#the contradiction is astounding

[colourfullanguages]

some days i feel like i was born to do great things, accomplish big stuff and other days i feel like i was just a big fish in a small pond and unfortunately here on out i'll just be a small fish in a big pond and other days i feel like i want to choose a normal life but the normal life was not meant for me because i was born to be outstanding but there are days when doing great things feel scary and i don't have the courage to pursue it so i feel i should just default to an ordinary path

[nullcoast]

Why can't we just love eachother and help eachother and cry for eachother when we hurt and laugh for eachother when we're happy. What happened to radical acceptance and beauty. Why are we self-separating using white suppremist ideas about identity. The idea someone needs some pure property to be worthy of adopting a community is point blank a white suprematist idea. Where is the understanding of mistake and pain.

We are so alone and isolated in this generation and we are playing directly into the interests of those in power by further self-separating. Focus on some important fucking shit.

[gojoest]

𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄 — gojo satoru

MDNI, f! reader, she/her pronouns used, wc: 3.3k, flashback of how you met (1st part of the fic, past tense used, then we jump back to present, divider used to separate the two timelines. both take place on his birthday btw), suguru makes an appearance (as satoru’s wingman :3), established relationship (you’re married & have a daughter), reader wears a dress, first time face sitting + riding (oral, f! receiving), pet names (baby, my love), he cums in his pants, breeding implied at the end (sort of, to avoid spoilers)

a/n: happy birthday to my biggest mental illness ♡

side note: if the story of how you met sounds familiar to you, please note that it was from one of my talk posts from a while ago & i decided to make use of it : )

what gojo satoru wants — he always gets.

after all, it’s how he made you his as well.

“satoru, you’re staring way too hard at her”, suguru nudged him on the arm.

“think she noticed, too?”, satoru chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, ears turning slightly red from embarrassment, unsure if it was because he got caught or that it was too obvious he was checking you out.

“very likely. i mean, it’s hard not to notice an annoying pair of blue laser beams persistently invading your space”, suguru mocked. “are you going to talk to her?”

“yes”, satoru firmly replied, without peeling his eyes from you, “i’ll ask her out, i think”

“hey, hey. slow down there”

“nope”, satoru shrugged, almost like a stubborn child disobeying his parent, “i’ve made up my mind — i really want to make her mine”

it was a pure coincidence, or some might say fate, that you ended up in the same restaurant — he was there celebrating his birthday with a small circle of friends while you were present to honor your colleague that had just gotten a promotion at work.

satoru’s eyes relentlessly followed your every move, every gesture, from the moment you walked in and settled on the table next to his. it was rather unusual for him to be this interested in someone simply upon sight, in fact, even desiring to pursue something with someone so immediately. it was always the other way around — women would flock to him because of his looks and peculiar behavior, and of course — his money — but he would turn them down without batting an eye. love and seeking romance were never a priority for him, he did not have time nor any interest in them. but here he was, contradicting himself, being blatantly distracted by your presence while somehow trying to simulate an active conversation with his friends, more than frequently averting his gaze to look at you, his brain busy coming up with a plan to get your number by the end of the night.

it didn’t take him too long to finally make his move. he stood up from his chair and walked over to your table, stopping right behind your seat.

“excuse me”, he leaned in, placing one hand at the edge of the table and the other — at the back of your chair, “hello”, his face mere inches away from yours. taken aback by the way he, a complete stranger, had the guts to get this close to you, you turned to face him with a questioning look.

“i felt like i would regret it for the rest of my life if i didn’t come say hi to you”, he spoke.

truth be told, despite being astounded and a bit put off by his approach, you were slightly intrigued. he was handsome, pretty even — like that one oddly eye-catching cloud in a sky full of thousands that you notice as soon as you look up. the white henley shirt he was wearing made the blue in his eyes pop even more, the v-neck revealing a little bit of his well-crafted chest, just enough to leave you tiny bit wondering about the ridges of his abs beneath.

as much as the scenery up close made your cheeks feel hot, his boldness rubbed you up the wrong way, too much to let it just slide, and you snapped. “is that so? well, now that you’ve said your hi, you can go back to your table and live with no regrets for the rest of your life”, you rolled your eyes skeptically, pushing his hand off the table.

“oh, i am sorry”, he chuckled, brushing his hair back with a hand, “but there are three more things i need to do before leaving, i’m afraid”

you raised an eyebrow, questioning.

“first, let me introduce myself — i am gojo satoru, also known as the man to be your boyfriend, then your husband, and then the father of your children”, he smugly said. your eyes widening at the audacity of his declaration that left you at a loss for words. “second, i hope you don’t mind introducing yourself as well — as you are to be my girlfriend, then my wife, and then the mother of my children — it’s only natural that i know your name”, he continued, “and last but not least — i am not leaving until you give me your number so we can make this all work”

wow. this man was really fucked in the head, you were sure of it — who in the right mind would speak such nonsense to someone they just met? “you have to be joking, right?”, you laughed in genuine disbelief.

“no. i am dead serious”, he replied in a heartbeat.

“is this your move? you pull this on everyone you find remotely attractive?”, you narrowed your eyes.

“actually—”, suguru interrupted, placing a hand on satoru’s shoulder as he approached from behind, “no”, he spoke. “believe me when i tell you this — he’s never been this smooth in his entire life. i know he probably came off a bit creepy, considering the boldness of his actions — hell, even i am creeped out because it’s pretty unusual for him to act like this”, he laughed, glancing at satoru to let him know that he got his back on this. “but, what i’m trying to say is — my friend here seems to really like you as i’ve never seen him be so intense and interested in anyone before. he’s also a birthday boy today — so could you at least give him a chance before turning him down so quickly? you can come sit with us before you make up your mind on whether you want to give him your number or not?”

you thought for a second, weighing the options in your mind — he was pretty, although he annoyed you a little bit by being all bossy and arrogant as if you were compelled to belong to him just because he said so. but there was just something about him you couldn’t quite put your finger on that made you question yourself. were you actually drawn to him? you could say “no” and never hear from him again, occasionally pondering over the what-if’s and should-have’s from this night; or you could say “fuck it” and see where this strange encounter goes, and live your life without regrets — as he would say. there — he was already getting under your skin…

“well”, you sighed, “guess i’m down for that”

by the end of the night not only did you give him your number, but also a promise for a date the next day — the first of many to follow after.

“careful, you’ll wake her up”, you whisper, leaning against the doorframe of your 3-year old’s room and watching your husband place a soft peck on your daughter’s forehead.

“can’t help it”, he speaks quietly, “she looks like an angel”, before fixing the blankets around her, making sure she’s tucked in all cozily. “the nanny said she cried for papa while we were gone”, he puts a hand over his mouth to stop his lips from trembling, his eyes filled with nothing but love and tenderness, welling up and flowing from the corners.

“she’s such a daddy’s girl”, you sigh, a soft smile present on your face, “next year we can stay home and invite everyone else over — that way we won’t have to worry about missing her bedtime”.

“yea”, he hums, “let’s do that next year”, giving her one last kiss before turning off the night lamp and tiptoeing to you. “come on”, he puts a hand at the small of your back as you both walk out of the room.

“do you remember”, satoru speaks softly into your ear while walking behind you on your way to your shared bedroom, his front flat against your back, the hand at the small of it now circling around to rest over your navel, while the other — reaches for the handle of your bedroom door to push it open, “the night we first met on my birthday?”, he continues after carefully guiding you inside.

you stop in the middle of the room, his arms still wrapped around you from behind, your hands resting over his and playing with his knuckles.

“how can i not?” you chuckle, tilting your head back to let him rest his chin on your forehead, “that was one hell of a fortune telling you pulled on me back then”

“but i was right, no?”, he brushes his lips on your forehead before leaving a soft peck, “see — you’re all mine now, just like i said”, and then another, ”i made you my girlfriend first”, and another, “then i gave you my last name”, and a fourth one, “and then you gave me a beautiful daughter, made me a father”, before turning you around to face him.

“you partly owe it to suguru though — he eased me into the situation, unlike you”, you reply, humbling him like you always do. your head is nestled on his broad chest as one of his hands caress the back of it. still in his embrace, he slowly walks you towards the bed. sits at the edge of it and straddles you on his lap. his palms finding their way to the plush of your thighs draped over his, caressing them tenderly but needily as his fingertips press and then release against your flesh in quick repetitive motions.

“this is because i asked him to give me a hand in case you cut me off”, he admits, tilting his head to meet your lips, not to kiss but just to keep them brushing against each other as you speak. he loved doing this a lot.

“oh?”, you gasp into his mouth, pretending to be shocked to your core, “you wanted me so much that you of all people, the gojo satoru, had to ask someone else for help?”

“you have no idea. if that hadn’t worked, i would’ve fallen on my hands and knees and begged you to take me”, one of his hands reaching the side of your face, playing his fingers on the strands of your hair covering your cheek before tucking them behind your ear.

“hmm”, you doubt, “is that so?”, nuzzling your nose against his.

“mhmm”, he nods, “there’s nothing i wouldn’t do for you, i thought you knew that by now. it kind of hurts my feelings that you doubt me actually”, he acts offended, pursing his lips and turning his head to the side to face away from you.

“oh my, what have i done now”, you knit your brows and press your cheek against his, pretending to be very, very sorry about what you just said.

“you made the birthday boy sad”, he huffs a silly, somehow obviously forced, pout, “you’ve got to make it up to me somehow”

“i’d do anything to make the birthday boy smile again — just say the word”, you sweetly pamper, patting the top of his head.

“really?”

“really.”

“anything?”

“anything.”

“you promise not to go back on your word?”

“i promise.”

he pulls his cheek away from yours and looks you in the eyes, the blue in his shining with a darker shade of mischief now. and considering the smug smile on his face, you sigh — perhaps you just got yourself played, falling face down into his little trap.

“then”, he points at his own face, “sit on it”

to say you were surprised by his request would be a lie. he’s many times tried coaxing you into doing this in the past but somehow you managed to avoid it, part of you still shying away from it. it’s not like his tongue has never been inside you before. but riding it as if it were his cock seemed way more obscene in your head than anything you two have ever done previously — and you’ve done pretty much a lot.

“well”, you sigh in defeat, seems like the time has finally come, “today’s your lucky day”, you say as you get up from his lap and turn your back — a signal for him to unzip your dress — to which, of course, he immediately complies.

“as it should be”, his crafty fingers work the slider down, slowly peeling the dress off your body and letting it fall on the floor, followed by your lace thong and bra, “it’s my birthday after all”

“the way you always find a way to make things go your way gets on my nerves so much”, you turn around again and push him on the bed and slowly climb on top of him to straddle his chest.

“make a wish before you blow the candle”, you look down at him, your pussy close to his face, the scent of you tickling his nostrils, and he, instinctively almost, takes a deeper breath, rolling his eyes back and hissing with delight.

“freak”, you quickly look away, embarrassed, but he cups your cheeks, forcing you to look at him again, “i want you to look at me as you ride my face”, his voice comes out breathy, “will you do that for the birthday boy?”

you nod into his palms, “you’re insufferable” — “suffocate me then”, he coos through a grin, grabbing your knees to pull you forward until you’re above his face.

“jerk”, you say, but softly, as you lower your cunt on his willing mouth, landing your softness on his face in slow motion, immediately earning a throaty groan from him that shudders through your pussy lips.

satoru breathes deeply in and out with your heat on his mouth, the scent of you hitting his lungs and even below, reaching all the way down to his groin to further nurture his cock already throbbing in his slacks. his hand reaching down to unbuckle them slightly, to give more space for his hard-on to grow freely.

“mowe”, he muffles incoherently into your pussy, grabbing a handful of your ass cheeks to push you against his face, tilting his head up and down, jutting his jaw up and out to meet you.

you whimper at the friction, your clit bumping and rubbing against his nose as his lips are kissing your folds, his tongue slowly poking at your entrance with the tip before darting in — twirling around your walls — and out.

“nghh…s-sa-t-to—”, you barely cry out his name, tugging at his hair, mercilessly pulling him into your heat. as much as you hated to admit it, you loved this position. your embarrassment long gone and forgotten, you ride his face in a haze, your pussy getting wetter against his mouth and your movements — faster and harder each moment.

“heawen on my fongwue”, he groans. if he could speak properly right now, he would probably make the nastiest, dirtiest remarks, shamelessly walk you through every single thing he was feeling as you rocked your hips back and forth, grinding on his face. he would probably say something about your boobs, too. how they looked so pretty jiggling ever so slightly from the movement. he can’t speak right now, yes, but he can still get his thoughts reach you through actions — his hands run along your belly, gripping your breasts from below, squeezing and squishing them inside of his palms.

you clutch his hands with yours, “i can’t hold this position for too long”, and force them down on your hips for support. you hear him say something through a loud groan but it’s barely recognizable — most likely just him cursing “fuck” and “baby” from pleasure under your pussy, but also from the ego boost you just gave him — that he can make you weak but at the same time desperate enough to want to continue — despite your hips giving up — not only with his cock but his mouth alone, too.

you let him take over as you chase your high, weighing on his face as his hands grip on your hips, dictating your every move, composing the tune of your hips. his tongue is no more sliding in and out as he makes you grind harder on his face — it stays in, continuously licking your sweet spot clean.

“f-fuck, fuck, fuck…”, you curse loudly, reaching your hands to grab the head of the bed and hammer your pussy harder into his face, squeezing every last drop of strength left in your already cramping muscles until you cum, shuddering on his mouth.

“mfff”, he groans throatily into your hole, sucking and slurping your juices. his hips buck in the air, helplessly searching for friction to soothe his aching cock. his half-unbuckled pants are drenched with precum, leaking out from his tip through his boxers and out through the cloth of his pants, visibly staining them.

you can’t see but it’s easy to figure out from the way the bed bounces up and down as his ass meets the mattress after every time his hips fall down. “how cute”, you utter as you try to calm down your breathing, cunt still resting over his face.

his eyes are half closed, rolling back and hiding their blue away. all he needs is a little push, a little rub, you know it. you know it by the way his tongue has stopped moving inside you, by the way his hands have loosened the grip on your flesh, by the way his shortened moans have grown into one long and steady groan coming from the bottom of his throat — his entire brain solely focused on the muscles of his lower body that is searching, almost beggingly, for relief.

you lean your upper body back a little, just enough to make it easier to reach his shaft while still sitting on his face. “since you’re the birthday boy”, you drag your words out as you place your hand on his clothed cock, feeling the wetness that’s emerged from beneath against your palm, “i’ll give you a hand.”

his ass cheeks tense and squeeze as he presses his hips against your touch, ferociously rubbing his clothed cock on the flesh of your open palm. his groans get louder as he bucks his hips under your hand, pushing them up to meet your hand harder and faster each time — just the way he forces his cock into your tight cunt as he nears — until the last three thrusts that he always prolongs in order to properly and completely pump his seed out.

the inside of your hand feels hot against his clothed cock as he seeps himself out, the stickiness of his cum absorbing itself into the material of his pants and emerging through it to reach the skin of your palm.

you lift yourself up a little only to plop your body down next to his. his mouth, cheeks, chin, even his nose, are covered in his spit and your cum, all mixed in.

“shit, baby”, he laughs, breathing deeply in and out of his mouth, overwhelmed by the whole experience, “what the hell did you just do to me”

“do you really need me to verbalize what just happened”

“yes”

“no”, you slap his cheek with the back of your hand, softly, before rolling on your side to rest your head on the left side of his chest, kissing it tenderly. “happy birthday”

“it really is”, he whispers, tracing a heart shape over the skin of your exposed cheek with his fingertip, “with you, it always is”

“did your wish come true by any chance?”, you tilt your head to look at him.

“not yet. but i’ll work on it later tonight. for now, i’ll let you catch your breath”

“wait, wait.”, you raise a brow, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“my love”, he clears his throat, “do you remember how i said, when we first met, that you’d be the mother of my children?”

“yea? am i not?”

“children”, he stresses.

“oh.”, it finally hits you.

“one more to go”

[thatonegeekygirl]

ryan “hates to see ghosts” bergara and shane “ghosts hate to see him” madej truly make the most absurd ghost hunting duo in existence. the contradicting synergy never ceases to astound me

[murasakiyugata]

On a day that wasn’t Christmas, I witnessed in my court:

12 false convictions 11 contradictions 10 loud objections 9 quick deflections 8 clues astounding 7 gavels pounding 6 quick time-outs 5 turnabouts 4 uncovered dealings 3 needless feelings 2 lawyers in love And an updated autopsy report

[tododeku-or-bust]

Gotta be honest, sometimes it still astounds me the whiplash in the political arena from last year. I know Presidential elections are always insufferable for the hypothetical, tokenized "Blacks and Latinos" and the "anonymized people of the Global South", and I prepared for that. but you legitimately could not have told me that Biden would manage to so gloriously fumble what could have been the easiest dub in history.

The Republicans were infighting about Trump's dumbass, to the point of breaking. Democrats were only giving a shit about the opinions of the white moderate, but they still held that corny facade of "at least we care". No one negatively affected by his policies believed it, but the establishment Dems didn't waver. And then this man decided to wholeheartedly support a genocide. every excuse you could possibly have became null and void once your nominee can be told "at least our Republican candidate didn't finance a genocide". Imagine not being able to contradict a Conservative on the debate stage about warmongering and hating Arabic people, and you're supposed to be his opposite.

You got the youth vote and the Black vote, two of the strongest groups for Democrats, wavering. You got the Black CHURCH wavering- and they are staunch Democrats. Like this man torched his own campaign. White liberals, y'all better start convincing your own white nonvoters (who make up the majority of nonvoters) bc "The POC" are not gonna fill that "guaranteed" space in this year. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[cosmic-metanoia]

The Ruler of Life and Death

***Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI***

<Edited to add some missing scenes!> Over time, I have written several FFXVI character analysis posts and Joshua is intertwined throughout most of them.

But I held off on writing his own post because frankly...there is just too much to say. As Johnathan Case (the English VA) once said, Joshua is "full of contradictions."

But the Tumblr world deserves more Joshua so...here we are!

My angle of approach - I will choose one word that encompasses many of his astounding qualities - self-possession.

(You got it! It's a word that Jote uses in her inner voice about a completely different character.)

Self-possession doesn't just mean "control over one's emotions." Afterall - having "control" over something implies that you can lose it.

Self-possession refers to mastery over one's destiny and being a fixed point within the chaotic storm rather than being pulled under the waves.

As a child, Joshua understandably had imposter syndrome. Makes sense considering who stood beside him. His highly admired and beloved older brother who, for reasons unknown, was passed over by the Phoenix. Instead of selecting the heroic teenager, the Eikon of Fire chose the sweet and frail little brother.

Thirteen years later, we witness in awe as a well-travelled Joshua confidently strides into Drake's Head to protect Clive and Jill. Everything about him emanates self-possession - his gestures, his stance, his diction, his facial expressions. HE is the shield now and he knows exactly how this game of chess with Ultima will end. Every move is intentional.

Five years after that, we see his self-possession when he kindly turns away Kihel's offer to heal him of his blood-ridden coughs while travelling on the crystalline road with Jote. He would rather have Kihel save her medicines to help others.

And despite the couple of times he doubts his abilities to keep Ultima sealed, Joshua presses on with grace and determination.

One of the most BEAUTIFUL examples of self-possession was when he emerges uninvited in Dion's tent. The man who was supposedly dead now stands before all with complete composure and authority. Through his subtle yet monumental gestures, it is plain that Joshua holds absolute conviction in his heart that Dion will not harm him or turn him in - despite the fact that Dion's loyalties lie with the very nation that destroyed Joshua's homeland.

The chilling reunion between Joshua and Anabella really tests Joshua's self-possession in the midst of so many emotional barrages from earlier. Instead of dismissing her or ragefully calling her out for destroying so many lives, he does something extraordinary. He reaches his hand out to her in a last act of mercy that no one else was willing to give her.

Another example of self-possession is when Joshua reveals the extent of his dire situation to Clive and Jill in the infirmary after the fall of the Crystalline Dominion. Notice how he revealed it with a soft smile and a gentle voice in contrast to Clive and Jill's horror and outrage. Joshua knows the consequences of his actions and chose that path willingly without a single regret.

Joshua is far from weak. He's the only Dominant able to seal Ultima within and continuously heal himself. Yet he STILL wakes up every day to fight by Clive's side and slay every beast in their path...all with a kind smile and words of wisdom. Always mindful, always demonstrating self-possession in the midst of pain.

A small but notable dialogue exchange between the brothers is when Clive expresses concern for Joshua's ability to take on a huge ambush of beasts in Waloed. Joshua's answer is one of acknowledgement and even humor. He is clearly in command of his situation - the situation is not in command of him.

One of the most noteworthy scenes that rarely gets touched on is the battle with the Behemoth in Waloed. When Clive reaches out with his hand to stop Behemoth's meteor and wanted to prime into Ifrit, Joshua exclaimed, "Why do you turn to him, brother?! When we fight, we fight together." And does Joshua also reach out to prevent the meteor from obliterating them? Nope....he heals Clive's hand continuously - being his support and his fixed point in the sea of chaos.

And there were several emotional scenes throughout the game where Joshua is spiritually and emotionally the steadfast center in Cilve's tumultuous world as symbolized by the phoenix feather he carries.

Of course, Joshua isn't always perfect in maintaining self-possession at all times.

Generally speaking, he is patient and not easily aggravated....but when he does snap, you freaking watch and listen. I'm talking about THE infamous Clive-gets-a-hook-punch-to-the-face-from-lil-bro that was felt around the world. But even in that context, Joshua was still thinking about Jill and standing up for her.

During the VERY dangerous encounter with Barnabas on the Enterprise, symbolically speaking, Joshua dangled on the edge of the self-possession but kept one hand gripping firmly at its edge. He almost lost himself in the fires of frustration and anger that Barnabas attempted to stoke.

We also see a heart-breaking example of his self-possession - Joshua foregoing romantic attachments in order to spare them the inevitable suffering if he doesn't make it in the end.

In the end....

Despite so many fans thinking Ultima would puppet his body and/or mind, Joshua demonstrates his mastery of self-possession - literally until the moment he dies in Clive's arms.

Joshua had every reason and opportunity to be spoiled (former little prince of Rosaria), self-centered (messiah of the Undying), haughty (like Anabella), unforgiving (Phoenix Gate/Night of Flames incident), greedy (being a Dominant), and hateful (a mix of traumas within his lifetime).

But this man OWNS his trauma and processes it to make him strong in the spirit and self-sacrificing for those he loves.

Perhaps that self-possession is something we can all apply to our own lives.

[waxingrunes]

I’m seeing too much of this across all channels and I need to write a little something on my humble blog with my humble amount of followers, because how else am I going to get this off my chest.

Some of you need to remember that this whole world we created is pure, fiction. It’s based off fiction and we are building off fiction, forking off in different directions with characters we love.

The canon vs fanon debate is ongoing and quite honestly, mind numbingly pointless and you all consistently contradict and overlap one another with whatever discourse you’re riding that week. You lot wanna argue a point by saying, “these are my hc’s and I can do what I like with them stop taking everything so seriously teeheehehehe” then uno reverse that the next minute by screaming, “that would never happen *insert name* is this or is that” but fuck canon right? Fuck JKR? Or is it more, fuck the parts of canon I don’t like and I’ll take the parts I do so I can shove them down the throats of creators who represent these characters in an opposing light. The amount of posts I’ve seen floating around these sites that are people preaching to their audiences about how dumb they are (unless it’s meant to be satire, I’m not a brainless sensitive lump with no humour bone) for liking certain things, or enjoying certain things, or preferring certain aspects in a character is astounding. Take pause before jumping on your high horse over a fictional character and shaming people for moulding them into what they enjoy. Is this not the beauty of fiction, imagination; the ability to twist and turn over different traits and appearances within our palms and make them into our own little dress up dolls?

Here’s my two cents as a WOLFSTAR artist, not a Marauders— if I want to make Sirius into a teacup and Remus into a sea slug and have him curl up to sleep every night in his bowl, then I’ll do that with fine china detail. If I want to make Sirius someone who refuses to wear nothing but a specific shade of tangerine and Velcro strapped trainers, I will. One day I might throw Moony into a boxing ring and have him be a middleweight champion, stained by the blood of his opponent whilst his wolf is chomping at the bit to come out just before the full moon threatens to take centre stage. If I want to make Sirius 6ft tall and Remus 5ft1, I will. Why not draw an AU of them as the rocks from Everything, Everywhere All At Once? Maybe, they can be something as simple as a boy and a boy who look the way you want them to look, fuck the way you want them to fuck and fall in love and fight, and scream, and cry, and make up a million different ways.

Let’s get more specific as the seal’s broken. Why not make Remus plus sized and give him a beard or a dad’s bod at age 23. Or maybe because he’s lighter haired he doesn’t have dark hair like that and only has a smattering of it across the ugliest of his scars. Consider this— moony with softer hips but fuller sturdy shoulders. Or long, slender limbs with a deceptively hidden strength owing to his wolf, stronger than James though he doesn’t look it. Onto Sirius, try to tell me I’m not going to put him in thigh highs and fem the shit out of him whilst he holds a bat in one hand covered in the blood of someone who tried to disrespect his Moons. Alert the press when someone erases every single one of his tattoos only to replace them with hyperpigmentation. What about giving him a beater’s build and a long thick trail of naval hair that he likes to call his ‘seeker’s delight’. What about a hairless Sirius who has a soft life and likes to make herself pretty for her 6ft 4 boyfriend every weekend when he gets on the train to visit.

How about, I stick with my personal holy take on the boys and present you with a harmless middle ground where Moony is whatever the fuck I want him to be physically, emotionally, or characteristically but always a wet fucking cloth for Sirius. A grape, under a thumb, you could say. And a Sirius, who is too whatever I want him to be physically, emotionally, or characteristically but will always be Moony’s biggest cheerleader.

Stay with me whilst I offer you the brain stretching, risky, taboo thought for you to ponder on: stop trying to please people. Stop absorbing all these takes that pressure you into thinking you’ve got to include every fucking thing that shaves you down and boxes you into their squeaky clean little creator! Indulge in what you like. Make it public, make it known and make it as loud as you want. Feels good on this side of freedom.

Lastly, quick (none of this has been quick) circle back to myself being a Wolfstar artist, not a Marauders one. I will not be shamed into drawing the women in this fandom, I will not try to even out my art with equal parts women and men, in fear of being called misogynistic. I came here for Wolfstar and I stay for them; I get 95% of my muse from them and enjoy drawing these idiots nearly every single day when I can. I’ve a busy life, a job, the luxury of a family that love me and a couple friends I’d like to keep too. If and when I draw, it’s going to be what I want to draw and want to indulge in, not to check off your boxes of inclusion. I am not going to defend my choice of indulgence to you. I am not going to refute women or wlw ships and in fact, eat up stories or art where they’re prominent. Will I have muse or will to do a piece on them? Probably not. If I do, I will and if it’s not done to a standard deemed appropriate enough by the council, well shit I hope I get an honourable mention in one of your hate threads on Twitter.

Grow up. I am the type of person who has a more or less rigid taste on these boys and what I, enjoy representing them like and you runts will run your throats hoarse before I turn an ear. I am not the type of person to see someone who doesn’t like what I prefer and start slamming my keyboard and slap them with a red card. I’ll move on but appreciate the take in silence. Some of you really, come across like you’re stomping your feet in a tantrum, some of you sound like you’ve never been told to shut the fuck up a day in your life and some of you, some of you, really think you’re a messiah.

Fuck your canons, fanons and righteous attitudes towards people who are quite literally, not real. You are not a deity of the Marauders, you are a fucking loser offline just like the rest of us.

[seleneprince]

Following this little something that sent me on a brainrot for days

PROLOGUE

There are very few things that can impress him at this point.

Or so he thought.

Because when he sees a human girl cross the Wall by herself, armed with a sharp tongue and an iron-made will only, well, he has to be impressed. Shocked even.

Because no human has ever crossed the Wall by themselves and survived. They're not supposed to. They're too weak, too mortal for the ruthlessness that is the land of Fae. They're prey in the home of predators. Even the strongest of their people rarely last more than a few days.

But this female—this girl—doesn't look like any other human he has seen before. And he’s seen enough of them to get a general idea. She isn’t covered in weapons or clad in armor; instead, she wears accessories made of iron. (The sight of those always makes him chuckle—how the humans cling to them, as if it'll really give them a chance against Fae. Bless them). Her hair has been braided up beautifully, though a few strands have escaped, giving her a messy, wild look. She wears a plain, gray dress with a dark coat, stained with mud and ripped in places, yet she still carries herself with a certain pride—her eyes, piercing and unwavering, burn with a fierce determination he doesn't expect to see in mortals.

There’s something about her that makes him pause, a contradiction he can’t quite put his finger on. She’s obviously battered by her journey—filfth splattered across her dress, her face streaked with dirt mixed with sweat, and exhaustion clear in the lines of her features. Yet, even with the signs of weariness etched into her, she holds her head high, shoulders squared against the chilling breeze that sweeps through the land.

Of course, the path to the Wall has its own dangers and obstacles, with some Lesser Faes sneaking out once in a while to haunt the lands being the tamest of them. Certainly, a dainty thing like her should have died before even getting a glimpse of the Wall. It's astounding that she got out with just some bruises and dirt on her clothes. he wonders if he might be hallucinating—if this human is just a product of his exhausted mind playing tricks on him. But then he hears her curse, loud and furious, and he knows she’s real.

His lips quirk up at the scene. There's something endearingly amusing about such a delicate creature with such a filthy mouth. She reminds him of a wet, angry kitten. Adorable.

When he takes a closer look, carefully hidden in the shadows, he hums in appreciation. For a mere human covered in grime, she's a real beauty. Her eyes are an unusual blend of blue and gray, shifting depending on how the light catches them. Her sun-kissed skin is marred by burns, and her frame is a bit too thin for his liking, yet she exudes an air of cold, regal elegance—like a fallen queen. His interest deepens when a sense of familiarity stirs within him, as though he’s seen her before. It can’t be true. He would remember.

But before he can think further, the fiery human catches him off guard once more.

"I know you're there. Show yourself, coward!"

He's grateful that she can't see him almost tripping backwards in shock. What the fuck?! She can sense him. How? She's human, and as far as he can tell, she doesn't have an ounce of magic in her.

Maybe she's bluffing? She's terrified and knows there are all sorts of creatures roaming these lands, so she's trying to paint herself as brave. That must be it. It's an irrational, ridiculous enough of a reaction for a human.

She scoffs, stomping her feet.

"For heaven's sake, just come out now. Let's get this over with."

It's not a bluff. She really knows he's watching her. Or that someone is. She must know she's at disadvantage here, and still insists on provoking a potential predator.

Interesting.

He finally steps out of the shadows, appearing right in front of her. He grins when she jumps back, surprised and scared. He squints his eyes when her fear is quickly replaced with anger and...annoyance.

This human must be an abnormal among her kind, surely.

"What's the matter, dear?" he smiles, purposedly showing his sharp teeth. "I thought you wanted me to come out"

He delights in the nervous gulp and the tension that settles on her body. She attempts to take a step back, her feet hesitating, only to stay rooted in place, unmoving.

She still tries to hold unto the fake indifference, how cute. Not like it'll help her, of course. She'll about to learn just how useless the iron she wears is. But before he speaks again, her rich voice shuts him off again.

"You took a long time, sir. Haven't you been taught that it's incredibly rude to make a lady wait?"

Her chin lifts, defiance shining in her eyes despite the rapid beat of her pulse that he can practically hear thrumming in the air between them.

And he...well, he's momentarily stunned, caught between amusement and genuine disbelief. Any normal human would've been trembling by now, begging for mercy, or at the very least, backing away. But she stands her ground, her fear coating the air and her fingers twitching slightly over her where her thigh is.

He throws a quick look there and notices something poking underneath her skirt. A strapped knife. Her hand has been discreetly moving towards there, and now lays on top of it. So she knows he's dangerous. She knows what her situation is. The fact that, despite that, she still considers stabbing him an option can be interpreted as incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.

Probably both, coming from an human.

"Oh, my humblest apologies, dear," he makes a point of dramatically bowing to her, "I didn't want you to fret, you see. It is very rare to meet girls like yourself around here."

"Like myself?"

"Humans. For some reason, they tend to dissapear quickly once they're here. Specially the young and pretty ones."

He smells her fear, and the rush of blood pumping faster with it. He has to hold back a purr. Of course, she's smart enough pick on the threat, yet she doesn't react to it. She doesn't give away anything, besides the imperceptible twitch of her fingers. She's determined to fool him with that fake passivity.

Too bad he can practically savour her terror on his tongue. Luckily for her, she's too interesting to kill her soon.

"That doesn't explain why you waited so long to reveal yourself, sir."

Her voice has a slight tremble in it, but she raises her chin to speak to him and her blue-grey eyes look straight into his. The breath gets stuck in his throat for a moment. His gaze trails the shape of her lips, her long neck, her curly eyelashes, her slim waist.

His tongue swipes across his lips, a gesture that she doesn’t miss, judging by the way her shoulders tense.

"Ah, forgive me," he says, struggling more than he should to focus again, " I enjoy watching from the shadows first. I'm a bit shy." He pauses, studying her reaction, catching the flicker of uncertainty that crosses her face before she smooths it over with irritation.

She huffs and crosses her arms, like she's getting bored of him. As if he couldn't sense how much she wishes to run and hide.

"Do you get a kick out of lurking in the shadows, scaring humans for fun?" she snaps, each word laced with irritation. "Or is it just me you’re bothering tonight, sir?"

He lets out a low chuckle, the sound reverberating in the still air, a deliberate attempt to unsettle her further. But she doesn’t flinch, not even a little. Instead, her jaw tightens, and she glares up at him with a fierceness that makes his curiosity spike.

"And what if I do?" he counters, his voice dropping to a silken purr. He leans closer, invading her space. “What’s a little thing like you going to do about it?”

Her nostrils flare, her breath coming quicker now, but she doesn’t shrink back. "I don’t know," she replies, her voice sharp, almost cutting. “Maybe I’ll stab you in the balls and run.”

He arches a brow, genuinely taken aback by her audacity. This girl—this little human girl—is threatening him, a High Fae who could snap her like a twig without breaking a sweat. She's an insignificant creature standing in front of a monster that can destroy and devour her before she can blink. But she stares at him like she might actually mean it, like she’s weighing the distance between them, considering whether she could really drive that dull blade into his body before he overpowers her.

Ah, she's truly a joy. Far too interesting to let her die. Cauldron knows it's been so long since he's had some good entertainment.

"Oh, we don't need to get so violent, dear," a slow, wicked smile spreads across his face, and he lifts his arm, "I have better plans for us."

He flicks his wrist and shadows lurge at her before she can react, caging her with her arms pressed against her body, rendering her unable to move. She gasps and struggles uselessly, grunting in frustration and shock.

He chuckles at the display, throwing his hands in his pockets as he walks slowly towards her, like a predator lurking his prey. Only this time she can fully see him.

He stops just inches from her, his smirk widening as he studies her closer. The sight of her struggling against the shadows, the way her breaths come in quick, angry gasps, sends a shiver of satisfaction through him. She’s caught in his web now, her wrists and arms bound tight by shadows she cannot hope to break, and yet the fire in those silver eyes remains undimmed.

With a shift of his finger, a little shadow goes up to her chin and forces it up so she's looking at him. She grits her teeth, pure fury lighting up her glare. He can’t resist running his eyes over every curve of her face, savoring the wild anger in her expression. There’s no fear in her now—only rage. And it looks beautiful.

"Who the hell are you? Let me go!" she snaps, voice ringing with a boldness that doesn’t match her current state.

He smirks. It’s rare to find a mortal with this much fire, especially one who doesn’t immediately crumble under the weight of the unknown.

"Just a curious observer," he replies smoothly, his voice low and laced with danger. "And you, little thing, are far more interesting than I expected."

Her eyes widen, her struggles ceasing momentarily.

"What in the world do you mean?!"

He leans in until his breath brushes against her nose, relishing in how she holds her breath in anticipation.

"I'm going to keep you with me."

[siroofington]

[Audio: an Ace Attorney parody of The Twelve Days of Christmas. There are a few sound effects from the game. Lyrics, written by @murasakiyugata:

(Crowd murmur) On a day that wasn’t Christmas, I witnessed in my court: 12 false convictions 11 contradictions 10 loud objections 9 quick deflections 8 clues astounding 7 gavels pounding 6 quick time-outs 5 turnabouts (Phoenix: "Take that!") 4 uncovered dealings 3 needless feelings 2 lawyers in love And an updated autopsy report (gavel bang)

ID: a screenshot of the original post, which is the same as the lyrics above except without the sound effects. End description]

[workersolidarity]

🇺🇸 🚨

UNITED STATES CONGRESS PASSES SERIES OF ANTI-DEMOCRATIC AND PRO-WAR BILLS DESPITE PUBLIC OPPOSITION

The United States Congress and Senate passed a series of bills, including three controversial anti-democratic and pro-war bills, two of which were tied together, on Saturday, bypassing public opinion and popular opposition to the profligate, pro-war, globalist, Neolib/Neocon agenda currently driving United States domestic and foreign policy.

Included in the bills passed was a bill to force TikTok to divest from its connections with China at risk of being banned immediately, which naturally was tied to a Foreign aid bill.

However, as even Republican Senator Rand Paul mentioned in an opinion piece in Reason Magazine, the Bill is almost certain to lead to more power for American political elites and their administrations to pressure companies like Apple and Google to further ban apps and sites that offer contradictory opinions to that of the invented narratives of the American Political class.

Before long, Americans, many of whom are already poorly informed, and heavily misinformed by their mainstream media, could lose access to critical information that contradicts the narratives of the United States government and corporate elites.

Horrifically, this only the start. The US Congress also extended the newly revised FISA spy laws, which gives the United States government the power to spy on the electronic communications of foreigners, while also conveniently sweeping up the conversations of millions of Americans, as we learned years ago thanks to the sacrifices of whistle blowers and journalists like Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange.

The new FISA Law goes further than this, however, granting US Intelligence agencies the power to spy on the wireless communications of Americans in completely new ways.

A recent Jacobin article describes these new powers as a, "radical expansion of government surveillance that would be ripe for abuse by a future authoritarian leader", or it could just be used by the authoritarian leadership we have right now, and have had for decades.

In fact, when one commentator described the new powers as "Stasi-like," Edward Snowden himself replied with a long post in which he remarked, "invocation of "Stasi-like" is not only a fair characterization of Himes' amendment, it's probably generous. The Stasi dared not even dream of what the Himes amendment provides."

The amendment in question just "tweaks" the current law's definition of an "electronic communication provider," which is being changed to "any service provider," something extremely likely to be abused by the government to force anyone with a business, a modem and people using their broadband to collect the electronic communications of those people, while also forcing their victims into silence.

The government could essentially force Americans to spy on other people and remain silent about it. Cafe's, restaurants, hotels, business landlords, shared workspaces all could get swept up into the investigations of the Intelligence agencies.

Worse still, because picking out the communications of a single user would be next to impossible, all of their victim's data would end up being surrendered to the authorities.

Sadly, the assault on Americans by their own political elites didn't end there, to top this historic day in Congress, at time when the United States public debt is growing at an astounding rate of $1 trillion every 100 days, US lawmakers also passed a series of pro-war aid packages to American allies (vassals) totalling some $95 billion.

Included in the foreign aid bill are aid packages totalling $61 billion for the Ukraine scam, $26 billion for Israel's special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, and $8 billion to the Indo-Pacific to provoke WWIII with China, at the same time we're also provoking a nuclear holocaust with the Russian Federation.

Also buried in these aid packages is the authorization for the United States government to outright steal the oversees investments of the Russian Federation, and thereby the Russian taxpayers.

Astonishingly, and in direct opposition to the wishes of their own voters, Republican support was won without the possibility of conditioning the aid to any kind of border security, this despite the issue being among the top biggest concerns of Republican voters.

Although much of the money is to be used replenishing the heavily depleted stocks of America's weapons and munitions, it remains unclear where the munitions are expected to come from, as US defense production has remained sluggish and slow to expand despite heavy investments and demand in recent years, despite the rapid urgency with which the policy elite describe the situation.

It bodes poorly for working Americans that only a relatively small handful of lawmakers opposed the bills, producing unlikely bedfellows like Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Mike Lee in the Senate, opposing the FISA bill.

While in the House, the loudest opposition to the foreign aid bill mostly came from populist Republicans such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie and Paul Goser. Only 58 Congresmembers voted against the Foreign Aid Bill in which the TikTok ban was tucked.

Not one word from American politicians about the need to raise the minimum wage, which hasn't been increased since 2009 despite considerable inflation, nor a word about America's endlessly growing homelessness crises, property crime increases, or the 40-year stagnation of American wages, the deterioration of infrastructure, and precious little was said besides complaints about border security over the immigration crises sparked by American Imperialist adventures and US sanctions.

What we've learned today is that we are highly unlikely to see any changes to the insane behavior of the US and its allies any time soon, neither with regards to the absolutely bonkers Neocon foreign policy leading us to the edge of abyss, nor the spending-for-the-rich/austerity-for-the-poor Neoliberal domestic policy of the last 45 years.

#source1

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

Blue: titles are opinion pieces or analysis, and may or may not contain sources.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The Man from a Different Universe

In the chronicles of unexplained mysteries, the story of the Taured Man stands out as a baffling and enigmatic tale that has puzzled minds for decades.

It all began in the mid-20th century when a well-dressed and confident Caucasian man arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, eager to embark on his journey. However, it was at the airport's immigration desk that this ordinary-looking traveler would reveal an extraordinary claim that would forever shroud his identity in mystery. Upon being asked the routine question of his country of origin, the man, with unwavering conviction, declared that he hailed from a place called "Taured." To the bewilderment of the Japanese immigration authorities, there was no record of such a country. The traveler was asked to produce identification, and that's when the plot thickened. In his possession, the Taured Man held a plethora of official documents, each more puzzling than the last. A passport, driver's license, and a stack of business cards – all issued by the non-existent nation of Taured – were laid out before the astounded officials. The documents were meticulously crafted, bearing all the hallmarks of authenticity, complete with visas from multiple countries, hinting at a history of international travel. As if this weren't perplexing enough, there were other curious details that further fueled the mystery. The authorities, grappling with disbelief, questioned the man about his homeland. His unwavering response was that Taured had existed for a long time, situated in the border region between France and Spain. This contradiction, however, only deepened the enigma, as no such country appeared on any maps or records. It was as though the Taured Man was a visitor from an alternate dimension or an elaborate hoaxer.

The confusion escalated as the man was escorted to a hotel room, still under the vigilant gaze of Japanese immigration authorities. While they were determined to solve the riddle of his identity, they were left with more questions than answers. The next morning, an eerie and baffling development occurred – the Taured Man and all of his belongings, including the Taured documents, had vanished without a trace. There were no signs of forced entry or exit, leaving investigators and airport personnel dumbfounded. It was as if the enigmatic traveler had simply vanished into thin air.

[dropoff99]

Reminder for those in their first read through:

Jordan is a firm believer in an unreliable narrator. I’ve been seeing some absolutely WILD takes on on certain characters that I can only assume are from people that haven’t hit later books yet. Most characters have a number of things they won’t admit to themselves, even within their POVs. Some are thinly veiled so you identify them early, others are not and are often a product of that character not knowing themselves or others very well yet. Also when Jordan felt a character had a wrong impression of someone, he felt that it shouldn’t be corrected unless they saw direct evidence to contradict their views on other characters. And while characters certainly miscommunicate It’s not always because Jordan wanted to stall the plot, he just legitimately wanted flaws in the way they thought and understood what was going on in the world.

My POV reliability ranking is below (yes there are spoilers in regards to large character beats but no plot) ranking on how intellectually honest/reliable WoT characters are within their POVs. Note it doesn’t mean I think the people at the top are always right, just that you can trust their internal narrative as being consistent with how they really feel and their read on others is somewhat accurate. Additionally I only ranked the EF5 and some other big characters. If they aren’t on here it has nothing to do with how reliable I believe they are, just that I didn’t rank them.

One last thing: I legitimately love the tool of an unreliable POV character. It allows you to adds depth, intrigue, and unpredictability. It is not a coincidence that the bottom 3 of this list are my favorite characters of the series.

1 Egwene - controversial I know but her time with Gawyn/Wise Ones reveal this the most. Additionally she has a self-awareness about her dynamic with the rest of the cast. Rand and Nynaeve really stick out in this regard. she figures out their dynamic with her a lot quicker than they do. She is generally a step ahead of others and accurately portrays what she sees and experiences IMO.

2 Thom/Lan - their POVs reveal their motivations pretty clearly and they also are very consistent across the series. Additionally their analysis of other characters is really helpful due to general knowledge of the world. I put them behind Egwene because Jordan is very stingy with their POVs.

3 Min - she is the most openly conflicted of the main cast (especially regarding Rand). But I can’t put her reliability as high as the others because Jordan intentionally obscured her interpretations of her visions for obvious reasons and that is such a big part of her character that it drops her.

4 Perrin - as internally honest as they come (especially his guilt) outside of his love interests but this is a HUGE blind spot for him.

5 Rand - despite what some would say on this topic, it’s not so much that he lies to himself, but there are specific and intentional inconsistencies that are plot related. Additionally, the pressure Rand is under definitely clouds his judgement throughout the story but this is usually apparent to the reader.

6 Moiraine - her internal conflict about her schemes/plans as well as her habit of obscuring the truth places her outside of the top 5 but I generally think her POVs are incredibly revealing about what she thinks/feels when you do get them.

7 Elayne - I know you might be thinking… how is she this low? But I believe she lies to herself (even if thinly veiled) on many occasions, especially how she feels regarding her family and close relationships.

8 Mat - the guy is genuinely just a compulsive liar. He lies to himself and others routinely throughout the story. The amount of times he says “this is the last time I (insert any particular thing he does regularly)” even within his POV is astounding. But he does this in such a predictable rhythm that you get used to it very quickly. Also his read on other people within the story is at times so outlandish that you can’t believe he really thinks what his internal dialogue is saying.

9 Aviendha - absolute lunatic internally. I love her to death but what she truly believes is often hidden early on in her POVs and because she comes from such a unique culture Jordan intentionally makes her evaluation of any given circumstance a little confusing. The only reason I would rank her above Nynaeve is because there are legitimate plot mysteries that Jordan did not want to unveil with her early on making her less reliable, which isn’t the same thing as what happens with Nynaeve.

10 Nynaeve - I really don’t want to say much about this because I believe her POV is actually done brilliantly in a lot of ways, it just makes for a frustrating read before you understand her. But to put it simply she is not honest with herself generally and you have to rely on Jordan’s prose and her literal actions to know how she truly feels.

[vigilskeep]

Hi harker, no ask involved in this one. Just me chewing on your brain bc you’re SO GOOD at developing complexities and contradictions in your characters that make them so human and real? The way you answer personality asks makes me want to throw myself into the ocean bc THE DEPTH is astounding. I 100% would read a 100-page analysis of any of your characters. Good crunch, good texture.

thank you!! it’s always fun to talk abt minerva and keir bc i know them so well and they have years of sort of layering hcs, which is what makes them come across close to fully realised, i think. i’m hoping finishing more playthroughs will give me more ocs like that :)

it’s so nice to have these games and this community online rlly, bc i’m bad at sticking to particular ocs as it is, instead of going through shiny new concept after shiny new concept, but playing through a journey and then getting to discuss them for months even years afterwards (such a privilege and delight that people care) really helps a couple of them stick

[valkyrieromanoff]

BAD BATCH: HEADCANON ABOUT A KARAOKE NIGHT

warning:  none, fluffiness perhaps?

a/n:  Hi, to celebrate -- a little late -- the one month anniversary of the end of Bad Batch, I wrote some headcanon about what they'd be like on a karaoke night, I'll just say I had a blast with it. I hope you like it, and if anyone has any suggestions, headcanon ideas, oneshots or anything don't hesitate to send them to me because I'd love to. Kisses 💖

💖 HUNTER

Considering his role as sergeant and leader of the group, he is calm, reserved and focused. He's not shy, although he prefers to stay in the background, watching the scene rather than singing in front of the others, but he's convinced to take a chance by his brothers' encouragement. Hunter's singing is unexpectedly good, his deep, firm voice making for a good rendition of Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger'. 

So many times, it happens too fast

You trade your passion for glory

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past

You must fight just to keep them alive

Hunter approaches the microphone, his posture relaxed, although his eyes scan his surroundings in his usual alert state before letting his gaze linger on the table where his brothers are sitting. His feet tapping the floor softly to the rhythm of the melody, he takes a deep breath for a moment with his eyes closed before beginning to sing in a controlled manner. His eyes are fixed on the monitor where the lyrics are playing, even though he already knows them by heart. As the song progresses, Hunter begins to loosen up, becoming more confident and comfortable, his voice firmer and more assured, he begins to enjoy himself and relax. When the iconic opening riff begins, he grabs the microphone stand and leans in slightly, his deep voice resonating through the room as he gives himself completely to the music, only coming out of his trance when the applause breaks.

💖 CROSSHAIR

It took a lot of insistence from his brothers and Omega's puppy dog eyes to convince Crosshair to have a karaoke night, not to mention Wrecker's not-so-subtle persuasion of hugging his younger brother until he agreed. His personality is more reserved and introspective, although he doesn't fail to make sarcastic comments during the brothers' performances, even though he enjoyed every one of them. Crosshair didn't want to sing at first, but was convinced by his brothers and ended up choosing something darker and more daring like 'Paint it, Black' by The Rolling Stones. He sings in a surprisingly smooth way, delivering a firm and seemingly impartial performance, astounding everyone with his undeniable talent and calm demeanor. Wrecker even insists that he sing one more song.

Maybe then, I'll fade away

And not have to face the facts

It's not easy facing up

When your whole world is black

Crosshair reluctantly takes to the stage, flicking through the set list until he chooses 'Paint it, Black', his low, husky voice weaving perfectly through the dark, melancholy melody. He stands in the middle with an imposing coolness, his hand holding the microphone firmly, contradicting the raw emotion that bleeds from his voice. As the song progresses, he sings with a calm intensity, a relaxed look and posture, receiving applause with a mixture of surprise and excitement from the brothers and the audience who seem captivated by Crosshair's unexpectedly frightening and beautiful performance. 

💖 ECHO

Echo's stance is more introverted and reserved, and he is wary of the invitation at first, but accepts, realizing that it's a good opportunity to interact and spend quality time with his siblings. He sings well, committed in a serious and sincere way with a touch of emotion stemming from the consonance of his own experiences with the story the song is telling. He chooses 'Hero' by Chad Kroeger, the song brings the idea of heroism, overcoming challenges, fitting with Echo's journey and resilience. As a clone, he was created to fight for the Republic, to save his brothers, having to be his own hero, find his own way out, to overcome his challenges, knowing that at that particular moment there was no one who could do it for him.

And they say that a hero could save us

I'm not gonna stand here and wait

I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles

Watch as we all fly away

Echo approaches the microphone, adjusting the stand to his height (Hunter performed before him), he takes a deep breath before starting to sing, letting the beat of the song invade his ears so he can find his own rhythm in the melody. The soft, introspective beginning allows his voice to shine, filled with vulnerability and determination. He channels his personal experiences, reflecting his own struggles, losses and triumphs in his performance. His voice reflects raw emotion as he closes his eyes and lets the lyrics guide him, his confidence growing with each stanza. When the song ends, his brothers are on their feet clapping excitedly, proud and in awe of his performance. Wrecker pulls him into a group hug as he steps down from the stage. 

💖 TECH

Tech has a more analytical personality, much preferring to see the world through the lens of his holopad than engage in social activities, only content to watch his brothers, making one comment or another about the mistake of a note or a delay in getting into the rhythm of the song. He is reluctant when Omega suggests that he be the next to sing; it takes quite a bit of convincing for him to agree to take part. His way of singing is technically precise, possibly a little stiff, considering that he would be more focused on hitting the notes, singing in time to the melody than really feeling the music. He'd go for something more quirky like 'Weird Science' by Oingo Boingo.

Pictures from a magazine

Diagrams and charts, mending broken hearts

And makin' weird science

Something like a recipe

Tech holds the microphone with a mixture of curiosity and determination, although he remains apprehensive, but soon abandons his contradictory thoughts when the melody begins, focusing entirely on singing all the stanzas properly and correctly. There's a certain complexity to the music that encourages a small smile to appear on Tech's lips when he feels safe and comfortable with the lyrics he's used to humming mentally while going about his routine activities. When he finishes, Tech meticulously puts the microphone back before meeting his siblings who are happily celebrating his performance, he adjusts his glasses in his awkward way, not knowing how to react to the wave of compliments and congratulations.

💖 WRECKER

Wrecker has an outgoing personality, he's very loud and always excited to have fun and get a laugh out of others. He loves the attention that karaoke provides and once he feels safe on stage, there's not a shred of shyness in his body. He's not the best singer, his singing is more a question of volume and enthusiasm than musical talent. Wrecker would choose an energetic, upbeat and fun song like Queen's 'We Will Rock You' that would allow him to run around the stage, having fun and involving the audience, totally focused on enjoying the moment. Tech would probably be recording it for posterity.

We will, we will rock you, sing it

We will, we will rock you, everybody

We will, we will rock you, hmm

We will, we will rock you

Wrecker rushes onto the stage, almost knocking over a chair with his energy and captivating animation. He takes the microphone off the stand and holds it in one hand, clapping with the other to imitate the beat of the song. His fun, loud voice filling the room as he walked around the stage, pointing to the audience and clapping his hands to encourage them to follow the music with him. It doesn't take long for his enthusiasm to infect the room and soon everyone is singing along. He dances, jumps and has fun for every minute of the song, without worrying about singing technique, but about living in the moment and being able to enjoy himself in the process. 

💖 OMEGA

Omega is a curious, enthusiastic child who is always ready to try new things. She'll be excited by the karaoke proposal, she's probably the one who came up with the idea anyway. Her singing would be an explosion of joy and energy, and even if she wasn't technically perfect, her enthusiasm for performing would be contagious, leaving everyone captivated by her carefree and youthful presentation. Her choice of song would be something upbeat and fun, that she could have a blast singing and invite the audience to join in, like 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams.

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

The excitement on her face as Omega practically skips down the steps to the stage when her name is called. She takes the microphone off the stand, wanting to have more mobility to move around the stage, she waves to her brothers sitting in the front row before starting to sway to the rhythm of the music. Her voice is bright and cheerful, bringing a burst of joy and fun to the karaoke evening. Omega dances and jumps using the entire stage space, occasionally inventing a choreography, such as clapping her hands over her head, which Wrecker was imitating with animation, albeit with a little less motor coordination. She might miss a note or two, but it doesn't seem to matter; her excitement gets the whole canteen clapping and singing along to the chorus. Hunter watches her with a proud smile, Wrecker dances along, Tech records everything on his holopad, while Crosshair and Echo exchange amused glances, both enjoying the moment.

[geekthefreakout]

The GaaNaru Letters (part 3/?)

Part 1 Part 2

Dear Gaara,

I'm back in the village. You were right-- it was Tsunade that Pervy Sage was talking about. She's an old hag, but really strong. Oh, and Pervy Sage's name is Jiraiya. He's the one who taught me how to summon toads! He's supposed to be a legendary ninja, but he's really just a pervert.

Orochimaru-bastard was trying to get at Granny Tsunade too. We had to fight him, and it was my second time almost getting eaten by a giant snake. It was so gross!! But on the bright side, I mastered this awesome new jutsu that Pervy Sage taught me. It's called 'rasengan'. The old hag thought it was too tough for me to do, but I bet her I could master in in a week AND I DID! How awesome am I right now? I want to try it against your sand next time we see each other.

What I didn't have time to say last time is that your dad sucks. A lot. I know he's dead and everything and you're not supposed to say bad things about dead people, but what you said about him just makes me so angry!! How is it your fault that your mom died when you were born? Babies can't do anything about stuff like that. And it's not like you signed up for Shukaku either. What a jerk!

Bushy Brows is doing better now that Granny is here. She's doing a surgery for him, and then he can really get back on his feet. Everyone is doubting that he can be a shinobi again, but they're wrong. He won't stop until he's back in fighting shape, I know it. Sasuke woke up today, but he hasn't said anything yet. That bastard better fix his attitude soon, because he's upsetting Sakura-chan with his sulking.

I don't know why those guys are after us. Were you able to get your sensei to look into it? Also, how are things going with your siblings? It's good that they don't want to hit you. Family shouldn't hurt each other. You asked if they could be blamed for resenting you and I think... I don't know, kinda? I think they should know that your dad was so unfair to you. Even if you were scary, they're still your family, and if they weren't gonna give you a chance then why should you give them a chance, you know? But it sounds like they're giving you one now?

Sincerely, Naruto Uzumaki

PS: It doesn't count as you kicking my ass because you're the one who backed down! :p

Naruto Uzumaki,

I would like you to elaborate on the giant snake.

It is astounding to me that you refer to two of the measurably greatest ninja of our time as "old hag" and "Pervy Sage." I suppose the saying that familiarity breeds contempt is true-- though you don't seem to regard them with contempt. Tsunade has reached out to the council here in the Sand, and work is underway to repair the relationship between our two villages.

I am interested in this new jutsu. Your repertoire seemed somewhat limited when we fought, though it does not seem to be a problem for you with the amount of chakra you have. And, of course, I should not speak too much- I use my sand almost exclusively in battle.

I do not know Uchiha well, but I know his eyes. I know what silence means with them. Be careful with him, Naruto.

My siblings are... well. Giving me a chance, as you say. Kankuro has made a point of asking me to train with him. Well, he says train with him, but it is more him demonstrating his puppets to me. I have smashed many of them in the past, but I no longer wish to do so. He is very proud of them, and he should be-- ninja puppets require fine chakra control, and he is very skilled. I never noticed how skilled before. It is as though I am seeing him with new eyes. Temari has introduced me to her ferret summons, and has taken to preparing juice for Kankuro and I when we return from training. Kankuro complains that she is treating us like children, but is always happy for his juice. He contradicts himself like this often, I've noticed.

I am strangely grateful for your sentiments regarding my father. It is probably best that you do not speak them to my siblings, however.

Does Rock Lee hate m I had Temari tell Baki that she'd heard rumors about the Akatsuki, and the council is investigating. No one will know where she actually heard the rumors from. Now that our villages are collaborating, hopefully we will be sharing information freely as it comes.

I went for a walk as the sun set last night, and came to a noodle shop. The owner saw me and closed the windows. I have frightened her before. A child's ball landed at my feet. I saw him looking for it. I kicked it back towards him, and he thanked me. His mother pulled him away, but did not stop him from waving goodbye. Is this hope? I do not want to keep fostering fear within my village, but even my presence terrifies most of them. I cannot help but wonder- what would you do in place, Naruto Uzumaki?

Sincerely, Gaara of the Desert

PS: What does " :p " mean?

Dear Gaara,

The giant snakes are from Orochimaru. He's a FREAK with them. The first time was in the Forest of Death during the Chunin exam- that evil bastard had snuck in and attacked us. That's when he gave Sasuke that curse mark on his neck. The second time was when I was with Pervy Sage and Granny Tsunade. I broke a bone that time-- the snakes were so, so, so big. Like bigger than buildings! And slimy inside.

Sasuke has been acting kind of weird since the curse mark thing, and now he's acting even weirder. I guess it kind of makes sense. This isn't classified or anything so I can tell you- one of the Akatsuki that attacked me was Sasuke's brother, who also killed his whole clan! Having that happen when he was little is a big part of why Sasuke is such a jerk. But I understand him, you know? He was left alone. And Itachi's sharingan eye is different from Sasuke's and scrambled his head and that's why Granny Tsunade had to help him.

Sasuke is angry about Itachi, is what I'm saying. Even more than usual. If I can get him to sit and talk to me, I think maybe I should tell him about why his brother was after me. Sasuke and Sakura-chan don't know about Kyuubi, no one my age does. I guess I'm kind of scared to tell them. Even though they're my teammates and I trust them, I just don't want them to look at me different. But Sasuke is so angry. Is that what you meant by being careful with him? Sasuke wouldn't ACTUALLY hurt me, you know? Not any more than I would hurt him if we fought!

You use a lot of big words-- I had to look up "repertoire". Also- hey! There's lots of different uses for shadow clones, you know. I don't think it should count as limited. Also learning new jutsu is kind of hard for me, so I just try to get really really food at the ones I am good at. Besides, you also saw my summoning jutsu! And you didn't see my Sexy Jutsu.

Also, I don't feel contempt at all. I just tell it like it is. I had to look that one up too.

About people being afraid of you- I think a lot of the time, people are scared of things that are bigger than them, or things that they don't understand. People hate that sometimes. Lots of people in the village hates me, and it used to be lots more when I was younger. But little by little I'm getting people to see me. It all started with Mr. Ichiraku at the Ramen stand. Then Sasuke and Iruka-sensei. Just show them that you're not a monster. And to show them, you have to let them see you. I guess if I were you, I'd be pretty hurt. But I would go back to the noodle shop and buy noodles. Or maybe go find another place where they let me in and eat there. Then people can see that I'm not so bad! If you're not so mysterious, there's not a lot to be scared of.

There are some people who like mysterious. Like all the girls who think Sasuke is cute because they aren't around him enough to know that he's an asshole under those cheekbones.

Sincerely, Naruto Uzumaki

PS: :p is me sticking my tongue out! I wanted you to know since you can't see my face. I hope I can see your face again sometime!

Part 4