#so that if there's a time where i really want to do something that requires Materials

[menacingpolkamusic]

I think many women and queer people fall into the trap of treating men nearest to them as a stand-in for the patriarchy they truly hate, because the men closest to them can actually be hurt. The alt-righters threatening to rape them can't.

Unless you're like, Catholic and/or really want to, you're not required to love someone who hates you. I'm sure there's a different strategy to getting through to that person, and that's probably something male allies should take on.

But as for men who truly want to be allies but are intimidated because of women's frustrations (no matter how valid!), such as this man on the Chewed Gum show asking how to model positive masculinity + his feelings on the man/bear question, Alyssa Ljub had a great response (abridged version):

[[READMORE]]

[...] My brother [...] struggled a lot with being a very like sensitive, emotional kind of guy and that manifested as being angry and defensive when he was a teenager and through his more younger adult years, now he's 32 and a full adult and he's really understanding that what he's wanting to express is a more full range of emotions, but he didn't feel comfortable doing that because he was falling into that same mental pattern of that's not manly, men don't cry [...]

In the process of writing the TED Talk, I had given it to my brother to read and he went over it and [...] he encouraged me to look at it again and every time I referred to these like really atrocious things that had happened to women throughout time [...] he encouraged me to look at it and really consider [...] is "man" the word that I want to use, is it because men did this or is it the patriarchy, is it this system that we've created.

And at the end of the day, he was right because we all are victims of this same mentality, like this patriarchal mind space is the reason why [...] you are not super comfortable expressing a full range of emotions or it took you a long time to get there, similarly with my brother and similarly with how we all [choose the] bear and then we have a hard time understanding how men can't see it.

It's all the same system, it's the same machine and so there's a part of me that's always sort of like, it feels good to join in other voices that are able to say "bear and fuck the men who don't understand and that's not my job to teach them" and blah, blah, blah, like there's part of it that will always feel like turning the knife and it feels good for that moment but that's not actually a productive conversation and [...] that's not helping anybody.

And so the other part of it is, okay, [...] we're in this dialogue and [...] oh my gosh, men don't actually see it, they don't really understand why we feel that way and if they can't really understand it and they're in the same system that we are, it kind of is our responsibility to explain because if we don't, we're leaving them to their own devices to figure it out and when they're left to their own devices, they're at the hands of the same system that's telling them to shut down their emotions, be defensive and ignore what we're describing as physical risk that we feel with with strange men and that's not helpful, that's not helping anybody grow.

And so it's frustrating to some women, [...] "I shouldn't have to explain that" and I 100% get that, that's so valid but I think in this conversation, when we talk about how we move forward from how we have pushed men into being a specific type of person that is fitting into [...] this prototype [of] being really tough and minimizing emotions and unable to be vulnerable so that they can appear strong, when we've put men into that space, what pulls them out of it is vulnerability and softness and care and saying it's actually okay for you to want to be emotional in this time and it's actually completely okay that you're hearing this argument where people are saying bear over and over and you're like, "what the hell, I worked so hard to be the kind of man that people would be comfortable around and [...] I worked so hard to undo everything that I was inundated with as a child, like, and you still said bear?"

[...] I would encourage anybody who's listening who has that reaction of like, "I don't want to have to explain it to people. And if they don't get it, that's on them." I would encourage them to also consider how productive that conversation is. And if you, in that very moment, wanted to be productive. Sometimes we're like, "this is not worth it, I don't feel like having this conversation," whatever, that's fine [...]

I feel like that's the biggest thing that is inhibited for so many men in this system. They're not given the permission to feel everything that they want to feel and have a safe space where there might be an adult or a therapist, whatever, whoever is around them to say, "it's okay that you feel that way. And at the same time, the reason why women are saying bear is because even though you're a safe space, the information that we have, the statistics that we have about how many men are not is enough to make me say bear."

[...]

But I think at least in the way that I've experienced this conversation, especially with someone close to me, like my brother, where I've grown up with him obviously, and I've known him my whole life and seeing what made the biggest difference for him was allowing him to feel vulnerable and feel the full range of his emotions and actually process them through. Like actually see [...] "these are all the things I'm feeling and this is how we're gonna resolve it. And now I've learned something because I've actually resolved this feeling."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[kitkins13]

shared from Click's subreddit:

Trump actually cheated and there's time for a recount but we need to act NOW!

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheClickOwO/s/KTdyrF1AdD

idk how accurate any of this is but if even some is true I really hope something can be done

(post text is below the cut)

Not enough people are talking about this and there's still time.

Trump did actually cheat and someone compiled all the evidence on twitter: https://x.com/Espaking2/status/1854287198331515005

Edit:

If you don't have twitter, this will show most of the thread but may not have the entire thing: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1854287198331515005.html

People are reposting and saving it because from what I saw in the comments, Elon has been deleting any evidence against trump tampering the election.

- Trump said a few weeks back that he didn't need anymore votes, that he had more than enough.

- Trump also said he had a 'trick up his sleeve' to win.

- A bomb scare was called into areas where voting was taking place, so people would flee the areas and not vote.

- Ballot boxes were then set on fire by trump supporters.

-20 MILLION Ballots went missing. People only just got emails today about their ballots going missing, their signatures suddenly not being accepted, or some outright being destroyed if they didn't vote for trump.

- Trump has a long history of lying, cheating, blackmailing and bribing people to get what he wants.

Kamala was in the lead to win but literally after these ballots were lost and after the russian bomb scare, somehow trump ended up with the highest republican vote in over 20+ years.

- Russian software used for rigging elections was found being used.

All of the evidence is in that tweet but I've also saved a copy of everything in case Elon attacks that post too. There's a link to contact the white house and to (politely) demand a refund due to the evidence of trump cheating:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Submit directly to the president.

Click the first option, select your reasoning as election security.

State these pieces of information as a paragraph:

-32 fake bomb threats were called into democratic leaning poll places, rendering polls to be closed for at least an hour

- a lot of people reporting their ballots weren't counted for various reasons that are not very sound seeming (signature invalidation, information that vote counter could not have had)

This all occured in swing states (PA, Nevada, Georigia, ETC.)

- This is all too coincidental that these things happen and swing in his favor after months of hinting of foul play

- Directly state that an investigation for tampering/fraud is required, not just a recount

Again, there is not much time, please, please, please make this spread like wildfire, there's still time to do this!

(trigger warning, SA

(trump is not a good person. Aside from a history of the above and dodgy legal activities, he also has a long history of SA towards women and children. Trump is a convicted p*dophile and project 2025 will strip away the rights from anyone who isn't a cis white man.

Please, please, please spread this information, read through the twitter evidence thread and share it. There's still time to demand an investigation but we have to act NOW

[skele-bunny]

Thinking about College AU Terzomega....

CW - Teacher/Student, all are consenting adults!!

Terzo is one of the few Emeritus siblings that works at the college. Theater and theater make-up! Very big in the arts studio and occasionally drops by the other departments where his siblings are. Omega, a senior getting his medical degree, two very different departments that only met as he was staying after in one of professor Primo's class to finish a test he was absent for when Terzo showed up.

Hearing him babble on about his own students, something about a new pallet destroyed. Omega just... Can't help but keep looking up at him, locking eyes one too many times. Omega finishing up his test and turning it in, smiling and thanking both professors and leaving, only for Terzo to follow him after.

"Hopefully he's not pulling your leg too much, hm?"

"Oh, uhm, no, Sir."

Terzo just babbling before finally turning, offering a card. "There's auditions happening in a couple weeks for The Glass Menagerie. You should consider it." Eyes him a little bit. "Hope to see you soon."

Omega just flushes a bit, watching him walk the opposite way, eyeing the card again. He just glances at the card before continuing on his way. For DAYS he's staring at the card, so glossy in black and gold, eyeing the number on it just as much. He's much, much too busy to really do this. He has tests bi-weekly, classes nonstop... But, why not? Give himself an outlet like he's been needing. Never been a theater kid, so why not a theater adult?

Calling the number, and it's picked up fairly quickly. "I-I was interested... About the auditions?"

Asked to meet in a few days, and eventually Omega is sitting awkwardly across from him. Terzo scrolling through his academics before agreeing, looking at Omega a bit more before reaching into his desk and pulling out a script for Jim.

"Just try it! Couldn't hurt."

Oh.

Oh he's terrible. Terzo listening with an eyebrow raised before reaching back in his desk and offering stagehand sign-ups.

"That bad, huh?"

"Oh, very much so. But I admire it! You gave it a try, so that's what important."

Omega laughs a bit and nods, reading over the new sign-ups, talking a bit back and forth but he can't help with his cheeks getting red as they keep talking. Terzo leans over some, smiling, head tilted.

"Would you like to get some coffee? We can discuss more about the responsibilities later, as I have some more people to go through today."

There's a bit of a blank stare before a nod, and personal numbers exchanged. When they meet, it's a bit awkward, but Terzo stays true to his word! Explaining each requirement, each job and his responsibilities.

"Heavy lifting will be required, of course... But someone of your stature?" Looks him up and down and Omega IMMEDIATELY goes red. "You'll be just fine."

It's not too bad, actually! Omega enjoys moving props, assisting the actors and getting to watch behind the scenes. Coffee meetings continue, and before Omega knows it, there's something else there. Something warm and comfortable. All it takes is him reaching forwards for a cautious hand hold after a few months.

There's a pre-performance party a week before the show, and Terzo is there just as bar patron but happily indulging with his class. Omega's never been one to bury himself in alcohol, but his nerves keep rising from classes and let alone the fact he's SO close to his new boyfriend who's also their professor... In front of everyone. It's embarrassing!

Wanna know what's kinda more embarrassing? Drunk rambling to your professor how much he's made you happy and you want to keep going.

What's even more embarrassing? Waking up in his bed.

Terzo settled so comfortably on his chest, Omega just staring at the ceiling as he tries to figure out what to do. He, eventually, settles on holding Terzo tighter, burying his face in dark hair and agreeing that the situation is a thing for not-hungover him to deal with. He just wants to spend time with his secret lover for a bit.

[sammyluvr]

sweet smile — sam winchester

cw : fluff, gn!reader, detective!reader, transfem!sam, barely any dialogue, mentions of death/violence, not proofread, also definitely not my best writing but that's okay, no y/n, 1.9K words. requested !

summary : it's almost startling how quickly you develop a small crush on the most gorgeous fbi agent you've ever seen when she comes in to help solve your case.

on nearly any occasion, sam stays out of the local police stations during cases as much as she can. and usually, with her pantsuit and fake fbi badge, the police are as glad to see her go as she is to leave. but sitting next to you and your meticulously constructed evidence board, she doesn’t mind spending extra time here.

you’re the lead detective on this case, and sam finds you both sweet, cute, and clearly very intelligent. sam’s pretty sure that she and dean are dealing with a wraith this time around, but even without the knowledge of the supernatural, you’ve managed to compile an impressive amount of evidence and string it together in a way that actually makes sense. she thinks that this might be the first time that normal detective work might actually lead her and dean straight to the killer.

so, sam sent dean off to go check out one of the crime scenes while she stays here, listening intently as you carefully explain each and every detail of your evidence board. she can tell that you’ve gathered enough information to actually start seeking out suspects. of course, you’re still unable to fully explain the cause of death, but otherwise, sam can’t help but be highly impressed with your work.

not only does she get extra help in searching for official suspects—you’ve cleared her a spot on your desk across from your own seat and offered your help doing research—but she’s also blessed with the pleasant sight and sounds of you explaining everything to her. you’re rather endearing as you talk, and the blinds in the office are open wide, letting the mid-morning sunlight cast a bright line along your profile each time your head tilts to a certain angle.

she gives you a sweet smile when you're done explaining. any other day, with any other person, she’d give a kind, polite smile. there’s a difference. and, of course, you wouldn’t know that, but the smile sends your heart racing anyway.

“thank you, detective,” she says, sincere and unrushed. now that you’ve given her all the information that you have, she doesn’t need to stay any longer. but she wants to take you up on your offer. she wants to sit right across from you on your small desk and whatever excuse she can get to keep watching the way your fingers fiddle with the hem of your shirt or hear your impassioned voice as you do everything you can to be sure that the victim’s families receive closure and justice.

“of croup se,” you smile back, hoping that you at least look like your composure remains intact. internally, you’re undeniably freaking out about how absolutely gorgeous she is. “thank you for making the trip over to help us out with this case. i really can’t help but feel like we’re missing something big. this cause of death is driving me crazy.” 

normally, you hate the feds. but she’s so pretty and sincere that you can’t do anything but love the fact that she’s here. and she smiles at you in the most lovely way that it makes your cheeks heat up.

“just doing our job,” she says. her smile isn’t quite as life-threatening this time—your heart only skips a beat or two—but she says those words like she’s less concerned about the job part than the part where she’s helping you out. from the way her partner acted early, it seems like they don’t really spend all that much time with the local police on cases. which means she’s staying longer than necessary, for one reason or another. and she says that she’s just doing her job when her job doesn’t require her to be here and looking at you like you’re the reason. it almost feels like she’s flirting. you might go into cardiac arrest if that’s the case.

you tell yourself that she’s too beautiful to be staying behind just for you. then she grabs the chair from you that you picked for her so that you don’t have to carry it any longer than necessary. and then when she sits across from you and her long legs keep brushing against yours in the cramped space, she looks up from her computer with a pretty, bashful smile and a sweet, murmured apology.

making eye contact with her is like that tiny, pleased, and slightly childish rush one gets when quickly running a finger through a candle’s flame. it’s simple, not some overwhelming surge of exhilarating adrenaline, but you find this to be just as effective in making you feel something for her. it’s softer, like the melting of wax and slight singe on a fingertip. it’s unwise to keep putting skin to flame, even for a split moment, but her gaze doesn’t burn, you just know it. it’s too kind and well-meaning, so you figure it isn’t fire, but something akin. some sort of warmth and light that couldn’t possibly do any harm. you’ll keep locking eyes with her because everything about her feels safe and pure.

her presence is a lovely contrast to the gore and death and confusion of this case. funny, she’s been thinking the same about you. neither of you are unused to violence or dead bodies, but a pretty face to ease the eyes never hurts.

it’s a bit hard to concentrate with her right there, but you make do. there’s enough motivation in being some sort of help to her. 

the shadows cast by the open blinds shift as the sun rises to its noontime peak in the sky. it’s one p.m. before you know it, then you’re hungry and most definitely distracted by her pretty face.

you softly shut your laptop to subtly grab her attention, your gaze already waiting for hers when she looks up. your lips quirk up into a light smile, tired of frowning at police records and endless files and reports. there must be something in the air today, because the moment you have her attention, you rest your chin on your palm and manage not to break eye contact as you speak.

“i’m hungry,” you say simply, “we should catch lunch and a break.”

sam feels guilty. you look at her with this soft sort of hope, as if it would make a difference in your day to spend more time with her. there’s not really any expectation along with that hope and sweetness, like even just being friendly with each other while she’s in town is perfectly nice enough for you.

but sam knows that being around her any more than that could never be good for you. you’re looking to her for a sense of reprieve within all this death and stress of the case. she understands; she’d love to have lunch with you, preferably somewhere outside the precinct so that it can feel a little more personal. it’s just that she’s convinced that she most certainly isn’t any sort of real respite. sure, she smiles at you when she thinks you’re being cute, but her presence here represents a worse, more violent, and darker truth about your case, about the world that she hopes you never come to know of.

and yet, the look in your eyes is enough to persuade her that lunch can’t do any harm.

“that sounds like a good idea,” she smiles. she should be allowed to push down that constant guilt every once and a while, right? she hopes you suggest eating somewhere else.

you have to keep your smile from growing too wide. you hope it’s not too much to suggest eating somewhere else. “there’s a great cafe down the street, as long as you’re okay with the city’s best sandwiches.”

sam thinks it’s quite adorable the way that you come across shy and forward all at once. you look bashful while you speak, but are playful and simple without stumbling over your words. it gives her confidence, lets her wonder if flirting with you would make your cheeks heat up.

“i definitely won’t say no to the city’s best sandwiches with the city’s best detective,” she says, closing her own laptop. it was a bit of a fight to maintain eye contact throughout the whole line; her felt confidence doesn’t really remedy her inherent awkwardness. but she made it through her little quip and indeed, she’s pretty sure that she’s succeeded in making you a bit flustered.

“you flatter me,” you refute after a moment, trying to sound cool, but laughing awkwardly. if you weren’t lost in her damn gorgeous eyes, you’d cringe at yourself. she just finds it endearing.

“i’m serious,” she says, and the way her voice turns all sincere proves just that, “you’ve done some really great detective work. half the time when we show up, the police have almost nothing to go off of. usually it’s not their fault, but most places i’ve seen would have been about ten times more clueless than you are.”

heat rises up your neck, but you can’t help but feel proud to hear it. she sounds far too sincere to just be flirting. “thank you,” you murmur, smiling softly.

she pulls on the brown knee-length overcoat that she wore when she first came in, and you’d probably start drooling over how good she looks in it if you stared a second longer. so you pull on your own jacket and walk into the crisp november air with her.

the walk is short, just across the street and a few businesses down to the right. even so, you think you’d like to keep walking with her, maybe do this sometime again. it feels like wishful thinking, but maybe you’ll have another chance before she goes. it’s startlingly easy to imagine holding her hand or sharing an umbrella or fixing her scarf. she’s not even wearing one, but you know she’d look all soft and cozy if she did.

in the cafe, she orders a coffee that sounds nice and a simple caprese sandwich. tomatoes aren’t really any good at this time of year, but when her eyes skim the menu, they skip over the options with meats and you wonder if she’s vegetarian or if she just prefers not to eat deli meats.

when you sit, you call her agent, and she says to just call her sam. it rolls off your tongue so nicely, makes your cheeks feel a little warm. you insist that, if that’s the case, she’d better call you by your first name as well. when she does, you nearly choke on your hot drink. if you weren’t aware of this little workplace crush on her, you’d think you’re beginning to develop a fever.

sitting and talking with her, sharing looks out the window to people watch or sharing looks to secretly think of how pretty the other is, and wasting time to avoid going back is all soft and sweet with her. considering your nerves, it’s much easier than expected, too.

unfortunately, you can’t dawdle forever. she walks back with you, but doesn’t sit. instead, she gathers her things and tells you with a regretful smile that she has to meet back up with her partner to continue on their end of the investigation. you don’t show it too much, smiling back and nodding in understanding, but you’re certainly sad to see her go.

maybe she’ll be back.

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

you seem nice and are being polite so i am going to attempt to return the same energy: there is just no universe in which i think it is the case that the language i used, talking explicitly about myself, on my blog, qualifies as harm that i need to be morally responsible for because someone else saw it and made a series of unwarranted assumptions about me. none whatsoever. this is a principle that i hold deeply, and one i extend to you as well and to anyone reading this and to the person i blocked: everyone on earth is allowed to talk about themselves however they see fit in their own spaces. i believe we all deserve that. i believe in being mindful to some degree when we are speaking in the semi-public space that is a personal blog on the internet, and i am in fact generally quite deliberate about using first-person language, as i did in that post, partly because i know that sloppy generalizations can cause people to take posts personally in ways that can be pretty painful, and although frankly i also think many people could stand to get better at keeping it chill when a 3-line post from someone they don’t know who was probably not expecting it to go viral doesn’t encompass their personal situation, i do generally strive to avoid posting in a manner that might cause such friction. but that’s not what this was. i said “here’s what i’m doing,” and someone said, in effect, “fuck you for telling me what to do.” i simply cannot be held responsible in any way for someone wildly distorting the reality of what i said, and i am under no obligation to make any kind of space for someone whose only interaction with me literally ever is to be rude, obnoxious, and annoying directly at me. because that’s what happened here, to be clear: yelling at me about something i quite literally did not say while seeming to make a million unwarranted assumptions about me (a stranger) is a rude thing to do. it is bad behavior in no way justified by the trauma of seeing a personal post about how a stranger on the internet is thinking about the election. absolutely no one is obligated to put up with that shit. if someone wants to take the high road on the matter, that’s very nice. but that’s a favor. it’s not a requirement. if you’re going to be a dick at people - literally at me, like, if they had screenshotted my post to yell at me on their own blog not in a million years would i have responded even if somehow i found out because they would not be doing it literally to my virtual face - you have forfeited the right to expect anyone to respond to you without matching your energy.

it is so, so, so obnoxious to see a stranger talking about themselves and decide it’s appropriate behavior to get in their face and yell at them that they’re doing emotions wrong. i don’t see this as an understandable overreaction after the thousandth paper cut. i just don’t. i see it as someone behaving without any consideration for the fact that other people have interiority. and i don’t think there’s ever a situation in which we are required to greet that particular form of myopic entitlement with gentleness. there are times where that kind of thing may be at some point met with forgiveness, for, like, a person in my actual life and community, although i’d like to state for the record that my friends are almost exclusively people carrying a fuckload of shit and literally not one of them has ever engaged in this kind of behavior, because it’s actually really easy to not be an asshole on the internet. but i just can’t get behind the idea that any of us owe shit to someone whose literal only interaction with us is ever was making up a guy in their head to get mad at and being a dick to us. i don’t believe it is prosocial or good for everyone to endorse the norm that if someone takes the time to behave badly towards you, a stranger whom they don’t know from adam, the only correct thing to do is shrug it off or accept that actually it’s reasonable of them to have gotten mad at you for something you didn’t do. i believe that thinking that way does nobody any favors. i think it’s bad for everyone.

my other grounding technique is remembering that the earliest abolitionists & the earliest suffragists had no proof that the world would ever make possible what they fought for and indeed many of them did not live to see it come to pass. and yet they did not succumb to despair so it would be disrespectful to their memory to let it overtake me

[mischiefmaker615]

I Feel Like I'm Drowning

Summary/Inspiration: "I Feel Like I'm Drowning" by Two Feet 

Requester: @Nefilia_ (wattpad)

Note: i got a TINY bit of inspiration from Indiana Jones LOL when you know, you know. 

Rating: PG-14 

The heavy door swung open, having you nearly jump out of your skin and drop your pencil before your eyes landed on the second prince of Asgard in the doorway.

‘’m-my prince- I was not expecting you-‘’ you fumbled for words, a hand quickly dropping to brush your dress with any dirt that didn’t seem to exist.

‘’you normally never expect patients darling, my appearance shouldn’t surprise you either.’’ Loki chuckled and took a step into your healing room, cape brushing against the floor lightly behind him while his hands stayed clasped behind his back.

‘’right- let me just get situated- your majesty-!’’ you said and bowed your head quickly, having almost forgotten while you sucked in a breath to calm yourself.

‘’you really have nothing to worry about lady Y/N, I’m sure you’ve seen me in here far enough times to know I will not bite you.’’ Loki smirked and moved to the table, proceeding to sit on it rather than usually laying down on his back like what was normally required.

His mystery injury must not be that severe.

‘’yes well.. you just startled me- that’s all.’’ You said quietly and set down your pencil and scroll onto the table just behind him.

His head tilted to watch you over his shoulder while a hand rested in his lap, leaning more of his weight on his other upon the table while he stayed silent.

There was more silence than conversation amongst you two, both seeming to want to talk to the other but bravery falling sort to where you worked in silence. Needless to say while the other wasn’t looking, the other one most certainly was. Even now while you moved around the healing room- gathering a few common medical supplies, Loki’s eyes seemed to study you.

His expression was gentle, soft and never missing a single feature from any movement or expression you gave. Often times it would have you blush when you noticed his stares but didn’t dare talk to much on comfort terms with a royal.. you were a simple healer after all.

‘’what needs to be done today my prince?” you asked, setting down a small tray beside him on the table before moving to stand in front, your eyes searching for any form of injury.

‘’it would seem something not so exciting today, but an injury all the same.’’ Loki lightly chuckled, holding up his hand to present a small cut that ran along side his finger. It seemed fresh, blood still threatening to spill while you leaned forward to examine it more.

Loki took this small chance to fall into temptation, his gaze flicking ever so quickly to take in your chest before they switched back to your eyes when you stood back straighter.

‘’well the pleasant news it my prince, you will live to see another day.’’ You smiled and sat down beside him, the small tray being the only thing between you both while you began looking over supplies.

You often wondered why he didn’t just heal himself. His abilities were more than capable, and something this small would barely even tire him compared to if it was a much more fatal injury- which he never came in with. So far you have seen mild bumps, bruises and cuts. All in exposed places and all looking a few seconds fresh from when he would first enter your domain. Dare you believe it was just an excuse to see you and you would often laugh at the thought. A royal had better things to do than to waste time faking injuries to see not-so-special you. Which is why you didn’t hesitate to get started while he kept his hand in your reach.

‘’..Y/N..’’

His quiet voice almost felt like a caress to your cheek, having you pause to raise your eyes to find his awaiting ones. Those eyes.. enough to have your cheeks redden regardless what his intent in them was. He was gorgeous. Distracting even, and found it hard to use words around him when they threatened to continue making you look like a fool. Like now.

‘’you should think much better of yourself darling.. your far more precious than you know..’’

His quiet words had your hands still, the bandage cloth slipping from your fingers while you gazed at him with slowly widening eyes. You dared asked a royal a question- but you couldn’t help it while his eyes seemed to make you forget everything for a moment.

‘’..how do you know?” you whispered, your bottom lip being captured between your teeth while your hands moved to self-consciously play with the fabric of your dress.

His eyes lowered ever so slightly, for once seeming like he didn’t know how to answer before they raised to yours again, just as soft but this time concerned. ‘’you’ve told me several times darling.. but the words never got past your lips..’’

That’s right.. oh gods..- his mind reading abilities. Your eyes widened to the realization and your mind raced as to every little thing you possibly had thought of him that he may have read. Your eyes quickly dropped down to your lap and you saw him in the corner of your eye fidget and turn his body more towards you with a raised hand.

‘’I’m sorry I didn’t mean- …I couldn’t help it..’’ Loki exhaled, giving up any possibly thought of trying to cleverly get out of this and just chose honesty instead while he studied the side of your face. ‘’i.. had my suspicions..’’

Your brow raised and looked at him, confusion now swarming your eyes now while you took a careful breath in to speak. ‘’suspicions?.. for my feelings for you?” you asked quietly, not even daring to deny anything to the one god who could tell when you were.

‘’well.. I’ve stumbled upon that fact much more recent than upon my original intent..’’ he sighed, his eyes moving down to his own lap in thought before he moved back to your eyes, his gaze a little more serious and ready to catch your reaction. ‘’the people amongst you have voiced their.. suspicions.. claiming dark intent you may have towards the royals- who it specifically be, was unclear..’’

‘’I would never-!” you gawked, a hand flying to your mouth and Loki’s expression seeming to relax upon seeing your honest reaction.

‘’I know you wouldn’t darling.. I just needed to make sure of it myself.. so I began showing up.. faking injuries or causing some in hopes for a chance to look into your thoughts.. there was no ill intent found.. soon after your presence became favorable.. and I couldn’t quite bring myself to break my routine in hopes to get a chance to see you..’’ Loki said carefully, raising his hand and taking in a sharp inhale to where with a simple flash, the cut upon his finger was healed. He lowered his hand and drew his gaze back on you, looking guilty while you tried to hide your own thoughts.

Who was it spreading these rumors that you would betray a royal?- he’s been reading your mind for that long? ..you understood his intent, on why he would investigate.. but how could someone like him think you’d be capable? How exactly did he see you? Did this small friendship mean nothing more than just an act to find out you were innocent? Did he merely come back to play with your emotions and amuse himself?-

His sharp inhale brought you to look at him, seeing how his eyes were closed and his brows furrowed, indicating he may be in slight pain or discomfort where you immediately got to your feet and instinctually looked him over for any injuries. ‘’my prince- are you alright?”

Loki merely nodded and exhaled through his nostrils, willing him body to relax while his palms rested at his knees. ‘’I’m fine Y/N.. forgive me but I have no intent on violating your thoughts.. but your mind is loud and demands my attention..’’ he said apologetically while he opened his eyes to look at you with a guilty look.

At first you thought you did something wrong, hugging your arms while your eyes panicked ‘’I’m s-sorry I don’t-‘’

‘’it is not your fault darling, it comes with the ability and I haven’t quite mastered nor sot out the interest to shut you out.. any attempts I’ve made merely has made me feel like I have been drowning..’’ he confessed and your body slowly untensed, trying to figure out what exactly he had said with denial swarming in your gut.

Was that a confession?

‘’it’s killing me slowly darling.. but when I’ve returned here after finding you harmless and the rumors to be untrue, that feeling seems to vanish..’’ he continues and curls his fingers to be weak fists against his thighs. ‘’so I found more excuses to return here.. knowing any other way may compromise your position here due to our..’’ he paused and looked at you, suddenly making you self-conscious of your plain dress while he literally sat before you in armor and a cape. ‘’well.. amongst my absences until today. I’ve rid of those pesky rumors upon you..’’ he sighed and looked away, the door seeming more interesting in the moment then gazing upon you with the heavy confession that he favored your presence and felt guilty at it’s beginning.

You didn’t know what to say, what to do, what to think-.. your body gazed upon the prince and you felt your limbs shaking at the realization that you had felt his same longing, despite you best attempts to dismiss it with self-loathing. Despite how self-conscious he could make you feel, he’s often made you feel beautiful in your own skin, and that new found confidence was enough to have you slowly step forward until you were half a step away from him while he looked up at you from where he sat.

He manspread, his powerful thighs supporting his hands while you closed more of the gap between you. Your fingers fidgeted together in front of you, eyes looking over Loki with a shaky breath but a racing heart at what you wanted. ‘’..where does it hurt?’’ you whispered.

Loki looked at you carefully, his expression almost unreadable if you weren’t paying attention. Due to his height, he barely had to tilt his chin upwards to look at you, but seeing him all the same slightly lower filled you with confidence, especially with his compliance.

Raising a single finger- the finger he claimed to have been injured earlier, he pointed it lightly to his chest at where his heart would be.

Bending down slowly, your eyes held onto his gaze until a hand supported a bit of your balance above your knee while your other hand slowly reached out to be placed at his chest. Dare you claim his eyes wavered to try to look down the top of your dress and you couldn’t deny you caught them slipping every now and again before your lips parted. Leaning forward, you kept your movements slow and ready to stop if he uttered a single syllable at his palace position.

He didn’t.

You pressed your lips gently against the leather where he had pointed, his hand hesitating in the air and a breath drawing into his lungs at your gesture. Once you’ve raised your head with hesitation in your eyes, his admiring ones encouraged you to relax before his hand moved again.

This time he rested it at his temple, insinuating his pain what on his mind, not just his heart. Now you raised both hands to rest against his shoulders, moving your body a bit closer between his thighs while he looked up at you in awe before slowly closing your eyes. You hesitated this time, looking over his features and how beautiful he is.. he looked sculpted, every detail taken in mind and not a flaw making itself know to you.

Leaning a little at an angle, you gently pressed your lips against his temple. His skin was soft, smooth and not as warm as you would expect. His scent enveloped your senses, hinting at pine and masculinity and you found yourself hovering for just a second more before you leaned back to face him again, finding his eyes open and a small smile at his lips.

This time he pointed to his lips.

Your heart practically jumped, imitating the scare you had not to long ago when he showed up at your door but it’s also traveled down to your gut and between your thighs. The blush helped you focus rather than the growing arousal at the mere idea of kissing the prince, let alone the suggestion he was making right here and now.

This was so against the rules at your position, you could be imprisoned or banished.. despite at the prince’s request upon the act. The hesitation showed, and Loki’s expression softened to understanding while he reached up a hand to rest at your cheek, your body instantly leaning into his touch with a sudden calm washing over you.

‘’it’s alright Y/N.. I promise..’’ he whispered, looking up as if he was begging for it.

You bit your lip, truly wanting it while lust seemed to seep into our senses where it worked at convincing you to give it, don’t care about anything else. Loki’s other hand slowly reached out, running along your clothes thigh before it rested at that part just below your ass. His hand at your reach then slowly moved to the back of your head, cradling it before he offered a little bit of pressure to pull you down forward until he had his nose brushing up against yours.

His chin tilted up, eagerly meeting you more than half way while his eyes fell closed and his lips brushed against yours with teasing pressure. A soft hum left your lips, feeling a small shiver down your spine while your own eyes fell closed to relish in the sensation of his lips. He had hesitated with a gentle brush, wanting to see if you wanted this just as much as he did and you gladly gave in to your inner craving before you could think twice.

Leaning forward on your own accord, your lips pressed against his with a bit more pressure, finding them soft and smooth with all the best parts of wine that hinted in your exchange. A soft moan left his lips, eagerly pressing you firmly to his mouth before you felt his tongue gently glide across your bottom lip in which you gladly obliged.

This was no rush, no aggression, no demand. This was all running along desperation, longing and wanting. You felt yourself press yourself up against him, your chest against him while the hand at your thigh moved up to keep you pressed against him by your waist. His other hand tangled its fingers in your hair, making you shiver and moan against him while you dreamed to do the same thing.

‘’touch me..’’ he murmured against your lips, seeming to know your wants before he encouraged his tongue into your mouth with a gentle hum. He rubbed against yours, the grip on your hair tightening ever so slightly at the erotic passion while you eagerly rose your fingers up to his soft locks.

They were softer than you thought they would be and far more pleasant than in your dreams. He seemed to growl at the slight pressure, urging his actions to become more passionate while he held you as if you were going to disappear.

‘’gods Y/N.. you’re killing me so slowly when I am not with you..’’ he breathed, almost hearing the pain in his voice while his nose ghosted against your cheek to turn his lip’s attention to your neck.

‘’L-Loki..’’ you whispered, your chin tilting to the ceiling with your eyes closed while you felt him suck at your sensitive skin and hum.

Just before you gained the courage to start bringing your hand down towards his pants- there was a quick knock at your door that had you both jump and separate, a small flash in the corner of your eye that hinted he had used a quick spell to have you two more presentable while one of your leads poked her head in.

‘’Y/N you- your majesty-!’’ she gave a quick bow and straightened herself more into a better strict attitude rather than the casual one she would have given if a royal hadn’t have been present. ‘’we have a few patients that need some attention when you are finished..’’

‘’alright, I’ll see to them when I am finished.��’ Y/N mustered up your voice to sound more professional while your hands clasped behind your back, seeing how Loki smirked and crossed his arms while the lead bowed again and disappeared with the door shut.

‘’I’ll see to it that I let you tend to our warriors then,’’ Loki started and stood up to your hidden disappointment but the thought must have made him turn to face you with a reassuring look and a returning hand to your cheeks.

‘’do not worry darling, I intend on making daily visits for a checkup, perhaps I shall return tonight as to finish where we’ve left off..’’ his smirk turned almost devilish while you looked up at him with a blush.

‘’you have no idea the things you do to me Y/N..’’

DM a song for you're very own Loki Musical Mischief one shot :D 

Tag List: @foxherder13 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @fire-in-her-veinz @nervouseden @kathren1sky-blog @eleniblue @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @queenofstarsign85

[mesetacadre]

How did you start your political life or more specifically, how did you learn about communism and made it part of your life? I'd love to learn more about communism and how I could help the world and people but I feel like I'm too stupid for that and I just generally don't know where to start, especially since I'm afraid even socialism will fail and hurt people more than help. Sorry for this message but thanks in advance if you decide to answer!

Around the time I began to come out of a year-long+ depressive period, I began to seriously "get into" politics. I suspect one of the reasons which triggered such a long and severe depressive period was the beginnings of a political consciousness, I intuited something was wrong with the world in a fundamental way, especially the education system, but did not have any knowledge or will to get at that more concretely. I did latch on a lot to that "don't go to school" viral video, especially the part about how it hadn't fundamentally changed since the industrial revolution.

The first thing I found after I stopped wanting to kill myself so constantly was anarchism, actually, and specifically vaush videos. I know. but I did start reading some things, like the conquest of bread, and some more "competent" political theory content than vaush, I did really like the idea of market socialism and coops. To my credit, I also encountered georgism and even I could tell it was pretty stupid. Anyhow, I never really was convinced on anarchism, on a fundamental level. I knew the talking points, the common arguments, that jazz, but it was more a superficial belief rather than a core one. After like 6 months of this I decided to contact the party I am now, I had encountered them a couple months earlier but kinda chickened out. The will to do something more than watch vaush and be opinionated about US politics eventually prevailed and I contacted the party, and they were very patient in actually educating me, giving me some responsibility, and in the years since then I've continued to be educated in practice and theory. Generally I'm glad by trajectory wasn't like some other young people in my position that I encountered, who went from fascist to right-libertarian to US democrat in a matter of months, those people wear their lack of principles like a badge of honor.

Anyway, about your other questions, there is no such thing as being too dumb for communism, it's rather a question of a will to learn and a decent enough offline organization with which to apply some principles to your context. Theory is extremely deep, for sure, but there is no minimum theory requirement to start to get organized. This perception exists because often, the only communists who organize as such explicitly are, frankly put, massive nerds, and it gives off the impression that you need to have read all the basics before doing anything. That isn't true.

I get your concern about hurting people, I think it's a legitimate doubt to have, and one that can only really be resolved with an actual 1-1 conversation and not this format, but succinctly, I'd tell you that already, millions of people suffer and thousands die every day from causes related to the oppression intertwined with the capitalist mode of production, especially imperialism. It has killed throughout history exponentially more people than any army could ever do, even the most genocidal and cruel army you could imagine. Isn't the opportunity to end all of this worth the risk of failing? The capitalist class will oppress our organization regardless of what we do, a failed uprising is more of an excuse to clamp down on our class, and less of a cause in itself.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

The way I wanna learn so many silly hobbies!! Like I wanna be able to walk on my hands and contort and speak fictional languages, just so I can entertain people with a mystery bag of talents

But alas I am poor

no i know right. but. you do know that you don't have to pay to learn how to walk on your hands, right? or speak fictional languages? you should probably pay for a contortionist coach tho yeah

[emeraldspiral]

I think that's oversimplifying it.

I wouldn't call Dib "the antagonist", he's the deuteragonist. The secondary main character that the story revolves around, which is how I would also describe Zuko in ATLA, by the way.

His role and Zim's change depending on the story. Dib CAN be an antagonist if the story is framed from Zim's POV and Dib is the main antagonizing force or obstacle for him, such as in The Nightmare Begins or The Wettening. But this is actually pretty rare. Most episodes where the main conflict is between Dib and Zim are from Dib's POV where Zim is the antagonist, but sometimes even in Zim POV episodes like BBRP and Megadoomer the conflict is coming from his side, not Dib's. Most episodes where Zim isn't the antagonist use another character to antagonize Zim (Planet Jackers, Frycook, Plague of Babies, GIR Goes Crazy, etc...) or just don't have an antagonist (Walk of Doom, Germs, Door to Door, etc...)

Dib also actually does win his fair share of the time. In fact, I believe someone did a tally and determined the win/loss ratio between them only slightly favored Zim. Such is the nature of a show that relies on a status quo where neither character can win at their main goal.

If the question was "Who could expose Zim?", then the cartoon logic answer would be applicable because there are very clear rules in place that forbid Dib from ever succeeding at exposing Zim, proving anything paranormal to be true, or gaining respect or recognition, which do not apply to Dipper.

But there's no rule saying Dib can't succeed at anything or specifically a physical confrontation. There's a whole montage of him beating Zim up on the playground at school in ARWAM and he succeeds in escaping Zim's trap in that same episode. He wrestles Zim for his camera and wins in Megadoomer, only taking an L for the lens cap being on. He outflew Zim in Battle of the Planets (by just not being dumb enough to follow him into an asteroid field). He hacked the robot duplicate of himself and stopped Zim from using it to sabotage his father's invention. He's successfully infiltrated Zim's base/bugged it more than once and even broke into Tak's base, which required scaling a massive skyscraper. He fixed up Tak's ship (with Gaz's help) and persuaded it to resist Zim's control and save him before it decided to self-delete. He successfully tracked down Chickenfoot and proved it to be a hoax. He tricked Zim with the bologna tack, pummeled Zim with dodgeballs in gym class, got his candidate elected class president instead of Zim, and in the movie he actually got his dad and sister to show him some love and support and even got humanity to act in their own best interests for once to stop the Florpus.

If we're bringing cartoon logic into the equation, then we have to construct a whole storyline around the conflict that would have Dib and Dipper fighting and the answer would just depend on what made sense for the story. Is it funnier if Dipper gets fed up with Dib's shit and knocks him out cold in one punch? Or funnier if Dib beats up Dipper and then gets some kind of karmic punishment that doesn't rely on Dipper using force because that's not something Disney wants to promote? You probably could not write a convincing story where Dipper was the asshole and you were supposed to laugh at him getting beaten up by Dib because Dipper is supposed to be likable and sympathetic and have the audience root for him while Dib is meant to be a Chew Toy whose misery the audience can revel in.

But if we're just looking at what the characters are capable of outside the bounds of narrative restraints, Dib is a lot quicker to resort to violence and to spring into action before his opponent has time to react, is in really good shape, extremely durable, and strong enough to embed dumbells in the wall. He's actually so physically fit it allows him to get away with doing insanely reckless shit on a regular basis, like running into traffic and climbing onto moving vehicles. But he's also a genius and his inventions actually don't backfire or malfunction on him hardly ever (it's magic that tends to be ineffective or backfire on him) and he's resourceful enough that he could even survive days in the woods without any technology when GIR stole his identity in the comics.

[aeolianblues]

I'm not an extrovert. At all. In everyday life, I'm a yapper, sure, but I need someone to first assure me I am okay to yap, so I don't start conversations, even when I really want to join in sometimes! It's just the social anxiety acting up. God knows where from and why I lose a lot of my inhibitions when it comes to talking to people about music. I don't know where the confidence has suddenly sprung from. I've made a crazy amount of friends in musical circles, either just talking to people about common music or (since it is after all in music circles) talking to bands about their own music. I let out a sigh of relief any time an interaction goes well, because in truth it's going against my every instinct. I wish I could do that in everyday life

[magentagalaxies]

vent incoming:

got my grades back for my courses last semester and most of it was to be expected, mostly A's, maybe an A-, etc. but i honestly can't get over the fact that my independent study (the buddy cole documentary) was for some reason given a B. like sure getting a B isn't bad per se, I usually get at least one B every semester and i honestly don't really care about what my exact gpa is as long as i can graduate, but come on. this school put me through months of psychological torment over this project and didn't even have the nerve to give me a B+??? i'm still coping with the self-doubt they forced on me and this bullshit is not helping!!

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

one thing abt being disabled/chronically ill that some people don’t get is that sometimes body maintenance that ensures you have the absolute minimum amount of function can also be something that takes away a lot of control and autonomy. you can argue till the cows come home that making those decisions to try and help yourself (or realistically to try to make sure things aren’t worse than they already are) is something that exhibits control and autonomy and stuff, but they can be so limiting in practice because they’re things that take up so much time but have to be done to do anything else

[shiroi---kumo]

⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ Everything in this place is upside-fuckin'-down and he hates it. Fuery is trying to show him around the place with Pinkie as their guide. They got brought to another strange man he could call lollipop mk. 2 if he wanted to because even though they have described him as the word 'orange' he sure isn't what he would fuckin' call that color.

"Valo - Aamunkoitto - "

All heads turn at the new voice as there is a man of bright green hair as tall as a tree and if he remembers right he was the silent guy with tall dark and broody.

"Hey Tree Guy." The teenager injects before anyone else can answer. "Where the fuck is yer friend n' didja ev'r find sugar cube like ya said ya would?"

He watches as pink eyes lock in on him and stare for a moment. He's quiet and the teenager finds himself crossing his arms over his chest as he waits for an answer.

"Sugar Cube?" He can only say as he tilts his head in question. "I'm afraid I don't follow. Anyway I came to tell Valo and Aamunkoitto that not only did we bring the bring back safely... but Sinfonia had him."

He doesn't have a chance to explain what he means because apparently no one knows fuckin' names in this joint before the lollipop duo are near leaned over themselves at the other name that got mixed into that mess.

"Sinfonia?!"

"He's alive?!"

Tree guy is nodding and he doesn't know why this sin-phony-whatever wouldn't be. There is something here he's missing. Maybe he's important to them and they would understand why it was so imperative that he found Al some time fuckin' soon hopefully.

"Joo. He's alive. He's with Sielu right now, and His Highness is resting. The doctor put one of those sugar lines in Sinfonia's arm for the time being because he's very sour. Very very sour."

"Thank Tiamat they're finally together. He needed this."

"Maybe Sielu will finally start feeling a little better. He must be so relieved to have his bond."

⋯✧・♪♫♪・✧⋯ It's nice to hear that Valo and Aamunkoitto are here and together no less. Being without your bond is hell and it's not a hell he ever plans on experiencing ever again. Sielu is clung to him so thoroughly he almost wonders if the man is trying to push himself inside of him so their spirits can truly become one. What color would they be then?

Green probably with the yellow dominance of his orange and that would be fine with him. That would be more than fine. Then he would have the toxins required to keep away anyone in this world that dare threaten the being his heart beats for. He doesn't care if Sielu crawls right into his chest. His breath is his anyway. He's always belonged to him and that has never changed - even now - even after all these years.

But the sound of his love's voice is breaking his heart. He can hear the break in it. The fear. The uncertainty. The loneliness.

Just what did that bitch do to him? He'll tear her throat out for it the next he see her.

He can hear all of it in Sielu's voice as he begs him not to leave. Not to go anywhere. To stay right here with him and he can't think of a place he'd rather be. Sielu swears he'll do whatever he needs to "get him better" and how he'll take care of him now. So all he can do is stroke his hand gently through blue locks as he holds the smaller man as close as he can with this thing stuck in his arm and they were right - he wants to tear it out.

He wants to tear it right out because Aqua comes before whatever it is. Is it really sugar? He supposes he'll have to find out. It certainly feels like it is.

"En lähde minnekään, rakkauslaulu. Lupaan. Olen täällä ja olen sinun aivan kuten olen aina ollut."

( I'm not going anywhere, Love Song. I promise. I'm here and I'm yours just like I always have been.)

"Joten itke kaikki mitä tarvitset. Ei hätää. En jätä sinua enää koskaan. Olen pahoillani."

(So cry all you need to. It's okay. I will never leave you again. I'm sorry.)

Sitriini wants to know if he's angry with him for being late.

But it's better late than never, isn't it? He thinks so. It has him near frantically shaking his head, shoving his face into the man's side just so he can be as close as possible. It still doesn't feel close enough. It never will unless they mix their Mist, but this will have to do for now.

"Ei, ei," he squeaks. "I could never be mad at you. Not - not for this. I'm just glad you're here again. Just don't go. I'll take care of you and get you better. Whatever you need. I promise."

Pale hands twist into tattered fabric. He can't breathe in enough of the smell, yet still the floral undertone remains and he can't say he wants his bond to be covered in it - but he also can't tell whether it's real.

Maybe Revon will have an answer when he returns. It will make more sense when he can ask, even if the answer scares him. If Herba had her hands on his bond for any length of time, he doesn't know what he'll do.

He doesn't know if he'll be able to fix that kind of damage. He certainly hasn't fixed it in himself, regardless of how hard he's been trying. Maybe he needs to think about something else.

"Valo is- here. Valo. Remember, we looked for him? And Aamunkoitto and Revon. They are here. With Pilvi's human and Cid. The doctor. They are nice. I like them. You will too, I think. I missed you. Please don't leave."

[windupaidoneus]

but like i had it lined up how emet would return in my mind palace. you know. i had it allll lined up. & now im like. fuck. i gotta be real i think hed probably mold his appearance to not look like solus anymore im not sure hed rock with associating himself with that anymore after being freed from zodiark's thrall this is a little much. you know

[glittertimes]

I think I finally understand what’s at the root of all my weird little problems and why I have such a hard time connecting with my body.

I do so much work to read and be smart as a defensive mechanism because I’m a really kind caring person and that makes me a little naive and I look a lot younger than I am so I feel like people think I’m easy to manipulate.

But then there’s a part of me that feels like it’s not safe to be smart, and that sounds so weird and counterintuitive but I realized it’s because I’m terrified of being seen.

Like if I’m smart I’m going to have to act on it and challenge people and that’ll bring attention on me that I don’t want to deal with so I’ll continue to be the kind naive nice girl even if people are mistreating me because it’s not safe to be seen it’s not safe to be smart.

Like my body will not use basic protection methods like setting boundaries, saying no or standing up for myself because that requires me to get over that fear of being seen. Like my body fears being seen more than it fears being mistreated and that’s kind of terrifying.

[zelda-posting]

tears of the kingdom could have been so good if it were built around like, its story or its characters instead of being a clunky shell to show off the mechanic no one asked for that it forces you to use