#they're so pretty i wonder if they know how pretty they are

[leafbowl]

You know that thing bikers do when they see a police car? The tap on their helmets? Yeah so Arsenal, Red Hood, Red Robin and Spoiler (who I think are the only ones who ride motorbikes outside of their vigilante personalities) do it whenever they see Nightwing. And you better believe it makes others so fucking confused.

Nightwing: *Drops down into the fight.*

Red Hood: *Stops everything he's doing to tap the top of his helmet.*

Spoiler: *Sees it and then stops to do it too.*

Red Robin: *Gets a giddy little grin and starts tapping the top of his head.*

Thugs: *All collectively very confused.*

Thug #1: Wha... What're they doin'?

Thug #2: Uhh I dunno.

Thug #3: Hey, isn't that what bikers do when they see a cop?

Thug #2: Nah. Nightwing's not a cop, dumbass.

Thug #1: Yeah, he's a vigilante. Wha's he need with bein' a cop?

Thug #3: But he's the type to snitch tho.

Thug #1: Well... I guess. Maybe that's why they do it, cuz he's such a snitch.

Thug #2: *shrugs* Maybe.

Thugs #3: Uh, guys...

Thug #2: What?

Thug #3: Ya 'ere that?

Thug #1: *Pauses but doesn't hear anything.* Uh nah.

Thug #3: Exactly. Where'd the fightin' sounds go?

Thug #2: Shit.

The fighting had stopped because everyone else had been taken care of. The batfam had just been waiting for them to finish their conversation like Alfred taught them to. He would be proud. Probably of the broken and fractured bones that followed. Well, he'd be proud of their technique, they reckoned. (To be honest, Alfred would be proud no matter what.)

Arsenal: So he just... told you all to stop?

Red Hood: *Shrugs.* Pretty much.

Red Robin: I don't get why B wants us to stop using 'dick' as a term of endeerment. It's a compliment! Being like Dick is the highest honour.

Red Hood: And that has nothing to do with the fact the Baby Wonder finds it enfurieating?

Red Robin, grinning: Cassie hating it is an upside, I won't lie.

Nightwing: *Drops down next to where they're all gathered on a roof.* Hey guys, sorry I'm late, I-

Red Hood:

Arsenal:

Spoiler:

Red Robin:

Robin:

Orphan:

Nightwing: Uh guys? *Starts sweating because there's something wrong with the way they're all blankly staring at him.* How- how's everyone?

Red Hood: *Starts tapping helmet.*

Nightwing: *So concerned that something's wrong he doesn't clock it right away so he just stares, a crease forming between his eyebrows.*

Red Robin: *Taps against his hair.*

Nightwing: Wait a sceond-

Arsenal, Spoiler: *Taps their heads.*

Robin and Orphan: *Looks at each other. Holds eye contact and then starts tapping their heads to fuck with Nightwing.*

The next day a photo of Nightwing standing with his head bowed in defeat whilst being surrounded by Red Hood, Arsenal, Red Robin, Robin, Spoiler and Orphan who are all patting their heads is trending. People think they're in some kind of cult and that they were either sacraficing Nightwing or they were summoning something. The fact that Nightwing isn't spotted for the next week makes everyone lean towards the sacraficing.

(Jason made him promise he would play into the bit by not going out and letting his friends and/or his siblings patrol his city. Dick has never been good at saying not to his little brother. And, come on, Dick fucking loved the idea of people thinking he was being sacraficed. Also, he doesn't mind the head patting. Batman was the only one who thought it might reveal his identity. Dick was with Stephanie on it all, really. There was no way people would connect him to Nightwing and if they did, it's not like anyone else would believe them.)

It gets to the point that it's not even to fuck with Batman anymore. It becomes a normal greeting, something that bleeds into their civillian lives. People understand it more when it's directed at Dick Grayson but it's very endeering to see it. It all fuels all the Bruceman shippers when Tim Drake-Wayne is caught doing it to Nightwing.

[anamericangirl]

I think I've already said this before but I'm gonna say it again.

You know why the trans activists can't answer "What is a woman?"

It's because to do so, they'd have to admit that their definition of "a woman" is an elementary school level extremely sexist stereotype of women.

If one of them actually was honest and gave their personal definition of "a woman," they'd say "Someone who likes to wear makeup, hang out with the girls, likes the color pink, likes cooking and cleaning, stays at home and raises the kids, likes vacuum cleaners, wears pretty dresses, puts their hair up in a bleach blonde perm, worships their husband, acts feminine, is girly girly, flirts with boys, hikes up her skirt to show off how sexy her shaved legs are-"

Because that's what they do when they "act like a woman."

If you watch literally any trans person in an interview, or on a YouTube channel, or anything, you see them sitting there just talking about girly things like going to see the fucking Barbie movie and dressing in hot pink and white and how they like going down the pink aisle in the store because they're "A giiiiiiiirl! Teeheeheehee! Yass queeeeeeeen!"

They wonder why people are "transphobic."

No, we're sexism-phobic. We are extremely offended by their extremely sexist behavior towards women. They've reduced the definition of "a woman" to "Anyone who dresses in pretty dresses and wears lipstick and goes teehee and talks like a valleygirl"

Completely diminishing over 50% of the population of the earth in the most horribly sexist movement of all time.

And that's why I don't do the trans shit anymore.

Exactly they are all just acting like a caricature of a stereotypical woman. They aren't being themselves. A man decides he's a woman and the next day goes to the store to buy tampons because that's what women do, right?

The over inclusive ideology of woke leftism has completely destroyed what it means to be a woman and what it means to be trans. They are disgusting.

[campingwiththecharmings]

Good Neighbors (7)

PART 6

AN: Hello lovely people. I'm so unbelievably sorry that this took OVER A YEAR to get out. Ugh. I'm so annoyed with myself. If you're still here, thank you so much for sticking with me, I know I've been pretty MIA recently. That being said, without further ado, here is the seventh smutlet in a series set after the events of Night Moves. I hope it's worth the wait lol.

Why should you care if Santi had someone over? What’s it matter that it was (apparently) an attractive woman? It doesn’t, it shouldn’t. You and Santi are just friends. Sure, you get naked together sometimes but there’s nothing else there, he doesn’t owe you anything, he’s not yours— And you’re not his.

(Un-beta’d)

Rated: M+ (this is smut so, i mean, you’ve been warned?) Words: 2,077 (can i still call them 'smutlets' if they're the length of a normal fic lmao) Pairing: Santiago “Pope” Garcia x F!Reader Warnings: pwp, kissing, ~*feelings*~ (ugh), a dash of angst, jealousy, neighbors with benefits AO3

——————

You can’t sleep, and much like all those months ago, it’s your stupid neighbor’s fault.

Your stupidly gorgeous, funny, sweet, wonderful neighbor, Santiago Garcia.

Sadly, the issue this time is not him playing his music too loud in the middle of the night. No. Instead the issue is something that shouldn’t even be an issue.

Ugh. How did you even get here?

Right. 3A. Yeah, this was all that bitch’s fault. If she’d just kept what she’d seen to herself, you’d be sleeping like a baby right now. But no, she’d had to go and open her big, fat mouth.

Why should you careif Santi had someone over? What’s it matter that it was (apparently) an attractive woman? It doesn’t, it shouldn’t. You and Santi are just friends. Sure, you get naked together sometimes but there’s nothing else there, he doesn’t owe you anything, he’s not yours—

And you’re not his.

A weight settles on your chest at the thought and you sigh. You turn on your side, looking at the clock on your bedside table; the glaring, red numbers feel like they’re burning a hole into your retinas. 

Almost 3 a.m. Just like the night you first met.

The longer you think about it, the worse you feel—was he fucking her too? Are you just one in a long line of women he has at his beck and call? Did you even mean anything to him or were you just the most convenient? 

Stop it, you tell yourself, you have no right to be jealous. Enough.

You scoff after a moment, shaking your head at your own thoughts. Jealous? Please, you weren’t jealous. That’d be stupid, right? Completely and utterly ridiculous.

You will yourself to sleep, closing your eyes and trying every technique you know to try and clear your mind.

After ten minutes, you throw your covers off with a frustrated groan and sit up, legs hanging off the side of your bed.

If there’s any hope of you getting any sleep tonight, you have to talk to him.

You shuffle quickly through your living room, out the front door, and into the hall. Before you can talk yourself out of it, you knock on his door, the sound echoing loudly down the empty hall. For a moment, you pray that he doesn’t answer, that he’s already fast asleep but you’re realistic enough to know that’s probably not what’s going to happen. You hear the drag and click of the door being unlocked and you tense slightly as it slowly swings inward.

Santiago squints out into the hall, a soft smile spreading on his lips when he sees it’s you. 

“Evening, hermosa,” he rasps, running a hand over his face. “Or, I guess I should say morning.”

“I can’t sleep,” you blurt, wincing slightly as you briefly avert your gaze. “Can we talk?”

You watch as his face shifts, his brow furrowing, head cocked slightly to the left as the smile melts away. He nods, stepping back to give you enough room to come in.

Your eyes sweep the room as you step over the threshold, searching for someone you know isn’t there (not anymore, anyway). He wouldn’t have let you in if she was.

“Everything okay?” he asks, gently touching your shoulder.

You don’t answer him right away, unsure how to even broach this topic. Santi doesn’t owe you anything, not even an explanation, really. He’s never made you any promises, never said you were the only one he was messing around with…never said he loves you.

Something sharp lodges in your chest at the thought and you close your eyes, breathing slowly in an effort to quell the panic rising in your throat.

He says your name, his voice soft, and the sharpness in your chest turns to an ache, an ache you’ve become all too familiar with recently. You push the feeling away, trying to focus on why you’d come here. 

The other woman. Right.

With a steadying breath, you turn to him, crossing your arms over your chest protectively.

“I heard you had a visitor today,” you say nonchalantly, as if this is a completely normal conversation to be having in the middle of the night.

His brow furrows again, this time in confusion. “A visitor?”

You nod in response, your jaw tight. For a moment he just stares at you, waiting for you to elaborate, but then his eyes light in realization. 

“Are you talking about Ana?”

You avert your gaze to the floor, the sharpness in your chest returning. Then a warm, low chuckle reaches your ears, the sound making your insides melt. God, do you love his laugh.

He steps closer, his fingers brushing against the underside of your chin, trying to return your eyes to his; the gentleness of his touch makes your chest ache.

“She’s just a friend, hermosa,” he explains, his voice low and soft.

Unfortunately, his words do nothing to alleviate your concerns.

“‘Just a friend’ like me?” you ask, your voice breaking despite the control you’re fighting so hard to maintain over yourself.

His eyes soften and a piece of you crumbles inside. You watch as his jaw clenches, his hands moving to cup your cheeks, holding you in place so you can’t look away from him again.

“No,” he whispers, shaking his head slightly, “Not like you.”

He holds your gaze, his eyes burning with an intensity you’ve never seen before. It makes your heart skip, your lips parting slightly at the insinuation. You want to believe it, want to believe that this thing between you is more than just sex, more even than friendship. You want to believe it, so you do…if only for tonight.

He must see whatever he’s searching for in your eyes because suddenly he’s kissing you, his lips gentle but sure as he pours everything he is and feels into it, into you. It’s different from the other times somehow, more intense, more serious, as though he’s trying to prove something. You cling to him, fingers twisting in his shirt as he slips his tongue between your lips. He steps closer, his left hand sliding down your neck and torso to settle on your hip. You sigh at the press of his body against yours, warm and solid, familiar. 

Without breaking the kiss, Santi guides you backwards, slowly steering you both in the direction of his couch. You pause when the backs of your knees touch the soft, cool leather, letting yourself get lost in the feel of him again. You slide your hands down his chest, slipping them beneath the hem of his shirt to his warm, soft skin. The coolness of your fingers makes him jump a little in surprise and you can’t help the smile that spreads on your lips. He smiles back, you can feel it as he kisses you, as he angles your head and licks into your mouth again, and it makes that now ever-present ache in your chest throb. 

When you finally part, it’s for air, your foreheads pressed together as you pant, trying to catch your breaths. He’s too far, you think. You want—no you need—to have him closer, need to feel his skin against yours, need his lips, his eyes, his hands, his everything. You need him. 

Your fingers toy with the hem of his shirt before slowly pushing it up his torso and then pulling it over his head. Santi’s eyes are glued to you, like he’s afraid to look away, afraid you’ll disappear if he does. You lean in, pressing a kiss against the hollow of his throat. Santi inhales shakily as you explore, slowly kissing a line down to his chest. He hisses when you flick your tongue over his nipples, his fingers clenching at your hip.

You wish you could live here, in this moment, this moment where there’s nothing else but you and him together. 

After a moment, he pulls you back, pulls your mouth back to his, humming contentedly when you reconnect, as if you’ve been parted for years instead of just a few seconds. Santiago’s hands slip beneath the waistband of your pajama bottoms and panties, the warm, rough pads of his fingers scratching delightfully against your skin. Slowly, he pushes them down, dragging the fabric over your ass and hips before letting them fall at your feet. Unimpeded by your clothing, he cups your backside, gently kneading your cheeks with his strong fingers as he pulls your body against his.

Slowly, you undress each other, hands lingering, reverently caressing every inch of skin revealed. Once you’re bared to each other, Santi lays you down against the cushions of his couch. The cool leather makes you shiver, goosebumps breaking out and spreading over your body. He watches you for a moment, his eyes somewhat unreadable in the darkness of the room. You can feel his gaze on you, as he drags it slowly down your body, as if committing every bit of you to memory. Before you can say anything, he leans in, reclaiming your mouth as he situates his body over yours. 

He’s so warm, the weight of him comforting, familiar, as he settles between your legs. You moan softly as his hard cock brushes against your core, the sound muffled by his mouth on yours. He groans, slowly grinding against you, each brush of him sending sparks of pleasure up your spine. It feels like you’re on fire, like you’re about to burn up from the inside out. You need him, need him to fill you, to consume you. He seems to sense your need, shifting so the head of his cock is pressed against your entrance.

He breaks your kiss as he sinks inside you, his swollen lips parting in a silent groan as your body welcomes him home. For a moment, he doesn’t move, content just to bask in the warmth of you. He finds your lips again, his kiss languid and deep, as if he can’t get enough of you, as if he wants to swallow you whole. When he finally starts to move, it’s slow, his thrusts shallow but no less pleasurable. He keeps kissing you, stealing your breath, his hands are everywhere, touching, caressing, stoking the fire inside you. The moment feels endless, a blur of hands and lips and breathy moans. 

There’s something different about this time, something different in the air, in the energy between you both. Perhaps it's the pace, your usual frantic neediness traded for something so unhurried, yet still so passionate. It feels unreal, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It feels like love, though, you know it isn’t. 

It’s easy to forget, though, consumed by him as you are. He’s everything, he’s everywhere, all you can see, all you can feel, hear, smell, taste—

You shake as the tension twists in your gut, breathy moans escaping you with every push of his hips. He’s no better, jaw slack, eyes blown wide and dark, looking almost drunk as he so easily unravels you bit by bit. You’re so close, feeling as though you’ve been on the precipice for ages, ready to tumble over with the slightest nudge. He keeps you there, the steady push and pull of his hips drawing out your pleasure. Briefly you wonder if it’s possible to die from this, because you feel like you might. There are worse ways to go, you suppose.

Something in his eyes shifts as he moves over you, as if he’s made some important decision. He leans in, claiming your mouth once more, his kiss deep and filled with so much longing it takes your breath away. He finds your hands, splayed limply beside you on the couch, his fingers lacing with yours. He’s done it before, but somehow now it feels different, like it means more. You tell yourself you’re reading too much into it, into everything—he doesn’t feel the way you want him to, he doesn’t love you.

Your hands are still clasped when you come, his fingers gripping yours like a vice. He presses his forehead to yours as the euphoria washes over you like a tidal wave, the warmth of his breath gliding pleasantly over your skin. Then he kisses you, so gentle and sweet it makes your heart ache in your chest.

You know it’s not love, but maybe, just this once, it’s okay to pretend.

So you do.

If you enjoyed this, please let me know! I appreciate every single reblog and/or comment. Thank you. 💖

Series Masterlist 🌟 Main Masterlist

i am no longer doing a taglist. please follow @charmingupdates for updates and turn on notifications.

PART 8 (coming soon)

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Fodlan's favorite Girl Scout Cookies!

Main characters:

Byleth: Thin Mints. They've always had an inclination towards minty flavors, and Thin Mints hit the spot just right. Rumor has it the Goddess also favored mint. I wonder if that has anything to do with anything...

Shez: S'mores. Nothing like a cookie version of their favorite snack to get them thinking about the good old days with Captain Berling's Mercenaries. They'll be discontinued soon, but maybe one day they'll come back again in another form. I mean, hey, it happened once. You can't really keep S'mores down.

Black Eagles:

Edelgard: Adventurefuls. Chocolatey, nice caramel flavor, not too sweet, and the sea salt isn't overpowering. Just how she likes it.

Hubert: Thin Mints. Edelgard insisted he try Girl Scout Cookies one time and he was a tad surprised to find he liked them. Granted, he won't go out of his way to procure some (unless Edelgard asks him to), but he won't turn them down if offered.

Dorothea: Samoas. She really has a taste for coconut, and paired with the caramel glaze and chocolate drizzle, she just melts the second she bites into one.

Ferdinand: Toffee-tastic. I dunno, this sounds like a very noble variety he'd eat, but I think he'd also enjoy the flavor. Really, you can't go wrong with toffee for him.

Bernadetta: Tagalongs. They're her favorite comfort snack. Also chocolate + peanut butter = yum. Need I say more?

Caspar: Trefoils. He doesn't care much for Girl Scout Cookies, but he can and will devour an entire box of Trefoils in one sitting if you let him.

Petra: Doesn't eat them. She already had trouble understanding what Girl Scout Cookies were, but as soon as she bit into one of Caspar's Trefoils, her immediate reaction was, "Let us not be doing this again."

Linhardt: Savannah Smiles. He is forever miffed that they got discontinued. Lemon-Ups are no substitute.

Monica: Adventurefuls. No, it's not because they're also Edelgard's favorite, she has no idea what you're talking about!

Blue Lions:

Dimitri: Thin Mints. He may not be able to taste them, but he can feel the mint as he eats the cookies and finds it a pleasant sensation.

Dedue: Caramel Chocolate Chip. He's not keen on Girl Scout Cookies, but he figured he'd give one flavor a try. That was the one he picked and he liked it.

Felix: Thin Mints. It's the only variety he can tolerate.

Mercedes: Trefoils. This is actually pretty basic even by her own standards, but as the cookies are simple shortbread cookies, she likes to crush them up and add them to her baking recipes for texture and a little crunch. She's also looking into recreating discontinued varieties to give to her schoolmates.

Ashe: Do-si-dos. You know how some people will take Oreos, twist them apart to get the filling all on one side of the cookie, then put the two filling adorned pieces together to get double the filling? Ashe does the same thing with these. It's adorable to watch.

Annette: Toast-Yays. She likes all the varieties, but this is the one she'd have to pick as her favorite. She's sad that they're going to be discontinued soon, but she's volunteered to be Mercedes' taste tester.

Sylvain: Thanks-A-Lot. Felix tossed a box of them at him once and told him to do something with them, so he ate them and liked them. It was after they were discontinued that he realized Felix probably bought them for him as a means of showing his appreciation, but Sylvain has no evidence for this. Even if it's true, good luck getting Felix to admit that.

Ingrid: Toffee-tastic. Having a gluten allergy is hell on her, but Ferdinand shared a box with her after finding this out and she was so over the moon she almost forgot to ask what they were called so she could buy some for herself.

Rodrigue: No. Just don't.

Golden Deer:

Claude: Lemonades. Honestly, he'd go for anything lemon-flavored, these are just the ones that are being sold. He likes lemon.

Lorenz: Toffee-tastic. Ferdinand introduced them to him at the beginning of the school year. Now whenever the pair meet for tea, there's always a box of these present.

Hilda: Lemon Chalet Cremes. Another lover of lemon, she ate these all the time as a kid. Her talking about them is what gave Mercedes the idea of recreating the discontinued cookies.

Raphael: Rah-Rah Raisins. Even though they weren't available long, he couldn't deny that these were just the bomb. He misses these and wishes they would be sold again.

Lysithea: ALL OF THEM! Seriously, don't make her pick one, she will blue-screen on you.

Ignatz: Caramel DeLites-- er, Samoas. They're the same cookies, he's just used to getting boxes from a different bakery that calls them different names. "Why can't they just standardize the names?" is a constant thought in his head.

Marianne: Do-si-dos. Sure, it's just oatmeal cookies with peanut butter filling, but with how often Hilda would bust out a box of these whenever she got down, Marianne ended up associating the cookies with happy memories and longs talks about nothing with her best friend.

Leonie: Thin Mints. She'll say that she thinks Girl Scout Cookies are mid and doesn't get the hype, but break out a box of Thin Mints and Leonie will channel her inner Lysithea.

Holst: Lemon-Ups. He's also not much of a Girl Scout Cookie guy, but he'll occasionally pick up a box when he's in the mood. He's also known to steal a cookie or two from Hilda's boxes.

Judith: Van'chos. To say it's been years since she's had her favorite cookies would be an understatement. She misses them so much.

Ashen Wolves:

Yuri: Savannah Smiles. His mom would buy him a box every year and he fell in love with them at first bite. He misses the way the powdered sugar would shake off the cookie.

Balthus: Not a sweets guy, but he's the perfect guard for the other Wolves' cookies.

Hapi: Apple Cinnamons. Like Annette, she likes them all, but those would have to be her favorite if she had to pick only one. These days, she only eats knockoff versions since they've been discontinued since she was little.

Constance: Caramel Chocolate Chip. If you had asked her a few years ago, she would've said Tagalongs, but once these got introduced, it was so over. There's a new favorite in town.

Church/Knights of Seiros:

Rhea: Iced Berry Pinatas. These were a beloved treat for her over the years (and she's got plenty of those!). The icing and the berry filling together were perfection. She's encouraging Mercedes' recreation efforts.

Seteth: Another non-eater. He used to eat them a lot when he was younger, but he got burnt out on them. He'll still happily buy boxes for Flayn.

Flayn: Adventurefuls. She can taste the sea salt more acutely than others, but it makes her love the cookies that much more.

Cyril: Trefoils. Honestly, he just wants something plain and simple to snack on. What could be more plain and simple than basic shortbread cookies?

Jeralt: No thanks.

Catherine: Samoas. Taste doesn't matter to her, it's more of a texture thing. It helps that they have something of a crunch to them.

Alois: S'mores. The old school, big graham cracker ones, not the current ones. He used to do all sorts of snack variations with them for his kid and it was just the sweetest thing ever to see.

Gilbert: He would tell anyone who asked that he likes the cookies, enjoys them even, but in reality, he doesn't eat them. He instead sends them off to Annette. He knows she'll appreciate them.

Shamir: Scot-Teas. You were expecting Thin Mints, weren't you? It turns out she's not a fan of the chocolate/mint mixture, it grosses her out. Trefoils would've been her favorite, but the addition of sprinkled sugar on top made Scot-Teas perfect for her.

Go support your local Girl Scout troop!

what.

[painacony]

we need to talk about spoilers and tumblr etiquette

hi all. i've noticed a rising problem in the ssmy/hrkg fandom with people getting spoiled against their will on a website that used to be pretty good about spoilers, particularly in the hrkg side on account of the more frequent chapter updates, plus the influx of people coming from twitter, etc. i'm gonna go out on a limb and assume a lot of you are new to tumblr. i don't fault you for not being familiar with how things work here but we need to talk about how to post in a way that is mindful to others as to not disrupt people's experience, especially with the new chapter schedule and so we don't have to be here every month.

there are really only 2 basic things to keep in mind:

tag your spoilers. tumblr has a pretty functional tagging system, with the option to filter/hide certain tags and key words. if your post contains spoilers it is the most basic of rules to tag them so tumblr filters can do their job. to tag effectively, it's recommended to use #(series name) spoilers. you can use as many tags or variations as you want for more effect.

hide all spoilers under a Read More. tumblr has a function when creating posts where you can add a "cut" and put stuff under it. this will hide the content in the dashboard and people have to click manually to see it. this is also ideal for images, as merely putting a text warning at the top of the post unfortunately does nothing, since our eyes tend to go over the text and land directly on the larger visual. this way, people won't see the spoilers unless they actively choose to.

honestly, that's it. these two things are all you need to do to post spoilers safely so everyone can have a good time.

on to the faq:

Q: why should i tag and hide spoilers?

A: because not everyone likes to get spoiled! some of us want things to be a surprise, and we don't want the experience ruined for us by people posting spoilers out of context. even for the people who don't mind spoilers, they deserve the option to choose whether or not they want to see them. it's just common courtesy and allows people to curate their own experience.

Q: shouldn't people know not to go into the series tag if they're avoiding spoilers? why should i use additional tags?

A: if you tag your posts with the series name or use certain keywords, it doesn't just show up when people explore the tag, but tumblr may put that post in their dashboard or for you tab as a recommended post, so they may end up seeing it against their will even if they stay away from the main tag. also, it's just pretty basic etiquette and provides context.

Q: why is it necessary to hide spoilers under a read more if i already tagged the post?

A: it's possible that posts may bypass tumblr's filtters for whatever reason. maybe it is not the exact same tag as the filtered one (ex. "#hirakagi spoilers" vs "#kagihira spoilers") or someone who reblogged failed to tag it properly, or they didn't have spoilers filtered. hiding under a read more is just an extra safety measure that goes a long way to ensure people don't get jumpscared by unwanted spoilers or images.

hope this helps! honestly other than this the ssmy/kghr community here on tumblr has been amazing and it's been wonderful to see this side of the fandom grow. i just want all of us to blog safely and have a good time. anyone is free to add to this post if there's anything i missed.

[julieverne]

Cailin watches Jane.

Cailin is no detective; she's not even a doctor. But the situation at home--a babysitter for a full adult.

What happened with Maura really did a number on Hope, Cailin knows that intellectually, but she still resents Hope for the ever-tightening grip Hope had on her. She's so afraid to lose another daughter, even though she got the last one back. Has both of them now, because of Maura's kidney. Cailin touches her stomach, over the scar. Maura is part of her now, but they've never been further apart.

Maura hadn't exactly offered. Cailin had ignored the social cues that Maura exhibited; anxiety, nervousness. She hadn't ignored the way Jane's hand had touched Maura's lower back to steady her, to offer support.

She's not here because of the babysitter--well, not just because of the babysitter. She's nineteen, she can take care of herself. She rolls her eyes, even though she's alone. She's here because she wants to know for sure whether Jane is her sister in law or just a really hot woman obsessed with her sister.

Cailin gets it. Maura has the Martin genes; she's gorgeous. Cailin isn't sure she wouldn't be obsessed with Maura if she didn't know they were related. Well, she is, but not the way Jane is obsessed with her. Cailin wants to know more about her sister; Jane wants to eat Maura with her eyes.

She settles back on the bed, tucking one arm under her head. Jane had been here when she got home from the library. Maura hadn't called the police when she hadn't checked in this time. Cailin feels kind of bad about that; she probably should have texted last time too. She knows Maura's job is to pick apart the last moments of women who stayed late at libraries or even stayed home. It's kind of sweet to see that Maura worries about her. Something familial. Cailin hadn't expected how anxious Maura was. Jane had explained it was because Maura wanted Cailin to like her, but that seemed silly because Cailin already did. She'd grown up all over most continents in the kind of places that documentaries got made; she'd learned pretty early to judge people for their intentions. The only vibe she got off Maura was uptight anxiety, and as Jane had said, a deep and abiding need to be liked.

Cailin hadn't done herself any favours there. She'd believed she was dying, and this woman Maura had come in. The daughter Hope had wanted, the daughter Hope had grieved for. She was waiting to take Cailin's place when she passed.

But she hadn't been. She'd offered her kidney; anonymously, of course, but Cailin had known. God, how selfless. Cailin had been a right bitch to get back then, and Maura had offered anyway. Maura really was lovely.

But when Maura was mad, Cailin was reminded that Maura had Doyle blood in her veins too. That their mother loved a mobster and Maura was an unknown quantity.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"it's your house," Cailin says. "Come in."

It wasn't Maura after all. It was Jane. She looks tired and is still in her detective pants with the gun and badge and phone on the belt. They're chunky and make her look even slighter than she already was. It does something to Cailin, Jane being a detective. She wonders if it is genetic.

Jane's also wearing a tank top. It's white and clings to her in a way that makes Cailin bite her lip and look away quickly.

"Thanks for having the talk with Maura."

"I know where babies come from, Jane."

Jane looks startled, then chuckles. She sits on the edge of Cailin's bed and yawns. Cailin sits up beside her.

"I mean the talk about houseguest behaviour. You might not have noticed but she likes certain things a certain way."

"And me being here is upsetting her. I can go home. I just wanted to..." Cailin looks down at her hands. She never fidgeted but Maura did. Must be a Doyle thing. Cailin had seen the way Jane had looked completely devastated in the papers. They had to be lovers. "I just wanted to get to know her. Have a sleepover, I guess, but she's working and I'm studying and we're both adults, even if Hope doesn't think I am."

"Maura says the something vortex doesn't develop until twenty six."

"Cortex," Cailin corrects her. "She's right, but legally I can sign a lease or go to war."

"I would have thought you'd seen enough wars." Jane's voice was low and gentle. She only used that voice for Maura and TJ, who adored her, and sometimes Cailin. Once for Hope. Cailin looks up at Jane. Her smile is so soft, her eyes kind and empathetic. Cailin remembers Jane had dated a soldier and seen another one blown up in front of her.

"Do you ever really feel like the world is an okay place to live in? I know you see the worst of what people do to each other."

Jane sighs and rubs her face. She yawns again.

"You're a good thing in this world. Maura is a good thing in this world. If what I do can protect either one of you, I'll bare-knuckle fight any gangster or deadbeat in Boston."

"Not the Doyles though."

Jane swallows and looks away. "Not the Doyles. They...it's complicated. You and Hope are being watched."

Cailin inhales sharply; she somehow hadn't expected that.

"Look, it's not my place to tell you...but Maura autopsied her half brother. Before she knew who he was, of course. And she had to recuse herself--it was a whole thing. But if you think she's anxious or overbearing or overreacting, I think you should know that she very much doesn't want to have to cut you up too."

Christ. No wonder she'd been so worried. Cailin feels bad now, about making Maura worry. No wonder she'd given up a kidney. Christ. Her own brother. What would that have made him to Cailin? A quarter brother? Like a quarter horse?

Jane watches silently. "That's just scratching the surface of what Maura has in her brain when she looks at you. She's never felt wanted, and when you and Hope didn't want her, I think it broke everything she'd been hoping for. She'd been so scared to even reach out. She's a bad liar, I don't know if you noticed. She just didn't spell out the connection. She wants..." Jane trails off and closes her eyes. "She wants so badly to be loved that she doesn't know how to be loved. She doesn't believe she deserves it."

That's surprisingly deep from casual Detective Jane Rizzoli.

"She was scared of being rejected, that Hope wouldn't want her. She'd met Paddy already by then."

Jane says the name of Boston's biggest crime boss like she likes him, like she hasn't shot him at least once. She'd said Cailin was being watched but she didn't sound concerned. Maybe Cailin shouldn't be either. Jane has a moral compass and she's been a good judge of character so far.

"She was adopted. I mean, of course you know that. But I think she was always scared her parents didn't love her, that they'd made the wrong choice. She was always scared that they'd want to return her. Of course, there was no way they could have returned her, and they love her in their own weird little ways. Constance saved her life. Usually she's not very demonstrative, but she showed Maura how much she has always cared for her. But before then her love for Maura was stiff and formal--she's British. You know what they're like. So seeing you with Hope was something she'd always wanted, something she knew she could never have and she gave you a kidney anyway. So if she says to text her, can you just text her, please?"

"That's a long story for a short message. I'll text her, okay? I didn't know..."

"That's why I told you." Jane's smile is small but she's so pretty that Cailin looks away, suddenly aware that Jane and her are on a bed. She blushes, and Jane chuckles.

"She's not trying to take Hope from you," Jane says gently. Cailin rolls her eyes.

"Somedays I wish she would. She's too much. If Maura can take half, she'd be doing me a favour."

"You've met my Ma, your concept of too much is underwhelming."

"Angela's nice," Cailin protests but not too harshly; she knows what Jane means. The humiliation of having a mother who cares too much. Cailin has always taken it for granted and resented it, but she sees now that Maura can take some of the slack. Hope is too much for one daughter and if Maura can share her house then the least Cailin can do is share her overbearing, anxious mother. They can anxiety at each other. Leave Cailin out of it.

"Ma needs someone to mother, and Maura never got much mothering. They'd both drive me crazy if they didn't have each other." It's so close to Cailin's own thoughts that she laughs. She looks over at Jane. God, those cheekbones, those deep, soulful eyes, the shape of her in that tank top.

"Are you dating?"

Jane looks at her in shock.

"You're, like, half my age."

Cailin groans and buries her head in her hands. She hadn't been asking like that but with the way she was looking at Jane she can't blame her for misinterpreting her.

"I mean, are you guys dating? Each other."

"Ma and me? Not my type." Jane's grin is cheeky.

Cailin knows Jane is being deliberately obtuse. There had been many nights Cailin and Hope had wondered aloud about their relationship. Jane was always there. She was here now.

Cailin meets Jane's eyes with a glare. Jane slumps.

"You'd better ask her," Jane says so quietly that it almost breaks Cailin's heart. It's not a no, but it's as close to an answer as she'll get.

"I'd better go. Sorry to lay all of that on you, I just want to explain. She likes you--she doesn't want to lose you. Not now she's found you."

Poor Jane. Knowing she's single should lift Cailin's heart but she's not wrong; Jane is twice her age, and even though she's gorgeous and funny and kind, dating her would feel wrong because she knows Jane is Maura's. Maura is Hope's, but she's Angela's too, and Paddy's and this Constance's--but most of all Maura is Jane's.

"I like her too. I wish she wouldn't worry so much about that. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't want to spend time with her. She's smart and successful and she's so kind. She's nice, too, if a little uptight at times."

"When you go missing." Jane chides her with no ire. She puts her hands on her knees and yawns again. "I'm going to bed."

"About that. Where do you sleep?"

"The green room," Jane says smoothly, but Cailin has heard Jane's door creep open late at night, Jane's uneven footfalls head down the hall and not come back. Jane gets to her feet and stretches and god there's so much of her, she's so tall, her shirt rides up over her flat stomach and toned abs and Cailin can feel the blush staining her cheeks. Jane tucks her shirt back in.

"Goodnight," Jane says, and then she's gone. Not to the green room, but down the hall towards Maura's bedroom.

Cailin's no detective, but she knows love when she sees it.

+++

In the morning Cailin wakes early to make the coffee. An apology, of sorts. She makes sure the counter is wiped down and the coffee machine is clean when she's finished and packs the dishwasher as Maura and Jane blearily come into the kitchen.

"Keep her," Jane mumbles at Maura, tilting her head at Cailin. Maura nods and yawns and takes the coffee thankfully.

"I just might," Maura says once she's sipped her coffee. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise how much of your routine I was throwing off."

Maura nods. "And I'm sorry if I've made you feel unwelcome. It's these long hours--I have so little time at home. I've wanted to spend time with you."

Cailin's heart warms her.

"I want to spend time with you too," Cailin says softly, and Maura's eyes crinkle as she smiles--not uncertainly, the way she smiles at Hope and Cailin, but relaxed and honestly, the way she smiles at Angela and Frankie.

Jane's hand is on Maura's hip, squeezing softly, then sliding up Maura's back. Maura leans into Jane like it's breathing, like it's easy and natural and something they do every day. Jane welcomes her, bracing her weight and pulling her closer, hand running over Maura's side, then resting on her hip again. Jane sips her coffee and sighs.

Whatever they are, Cailin doesn't know but she won't ask again, because they're comfortable enough to be themselves with each other around her and Cailin had never been gifted anything so precious.

Jane presses a gentle kiss to Maura's temple and Maura's eyes close. Cailin's not jealous; she's glad. From what Jane said last night, Maura had a tough start. Jane had said Maura didn't know how to be loved, but it sure looked like she did when Jane held her like that.

[sophie-hatter-jenkins]

Part 3: Blood Traitor

A March 2025 Hinny Microfic for @ginnystrophyhusband using Prompt 18

841 words (back on brand today!)

All the March prompts that I write will be set in the same universe as, and form a prequel to, this fic. Hopefully they'll all stand alone, but they'll also form a little story of their own, which is why they're numbered.

Fair warning - it's going to be fluffy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s a bit of a shock for Bill Weasley to learn that his baby sister intends to move in with her boyfriend. 

She’s not even nineteen yet. Barely out of Hogwarts, clutching a respectable set of NEWTS and with the ink still wet on her contract with the Holyhead Harpies (another thing that Bill can’t quite get his head around, quite frankly). None of it seems… possible? Right? It just isn’t sitting well with him. Ginny’s too young. Too precious. Too everything. 

The fact that his own wife was only a year older when they got engaged is neither here nor there, of course. 

Neither is the fact that he’s known Harry Potter for years—not just the legend but the boy himself. He seems a good sort, even without the whole ‘saving the world’ business. 

But still; it’s the principle of the thing.

At least Harry’s had the good sense to ask for Bill’s help with the wards on the house. Never mind being one of Gringotts top curse-breakers, you don’t survive a war when you’re part of the biggest family of blood traitors out there without being bloody good at protective enchantments. Bill prides himself on it.

He’s pleased that Harry takes it seriously, but maybe that isn’t a surprise, after everything he’s been through. Bill’s only too happy to meet him at the new cottage to lend his expertise to the endeavour, because it means a bit of time alone with him; time to have a little chat, one-on-one.

He’s got this whole speech planned. You know the sort of thing; the one where he explains just how much his baby sister means to him. How special she is. Exactly what he’d do to anyone that hurts her. Bill can be pretty intimidating when he wants to, he knows this. It’s a vital skill when you’re dealing with goblins day in, day out. He’s sure he can impress his point on Harry.

The first thing he notices is the cottage itself. It’s actually lovely, solidly built, facing out to the grassy sand dunes and the beach beyond. It’s an unusual choice for a first home for someone Harry’s age, he thinks; Bill had expected him to want to stay amongst the bright lights and diversions of the big city. 

He remarks as much to Harry when they meet just outside the gate, once they’ve exchanged greetings, but Harry just shakes his head.

“Nah. Ginny’s happiest in the countryside, so it’s a no-brainer really. London’s great, but I’m there every day for work, and I can visit when I want. Plus, I’d rather have a bit of peace and quiet, so it suits both of us, I think.”

Bill nods, sagely. “Is there much to do inside?”

Harry pulls a face. “Yeah, quite a lot. I’m going to move in next weekend, even though I’ll basically be camping here, but it means I’ll have more time to get the work done. I want it to be perfect before Ginny moves in.”

Satisfied, Bill turns his attention to the wards that are already in place. He’s impressed; Harry’s actually done a pretty decent job with them, they’re far more complex, and more comprehensive, than anything he’d expected. Certainly nothing that would be covered at school.

“This is good work,” he comments, though he’s puzzled. “I didn’t think they covered protective enchantments in first year Auror training.”

“Oh, no. They don’t,” Harry explains. “We used some of them to hide our tent while we were on the run. The rest I researched in the Ministry library.”

Bill hadn’t been expecting that. “You taught yourself how to do all this?” he asks, wondering if he’s misunderstood. It’s a huge amount of work, and would have taken a lot of time and perseverance. 

Harry looks a bit sheepish. “Hermione helped me practice, but it had to be done.” He sighs. “The fact is that I’ll always have a target on my back, one way or another. That’s just something I have to live with. But I won’t put Ginny in the firing line. If there’s anything I can do, anything at all, to keep her safe, then I’m going to do it.” 

There’s a fire in his eyes as he says it, a determination and an honesty, and all of a sudden, Bill wonders what on earth he was worried about. It couldn’t be clearer just how vital Ginny is to Harry, that she’s his first and most important consideration, and really, what more could any big brother want? 

His carefully crafted speech now seems more than a bit superfluous, ridiculous, even. So, just like that, he lets it go, melting away to the breeze off the Atlantic.

Instead, he turns to Harry with a smile. “Well, there isn’t that much more I’d recommend adding, but there are one or two extras that I think would be useful. You can help me cast them, if you like.”

“Great!” Harry’s expression is earnest. “I’d really like that.”

“Me too,” says Bill. And he means it.

[kenzan-brainrot-mp4]

talk more about the white whale/whale symbolism in general whatever thoughts you have on the whale stuff i want to hear it 👂

GRAHHHHH YEAH (This one got. Long (again lol) So be prepared (series-wide spoilers but I feel like that's a given atp))

First of all I just wanna say that I love how rgg drags the player along around the final chapter title. With how upfront the other chapter titles are in what they're referring to, you might end up wondering why they chose White Whale for the final chapter title once you see the title card (or at least I did). Of course, this could just be referring to the treasure that everyone's been looking for, but with how nonchalantly they react to the fact that the treasure isn't actually there, it doesn't seem to completely fit the bill.

But then you beat the game (and by this I mean beat the final boss) and lo and behold, there's an Actual white whale, and so you think "Oh! Duh, the chapter's called White Whale because there's a literal white whale and it pretty much just finished off the final boss!" But that still doesn't make that much sense. Why name the final chapter (arguably the most important one) after some whale that appears in the last like 15 minutes of the game? Like, take the final chapter name of (Kiryu) Gaiden, it's literally the name of the game (The Man Who Erased His Name) so it's gotta be something more significant than that, right? (But then of course take into the account that by this point the player is still convinced that nothing really in pyih is too deep/serious, so maybe it could just be something as simple as that).

Then you get to the credits, and they reveal that the "elixir"/the ambergris is found in the stomachs of whales. Damn, that's pretty crazy/cool, but once again, nobody that was actively seeking the treasure (Rodriguez, Jason/Noah, Spade Tucker, etc you know the drill) seems to hung up on the fact that they didn't find it, and they didn't even encounter the whale, so they wouldn't get that same sense that they just missed it either, again, it's not a big deal really, so why make that the final chapter title?

Of course, we all know what this builds up to: the big reveal, the fact that Majima, who we've been following along with this entire game, was looking for that elixir this entire time, was the only one to actually encounter a whale in the game, and then there's the insane line drop from Saejima.

"Kiryu Kazuma. You never could give up on that one."

Ironically, the final chapter title has nothing to do with that whale you saw earlier at all, rather it's a summary of what Majima's motivations/actions for this game, and the past. Almost every game, has meant for him. It's what Saejima spells out for us at the end of the game, but said in even fewer words.

An all-consuming obsession that only leads to your destruction. An impossibility, something that you can destroy yourself over but never achieve/obtain. This is what the white whale means, metaphorically. And it is this, exactly, that Kiryu is to Majima.

Kiryu is larger than life itself, to just about everyone. He's a legend, he's the one Majima has had his sights on since the very beginning, the legend he chases after game after game and also what he destroys himself over game after game.

(see:

Yakuza 1 -> Majima just straight up taking a full-on stab wound for Kiryu. Like, buddy, I literally saw one of my favorite characters die that way in another game, there was No guarantee you were surviving that.

Yakuza 2 -> Majima fights off an army of yakuza for Kiryu. That man was beat to total Shit (which is Not something that happens often) and we all saw it

Yakuza 3 -> Majima re-enters the Tojo Clan for Kiryu even though he is (extremely likely) aware that it is already entering its steady decline that we see throughout the rest of the series up until its dissolution. And while he's willing to do it for Kiryu, we can't exactly say that he's happy about the situation as a whole.

Yakuza 5 -> Majima's willingness to die for Haruka, specifically stated because "She means more to Kiryu-chan than life itself." Like, of course he wouldn't just let Haruka get killed, but to choose to mention Kiryu as part of his reasoning in that moment? Christ

While I (surprisingly) can't say anything particularly self-destructive happened in (Kiryu) Gaiden and Infinite Wealth, you could argue that Majima trying to more and more directly tell Kiryu not to leave ("No need to rush outta here yet... Alright?" -> "Don't leave! Don't you dare leave, Kiryu-chan!"), knowing that it's likely pointless, knowing Kiryu, is not doing himself any favors.

Pirate Yakuza -> *gestures at the entire game*

Also his reaction to encountering that giant squid ("Sure is a helluva way to die. I think I'm into it!"). Like, okay. I don't want to try and read too much into it because it was very likely just a one off line. But I'm still gonna side-eye it.

Honestly now that I think about it, if Majima Had died fighting that giant squid (that is such a way to begin a sentence thank you rgg), you could argue that that would've been his nail in the coffin for the white whale metaphor. If he had, it would've meant that his obsession for Kiryu is what got him dragged down into the literal depths of the ocean, and even if it wouldn't be Kiryu physically dragging Majima down like the white whale to Ahab, this is a situation that is completely, entirely, fueled by Majima's obsession towards him (Majima had no real interest in the nuclear waste cleanup project, after all, Kiryu was his one motivation this entire time), and it would've drowned him.

Guess that means he got real lucky with the last part, but we all know he sure as hell isn't beating the allegations.)

All this and yet Majima seems to fail to reaching Kiryu time and time again.

Majima does not obtain the Heart of the Dragon, found in the intestines of the literal whale. He does not obtain eternal life for Kiryu. And he (arguably, though the final scene of him walking to Kiryu's hospital room could oppose this) does not resolve the indefinite limbo that has been sitting between them throughout the entire series. What he gets at the end of the game is the acknowledgement (through Saejima, everybody thank him) that he has been obsessing over this, and perhaps the realization that Kiryu was, in fact, this white whale that he would never truly reach ("Well, still just a dream in the end.") Of course this is something he already knows/has acknowledged deep down, and it's a feeling that is hinted at in some of his dialogue in scattered moments, but this is the first time he ever says it in such an outright manner.

I guess in a way, you could say that Pirate Yakuza is a story about the newfound success of all the people Majima helped and supported in achieving their dreams, and the continued failure of Majima in pursuing his own (Kiryu), and him needing to acknowledge/accept that. And the post-credits begs the question of what he decides to do with the aftermath and what he has left. (An oversimplification definitely but still. augh. Augh)

Naming the final chapter White Whale was yet another crazy move on rgg's part. Its so unassuming, seemingly straightforward yet also seemingly insignificant, but once the realization dawns on you it slaps you right in the face, just like everything else about this game does. It's yet another instance of how rgg managed to pull its big reveal so well, with all the small details, all the reframing, all pointing back to the same topic that it had spent the entire rest of the game dancing around.

Majima recounting his story of how he went to Hawaii -> Majima recounts his story to Kiryu in the exact same way at the very end

The treasure everyone's been looking for/known about + Majima, the one guy who didn't have knowledge about any of this legend stuff prior? -> Wrong, he was after the treasure from the very start (before the amnesia at least). For Kiryu

Majima originally being on course for Hawaii so he could help with the nuclear waste cleanup even though he'd be bored as hell? -> Nah. For Kiryu (Ohhhhh you know what this is reminding me of some screenshots I took from near the beginning of the game)

(I'm sure this meant nothing of course. Lol. Lmao)

Majima's dream during pirate yakuza being to fulfill Other People's dreams -> Haha. Well, I think you get the point by now

Kiryu, Kiryu, Kiryu. It all goes back to Kiryu, every single time, without fail, in an obsessive loop that Majima has been dragging himself around over for Years. He is the white whale, seemingly untouchable, the constant object of Majima's attention and devotion in so many forms, his consistent weak point, that only seems to dig at him deeper as the games go on.

Like I said before, while the white whale metaphor is undeniable, and essentially spells doom for Majima, it's not over for him yet. Because, hey, he didn't drown at sea, or die on the beach. He was saved, and he's survived enough to retell that tale and reflect on it all with Saejima in the post-credits, brief as that reflection was. I mentioned before how he really only said one line of any actual substance during that specific part of the exchange, but the significance of it says so much.

"Well, still just a dream in the end"

As much as it hurts to here Majima address the hopelessness of it all, to hear him say something like that after Saejima basically just laid out his sheer devotion and refusal to give up on his dream for everyone to see, I think the bittersweetness is. Good, actually. Captain Ahab never gave up on that pursuit on the white whale, and it destroyed him; that whale dragged him down until he finally drowned, and it feels like all Majima has been doing over Kiryu since Yakuza 3 is drowning himself in him.

Don't get me wrong, I (for now at least) do not take that line as a complete admittance of defeat, or Majima finally giving up on Kiryu, on that dream he could never let go of. (Like I've been saying, it's an acknowledgement, not exactly a declaration.) I do not think it means he is just letting go, full-stop.

But I do hope it means he can stop himself from self-destructing completely. I hope it means that he can slow down with the wild chase, (and that he and Kiryu can just. Sit down and talk like fucking normal people. Which i guess they are doing in the post-credits, supposedly) and I hope it means that he won't drown completely, especially in the case of the worst possible scenario.

[panlight]

Something that's bothered me is how the imprintees are pretty much ordinary people. They're mortal and can just die long before the wolf even does unless they make themselves stop phasing (which apparently is hard to do) and the gene is hereditary, so it's not like they can be turned. In fact, the whole "imprinting = higher chance of more wolves" theory gets rendered useless if the imprintee can easily be turned into a vampire and killed just as well.

In the House of Night series (enjoyed it when I was younger, but re-reading it in recent years, ugh the writing is just Not Good), imprinting is also a thing there, but they make it so the imprintee's blood doesn't really appeal to the vampires (or "vampyres", as they're called) other than the one who imprinted. (At one point, the vampyres try to feed on the imprinted human's blood, but complain that it "smells/tastes wrong".) Also, at least in this imprinting there's no loss of free will....

I would've loved for something similar in Twilight's take on imprinting. At least let them have some edge to maybe get any vampires that might feed on/turn them to back off or avoid them (kinda to parallel how the werewolves' existence is connected with the vampires). Heck, they could even just be poisoned by venom instead of turned just like the wolves! It's weird just how..."helpless" the imprintee is; they're just regular people but with a wolf who's head over heels for them.

I've often wondered what would happen if one of the imprintees were turned into a vampire. Would it break the bond or is it so unbreakable that the wolf wouldn't care? Pre-BD I thought for sure it would ruin it, but now that Jacob imprinted on someone who was BORN half-vampire I'm not so sure.

It genuinely makes me worried that if any of the unimpirinted wolf pack members were to meet Nahuel's sisters they might imprint. I hesitate even to speak this into existence. But all the other imprintees are descended from or related to past shifters except Nessie, but as a hybrid Nessie also has the same number of chromosome pairs as the shapeshifters do, which SM went out of her way to tell us. She seems to imply it makes them genetically compatible and if that's desirable to imprinting magic then there are other female hybrids out there.

(Of course, there's also Leah and Nahuel but as far as we know Leah is infertile and they presumably crossed paths when he was there at the end of BD and she apparently didn't imprint).

On the one hand I do kind of like the other imprints are just normal people; one of the ways imprinting makes the most sense to me if it's to help ground the shapeshifters to the real world. They are functionally immortal and invincible as long as they keep phasing; it would be easy for that knowledge and power to corrupt someone just as it corrupts vampires. They start seeing non-shifting humans as inferior, as less than, they lose focus of their role as protectors and let the power go to their head. But if they've imprinted on a regular human, if that human is the center of their world and their #1 priority, it keeps them from straying too far into supernatural land.

(but again . . . not a factor with Jacob and Nessie!)

But on the other hand, I agree that it's frustrating they are so vulnerable. When someone has that kind of power over someone else (the center of their entire universe with no free will), it makes them a target. The Volturi, for example, know all about this now, since Aro touched Edward and Nessie at the confrontation. So if Aro wanted to try and force the shapeshifters to do pretty much anything, all he has to do is threaten or kidnap or whatever the imprintees. What wouldn't Sam do for Emily? Jared for Kim? Paul for Rachel? Quil for Claire? They wouldn't even have a CHOICE about it! The WHOLE PACK tolerated a dozen vampires visiting Forks the sake of Jacob's imprint, after all. The girls are helpless against vampires. It really puts them in a dangerous spot, so even something like "they smell unappealing to vampires" or "their blood is also poisonous like the shifter's" or "like Bella immune to all vampire powers" would help protect them a little bit.

[mangionebabymama]

not to be dramatic but i need to kiss his pink soft lips and i love how his top lip is a tiny bit bigger than bottom hes so pouty hes so pretty hes so fuckign cute and sexy i cant take it anymore and i hope he's okay and i know he will be okay and will make it out alive, and be free, i feel it in my gut so so much. off topic but i feel it and i want to kiss him

Fren, you are not dramatic, trust. Go take a deeper dive into my account and you'll come to find out that I've had my fair share of dramatic moments on here myself, you are totally fine.

He's got such nice lips for a white guy 😭 like they're so full and luscious, and I've noticed also how his upper is a bit bigger than his bottom. Also, his cupid's bow????? If he ever gave me that pouty look, I'd give in, and I could never be mad at him. Because how could you ever be mad at him????

I also hope he's okay and has been doing well since Friday. I have been thinking about him every day for the past two months, and I wonder what he's up to, what his waking moments are like now, and if there have been much better days than others. I can only imagine because we really don't know and won't know unless we're in the same space and situation as he is. I also stand by how you feel, and I have faith in this, knowing that he's in good support and hands with Karen and the rest of his defense team, along with so many of us supporting him, spreading awareness, and donating to his fund because the only way from here is up, and we're getting there, gradually. There's a purpose to why we have a gut feeling and feel it so hard in the way we do. It's there for a reason.

and yeah. Let me give him smooches fr, he deserves so much love (and not even just romantic) as there's so many forms of it

[marzipanilla]

chewing on the corner of the fandom particle board table like a dog w anxiety. there's something up there. I know there's something up there. there are so many people at this table there must be something Up There

lol who knows, but prolly not. I generally have to be at least a little mad at a piece of media in order to want to write fic for it, and I pretty much liked SU/F xD Though that might be a bad habit to have and I could try and break it ??? lol

When Steven finally does have a shitty moment w her bc being travel buddies CAN be straining and she's just like MUAHAHAH FINALLY and Steven just being all what was the point of leaving if you're still here !! what happened to the cave, loner Jasper ?? huh ?? What happened to the damn cave that was supposed to solve all your problems ?? idk how, but he'd have to hit a nerve eventually...

idk how you feel about that one film in particular, but Michael Keaton as the Vulture vibes for sure at that family dinner xD Bowls accidentally sticking to Peter's hands as he tries to help pass things around the table. Him desperate to get his damn web slingers... Nolan just like Why Am I At This Event, bored af. Mark just like Mooo-om you don't have to arrange playdates for me anymore, I'm not five. Peter and I can hang out on our own! Aunt May just all it's lovely to have company : )

lol Nolan like yes my human-sona is doing excellently in the friend department. success. Cecil wondering why the hell a guy known for wanting to unmask a kid vigilante is suddenly hanging out w a top tier hero... on a boat on a lake. what is going on there. JJ and Art just snarking at each other the whole time would be so hilarious. esp since Art would know they're chillin w Omni-Man and JJ doesn't.

You got web on me one(1) time and now I want you dead is a pretty hilarious thing. Debbie just having to be like ??? you don't even talk about villains this much! wtf is going on ! Nolan refusing to admit he basically had toilet paper stuck to the bottom of his foot one day. it is also just enough of an excuse for him to justify putting things off again, 'cause you know that man was desperate to stall for time xD Can't take over the planet until this one guy is on lock down ! clearly! totally rational ! it just fuels his obsession bc if he does succeed it means he has to carry on w Everything Else and that's a whole ass can of worms he refuses to think about. he actually has a truly disturbing number of images that show Peter IS Spidey but refuses to use them because he just wants to fuck W spider-man. the plan was to fuck w spiderman. he cant deviate from a plan. clearly. once he wraps up here he'll move on with everything else. promise.

Character decisions affecting the plot rather than external forces my beloved. where did you go. where.

I always figured an 'evil' AU of Debbie (that keeps her human) would be that she's like, a tv personality real estate mogul (making Mark not only a hero nepo baby but a genuine rich boy brat, and Nolan doesn't even bother w a job just hangs out as her kept husband when not acting as Omni-Man lol) - and like, branching off of that just her actually using her career to fund/manage a group of.. individuals.. would be awesome. Bc real estate capital CAN be used for so much ! her 'fighting crime' w real estate is actually something I have come up rather as a side note in two fic (tho one hasn't actually gotten to that point yet) and it's like ! she doesn't need powers to be useful! you can influence the world in many ways ! Which is Amber's whole fucking deal ! it's what Eve decided to do when she quit the main stream hero game ! let more normies in on that shit ! show the importance of the ground level ! No you don't save the damn planet Paul, but you're the reason the planet is interesting and doesn't suck ass !!

like have people point out Powerplex wasn't after justice, he was after retribution! if there aren't any laws in place for when heroes do shit like this, why NOT form a group who gets a stink worked up about that and makes it so there are? How opposed would Cecil be to not being the main authority on who gets punished for what? pretty pissed I think ! or does he twist it to his use? How nervous would heroes be to operate when they are suddenly faced with repercussions for collateral? does Cecil fight against it bc of shit like that, or does he say if you join my List of Approved People I will make you immune to that and end up consolidating a lot of power over a lot of people? How is any of it enforced? Give us a Civil War esque divide that's actually interesting ! Okay Mark, you're obsessed w people who fuck up going to prison- now the people have decided you need to go to prison. what you going to do? (tho I would like to tell mr prison is for criminals that you stole Shapesmith from his peoples' laws against his crime, tho it was a death sentence but that DOES raise another factor- what happens when his magical non-lethal solution gets turned into a lethal one by a court?) how do you justify the cost of keeping a being made of pure energy contained if it takes a cities worth of power to fuel one cell ?? give us fucked up shit like that !!

if it's the GoG on Cecil's pre-appoved list taking you in bc they're immune for staying in line? Your brother sure as shit isn't going to listen to anything these people say. Eve wouldn't want to kill people, but you know she'd be pissed ! How does new yet-to-be-renamed TT fit into all of it ?? If Debbie has resources at her disposal what is she doing about all of this ?? if shes doesn't is she just going for appeals in the court case?? having lawyers and media pick apart her fucking life in order to try and get her son out of this mess? pictures of Mark in the hospital bed after Nolan kicked the shit out of him plastered all over the internet as news stories run w it ??? what if Mark gets released bc yeah, you were trying to help, but his mom gets sentenced for aiding and abetting a terrorist? You figured out what he did and didn't alert anyone ! again what are the spouse testifying against spouse laws like in superhero world... do people pull the fucked up shit like 'he wasn't human and the law as written defines marriage as...' shit ?? do they call his false identity tax fraud and throw those charges at her too?? what are the immigration laws for space aliens in this universe...

alright back to the other point xD

Art being a big contributor and Debbie's connection to him resulting in a lot of ppl stepping in line bc of how important he is would be great! New player but w Old money. she knows a lot about the internal workings of the GDA due to what Nolan told her over the years and what she's seen herself ! she has important information on shit that has been confiscated from assorted villains over the years. She knows who the GDA prioritizes and who they don't! she recognizes their agents on sight !! forget the cameras in her house the last few years, they've apparently been stalking her since she met Nolan if her annoyance w the nanny plants was anything to go by. Was it a game they played while dating ? spot the GDA tail?

Titan being like this is MY city block and Debbie being like hmm : ) but is now MY city and Mark's incredible annoyance that their turf war seems to be about who can clean up the streets the most- who can support their civilians while collecting up the goons to go hit the GDA- promising stability and security for families while just fucking the government approved heroes in the process. Or Debbie trying to start a larger war like that but Titan holding on to loyalty to people who dont WANT to escalate. who is pushed out, who is pushed around- give me the fucked up bits and the beneficial to all the dynamics ! give me 'villains' like the ones we saw robbing the bank getting hired on as defenders / private security to new public works in an area. fuck your criminal record ! we don't care ! give us people who are terrified of the regime change ! who dont like heroes at all and want a non-powered person in charge and get pissed when they find out Debbie employs them ! maybe she doesn't ! maybe it boils into a fucked up divide about that outside her intention !! god have SoS have been an anti-hero group like many people speculated. Have Debbie have MET Scott ! have known him ! have been someone she chatted at meetings w ! have the betrayal come not in one episode while at a bar w a guy who instantly finds out who her husband was, but to someone she's been hanging out w ! whose kid and wife she knows ! who tried to get Debbie to help him build his court case against invincible but she pulled out, and then he finds out she's his mom??? GOD that would have been beautiful.

gah. the wider world politics on Invincible is just so threadbare. you're either one person in a storm whose life has barely any meaning while someone punches someone, or you're a psychotic dictator and there's no inbetween. there's a lot of inbetweens !! I don't think there's any leadership that isn't some form of totalitarianism?? Cecil expects utter loyalty (and is NEVER shown answering to anybody despite arguably being a branch of US government), Titan expects utter loyalty (he just helps swap out dictators for the Order in order to get a favor to be left alone lol), there really isn't enough info on the Coalition but one guy seems to be in charge of all of them at the end of the day, the viltrumites definitely !! the thraxans apparently demand Nolan do that to them !! I just !! there's more than one form of government. Even the hero teams runs off of 'one guy says stuff and we all have to adhere or else' and like !! can we see literally any other dynamic between people ??? show us the pros and cons of both !! no system is unfallable !! no collection of people is without friction !! 'the power has been returned to the people' the robots intone. ELABORATE ON THAT ??

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.

[londonspirit]

Happy Birthday, OFMD!!!

3 years already, and from the looks of it, still a LOT more to come!!! (Even tho we're still cancelled - but hey, fandom's keeping it alive and well and fucking THRIVING. And not only fandom - cast and crew are doing their very best to do the same!)

Anyhow. March 3rd 2022. I wasn't around for that sadly; but my dash started to talk about it (while my Twitter didn't so much as breathe its name) and then the gifs started to come in. I just came off the Tick Tick Boom high, still pissed that they snubbed them at the Oscars, so I still wasn't that interested but the more I saw, the more I realized that it seemed to be a show that did NOT queerbait anyone but actually WAS queer!

Well, that would've been a first, I thought - and still ignored it. I'm pretty sure TheKiss made me change my mind. Seeing two older men kiss as awkwardly and timidly and as beautiful as these two was a shock, to be honest. I mean, WHO DOES THAT!!!! The only other show who sort of did it was Schitt's Creek, which I missed terribly at that point so I went to YT to spoil myself and watch TheKiss happening!!!

And OHMYDAYS was it beautiful!!! ... still didn't watch it then tho but kept an eye on it.

And on March 31st the links for it floated over my dash again with people urging whoever saw it to WATCH IT. Which I did. While doing something else!!! These days I cannot comprehend HOW I did that. I STOPPED AFTER THE FOOT TOUCH AND WENT TO BED!!! O_O But I still fell in love.

I was still scared because something as openly queer and wonderful couldn't be real - and even though I had seen TheKiss with my own eyes, I still feared it was just a dream sequence or something like that. Even with all the flirting beforehand I just couldn't believe a show wold actually just DO THAT - be queer as fuck and still be sooo fucking unapologetic joyous about it!!!

But they were/are!

And then they left me hanging with that freaking cliffhanger!! I remember screaming about it on Twitter because they couldn't do this to me!! Not when I just found the most amazing show out there!!!

I did a proper rewatch, paying more attention... and did another, screaming some more about; followed everyone I could find from cast and crew, and fell deeper and deeper in love with everyone and the show!!!

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Here we are, three years later: met several fandom folks in RL, seen Taika and Rhys in the flesh (Taika from afar, Rhys up close), met some cast at SFRoP, going to meet some more at TNUC, learned so much about things I had barely a clue about, made some amazing friends through it all, doing crazy things again because of them, living the very best life because of a show about queer pirates. Made some damn great memories because of it. Teared up more than once about how INCREDIBLE this fandom is, and all the amazing things it does (making 85K in less than two weeks for Trans kids for example).

Here's to all the years still to come, to all the wonderful memories still to be made, following our incredible cast and crew to new shores (ha), making sure they know how fucking LOVED they are!!!

Forever grateful that Tumblr made sure I fell in love with our beloved pirates babies, with no chance in hell of backing out again! They're a fucking light in growing darkness but they're still there, still shining, still making sure there's always and forever hope that things will get better!!!

[huckleberrykai]

TYUNNING NOSES

the feelings i have for them and their noses would get me kicked out of most feminist circles/lh

i have not appreciated tyuns nose enough until this very moment and for that i feel foolish. my god.

they have the noses of gods. they're so beautiful :(

i aint arguing with a man with a pretty nose, whatever you say beautiful <3

[stark-lord]

Side B

[truearchangel]

ㅤ"Hmm, perhaps." Having arguments did sound rather normal, even if stressful. Michael had spent so long shut away in a room though that he never considered the fact that arguing could be normal. After Lucifer's fall, where that fight had turned practically deadly, it felt easier to just—not form as many emotional connections. Or at least ones like that.

ㅤOnes that ran deep enough that you could feel them in your soul.

ㅤFighting with his twin had been emotional destructive, he didn't like the feeling, and fighting with Alastor felt like teetering on the edge of falling apart. Of ruining everything they had and that wasn't something he wanted to have happen. Michael was quite attached to Alastor, literally at this point, and the idea of losing all of that was—distressful. Very distressful, actually

ㅤShifting on the bed he turned over to the side and laid down over top of Alastor again, folding his hands over top of his chest and laying his head on top of his fingers and watched the other. Sometimes, like this, he does wonder if Alastor knows how pretty he is.

ㅤ"I just don't like the idea of fighting but if you say it won't result in you leaving, perhaps we can have a few arguments." Talking about it like this makes it sound like they're deciding on casual date nights and not two people fighting. Depending on the fighting though perhaps it could end up playful.

ㅤ"I'm just trying to not be worried about the idea of leaving me. Part of my problem is just—" a small sigh and he can feel his tail flicking behind him. "I suppose it's dawned on me that I have nowhere else to go now." Literally. He can't go anywhere.

Opening one eye as Michael spoke, Alastor glanced over at him- finding himself at ease whenever he did have the other in his direct line of sight - no matter any tension in the topic of conversation. Maybe that was why it did not seem quite as hard to talk about just then. At least not to Alastor.

His hand remained gently keeping contact with that shirt.

“I am a prickly, stubborn, aggressive individual with an attitude problem. If you are with me, we will fight. About important things. About mundane things that do not matter. We will disagree. We will upset one another. That is just the unfortunate reality of being human- or close to it. And that it what you signed up for with me. The fine print, if you will.”

His claws continued to fiddle with the fabric, his eyes opening again to catch the other in his gaze. So he could appreciate everything that he was.

“What matters is the route we take to work through it.”

At least, to him, that was what mattered.

“…Pick your battles if you’d like- but know that there’s nothing in the world that would prevent us from have the occasional bitch fit at each other. You’ll just have to rest assured that even if we may snip and snap… it doesn’t change my dedication to you.”

Reaching up, Alastor found Michael’s hand instead. And held onto it, his thumb gently brushing over the other's knuckles. Doing what he could to be comforting. It was not his specialty - but he was making an effort.

"...Occasional fights keep things interesting, you know," he joked. Trying to make a lighthearted comment to alleviate the other's concerns. He did not quite know if it would work, but...

[psychomusic]

induced to me by my contemporary art exam AND a rewatch of rebels after years that. got me into sabezra unexpectedly AND i updated krita and there were many new brushes i wanted to try

refs (IF U CAN PLS HELP ME FIND THE ORIGINAL COSPLAYERS i can't find anything EDIT: found them!! they're starwars_irl on insta and @rebelartistwren / lionesscosplay on insta. thank you guys <3) and ✨colored version✨ under the cut

i can't find themmmmm I've been looking for 2 days but all i found were uncredited reposts

anyway they look amazing

i really wanted to try greyscaling but I'm not sure it looks good. idk. + while i was making it i was listening to i love you by fontaines d.c. (GREAT SONG FROM A GREAT UNDERRATED BAND) and. the grey fit into that mood much better

also two versions without the sketch lines. where ezra looks happier even if they're uglier