#thing is conspicuously missing tho...

[brenshor]

Enid running into the Quad: Guys! Someone pushed Xavier down a flight of stairs!!

Eugene: *looks at Wednesday*

Bianca: *looks at Wednesday*

Yoko: *looks at Wednesday*

Wednesday: I have literally been here with you all the whole time.

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

I want the LaDS boys to react when someone else accidently makes his s/o sexy gasp/moan; someone had randomly poked a spot on her back to get her attention, but it was one of her sensitive spots. Does that make sense? You can write them all or pick one.

Hands off!

Tags: LADS men x fem!Reader, established relationships, jealous LADS men, threats of violence (Rafayel’s) and slight stalking (Caleb’s), suggestive content, NSFW (Sylus’s), MDNI

An: what a wonderfully devious request, i love it.

ZAYNE

The two of you were at a fundraising banquet. The hospital was raising money for pediatric oncology treatment. While Zayne wasn't an oncologist, he made a habit to show his face at most Akso Hospital events, especially ones for a good cause.

You were surrounded by city hall representatives, nurses, doctors, and other big wigs in the healthcare industry. While you felt out of your league, Zayne assured you that he often felt out of place as well, but it was for a good cause at the end of the day.

Giving your temple a light kiss, Zayne follows one of his residents towards the small dessert table that the hospital has set up.

You busy yourself, listening to another doctor's wife prattle on about a recent trip she took to the islands recently. You nurse a glass of champagne to your lips as you're only half listening to her. Inwardly, you wonder when Zayne was going to be back.

“Ah~!” you gasp, face reddening as you jolt slightly. You spin on your heel, looking to see whoever just grazed their hand over your lower back.

You feel you skin grow hot with embarrassment as you see a fellow doctor that Zayne works closely with behind you. He's a little bit older, much old enough to know better than to touch a married woman there. "Oh, I apologize miss. I didn't mean to startle you."

Before you can even think of how to respond, you feel a presence press to your side, and you immediately recognize the smell of your husband's cologne.

"Dr. Hartford, to what do I owe the pleasure?" his stoic voice fills the space, and his hand steadily slides across your lower back until he wraps his palm conspicuously around your hip. It's subtle, but he's staking a claim over you.

"Dr. Zayne! It's so good to see you. I see this must your missus," Dr. Hartford says with a jolly smile. His cheeks and nose are red telling you one of two things: either he's embarrassed to be caught touching you while Zayne was present or he's had far too much alcohol. You decide that it was likely a combination of both factors.

"This is my wife, y/n." Zayne says as his hand imperceptibly tightens around your hip. It's not very often you get to see this more jealous side of him. "For your own benefit, Dr. Hartford, it'd be wise to keep your hands to yourself in the future. You know how... touchy HR can be about these sorts of situations."

Your eyes widen as you look up towards your husband in slight shock and awe. Only Zayne could threaten someone so professionally and look so handsome while doing so.

Now, if only you can convince him to take a few sips of champagne tonight, and you'll have yourself a good night.

RAFAYEL

Being a Lemurian meant that every one of his senses is attuned to be able to experience his beloved better. This meant he practically heard your small moan before it ever even left your lips.

His eyes search the crowd at the art exhibit he was forced to attend. You promised to stay by his side, but where were you now?

To the average person’s eye, Rafayel looks completely normal right now. Someone would even say he seems aloof, but to the people who truly know him, he’s seething with an unforeseen anger.

Once his eyes zero in on you and Thomas of all people, Rafayel feels his anger only double. He doesn’t even excuse himself away from the group of people that were talking and interviewing him about his latest painting. He walks over straight to you.

“You know, it’s not nice to touch things that aren’t yours,” he says, throwing a quick glare over at Thomas. His voice sounded lighthearted, almost like he was some petulant child who caught someone playing with his favorite toy, but you knew the truth.

Thomas’s face was already beet red. When he grabbed your side to stabilize himself, he didn’t think you were going to make that noise. He also didn’t consider that Rafayel would hear it.

You look towards your boyfriend, who is nearly pouting at you from the whole exchange, and you playfully roll your eyes. “Thomas was just trying to keep his balance. He didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Well, if my girlfriend was standing beside me, then Thomas could’ve grabbed someone else’s girlfriend, bur no, he had to grab mine,” Rafayel huffed as he turned his nose up at the two of you, putting on a show of bratty behavior.

“You’re so helpless, Rafayel.” You tease, looping your arm around his to follow him back to his painting.

“Only for you, miss bodyguard.” He then reached out a hand and drops a piece of paper onto Thomas’s extended hand. “That’s for you.”

Thomas waited until the two of you were a distance away before he slowly unfolded the small piece of paper. His eyebrows furrowed as he read the words on the paper.

I’ll kill you and paint with your remains xD

Stunned, Thomas looked back up to where you and Rafayel were. His eyebrows furrowed a little bit, wondering if Rafayel was just playing or not…

XAVIER

The moment a sharp breathy moan leaves your lips while you, Xavier, and another Hunter are out on the field, you know one thing is certain. Xavier's going to kill him.

His hand is still wrapped around your waist. He had only grabbed you to protect you from stepping in a puddle on your way towards reported wanderer activity.

Unfortunately for this poor hunter, who you thought was actually named Hunter, your waist was where you were most sensitive.

Xavier immediately spun around, and his light blade was out within milliseconds. His sapphire blue eyes narrowed as he saw where Hunter was grasping you. His jaw tightens, and you can immediately perceive the stormy look on his face.

“Hands off her,” the blonde hunter demanded. “She’s fine. She can handle herself.”

“Right— I was just.. helping her out, man. No harm; no foul,” the other hunter said as he took his hands off of you. He held his palms facing Xavier in a surrendering position.

No one in the UNICORNS knew about yours and Xavier’s budding relationship, but they were going to find out real quickly if Xavier’s jealousy kept getting the better of him.

“Y/n, you should lead,” Xavier says, ignoring Hunter’s statement. He puts you in the front of their small group, and he trails right behind you, leaving Hunter in the back.

While your back is turned, your boyfriend casually pointed his light blade towards Hunter, forcing space between him and the group. He then shot a glare that could kill over his shoulder to Hunter.

The intention was clear. Xavier was posturing. His glare said all the unspoken words that he could not. ‘Stay away. This is mine.’

The poor man didn’t even speak to you for the rest of the mission. He was way too intimidated by Xavier to even consider it. Oh well, Xavier would just have to keep you company.

SYLUS The two of you were at a couple’s massage. Well, you were getting a massage, and he got to watch with a glass of wine on the side.

When the masseuse’s fingers rubbed into your neck, targeting all the knots from stress and tension, a breathy little whimper escaped your throat.

Sylus was already having a hard enough time concealing just how much of an effect you had on him. His right ankle was propped against his left knee, and he was settled back onto the chair.

He let out a deep, rich laugh that only men with old money seemed to have.

You were clearly embarrassed, clenching your eyes shut as you profusely apologized. The masseuse tried to reassure you that it was natural, and it only meant she was doing a good job.

“Careful kitten, if you stress yourself out anymore, you’re going to need a massage for this massage,” he teased, swirling his wine glass in his glass cup.

“Oh no, that would be sooo terrible,” you responded back with sarcasm bitten into your tone.

“We all know you’re having a good time, kitten. No need to rub it in everyone’s faces.” A smirk curled on his lips as his roamed over your body, only covered with a towel.

“Shut it-!” you whined, feeling the embarrassment creep back in.

He was doing a good job at hiding it, but his pants felt extremely tight. The thought of you letting out those delicate sounds accidentally, so overwhelmed by painful pleasure…

He took another sip of his wine, and he eyed the masseuse closely. He had gotten massages from her in the past. He knew she was happily married, and he had nothing to worry about. Even if the masseuse was some single guy, he would’ve still been comfortable in his position. He knows you’re not going anywhere; he trusts you with his entire being.

Still, he watched extra closely. He now felt the need to learn how to use his hands like that. The next time you got a massage, he wanted to be the one to make you let out those noises. He also wanted to be in private, so he could bury his cock into you in peace.

CALEB

Oh, oh man… First of all, when you and Caleb first started dating, he barely let you out of arm’s length of his side. He couldn’t help it. He needed you there with him :(

However, when he finally started letting both of you do things on your own, he still had a habit of watching you.

You were going to go get drinks with a girl friend? Oh okay, that’s fine… the bar has cameras anyway :)

You needed to go to the grocery store? Caleb’s already hacked into their security system. No big deal.

You wanted to go out for a walk? Sure, Caleb would just walk a good enough distance behind you so you didn’t see him, which is exactly what was happening when he heard that small whine..

He knows that whine by heart. Hell, he’s been teasing you for years, but he’s only heard that specific whine when he’s rearranging your guts.

Subtlety be damned. He didn’t care about staying incognito whenever there was someone else who just got to hear that very, very sweet noise from your lips.

When he jogs straight up to you, he’s nearly panting but not from jogging — his pissed. The guy who had gotten you to make that noise was profusely apologizing for accidentally pulling your hair. Apparently, he saw a bug on you or something…

It didn’t matter to Caleb. Of course, he was polite, putting on a good show by laughing and teasing you. He ignored the confused looks that you threw his way.

“Yep, my girlfriend is so unaware, haha. Thanks for getting that bug off her. She hates those things,” he flashes that pretty smile that’s gotten him out of trouble for years.

While guiding you away from the man, he assures you that he was just going the same way as you because he needed to run to the market really quick for a very specific ingredient for what he was making for dinner tonight.

And of course, the kind stranger was never heard from again. If you have any information on the missing man, please contact the local authorities or the Deepspace Aviation Administration. 

[muletia]

First kiss with Orion, but I lose 10 aura points cuz I’m immediately red faced, giggling like a manic after. Such a handsome robot man, frfr

𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

[tfp] obsessed!orion pax x human!reader

summary: you share your first kiss with orion :))

cw: fluff, slightly suggestive, mentions of jealousy, implied stalking (nothing serious tho), orion is very awkward in this

word count: 1600

Orion had once again invited himself into your garage.

You spotted the familiar semi-truck even before you turned into your driveway, making the motto "robots in disguise" utterly useless. After all, a giant Peterbilt barely fitting in a regular garage for cars was incredibly conspicuous and, worse, drew suspicion. You’d already fielded nosy questions from neighbors about that particular truck more times than you could count, but luckily, the excuse of a visiting boyfriend still managed to smooth things over. It wasn’t even far from the truth, considering you and Orion had recently entered that odd pre-relationship stage.

The grass on the side of the lawn now had permanent indentations from where you’d been parking your car. The grooves matched the shape and size of your tires perfectly, a result of Orion visiting so often and staying so long that your garage had essentially been repurposed, evicting your poor, lifeless car to sleep outdoors. Sometimes you wondered if he did it on purpose, jealous of your other mode of transport. You wouldn’t be surprised; Orion had a knack for overthinking the smallest issues—things that didn’t bother you at all.

So, as usual, you left your displaced car outside in the same spot as always (you were even convinced you could feel the tires sinking into the grooves) and headed toward the garage. You caught sight of Orion adjusting his side mirrors to keep you in view, and you couldn’t help but smile at the small, endearing gesture.

“Hi, Orion,” you greeted him while closing the garage door. “Been waiting long?” The question was rhetorical—he always arrived early. Once, you’d left work early to run errands and still had a couple of hours to spare. Naturally, you planned to spend them at home. When you pulled into the driveway, Orion was already there. He’d gotten such a scolding that day he was on the verge of tears and hadn’t visited you for a few days afterward. Yet the habit of waiting had become so ingrained in his processor that he soon resumed the routine.

“Greetings, [Name],” he responded, transforming carefully so that his helm wouldn’t hit the ceiling, which already bore plenty of scars from startled jerks, miscalculated transformations, and certain... blue fluids. “Just a few kliks.”

You hummed in response, making it clear you didn’t believe him but weren’t interested in pressing the issue. Feeling his intense and impatient gaze, you set your bag down by the door to the house and finally turned your full attention to him. The reward was a soft, delighted smile.

He moved closer, unable to tolerate too much distance between you. It looked awkward and somewhat comical as he shuffled his knees and elbows across the floor like he was crawling, but the cramped space of the garage left him no better option. That said, it worked. Within moments, his large, expressive faceplate was mere inches from yours, and the optics on it cast a blue glow on you in the dim light of the garage.

You didn’t miss how those same optics flicked briefly to your lips before meeting your gaze again. The only evidence of the moment was the slightly louder whir of his cooling fans.

“[Name],” he began, “I would like to ask you something. May I?”

“Sure?”

“Thank you. Could you explain the symbolism of kisses to me?”

Straight to the point, as always.

“Ah, well, okay,” you started, by now accustomed to his frequent questions about human culture—particularly those related to dating. “A kiss is a way to express feelings and physically convey them to someone else. People kiss to greet each other or show love.”

“With their... lips?”

“Exactly,” you nodded, suddenly feeling oddly flustered. Flirting with him was one thing, but an abrupt conversation about something as intimate as kissing was a whole other level. Especially when his face was so dangerously close to yours, silently begging for a kiss.

You cleared your throat, trying to regain composure and break the tension by averting your eyes. However, out of the corner of your vision, you saw Orion frantically trying to reestablish eye contact, his optics darting around in search of yours. It didn’t help that he looked crestfallen, as if learning that lips were essential for kissing had personally ripped the spark from his chest.

“Oh... I see,” he sighed, lowering his helm slightly. He looked like a dejected puppy, and suddenly, you felt an overwhelming urge to console the poor thing.

“Now I have a question,” you said, immediately catching his attention. The dejected puppy look disappeared, replaced by curiosity and the devoted focus he always reserved just for you. “What’s brought on this sudden interest? Got a human on your mind?” It was meant as a joke, but his embarrassed expression made you realize you should’ve kept your mouth shut.

“Recently, I’ve been delving into human literature, and this concept appeared frequently. I conducted independent... research but preferred to ask you for confirmation.”

Because he couldn’t tell you he’d spent the past few days reading an overwhelming amount of science fiction romance about interspecies relationships. And he especially couldn’t tell you that he favored stories where he could imagine himself as the protagonist and cast you as the love interest. As for the endless hours he’d spent meticulously fantasizing about your romantic connection, intimacy, and the physical closeness that came with it—not even Unicron could drag that confession out of him.

“So, am I correct in assuming that Cybertronians don’t kiss?” you added.

“No,” he replied, his tone almost mournful, as if the very notion pained him. “Without lips, we convey feelings differently.”

“Would you like to try?”

He blinked several times, his cooling fans whirring louder again.

“Pardon?”

“Would you like to kiss?” you clarified. “To see what it’s like for yourself?”

Yes. Yes. YES. He’d dreamed of this moment in countless ways, wanting so badly to express his feelings in a human way, hoping you’d understand how much he cared for you—how much he adored, admired, and cherished you. The need for closeness threatened to overwhelm his rationality, but he managed to keep his composure, though his frame trembled slightly with excitement.

“You truly... truly have no objections? I would never wish to coerce you into such... carnal gestures.”

“Orion, darling, you’re not coercing me into anything. This is entirely my conscious decision.”

“And does the setting not bother you? My research suggested that kisses should occur in more romantic environments.”

“Nothing about this bothers me,” you assured him. “So? Shall we try?”

“Yes. Yes, please.”

You didn’t even have the chance to ask how he envisioned it before he suddenly began shrinking, using mass-shifting to make things easier for both of you. In mere moments, he reduced himself to an impressive but more manageable three meters tall, kneeling as though preparing to propose. You had to remind yourself repeatedly that he didn’t know the implications of that pose, and you needed to pull yourself together because your cheeks were likely redder than his armor.

“May I?” he asked at last.

“Of course,” you whispered.

A warm, solid servo cradled your head, digits gently tangling in your hair. He was cautious, clearly determined not to hurt you.

You thought he might hesitate, regretful of the situation he’d placed himself in, but he quickly proved you wrong. Carefully, he covered your lips with his own. Not hesitantly—he was far from shy—but inquisitively, exploring uncharted territory while aiming to bring you pleasure. And he succeeded wonderfully.

You pressed your lips against his, completing the kiss, which prompted him to draw you closer. To avoid losing your balance, you grabbed onto his chest plating, your thumb brushing against his cool windshields.

The first kiss was incredibly gentle yet awkward. You could tell Orion had no idea what he was doing, relying solely on movies, descriptions, or whatever else he’d found online. The absence of actual lips also affected the quality, but you could sense the subtle puckering on his part, just as awkward as the entire kiss.

You were convinced he must have practiced the maneuver on his own.

You didn’t want to interrupt him, enchanted by the sweetness of his gestures, his tenderness, and his endearing awkwardness. But the kiss literally took your breath away. You tried to hold on a bit longer, savoring the feeling of bliss and an odd sense of rightness, as if teaching an alien how to kiss was your everyday routine. And honestly? You fervently hoped it would be.

Reluctantly, you pulled away to catch your breath. Orion chased after you for a moment, unwilling to end the kiss, but eventually relented, his optics clouded as he watched you inhale deeply. He didn’t seem entirely present in this reality.

Chuckling at his utterly smitten expression, you brought him back to Earth.

“Please... I need more. This is incredible, [Name], unimaginably wonderful. If you don’t mind?” he leaned closer again, pressing his forehead to yours.

Still laughing, you tried to meet his gaze, but the sight of his love-struck, besotted optics filled you with uncontainable joy. You hadn’t expected to feel such elation from a simple kiss, yet here you were, unable to stop smiling. And his faceplate was so close...

“[Name]?” Orion tried again, this time more concerned than yearning.

“I’m fine!” you reassured him, finally meeting his optics as you fought off the remnants of laughter. “It’s just... I’m really happy right now.”

“I understand. So am I.”

“So... would you like to...”

“Yes. Please.”

He kissed you again, this time more confidently and even more fervently.

[lunarsilkscreen]

Efficiency Doctrine

In many places; and I'm not saying this is entirely a bad thing; finding places to "Trim the Fat" has become standard practice.

Well; unless you include the wages of people hired to implement these policies ... (Is that a Correlation or a Joke? I'm not sure.)

Efficiency Doctrine is at every level of our collective infrastructures. Both corporate and Government.

And every year; politicians campaign on "Trimming the Fat" in order to pay down the debt and *that* will somehow make a better environment for people to thrive.

And for some reason; every year; they fail to do it effectively. Why do you suppose that is?

Briefly; Trimming too many costs is more expensive on the backend, because we've slashed budgets as far as they go, things get missed, and systems fail. Which becomes a costly repair.

Which makes this practice kind of detrimental.... As we have grown accustomed to it so far anyway.

As less people get paid from these cuts, employees lose wages and jobs and sometimes their lives, the economy takes a hit.

And bit by bit the whole thing decoheres.

Which leads us to the same solution "We need to tighten our belts and reduce costs"... Somehow.

Why is that the case tho? Why are we adamant on it being an effective tactic and fooling ourselves *everytime* about it?

Common Sense dictates that it's a good idea, after-all.

Well, How does cutting costs work in practice?

We compare overall cost with the mean (sometimes average) cost; if the cost is above the average/mean, then it looks on paper that we've identified something that aligns with "Fraud, Waste, or Abuse"

Mathematics has perfect averages... People don't.

So what happens is "Fraud, waste, or abuse" in reverse.

How, you might be asking?

As the "Effect Cost" or "Fair Market Value" becomes known (or sometimes *advertised*) people start to lie about certain things.

Maybe it's about your home's actual value.

Maybe it's about a task you need to complete.

Maybe that task requires 120 hours, but your employer wants it done this week in your forty hour week...

So, you cut corners, rush your work, maybe you work a lot of overtime because you absolutely believe in the Job that you've been hired to do.

But on Paper ... A work-week is 40hours. And your manager isn't gonna lie to his boss that some random employee did 120 hours of work in a single week...

And so that means gets "fudged" a little. It's not a lie if you said you finished it in a week; but on Paper... That week is *only* 40 hours.

And little things like this happen all over; like the anesthesia issue. Which is supposed to be in the patient's best interest; you don't want to accidentally overdose a 80lbs twink with the same anesthesia you might give to a seasoned old lady.

So the healthcare who is trying to work both in the patient's and their businesses best interest with these averages does their job.

And the Healthcare providers are forced to find loopholes in order to get the funding they need to help patients.

Maybe they charge extra on a rich patient and used that extra for Joe Shmoe in the E.R.

Maybe they tell the insurance agency they used less of a certain drug when in reality they used more, because it was in the patient's best interest to do so.

Maybe they wrote on their records the *maximum* allotted times that the insurance will allow on everything they can just to get the resources they need to do their job.

And that window gets smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller.... Until it doesn't even suit the needs of the average patient anymore.

There's examples like this everywhere.

One of my previous workplaces had a Mission Statement of "Conspicuous Compliance".

Basically; Mandatory Malicious Compliance.

And the purpose of this was to correct the averages the bean counters had come up with; Because we were half of a maintenance squadron doing the job of two.

And the reason we had gotten that way was in support of what the leadership thought was dire need.

So as the leadership pushed more and more and more to "Get the Job done" they also noticed that all the Analysts were tuning their data sheets to a "High Alert Emergency" type working environment that we had been on for years during Congressional budget cuts to the same units they were overloading with work.

And the Commander of that Squadron pushed as hard as he possibly could because he *saw* that it was essentially "Fraud, Waste, and Abusive" behavior being done; not only to military equipment... But to the military members themselves.

And that "The Data" was supported by an environment that we cannot always be operating in. Not for Decades at a time anyway.

It should be noted that my records will show that I pushed for compliance in EVERYTHING. Because I cared about the safety, the Mission, and my fellow Employees.

We *CAN* cut corners for greater profits ... *BUT* somebody ends up paying that added price in the end.

[cacaitos]

i shouldnt force this but what do you think abt kakugos whole rising sun reclaiming situation

hmm to be honest.. if it's from the heisei manga. to begin with, it's a ridiculously senseless manga all down to quality. on one hand you got the guy that goes on and on about violence and revenge is always the answer and a count- i mean someone without weapons is weak and prone to be abused by the Every Other and like a woman while a conspicuous rising sun waves behind him fighting the both iron-cross-wearing punk ultra masculine violent misogynistic Other thats also the degenate kink leather-wearing queer (in the slur way) Other. and for some reason im supposed to get any productive synthesis out of that conflict. and like, at some point it gets all so bold, and having read KnS first, i could only imagine as i read that it must be some kind of conclusion or twist or literally anything at the end. and it then it just ends on a random mid-fight scene.

again, having read KnS first, thats not only yk Finished but that also basically negates basically most of the plot and elements of it, in comparisson heisei not only seems but ultimately revealed as even more amateur, unripe, weak structured, unfinished, thoughtless and useless of a read. furthermore, as i understand from yamaguchi works even beyond KnS, that's still one of his earlier less polished works, his works seem to deconstruct (though i didnt say how successfully) at least from his own experience those value systems, dunno if to his own work specifically tho, if at least from a their media legacy/influence level. but that's an idea i got from that essay i rbd a while ago, idk maybe his manga abt the toku fan one is shit and takes down everything i just said, idk since i havent read it. i look forward to know how he executes shigurui and such, a the toku fan one too, to confirm first hand in time. even if yamaguchi didnt change his stance it's just Weird. Red Flag. but also i don't get the fucking point of it.

deviation aside, if you meant from kakugo no susume, tbh i dont remember if the rising sun thing got assigned to kakugo at x or y, if any, moment; memory fails me. but the military uniform, for ex, to start with is a fair thing to point out to begin with. yes, kakugo is The Good Guy thats categorically opossed to resembling his g.grandfather or his ideologies, yet wears a hs uniform alike to the military japanese imperial one. but focusing on only kakugo is kinda missing the wider landscape. i mean the manga is riddled with that kind of contradiction, and to pick on one is to pick on many others. now, i wouldnt consider KnS any like Mature internal dialogue of fascism or anything, despite at least the textual reprehension for the imperial mindset and material effects/atrocities. the authors themselves admit is kind of a dumb series not precisely unintentionally, and again not the most polished work of yamaguchi, if you wanted to get a thorough and concise conclusion on anything. even if you tried the story wont help you on it lol, thats the thing with questionable quality writng.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

I don't know if this will help Anon, but I'm going to share how I (and my wife) tend to navigate this anxiety as a mixed race queer family, and with both of us primarily living in places where folks subsistence hunt and concealed carry laws are accessible.

I think there's generally two types of person we worry about when they may be carrying. 1) the kind who are aggressive and confrontational and will seek out conflict that is difficult to de-escalate, and 2) the kind who are reactive/have a quick trigger finger so that we might not get the chance to de-escalate before they enact violence.

Typically, the first type of person **does not** concealed carry because they LIKE being able to show off wandering around armed. If they do concealed carry, they will usually still be conspicuously highlighting/flashing/handling their firearm at some point early enough to avoid them entirely or leave the area.

The second type of person is significantly more likely to have a concealed firearm that they may be inclined to use, and so most of my concealed carry strats are focused on this type of person. By and large, this is less about how I interact with HIM specifically (it's usually BUT NOT ALWAYS a him, and women are much more likely to fall in this type than the flashy aggressive type) and more who around him I know.

My wife and I have historically prioritized getting to know the local pillars of resource and industry. Not the owners, the workers. For example the first thing we did after moving to our new town was find the local four-season market and started going every week to buy a few things or get groceries, and chat up everyone running a stall. It's been about 9months now, and everyone knows us on sight. My wife never misses a week, while I always make a point to check in with people as a community organizer and mental health care community resource whenever I'm able to make it in so they know even tho my presence is less common, I am largely regarded as "someone who helps without question or hesitation" in the local social scene.

This means that often people who don't know us still see us as inherent community insiders and are more inclined to treat us as part of their ingroup even when we aren't. Additionally, in any confrontation, we ALWAYS have support in de-escalation because our local community pillars tend to default towards being protective of us now. That additional social pressure to treat us with respect is a big part of what can help slow or reverse escalation with an unpredictable element.

Additionally, both my wife and I are trained innde-escalation on a personal and political level (no-contact de-escalation of mental health care crisis in 24/7 staffed community programs as well as de-escalation during protest/counter-protest or clinic duty outside Planned Parenthood and other pregnancy support or management healthcare. This means that in most cases if someone in our vicinity escalates, we are able to calm things down enough to exit the situation. It usually involves a lot of "curious mindset" communication skills, reflective listening, and other conflict management skills. Weirdly, you actually also get a HUGE amount of this training (from both a preventative and responsive angle) in group/meeting facilitation training if that's something you have access to, but most clinic duty organizations/groups will train their volunteers every shift to de-escalate anti-choice harassment in order to protect the people entering the clinic for services.

It's not for everyone, for sure, and the process I think often triggers that feeling of being unfair and exhausting to "have" to do. But it can be effective, and if that makes it worthwhile, go for it.

do you have any tips for being comfortable with other people concealed carrying since you're a gun owner? I'm not, but due to a recent law a place I previously considered a safe enough space is now allowing concealed carry (this comes after some shootings in the surrounding area, but again, the place itself didn't seem too bad). It's only for people with licenses, but the gun laws don't seem particularly strict in this area, and it's majority-white and uncomfortably conservative/ignorant when I'm visibly Black, queer, and disabled.

I'm pretty anxious about this, but I can't tell if that's just bc of my biases against guns or if I should actually be nervous considering the "lots of these people suck" circumstances of it all. Would you happen to know of anything I could do to feel more comfortable/safe (minus getting my own gun bc i'm too young even if I wanted to)?

I am not a gun owner. I do carry a weapon, I do not own a gun. I'm not the guy to go to for gun advice.

[emmabirb8]

Ok ok, but have you thought about the fact that throughout the series, Nandor has saved or protected Guillermo's life just as much as Guillermo has saved and protected Nandor's? Because I have, and I am feeling Ways about it.

Obviously, Guillermo has always gone  above and beyond for Nandor as far as familiar duties go, and he has slain countless vamps to protect not only Nandor but also the rest of the household. It's a given and it's been a given from the start that Guillermo would do anything to keep Nandor (and his other housemates by extension) safe. He has outright said they are his found family, and it definitely shows. 

Well, in a slightly subtler way, the case is the same for Nandor. God, the things that Nandor has done for Guillermo - the risks he's taken, the knee-jerk reactions, the choices he's made? It is profound.

Consider that Nandor a. as a vamp is not expected to care about his familiar beyond using him as a tool to get things done, b. believes acting "aloof," aka unbothered and unconcerned, is key, and most importantly c. struggles heavily with identifying, working through, and expressing his emotions. AND YET, without even stopping to think about it, he:

Stepped in to stop that hungry vamp at Simon's club (Manhattan Night Club)

Refused to let Guillermo be eaten by the Vampiric Council (The Trial)

Stopped Topher from drowning him (Resurrection)

Kept Guillermo's slaying a secret after discovering that he had dusted Carol (The Return)

Told Celeste to "be kind to Guillermo" when he thought she was gonna be his new vampire mistress (arguably, this counts bc he was making an effort to ensure Guillermo would be treated well and kept alive under Celeste's watch) (Collaboration)

Defended him against the wrath of Nadja and Laszlo (the housemates Nandor has known, lived with, and loved for far longer than he's known Guillermo) who were 100% prepared to kill him every single night for a month while he was imprisoned in the basement (The Prisoner)

"Yanked" Guillermo away from the line of fire when he was acting as bait for The Sire and attempted to fix the situation himself (The Escape)

Immediately dove into the sewage hole in the floor to rescue Guillermo when he fell in (Reunited)

Volunteered to battle him in place of a more dangerous vampire at the Night Market (The Night Market)

Made sure he was okay at the end of the fight after pretending to snap his neck (The Night Market)

Nandor is the KING of repression, but actions speak louder than words, babes. This is not even counting the times he has shown outward kindness, affection for, and attachment to Guillermo to the point where it's entirely too conspicuous for anyone to believe he's not in love with him. (Tho he's apparently managed to fool himself well enough, hasn't he? lmao) 

Hell, I'm in a listing mood - let's recount those moments too, shall we?

Just off the top of my head, Nandor has canonically also:

Made Guillermo a glitter portrait depicting the two of them together as vampires as a gift to celebrate his anniversary of becoming his familiar (that he was clearly proud of and excited about and that clearly took a lot of effort and planning ❤) in the very first episode 

Held him up above his head to help him reach higher places when dusting and held him up in front of a mirror so he could experience the sensation of flying (like what vampire does that fr???? he was down bad even in the earliest eps) 

Become a blubbering mess worrying where Guillermo was while high on drug blood 

On multiple occasions actually took him flying by wrapping his arms tenderly around him 👀, then admitted he was his friend out loud in front of Nadja and the camera crew as early as ep 4 after feeling guilty about accidentally dropping him during a flight

Played chess with him (and it's implied this is a regular thing for them 🥹)

Been visibly upset each time Guillermo has left - it's heavily implied he missed even the smallest gestures like the hand holding, and he outright verbally expressed his hurt feelings in front of the entire Theatre des Vampires

Been distraught enough after the Celeste situation that he attempted to "win" Guillermo back first by talking to him and then by giving him another gift with the "beating off" pillow, and then actually complied with Guillermo's requests to be more respected and given breaks after that

Taken the time to go down and keep Guillermo company while he was imprisoned in the basement and made a genuine attempt to give him better quality food

Urged Nadja and Laszlo to treat Guillermo with more respect and to try to take an interest in his life at the casino

Reacted in a way that wasn't even the slightest bit angry (and in fact, he appeared grateful for it besides becoming excessively horny on main) about The Slap

Said he has "grown to have some affection for" Guillermo out loud to his face (which, for someone as repressed as Nandor, is huge)

Offered a very blatantly romantic turning scenario in which he expressed a desire to share soil with Guillermo, which, again, is huge 

Become markedly upset that Guillermo never showed up at the train station to accompany him on his trip

Started making steps in the direction of reversing their dynamic in s4 by doing things like helping Guillermo dry off and getting him a glass of water after he fell into the hole, paying more genuine attention to him and his life, expressing a desire for Nadja and Laszlo to be more serious and respectful of him, valuing his input (esp for the dick wish), and being appreciative of all the work he has constantly put in for him (whenever using his new penis 😏) 

Offered Guillermo the position of best man at his wedding which was clearly of utmost importance to Nandor, even more so than finding someone to marry in the first place 

Actually remembered the exact amount of years Guillermo has been his familiar/bodyguard and called him his "closest companion" in front of lots of other (arguably dangerous) vampires 

Been so excited and proud of Guillermo's moves when he was battling other familiars at the Night Market to the point of exclaiming "that's my fucking guy!"

Called Guillermo his friend out loud again when he got visibly worried he may have killed him

Admitted to Guillermo that he was afraid right before his wedding (!!!!), looked at Guillermo longingly/lovingly, accidentally revealed his desire to literally hug Guillermo close and kiss his face through his wish about Marwa (!!!!!!), and took a moment to whisper sweet nothings to Guillermo and cover him up when he discovered he'd fallen asleep (!!!!!!!!!)

Dorkily but sweetly prevented Guillermo from falling in the bg shot of Go Flip Yourself (like, truly, why would he care omfgggg he's so in love it's making him look stupid)

Actually made a very misguided but solid follow-through attempt to fix the Freddie situation as soon as he realized how upset Guillermo was about it

IT'S JUST SOOOO MUCH!!! I've been going through the series highlighting Nandermo moments for creative idea purposes in these last few weeks, and I can honestly say that I believe there are possibly more instances where Nandor has hinted at or displayed his feelings toward Guillermo than there are of Guillermo hinting at or displaying his feelings for Nandor. It's fucking insane you guys. 💖

[warmmilk-n-honey]

Ok part 2 of my dadbastian vampire au...

Seb is actually surprised that Ciel survived the transformation since he's tiny and Seb has never known of another child vampire. Sebastian also kind of lucks out finding out that his new charge was the son of a wealthy nobleman, now he gets to live in a giant manor! Before he was just kinda hopping around mostly living in like the woods, he's a very skilled shape shifter and was kind of feral before he started playing at being a fancy noble.

Seb is an extremely old vampire and is therefore pretty dang powerful.

Ciel adjusts to being a vampire poorly at first, he is just a baby after all and he's still grieving his family and dealing with his trauma. He does start to enjoy his un-life a bit though as he realizes he can take out his rage and trauma on adults, he can make adults suffer and he doesn't have to feel like a helpless child anymore, he likes feeling powerful. He develops quite the sadistic side which Sebastian can't help but feel pride for.

Ciel has a hard time sleeping in his coffin at first because of nightmares :( (Even though these vampires are physically dead when they sleep they still can dream.)

Sebastian has to teach him to be an earl and a vampire at the same time and he realizes he has his work cut out for him. He's definitely teaching his son all the wrong lessons just like in the manga.

Ciel is by no means powerful by vampire standards since he's so young, and needs Seb to help him with hunting most of the time-they eat the intruders trying to attack the manor.

Ciel starts to act like he doesn't care about his dead human family and this revenge thing is just a game to him, but deep down he misses them a lot. He also acts this way when Madam Red dies, not only because he's the dysfunctional sonboy we all know and love, but because he feels like he should be more detached from humanity and in many ways he is. Ciel also has a soft spot for the Midfords, though when he saw them for the first time after he turned it was rlly difficult for him to not eat them. He especially wants to protect Lizzy and keep her from knowing his true nature.

Ciel is also extremely gluttonous for blood and his hunger is difficult for Sebastian to satiate, his love for sweets transferred to a to a love for fresh blood :)! He grumbles about being hungry all the time and Seb has to warn him about feeding on conspicuous victims.

Queen Victoria actually knows about Sebastian and Ciel's nature but doesn't rlly care since having powerful undead creatures at her disposal doing her bidding is nice for her. (I mean she employed a 10 year old, what's stopping her from employing a vampire? Also because John Brown may or may not be a vampire...)

Being the queen's guard dog also provides more food for our vampires, they have an agreement with Victoria that they are allowed to eat the criminals they subdue instead of turning them into to the Yard.

While Ciel enjoys parts of undead existence, he did not think through becoming a vampire and really just wants to die for real. He hates being stuck in the body of a 10 year old and it's a great source of angst for him. He has also not properly dealt with his grief and trauma, and being a little sadist isn't actually good therapy for him, who would have thought!

He openly resents Sebastian for turning him, which Seb's dismissive response is always "well you chose this.🙄"

Their relationship is quite toxic like it is in the manga, the differences being that Seb doesn't have to be fake nice since he's not playing the butler role, and that he does deep down begin to care deeply for Ciel as his son.

On the one hand Seb regrets turning Ciel because he sees how much pain he goes through, but on the other hand he does like having this little thorn in his side around. He's still kinda abusive tho and their relationship is complicated, Ciel has slit Sebastian's throat on occasion, y'know how it is, kids🙃

Ciel also deep down feels attachment to Sebastian as a parent, but he would never admit it out right.

Ciel is lowkey planning to off himself after he gets his revenge but Sebastian hasn't rlly told him how to do it, they are weaker during the day and direct sunlight hurts, but it doesn't destroy these vampires (neither does fire). Ciel thinks Sebastian won't tell him because he's an asshole and won't tell him important vampire information, but the truth is simply that Seb doesn't want his son to kill himself, and doesn't want his son kill him! (Ciel would never actually kill Seb if he knew how, but these two suck at communicating their true feelings so...)

Also in this au all of the reapers are actually vampires-so vampire Grelle! (side note I've always seen the reapers as sort of vampiric especially when you consider certain vampire myths that say people who commit suicide become vampires!)

[delicrieux]

girl, not sure if you reblogging that prompt list means your requests are open but if they are, I would love to see "Apparently all our friends have a bet going that we end up together.” with Peter P if you would be so kind. If they're not open, please feel free to ignore this, and know that I'm sending you lots of love and hope you're doing well 🥰💞

hey queen . yes requests are open 💛 love u lots!! cant wait for the new COA chapter!!!(even tho i know it will be extremely painful)

MJ, from her locker, can see you and Peter strolling in, heads close together, whispering, laughing, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching your every move.

“I bet ten bucks that Peter’s gonna crack first and ask her out.” Ned says, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug little smile. MJ raises a brow, rolling her eyes and shutting her locker.

“Yeah...No way. Peter I’m blushing Parker is not nearly brave enough to do that. It’s gonna be (Name).”

Ned stares at her, “He’s Spiderman.”

“Yea, and he’s also a dumbass that can’t talk to girls. It’s gonna be (Name).”

Ned hums, “When do you think?”

She shrugs, “...I give it a month.”

“Two weeks.”

MJ narrows her eyes at him, extending her hand, “Deal.”

They shake on it. The clock starts ticking.

—*—

Your friends have been... weird to say the least. You felt like some sort of cloud, a secret, a myth, a something, had been hanging over your head and your curiosity had clawed up from mild interest to straight up panic. You heard the whispers, saw the terrible smirks and the strange wiggling eyebrows. It was like middle school all over again: you missed some sort of hilarious joke or were a part of one. The thought made you a bit ill, but then again, you knew your friends well — all of them are considerate, conspicuous! but mostly harmless — and if it was something serious they would have told you.

You could have lived your life like that. Simply. Saying “Oh well!” and continuing with your daily duties, your curiosity gone, non-affected, absolutely tranquil. But that is not you. And you deem this an Avengers Level Threat.

A week of pondering and restless nights and texts to MJ, Ned, Liz, everyone. The best you got was from Liz that was but a string of emojis and a: When you know, you know!

It’s Monday and the bell had rung and you are, unlike everyone else, in no rush to class. You stand by Peter’s locker, ready to corner him and demand answers. You know cracking MJ is impossible. Ned is elusive. Liz is too sweet for interrogation. Peter is your only hope.

You spot him bee-lining to Science and swiftly make your way to him. He stops when he notices you, smiles a little breathless, holds his hand up to wave but you buzz past him, yanking onto the strap of his bag and dragging him along with you.

“Hey—! I need to go to cl—“

“You can go later.” You hiss.

The yard is silent, save for the far away shouts and groans from P.E. You two hide behind the school where the smokers usually hang out, though their resident spot on the steps is empty as so you sit down. Apparently 9 o’clock is too early for pot or cigarettes. It’s not an ideal setting. But it’s safe. No teachers wander around here and the worst that can happen is... well, nothing.

“So.” Peter starts, shifting from foot to foot, “Uhh—...What’s up?”

“Tell me.” You demand. He frowns.

“Tell you...what?”

“The secret. I’ve seen everyone conspiring.” You explain, glancing away, “I wanna conspire too...”

“Oh! That...” He releases a breathless laugh, not quite amused, more anxious. His cheeks bloom in red and you raise a brow, “It’s uhh...Nothing, really. Just uhh—“ He glances at you, uncertain, his tone shifting from small to loud in an abnormal rate, “They-They— our friends, they uhh— Apparently they have a bet going that we end up together.” He stutters out.

You take a moment to process this information. A deep breath to calm the butterflies and the nerves and the sudden fry of your cheeks. You gulp, throat dry, standing up suddenly, fist clenched in dignity, “And how—“ You clear your throat, “How... till when?” You hope he understand what you are trying to say. To be fair you aren’t even sure yourself. But his eyes light up with recognition and he gives you a crooked smile.

“To my knowledge, the shortest time is two weeks. Ned’s idea.” He adds, more as an afterthought. You nod. You have never been so embarrassed in your whole life. Your friends are...shipping you with Peter? Next time you see MJ you will look her dead in the eyes and say: Et tu, Brute?

That is, of course, not to say you haven’t thought about asking Peter out, but you were hoping he would be the one to take the first step. Does he even like you? You like him. You like your study dates and movie marathons and dragging him along to shop. You like sharing music and going to Coney Island or out for coffee. And you like doing the same things with all of your other friends but when with him it feels different. More special. More fun. What is it that they say in times like these?

When you know, you know!

And you think you know. Slowly, a smile pinches your cheeks, and you look at him, almost expectantly, but he says nothing, simply stares, confused at your sudden change in manner.

“Sooo...” You drag, kicking a pebble with your shoe, “Maybe you’d like to like...I dunno... go... out... somewhere ... sometime?” You finish, squinting.

“Oh.” He grins, “Like after school? Sure! I’ll tell Ned and the others, we can all go.” You face falls and you look at him, suddenly exhausted, as if to say: Seriously? It hits him then and his brows shoot upwards, “Oh! Oh you mean like a date!” He laughs again nervously, staring somewhere over your shoulder, too embarrassed to face you head on. Your heart beats wildly in your chest. If he says no then— “Yes. Yes that would be... that would be awesome.” He says with a grin. You feel a weight lift off of your shoulders.

“Oh thank God.” You mutter, “That’s... Wow. Cool!”

You extend your hand to him as an invitation and he doesn’t even hesitate to take it. Hand in hand the two of you stroll back into the building before he abruptly stops.

“Wait, since we didn’t go to class...What do we do now?”

You shrug, “...Starbucks?”

“I was thinking more on the lines of the Library, but Starbucks is fine too.”

[firemblem-fics]

i’ve had this hc for a while that felix is probs betrothed to someone since birth (like glenn+ingrid) so how about ingrid’s sister (reader) is engaged to felix. they were close as children but after felix’s demeanor changed post-tragedy of duscur, she wants to get closer to him just as when they were children SKKSKSKS I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND IF YOU DONT DO IT THO CAUSE MAYBE ITS ConfUsing?? thank you babeee

i used this as a practicing ground for a little bit of angst im sorry if it's bad we all know im bad at angst because i hate people being mad

changed. | felix

"why don't you just talk to him about it?"

ingrids voice takes you out of your thoughts and you snap your eyes from the boy you were staring at to the girl in front of you.

"and what? get myself killed?" you sneer.

"no, and get some answers. felix seems like an ass but he's not to you, if you haven't noticed. im sure if you want to talk about something he'll give you the time."

"if you haven't noticed, hes still an ass to me. you've seen how he was before duscur, ingrid. i thought he'd actually be in love with me by the time we got married. but not now." you cast your eyes down to your plate, picking at it.

ingrid looked over at the boy to see that he was already looking in that direction. more specifically, he was looking at you.

"y/n, im telling you. go talk to him."

anxiety courses through your veins at the thought of just talking to him. "i-i can't. i cant, ingrid, he'll hate me. i have to go."

you stand up and walk out of the dining hall, door accidentally slamming behind you. ingrid looks over at felix, who is still looking where you sat. he makes eye contact with her and she jolts her head towards the door in a silent command.

felix understands and stands up, leaving the hall in a much more conspicuous manner.

you're sitting on the edge of the concrete surrounding the plants in the greenhouse. placing your hand on a little pansy, your heart starts to calm down.

that is, until the door opens.

felix walks and sits down beside you. after a few moments of silence, he manages to spit out an "are you okay?"

your lips press in a thin line. "i miss you."

felix's eyebrows furrowed. "i'm right here."

"no," you sigh, "little felix. before duscur. i miss when we could just play around and hang out and be happy for once. i miss my best friend. i miss having hope that you'd learn to love me before we got married so we both weren't completely miserable."

"people change, y/n." his voice seems to be sharper. "things happen."

"i wish they could unhappen."

"you wish what could unhappen? the tragedy of duscur? i wish that could unhappen too, a hell of a lot more than you. you're selfish for wanting life to change around your wants."

"felix, i didn't-"

"you didn't what? you didn't mean to imply that you don't like me now? that i'm not your friend? that i don't still love you?"

"what?-"

"the minute you stop living in the past is when you'll figure out that this future is better. now is the time you need to worry about. so take some time to yourself and think, what's really important? the past that you can't change, or the present that you can. and when you figure it out, come to me and change that."

with that, felix gets up and leaves the greenhouse. you wanted to chase after him- to hug and kiss him and tell him that he's right. but you can't.

you're rooted to the spot, eyes brimming with tears. felix had yelled at you. he'd never done that before. you had to have done something really wrong to make him that upset. but what?

your mind skimmed through the conversation. was it that you wanted his old personality back? no. he'd told you before that he wished he could be as carefree as he once was. that he's not your friend? he knows that's a lie, he'd force himself to be your friend on days when you didn't want to talk. that he doesn't love you?

oh.

you sprang up and ran out of the greenhouse, running towards the training grounds. you heard strenuous yells and grunts from inside, all recognizable as felix's. you stood at the side patiently waiting for him to finish, your heart pounding.

felix finally looked up and your breath caught. "what?"

"i'm sorry."

his eyebrow raised, "continue."

"i'm sorry for being,, well, selfish. for not thinking about how you felt and beating myself up by thinking about the past. you're right. i can't change it and it was stupid of me to think so."

felix sheathed his sword and walked towards you, standing closer than he'd ever stood before. "what else?"

"im sorry for thinking that you weren't my friend just because you had changed. im sorry that i couldn't see that this you is still you. that you're still my felix."

he hummed and raised his hand to twirl a loose piece of your hair around your ear. "your felix?" his hand fell to your cheek while the other dug its fingertips into your hip. "i think it's only fair that you're my y/n, as well."

"i'd like that. is this the change you were talking about?" you half-joked.

"what, turning my dreams into reality? of course."

[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Monday 26 August 1839

[Quite a busy and pleasant day. Ann starts it with producing a quality sketch of Uppsala castle, before joining her wife for a book-browsing session at the university library, where Anne really gets stuck into exhaustive (and exhausting) descriptions of the architecture and shelving, with a view to implementing some of that back at Shibden (sigh). Another visit to the cathedral provides snippets of Swedish history, followed by a trip out to the Old Uppsala, the capital of pre-Christian Sweden. Unbelievably, Anne completely misses the grave of Anders Celsius in the church there, which could have inspired her to get herself a few more thermometers with a scale she hasn’t used yet. What an opportunity missed! But they get to enjoy some first-rate secret-recipe mead and another beautiful sunset.]

[up at] 6 50/”

[to bed at] 12 40/”

fine morning Fahrenheit 61º and sun out at 7 1/2 – breakfast at 8 20/”  to 9 – Ann sketching the chateau from our room window – left her to finish (to colour) her sketch a little and I off to the library at 9 10/”  sent for Ann at 9 40/” ‘Catalogue general de la litterature Française contenant les ouvrages publiés en France, ……. pendant l’ année 1837 …. avec table systématique pour les ouvrages imprimés en 1837 et les Journaux de 1838. publié par la Librairie Brockhaus et Avenarius. 1ere première année. 3 francs Paris, Brockhaus and Avenarius, Libraire Française- -allemande et etrangère. Rue Richelieu, no 60.  Leipzig, même maison. They refer to la Bibliographie de Monsieur Beuchot and le Bulletin de Monsieur Cherbuliez – and Bibliographie d’Allemagne, paraissant à Leipzig the above lying on the table of professor Skraeder ancient history with Arabic books (published here) etc. etc. Had his pedigrees and papers pasted into book with whity brown paper leaves left about 1 1/2 inches broad – books about the breadth and twice the length of one common quarto i.e. narrow folio size

Laerebog i de romerske oldsager af S. B. Bugge rector ved cathedralskolen I Christiania. med fem steentryk. Christiania 1837. Trykt I R. Hviids Enkes Bogtrykkerie og paa keder Forlag af G. Hansen.

Beitrage zur genauern Kenntniss der ehstnischen Sprache. Neunzehntes heft. Pernau, beim herausgeber. Reval, bei Bornwasser. 1828.

Initia Homerica by Th. Burgess a.m. London 1820. printed by Dove – sold by R. Priestley – given to Upsala  by ‘Thomas Burgess episcopus Salisburiensis donatus 1837’

the Italian cabinet? made at Augsburg – very curious – Christina’s snuffgrater and box looking like 

a broadish knife the box at one end and the blade a grater on which the tobacco leaves were grated Real musk in a little lead box like a bit of a small animal bag or pouch       with short 1/4 inch long like bristles on it – Christinas small fusils to kill fleas –  Gustaf 3 died 1792 left chest about 3 feet 6 inches x 6 feet and about 2 feet 6 inches broad – and black leather covered box           to be opened in 1842. 2 of his drawings in Indian ink           dated the one a chateau 1763. (26 September 1763)           and a bridge and two towers one at each end or thereabouts of the bridge           dated ‘Gustaf fecit d[ie] 19 September 1763 Drotningholm  at the library till 11 1/4 – gave the man 32 skillngs banco a one rigs dollar note – content he then shewed us the new library – not yet finished tho’ some books put there on the ground floor – there at 11 25/”  new library bookcases au premièr 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 red books, handbook which is about 6 1/2 inches long height up to gallery = about 4 yards – pilasters between the cases – 3 red books wide i.e. about 6 1/2 inches x 3 = 19 1/2 to 20 inches Racking or shelf-grooves at every 2 inches –  about 2 inches left in front of the cases for hanging doors if wanted lock-up doors with wire net at the old library 5 or 6 feet high against the bottom shelves there will be book cases to front the pilasters Salle about 58 yards long and about 5 yards wide across from pilaster to pilaster – grand entrance in the middle 5 cases on each side the door and then 5 windows on each side beyond these 5 cases respectively – greenish – white veined or waved marble (like my specimen of the holy sepulchre at home) window seats about 2 feet 6 inches high from the floor – whole breadth of window including frame = about 5 feet 6 inches whole heighth including framing = about 10 feet up to bottom of gallery – glass 6 panes in heighth - panes about 17 or 18 inches x 10 and 4 panes in breadth i.e. 2 in each 1/2 opening with a spagnolette the whole heighth of the window – 3 yards and taken up by the partition down the middle which parts the whole floor into two similar book-galleries, a ballustred gallery running all round at about 13 feet high from the floor – the man said there was says there are 120,000 volumes – floor diamond flags size of those formerly in the hall at Shibden, of red-greenish porphyry (like the windowseats) – 2 rooms at each end of the book rooms and between these 2 rooms (at each end of the building) a spiral staircase to the top of the building, and leading also to an immense salle (over the library, i.e. au seconde) to be galleried all round above? with portico behind the pillars underneath the gallery? – alcove (is a sort of throne to be there or what?) at left end as one looks on the town this immense salle entered also in the middle by the great staircase as below – 2 flights of steps taking up a breadth of about 13 yards and a depth of about 16 yards in a projection towards the castle the opposite front looking exactly along a long straight road to Dannemora and old Upsala and on to the town, and a little to the left on the cathedral as now renewed since its being burnt in 1702 – (chateau, right, going up great stairs and looking towards the town) at the new library till 12 5/”  at the cathedral at 12 1/4 – the monument to the memory of Linnaeus is in a little side chapel (left, near the great west doors as one enters ‘Carolo a Linne’ | Botanicorum | principi |             amici et Discipuli | MDCCXCVII.’ the a = von = de = noble (e.g. Thomas a Beckett) above the inscription is a bronze head – side face – très ressemblant, by J[ohan] T[obias] Sergell ‘A[nno]: MDCCXCIV’ beautiful brown whitish green veined granite? from Elfdal north of Falun the marble of the window seats etc. at the new library comes from between Norköping and Nyköping – i.e. from the forest of Kolmorden (the comma over the en in Linne is to double the e) 

Linnaeus’s grand daughter died here (Updala) last spring and left to Ridder Bielca who married her sister a fortune that would keep ten cavaliers 10 horsemen i.e. ten men and ten horses and the terrain (but that depends upon the goodness of the land) that would maintain one horseman = 8-10,000 dollars banco purchase money, the terrain containing forest, fisheries etc. everything here counted by how much land will keep a man or horseman – the academy has as much (as the man said yesterday) as would keep a hundred men – and a terre to keep a man costs 4,000 to 5,000 dollars banco to buy it –  In buying land one ought ot have 6 to 8 percent for one’s money –  fine tomb from Rome in 1793 of archbishop Carolus Fridrik Mennander nat[us] 1712 ob[iit] 1786 formerly bishop of Åbo who translated the bible into Finnish – whole length of him, sitting, leaning on ‘Biblia Fennica’ – good likeness – 7 allegorical female figures all on a tablet under the figure of Religion carrying a large cross and leaning on an urn –  

chappel of Gustaf Wasa painted in fresco by

‘John: Gust: Sandberg pinxit 1831-1838’

Eric xiv and Jean iii sons of Gustaf Wasa and Charles ix his youngest son }

Left hand, on entering the chapel (behind the alter) the paintings are

over the pictures

arms      .  1st     Gustaf on horseback receiving the keys of Stockholm Riddarholm castle some years ago burnt down 

window .  2nd ____ on horseback (young) in a battle against the Danes

ditto    .  3rd _____ at Lubeck asking assistance – a Danish nobleman claiming him

ditto    .  4th   ______ at the peasants cottage in Dalecarlia with flail, entering the barn – a Dane seeking him

ditto    .  5th   _______ Haranguing the peasants in Dalecarlia

ditto    .  6th  _______ two bishops presenting him the 1st bible Eric 14 at his elbow who was again a boy, dressed in red

arms      . 7th ________ taking leave of the deputies, died soon after

 1 and 4 azure. 3 fold crowns (the arms of Sweden)

 2 and 3 azure. lion rampant or on 3 white wavy bands i.e. lakes (the arms of Gotheborg)

escutcheon of pretence arms of Gustaf Wasa

azure. a gold sheaf (gerb) called in Swedish vasa – supporters 2 lions or crowned proper

In the sacristie or room where they keep the 2 gold crowns lately taken respectively from the heads of Jean iii and his queen Catherine and some valuable gold cups etc. is the half length old wooden statue of the pagan God Thor – part of his left side gone and his right arm broken off from the elbow – gilded formerly – brought from old Upsala – many more old things all burnt with the cathedral in 1702 – this room is a sort of safe closet – safe from fire – 3 boxes of valuables put here as we should send plate to the bank for safety –            

Get at Stockholm, chez C. M. Carlson Roadbook of Sweden and Norway. 1830.  i.e. ‘Vägvisare’ Roadbook, bought a little one at Upsala.            for 12 skillings banco. –  came in at 3 3/4 – dinner at 3 55/” to 4 20/” – good – same as yesterday but herring-and-rice-and-potatoes-pudding with anchovy sauce instead of soup – off at 4 3/4 from Upsala alight at old Upsala at 5 1/4 – off to the tumuli close by the Dummer Cull judges’ hill first – then the 3 tumuli of Odin, Thor and Frea – all the 

very near together, and the      | cull, hill, collis. |      3 conical mounds very conspicuous all the way from Upsala – fine view from all especially from Frea because farthest from the church – quite close to Odin and impedes the view from him – good country about here –  more quite clear ground (clear of stones, boulders and rock) than we have seen elsewhere – therefore land valuable here – but no forest of two miles therefore wood dear – large extensive plain on all sides – merely a few bits on the Eastern side, that one can just see encumbered with stone to remind one of being still in Sweden – the church small – not worth going into but expected (disappointed) some to see there some funeral urns found in 1 of the tumuli – fine view of Upsala – its castle looks well from here – its 2 (there are only 2) round towers (North and Northeast corners) seen, and none of the ugly pediment side seen – the  2 cathedral-towers are seen as one – and the peasants’ church tower and one other church tower one seen in one line –  Beyond Frea’s tumulus a little range of hill and the foot of this and of the tumulus itself towards the village and Upsala studed with little hillocks – on the other side the tumulus and range of hill is a little    lake – Ann is sketching the church – she did the castle very nicely this morning – Old Upsala pretty little picturesque gardeny village –  a peep at the little River – a minute or 2 in the old church – nothing worth seeing in it – back at the house to drink our bottle of mead at 6 5/”  excellent – good as champagne – how to make it is a secret – heirloom secret – 24 Rigs skillings per bottle – a pink mead at 48 skillings but she has none at present – off again at 6 25/”  in 20 minutes a little rock and boulder and Sweden again – excellent road charming evening – beautiful sunset – Hogsta should be Uggelsta single house – poor little place – could not sleep there – next stage . . . Andersby . . . 2 1/8 miles – nice open country – sowing rye and reaping it –  at Dannemora no! Ӧsterby near Dannemora, at 11 5/” –  we had to call the people up – very fine day – Fahrenheit 62º now at midnight –  

Anne’s marginal notes:

Catalogue of French books Paris and Leipzig

§

Initia Homerica

Christina’s cabinet

New library

order such at Shibden?

vide bottom of next page

new library

salle au seconde

Kolmorden and Elfdal marble vide bottom of last page

manner of estimating property

bishop Mennander who translated the bible into Finnish

WYAS Catalogue:  SH:7/ML/TR/13/0009    SH:7/ML/TR/13/0010    SH:7/ML/TR/13/0011     SH:7/ML/TR/13/0012

One of the frescoes by Johan Gustaf Sandberg in Uppsala Cathedral showing the exploits of King Gustav I Vasa (Gustav Vasa Speaking to the Dalecarlians at Mora):

The three tumuli (the Royal Mounds) at Old Uppsala:

The church at Old Uppsala, which Ann sketched:

Interior of Carolina Rediviva, now the main building of Uppsala University library; a work in progress when Anne and Ann visited it and Anne described it so thoroughly:

[monkey-network]

Why's Pride Month make you feel more insecure? All the attention put on it (which is honestly why I don't engage with much/any lgbt stuff during the month, even if I fall under the term), or something else?

Well. I suppose it is the conspicuous attention combined with my depression on missing out, or DOMO.

Not that I’ll ever find anybody celebrating a bad thing or that pride celebration’s bad in general, but being somebody who’s generally hetero and having been on tumblr for years, where most talk of heteros is of them being the worst, with the platinum justification for it being “well, now you know how every other sexuality feels on and off the web” or “you’re the norm so who are you to complain?”, most times this month, for the past couple years, I feel like castrating myself cuz I’d rather have and be nothing than be uncomfortably associated with the current year target punching bag. I rarely talk about my sexuality and attractions online cuz for most times, I never feel comfortable doing so.

And, it’s the same of how I feel about Black History Month. I’m a black man, and I enjoy whenever black people around the world & throughout history are getting that excellence, but my interests during the month are more than trying to constantly validate the blood I have. I know this ain’t a universal feeling, but you know.

And yet, I do care a little about myself and it would honestly be nice to express myself a little in this month of validity and acceptance. But, I can’t cuz I honestly don’t know how nor do I really ever want to anymore. It’s considerably ironic, but I digress. Again, not saying people should stop having fun nor do I want to claim victimhood, this is how I feel deep down.

Tho I’ll always see to be supportive of my LGBT+ friends and family because being a good person is something I always strive to be regardless.

[bthump]

So I have a theory from a friend. Assuming that Griffith is gay or bisexual with a preference for men (I know that's a problematic reading, but shhhh), a friend pointed out that there's definitely at least a good amount of inferred homophobia in Midland, if not directly stated a few times. What if *part* (not all, not even a majority) of Griffith whoring himself out is that he basically was punishing himself for his sexuality?

Just to get this out of the way first lol, I don’t think it’s any more or less problematic to hc Griffith as bi vs gay, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I always just default to reading him as gay bc it makes sense to me and bc I prefer that headcanon, but u do u. Wait, unless you mean it’s problematic to read him as non-straight in general. In which case lol, it’s a lot more problematic to read him as straight but with a ton of gay subtext heaped on because he’s the eventual villain, so that’s on Miura.

Anyway.

I could potentially see this as a reading? Like if you take it as read that internalized homophobia is a factor in Griffith’s narrative, and I def think that’s really easy to make an argument for whatever Miura’s intent actually was, you can potentially like, lump it together with his general self-loathing as a contributing factor. Because I do think that a big part of why Griffith prostituted himself to Gennon was guilt and self-loathing, like I think of it largely as an act of self-harm that he managed to justify logically to himself, basically. So imo there’s room there for your friend’s take.

Personally I always read the Gennon thing as contributing to his internalized homophobia rather than being a result of it, and I think there’s maybe a little bit more indication of that in canon, but there’s no real reason it can’t be both. After all this is all really like, nebulous and subtextual at best, completely reading into things at worst lol, it’s not like there’s a lot of direct evidence for any of this tbf.

Like when I say there’s a little bit more indication I mostly just mean that we’re pretty thoroughly shown where the particular guilt that factors into his decision to prostitute himself comes from, ie the dead kid and people in general dying for and because of him, so there’s no sense that we’re missing part of his motivation. And also the way we immediately see the encounter with Gennon contributing to his negative self-image when he asks Casca if he’s dirty and then starts calling himself unclean.

But yk, we know that Gennon wasn’t the start of his chip on his shoulder about nobles, or his tendency to bury his feelings, so maybe he’s not the origin of his sexuality issues either. And it makes real-world sense to assume that Griffith would already have some internalized homophobia if he’s at all aware of his sexuality at that point, because like you said, just look at the world he lives in.

Tho on the off-chance Miura deliberately wrote Griffith as attracted to men and repressed I think it’s more likely that he would’ve intended Gennon to be the origin of that repression, based on how he centres personal trauma moreso than societal influence in the narrative, and how he paired the Gennon flashback with Casca very nearly telling Guts that Griffith is in love with him, which tells us it’s a contributing factor to their relationship, specifically the way it’s a trainwreck. Textually it’s only a factor in that it explains why Griffith is obsessed with his dream, ie guilt and self-loathing, but come on.

It’s like, for both Guts and Griffith, trauma and self-loathing go together and lead to taking up the sword to pursue a dream to make themselves feel better, which is what ultimately separates them and ruins both their lives. It’s never outright stated that both of them having been raped by men contributes to their inability to define their relationship as love and turn to each other instead of dreams (at the same time at least), but it’s a pretty damn obvious addition, like straight up conspicuous in its absence from the literal text imo.

Uhh sorry this ended up really meandering. But basically yeah as like a headcanon I think that your friend’s theory is entirely believable. As an analytical interpretation of canon it’s like, maybe not all that supported by evidence, but imo it still fits the themes of the story and the tone of the scene and Griffith as a character.

[bluespiritpaintedlady]

Chapter 3 (excerpt)

Ok, I’m gonna do one more post for today and then I gotsta gooo. Otherwise my entire day will be sucked up by Tumblr. Gah! Ok, so I don’t have any pics or music for chapter 3, so I’m just gonna put an excerpt from it here. Happy reading and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your time! 💙💜💙

(Full story over on Ao3 - Love Endures by: Bluespiritpaintedlady)

The context is that Anastasia had met Mitsuya yesterday and he’d invited her to come to his fashion show. The next day she is struggling with whether or not to go. This is the beginning of what transpires…

Without further ado…

Chapter 3 (excerpt)

Of course she’s not gonna be here. Of course! Don’t be stupid, we JUST met and she was probably totally freaked out and turned off by me, just like most girls seem to be. Ugh. They all want a “man’s man”… He shakes his head, the feelings of anxiety, uncertainty are starting to overwhelm him again. No, stop it! You can think about that later, right now FOCUS!

The show begins. With each piece that goes out on stage, he glances out to see if she is there but every time he is disappointed. Despite this, the show is going well and he smiles each time he hears one of his Toman brothers shouting praise in the audience. Those guys… He rolls his eyes but his confidence grows a little bit more with each “whoop!” and “Yeah, Mitsuyaaa!” He has to laugh. Oh man, I bet the uppities are really hating this. Ha ha ha…

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

Meanwhile, back at her apartment, she finally decides to go… It took her several hours to work up the courage and even then only because she promised herself it was only for a quick peek in and then she’d leave. She hadn’t been able to answer the questions that Rei had asked, to her satisfaction, and a little puff of cloud, a wisp of hope had dared to rise up within the dark forest of her soul. Maybe…

That one thought, that one belief… Maybe… It was pregnant with possibility, maybe even faith, to an extent. She had to believe in something that had no real proof for it, in fact, if anything, the evidence was leaning strongly otherwise in her case. But still, maybe… She couldn’t deny her curiosity. 

She went back and forth between dressing up and not, but she finally decided she didn’t want to make a scene or be noticed. She just wanted to blend into her surroundings, get lost in the crowd. So she quickly threw on a hoodie, pulled up the hood and threw on some sweatpants. And out the door she went, not really thinking about the fact that at this particular function, dressing like that was actually going to make her waaay more conspicuous. 

With each minute that passed, her steps quickened their pace. Before she knew it, she was almost running. Ugh, if I don’t hurry I’ll miss the whole damn thing. It’s already a half hour into it. Then she decided, fuck it, and just ran the last block. She arrived at the doors and stopped a second to catch her breath, her hands on her knees. 

Whew! I really AM crazy, she thought and she had to laugh at herself. What am I even doing here?, she thought further, almost as if in a daze. The urge to run back home came on strong then, almost like an onset of stage fright. The moment of truth was upon her. Was she really going to walk through those doors and do this thing? Her left foot made a slight movement back…

“Are you ok, Miss? Are you going into the show?” Shit! Now I’m stuck… “Y-yesss…?” “Is that a question? Ha ha.” He flashed her a big smile. That darkness behind his eyes tho… “Trust me, you don’t want to miss this. My friend, Mitsuya, is the best designer in Japan, maybe even the world.” Another smile that misses his eyes. “Uh, yeah…”

He could tell she wasn’t convinced. He switched tactics like the wonderful tactician that he was. “Actually, I’m really glad you’re here.” Her eyes widened. “Wh-what?” “You see, I’m late to show up and I feel like shit about it. I wasn’t going to come tonight, either. “ Either? How does he know?

“But, in the end, I had to be here for my friend. It’s not about me, it’s about being here to support him. He deserves it. And, so I’m glad you’re here so I don’t have to walk in looking like a total jackass. If we go in together, we won’t be so obvious, y’know?” Another smile. “O-ok, I guess.” “Good, now let’s get in there before the show’s totally over”, he said and held out his arm for her. She linked her arm in his even though she really didn’t trust this strange man and walked through the doors with him.

“By the way, I’m Mikey. What’s your name?”

[derelictarchive]

march 2022

Not a Ball or a Chain by HollowIsTheWorld

Trafalgar Law grew up hoping he would be one of the handful of people to never develop a soulmate mark. Now that that hasn't panned out, however, he's willing to settle for just never meeting them. Unfortunately for him, Monkey D. Luffy is a hard person to avoid.

lawlu

79k wc, rated T

8.5/10

this is from law’s pov, and its such an amazing read, i enjoyed every second of it. altho sometimes i do feel like we’re in law’s head for too long, but that might have been purposeful, bcs law thinks way too much. its a soulmate au but law doesnt want a soulmate but gets one anyway. the talk about soulmates, and luffy’s idea of it is also really good. a genuinely enjoyable and good read. 

Never Say Never Say Never by HollowIsTheWorld

Sabo misses one New Year's party and apparently he misses all the important family updates.

genfic, ASL brothers 

sequel to not a ball or a chain

6/10

this is cute, just sabo catching up to what happened between luffy and law over dinner. its very cute, luffy is very cute, theyre a big happy family i love them sm

temptation by AlchemicAlys

Law just worked a long shift, all he wants to do now is get Luffy home and go take a nap, preferably without either of his overprotective brothers breathing down his neck. As with all things, though, Luffy continues to excel when it comes to upending all his plans.

lawlu

4.5k wc, rated E

7.5/10

so cute!! they have sex in the shower while ace and sabo is returning home lmao and then luffy had to announce to the world that he and law took a shower together its so cute hshshhss

Condom conundrums by pandacheeze

As a convenience store clerk, this is the first time that Nami's seen a guy underestimate his condom size. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Tattooed here is certainly bigger than 52.

lawlu

1.3k wc, rated E

7/10

honestly one of my favorites lmao i love how nami is the cashier and gets nosy over them, and when law said the condoms are for luffy “so he doesn’t mess the bed when he comes” ????? tHATS SO FUCKIN GHOT SDHFJSDF and it’s cute too lmao

Bad Habits by SailorHeichou for paulinkaaxx

They'd been neighbors for years, but Law never would have imagined that the adorable little boy with the sunny smile would grow up to be such a seductive little shit. Now, he was praying to every divine being he didn't believe in to save him from the temptation that was Monkey D. Luffy.

Or,

The fic in which Luffy is a cam boy and Law discovers this in a very interesting way. Awkwardness and a lot of sexual tension ensues.

lawlu, zolu

10.8k wc, rated E

7/10

quite good, and theres zolu in here too lmao. luffy is a little shit, but hes a horny and sexy little shit and law digs that. law is a pervert who watches his neighbor over the window lmao. i think this is one of the first lawlu fic i read? 

Snezhnaya's Greatest Hole by auriadne

“Mr. Zhongli. You’ve heard of him?” That funeral consultant in town. He’s had a few dealings with the Fatui. An odd job or two. The parlor director had chastised them for bringing in too much business. It must be how he and Tartaglia met. He's an eccentric man. Particular and precise. Seems a bit stuffy for Tartaglia’s type. The Fatui soldier scoffs. “How could I not with him moaning out his name all the time. Never says anything about it, though. Do you think he even realizes-?” They both laugh. For one with such talent and power, their Harbinger can be willfully blind. “That he has it bad?” … Or, Childe brings a little too much conspicuous pining for a certain Liyue funeral consultant into his regularly scheduled Fatui fuckfest.

fatuixchilde, zhongchi in last chapter

13.5k wc, rated E

7.5/10

oh my lord. childe is a fucking slut. he just wants zhongli’s dick and is desperate for it that he’d fuck everyone in his team pretending its zhongli’s cock lmao. the last chapter where zl fucks him while everyone is watching is probs my fav tho lmao 

a little less conversation, a little more touch my body by reptilianraven

“So,” Thoma says, the fear in his chest fluttering away in the face of Ayato’s no nonsense honesty. “You’d be alright with it? If I decided to—”

“Fuck your way through Ritou to get the job done? In case you forgot, it was my idea in the first place. But to be perfectly clear: yes, I’d be alright with it.” Ayato leans down to kiss Thoma, and gods, he loves this man. “Afterall,” Ayato’s words go a touch darker. “No matter who gets a taste of you, at the end of the day, after all is said and done—” The honeyed desire of Ayato’s voice drips against Thoma’s lips; sweet, intoxicating, addicting. Gone are all the doubts, replaced instead by desire and excitement. “—you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” Thoma nods in dazed hunger, wrapping his arms around Ayato’s neck before he lets out a cheeky grin. “Care to make me remember that before I leave?”

-

Thoma has less than a month to build a solid enough network of relationships on Ritou to establish himself as a worthwhile fixer, and that’s nowhere enough time to win people over.

Ayato suggests a method that’s sure to speed up the process.

ayathoma, everyone x thoma

3.6k wc, rated E

5/10

thoma is a slut, what else do u need to know? altho i wish there were more actual ayathoma here lol 

Curiouser and Curiouser by thebetterbina

Zhongli is not exactly disappointed when he finds the sex toy in their bedroom.

They have wildly different schedules. Being a CEO meant contracts and five hour calls to Shanghai at 2AM, while Childe’s job took him around the world depending on where the client was. He could be in Dubai escorting a prince on a day out, or in the Mediterranean with some actress who wanted to get away from the paparazzi.

He understands that finding time to spend together can be difficult, Zhongli doesn’t fault his boyfriend for finding an… outlet. He’s heard enough stories of people in similar relationships to theirs, spouses getting caught out cheating, and he’s glad for his young lover’s faithfulness in choosing a silicone substitute.

So Zhongli is not disappointed. Only displeased perhaps, that Childe hadn’t come to him.

zhongchi

3.4k wc, rated E

6/10

ITS THE MAGIC FLESHLIGHT AU FUCK YEAH other than that, nothing special or memorable

Handful of Ambers by hanamakiisbae

"Is there nothing we can do?" Kiyoomi asked softly.

Atsumu turned his face into Kiyoomi's neck, nuzzling into the bite mark on his gland.

"A kamaitachi and a kitsune were never meant to mate," Atsumu sneered, his words filled with pain. "Even ancient magic can't aid us."

Atsumu clenched into Kiyoomi's kimono, his hands shaking from anger and misery.

"The gods are mockin' us, my dear kamaitachi."

—

Atsumu and Kiyoomi realize they cannot have children. In an act of desperation, Kiyoomi asks Atsumu's gods for guidance.

But gods are pesky beings, and such wishes come with a heavy price.

sakuatsu

3.7k wc, rated T

7.5/10

a part of the DILG world!!! atsumu and sakusa cant have babies but omi loves him so much and prays to atsumu’s gods and his prayer is answered! one way or another!! i love how domestic they are and how motherly atsumu is :(( when he teased atsu and he got shy and blushy shdfjsfhjsdfhsd oh and especially love the last line, about them being the gods’ “favourite pair” :((( greatest love story of all time methinks

Waving Grass Valley by childelike

Staying at the Emerald Maple Inn with Diluc wouldn’t be so horrible if Childe could hold himself together and act as he normally would.

Yet here he was, daydreaming about the elaborate ways Diluc could make him fall apart every time Diluc so much as looked at him.

That was the worst part—that he wanted Diluc to do sinful things to him and not the other way around.

What a disgrace. He only hoped the Tsaritsa couldn’t hear his begging prayers, wherever she was.

diluchi

7.6k wc, rated E

6/10

SUBMISSIVE AJAX BEST AJAX hes just a bottom bitch and diluc fucks him hard. yeh.

Writhing in Purgatory by RosesInTheWaves

Zoro has about had it with Sanji and Luffy announcing to the entire world they are fucking every night. When Luffy decides to bother him after his agitation has reached it's boiling point, he gets a side of Zoro that makes him weak in the knees.

zolu

3.7k wc, rated E

6/10

always love a good zolu. sanlu are fuckbuddies but luffy has always wanted zoro and zoro finally takes action lol 

Waiting for Fridays by AlwaysAskew

“You think you could fit your fist next time?”

Zoro couldn't deny Luffy anything, he knew it was going to happen the second Luffy asked him to, and Zoro found himself actually wanting to get his fist up Luffy’s ass, strange as it may sound.

zolu

3k wc, rated E

5/10

theyre boyfriends!! luffy is still in high school i think but he visits zoro every weekend and he just... wants a fist up his ass. relatable. 

[mdwatchestv]

The Magicians 3x10 + 3x11: What Even Are the Rules

Hi, I know, I know I missed a week. It was too late to watch ten, and then eleven was out, and then we just entered total despair free fall. Now here I am Tuesday trying to pick up all the pieces and figure out how I'm going to fit two plot-busting episodes into one reasonably lengthed missive. But I will take up this quest with all the misguided dedication of Beast!Quentin. These episodes were very different in style but Julia's storyline took center stage in both of them, which means maybe I was right to group them together and everything's going to be okay.

We go into 3x10 with only TWO keys left to find and four episodes to find them in, sounds pretty achievable! Q and his current sidekicks, Alice and Josh, learn the next key is in the throne room at Fillory, hey we know where that is! But this retrieval task is made more complicated by the recent overthrow of Eliot and Margo. Our royal pair have taken up residence on their new friend the Muntjac, who can now take to the skies! Also the Muntjac must have a fabulous wardrobe because that Margo's magenta corset and Eliot's sparkly muumuu (?) were to die (Wed morning edit: these outfits were in 3x11 but I was really excited to talk about them) . Q and co somehow hike through Fillory, get all the goss, and then board the ship in the sky. This all happens off screen so I guess we’re not supposed to worry about it. They conveniently deliver the plot point that Fillory is at war with Loria and the Stone Kingdom, due to the violent incompetency of Tick Dick Pickwick. Eliot and Margo springing into action to figure out how to save their kingdom was a nice character moment for them, and marked how far the two have come. While the rest of the Children of Earth are technically also Kings and Queens, they have mostly been vanity titles. Margo and Eliot meanwhile have taken responsibility for something bigger than themselves (for the first time really), and now are showing a selfless devotion to it, which is a pleasing arc for their characters. Anyway they are still Margo and Eliot so they defend Fillory the only ways they know how: with lies, threats and sex. God bless them.

While Josh, Quentin and Alice solve a Zelda puzzle in the Fillory throne room, Quentin finally confronts Alice on why she's suddenly so invested in their quest. Alice reveals she is working for the Library, who also has a vested interest in seeing magic restored. This makes sense because as we learned previously the Library's magic is being fueled by ground up fairy bones! A grim and non-renewable resource. However the Library is also shady af so Q is right to be suspish of Alice (who is shady in general). Anyway the key isn't there, and the quest is a bust.

Meanwhile in the real world, Julia is still on her mission to save the enslaved fairies, and Fen has just discovered emojis. Julia entreats the Fairy Queen to come with her and help free her kinfolk, but it’s Fen's passionate plea that finally sways the Queen into coming. We learn that fairies used to live freely on Earth until Magicians killed them all for their delicious bones. Typical. Julia's plan is to present the Fairy Queen as a slave (complete with Death Necklace), in order to get her to her people and free them. However this plan is complicated by the fact there is no way to remove the necklaces except via beheading. And since the Jaime Ray Newman family has received a large order for fairy bone (likely from The Library that just lost much of their supply), heads are gonna ROLL. Our heroines discover the fairies are held captive by a fairy deal brokered by Dust, who long ago made the ultimate sacrifice in order to allow the OG Fairy Queen (our FQ's mama) to escape Earth. Our current Queen decides to break this deal,  freeing her people, and brutally slaughtering the Newman's (except for Jaime Ray who escapes).

The Fairy Queen laments to Julia that now the fairy's deals will mean nothing since one was broken, but I was a bit confused by this as how is anyone going to know? Like yeah they broke one deal, but pretty much all the humans aware of that are dead, and unless Jaime Ray is writing a breaking news story for The Fillorian Times, I don't really see the ish. Queenie also tells Julia that the fairies have a Quest Key, but it's sort of being used to prop up the whole Fairy World so no one can have it. I feel like our crafty Magicians are going to find a way to get it though, probably by integrating fairies back onto Earth or Fillory-at-large. What's for sure is that this side quest has muddied the morality waters when it comes to the fairy species. Rather than being cut-and-dry baddies, they are victims of greedy humans and they just want to find a home of their own. I foresee a tentative truce with the reinstated rulers of Fillory in our future. Also many Margo scowls. 

Gah so much happened in this episode (as in all episodes) but there was one more important thing! Penny has been sulkily shelving away down in the Underworld library (I guess Kady has gone to look for him tho? She was conspicuously absent from these two eps) and attempting to find a way out. He does con a dead guy into giving him his Metro Card to the pig that takes you out of the Underworld and presumably to Heaven or Hell (what even IS The Magicians), but before he can use it he is pulled aside for a come to Jesus talk by Hades! Hades is the second Greek/Roman inspired god we have met this season (the first being Bacchus), and he is here to keep it real with Penny. He essentially tells Penny that if Penny stays in the Underworld, he will have a much more glorious destiny than if he returns to his sucky friends on the surface. Penny seems to take this advice to heart as he joins the local Library book club, and dessert-fancier group. As the season has gone on, and Julia's powers have ramped up, the mention of gods, the god-touched, and the appearance of gods themselves has been steadily increasing. I feel like in the quest for magic, Hades will not be the last mythological face we see.

OKAY NEXT EPISODE. IF YOU WERE SKIPPING 3x10 HERE BEGINNITH 3x11.

A lot of wild stuff went down in 3x10, but 3x11 was another helping of full on Magicians crazy-time. Once again Julia and Josh (of all people) are the central characters, which is refreshing seeing as how they haven't received a lot of lead story time ESPECIALLY not as a couple (Julia/Josh, pick your shipper name). This episode these two new best friends take a journey into the wild unknown, aka the 23rd Magicians timeline! In season one it was established that there are (at least) 40 timelines in the world of the show (due to a time loop created by...too boring, you remember). This is both insane and totally genius as it is a built in way for the show to bounce into a completely new world, with alternate storylines, whenever it wants. Characters can die, hook-up, become werewolves, anything is possible!  As is the case here when 23 Josh (aka Dick Josh) pulls regular Josh and Julia into their timeline. Here, 23's Beast is essentially immortal and powered by a KEY. The J's decide to pull their weight for once and go after the 7th key on their own, consequences be damned!

As we learned from Season 2 when 23 Alice was summoned into timeline 40, 23 is a pretty f'd up universe. Mostly all of our beloved character's have been brutally killed, and the Beast rules unchallenged. However there is one thing that 23 has that’s worth all of these tragedies and that is KACEY ROHL!!!! My beautiful hedge witch queen lives on in timeline 23! She is just as goth, brash, bitchy, and perfect as I remember. Sure she is missing her signature power pony, but I will survive. She has teamed up with Dick Josh (who has Lasik, a cool jacket, and also werewolf herpes) in a last ditch effort to take out the Beast. Julia and Josh also run into in-love-with-Julia Penny, and GHOST MARGO AND ELIOT. Although one of the strengths of the Magicians is the unexpected fun and character building that comes from different pairings (Josh/Julia, Julia/Fen, Quentin/Penny, etc) there is one couple that should and shall never be parted. Even in bloody horrible death this gruesome twosome shall not be struck from each other's side. I loved the ultimate horror of Eliot being responsible for Margo's hideous death, truly scary! Also half-a-face Margo is still absolutely sickening. Cocks indeed.

However the biggest twist in this world is that their Beast is no longer Martin Chatwin, but Quentin! And to be honest, a much, much hotter Quentin. No one else thirsty for soulless Beast!Q? Honestly seeing him cut down Alice mid-whine was...extremely satisfying. But how did this happen? Well in Season 2 after 23 Alice was brought briefly to talk with 40 Q, she became obsessed with seeing her Q again. She even sold her soul in order to bring him back to life, albeit shadeless. Yes shadeless Beast Quentin is a ruthless, violent, killer, but goshdarnit he's a pretty fun time. Julia cleverly defeats him by lending him her shade, and once Q is back in possession of the full gamut of his shame, guilt, anxiety, and depression, it is but a matter of moments before he kills himself. Cheery. Anyway Julia takes the key and uses it to return her and Josh to their own timeline. But on top of their return 23 Penny and Marina ALSO go through to timeline 40. Historically in fiction timeline mixing is almost always a terrible idea, but Kacey Rohl back in our lives is worth the risk. Also we are entering a sort of Midsummer Night's Dream world here where there are two Penny's, one who is alive and loves Julia, and one who is dead-ish and loves Kady. Cray!

Misc thoughts from the episode:

I am really not getting the Dean Fogg storyline, it kind of feels like they don't know what to do with this character anymore. He's not even a comic relief as his addiction storylines feel more sad than wry. If there is nothing else to be done with this character, I think time to let him loose.

Also what is the 'Quickening'? 23 Josh had become a dick and isolated himself because he was in fear of the 'Quickening' which would kill all those around him. I assumed he was referring to turning into a werewolf (via the herpes), but it seems like this is something that could happen to regular Josh too? I kept up with a LOT this episode, but this aspect escaped me. If you have a clearer understanding, holla at cha girl.

Only two more episodes and ONE more unattainable fairy key to go!

In Kacey Rohl we trust, MD