#to ‘I should be working harder/[redacted]’ and just

[calvins-dad]

i will not start leftist infighting on instagram i will not start leftist infighting on instagram i will not start leftist infighting on instagram i will not start leftist infighting on instagram i will not start leftist infighting on instagram i will not st

[musical-chick-13]

Once again wishing I liked the books more.

[ketchuppee]

During the 2008 recession, my aunt lost her job. Her, her partner, and my three cousins moved across the country to stay with us while they got back on their feet. My house turned from a family of four to a family of nine overnight, complete with three dogs and five cats between us.

It took a few years for them to get a place of their own, but after a few rentals and apartments, they now own a split level ranch in a town nearby. I’ve lost track of how many coworkers and friends have stayed with them when they were in a tight spot. A mother and son getting out of an abusive relationship, a divorcee trying to stay local for his kids while they work out a custody agreement, you name it. My aunt and uncle knew first hand what that kindness meant, and always find space for someone who needed it, the way my parents had for them.

That same aunt and uncle visited me in [redacted] city last year. They are prolific drinkers, so we spent most of the day bar hopping. As we wandered the city, any time we passed a homeless person, my uncle would pull out a fresh cigarette and ask them if they had a light. Regardless of if they had a lighter on hand or not, he offered them a few bucks in exchange, which he explained to me after was because he felt it would be easier for them to accept in exchange for a service, no matter how small.

I work for a company that produces a lot of fabric waste. Every few weeks, I bring two big black trash bags full of discarded material over to a woman who works down the hall. She distributes them to local churches, quilting clubs, and teachers who can use them for crafts. She’s currently in the process of working with our building to set up a recycling program for the smaller pieces of fabric that are harder to find use for.

One of my best friends gives monthly donations to four or five local organizations. She’s fortunate enough to have a tech job that gives her a good salary, and she knows that a recurring donation is more valuable to a non-profit because they can rely on that money month after month, and can plan ways to stretch that dollar for maximum impact. One of those organizations is a native plant trust, and once she’s out of her apartment complex and in a home with a yard, she has plans to convert it into a haven of local flora.

My partner works for a company that is working to help regulate crypto and hold the current bad actors in the space accountable for their actions. We unfortunately live in a time where technology develops far too fast for bureaucracy to keep up with, but just because people use a technology for ill gain doesn’t mean the technology itself is bad. The blockchain is something that she finds fascinating and powerful, and she is using her degree and her expertise to turn it into a tool for good.

I knew someone who always had a bag of treats in their purse, on the odd chance they came across a stray cat or dog, they had something to offer them.

I follow artists who post about every local election they know of, because they know their platform gives them more reach than the average person, and that they can leverage that platform to encourage people to vote in elections that get less attention, but in many ways have more impact on the direction our country is going to go.

All of this to say, there’s more than one way to do good in the world. Social media leads us to believe that the loudest, the most vocal, the most prolific poster is the most virtuous, but they are only a piece of the puzzle. (And if virtue for virtues sake is your end goal, you’ve already lost, but that’s a different post). Community is built of people leveraging their privileges to help those without them. We need people doing all of those things and more, because no individual can or should do all of it. You would be stretched too thin, your efforts valiant, but less effective in your ambition.

None of this is to encourage inaction. Identify your unique strengths, skills, and privileges, and put them to use. Determine what causes are important to you, and commit to doing what you can to help them. Collective action is how change is made, but don’t forget that we need diversity in actions taken.

[soft-serve-soymilk]

Pav 🤝 V: Adventures in poor concentration and mental illness ✨

[lyneira]

♡ 1 sit-up = 1 kiss ♡

-> you challenge the genshin men to do sit-ups, but with each rep, they also get a kiss from you (just like in the gif above!) How would they react?

suggestive in some parts!

"I'm getting ripped tonight~" rip that [redacted]"

Itto, Childe,

They'll immediately be on the floor and all ready to go when you propose this challenge because he would be ABSOLUTELY pumped up. Like, c'mon. He gets to show off his physical prowess and get a little love from you at the same time? HECK YEAH 💪 by the time he's finished, his abs are going to be rock harder than ever and your lips are going to feel numb after kissing him hundreds of times (and let's be honest, that number probably wouldn't be an exaggeration)

Even with both of your lips being numb, he'll still expect more than just a "couple" of pecks on the lips to satiate him after you've tired him out. You've made him sweat, so it's only fair that he gets to make you sweat too. And y'all will get physical, alright ;)

"Lemme just kiss you!"

Venti, Kaveh, Scaramouche, Xiao, Diluc

He'd scoff at the idea and would roll over, whining, "Why should I do that when I can just kiss you without doing any work?" He'll go in for a kiss, but you'll instantly block it with your hand, clicking your tongue and teasingly telling him that he'll have to earn your kisses today.

I think he'll be stubborn and would still refuse to commit to your challenge for a little while before finally giving in. He'd miss your lips too much and can't go a day without your kiss, after all. He'll go down to the floor with furrowed brows and a big pout on his face, ready for the "strenuous" exercise Yet, soon, that frown would gradually turn upside down with each sit-up and kiss you'd give him.

Okay, tbh, it won't be a full, big smile because he'd slowly be dying both inside and out after each rep LOL. He's doing his best! Needless to say, he probably wouldn't get through a whole lot of reps and would be laying there, panting heavily, all sweaty and tired out by the end of that little workout session (-> mainly applied to Venti, Kaveh, and maybe Scaramouche? Xiao and Diluc would probably get through it easily, the whole thing would just be a bit annoying to them)

"The things you make me do for you, y/n...", he'd huff.

You'd giggle and lean down towards his face, "you did a good job, sweetheart~", and would then pepper his face with a multitude of kisses. "Here's your reward", you'd continue, planting a loving kiss onto his lips. And with the way he'd melt into your lips and softly moan, you would have guessed that he finally thought it was worth it after all.

Makes it interesting

Heizou, Kaeya, Ayato, Alhaitham, Baizhu

He'd agree to your challenge, but not without making it interesting in his own way. If you were going to challenge him, then he'd give you a challenge too: Could you resist him as he was doing what you had asked of him? Let's see.

Before he begins your challenge, he'd pull off his top, exposing his toned upper body, and he'd smirk to himself as he watched how you were already distracted and were practically drooling at his display. This would make the next part all the more enjoyable for him.

So the challenge would start off fine with you two giving each other a simple, quick peck after each rep. Yet, soon enough, he'd bring in more passion into his kisses, taking a bit more time on your lips after each one. His kisses would leave you wanting more, would make you forget about the exercising part and he knew this, so he'd continue with his reps, despite you attempting to hold him still.

To make matters worse, he'd also begin teasing you with his tongue, licking your bottom lip quickly, pulling back to complete his rep, and sitting back up to eventually go deeper with it, allowing his tongue to dance with yours. Even when you thought that he finally quit with the sit-ups, he again pulled back to complete another rep.

At some point, you'd have enough of his teasing and would pin him down and devour his lips, fueled by the hunger he had instilled in you. You two would eventually forget about your challenge and would have a heated makeout session instead. Seems like his plan worked, hehe

Indulges you

Zhongli, Cyno, Tighnari, Kazuha, Albedo, Dainsleif

He initially raises an eyebrow, wondering what spurred the sudden challenge on, but he won't back down from it, even if it does seem a bit trivial. Anyway, he'd be able to do it with ease, barely even breaking a sweat during the exercise.

And while he does enjoy this "fun" way of kissing you, he knows that this would simply go on for forever if he doesn't do anything. So after a certain rep, he would take the opportunity to surprise you with a long and deep kiss, holding your face firmly. When he breaks away, he'd look at your flushed face with a smile.

"Must I do more sit-ups to kiss you?"

You'd answer him by pouncing on him and kissing him.

>///<

Gorou, Thoma

They'd have a difficult time getting through the exercise, not because of the physical workout itself, but because they'd be flustered the whole time. You'd be giving him more kisses than usual and would be encouraging him so much all while having that beloved bright expression on your face as he does your challenge. This would simply be too much for his heart to handle that he'd end up collapsing mid-sit-up, and covering his face with his hands. You'd lean over and ask,

"Too tired?"

"No....you're just too cute"

If you wanna get him even more shy, gently pull off his hands from his face, give him a big ol' kiss on his lips, then say, "Well, I think you're cute too 😘" and watch him combust lol

a/n: I was just looking for cute gifs when I came across this one and was immediately inspired to write this, haha. l also kinda gave up heading towards the end ngl, the writer's block is too real for me rn :'D

© 2023 lyneira. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, PLAGIARIZE, OR REPOST MY WRITING ONTO OTHER PLATFORMS

[honeypiehotchner]

Devil's Backbone (Unsub!Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- part twelve

Welp. Once again I have nothing to say for myself. I find this way hotter than it should be. Nobody @ me idk what happened to me

Warnings: 18+ duh, this one definitely teeters more on the non-con/dubcon line than the last, just a heads up! listen there's...so much. gun play, knife play, face fucking, choking, unprotected sex, reminder that he is not a Good Guy and this is meant to make you hot and bothered (emphasis on bothered)

Don't forget to follow @honeypiehotchnerlibrary and turn on post notifications to be "tagged" when a new chapter goes up!

Twelve: [REDACTED FROM THE RECORD]

Your mind fought your body as Aaron pressed into you, grinding against you, listening to you whimper. 

The cold barrel of his gun traced your jaw. It made the unbearable heat flood your entire body, and you felt ashamed. This was wrong. This wasn’t supposed to feel good.

“I think you’re just as gone as I am,” he whispered, his voice thick. “I could shoot you. Right here, right now. Instead,” he paused, pressing the barrel to your lips, “you’re squirming underneath me like a whore.”

“I hate you,” you snapped, taking a deep breath, trying to compose yourself.

“No you don’t,” he cooed, taking his gun away to cover your lips in a blistering kiss. He ignored your protests and worked his tongue between your lips until you surrendered, relaxing against his body, giving in. “There she is,” he laughs, returning to your neck. “Undo my belt,” he said. He lifted his head, looking into your eyes. “Try anything, and I’m pulling the trigger.”

You believed him. You nodded, your eyes heavy. 

“Good girl,” he murmured, pulling some of his weight off of you. “Go on.”

With your arms released, you worked him out of his belt, unzipping his pants, slipping your hand inside. He fell against the car the moment your hand wrapped around him. His hips jerked into your hand, his lips pressing against yours again.

His sounds were addicting. Listening to him fuck into your hand, his shaky breaths on your lips. You felt in control, just once. Until he took it back.

“Down,” he groaned, his hands pressing onto your shoulders. You resisted, shaking your head, until he pressed harder, and with the gun. “I said down.”

You sank to your knees, knowing what came next. He pulled his boxers down, and gripped your hair with one hand, shoving you forward.

He hit the back of your throat immediately and you gagged, not prepared for the intrusion. You barely had half of him, and he forced more, until your nose was against his stomach. You squirmed, trying to get away from him, from the pleasure that you hated you were feeling. He noticed. He gripped your hair tighter, and shoved his foot between your legs.

“Since you clearly need something,” he laughed darkly. “Grind on me, baby.”

He lifted his foot and the bump against your clit was all you needed. Your pleasure won over your logic. Nothing felt more right, grinding against him, swallowing his cock down your throat, letting him hold you down. 

“That’s it,” he hissed, pulling back to give you air before you went back down, and he held you there. He gripped your throat with his free hand, feeling his head beneath your skin. “Fuck.”

You felt him twitch only once before he spilled down your throat, refusing to let you up. You coughed and choked, your vision speckling right when he pulled you up. He hauled you up to your feet by your hair, pressing you against the car, covering your lips with his. He ground his hips into you and you sobbed. How was he still so hard? It made your core ache with a need you had never felt before. 

You were close to an orgasm, and he ripped it away from you, but now he was bringing you back to the edge. He gripped your hips, pressing his knee between your thighs as he lifted you up. 

“I have never,” he groaned, leaving bruises beneath your pants, “wanted to cut someone open as badly as I do with you.”

Fear ricocheted through you at his words.

“But I won’t,” he grumbled, pulling back to look at you. “Because what fun is it, to end it here?”

He set you down and spun you around, pulling your pants and underwear down in one swift move. You leaned over onto the hood of the car, accepting your fate, accepting your shame because you wanted it. You wanted this so bad, you spread your legs without being asked.

He traced your spine with the gun, then you heard him toss it to the ground. If you weren’t out of your mind, you’d reach for it, but it was far from your priorities. 

“I know how we can make this interesting,” he whispered, and then you felt a blade against your lower back. “Don’t make me hurt you, and I won’t. This can be pleasurable.”

You rested your head on the hood of the car, taking a deep breath, whimpering when you exhaled without meaning to. 

“Shhh,” he soothed, rocking his hips against you as he drew circles on your back with the knife. “I’ll give you what you need.”

He pushed into you with no warning, immediately hitting your cervix, causing you to cry out in pain. He began rocking in and out of you until the pain resumed to pleasure, and as he brushed your G-spot, he dug in with the knife. You felt the skin break, but felt no pain, only a sting, and it was intoxicating. You wanted more.

He felt your walls flutter when he did it, and he laughed, leaning over you to whisper in your ear. “I knew you’d like that.” The knife found your neck, lightly tracing your main artery. “Sick and twisted. Just as bad as me.”

Your eyes rolled when he rolled his hips, nicking you with the knife just under your ear. Nothing compared to the white hot pleasure that ripped through you with your first orgasm, or the way he chased you right to your second.

“Now that is addicting,” he breathed, pressing his hips into you. “If only you weren’t following orders.”

You didn’t know what he meant by that. Did he want to kill you, but would he refrain since your whereabouts were known? You never had time to think about it. He continued fucking into you until you couldn’t see straight.

You didn’t remember how many marks he left on you with the knife, just that each one felt better than the last. And that more than once, the feel of the knife nearly sent you over the cliff of an orgasm.

You were done only when he was done, and Aaron made sure you had four orgasms before he let himself cum inside you, sending you flying into a fifth climax. He wanted you fucked purely dumb, so he didn’t have to worry about you fighting him. And it worked.

He righted himself and returned his gun to his holster, choosing to use yours to make you obey him if necessary, but he didn’t think he’d run into any problems. You laid there against the hood of the car for a while, with your pants around your ankles, his cum running down your thighs. It was a sight he wished to take a picture of.

Until he remembered he had a bigger issue at hand.

“Get yourself together,” he instructed. “You’re driving me back to the motel.”

You nodded and pulled your pants up, your legs shaking as you attempted to move. You didn’t think you’d be able to drive, but you didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter.

You climbed into the driver’s seat and tried not to think about what you did. But the cuts from the knife screamed when you rested your back against the seat. A black shirt was your best decision this morning. “Now,” Aaron said, settling into the passenger seat, now pointing your gun on you. “We need to talk.”

[wingedjellyfishflight]

Hogtied: Part 3

You stay busy for another week, finishing up exams and redacting most of König's file for him. Just in time, it seems, as you catch one of your nurses looking through it with a frown. The dressing down she receives is more than enough to deter others, but the cleaning rotation she gets for the next month ensures it won't happen again.

When the C140 lands again, it is complete madness, just as you were worried it would be. König has multiple large lacerations, Ghost has a through and through on the meaty part of his thigh, Gaz has a laceration on his head that won't stop bleeding and Soap, poor Soap. A broken leg, lacerations on his arm, and clear signs of torture.

You triage the men, passing Gaz off for stitches, sending Ghost to a nurse who previously worked in an ER and directing a set of nurses to tag team the lacerations on König, but only what he will allow. Any pushback means stop. You don't want to lose the trust you have built up in the short time he has worked with you. Turning to Soap, you work to stabilize him. Immobilizing his leg, you quickly stitch the worst of his wounds to stop the bleeding. With the help of a few nurses, you get good x-rays. Luckily, it is not a complex break, and you are able to set it with ease. He will need a hard cast once the swelling goes down.

The aftermath of torture is a harder thing to solve. You bandage his hands, slather burns in ointment, and inject an antibiotic. Gaz pulls you aside and tells you that he was also subject to waterboarding for a very short window of time before they rescued him. You nod, angry, but trying not to show it. You turn back and review all of Soap's injuries now that he is more stable, ensuring that you didn't miss anything. There doesn't appear to be anything else wrong with him, and you have him moved to a recovery room.

You make rounds, checking on the others as they rest. When you reach König's room, you note blood on his pillow and check over his chart. "Herzblatt, do you have an injury under your mask?" He turns to look at you.

"Ja, mein Kopf tut weh."

(Yes, my head hurts.)

"Let me grab a kit, and we will get it fixed up then." You do so, shutting the door on your way back to the bed. He slips off his mask, and you gasp, seeing the large cut across his face. "You should have mentioned this."

"I wanted you to fix, Schatz."

"Yes, Herzblatt, but I would have come to fix it sooner. Now hold still. I will have to numb you to stitch it. You may grip my shoulder if you need to." He hesitates, but as he sees you move closer with the needle, he wraps his fingers tight where you indicated. The way he grips it, you know you will have bruises later, but he doesn't flinch away. "Once it is numb, I will stitch inside to bring those layers together, then I will stitch the outside. You will tell me if you feel pain, yes? There is no reason to tough it out."

"Ja, already proved my mettle." You chuckle and lay out your supplies.

"Jetzt haben wir den Salat."

He chokes back a laugh at that. While his body is becoming numb, you check the rest of his lacerations and ensure the stitches look good. Returning to his face, you check to ensure he is ready, then work to stitch him up. It goes quickly, though you have to make a conscious effort not to look in his eyes.

(Now we have the salad, aka shit went sideways, and now we have a mess)

Just as you set down the needle and thread on your table, the door bursts open. Unthinking, you jump forward and use your body to cover König's face. "Unless someone is dying, get out!"

"Sorry, you've been in here a long time, and we were worried. Is everything alright?"

"I said, get the fuck out! You know the rules here, Lieutenant!" The door slams shut and you cautiously pull back, checking to make sure none of the stitches popped. König's face looks red as a tomato as he looks at you. "Let me finish bandaging this and you can put the mask back on, alright?" He stares at you saying nothing. "Uhh... sorry for that. I should have locked the door. And sorry for mashing your face with my... torso." You quickly place the bandages and hand him his mask.

"I'd prefer if you had a clean mask, but I don't have one handy. If you drop one by later, I can keep it on hand for you. Ghost keeps some here, the delicate princess. He refuses to wear hospital grubs if he can't wear the clothes he came in with."

"So, he is not... dating you?"

"Hmm... no. No, he and I are not dating. I'm half sure he is more interested in Soap than me, but I've been wrong before. Any roads, enough talk about our co-workers. Push the button here if you need assistance. I am going off the clock, but I will return if needed. Try to get some rest. I'm sure debriefing will be hell."

When you return the next morning, only Soap remains in recovery. The other men have left to debrief. You schedule an appointment for him with the therapist he doesn't hate and listen to him flirt with a nurse while you update files in your office. He quickly grows bored and insists that you sit and entertain him.

You acquiesce, deciding that a break is in order now that you've finished about half of your paperwork. He is chatting away about things he's done mostly. You usually try to deflect questions about yourself, but he is not deterred, sipping at his coffee while you enjoy your cuppa.

"Didja always wannae be a doc?" You shake your head.

"Got it twisted, mate. I never wanted to be a doctor. T'was my parents dream, not mine. I picked here to spite 'em."

He laughs hard. "You're a rebel. What didja wannae then?"

You stand suddenly, too flustered by his question. "Tea times over, fella. I've gottae get back to work." You pause in the doorway, leaning back in and looking into his eyes as you debate with yourself. "I wanted a job like yours." He looks stunned, then a bit sad.

"Ye woulda been a belter, lass." You smile sadly and walk back to your office. It takes forever for you to get any work done. You make sure to sign off on his release so Soap can leave when he is ready.

You look up at a knock on your door some time later. "Enter"

"Doc, you're still here? I was just checking in here since the light was on. It's already after 2100."

"Oh, shit. I completely lost track of time. Just have to finish this, and I will head out."

"Alright, see you tomorrow then."

It's after 2200 when you do head out, and you quickly realize that you are starving, not having had much more than snacks since breakfast. The mess is closed this late, so you head to the kitchen. Digging through the fridge, you hear a noise behind you, but don't see anything when you look around the darkened room. Shrugging it off, you dig some more before grabbing leftovers with Ghost's name on them. You're disappointed to see that they've gone off and toss them in the bin before looking again.

You finally find some leftovers that aren't bad with Captain Price written in capital letters with an underline on the box. It's butter chicken over rice, and you've honestly never been so excited for it. Waiting for it to heat, you hear the sound again. You turn and realize that there are two men across the room watching you. Through squinted eyes, you see that it is Captain Price and Gaz having tea together. Whipping back around nervously, your fingers tap on the counter, waiting forever, it seems for the microwave to ding.

Just before it does, you hear, "Butter chicken. My favorite," in your ear, and you nearly jump out of your skin.

"S-sorry, Captain. I missed lunch and dinner. I'll order some fresh tomorrow to make up for it. Please."

"I'm just teasin ya, doll. Eat up. You know we never remember to eat our leftovers." He winks and walks off, catching up to Gaz.

[vaya-writes]

Serving the Serpent - AITA 3

A series of joke AITA posts that are about some of the antagonists in the Serving the Serpent universe. These are prompts and drabbles written for fun that reveal some key details of character back stories that might not otherwise be mentioned in the canon story.

This started off as a joke post - an "Am I The Asshole" prompt written to help me understand some of the antagonists in Serving the Serpent. Then the guy started having regrets, and it kind of turned into a journal entry. I like the descent from complete bigot who never questions himself to, 'holy shit I've lost a lot' this guy goes through. Still, the language is gross and potentially triggering, so please be mindful of tags.

Content Warnings: abduction and using a person as unconsenting bait for a monster, misogyny and objectification. Off screen background character death, brief mention of animal death, neither described in any detail (this piece deals with a literal animal predator). Brief mentions of food scarcity and one additional off screen death. 800 words. Divider by firefly-graphics. 

Previous

A monster started living in our territory so we used my adopted niece as unconsenting bait while our hunters tried to kill it. AITA   

An excerpt from [REDACTED]’s diary: 

XX/XX/XX 

Stella ‘Sister’ passed away last summer and things have only gotten harder from there. I haven’t had the time to find myself a wife so things around the home have become less homely. Briar  Stella’s daughter  ‘Niece’ knows how to keep the place clean, I suppose, but with the silence, it’s not the same.  

Things have gotten... bad. There is discontent among the people. Some of it comes from the church, which is frustrating. I don’t blame the men for being unhappy, what with so few resources to go around. But I do blame them for being so superstitious. You can’t spill a drink around here without somebody muttering that it’s an omen from the Serpent.  

Since when did we start caring for the Serpent? He’s barely more than a bedtime story we use to scare the children. He’s real, sure, but we live behind a palisade in the distant corner of his land. I sincerely doubt he’s out curdling the milk or spilling our drinks for spite. 

... 

Regardless. 

Things have been harder lately. Less food over the years. Not enough wild game come to our area anymore. (An omen, I’m sure.) Less forage too, since it’s too dangerous to stray far. Nobody wants to risk running into the natives. 

Yesterday we found the cause. Animal tracks. A carcass. 

There’s something else in the woods. Something that wasn’t here last year. And it’s been eating our prey.  

The men are torn on how to handle it.  

Part of me wants to play it safe. We could pull back. Change our territory. But then we run the risk of meeting the Others. Or moving to an area with even less food. Playing it safe might not be sustainable. 

The aggressive approach would be to hunt the beast. Reclaim our territory.  

But the hunters aren’t used to large prey. Dangerous prey. (prey that can hunt them back, prey that isn’t prey.) The state the deer carcass was in has got them spooked.  

Reginald ‘Priest’ suggested something outrageous. It’s not like he’s ever picked up a spear, and I wish he’d kept his mouth shut. But folks are clinging to his suggestion like it’s the best thing they ever heard.  

Regi ‘Priest’ suggested we use one of our own as lure, hide ourselves, and then kill the creature when its attention is focused on the bait.  

How would that even work? Where would the hunters hide? Up in trees like the damn Others? We are working from foot prints and claw marks, we don’t even know what kind of creature we’d be hunting! How can we deceive a beast when we don’t even know by what senses it hunts? 

Who would volunteer for such a job?  

Ugh. The whole situation has left me exasperated. I wish I could just ignore it. 

XX/XX/XX 

I was outvoted.  

I’m trying not to be bitter about it. My word should be law, but Reginald has gotten his hooks into everyone. We haven’t gotten along since Stella adopted the child, and I think he wanted to use this as an opportunity to spite me.  

They’re going to use Briar. And there’s little I can say to convince them otherwise. 

XX/XX/XX 

It went to shit. Of course it did.  

Two hunters made it back alive.  

Two.  

Out of twelve.  

The monster found them before it even got to Briar the bait. A monstrosity with the size and claws of a bear, beaked and feathered like a flightless bird. I shudder to think of where it came from. If there’ll be more. 

Stella’s daughter will be killed sacrificed for nothing. Nobody is willing to go back out there any time soon. 

XX/XX/XX 

We recovered the bodies today. Part of me wanted to enjoy the look on Reginald’s face during the burials. The rest of me was too distracted. 

The creature is dead. Its carcass slumped over the slab of rock where we’d left my niece. 

The remaining hunters can’t make any sense of the tracks in the clearing. Something happened. Obviously. But they don’t know what.  

At least, that’s what we’ve told everyone. Reginald included. 

It seems at least one of the hunters are back on my side again, because Percy told me in person (away from the church’s prying eyes) that there was one glaring thing he noticed. That some of the tracks in the dirt belong to one particular species of Other. 

The Serpent has visited our corner of the woods. 

There’s the other thing, too.  

‘Thing,’ I write, as if it were a casual affair... 

Briar is gone.  

(And with her the last of Stella.) I don’t know if I should be filled with regret or relief. 

[transgenderteensurvivalguide]

Lee says:

TransBucket has been an invaluable resource for me throughout my medical transition.

I would spend hours on the site looking at photos that I’d already seen because it helped me prepare for my own medical transition and it helped me feel like what I wanted was a possibility.

Seeing the ‘before and after’ photos from other trans people who had gotten top surgery and phalloplasty gave me so much hope at a time when I was really struggling with dysphoria and depression.

I’m someone who has benefited in ways that I can’t even fully express from the post-op community’s generosity. I don’t know if I would have the life that I have now without it.

After I had my top surgery and hysterectomy, I chose to upload my photos to TransBucket to give back to the community (in a small way) and help others as I had been helped.

This is largely why I hesitated in sharing photos of vulnerable moments depicting surgical healing, although I ultimately did upload several photos showing the early weeks and months of recovery.

I didn’t upload any photos after I had fully healed and gotten tattoos to hide my surgery scars because I was worried about my privacy, which is something I still struggle with, and I ultimately decided to not upload photos of my genitals after phalloplasty for the same reason.

While I always knew TransBucket was publicly accessible, the mention of the site in the news made me reconsider whether I wanted to continue having my images hosted there.

The site being down for the past couple of months has given me some pause, but today, 5+ years after getting top surgery and making my first TransBucket submission, I have gone back and deleted some (but not all) of my post-top surgery and post-hysterectomy images.

I’m still considering what the best way is for me to protect myself from transphobic cisgender people who might use my images in ways that are incompatible with my views and how I feel about my body, and also protect myself from some of the hate coming from within the community as many of the most hurtful comments about about post-op bodies like mine are often made by pre-op and non-op trans people.

I became a mod on this blog when I had just turned 16 and I had top surgery at 18. I shared things online that I probably wouldn’t have shared if I had been if I had become a mod at my current age in my early 20’s, but the internet is forever and I can’t take it all back, even if my feelings on my online privacy have changed.

I would like to encourage our followers to take a moment and reevaluate their internet privacy as well, and think about what things they’re comfortable with sharing going forward.

I’m not saying that you should delete your images from TransBucket specifically— I might even end up reuploading mine there at some point, with some redactions for privacy. But you should think about what photos you are okay with sharing online a lot longer and harder than I did.

All that said, I’d like to circle back to my original point— that TransBucket has been an incredible resource for me (and many others) and it continues to be one of the first things that I recommend to anyone who is considering gender-affirming surgery (and is not a minor in the jurisdiction in which they reside as the site hosts images of genitals and it is against the terms of service for minors to join).

I would like to thank the admin of @transbucket for all the work they’ve done, and encourage our followers to assist them if they are able to:

[princelylove]

Your Highness 💞

Ever since you made that post about la squadra and talked about prosciutto being a model it's all that's been stuck in my head every time I think about him, and more so I think about him with a darling who's also a model (since you mentioned he was a runaway model I was thinking of darling being a photoshoot or fashion or commercial kind) . I think it'd be interesting to see how their dynamic goes.

All I can imagine is them at the met gala, help.

Please and thank you 🦪 (pearls for you if you're interested?)

Ooh, pearls. I love pearls.

Little warning for fatshaming (is that the word?) towards the end.

Prosciutto is simultaneously the most generous and selfish member of la squadra. He's genuinely very mean, but he mothers the younger members in a very 'gentle' way. Physical abuse aside, he's fairly loved. Even Ghiaccio likes him, and Ghiaccio's the type of guy to call all mother figures a bitch.

The reason I say "mother" instead of "father" is, well. There's two reasons. One, because I view Risotto as the family father. Two, because Prosciutto isn't the type to keep buying you fruit when you mention you like it, he's the type to not apologize after screaming at you but still makes dinner just how you like it.

Prosciutto is, of course, a diva. He doesn't want a model for a darling, he wants a nobody he can belittle. You think he wants to pretend you're sooo good at your job? He's doing this on top of his second job, and look. No eye bags. You're nowhere near his level, don't try, you're embarrassing him.

He views it as competition because he's....... a very jealous man. He likes to be the center of attention, as most divas do. Prosciutto could want a darling who also models, since it's easy to put you down for the obvious difference in levels. It's like if Naomi Campbell in her prime was dating a stock model.

Male models are obviously held to different standards than female models. It's unfair, but it's true. In the author's opinion, it's much harder to shine as a female model in the industry, so masc Prosciutto gets a boost from the start no matter what you're doing, assuming reader is fem.

But fem Prosciutto?

She genuinely outshines you. She could do photoshoots if she wanted to, even if she doesn't like them. She gets offers all the time, she doesn't need the side money.

She likes to be on set for your shoots for plenty of reasons. Entirely mean spirited reasons. Prosciutto likes to pinch your sides when you're feeling confident- are you sure they got your size right? You've been cutting for this, right? Jeeez, the sizing department really hates you, you should go back on that diet she tried to get you on a while ago.

Prosciutto's very fond of using pet names, it's 'unfortunate' that every last one of them is derogatory. Fatty, fatass, piggy, [REDACTED: CONTAINS SLUR], isn't she such a loving lady?

Prosciutto lets you come to her shows, at least! You get to exist in the Prosciutto’s dressing room- yeah, she's that much of a diva that she insists on getting her own room, despite getting changed by the designer and not needing one. Prosciutto's fully comfortable standing around in the nice lingerie she wears under her work clothes, she's baiting you to stare so she can accuse you of being a perv. What, stupid and all worked up over some underwear? Jesus Christ, stop thinkin' with your dick and go be useful.

[spookybeandoodle]

I can’t really watch the cutie vids (but I do know what happens because of tumblr and stuff) because they give me anxiety but also the absolute hate on cutie is so vile. Because it’s not just a “eh I don’t really vibe with this character” dislike, it’s more of a “this person doesn’t deserve happiness. They will NEVER change. And I hope they suffer” type of hate. It’s honestly scary.

Old habits are so hard to break from and I honestly think Cutie suffered from that. I have old habits that till this day I am trying to break. And what’s worse sometimes I may actually fall back into those old habits after not doing it for years. Cutie gives of very insecure vibes and taking a peek into their partner’s mind is probably how they safely secure themselves that they are okay in the relationship. Is it right? No it’s not. But that’s how they used it and now they have to learn to undo that. But these things aren’t fixed in a day. That’s why Geordi took A BREAK not a breakup to give them some time to work on themselves. To see if they could put in the effort to change because people deserve change. The chance to fix their mistakes.

Relationships are hard, they’re complicated, and so are people.

People are flawed. I’m flawed. You are flawed.

Sorry I just keep seeing it and I’m not even following the redacted tags anymore so that should be saying something. But at the same time I could just look away too so it’s still my fault honestly. I’m not a writer, not a great thinker, and I’m a bit of a dummy so I’m sorry if this is kind of stinky and not well thought out! XD but I honestly hope some of you guys rethink your hate towards cutie and learn to have patience. And if you don’t or still hate them then hey that’s your opinion. At the end of the day, it’s still up to you on where you stand.

And to all the people who say they see cutie in themselves, please do not be hard on yourself. You aren’t unsalvageable, you can change and I know it’s a lot harder said then done but I believe in you. Take small steps. Not everyday do you need to show progress. Do it at your own pace. You are still worthy of love.

[shatterthefragments]

Quilt ideas sounds amazing, do tell!!

Quilt ideas!!! Thank you!!! 💖

So. A few starting notes: I. Can. Barely sew. 😬And I was meant to start these for real last year, but I caught covid on my sailing trip (god I hope I don’t get sick this trip. It’s the last one I’m young enough… but I don’t want to volunteer I don’t think after this… even though the trip is free in exchange for the work you do… but also I could go to [redacted] that way BUT. Anyway.) and had no energy for anything for a long time especially bc I had to return to work before I should’ve tbh which made the fatigue way worse. (At least I felt fine when doing nothing at all and was negative. But I was still needing to rest and was being held up by my compression socks. Which exhausted me to put on).

So. Nautical themed quilted vest 👀

Obligation quilts (mum bought me the fabric specifically so I could make them for her): cats, hedgehogs, birds. I haven’t decided which ones will be lap quilts or if I want to attempt making a full size quilt. (I do not have nor know how to use a long arm but if I ever have a ton of money there are services in the city for this.)

Quilts I REALLY WANT TO TRY TO DO:

A turtle themed quilt for one of my irl best friends!!! I haven’t decided if I want to do it much smaller (so it’s manageable to do at home) as either a lap quilt or a quilt for her adorable cat to lay on ���� but also it would be amazing to make one for her that’s human sized.

The one thing I worry about even though I really want to make her a cat sized quilt is if it’s durable enough or if it would be a danger for her 🥺

For me: (multiple) ocean themed, sailboat themed, birds?

And I know tshirt quilts are. Kinda a joke of No I Won’t Make You A Tshirt Quilt. But. I kinda want to make one of mum’s old trip shirts (if there are enough intact. I wore some of them too so idk how many there are left)

And one of my ones too. Though admittedly I don’t usually get tshirts. I have one from a Hard Rock Cafe in LA from a band trip. I have a Rina Sawayama Hold The Girl Reloaded one. I have sailing shirts. Coffee Talk. Beam Paints. But not exactly enough for a quilt (yet). It’s fine I don’t have the skills yet to do this anyway. Bc how do you pin everything so it doesn’t stretch? One day. Maybe I’ll try to get some more tshirts haha.

I also see like. The quilts that have patterns or patterns to make a DRAWING ON THERE and am amazed but uh. I should probably just. Uh. Maybe do squares first and then see if I can do the harder stuff after?

Unless 👀 (*insert kombucha girl image here*) but uh yeah. I’ll probably (try to) stick to squares quilting first ✌️ ✨ (I don’t even follow patterns when cross stitching sooo)

[alveolaraspergillosis]

i’ve

been feeling sort of conflicted about my relationship / whether it should be going on but . i really wanted the space and support to sort those out on my own terms. silly me, forgot that i’m not white and i don’t get to live my life on my own terms . my parents essentially stated that if it goes on they’re cutting me off financially and like. yes ill be frank i love having money. and i know a more resourceful and harder working person than me could make it work on their own but i’m not that bitch. anyway i’m just pissed off that like, ok regardless of my own conflicted feelings having a relationship and knowing i’m not alone is currently the easiest part of my life and my parents are artificially introducing stress there knowing full and well that chronic stress has fucked my body up so bad that i’m now on a bunch of (decently expensive) medications (that are also always on back order) just to get through my day. i’m also pissed off that after years and years of trying and being humiliated by the system (tm) i decided to change my career goals a little and that’s not good enough for them because they want me to last minute apply to [redacted] around the rest of the world. like they want me to be in a place where i am constantly stressed + my expenses are so off the wall that i am financially dependent on them forever, when the plan i finally settled on could’ve freed me in the next few years with a lot less effort. anyway i hate that they’re too middle eastern to let me make my own decisions wrt my personal life but not middle eastern enough to like. arrange me a marriage so that i can fuck off and be someone else’s problem.

[theoldaeroplane]

Man; this last year has been so strange for me in terms of my perception of myself.

It has been not quite a year since I said to my [redacted] that my fussiness over people at my work not following any sensible structure in their code was so strong that you would almost think I'm autistic. I'm not sure why it was that idle thought, specifically, that made me start researching what having autism actually looks like. It was such a tremendous breakthrough for me once I started reading, in a way it hasn't been for some friends that have offhandedly mentioned they thought they might be autistic. (It's possible they're having their own breakthroughs in private, but I don't think so.)

Suddenly I had Explanations for why I am the way I am. I had the language. I didn't have to constantly fall back on "I guess I'm just overly sensitive" or "I'm weird like that" with no obvious cause.

On the heels of this, and I mean like three weeks after I started reading, I began to suspect I might have ADHD as well. I've suspected this in the past, I even took a test, but I was told I didn't have it. And they were the professional, and I paid hundreds of dollars for that test, so surely it meant I didn't have it, right? My problems with time and attention and memory must just be quirks. I must just not care enough.

Buddy.

Earlier this year I finally got an appointment with a psychiatrist, who asked me some questions and gave me a prescription. It had to change a few times before we found one that balanced side effects and symptom relief.

I can't tell you how strange it's been to watch my perception of myself change. For most of my life, I was told I was weird, lazy, that I didn't care enough, that I was too sensitive, that I needed to try harder, that I had so much potential I wasn't living up to, that I was acting different on purpose, that I thought I was so special. I internalized all of it. I believed all of it. What else could I do? I was a kid. Something was wrong and the adults in my life decided it was those things.

No one ever thought I might be autistic. No one ever suggested I might have ADHD. Not even my dad, who also has ADHD, who is probably autistic himself.

I do my best not to be bitter. The world was different when I was a kid. Information was hard to come by and we were poor. For all that I've come to hate my mother I understand that she herself was struggling heavily with her own mental health. I'm angry I slipped under the radar, but I don't know if anyone can really be blamed. And being angry can't change the past. All I can do now is move forward.

I have to remind myself, often, that I am a good person. (The fact I was raised to believe that all people are inherently wicked is another post.) That I am trying my best, and operating under a fundamentally broken system that is intolerant to people who don't fit its borders. That if the screaming and shaming and self-flagellating were going to work they would have done so by now. That my brain is built in such a way that causes it to constantly feel both over- and under-stimulated. That I'm not broken.

I was, as the story goes, a cygnet being raised by ducks, who simply got more and more frustrated when their strange duckling did not act the way a duckling should.

Well. I guess I'm a swan now. A swan with baggage, which is a funny image. I can't quack, but I can trumpet. And I have wings so powerful that they can break bones. (Just go with the metaphor.) More importantly, I know I'm not a duck, and I'm learning I don't have to keep trying to be one.

[autisticempathydaemon]

hey hey! idk if this is where I submit for the match up! but I would love to see who you think I'd fit in with! I'm a creative soul who tends to try to develop deep friendships with people above everything. I have a bit of a savior complex as well lol I work hard and play harder, trying to find new adventures to go on with those i care about. I tend to support others before supporting myself, and while im happy to let others open up to me its hard for me to open up in return. the best way i can feel close to someone is deep conversations and being creative with them!

My current fav song has been Maybe IDK by John Bellion, specifically the lyric "i guess if i knew tomorrow i guess i wouldnt need faith"  just the idea of living today to the best you can just because you don't know what will happen tomorrow. the worries of the future should keep you down today

My current fav Redacted audio has to be the Helping your Werewolf bf shift again. Specifically the acting is just so good to me. Erik did an amazing job of portraying Milo's anguish and pain at not being able to shift. Plus the relieved sobs at the end is so satisfying and emotional. 

The one boy i cant get the hype around is Ivan. like sure the yandere thing is somewhat attractive to some, but i just don't like the idea of an actual psychopath being obsessed with me.

my favorite movie is definitely the Secret Life of Walter Mitty by Ben Stiller. its less of a quotable movie and more of i remember every scene very distinctly. its a movie that envelops my own escapism. its beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and a wholesome story on a rainy day.

my platonic redacted crush has to be Damien. he seems like a blast to interact with and tease. he's a hard worker and is tied close to his goals which i can admire. i would love to body double with him if i had some tasks to get done

space is also 100% my ramble subject when im sleepy, that and greek mythology

My guilty pleasure media is currently the animated shows Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Lego Monkie Kid. despite being kids shows, both of these are beautifully animated and shockingly well written!

I hope that gives you an idea of me! I look forward to who you think i match with!

Hmm, lots of good tidbits of information to consider. You strike me as really thoughtful, really caring, and I think Lasko could really benefit from a partner like that.

A savior complex, from what I understand, is just wanting to help people and make their lives better, and Lasko’s a guidance counselor, so y’all would have that in common. What’s good about pairing two people like that is y’all could keep each other in line, so to speak. Something that’s important when you’re always looking out for other people is to make sure someone is always looking out for you and vice versa. You and Lasko together would always make sure you’re taking care of others, each other, and yourselves.

Another reason I like the two of you together is that you like being creative with one another as a bonding activity. You know what’s the ultimate way to be creative together? Tabletop role playing games! If you don’t already play, Lasko would be so excited to help you with a character sheet, to help you craft a backstory, paint some mini figurines, go out and buy the perfect game dice and notebooks- the greatest combination of nerdy and cute in a couple.

Song:

There now, steady love, so few come and don't go/ Will you won't you, be the one I always know?/ When I'm losing my control, the city spins around/ You're the only one who knows, you slow it down

One, the whole vibe of “you slow me down, I’ll look after you, we’re here for each other” vibes are exactly what I’m picturing for y’all. Also, Lasko and I are around the same age, and I heard this song a lot growing up. I have some weird, like, emotional resonance with it from childhood, and I think Lasko does too. Like, it makes him nostalgic and longing; maybe he always wanted someone to look after and to look after him, and now he’s finally found that in you.

Runner-Ups:

A very reasonable runner-up for you would be Camelopardalis because he would do a great job making sure you balance work and your personal life and that you don’t put others before yourself too much. A more fun runner-up would be Guy because I love sticking that beautiful Creative Writing major with other beautiful, creative people!

note: thank you for waiting, dear, and I hope you like your match-up! 💕

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[illym]

Day 3 - Roleswap

I'm not a good outfit designer at the best of times, and coming up with one while sketching out the body makes it so much harder. I'll have to come back to this one, since I just stole Sirius' suit.

Roleswapped Sirius and my oc Thalia. Idea dump under the cut.

ID in alt text.

I went too far into logicking out how exactly the roleswap would work; instead of merely swapping them and keeping everything the same, I swapped the people important to their stories, too. Thus, Thalia's family is a witch-hunting family that gives up an important limb in exchange for the ability to see the unseen and other stuff, maybe. Thalia gave up her eye because seeing, and she covers it with an eye-patch-made-talismen when not using it, as her family believed that the demon they pacted with could see through their eye, otherwise.

Her family in general has a lot of assumptions that are logical, but proven completely wrong by canon. I doubt Thalia would ever learn exactly how wrong her family is; they've been chasing ghosts for a long time, and she probably gives up the tradition after each conclusion (for different reasons each time).

Sirius gains her [ redacted ], and is far more unstable about the deaths of his parents, since he killed them in this au. He's journeying around to try and find a way to see them again, and cure himself of [ redacted ]. He takes on a few of Ashe's elements, here, which is fitting as I swapped Ashe and Wilardo. I should write this whole au out...

Sirius ends up working for Thalia as she did in my canon, but he's far less trusting of her than she of him because she refuses to say anything about her eye or all the demon / witch / magic equipment around the mansion. She doesn't tell him anything because she believes he doesn't need to know, and knowing would just stress him out.

Thalia would be willing to kill Claire because she knows the dangers of a witch's part in the wrong hands.

Sirius is willing to kill Claire to grant his wish and rid himself of [ redacted ] and meet his parents again. The second part of his wish ends up killing him whenever he gets the Witch's Heart.