continued fucking you roughly.

Does he really not like it when I talk?

Do I talk too much?

Should I just stop talking whenever he’s around?

It was those thoughts that kept you quiet, kept you from doing anything other than panting heavily. The moment you started holding back your moans, Alhaitham looked up at you. “What’s the matter, can’t speak? What happened to your bite, hmm?” he mocked. “Go ahead, make as much noise as you want.” he taunted. However, the moment you removed your hands from your mouth, a loud, desperate sob escaped your lips, causing you to cover your mouth again. That made him do a double take, and that was when he noticed all of those little things. You trembled as another orgasm hit, the damp spots on the blindfold being hit with fresh tears as you tried to keep quiet on his lap. You were about to try stuttering out an apology, but stopped midway through that attempt, and settled for collapsing against his chest in a whimpering, sobbing heap. You tried to get up, but he held you down against his chest as your orgasm washed over you in waves. You could only tremble against his chest as he quickly untied the ropes, getting them off of your body. He was hesitant to remove the blindfold, but when he did, you slowly opened your eyes and wrapped your arms tightly around him. He could tell that you were feeling overwhelmed, and slowly rocked his hips against yours to get you through your high. The sensations had been too much for you, and he could tell now. He mentally slapped himself for not being more attentive, and now focused on bringing you back down from the intense high you were going through.

His eyes were wide as panic rose in his chest, and he couldn’t help but try to whisper sweet nothings in your ears as he brought you back down. “Shh, relax, just relax, sweetheart, I’ve got you.” he whispered, his tone a much gentler contrast to the harsh one he used when he was speaking to you earlier. You slowly nodded along to what he was saying, not really catching any of the words coming out of his mouth. The slight rasp of his baritone voice soothed your mind, and calmed your racing thoughts. His soft, soothing voice made you feel every pleasant emotion you could feel in that moment, but above all else, it made you feel safe. Once you’d come down from your high, you looked up at him and focused as hard as you could on what he was saying. “Do you want me to pull out?” he asked, watching as you nodded slowly. He withdrew his hips slowly, letting you lay down against his chest. He didn’t care right now that you’d made a mess of the sheets, the only thing that he was paying attention to at the moment was how you were feeling. He gave you a few more minutes to make sure you were, at the very least, somewhat lucid, before he started speaking, cupping your face in his hands. He knew you were still feeling very overwhelmed, so he asked simple questions first.

“Are you ok?” he asked, watching as you shook your head. “Was it too much?” he asked, causing you to nod. You laid your head against his chest. “Do you want me to clean you up?” he asked softly, pressing his forehead against yours. “Mhmm~” you hummed, sighing when he picked you up and carried you to the bathroom. He handled you like glass, almost as if you’d shatter from being set down on the edge of the bath. He still set you down, and turned on the faucet to the bathtub. The sound of the water was enough to make you cover your ears, your senses still kicked into overdrive thanks to the blindfold. Alhaitham noticed this, and ran back into the bedroom, where he grabbed his soundproof ear pieces, letting you wear them when he came back. Your shoulders slouched and you relaxed, slowly calming down again. Once the bathtub was full, he slowly removed the ear pieces from your ears and put them back in the bedroom. He then slowly picked you up and set you down in the bath, looking at you from the rim of the bath. “Do you want some water? Something to eat, maybe?” he asked, keeping his voice low so as not to overload your senses again. You looked up at him and nodded. “Both?” he asked, watching as you nodded again. “Does Tachin sound good?” he asked. “Yeah.” you muttered, not quite meeting his gaze. The fact that you were still reeling from everything didn’t surprise him, which is why he was taking care of you. “Alright, I’ll let you have some space for now while I go make the food, alright? If you need anything else, shout for me, and I’ll be here, ok?” he asked, taking your hands into his as he spoke, kneeling beside the bathtub. You nodded, reluctantly letting go of his hands and leaning back in the bath. “Don’t fall asleep in here, ok? It’s bad for your back and you might slip under the water by accident.” he said, causing you to nod.

Alhaitham exited the bathroom and looked back at the door, before throwing on a shirt and his underwear and walking downstairs. He quickly grabbed the ingredients and made some Tachin for the two of you. He knew you liked it because of how sweet it tasted, and he’d been marinating the meat he was using for about a day, so he knew it was going to be good once he was done. He cooked it slowly, before walking back upstairs with the plates of Tachin. He saw that you were still awake, and gently tapped your shoulder. “Hmm?” you looked at him. “Do you want me to get in with you for a bit? The food’s still a bit too hot to eat.” he asked, watching as you nodded softly. He took the shirt and his underwear off, throwing them in a quickly forgotten corner of the bathroom. You moved over a bit so that he could get in the water with you, sighing softly as he pulled you backwards into his arms. You looked up at him and saw the worry in his gaze, before reaching up to gently cup his face in your hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention to what was going on, it was my idea to use the blindfold and the ropes on you, and I wasn’t thinking things through when I did that. I should have introduced them in moderation.” he muttered, resting his head on your shoulder as he spoke. “I tried to say the safeword, but it was almost like I couldn’t… like I couldn’t…” You were trying to find the right words to describe how you felt. “Couldn’t breathe?” he finished, watching as you nodded. “Can I ask you something, if you don’t mind?” you questioned, looking back up at him. “Anything at all, I’ll try my best to answer,” he replied. “Do you… really not like it when I talk a lot?” you asked, looking to the side. He turned you around and cupped your face in his hands, pressing his forehead against yours. “I love hearing you talk, don’t ever forget that. I don’t know why I said that earlier, I shouldn’t have,” he said. “Can we not use the blindfold and the ropes at the same time again? I didn’t like that at all, and I hated how it made every noise around me sound so… loud. It felt like every noise I heard was inside of my ears when I had that blindfold on, and it stayed that way for several minutes after you took it off.” you said. Alhaitham nodded softly. “Was there anything else that bothered you about tonight?” he asked. “I- yeah, but can we get out of the bath and eat, first? I’d prefer to tell you when we get in the bed, and the water’s starting to get cold. Plus, I’m pretty sure that cold Tachin isn’t really all that tasty.” you said, giggling softly.

He nodded, grabbing the spare set of sheets in the towel closet and making sure that they were on the bed properly before getting some towels and lifting you out of the bath. Alhaitham dried you off and carried you to the bed, setting you down under the covers before drying himself off. He got in bed with you and set a plate of Tachin on your lap, making sure that you had some water first. The sweet taste of the meat and rice, combined with the Padisarah petals he had carefully added, tasted wonderful, and each bite practically melted in your mouth. You hummed softly, turning to your lover and giving him a thumbs up. Once you’d finished the plate of Tachin and downed the glass of water, you leaned back and sighed deeply, looking back over at him. “So, what was the other thing that you didn’t like?” he asked. You gave him a nervous look, and took a deep breath before you started to speak. “You know how I usually only initiate these things when we don’t have anything to do and when we both need to be closer to each other than usual, right?” you asked, causing him to nod. “You know how I told you that I don’t really like super intense sessions like these because of how long we go at it and how rough you get, right?” you asked. Again, he nodded. “That’s because of how much those nights mean to me, you know? I try not to go to you and ask for things like that too often because it feels like it loses meaning if I do go to you too often. I do these things with you because I want to remind you that I love you, and no one else. Whenever you tell me you want to do these things with me, it mostly has to do with relieving stress, and that kinda takes away from why we do it in the first place, in my eyes, you know? I know you get really stressed sometimes, but…” you trailed off, causing him to cup your face in his hands. When you looked up at him again, he saw that you were crying. “I thought you just liked taking things slow, I didn’t know that you felt that way about all of this.” he said, resting your head in the crook of his neck. He held you there for a while, letting you calm down a bit. “But I just… I don’t want to be seen as just a source of stress relief and nothing else, because it hurts, it really hurts.” you whispered, laying down against him. He wrapped his arms around you as the tears fell, thumbing them away gently as he held you there. “I know, sometimes being rough is just what I need, and I know I sound selfish as I’m saying these things, but-” “Don’t… don’t say that, you’re not being selfish by telling me how you feel. If you catch me doing that again, please tell me. There are so many options for alleviating stress, and it’s not like I never had to deal with stress before I started dating you.” he said, giving a small smile before he pressed his lips against yours. You nodded, giving him a smile of your own in return. You yawned as the exhaustion finally caught up with you, and you laid down against Alhaitham’s chest. “I’m exhausted, goodnight, ‘Haitham.” you sleepily mumbled, closing your eyes. Within minutes, you were fast asleep against his chest. He looked down at you for a minute, before pressing his lips against your temple. “Goodnight, (name).” he whispered, closing his eyes and holding you close as he fell asleep as well.

[slamdunkhcs]

I'd foam at the mouth for nsfw hcs. Tbh, I have a slam dunk blog too and I'm nervous to post nsfw hcs. They have a whole bunch of time skips but like, anons are ruthless 🤣

I decided ill do it 😭 but this will probably be a one time thing. And i will delete any nsfw asks. Also I don’t feel comfortable with doing something specific or like really nsfw

I’m around the characters ages btw. So im not no pedophile!!! 😭😭😭😭

sd characters during sex

sakuragi

One thing about Sakuragi THAT MF WAITING UNTIL MARRIAGE OR AT LEAST A VERY LONG TIME. For him he’d see sex as something really special and intimate, and he wouldn’t do it with someone he isn’t sure he will be around for a long time. Ofc he’d think about from time to time but he won’t act on that

I feel like he’d either be really big or really small. No in between 😭😭😭😭

He’d be soooo ass at sex omfg. Like yk the phrase “minute man” THATS LITERALLY HIM. Honestly I doubt he’d even last a whole minute. Hanamichi would be so embarrassed with himself 😭 if he ever brought it up with his gang they’d roast tf out of him

I think he’d try to get better at it and learn, although his s/o is definitely gonna have to teach him and be willing to work through it

sendoh

Tbh I feel like Sendoh has somewhat of a neutral view on sex. Like he wouldn’t think it’s something meaningless, but he also wouldn’t put it on a pedestal.

He wouldn’t do it with just anyone, he’d have to have an emotional connection with the girl. He wouldn’t have sex with a girl until she’s ready/she initiates it.

And if/when you do, YOURE IN FOR ITTTTT. Ofc he does think about sex but he controls himself. BUT NOWWWW he’s gonna use all that pent up energy on you 😂

We all know he’s a very observant kind of person, and his main priority would be giving his girl pleasure. He’d observe how you react to certain things and switch things up accordingly. Literally #1 munch LMFAOOO. AND WE ALL KNOW HE HAS SOME IMMENSE STAMINA so you’ll likely be the first to tap out

He’d be really good with aftercare too. He’d clean both of you guys up and cuddle and watch a movie with you

miyagi

Like Sakuragi, Ryota also really values having sex with the right person. He wouldn’t initiate it whatsoever until his girl does first. And I don’t think he would even go with it until wayyy into the relationship

He would be scared shitless of finishing quick 😭. Like he’d do everything in his power for that to not happen. Switching positions often, avoiding looking at his partner, etc

YK WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT SHORT MEN. They compensate for the missing inches in their height with something else!

I think he’d really put alot of effort and care into foreplay. He’d be very attentive to his partner and ask if what he’s doing feels good, if she feels uncomfortable in any way, etc.

Before he does whatever he’s going to do, he’ll make sure to specifically ask her “Just to make sure, you’re ok with this?” and if at any point his partner says to stop, that mf is immediately stopping.

If his partner were to suggest he try anything new, he would take the time to look it up and research a little HAHAHA

[idesofrevolution]

Requiescat

"Alright, my Musical Mentees, welcome back to my Channel! I am your friendly neighborhood musical critic, Kyle Donaghue, and today we're going to be reviewing something a little bit out of our typical wheelhouse!" Kyle sat with feigned excitement in front of his webcam. Though on the outside he eagerly drew out his intro for the 250th episode of his "Musique Critique" web series, internally he was livid. The young YouTuber had dreamed of becoming the go-to modern music critic on the platform but after almost two years of barely breaking a thousand views, he recognized he needed to do some market research on what his 347 subscribers wanted to see.

Thus, after asking his audience for requests, the music of some newer wannabe rockstar gained traction to be reviewed. To the music conservatory graduate, such low-brow "music" was beneath him; yet reality dictated that the business of content creation was based upon supply and demand. His audience demanded it, and if he wanted to gain any traction whatsoever, he needed to pivot. So, when the band in question, Catalyst, announced a new single drop, Kyle decided he was going to be the very first reviewer to tear it a new one.

"So you guys have been requesting I listen to this band called 'Catalyst' for a long time now, and today is finally the day. Apparently, the lead singer of Catalyst announced a few days ago that a new single was going to be released. I haven't heard much about them, so I did a bit of digging." Kyle clicked around on his computer, dredging up whatever he found in his five minutes of "research" the night before. "So, this band literally came out of nowhere. They're independent and are in talks with some record company about a deal, but nothing has come of it yet, so I'm going into this completely blind. They're out of Austin, Texas, and it's four guys who started the band out of this lead singer's parent's garage. The guy's name is Jaxon Black."

Kyle was literally reading off of some Tumblr fan blog about all this, but his audience certainly didn't need to know that. Why would he put in any effort for a band of this low caliber? "Black is 27 years old and started the band in 2013 when the four of them were in high school. They haven't really found any success, which is one of the reasons I'm surprised you wanted me to review them in the first place. They play in dive bars and some small venues, but nothing really outside of that." Scrolling through the blog, a picture of Jaxon Black actually appeared on the feed. He looked like any run-of-the-mill traditionally hot bad boy that you could find on the cover of GQ. What was so special about him?

"So, it's interesting too. This guy looks completely different than he did back when the band was formed. I totally get he was a kid when he started it, and there's puberty and whatever. But I mean, can you say plastic surgery? C'mon, guys. This guy is a 'serious musician' to you all?" Kyle sighed and wiped his face clear of the disgust he felt inside, putting on the eager façade he felt he needed to emulate. "But for you guys, I will make an exception, I'll give Jaxon Black and Catalyst a chance. I'm doing this for you! Just know that!" With that, he began to screen share, and the handsome visage of Jaxon Black was plastered on his screen as it would be for the whole review. The single didn't have any album art or anything, it was just a Soundcloud link; so in hopes that his audience would see right through this charade, he let would make them look at the face of the man who wrote whatever terrible song he was preparing to hear.

"See what I mean, guys? Ugh. I'm sorry, anyways. Here it is. The link that's posted on this fan blog brings me to Soundcloud, and there's no title or anything. It's just called 'Untitled', so we're off to a great start. But like I said, let's give the guy a chance. So without further ado, here is Catalyst's 'Untitled.'" With the press of the space bar, the sound of a slower ballad began to play through his earbuds.

The song began with a slow and heavy bassline in A flat Locrian, immediately an odd choice to start with. Contrarian, in Kyle's opinion. In terms of influence, it was an odd mixture of stereotypical hard rock like Guns n' Roses or Aerosmith, prog rock like Yes and Pink Floyd, with a random hint of Santana? Kyle did his best to stifle the cringe which trickled down his spine, but his face could do nothing to hide it. He felt the corners of his lip tense up and purse, his left nostril tweaking in pure annoyance.

"Starting off in Locrian... that's an interesting choice." He muttered under his breath. Looking at the progress bar, he saw the song was a full seven minutes and thirty-six seconds long. Lovely. "I feel like this is gonna be 'Hotel California' but bad, not gonna lie to you guys." Though, as the electric guitar faded in, quiet and subtle, it took Kyle by surprise. The technique that Black employed in his riffs, with precision he'd rarely heard outside of a classical guitarist, was nothing short of impressive. "Okay, the guy's got some skill. I'll give him that."

The music felt lugubrious, giving the sensation of swimming through a vat of molasses, pushing and pulling at great tension. It was near impossible for him to put into words, but the gravelly tenor timbre of Black's voice deftly began to soar atop the dredging music below. Evoking Eddie Vetter or perhaps even Jon Bon Jovi, the words were not exactly easy to decipher. Frankly, the song was almost trancelike, as if he'd taken a handful of mushrooms before embarking on his musical journey.

"Guys, I don't know how to explain it, this shouldn't work but it... it kind of does? I don't... I don't know." Kyle leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. The song had actually piqued his interest and intrigue, it was unlike anything he'd ever really heard before. Yet, it felt so familiar in ways far outside his comprehension. Waves of goosebumps washed across his body, barrage after barrage. The music became a full-body experience, and he was rendered speechless for the first time in his life. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Kyle tried his best to analyze the theory engrained into the song but found his mind to be a mere void that was seemingly being filled with viscous liquid. The longer the song went on, the more his mind felt entirely numb.

"I'm... I'm impressed, guys..." Words began to falter, his tongue feeling swollen and heavy. Behind his closed eyes, ribbons of bright colors danced against the black backdrop, bursts of red and purple illuminating the periphery like clouds of heat lightning. He could feel the notes meandering through the air and landing on his body, pressing down with the force of a boulder each time. "He's... he's really good, guys..." A thick dribble of saliva oozed through the gap in his open lips.

It was as if he was being drained of all his energy, all of his willpower, every last ounce of strength which propelled him to live. And yet, despite the darkness he could feel creeping over his body, he was oddly at peace. As if moving of their own accord, Kyle felt himself shuck his shirt from his body, now covered in a sprinkling of sweat across his limber torso and head. The music pulsated from within him as if he were the amp himself, seemingly making the muscles in his arms expand and contract. "I can... I can feel him in there..." Kyle couldn't even fathom how he'd gotten here. He was in his room, sitting in his chair and yet, he was somehow with Black, inside the music. With every heavy pick of the bass, his biceps began to swell and firm; veins distinctly snaked down his strong forearms and into his callousing fingers. His body temperature was now sweltering, shedding every ounce of water and liquid within him into the beadlets of sweat which cascaded down from his thickening pecs and cobbling abs.

The drums and synthesizer came in, further enriching the already complicated chords which tickled his ear like a soft, warm breath. The bass line was an ebb and flow, weaving and bobbing as the song soared through the chorus, a melody that sent a ripple of lust across his body. It was as if he were on a ship in a storm, one which was luring him deeper into the dark waters as his thighs began to balloon out of the sweat-stained shorts he wore. The power of the music seeped into his veins, imbuing him with a foreign energy from a distant shore beyond his corporeal being. His calves spasmed and inflated, while his feet stretched out wider and stronger in his quickly ripening socks.

Black's voice was now all that Kyle could hear in his head, every indecipherable word rang as some existential truth. Kyle's thoughts were no longer his own, he was just along for the ride, a passenger in his own mind. He was no longer in control of his actions, nor his thoughts. His breathing had become heavier, slower... The music had invaded his very being and taken control. Spatterings of black ink began to sprawl across his glistening smooth skin, each with some sort of esoteric reference which he would not yet understand. Grim Reapers, skulls, geometric designs of unhuman origin now proudly displayed across his strong body.

"Fuuuck, man. This shit is amazing..." His voice gradually grew scratchy and smoky from years of singing for crowds of headbanging punks in cramped, smelly bars. He reached to his left, eyes still closed in euphoric bliss, snatching the small joint which now sat on the edge of his desk. Kicking his sweaty, buttery feet up onto the wooden surface, he brought the smoking j to his lips, dragging a heavy dose of creative vapor into his powerful lungs. "Fuckin' hell, you guys... I mean... shit." He blew out a heavy, grey plume of smoke from his wide nostrils. "This song is fuckin' incredible."

He pulled down his shorts and briefs, letting his lean but long dripping cock slap against his navel. Strings of pre seeped out of his pulsating cockhead, making winding rivers flowing down toward his sagging sac. A large prince albert ring now adorned the top of his uncut shaft, with three frenum piercings towing down his urethra in succession. The slightest touch from his calloused fingers wreaked immeasurable pleasure, radiating from the groin all across every inch of his body. Thus, as he wrapped his hand tightly around the limber shaft, gently caressing the prince albert with the tip of his index finger, he could barely breathe without a quiet moan escaping his throat. Quickly, the fondling turned into a measured, intentional pump with each beat of the music.

The drums and bass were now coming together in a thunderous crescendo, Kyle could feel his very blood bubbling beneath his skin as it made his way up his strong neck and toward his skull as he hastened his pace. The room around him began to blur and distort. Bookshelves formerly lined with music theory textbooks and repertoires of classical mainstays were warped into racks of well loved guitars: Fender, Gibson, Sqiuer, & Ibanez. The pristine white duvet-covered bed was now clad with sleek black satin sheets and a shiny vinyl comforter. The portraits of famous composers which once adorned the wall were now a collage of posters: Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Metallica, AC/DC, The Ramones, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden. Piles of ripped up, weathered clothes, marinating in the sweat of shows past now littered the dingy red carpet.

The blood had finally arrived at the precipice of his brain, and like a tidal wave crashing against the rocks, it overtook him. His hair darkened to a deep black, his brows furrowed, his lips now plump and curled into a permanent cocky smirk. This was his kind of music. This was his genre. This was the message he was born to bring to the masses. It was a message of rebellion, of raging against the corporate machine of whitewashed mass-marketed culture. A flash of bright red and teal illuminated the room from behind Kyle's closed eyes as rope after rope of his spunk shot from his cock onto the laptop and camera. He roared in climax, louder than he'd intended, but nothing his neighbors were unfamiliar with in regards to the activities the apartment notoriously beheld.

The music had stopped, the final note hung in the air for a moment before retreating back into the abyss as his shorts melted into a dense magenta slime, moving down his muscular legs until they covered his entire lower half before hardening into slick gator skin pleather pants and a pair of beat up black combat boots wafting the scent of his musky feet. Axel opened his now black eyes, letting out a sigh of complete satisfaction.

"Now that's what I call fuckin' music, man! See why I wanted ya to experience it? It's like a requiem for corporate machine, man. That's why Catalyst is my fuckin' muse. Their music is gonna take over the whole fuckin' world." A loud pinging signaled Axel to check his phone, where his bandmates, performing as Hammerthrow, were confirming their next gig in L.A. "Fuck yeah, guys. Just landed the Cali gig. I'm thinking we cover this masterpiece and mind fuck them into oblivion. Catch us in Azuza next week, kids. You don't wanna miss it." With that, he ended his recording, smirking mischievously as he uploaded it to his channel. The song certainly was going to change the world, even if the world itself wasn't ready.

[chi-the-idiot]

Many have said this before, but i feel it's meaningful and important to highlight this.

People watching Hbomberguy's video on Plagarism and Youtube seem to have laser focused in on the particular people he mentions instead of the overall message.

And let me be clear: it's understandable that this happened. Hbomberguy spends most of the 4 hours of the video recounting the types of plagarism he's seen pop around on youtube, naming people like Filip, Iiluminaughty, Internet Historian, and later using those examples to showcase all the forms combined into one, with all of their excuses included, in James Sommerton's chanel. The video does name several well known creators, so on a surface level it could be seen as a "hit piece/call out" towards all of them.

But people seem to have ignored the real message, the real importance of why Hbomberguy mentioned all of those cases.

Most of those people are well known within their fields of content. Its likely that, if people were to watch their videos, they would not go out of their way to look for the other sources of their content if they were, in fact, cited. And, in the most despicable cases, they were not, and with reason: they didn't want to be found out.

Iilluminaughty cited her sources so badly it would have been tedious for the regular viewer to go through them just to find what they wanted.

Internet Historian literally stole man in cave from someone else, narration and all, and when he was found out, instead of being honest, he was fucking sneaky about changing some words to still make it pass as his own.

And what can we say about James Sommerton that hasn't been said?

Ultimately, I feel like people don't really take into account the true harm plagarism does. Plagarism is taking someone's work and passing it as your own. The time destined to actual research, the talent of writers, the personal tone. It is all lost when something is stolen from them just for the sake of content. For the fame and fortune that comes from it.

Internet Historian took the views Man in Cave could have gotten for the real author all to himself.

James Sommerton took the recognition and praise for phrases, ideas, and musings that other queer creators could have gotten, effectively taking the voices of his community and potraying it as his own.

From all of this, I hope we can learn. This is not drama, this is important. I don't want deplatforming for any of the creators that are still here (except for Iiluminaughty, she has done much more than just plagirize). I want Internet Historian to put effort into not plagirizing, to not be sneaky about it by saying "inspired by" and telling the full story of "hey, i stole this, i will do better" and calling for his viewers to give recognition to the article he read. Hell, James Sommerton could start making other types of content that is not stolen from articles if he wants to.

Plagarism is not the end of the world. But it is harmful to creatives of all sorts, and it's important to recognize that and, if we did do plagarism, credit those whose work we used (if its not possible to take down the work whatsoever), and promise to do better and go through with it.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

[flower-boi16]

Rewrite anon here. So, I just remember that Alastor was (supposedly) based off on a wendigo and I find that kinda offensive to the Native Americans because :

1. The Deer-monster ISN'T accurate to how Native American Folklore describes them as (the Wendigo is actually described to look like a skeletal-like figure with grey skin, seriously malnourished form, and followed by the smell of death and decay), and the popular deer monsters were actually a product of pop culture doing what it does best and completely stripping off depth from their source material. This pretty much shows just how little research Viv does when it comes to this type of shit cuz legit it isn't very fucking hard to find an accurate description AND depiction of the wendigo (Until Dawn did it best in my opinion).

2. Again with the pop culture depictions that are just 'Cannibalistic deer monsters', the Wendigo had a very important role in Native American folklore as a WARNING to never cannibalize others since it was seen as an act of betrayal to devour your own kin (Jon Solo actually explained the Wendigo concept way better than I ever could so here's a link to his video on them : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axRkTEy4sGo). Knowing Viv and her surface level research, it's obvious she went with 'Wendigos are cannibalistic deer monsters' route which is seriously infuriating because it could've been explored a lot deeper than this.

3. Simply the fact that Wendigos are Native American and the fact Alastor apparently practiced Voodoo? Like, okay Viv, you do realize that Native American folklore and African religion are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS RIGHT?! It's just so fucking confusing how Viv just decided on that to begin with (and while I get Viv made Alastor while she was still a teenager..... she literally could've done a rewrite on his character). Legit if Viv wanted to lean in on both the Voodo aspect and the cannibalism aspect of Alastor's character she could've based him off a Hippo instead because not only are hippos known to be cannibals, they might also have ties to voodoo as well (might be is the operative word here, because all the info I got was pretty vague and stuff)

Then again, this might just be me ranting about the really poor research Viv does, so just take it with a grain of salt.

Viv not putting any effort whatsoever into doing research and just making it come across as a stereotype? What a surprise /s

[theoverseerau]

???

Username: PAPAWINGDING Password: GastaMasta3!4159 Folder: YGGDRASIL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Entry 1: This is the first entry in a personal project of mine. I couldn't help but overhear the two royal children conversing with each other, and Chara was speaking about some very, very, interesting things. to put it into those fun science terms my wife constantly teases me about, Chara was speaking as if they were capable of temporal manipulation. I've dabbled in timeline theory in my free time, and if Chara is speaking the truth and not making anything up, which is very much a possibility, my young son Sans comes up with a new tall tale every day after all, but if Chara is truly capable of this, I am intending to work with the child and see what might be possible. the name "Yggdrasil" was chosen because of a creation I have always dreamed of making, a machine that can connect multiple timelines and allow people from different timelines to interact with one another. much like the great tree from human myth, which was a central point that allowed many worlds to be connected. Entry 2: Much to my joy and amazement, Chara was not lying! it took a bit of time, along with a promise not to talk about it with anyone else other than themselves and Asriel, but Chara went through some tests to prove that they could go back in time to set points. I'm currently working with the child to see if doing this causes any unusual readings on any of my instruments, if a particular reading ends up occurring consistently, it could be a clue as to how we can research this strange ability further. Entry 3: Research is going incredibly well, I found a set of readings that are consistent with Chara's temporal manipulation, something they refer to as a 'button' for some bizarre reason. The readings are incredibly difficult to extract meaningful data from, but the fact that I have managed to get any readings whatsoever is incredible progress. Entry 4: Chara has fallen ill, I will be postponing research for Yggdrasil until they recover, this is a good time for a break for other reasons as well, as I have recently learned that I am having yet another child! So as Chara rests, I will be taking time to be with my family. Entry 5: Chara and Asriel are dead. Me and my family are just as devastated as the rest of the underground, it is my understanding that this happened partly due to Chara wanting to make the world a better place. With this being the case, I will continue project Yggdrasil unhindered, I cannot let Chara's previous efforts be in vain, they wouldn't want this to be abandoned, it will be difficult to juggle both manning my home while my wife is pregnant and doing research, but I know I'll manage.

[caffeinatedopossum]

Even all of the research says it doesn't impair people who have it at all and while I do see the value of acknowledging that it's just a thinking difference and not a flaw or a disorder, I feel like my struggles are kinda being erased... of course I have multiple other disorders that probably affect how severely the normally minor challenges are but yknow.

It would just be nice to see more researchers and doctors actually consider people who are multiply ill because there's a lot of us

At first it seemed like just a fascinating quirk about me but now that I'm starting to recognize more and more things about it I actually hate having aphantasia. I hate it so much and I feel like no one is gonna understand why or just how hard it makes things.

[konigsblog]

What is this persons problem??

Like, buddy, if you don’t wanna read it… scroll away.

It baffles me that people go out of their way to bug people that are just doing what they love. You’ve expressed time and time again that you don’t support rape or anything of the sort. All of the scenarios you are fictional. So are the characters.

Why would you go out of your way to bother someone just because you don’t like what they do? Would you do that to a director who made a movie you didn’t like? No. You wouldn’t. So why bother writers?

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with people like that Orla, you deserve so much better. You’re so lovely and your writing style is beautiful. I love what you write and I’m sorry people are harassing you.

All the love and support,

- 🪶

thank you so, so much, my sweet anon :'3 thank you for your kind words, it's greatly appreciated 🌷💗🌺

these people don't realise that they have no room to decide what i can or cannot write. at the end of the day, it's not their blog, not their decision. it's the way you can just tell they haven't done any research whatsoever. i can disprove all of their points, they're lazy and put no effort in doing research about simon's backstory.

when i read something i don't like, i simply scroll away, because i'm responsible for the media i consume. the same applies to these morons that lack the understanding that not all work is made for them. people have different coping mechanisms and kinks, you don't get to decide what's right and wrong.

and i guarantee these people don't bother to understand CNC kinks or NON-CON kinks. again, i've expressed countless times that what i write doesn't determine my morality. it's DARK fiction for a reason, did they expect kittens and puppies? sunshine and rainbows?? do i need to make a tutorial on how to block someone, or can they manage themselves?? (which i doubt they can. 🙄)

again, thank you for your words, sweetness 💌🌹

[piastrispastry]

On episode two (there is way more than two but since I started this blog) of Logan Sargeant deserves better he is having to drive Alex’s repaired chassis rather than his own car at the Japanese grand prix.

Now I have took today to do a lot of research on this and here is my thoughts.

Initially I thought that this must mean there is a problem with the repaired chassis, it may be fit to race but not as strong as the one that has not been sent full throttle into the barrier at turn 15 in Melbourne. This makes sense, of course the chassis wouldn’t be as good they have had two weeks to repair it.

And Williams have made it perfectly clear that they will always prioritise Alex. He is their golden boy. Their points scorer. So even though he does not deserve any of the hate he gets whatsoever they will ultimately sacrifice Logan’s chances in order to give him the best chance of scoring points.

Now, on the other hand Alex’s components are still attached to Logan’s original chassis. They would have to put time and effort into taking it off, putting it on the repaired chassis and putting Logan’s components back on. Time that Williams could be dedicating to making a spare chassis to make sure this problem doesn’t happen again.

However, they were clearly able to do this in Melbourne on short notice. But even further than this, this problem could have been entirely avoidable if they let Logan drive his own car in the first place, they still wouldn’t be facing repercussions.

They clearly know this is controversial as well. Williams themselves have not officially announced it and have now done the social media damage control of happy Logan photos and posts with captions along the lines of “team 👊”. Which is not only highly predictable but also exactly what they did in Australia. It doesn’t work.

Sources- original tweet from Will Buxton. Logan later apparently confirmed this but I have not seen where.

[lych33dragoncookie]

I see you have mostly discussed kingdom lore, do you also look into oven break and witches castle? If so I have some fire spirit things to discuss •<•

OB is a bit of a mess continuity-wise, and though I do love the dragons and I 100% plan to say something once the next dragon update comes around (specially because it's probably gonna be a lychee magic candy <3), it's... A lot harder to engage in the same way I do Kingdom. In part because there's a lot of more simple filler updates, and being completely honest, they do not put as much effort into it as they do Kingdom. Which genuinely makes me sad because I started with that game, and I still play it, but it's clearly more of a side thing that they don't put anywhere near as much budget or research into (as shown by the sheer contrast between Yogurca and how lowkey racist any update they do with it is compared to Flour and Spice and all the cultural research they did for them both), and... Yeah, generally, it's not as easy to nerd out over. They also tend to completely waste characters!! Millie's magic candy update was a complete disaster, and he barely had a role in it at all. Which is a complete shame, because I love him, and I expected him to have a bigger role in the dragons story, but they just completely wasted him. Oh, and that's not even mentioning when they tried to merge Kingdom and OB's continuity into one, with a complete disregard for what that may mean for anything in either continuity. They stopped after a certain point, but god, it was a strange move.

As for Witch's Castle... It looks like it has a somewhat intriguing story, but I'm honestly not too interested in it or tower of adventures. And I swear to god, if they try to incorporate Witch's Castle into the Kingdom continuity, I will actually lose my fucking mind, because the entire exposition cutscene about the witches completely contradicts Kingdom's own continuity, even though it tries to convince you that it somehow connects the two games together by flashing to cutscenes from Kingdom. Because, guess what, if the witches that were benevolent all died during that night, how the fuck did they split the soul jams in half after the Beasts became evil. If their death is what caused life on Earthbread, then how in the name of god could they have done anything with or about the beasts or the soul jams?? It genuinely makes no sense whatsoever, and it just reminds me of when they carelessly tried to merge OB and Kingdom's continuities together. OH, AND THAT'S NOT EVEN MENTIONING THE FACT THAT BOTH GAMES HAVE GINGERBRAVE & CO ESCAPING FROM THE OVEN AT THE START OF THE GAME. AS DOES TOWER OF ADVENTURES. AND OB. THEY ALL HAVE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE STARTING POINT OF THE STORY AND HOW IT BRANCHES OFF AND THEY STILL TRY TO MERGE THE CONTINUITIES TOGETHER???

Sorry, complete side tangent, but it baffles me how they at all thought that trying to tie Witch's Castle and Kingdom together was a good idea in the slightest. They are, fundamentally, completely incompatible. So, when analyzing Kingdom, I choose to completely ignore any of the other games, because they are all incompatible on some fundamental level.

... Right, the question at hand. Ovenbreak analysis is definitely on the table, but there's nothing I really feel the need to talk about as it stands right now. People have already analyzed the now-not-current Black Sugar Swan update pretty well, and the current one is just kind of another filler update. Again, expect something whenever they continue the Dragons plotline, or if they decide to do anything else that's particularly narratively interesing; unlikely as it may be. Seriously, the dragons are like... The only thing to really be invested in, at this rate. There's really not much else going on. Witch's Castle and Tower of Adventures are completely outside of my periphery; the former isn't my type of game at all and while it has cool concepts, it's not really anything from what I've already grown attached to over the years. The latter, I tried, and it really, really didn't hook me. At all. Not that it's really doing anything big right now, but... It probably will, sooner or later. And, I swear to god, if they try to tie it back to Kingdom somehow, I might have an aneurysm.

[surely-galena]

You've mentioned SSR cards they'll never make before so in your opinion, how did Vyn & Giann meet?

Hi Rose!!

[reference to this post]

Honestly, I've never given much thought to this scenario because I assumed it was relatively simple! But this ask has actually made me consider what their first meeting was like, and I still think it's simple. Like, maybe they meet one day because of work or a work-related event, and before he knows it, Vyn gets absorbed into the entire von Hagen family HAHA.

I think Giann probably was the one who had to put more effort into the friendship at first because I think Vyn would have been a little more jaded and cynical upon arriving to Stellis, so Giann would have been this annoying person that Vyn thinks he wants to get rid of (much like Marius). But then if you remember how Giann is often described as the brother who wore his heart on his sleeve, and was always more open than he should have been as the Pax heir, Vyn would have seen right through him and known that he was sincere. And well-meaning. And that he had no harmful intentions whatsoever -- except that for whatever reason, Giann wanted to befriend Vyn. And eventually they start talking more and realize they have some shared goals/values, which is probably where we begin to move toward the foundation of the NXX Investigation Team.

But if you want to dream up some less mundane things like Giann and Vyn running into each other doing pre-NXX field work/research (cue pointing Spiderman meme), or Vyn getting called in to the police station to talk to someone (and then accidentally assuming Giann is the suspect, thus making a mistake he would rarely ever make), there's nothing in canon that says otherwise! (At least, that's what I think at this point.)

Those were just some quick thoughts off the top of my head, but hopefully that answered your question! Thank you for the ask :D

[karuvapatta]

Untitled Jonelias Magic AU continues!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

***

There were perks to being Bouchard’s apprentice. These included nearly unlimited access to the Research Department’s library, laboratory, and archives, as well as a modest stipend, private training arena whenever he wanted, and more. But there were also disadvantages. Bouchard was easily the most intelligent, knowledgeable person Jon had ever met; he was also the most irritating.

Well, no. He wasn’t being fair to his master. But getting a straight answer out of him bordered on impossible, and Jon was reaching the limits of his own patience.

“What am I doing wrong?” he asked, once the light he had tried to conjure pulsated, changed colours at a dizzying speed, flickered, and finally disappeared.

“You tell me,” Bouchard said.

He was sitting on a bench, the ankle of one leg resting on the other knee, hands folded loosely together. His briefcase laid next to him, untouched; he should have been grading student papers, but was apparently willing to put that on hold and devote his full attention to Jon’s miserable attempts at magic. Yet he offered no words of advice, or encouragement, or even criticism. At this point Jon would welcome any feedback whatsoever, but none was forthcoming.

You tell me. Ass.

“How should I know?” Jon muttered darkly.

He snapped his fingers; a spark ignited in the air. It fizzled out almost immediately, despite Jon’s efforts to keep it in place.

At first he had felt self-conscious about wasting his master’s time. But, well, it was Bouchard’s choice to show up and maintain this silent vigil. Perhaps he wanted to make sure Jon wouldn’t injure himself any more than he already had; it was honestly pointless to speculate about his goals.

Jon sighed and lowered his hand. His head was already pounding; he had hoped it would ease over time, but instead the headaches would just get worse the longer he practiced. He took to carrying a box of painkillers on his person at all times, but something told him Bouchard would not approve, so he didn’t want to reach for it right now.

He needed a break. He didn’t want to ask for one.

No, he needed to try another approach. But he had followed the textbooks so closely, and the instructions were so straightforward, that he struggled to see what it was he could have been doing differently.

“Master,” he began, and took a few hesitant steps towards the man. Asking questions seldom worked, but asking for a demonstration might. “Can you show me how you do it?”

Bouchard smiled. His eyes flashed, nearly imperceptible; Jon only noticed because he had been prepared for it, and watching closely. And then there was light all around them, bathing the arena in a warm, golden glow.

It was—pleasant. Whenever Jon managed to conjure light it was always too harsh, too bright, constantly flickering, good for nothing except exacerbating his headache. Bouchard had the entire space evenly illuminated, in a way that wouldn’t strain anyone’s eyesight.

“Thank you,” he said, with only a touch of sarcasm bleeding into his voice.

Yes. It was beautiful, but not exactly helpful. Gestures and spoken words weren’t usually necessary for casting spells, they just made it easier, particularly for such demonstrations; but of course Bouchard wouldn’t want to make anything easy.

Jon returned to his position in the middle of the arena and raised his hand once more, to give it another try. Something made him pause though. He hadn’t noticed it before and even now he couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but the light felt… strange, whenever it touched his skin. Warm, yes, but slightly more tangible than light ought to be, like the faintest brush of someone’s finger, or an exhaled breath…

“What did you do, Master?” he asked, fascinated. Now that he looked closely he thought he could see individual particles of the light, swirling above the palm of his hand; or waves of it, perhaps, pulsing rhythmically in the air.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Bouchard said.

Jon turned around. The visible light had no apparent source, but he saw something connecting it to the man in front of him, some change in the way it bent and refracted… and Bouchard was a few yards away but it simultaneously felt like he was standing right in front of Jon, surrounding and enveloping him…

Jon staggered backwards; the light disappeared. Bouchard did not move but there was something very pointed in the way he cleared his throat and dropped his gaze, away from Jon’s face.

“You are certainly… sensitive,” Bouchard said after a while. “I will give you that.”

“What?”

Bouchard looked up at the sky. “You know that all magic leaves traces,” he said.

“Of course I do,” Jon said.

“And it can often be traced back to its source,” Bouchard continued. “Although it usually takes skill and experience.” Of which Jon had neither, he did not add.

“I know,” Jon said. “But isn’t the main difficulty in isolating one particular spell from the background noise? And since the barrier separates us from the outside world, well—that leaves only one potential source of it. It is not that difficult to trace.”

“Two sources, technically speaking,” Bouchard said. “But you are correct otherwise.” He chuckled beneath his breath. “We will have to revisit this conversation at a later date, Mr Sims. I think you could use a break.”

“I don’t need a—”

“That wasn’t a suggestion,” Bouchard said mildly.

Jon sighed. “Yes, Master.”