#or at least made me think about my own points from a different perspective

[peepeepy]

a lot of people who've watched gravity falls think that stanford is unsympathetic or a bad character, and most of the people who dont think that think stanford is at least selfish and flawed, which i can't really refute, but it always made me feel so awful, and i never realized why until now.

if you look at stanford pines as an allegory for a child with a developmental disability like autism or a "gifted kid", then a lot of the pieces start to fall together.

⚠️spoilers for gravity falls, the website, and maybe a bit of the book of bill⚠️

stanford pines was born with an "extra finger", a symbol for a disability. for a while, everyone thought it was a flaw. he was teased and shunned by his peers,

but then, people began to notice his genius. it even says on thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com, when you enter "sixer" or "stanford", that he has a "hyper-ability", something many people will say about "gifted" autistic people.

as soon as people started to point this out, everything felt like it made sense to ford. as a person who grew up with autism, i can relate to feeling alienated from my peers, and wondering "why? why, in a world made for normal people, was i made wrong?"

that kind of thought can lead to a sort of delusion.. that maybe you were destined for something great. maybe you were different because one day you would use it to change the world. i believe this is the way ford felt when he was approached by bill

bill came to ford and told him everything he'd ever wanted to hear.. that this feeling was real. that he was destined for greatness. that he was better, smarter, more special than the ones who had shunned him.

bill told ford that building the portal would make him a hero, make people finally see him as more than an extra finger. the one problem?

bill was a liar.

he used ford's selfish thoughts to trick him into making a gateway that would end the world. he used the years of mockery, the alienation, the loneliness, and he came to ford when he was alone, trapped, with nowhere to go.

he offered ford the opportunity to get back at a world that was built to knock him down at every turn, a world full of people who would never understand him. he offered to make ford a god.

and ford refused

he refused, even in a world that had done nothing but tear him down, to hurt others just to feel better about himself. he only had a few people who had ever cared for him, and yet, he was willing to destroy his life's work to save everyone who had made him miserable.

remember, he fully intended to stay trapped in the portal for all of eternity. that's why he was so frustrated when stanley brought him back. what we saw as a heroic act from stanley, ford saw as stanley refusing the sacrifice he had made to save him. he didn't thank stanley because nobody thanked him. no one thanked him for his hard work or sacrifice or his years of suffering just to protect stanley.

that, of course, led to this scene, which many people saw as stanford's most frustrating moment.

i think this post sums up really well why stanford, in this dire moment, would choose to insult his brother. because stanley was being selfish, too. stanley refused to help save the world, save his brother, all because ford never said "thank you."

they were both selfish. everyone is. they didn't fight because they were bad people, but because they both saw things from their own perspective. they were each hopelessly lonely without each other, but both too prideful to admit it.

in the end, they make up, and both follow their true dream. not money, not fame, just staying together.

stanford pines is not a bad, unsympathetic character. he is a complex, misdirected, "gifted" child. his only flaw was not seeing that he wasn't alone. his family was right there to support him the whole time.

[raysrays]

Fatal Attraction Chapter One (NSFW)

18+ MDNI‼️

CW for the entire story: Breeding, Size Difference,Size Kink, Jealousy, Scent Marking, Age Difference, Vaginal Sex, Possessive Behavior, Angst, Twisted, Creampie, Angry Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Hair-pulling, Biting, Master/Pet, Light Dom/sub, Violence, Knotting.

Content disclaimer: This story is inspired by the amazing artist @PammyJammy117 on Twitter/X. I in absolutely no way own or claim the idea of the “Cryptid Rengoku” character. Please give credit to the original artist who inspired the story.

Y/N Perspective.

It's early, too early. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. For weeks now, I've followed the same routine: waking up, wandering the forest surrounding my village, and searching. Every day, I look for a sign that something, or someone, is out there. Yet somehow, I always come up empty-handed. It's not just me, though. My entire group is burnt out on this whole thing.

Searching for monsters has never been a passion of mine, but when you're down to your last cent and someone offers you free food and board in exchange for your help, how can you say no?

I still remember when Miss Tamayo approached me. It was snowing hard up in the mountains, and she saw how badly I was struggling in the cold. She was kind, took me in, and talked to me at length about the mystical monsters and beings her group had been studying and searching for. I'll admit, it was interesting, but I didn't believe any of it was real.

We've all heard the tales—the stories of the creatures we now call the Hashira, the terrifying monsters that once protected their respective villages and residents. While they made for nice campfire stories, there was simply no way these beings existed. Even if they did, why would they stay hidden? Wouldn't they seek revenge on the villagers who used them and then cast them out? None of it made any sense to me.

Despite voicing my concerns and disbelief to Miss Tamayo, she still wanted to help me, as long as I was willing to help her. And that's why I'm here now.

I'm in the middle of this forest. The sky is grey and cloudy, with rain surely on the way. It's foggy, and visibility is poor. Since I'm new and have only been working with these monster hunters for a few weeks, they've given me a basic route—one that minimizes the risk of encountering a real threat. Tamayo wanted me to look for a special flower that supposedly grows around here, but I haven't had any luck yet.

If I can't even find a flower, I don't feel like I'll make a promising monster hunter. At least, that's what Yushiro, one of Tamayo's most relentless supporters, thinks. Though we are civil to each other's faces, he openly voices his concerns about having me around. He says it's a waste of time to bring along someone who doesn't even "believe in the cause."

I suppose I can't argue with him too much. I've walked this same route every day for a few weeks now and still haven't come across the flower Tamayo sent me to find. Maybe it really is a waste of time—

My thoughts are interrupted by a rustling sound in the distance. My body immediately tenses up. I glance around, but the thick fog makes it hard to see. All this talk and thinking about monsters and mythical creatures is starting to get to me.

What was that? Did I lose the path? No, that's just me overthinking it, thanks to Tamayo and Yushiro filling my head with stories. I'm just being paranoid.

The rustling resumes, this time from the opposite direction. I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Tamayo? Yushiro? Is that you?" I call out into the fog.

I wait for their reply, but none comes. Adding to the unease, the air feels hotter now, and a strange clicking noise echoes through the area, growing closer and closer.

What should I do? Should I run?

As the clicking grew louder, I made up my mind and began to sprint through the fog, knocking branches and anything else in my path aside. At some point, I lost my footing. The trail must have ended, and I twisted my ankle on a tree root protruding from the ground.

My ears were filled with the sound of my own breathing, and it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. This can't be happening. I was sent on an easy route to fetch a flower, not to be chased by some crazy monster.

I tried to stand, but the pain in my ankle was too much. I strained to stay silent and listened for the clicking sounds; they were faint but still there. I had to get out of here.

Grabbing onto the trunk of the tree I had tripped over, I pulled myself up. It hurt, but the adrenaline rush made it barely bearable.

The fog was finally starting to lift, and I could see the path I usually followed. I must have accidentally stepped off it while running. As long as I could get back, Tamayo would be able to help me with my ankle.

As I started to move slowly, a red light in the distance suddenly caught my attention. Squinting, I tried to make out what it could be and then realized it was two red lights, gradually moving closer to me.

Eyes.

Panic surged through me as I scrambled to move, trying to go as fast as my injured ankle would allow, grabbing onto anything I could for support.

This can't be happening. I refuse to believe any of this is real. How could all those stupid campfire stories be true? And why, out of all the monster hunters in Tamayo's group, did I have to be the unlucky one?

I wanted to scream and yell for help, but I was so deep in this forest nobody from the safe house would hear me.

It hurts. It hurts so much. It feels like my body is going to give out any minute, but my mind is racing, forcing me to keep moving.

The clicking is now accompanied by a deep growling, making it sound all the more intense. Whatever this thing was, it sounded terrifying. And those deep red eyes didn’t really help with my imagination.

Then it happened. I had to take a knee. The strain on my ankle kept getting worse the more I moved. I'm done for. Whatever this thing is, it's going to kill me.

At least Yushiro can look at my corpse and say, "I told you so."

As the clicking and growling got even closer, there was a small thump to the ground as whatever was about to kill me approached. I shut my eyes and prepared for whatever my fate was.

I felt it stop a few feet behind me. This monster is just staring at me. I’m too afraid to face it. I don’t want the last thing I see to be those glowing red eyes.

"What are you doing? Why did you run away?"

My heart nearly stopped. That voice—it was deep, loud, and had an eerie, echoing effect. Was this monster talking to me?

I took a deep breath. What should I say? Should I beg for my life?

"I asked you a question, human. Why are you running away?"

I could hear a hint of annoyance in its tone. The last thing I wanted was to anger a mythical being. I slowly turned my body. The sight that met me made speaking even more difficult.

It was tall. He was tall—about eight and a half feet.

He had blonde fur and a long mane of hair with red accents scattered throughout, tall pointed ears, and those glowing red eyes.

My lips parted. I wanted to answer, to beg for my life and apologize for intruding. But his appearance was so intimidating, so... enchanting.

I froze as he moved closer.

"Can you not speak, human? Are you afraid of me?" He chuckled. His laugh was as intense as his voice.

"I can speak," I managed to choke out.

His eyes seemed to light up, and he smiled.

Dear God. Those teeth. Long and sharp. If he wasn’t terrifying before, he definitely was now. I felt my heart beating rapidly. I knew I was done for, but this was all too much.

"What is your name, human? I've seen you walk this path for days now. I deserve to know who intrudes on my territory daily." Instead of anger, his tone was oddly amused.

"My name is Y/N L/N." I tried to keep the nervousness out of my voice but didn’t do a great job.

"Well then, Y/N L/N. You wandered away from your usual trail as soon as I got close to you. Why did you run away? Aren't you supposed to be looking for me?" He laughed, a mocking sound.

"You are a 'monster hunter,' aren't you?"

I didn't know what to say. He was right. I was supposed to be looking for him. That was the whole point of Tamayo taking me on, but I hadn’t expected it all to be so real.

"I didn’t believe in monsters. I was sent to look for a specific flower," I mumbled.

"Didn't believe?" He moved closer, towering over me. "Tell me then, Y/N L/N, do you believe now?" He smiled, those sharp teeth gleaming.

I felt my body run cold. He was terrifying, not just in appearance but in his entire demeanor.

“Yes, I do.”

For a moment, silence filled the air, broken only by the sound of the wind and his slight clicking.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“I am Kyojuro Rengoku, the protector of this land and its residents.” The echo in his voice cemented my assumptions.

There was no mistaking it—I had run into one of the Hashira.

I’d heard the stories, the legends of Rengoku, the fierce protector of this area. He was kind until he wasn’t. Then, humans saw him as a threat and banished him to the forest.

He kneeled down in front of me, still on the ground.

“You don’t seem too surprised. Have you heard of me?” His ear twitched, and I noticed the massive tail behind him curl around his body.

I took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ve heard the stories. You’re the Hashira associated with fire.”

He perked up at my response.

“So, my legends live on! How amusing!” He laughed.

His voice was so loud, it was almost funny.

Why is he acting like this? I thought he would have killed me by now.

“You’re hurt,” he said, gesturing to my ankle.

“Yeah... I sprained it,” I replied, shifting awkwardly.

“Yes, I know. From running away from me.” His tail flicked slightly, and a smirk formed on his face.

I didn’t know what to say or do. I was completely at a loss. Here I was, casually having a conversation with one of the scariest and deadliest creatures to walk the earth.

“What are you going to do with me? If you’re going to kill me, can’t you just get it over with?”

He looked at me, a mix of confusion and amusement in his eyes.

“Why are you so desperate to die so soon? Do you not enjoy my company?” His voice echoed with a chuckle.

Is he being serious right now?

“No— I’m just... confused. Why are you still talking to me? I’m a monster hunter, not a very good one, but still a monster hunter. Shouldn’t you just kill me and get it over with?” I was desperate for an answer, needing to know if I should prepare to die or not.

He stared at me for a moment, as if deep in thought, his ears twitching slightly.

“No, I don’t think I’ll kill you,” he said plainly. “However, only on the condition that you continue to return here. Tell no one of your kind about me and continue to come see me.”

I sat there, dumbfounded. This terrifying creature was willing to spare my life as long as I returned for his company?

“Why would you want to see me again?” I asked.

He smiled, baring his long, sharp teeth, his ears perking up.

“Because, Y/N L/N, you are the first person to talk to me in a long time. To be quite honest, something inside me is telling me that you and I are really going to like each other.”

His tone shifted, becoming more sinister. What did this creature have planned for me?

And why was I excited to find out?

Next>>

[razorblade180-heated]

War of the Roses

[Caution: Smut!]

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Whoever first said that deserves a pat on the back and kick to the shin. Perhaps it was due to personal experience, but Ruby was never fond of missing loved ones. It’s why she always tried to be a part of anything when possible. All and all, she’s had moderate success. Team with her sister, friends that included her often, and most impressively, two romantic partners.

As much as she would like to think of herself as a secret genius in the field of love, in actuality, she somehow managed to look attractive to both Weiss and Jaune. Not sure how blowing herself up in the courtyard a few years ago led to such an achievement but she wasn’t going to question it. Her relationship with the two have always felt special to her; not to mention she wasn’t as oblivious as others might think. Ruby was fairly crafty in a harmless way.

She had never expected Weiss to confess when she did, but when the day came, Ruby had already given quite a bit of thought about her own feelings. Weiss had her flustered beyond belief everyday but Jaune’s kindness and mutual interests had her charmed so badly it wasn’t even funny. If it had been freshman year, she wouldn’t have dared to get them both in the same room and propose dating both. The fact Weiss entertained the conversation at all said volumes about her change in perspective on Jaune as they went through school together. As for him, there was no point hiding the idea of a relationship with both his current and former crush sounded too good to be true. Poor guy remained relatively neutral and silent during the entire discussion.

Despite the bold proposal, somehow, they’ve made it work better than Ruby expected. It was definitely a little weird at first, that was for certain, but over time they hit their stride. Ruby was all in from the beginning. She was up for any kind of date and matched and was careful to listen to both. Although pushy at times, she knew those two needed nudges in respective directions when it came to solo and group interactions. Still, Ruby never imagined the day they’d get along so well that eventually feelings were flowing in every direction! She can’t claim to be a romantic genius but Ruby definitely felt like a decent match maker.

These days, things are pretty calm and sharing an apartment for their last year at Beacon has been pretty cozy. Indeed, she has truly done wonderfully in sticking around all the things she loves. Unfortunately, that line has always stopped at two points. “Group fun” which is admittedly a hard sell given the different temperaments of the two; and the inescapable mission hours they had to put in.

Ruby laid on the couch lazily and sighed as she missed her blonde dork. “I never would’ve thought I’d be counting the days for a partner to return like I’m a kid waiting for Santa.”

“Ruby, he’s been gone a month.” Weiss said candidly, washing a couple dishes. “That’s far from a year.”

“And yet it feels just as baaaaad!”

“Well, I guess it would’ve helped if JNPR didn’t take an undercover mission.”

“Right!?” Ruby sat up aggressively. “Radio silence is the worst!”

Weiss had to agree. Though she wasn’t nearly as antsy as her redhead was, she had been a little concerned. Undercover missions were risky. “At least the hard part is over. We literally got a call last night that he's coming back today. Honestly we were worried for nothing. Ren is a master at stealth while Nora and Pyrrha know how to adapt. Jaune probably had the perfect plan for them.”

Ruby raised a brow and smiled. “We?” She said cheekily. “Last time I checked, someone was pretending to be unbothered.”

A tint of red washed over Weiss as she huffed. “Hmph! You make me sound cold. Of course I was worried. I just don’t let it go to my head like some people!” She put the dishes away and whispered, “He’s my boyfriend too ya know…”

Those words filled Ruby with such joy. She couldn’t help but dash over and hug her adorable girlfriend from behind. “Awww! Weiss!!!”

“Unhand me!”

“Nope! Don’t fight the affection. I’m sure Jaune would be very happy to hear that.”

“Speak of this and you are washing your own dishes forever.” Weiss looked over her shoulder to see the girl still grinning, going as far to even kiss Weiss’s nose. “You’re so annoying at times.”

“Whatever, you love this. Sooooo now that I know I’m not the only one missing him, should I expect a text to wear headphones again?”

“No!” Weiss defended. “Unlike you, I’m not some frustrated dog.”

“So he’s all mine then today? Sweet.”

“Let him rest! He’s not even back yet and I’m sure he’ll be hungry.”

“You make it sound like there haven't been times we came back from missions wanting to spend a little quality time with him, or Jaune being extra affectionate with one of us.”

Once again, Weiss couldn’t exactly deny the instances where she returned from slaying Grimm for weeks and wanting nothing more than a nice bath and a body rub from Jaune that went a little too far.

“Be that as it may, this is different!” Weiss huffed again. “It’s not as if you’ve exactly been starved of intimacy.” She muttered.

Almost on cue, Weiss felt Ruby’s head rest in the crook of her neck, planting a warm kiss as the reaper’s hand outlined her figure. Weiss let out a soft gasp feeling Ruby nip her earlobe.

“That’s true~” Ruby giggled. Just as her hands teasingly went for Weiss’s shirt, the woman reached up and pinched the bridge of Ruby’s nose. “Ow ow ow ow! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“Not everyone has your energy. Have a little decency. We are in the kitchen!”

“You talk about energy and decency but you’re just a little shy. Although if you get comfortable like last night then- ow! Ow! My nose!” She screams nasally.

“What happens in the mood, stays in the mood. Understand?”

“Got it! Please release me.”

Weiss lets the poor girl go and kisses her nose. “Dunce.”

“Love you too.”

Their little antics came to an end once they heard the automated click of the door. Both girls walked out of the kitchen and peeked around the corner in perfect sync to spot Jaune dropping his duffel bag and taking off his shoes.

“He lives!” Ruby cheered, catching his attention.

“Hey Rubes- wait, was there doubt?” Instead of an answer he got her jumping into his arms and clinging to him like a sloth; he also earned a nice kiss on the cheek. “Haha, I missed you too.”

Weiss took a far more casual approach, walking up to him with folded arms and a smile. “How was-” her words were immediately cut off by a quick surprise kiss. “Your mission?” She finished, blood rushing to her face.

“Every plan is foolproof until something blows up.” He laughed tiredly. “Ups and downs. Nothing we couldn’t handle. We’re technically home a little early.”

Ruby hopped down, allowing the man to actually rest his body. “Early? Pfft, this felt like an eternity. We need to have more joint missions. At least then we’re all in the thick of it.”

Weiss shuddered at the thought. “Any mission asking for team RWBY and JNPR is one misstep away from being at minimum a city crisis.”

“And we would handle it wonderfully!” Ruby said with pride. Meanwhile her partners looked at such confidence with exhaustion before walking to the living room. “Hey! It’s true!”

Jaune flopped onto the couch in comfort while Weiss made her way to the fridge. “Hungry? We actually have leftovers for once.”

“I’m good. Ren was nice enough to make us a meal before we headed out.”

“I’m shocked you kept it down the entire trip here.” She teased, looking for a drink.

“It was a short flight. We traveled by train mostly.”

“That explains it.” Weiss pulled out three water bottles before turning around to see Ruby cuddling up under Jaune. The girl truly had no ounce of shame under this roof. Her hand rubbed his chest gently while her face found a home in the crook of the knight’s neck, causing him to blush. “Feel free to roll her off the couch. No one would blame you.”

“Pretty sure Ruby would.” He felt her teeth slightly grace his skin before kissing it.

“You smell nice. The trip home must’ve been calm.�� She sank deeper into him. “Are you sleepy, or tired? I can work with tired.” She cooed, kissing him again.

Not even Weiss was immune from blushing under these conditions. Even though he’d just returned, Jaune kissed Ruby back with simmering passion to indulge her. “Animals. Both of you.”

Ruby smiled cheekily. “Guilty. I guess I bring it out of people. So about what I said earlier; have any objections?”

“Pfft, help yourself. Just don’t get us a noise complaint. I’m gonna finish my show.”

Ruby could tell Weiss was a bit pouty but the heiress was always a little shy when it came to openly admitting to feeling horny. Still, she’d make it clear when she wanted attention. Looks like she really was okay letting Jaune rest. One day Ruby would like to gain such discipline.

The reaper hopped off the couch and took Jaune by the hand. “Hear that? You’re all mine for now.” She carefully walked backwards down the hall towards her room.

“Hehe, so you were discussing it beforehand? I’m flattered.”

“My pleasure~”

“Get a room.” Weiss teased, tossing them water bottles. “Don’t kill him. I’d actually like to share a meal later tonight.”

Ruby flashed a toothy grin as confirmation before whisking Jaune away, closing the door behind them. “Don’t let her fool you. She missed you tons.”

“I know.” He smiled softly. “I’ll help make dinner as thanks.

“With how red her face was, I can think of better ways than a delicious casserole. Honestly I really thought today might be the day all three of us had fun together.”

The idea of that itself was enough to make Jaune’s cheeks fiery red. “That might be a bit much.”

“Hehe. Doesn’t sound like you’d hate it.”

“That’s neither here nor there.” He deflected. Some fantasies can stay private. Being in a throuple was already an outcome he never rationalized. “Anyways, to answer your question, I am a bit tired.”

“No worries. That’s just another reason to spoil you.” Ruby ran her hands up his body and over his shoulders. “I really missed you. I’m glad you’re safe.”

She stood on her toes and kissed him gently, slipping her tongue into his mouth for a deeper kiss that made them groan. Their feet guided them closer towards the bed where Ruby playfully pushed him onto. Much like Weiss, Jaune was always a bit bashful in the beginning. Fortunately, Ruby knew what made the boy tick. She kept her eyes locked onto him as she got on her knees, her hands effortlessly undoing his jeans and pulling them off effortlessly.

“You’re way too good at that.”

“You’ve given me plenty of practice.” Ruby kissed the growing bulge underneath his blue boxers, earning a sweet groan from him as she fished out the erection. “Are you sure you’re tired?” She teased, running tongue up the base.

“Ruby~” Jaune moaned instinctively. The girl’s warm tongue swirled around his swollen tip before she greedily swallowed his cock. “Aaaghn!”

That’s it. That’s what she wanted to hear. She took him halfway down her throat, her mouth refusing to handle all seven inches. Maybe if he wasn’t so girthy then she could endure, but she’d never wish to change something like that. Her eyes remained fixed on his as she bobbed her head, lathering his shaft as she stroked the base. A month was clearly a long time for him too. He was already throbbing and precum overwhelmed her senses.

Jaune reached for strands of her red hair, running his hands through them as his hips buckled. “R-Ruby! Just like that!” He was getting close. Jaune felt the pleasure rise dangerously high before Ruby removed her mouth, halting his orgasm. “You’re so evil.” He panted.

Ruby took a sip of her water to cleanse her pallet. “Swallowing is hard!” She defended, embarrassed by her limitations. “Besides, there’s better places to cum.”

She stood up, pulling off her shirt in one fell swoop and leaving Jaune speechless as he watched her boobs bounce freely. Honestly it was flattering how many times she’s done this and yet he still looked awestruck. Personally she was still a little envious of her sister but not once did Weiss or Jaune ever complain, so why should she? Ruby hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her shorts and pulled them down slowly, putting on a little show for her knight.

The way this dorky girl could become so alluring always amazed Jaune. Her nice toned thighs, the slight tuft of red hair over glistening pink lips, it never failed to stir him up. “Stunned as always.”

“I can say the same about you.” She blushed, climbing on top of him. Her hands slid under his shirt to help pull it off to reveal years of hard work. “I remember when your abs weren’t on par with mine.”

“Let’s not talk about those dark days.”

“Haha, what do you mean?” She pushed him down against the bed gently, keeping her hands on his broad chest. “You looked good then, and you look good now. Just relax and I’ll prove it to you.”

Jaune watched Ruby close her eyes as she angled the tip against her entrance. Slowly, her mouth fell open as she sank down onto his length, gasping silently until her soft ass was sitting on his lap. He felt her grip squeeze him eagerly the moment her hips rocked forward and raised up before sitting back down.

“Aaagh, gods.” It felt like her body was getting split open. “Don’t leave for a month again!” She found a steady rhythm to keep herself sane.

Jaune could feel her dripping down his shaft as he watched her face contort and her chest bounce. Despite her words, Jaune wasn’t about to lay down and do nothing. Not when her biggest weakness was right in front of him. He didn’t think twice about palming her boobs, his fingers honing in on pink, perky nipples to pinch. Immediately he felt her pussy mold around him in response.

“F-Wait!” Ruby panted, feeling a jolt run down his spine as he pinched harder. “I said to relax~” she whined.

“I am.” A raspiness hung on his words. Jaune tugged and rubbed the sensitive nubs. “I’m watching my favorite thing right now, so don’t hold back.”

There’s that confidence she liked. A lustful grin crept onto her face briefly before returning to moans as she fucked herself on Jaune’s cock, grinding it against her favorite spots feverishly. “Aaa~” her hips got more aggressive. “AAAGHA!”

So much for being quiet. Ruby leaned forward more, placing her right hand against the wall to steady her riding more. She felt Jaune release her right tit only to immediately capture it with an eager tongue that showed no mercy, driving her hips to go mad and make the bed creak. She could feel his dick throb violently as they both lost their composure.

“Don’t cum yet! I’m so close! I’m-” He bit her nipple, hard. “AAAAH!”

Ruby slammed down on his lap one final time before her body convulsed. From head to toe, please crashed into her as a month of pent up aggression flooded her womb. All her strength fizzled out for a second, causing her to lay on top of Jaune.

The young man didn’t allow Ruby to rest. He greedily took her lips. A move she happily accepted. Jaune placed his hands on her hips and carefully rolled over; he found the strength to pull away from the kiss and sit up between her legs.

“I missed you too.” He pumped his cock into Ruby, watching the girl cover her mouth as he played with sensitive pussy.

“Mmmngh~” what happened to being tired? Sure he wasn’t moving nearly as fast as she was, but Jaune really didn’t need to in this position. Every thrust poked, prodded, and scratched the various itches her insides craved. Jaune even went a step further by grabbing her legs and letting them hang off his shoulders. “Fuuuck!”

It was always cute when she swore. It was one of the few things Ruby truly found embarrassing, yet a few managed to slip out when she was really feeling good. Their arousal mixed together and made thrusting that much easier. They weren’t going to last long like this.

“You ready for a second load!” He gasped.

Ruby removed her hands. “H-Hug me~” She begged, reaching for him. Jaune bent down for her and Ruby took his lips again, sucking on his tongue while his thrusts remained deep. She could feel his tip relentlessly knock on the back of her walls before another load forced them to grip his cock again. Both their bodies went completely rigid before finally going limp. Ruby’s legs fell off her boyfriend’s shoulders and the two gasped for air like they finished a marathon. Although in this case, a sprint was more like it. Jaune pulled himself off her, grabbing their water before rolling over to lay next to her.

“Y-You good?”

“I think you lied about being tired.” She laughed through her breathing. “You might’ve been as eager as me.”

“It’s been a month. Even I have my limits.” He sat up and took a sip of his water. Ruby followed suit, quickly regaining her typical enthusiasm.

“That felt amazing.” She said with brimming joy. “Although I didn’t mean to swear at the end.”

“It’s amazing that’s what you’re hung up on.”

“I was raised in a house with a swear jar. It puts fear in you.” She lamented. “Those were rough times.”

“Hahah, I bet.” Jaune wiped sweat from his forehead. He wasn’t expecting things to escalate that rapidly. “What are the odds Weiss heard us?”

“You absolutely know she did.” Ruby said bluntly. As if on command Jaune’s scroll vibrated with a message from the regal young lady.

“Let me guess,” Ruby put her hands together. “She wants to have a chat with you whenever we’re finished?”

He knew they were teammates, but it was scary how well they could get into each other’s heads. “Lucky guess.”

“Ha! She’ll let you off easy. Or maybe the noise got her feeling frisky after all? Honestly, it wouldn’t be a hassle for her to join.”

“You’re really stuck on that, aren’t you?”

“Of course!” Ruby huffed. “We’re all dating. More importantly, I love you both. It feels a bit weird that it’s never happened. I get you two are both a little awkward but we could work through it.”

“And you’re not awkward!?”

“Jaune, I dragged you in here. The one thing I’m not awkward about is expressing my feelings to you both.”

He hated to admit it but that was very true. “I think it has more to do with how we might act or want to act in certain situations.”

“Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t know which one of you leads. You’re both pretty polite, all things considered.” Ruby looked at the red mark left on her tit. “Even when you’re getting into the swing of things.” She giggled. “Level with me. Do you ever think about threesome? Be honest.”

“It’s crossed my mind on a few occasions.” He rubbed the back of his head. “How could it not?”

“See? I knew I wasn’t crazy. I bet Weiss has thought of it too. She really has a soft spot for you.”

“That could be the same for you.”

“Well duh, but it’s a bit different. She started with a crush on me. With you, that didn’t just grow over time. The giant crush she knew you had on her was flustering.”

“It-It wasn’t that giant.” He lied, knowing nobody would ever believe that.

“Jaune, all of Beacon knew. I knew, which made it shocking when you eventually looked my way; I was always looking at both of you, so I count myself pretty lucky.”

“We really did find our rhythm, didn’t we?”

“I’ll say!” Ruby smiled. “But there’s room to make more music. Not just for pleasure’s sake, but because the intimacy feels really nice. Is it weird to call it bonding?”

“Hehe, no, no I get what you mean.” Jaune looked at the message again, pondering this moment. He could tell Weiss missed him. It was just a little difficult to show around Ruby. Maybe it was rooted in her home environment, but Weiss seemed to generally do better in one on one meetings. Kinda ironic given her popularity on and off stage. “This really means a lot to you?”

Ruby raised a curious brow. “Are you saying you’ll help?”

“Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t really have a plan when it comes to this kind of thing. I do think you’re right though about the feelings tied up in it, so I might as well try.”

Jaune got up and began dressing himself again. “I’m gonna go see what she wants. Ruby, do you trust me?”

“Forever and always.” She said fondly, tilting her head. “What do you need?”

“Ten minutes. Stay in here that long. After that come to Weiss’s room but don’t knock. Just assess everything for yourself.”

Now she was intrigued. “Okay? I can do that no problem.”

“Awesome.” He kissed her one more time before leaving. Jaune didn’t bother putting on his shirt again. No matter the outcome, it was going to be off. Either for Weiss or the shower he wanted to take.

He walked down the hallway and quickly noticed Weiss wasn’t in the living room anymore. Her room it is then. Instead of knocking, Jaune texted ‘we are done’ and hit send. He wasn’t expecting the girl’s door to swing open; much like Weiss wasn’t expecting the blonde to be in her doorway shirtless. They both blushed instantly.

“Someone is confident in their chances today.” Weiss pursed her lips. “Was being tired a lie?”

“I just didn’t feel like putting it back on! I’m a little hot at the moment.” He defended.

“I bet. Must you two be so loud? You made watching tv very…distracting.”

“So you did hear?

“Dolt, don’t play dumb! How could I not hear!? Ruby was literally shouting.” Weiss brushed her hair out of her face. “Guess she finally settled down.”

“Hehe, yeah. She’s laying down. So, umm, may I come in?”

That question made her ears burn, but she wasn’t about to fold so easily. “And why exactly?”

“Because I missed you just as much, and I think you missed me too.”

Damn him. A genuine response! Weiss remained silent. She stepped backwards out of the doorway, allowing him in. Weiss closed the door behind him and was about to lock it, when his arms suddenly wrapped around her body and picked her up the same way Ruby had jumped into his embrace. She didn’t even get a word out before receiving a hot kiss from her boyfriend.

“Mmph!?” She broke it . “H-Hold on a-” Nope. Another kiss. One that played with her tongue and buzzed her head.

Jaune walked over to her perfectly made bed and placed Weiss on her back as he continued to make out with her. She felt his lips leave only to assault her neck.

“Ah~ Jaune~” her body trembled as she felt him kiss her ear. His fingers ran up her long slender legs as she felt his weight lay over him like a blanket. That’s when dangerous words spilled from his lips like wine.

“Have you been a good girl?” He whispered, causing every inch of her body to shudder in anticipation.

“Yes sir~”

xxxxx

In no time at all, ten minutes flew by. Thankfully Ruby had the ability to stand by then. She wasn’t quite sure if she should get dressed so she settled for wearing her cloak as a means to retain some modesty while entertaining the hallway. Being naked in the hallway always felt embarrassing despite doing way worse behind a door. The young woman refocused herself.

“No sound from the living room. In which case…” she tiptoed towards Weiss’s door. She didn’t even need to open it to hear the sound of fidgeting bed springs. “And she acts like I’m the eager one?” Ruby smiled.

Carefully, the girl twisted the doorknob and peaked inside. The grin on her face quickly vanished while her face went dark red from what was a few feet away. At the edge of the bed was Jaune, sitting comfortably as the white haired girl stood on her knees between his legs without a single piece of clothing. Though her face was obscured, the girl’s shadow showed Ruby how Weiss placed her face in Jaune’s lap completely. Her throat made a wet and messy sound as her head bobbed repeatedly as Jaune rubbed her head.

His view was far more amazing. Weiss’s icy blue eyes went against her deep red blush perfectly. “You’re so perfect~” he moaned, leaning back more. “That’s my girl.”

The praise made her head swim deeper into pleasure. Weiss didn’t think twice about wrapping her lips tighter around his cock. Her tongue led a trail down the shaft, guiding him to the back of her throat to feel him ache. “Mmmmmnnngh~” she had missed this taste so much.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Mmhmm~”

“How’s Ruby taste?”

Weiss popped him out of her mouth, gasping heavily before immediately kissing along the shaft. “Delicious.” She muttered, lapping up the shaft. Her right hand grew impatient. Weiss couldn’t help herself from gently rubbing herself as she took care of Jaune.

Ruby couldn’t believe her ears, or her eyes for that matter. Sure, Weiss could be dirty, but the sight of her swallowing Jaune whole wasn’t something she ever expected!

“Taste more of her.” Jaune groaned, raising his hips to meet her. Carefully he thrusted up while getting a tighter grip on her hair.

“Mmmph!” Weiss shut her eyes, concentrating on her breathing as Jaune played with her mouth. The feeling of her own arousal dripping from her fingertips stirred her up to no end. She wasn’t the only one.

Jaune’s eyes shifted towards the door to spot Ruby playing with herself silently. Their gaze met briefly, deepening both their arousal before Jaune put his attention back on Weiss. “I think it’s time to show you how much I missed you.”

Ruby continued to watch in disbelief as Jaune pulled Weiss off of his cock and brought her up onto his lap. The flustered man she adored was being far rougher than Weiss than he ever did with Ruby. Then again, she never really gave him the opportunity. He was typically timid at the start. Did he always treat Weiss like this? Could he treat her like this if she asked?

His arms wrapped around Weiss’s petite frame before falling back onto the bed. Ruby saw his swollen tip rub the entrance lustfully before actually spreading Weiss open in almost one fell swoop.

“Aaagh! Fuck!” Her lungs struggled for air as she felt his length pull out easily before rushing back into the point her ass smacked against his legs repeatedly; causing Weiss to scream in bliss. “Not so rough!” She whined, knowing he’d keep the pace. “She’ll hear!”

“Let her. I don’t think she’ll mind.”

And that was a fact! Ruby could see everything. Each time he went in, Weiss’s pussy quivered and coated Jaune’s dick in her cream Ruby loved so much. The sound of both their grunts alongside the intense noise of flesh meeting made Ruby bite her bottom lip. Her fingers weren’t enough, but she remained where she was. All the while, her core ached as the thought of Jaune on top of her came rushing back.

Weiss was in her own world. The embrace Jaune had her in left her with only the ability to bite his neck and call out his name. She resigned herself to the whims of this position until he rolled over and kissed her deeply. Her moans were swallowed by his each time he rubbed her womb. Jaune repositioned his arms by the sides of her head which finally allowed her to cling properly to his body.

“Like this!” She whimpered, nails running along his back. “Fuck me just like this. Aghn, I missed you.”

“I missed you too. You look so beautiful right now.”

“Sh-Shut up!” Her walls begged harder for his cum.

“It’s true. You’re so beautiful.” Jaune rose up from her grasp, his hips still at work. “I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

Weiss saw him shift his eyes to her left. In the haze of pleasure, she managed to turn her head and gasped upon seeing Ruby at the edge of the bed completely naked and face flushed redder than the hood she abandoned. “R-Ruby!?”

“Yell at me later~” Ruby couldn’t hold out any longer. She went straight for Weiss’s lips and gave her nothing short of pure desire.”

The girl’s body was in shock for a second, but her tongue danced around Ruby’s like it had countless times before. Weiss’s hand kept Ruby’s face close. She was too close to her limit and too far into pleasure to do nothing aside from act on said pleasure. The reaper’s hand massaged Weiss’s breasts and trailed down grazing her clit while the cock inside her raged, causing another carnal scream. Try as she might, Weiss couldn’t fight back any longer and her orgasm poured out of her while her body trembled with euphoria.

Her convulsions were so great that Jaune had no choice but to pull out and take a breath before he too was sent over the edge. Something told him he was going to need to pace himself for this experience. A hard thing to do when there were two gorgeous women making out in front of him.

With Jaune out of Weiss, Ruby took the initiative to fully climb onto Weiss as they continued to kiss. She was half expecting to get bit as payback but even as her love calmed down, all Weiss did was kiss her lazily as her hands roamed over Ruby, settling on her ass.

“He was right.” Ruby said between kisses. “You are beautiful.”

“Don’t act cute. I’ll get my payback.” Weiss nipped Ruby's neck briefly before allowing the girl to suck on her tongue again. No doubt Jaune bent the knee to her. “I don’t know how much you saw, but I won’t stand for it.”

“Why be embarrassed? I love you.” Ruby rubbed her hips against Weiss, causing a moan from both. “I want these moments with you.”

“Y-ngh~ needy. Just know, I won’t be the only one moaning like a fool.” Weiss kissed back feverishly.

Ruby felt the girl’s hands spread her ass open and pump a single finger into her sopping wet entrance. “Mmm, don’t tease me.”

“I’m not.” Weiss bit Ruby’s earlobe before whispering, “I’m distracting you.”

Before she could react, Ruby felt her body accept Jaune’s length in one push, causing her body to jolt and mind to buzz as she felt his hands press down on her hips before he fucked her. Air was caught in her lungs while her body was robbed of strength. Weiss’s left hand kept Ruby nice and open for Jaune while her right hand held Ruby’s jaw in order to get a good look at the mess the girl was turning into.

“Now you’re beautiful too.” Her words caused Ruby to blush wildly. The mischievous girl tried avoiding Weiss’s gaze, but she wouldn’t allow it with her hand still holding her jaw. “Nuh uh. Look at me baby. Oh you’re loving this, aren’t you.” She teased, giving the girl a taste of her own medicine for once. Weiss wasn’t lying though. Ruby looked so cute like this.

“W-Waaaait!” Ruby gasped. She could feel her walls get worked over nice and evenly with every thrust. The feeling of both their lusts devoured her body bit by bit. Weiss’s forwardness was one thing, but Jaune, he had never been quite this aggressive before. “I’m sensitive from before!”

Wiess could feel Jaune poke around inside their girlfriend. “Fuck her harder.” She groaned. “I want to feel her unravel.”

Weiss stopped holding back and pressed her lips against Ruby’s neck, licking and sucking as she wanted while the girl breathlessly took Jaune’s dick from behind. Their bodies were soon covered in a layer of sweat and Ruby could barely support any of her weight. The impact from Jaune occasionally made her nipples graze against Weiss’s, causing further noises to leak out her lips. Ruby felt Weiss’s right hand run through her head and keep it steady as the girl remained determined to give Ruby the biggest hickey of her life.

“I’m- I’m gonna cum!” Ruby panted, fearing her own orgasm. “I- AAAGH!”

The poor girl’s vision went white. Her fingers dug into bed sheets as her body spasmed violently. Heat spread throughout her stomach from the addictive and sudden rush of Jaune’s cum filling her up as he gripped her ass firmly against his waist.

“It’s still going~” Ruby muttered, her walls clenching from every sensation in and out of her. Even the warmth from Weiss’s lips running along her neck stole further strength to the point Ruby went limp. “Mercy~” she whined.

Jaune wasn’t even being mean but he obliged, finally pulling out and sitting back to catch his own breath. Personally he wasn’t sure what was left in his own take. Weiss on the other hand wasn’t as benevolent. Jaune watched her roll over to top Ruby before continuing to torture her with kisses briefly.

“She is so petty.” Jaune held back a chuckle.

“Still alive?” The girl said, looking down at her handiwork. Weiss wasn’t without a little mercy. Even she needed air. “You sounded like you were having fun.”

“Because I was.” Ruby sighed, slowly coming down from her high. Ruby felt the girl’s lips press on her chest again. Each kiss was slow and deliberate as they traveled down her body. “Baby, wait.”

“Shhhh. Relax, I won’t go crazy.” Weiss hummed. Though she tried to act defiant and upset about the situation, it poorly masked how much this situation stirred her more carnal fixations. Weiss couldn’t hold back anymore. Her mouth briefly hovered over Ruby’s pussy, its entrance still dripping with lust. Weiss slipped her tongue right inside and helped herself to the taste of both of her lovers.

Ruby placed a hand over her mouth, her face turning dark red from the unexpected sensation. “Sh-She’s licking it out!?” Her hips quivered from the feeling of Weiss’s tongue curling up and running along the top before flicking out and swirling her clit. Ruby was about to go crazy if the girl did that again, but Weiss seemed to show a little mercy, at first anyways. Blue eyes returned overhead to look down into silver. Only now they didn’t hide a shred of arousal. In fact, it went deeper than Ruby had imagined.

“You really know how to push my buttons. Be mad at yourself if you see something hideous.”

Before Ruby could even ponder the meaning of her words, Weiss pulled away the hand over her mouth and went in for a kiss that held nothing back. Her tongue was quickly stolen, given the bewitching punishment of receiving the cocktail of tastes Weiss had blended together. It all made Ruby’s heart pounded with each new experience Weiss delivered. She’s never been this needy. This…erotic. Ruby couldn’t help but wrap her arms around the girl’s shoulders and accept the fire she ignited.

The two of them let their bodies melt into each other without a care. They might have spent ages kissing hungrily if it wasn't for a rush of pleasure that hit their core as they felt something long and hard slide between their lower lips. A moan left them; Weiss looked over her shoulder to see Jaune looking at her with half lidded eyes.

“Someone really is greedy today.”

“Who wouldn’t be in this situation?” Jaune began thrusting his hips slowly, earning their moans. “Do you think I could keep my calm seeing you do all that?”

Weiss flashed a smirk then turned back to Ruby’s whimpering face. “You always do crack more getting rubbed then fucked.” Weiss giggled, before a firm right hand struck her rear; the large finger kneaded her ass like dough before sending a chill up her spine. Weiss felt a mix of shame and pleasure burn her cheeks as Jaune’s thumb circled around her asshole, pressing inside ever so slowly to the first knuckle. “NAAGH!”

Ruby watched the girl’s face gain a few shades of red as she bit her lip. “You’re just as bad as me.” She teased, unaware of what punishment was given to make them even.

Weiss shut the girl up with another test of stamina, ensuring that Ruby would be too focused on their kiss to notice a kink Jaune dared to play with in front of the reaper! Rationally, Weiss knew Ruby wouldn’t judge, but mentally, Weiss would rather jump into fire before revealing it now of all times. It was bad enough Jaune knew of it and made it harder to deny her how submissive she really could be. She was enjoying putting Ruby on the back foot for once! Why was he doing this now!?

Weiss reached back with her left in an attempt to sway away the devil hand, but was quickly restrained by Jaune’s own left hand grabbing her by the wrist before thrusting harder.

“Behave.” He rasped.

Such a simple word yet it held Weiss in a death grip that caused her hips to grind down on the man’s shaft. She tried her luck with bricking his grip but was meant with firm strength. The unruly cock that pleasured her and Ruby slipped out from between them and plunged all the way to her cervix twice. The spike in pleasure was mind numbing and caused her to gasp violently. Jaune’s cock was already out again and back between them like nothing happened.

“Behave~” he said once more.

Such an annoyingly beautiful word. It wrapped Weiss in strings that moved to orders given in moments of bliss. Weiss lowered her again to return to Ruby’s love while her back arched for Jaune to play with her ass further. Weiss didn’t care anymore. All she could do was moan alongside Ruby as they felt rubbed against a burning hot cock.

“Good girl.”

“Mmmmm~” Weiss bucked harder. She ended up being no different from Ruby, moaning endlessly while desperately trying to hold on to this moment. Her girlfriend’s nails ran up her back and through her hair as they stared longingly at one another.

Ruby drank in the sight of Weiss’s flushed, damp skin and the sound of her voice. “I love you so much~”

Weiss felt her heart flutter. “Now’s not the time!” She protested, hiding her face in the crook of Ruby’s neck.

“But I do. Mmmmgh, I do~” Ruby gently bit the girl’s earlobe as she felt her hips grind harder. “Oh my gods! Aaahh yesss~”

To be praised by Ruby and bullied mercilessly by Jaune at once, Weiss was at a loss for words. The weight of the man’s hand pushed her body further down against his cock and Ruby’s pussy as he thrusted harder; there wasn’t the slightest bit of friction with how much they coated his length from tip to base. Weiss could feel it poke her stomach and throb angrily each time it slid along their clits.

“Jaune! Can’t you cum already!?” She pleaded. “I don’t know… how much longer I can-” his thumb pumped in and out faster, ruining her train of thought. “No! F-AAH!”

Weiss couldn’t hold on any longer. The girl came so hard over the two she might as well have squirted. Desperately trying to hold onto something, she bit Ruby’s neck, bringing back a mix of pain and pleasure that brought the rose to her own release. Jaune finally allowed himself to give into his own approaching orgasm. A few more pumps through intoxicating warmth was all he could manage before cumming all over the girls’ bodies.

The hot ropes of his seed made them quiver. A final moan was shared between them as well when they felt him pull out. Ruby felt like she had run a marathon backwards. It was satisfying, but she definitely wasn’t prepared for such a challenge. She was amazed to see Weiss have the strength to get up off her.

“Thank you.” Ruby muttered, enjoying the hit of cool air on her body. A wet and familiar warmth ran along her stomach, causing Ruby to lift her head up and see the heiress silently lap up Jaune’s mess. Their eyes met for barely a second before Weiss’s darted away like they always do when she’s embarrassed.

Ruby observed silently, remembering what she saw in the beginning of all this. “She really enjoys this part.” After removing the cum off both of them, Ruby watched Weiss turn to Jaune.

The boy was still catching his breath and couldn’t help but smile sheepishly and in disbelief at the sight of Weiss laying down at waist level. “You’re always so diligent about this. It really is your favorite part.”

“Shut up.” Her bratty tone returned mildly. Weiss pushed her hair out of face and swallowed the dolt’s half erect cock, earning a groan as she began cleaning it off.

Ruby had a better view of it this time. Just how much could her girlfriend make her blush in one day? She was taking Jaune effortlessly and all he could do was help hold her hair and sigh happily. It kinda made her jealous. Weiss must’ve noticed because her eyes opened and looked right at her as if to say, “well?”

Ruby took the subtle sign as an invitation and began crawling towards Jaune’s lap on the other side of him. Weiss quickly made room, sticking towards the tip and top half as Ruby wrapped her lips along the shaft and tasted the mess they made.

“I-I think this is past cleaning off.” Jaune stuttered, watching the girls in a position he never dared to ask for. The flick of Weiss’s tongue along his tip made his erection return in earnest, and prompted the beauty to blow him again. “Ngh, guys I’m already spent!” He moaned, feeling both tongues play with him. Ruby took his free hand and placed it on her head as she looked at him, seeking his attention. Jaune gently rubbed her head and she hummed as she continued playing with his balls. “You two are too much~”

That didn’t sound like a complaint to Weiss. She worked her way down the side of this annoyingly good appendage as Ruby worked her way up, their tongues teasing him all the while. Ruby was even cheeky enough to kiss Weiss from the other side, catching her off guard on the way. She watched Ruby take Jaune about halfway before slowly bobbing her head. The best she could. There was something weirdly cute about seeing Ruby try her best to take him. She had mentioned she wasn’t exactly as great as she liked, but this was Weiss’s first time seeing it.

“Even the top has her struggles.” Weiss laughed to herself. She stopped messing with Jaune and sat up on her knees. “Here.” She held Ruby’s hair properly with both hands. “Relax your jaw, and breathe in through your nose. Take it slowly”

This was karmic justice. Ruby couldn’t help but feel embarrassed being taught how to please like this. Weiss wasn’t even being mean about it but it still felt bad!

“Stop thinking of needless things and focus. Close your eyes if you have to, although you’ll miss some good faces.”

Ruby looked at the way Jaune tried his best to keep calm; his voice slipping out each time she went lower. Ruby did as she was instructed the best she could, relaxing her jaw and taking controlled breaths. She still wasn’t about to compete with Weiss, but she could feel Jaune enter more of her throat than she ever dared to take before.

“Don’t forget your tongue.”

Ruby swirled it around his length, earning a grunt as she continued bobbing her head. How did Weiss do this!? Her jaw was already getting tired. Ruby unfortunately had to come up for proper air. “Gah! Shit, that’s tough.”

“You did pretty well honestly.” Weiss gave Ruby a peck on the cheek before going back to swallowing Jaune, causing him to yelp.

“That’s insane.” Ruby said, unable to comprehend taking it all effortlessly. She could tell Jaune was close, and returned to taking care of his shaft while Weiss went back up top. “He’s gonna blow soon.” Ruby could feel him throb.

Weiss ran her tongue over the tip slowly. “You asking to share?”

“Nah. It’s all yours~”

Weiss flashed an eager glance at Jaune before completely wrapping her lips around the head of his cock, devouring it.”

“Weiss!” He screamed, feeling her suck on it relentlessly. Ruby wasn’t helping the situation! They had him dead to rights, stealing one more orgasm from his body. All he could do is lay back as another wave of clarity washed over him.

Ruby pulled herself off of him and watched Jaune almost deflate. Still, there was a grin of satisfaction on his face. “Wow. I think you might’ve died happily.” She looked to Weiss, who was looking right at her with a rather intimidating glare despite literally swallowing seconds ago. “Ummm, you’re not mad, are you?”

Such a dumb question was answered with a swift karate chop to the forehead, causing Ruby to rub the spot in pain. “Ooowww.” She groaned.

“That’s for brazenly entering my room without permission. You put him up to this, didn’t you? I had errands I wanted to run!”

“Hey, it was his plan!” Ruby defended, until Weiss raised her hand for another chop. “But I did express great interest! I’m sorry! I’ll help with errands tomorrow!!” She said at semblance speed. The answer satisfied Weiss enough to put her hand down. Ruby spoke again with more care. “I’m sorry for being pushy. I’m dumb.”

“Shut up. You’re not dumb.” Weiss folded her arms. “I can’t sit here and act like I hated it or anything. Even so, that was rather sneaky of you. It was embarrassing letting you see me like that?”

“Pfft, why? Weiss, it was embarrassing going on our first date, becoming a throuple, and so on. You know I wasn’t swept with lust when I said I love you, right.”

“Of course I know that! I still have my dignity though.” She blushed deeply. “It’s not easy being that vulnerable. I can barely stand it around that dolt.” She stared at the sleepy blonde. Did she actually knock him out!? “I will tell him off later.”

“Hehe, go easy on the guy. You of all people know I can really sway someone.”

“Unfortunately, I do.” Weiss raised her arms for a big stretch, which gave an opening to give her a warm hug. “Ruby, I’m not mad at you. Stop pouting.”

“I’m giving affirmation. I love getting to know you better; both of you. It might not have been the best way to go about it, but I really liked how intimate this was. I know I should probably feel more guilty, but my heart is happy.”

What the heck was Weiss supposed to say to that!? “Honestly, you’re hopeless.” She hugged Ruby back.

“You definitely caught me by surprise. I knew you were bottom, but man, that well goes deep.” She giggled.

“I will hit you again.” Weiss let go of Ruby. “I don’t want to hear that from the girl who was whimpering like a dog minutes ago.”

“I was not! I was out of breath.” She looked at Jaune. “He surprised me too. I usually lead. This was a nice switch.” Ruby grinned at Weiss. “I guess you’re not the only one with dignity. He tries hard for you ya know? Who wouldn’t for their huge crush.”

Weiss turned away, embarrassed both by the fact and how relatable it was. “I am aware. He’s assertive, but unlike you he has a tad more grace in his approach. Maybe that’s why I can’t help but act differently between you two. He shares my timid nature so I can tell when he’s trying hard.”

“Awww, you love him~” Ruby fell beside Jaune, pulling Weiss along for her to fall on the other side with their hands meeting on his chest. “What do we share?”

“Aside from an overactive mind? An alarming amount of tenacity. Seriously, if he wasn’t tired from work, this could’ve been dire.”

“So what I’m hearing is next time we should plan more accordingly?” Ruby proposed, a twinkle in her eye. “Doesn’t have to be a regular thing but let’s not pretend this wasn’t a good time.”

“Too tired to discuss this now.” Weiss wormed her way under Juana’s arm and rested on his chest, closing her eyes. “Later.”

“Hehe, works for me.” Ruby followed Weiss’s lead, laying happily on Jaune and dozing off. She couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Who knows? Maybe after a good meal, a talk, and a well needed shower, they’d all get lucky again.

[punksocks]

Astrology Observations: No.29

*only based on my observations, only take what resonates

(Oml I didn’t realize that I haven’t written out a proper observations post since May?? I’m so sorry y’all life has been crazy b u s y and the world has been on fire due to colonialism, but I’m going to write more again 🙃 I love astrology but existence is wild y’all)

-I had a client say Geminis always get Gemini tattoos.. while getting a Gemini tattoo lol (and they were right!!) (Leo suns are second most likely imo)

-mutable venuses like changes in fashion a lot, they tend to go through fashion phases



-Every Pisces sun I’ve met has said they don’t really like being a Pisces at least once. Which is so interesting because Pisces sun isn’t a placement in determent, Libra is ! And I think 9 times out of 10 Libras will say they love being Libras (or it’s a huge part of their personality fr)

-My favorite thing I’ve heard from a Libra sun I knew was that they hated doing all of the things that made them appear socially functional so I said “why do you do it? why not just stop doing what you hate?” and they just looked blank like they couldn’t even imagine not conforming (even though they were an aqua moon)

-Ok so I’ve been wondering why I’ve had repetitive instances of some people being passive aggressive and w e i r d at my main job when I literally own the business and I’m their boss?? But it’s that Lilith in 10th. No one is neutral about your energy and you can rub folks the wrong way just by minding your business. I don’t like it but especially at work bc I’m a Capricorn and this isn’t productive >:/ lol

-Oh another Lilith touching Asc observation is when people start a conversation with me like 60-75% of the time they try to challenge me or ask lowkey rude questions (sneak diss shit lol) like 3 different people asked me what tattoo I regret the most and I was like ??? Hello? Who are you? Lol these streets oml…

-cancer placements can be really centered on defending their self, their perspective, their family, their community (they don’t have to be but it can be a common trait). I just noticed the pattern after ages of wondering why cancer was associated with nationalism on a wide scale. (Pluto in Cancer generation and the rise in nationalism after ww2 for example)

-I feel like Sagittarius placements (especially the big 3) will always be ready to do something new and life changing at any age (moving abroad, going on vacation and exploring new places, getting their first tattoo, anything that seems like it’ll open the door to a set of new experiences)

-Strong mars and mercury energy can make someone brutal in arguments (air mars, Virgo and Gemini mars, even Kendrick is an example he destroyed Drake- and Kendrick has mars conjunct Mercury and a Gemini sun)

-Sag Venus culture is being clingy because you need a lot of attention/stimulation and suddenly ditching when you don’t get enough attention/stimulation to keep your interest 🥴 (even more with sag mars since they’re action oriented, they’re in the same camp imo lol)

-I blame America’s Aquarius moon for the cultural phobia of being too “irrational” or “emotionally expressive” ….while being known as being too passionate and irrational in many non US cultures (also the US and the emotional detachment for the sake of “progress”, dark side of this placement but thematic nonetheless)

-imo when sun’s transiting your Lilith you can feel like a lot of attention is on you, sometimes good but often pretty scrutinizing. I also feel like you can achieve some impossible things during this transit due to Lilith’s energy (she’s built for rebellion, so when a lot of criticism is pointed her way she finds an unconventional way to come out on top)

-I have so much writing to do but if there are specific placements you want me to do observations on, let me know in the comments and my inbox!

[cipheramnesia]

This is the process my brain goes through every time I see anything about Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender.

My first reaction is always: Why? The original, although not without flaws, doesn't leave a lot of room to improve. A good remake or adaptation usually involves an updated context or change in perspective that adds to the original work and gives it new meaning. It's a risky undertaking because it usually involves wanting to take on something established as iconic and make it your own. But Netflix is a corporation and seems very risk averse for the most part. Its only investment is in the name recognition of AtLA. It's hard to visualize Netflix deliberately taking a big risk on an expensive show.

My second reaction is: How? The original series is about 1400 minutes over 61 episodes, and it still had to rush the ending. We're looking at 8 episodes of roughly 45-60 minutes per episode for season 1, which would require Netflix to let it run more than 3 seasons, if the series has similar pacing. Historically however Netflix shows have glacial pacing, and rarely make three seasons. Not really sure how they plan to tell the story if the series is anything like the average Netflix series, meaning it either needs to undercut the story or let the series breathe for at least five seasons. But nothing Netflix has done makes me want to watch anything they make as an ongoing series? Why bother, they cancel everything I enjoy. So I wonder how. What's the hook to say "this will be able to provide something new and interesting compared to the original, and will be allowed to tell the complete story."

Which leads me to think, but you can't judge if something is good without seeing it. Except none of this is about whether it's good, I just find myself wondering what are the odds it's worth the effort? They're low, and it has nothing to do with whether or not it's even any good on its own merits.

Following this, I ask myself, what would a good version of this be. Imagine you are making a live action series with eight hour long episodes per season based on a children's cartoon with 20 thirty minute episodes per season. You are trying to encompass a story which was presented over three seasons as a cartoon, and you do not know if you will have more than those eight episodes. It's made for Netflix which, in terms of a company which will protect the hard earned fruits of your artistic labor, is the fox guarding the henhouse. What do you do?

If you are looking to make something good, that respects your audience investment and your own work, you make radical changes to the story. You change the pacing, the character arcs, the plot arcs. You make sure you deliver a complete story in those episodes with as much respect for the original work and as many new ideas as you can.

Except, at that point, what is even the point of a remake. The only way to work with it is either to trust Netflix allowing you to finish the story (which you'd need to be incredibly naive to do), or tell a story so different it may as well be wholly original. And that's where I always end up. Like, it'll probably be fine, but what's the point of it all? Another vanishing digital property to get canceled because of some undefinable failure to return on investment.

I think about it a lot because the two ends of the spectrum seem to be "dunk on every new piece of information" or "wait and see" but the only conclusion I can ever reach is "why even care?" That's been the lesson to take home from digital streaming in general when it comes to series, but Netflix in particular, and honestly for movie series too. If it can't be self contained, the companies who produce and release these kinds of series just cannot be trusted with it, and there are too many good original stories being put out to care anymore about big budget promises that one day they will definitely for sure deliver a finished story, this time for real.

I care enough to think about why I don't feel anything at all about Netflix Avatar. It'll be fine, whatever else. Just fine.

[twig-tea]

Love in the Big City TV Series Episodes 1 &2: The Loneliness of Conformity and Nonconformity

[Wondering what’s going on here? In Feb-Mar of this year a bunch of us agreed to read the Love in the Big City novel one part per week and write pieces in response to the novel and @bengiyo’s excellent discussion questions weekly, which was a fantastic experience. @lurkingshan did the driving and wrangling and organizing, and compiled all of the meta from that period here . Now we’re watching and responding the series on the same cadence, 1 part (2 episodes) per week, and Shan is once again wrangling us and Ben is again providing excellent discussion questions to help inspire responses. Like last time, rather than answer the discussion questions directly, I’ll let them inform the directions my thoughts take. Also re: romanization, I’m going to use Go Yeong for the TV adaptation and Young for the novel since they seem to have standardized his name to “Yeong” at least on Viki, and that provides some distinction which is convenient]. 

In my written response to part 1 of the novel I talked about how Young was an unreliable narrator, because he was so dissociated from his own emotions that he didn’t often notice when he was having them. The loss of the bulk of the first person narration is inevitable in an adaptation to a visual medium, but I think these episodes still captured Young’s general disconnect to his emotions especially in episode 1. There are moments where he smiles that felt almost jarring, like smiling is his default response even if it’s emotionally a mismatch. The change in perspective in the series also means we see beyond Young’s POV, so we get the Mi Ae outing scene (which as @lurkingshan laid out, lent Mi Ae more sympathy than Jaehee was represented with in the novel) which really underscored that in that moment, she chose her future husband and the person she was becoming over her best friend and the person she used to be. I liked how the series included the karaoke scene with the T-ara's shading Nam Gyu so that we had context for what Yeong expected when he went to dinner with Mi Ae and Jun Ho, and how different Mi Ae's behaviour was to his expectations (instead of his commentary about it that we got from his first person narration in the novel).

Like @starryalpacasstuff pointed out, I liked how the argument in the show between Yeong and Mi Ae after she outed him made it more obvious that part of the reason why Yeong was so upset was that he was already hurt by Mi Ae pulling away. @wen-kexing-apologist rightly pointed out that Mi Ae put herself in the position to have to out Yeong by lying to Jun Ho in the first place, and one of the things that both the novel and the series left me wondering was whether Jaehee/Mi Ae made that decision knowingly; did she choose to embrace amatonormativity and a heteronormative life trajectory because she wanted it, or did she feel like she had to? Either way, Yeong's pain of seeing someone who he otherwise had so much in common deviate towards the norm and leave him behind and further isolated is very familiar. I linked out to my alternative milestones to measure your life by in that original book club post and I’ll take the excuse to do it again; for those of us who find the standard hetero/amatonormative milestones alien/undesirable, it’s nice to think about other ways we can think about the progress in our lives.

Another change in the series that I appreciated was the addition of more of Yeong and Nam Gyu’s relationship. Ben talked about how much more realized a character Nam Gyu was to K3/Kia guy in his post. The building out of K3 with things like a hometown, cheesy song choices, (h/t @moutheyes) and heteronormative romantic idealism tied to traditions like Namsan Tower (h/t @lurkingshan) was all possible because of the time that a visual medium provides (like WKA said in their post linked above) and all made him feel much more like a real person that inspired sympathy than Young ever described him as in the novel (this is not a failing of the novel, but it gives them a different flavour that I am appreciating in both iterations).

And because he’s a more realized character, Nam Gu's death hit me harder watching the show. From reading the novel, I remember Young returning to K3’s final text messages regularly, and how his reaction sounded very dissociated, but the scene of the empty funeral mourning room in the series is one of those visuals that will stick with me. It's been a couple of days and my stomach hurts just thinking about it. He was trying so hard to live a "normal" life that he was in some fundamental ways barred from by society, and it left him so lonely.

By seeing more of Yeong’s life in the series adaptation, it made it more obvious to me how many ways Yeong is choosing to be alone, and how his relationship with Mi Ae was an exception to that rule until it wasn’t. I noticed that Yeong moving in with Mi Ae coincided with the T-aras leave for their mandatory military service, and his breakup with Nam Gyu was after their sendoff party. By having more of Yeong's relationships depicted in these episodes, his loneliness when Mi Ae was gone to employee training and after they stopped talking was louder than in the novel, because we as an audience were aware that there were people he was choosing not to call. And it's worth noting that it was only when he had cut ties with Mi Ae that he turned back to Nam Gyu, only to close off that thread permanently too. It was an interesting pattern to me, that In the series, Yeong ends things with Nam Gyu after he loses other people in his life.

As  @shinjikar1 pointed out Yeong's parallel losses of Nam Gyu and Mi Ae are about the decision to conform or not conform (and @troubled-mind pointed out how perfectly the song parallel really underscores this comparison, and the visuals of the abandoned marlboros and the ring do the same (h/t @conscbgb). H/t @lurkingshan for saying in our chats that specifically, Yeong's relationships with Mi Ae and Nam Gyu represent conforming to or rejecting a set heteronormative standard. Mi Ae chooses to conform and marry Jun Ho, but Yeong chooses not to commit to Nam Gyu, and so he loses both Nam Gyu and Mi Ae as a result. Yeong laments his choice after Nam Gyu's death, but as @my-rose-tinted-glasses wrote, that read to me more as romanticizing a relationship only after it's done than any realistic assessment of their relationship potential. And the bittersweet representation of Mi Ae’s relationship with Jun Ho and how the only moment she really looks happy and herself at her wedding is the moment she runs over to sing with Yeong (and how we can see by his reaction that Jun Ho has never actually seen his wife be herself) tells me that maybe the decision to conform may not be any less lonely. That being said, as @impala124 called out, just because a relationship ends that does not negate its importance in our lives, and I love how that theme which was so strong in the novel shines through in the series adaptation.

As Ben mentioned in his post linked above, I chatted with him about how I was not just thinking about the additions but also pondering the scenes that were left out of this adaptation (e.g. the STI scare scene), and whether the moment at the funeral when Yeong asks how Nam Gyu died might function in a similar way for the TV adaptation that the STI scene functioned in the novel–something that when we reflect back on later, in the context of Kylie, will get additional weight and meaning. I wondered, too, about the club scene when Yeong kissed that random guy so hard the guy pushed him off and checked if his lip was bleeding, and how different that was to Young freaking out at the taste of blood after kissing too hard in the novel. Again, that scene made me wonder whether this was before Kylie or after, and if Yeong kissing people too hard will be a theme in the series. Similarly, we didn’t get the coverage of his time in the military in the first two episodes, but we instead got a mention of the T-aras leaving for their military service, which leaves Yeong’s military service as a loud absence, again seeding the presence of Kylie in a different way to how it was foreshadowed in the novel.

Lastly, this is tangential to everything, but I found myself thinking about how Korean audiences might react differently to the Itaewon scenes and how different they must be to how things are now, post-Itaewon crush incident and how the club culture has changed as a result of that event and COVID-19. The kids apparently just don’t go to the clubs like this anymore. In that sense, these episodes feel a little like nostalgia for a generation and not just for youth in general.

[thestitchywitchy]

Future Spouse: First Impressions Pt 1

Hello my dears! Here’s a little PAC I’ve been working on…. This is going to be a 2 part (possibly a third, 18+ post, depending on how well these do) series as this one became a lot longer than I intended it to lol. This one will be about your future spouse’s first impression of you. The next one will be your first impression of them. Please leave feedback 😁

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To book a reading with me, please DM or send an email to thestitchywitchy@yahoo.com with your inquiry 💌

My Links <- 🔮please support your witch💕 -> Masterlist

Please donate if you’re able to 🙏

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Here we go! Shake it out, take a breath, close your eyes, and choose one of my favorite movie couples that calls out most to you. This is a general reading, so take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. If you feel inclined to choose more than one group, please feel free to do so.

Pictures are from Pinterest, credit to the owners. Editing was done by me, Stitchy!

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Gomez & Morticia - Pile One

6 of cups reversed, Queen of Swords, Page of Pentacles

All right, pile one, welcome to your reading! You will strike your future spouse as a complex individual from the very first moment. You may have seemed a bit guarded and reserved, which made them immediately think “💡I need to see what’s past that guard”. Aw cute lol. Some of you have a femme fatale thing going on and some of you are incredibly private or reserved, so you give off this mysterious vibe to your FS. The energy is as if you were carrying a heavy emotional burden from your past experiences on your shoulder, which makes you seem hesitant to open up to someone new.

As you two start conversing, they notice that you may have an air of authority about you. You may even be a manger/boss. Could even own your business or attempting to at the point of meeting them. This is only for some of you, but I’m also seeing kids? So you may be a parent or work with kids often. Teenagers/middle school age, specifically. They will also notice that you are very clear and precise in the way you communicate, and you seemingly have a sharp mind and quick wit about you. You may talk with your hands a lot too. They can tell that you’re someone who values honesty and straightforwardness above all else, and you are not someone who would suffer fools gladly. Get it, boo! Show those suckers what you’re made of 😉 But there was also something very innocent and curious about you under the surface that they are going to be intrigued by. Despite your guarded nature and no-nonsense attitude…you still seemed eager to learn and grow. They like that you may be open to new experiences and perspectives. You may have even called them out playfully or wasn’t afraid to stand up to them when they said something out of pocket. They aren’t typically used to receiving that energy so you made them go a bit gaga (even turned on for some of you lol) with this display of power.

Im sensing that, for a lot of you at least, you guys may really gravitate towards each other when you first meet because it seems like they were able to get to know you better on a deeper level right off the bat. They see that your past experiences have indeed left a deep mark on you and that you may be struggling to move past them. You may even bring up an ex or family issues during your conversation? But They also see that you had the strength and resilience to face your pain head-on and work towards healing and growth. They have/had no doubt that you have the intelligence and determination to make progress. They were inspired by your willingness to learn and explore new ways of thinking. You inspire them to become a better version of themselves. They may be going through some personal issues of their own at the time and the way you tackle issues may differ from they way they would usually do it. But they prefer your outlook on life so they may get inspired to take a page out of your playbook.

By the end of your meeting, they were left with a deep respect for this complex and multifaceted individual standing before them. You may have had a guarded and stand offish first impression, but they could see that beneath the surface was a person with a strong will, an open mind, and the courage to face your past and move towards a brighter future….and they would do anything in their power to be apart of it. Aww I love that for you, pile one! I hope you enjoyed your reading.

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Adam & Barbara - Pile Two

4 of pentacles, Ace of swords reversed, 9 of cups

Hey pile two, thanks for joining! Upon first meeting, you left a deep impression on your future spouse. To them, you seem to have an air of wealth and luxury about you. You may be dressed in your finest clothes or rockin your most expensive jewelry. Lmaooo I just heard “they’re bangin!” Sooo they’re really going to like your body, pile 2! 😂 can't get enough of it, apparently! That night/day, you will just all around be dressed to the nines and that will catch your FS’s attention right away. They may have noticed you right away, but it’s going to take them a little time to approach you. So as they continue to examine you from afar, they could sense something underneath all of the pretty wrapping paper. They feel a sense of possessiveness emanating from you. Like you’re holding on too tightly to your material possessions. It’s like…though you’re dressed to kill, they catch on to your insecurities beneath the surface. They’re trying to get familiar with your poker tells, basically.

Oop. Ok….Your FS may think that you might be having an identity crisis. Not necessarily in a negative way (although it might be for some of you who chose this pile), but it is apparent to them. You may be the type of person that struggles with their decision-making abilities. You may even seem lost and unsure of yourself, even though you’re dressed confidently. Like you don’t really belong in that setting, but you’re trying to fake it until you make it for whatever reason. This lack of clarity may also hinder you from making better choices for yourself. What I’m getting is like a nightclub, bar, or busy restaurant setting (take what resonates). You may have a lot of suitors physically surrounding you before your FS gets to you, so they’re still watching you from afar. They may see someone flirting with you and you’re eating up the attention and they’re just thinking to themselves… “really? You’re impressed by *that*?” Lmao your future spouse cracks me up. They’re a cerebral person, that’s for sure. They take in their surroundings before doing anything.

To them, it seems as though you are trying to use your wealth or material possessions to fill a void within yourself. Your future spouse feels like you’re trying to find emotional fulfillment in all the wrong places. They may also think you may be hard to satisfy or please, but are still not entirely sure what you really want. They see that you are seeking happiness but are met with fleeting moments instead and may even have lost touch with your emotional well-being. But they’re thinking that you’re knock out gorgeous, so why are you so sad?

Overall, their first impression of you is that you are struggling to find true happiness and emotional fulfillment in your life. While you may have amassed great wealth, luxury, and success ( whatever that means to you), you still seem to be missing something important in your day to day. They may have a fleeting thought of “ could it be me that’s missing from this equation?” Aww cute 🥰 hope you enjoyed your reading, pile 2!

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Seymour & Audrey - Pile Three

4 of Pentacles, Queen of Cups, Knight of Pentacles reversed

Hello pile 3, ready for your reading? Your future spouse’s first impression of you would be one of complexity and depth. They would see in you someone who is highly guarded and may be struggling with a fear of financial insecurity. You may be going through some difficulty at the time of meeting your future spouse and you may wear your worry on your face. For some of you, they felt your energy before they laid eyes on you. You may have been in a whirlwind of panic or frustration, maybe even tripping over yourself a bit, and they picked up on it before you even entered the room. Fear not, they will think your dishevelment is rather adorable lol awww!

However, they would also sense a deep emotional intelligence and sensitivity in you, much like the Queen of Cups. They would think that you’re someone who is highly empathetic and in tune with your and other’s emotions, but you may also be very protective of your feelings and hesitant to fully open up to others. I see a lot of nervous chuckling happening when you’re around them. They may have approached you in a teasing manner and you reacted shyly and a bit embarrassed. That’s so adorable pile 3! But remember, you’re the prize…no need to be nervous 😉 oh, I’m getting that they really like your smile! They instantly see in you someone they can start a life/family with. There’s just something about you that tick off all their boxes.

Your FS will also feel that you may be resistant to change and may prefer to stick to a routine or maintain the status quo. They see you as the type of person who doesn’t want to step on any toes, even in detriment to yourself. They feel that you may be cautious when it comes to taking risks or trying new things, but this energy can also indicate a strong sense of dedication and a willingness to work hard and persevere. They see that you like things done a certain way so that’s how you’re going to do it.

Overall, their first impression of you would be that you’re a person with a complex and multi-layered personality. They would see someone who is both highly sensitive and guarded. They want to tear your walls down. Make you feel safe with them. Hmm…Your fear of financial security keeps coming up… like you fear financial instability, so you’ve married yourself to your work to never see your bank account dip lower than a certain amount. It may worry them a bit that you may not have room for a relationship (with them) in your life because of this. However, On the same note, they would also see someone who is dedicated and hard-working… Someone who has the potential to break through their blocks and achieve success and fulfillment in life. Your FS would be drawn to your emotional depth and dedication, and would be eager to help you navigate any challenges that may arise….they’re just hoping you’ll make a little bit of space for them in order to do that. Aw, congrats pile 3. That sounds sweet!!

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All rights reserved to @thestitchywitchy . Thank you for participating in this pick a card reading 😊 if you liked this reading and would like to dive in further, please DM me for a $7.77 extended reading 💞

[lukolabrainrot]

Firstly thank you so much for your blog. I appreciate your well considered viewpoint and align strongly with your opinions on the current state of the relationship of our favourite couple.

I have been fascinated recently with the different reactions within the fandom to seemingly small events. When I saw the wallpaper on A’s phone I immediately went to a group I’m part of to watch the inevitable meltdown and spiral. As occurs every time a small thing happens there are immediately very different reactions. Those who have always leant to the more negative side of the speculation immediately double down that A and L are still together and it’s absolutely Luke in the photo. From their perspective they are just being realistic and sensible. I firmly believe everybody is entitled to their opinion even if it differs from my own but I don’t believe this view is anymore realistic than mine.

On the other side (which is the side I’m on BTW) L and A have been broken up since at least the Italy birthday trip, the picture is too unclear to confirm anything and even if it is him it tells us nothing about the current state of their relationship.

I’m not really sure what my question is but I guess it’s more an observation about confirmation bias and how we see what we want to see (myself included). From my perspective there is far more to indicate a split than that they still together. I also believe L&N are currently together.

I’ve made a conscious decision to have fun within the fandom. Fun for me is believing the love we saw between L & N is real and they have acted on that. I fully acknowledge that most of what I believe is based on speculation that can be interpreted many different ways. However it is much more fun for me to interpret things in a positive way rather than focussing on the side characters. At the end of the day the only people who know for sure what their relationship status is are L&N and those who actually know them. So why not have fun in our little corner of the internet with the many crumbs N has given us and cheer them on (quietly without being in their personal SM).

Just one final point that has been bothering me is about the Spain photos. For me amidst all this speculation about A being there, palm trees etc there is one thing I’ve never heard mentioned. If she was there and his post was a Latergram why did he take a photo clearly staged to show he was alone. Why would you go on a holiday with your girlfriend and consciously take a photo indicating you’re alone.

Sorry this ended up longer than I thought it would but again thank you for having a space where we can have fun and escape from the realities of the world for a short while.

Thank you Anon, I appreciate it!!

I TRY to keep this space fun and as light hearted as possible.

And I agree, I think if you look at the FULL picture without hyperfixating on one thing, it appears that L/N are likely together atp... I personally think they have probably been together for months by now (but that is just my opinion from what I have seen).

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Top 10 Things I Love About the QL Tumblr Community 2023

I'm loving everyone's end of year lists, and decided to make up one of my own.

I haven't been on Tumblr for very long and was originally just lurking. 2023 marks the year where I finally started posting, after I read a take that made me feel compelled to come to a fictional character's defense. (Saengtai, my poor little blorbo).

So in commemoration of my first proper year of active tumblring, I present what I love about this community (in no particular order).

(Side note - Technically I know this is still primarily a BL community, but I like to say QL because I am trying to manifest more lesbians for us.)

1) The Gifmakers

Y'all are a good 70% of the reason I joined Tumblr in the first place. There are so many show moments that I want to relive, but without having to search through videos. Sometimes I want to appreciate the aesthetics. Sometimes I want to remember adorable or goofy moments. Sometimes I just want to see cute boys eating each other's faces. Our gifmakers give all of that to us, with the addition of so much creativity and style.

There's too many amazing ones to mention everyone, but I have to shout out @sparklyeyedhimbo, because the way your brain works makes me so happy.

2) The expertise

The other part of why I joined Tumblr was to learn more about what BLs were out there and what I might be missing. And holy hell. Y'all are putting in the work. Not only lists and resources for finding all kinds of QLs, like these fabulous monthly breakdowns by @gunsatthaphan, but also amazing posts that add additional context, like @absolutebl's incredibly helpful breakdown of Asian honorifics. There is so much research people do, for fun! And then they share it!

3) The meta analysis

I frickin love reading people's takes and analyses on series. I love learning, I love seeing perspectives from people with different cultural backgrounds to my own, it's all so fascinating! There's so much context we can miss due to our own privileges, or lack of knowing about various cultures, or due to whatever bubbles we've been living in. People here are just so smart, and nuanced, and willing to reflect and think about things, and also push back at each other, but generally with respect (except when you call out the dumb shit you see, usually on Twitter or TikTok, where people are being reductive and dumb about gender and sexuality).

And I've seen a few takes where people complain about analyses, and say that the director/production doesn't do everything deliberately, and we're all reading too much into it. To which I say, eh, lighten up. How people connect to and relate to media has relevance beyond what was intended. The point is we get to think and discuss and learn and grow. That doesn't happen if we don't analyze.

Special shout out here to @respectthepetty because colors mean things!

4) The wild theories

The other side of the analysis coin, the clown cars y'all drive around in with the wildest of theories. I have happily climbed into an occasional clown car, and usually I am utterly wrong (*cough* Saifah *cough*). But it's a super fun ride. I love seeing how people's brains work. I love it when y'all are wrong. I love it when y'all are right. It's beautiful.

5) Immediate acceptance

I am one of those people who knows that I have a lot of good qualities, and also, always kind of expect rejection. Blame the childhood bullies, I guess. Anyway, whenever I delve into a new space, I still feel like a total dork that no one will want to talk to. It's kind of a fraught way to move through the world, but I manage.

Anyway, I started posting my thoughts as they came up, and people are just totally cool with it. People even follow me sometimes. Even my silliest thoughts and dumbest jokes get at least a couple likes. It's so validating.

And my very silly joke about gay mafia in Kiseki has over 800 likes. I feel very seen.

6) Mutuals

I still kind of can't believe I have any. This ties in to the dork feeling above, but seriously - they are soooo cooooool. They're smart and awesome and funny, and they somehow find me worth following back, which is baffling yet wonderful. I want to squish their faces and give them many kisses (if they're into that kind of thing).

7) The self-exploration

I really appreciate how it's become more talked about how a lot of people are discovering queerness through BL, because that is so the case for me. I think it's both that I was in a bit of a hetero bubble before, and also that I'm evolving a bit as I age. I had figured out I was demi, and maybe a little bit gay, before getting in to BL, but being in this community, and seeing so many of you share so openly and freely, has made me realize it might be more than a little bit.

Either it was a new realization, or being around y'all has made me more gay. Win win, either way.

8) The weirdness

I'm weird. Y'all are weird. I love it.

9) The thirst

So many in this community are thirsty as fuck, and as someone who is in that same condition, I love that it's not just me. There are not many places where I can freely admit how horny I am as a part of my general existence.

Here? I could post about wanting to lick some random BL actor's face, and it would get a bunch of likes and some tags like #lickable, and it's just not remotely a big deal.

Also the gifmakers understand this, and give us beautiful cuts of our spicy scenes. They are genuinely too good for us.

10) The communal watching experience

There is absolutely nothing like watching along with people in the community. It is so worth the torture of having to wait week to week for new episodes. Seeing the show trend, watching the theories fly fast and furious, or the way everyone collectively loses their minds over particular moments. In a world that can feel very isolating, it's a very warm experience.

So there you go. Thank you all for being you. Here's to another year of QL shenanigans and losing our collective minds!

[ceaselesswatchersspecialboy]

I think about Jonah Magnus a regular amount, and I especially think a lot about the fact he’s often portrayed as ‘the worst’ so to speak, which, when considering the perspective of the other characters, this makes sense. His actions are personal — direct. However, regarding analysing and understanding his character, I think it’s important consider his own words, and remember that he’s more or less in a similar position to every avatar we’ve come to know.

My guess is it’s of how Jonah is presented within the story, and the viewpoint from which we experience the story, that we come to know him as somehow worse than all the others. His goals are essentially the same as many other avatars, that being the desire to start a ritual, the only real difference being that his ritual succeeded, and his actions impacted the main POV character — Jon — deeper than anyone else.

This isn’t to say what he did to Jon wasn’t awful mind you, the point is that it is, and because it quite literally shaped Jon’s entire arc and his progression into deep self-loathing and blame, it becomes harder to view Jonah as just an avatar. He has to become this force of evil instead.

But, if we wind back to episode 92.

We get a glimpse of his mentality, and it is about what you’d expect really, it’s something we see from Jon, the difference being Jon makes a choice to save Martin instead, but before that, he’s intimately familiar with this desire to Watch and to Know and to Understand. He and Jonah are both Avatar’s of the eye after all.

There’s almost a tragedy here, to me at least. There always is with avatars, whoever they were beforehand. The choices they’ve made have lead them to this point, to this Becoming, where even people they may have cared deeply for once become secondary to their hunger. I’ve said in a different post that Jonah is a painfully lonely person, and his own mentality as an avatar is definitely part in blame for this, always keeping people at a distance, unable to see them as anything but objects to study.

It doesn’t mean he lacks care though, as seen here too.

The fact he kept Barnabas’ Bones for around two centuries is enough to make that clear. He cares, somewhere, but caring does not satisfy hunger, and so, if the time comes, it must be cast aside.

We can’t really say for sure who Jonah was before the Eye, whether his quest for power and immortality was something that developed before it, or because of it. I imagine his fear of death has been a lifelong thing, which is fitting considering life expectancy wasn’t exactly as long as it is now, but that isn’t to say his desperate desire for immortality started then.

We just don’t know.

It’s fitting, oddly enough. Most avatars don’t seem to recall when it began for them either, when they changed and Became. Whoever Jonah was before, he has long since given it up, like so many before him, and that, as always with TMA, is a tragedy.

[sunshine-jesse]

The Incest End is Not The Bad End, Part 2: The Sane Ending Is Still A Bad Ending

In the first essay I wanted to deconstruct the idea that Ashley was the sole perpetrator of abuse. I wanted to take a look at how unhealthy their dynamic actually was and lay out clear indications that Ashley could, at the very least, fix her own problems, and wasn't a lost cause. I also wanted to show that them ending up together, be it romantically, in death, or even platonically (although I'm not convinced the Sane Burial ending can lead to that) was inevitable.

Here, however, I want to make a more difficult argument: That their relationship turning romantic is not just Not That Bad, but actually Good, at least in the context of what's best for the two of them in the long run. And to do that, I'm going to draw comparisons to the common narrative that it's the bad ending, again. I think it's the easiest way to explain my points, even though it might make me seem like I'm being contrarian or playing the Devil's Advocate.

But I'm not. I actually do think this is the only way they can heal. Why?

WELL.

My biggest driving factor for this belief is and always has been the difference in tone between the two endings. The 'correct' ending under conventional understandings of morality and relationships would be one where he breaks away from Ashley, but the only ending in which that's shown to be possible is the Decay ending. In the ending where Ashley has bullets in the gun (and therefore has control over the situation), she has to yield control over the situation to Andrew, and (going off the reading I established in the last essay) he understands and accepts just how much their dynamic means to him and how important Ashley really is to him.

In a sense, he self-actualizes in the same way he does in the Burial ending: Ashley yields control where it matters the most in both, resulting in him he fully understanding and accepting himself and what he wants, because Ashley's controlling nature no longer prevents him from seeing the truth. Ashley no longer casts a shadow that allows him to be blind to his true nature- his true desires.

In the Burial ending, he wants her either romantically and sexually (in the questionable ending) or as a friend (in the sane one). He lets go of his own need to control her, and accepts the fact that he was never better than her to begin with. In the Gun!Decay ending, he wants her dead. The damage has been done. Whatever final line was crossed made him realize that he can't control Ashley, and a world in which she cannot be controlled is one better off without her.

But in both, he can't live without her.

The tone of the Decay ending is tense. It's dismal. It's emotionally ravaging. Andrew is not acting like someone who wants to break free, he's acting like someone who has given up. He's angry and he's suicidal, but he no longer has any reservations about making intimate physical contact with Ashley.

…and Ashley looks terrified and sad, especially in the last screenshot, which gives off some seriously dark implications about what Andrew might do to her in the Decay route.

He's given up on healing. He's given up on being normal. His heart and his mind both Decay as he's dragged along by an Ashley who's doing whatever she can to try to not allow a murder-suicide to happen and only making it worse in the process, because SHE has no foundation through which to improve or change her perspective on the world, either (more on that below).

In the NoGun!Decay ending, we don't know what he does after. He fails to self-actualize because Ashley never yields that need for control, and he follows the same pattern he always does of resorting to violence the moment he thinks he's losing control. I highly doubt that the ending would be much different- he'd probably just mirror Ashley's reaction of violently kicking the body at first, but he probably wouldn't last long after. Both, in an attempt to regain control or save their own lives, feel temporary relief at the death of the other, because they no longer feel trapped and afraid of what will happen if they leave.

But they also both fail to come into their own as people. Their dynamic- of Ashley being the morally bankrupt one willing to do anything to further their own survival, and Andrew being the one who's careful and calculating and preventing her short-sightedness from causing unintentional consequences- was the only thing that allowed them to survive in the first chapter, and more than likely the second (we don't see the consequences of them not having the trinket's power in ep2 so it's impossible to say for sure). If they don't kill themselves after losing the other and failing to self-actualize, it's almost certain that the world will eat them alive. They're outlaws, on the run, and have nobody to lean on but themselves. Without each other to lean on, it's only a matter of time until they fall.

So. The Decay ending is very obviously bad. There is no freedom to be had from them breaking away from the other; only despair and death. There's catharsis to be had in miserable people meeting a miserable end, sure, but the story goes out of its way to show us that the path to that end will be miserable and unfun and horrifying with the only joy to be derived from it coming from pure schadenfreude. But the story itself makes it clear that this is not intended to be a happy ending and thinking of it as such means you're fundamentally incompatible with what it's trying to convey. It's just a horrifying tragedy of two people who never gave each other what they needed to heal and tore down everything around them in the process.

So, how is the Burial ending better?

The lighter tone is immediately obvious. Ashley trusts Andrew to believe in her, and Andrew goes up to bat for Ashley even in the face of an arguably superficial offer to improve his life; to start it anew. The two just generally have a good time together afterwards, joking around, having fun, and ribbing on each other in a way that comes off as playful rather than hurtful. Andrew, finally, makes progress towards -healing,- because he finally stopped lying to himself about how important Ashley is to him. Why do I think it's a sign of healing, exactly?

Because Andrew, for the first time in the story, is comfortable with what he's doing.

He's comfortable with dismembering their parents. He's rarely tense, hesitates much less, and comforts Ashley instead of just seeking comfort from her. He gives more than just temporary emotional validation; a lot more. So much more, in fact, that it makes ASHLEY uncomfortable. She has difficulty processing not having their push and pull dynamic. She thinks something is off, something is wrong, because she's never seen Andrew so comfortable around her before, or at least lacking reservations in showing that comfort.

She still thinks about the idea of controlling him, of trying to get him to stay. There's internal monologue about it. But that's the difference. Before, we rarely see any internal monologue of her thought patterns- she just acts. Not thinks. But here, she's unsure. Here, she has to look inward. She has to self-reflect. She still frames it as her trying to keep Andy around, but Andrew is making it obvious in both words and actions that he will always be there for her, and he's so COMFORTABLE about it.

Regardless of what her actions in episode 3 end up being, it's still clear to me that the foundation for her to heal is there. She's safe, because she has a warm, comfortable place to return to while she figures herself out.

"So," you might be asking, "doesn't this imply that she'll heal no matter what? Doesn't that make incest technically unnecessary?"

Yes and no. Yes, in the fact that we still see a marked improvement in their dynamic in the Refusal path.

No, in that the Sane ending's tone is still much different.

After the dream sequence, Andrew reveals that he never fell asleep. He never sees that vision. He still self-actualizes to some degree, probably, but he never has his desires laid so bare for him because he doesn't dream. But you have to place sunlight on the left side to see this, so it still leads me to believe that they still grasp the importance of their relationship in that ending. It's just that…

I don't think that they ever, truly heal. I think that they just grow distant. I'll elaborate on what I think that means later down the line.

In the Sane ending, they have much less fun with each other. They don't playfully rib on each other as much- the eulogy in particular seems more spiteful than playful- and they're much less physically affectionate towards each other. It's not dismal. It's not dark or depressing. It's not tense. It's just… there. It's boring. Nothing has changed, and neither has Andrew, which Ashley views him not sleeping as a sign of.

But in the Questionable ending, he -does- sleep.

So what does sleep mean here? It means he can't sleep if he feels he's missing something. It means something is lacking in his life. Something is missing. Is it Ashley's affection? Well, yes, but also not just that. Ashley is just a representation of what he needs: Comfort. Someone to rely on. Someone he know won't leave him. I believe they have the same needs, and those needs just manifest differently. Andrew never had to worry about Ashley leaving him because Ashley was so obsessive that she managed to fill in the all-consuming void that mental illness creates.

But I think in the Sane ending, he starts to doubt that. In the Sane ending, he starts to shake his desire for Ashley. Which is great, right? It means they can finally go down a more conventional, safe path and have a relationship that's societally acceptable. The safe, boring ending that normies would enjoy.

But the fact that he doesn't sleep means that, even if he shakes that desire, he can't shake the need for what she provides.

Because he never sees the vision, he never gets that confirmation that he can pursue a more physically affectionate relationship with Ashley, and given that physical affection is a huge part of the equation for making him feel comfortable and happy (see: the couch scene, where he's the happiest he is in the whole game before the Burial route), he never truly believes he can seek it from her. He never gets it from the one person he trusts to always be around. He never gets that final affirmation that it's okay to be with the one person who has always mattered to him the most, and always will.

If we're to take the scenes at the end of episode 2 as metaphors for what will happen- or has to happen- for the siblings to get the best outcome for their well being (even at the expense of others), then the Questionable route involves Ashley loosening her grip on Andrew and having him naturally fill in the roles she wanted him to all along. But in the Sane route, Ashley bottles up every soul see shes, aside from what's commonly assumed to be Andrew's, who she is uncharacteristically cavalier about letting go.

She's still the same. She still wants to entrap people, and never let them go. She just happens to no longer want to do it to Andrew. She never fundamentally changes. And Andrew?

His soul has nothing to say. It's pitch black. It almost looks demonic, having literally the same color scheme as the Entity and Lord Unknown. If it's already demonic, then it stands to reason that a demon wouldn't want it, because it's just more of the same. Nothing special, nothing they would want, nothing that would be useful to them. In other words… just like Ashley?

He has- or will have- a tar soul.

And what does tar do?

It sticks.

It's the Sane path to take because it involves them conforming to societal expectations. It involves them fitting in, acting as they should, and doing what's expected of them without much fuss. But in the world they're in, they're expected to harm everyone around them. To kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. To never become themselves, and never be truly happy. To never ask questions.

And they'll do all of that, whether they stick together or not. The only difference is how many people they stand to hurt, and whether they're truly happy at the end of it all.

There's a reason the souls of one of the parents- commonly thought to be Mrs. Graves- was unhatched. She probably wanted to love her children. Even Ashley. She just never did, because the world never let her be herself. She never became whole, because it would've resulted in her being too dark to fit into society. But the siblings have a chance to do so. They have a chance to truly focus on each other so they can heal and become better, happier, more complete people in a world that's doing everything it can to incentivize otherwise.

It's just a bit unfortunate for some that Andrew has to fill a hole to become whole.

[ot3]

Hey! The link to your FAQ wasn't working for me so I don't know if this question has been asked before. I really appreciate your perspectives on AI art. Do you happen to have any resources that you read/listened to on intellectual property rights and the issues with it? I just don't really know where to start with it.

[heres where i cut out a big paragraph of me, once again, bitching about how blog pages don't work on the tumblr app and i think that's fucking stupid]

anyway i dont have any generalized sources on the subject but the tl;dr of it is: intellectual property rights exclusively benefit people who have the resources to pursue sustained litigation. 99% of the time, what IP law is being used for is to reinforce corporate ownership of work that was done by their employees.

the whole disco elysium debacle is a great case study.

The shareholders of ZA/UM accused the trio of, among other things, intending to steal intellectual property (IP) from the company — a curious accusation, considering that the world of the game is based off of a novel written by Kurvitz himself. The case of Disco Elysium illustrates the shortcomings of IP rights as protection for artists. Consequently, it contains a lot of lessons for the labor movement when it comes to the arts, and serves as a reminder that creative workers are, at the end of the day, workers. But this is not just an academic exercise. It’s a human story about the intimate consequences of capitalist exploitation. “I got my soul ripped out of me,” Kurvitz told me over Zoom in April of 2023. “I got my skull cracked open and my brain lifted out of it by a fifty-five-year-old financial criminal.”

another example: alex norris of webcomic name, which you will probably recognize when you see it, has been raising hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past several years to try and keep up with the protracted legal battle over maintaining ownership of his own work.

I have been fighting this case since 2019. It arose out of an agreement to make a boardgame based on my webcomic in 2017 but the publishing company has used this as an opportunity to take all of my intellectual property, and has even claimed ownership of Webcomic Name as a whole. I can't go into more detail here, but the details of the case are publicly available to read online.

Then, in a 2024 update:

I have essentially won the main case based on the decisions made last summer. The Judge has clearly stated that I own my comics, and that the other party has infringed on my copyright. It is not over yet, as there are still a few things that need to happen. Hopefully things will all be wrapped up this year. After 6 years of legal battling, I can’t wait to be free of all of this. Hopefully, this second case will backfire, and they will be sanctioned for filing it. But to get to that point requires a frustratingly large amount of work, time and money.

An interesting thing about both of these two specific instances is that they involve creators who had entire bodies of work produced around the specific IPs that were stolen from them before they even began partnering with corporate entities to produce works. which is insane! you can spend years writing novels, drawing comics, and if a company comes in with enough lawyers they can own those ideas.

this is pretty distinctly different to me than instances of work you do while being employed by a corporate entity being owned by that corporate entity, because at least you know what you're getting into there to some degree, but i still think that's bad too. consider stuff like the owl house and gravity falls, two disney shows made by people who very very clearly did not like working for disney. disney owns their ideas, their characters, their worlds, because that's the price you pay for having an animated show produced.

essentially it's very very clear upon even the slightest examination that intellectual property in no way exists to codify who the creator responsible for specific creative concepts or works is. it exists to turn nebulous things like 'ideas' into market commodities, and to funnel the profits made by the labor of individual artists and writers into corporate bank accounts.

the only person who has ever really benefited from IP law as an individual trying to lay claim to their own work is ken penders, who notoriously won his suit to have ownership of characters and storylines he created. heartbreaking: Worst Person You Know Gets An Unequivocally Deserved Legal W.

The comics continued under Flynn’s direction as if nothing happened, but things started looking grim in late 2012, when Archie suddenly fired its entire legal team. The company had been unable to produce Penders’ work-for-hire contract, which would have given control of his creations to Sega. Penders claimed the contract had never existed. A heavily circulated Tumblr post outlining the case (which has been corroborated as a reliable source by Penders) explains that while Archie did provide a photocopy of a contract allegedly signed by Penders in 1996, Penders claimed that the document was a forgery. That it was neither an original copy nor a contract from the beginning of the writer’s tenure at Archie meant that its validity was questionable. Making things worse, Archie couldn’t produce an original copy of any previous contributor’s contract, meaning that any writer or artist who had worked on the Archie Sonic line could potentially follow in Penders’s footsteps and reclaim their work. “So are you saying prior counsel blew it?” the presiding judge asked Archie counsel Joshua Paul in a May 2013 court session. His reply was unequivocal: “Absolutely, your Honor.”

So yeah. Owning the work you do as an artist is only something that happens when the people trying to profit off of it show unprecedented and staggering level of incompetence in their legal teams.

Then, alongside not owning the concepts and ideas you produce while working with corporate entities, there's the issue of NDA regarding specific pieces you've produced. This causes a LOT of trouble for freelance illustrators/character designers/concept artists, etc. Looking for work is very hard when the past three years of pieces you've drawn can't be added to your portfolio. Some people have password protected pages on their portfolios that they use for NDA work, but I believe the right to do this varies depending on your contract. I'm not 100% sure. In cases where the project you worked on eventually comes out, that's one thing, but there will be instances where the entire project gets canned after all the work is done, but is still under NDA so essentially all of your work has been taken from you, crumpled up into a ball by a studio executive, thrown in the trash can, and legally you are not allowed to go pick it out of the bin and try and flatten it out again.

This has all been pretty art-focused because that's the kind of circles I run in and where a lot of my interests lie but the truth is none of this is even remotely close to as evil IP law gets. I've saved the most egregious for last: The Lakota Language Consortium

The Lakota Language Consortium had promised to preserve the tribe’s native language and had spent years gathering recordings of elders, including Taken Alive’s grandmother, to create a new, standardized Lakota dictionary and textbooks.  But when Taken Alive, 35, asked for copies, he was shocked to learn that the consortium, run by a white man, had copyrighted the language materials, which were based on generations of Lakota tradition. The traditional knowledge gathered from the tribe was now being sold back to it in the form of textbooks.

When you're in defense of IP law, this is what you're siding with. This is the rational endpoint of IP and it is neither a fluke nor an example of the concept being twisted against its original design. Art, culture, language, it belongs to whoever is most capable of turning it into a product. The economic incentives of producing and distributing arts and culture demand this is how things be.

Meya says his work is a vital tool in preserving the Lakota language, which did not previously have a standardized written form. He estimated that there are fewer than 1,500 fluent Lakota speakers left and that over the last decade and a half, the organization has helped add 50 to 100 more. “Just because money is involved in it does not inherently make it an evil thing,” Meya said in a recent interview with NBC News. Most of the products his organizations make are free, he said, but the cost of printing textbooks has to come from somewhere. “That tends to be sometimes part of the rhetoric, ‘Oh, there’s money involved. It must be, you know, part of the overall colonization effort.’ Well, you know, that’s just not realistic.”

Artists looking to force their way into the class of people who gets protected by these laws are not looking out for their community. They are not protecting anything but their own perceived financial interests. Intellectual property will never, ever benefit the most marginalized members of creative communities and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is huffing some serious copium.

Frankly, I don't believe anyone can or should 'own' things like Ideas or Specific Aesthetic Flairs. But even if you do believe in that, IP law isn't the framework for handling it.

[linkspooky]

Does it ever frustrate you (like it bothers me), that the heroes and civilians (and many of the fans) have no concept of "the big picture"?

I mean being optimistic is one thing, but the hero kids are going back to class, hero society is being rebuilt and the same structures are getting back in place with barely a question of what might change, if anything will...

Like shouldn't they know by now??!!

Hawks looked into the league of villain's pasts.

Deku was told directly by shigaraki what was wrong with their society in the last war.

There was a whole (plausibly canon) movie revolving around the threat of the quirk singularity, and still nobody cares.

Judging by the recent chapter, the civilians are the same as they always were, or have become even worse in their mindset.

And at least so far, the heroes haven't shown anything concrete in how they plan on doing things from now on, if their actions or beliefs made any real impact.

At this point it really feels like either:

A. The Lov (Toga, shigaraki and some others) make a miracle resurrection/recovery.

or

B.it's the cycle of violence until inevitable extinction...

Do you feel differently or the same?

Hello, friend.

I definitely share your frustrations.

I think this post by Tumblr User BNHAObservations might be onto the type of societal reform that Horikoshi might be going for in this epilogue.

So there's two approaches that you can approach to MHA, and specifically it's endings. BNHAObservations is using Literary Analysis. That is they're not talking about the work in terms of "thing good, thing bad", but rather assuming that everything Horikoshi put into his work is intentional analyzing the themes which Horikoshi is putting forward. What is the theme of MHA and how does Horikoshi demonstrate that theme with characters and events in story?

That's the question to ask if you're taking a literary analysis angle.

(By the way if BNHAObservations sees this I'm not criticizing your post in any way sorry if I give that intention I'm just using it as an example, and also reccomending people read it because it's a good post. This post isn't a response to this post I promise I'm just linking it to provide an opposite point of view from my own).

The second is Literary Criticism. While I prefer Literary Analysis, I've been taking a Lit Crit approach as to late because. My question is not "What is the theme of MHA?" but rather "Does MHA use the tools of storytelling to communicate it's theme to it's audience well?" So, let's discuss how Hori chooses to convey the themes of the fictional world he created.

So as I said BNHA observations has an answer to your question from a literary analysis perspective. The gist being "Horikoshi seems to be suggesting that the improvement to society will come from the public being more involved with stuff like community outreach to assist the heroes, and maybe with Spinner's comic the villains voices will be heard on top of that." Which is a valid perspective and why I linked it.

However, from my literary criticism angle I don't think that particular theme is communicated well by the story. This is why while I think acknowledging the cultural context of the story is an important perspective, it's just one perspective because MHA is still A STORY and it has to use the tools of storytelling to get those messages across. MHA can exist as a piece of cultural commentary and still be confusing about what exactly kind of commentary it wants to make, because it doesn't function as a story.

So here's the literary critcism angle of: Why is it so gosh darned frustrating that the public at large doesn't seem to have changed at all by the ending of MHA?

When you are a writer you can write anything you want. But if you want to write a story that people want to read you have to follow the rules of good storytelling.

There are reasons why storytelling rules exist. A story is a bond between author and reader, readers to other readers. It is a communication between humans and humans work in a certain way.

I'd also argue that literary criticism is something that exists across cultures, like for example I watch Japanese Horror movies with my friends. Japanese Horror movies are very different from american ones because what that culture considers scary is different. However, if I'm watching the movie that has bad lighting and uncreative camera work, and I criticize it on that grounds, I think the rules of what makes good and bad camera work and shot composition work across cultures.

To quote this post:

Storytelling rules are rules of communication. Rules for handling expectations and saying what you intend to say without it being misheard. Rules for tugging at emotions and pulling heartstrings in a good way rather than a bad way. Storytelling rules are lessons learned by authors of the past that failed to communicate what they needed to. They are not that subjective.

So to address your ask finally friend, I believe a lot of audience comes from Horikoshi's inability to get his theme across in his own story with the tools of storytelling, just what he wants to say about the the society that he's created in his fictional world.

The first is the very obvious discrepancy between setup and payoff. As an example I read the Sam Vimes discworld novels, which you could say is copaganda about a good cop who does his job. However, the story is not trying to be a deep analysis about the crimminal system, it's a fantasy story taking place in a deeply corrupt medieval city where the main character is a parody of Dirty Harry. In other words it doesn't bring up any of those deeper issues so I can just read it for what it is, knowing it's kind of dated.

MHA sets up these deeper issues in a way that calls to be addressed. It's made clear several times in both Shigaraki's walk, and his speech during the first war arc that there's already enough heroes and yet problems in this society persist.

Theme is basically the story asking a question and then providing an answer. The question is: If there are so many heroes then why are there so many people who don't get saved?

It seemed like the answer we are building towards is that heroes need to change the way they deal with villains, hence why everything post War Arc focuses on the main trio trying to save their villains without just putting them down. You have Twice's death at Hawk's hands, and the question of why heroes only save the good victims. You have the parallels between Shigaraki and Eri. You have Deku say "ONE FOR ALL IS NOT A POWER FOR KILLING."

Hori is an author who makes choices and he chose to deliberately bring up these issues and not address them, and that makes the story feel unsatisfying to read because serialized stories hook the audience by promising future development.

Read this story because you want to see how the Todorokis will find a way to unite their family. Read this story because you want to see how Bakugo and Deku will become the greatest heroes, by saving by winning and winning by saving.

Twice's death, Toga's question about if Uraraka is going to kill her, Shigaraki's walk, OFA is not a power for killing these are all things that mattered in the story and then suddenly didn't. If you promise a story is going to address something and then you renege on that promise the audience will find it unsatisfying. If I'm reading a murder mystery and it ends with everyone eating cake and the murder hasn't been solved (and that's not the point of the story) I will feel like the story has wasted it's time.

So it's not just a case of "MHA was never going to be a story of deep societal reform because it's a shonen jump manga" but these themes are brought up, and then never addressed again.

Which is where we get my second layer of criticism, the massive tonal whiplash. My Hero Academia seems like a story of how kids are going to grow up to be better heroes by saving their villains, until it's not.

My Hero Academia is not a tragedy, until it becomes a tragedy in the last five minutes. Every single person thought Shigaraki was going to be saved somehow, until he wasn't. Everyone thought that Twice's death was going to be the last death in the league of villains, because the kids were going to realzie they have to find another way than killing the villains, until it wasn't. The audience isn't stupid for thinking this was going to happen, that's what Horikoshi was foreshadowing in his story until he threw it out.

The worst part is the tragic tone doesn't work, because it's poorly written as a tragedy. Greek Tragedy revolves around the fall of the heroes (this is a japanese work and japanese theatre is different, but Superheroes are inspired by the greeks). If the villains failed to get saved, then it should be a failure on the heroes part, it should be devastating on the heroes.

Hawks failed to save Twice but he's fine, Deku failed to save Shigaraki (OFA is not a power for killing) but he's fine, the only hero who seems personally affected by their loss is Shoto who is losing his brother. If this is a tragedy then heroes should be the ones to fall because tragedies are about the tragic flaws of the heroes.

However, we get this tonal inconsistency instead where no consequences stick to the heroes and every single bad thing that happens to them gets magically done away with by plot convenience.

So Hori has shown that he can just handwave away whatever kind of grievous injury he wants, and yet he still chooses to go out of his way to unnecessarily punish the villains for their actions, in the manga that's supposed to be about saving them.

And even if we go with the "Well, their hearts were saved" approach, the manga fails to demonstrate how their hearts were saved. Naruto, a manga running in the same magazine, does this so much better with characters like Obito.

Look at Obito's sendoff in the manga. A character who also is responsible for directly harming the main characters and who went to war with the entire world.

Obito has a dream sequence where he realizes he could have always gone home and still tried to become Hokage and he wasn't beyond redemption. He lives long enough to assist Naruto in the fight against the final villain. He gets called awesome by Naruto for trying to become Hokage because they shared the same dream.

His last moments in the manga are Rin the girl he loved comforting him in the afterlife, by saying she was watching his suffering all along. His literal last action is to lend his power to Kakashi his best friend in order to fight together once more against the villain.

Shigaraki on the other hand doesn't even get the majority of screentime in his own death chapter, he gets two pages compared to AFO's five.

It's not just the fact they get unsympathetic deaths, the story also bends over to show that they deserved it. Toga doesn't want to accept prison for her actions so it's okay for her to commit suicide even though she's a young girl. Shigaraki didn't want to give up being the hero to the villains, so it's okay that Deku didn't save him.

People are discussing whether or not Spinner should be held accountable for not saving Shigaraki because of his character flaw of deciding to not think about things and go with the flow, but that ignores the fact that once again Spinner is not the main character. Yes, characters should be held accountable for their flaws, but the protagonists are the one who should be held the most accountable because the story is not about them.

Spinner and Deku both failed to save Shigaraki, but let's look at their punishment. Spinner is in prison for the rest of his life probably, almost became a Nomu, and has survivor's guilt for being unable to save Shigaraki in time due to his own actions.

Deku... has to live with the fact he killed Shigarki and will "never forget it."

If we are going for a tragic ending, and Deku is the center of that tragedy, than Deku should be the one suffering for his failures. Deku should be held just as, if not more accountable than Spinner.

Spinner is held accountable and that makes him a good character - but to what end? I know what it's to slide blame away from Deku, which is also why Spinner randomly says something racist at the end of his scene.

So in all it's not frustrating because MHA isn't some deep, thoughtful criticism of Japanese society. It's frustrating because it violates the rules of setup and payoff, and it also is extremely tonally inconsistent.

A common response to this is I've seen is "You should just like MHA for what it is, and not what you want it to be."

However my underlying problem is that MHA as a story seems to be very confused about what kind of story it is. That confusion shows in Horikoshi constantly throwing out his own foreshadowing, and the wild swings in tone from tragedy to a story about optimistic young kids who are going to be the best heroez eva. Hori can tell whatever story he wants, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's telling it well.

As I said Hori's indecisiveness shows by this point in the story. I've already discussed this with Class1aKids but it really seems like Horikoshi is setting up two things with scissors-kun:

He'll either be A) A new villain that Deku and the kids prevent from becoming the next AFO or B) a resurrected Shigaraki who can save the rest of his league and fulfill his role as hero of the villains.

At this point there's equal foreshadowing for both, and this is my personal theory but it truly seems like Hori is gauging audience reaction to see which path he should take. If the japanese audience is satisfied with the villains "hearts" being saved, or if he should bring Shigaraki back to let the villains end on a more hopeful note.

[sleeplesssmoll]

One thing I'd change about Reverse 1999.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder why Vertin and the others are so young. It's like the anime problem where they're so reluctant to use young adults/adults even though it'd make more sense in terms of immersion. Or they make a character look young but they're actually very old.

Matilda is 14.

Tooth Fairy is 25! I read her as at least 28-30ish. To put that into perspective, Blonney is 20 and Horrorpedia is 21 which I can see. They made Zima 29 so I know it's possible!

From a story standpoint, I read Vertin as at least 19, and that's including the trauma that forced her to be the mature and stoic Timekeeper. Her charisma, ability to travel the world on her own, and experience in the field made me think of one who is old enough to deal with problems but not quite at the level where they have all the answers. Also her travels and sneaking around in places she shouldn't be would be easier if she's older. For example, more job opportunities, the ability to get a license etc. 19 is a transitional stage where she's both a kid and adult. Although, you could say this about a 16yo Vertin too but it feels...different. like a different type of transition happens during these ages but I can't put my finger on it.

Idk if I can really put this feeling into words because that's all it is really. Certain characters ages don't "feel" right.

On a completely unrelated note, I want an arcanist that looks like your stereotypical witch with a point hat and black cat! She seems like a scary grumpy lady (70), but she actually has butterscotch in her pockets and and a big ol' loving heart in her chest.

I also want a Salem trials "witch" who is actually an arcanist.

[freakinator]

funny thing about how i view the conflict in todays stream is that i view flame and wemmbu in very separate ways despite them doing essentially the same thing

in flames case:

i view his betrayal as ultimately a tragedy, their history all thrown aside due to a combination of wounded pride and genuine upset

if yall didnt see his chat for this stream it was actually really, really bad, like his chat is genuinely so fucking annoying oh my god and is a really good demonstration of why i think streamers should be mean to their chatters sometimes to so i actually wasnt at all surprised that he was so upset but i thought hed log off instead of acting out like this

he wanted respect but literally ruined the months long work of one of the few ppl that were willing to trust him over something that couldve been resolved if he just waited until september, but at the same time i can kinda understand why he was being so impulsive considering again his chat is Really bad, but at the end of the day that really shouldnt have been something you took out on one of your few allies like???? bruh even mocked zams storytelling as if he didnt do thee same shit as well 😭

honestly one of the reasons i was sad about his betrayal is cause it kinda sounded to me like he was genuinely about to cry at first??? maybe im just making shit up tho and he def stopped sounding like he was gonna cry after blowing up the spacewaffles tower lol

in wemmbus case:

i feel no pity for this man, he wanted conflict wherever he can get it and he got it! i think hes a lot like zam in that he just wants some attention and most importantly something to do but whatever happens to him next is his own fault lmao, i respect his honesty tho like hey he sucks but he knows what hes about at least lol

the fact that he still kept trying to get a commission from zam (or at least guilttripping him about it for lack of a better word) like bro i know you wanted to do a capitalism morality dilemma arc with zam but read the room my guy 😭

maybe hes at least a little mad that zam kept turning him away despite the fact he accepted a commission from mapicc of all ppl but like. bro. theres a reason zam called him a nightmare customer lmao

that being said you can tell hes not used to going this overboard considering he offered to help repair the tree when zam got upset lmao

idk i just thought his evilness was kinda funny, still hope he gets his shit kicked in spectacularly tho!

its funny, despite being acting like the shitty no reading comprehension version of abyss he gives me the exact same feeling of schadenfreude i did for minute back in s5 and i believe part of it is his mockery of lore and weird complicated dismissal of moral conflict particularly regarding zam

by weird complicated dismissal of moral conflict i mean both he and minute both tried to convince zam to see ''their side'' and ''reason'' but coming at it from an angle that completely misunderstands zam and when zam points it out they dismiss it and act like it means nothing because of their ''objective'' view of reality, spoiler alert! its not objective at all and they refuse to understand things from zams perspective cause they think hes just being unreasonable or something

idk overall i think their motivations for doing things are just kinda... shit lol

like ik theres some pretty obvious parallels that can be made with s5 here but the difference between the og players and flamebu aside from the lack of style and drama is that the og players waited several months before they started acting out the way they did and when they did start acting out tgey always made sure evryone who wanted to get involved Actually got involved rather than doing it while everyone was away plus their opps werent their own allies (except maybe pangi depending on how you look at it)

[sirellas]

post canon ds9 fic i won't write for real, in bullet points:

story starts with jake sisko, pondering and writing. he got a commission from some federation news service to do a fluff piece on "the soul of the klingon people" now that the war is over and they have a new chancellor, essentially a "look federation people, klingons are still chill. maybe chiller, even. so everybody be cool" deal (i'm imagining they have to do an article like this for every group of aliens that were a major combatant in the war) but jake takes it seriously and refuses to phone it in.

first he goes to alexander, who's visiting the station while between KDF assignments or something idk. but he says look buddy i wanna know what's up with klingons, you get me? alexander does not get him and also would like to know what's up with klingons, so he says hell yeah human friend let's figure this out.

then it becomes a series of vignettes of these two kind of out of touch young people learning about the klingon spirit and also themselves as they seek out someone who can tell them the secrets of life and honor etc etc. jake has a warped sense of normal from growing up on ds9 and alexander has never felt right in solely klingon or human spaces, so they have some gaps in their knowledge to fill.

i'm thinking they start with worf and martok, who are busy on qo'nos building their credibility and new government. worf isn't great at talking about feelings and martok's being pulled in a lot of different directions, so they're not much help. hanging around on qo'nos is interesting, but ultimately not what jake and alexander are looking for either.

then they start thinking outside the box. order isn't important but they start hitting up all relevant klingons and klingon adjacent folk: darok, sirella, ezri, nikolai, kurn, maybe a duras sisters cameo for equal representation of shitty klingons.

last we saw of kurn of course he had lost his memory but since this is my fic i'm not writing i'm gonna say bashir's not as great at brain reconfiguration as he thinks he is and it didn't take fully. so he's a little confused but getting the hang of it. a lot of "which one of you is my nephew again? i can't tell humans apart" kind of deal even though alexander is 3/4 klingon. he tells them what he's re-learned about klingons since he's been rebuilding his own identity.

nikolai also was essentially exiled but it's fine. he's got a gaggle of kids now and alexander and jake have to do the fake forehead thing to blend in while they talk to him. nikolai's got a lot of insight into worf as a brother but not much on klingons as a whole. alexander brings him some pierogi helena made.

alexander: "wow my foster uncle's wife looks a lot like your stepmom, isn't that funny?" jake: "nah i don't see the resemblance"

maybe at this point nog joins them because he's having his own identity crisis as the only ferengi in starfleet so he decides to just hop on board for jake and alexander's identity crisis.

they go see jeremy aster too, the kid from tng who became worf's brother through a whole thing, and he's got a pretty interesting view of klingons and the klingon spirit from an outsider/insider perspective.

sirella and darok are probably the least helpful but i think sirella baby-ing alexander would be fun. they're both trying to deny it and deny how much they like the attention (sirella at having a new-ish nephew-ish and one who wasn't raised klingon so she can do all the classic klingon things with him fresh, and alexander at having a(nother) mother figure to love him). jake is studiously taking notes in the corner while sirella tries to teach him how to skin a fresh kill or something like that.

anyway this whole journey ends with them finding kahless 2 (the clone of kahless) whose only occupation is thinking about the klingon spirit. but his wisdom boils down to "everyone's different and everyone has to figure shit out on their own, but together we can strive to be greater than yesterday" etc etc and jake gets his article. alexander reaffirms his grasp on his cultural identity and also gets to see a lot of his family so he's reminded that he's loved, even if everyone is doing their own thing. and nog develops a huge crush on sirella. everybody's happy.