#she is subjected to a lot of it but it is also not something she wants to subject another person to like you are doing what Jimmy does and

[crocky-wock]

So... my thought process when reading this post was: "Ah, another 'Those Europeans' post on my dash. Okay, what did 'we' do this time? ... Hm. Yeah, I hate when people barge in on other people's posts, too. This was about the Grinch, if you don't know it, keep scrolling. The post wasn't for you. ... The Glummdorf what? Hm. Don't know Spanish culture enough to understand this... Dutch Christmas Blackface? Hu? What's that supposed to be? ... Okay, yeah, people can be stubborn - or this was someone whose childhood memories just aged very badly within seconds for her and she had no time to digest that fact before being judged for it... whatever okay... Skimbo the what? This is the third concept in this post about how supposedly all European children (including me, once) have "Racism Claus slur down their chimney". Now, obviously I AM European. Should I not recognise at least one of these?

Now, I do know about the problem of "Indian" plays on this side of the big pond. At least I heard about them when I was little. I think they were a thing like... 60 years ago or something. But I may be wrong there. And I understand it is hurtful to have one's culture and history abused as entertainment in countries where the genocidal invaders who invaded one's homeland once came from.

I am happy to say that societal perceptions have changed since then. We're not quite there yet, but a lot has happened since and there is a full discourse going on around the subject. Involving Native Americans who live over here, I am told. And many people are willing to educate themselves on matters of racial stereotypes, cultural appropriation, etc. We are also educating ourselves on specifically American issues, as I am sure you are educating yourselves on contemporary European issues such as current migration discussions within the EU, perhaps the African-British diaspora, discrimination of Sinti and Romanies, or even the issue of "Gastarbeiters" in Germany about 60 years ago.

It just takes more time at such a great distance, I think, because these other, local issues are more pressing to most people. That's just my feeling.

I think I don't understand what the original post is trying to contribute to the conversation other than make very sweeping, generalised observations about cultures veeery unfamiliar to most people in the target reader group. And get a few excellent puns out of it. All of it feels off coming from people who are so remote and don't seem to know (or be interested in) the origin of any of these ominous traditions that I haven't heard of and am too lazy to google.

I do believe I was ticked off by the general tone of that post and I apologise. We shouldn't be fighting over tone in times like this.

my only advice is to BE CAREFUL posting about holiday traditions around europeans. you'll post something casual like "anyone else watch the old Grinch movie every year? what a classic" and a european will appear as if summoned and say some shit like "funny how USAmericans always CONVENIENTLY forget that Not Everyone On Earth is from The USA…….. no of COURSE we dont watch 'the grunch' or whatever the fuck that is…. our tradition is to attend a community showing of Glummdorf the Racial Stereotype"

[bellixpog]

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Don't Wanna Lose You- Se-Mi

Pair: Se-Mi+F!reader

Warning: Argument.

Song: Cornilia Street-Taylor Swift

Context: You and Se-Mi have been in a relationship for almost a year, but you are in a very complicated phase, where you only argue, and end up not talking to each other for hours, until one of you asks for sorry. Breaking up never crossed either of their minds, since they both know they are afraid of losing each other, and they need each other.

Words: 7k

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It was a comfortable spring afternoon. As always, the sun set later than in previous months, coloring the sky in a pinkish color, which you always admired with the eyes of someone who saw the sky like that for the first time. You were then sitting on the windowsill, which was wide enough for you to sit there, with your back against the cold wall, and your shoulder against the window glass. You weren't there just to watch the sky. It was actually to see your girlfriend, Se-Mi, get home from work.

She left work two hours ago and hasn't come back yet, which worried you, but It also upset you, since it was the second time that week. You were so lost in your thoughts, that you only came out of them when you heard the door open and saw a tall figure behind the door, sighing as she arrived home. You turned your head quickly, seeing Se-Mi in the door. You stood up and stood in front of the window with your arms crossed, looking at your girlfriend. "Where have you been? Do you know what time it is? You should have been here two hours ago, Se-Mi!". The girl with short hair sighed, and left a black bag on the dining table, sitting on the sofa.

"Working..." Se-Mi muttered, leaning her elbow on the arm of the sofa and placing her hand on her forehead, as if her head hurt. You placed your hands on your waist, taking a deep breath. "Overtime, Se-Mi?" You ask, with a wry expression, and yours met Se-Mi's and you saw the bored expression in her eyes. Se-Mi moistened her lips and sighed "Yes." She spoke, as if wanting to get rid of the subject. You freaked out. You knew it was a lie, so you just nodded and grabbed your house and car keys, opening the door. "Where are you going?" Se-Mi asks, standing up. “Going to work overtime at the beach!” When Se-Mi was going to open her mouth to say something, you closed the door behind you, sighing. You regretted it instantly.

You wanted to go back, discuss it, find out where Se-Mi was and if she was with anyone, but no. You weren't going to argue more, you have been doing it so for the past two weeks, even for the smallest things, like a towel on the bed, an unwashed dish, the time you get home, a speech that the other misinterpreted... It was being unbearable. You took a deep breath, and went down the stairs of your building, to go to your car. On the other side, Se-Mi goes to the couch, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her head in her hands, thinking about everything that had happened. It is obvious that she felt affected by everything, after all, she still loves you, and loves you a lot. She knew how your relationship was these past two weeks, so she had the idea of going to buy flowers and chocolates for her beloved.

Apparently it didn't work, as she arrived home and was immediately greeted by your deathly, irritated look. Se-Mi looked at the time on her phone: 6:30 PM. The girl sighed, going to her bag and taking out the chocolates and flowers she had handpicked. A huge bouquet of pink and orange lilies, wrapped in pink satin fabric, with an orange bow, matching the flowers. She looked at the bouquet in her hands and noticed that she was shaking. Se-Mi's delicate, long hands were trembling...Trembling with fear. Fear of losing you over these little things, fear of losing the only woman she ever truly fell in love with, fear of losing the woman who, even after so much time together, still gave her butterflies.

Fear of losing the first girl she came out to her parents with, fear of losing the woman she admired every morning when she woke up. Fear of losing you. The woman of her life. She wiped the tears that escaped her eyes and carefully put down the bouquet, going to the kitchen to drink water, feeling her heart calm down slightly when her lips touched the fresh liquid.

You sighed as you sat on the rock by the beach. As soon as you sat there, the tears that you hadn't even planned to shed simply rolled down your face. You let yourself cry, even without understanding very well what was happening, after all you were never the complicated type, you never felt the need to fight, scream or cry like that for someone. Even though you had already been in other relationships, this was new, completely new, as if it were the first one. At first it was all intense, as if your souls had known each other for years: Everything flowed well. By the second month of knowing each other, you were already very intimate, you treated each other like girlfriends and this has really gone into the dating phase! You couldn't say that you were treated badly.

Quite the opposite, you were the most precious and important princess in Se-Mi's eyes. You were always treated with care and a lot of love and intensity. There was nothing to complain about, and that left your heart at ease for many months, until now. Now, you had small or big arguments over everything or nothing, and sometimes you didn't even talk to each other for hours, until one of you swallowed your pride and apologized to the other. It affected you, it really affected you. You raised your head and wiped the tears that rolled down your cheek, allowing yourself to look ahead, seeing the ocean that reflected the colors of the sky. You sighed, running your hand through your hair and felt someone sitting next to you.

You didn't need to turn your face to look, the perfume gave it all away. And shit, how you loved that smell...But no, you weren't going to give in now. "What are you doing here?" You murmur, now looking at the girl who was looking out at the ocean with a bouquet of lilies in one hand, and her favorite chocolates in the other. Your heart sank when you saw what the girl had in her hands, but your heart tightened his grip even more when you noticed the red circles under the girl's eyes, indicating that she had been crying. "I didn't work overtime..." Se-Mi began. You turned slightly to look at her, paying attention."I went to get this. I wanted to make it up to you for these two weeks..." Se-Mi explains, lifting the objects for a few seconds.

You pressed your lips together, forming a straight line, looking at looking at the objects, and then at the girl, who was now looking at you, with those eyes full of regret that made you melt. "I should have told you I would be home later and.." The girl was interrupted by you, who attacked the girl's lips in a calm kiss, full of longing, affection and regret. Se-Mi freezes for a few seconds in surprise, but places the bouquet and chocolates between her legs, grabbing your face, deepening the kiss. This. You both needed this. You both didn't want to argue, or not talk to each other, fuck that. You loved each other, you needed each other more than anything else. "I'm sorry... Do you forgive me?" You murmur, after breaking the kiss and placing your forehead against the girl's, with a hand on her neck. Se-Mi smiled, closing her eyes and nodded slightly

"I forgive you... Do you forgive me, princess?" She asks, running her hand through your soft hair. "Only if these chocolates are for me..." You muttered, making the girl laugh. She walked away, taking the chocolates "Lucky me. They're totally yours" She says, carefully placing the box on top of your thighs "Oh really? And look... My favorites!" You say, smiling and opening the box "Your lucky day" You say and Se-Mi looks at you, her eyes shining "Oh really?" Se-Mi teases, moving closer to you. You respond with a "Mhm...", lowering your gaze to the girl's red lips.Se-Mi bites her lips, smiling and kisses your lips again, a sweet and affectionate kiss. You smile between the kiss which makes Se-Mi laugh a little. And so you spent the next two hours, sitting on the beach, eating chocolate and exchanging caresses, catching up on each other.

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I'm so gay, wtf... ANYWAY

That's it babies, hope u liked it!

Xoxo!

[stupidlittlespirit]

i've seen the "he'd never date a woman" thing with ford so much, which i think about a lot. like it's one thing to just headcanon him as gay but there are a lot of posts where internalized or blatant misogyny shine bright. one i saw straight up had multiple people going "he respects women too much to want to date/fuck them" like hello? do you realize what you are implying ab real women when you say that?

i'm not great at articulating my thoughts but i think it's especially prominent with ford because of his intelligence + unconventional demeanor. he's off-putting and a genius and didn't want to give up his work to settle down into a standard marriage with kids. women can't be weird or smart in the same way men can for example and all women want the typical white picket fence nuclear family american dream. therefore you are off your gourd if you think he'd ever want to be with a woman. so there’s that on top of the already rampant misogyny present in fandom spaces with shipping especially.

there's also the whole "gibe the oracle your phone number" / "i miss dimension 52" that could have some implications if you want but ig i can't blame people for forgetting jeselbraum because hirsch barely expands on her LOL. but basically it’s all up to interpretation and it really isn’t all that wild to think he could be attracted to women.

personally i just enjoy projecting my own sexuality onto him. “what gender are you attracted to?” don’t care. can i show you my isopod colonies. “how would you describe your sexual attraction?” uhhhhhhhhhhh (<- is probably demisexual)

So, I deleted my post because I felt like I was rehashing points I'd previously made a million times before, but I stand by it.

I want to address what you said and then I want to kind of go on a tangent (shocker, I know) about the interpretation of GF at large because I've been engaging with a lot of Lynch stuff recently, who we know was by and large the most influential person for Hirsch, and one of the biggest things around Lynch's work is the beauty of subjectiveness. I think Hirsch carries that legacy with him at the heart of his work.

So yeah, the comments about Ford 'respecting women too much' is insane. If anyone thinks that they are probably the kind of person who doesn't respect a woman anyway. If your hands sully the one you touch, perhaps your hands were not so clean to begin with, yknow? That's the vibe I always get with those kinds of comments.

Society approaches women so differently from men in this regard, as you said. Where a man is 'quirky' and 'cool', a woman is 'annoying' or 'trying too hard'. She suffers for her differences where as he profits for them. She can only commit the crime of being Cringe, and in my experience, people will forgive many things but never that.

There is certainly merit in the way in which a lot of people recognise that Ford is partial to things that are 'weird' or that are shunned by society, especially because of his hands, and that plays well into Queer culture. It's a feeling most of us (if not all of us) experience. So I can see where there connection comes and it's totally cool to hold that belief. Queer is BIG umbrella and I think he falls under it myself, what with the ace/aro stuff. We're given much more canon evidence of him being ace/aro, in fact, than of anything else. I maintain personally that canon Ford is asexual and aromantic, and that romance doesn't factor into his life in the way it does for 'normal' people. It's why when Bill mentions that quiz Ford does in his dreams in TBoB it makes me think of my own struggles with asexuality: "I'm not normal, everyone else is feeling this type of way and I'm feeling that type of way. There's something wrong with me. I'm weird. I need answers." It feels very much like Ford is attempting to understand that side of himself and is very afraid of the answer.

The Oracle stuff makes me so sad it was never expanded on more. I really love Jheselbraum and it felt like she was one of the first people that Ford met who was of higher intelligence than him, and who actually did just want to help. She extended an extreme kindness to him. Whether it was more than that doesn't even really matter. There was still a relationship formed there that can't be discounted. But again, it can be interpreted in lots of different ways.

This is the other thing. There's nothing wrong with projecting yourself onto your favourite character. We all do it. I do it. It's fun and it brings comfort. And that's okay! But that means we can all do it. So it's unfair for someone else to say "you're wrong for thinking XYZ about Ford" because we're all just kids in a sandbox playing house with these characters. You can't gatekeep someone else's enjoyment.

You can believe Ford is gay. You can believe Ford is ace. You can believe Ford is whatever you want him to be, but what you can't do is then rescind that privilege from someone else just because you don't like it or because it makes you feel better about yourself to punch down on someone else. People are entitled to their own interpretations of media, even if they make you feel uncomfortable or whatever.

Which brings us onto Lynch. Now, I'm not a huge surrealist fan, I like Lynch most for the person that he was (ugh I'm still so sad to type that). One of the biggest things about him was that he valued the intelligence of his audience and respected them enough to allow them the space to interpret his works as they saw fit. He never wanted to define his films in a way that would prevent another person from taking their own meaning from it. There was no definition, only feeling.

There's a clip of him being asked to expand on his meaning for one of his films, I forget which one, and he just replies "no". It's so fucking good because that, to me, is art. It is fundamentally subjective in its existence and the way I view something is not going to be the way someone else does, so why take that interpretation away from one to give to another just for their approval? We may align in thoughts but the way we process the media is going to be entirely different. Why? Because we're different people. Our experiences throughout our lives have informed the way we interact with things.

I think Alex Hirsch enjoys other people making their own interpretations of his work in a similar way. Just as Lynch does. Hirsch wants you, the audience, to derive personal meaning. He doesn't need (or even want) to tell you how to engage with the themes because why would he? It would only make him work harder to get a simpler point across and it would risk alienating parts of his audience. He wants the audience to connect and to find their own familiarities, and he respects his audience enough to give them the space to let them do that. He's often evasive when he's asked to tie things down firmly. To be honest, I think he should be braver in just saying "no, I don't want to answer that" sometimes. You can tell he wants to but he also wants to engage with people so it can be hard.

People are very desperate to want to have answers in black and white. They need things to be canon in order to feel vindicated, when in actual fact, an idea is just as legitimate when it comes to fiction. Fiction IS an idea. It isn't tangible and therefore cannot be quantified, so it can be interpreted however.

Anyway, by forcing your interpretation of the work onto others (ie. 'Ford would never', 'Stan would never' etc), I think you fundamentally misunderstand what the purpose of the work is. You're taking away the light of other people because you're scared yours doesn't shine bright enough. And you're scared because other people previously took your light away, but all you're doing is repeating the cycle and taking away from the rest of us.

Your ideas can coexist with others. No one is right and in that, everyone is right. Does that make sense? Idk.

I voice my opinions of disliking certain ways the fandom engages with elements of the show, but I don't think they have less right to have those ideas than I do to have my own. I interpret Bill as one way and someone else will interpret him another. That's okay. You're allowed to do that. But I don't think you're allowed to be actively vicious to others over it.

Engage with honesty and recognise that other people enjoys things in different ways, and it's okay not to control the narrative of that sometimes.

I have my criticisms of Hirsch but I also have a lot of love for the guy, and one of the biggest things I respect about him is him allowing us to draw our own beliefs. Do I think he could stand to do some things better? Yes. But that doesn't mean I don't love what I already have from his work.

I'm not sure if this makes sense, I'm having a bit of a Day, but I hope it at least reads well enough to convey my meaning.

[bambi-kinos]

Thank you for your refreshingly honest comments about Yoko Ono. I find people’s sycophancy towards her and refusal to examine her behaviour a bit sickening, to be honest. There’s clearly an unspoken rule that Yoko is off limits, which is very strange, given that no other person or subject is. Anyway, what I would like to ask you is this: to what extent, if any, do you think Yoko was herself a victim? Did she simply find herself surrounded by bad people who manipulated her (the Sams, John Green, Fred Seaman, etc), or did she seek those people out to do her bidding? From what we know of the plan she made at the start with Tony and the fact that Dan Richter (a very unsettling character in the whole sordid tale) was an old friend who she brought in as part of that plan, I think the latter. But most people on here think she’s great and that she couldn’t help being mentally ill, so hey, maybe it’s just me and my cynicism that says she’s every bit as wicked as her ex-employees claim. What do you think?

When it comes to how Yoko is treated, there's genuinely a lot of nasty history there so fans on tumblr try to tread carefully. It's not an exaggeration that Yoko faced a lot of horrible racism when she was with John and there were even moments when John had to shield her from physical harm. And she was a lightning rod of criticism for lots of other reasons. Once John died she was essentially put in the role of "grieving widow" and boy howdy she milked that forever but it also meant that people were suddenly less willing to criticize her because they didn't want to add to her troubles.

Not to mention John and Yoko worked very hard to network with up and comers once they realized old hands like Ray Connelly wasn't going to play ball with them since they were too experienced. They created a lot of journalistic careers by making the right friends in the 1970s. Many media personalities feel indebted to them and would happily throw themselves in front of a car if Mommy Yoko and Daddy John don't suffer even a whiff of a papercut. When you read Eliot Mintz's book you realize that John and Yoko very deliberately targeted emotionally vulnerable people with empty lives and no strong parental figures so that they could become a quasi-family to them. That's what happened to poor Mintz, John would scream racial slurs at him (because Mintz is Jewish) and Mintz would just kind of. Stand there and take it while John screeched and squalled trying to pretend he was still a bigshot and not a drunkard in his 30s abusing his personal assistant. So much of the public bubble you've noticed is a result of John and Yoko's recruiting tactics. Celebrities usually get a level of protection but John and Yoko cynically courted and elevated the right people to wrap themselves in adamantium.

Fans try too hard to handle her lightly as a result of all the heat she took after marrying John, especially since a bit more is now known about her life and how she grew up and how her dad didn't treat her very well. I also think that there's an element of disbelief, like Yoko's crimes are insane and outlandish, no one wants to believe that they are true. And I know from personal experience that if you try to bring outlandish but true things to someone's attention about their favorite celebrity, you immediately get screaming and hysterics. Cult think is strong.

I don't think Beatle fans on tumblr necessarily buy in to excuses about mental illness and trauma but I do think that they're scared of being criticized or being accused of racism if they're too hard on Yoko. Tumblr users are uniquely vulnerable to that sort of thing because of this website's history and demographics so they take the easy route. I don't really blame them tbh, you never know when something is going to blow up in your face and who wants to court that trouble? There's no benefit to talking about Yoko's problems and abuse of John and Sean in depth since most people are just here for the fanart.

But to move on to your question: I think Yoko was an experienced con artist and manipulator with a genuine artistic vision but I also think she got in way over her head. Yoko's thing appears to have been that she and Tony would scam John with art pieces and that's why they did insane shit like making a contract to split the earnings they got from John 50/50. Get him to buy some plastic crap (that was quite literally all the rage in the 60s "zomg plastic!!!!") and then take the money and run. But I think Yoko sensed early that John was an easy mark and that he was someone she could pump and dump. I think that Yoko started seeing dollar signs and pursued John to get a bigger and bigger payday, she was chasing that dragon.

When it comes to the people Yoko was surrounded by, it's another case of her walking in with her eyes wide open but not realizing how completely in over her head she was. She very deliberately surrounded herself with con artists just like her because she thought it would be easier to control John and fortify her power over him. There were outliers like John Green/Charlie Swan where she believed his bullshit (the man is a masterful con artist) but she was convinced that she was much smarter and savvier than she really was and that she would see through any scams. She was blinded by her pride and never realized just how many rides she was taken for. Like IIRC Charlie Swan helped someone fence a fake painting to her that she paid millions for lol. They realized that she was an easy mark specifically because of her conviction that she was a worldly and experience player. Reader, she is not.

You can see this mindset during her life with John, they were hiring people off the street to work for them and never noticed they were being robbed blind. Like she and John were hoarders to the Nth degree, they bought all those extra condos in the Dakota specifically so that had storage units for all the useless shit they bought. Hundreds maybe thousands of shirts, pants, dresses, coats, scarves, jewelry, never worn and never catalogued, never looked after. Paintings and ancient artifacts stolen from Egypt on the black market, Yoko may have purchased as many as two different Egyptian mummies. Those people that they brought in from the street learned quickly that they could steal whatever they wanted and John and Yoko would never notice. A few of them were caught but there was one case where someone lifted 5 Hermès scarves from Yoko and she didn't notice for over a month and then dragged her heels on filing the police report. Because the Hermès scarves were not actually important since she had dozens of them in the storage apartments. I imagine the staff that stayed on learned quickly that they could steal freely so long as they were smart about it. God knows that's what I would do lmao.

But the point is that Yoko knowingly took in people who were willing to steal from her because she thought she could outsmart or control them, she had no idea how to defend against complicated tactics like "I'll put this in my bag and walk out with it at the end of my shift." I have the feeling John took the theft a lot more seriously than she did. Not that he was willing to do his bit and look after their collection of high end junk, I can't imagine what all their expensive clothes looked like after 10 years in that storage unit since neither of them protected them from pests.

Yoko willingly took these people on and invited them into her home. She and John thought they could use the likes of Charlie Swan and Fred Seaman and the Sams the same way they used journalists like Jann Wenner. What John and Yoko did not realize is that journalism is Hollywood for ugly people, that journalists are uniquely deficient in character or backbone and that journalists are always on the look out for a new Daddy and Mommy to pat them on the head and say "good job son!" Journalists and Hollywood actors are the same, they have holes in their chests were Mom's love and Dad's pride should be.

The problem for Yoko is that the scam artists she hired were extremely skilled, experienced, and ice cold. I love Charlie Swan's book Dakota Days and I believe every word of it (I can repost my review of it if you like) but especially because he coldly shows how childish and self absorbed John and Yoko really were. While they were faffing around doing rich people shit like flying around to random cities based on one guy's bespoke numerology, Charlie Swan grew up having to work for a living before getting into the astrology business. He knew what it was like to work difficult jobs for little money and even attended university and earned a degree in a time before universities became diploma mills. He was savvy and educated and lived an entire life before meeting John and Yoko, got spiritual fulfillment and assurance from his magickal practice. Charlie Swan did not have a hole in his chest where Mom's love and Dad's pride should be. Which meant he simply could not be manipulated the way a journalist can be manipulated. And Yoko Ono could not comprehend this and could do nothing about it. Nothing she said or did had any power over Charlie. She couldn't do anything to him and he frequently scammed her out of millions all while laughing up his sleeve. She thought she could control him but the truth is he had her completely under his thumb. Kind of amazing actually.

The thing that has always baffled me about Yoko is how easy it is to kick her around and stand up to her. John Lennon too as a matter of fact, I don't understand this handwringing and moaning and fear around his "great wit." I grew up on 4chan, I know people who could turn John inside out with a well placed photoshop. It's genuinely baffling to me that Yoko and John were not savagely and relentlessly bullied. They should have been. It lead John and Yoko to develop inflated egos where they thought they were genuinely intimidating. They never realized how pathetic and easily taken in they were because everyone else found it more useful and lucrative to scam them. It's fascinating that Yoko willingly brought these people into her life with John and never once realized that there was a problem.

[himbopunk]

For hakim: i think the concept terrifies him cuz hes scared of commitment so itd take a little bit post-game to feel comfortable with the idea but eventually the idea that he wants to spend his life with lucanis nests in his brain and the second lucanis proposes he Will say yes. (Not sure how this is working with the neve throuple situation. i feel like shed be similarly a bit touchy on it and i feel like hakim just barrels into the subject one day like. Hey neve you wanna get married and shes like what the hell rook). i feel like the wedding would be in antiva, though rook would kind of prefer to do it back in rivain, i think theres a certain amount of appeasing caterina that has to be done. he is wearing as much as his rivaini gold and such as possible though. oh god i want to design wedding outfits now.

i think esp w the throuple sitch that the actual ceremony is done first fairly privately, so its like caterina, illario (lol), teia, viago, the veilguard so davrin, bellara, emmrich, taash, i'm undecided if they ever manage to track down hakim's dad but if not theyd leave a seat open for him and harding despite knowing they wont be there & isabela is there cuz shes the closest thing hakim has to family at this point. i dont. Know if neve has living family i never remember seeing her talk about it??? shrug. maybe rana and tarquin show up. uhhh strife, antoine and evka. thats it. the reception though? oh buddy the reception is a party, tons of crows, lords, raiders and even some shadow dragons in one place means someone is getting poisoned (alcohol or otherwise) and something is getting blown up by the end of the night.

traditions wise i feel like its mostly a traditional antivan wedding that teia and caterina did most the planning for with rook occasionally throwing in some must haves for rivaini like. theyd all be tiny superstition things you do at weddings like to appease spirits n such. which is funny bc i dont think hakim generally comes off as superstitious but hes a sailor at heart i guess. i think seer rowan officiates also for this reason. i think neve has some little things she brings to it as well but i cant. Think of anything specific other than like food and attire

for iktom... he heard that dialogue w harding and emmrich where emmrich says hed hoped hed get married someday and is immediately hearing wedding bells. he struggles to wait until the endgame to ask about it and i think emmrich and him had both mentally prepped a whole thing on how to approach the subject but in reality what happens is theyre doing a small mission in arlathan or something helping out in the postgame and when they defeat whatever it is iktom blurts out DO YOU WANNA GET MARRIED and kills emmrich on the spot DHFKSKGKS trying to figure out who the funniest third person to be here would be. i can picture bellara there like omg... i dont think iktom cares Where the wedding is, though i dont think he wants a huge to do about it. i think it happens in nevarra and its a fairly closed event... more than Just Family probably but nothing spectacular.

emmrich does a lot of the planning, iktom only has a small handful of anderfel traditions to add to the mix (i think his first wedding was mostly dwarven in tradition so they may be things he didnt get to do then and kinds regretted not doing) (i think theres like One qunari thing also he talks to taash about cuz the qunari dont exactly. Have marriages under the qun so?? but maybe theres other ideas of partnership n such or a symbolic gesture that still works & emmrich is very excited to incorporate). I know emmrich is going to serve absolute cunt in the outfit he picks god. iktom is going to pass out. i feel like one of them cries. iktoms outfit is fairly plain in comparison but maybe has a little flair cuz lucanis helped with it. get him a nice little like shoulder cloak situation idk.

i think antoine and/or evka officiate the wedding, mamfreds the ringbearer For Sure. a bunch of mourn watchers and a handful of spirits that emmrich is friendly with are there, including hezenkoss' skull fsr. handful of wardens, iktoms father if hes still alive by this point. his ex wife, and staalgard (who is buddies w his ex wife And harding atp so.) i think illario viago and teia show up with lucanis and neve. (at one point illario starts flirting with iktoms ex wife and lucanis warns him hes playing with fire) (if bouquets are tossed taash reaches over everyone to grab it and harding is very flustered about it)

Hey, hope you all had a good weekend! Unfortunately, it’s Monday =/ Fortunately, it’s time for Rook Intro Hour! 🍀🌺🌼🌸

How it works: I ask you a question about your Rook(s) and you answer it with as much brevity or verbosity as you desire. You can do this whenever you want, and I’ll reblog it + add some comments! There’s no time limit— if you want to do the older ones, they are collected here! (The post is updated on Fridays!)

Today’s Question(s): Does your Rook want to get married to their LI(s)? Do they care about where? Is there a specific tradition/traditions they want to follow, when they do? Who would they invite? What would they wear?

Have fun & thanks for sharing!

[qqueenofhades]

Regarding "Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956", would you say you were consciously reading it with an eye to reviewing its technical merits, ie reliable sources, and analysing them well, or was it more reading for pleasure - or indeed, are the two one and the same? Or is it something completely different to any of those?

I read it for a couple reasons, first being that I am currently focusing on Eastern European history, politics, and international relations in the new degree, and second that it is something I am genuinely interested in both on its own behalf and for present-day resonances. So I am reading it as a trained historian but also because I am interested in the subject and want to learn more, so it's not like I'm just confirming stuff that I already know. On which, a few quick points on how to read like a historian:

I admire Anne Applebaum's stuff a lot, and it has earned external acclaim: for example her previous book Gulag won the Pulitzer Prize. This is a good indication that an author has legitimate credentials and strong research about the topic at hand, and that it has been recognized by multiple international experts and prize bodies. Obviously, not every book needs to have won the Pulitzer to prove its usefulness, but it does mean that it comes from a historian who has received thorough and positive peer review on the highest level. I also recommend her book Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine.

Next, she is upfront about how she approached her sources, where she found them, and the language and access logistics. She is based in Warsaw, speaks Polish and Russian, and was able to directly translate sources in those languages; for Iron Curtain, she names her research assistants/translators in Hungarian and German and which archives they were working in. She notes that it took six years to write the book because of the necessity of consulting these far-flung document archives in different places; she has also conducted some in-person interviews. There is an extensive bibliography and direction for future reading. As well, despite the complexity of her subject, she is a very clear and easy-to-follow writer; someone who was approaching the book and knew relatively little about the regions or the major research questions would be able to follow along. I have recently read several history books where I was interested in the topic and wanted to follow along, but the writing was unnecessarily murky, unclear, or convoluted, and which made it difficult to keep up, even in those books written and published by a popular press.

Next, while she obviously wants to explore the problems of these societies and the phenomenon of totalitarian government in detail, she attempts to present both perspectives: both why these societies were initially attractive, the social and political factors of destroyed postwar Europe that enabled their implementation, and what ordinary people thought and experienced in response. While she is very clear that this was a Soviet effort based in Moscow and based on Stalinist principles, she also underlines that it was not just a situation of one-way agency where totalitarian principles were being unilaterally imposed on a hapless population without any local collaboration or support. She explores the reasons why local East German/Polish/Hungarian authorities decided to cooperate (or not cooperate) with the occupying authoritarian power, how people in each of those places did the same, and the fact that the totalitarian project was indeed made possible largely because of this collaboration (and when the collaboration was revoked, it instantly ran into major difficulties). That is an important lesson for the present day when we are looking at those organizations, corporations, and individuals that have already pre-emptively offered their support to a fascist government, and are acting in happy accordance with it.

As such, in short-ish summary, there are several ways to read a popular-press history book: for the analysis of technical/historical skills, to consider how the narrative is presented and the conclusions that are drawn, the bibliography and resources that are offered, simply because I am interested in the topic and want to learn more, and because it has important lessons for the present day. So yes.

[moonblossom7]

Baby Daddy!Logan thoughts

Wolverine x AFAB! reader

a/n: go into all of my x-men fics n stuff with canon as a mere suggestion :) this one's pretty ok,but yk. For future reference.

contents: fluff, girl dad!Logan,a kid b4 marriage(accidental but wanted),slight angst sprinkled in,lightly suggestive in one bit but it's not full nsfw or anything

🌸 Logan didn't mean to get you pregnant and he was honestly upset when you first found out. He was happy for you,bc you wanted kids but he didn't think he deserved to be a father.

🌸 Once he decided he was sticking around (because let's be honest,there was some part of him that thought leaving so you could find someone better was the move) he's very attentive.

🌸and I'm not just talking "oh,he goes to every check up and rubs your feet" I'm talking he will hike ten miles in the snow at 2 a.m if you're craving something specific and will return with a smile on his face because yeah,that was tough but you're growing a kid,which is harder.

🌸really wanted you to have a home birth,mainly because he doesn't trust medical situations,especially if you and the baby are also mutants. (and if you still do it at the hospital,he is fucking VIGILANT. He's watching every fucking thing that happens like a hawk.)

🌸you have a girl ofc

🌸he's never really been around kids this little,so for a long time he doesn't know what to do with her.

🌸he uses Jean's Facebook to look at parenting tips(he later learns this is not the greatest source),and consequentially ends up buying a ton of stuff that your daughter is too young to even need off Marketplace (bikes,clothes meant for much older kids,rain boots,jungle gym,etc.)

🌸he hates!! Hates!! those little tutus that seem to be on every little girl onesie, he thinks the tulle is scratchy and how on earth could someone subject their baby to that?

🌸a lot of the clothes your daughter winds up wearing are pretty gender neutral and frequently thrifted or bought from small businesses. Logan says this is because modern,mainstream baby clothes are "Down right fucking hideous,who designs this shit?"

🌸he makes some of her toys. A small set of wooden blocks here, a patchy ugly teddy bear there. He just doesn't love the unnaturally bright colors and loud noises that most baby toys come with,plus,he's got a lot of affection he doesn't know what to do with.

🌸hates late night diaper changes with a passion. He only just started sleeping without nightmares,and the baby won't even let him get a full 8 hours?? He takes all of them though,because "you do the more important stuff"

🌸big fan of the way your appearance changed,btw. I personally think he's always been the type to find stretch marks and some squish attractive,but the fact that these are from you growing his little girl makes it all the more beautiful.

🌸he is not,however,a fan of having to wait until you're healed up for bedroom stuff. He can do it, he's not an animal,but you're just so fucking gorgeous and he's so fucking happy. But,your health comes first, and he's not so stupid as to think he knows better than you on this.

🌸he doesn't quit smoking,but does at least start going outside and wearing a different jacket when he does it. He always washes his hands and face after he's done before he does anything near the baby.

🌸since this is *my* personal x-men canon, we're going to say that Laura is around the mansion somewhere and is not overly hyped about the baby sister. She's a little possessive over her dad,as some little girls are. (She'll get over it soon,especially once the baby is old enough to play with)

🌸Logan takes the baby on adventures once she's old enough to not get sick over everything. He'll pack a bag and disappear with Laura and the baby for a few hours,with very little explanation, and come back with a snoring toddler and a 10 year old covered in mud.

🌸he's happy that this kid has his mutation in it's organic form,instead of being injected with metal. however,it does make her stick out a bit visually. (she begins to display it at around age 11,with claws that aren't super sharp at all compared to Logan and Laura)

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

ok so that's it lolsies. Lmk if you want anything else with this idea or any specific scenarios.

[jk1spring]

I have a request if you’re willing to draw them. My OC is an icewing-rainwing hybrid named Opal whose scales are most bright red and deep blue, with patterns like spilled water in white on her wings and other spots on her neck and body. Her spikes and mostly on her tail and the edge on her wings that helps her fight. Her eyes are also blue and she has little jewelry, a clear glass bracelet and matching earrings. She has venom, and she LOVES reading, is bold, talkative, smart, sometimes mean to enemies, and fights well. She has a boyfriend, a dark red skywing (possible nightwing ancestors, doesn’t really matter but like it’s fun) named Sun. He’s also fairly big despite his young age, and has a spiral pattern in much lighter reds down his neck and wings. He something like a choker that’s black and gold. He loves history and fantasy, has a bit of an anger problem, terrible self esteem, is nice and enjoys hunting. Both are around 7, and that’s about it. May I come back when I invent friends for them? Just two friends.

here you go!

during their time at the compound sun lost his choker and has a habit of using his illusion mask to make it look like the choker is still there. Opal is a main form of communication between the other subjects and often sells information gathered with the invisibility power of her information mask. She sells the info for extra food that sun needs.

(realizing sun looks a lot like kestrel. Feel free to send me the new ones you make + everyone else's OC's!)

[reginaphalangelobster125]

Little Braids

Peter Parker x Platonic Parent Figure Reader

Summary: You tell Peter about your braids and he wants some.

Warnings: very angsty, still mourning over major character deaths

Notes: This is set sometime after DSMOM, reader is some kind of immortal being (could just be a longer lifespan than humans, like Asgardians), reader has magical powers, reader and Peter live together

Word Count: 1,017

You stood at the sink, washing some dishes when Peter came out of his room. He had just woken up so he was sleepy eyed and his hair was messy and fluffy. You looked at him and smiled for a moment.

"What?" He laughed out as he noticed you staring.

"How come you always put gel in your hair?"

"I don't really like the fluffy thing"

"Really? It's so cute!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you look adorable when you come out in the morning with your fluffy bed hair"

"I have kinda thought about doing something different but I don't know"

"I think you'd look great"

"Thanks. While we're on the subject, why do you always have little braids in your hair?"

"They're for the people I've lost"

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything"

"No, it's okay. Most people don't care or sometimes don't even notice, it's nice to talk about them"

"Oh okay, well then, who are they for?"

"The two behind my ears are for Tony and Nat, the two at the top of the right side of my head are for two old friends from Asgard"

"You know people from Asgard, that aren't Thor?"

You laughed lightly at his intrigue "Yes, I knew many people in Asgard. These two are for Thor's mother and brother"

"Loki? The guy who invaded New York?"

"He wasn't always like that, something bad happened that made him snap. He was actually very sweet when he was younger"

"Did you spend a lot of time with him?"

"Yes, Frigga taught us magic, I can't even count the hours Loki and I practised seidr together"

"That's the magic you use?"

"Not all of the time, I used a variety of mixed magic. Some seidr, some mystical arts Doctor Strange magic, I never know what they call that, it's had a few names. I have magic naturally within me as well"

"Like Wanda?"

"Yeah, like Wanda"

You look down for a moment, remembering your old friend "See these two braids on my left, those are for Wanda and Vis, and the two smaller ones next to them are for Billy and Tommy"

"Who are Billy and Tommy?"

"Wanda wasn't very well after what happened to Vision, no one would be, and she used her magic on a small town"

"I remember that, it was on the news"

"Yes, well, she also created fictional children, Billy and Tommy"

"Oh"

"The thing is in every other universe they're real, just not this one"

"Oh, is that why Wanda went kinda...."

"Yeah, yeah it is"

You took a deep breath and gripped the kitchen counter tightly, sending a small crack through it.

"Shit, not again" You muttered under your breath.

"I can go to my room or go patrolling if you want"

"No, it's fine. I need to be able to deal with this eventually"

You took another deep breath and smiled at Peter "So, you wanna do something different with your hair?"

"Uh, yeah"

"What are you thinking? I used to be a hairdresser for a while so I can help"

"You were a hair dresser?"

"Yeah, I think it was the 1950s or 60s on earth at the time, I get a bit mixed up when I go from planet to planet"

"Wow, that's pretty cool"

"Thanks, so you got any ideas?"

"I kinda really liked your braids, you know, how they mean something. If that's okay, I'm sorry, I just shouldn't have said anything"

"No, no, that's fine, it's kind of one of the cutest things ever. You wanting to be like me, because I'm a super duper amazing role model"

He let out a small chuckle "Yeah, you're pretty fantastic"

"So, do you want one for Tony and one for May?"

"Yeah and um I though maybe two little ones for Ned and MJ, I know they didn't die but"

"I get it. To you they are gone. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything"

"I get it, there are universes to save and you were busy"

Neither of you said anything for a moment, the tension made the air feel thick.

"Wait, who's the other braid for, the one sorta near the middle?"

"Steve, I still visit him but, he-he's not the same. The Steve Rogers I knew has been gone for a long time"

"I'm sorry"

"Ah well, it's all a part of getting older I suppose" You joked as you bit back the tears forming in your eyes "So, four then?"

"Yeah"

Peter sat down and you put the braids on the sides of his head, just above his ears. He got up to look in the mirror and came out with a big smile on his face.

"These are amazing, thank you"

"N-no problem, kid"

"What's wrong?" He saw you sitting on the couch fiddling with your hands and sniffling.

"Nothing, 's fine"

"Did I do something wrong? Is it the braids? I'm really sorry"

You looked Peter straight in the eyes and cupped his face in your hands "Peter, you never need to apologise to me, I'm here for you no matter what and I'll always be here for you. You are more than I ever could have asked for and you make everyday better. I want you to feel comfortable with me and I don't want you to feel like you need to apologise for everything"

"I just, I feel like I mess up everyone's lives just by being in them and I-I don't wanna lose you too"

"Sweetheart" You said softly, quietly.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and placed your hands on the back of his neck, stroking his hair gently. You planted a small, sweet kiss to the top of his head and rested your head on his, holding him close for a moment. His arms moved to your waist, hugging you back tightly, too afraid to let go.

"In case you hadn't noticed, my life can't get much more messy"

He laughed softly through quiet sobs.

"I love you Peter Parker and that will never change"

"I love you too"

Tags:

@impetusofadream @goldfishthegr8 @avengers-official-recruit-agent @goreygirl03 @xenasolos @sparklyturtlefox @rios-sythe @nekoannie-chan @ilovemarvel12 @hayneyney @n3ponen @8812-342. @everyonesfriend @pinkthick @craftytacopiecash @meryuniverse

[theambitiouswoman]

Hello! 🌞

May I ask you, how do you deal with gossiping?

I need to be true with myself, a lot of times I find myself gossiping, sometimes about people, sometimes about myself to people. And this had me ruined professionally, people found out something that I told. I was very sad, and learned. I hate this feeling, and really just wanna change. Yesterday a coworker of mine came to me and said stuff like: hey do you know what it’s happening between x,y,z person?

I just found out disgusting, because this was the same person the spread the rumors that I have told her, thinking she was listening and keeping to herself, and I thought she was a friend. It’s really hard because I don’t feel I can trust people.

I get how gossip can be entertaining, but the more you focus on yourself, the less you care about what others do. You should be so focused on your own world that you have no idea what’s going on outside of it.

What’s rarely talked about is the energy behind gossip—it spreads negativity. It lowers your vibration, creates an energetic loop, and keeps you tied to things that don’t serve you. When you stop engaging, your energy feels lighter, your mind clearer, and you attract better conversations, people, and opportunities.

Instead of gossip, speak life into people—say good things when they’re not around. Change the subject when negativity starts. What you give energy to grows. Negative conversations = more negativity in your life.

Decide that from now on, you are someone who does not gossip. People will stop bringing it to you when they realize you don’t engage. This builds trust and respect—the kind of person you want to be.

At work, coworkers are not your friends. Share just enough to build rapport, but don’t overshare personal details. Your coworker already showed you who she is—she spread what you told her and now wants to gossip again. You don’t owe her engagement. Try:

“Oh, I actually don’t keep up with that stuff.” (Shrugs off the conversation)

“I hope everything works out for them.” (Neutral but dismissive)

“I’d rather not get involved.” (Direct boundary)

You also mentioned gossiping about yourself. Oversharing often comes from craving connection or validation, but in the wrong hands, it can be used against you. If you don’t have a trusted friend, vent to your journal or work on resolving the root issue.

Right now, you don’t feel like you can trust people—and that’s fair. But the real lesson is to trust yourself first. Trust yourself to hold your tongue. Trust yourself to choose better company. Trust yourself to be the kind of person you respect.

[azrakaban]

Heather - Lorenzo Berkshire

A/N: Happy heather day whores have some words on a screen (yes i know it's very late shush your mushes)

A/N pt2: GUYS I GOT A SWEATER. Also! A note for Americans, a JUMPER is what English people call Sweaters. Which is why Enzo says that!

Summary: You get a sweater <3

THE WHISPER IS FROM PINTEREST!!!! NOT MINE!!!!

..............................................................................................................................

"I still remember

3rd of December

me in your sweater"

-Conan Gray

..............................................................................................................................

December 3rd! An insignificant date for most adults. Had you asked them what was special about the date they would shrug, shake their heads in search of an answer. Perhaps they would tell you it was twenty two days until Christmas.

However, ask any teenager, muggle, wizard or squib, what was significant about the date, and the returned answer would be "Heather Day!"

And here it was. Heather Day. 3rd of December. Almost as bad as valentines day for the single population of hogwarts, who would spend another year freezing in their own sweaters. You were one such person. 

  As you walked to the great hall, you unconsciously shivered as you saw couples wrapped up in each others sweaters. You tried to keep your head down as you passed Alicia Spinnet tugging on Katie Bell's quidditch jersey, a happy smile on her face. 

You were sure a lot of people didn't even know why the trend happened each year, which song had prompted it, which artist wrote the song. YOU DID! Being a massive Conehead came with: A) the unfortunate disadvantage of having to see everyone pretending to like Conan for a day, and B) knowing exactly where the trend came from and being ever increasingly cold each year you didn't receive a sweater. 

It seemed silly to most - insignificant in the grand scheme of things - but it niggled at you, and you found yourself wishing, just once, someone would wrap you in their sweater. "It's just polyester," Astoria told you after receiving a sweater from Pansy, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face for long. 

In truth it was never just polyester, for anyone. It represented so much more, that someone trusted you with an item of theirs, wanted you to wear their things, to share something with you. It represented being loved, liked, wanted. And to not have that yet? It hurt. 

In the build up to the fateful date, people had discussed it with an air of casualness, but everyone was hoping for a sweater, naturally. You'd talked about it in the common room with Pansy, Astoria and the others, but unsurpringly, most of the guys zoned out as soon as the subject was breached, Mattheo even going so far as to fall asleep. 

So yeah, you didn't have much hope of receiving something from anyone in particular. COUGH COUGH MR BERKSHIRE.

..............................................................................................................................

It had snowed that morning, and it didn't show signs of easing up with the snowfall, resulting in a very cold Hogwarts. You weren't wearing nearly enough layers.

In the afternoon, you'd decided to go to a corner of the library, away from all the so called 'study dates' that were taking place. Thank god nobody tended to encroach on your little corner, as it was so far back in the library that few people could be bothered to walk all the way there. 

To your chagrin, that peace was soon disturbed by footsteps. You listened carefully, eventually identifying the footsteps. They belonged to your friend Lorenzo, Enzo only to friends, and your theory was proved as he rounded the corner and sat down on the opposite end of the window seat you were perched on. 

"Thought I'd find you here." He said quietly, getting comfortable. You smiled over your books at him. "You were right. What's up?" You dropped your eyes back down to the book infront of you, shivering slightly. 

"I was just kinda- hey are you shivering?" Enzo frowned, looking concerned. You tried to still yourself to no avail, and shook your head.

"No, nuh uh, why would you think that?" You forced a smile onto your face, trying to hide your chattering teeth. 

"Liar, you're cold, here, have my jumper, I'm too hot anyway." He said, pulling his jumper over his head and passing it to you. 

"Oh, thanks." You tugged it over your head, heart beating wildly. Did he know what it meant? What it symbolised?

He smiled, a real smile. None of that forced look he had when forced to speak to someone. He wanted to be there. "It looks really good on you." He murmured, looking over you in it. You felt your cheeks get warmer, and prayed he couldn't tell how his comment made you feel. 

"You know, there's a party tonight. You think you'll go?" He says quickly, looking up at you, hair flopping into his eyes. You thought for a moment. "Maybe. Think I should wear your jumper if we go?" You teased. 

He looked up in surprise, then grinned, his cheeks turning a shade pinker. Not that you noticed, you were too busy rethinking every conversation you'd ever had while waiting for his reaction.

"Actually, yeah, like I said, it looks really good on you." He answered, running a hand through his hair. 

"Maybe I will then." You smiled faintly. He grinned back at you, then checked his watch. 

"Ah shit, I'm gonna be late for Quidditch practice. Ah well, catch you later y/n, nice knowing you, Mattheo is gonna murder me." He stood, pressing a quick kiss to your hair before hurrying away. 

You sat there frozen for a few moments before it registered. He had kissed you. On your head. BUT STILL! He'd never done that before, it must have meant something right? RIGHT

..............................................................................................................................

Later that day, just after dusk, you were staring at the jumper in the mirror. "Okay lovely, jumper off, you're wearing this." Pansy stated, throwing an outfit to you. You hesitated, catching the bundle. Keeping the jumper on would mean a lot to you - but it would also invite questions - ones you hadn't even answered to yourself yet. Taking off the jumper was your only option. 

You tugged it off, before heading to the bathroom to change. Astoria smiled at you and Pansy nodded approvingly once you emerged. "Gorgeous as always." Astoria commented. "Well duh, I picked the fit. Come on, party's already going from the sound of it." Pansy said, gesturing to the door. 

You all headed downstairs, and your eyes immediately met the brown eyes of Lorenzo like you were magnets. Because of this, you saw as his face fell slightly when he took in your outfit, sans jumper. Mattheo noticed this and and patted Enzo on the back in a gesture of comfort. Enzo sighed and disappeared into the crowd as you began to head in his direction. You paused, a little hurt, before going back to Pansy and Astoria, joining in their conversation. 

Throughout the night, you caught his glances, only for him to turn away. The common room was cold, and you regretted leaving his jumper. Eventually, you had enough and ambushed him, sneaking up behind him while he was talking with Blaiseand tapping his shoulder. 

He turned, saw who it was and immediately forced a small smile. "Yn." You looked so hurt. Enzo was faking for you now. What happened? 

"Why are you avoiding me now?" You tried to seem curious, but the hurt flooded into in your voice. He picked up on it too, flinching barely noticeably. 

"It's stupid." He sighed, brushing his hair back from his eyes with his fingers. "Not stupid if it means I get my best friend back." You offered, and he tensed. "That's what you want is it y/n? A best friend?" He said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Blaise winced and skedaddled away. 

"What are you trying to say?" You pressed, confused. He groaned. "Nothing, it's stupid, can you just forget about it? Please?" He answered, looking slightly upset.

"I don't want to. You're upset with me, and I wanna fix it." You said softly, looking up at him with pleading eyes. He sighed, meeting your eyes. "Fine, but not here." He led you from the common room, taking you towards the boys dormitories. Theodore looked over and grinned. "AYYYYY FINALLY!" He cheered, before Enzo sent him a murderous look and he quickly shut up. 

Eventually you reached the boys dorm for your year. You sank down onto his bed, quickly noticing what seemed to be every jumper Enzo owned on his bed, you frowned, but weren't given time to think as he started talking.

"Look, I don't wanna mess anything up, but I think we're a little past that now. You're not wearing my jumper." He said plainly, letting his hands fall to his sides. You looked surprised.

"I can go get it, if you want?" You offered, trying to fix things. He shook his head, sighing. "No, y/n, it's not the same, now you're wearing it because you feel obligated, not because you feel what it represents." He avoided your eyes.

"Enzo, what?" You said softly. He looked back at you, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"When you were talking about the 3rd of December, you said that giving someone your jumper meant you liked them. That it was as good as declaring your undying love for someone or something..." He said, as it started to register with you what was happening. 

"Enzo I don't underst-" You began, but he cut you off.

"No but I think you do, y/n. And it's okay, I give you my jumper, no biggie, just basically tell you in your own language that I really like you, and you wear it, so I'm mistakenly thinking that means you like me too. Then at the first opportunity, it's off, and you clearly didn't mean what you think. Maybe you were just cold after all. And hey, that's fine, I don't wanna screw up what we have already, but it sucks, you know?" He said frustratedly, pacing up and down infront of you. 

"I didn't think you knew what it meant." You whispered, catching his hand as he paced. He looked down at you, surprise flooding his features. "What?" He murmured, taking your other hand in his.

"I thought you were just doing it because I was cold, I didn't think it was because you liked me. I didn't know you knew what it represented." You said, upset obvious in your voice. "I took it off later, even though I didn't want to, because keeping it on meant admitting to myself and to Pansy and Astoria that I like you." You whispered, squeezing his hand. 

"Oh." He breathed, realisation dawning. "Yeah oh." You said, rolling your eyes with a slight giggle. 

"You like me?" He asked, smiling. You nodded vigorously and he crushed you into a hug. When he eventually released you, he was smiling widely. "So will you wear my sweater?" He asked, cocking his head with a smirk playing at his lips. 

You nodded, standing. "I'll go get it." You tried to stand, but he pulled you back down, grabbing a random sweater from the bed. "No, wear this one." He gently pulled it over your head carefully. "There. Now you have two." He murmured, smiling. He looked down at your lips, leaned in slightly, hesitated, then committed, pressing his lips to yours in a gentle kiss, which you reciprocated happily as he grinned into it. 

You pulled back eventually.He pulled you from the mound of sweaters on the bed, which you looked back on. "Any particular reason every jumper you own is on your bed?" You giggled, and he flushed slightly.

"I wanted to make sure I gave you the right one. Now c'mon, let's show everyone your new jumper, hmm?"  He smiled, and led you back downstairs, clad happily in his jumper. 

..............................................................................................................................

A/N: I KNOW I'M VERY LATE TO HEATHER DAY IDC BRO 😔

[dykedvonte]

I think depictions of Anya being cruel to Curly or drawing out his suffering are artful and chilling but completely miss the point of the story and her character.

I'm not saying she doesn't deserve to have that "I told you so" moment with him but not in something callous or cold. Even if that is how it happened, she'd immediately feel guilty cause at that point she's not tormenting her tormenter or even the person truly at fault. She's doing something cathartic, similar to how Jimmy likely hits Curly to release rage he can't against the rest of the crew. She'd see herself as no different when she'd come back from the moment and see Curly cowering at her. She wants someone to take responsibility but how does being cruel to the defenseless help? Why would she want the power Jimmy has over her over Curly?

The idea of her extending someone else's pain is just so against the struggles she already faces and how she can't even bring herself to cause someone pain even to help them. Her very desire is to release herself from her own suffering and I doubt she'd even fine some sort of guilty release in being cruel to another.

[littlecrittereli]

So I was reading this transcript of an interview the Kratt brothers did and at one point Martin talks about how he almost became a veterinarian, but ended up changing his mind and becoming a zoologist.... so I raise you.... TEAM MEDIC MARTIN?????

Bro carries around a slew of random medical supplies on him at all times. (Just like the creature power disks nobody understands how he can remember where everything is but he's always handy with exactly what he needs)

Chris skins his knees climbing up a cliff? Martin's got bandages and antibacterial spray.

Koki burns her hand while tuning up the Tortuga? He's got burn cream and a cool towel and making sure she compresses it for at least 10 minutes

and God forbid someone in the Tortuga so much as SNIFFLES in his presence. It's bed rest, soup, and fluids from there.

And beyond that, I think he'd be very knowledgeable about natural remedies too. They ran out of cooling ointment for their sunburns? its okay, they can use the aloe vera plant sitting in the window! Aviva is nauseous because she's had nothing but redbull and coffee for 2 days? peppermint oil and ginger tea!

Just like how they learned from the Orangutans about the leaves that relieve muscle sores, Martin would pull a lot of inspiration from nature's remedies.

[kristoffs-lullaby]

At the end of Everything, hold onto Anything

[butterfly-ribbon]

been thinking of ppl saying that mizuena should've been in a yuri or josei manga that isn't popular which is a sentiment i understand bc yes a hypothetical mizuki akiyama that exists in a yuri or josei manga would probably have her transness made explicit i guess (absolutely not guaranteed tho imo considering the amount of transfem manga i've read that quickly veer into third sexing u_u) but even if i accept this premise at face value i'm not fully onboard with it bc i feel like her character exists best in something like prsk bc she exists as a response to trans girls being into things like love live, revue starlight, bandori, etc. it's in her metanarrative…

not saying gacha game writing is always good … a lot of ppl often say it's frustrating how much it expects you to fill in the gaps (bc that's part of audience engagement) and ena5 was arguably gachapilled abt it but i think it makes sense. gacha thrives on implied queerness bc even when the writers are passionate about what they're writing abt they can't risk alienating executives and wider audiences bc writing queerness in something 'mainstream' is often complicated? so it's not always the writers' choice? i think mizuki is pretty Explicitly transfem though. the only "issue" with her writing to me is that they don't let her say this, which i also only consider a problem /at all/ bc when she's outed it's pretty explicit? gacha often has very character driven writing … the queerness is often also an Audience Draw. i wish they would at minimum call mizuki a girl. textually. i want ena to call her a cute girl … though considering how many ppl go "ano ko", she's getting called a cute girl all the time lol.

with that being said, i think the picnic event is one of my main examples of things that make me go,,, mizuki's character works best in the context of something like prsk as a response to things like bandori bc it's about a tgirl vs cgirl idols. that mixed events inherently highlight mizuki's circumstances as "othered" by society around her and the inherent complications of her own life vs others. ppl compare mafuyu and toya sometimes also but it's so bare bones by comparison bc mafuyu is literally in a dissociative cPTSD fugue at all times. it's about so much more than being forced into a life goal she doesn't want. everything about how her mother has raised her has warped her as a person. made her unable to see healthy or more objective realities. mizuki and mafuyu both have wanted desperately to die and disappear. mizuki even now … struggles so much with that and being around "normal" ppl is hard for her bc of it bc no matter how she tries, she can't be a normal girl. an average girl. so she has to be abnormal or exceptional. no in between. how she exists in contrast to bandori is so genuine in that engagement with gender and i specify bandori bc it's colopales other game.

going back to the picnic event i love the moment when they're eating the food airi prepared and talking about how airi and shizuku are "idols who are capable of bringing others hope", but then mizuki quickly goes from admiration to somberness, wishing she could be the same as them ... and even when the others bring up the music she makes with her circle it doesn't do much to cheer her up? it reads so much to me as a trans girl struggling with an inherent sense of inferiority amidst cis girls who have never had their own girlhood questioned in the way she has and can thus take so much for granted! ena might be really ruthless and mean in a way that is atypical of femininity and airi may have struggled with not being traditionally feminine and was bullied for failing to act out "proper" girlhood, but she still has a very different experience from mizuki and neither can compare to the constant transmisogyny and degendering that mizuki constantly has to go through every day and having her identity denied so vehemently on a systemic level.

it's so pointed to me bc mizuki is an idol fan and has that genre awareness ... the way trans girls often connect with media like mahou shouio and idols but despite their love for it, still feel an inherent sense of alienation due to being an Other ... bc there's a separation between "liking these girls and these things" abstractly versus actually meeting them, and i think it's interesting that there's literally no way in the context of this game that any of these girls could be idols and trans, specifically bc mizuki is a trans girl who can't be one and this game predicates a major portion of its story around mizuki As A Trans Girl! if mizuki tried to be an idol, she'd be outed and harassed! that's a fear she already has to live with when she's making music with niigo even though it's safer due to its anonymity. transness and idols don't have to be disconnected of course, but her being a trans girl who's a fan of this stuff who's disallowed the opportunity to directly take part in them is So fucking important. her engagement with all of this.

this is an event about ena's relationships with other women but also how mizuki exists in the borderlines of girlhood ... how no one else is so prepared as she is for things going wrong and how much she has had to take on undue responsibility in the world at large just to "exist"... she's protected at home but everywhere otherwise, she always has to take responsibility for how others see her, how others project onto her, how others expect her to act, and the event ends with mizuki still declining ena's offer to join the group call with airi and shizuku bc it didn't resolve anything ... bc simply repressing her own insecurities and fears in the moment to rescue ena and airi bc it's more important to act didn't help in the grand scheme of things when this is something mizuki is always expected to do! ena did it out of kindness, but it's terrifying to be invited to a group trip with her childhood friend who is actually a cool and beautiful idol, and then for another beautiful idol to be there. and both of them are so pleasant and sweet and nice. how is mizuki supposed to interact around ppl like that, after all?

the mizuena in the picnic event is so fucking vital bc of ena trying to give mizuki comfort but making her more and more discomforted, which is good buildup to my footsteps, your destination. it's about how mizuki still exists on the fringes of girlhood even when someone is actively making effort to make her feel "included" and the invisible yet uncrossable barrier that exists between her as a trans girl who loves things like idols and idols themselves (who are predominantly cis girls). airi and shizuku are very sweet! but it's… kind of agonizing, bc airi was already ena's "friend" and mizuki feels like she has no place in the lives of others and wouldn't deserve to be ena's friend if ena found out about her transness, which is why she clings to the plausible deniability around her gender status. airi is someone who can bond with ena and be close to her much more easily bc of their shared experience with misogyny, but this is something mizuki has to struggle for much more even though the misogyny she struggles with is even more Amplified due to how the [trans]misogyny she experiences is often denied and erased even among other girls...

[sneakyfox55]

To The Moon Beach Ep spoilers

just. just. thinking about the fact Beach Episode implies the rest of the games were all in Eva's memory this entire time. she's reliving it all so she can get to this point on the beach with Neil. all so she can live in a memory with a him that in reality has already been long gone. hhhhhhh