#this would be so cool to experience together

[owuwi]

ALTERNATE WORLD

POWDER.ᐟ

summary: in the midst of perfection, your responsibilities still nag at the back of your mind.

pairings: au!powder x ogtimeline!reader

warnings: a bit of angst, fluff, not really a warning but fem!reader, reader is in ekko's position, mentions of jinx x fem!reader.

2.8k words

Perhaps, being selfish wasn't as bad as people said.

Maybe, just for once, putting yourself first wasn't going to cause the end of the world.

Those are the words that have been constantly running through your mind for these past few days, these days you've spent with Powder.

This wasn't your Powder, though, you were pretty aware of that —the universe didn't like you enough to allow you be that happy—, yet that didn't stop you from enjoying everything. You deserved it, right? You deserved to experience this level of contentment, of peace, at least once in your life.

Honestly, you were still a bit confused about your relationship with the blue-haired girl. There was a thick, tangible tension between the two of you but she hasn't actually initiated anything romantic —except for clinging onto you, if that counts—. She was quite flirty, that was sure, and it ignited something deep inside you whenever she behaved in that manner. Knowing that this is what you could've had... it brought you such sadness and even envy.

Despite everything, there was still a small part of you that knew this was wrong; a responsible voice reminding you of your true fate. You weren't meant to be here —let alone stay here— and that righteous side of you wanted to leave it very clear.

Goodness, the only thing you wanted was to know what the hell was wrong with your tree.

And now? Now you had to leave paradise to go back to hell.

Apparently, it was usual for you —this universe's version of yourself— to sleep over at Powder's place, so you've been doing that for these past few days. Seeing Vander and Silco so... together was definitely something you weren't going to get used to, but they were truly so loving that it made you forget they were once enemies.

You woke up earlier than the younger girl and headed down to her hideout —workplace— in a miserable attempt of isolating yourself for a bit and simply think, think about how to build something that could take you home. You actually already knew what to do but you were trying to slow down the process of building it as much as possible, also trying to keep Heimerdinger out of this for as long as you could —since it would take the professor like, a day to find a way of creating such a device—.

You were so deep in your own little world, carefully drawing the hextech anomaly that brought you here while enjoying the comfort the big space provided, that you weren't aware of Powder coming down to where you were until you felt a pair of soft arms wrapping around your neck —the sudden contact immediately causing you to flinch. "Morning, jumpy." She playfully greeted you, adding more emphasis on the nickname after observing your reaction, a little chuckle then slipping past her lips in amusement.

"Hey there, i uh—... didn't hear you." You greeted her as well —and vaguely explained the reason for your sharp movement— before also letting out a chuckle, though it clearly sounded less natural than the girl's. Even with the butterflies that fluttered on your stomach each time Powder was near you, you still couldn't help but to initially freak out whenever you laid your eyes on her.

"Oh yeah, i totally realized that." She quickly said, her voice dripping with an affectionate sarcasm, as she slowly ran her fingers through your hair. Her tender action quickly sent a shiver down your spine, unconsciously leaning into the warmth of her touch. "Wow... that's a cool drawing." She broke the silence some moments later, moving her fingers away from your hair to delicately trace her fingertips along the messy lines of the drawing —a faint 'thank you' leaving your lips at her compliment.

"You woke up earlier just to draw, huh? You sure are a real mystery." She later commented in that same playful tone of voice, gently resting her chin on the top of your head as her eyes continued scanning over the drawing. You were about to say something until the sound of a soft yawn coming from the girl interrupted you.

You could tell she was still sleepy by the slight slurring in her words and by the way she was basically slumped against your back. It brought a genuine smile to your face, a faint blush spreading across the skin of your cheeks as you noticed how intimate this moment felt. "I wasn't tired anymore so i came down here, wanted to—... clear my mind a bit." You told her, closing your eyes at the feeling of her fingertips slowly sliding up your arms —goosebumps erupting all over your skin—. "Why don't you go back to bed? You seem tired.." You then added before opening your eyes, not even noticing the domesticity in your words.

Powder did notice, though.

She let out a humming sound —clearly thinking about your suggestion— while her digits continued roaming along your smooth skin. "Mhm... only if you come back with me." She replied some moments later, her voice a low whisper tickling your ear. The blue-eyed girl knew you perfectly, knew what made you react, what you liked and what you didn't, and she knew how to use that piece of information to her advantage.

Oh yeah, you two were definitely dating.

It was kinda obvious but you were just... hoping you two were really good friends. You truly got everything you once wanted in this universe —the realization of how good your life was here brought you so many mixed feelings. How wrong would it be to stay here? For starters, how wrong was it to think like this? You had your own stuff to do back at home —especially now when things were so tense—, you couldn't abandon your people and stay, right?

No... you couldn't abandon Jinx, she was your Powder, despite everything. Despite all the crimes she's committed, all the horrors she's made, she was still your best friend and the girl you fell in love with. This... this wasn't real, it was just a 'what if', you needed to go back and make things right —even if it wasn't your job to fix everything, you still needed to try—.

The girl behind you snapped her fingers in front of your face, causing you to stop daydreaming and come back to reality. "Hey, space girl! I'm not talking to myself over here." She told you, her tone humorous yet honest, clearly not enjoying the way you were ignoring her.

"Sorry! I uh...—was just thinking." You quickly apologized, letting out a sigh before rubbing your face —unconsciously staining your cheek with the dark ink you had on your hands thanks to the messy drawing you were previously working on—. Powder moved away from your back and instead sat down on the other stool, looking at you with both affection and worry. "Yeah, seems like you've been doing that a lot these days.." She mumbled, discretely pointing out your odd behavior of the past few days.

She then gently reached out to wipe away the pigment from your skin, her touch lingering on your cheek for way longer than needed. "What's on your mind?" The girl asked you quietly, cupping your cheek and holding the side of your face with such delicacy it almost brought you to tears. Whenever she held you, she always did it as if you were made of glass —scared of breaking you.

"I want to build something new. For the competition." You revealed some moments later, looking at her with uncertainty as you feel her touch faltering after hearing what you said. According to Heimerdinger, you sought Powder's help a couple of months ago for the Young Innovators Competition and she gladly decided to assist you, and the two of you have been working like crazy ever since.

And now, you had the blue-haired girl looking at you as if you were crazy. Could you blame her? Probably not. Apparently, Powder had been by your side —working— 24/7 on the project, so the fact that you were telling her you wanted to do a whole new different thing was mind-blowing for her. "Wait, what? Why?" She immediately questioned you, moving her hand away from your cheek as a frown formed on her lips.

"I uh—... it's not entirely new. We can use what we already have built." You hesitantly began explaining, your eyes looking everywhere expect at the girl in front of you. How were you supposed to tell her you wanted to travel to another dimension? She'd definitely call you crazy. "I've been doing some research and i—." You continued, flipping the pages of your sketchbook to show her the ruins and maths, though it didn't take Powder long before she cut you off.

"Hold on, we've been working on this for months, and now you want to change it? We don't have much time anymore." She complained, her tone growing frustrated and even mad —despite the change in her voice not being entirely hearable, you noticed it—. She let out a faint scoff and looked away from you, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You were so excited with this project... what changed?" She then asked you in a much softer tone of voice, giving you a look of concern.

You stayed quiet for some moments, feeling yourself getting lost in those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. Not only were you playing with yourself but you were also playing with her, creating memories this universe's version of yourself won't remember once you go back to your own world. "I uh—..." You started your sentence yet couldn't finish it, looking at her with such affection and love —though it wasn't actually the right moment to drool over her—.

"I think i found a way to travel to other dimensions." You simply stated, not even noticing how blunt your words came out thanks to how distracted you were —captivated by her beauty. You then managed to snap yourself out of the trace she induced you in, a silly and almost dumb smile slowly forming on your lips as you looked at her. "I think it's worth giving it a try..." You added, sliding your sketchbook across the surface and allowing the girl to take a look at the process you've done.

It was now her time to stay quiet, looking at you with disbelief. Silence reigned on the space; the faint whirring of the colorful lightbulbs and your breathings being the only sounds listenable. She took your book in her hands and started analyzing its content, her eyebrows lightly furrowing as she did so. "How do you just—... find a way to do that?" She asked you, her voice now playful and humorous once again. The frown and concern on her face was now replaced with a look of amazedness.

"You know me, i'm a genius." You said in reply to her question before laughing and then bitting down on your bottom lip, no longer feeling the need of hiding your true personality. It definitely wasn't good to be getting so comfortable but, right now, you truly didn't care.

Powder simply let out a little laugh at your comment, a bright smile forming on her lips as she looked up from the sketchbook and back at you again. "I'm not sure about the genius part but i'll admit, it's pretty amazing..." She opined before standing up from the stool and taking a step closer to you, cupping your face with both hands. "Do you seriously think it'll work, though?" She unsurely queried, wanting to know if you were actually serious about this whole thing.

Powder knew you weren't the type to joke about this type of stuff but come on, finding a way of traveling to other dimensions? No one has ever made such discovery yet, so how on earth did you managed to find this? Was this the reason you've been acting so different? Many questions started bubbling inside of her, questions she felt weird thinking about. What was going on with her? Was she... distrusting you? She couldn't be! She's known you her entire life! You were her girl and you were smart, she should be feeling proud you made such a discovery!

Your voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she couldn't help but to feel relieved, not wanting to think like that of you. "Yeah, i do. I already consulted a friend about this and he thinks it's possible." You answered, placing your hand on top of hers —keeping her palm pressed against your cheek— and then leaning into her touch. The feeling of your skin against hers brought peace to her head, those conceptualizations fading away immediately.

"What do you think about it?" You then asked the younger girl while slowly —almost nervously— rising your other hand and gently placing it on her hip. Powder barely reacted to your touch, meaning that she was used to you doing this —more proof of the two of you being a couple. "Well it's definitely amazing but i think it's dumb to start with it now, because it will definitely not be ready for the competition." She stated. Despite how serious she sounded, a small grin started to appear on her face.

"But you are quite dumb so i'm not entirely surprised." She quickly added, letting out a little laugh before suddenly sitting down on your lap. The girl wrapped her arms around your neck and softly started playing with the baby hairs on your nape, twirling them between her fingers. "Which is why i suppose i could help you..." She completed, her voice tender yet teasing, as she gets more comfortable on your lap.

"How nice of you." You said, playing along with her little game before placing both of your hands on her hips —with a little bit more of confidence this time—, looking at her like she just hung the moon and stars. She noticed your staring and gently pushed your shoulder in a miserable attempt of hiding how flustered you were making her feel without even doing anything. "Whatever..." She mumbled, placing one of her hands on the base of your neck and then delicately caressing the skin over your pulse point.

"Now, let's go back to my room." With that —quite suddenly— said, Powder got off your lap and grabbed your hands, making you stand up and guiding you towards the bridge that lead to the stairs —not really giving you a choice. You simply threw your sketchbook across the cluttered, circular surface —accidentally throwing a blueprint onto the floor in consequence— and followed her. "We'll talk about it in bed, yeah?" She exclaimed.

You two walked up the stairs and headed towards the girl's room quietly, not wanting to make too much noise and accidentally wake up her dads. She immediately closed the door the moment you two entered the room and then rushed to her comfortable bed, a chuckle leaving your lips at the sight of Powder basically burying herself beneath the blankets. "What are you waiting for, you doofus?" A faint, muffled voice asked you, her tone sounding almost offended thanks to how long you were taking to lay beside her.

"Can't i admire the view anymore?" You asked her back before laughing softly and then walking over to the bed, taking your shoes off before finally lying down on the mattress. It didn't take the girl long before she basically jumped on top of you, hiding her face in the warmness of the crook of your neck and wrapping her arms around your torso. "Mhm..." She simply hummed, snuggling against your tender skin.

It was obvious that you two weren't going to talk about your new project but that didn't matter right now, all that mattered was the feeling of her small body on top of yours. You nuzzled against the top of her head, taking in the scent of her blue hair, as you slid your hands under her shirt to caress the soft skin of her back. "Sleep..." You mumbled, enjoying every single second of this moment.

You didn't need to tell Powder twice, especially not when she was so tired and was lying on top of you. "I love you..." She muttered out some seconds later, moving her head away from your neck. She placed her hands on your cheeks and merely stared at you for a moment, smiling once again as she admired you. She then leaned down to place a slow, delicate kiss on your lips, her fingers mindlessly tracing patterns on your skin.

Gods.

It took you some time to kiss her back —a good second or two—, your body freezing with the suddenness of her words and movements. Despite your initial shock, fireworks exploded inside of you the moment you processed what was happening, causing you to smile against her lips as you closed your eyes and finally kissed her back. "Love you too... so much.." You said the moment the kiss broke, keeping your eyes closed before chuckling.

In this moment, you belonged here.

Right now, you had all you ever wanted.

So, was it so inhumane to be selfish?

[cameoliob]

girl give us the eriss lore

oh my god I'm answering this so late (Emma check your inbox challenge level impossible)

For those of u who don't know; this is Eriss  ↓

And she's my lil Kalluzeb kiiidddd

HERES THE LOREEEE

So, it's 3 ABY when the Ghost Crew gets a tip about some lasat refugees, and when they arrive they find two elderly grandparents and a three year old little girl named Eriss.

And this little girl just adores Zeb. Her grandpa suggests that it's because Zeb reminds her of her father, who'd been murdered alongside her mother by the empire. And Zeb can't help but love her back.

Once they get to Lira San, Chava quickly takes it upon herself to get the small family aquainted with the planet, and The Ghost Crew heads back to the Rebellion.

As the years go by, Eriss' grandparents pass peacefully of old age and she's placed with Chava. Its a temporary solution; Chava's old and-- as much as she would like to-- she can't keep up with the energetic little girl, but it would have to work for the time being.

But sometimes Zeb calls, just to check up on things, and she gets to hear all the stories about the rebellion, and the adventures that he goes on, and she loves it.

And then the war ends and Zeb comes back to Lira San.

And Eriss is fucking HYPED. She doesn't really like grown ups all that much but Zeb is fun as hell and now he can tell Eriss all his war stories in person, and it'll be so great and-- Who the fuck is that guy

Eriss had never met Kallus in person because he wasn't apart of the original mission that brought her and her grandparents to Lira San (damn intelligence mission got in the way). Zeb had mentioned him before in passing, but putting a face to the name was weird. Really weird.

She didn't mind it, though. He was nice-- not as cool as Zeb, but he was nice.

It takes some time, but eventually Chava brings up the idea of Zeb and Kallus taking Eriss in; as stated before, she's getting old and she cannot keep up with this six year old. Kal and Zeb are hesitant, of course, they didn't really plan to raise a kid but... realistically it would probably be what's best for Eriss in the long run so... they agree

And for all that hestation they really are the dads of all time

She's midly confused and it's a whole lot of getting used to, but by the time she's ten she's calling them Adan and Dad

So she grows up with two war heroes as parents who teach her everything they know ANNNDDDD she gets a Cousin (which... is kind of a curse. Is Jacen one of her best friends? Yes. Is he also her nemisis and rival? Also yes.) (average cousin experience)

^ Top ten photos taken moments before disaster (they accidentally set Chopper on fire)

And sure she ended up with her Dads smart mouth, and her Adan's brashness, (a combonation resulting in what some may call attitude issues (all in good fun, of course)), but life is good. She's well read, she's educated, she's a student athlete (grav-ball point gaurd, and 3 time collegiate wrestling champ), her family is fire, she is truly living la vida loca

But then the First Order rolls around and she has to deal with all that bullshit but yk what, families who fight fascist regimes toegther stay together

[astarioffsimpmain]

A Breeze Drifted In

Pairing: Gale Dekarios x F!Reader

Word Count: 643

Author's Note: I know I've written cozy Gale like, 10 billion times. So make it 10 billion and one, and don't expect me to stop here. Mildly suggestive, but nothing happens besides floof.

You nuzzled closer to him, chasing the warmth of his skin as a cool breeze drifted in through the window. The crickets chirped, echoed by the caterwauling of owls in the distance and the creaks of the bowing branches in the nearby trees. Your ear was squished against the junction of his shoulder, muffling the sounds on that side. You draped your top leg over both of his and settled your palm against his abdomen as it slowly rose and fell. A warmth bloomed in your chest as you leaned up to tuck your nose into the crook of his neck and breathe him in; teakwood and vanilla. As you pressed a tender kiss to the scruff of his newly trimmed beard, you felt him stir slightly beneath you and you stilled. His fingers curled around the dip in your bare side and his arm pulled you flush against him. The action, while innocent enough in sleep, sent a blush blazing across your cheeks. You were still getting used to his blatant affection, not always sure how to respond as your brain shut down. But you loved every minute of it, and he knew it. 

“You’ll be requesting that I ease off  soon enough,” he had laughed one time, but you knew that day would never come. Loving a partner was like second nature to him, while being loved by a partner was all but foreign to you. Despite that, it was all you had ever dreamed it would be, even terrifyingly blissful at times. He settled into sleep once more and you breathed a sigh, relaxing into his hold and choosing to observe him instead. The way his eyelashes gently fluttered every now and again made you smile; what was he dreaming about? His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came out. Of that, you were grateful; for if he were to begin muttering about the importance of alchemical balance again, you would surely end up laughing and wake him.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly and you resisted the urge to place your lips against it. That had become your newest fascination: being able to kiss him wherever, whenever. You had been so reluctant for so long, unused to touching anyone so intimately. But over time, he had reassured you enough, by both his words and pleasant reactions, that he thoroughly enjoyed your attentiveness, so you had begun to experiment. You found that, besides his lips, of course,  you enjoyed kissing him best on his shoulders. The way the muscles would move and adjust beneath the sensitive skin of your lips mesmerized you, and you had taken to resting your mouth against him there whether you were kissing him or not. You also discovered that you greatly enjoyed kissing his abdomen - not necessarily for the sensation, although you couldn’t deny that it was divine as well, but for his eager responses to it. The little sighs and groans he made as you kissed your way down his body were the sparks to an eternal flame that he kept stoked just for you.

You reigned your thoughts in, already feeling the tug of arousal streaming through your veins and to your core at the thought of his pleasure. This moment was just as precious as those; these quiet, gentle silences together that eased your heart into a palpable contentment, and you would not break it. Not yet. Eventually, he would stir or you would fall into dreams. It mattered not which happened first, because no matter the outcome, you would experience it side by side, wrapped in the succor of one another’s bodies, hearts, and souls. You closed your eyes and nuzzled closer to him, enjoying his warmth as the breeze from the window danced across your tangled limbs, and breathing him in as you drifted away.        

~

fin

Tagging, Darlings: @knightofmight01 @micropoe10 @just-a-refrigerator @fanon-and-canon @worfs-glorious-hair @senualothbrok (if you'd like to be on my taglist, or be taken off my taglist, just let me know!)

[genderqueerdykes]

I'm transfemme now, but back when I thought I was a guy or demi guy, I left tumblr years ago because of all the posts I saw that amounted to "men bad even if not cis", so... I kinda relate to what you and your followers feel, in my own way I guess.

I just wanted to say that I'm sorry this is still happening, and I'm so so glad you're calling it for what it is. Is there a way to support you?

Or more generally for transfemmes to fight transandrophobia as a whole? We have enough hate from the outside without it coming from within!

thank you so much for taking the time to send this ask i really appreciate it! i've actually had other transfemmes point this out, so thank you for giving me another chance to talk about it!

i'm sorry this happened to you. i would've left too, in your shoes. people don't understand that demiguys aren't just trans men or afab people. that still made you queer, but it didn't matter because you thought you were a guy. that's just so cruel. i can't think of any reason why that would be good or productive in any way. you should've been given time and a space to question. you should've been able to talk to ther people who understood you. you should've been able to take the time to figure yourself out

i've tried to point this out: man hating hurts transfemmes. a lot of transfemmes used to be cis men or another type of man. you need to give them time to question. we're forcing transfems to hurt up and transition right now or else they're not welcome. it's viewed as okay to be rude as hell to transfemmes who haven't fully pieced it together yet, never transition transfemmes, butch transfemmes, transfemmes who cant transition for safety reasons and so on. i don't get it

I just wanted to say that I'm sorry this is still happening, and I'm so so glad you're calling it for what it is. Is there a way to support you? Or more generally for transfemmes to fight transandrophobia as a whole? We have enough hate from the outside without it coming from within!

thank you so much for asking this! this is so kind i really appreciate it, it means a lot! i get a lot of important questions but i really like this one!

honestly most importantly is telling other transfemmes to unlearn their toxic masculinity & internalized misogyny. these two traits are rampant in certain transfemme spaces and it's really devastating. it's why this is happening to begin with. very specific transfemmes still have a lot of internalized toxic masculinity and hold trans men up to that standards. if they're not manly enough they get misgendered. a lot of transfemmes have internalized misogyny and instantly think that AFAB people and people perceived to be AFAB are dumb as bricks and it really shows. the more people who say hey this is misogyny and transandrophobia an it's really not making you look cool.

in general i'd say try to tell anyone who is man hating or going on about how easy it is for trans men, if it's not too painful, i would straight up tell people about how alienated you felt as a questioning guy. your experience matters and i'm sorry it was like that, but it has the power to make an impact on others. if it's too painful i understand, but helping people understand that it impacts so many people can help

i would point out that transfems rightfully so do not want transmascs speaking for them, and if that's expected of transmascs, then we gotta do the same and let them speak for themselves instead of talking for and over them. gently urge people to stop talking like they know what it's like to be a trans man just because they were raised and socialized as a cis man. its not the same as being socialized as a cis girl and living as a trans man

remind people that creating a term for transmasculine oppression helps the conversation become more visible, and that's a good thing. right now transmasculine erasure is at its peak and we need to stop saying that transandrophobia is simply just "transphobia," because then it gets lost in transmission and once again, we cannot refer to any kind of statistics to figure out just how many people transandrophobia affects. having a cat hiss reaction to trans men creating terms for their own oppression is genuinely hurting people

remind people that obsessing over who they hate is keeping them rooted in the past. they are not focusing on themselves. when someone is man hating they're focused on everyone but themselves. they can't get over the fact that some men have hurt them. the entirety of manhood is not what hurt them. it's never right to blame people who have not harmed you

i would tell people the existence of transmasculinity & trans manhood doesn't exist to mock transfemininity and trans womanhood. they are real experiences, and no they are not born from spite. there really are trans people out there who want to be men and mascs. try to discourage people from saying that transmascs and trans men are "cis girls looking for attention" at all costs.

anyways thank you so much for this ask i really appreciate it! i'm glad to know there are a lot of transfemmes out there who want to help and recognize this isn't helping. take care of yourself! please feel free to come back any time, i'd love to hear from you again

[utilitycaster]

i keep seeing people say that OF COURSE Bell Hell's haven't grown or changed, it's only been 3 months in campaign! and it's been nonstop! and every time I see that, I gotta admit 1. okay so you admit they haven't grown, cool. 2. that feels like a watsonian answer to a not-quite-watsonian complaint. iirc, m9 were only a few months longer than BH by the time their campaign ended, and it's been pretty comparable irl time. Both bell's bells and m9 had significantly less 'in world' time than vm and the m9 grew and changed plenty.

Because there's a discrepancy between 'time in game' and 'time at the table' for actual play, using 'in game' time as an excuse for...anything, feels thin. Because it still FEELS like three years both to us and the players! Does that make any sense or am i losing my mind? cause every time i see answers like that I feel a little crazy for feeling like it's almost entirely unrelated to complaint they're trying to address

No, it makes complete sense. I discussed this here as well but on some level it's like ok so they haven't changed! Turns out they suck, and the fact that they haven't changed means we have a party that still sucks. Like, if your point is "I don't like this character trait", someone saying "well it makes sense for them to have it" doesn't fix the core problem of you not liking it. This is a repeated problem in discussions in this campaign. I think Liliana dying would have been narratively interesting; I literally give zero fucks whether it's deserved, because she isn't real and I'm not a believer in Calvinism nor instant karma in real life and plenty of people die for unfair reasons and I happen to really enjoy exploring that and how people respond to it in fiction. You can't have a conversation with someone who, when you say "I'm not a big fan of vanilla ice cream, do you have chocolate?" says "but vanilla is literally a complex flavor made from orchids?" (Also yes, the Mighty Nein are a great example of a party who were already more closely bonded about a month and a half in, following Molly's death; the entire campaign was almost a year long though a bit shorter in terms of time together due to Happy Fun Ball time dilation. For reference, Bells Hells have been together 4 months and 5 days, and the Mighty Nein, at that exact same amount of time, were exploring the second Uk'otoa temple, and a number of them were already rethinking their whole deal at that point.)

I don't currently have any original posts to make re: criticism of Campaign 3 until next episode, most likely - I'm reblogging well-made posts I see, and obviously I'm answering asks, but I said this more briefly in the tags of another post earlier and I'd like to elaborate, but this has been a problem for me, at least, the entire campaign:

Campaign 3 has a small but loud contingent of fans who are utterly incapable of tolerating the idea that other people hold different opinions than they do and post them on their own blogs (often even not in the main tag). They respond to this with abuse and harassment; with a constant switching of direction to the point of self-contradiction; and with doubling and tripling down on statements I personally find to be bigoted. They are, in my opinion, small-minded, unintelligent, self-absorbed people who are so locked into, as I said here, an Us vs. Them mentality that so long as there is anyone who doesn't like them they will never be happy. They have gotten, narratively, almost everything they wanted thus far, but they'll never be happy so long as someone openly disagrees with them. Like, if the fact that your ship is the most popular one for this campaign on ao3 is so important to you, why are you so pressed about a few people disliking it? If liking Campaign 3 means you're a good anticolonial leftist and you're therefore allowed as a white person to mock the experiences of any nonwhite person actively dealing with the consequences of colonialism why do you need the support of The Bad People Who Don't Like It? If you can be broken by anything less than universal adoration, then, well. Break, bitch.

Essentially, think "the personality of Elon Musk in a broke 20-something whose main interests are cartoons aimed at a grade school audience, and a three sentence incorrect summary of Marxist theory that they use to justify whatever they already wanted to do," and you'll get the picture.

My advice therefore is that it's not really worth arguing, and frankly, there would be little to no discourse if they weren't so pathetically insecure that a post saying "The structure, pacing, and message of Campaign 3 are all weak and inconsistent, and Bells Hells have so little motivation they fail to be heroes, villains, nor antiheroes" sends them into an extended tantrum because the OP didn't append the words "I think" or "I feel" at the beginning of every statement, as most of us assume any reasonable adult would understand that a person posting on their own blog is posting their own opinions. (And, frankly, appending those words doesn't really help half the time because most of them are ultimately mostly outraged that someone would dare think or feel things that they don't.)

I am making posts about my thoughts on Campaign 3; I think most other people with criticism thereof are doing so as well. I will only be convinced otherwise by Campaign 3 itself being better, and I think it's probably too late for it to do so, and I will not be swayed nor intimidated by people who, see previous paragraphs re: my thoughts. My advice to you and anyone who's saying "wait a second" is to trust your gut; everything you said here seems like a pretty good assessment. If it helps, back away from the fandom and see what you feel without the influence of others (including me!) posting, and go with that.

[fateofflames]

Yuji had always been comfortable showering around other guys. Growing up playing sports, the locker room showers were just another part of the routine, even before he died. Sharing a space like this wasn’t a big deal—he and Megumi had probably done the same a dozen times before. Well, not together together. Why was he even thinking about showering with Megumi? His friend was literally just a few stalls down. Yuji shook his head and scrubbed at his skin, trying to banish the absurd thoughts. Focus. Food. Breakfast. That was the priority right now.

As he washed, Yuji mentally noted the items Megumi had mentioned earlier. They’d definitely need to go grocery shopping soon. Maybe, one of these days, he could cook dinner for everyone. It’d be a good way to bond with the other students, who he was still getting to know. But for now, he liked the idea of it being just him and Megumi. The thought of cooking for Megumi alone made his chest feel warm and strangely giddy.

“You know what? I think there are eggs and pancake mix! We can do an American breakfast.”

He tried to finish quickly when he heard the sound of Megumi turning off the water. Scrubbing the shampoo out of his hair, he lathered some conditioner and rinsed it just as quickly.

“I’ll be out in a sec!”

He added, his voice echoing slightly. Left alone under the warm spray, Yuji’s thoughts drifted. Why was he feeling so jittery, like he was about to go on a date? Wait, no—last night wasn’t a date. Right? Groaning, Yuji rubbed his face with both hands, the water cascading down his back. Was he really falling for Megumi?

Yuji had never really thought much about whether he liked guys or not. Maybe it wasn’t about that. Maybe it was just Megumi. Because how could anyone not like him? He was calm, kind, and so cool it was unfair—and Yuji couldn’t ignore how stunning he was. Gorgeous, even. The thought made his cheeks heat up as he covered his face with his hands. But did Megumi even like guys? Did he like anyone? Yuji shook himself out of it and finished up, forcing the feelings to the back of his mind.

After getting changed and dropping his things off in his dorm, Yuji practically ran to the kitchen.

“Hey! Sorry for keeping you waiting,” he said with an apologetic grin. “Breakfast won’t take long, though.”

Megumi gave him a small nod, and Yuji got to work, rummaging through the fridge and pantry. Eggs, bread, pancake mix, sausage—it wasn’t much, but it would do. He dove into cooking, asking Megumi to help with small tasks like whisking the eggs, preheating the pans, and grabbing plates.

As they worked, Yuji kept the conversation going.

“What’s everyone like? You know, before me and Nobara showed up.”

Finally, Yuji set several plates on the table: one piled with fluffy scrambled eggs, another with perfectly golden Japanese-style pancakes, and a final plate of sausages and toast. Pouring himself some tea, he settled into his seat, his gaze flickering to Megumi.

Yuji was excited to see what Megumi thought of his cooking. He loved cooking—at first, it was a necessity when his grandpa got sick and couldn’t do it anymore. Yuji had spent hours watching cooking shows and experimenting in the kitchen, trying to get better. His grandpa used to tease him, saying his cooking was awful, but he always ate every bite. Yuji smiled softly at the memory, hoping Megumi would like his cooking just as much.

“Here.”

Yuji said, serving Megumi first before filling his own plate. He sat back and watched quietly, his chest tightening with anticipation as Megumi took the first bite.

Megumi could get used to this and there lied the danger. This wasn't permanent. What would continue to happen once Yuji consumed more of Sukuna's fingers and then, in the end, when all twenty were finally eaten? How much time did they have before Megumi lost his friend. It was all the more reason to live in the present. It broke Megumi's heart to grow impossibly closer but if it meant proving the bright young boy with the best days or months of his life (assuming Megumi could do such a feat), then it was worth it.

Megumi could survive with a shattered heart; he was already doing it. Even though he didn't know the exact details of his mentor's childhood he did know something traumatic happened to make him both needy and cold. An odd combination but Megumi could see straight through his benefactor. Shoko was jaded too and the few times he had met Nanami, the same coldness was perceived. Jujutsu sorcerers were not people who lived happy lives.

Even someone as old as Kyoto's principal was not particularly kind, empathetic, or happy if he sought to use children to kill another child. It was a life of being jaded and dying young; Megumi could argue the death of his mother prepared him for that. The mind of a teenager battled between morose thoughts and longing. So many of his thoughts were dark (realistic) that it felt like he was giving himself whiplash for feeling something else.

That something else was awfully strong and made him feel hot. With his towel, toiletries, and a change of clothes in hand Megumi somewhat shuffled out of his bedroom and to the men's bathroom was speedily as possible without looking odd. He probably still looked odd. He was glad Nobara wasn't around to pester him. What had she wanted anyway? Probably quality time of her own with Yuji. Luckily he beat his upbeat friend, took a piss, then moved to the showers where he picked the farthest shower.

He hung up his clothes and towel, took out his toiletries to sit on the tiled edge, and then quick as lightning stripped out of his clothes. Clothes that smelled like Yuji. Truthfully he didn't want to shower. Didn't need to shower. Yuji's scent was mixed with his but just in case another sleeping session was on the horizon, the dark haired teen wanted to smell fresh. He didn't even wait for the water to turn warm before he was under the spray.

Not wanting to scrub away Yuji on him but wanting to erase the hot feelings he had for his friend. He lathered himself up from hair to toe almost scrapping his nails against his face. It was a good distraction until he heard the other spray of water and then Yuji's voice. Yuji had such a nice voice too. It was so bright and welcoming, louder still hitting the tiled walls. Megumi felt his face get hot and his blood move where it hadn't ever moved. He moved the spigot to spray himself with cold water.

“ Eggs, rice, miso soup, sometimes American food. ”

Was Yuji really going to make them breakfast? It was so cozy and domestic. Like siblings. Like... something else. Megumi groaned beneath his breath and got out his toothbrush and paste from the ledge. Too roughly brushing his teeth until some of the bristled stuck to his tongue. He rinsed out his body and finished scrubbing himself. The cold water and scrubbing turned his skin pink, and he even shivered a little. He turned off the water and could hear Yuji's running.

It made him think that just a few meters away, his friend was showering. Naked. Just one glance... Megumi threw his face into his towel to hide his shame. He roughly towel dried himself from the tips of his hairs down to his toes. He just skimmed over his groin. As if that thing needed more stimulus. Scared of his own thoughts and if Yuji finished, he dressed himself like he was late for school.

Black joggers and a dark, forest green t-shirt were put on. He slipped on his shower slippers, retrieved his things back into his toiletry bag, and shuffled to the sinks. He rinsed his mouth with mouthwash while continuing to listen to Yuji shower. He should have left but there he was hooked to the thought of Yuji showering. Megumi splashed more cold water on his face.

“ I'll see you out there.... ”

He called out but didn't care much if his friend heard him or not. He returned to his bedroom to put his dirty clothes in a hamper, put his toiletries away, and make some sense of his hair. He looked like a mess. He ran his fingers through his damp spikes until they looked semi presentable. He also kicked off his shower sandals for put on a pair of socks. Megumi wanted tempted to make an excuse to stay in his room but that would be weird. Not to mention rude; they already made plans.

Be cool, be cool. He continued the chant as he finished making himself look presentable and walked out of his room to the communal kitchen. He began making a pot of hot tea for everyone but mostly used it as a distraction as he waited for Yuji and the crazy day that awaited them. This was fine. It really wasn't. He was in love.

[sunshineandlyrics]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🎉 The Killers showed the last few minutes of the match where England beat the Netherlands and they all celebrated with Mr Brightside (the London O2 Arena, 10 July 2024).

Louis would strongly approve this!

[mochasucculent]

Was looking at refs and since Viktor has two different leg braces I was wondering, do we think he wears them simultaneously?? The refs don't perfectly line up perspective-wise so it's hard to tell but parts of the one he wears during the Hexcore scenes look like they could maybe line up with the brace that he wears over his clothes, but also some parts really don't and look like they'd be super uncomfy. Also HOW does he take these on and off. Experts weigh in

[inkskinned]

you know, you know. no gods, no masters, no kings on pedestals. everyone is fallible. death of the author. you know! you are balanced about your intake of media - you allow the wiggle room, the grace, the gratitude, the skepticism. nobody above criticism.

but still. a weird gut-punch feeling, something akin to betrayal. you read the article. surprise! an author you love is actually: a serial fucking predator.

well, shit. what now. no, you knew he was a person (all people are), but now you're wondering - what have i overlooked by accident? what messages have i internalized that are strange and cruel? and also, like, what the fuck?

his actions lay a thick glaze on top of everything. like each place is now ruined, opaque in a new way. but okay, fine, you've done this before. you knew better, right? you've been betrayed by many a cherished childhood author.

still, this stickiness. fuck. can you pick up that book again. will you read it to your children. you've recommended it to others - will you ever do that again? and of course, of course, no parasocial relationships. you were theoretically above this kind of sentiment. but the artist informs the art, right.

so it's not something as clear-cut as feeling he owed you, specifically (a stranger) better behavior - just that you kind of, in a distant and odd way... sort of trusted him to do better. it's not like a real trust or something speakable, just the faint hope that the product (good books) was a thin representation of the soul. now it feels like the product (good? books?) was a mask. in some small or insignificant way, your previous support of this person lent them power. your money and your time and your laughter.

and the thing is - you have this terrible, echoing sensation. how many times will this happen? over and over. you find out that the singer you love is actually a predator. you learn over drinks that your favorite high school english teacher is in jail for what he did to her. you listen to the news idly and suddenly discover that a woman you used to idolize has been abusing her kids for an actual eon.

what can you touch without the static melting off. you can't even really complain about it too much (you were supposed to know better, and besides, you don't want the same re-split "it's not your fault, love what you love" basic advice), but now it's here. somehow, it feels like - you let him into your life.

it's not that things need to be pure or an artist has to be like, endlessly perfect, mindful. demure. it's more just this terrible truth that has been replayed through your veins so often it feels criminally vain. power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. did you want any one person to be worth that power?

it's just that he wrote books where he seemed to understand that. he seemed to know about hierarchies and unfair systems and bigotry and privilege. you thought they were books about what it means to struggle. you thought they were about having power and still using it for good rather than for control. he spooned you a narrative of being a good guy, a kind soul. you fucking bought what that fucking monster sold.

maybe that's why they were fantasies, after all.

[ricky-mortis]

Curtwen Week Day 6: Happy Ending

[psychomusic]

oc time again! + her town & culture (heavily inspired by pre-roman italic populations)

she is suri sauthon. her story is linked to my swtor imperial agent, tar'x, but most of her life except for the one year away where she meets him, is spent in a town in the mountains of mirial.

despite mirial being cold and desert, and many cities developing underground, her town flourishes thanks to a force nexus, venerated in the form of an ancient, sacred, alive crystal. the ecosystem of that mountain depended on what "the horned crystal" was capable of giving them, but mirialans couldn't live off of that alone, so they developed trade and some rudimental technology, even if oftentimes it was bought thanks to the highly profitable trade of a plant used to make medicines that slowed down aging and had overall healing properties.

note: everything that's generated by this nexus has these healing properties BUT they have to be processed, except for those who bathed in the waters of the cavity under the crystal - the "real" nexus, but not the worshipped one. the waters were sacred but they were not thought to be miraculous, unlike the crystal, who instead was thought of as the keystone of the ecosystem: without it, everything would fall apart (and that is partially true: the cavity was the "real" nexus but thanks to the crystal, also strong in the force, the properties were spread all over the mountains). those who bathed in the cavity's waters - so, all of the town, who had a sort of baptism there - could eat the plant, make whatever food with it, and not only that plant, but everything generated by the nexus, that, again, had similar properties. this allowed people to live up to normal life-spans without advanced medicines or, much, really. to those who didn't live there, though, after the processing, had incredible effects, slowing down aging - for those who took it regularly - and making people able to live up to half a century more than the average]

originally, there were four tribes of nomads that lived thanks to horned farm animals that decided to settle down into one bigger town and other smaller settlements, to live off of transhumance. this division of the tribes stayed into the political and social organization: every person belonged to one tribe specifically, and had slightly different rituals and culture. for examples, each tribe had their own priests and healers, with different techniques and traditions. the town, tho, was guided by a group of people in the high priesthood, a position you could reach only by having earned the trust of all tribes. those high priests had many roles: they guided the people into sacred processions common to all the tribes, they managed the trading with outsiders, they did the maintenance of the temple of the summit (the one that functioned as casket to the crystal) and created a special liquid to offer the crystal that helps it grow.

this particular temple was important because 1. it was very visible, from every angle of the town, and it became an important identity symbol; 2. it stored the venerated horned crystal; 3. it had the altar where sacrifices were made for the crystals. that altar had a hole connected to the cavity, that allowed the liquids to reach the underground; 4. it had various symbols: statues representing each tribe + the high priesthood, and typical mirialan tattoos carved into the wood of the trees that served as columns for the temple, symbolizing 8 values that who dared to enter HAD to have; 5. it was on the way to an important lake (called "mother lake" because the lake the town was built around to depended on the waters of that other lake) where they traveled to in important processions; 6. it was said that a the wizard who unified the tribes made it with its magic, making the plant grow to hold the temple's roof. this wizard was, actually, a force user, obv.

BACK TO HER THOUGH: she's daughter of one of the high priests, who was in charge of managing the trades with outsiders, and lives in a house on the mountains with her mother and him. her parents are from different tribes (that's one of the things that earned him trust from the 4 tribes): when a child is born from two different tribes, they don't pick one to allign to, but they're usually linked automatically to the one with more relatives in it (in her case, the father's tribe: she had many uncles and aunts on his side while her mom only had one sister).

later, though, she got quite tied to her mother's tribe due to a mysterious illness that only her mother's tribe healer was able to cure. she spent 4 years (from 10 to 14 years old) living with the healer and learned her secrets. to better study, she wrote them down. when she returned home, she studied to become a priestess with her father. at 22 (the average age: you can't become priest before your 20s), she was supposed to take a test and become a priestess, but the healer of her mother's tribe died and the tribe asked her to take her place. she couldn't technically do that, but both tribes estimated both her and her parents and she was allowed to become both. she then decided to try to become a high priestess, and became one at 25 (a quite young age). being part of the council, she tried to convince the various tribe healers to unite their knowledges and write them down, and eventually made it. healers still remained tribe based but they now had an "upper, inter-tribe level" similar to high priesthood.

years later, the sacred horned crystal is stolen from the temple by some Hutt mercenaries looking for a profit. given the trust she has earned from all the tribes and the fact that her father is the high priest that deals with outsiders (and she's been hearing stories and advice about it since she was little), she is the one tasked with getting it back. without the growing crystal, the keystone to their ecosystem, the village would have lasted only a few years. in hrr quest, she meets imperial intelligence agent tar'x laran and, as they "solve the mystery" and fight to have it back, they get closer. they'll get married and have a daughter, Vegoia (who's the only one who actually will get to the plot of my story. this was all background)

[st4rstudent]

bugthinker but I just did whatever to him

bonus slop

[willyhoos]

final totk verdict.

[whumpy-wyrms]

it’s 3am and i’ve spent the past few hours drawing a bunch of doodles of me and anton hanging out together like we’re the bestest of friends because it’s my art and i can draw whatever i want forever

[sapphicscience]

ur random 8:30 am sex ed post of the day: fucking trans women is extremely extremely good but if muffing seems intimidating, plenty of trans women have never even tried muffing and u don't have to figure that out to have a good time!

[sysig]

Let me chew you out a little, since we have a couple minutes (Patreon)

[Panel 1] Prismo: *mumble* *mumble*

[Panel 2] Prismo: *mumble*

[Panel 3] Simon: Hmph. “Just because it’s in your head-”

[Panel 4] Simon: “-Doesn’t mean it’s yours,” huh?

[Panel 5] Simon: Give me all the responsibility with none of the privileges?

[Panel 6] Simon: And then you get mad at me for trying to pick up your slack? Prismo: Hey...

[Panel 7] Simon: Clearly you already expect that much from me!

[Panel 8] Prismo: Hey, hey! I did the best with what I had! I didn’t expect any of this!

[Panel 9] Simon: And yet you didn’t even consider telling me, so we could’ve avoided this?

[Panel 10] Prismo: It’s not like I could’ve just- taken it out! I was locked out!

[Panel 11] Simon: You could’ve done something!

[Panel 12] Simon: Instead you let my life spiral around this thing, kept me tethered to Ice King’s Madness-

[Panel 13] Prismo: Fionna and Cake are real thou- Simon: NOW you tell me! After I find out for myself!