#tags that make no sense if you don’t know the context of this post >

[awakefor48hours]

In Black Clover, you’re bi. The only choice you get is -sexual, -romantic, -lingual, -gender.

[sammygender]

im new here- is dean abusive?

imo yeah. smarter people than me have written dissections of the way he treats sam & others (he’s also Awful to his psuedo-son jack, but i haven’t gotten to that season yet), i’ve probably reblogged a bunch of them.

he certainly doesn’t mean to be & i don’t say it to condemn him as a person or as a character & i’m still very attached to him & he loves sam very much (not that that makes a difference in whether u abuse someone or not) - but the way he treats sam a lot/some of the time is emotionally abusive and sam is clearly badly impacted. s4 and s8 come to mind as his worst moments also ofc moc era - after that there’s less interpersonal conflict (up to where i am at least) but that’s because sam mostly stops disagreeing with dean not because dean actually gets much better <3 spn is cycles of abuse show after all. family is hell. dean’s learnt pretty much everything about how to behave from his abusive father and as a result. well. cycle continues

[binders-and-beanies]

Why do people like. Make me feel weird about being attracted to people my own age. Like I’m 24 and I’ll say that someone who’s like 22-26 is cute (anyone younger than like 21 is probs a no for me) and people will be like um they look like a fucking child you freak. Like sorry not everyone I’m attracted to looks like someone’s parent? Sorry I wanna feel worthy of people in my age group being into me too? I’m in college and want the life experience of having partners who are also in college? But then when I have partners who are 30+ people tell me I’m a victim. Why is everyone so ready to make trans and disabled ppl feel creepy for not just being fuckin ace I don’t get it WHO am I supposed to like

[hamilando]

ੈ✩ red, orange and white (smau) ੈ✩

pairing :carlos sainz x fem reader ( piastri best friend )

summary : the admin is confused whether to support red, orange or white

fc: Thylane Léna-Rose Loubry Blondeau

a/n : This is a series, let me know if you want to be tagged in future parts ! it was requested anonymously, thank you for requesting it 🫶🏻

·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ✩ ･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ✩ ･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ✩ ･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ

liked by user1, user2, user3 and 1,399,278 others

mclaren to have someone look at me like lando looks at the trophy, LANDO NORRIS WINS THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2024

view comments

user1 the caption got real chat

user2 admin, we need to talk, YOU DO NOT EXPOSE ME LIFE LIKE THAT

mclaren oops 😬

user3 LETS GO LANDO

user4 admin, can we get more pics of Lando and the trophy ?

mclaren anything for my fans ~ lando

user5 who is the admin!?

user6 @ mcynburger, it’s private tho

user7 the username 🌝

user8 the whole grid follows her 🗿

user9 she is pretty popular with the fans as well, she joined the same year as Oscar, they are besties

user10 friend goals 💪🏻

user11 admin, will you make your acct public ?

mclaren can’t take away all the attention from little lando and oscar

user12 WHA-

user13 I can smell tea ☕️

oscarpiastri Admin, this a professional account, meet me and I will show you who’s little

mclaren chat, things got serious

user14 COMING TO HELP YOU ADMIN

landonorris aren’t you supposed to be Oscar’s best friend y/n?

mclaren who is that ? It’s just admin here

user15 not lando exposing her

user16 I wonder how Zak feels after seeing his company account used for bestie fighting 🫶🏻💀

liked by ospastry, chillijr, hamsandwich and 178 more

mcynburger mama @ lilyz and papa @ ospastry please buy brother a shirt

view comments

norizz you are just jealous of my muscles

mcynburger shirtless picture coming up

ospastry Y/N NO! LANDO CAN YOU NOT !? Y/N STOP DOING SHIT THINGS AND NO NUDE PICTURES FOR GODS SAKE !

chillijr blonde really suits you !

mcynburger thank you so much Carlos 🧡🫶🏻

lordperceval lando, mate you just got lucky 🫷🏻

mcynburger YOU DID NOT JUST -

norizz bury your grave mate

lordperceval what-

mcynburger WE STAFF WORK SO HARD TO GET THE BEST CAR, AND YOU CALL IT LUCK !? THE engineers WORK THEIR BRAIN OFF, THE PR’S MANAGE ALL THE SPONSORS, THE finance TEAM MAINTAINS THE BUDGET AND THE SOCISL ADMINS ENSURE THAT THE FANS GET JOY AND YOU CALL IT LUCK !?

lordperceval o my lord, I am extremely sorry

mcynburger wait, till I post a Ferrari hate post in the official account

hamsandwich please don’t hate Ferrari 👍

mcynburger only because the goat it going to Ferrari 😤

chillijr my unemployment ?

albono hellooo!?

chillijr forgot I joined Williams

mcynburger it’s ok, I will post a william love post because Carlos is going there 🫶🏻

liked by chillijr, alexmieux, ospastry and 247 others

mcynburger hate the tifosi driver, not the tifosi red

view comments

chillijr me too hermosa?

mcynburger YOU ARE NOT TIFOSI ANYMORE 🫶🏻😤 I will never stop loving you 💪🏻

ospastry can you like stop romancing him ?

mcynburger stawp, I need to find a date to go for your’s and lily’s wedding

lilyz aww, Oscar is all giggly now

mcynburger send pics * money on the way *

lilyz I would never - * sent *

ospastry I have said it hundred times, STOP STEALING LILY

mcynburger my ring finger is for lily, middle one is for you

norizz index for me ?

mcynburger how does the index even work ?

norizz number 1?

mcynburger number 1 what ?

maxtheax driver? No.

hamsandwich fashion sense ? No.

ospastry best friend ? HELL NO.

georgie British accent ? No.

chillijr romantic? No.

norizz I AM BRITISH 🙄

mcynburger ok stop, no one bullies norris and oscie if it ain’t me 😗

alexmieux you look hot

mcynburger out of context but not more than you

lordperceval my gf is the hottest

albono 👀

max1 👀

mcynburger NOT ANOTHER FIGHT

mcynburger ALL GIRLIES ARE HOT, MEN ARE EW ( EXCEPT OSCIE AND CARLOS )

liked by user1, user2, user3 and 1,484,389 others

mclaren the end of this season is sneaking up like the third pic 😮‍💨 8 more races before the constructors 🧡

view comments

user1 admin favours Oscar 💀

user2 well, she is his best friend ?

user1 huh?

user2 he said in an interview, his best friend joined mclaren because of him

user3 a girl bestie ?

user4 RED FLAG OSCAR

user5 can you guys let one couple of friends stay sane ? not all men cheat with the girl bf

user6 I think Oscar should be the worried one because y/n is always after lily

user7 Zak will cut her salary after the last pic 💀

mclaren I got a bonus 🧡

user8 ADMIN, MORE LANCAR CONTENT

mclaren done, your majesty 🫡

taglist : @sainzzreputaticn @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @goldenmclaren

@taliya8346282844eliviahdgdajs @formula1-motogpfan @npcmia @hc-dutch

@nuccibeboo2 @amberjazmyn @nataylia-f1 @fastfactory @sltwins @hoeforlifee

@scarletwidow3000 @kissesandmartinis @d3kstar @mayusaatma @willowsnook

@forza-dolce @tellybearryyyy

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Why did they change Fellow’s and Gidel’s name for EN but not Rollo’s? So weird you’d think they’d at least be consistent and change all the names or none at all.

[Referencing this post!]

hchfxbjsbajCgwhq Deep breaths, everyone 😅 Deeeeeeep breaths…

I know a lot of us might be displeased with the name changes (moreso with Fellow’s than with Gidel’s) but let’s remember that, at the end of the day, they’re just names. They’re not erasing the original names, they’re not changing the context of the event story, and no one will force you to use the new names if you don’t want to. Your feelings are valid, but please be mindful about how you express them (because unfortunately I fear it can very easily veer into insulting or talking down to the localization/the localization team or fans who don’t mind/actually like the name changes 💦 It is partly for this reason that I did not include the other asks I received on this topic, as they could be needlessly inflammatory).

That being said, here are my thoughts on the matter: initially, I didn’t like the names. My automatic thought was that they sound like a corny 4Kids dub where they changed the Obviously Japanese Name (ex: Ichigo) to something Very Western (ex: Zoey). However, I’ll also be the first to admit that I also initially found the Japanese names odd because who names their kid FELLOW?? It’s like naming someone Person. I’m used to it now, but it definitely took me weeks and weeks to consider “Fellow Honest” a full name.

I’ve seen some people say that Fellow and Gidel’s names are meant to be silly sounding (and so the localized names are actually fitting), but I don’t agree with that sentiment. To my knowledge, no one in-universe ever laughs at their names or says they’re out of place. If the names were intended to be perceived as silly, there would be remarks indicating this. For example, “Tsunotaro”/“Hornton” IS silly because characters make explicit mention of how strange the nickname is. This is not true of Fellow and Gidel, so I don’t believe their names are supposed to be unserious.

I’ve also seen a lot of people poking fun at “Ernesto Foulworth” because “it sounds like such an obvious name for a scammer”. And yeah, maybe that’s true depending on who’s looking at it. I get where people are coming from. Buuut to play devil’s advocate, “Fellow Honest” invokes similar vibes. Both names have that element of honesty/earnest, but “Fellow” is more of a “John Doe” or generic name whereas “FOULworth” sounds bad since we associate the word foul with negativity. Essentially, both names are shady in their own ways but “Ernesto Foulworth” gets more flack because foul triggers an automatic negative association whereas fellow is more neutral.

So then I sat with the localized names for a little longer and the changes started to make a little more sense. To me, both sound very Italian, which fits given that Pinocchio has Italian origins. Additionally, “Ernesto” looks and sounds like “earnest”, which refers to being truthful. His surname, “Foulworth”, may be a reference to Honest John’s full name? Worthington Foulfellow. (I have no insights for Gino, unfortunately… other than making him “match” Fellow’s name better since they’re a pair?)

In all honesty (heh) though, I still don’t really like the new names even considering that context. I’ll probably keep calling them by their Japanese ones. I’ll never be a fan of any name changes because it means I have to go back and edit the tags on ALL my related posts, lol

Side note: shoutout to all the folks saying the names sound Ace Attorney-esque, how you think of Ernesto de la Cruz from Coco, and/or joking about how the EN names are Fellow and Gidel’s fake identities/aliases while they’re on the run from the cops 😭 I laughed too hard reading those comments cbwhebjzbwiwhwlek

Now, I’m not sure why the names were changed considering that names prior have largely been unchanged (Cheka, Marja, Najma, Rollo, etc.), save for maybe some spelling changes (Meleanor -> Maleanor, Baul -> Baur, Farena -> Falena, Leven -> Raverne, etc.). The only huge exception to this is Kifaji, who became Neji in EN. Here’s some theories and speculation going around in the fandom about Fellow and Gidel’s changes:

Copyright issues???? For example, you can’t really trademark “Fellow” and “Honest”, but you could maybe trademark “Ernesto Foulworth”. (This doesn’t explain Gino’s name or why they couldn’t trademark “Fellow Honest”.)

Another interpretation of copyright issues theory is that there’s weird legal stuff happening between Aniplex and Disney (international), which forced the name changes. (I think this one assumes a lot of tight regulations and hinges on how litigious big corpos and especially Disney are when it comes to “protecting” their brand and properties.)

Some have suggested that “Fellow Honest” is noun-adjective word order, which is uncommon in English. In “Ernesto Foulworth”, the first name looks and sounds like the adjective “earnest”, meaning the adjective(s) come first, which is more common in English. (This theory is a little incomplete though; there is no noun in the localized name to complete the thought. Additionally, Japanese also usually goes with the adjective-noun rule, so “Fellow Honest” would be an unusual name for JP too. And again, no explanation for Gino.)

… ITALIAn REP BABY 🇮🇹

[cyanbeetle]

I get where you’re coming from here, but this post is a reading of superman from the perspective of ethnicity, not gender. I’m talking about the pain of assimilation and how it affects a person’s self-image; not necessarily Clark’s persona existing as an affirmation of a chosen identity, but rather as a way to hide his heritage from a world that would prevent him from living a normal life if they knew of it.

Even your point about species dysphoria rings a little ironic to me, because dressing and behaving differently in order to be seen as “more human” is a central element of assimilation. For Clark to act this way because he wants to be seen as human means he doesn’t he want to be seen as an alien, a Kryptonian, or someone with any association to the people and culture he comes from. That mindset stems from both societal pressures and a deep-rooted sense of personal shame, which is rarely ever healthy to base one’s life off of.

I don’t think this part of Clark’s story connects to gender in the way you’ve described. I know any story about societal roles can be relatable to a lot of trans people— I’m trans myself, I understand how relating to gender roles can be affirming even when they’re imposed on you. But for gender affirmation to be Clark’s motivation to act more human, his hypermasculinity would have to be a standard instilled by his Kryptonian heritage and his softness only recognized by humanity. In reality, both of those perceptions are placed on him by humans. Embracing or rejecting his origins does very little to mitigate the ways western gender roles govern his life. Clark’s relationship to alienness and humanness can definitely be connected to gender even just by extending this point— there’s a lot to be said about how gender and assimilation connect— but I think it makes more sense overall when analyzed from the perspective of ethnicity.

It agonizes me how many of Superman’s attempts to fit in revolve around his appearance

[justabiteofspite]

WIP Wednesday

Was tagged throughout the past few weeks by @inkymoonbunny, @xxnashiraxx, @preciouslittlebhaalbae, and @verbenaa, so here's a hefty piece of lonely reflective Ascended Astarion angst since I didn't post anything last week.

Just for context, this is a Bad Ending AU set years after the brain where my Durge, Henri left A!A before being turned into a spawn, going off by herself to become a famous bard and has only just now returned to perform at Astarion's engagement party to an important elven figure as part of his political strategy. So this is him reflecting back on their relationship before talking to her for the first time in a long time.

When was the last time he had bedded her? They had been taking a break from the activity because his former self couldn’t handle it, the weakling. Astarion couldn’t help but wonder if that was a reason she ended up leaving after all. Even with his power he couldn’t fix himself fast enough. If she had let him bed her the night after he ascended, surely he could have gotten her to stay. Fix the times before that where he’d been out to use her and she had seen right through it. “It wasn’t difficult, you know, to see that whatever it was that you wanted out of this, it wasn’t me. Well, more than what I could provide. And you were clear that these nights together were just us having fun, nothing serious. I liked you beyond that but I didn’t know how quickly these urges were going to escalate. So why not go along with it and pretend? I get to experience a bit of life I’m not going to get to otherwise. And you’d move on to some pretty elf after we get to Baldur’s Gate where you have more options. I wouldn’t be leaving someone behind hurting after I needed to be...put down.” “Well, you’re not getting put down like some sick dog, for one, so let’s agree on that first,” Astarion snapped, feeling like he was going to vomit, “We are killing whatever this is and freeing you just like we’re killing Cazador. Alright?” She smiled softly, her eyes glassy, “Alright.” “Second, some pretty elf? Really? I’m already a pretty elf, my dear, why introduce competition? Where the hells did that come from anyway? Don’t tell me you think you’re unattractive in any sense of the word.” “Oh, I know I’m attractive just...you don’t seem to care for tieflings in general and between that and me looking like I walked off an autopsy table I thought I was more of a novelty item than anything else.” “Well, you’re not. So, there.” Gods he’d made a mess. “And as soon as I figure all this nonsense out, we’re redoing all your firsts with me. Properly this time. Real. Because I never want to make you feel like that again.” But Astarion never had the chance to fulfill his promise. And now he’d gotten himself a pretty elf and Henri was stuck with those memories of him using her.

No pressure tags: @elinorbard, @batbuska, @ladyduellist, @roguishcat, @tealfling

(If you already wrote something, feel free to just tag me in it!)

[crepesuzette2023]

I’m really interested that you think John was in love with Brian too! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone suggest that before.

Hi Anon, For context, I assume you're referring to my tags on this post (Klaus Voormann on Paul's reaction to John and Brian and Barcelona, as observed first-hand by Klaus on Tenerife).

So, when I read the words Brian Epstein was in love with John, so Paul felt isolated, it got me thinking that first, it's always Brian being in love with John that's mentioned, never John's feelings for Brian. And it's not as if there's nothing there: John himself referred to his relationship with Brian, specifically during Barcelona, as an unconsummated, intense almost-love-relationship, with Brian's open gay identity as the main source of attraction. Does that mean John was pining for Brian and writing letters and leaning over the piano while looking at him over his shoulder? Probably not (though, who knows), but I have no doubt John was was fascinated by and infatuated with Brian. Lewisohn mentions this in some detail; John makes a point of clarifying that Brian was in love with *him*, actually.

(I also wrote something here about why the "John was vetting Brian as a manager" and "casting couch" scenarios don't do it for me as explanations for John agreeing, after having declined similar offers before, to accompany Brian to Barcelona in '63.)

[I also wanted to write: what would piss off Paul more: Another man being in love with John, or John being reciprocally in love with another man? Option 2, please! Q.E.D.! But: see below.]

About that Klaus quote in general.

I think Klaus was much smarter as an artist than he was in his words, in some ways. Paul had many reasons to be annoyed by "Barcelona": it split the band, it introduced imbalance into Lennon/McCartney, maybe he was concerned people would 'talk', which they did, and yeah, maybe he doubted Brian's good sense, and was worried about his own standing with their manager.

And on top of that, maybe, he was jealous of John's feelings for Brian, and Brian's for John, and tired of the ongoing triangulation games.

Who knows?

But what I don't believe is that their emotional snapshot during Barcelona held true for the entire lifespan of the Beatles. Paul didn't 'always' feel the outsider within the band, come onnn! And Brian's good friend Nat Weiss said Brian and Paul got on really well in the end — etc. —

The truth is probably as haunting and layered and rich in details as Klaus's drawings! :-)

Thanks for listening if you're still there.

[onpointedfeetandbrokendreams]

Day 1 - DBDA Week

Day 1 of Dead Boy Detectives Appreciation Week: 10th-16th June by @dbdcentral

Prompt: Things Unsaid

Relationships: Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland, Edwin Payne&Crystal Palace&Charles Rowland

Tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Fluff

TW: None

--

“Since this seems to be continuing,” Edwin said while motioning between him and Charles with his free hand. “I think I should tell you about what happened with the Cat King.”

Charles grimaced for a moment, before nodding encouragingly. Even if he appreciated the attempt at understanding silence, Edwin could practically hear the ‘so something did happen!’ in his eyes.

“He, well…” Edwin knew it had been his own conscious decision to start that particular conversation, but now that it was time to actually say the words, he couldn't find them. He exhaled a breath he didn't need. “He did try to get frisky with me.” He went for, remembering the word Charles had used at the time to describe the… ordeal.

“I knew it, that bastard,” Charles was moving to get up from the couch, to do what exactly, Edwin didn't know. It had been almost three years since the events of Port Townsend, it wouldn't make any sense for him to go there and find the Cat King after so long. 

Edwin pulled with his left hand, where his fingers were already loosely entwined with Charles’, effectively stopping him from whatever revenge plan he was concocting.

“Nothing happened,” Edwin continued, his voice soft. “And it was nothing… non-consensual.” The words felt weird on his tongue, even if he knew he was using them correctly in the context, and it was the best way to convey the message without risk of misunderstandings.

Charles swallowed hard. “Does that mean you wanted something to happen?”

“I don’t think I knew what I wanted. It took me by surprise, because I thought those kinds of desires were never to be acknowledged. And seeing him touching me so carelessly, so freely. That was…” This time, Edwin wasn't sure what the right word could be. After some consideration, he ended with “interesting”.

“Hmm.”

Edwin tightened his grip on Charles’ fingers again. “You have nothing to worry about, I have never thought about him in that way since we left Port Townsend, and especially since, well… you know.”

It didn't seem to be enough for Charles, as he was still looking uneasy, insecure. Edwin wouldn't have it. A couple of months prior, he would never have dared to admit that to himself, let alone out loud, but considering how they were sitting across one another on the couch with their legs intertwined and Charles’ hand was caressing his knee with the same familiarity with which he would lean on his own, he felt a surge of boldness he had never thought he had in him and admitted:

“Now all of my fantasies are about you.”

Charles went incredibly still, his eyes lost focus, his hands froze in place.

“Is… something wrong?” Edwin tried to ask. He thought about moving away to give him some space, wondering if maybe he had gone too far with the implication. They had kissed multiple times but they had never talked about anything more physical. He didn’t know what to make of Charles’ reaction.

Before he could decide on a course of action, Crystal slammed the office door open.

She took a long look at the scene in front of her, then her gaze stopped pointedly on Edwin. “What happened? How did you break him?”

“I just said-” Edwin started explaining, but was brutally interrupted by Charles, who had finally found his voice back.

“It's nothing, I just needed a moment. You know, there's another case with an abusive father.” He said, like those words explained everything. 

It had the desired effect, Edwin thought, because Crystal stopped the interrogation immediately, and draped herself over Charles - and consequently over Edwin’s legs, much to his disapproval - to comfort him.

Of course, Charles’ words did explain everything, or they would have, except there was no abusive father, and no case.

Edwin untangled himself from the other two trying not to push Crystal on the ground while doing so, and moved to look out the window.

After a while, when she decided Charles looked comfortable enough, Crystal followed him and sat at his desk. Edwin almost hated to admit to himself that nothing about the situation was bothering him: not Crystal hugging Charles, nor her taking his usual place at the desk. She was that much part of the agency that he trusted her completely, almost the same way he trusted Charles. Even if, of course, the relationships between the three of them had considerably shifted during the years.

It wasn’t until a day later that Charles and Edwin had a chance to be alone again, and Edwin was determined to keep asking questions until he understood exactly what had happened to Charles. He was in “full stubborn research mode”, as Crystal used to call it.

There was no need, though, because Charles started speaking as soon as they passed through the door:

“I’m sorry about… Making up a case yesterday, I was worried you would tell Crystal the truth.” He chuckled.

“I wouldn't have said exactly the same thing I said to you.”

“Yes, you would have.” Charles continued, his smile turning more affectionate. Edwin had to admit that he was probably right. He had just been so confused and maybe Crystal could help him understand.

“Did it upset you?” He asked. “What I said?”

Charles shook his head. “No, of course not, it was just… Unexpected.” He moved closer, encircling Edwin's waist with his arms, so close their noses were brushing against each other.

“Why? You didn't think that I could want-”

Before he could finish the sentence, Charles pressed a small kiss on his lips, effectively shutting it. He stepped away then, looking decidedly lighter than he had the previous day. “No, I just didn't expect you to be able to say it so… what word did you use? Freely.”

Charles grinned, and slumped on the couch, patting the place next to him in invitation. It was so easy to slot into Charles’ arms, resting his head on his shoulder, and entwining their hands. It almost seemed like they had done nothing else for forty years, instead of just a few months.

“What about before the Cat King?” Charles asked when they were settled, Edwin’s fingers playing with the hem of Charles’ sleeve. “Have you ever thought about us… Shagging?”

“No, I would never have dared to even dream of it.”

Charles moved a hand up his arm and to the back of his neck, his fingers playing with the shorter hair at Edwin's nape.

“I don't know if I'm ready for that now,” he said after a while. “But I would like it too, one day.”

Edwin smiled, turning to nuzzle Charles' neck and pressing a kiss there at the base of his jaw. “Whenever you are ready, I will be here. We have literally forever to figure it out.”

[cirrus-grey]

Hi! While listening to TMA and slowly going through some episode tags, I found your blog! I really like your TMA takes, and since some other people's posts from back when the episodes were airing surprised me, I was wondering if it's okay to ask you for your opinion on something 4 years late.

I just got to what looks like the end of a longer subplot - Jon and Martin talked at the end of episode 174 about how Jon feels like killing people makes him worse. While going through the tags of the previous episodes, I was pretty surprised at how divisive episode 169 was. I definitely didn't expect people to read Jon as forcing Martin to go with him into the burning building or disregarding his wishes; I wasn't expecting people to read Martin as manipulative either. It felt like they communicated as well as they could while not being in a good place, mentally speaking (and, well, physically too). Still, I feel like it was easier for me to put myself into Martin's headspace, and even though I know Jon doesn't like admitting to wanting to hurt anyone because he feels guilty (which is good of course, that he lets himself feel conflicted, and pretty expected that he doesn't like broadcasting wanting to kill someone), his level of evasiveness surprised me, especially with how long he didn't admit there was another way to go. There are a lot of things in his head happening simultaneously (not wanting Martin to be in distress, wanting to kill Jude, trying to communicate, being aware he should have communicated sooner) that I can't seem to make sense of, and I wanted to ask you about your thoughts on this, if you feel like sharing!

Hello and welcome! I’m always down to offer my opinions on TMA. Sorry this one took a few days to answer - I wanted to check a few details in the transcript and I haven’t had a chance to sit down with it until today. That being said, one major caveat before I start: I haven’t listened to this season in a while, so I may be missing some extra context from conversations that surround this episode. Take what I say with a grain of salt!

Most importantly: Jon does not realize his actions are causing Martin undue distress until the tape turns on and the episode starts. Martin hasn’t voiced any particular dislike of fire until then, and Jon has promised not to read his mind. He’s keeping that promise, so when he makes the decision to go after Jude he doesn’t see any reason why it should be different than smiting Not!Sasha, or going after Oliver. (There’s also something to be said here about the fact that Jon is so used to physical pain at this point that he doesn’t realize Martin sees it as a reason to avoid an area, but that gets into a different sort of character analysis.) As far as Jon is concerned, going after Jude is no more unpleasant an experience than crossing any other domain, so he doesn’t see a need to give Martin advance warning. It’s a failure of communication on both sides, but an understandable one.

As you say, he’s hesitant to admit he wants to kill Jude… but I think there’s also a level of assuming that Martin will be absolutely onboard with it. So far, he killed Not!Sasha and Martin proposed going full Kill Bill, he didn’t kill Oliver and Martin was disappointed… surely this is just getting back on track, right? Martin’s the one that really wanted to kill avatars, surely he won’t object to Jon picking which avatars they kill, right? (“It’s just – when you said –” “You said you were onboard.”)

All of which is to say, I don’t think he sees it as hiding something from Martin, or needing to ‘admit’ that there’s another way to go. He genuinely doesn’t realize that Martin might want to find another way to go until he asks (“You’re sure there isn’t another way?”) and then literally the first thing Jon says is “I’m sorry,” because it doesn’t hit him until that moment that he’s just assumed Martin’s willingness the entire way without asking him. As soon as he realizes Martin might not be willing, he tries his best to let him make the choice. (“Alright. If you really don’t want to do this, w-we can go another way.” “I should have told you before, so – I leave the decision to you.”)

…Which is, I think, the part of the episode that most people were arguing about after it dropped.

Martin throwing the choice right back at Jon… it isn’t deliberately manipulative, but he’s definitely making an opening for Jon to step in with the chivalrous boyfriend ‘I’d never put you in harm’s way, let’s turn around!’ thing. He’s assuming that Jon knows how he really feels (‘please let’s not go through the fire’), and is using that to avoid having to disappoint Jon by asking to find another way. He’s the one who proposed Kill Bill - he doesn’t want to be the one to call it off now, certainly not when Jon seems to have his heart set on it.

Jon, of course, takes his “It’s your revenge; your choice, not mine,” at face value and decides to go in. I’ve never seen it as forcing Martin to go in, it’s just… trusting that Martin is being honest with him when he says he wants Jon to make the decision. Jon said he wanted to go through, Martin said it’s his decision, surely Martin must know that means they’re going through. Yes, he’s failing to read Martin’s subtext, but… Jon has struggled with paranoia for a long time. He had to make a deliberate choice to trust people (end of season 3) and in many ways trust is still a deliberate choice. That includes trusting your boyfriend when he says “it’s your choice.” Jon’s not about to start listening to that nagging little voice in the back of his head saying ‘maybe he doesn’t mean that’ because it’s the same nagging little voice that used to say ‘maybe he’s trying to kill you.’ By now he knows that Martin will be distressed by going through, but Martin has told him that he’s willing to undergo that distress for the sake of Jon’s revenge, so it's okay. (He doesn’t and can’t know that Jude will take so long to die and make it that much more distressing in the process; I think both of them would have handled this whole conversation differently if they’d known they were going to end up in the middle of an inferno.)

Phew! That got long. Tl;dr, it’s communication problems on both sides (it always is with these two), not anything deliberately malicious. Jon’s not forcing Martin, he’s just making assumptions; Martin’s not manipulating Jon, he’s just being conflict-avoidant. Under any normal circumstances it wouldn't be a big deal (“You said you were okay with me painting the living room!” “I didn't think you meant purple, Jon!” “Okay, okay, if it bothers you that much we can pick a different color.” “No, no, it's your project; your choice.” “Purple, then.” “Oh.”), they just have the misfortune of being in the middle of the apocalypse, which blows all those normal couple problems way out of proportion.

[nondelphic]

thank you so much for 700 followers!! this is so insane to me and i'm so happy people are enjoying my posts.

i know most of you are here for my ""relatable writing posts"" but i also know some of you are interested in who i am, and specifically my writing, so to celebrate hitting 700 followers i thought i'd give you a taste of my writing !! i know i was supposed to tag some ppl but i forgot to write your names down and i can't remember who wanted to be tagged and who didn't 😭😭😭

these are all drafts and i def don't consider myself a great writer, but i think i'm okay at storytelling. regardless, enjoy it for what it is!

this excerpt is from my first completed draft of "the midnight chase." for context, marley is aroace.

-

They sat in silence for a while before Marley shifted towards Lucas. She bit her lip, uncertain of how honest to be. “Lucas?”

He looked at her. “Yeah?”

“You know the party last month? Remember how Elvis kissed me?”

Lucas nodded. Marley averted her gaze, focusing on a path beyond the pond that led to a cliff overlooking the ocean.

“Do you think it’s possible to want that sort of closeness, without wanting it all?” Marley could feel Lucas gaze on her.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

Marley sighed and let her gaze drop to her feet. Her shoelaces had come undone.

“I mean, I don’t like Elvis like that, but when he kissed me, I felt… warm inside. Like, it’s not something I crave, but it felt nice regardless.”

Lucas remained silent for a moment. Marley looked up to see his gaze thoughtful as he processed her words. The gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird were the only sounds filling the silence between them. Marley could feel her heartbeat quicken, wondering if she had said too much, or if Lucas might misunderstand her.

Finally, Lucas sighed softly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I get what you’re saying, Marley. I think… it’s natural to want closeness, to feel connected to someone, even if it’s not necessarily about romance. It’s human, you know? We all crave that warmth, that feeling of being wanted or cared for, even if it’s just for a moment.”

Marley nodded, relieved that he understood, but still, there was something else she needed to express. She glanced between Lucas and her shoelaces, her senses searching for any sign of judgement or discomfort, but all she saw was patience and a gentle curiosity.

“I guess it just made me question something that’s been nagging me for a long time,” Marley continued, her voice softer now, almost hesitant. “Like, what if I don’t ever want that kind of connection with someone, but I still want to feel close to people? Is that okay?”

Lucas’s expression softened even more, and he reached out, gently placing a hand on Marley’s shoulder. “Marley, there’s no right or wrong way to feel about these things. You’re allowed to want whatever it is you want—or don’t want. It doesn’t make you any less valid or any less… you.”

Marley let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. “Thanks, Lucas. I guess I just needed to hear that.”

and here's another excerpt that shows a bit more of the story...... kinda.

-

As Lucas excused himself to go to the bathroom, Marley looked for Chio. Instead, she ran into Silas.

“Hey,” he said, holding his arm out. “Let’s dance.”

Initially, Marley wanted to say no, but something in Silas’ expression made her do the opposite. She took his arm and he led her to a more secluded part of the dance floor. Marley noticed people staring at them as they walked, not unsurprisingly, considering her and Silas' history.

Silas put a cautious hand on Marley’s back as the song transitioned to a sentimental and slow piano arrangement. 

“You know the map I gave you?” Silas asked. Marley smiled. Yes, the one she and her friends had managed to figure out completely. “Did you solve it?” 

Something in Silas’ expression told Marley he already knew the answer. Did he want help? Had he solved it?

“Yes,” Marley said. Silas nodded, and a smile crept up on his face.

“Me too. Which means… the winner will be determined by who gets to the middle first.”

Marley nodded. “You’re doing it alone?” 

“Yes. I work best alone. I know you’re doing it with your friends.” Something in Marley churned at his answer. It was a typical Silas answer, a simple phrase etched with an edge of passive aggressiveness. Marley had solved it with the help of her friends. He had solved it alone, using only his brains.

“Teamwork is an underappreciated tool,” Marley said, finding herself distancing herself slightly from Silas’ hold on her as they danced.

“Of course. It’s important to be able to work with others. At the end of the day, though, you'll be alone.”

Marley looked into Silas’s eyes, trying to decipher his expression. There was something behind his words, a hint of loneliness perhaps, or maybe a sense of inevitability. She decided to keep the conversation light, not wanting to spoil the mood of the evening.

“Maybe so, but having friends by your side can make a huge difference,” Marley replied, her tone gentle but firm.

Silas nodded, his gaze thoughtful. “I suppose you’re right. It’s just... sometimes it feels like relying on others is a weakness.”

Marley shook her head. “It’s not a weakness, Silas. It’s a strength. Knowing when to ask for help, and knowing you can trust those around you, that’s powerful.”

They continued to dance in silence for a few moments, the slow melody wrapping around them. Marley felt a strange mix of empathy and rivalry towards Silas. She understood his drive and his determination, but she also saw the value in the support system she had with her friends.

As the song came to an end, Silas offered her a small smile. “Thank you for the dance, Marley. And for the perspective.”

Marley returned the smile. “Anytime, Silas. Good luck with the challenge.”

“Good luck to you too,” Silas replied, giving her a polite nod before walking away.

Marley watched him go, feeling a mixture of emotions. She was grateful for her friends and the support they provided, but she also understood the weight Silas carried. She hoped that one day he would realize the value of camaraderie.

Lucas returned from the bathroom, a curious look on his face. “Did I miss something?”

Marley laughed, shaking off the remnants of her conversation with Silas. “Just a dance with Silas. Nothing major.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. “Shall we continue dancing?”

“Absolutely,” Marley said, feeling lighter and more determined than ever.

They returned to the dance floor, joining their friends in the celebration. The rest of the evening passed in a blur of laughter, dancing, and shared moments that Marley knew she would treasure for a long time.

As the night wound down, Marley found herself sitting with Chio and Maya on a bench outside the hall, the cool air in the stone-cladden corridor a refreshing contrast to the warmth of the dance floor.

Maya pulled out her phone from under her dress. Marley watched her. “Where did you keep that?”

“Oh, I have all my dressed sewn to include hidden pockets. I hate not being able to carry stuff.”

Chio rolled her eyes dramatically. “Ah, yes, custom sewn gowns with pockets, what a normal and humble thing!”

“It’s not my fault that default dresses don’t come with pockets already,” Maya countered.

“Calling normal dresses ‘default dresses’ is crazy,” Marley snorted. She looked at Chio’s dress. It was a beautifully simple dress with long, wide arms and a simple fabric belt around the waist, in a bright orange colour, contrasting Chio’s blue hair in a seamlessly effortless way.

“To be fair, my dress is also customised,” Chio sighed, smoothing out her skirt, before smirking. “I took it in two centimetres at the waist.”

The three girls burst out into laughter. Maya looked at her phone.

“What time is it?” Chio asked.

“10:45.”

“We should get ready.” Marley said. The Midnight Chase started at midnight, just as the name suggested. And she was not running down the maze in a long dress. Well, she could, she knew multiple people participating who were going directly from the dance to the maze. But they weren’t in it to win it. Marley and her friends were.

Hopefully, Silas would find that working alone is actually the greatest weakness.

Marley had a gnawing feeling that her stance would be proven right.

HELP i'm so scared y'all are gonna think my writing is trash because LET'S BE FR THIS IS JUST FROM MY FIRST DRAFT!!!! i haven't yet edited these scenes so they're kinda cringe but i wanted to show my main project. i do have different writing styles depending on genre though, and i'm tempted to show some of my comedy writing. it's pretty hilarious, if i may say so myself.

anyway, thank you again for 700 followers. thank you so much. each like, reblog, reply, message, or ask brings me so much happiness. you have no clue how much your interest warms my heart (or maybe you do because you know how social media manipulates our brains and their reward system)

[fandoms-in-law]

Arranged Husband

Summary/My Idea prompt for today: "Hey Robin? Apparently I'm marrying Hagan next week. Get Nance and Jon. Eddie's already on his way"

Steve is an only child so far as he knows, heir to his parents wealth, kept in Hawkins for safety. Then they tell him they've arranged a marriange to a man in town and all that paperwork they keep in Hawkins Will Tell Steve Why. and he will use it for his advantage as well as Robin's

Author's Note: I'm pretty sure this idea came from a tumblr post I saw months back about arranged marriages not making sense with how they're used in fic and ways to make them reasonable. If anyone can find that post please tell me/ tag me on it so I can link it here.

/\/\

“Hey Robin?” Steve said as soon as she got to the phone, “Apparently I’m marrying Hagan next week. Get Nance and Jon. Eddie’s already on his way.” He hung up before she could ask more, knowing that he’d be talking until well after Eddie arrived if he didn’t and he really preferred to discuss this fully with everyone in person.

The parcel had been delivered about an hour earlier and he’d been struggling to comprehend it the entire time. He’d read the letter attached and grown confused enough that the parcel was still sitting unopened and Steve dreaded to open it and see what his parents thought needed sending along with the letter.

/\

“Woah, what’s in the box, Stevie?” Eddie called, looking at the parcel curious, hands clearly itching to open it. “You getting me extravagant gifts without asking me out?”

Steve laughed, an empty sound given how worried he was about opening that after the revelations of the latter. “Not quite and I don’t know or really want to know. We’ll open it when the others get here though.”

“Others? I wasn’t the only one to get a call demanding I come over?” Eddie asked, lifting the box up to shake it as if that would reveal the contents. “Sounds like clothing of some sort.”

He groaned, “With the letter that got me to call you that is not a good thing.”

/\

“So why are we here? Robin said something about you getting married.” Nancy asked once Steve had got drinks and snacks for them all.

He met their eyes, sighing heavily, “I need help to go through my parents paperwork, because I got this letter and that package this morning.”

A glance holding the letter up was met with a nod so Nancy began reading:

‘Dear Steven,

As you are aware, a Harrington must meet the expectations of society. Given you have failed to find an appropriate match at this point in your life we have arranged one for you.

Next week on Saturday you shall be married to your friend Thomas Hagan. All arrangements have been made already so you need not concern yourself with any attempt to plan.

We shall visit after your honeymoon to explain what is expected of you in the future.

Sincerely your Parents, Diana and Richard Harrington’

“Are you the sole heir to the Harrington’s? Why are they making you marry a man?” Nancy asked once she’d finished reading.

Steve shrugged, “That’s why I need help. I want to turn their office and anywhere else paperwork might have been hidden in this house inside out until we’ve got all the details and can get out of this arrangement.”

/\

“Easy solution, I’ll marry you.” Eddie said an hour into their discussion of the arranged marriage.

Steve shook his head, “I’m not marrying you out of convenience, and we’re not even dating.”

“Yeah, if anyone gets that option, it should be me. Free me from my controlling family, Steven.” Robin laughed, leaning into him as if she’d faint.

“It’s unlikely a lover could be half as important as you are, so sure.” Steve agreed, stunning her and getting laughs from everyone else. “Will have to be a courthouse wedding though, there’s no time to arrange your fantasies, especially the one with the horse and carriage.”

/\

They’d both said it through the morning, mentioned dating or marriage in half serious contexts. It was repeating in Steve’s mind that they could actually make something together.

“I’ve found the honeymoon tickets. Looks like the names need confirming as we board the flight and the hotel room is a king bed.” Steve called. He’d remembered the shelf his parents usually told him to check for birthday presents had been filled on their last visit and had moved to investigating that while Nancy and Jonathan went through family documentation like birth certificates, as well as newspaper articles that had been saved.

Robin groaned. “I’m not sharing a honeymoon suite with you. Take Eddie to shock the hotel staff expecting to swoon over newly weds.”

“Oh, we going to have a romantic dream away, Stevie?” Eddie cooed, coming to look over his shoulder at the pages.

“Are you going to ask me out at some point or just make allusions to a romance we could be having?” Steve countered, leaning back into him.

Eddie blinked at him for a moment before his grin melted into something softer. “Of course, Stevie, Light of my life, Hero of Hawkins, Destroyer of Demobats, would you do the honour of dating this humble bard?”

“I will, and you do have a passport, right? This is in Greece.” Steve held up the flights again.

“Oh, Wayne insisted I get one just in case I need to flee town completely.” Eddie brightened to explain it, “And now I get a honeymoon without the wedding. How will I cope with an unfaithful boyfriend?”

Steve and Robin laughed, poking his sides, “That’s not what’s happening and you know it.”

/\

“I’ve found your brother.” Nancy called from Steve’s parents room. “Richard Harrington II, born two years before you and sent to boarding school almost as soon as he could be. No articles about him beyond that.”

Steve hurried through to her, taking the articles, “But why wasn’t I informed of this, or anyone in Hawkins aware of it?”

“The announcements were for Chicago. Your birth announcement is also but followed soon after by this in the Hawkins Post.” She pointed out, handing over the article titled ‘Harrington’s return to Hawkins’. It described the families return for a safe place to raise Steve, calling him the heir he’d thought he was.

“So they meant for nobody here to realise Richard II was their heir. They are jerks.” He stated.

/\

“Hey Steve? Thought we should catch up now you’ve finally been told about our marriage next week.” Tommy called through the house, letting himself in and getting the five already there to rush to the stairs landing.

“That’s not going to happen.” Nancy called back.

Eddie leant over the banister, “Yeah, he’s my boyfriend, not yours.”

“And going to be my husband.” Robin added, elbowing Eddie.

Steve laughed at the pair, actually heading down the stairs, “I don’t want to marry an asshole like you, so that’s not going ahead.”

“Contracts have been signed. It’s happening, Harrington. You can’t refuse it.” Tommy sneered, but faltered at the sharp gazes directed at him now, especially when Eddie threw himself onto the bannister to slide down and get in his face.

“We’ve gone against far scarier things than paperwork and rich gits before, Hagan. Maybe get the fuck out before you find out how we dealt with them.” He loomed over the other, “Steve isn’t marrying you.”

Tommy slapped a few pages onto Eddie’s chest. “These say he is. Don’t worry, you won’t be invited.”

“Tommy.” Steve had the warning tone, usually used before he insisted on getting the kids home. “Maybe turn around and see how my family agrees with that. My parents don’t have the right to sign contracts on my behalf any more.”

Behind him Joyce and Hopper had just pulled up, most of the kids with them since they’d had a sleepover the night before. Steve hadn’t explained anything to them yet, but Robin had said that if they were actually going to have a courthouse wedding that day all the party should be there too.

Tommy looked at them and was quick to leave, calling back “I’ll see you at the wedding then, begging to be forgiven for this nonsense.”

“Wedding?” Hopper asked, looking back to Steve curiously. “That’s what you called us for?”

“Yep, Steve and I are going to the courthouse and want everyone there. Please ignore the arrangement his parents made as we all are.” Robin nodded, grinning as if that made everything make sense.

Jonathan looked over at her with narrowed eyes, “Wait, if Eddie is now Steve’s boyfriend then why is he still marrying you?”

“Harder for the Harrington’s to argue with it if Steve can carry on his family.” Nancy explained. “By law, their contract could be enforced on Steve if a judge decides the marriage he took first wasn’t between equals or was less viable than the one proposed by the arrangement, so marrying Robin is better. Also her parents insist that she can only marry a man and had that written up in a contract so this way she fulfils it and if she decides she wants to marry a woman in the future then Steve’s the one who can agree to it.”

Robin span to face her, stunned. “I didn’t tell you about that. Also how do you know the divorce thing?”

“Mrs Harrington wrote up the contract for them apparently and kept a copy for some reason. I did wonder if you might’ve been an option for their arranged marriage after finding it but there were some insulting letters from your parents received after that was done, essentially saying they never should have done that.” Nancy explained. “I thought you knew where it came from.”

“I did know that. Dad mentioned it when he was criticising me for getting a job specifically to remain working with you. That they’d sorted the contract out I mean.” Steve added, “It’s actually part of why I agreed to your joking suggestion.”

“Dingus.” Robin said fondly, “Such a thoughtful dingus who failed to tell me information about my own life. Let’s get the rest of the kids and get to that courthouse.”

“Seriously? You finally get Robin to marry you and you aren’t even dating? Come on Steve, she’s perfect for you.” Dustin exclaimed, getting out of Hopper’s truck and hurrying over to hit him on the arm.

Both Steve and Robin laughed, while Eddie shoved down on Dustin’s head. “I happen to think I’m perfect for him instead. Stop deciding you know our relationships better than us.”

Shoving him off, Dustin shook his head, “But they like read each others minds, insist on not parting. How can you not see it?”

“Oh we see it alright, that’s why we’re getting married. Just don’t see it as romantic or anything other than platonic.” Steve sniped back. “Now are you being a best man, or are you bitching from the back row? Decide while I raid my parents room for suitable rings.”

“I’m not letting you decide that alone, Dingus. Show me the jewellery boxes.” Robin called, following as he headed back into the house.

El emerged from the truck now, smiling a little, “Are we really having a wedding today? Movies make them seem fun but difficult to arrange.”

Joyce hummed a little. “They can be; Most people have distant friends or relatives to invite and want specific locations that need booking far in advance, but people can just as easily go to a courthouse for a small ceremony to file a marriage which doesn’t take long at all to do.”

“But why would they do it?” El innocently asked. “There’s nothing they’d need to rush for, is there?”

Jonathan shook his head, “There is, El. Steve found out this morning that his parents have arranged a marriage for him. Either he needs to marry someone before it or he’ll be made to marry Thomas Hagan, one of his old school friends who was far more of a bully than Steve ever was.”

“It’s an outdated thing but annoyingly legal. Why wouldn’t they want their heir to-” Hopper began to ask but broke off, seeing the kids curious gazes turn to him. If the kids hadn’t learnt how the wealthy viewed sexualities he didn’t want to start that explanation right now.

“He isn’t the heir and that was hidden from Steve and all of Hawkins. I’ve not uncovered a reason why in their documents left here.” Nancy replied regardless.

Will leant out of the car to call, “Do we need fancy outfits for the wedding or is casual good enough?”

“We’re all going for casual but Steve’s insisting on wearing the suit his parents sent.” Eddie yelled back. “I think we should celebrate tonight by throwing all the paint we can at it so it looks less stuffy. You got some old paints we could use for that?”

Laughter echoed his call, everyone relaxing now they knew what was going on, at least until Lucas pointed out Erica and Max definitely needed fetching for the wedding or they’d raise hell about getting left out.

[nvuy]

your writing style is a dream of mine, and the pacing & humor in your fics are some of the many reasons i decided to follow you !

i'm trying to write fanfics myself & potentially even run a writing blog! could you share a few writing tips?

you are so cute.

i’ll let you in on a secret: i started actually publishing my fics in 2020, but i since abandoned them because they’re embarrassing. however, here’s one as a starting point. i look back at it and cringe A LOT, but it was my foot in the door, and 15 year old me was very proud of it, so i didn’t want to straight up delete it.

i didn’t start out on tumblr because i get nervous being forced to interact with people because im a pretty abrupt person and i talk about the things that i like too much and im aware that can scare people away. it was about halfway thru writing old habits before i actually posted something. that was this and i posted it because i knew what little audience i had knew ME because i wrote a scaramouche fic. so. scaramouche content.

and because of the tumblr tagging system, people saw it, they liked it, and some people wanted more.

i then interacted with other writers slowly even though i was scared and frankly still am. you dont have to go around asking to be moots or spamming hearts left and right and putting their dicks in ur mouth, but being nice and having a scope around on what other people do on here helped me develop this ugly little blog i have.

i got really into hsr so i write a lot of hsr. i get a lot of people that ask if i could write more genshin impact, and i could, but at the end of the day, it’s my blog, and if i dont want to, i dont have to. i lost interest, so i dont really have to care about it, nor pay it any mind. do i still write it? sure! rarely, but i do. i don’t play wuwa anymore, but im down to write a piece or two if i get an idea, etc etc.

another thing is: don’t write in the hopes that you’ll post it on tumblr. same way i don’t think artists should draw just for the sake of posting. i have so much shit laying on various docs that won’t even be shown on this site, because it doesn’t need to be here. not because it’s bad, or it’s weird, but because i don’t have to post it, because it’s my blog.

the thing is you just be yourself and write whatever the fuck you want. i write horror & weird shit; my audience is probably well aware of that by now, and im not really worried to post anything super weird because its sort of what’s expected of me.

i know horror and romantic cannibalism connotations and yanderes and unsubtle sexy threats is not everyone’s thing, and that’s ok! they don’t have to like what i put out, and i don’t worry about it, because people who like your shit will interact, and people who don’t will not. and people that don’t like ur shit and still interact are losers. hit the block button & move on.

someone is always bound to like your works.

i guess the ‘funny’ comes from the fact that i try to write dialogue how real people would speak. in fictional context, someone like kaedehara kazuha could wax poetry for three hours without stuttering in game, but realistically, nobody can probably do that without pauses, stammers, messing up words, etc. so i try to incorporate a sense of realism into everything, even if it’s a fanfiction in a world where a small boy in white tights is a god and everyone gets tiny little orbs that give them magical elemental powers.

i remember that even though these characters are fictional, i write them as though they could potentially be real people that do things real people do: fidget, stutter, blush, try and be funny and fail, they have problems large or small, etc. you have to mould your personality and writing style to make these characters alive on what you put out—childe seems like a great husband on paper, but is he all that good when he has unchecked mental health problems and has violent outbursts and desires? think about it.

another thing: don’t doubt your skill and prowess, especially in comparing yourself to posts with like 10000+ notes. most of them are note farming bullshit anyway—and a lot of the reader community is more likely to click on porn fics than normal fics. its why the popular posts on the x reader tags are usually porn. it’s half the reason why confiteor is infinitely more popular that old habits when im pretty sure scaramouche is a bigger character on the popularity charts.

strictly nsfw blogs that people make i can guarantee you are a lot more popular than their main blogs.

which brings me to: dont hop on trends. don’t do it. youll burn yourself out. just write what you want. fuck everyone. do whatever the fuck you want. if porn is popular but you’re extremely sex-repulsed or not comfortable, don’t write it. dont write to please people; it’s your blog and your time you’re putting into to do what YOU like, and you’re sharing your work for FREE on a public platform. a lot of people can’t do that. there’s people that follow my blog that openly admit they don’t like yandere/horror/whatever content. am i going to change what i post because of these people? no. not my problem. don’t care. i don’t exist to please everyone, and neither do you. stick to what you like.

don’t write for fandoms you don’t give a shit about just because they’re popular. even if what you like has a small, non-existent fan base, i promise you’ll enjoy writing for that more than something that you’re creating for clicks. notes are nice, but again, you don’t have to post everything you create. half the joy in writing is rediscovering old shit you don’t remember writing for a fandom you actually like. it’s like a reward.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

captive prince book 1 highlights & annotations

chapter 7

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

Seeing no reason whatsoever to cooperate with that order, Damen stood up.

very much a “damen is not a slave” moment. this is the opposite of what they’ve been trained to do.

‘You are really courting danger tonight,’ Laurent said. ‘Am I? I thought I was appealing to your better nature. Order whatever punishment you like, from the coward’s distance of a chain-length. You and Govart are two of a kind.’

yessss, question his integrity! i love that they both get really pissed off when they’re implied to be bad people, but only by each other. it’s like they’ve mutually identified each other as their own personal moral arbiters, and couldn’t stop caring even if they tried.

Laurent transferred his gaze back to Damen and said, pleasantly, ‘Does that bother you? I recall you being free with your own hands, not so very long ago.’ ‘That was—’ Damen flushed. He wanted to deny that he’d done anything of the kind, but he remembered rather unequivocally that he had.

called out for enjoying the bath scene a little too much

‘I promise you, Govart did a great deal more than simply enjoy the view.’

vine boom so you WERE enjoying the view

‘To a slave,’ Laurent said. ‘The Prince’s Guard doesn’t interfere with the Regency. Govart can stick his cock into anything of my uncle’s he likes.’ Damen made a sound of disgust. ‘With your blessing?’ ‘Why not?’ said Laurent. His voice was honeyed. ‘He certainly had my blessing to fuck you, but it turned out he’d rather take a blow to the head. Disappointing, but I can’t fault his taste. Then again, maybe if you’d spread in the ring, Govart wouldn’t have been so hot to get inside your friend.’

context of what laurent is implying here (not what’s actually true): this is not laurent’s command or responsibility, but the regent’s. and it’s somehow damen’s fault that this happened to erasmus, because he didn’t let govart take him instead, which is what laurent had intended to happen. massive laurent ethical L on both counts. do better.

Damen said, ‘This isn’t a scheme of your uncle’s. I don’t take orders from men like Govart. You’re wrong.’ ‘Wrong,’ said Laurent. ‘How lucky I am to have servants to point out my shortcomings. What makes you think I will tolerate any of this, even if I believed what you are saying to be true?’ ‘Because you can end this conversation any time you like.’

damen won this interaction! called out laurent for clearly giving a shit, because he’s still talking!

also, craft note: great back-and-forth throughout this entire exchange

With so much at stake, Damen was sick of certain kinds of exchanges; the kind Laurent favoured, and enjoyed, and was good at. Wordplay for its own sake; words that built traps. None of it meant anything.

i have several hundred annotations that suggest otherwise

‘When someone doesn’t like you very much, it isn’t a good idea to let them know that you care about something,’ said Laurent.

context: nicaise :( and horse :( and a lot of things :(

break the cycle of abuse laurent i know you can do it

‘Would it hurt worse than a lashing for me to cut down someone you care for?’ said Laurent.

context: laurent knows, from experience, that the answer is yes

‘I don’t think I need to bring in more men,’ said Laurent. ‘I think all I have to do is tell you to kneel, and you’ll do it. Without me lifting a finger to help anyone.’ ‘You’re right,’ said Damen. ‘I can end this any time I like?’ said Laurent. ‘I haven’t even begun.’

damen won the confrontation morally, and they both know it. laurent won in practice by being intentionally immoral, and instead reminding damen that he has been given power over him that he can abuse. this is exactly what the regent has done to laurent, over and over again. sad.

Laurent said, ‘There is no bargain between us. A prince does not make deals with slaves and insects. Your promises are worth less to me than dirt. Do you understand me?’ ‘Perfectly,’ said Damen.

translation: “you win.” “i know.”

Damen rethought that particular approach. He turned over the information he’d just been given. Re-examined it. Turned it over again. ‘What changed your mind?’ Damen said, carefully.

context: maybe i’m too optimistic, but i think it’s genuinely an ethical decision on laurent’s part. there’s a strategic purpose in here, too, but that’s more of a convenience. laurent knew he was wrong, and might have even connected himself to his uncle and disliked the similarity. he doesn’t act smug when he’s doing something he doesn’t want to do, but he knows he should do this. that’s why he’s pissed at damen, but not playful about it at all. so i do think this was ultimately a “laurent was called on his bullshit, and has too much integrity not to act based on that callout” thing.

‘I’m not sure that I believe anything that you’ve just told me,’ Damen said. ‘Do you have a choice?’ ‘No.’

silver lining for laurent: re-asserts his own power and moral high ground by helping damen, instead of threatening him in a way they both know is fucked up

He has experienced things many adults have not, and his mind is no longer that of a child.

laurent would know :(

‘Is there anyone at this court who isn’t my enemy?’ ‘Not if I can help it,’ Laurent said.

okay this is just him being mean. it’s his enrichment 

‘So he’s tame,’ said Estienne, and reached out tentatively, as though to pat a wild animal. It was a question of which part of the animal he was patting. Damen knocked his hand away. Estienne gave a yelp and snatched his hand back, nursing it against his chest. ‘Not that tame,’ said Laurent. He didn’t reprimand Damen. He didn’t seem particularly displeased with barbaric behaviour, as long as it was directed outward. Like a man who enjoys owning an animal who will rake others with its claws but eat peacefully from his own hand, he was giving his pet a great deal of license.

they’re insane

As a result, courtiers kept one eye on Damen, giving him a wide berth. Laurent used that to his advantage, using the propensity of courtiers to fall back in reaction to Damen’s presence as a means of extricating himself smoothly from conversation. The third time this happened Damen said, ‘Shall I make a face at the ones you don’t like, or is it enough to just look like a barbarian?’ ‘Shut up,’ said Laurent, calmly.

emotional collapse animal to keep people from annoying laurent. love the banter here. damen knows that’s exactly what’s happening, and laurent is annoyed that he knows, because it makes him seem like an antisocial loser, which he is

Torveld was a handsome man in his forties

ew. leave laurent alone. he’s like half your age and he has specific trauma that makes this particularly uncomfortable

He reconciled himself to an evening of listening to Laurent lying a great deal, about everything. Laurent was a nest of scorpions in the body of one person. To hear that Akielos was weakened was as painful as Laurent must have meant it to be.

context: not entirely sold on the idea that laurent is having this conversation about akielos specifically to upset damen, but i get why damen feels that way

‘I wish we had more time together,’ said Torveld, showing no inclination to rise.

GET A JOB. STAY AWAY FROM HER

‘Nephew. You were not invited to these discussions.’ ‘And yet, here I am. It’s very irritating, isn’t it?’ said Laurent. ‘You’ve never applied yourself seriously to anything in your life.’ ‘Haven’t I? Well, then it’s nothing serious, uncle. You have no cause to worry.’

laurent applies himself seriously to most, if not all, of the things he chooses to do. regent just dislikes that laurent has a choice and uses it.

[carigm]

This has always been an interesting tag, and I know we don’t have much content rn, but to open it and the first post I see is “who cums first?”

Please get a better hobby lmao….

We used to make theories, fake scripts, fan arts. Hell, even theorizing about potential mature scenes within the context of the show makes total sense.

However, having every two posts be some extremely sexual fantasy of an underage ship is fucking weird. I don’t care if they’re aged up or whatever, but when you clog up a tag that’s always been used for meaningful discussions with mindless sex discourse is just…well bland.

Write a fucking fic and post it on Ao3 my god. Or simply use a specific tag for it, instead of putting it under the broader “Byler” tag and making it everyone’s problem.

I don’t like blocking people but it felt like I was being subjected to torture.

[upslapmeal]

Space Babies

Ok so I've been hopeless at doing my usual Episode Thoughts during s14 but if I don't get them posted before the finale then I never will. SO. the next few days will be a trip down memory lane to a whole 6 weeks ago before I'm off to the cinema on friday night!

here we goooo

no cold open we’re going straight in babes (heh)

I know we had it last ep but I do love a good seeing-the-tardis-for-the-first-time face

‘I’m the doctor’ yes you are!!

man I wasn’t a huge fan of 15's theme just hearing on its own in the concert but hearing it in context with him it works SO well

‘kinda posh’

‘they used titles’ and then i kidnapped a couple of teachers, told one to drop the 'Foreman' and the rest is history

ngl I've totally lost track of the gallifrey sitch

the master was going to blow it up then he didn't then the Doctor was going to then some guy stayed behind instead and then flux??

whatever we're back to last-of-my-kind square one

this is gallifrey theme my beloved how I have missed you

Martha and Bill yelling I told you so in the distance about the butterfly

‘Rubathon Blue of the 57th hemisphere hatchlings’ good to know I've got my Ruby tag sorted early doors!

anyway alien companion when

ooh they're going for a flying tardis

love fifteens energy!!

‘most of the universe is knackered babes’

‘the question is why did I run’ Doctor running is a key part of your whole deal. you know this right

‘yet again push the button’………when was the first time

(I have since learned there was meant to be a song on the jukebox that tied to this...would have been nice to see the jukebox being used. and also would have made these comments make sense)

…..baby looms?

‘food????? they’re not tomatoes!!’ lmao Fifteen is SO outraged

oh Ruby’s getting an End of the World moment <3

‘no boss or rent or taxes’ yeah forget time and space travel, NOW Ruby's thinking she's gotta get in on this

oh that baby is unsettling

oh no that baby mouth does not match that voice 

‘mummy and daddy are here!’ Ruby and Fifteen: 😬

it's so weird having fairly confident small child voices paired with very vacant baby faces

.....do these babies have nappies? that they change??

aww you can really see Ruby is used to kids, lifetime as a foster sister <3

ok Captain Poppy is the only voice so far that kinda works

‘oh popsicle’ naww Fifteen is so sweet with them

Fifteen and Poppy are so cute!!

also lol I love RTD going hard with the timeless child at every opportunity

‘nappies are changed at 1800h’ ok well that explains that

Ruby: ‘I didn’t mean to scare you 💞’ Fifteen: 'hey kids it's the BOGEYMAN!!!!!!' Ruby: 😠

ok listen. I know this is not it. but the boots and the length of the trousers.......Ruby's mum kinda looks like Thirteen

oh that's very much a hug-is-a-way-to-hide-your-face hug there

‘that’s the fate of every refugee, you have to physically turn up on someone’s shore’

Eric and the world’s most tiny and useless sword

‘a crock of waste product'

‘nice plan but what now' Ruby hon. this was your plan

you can really tell Ruby is used to looking after kids

‘don’t you touch them you illegitimate person’

FLAMETHROWER BABIES

oh Fifteen knows Ruby’s a keeper

‘oh babes…space babes’ lol Fifteen's just here to have fun (space) baby

‘it’s snot’ ‘it’s not’ the beauty of the english langauge

‘it is one of your children!!’ :(

even the (space) babies think that death by airlock disintegration a bit much

awooooooo!

I guess seeing the doctor save the bogey monster made them less scared??

appreciate RTD's commitment to getting some good fart work in both his first series of this show lol

but what will happen to the monster on the new planet??

like sure it's their sibling but.....does it know that?

‘I’m very very happy’ says the baby with the most sorrowful eyes I’ve ever seen

tardis key!!

Ruby letting 15 into the tardis <3

RIP Carla Sunday's kitchen ceiling 

first a crack and now this......at least the Doctor's giving the local plasterer good work

‘what the blinking flip’ Cherry Sunday's got a nanny filter on her

‘tell your mum not to slap me’ Thirteen got off light with Yaz’s mum

now when are we meeting the timelord called The Saggy Sheet??

the Doc's just going around giving their name willy nilly now lmao

as it should be I never enjoyed their name being a Big Mystery

kinda wish we got to see Ruby's family react to learning more about the Doctor!

hmmmm the dna scan is giving me v s6 vibes (derogatory)

Well that was a weird one, but since when hasn't DW been weird! Ngl it took me watching a second time to enjoy it a bit more because I was just SO thrown off by the baby voices lmao, but it was just generally a fun time, nothing too serious and just a chance to see a bit more of Fifteen and Ruby's dynamic! And it did tie in nicely to the ideas of Ruby and the Doctor both being abandoned, Ruby being a foster sister and the Doctor being the last of their kind. Two baby episodes in a row is enough for me though, glad it looks like next ep is baby-free, space or otherwise 😅