#or at the very least EXPLAIN what happened?!

[idrawtooslow]

I've expanded the instructions I gave for apologizing into a detailed listicle. I hope it'll be helpful. Some of the points, however, are very specific to the English language.

1. Don't explain what happened, it will sound like you're justifying your actions. And because of the way our brains work, you're likely to actually start justifying your actions. At that point, you're no longer apologizing. Remind yourself that the apology needs to have priority right now, and that there will be time later to identify causes and solutions.

2. Be specific, or at least use more words than "I'm sorry." "Sorry" is used so often as a polite noise, nearly meaningless, that it's difficult to be sincere, or even sound sincere when using it for a formal apology. Again, this ties into what @theconcealedweapon wrote: we're trained to say "sorry" when we don't mean it, so that becomes the core of the word's meaning, without our even realizing it. And if you're Australian, it gets even worse!

Personally, I use "I apologize" or "My apologies," or in dire circumstances, "Please accept my apology." This allows me to break my conditioning and focus on my genuine contrition, as well as making it clear to others that I'm taking the apology seriously.

3. Apologize for what you did, and absolutely NOT how it made someone feel. The latter is often used for manipulation.

Other things not to apologize for:

that the consequences of your actions happened

what you don't like about the person or group you're apologizing to

being right

being better than the people you're apologizing to

allegedly not having any idea what you're supposed to be apologizing for

...you'd think all this would go without saying, but it can be subtler than you might expect, and sometimes we do it without thinking, because we picked it up as children, from the nastier adults around us.

Instead, take a moment to focus on what you did, and how to describe it clearly in a way that accepts your fault and/or responsibility for the situation. Again, don't bring anything else into the apology, lest you make it seem less of an apology. People are so used to hearing the above crap from unrepentant people, that they will not give you the benefit of the doubt.

4. Watch your tone of voice. This is actually two separate points.

First, yet another thing we unconsciously pick up as children is the obviously sarcastic mock apology. It's not always a bad thing, it can be a joke or a verbal gesture, but you have to make sure you don't let that habit find its way into a genuine apology, and ruin it. This is where the bit about "Say it like you mean it" comes from. The easiest way to say it like you mean it is to mean it. See next paragraph.

Second, if you can't be respectful and express regret, you shouldn't be apologizing just yet. You're not ready. Leave the art of convincingly faking an apology to the con artists and cult leaders. You will probably need to just keep your mouth shut for a while. Acknowledge (to yourself) the possibility that you might change your mind later. In some rare cases, it may be possible to tell people, "I'm not ready to apologize just yet," but don't count on it.

5. (optional) If necessary and you can do it honestly, either characterize what you did, or agree with others' characterization of it, or promise to/ask how to not do it again, or multiple of the above. Say that it was wrong or inappropriate or a failure or whatever. Name people who called you out, say they were right, and repeat what they said about what you're apologizing for. If you promise not to do it again, don't pivot to talking about how great you will be in the future, keep it focused on the apology.

This might be a bit too much for less dire apologies, and you may not be able to manage this if you apologize the minute you can bring yourself to be sincere, but otherwise, you can build yourself some credibility by immediately seeking to improve yourself and make sure that YOU never do whatever-it-was again. It's more for privately apologizing to your direct supervisor, or to a friend.

On the other hand, beware of doing this if you're the authority figure, or are apologizing to a large group, because politicians routinely pivot away from making actual apologies by making big promises for the future. People are wise to this, though, and your whole apology is liable to be dismissed as bullshit if you try to use it for self-promotion.

So many people seem completely unaware of what a genuine apology is.

And that's because children are forced to say sorry on command.

Before they ever had a chance to process what they did, why they did it, what effect it had on others, or what they should have done instead, they're expected to say that they're sorry. And they're expected to "say it like you mean it" with no indication of what that even means and with no time to figure out how to phrase it correctly.

Sometimes, even when the child's actions are justified by any logical reasoning, they're expected to apologize because an authority figure demands it.

The goal of saying sorry ends up being solely to avoid punishment. And they phrase the apology in whatever way the authority figure will accept.

The result is an entire society filled with people who give completely useless apologies that appear like they're only trying to avoid punishment.

[apomaro-mellow]

Corroded Coffin ransoms Steve 2

Part 1

Steve recognized Eddie Munson. The guy was hard to ignore, what with the way he leapt onto lunch tables and hooted down the halls. The other three guys....well once they took off their ski masks, Steve still didn't really recognize them outside of the fact that they must be Munson's friends.

Telling him he was going to make them rich didn't really explain why he was tied up in a basement. His wrists were behind his back and his ankles were bound together. If he was left alone, he could hop to safety and find a knife or something to cut himself loose. But first-

"How the hell am I supposed to make you money when I'm tied up like this?"

"This might be the most useful you've ever been", one of them said. He had brown, curly hair and looked a little surly.

Steve resented that. And it still didn't tell him about what was happening right now.

"Let's no tease", Eddie said, still grinning. "It's real simple, Harrington. We need some quick cash. So we left a little note on your car, telling your folks that if they want you back, they better fork over the money. Once we get it, we return the princess to the palace and our transaction's done."

"You're....holding me hostage...to ransom me?"

"That's the plan", Eddie said. "So just hold tight. Your folks are bound to notice you missing soon and-"

"They won't", Steve cut him off.

"What?"

"They won't notice I'm gone. Or pay the ransom even when they do. This is pointless."

"He's lying", one of them said. They had moved behind Steve, so he couldn't tell who it was. He wouldn't know their name, even if he could.

Steve sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I'm telling the truth. You might as well let me go. This is gonna get you nowhere."

Eddie crossed his arms. "You just sit tight right there. He's tied up, right?"

"Yeah, he's not goin' anywhere."

Munson nodded, leaving with the other three and going up the stairs. Steve huffed. He couldn't tell what time it was, but with it being winter, night time probably wasn't far off. God his body hurt. Nothing felt broken but getting hit by a vehicle at any speed was bound to leave him sore. But he was alone now. So he had to at least try to get free.

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

"He's bluffing, right?", Doug asked once they were up and in the living room. Gareth had gone to the kitchen to grab sodas.

"He's gotta be. I bet his parents will be trying to get him back before the hour's up", Jeff said. "There's no way they wouldn't notice him missing."

Eddie's knee bounced as he sat on the couch. For some reason, he wasn't so sure. There was something in the way Steve had said it. It wasn't in desperation for his situation. He'd said it so matter of fact. Almost like he was trying to save them time.

"Shit, what if his folks went out of town?", Eddie suddenly stood up.

"They wouldn't go on vacation without him", Gareth said, cracking open a soda.

"Yours did", Jeff pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm the family disappointment. Steve's probably their golden child."

Suddenly, Eddie wasn't so sure. And when he got an itch, he had to move. "I'm gonna go and check something out. Keep an eye on Harrington."

Eddie ignored the questions as he put his winter gear back on and went out to his van. He drove to Steve's house, and very easily picked the lock to the back door and got in. He checked for any sort of signs that Steve's parents were gone. He checked the garage and looked out onto the driveway, no car. No one was home. And after a bit of snooping, he found it.

A planner in a drawer that was marked. The Harringtons had left town for a trip almost a week ago. They wouldn't be back until the week after New Year's.

"Well fuck."

Eddie drove back in time to see Steve bursting through the front door of Gareth's house, arms and legs still tied, hopping down the steps of the porch. Before Eddie could get out of the van, Doug was tackling him onto the snow covered lawn and the other two followed behind.

"What the hell?! I wasn't even gone for half an hour!"

Doug had his arms around Steve as he got up from the ground. "He just got loose somehow!"

"Well get him back inside before someone sees!", Eddie shouted.

Somehow, despite Steve's kicking and thrashing, they managed to get him tied back down in the chair much more securely than before. Eddie leaned in, putting his hands on the armrests.

"That wasn't very nice of you."

"Screw you! You guys kidnapped me!"

"Yeah. Yeah we did", Eddie nodded, standing up straight. "Conference, boys."

The four of them turned away from Steve, talking in hushed whispered. Steve sighed and rolled his eyes. The rope was starting to burn his wrists and he could really use a beer and a smoke. He heard one of them curse under their breaths and the whispers got more hurried and louder under Munson was gripping two of them by the back of the neck to get them back in line.

They whispered some more and then turned back to face Steve. Great. They looked like they had an idea and their last idea ended with him tied to this chair. Before Munson could open his mouth again, Steve spoke up.

"Look, if it's money you need, I can probably get it for you."

Eddie held up a hand to keep the others from responding too quickly. "We demanded $5,000 from your parents. You can get us that on your own?"

It was more than what they needed for the battle of the bands. But they figured, go big or go home. But instead of looking like he'd just dug himself into a hole, Steve looked almost relieved.

"Is that it? Yeah, I can get you that."

Part 3

Taglist

@tinyplanet95

[airconditionertm]

Aemond x wife reader pillow talk

Summary: all y/n wants is just a sliver of warmth from her husband Aemond

CW: angst, arranged marriage, arguing

Word count: 1220

“May we speak Aemond before you leave “She pulls the sheets up to cover herself. Aemond was already getting dressed again. “ we can speak I suppose, “ he said bluntly. She took a deep breath “ I know that this marriage isn’t what you wanted and I cannot expect some great love, however I … I want us to have something at least some warmth some comfort anything “. Aemond sat up sharply “ I will do my duty to you as a husband nothing more, “ he said.

“Well isn’t it part of your duty to care for me … I’m a lady I have a need for these things, you can find it elsewhere with lovers and whores but I I can’t I am here away from home and my family and the only person I have is you yet you can’t show me even an ounce of warmth, I don’t want this for me I don’t want this for our future children “ she explained.

Aemond turned to look at her “You shouldn’t solely rely on me for .. warmth “ he said the word like its very syllables left poison on his tongue. Rising from the bed he left without another word.

——

“This is taking awfully long, “ he said exasperated. “I don’t understand people have children by accident!, yet it has been months of trying and I’m still no closer to an heir “. He sat up in frustration messy silver locks adorning his back. “It will happen when it will there’s nothing we can do nature has to take its course” y/n tried to calm him down gently untangling the hair on his back and sitting next to him. “ I just don’t understand why this is so difficult, “ he says.

“ well my mother always said that children will not be brought to an unhappy couple by the gods,” y/n said trying to catch his eye. “ seriously you want to make this about what you want again “ he recoiled from her touch. “ that is not how I meant it and it’s not just about me this clearly affecting you so you cannot tell me that this is what you want out of marriage “ she tried to move closer to him again . “ what I want out of this marriage is an heir! “ he yelled “ I don’t give a shit about grand romance and love and warmth, that was never meant for me “ he continued.

“ I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want “ she whispered standing up for the bed and grabbing her chemise . “ why is love not meant for you Aemond” she asked cautiously looking back at him before she left.

“ you have met me you know why, “ he said “ I’m a kin slayer, I am cruel and cold, and nobody but my family dares talk to me, I was simply not made to do this, we simply both need to do our duties and then the rest doesn’t matter, you cannot change who I am, so stay in your place and do your duty ” he demanded. “ well unfortunately shear dutifulness cannot conjure up a babe ” y/n yelled in return storming out of his chambers.

———

“Where have you been!” Aemond yelled as he found y/n in the gardens. “ here “ she said looking at a flower in her hand. “ You were supposed to be in my chambers I summoned you multiple times “ he yanked the flower from her hands. “ skipping one time won’t make a difference anyway “ she replied. “you have a duty to your husband and to the realm,” he said. “ and what of your duty to me !“ she stood up from her seat to face him. “I have fulfilled all my duties you have a home allowance staff anything you could wish for, “ he said looking straight at her . “ yes I have that but I don’t have the one thing I truly want a husband who cares for me why can’t you understand that this is a need for me” she stepped closer to him as tears welled in her eyes. the others in the garden could here their arguing and began to form a crowd. “ your making a scene “ he said grabbing her arm guiding her away from the crowd.

———

“So what is it you want from me what would make you feel the warmth you need” he had asked sitting up in the bed and getting ready to leave. “Well for a start not rushing away the second you're done bedding me would be nice…. It makes me feel like a common whore“ she said the last part more cautiously. “ I don’t intend to make you feel like that you’re my wife you should be able to feel pride in that “She gestured for him to lay back down which he did. “ you know we have never actually slept in the same bed “ she moved closer to him. “ that’s not too uncommon “ Aemond replied. “Why do you stay in my bed for so long after we lay together” he asked suddenly. “ laying down is supposed to help the seed take, I also like to lay in your bed it’s soft and it smells nice and it’s really the closest I can get to true intimacy with you, “ she said looking at him laying down. “I would consider laying together quite intimate “ he replied, she chuckled “ do you really consider what we do intimate, me laying in bed like a starfish while you.., it feels mechanical to me like it’s just another duty to you, “ she said. “ it is my duty, “ he said bluntly. “ I know but I simply wish you would want to do it and not force yourself, is it that I’m not enticing to you “ she spoke softly.

“ no you’re quite beautiful my lady it's just that I’m not one who enjoys this “ he replied avoiding her eye contact. “ then why do you go to brothels, “ she asked confused. “ I don’t go to brothels I go to one brothel where …. I pay for women to simply hold me, I know it is strange it’s…“he said quietly. “ it’s not strange you’re seeking warmth, what I don’t understand is why won’t you accept mine why do you pay another woman to hold you when I could do the same ” she reaches out to hold his hand. “ I’m your husband it’s not my role to seek comfort from you,” he said as he allowed her to hold his hand. “ marriage is more than a contract and a set of roles Aemond. I know you don’t love me but that doesn’t keep me from caring for you “She moved close to him squeezing his hand. He pulled her in closer she wrapped her arms around him and he buried his head in her chest listening intently to the rhythmic beating of her heart. The two stayed in silence holding each other as they lay in bed enveloped in each other's warmth.

[hanniezsugarplum]

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 𝐱 9𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑

➪ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ᴡʜᴇɴ, ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴏᴜɴɢᴇsᴛ ᴍᴇᴍᴇʙᴇʀ ɪɴ sᴛʀᴀʏ ᴋɪᴅs, sᴛᴀʀᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs? Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs sᴛᴀʀᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ?

➪ Fʟᴜғғ

➪ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs: ᴍxᴍ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘs, ᴘᴏʟʏ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘs.

• alright, so let's say you just turned 20!! Yayayayay!!! Great for you!

• you're officially so old now

• I think the boys see you as more mature and it eventually made feelings, romantic feelings, develop.

• it wasn't easy tho

• the most obvious are Jisung and felix

• Jisung and Felix are just so giggly around you all of a sudden and do more things for you they didn't really do before

• now I'm not too sure about Innie simply bc he might be obvious if yk him well enough but if not or you're not too sure but you have your suspicion, then yeah Innie might be a question to you

• but channie as well, he's always been so nice and understanding; incredibly helpful so you question it sometimes 😭

• minho and Seungmin I feel are the least obvious; changbin is just adorably shy around you and more then usual.

• so let's say after a few months of turning old, you realize kind of quickly how different they act, or the sudden little changes in responses, body language and their actions.

• you question but make it believe you're delusional and y'all are really close and comfortable with each other..ofc they gonna act this way sometimes!

• but the way they glance at you when they think you're not looking or too busy to notice; they stare at you with literal tiny stars in their eyes...was it always like that?

• like you wouldve definitely noticed if they did y'all have been together for so long

You weren't sure what to do...you can't talk about it or speak your mind to any of them, and asking for advice to one of your idols friends would be too obvious, unfortunately.

So, you honestly let it happen, hoping either you were delusional and it meant nothing or it was real and they're trying to hint something to you. But, in all honesty, you didn't want to read this situation wrong; that would be hella embarrassing for you. Instead, you let it continue. Maybe because you knew they all were attractive in their own ways, or because you didn't mind the extra special attention from them suddenly. It was definitely because you didn't want to make things awkward. Of course, why else?

It went so far as more nicknames, more pet names..and they get worse, in a way.

It went from occasional sweetheart, bbg, Hun— to constant sweet cheeks, love, my love, baby, honey bun, pretty girl, sweet girl. the way they say it seems different. More... intimate? Affectionate? It's laced with such genuine love and sincere it's hard not to overthink it.

"hey, could you get Minho and I some snacks, please?"

"uhh, sure!" , "Thank you, pretty girl😊"

• like that's not normal, Hyunjin!! Stop blowing your cover🙄 (hopeless romantic, basically..)

• after a few months, you were mad, it was driving you crazy and you felt more mentally exhausted then usually

• so you decided to purposely get alone with channie while he was staying late night at his studio and took your shot

• you told him eventually you felt like everyone's been treating you differently, not a bad way but more affectionate? possibly intimate?

• you were at first trying to make conversation to get to the topic but chan knew what was up and asked you straight up what's wrong😭 he's very gentle with asking though!

• blah blah blah then he sweetly explains to you that they all have genuine feelings for you in a romantic way and you're not delusional or anything

• even admits, shyly, that he's pretty sure it's the same way amongst each other too and just didn't know how to go about because he didn't want to assume and it ends up being awkward.

• so y'all knew it was time for a discussion

• next day channie told everyone to meet him and you in probably the 3racha dorm at a certain time blah blah wtvr

• lil awkward, definitely some tension too

• but it definitely and thankfully got talked out finally even if there was some tension, and thick awkward tension for awhile but it but definitely worth it!

"okay, um..I wanted to talk to you guys about..uh, the things that have been happening, recently,' chan began. "And, it was brought to my attention that y/nnie here seems to be overthinking some things. Would you like to explain, honey?" He gently asked you, looking you now in the eyes with a cute little smile on his lips.

You feel a little anxious now, it's all eyes on you. It's like you're prey and you're not too sure how you're feeling about that right now. It's an overwhelming feeling.

"uhh...I don't know..I guess..I feel like you've been acting different towards me since I turned twenty and..uh, i- umm," you sigh heavily, feeling the anxiety creep up on you as you try and explain yourself as best as possible.

"take your time, sweetheart, you can talk to us, yeah? Don't rush." Changbin filled the silence, you glanced up to see him already looking at you with a soft and endearing gaze. You felt your heart flutter a little bit.

"i know, I do. I'm sorry, I'm- what I'm trying to say is I feel like you guys have been acting differently towards me since I've turned twenty and I don't know if like, it's just my imagination but Chan said it wasn't, and it'd be better to talk about it." You fiddled with your fingers a little bit, the fidgeting easing your anxiety and self conscious feeling; a little. Soothing yourself.

You feel chan put his hand softly on your thigh with a small squeeze, for support.

"well, you're not wrong, Hun," Hyunjin speaks, "I'm sure it seemed obvious that we've been treating you a bit differently, no?" You nodded, glad it's not awkward anymore and there's no judgement.

"it's obvious we've all started to have a liking to you, romantically, after your birthday. You're not delusional.. I've talked about it briefly with the guys and it's true; we're romantically attracted to you, y/nnie." Jisung states, you're shocked it was him who said it first and not one of the hyungs...but the truth was it had been too much for him to sit and wait. He felt like he's been waiting so long, too long.

"oh...okay," you nodded, not too sure what to say bout that. You're happy, a small smile creeping up on your face. Your awkwardness is not doing any favours for you as of right now.

"..is that..okay? Are you uncomfortable? We're sorry if you are. You know that's never our intentions." Chan looked at you. A sense of hope laced in his voice with his eyebrows now furrowed; you weren't uncomfortable, you felt the same and wanted them as much as they wanted you.

• this too long so long story short, it ended well and quickly got into the groove of things. Everyone was comfortable within the relationship and the dynamics

• you wouldn't want to change anything. They're all so sweet to you and they feel so lucky to have you.

• obviously they kept it secret but noke of you guys are mad about it. It's like your guys lil secret

• the boys love cuddle piles; some more than others but it don't matter tbh. They all getting pulled into it like it genuinely doesn't matter.

• the boys love each other as much as they love you so you're thankful it worked out.

[nikito0x]

You don't know where your significant other disappeared, but you know one thing. You would do anything to bring them back to you or at the very least help them on their quest. All you want is to have them back in your arms, whatever that may mean. Whatever they would like it to be. You just... Just can't imagine life without them.

While looking for them, you get yourself involved in some shady dealings. You see the darker side of the world. You had tried the safe proper way, but it hadn't worked.

A year passes. Then two. Then three.

You are desperate. You have tried everything. Learned everything there is to know. Yet, you can't reach them. You don't give up, however.

After years of trials and tribulations, you have somehow become one of the most powerful people out there. You have money, power, prestige. But you care for none of it. You only want your love back home.

And maybe, maybe when they are back, they would run into your arms and try squeezing the life out if you, while you pepper their face all over with kisses.

They would hold you, comfort you, explain where they had been all this time. You would get to do the same for them and, after all this time, be able to finally provide for their every need and want. You sill kept that little apartment you two had been renting, just in case they come back to it.

Five years have passed.

You are now standing in the middle of that apartment, on your anniversary. With their favorite flowers in your hands you sit at the table before their picture. You have finished telling them all about your day and how things have been. So now you simply sit back in silence, reminiscing.

Suddenly, there is a jingle of keys and the click of a door unlocked.

Could it be..!?

Your partner enters through the door. They look older, tired. They have a new hairstyle and their clothes are nothing like what you remember them wearing. You can see some scars poking through, where fabric doesn't cover.

They're perfect.

They look up in surprise at you, stiffen as if preparing for an attack. You stay still, not wanting to frighten them. After a minute of careful observation, they finally recognize you. But...

In their eyes, there is none of the joy you had hoped for. None of the love you remembered.

Half an hour later, you have been sat down and explained everything in a summary that barely made any sense to you. But you accept it. Because it's them and you love them, and they wouldn't lie to you.

Finally, you are told, tentatively, carefully, ashamedly, that your lover? Your spouse? They had become someone else's.

The war had changed them. You understand. Things just... Happened. You understand. They are sorry things were like this. You understand. They no longer held feelings for you. You...

You are politely asked to leave as your... Your ex recuperates from what happened.

You go back to your empty manner (not home, never home, nothing will be ever again), you lie in your cold bed. You don't eat the expensive food made by your private chef.

You die inside.

...

What now?

For three years you’ve had an uneventful marriage with your spouse when one day they become the Chosen One. Immediately setting off on their journey, you don’t hear anything from them for five years. Then one day they reappear with a sheepish look on their face asking to speak to you.

[elene78-blog]

TGR SPOILERS

Well, it's been more than a week since TGR, let's get into hot topics...

What do you think Jeremy and Jean's first sexual contact will be like? And I say sexual contact and not sexual relations because these two are not going to go from 0 to 100 in a long time, and I highly doubt that we will see it in the books. So yeah, sexual contact (no penetration, oops).

Given the problems that both have with sex and sexuality itself, I think there could be a consensus where they feel safe to experiment.

As?

Looking. Watching.

Let me explain:

Jean can't help but fix him gaze on who he likes, and that was the cause of Riko realizing it and doing what he did. Before Jean can touch anyone sexually, I think he'll have to accept that "looking" at a man isn't wrong. He shouldn't have been punished for it. Before we move on to anything else, I think Jean would need to get this clear.

In Jeremy's case, he is used to being touched, even disrespectfully. He is used to people wanting to please him and being the one who "serves" another. I don't think Jeremy will ever put himself ahead of his sexual partners.

Jeremy knows what happened to Jean, so his basic instinct would lead him to "serve" Jean in everything. But if you do this, you would quickly fall into your own vicious cycle (unless you are completely healed and this is your natural disposition because you like it, but I don't think that is the case). Besides... I don't think Jean wants that "complacency." It's pretty clear in TGR that Jean wants to protect his loved ones, to be the protector, and he knows that other men have hurt Jeremy in sexual relationships because Jeremy has "allowed" it. Jean is not going to fall for that, least of all him. How would they do it then? Well...

If you think about it, how are these two flirting right now?

With looks.

Jean looks at Jeremy because he wants him. Jeremy wants Jean to look at him, as demonstrated by taking off his shirt when Jean looks at Laila to get his attention. Jean tries not to look because of his own trauma. He still tries to suppress his orientation a little for fear of punishment. Jeremy wants Jean to look at him... But when Jean looks past his body, Jeremy hides, like when he covered his face in the hotel during the "Say the Line" scene. When Jean looks at a deeper level, Jeremy doesn't know what to do because that means receiving "love" and not punishment to assuage his guilt. That means really looking at Jeremy, not the happy piece of cardboard that Jeremy always tries to show to please others and avoid facing the problems that hurt him, and that he believes he deserves.

Taking all this into account, I believe that the first sexual contact between them, the most healing and the perfect start in that area of ​​their lives, will be through sight. Purely the view.

I think Jean will allow himself to look and Jeremy will let him look at him (yes, naked, especially Jeremy as a metaphor for not hiding anything and he is completely naked romantically speaking, as he has not allowed anyone to do despite his sexual adventures). And Jean is going to look, not touch, not yet. You're going to allow yourself to look because, why not? The rules have changed and it's not about what he deserves, but what he wants, and he wants Jeremy.

And it's going to be very, very intense, because Jeremy doesn't want Jean to look at him like that, much more than how others look at him. But Jeremy said he wouldn't look away, and Jean isn't going to look away from Jeremy, and actually, even though Jeremy is shaking like a leaf, he really wants Jean to look at him like that, like no one else has ever looked at him.

And when they finish, no one leaves. Nobody moves. Jean stays and the two sleep together (as Jeremy has never done with anyone; as Jean is afraid to do, but he does it because this is what he wants and he trusts Jeremy in his gut and will always choose him), and Jeremy doesn't quite understand what's going on... But he doesn't want to share a bed with anyone other than Jean ever again. No. Jean looked at him like that. Jeremy will never be able to accept a look that contains less than what Jean is giving him, and that can't possibly happen, because Jean gives him EVERYTHING.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

re that anon with the conservative father- what helps with my well-meaning conservative relatives is explaining what when they vote for a party, they're endorsing all of that party's policies whether they like it or not. i knew someone who was a conservative because he liked that they were promising to lower costs. fair enough. but would you take lower costs at the price of rolling back social security nets, worsening the environmental crisis, worsening the healthcare system, and risking the rights of BIPOC and women? when all those things happen, it won't matter whether you only voted for them because you liked their financial plan. you voted for them and gave them the power to do it. i've found that once you put it in that light they usually flip or it gets the ball rolling at the very least

~~~~

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, March 2, 2025

Silent Hill 2 update: If you sneak over to my Patreon, you can watch the first commentary video already (I'll be replacing it with an updated version). I’m still working on the timestamp writeup (links, sources, etc.) and, uh, that updated version with some corrections at the end. I’ve also been formatting the writeup for Tumblr and, uhhh.... it’s like four posts. It’s honestly just embarrassing. But I know what the carving on the church door you might not even notice says, I know why all the oscillating fans are turquoise blue, I’ve found a thematically relevant Goya painting hidden in a shop you don’t even have to enter, and now we all have to suffer for it. 

The second video’s been recorded but isn’t uploaded anywhere, and I’ve finished taking notes for the writeup. I’m taking so long that I might honestly just clip out a few excerpts and put them on my YouTube channel (I have a YouTube channel) (in theory).

(Yes, watching other people play video games IS a valid way to enjoy them, and it’s how I got into playing in the first place.)

Meanwhile: I just wanted to address the idea that medication obscures your real personality, and I ended up writing a memoir.

Reblogs of interest

It was a bad week for celebrity deaths: Roberta Flack ("Killing Me Softly"), after two years diagnosed with ALS; Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy, Gossip Girl), after a prior liver transplant; and then, under circumstances that still haven’t been explained, Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.

Now, it’s important to know about the political protests happening in the U.S. (and I hope people run HARD with “Impeach President Musk” for maximum in-fighting), but it was “Vermont insults” that gave me the most joy.

"NASA released the clearest pictures yet of our neighbours in the solar system"

What Queen Nefertiti may have looked like in real life, improved

Microsoft is shutting down Skype

Joann Fabrics is going out of business (+ online alternatives)

“YOU FREAKS CRASHED THE DASHCON SITE AND THEN SOLD OUT THE TICKETS IN UNDER 30 MINUTES” (“I need you all to understand this is a post from February 22, 2025”)

“Help your local library; get books out even if you know you can’t read them all!”

Ursula K. LeGuin: “As you read a book word by word and page by page, you participate in its creation”

This full-series retrospective of Animorphs, however brief, is so unhinged that I went and legally downloaded the entire set of books. 

“Good night to only the team names at the Seattle women’s hockey club” (personal favorite: Rink Pony Club)

Sometimes I wonder what the Victorians would think of “naked” dresses. Anyway, I really like Elie Saab

All they know is charleston, shake cocktail, eat hot chip & lie

“stop what you’re doing right now and look at archaic period terracotta fox scratching its head”

“The bath house duck spirits from Spirited Away, taking a dip in this lava lamp”

Tumblr: Where “Pelican Childcare” is inherently funny

Crow Time: Business bird

Gorgeous Dominique Ramsey art with a Langston Hughes quote

Grocery cats (“but then you scroll down and it’s like oh, there’s a team of cats ringing up that lady’s tea and jam”)

Look this bunny in the eyes and you will understand why I tagged this “become ungovernable”

“where is that cat with the kind and reassuring face”

Paint me like one of your French bears

Hi. 1 quastion

Video

LOTR film fandom has been going strong for 20+ years and we’re not gonna stop now (re: Pippin’s song in Return of the King)

Zelenogorsk is sand bathing

The sacred texts

Periodic reblog: this massive catalogue of parody lyric tweets

“The neurodivergent urge to do this,” or: the origin of a very popular reaction pic

Personal tags of the week

Wet Beast Wednesday is worth a look, plus the newest Beneficent Chain Post (happiness will come to you. “When You Least Expect It. Probably Late March”).

[blacknedsoul-blog]

I realized I explained that like shit, so please allow me to rectify (and sorry for the lack of response, life gets in the way of my hyperfocuses more often than I'd like).

That particular quote I say because I think Lenore has, as a character, tremendous dissonance on three different fronts regarding her relationship with Annabel. But to begin to explain that, I have to remember this:

So, for this to hold up, we have to assume something else about the way the characters recover their memories: they have their feelings, opinions and worldviews intact, but they don't know why they have them. (..) So yes, Lenore is in love with Annabel, but she doesn't know why she feels that way about her and also doesn't remember the things one learns about another person when establishing a relationship dynamic.

I'm starting from this assumption because it's the only way Annabel's attitude toward Lenore at the beginning of the comic makes sense to me. Or, in other words, Lenore has her feelings intact towards Annabel and a “vibe” of what their relationship was like.

This can be noted in their first stolen moment in the arboreum: With Lenore being passive-aggressive when she is upset with Annabel (something we see when they talk privately after Lenore burns down her house), being nice when Annabel shows a more vulnerable side (which we see in the flashback of her saying goodbye), blushing and getting nervous when the two have some closeness (like when they first meet and in the same flashback as the previous example) and teasing her like an annoying little shit (like in the flashback where Annabel confesses to her that her biggest fear is going crazy).

The thing is, Lenore doesn't know why she has such strong feelings for Annabel because she doesn't remember exactly what the nature of their relationship was (and, for whatever reason, doesn't imagine they were a romantic couple).

So, what's the crux of the matter. In their first stolen moment, Lenore is very relaxed in conversation until this moment:

And there I think it all starts to become a mess for her because the three fronts of problems she has about it start to collide.

First: because I think “Lenore wants her Annabel back” in the sense that their relationship didn't used to be like this. We readers know that, even if Annabel is a really private and sneaky person, she was always open and transparent with Lenore. Something that, for obvious reasons, doesn't happen in Nevermore.

I think Lenore feels like something here doesn't sit right with her and, the worst part, is that it's her broken memories she's not even able to say exactly what the thing is that's bothering her so much. But the look on her face when Annabel tells her that it's okay for there to be secrets between them tells me that something in that sentence made her deeply uncomfortable.

And that's not going to stop until she gets them back more memories, can look at her previous relationship with Annabel as a whole and realize this gigantic dissonance between how their relationship used to be and how it is now, at least, in this respect. And that there must be a good reason for that (hopefully).

Then there are the memories you mentioned that put Annabel in a not-too-favorable lens and, finally, that the unbeatable queen charade and Annabel's actions in Nevermore cause her enormous distrust.

So, you have Lenore struggling with all these underlying feelings that lack the context for her to get a good understanding of what's wrong with her, a dissonance between the relationship she feels it should be in contrast to the relationship they are having now and Annabel's shady actions, coupled with the fact that she is actively hiding things from her and boom, you have a cocktail of disaster that, in my view, makes Lenore's attitude coherent (even if in order to say all this you have to assume not too nice things about her as I commented in my previous response).

I swear Lenore's the biggest personification of Katy Perry's Hot N Cold song I've ever seen WHEEEZES

This isn't going to be very nice to Lenore, and in general the "remembering in pieces" mechanic, so just don't click read more if you don't want to see me tear into it thanks.

Like I know we all love to call Annabel a manipulator, and she is, but THIS MOMENT is kind of egregious as fuck to me.

The audacity to call her a monster (AND mad) to her face and then comfort her when she reacts badly over it

The audacity to look at her like this:

and then immediately after do this:

Why is she even saying "I don't know what I'd do with myself" if she's not supposed to remember that they were close?

But then why would she be acting like this if she DOES remember that they're close???

The worst thing is that it's so obvious how Lenore cares for the Misfits but when it comes to Annabel it feels cheap? Like it doesn't feel like there's any connection there other than "I remember I'm supposed to love you but do I actually?" rather than there being any genuine emotions involved. (Is that the point???)

WHERE is the delusion? The "Annabel must have surely had a reason—"

WHERE is the trust?

WHERE is the loyalty? <- truly my biggest gripe because Annabel is so fucking devoted I cannot let it go, I can't LMAO

WHERE is her not actually being as mad as she SHOULD be despite all of her misgivings and thus making Duke and Pluto suspicious as all hell?

Lenore has never ONCE given Annabel the benefit of the doubt and I understand that in the beginning when she knew nothing, but now? NOW? After THIS

Clear realization?

At some point I have to think that the flashbacks we're shown are not things they remember in canon unless we're explicitly shown them waking up to it because THIS

does not make sense otherwise.

Lenore WHY are you not losing your mind here? After saying that you're done with Annabel's whole game?

Go crazy go feral???

Annabel gave you the same reasoning, Lenore. Why are you tolerating this from him? You were manhandling Annabel and inches away from pulling a gun on her but now Duke has Annabel by the throat and halfway past a balcony railing and you're just TALKING?

Lenore tell me. Tell MEEEE!

Is it because Annabel treats it like a "game"? She's being playfully and giggly rather than being serious and "there's no other way" like Duke, even though she said THIS

before.

That's the worst part, really. Annabel has been VERY transparent the ENTIRE time and yet Lenore gets mad over her doing exactly what she said she'll do.

Conclusion to my rant:

What do they remember, what do they NOT remember? I don't know!

Annabel is devoted to the depths of hell even to her own detriment but is that because she remembers or because she's just Like That™?

Lenore is full of doubts and perpetual suspicions, and is willing to call her a monster to her face, but at the same time she sprouts "I don't know what I'll do without you." and jumps off balconies. Is that because she remembers or because she's just Like That™?

What is going ON

It's been a week, give or take, right? So they remember, what? 5 days worth of memories? Unless they remember much, much more than just a singular happening a night?

It feels inconsistent at best and utterly pointless at worst.

Just show us the flashbacks as an outside thing, it didn't have to be organically connected to their Nevermore storyline,,,,OR have them remember everything only when they first go Specre

[blackstar-liveblogs]

So, the potential conflict or underlying tension within the Teal Titans? More complex than you may think.

When you look at the other members aside from tr!Aimsey, you might get the biased look about them and the situation that the character is giving, but things are not as simple as ''the Blue faction doesn't care about tr!Aimsey.''

Because, here is the roster:

- As the clip above explains, at least for tr!CPK, the character very much does care about tr!Aimsey and cared that they were gone. The CC has said before that tr!CPK cares for tr!Aimsey like a sibling.

The thing is, like the CC expresses during this clip, tr!CPK is someone who remains calm, collected and controls his emotions. Bro has a place for meditation. He approaches the situations with logical and analytical thinking, instead of allowing feelings to block his view of what he can actually do that can be helpful during these dire scenarios.

Personally, I doubt a Keeper would have allowed him any kind of deal or method to get tr!Aimsey back, plus that would mean that he would potentially leave Blue with no leader. He was taking the responsability that was bestowen upon him seriously and decided to then help tr!Aimsey whenever they returned in whatever way he can. Work it out from there together.

- You have tr!Scott, who is an amnesiac thanks to the freaking snails, that is doing his very best to re-learn how a person and other people work, what's normal and not, how to handle emotions from others, what's the appropiate way to react to situations, etc.

He struggles to show care, because he doesn't remember how that was. And yet, he still does acts that can help people feel better. He hugged tr!Aimsey to comfort them when it was announced the chosen would be wiped from existence, as the distress was very clear and obvious.

And earlier he attempted to help tr!Pangi and tr!Ros via a place of understanding and experiences that he does know about/can relate to, like how he had to adjust after being a snail and the lack of past memories.

He's literally a person you need to be patient with, as it's clear his past snail was extremely hungry and took so so much more from him than the other three Warriors.

- There's no way to defend tr!Tubbo, bro gkbgkj. Dude saw tr!CPK was named leader and tried to take the position. He even has attempted to act as the leader while tr!Aimsey was right there a couple of times. It is actually so bad that tr!Tubbo was the only Blue member tr!Aimsey got to see, genuinely. It's clear he does not trust them completely ever since the whole situation when tr!Scott joined happened, or at the very least there's a bit of a grudge that remained there.

- tr!Piso has not joined in a while gkbgk.

And there it is, two characters who are way more analytical thinkers than emotional, and tr!Tubbo's shenanigans. In short, not the appropiate people to expect very emotional reactions from or the kind of actions that the audience would want from them.

Will this bite them in the back? Very possible. tr!Aimsey it's already set on the idea that they don't care to save them, so things will either go down or tr!Aimsey will refuse to express any of this to them.

[maclediumzeyheri]

How I Draw: PART 1

Hello, this is Zeyheri. While I was happily drawing, I suddenly realized, "Oh no, the new school term is coming! Once I start going to school, it'll be hard to draw! And my promise to share how I draw will be delayed so much!!! (I'm doomed!)“

...So, even though I haven't finished my drawing yet, I thought I should at least upload a post to prevent my trust from shattering into pieces.

I’ve noticed that authors always include words of gratitude in their book prefaces (so I’ll imitate them!). I sincerely thank the two people who’ve helped me a lot in writing this post and who will continue to help with many questions in the future. I also love all the users who constantly take an interest in my drawings!

As you probably know, I’m not a professional illustrator. The only formal art training I’ve had was at an art academy in elementary school! So, it’s probably not a great idea to expect to learn much from my writing. However, anyone can enjoy drawing even without formal training. "The act of appreciating art" is an even more accessible field to enjoy. If you read this and felt intrigued or inspired to try something experimental, then that is exactly the purpose of this post, and I will be happy.

-

(1) Tools & Programs

I use three programs to draw: PaintTool SAI2 / Corel Paintshop Pro / Corel Painter. Oh, I almost forgot-The tools I use are the love-hate Surface Pro 8 and the Huion Kamvas Pro 16 (4k).

-Rough sketching, inking, base coloring, adding shadows, and initial corrections: PaintTool SAI2

-Adding paintbrush effects: Corel Painter

-Other corrections: Corel Paintshop Pro

(*If you're wondering why I don't use Clip Studio, it's because my beloved Surface laptop might die from it! "Then how do you use Corel Painter?" you ask? The moment I open Painter, lag starts, and the fan goes crazy. If you value your laptop's lifespan, take my advice and avoid it!)

In fact, about 70% of the process happens in SAI. So, in this post, you’ll only see me using PaintTool SAI2.

(2) Rough Sketch & Line Art

Rather than creating a detailed rough sketch, I prefer to draw lines while adding rough sketches when needed. The first image is proof of that! For me, the rough sketch stage is less of "the first step in drawing" and more of "getting the atmosphere right."

For the lines, I use the SAI pencil, adjusting the brush density to around 75-85. Other than that, it’s probably set to the default settings, at least as far as I remember. (It's Korean, but I believe you can understand what it means by location)

If you look at my line art, you might notice faint shadows sometimes. This isn’t because I adjust the brush density; I adjust the layer opacity instead.

(2-1) Drawing Hair

Now, one of you asked me a question: "How do you draw hair?" I’ve created a simple resource to explain!

As always, there are exceptions, but when I draw hair, I tend to make the shapes angular. This way, the hair looks solid, almost like stiff RNA strands.

After that, I add lines following the flow of the hair, giving it a fuller look. I usually add these lines when I’m refining the inking stage.

Sometimes, if I’m feeling it. I add thin strands of hair around the edges to give it a more "hair-like" appearance.

(2-2) Drawing Eyes & Coloring

There was also a question about how to draw eyes. I’m not the type to add sparkling glitter for a glamorous look, so my approach is very simple.

In the picture, I’ve divided it into several steps, but honestly, it’s a very quick process. Start by shaping a hexagon and keep adding multiply layers while coloring. The key point is in the 6th step, where you cover the entire eye with a light pink multiply layer. Doing this creates a much more eerie, painful, and melancholic look! (I was really excited when I first discovered this! Yay!)

(3) Coloring

Now it's time to add color. Typically, I would choose colors that fall within the left square area, but if a highly saturated color seems more fitting, I use colors from the right square area. If you ask me why I choose these colors, I'm not sure. I just feel like I like low chroma colors.

Be thorough in coloring, and once you're done, apply textures lightly to finish it off. (You’re asking what texture I use? Well, since I’m not a texture creator, I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk about it publicly. But if you send me a private message, I’ll answer you secretly. I think it was over $30.)

While coloring, using an Overlay layer to test can help when adjusting the color tone later on.

-

Thank you for reading. Please look forward to our next post as well! Feel free to let me know if there are any awkward expressions or anything you would like me to add to the content of this article!

[slimespecter]

i keep thinking about how i never talk about my characters, and decided im gonna change that! keeping any future oc ramblings tumblr exclusive. because i like yall

of course, first up is stanley. gonna start by copy and pasting his info from his toyhouse profile below! (which you can also check out here!)

Computer technician by day, guitarist and singer by night.

Name: STANLEY PRESCOTT

He/Him - Age: 25 (Born on August 14, 1982 - His storyverse takes place in the mid-late 2000’s!) - Height: 5’10 ft (178 cm)

Voiceclaim: Keith Murray

Stanley’s a bit of an aimless adult, just going through the motions - working at his dads computer repair shop part-time, messing around with electronics instead of fixing them - He’s good at his job, after all computers are what he specializes in, but he never realized just how… Boring it would be. Starting a band with his best friend Richie has brought some excitement, and given them a good excuse to constantly hang out and party. Hell, he’ll take any excuse to find some fun in his mind-numbingly boring life.

He still feels some obligation towards helping his dad out, though, and his part-time job helps his band cover costs, so he’ll deal with it till they make their big break. Till then, he’s satisfied playing small shows and is just happy to be hanging around his closest friends. Although… He can't really explain it, but ever since he tried repairing his dad's computer to resell it, he feels like lately his own electronics have been acting rather... Buggy.

Random Notes:

Personality:

Stanley can come off as a bit cocky and self-assured, especially when on stage performing for an adoring crowd - what can he say? He loves the attention! But he’s overall a nice, friendly guy. He’s very witty and playful, and a tad sarcastic - he loves bizarre, dry humor and being a facetious ass to his friends. He’s definitely much calmer and pleasant to talk to than he seems - at least, compared to how he acts on stage and around his closer friends. He often shies away from more serious situations if he can help it, he hates confrontation and will avoid directly confronting a situation if he can - which usually leads to shit building up and blowing up in his face. Once pulled into a situation, however, he doesn’t shy away from it - just because he hates confrontation doesn't mean he’s afraid of it, but he’ll try and keep things from blowing waaay out of proportion if possible. He can get very snarky, blunt, and direct when upset - which is very rare, its hard for him to get seriously upset. He’s often called stubborn, as once he’s set his mind on something it can be hard for him to budge on whatever it is. He can also be very irresponsible and impulsive - If it piques his curiosity even the slightest, its easy to drag him along for whatever - he’ll often indulge in his own wants and skirt away from his responsibilities to go out and have fun, go drinking, party, etc. He‘s young, he’s kinda dumb, and he just wants to have fun!

Ever since he fixed his dads stupid computer (and got shocked when he plugged it in), electronics have started to glitch out, spark, and stop working whenever he’s near for no reason. He has no idea why this happens, and it interferes with his job- and it gets worse whenever he gets worked up, often accidentally shocking himself and the tech around him.

His hair started prematurely graying when he was 18. He owns it though and claims it makes him look cool and mature- although he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel at least a bit self conscious about it. It goes completely gray by the time he reaches his mid 30s.

Richie’s the one who taught him guitar, and gifted him his first guitar- Rocky, a blue stratocaster. He has a growing collection of guitars that he‘ll switch between, but mainly uses Rocky (his blue strat) and Crash (his green custom-built strat) when performing. He also taught himself to play drums- he isn’t very good at it though.

He‘s a huge nerd when it comes to his equipment - god, don’t even get him started on his collection of guitar pedals or his set up. You wont be able to get him to shut up. Anyways, check out his sweet pedalboard setup - Hey, wait! Where’re ya goin’?

He drives a 2000s Toyota Sienna!

Diet Coke addict. Fuck, he loves the taste of fizzy ultra processed chemicals.

He loves cats! Unfortunately, he is also allergic to cats. Will this stop him from petting any he sees anyways? Absolutely not. Allergies be damned. In fact, he has a cat of his own (named Russel!) He’s also allergic to shellfish and kiwi’s - which he doesn’t like as much.

[joelsprettyprincess]

Sharing is Caring

Pairing: Joel Miller + Arthur Morgan + Simon 'Ghost' Riley + John Price x f!reader Wordcount: 2k Tags: Extremely explicit smut, kind of dubcon (consent is assumed), oral, anal, piv (protected, for once), free-use, slight daddy kink, five(?)some, it's not poly they're just running a train on her. A/N: Okay. Um. Not sure what happened, I meant to write a little BLURB about this and it turned into a whole thing. Anyway..I tried to do it in a different style; it's kind of fragmented, instead of a proper story. Also this is very nasty. Like, REALLY nasty. I fear this is even more self-indulgent than my Dutch x reader fic, but I hope you guys enjoy anyway!! And MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!! FOCUS ON YOUR ALGEBRA HOMEWORK 😒

joel preps you a couple hours beforehand. takes you over the knee, and fingers you till you're blubbering and begging him to stopkeep going. he slowly stretches out both your holes with plenty of lube. once he's got you properly ready, he slides a cute bejeweled buttplug between your asscheeks to make it...easier, later on. the hot pink heart winks up at him.

he has you greet his friends with him at the door. you've never seen them before, but they know you. you and your pretty body, your soft lips, your ass that hides the curve of your cunt. oh, yes, they know you, courtesy of the souvenir photos joel takes when you're cockdrunk and passed out.

they file in, one by one, big hulking figures. arthur, the freelance artist, who's already eyeing your curves, barely hidden by the tiny skirt joel put you in. you try fruitlessly to pull it down as he passes by. next is simon, or ghost, as he tells you to call him. an ex-military man who's even bigger than joel, with eyes like a wolf. "you look good enough to eat," he tells you.

"later," joel promises.

last is john, who you actually have met before. occasionally, when joel is in the mood to share, he invites him over for some fun– the fun being you. you'd had his cock stuffed down your throat at least half a dozen times. "hello again, love," he greets you, patting your head. you smile bashfully, already starting to get wet (thanks to the aphrodisiac joel had slipped into your food earlier). he was always kind to you, even more than joel sometimes.

the men all sit on the L-shaped couch– there's a big game today, or something. joel sits you between him and john, while arthur and ghost sit on the other side. "get us a beer, honey," joel says. when you get up to fetch them, john slaps your ass as you walk by. the men chuckle when you squeak.

you collect 4 beers and carry them in your arms back to the living room. after distributing them, the men focus on the hockey game, but john won't leave you alone. he lets his large hand rest on your thigh, then creeps it closer to your fluttering cunt. you push it away, but it's only a few seconds before he's invading your space again. you whine quietly, and joel notices. "leave her alone," he chides. "all in good time."

joel leaves to use the bathroom, leaving you alone with 2 strangers and john. arthur immediately slides over. "joel's told us a lot about you," he says, giving you a smile that reveals a hint of his canines. "oh," you say wondrously. you wonder what he's said. you wonder how arthur's chest looks under his slightly too-tight shirt.

"you like living here with 'im?" he asks. "y'know, if he's treating you wrong you could stay with me." he chuckles. you shake your head. "i like it here," you tell him. "he does everything for me." now ghost is closing in, unashamedly staring at your breasts. "real cute outfit you got on," he comments. you feel self-conscious in your tiny black tank top and short pink skirt. "daddy picked it out for me," you explain, referring to joel.

just then, joel comes back, and scolds the men, who've surrounded you as if you're their prey. "get off her– I told you all in good time, didn't I?"

"we've barely got to see her, what with you and john squishing her," arthur complains. ghost nods in agreement. "come sit by us, sweetheart, let us have a look at you." you look at joel for permission, and he nods, sighing. you switch places, now sitting between arthur and ghost.

after a while the men start to talk, about sports, about their friends...about women. joel tells them all about how obedient you are, how it took no time at all to mold you into his perfect stupid fuckdollgirlfriend. your face grows hot and you smile at the floor, embarrassed. it's not helping that arthur's been kneading your breast for the last 10 minutes and your panties are becoming soaked.

by this time all the men except joel have downed 2 or 3 beers, and they're getting handsier. ghost has been tracing circles on your thigh, 'accidentally' letting his fingers go up your skirt and graze the edge of your panties.

the men all silently exchange glances, unseen by you, and abruptly stand up. arthur pulls you along to the dining room, where the table has been cleared off. only a thin blanket remains on it...wait, what? you squeal in surprise as arthur easily lifts you and places you face down, ass up on the table.

the men surround you with hungry looks on their faces. "now, gentlemen, let me remind you of the rules," joel speaks. "don't hog a hole, everyone will have a turn. clean yourself off if you're going ass to mouth. use a condom, she's not on the pill. and simon, I know how you are with anal. be gentle. in fact, all of you, don't hurt her too badly."

"i want her ass first," arthur announces, already pulling down his pants. he flips up your skirt, and inhales sharply when he sees the heart-shaped outline of your buttplug against your light blue panties. he makes short work of your panties, tugging at them so urgently that they rip and fall onto the blanket in tatters.

the rest of the men quickly pull off their pants as well, eager to claim a hole. it's a bit daunting, staring at three muscular men who are hellbent on taking their stress out on your poor holes. joel allows his guests to pick first– ghost rests his thick cock against your lips. your tongue instinctively darts out to get a taste, before you can stop yourself.

"i haven't had the pleasure of her cunt in weeks," john sighs. he elbows arthur out of the way, and the two of them tap and stroke their tips against your two tight holes. arthur slowly pulls out your buttplug, and you whine loudly at the stretch. your hole is left gaping, the perfect opportunity for him to slide in. you grip the table and moan into the blanket, keeping your legs opened as wide as possible to accommodate him.

john puts on a condom and easily slides into your pussy, sticky and sopping with your own arousal. tears prick at your fluttering eyes as the two men stuff you full of cock. you stick your tongue out, overcome with need.

ghost pushes your mouth onto his cock, and you start sucking like the tip is made of candy. joel stands to the side, grabs your hand, and uses it to pump his throbbing shaft.

"she's so fuckin' tight," arthur grunts out, barely even halfway in your ass. he's right, you're gripping his cock like you need it to survive. he places both hands on your asscheeks, stroking and slapping them as he slowly moves in and out. john's just beside him, thrusting into your tight sticky cunt– the sounds are driving him crazy. your slightly pained groans, the creamy schwelp schwelp of your pussy– oh, he missed this.

ghost is the first to cum. driven crazy by your tongue slurping every inch of his cock and the feel of your plush lips practically sealing it in your mouth, he holds you by the hair and jerks off till thick globs and ropes of cum land on your face. he puts his tip against your tongue and finishes his release there, leaving a big puddle which you promptly swallow.

soon after, arthur cums, spreading your cheeks and keeping them still while he dumps a hot, thick load in your ass. it leaks out even while he's still inside you, dripping down to your pussy. "fuck, honey..." he mutters, pulling out. he observes your winking hole, already getting hard again.

ghost takes his place. he barely stops to clean up arthur's mess; just wipes off the excess with a paper towel and pushes his once-again stiff cock in your ass. you cry out, still sensitive from the stretch of arthur before. arthur's cum oozes out of you with every thrust.

john is still jackhammering your pretty pussy, and he's close. he presses himself balls deep inside you, and you can feel his cock twitching as he cums inside the condom. it could be the aphrodisiac, but the thought of him possibly knocking you up makes you twice as wet. he pulls out and fingers your spasming cunt, encouraging you to cum. you whine and moan loudly as arthur, who's just finished cleaning off his cock, slides his shaft between your puffy lips. your eyes roll, and you cum hard, squirting on john's hand and on the blanket. you thrash your legs a bit as john refuses to let up, and keeps fingering your extremely sensitive pussy.

joel finally reaches his peak as well, shooting a thick rope onto your hand, then getting closer and glazing your already cum-covered face with even more. some of it gets in your hair, which he knows you hate. his cum oozes down your face, and you can feel it sliding down to your right eye. he and john switch places, with john making you cradle his balls, while joel whistles when he sees the mess that your pussy is. he's the only one that can go bareback, the only one that's able to cum inside you. and he intends on doing exactly that.

joel wastes no time and pushes into your still-recovering pussy, watching your slightly swollen lips automatically grip him. you're still sticky with arousal, and it coats his cock. "you love being passed around by daddy's friends?" he mutters, smacking your ass. "you want 'em all to have a turn in this sweet pussy?" you can't answer, as arthur's got his cock in your mouth. but you whine, and if the sound of your creamy pussy is any indicator, you love this.

the men all take turns in your various holes, dumping load after load in your ass, in your mouth, and on your face. only joel cums straight in your pussy, but the others make up for it by covering your body with their hot loads. you cum more times than you can count, and by the end, the air smells of lust and sweat.

after they've all been fully satisfied, then men step back and survey their handiwork. your face is completely covered with multiple loads that are dripping off your face. your right eye is closed; you're unable to open it because of the cum that joel deposited on your eyelid. your lips are pink and puffy, and your tongue hangs out, tired after coaxing so many loads out of the men.

your asscheeks are also glazed with cum, and even your back has some white ropes. your ass is gaping, with cum oozing out of it. several used condoms have been thrown haphazardly on your body, mostly on your back.

and finally, your poor pussy. though it had the least amount of cum, it had taken the most abuse; all of the men had bullied your cunt into multiple orgasms, and now there's a puddle of arousal underneath you. joel's cum leaks from between your pussy lips onto the blanket.

your head lays on the table– you don't have the strength to even look up anymore.

"fuckin' beautiful," john says quietly, and the men agree. they all clean themselves off and get redressed, then joel coaxes you off the table. you stumble, then right yourself. more cum oozes out of your ass onto the floor. "'s okay, c'mon," he says, holding you by your left hand– maybe the only place on your whole body that hasn't been glazed.

the men watch you leave. your ass jiggles a bit, and arthur sighs. "we've got to come back, and soon."

[thewardenisonthecase]

im not going to find it now, but @/v-arbellanaris post on the themes of identity loss in DAI are not that well handled because the inquisitior is not allowed to have an identity TO BEGIN with due to how centrist this game is is always on my mind.

Because like, everytime i see people talking about this big theme around the inquisitor i cant help but feel like i played a different game. I felt so disconnected from the inquisitor because I had no idea who they were. Like, they felt too much like a blank slate. DAO and DA2 both gave you established backstories of which you could build your character around, but DAI felt like I needed to work it from the ground up. I remember the first time i got that convo with Josie, in Haven, where you can establish some stuff, I felt almost weirded out because I was suddenly being told things about this character that I knew nothing about and now i had to establish things? It was confusing and I didn't even KNOW what to pick. And I played the games in order, so for it was extremely JARRING to jump from warden to hawke to inquisitor. So much so that it took 3 tries, with 3 different characters until I finally landed on one that I felt like i could work with, because until then, I couldn't figure out who the fuck my inquisitor was supposed to be.

And its really, REALLY hard to have a theme of you're losing your identity when you don't have one. I almost feel like there should have been two games - one where you deal maybe with only the mage rebellion and get to see and understand who your character REALLY is and then DAI, where you see all that you were get rewritten. And honestly, it gets to me because loss of identity is something that lowkey permeates the other characters - The reason Varric wrote the tale of the champion was in part because people were getting Hawke's story wrong (Cassandra is a GREAT example of how people were imagining things went down and why Varric's book was so relevant). I like to add that "you're only a symbol now" theme to my warden sometimes and it fees like a natural progression but to the inquisitor?

And to be honest, I'm not even entirely sure that this theme was intentional on the writer's part. Like, i give DAI some grace because of HELLISH the development was, but sometimes it feels to me that either they had a specific idea for who the inquisitor should be and if you play differently, themes get lost, or that the inquisitor was 1000% just some placeholder.

No wonder that the one character that stuck with me was Adaar because it was the only backstory that i felt gave me something i could work with - it said you have at least one mother and one father who left the qun and you joined a mercenary band and they have names. Not the faceless trevelyans who you only mildly hear about nor clan lavellan, who is talked about as if all those people were one person instead of, y'know, a group of people (i bring these two up because my 1st inky was a trevelyan and the 1st inky i ACTUALLY finished a playthriugh with was a lavellan and my god. i felt SO disconnected with them).

There's some other stuff too regarding the inquisitor's story that i don't know how to explain but that add to that feeling of not liking the inquisitor. Like, I think one of the things that I really like about the warden and Hawke is that you really have to build that character from the ground up. The wardens are very near the bottom of the social ladder and hawke is a refugee who's possibly an apostate too. it takes LONG in these games for your character to get any semblance of comfort. But for the inquisitor idk, i didnt feel that? Things happened to them and I had this feeling that they didn't deserve it. Like you go from haven, who's alreayd more organized than anything the warden and hawke had from the get go, and then you go to skyhold which is even nicer but I just cant help but feel that its unearned.

idk. its hard to explain. its even harder when i add the whole anchor thing, because I really do hate this thing. Like sorry, even if the inquisitor got named that because of their leadership, they were only given a chance to begin with bc of the mark. Its not a chosen one story but it sure as fuck feels like one to me most of the time. And the inquisitor being this leader is also something i just struggle with, and i blame it mostly on the fucking war table missions. Idk, again, bc in dao and da2 you have to basically do everything yourself, i could picture the warden and hawke as leaders, but because the nit and gritty is done by leliana/josephine/cullen, its like ok so am i just the guy who sits on a chair and orders people around? I just never get the feeling that the inquisitor is ACTUALLY working to get these things done its always just ordering others around. And like sure, the king who sits on the throne and orders people to their deaths is a leader, but the general who's going to war with me feels more like my leader than the guy with the crown (terrible analogy but its the best icould come up with).

idk. i have too many thoughts about how i don't like the inquisitor as a PC because of how they were written. its why i talk much less about asala because for me, despite doing 2 FULL PLAYTRHOUGHS its so hard to picture her in my head because the game gives me so freaking little to work with.

[genericpuff]

I feel like this has been answered before but does LR take place before or after the odyssey?

Waaaay before. Persephone isn't even Queen of the Underworld yet so it would make very little sense for it to happen after LMAO

Granted, there are some characters who are present (or mentioned off-handedly) in the story who might make the timeline feel a bit vague (and frankly that's just because Greek myth itself is pretty ambiguous and hard to pin down when it comes to a "timeline" outside of major eras and events) but for the most part I tend to use the Iliad / Odyssey as an "anchor point" when implementing certain story arcs and characters. This at least helps me avoid an Achilles / Odysseus situation like what happened in LO 💀😆

Most of all you need to worry about is that this is a story about Persephone, Hades, and Demeter, based on a myth which by and large explains elements of nature that pre-exist human civilization (specifically the changing of the seasons). I do try my best to make sure the 'timeline' can make sense, but I'm obviously also restricted in some ways due to the fact that 1.) this is as much a retelling of Lore Olympus as it is Greek myth and 2.) as mentioned above, Greek mythology isn't very easy to "pin down" to a sequential timeline of events because many myths - even the popular ones like The Odyssey - were told in hindsight by poets and storytellers and scholars living after the fact, and were re-interpreted hundreds of times over thousands of years (and that's not even getting into the arguments over whether or not the Trojan War even really happened or if it was just like, an epic bedtime story lmao but that's another topic for another day~)

[noirsdoll]

hum..hii, im kinda shy to ask about it but huh hear me out about Daisuke non-con bestfriend!reader after she acted like a brat with him when he had a really bad day..i imagined more of an on earth/college au but if you prefer writing on a tulpar au im totally okay with it!! I just love daisuke sm and im tired of everyone writing him like a subby twink..💔 have a good day mwah :3

REAL!! death to twink!daisuke like being naive ≠ twink, naive just means he's a dumbass. I think abt how jimmy influences him in the game a lot… also a college au is so fun to think about omg this is so long

cw/tags: noncon, mentioned abuse and drugging (not by daisuke), incel!daisuke and perv!daisuke, daisuke is a porn addict, accidental creampie, college au, daisuke is jimmy-pilled, vivziepop levels of swearing LMAO

Daisuke isn’t a bad guy.

In fact, he’s the shoulder to cry on, the ray of sunshine, and the hopeless but very enthusiastic tutor. That’s his reputation on campus— the nice guy that you can come to with anything, who’s always ready and willing to strike up a conversation.

You’re his closest friend, the first person that bothered to look his way on this sprawling campus. He’s stuck to you like an unfortunate parasite and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re both inseparable.

Daisuke and you are sitting on the grass outside one of the faculty buildings during the one break you both share. He’s staring up at the partly cloudy sky, letting the cold spring air run flush against his skin.

“Did you hear what happened at the big party last night?” You ask, too eager to wait for a response before you continue, “that Jimmy guy, like, roofied some poor girl.”

He glances at you, confused. “Jimmy? Nah, he’s not like that.”

“What, you know him?”

Daisuke talks to the older years fairly often. Jimmy’s one of the cooler ones— meaning he has a motorcycle and he let Daisuke take it for a spin once. So at least the guy’s not all bad. A nine on the Daisuke Friend Scale. You’re the ten, of course.

He just shrugs. “We’ve talked once or twice, yeah. But there’s no way he— are you sure?”

Your expression falters. “Uh, yeah, he did. There’s bruises and everything.”

“Some girls like that sort of thing.” Jimmy explained it all to him— the right way to choke, how to leave bruises that stung but faded quick, not to mention to always go for girls with uncovered drinks because it showed their open body language.

You frown and change the subject, but Daisuke’s still dwelling on it. Asking Jimmy about it later proves that he’s even better at shifting gears— he just dangles his keys in front of Daisuke’s eyes and suddenly Daisuke’s more than content to stop pressing.

There’s no way you’re telling the truth. A guy like Jimmy doesn’t need to do all that to fuck a girl. She must’ve just gotten more than she bargained for. 

Sure, Daisuke’s never actually done it before, it being sex, but he’s watched more than enough porn to figure it out. Girls in porn always seem to look like they enjoy it, they moan and cream and squirt as they get their asses and faces slapped red. 

Daisuke would probably get more play if he wasn’t such a nice guy. Jimmy has that bad boy persona going for him, Daisuke just gets friendzoned. Knowingly or not, he starts to learn from Jimmy.

That’s what he’s thinking about while at this party. He’s been unable to peel himself away from all the people that want to talk to him, it’s a miracle that he breaks out of the crowd long enough to get to you. You’re hugging the wall, no one to talk to but him. You don’t make friends very easily and Daisuke’s more than willing to fill in the gaps.

You offer a smile, a half-full solo cup dangling from one hand. Daisuke has to pause when you lock eyes. That dress makes you look like sin, he has to pick up his jaw from where he dropped it. Sure you’re both just friends, but Jimmy said that girls become friends with guys because they like them— and you seem to like him enough.

His pick-up lines and plans of attack all fade away the closer he gets to you, until all that’s rattling around in his head is the thought of you. What you’re wearing under that dress, what position is your favourite— normal things to be thinking about your best friend.

“Do you want to get out of here?” He asks, tugging on his collar.

Daisuke watches your shoulders settle, the anxiety sweeped away. “Thought you’d never ask,” you grin, downing the rest of the drink and taking his hand.

Instead of guiding you back to his extremely unsexy Jeep, he takes you deeper into the house, away from the mass of milling party-goers and towards an empty bedroom.

“Uh, Daisuke, where are we going?” You chuckle nervously.

He glances over at you. “Just getting some privacy.”

“Okay.” You say, not much else on your mind as you take a seat on the bed together.

You flop down against the mattress, laying sideways along the bed. You must not notice how your dress is riding up and Daisuke doesn’t have the heart to comment on it. Are you like those porn girls? Are you?

Your hand moves into his field of view as you tug your dress down and sit up. Fuck, you caught him. You lean closer, enough to pillow your cheek on his shoulder. “...Daisuke? What’s up with you? You’ve been acting weird all night.”

“Ah, I dunno. Guess I’ve just got a lot on my plate.” 

“Yeah? What are you thinking about?”

He looks at you, his eyes dragging down, down, all the way to your tits. Daisuke glances back up. “I uh, like you.”

You blink at him, the silence feels deafening. Daisuke’s brain catches up with his words and he starts to panic. Floundering, he leans in and kisses you.

Your hands brace on his chest and you make a confused noise. He just crowds you against the mattress, feeling his dick growing unbearably hard. He pulls back, blood pounding in his ears. Holy shit. He can’t believe he just did that.

You let out a shaky breath, blinking at him. “I don’t think I like you like that, Daisuke. I like us as friends, you know?”

Yeah, he knows. He was hoping something would change. His hand slides up your calf to your knee, pushing your legs apart to allow him between them. “Just once? Can we… just once?”

“What? No, Daisuke, I just said—”

“I deserve it.”

“Excuse me?” Your chest rises and falls heavier. You’re scared.

What would Jimmy say? What would he do? How does Daisuke course correct? “You’re just so beautiful. I want to touch you.” Shit, he sounds like a fucking creep.

You sit up on your elbows, moving to get up. “You’re drunk or something. Let me get you some water.”

He needs to take control of this situation. Daisuke plants his arms on either side of you, one hand lifting to cup your pussy through your underwear. You freeze, looking up at him. “I won’t hurt you. Just let me–”

“I am not letting you have shit! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” You try to weasel away from him, but he still tugs your underwear down in the struggle of flailing legs.

This is his chance. He’s already fucked up the friendship, what’s the worst thing that can happen next? Your underwear has a little wet spot in the center. Maybe you do want him— you just can’t admit it.

Daisuke can’t help himself, pressing his body to yours, his hand slipping through your pussy lips as you wriggle and squirm. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispers, sliding down his pants and pressing his cock into you.

You grit your teeth. “God, Daisuke, what the fuck?” You’re crying, looking up at him with your eyes full of betrayal.

But he’s in his own world now. “You’re so pretty. So pretty. Needed to put my dick in you– fuck—,” he gasps, his hips pressing flush to yours. 

It’s so much better than how he could have ever imagined pussy ever feeling. How do those guys in porn not bust immediately? You’re wet and warm, squeezing him tight in the midst of your panic.

“Daisuke, please,” you beg, voice shaking with each thrust into you. In a different context— the one Daisuke’s imagining— it would have turned him on. You want him. You’ve always wanted him.

If he was ever listening over the course of your friendship, he’s definitely not now. He buries his face in your shoulder, moaning airy praises as he fucks into you like a dog. Shallow, abrupt thrusts as he tries and fails to get used to the stimulation.

Lucky for you, it hardly lasts more than a couple of minutes before his dick slides out of you, cum-covered. He watches the added realization wash over your face.

“Daisuke, fuck, please tell me you didn’t—” You scramble back, the creampie leaking out of you and staining the sheets. All the evidence you need of what he’s done to you.

He tries to get closer. “I’m sorry, shit, I— What can I do—?” 

“Don't come near me," you spit and Daisuke knows the friendship is well past over.

He’ll still dream about you, fuck his fist to you. You can’t stop him from doing that.