#triple split definition

[caspers-corner]

Circuitry in Human Design

Tribal Channels: 45-21, 40-37, 59-6, 19-49, 50-27, 44-26, 50-27

Collective Abstract Channels: 64-47, 11-56, 35-36, 33-13, 46-29, 42-53, 41-30

Collective Logic Channels: 63-4, 17-62, 48-16, 31-7, 15-5, 9-52, 18-58

Individual Channels: 61-24, 17-62, 48-16, 31-7, 15-5, 9-52, 18-58

[driftwoodsix]

inspired by @awakenatmidnights

[kingkatsuki]

You know when people try and sell their concert tickets online cause they can no longer go? Imagine you were supposed to be going to a concert for your favourite artist with your boyfriend, but you end up splitting up just before you get to go.

And you’re thinking about just selling both tickets, because you’re already feeling low after the breakup and you don’t really want to go to the show on your own.

But you convince yourself that you deserve that happiness, and you decide that you’re going to go and see them anyway. Even if you just stand at the side and dance with a drink in hand it’s better than being at home alone wallowing in your misery another weekend.

So you list the spare ticket online, and you get a message off a cute guy that’s interested in buying it. And you’re arranging to meet outside the venue before the show to do the exchange, saving his contact in your phone as ‘Bakugou’ just in case you need to call him to try and find him when you’re waiting outside.

Bakugou[7.47PM]: Here.

It’s the only text you get from him as you look around to see if you can spot him. You’d seen enough of his pictures on social media to know what he looked like (not that you’d spent the rest of the evening stalking him or anything), but you’d managed to spot him through the sea of people making their way inside the venue as you waved him down. And as he came closer to you, you’d noticed that he was alone too.

But he’s gorgeous, far more attractive than the photographs on his socials (if that were even possible) and definitely way out of your league. So you just hand him over the ticket as he gives you the money for it as you tell each other to enjoy the show and you make your way inside.

It’s only after the first support artist that you feel someone nudge your shoulder and you turn to see the same guy standing beside you and offering a beer out to you, which you take with a confused expression on your face.

“For not being one of those assholes trying to sell tickets to this for triple face value.” He rasped.

“Oh, I’d never,” You shook your head, “I had to pay double the price for them last time, I made sure I didn’t have to do it again. Thank you though.”

You motioned to the beer, smiling as you took a step towards him to avoid a group of girls exiting the pit behind you.

“Didn’t know you came to this alone either.” He nodded, taking a sip of his own beer as the crowd bustled inside the venue.

“Oh yeah, I was meant to be here with—” You felt your throat tighten at the reminder that you were supposed to be here with your now ex-boyfriend, “My ex.”

“That why you had the spare ticket?”

“Yeah,” You took your own sip of beer as you tried to ease the tightness in your chest, “I wasn’t gonna come at all.”

“Fuck him,” The guy scoffed, “Ain’t no reason you shouldn’t enjoy this because he’s a fuckin’ idiot.”

“What about you?” You murmur, “Didn’t you have anyone to come with?”

“My friends ain’t into this type of music,” He shrugs, “And the one that is is workin’ tonight. But they’re my favourite band, I couldn’t miss ‘em. I was about to pay triple the price for a ticket until I saw your post.”

“You were lucky, I guess.”

His crimson eyes meet yours and you can feel your heart pounding against your ribcage as you feel your cheeks burning.

“Yeah, I’m real fuckin’ lucky.”

[riki-riks-chick]

★Blind Date★

︱Enhypen Sunghoon OneShot

︱nsfw! oral sex! sexual intercourse! fucking on the ︱first date!

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Third Person POV~

  "Heeseung, I don't wanna go on another blind date... The guys are always weird.." You were annoyed. Your best friend was once again trying to talk you into a blind date. There was no way you'd agree. "Come on Y/n.. He's really good looking! And he's a gentleman. Just give him a shot.." He wouldn't quit until you agreed, so you simply nodded. "Fine.. I'll do it.."

  "Alright.. I'll let him know.. Trust me on this one.. I really think you'll like him.. You have a lot in common." He smiled before leaving your room so you could get ready for your newly scheduled rendezvous. 

 You spent a few hours getting ready, wearing a periwinkle colored maxi dress that stopped mid thigh. Adorning yourself with a decent amount of makeup, your favorite jewelry, and a thin fur coat for the occasion you got cold. You also made sure to put some essentials into your clutch.

 After that, you were ready to go. Heeseung drove you to the restaurant. "If you need me.. Call me, I'll be close by. If you don't text within an hour I'll go home.. Be safe.. I love you." He smiled, kissing your cheek as you smiled. "Alright.. I love you too Heeseung.. Bye.."

  "Don't come home or the date is unsuccessful." He made sure to add as you laughed. "Okay.. Bye Heeseung." You got out of the car, tugging down your dress as you waved at Heeseung, watching him drive off before walking inside. "Reservation?" Upon being asked, you simply responded Lee, as Heeseung had told you to. The man led you to your table shortly after. 

 You arrived at the table, immediately gasping as you met eyes with your blind date. He was extremely handsome. You smiled, taking your seat as he smiled at you. Your heart fluttered. "Hello... Nice to meet you... I'm Sunghoon." He smiled, reaching across the table to shake your hand as you gladly took his hand. His hands were warm and smooth. "I'm Y/n.. Nice to meet you as well.."

 "You're really pretty Y/n..." He smiled as you blushed. "Thank you, you're really handsome." He smiled at your response. "Let's glance at the menu.. Order whatever you want, I'm footing the bill.." His words made your stomach do a flip. No guy had ever offered to pay for your dinner. They were always down to split it fifty-fifty. He definitely had your best interests. "I can't let you pay for everything Sunghoon.."

 "Just leave it to me.. What do you want to eat? Any cravings? I'll have whatever you're having.." He gently gestured towards the menu as you sighed, skimming the selections for something that suited your taste. You had eventually decided on something, pointing it out to him as he smiled. "I like that too.. Alright then. White wine or red?" 

 Everytime he asked for your preference, you felt special. No guy had ever been so considerate. "I prefer red.." You answered shyly as he nodded, gesturing towards the waiter. "Hey can we get two (insert food) and a bottle of your best red wine?" He asked as the waiter nodded. He repeated the order to make sure it was written properly, and then he left with a promise to bring the bottle of wine.

 "So, what are your interests Sunghoon?" You asked as he hummed. "I'm a figure skater.. I'm currently in talks of doing it professionally, but as of now, I work at my parents' ice rink.. I teach skating classes." He said as you stared at him, stunned. "You ice skate too?" You asked as he nodded. "You do as well?" 

 "I used to.. I was about to go pro, but I slipped during a triple axel, and I tore a ligament.. I haven't been able to skate the same since." You explained as he pouted. "That's so sad... If you wanted.. We could spend some time together after hours.. I'll help you get conditioned to skating again." He offered and you couldn't resist.

  He got better and better with each sentence. "I'd love to try.. I haven't skated since the incident happened a few years ago.. I tried skating once my leg healed, but I kept falling.. It was frustrating.." You didn't notice how emotional you were becoming until he reached across the table to rub your hand. "It's alright... We'll take it slow.."

﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊﹊

The night was long and you enjoyed every second of it.. He was offering to drive you home, and at first you were reluctant, but he was adamant. 

  "Actually.. Can we go back to my place? I don't think I want this night to end yet." He asked so politely and you couldn't resist. Heeseung wasn't lying about him being a gentleman.

 He took you to his apartment, opening the door as he led you to the living room. He sat you down, offering you a glass of water to sober you up. Your alcohol tolerance was low, but  every interesting topic over dinner was paired with another glass of wine.

 Sunghoon had apologized, saying that he wouldn't have kept pouring you glass after glass if he'd known of your low tolerance. You insisted it was okay though.

 "Here... Take a few sips.. It might make you feel a bit better." He took your coat, setting it down with your other belongings before turning on the tv. Some random movie was playing on low volume. It provided background noise. "Thank you.. For everything tonight.." You set your cup down, only just now noticing the small distance between you.

 "I enjoyed talking with you.. What do you wanna do now?" He asked as you hummed, inching closer to him, your thighs were now pressed against each other. "What do you want to do Sunghoon?" You let your drunken state lead you, leaning in to whisper in his ear as he let out a shaky breath. "I- I.. It doesn't matter what I wanna do.. I'm happy pleasing you.." 

 "So, are you fine with this?" You pulled him closer, your lips ghosting over his as you turned towards him, crossing one leg over his lap. "If that's what you want.." He swallowed, hard, eyes flickering from your lips and back to your eyes, his heart beating out of his chest. "What do you want Sunghoon?" You wanted an answer. He gulped, "I want you.. Y/n.. I want you.." He finally spoke as you smiled. 

 You pressed your lips against his, letting him have control as he pulled you to straddle his lap, your dress riding up as you sunk into the new seat. His hands naturally found the curve of your hips, squeezing occasionally as his lips melted into yours.

 You grinded into him, rolling your hips into his until you could feel his erection through his slacks. He slid his tongue past your lips, licking, swirling, and sucking to his hearts content as you let out needy little mewls every now and again. 

 The kiss was heated, both of you needily pressing against each other as he let out impatient groans everytime your hips met his in a concentrated roll. "I.. I need you.." He pulled away, panting against you as you smiled, already out of breath. "You can have me.." He smiled, watching you move off of his lap, attempting to remove your heels, struggling in the process. "Let me do it.."

 He easily unstrapped the heels, taking them off your feet as he pulled you up from the couch. "Follow me.." He spoke in between heavy breaths, unbuttoning the top buttons of his silky white shirt as you followed him to his room.

He had pulled you against his chest once entering the room, leaning down to leave wet and sloppy kisses across your neck and shoulders, knowing that his nipping and biting would leave many marks in their wake. You moaned at the contact, feeling him ease your zipper down as the thin strap of your dress slid off of your shoulder.

 "Hurry up and take it off.." He was eager, unbuttoning his own shirt to reveal his ab line. You had turned to face him, easing your dress down your figure as Sunghoon watched attentively. You had taken an interest in his slim, but fit physique. Faint, yet toned abs, and strong, toned arms that were revealed once he let his shirt hit the floor. You were fascinated.

He gestured towards the bed and you gently obeyed, climbing onto the bed as he followed, hovering over your figure. He kissed you again, this time more needy than before. His hands roaming your skin as he rubbed your clit through your lacey underwear, drawing small and breathy moans from your throat.

He had pulled away, kissing down your torso as his lips met waistband. He had tugged on the thin fabric, pulling it off of you and discarding it before focusing in on your perforation. He left a few gentle kisses before going in, licking and sucking to his hearts content. You let out small yet musical sounds, which all went from Sunghoon's ears, and straight down to his throbbing dick. 

  "Fuck.." You swore, the world falling carelessly from your lips as he went down on you, enjoying every liquid that poured out of you. "Sunghoon.." His name fell from your lips so easily, and he moaned at the sound, sending pleasurable vibrations through your body. You were so close.. "I'm gonna cum-" You could barely speak as he increased the intensity of his attack, leading you through, what you now acknowledged as, the best orgasm you'd ever experienced.

 Multiple expletives fell from your lips as he lingered against you, soon pulling away with glossy lips and hazy eyes. "I've been dying to do that all night..." He sounded satisfied, working on his belt as he removed it, his pants following soon after.. You could already tell he was big. 

 He used his fingers, sliding two into you as a means of prepping you for his package. You were far too horny to wait, as was he, but his fear or hurting you overshadowed his raring erection. You let him finger you until he was able to easily slide in three fingers, and then you stopped him.

 "Just fuck me.." You mumbled and he nodded, reaching towards his nightstand for what you assumed was a comdom. "No condom.. Just fuck me already.." You spoke as he glanced at you, worried. "You sure? I don't know if I can pull out in time.." 

 "I'm on the pill.. It's fine.." It took some convincing, but he finally complied, removing his underwear and letting it litter the floor along with all your other clothes. He spit into hand, giving his length a few slow and languid strokes before pressing his tip against your entrance. "Can I?" He asked your consent again, wanting to be sure as you nodded. "Please fuck me Sunghoon.."

 He had pushed in almost instantly, his tip touching spots that had never been touched before. You felt full.. He was huge, and he knew it. He gave you a few seconds to adjust properly before moving slowly, letting your wetness coat him. 

He let out adorable moans and other pretty noises that made your stomach turn. He was so perfect. "Y/n... Shit.." He cussed, head dropping in pure pleasure as he increased the speed of his thrusts, making sure to fuck you deep. "Sunghoon- mhhm.." You moaned his name, pulling him closer as you pressed your lips against his. 

 Every sound in the room was lewd and hot, skin-slapping, the wet sounds you guys made everytime you parted lips, and the heavy breaths and moans each of you let out. Sunghoon was in pure euphoria, as were you.. "I'm.. I'm gonna- cum-" He was already close, having not expected to last long, and you were already nearing your second release. 

 "Cum with me.." You spoke, gripping his bicep as he thrusted harder, cumming inside of you as you came undone on his dick. He continued to thrust to ride out your orgasms, hips slowly coming to a stop as you smiled. "That was great.." You kissed him again, throwing your head back against the pillows. "Thank you for tonight.. I had fun.." Sunghoon thanked you as you smiled. "So did I.."

 "Let's get you cleaned up."

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  The next morning, you wake up to soft, golden sunlight, and an empty bed. You yawn, stretching your stiff limbs before getting out of the bed. You were wearing an oversized shirt and some sweats that barely managed to stay on your hips despite being tied as tight as possible.

 You checked your appearance, and surprisingly, even your makeup had been removed. You were so sleepy after sex with Sunghoon last night, you had barely stayed awake during your shared bubble bath. Looking at your neck, you could see every pretty little love bite he left on your skin. You barely remembered him helping you tie your hair up and take your makeup off.

 You left his room, easing your way to the kitchen where you heard soft humming. Sunghoon was there, cooking breakfast. "Good morning Sunghoon.." You smiled, garnering his attention as he glanced at you with a smile. "Good morning Y/n... Did you sleep well?" He asked as you nodded. "Mhhm.. How about you?"

  "I slept a lot better with you beside me.." His words made you blush. "Sunghoon..." You were flustered, hiding your face against his arm as he ruffled your hair. "You're cute... Let's go out again sometime... Okay?" He asked, glancing down at you as you nodded. "I'd like that.." He leans down to kiss you. "Then I guess it's a date.."

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(if you've seen this b4 i also posted it on ao3 so its my work not stolen)

[kenmakodz]

CANDID LOVE ˙✧˖📷

06. brain food ☆

writing in-between cuts!

a quiet knock on the door catches your attention, which was previously focused on scrolling through random shows on Netflix. a weird feeling, you get. an emotion that seems to be the love-child of excitement and nervousness. there's no time to run away from these feelings, though, so you get up and open the door for the poor boy who's been hauling 3 bags of food.

"my god" he sighs, setting the bags down on the coffee table. "i think my stomach has eyes. there's no way we're finishing all this in one night." you laugh, noticing how he's holding his arm out of pain. "i've definitely done the same, more times than i'd like to admit-- here, sit down for a bit." gesturing to the couch, you sit down and pat a spot relatively close to you. he takes this offer with open arms, considering he'd walked pretty far. "sorry i took a while, hopefully i didn't keep you waiting too long?" his hands fidget together as he takes in your room. it's the size of a triple, but you have it to yourself. it's quite surprising how nice the school treats transfer students, considering how main students are usually shoved into a tiny room with 2-3 other people. you place your hand upon his; a ballsy move, but you know how it feels to be anxious about things. you don't want him to be anxious with you. "it's fine, really. i don't mind waiting for you." you smile, moving your hand back to it's previous position. embarrassment clearly runs through his body, but to you he just looked starstruck. after a moment of pushing these feelings back, he returns your smile. "i'm glad, then. um, can we eat? i fear my stomach is going to wrinkle up if we don't." "yes yuuta, we can eat."

"okay, okay. this seems good for now, i think?" he sits back from the laptop you two have been sharing, taking a second to re-read the outline. your eyes scan the page as well; it's a very.. rough outline. you start laughing at the last few lines, where he'd begun to give up on being professional. after all, only you two will see this draft. "why are you laughing?" he pouts, thinking you're making fun of the ideas laid out. "oh relax," you lean back with him, realizing he's gotten much closer than before. "i can just tell that you were rushing writing the final scene." his head whips to you and a hand clutches his chest, feigning shock; a sarcastic gasp falls from his lips. "how could you! we worked very hard on this!" your hand pushes his away from his chest, the both of them landing on his lap. "oh, shut up. i'm just teasing." he huffs anyways, a facade you've become accustomed to. after all, one of your best friends is nobara kugisaki.

reaching to a stuffed dog to your side, you hand it to him. "here, will an emotional support dog help?" he sighs, wrapping it in his arms. "i suppose." laughing again, you sit up and grab the laptop once more. "you're so dumb." he grips the toy more, you don't realize it, but he likes the way it smells of lavender just like you do. "what are you doing now, don't you think its enough for tonight?" you stop to think, after sending the draft to your phone. "well, we'll need to send casting calls to the neighboring schools sometime soon.. but i guess we can be done for now." he closes the laptop for you and places it on the table once again, looking back. "good, we can do that another time-" his sentence is cut off due to his phone practically blowing up in the room over. "sorry," he starts, getting up and handing the stuffed dog back to you. "let me go check on that."

"hey, sorry again. my friends were blowing up my phone for some reason." he comes back into the room where you two were sitting before, unsure if he should sit back down. he can't read your face, and you can't read his either, despite you both feeling the same way. "it's okay. you can sit back down if you want to stay a bit longer..?" you look down for a split second, anticipating the rejection he was about to give you. "i was looking for shows before you got here, but i couldn't find a good one." you try to convey what you say as a question, but it almost comes out as a plea. he doesn't say anything immediately, and you almost get upset? looking back up, you realize he's already getting ready to sit back down with you. "i'd love to stay. i also have an amazing suggestion for a show." your eyes light up, and it feels like the room filled with more air the way you both sighed with relief. "oh really?" you tease him, as he takes back the toy he'd left with you. "lay it on me then."

fun facts -> TWO PEOPLE PINING FOR EACHOTHER BUT NEITHER KNOW IT!!!! a classic trope. chefs kiss. yuuta offered to go get snacks not only because he was starving, but he also needed time to calm himself down before going to y/n's dorm. he was scared. scared that he'd say something stupid, give her the ick, embarrass himself. you know, the works. once he got there though, it felt like he never wanted to go home again.

-> GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCh. screams. kicking my feet like a little girl writing this chapter.

previous, masterlist, next [07. i hate men (except you two)]

taglist is open! @just-a-girlblogger @moryymor @swissy23 @hvnyacoded @sereniteav @k4romis @jayathelostdragon  @h3rmess @olivandeee @lysaray @ari3000dontcare @raechu11 @marifujioka @nyxlai @sonicsolos @saltypuffin1040 @r0ckst4rjk @h8ani @lmaolmaolmao @maya-maya-56 @mittensdun @adrenova @pnkblueberry @morgyyyyyyy @chososwh0r3 @lunecqm @r4veeen @arivsx @levlucs-kiru @mellozhi

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⤷ © kenmakodz

[kwyw]

I’m still not in the “oh, she’s definitely coming out” camp yet, only because we just don’t know for sure and I don’t want to put expectations on her like that.

HOWEVER, what she’s doing lately is so very clearly way over the top and in your face and completely and utterly at odds with “romance is not dead if you keep it just yours” “the greatest of luxuries is your secrets” and claiming just two years ago that she’s “fiercely protective” of her private life things she’s wrote or said. And that’s just 3 choices. There’s so many more. Including on her current cd. Including on her current duet.

Not one bit of this is sustainable at all and she runs the risk of this blowing up in her face and hard. Her fans are absolutely feral right now. Like at level that is downright terrifying to me. And she’s doubling and tripling down. Fans of other artists are rabid enough with their hate and chomping at the bit to cancel her over the most stupid thing possible.

The rate she’s going, I have to think she’s got a plan. To burn it all down? Whatever that means? I don’t know. But these rabid swifties will turn on her in a split second at this point, if she reveals she’s been lying and toying with them this whole time. I truly believe that. I genuinely don’t know how she comes out of this unscathed. Because this is overexposure to the max at this point, IMO.

I absolutely see the performance art of it all and think it’s hilarious. She truly is a comedian. I just pray she knows that and is braced for impact. I truly, truly hope so.

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

How ‘Our Flag Means Death’ Became the Funniest Show on TV

Creator and showrunner David Jenkins breaks down the new season of TV’s most adorable star-crossed pirates.

Our Flag Means Death debuted in March 2022 to respectable viewership numbers that grew. And grew. And grew some more. With each week of its 10-episode run, viewership increased, eventually tripling its original audience. The little gay pirate workplace and romantic comedy-cum-historical fantasy that could is back for a second season on Max, and fans will be glad to know that piracy power couple Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Ed Teach, aka Blackbeard (Academy Award winner Taika Waititi) won’t be parted for long.

The first season of Our Flag Means Death introduced viewers to fictional versions of the real historical figures Stede Bonnet (aka The Gentleman Pirate) and Blackbeard, as well as their respective crews. The two captains instantly forged an unlikely connection. Stede, who decided to exorcize his midlife crisis by abandoning his family and taking to the seas, despite being at best a piracy novice, hero-worships Blackbeard and is thrilled to make his acquaintance. The fearsome Blackbeard, who among friends goes by his real first name, Ed, is taken with Stede’s commitment to enjoying the finer and frillier things in life, marveling at his new friend’s on-ship library and massive, beautiful wardrobe.

While the two captains are an odd couple, each of their crews regards the other as an entirely different species. Aboard the Revenge, Stede reads bedtime stories to his crew and encourages them to use their words when conflicts emerge, while on Blackbeard’s ship, Ed’s first mate Izzy Hands (a deliciously scowling, jealous Con O’Neill) rants that his captain is now a shell of the terrifying legend he used to be. Over time, Blackbeard’s crew begin to appreciate the healthier work-life culture on the Revenge, where there’s room for romantic and collegial dyads to form and pair off.

Of course, the path of true love never runs smooth even for a couple as invested in each other as Stede and Ed. At the end of the first season, the crews are split between ships and land, and Ed believes Stede has permanently abandoned their relationship for his original family, causing a heartbroken Ed to revert to his fearsome Kraken persona. As the second season opens, Stede is frantically trying to get back to Ed and explain that he’s all in on their relationship. Ed’s behavior has been swinging erratically from depressed to murderous, even toward Izzy, and when the two captains and crews meet again, there’s an extra twist: Stede and company have been co-opted by the far more capable and successful Chinese Pirate Queen, Zheng Yi Sao (Ruibo Qian).

On the eve of the second season’s three-episode premiere, creator and showrunner David Jenkins reflected on the series’ approach to workplace dynamics, male friendships and romance, and the character arcs he’s most excited for fans to see.

The first three episodes of the season premiere feature a bunch of breakups and reshuffling of romantic and work relationships—not just Stede and Ed. Were you chasing anything in particular, narratively, by splitting up so many dyads?

Definitely. To watch the effects of Stede and Blackbeard’s relationship reverberate through everybody's lives is so interesting. Their separation doesn’t just happen to the two of them, it’s happening to all of them, because they’re a family. Just as the breakup reverberated throughout both crews, getting back together is going to do the same thing.

That makes sense.

The goal was just being true to the character beats and finding ways to make them ring true. Oluwande (Samson Kayo) and Jim (Vico Ortiz, they/them) are friends who got romantic. It rang true to me that they’d watch each others’ lives move forward, and then come back together to find that they still care about each other, and each of them is also happy for the other person. I've seen that happen in real life a bunch of times, but I don't see that dramatized a lot. I think there should be a lot of different flavors of relationships in this show. And there's so many different pairings that you get a lot of chances to be like, “Oh, how are these two different from Stede and Ed?”

How does that relate to your interest in exploring tenderness and vulnerability in male characters? In previous interviews, you’ve referred to Our Flag Means Death as examining the burlesque of masculinity. What does it bring to your work to be exploring it over the course of many hours of storytelling?

That’s an area where Taika’s and my interests overlap a lot. There’s something so understated about his sensibility—I think some of it derives from his New Zealand accent, actually—that suits asking questions about masculinity. And it's fun to look at pirate stories, to play against that genre’s whitewashed, heteronormative conventions. Growing up as a guy, you get a lot of pressure to be just one type of a guy, the guy who refuses to feel things. Men are in terrible trouble in that way. We’re getting better about talking about feelings, but there’s so much more to cover—body dysmorphia, vulnerability, not just talking about feelings, but understanding them and having this whole range of emotions—those are always the things I want to watch.

Do you have favorites among on-screen stories that make room for a broader emotional palette?

Heat and Midnight Run are two really lovely Robert De Niro movies where characters have these very big emotional lives. It’s a similar thing with Robert Redford and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I like extending that. We can push it further, because there's so many different ways to be a man! Not everything has to be a shoot ’em up action thing where people don’t have feelings. A lot of men feel like they need permission to just be their weird selves, to be funny, to dress differently. Try some different things! Maybe wear a color! Put some product in your hair! Don't worry about it, it's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine.

Our Flag Means Death is not a casual show. It’s very funny and playful! But there is not one single frame of the show that plays it cool. As an artist, what’s the significance of qualities like sincerity and earnestness?

I hate coolness, it’s so ungenerous. And I like that you said that it’s not casual. I’m not a casual guy. This is a deeply uncool show. There’s something so special about seeing comedic actors like Rhys or Taika, who are so used to coming into a scene, being incredibly funny and destroying, and then leaving, having to use their earnestness, and not using their weapon of immediately diffusing it by going for a laugh. When I see that, it makes my heart leap. There’s something particularly special about seeing a comedic actor do it.

It’s really fun to watch comedic actors dispel the notion that dramatic acting is 180 degrees away from comedic acting.

Characters that call for that type of performance are a lot of what I love about Robert Altman, Christopher Guest, and Harold Ashby movies. They’re comedies, but those characters really grow and they experience pain, and the pain they feel is real. And then the funny shit that they do is even funnier because of it. Those are the things that bring me the most joy.

Tell me about Zheng Yi Sao, the Pirate Queen. She’s such a good foil for Ed and Stede—her ambition, competence, and leadership style are all so distinct from theirs.

Zheng Yi Sao is the most competent pirate captain on our show, and was the most successful pirate captain in history. She lived about 100 years apart from these fellas, and she was so successful that China had to cut her in and do a treaty with her so she would move on to some other field. She wound up making another fortune in gambling!

One thing that jumped out at me in these first three episodes of the season is how much therapy-literate dialogue is used—where did that come from?

I just think it's funny. The thing about a workplace is that they all see everything that’s going on with others, because they're all on top of each other all the time. I don't want to go l too far with it, but it’s fun that some of these characters can see that one of their friends is in a weird relationship with his boss, and then say “hey, you might want to look at that.”

Where do you think that comes from for the characters themselves?

There’s a level of care on that ship that Stede almost infected them with in the first season, and now those ideas are more alive because of how Stede built the Revenge’s culture. You can see that that spirit is still kind of alive when Jim tells the story of the wooden boy to Bang to calm him down. That’s a little bit of Stede’s kindness being alive in the world still, and of Jim needing and being able to call on it now that everything’s so dark. For them to go from an “every person for themselves” ethos to thinking “there was a time when life meant something on this ship, it doesn’t have to be this way” is interesting growth for the character, and is true to Vico as a person. There's a real kindness to how they carry themselves—they’re one of those people that just makes everybody feel safe. It’s nice to see some of those character traits bleed through to Jim.

Without getting too spoilery, what’s coming up over the rest of this season that you can’t wait for viewers to see?

I’m really excited for Izzy’s journey. Con O’Neill did such beautiful work, and getting to see where that character goes and how he grows, I think is one of the most exciting things of the season. To see where Ed and Stede’s relationship goes is gratifying—to see how they navigate each other and find, hopefully, a more mature way of being together.

Jim's relationships with Archie (Madeleine Sami) and Olu develop, too, and more broadly, the crew coming together as a new kind of family, now that Mom and Dad are getting back together. I also like that Lucius (Nathan Foad) is back, and has an angry young man thing going on that he has to process. For Lucius to go through something really harrowing and have to grow up with it is so interesting, because he had all the answers in the first season.

We can’t not talk about the mermaid sequence at the end of the second episode. How did that come about?

We really have to pick our shots on the show, so that was very storyboarded out. I knew I wanted Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” for the scene, so that was incorporated in it. Unfortunately, Rhys had had a really bad near-drowning experience shooting in a tank before, but I didn’t know that until we were working on the stunts! But when Rhys saw the gorgeous tail, and it looked so cool and beautiful, he decided to go for it. He knew the scene was going to look awesome. So he navigated that costume, which is basically a big flipper that he needed to move his entire core to make it work, and Taika’s there with all this glue to keep his wig on underwater all day. When it’s humming and all the departments are working, everyone feels safe. It gives everyone a feeling of “let’s do it—let’s jump in!”

Speaking of jumping in, what degree of pressure did you all feel coming into the second season, knowing how high the expectations were from the show’s incredibly passionate fan base?

I don’t feel pressure from the fans, I just feel unconditional love and acceptance, and I think that the writers room feels that too. We all want it to be good, and we want the storylines to be cool. But it’s less pressure, and more just the level of freedom that it gave us, knowing somebody’s watching. It makes doing all the hard work a joy, because you know it’s going to be appreciated. Some people will have critiques, and that’s fine.

I just know that this—the fan reaction to this show—will be the honor of my career. The fan community is so kind and nice and talented—it's just a good vibe, and it’s been safe and affirming for everyone.

We’re all basking in the glow of the adoration of the show from our fanbase. It’s infectious—when we all get together, it saturates every element of the show, and it's a very special thing for all of us.

Source: The Daily Beast

[gortash-did-nothing-wrong]

Feral 2

Minors Do Not Interact!!!

Warnings: brief mentions of arranged marriage, threats of harming an animal (it's a joke but the reader takes it seriously), and several references to slavery

The silly little cat fic is getting a sequel because someone commented that Feyd not liking Friz would make him Friz's favorite person.

"Get him." Feyd said firmly.

Y/N snorted out a laugh. Ever since the wedding she had gotten very comfortable around him. He liked that. He wasn't a fan of a certain flea bag getting that comfortable though.

Friz had a new habit. A habit that annoyed Feyd to no end. Anytime Feyd sat down somewhere, Friz would climb up on the back of the couch or chair, and rub against the back of Feyd's head. Normal he would just ignore the beast until the creature got bored, but with Friz's newfound affections came a fun new fact. Something about the combination of Friz's fur and Feyd's skin created a bit of static. Every damned hair the cat shed stuck to his head like it was glued. Only showering or a lint roller would get it all off. Every damned time he left his rooms he had to triple check himself to make sure he wasn't walking around with cat fur on his head. Y/N was admittedly helpful about the situation, often going over him with a lint roller before he left.

Friz seemed to have an endless supply of fur that fell off of him at the slightest touch. The beast didn't seem to have much fur when you looked at him, but it was a cowardly deception. Y/N had taken an undercoat brush to Friz while Feyd watched, horrified at the amount of fur that kept getting brushed off of him. It was never ending. And after Y/N was done, a giant clump of furballs next to her to prove she'd done it, Friz looked no different. And still she'd on the couch that evening during his nap time.

"The maids scramble about to keep this place as fur free as possible." Y/N explained to him, throwing the fur into the incinerator. "I've no idea how they do it, I think they use some sort of hand rake that works kind of like the undercoat brush."

"Remind me to increase their rations." Feyd grumbled.

Which brought Feyd back to his current predicament. Friz was standing in the back of the couch, rubbing against his head like he owned it. Y/N held out her hand, offering pets to Friz.

The tomcat promptly gave her a warning hiss.

"It's out of my control." Y/N said.

"And you're sure we can't shave him?" Feyd pressed.

"He'll get sick. Giedi Prime is already so cold, I can't let him freeze without his coat." Y/N explained.

Feyd opened his mouth to say that wasn't the worst outcome he'd ever heard, but went silent when he felt it. On the back of his head. Something warm, wet, and scratchy. It touched him briefly, then disappeared for a split second before touching him again, and again, and again.

Y/N grinned from ear to ear. "Aw, he's grooming you!"

Feyd growled, crossing his arms in what definitely was not a pout. "I am cleaner than he has ever been."

"You know, cats only groom things they consider to be family. And since you're new to him, and have no hair, he might think you're a kitten!" Y/N giggled. "A poor, cold little kitten with no hair."

A little meow from behind him assured the both of them that not only could Friz understand them somehow, but he was committed to this entire bit.

"I'll toss you to the slave pits." Feyd threatened the cat. "They're usually half starved. They'll tear you to-"

"Feyd." Y/N snapped. "If you speak to him like that again, you'll need to go to your own room tonight."

Feyd took a deep breath, gently reminding himself that his wife wasn't from Giedi Prime, that she was softer than him, that she wasn't going to take kindly to even joking threats. "My apologies. Is there some solution to his shedding I have overlooked?"

"Well, regular baths would help." Y/N said. "Right now I can only manage about one every two weeks, but if I could give him longer bathes where I really get in there and scrub him, it'll knock a lot of fur off."

Feyd narrowed his gaze at Friz as the cat jumped into his lap. "Consider it done."

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

TLDR of the Bad Kids in Fantasy High Junior Year

Adaine: I've gaslit girlbossed gatekeeped the Elven Oracle into a paid job and my sister is a cat lady. I'm winning. Fabian: My loneliness is completely definitely perfectly masked by fried rice and low-fi study hangouts and being a Maximum Legend, but I SWEAR TO MY PAPA IF ANOTHER ONE OF MY GIRLFRIENDS IS A TURNCOAT— Gorgug: Teachers said I couldn't barbarian right or artificer right, so I did both. Fuck you. Riz: I will be doing all the clubs and all the campaigning and acing all my classes and cat-herding my friends and despite my mother's ridiculous concerns about my mental health there will be absolutely no consequences. None. Kristen Applebees: I gotta be real with y'all. I am deeply insecure about the loss of my god but we are doing a great job of compensating that loss with our open discussions with the steelworkers and the middle schoolers and my ex-girlfriend at her sort of commercially phony religious movement. Really reaching out to the community. Our campaign is even piloting several radical policies, such as "not wearing pants" and "splitting oneself into two people and one of them is British, straight, and pregnant and somehow connects to my god better than I do which I'm definitely not insecure about but it's fine because she's obliterated now". And given all our hard work, I truly think we'll have a legendary— Wait, this isn't supposed to be my presidential acceptance speech? Fig: I got bored without my girlfriend around so I triple-classed, wrote the album of the summer, and psychologically terrorized an emo gnome. See you in the stars, bitches.

[ronearoundblindly]

Love of My Life (a RoAR drabble)

Flufftober Day 10, Ransom Drysdale x rich!Reader (see series)

This is it, gang, the moment Ran has avoided for soooo long... No warnings, and I even avoided cursing (there is one 'damn' and some taking the lord's name in vain lol). Hopefully, it still seems like Ran then! 🤣 Unedited, short.

"Watch out!"

Ran yanks his foot off the gas and swivels the beamer to the right, missing his chance to merge up the ramp to Drop Offs.

"My god, Hugh, what is wrong with you? Should I have called Dubois?"

"No," he bites back, "I just didn't see that guy in my blindspot."

Ran is utterly distracted while driving you to the airport. You're on your way back to Beijing for who knows how long, and since everything changed two days ago, he's struggled to focus.

Now he has to loop around the entire place to get back to your departure door. That gives him time, but he hasn't used that wisely so far. Why would traffic be different?

His head pivots back and forth, triple-checking his mirrors.

Your hand lightly lays on his arm. He can't feel the warmth of your skin through his sweater sleeve, sadly.

"Hugh," you soothe, "we'll figure out the money and get you back out to visit soon, I promise."

For once--for one bizarre and shining moment in Ransom Drysdale's life--this isn't about money, so he huffs in annoyance.

"That's not... Let's just get you there."

He takes only a split second to look at your soft smile before overly attending the road. He's not thinking about the heated conversation in this very car the other night, he's ignoring the elephant in the back seat with a tattooed forehead that reads "marriage," and he's definitely swallowing three gigantic stone words.

His car pulls up to the busy curb, and you start for the door handle.

"Wait," he shout-whispers, unable to figure out what his voice should sound like. If he speaks deeper, will that be more serious? If he's quiet, will it seem gentle and genuine? He has no idea. Ran's never told anyone this before, not deliberately, not for real.

You squeeze his hand sweetly when he reaches out.

"I promise I charged my phone."

"No, that--"

"And I've CC-ed you on all my itinerary emails."

"Great but--"

"Yes, I ordered more night cream for the hotel, and I'll keep up with--"

"Just SHUT UP for a--" Ran covers his mouth "--sorry. I--I just..."

He can't finish the damn phrase. The pressure in his chest is topping out the meters and he can't do it.

Patiently, you sit back in the front seat, sighing, eyes darting between him and the airport security guard keeping the flow of cars steady. You bite your lip instead of prompting him.

He has another false start.

By this point, Ransom might cry in frustration.

This is not supposed to be so difficult. Why has he made this so difficult? You two have shared far more intimate things than this. Christ, he's proposed already! It's a good thing you've asked him not to tell anybody because he can't even say I love you.

"I know you do, Hugh. It's okay."

Did he? Did he just blurt that out in the middle of thought?!? That's twice now then, but perhaps the first instance you've truly heard. Third time's the charm maybe...

"I love you," he says, no chance to be mistaken. He hears it, he knows you hear it, and he means it. His voice sounds normal yet foreign, changed but unchanged, kind. He sounds kind. Ran isn't sure if he likes it.

"And I love you, too," you return easily.

The true and enormous grin that blooms across your face is something he definitely likes though--loves even.

He smiles but quickly reins it back in, aware that stupid guard is eyeing their immobile vehicle with no one unloading.

"Come 'ere," he breathes.

You're on him in a flash, tender lips kissing his, and just for luck, he mumbles it a few more times. Practice. He'll need practice. You told him he would to lead a new life with you. One day it will seem as normal as swiping his credit card.

"I love you. I love you. I love you."

He gets his favorite giggle in response. He really is a sucker for that silly noise. How he used to hate it...but oh, how he loves it now.

There's a bracing tap at his window.

"Hey! Let's get moving, you two. Other people need this space."

Yeah, whatever, Ran thinks. I don't care about anyone but her.

[Main Masterlist; Root of All Ransom Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

@supraveng @1950schick @patzammit @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @yiiiikesmish @ashesofblackroses @starkleila @brandycranby

[thelostgirl21]

Okay, I felt like this post (by @panur & @underthebluerain) deserved some visuals, so people could really understand and truly appreciate just how dramatic the difference in body sizes and shapes between these two gorgeous, absolutely lovely men, is!

And just how skilled the costume design team is, on the show, when it comes to giving the illusion that a character is much smaller (in Jaskier's case) or much larger (in Radovid's case), than their actors actually are.

There was an incredible post, a while back, that really explained how those wizards work their magic!

And it's utterly fascinating!!! Seriously, if you haven't read all of that yet, I highly suggest you go and take a look!

But yeah, when you look at the way their clothes have been designed this season, there's definitely been some attempt to make Jaskier look generally smaller than Joey Batey really is, while making Radovid look generally bigger than Hugh Skinner really is, too.

A few examples (with my extremely humble interpretation / things that have grabbed my eye when I look at their costumes. Please bear in mind that I am but an humble fan with no experience in costume design, so there's probably tons of stuff I've missed, and/or I might have misinterpreted some of those designers' intent):

Then, of course, there's Radovid's cloak that just... triples his size or something!

So, when you look at them side by side with their clothes on (even without the cloak), there really doesn't seem to be such a huge difference in body size and shape between the two.

Why are they so pretty though?

Like yeah, you do get the sense that Radovid might be a bit leaner, and that he has a longer torso, perhaps, but it's not THAT dramatic of a difference...

As soon as you get them out of their costumes, however...

On that last gif, you can really see that Joey's roughly the same height as Henry Cavill, and get the sense that he'd probably fit really well in a Witcher's armor, too!

Technically, their heights are listed as: - Henry Cavill: 1,85cm (6 ft 7/8 in) - Hugh Skinner: 1,83cm (6 ft) - Joey Batey 1,82cm (5 ft 11 5/8 in)

So, Joey's like 1 1/8" smaller than Henry and 3/8" smaller than Hugh.

Since I'm ½" taller than my own partner and virtually never realize it, I doubt they'd notice that 3/8" difference between them.

But yeah, one of the really funny "side effects" of costume designers being so good at their job is when you somehow manage to forget about it while watching the show and then this happens:

and your brain needs a moment to re-calibrate its settings because you're like "Right! Buff bard! Right... 6 feet tall really strong looking damsel in distress that keeps complaining Geralt could break him like a twig, when it would be something closer to splitting a log!"

Makes you wonder if people in Jaskier's family are just... naturally muscular or something (lots of fast-twitch muscle fibers?!)?

Because, while Joey is apparently into climbing, kick boxing, swimming, fencing, medieval sword fighting, etc.

Jaskier complained about needing to walk down the path of a mountain on his own, because his fancy boots kept sliding.

He does a lot of traveling and walking, sure... But that doesn't really help you develop your upper body / pectorals / arms, etc. in such a way!

Unless he just... likes the way those muscles aesthetically look on him?

You know, I really wouldn't put it past him, now that I think about it...

Over the years, Jaskier has just developed his very own calisthenics workout routine to build and maintain his looks, but feels the need to hide it.

Because "body fitness" is not exactly a popular discipline on the Continent at that time.

People tend to train to learn how to fight, or develop muscle mass while working the land or their craft, not because "they like the way those muscles look on them when taking their clothes off!"

So, Jaskier wears clothes that hide his actual body shape, since he's afraid that, if people saw and noticed how built he really is, then they'd just assume he knows how to fight and defend himself, when he doesn't.

People might stop shoving him out of harm's way, pulling him behind them to stand between him and the danger, coming to his rescue, etc.

And, since Jaskier's whole ongoing survival sort of depends on people spontaneously stepping in to save his sorry arse, well...

In the bedroom, however, the added bit of upper body strength and endurance does wonder when you want to be able to fuck someone against a wall while keeping their feet off the ground (for example).

Being able to lift and carry more than your own weight definitely has its advantages...

As Radovid has no doubt found out...

And, if the prince turned out to be a bit lighter and easier to carry around than Jaskier was initially expecting him to be, you definitely won't hear him complaining, either!

Although, I must admit that part of me also likes the idea that they might have been able to accurately "size each other up", so to speak.

Radovid's just there looking at all the lines and proportions on Jaskier's pants and shirt, while figuring out where his shoulders and arms actually stop underneath; being both fascinated by the actual size of Jaskier's body, and the choice of clothing design that's making him look much smaller than he appears to be (if his calculations are, indeed, correct)...

While Jaskier's just looking at all those layers covering Radovid, while attempting to get a rough estimate of the total naked weight underneath, and for how long he could keep him lifted... Hypothetically... For science...

But even there, there's a huge difference between knowing those clothes are playing with your perceptions and briefly getting a mental glimpse of what you think might be closer to the truth... And actually gazing upon or getting your hands all over said truth!

Because sincerely, no amount of me trying to look at this while attempting to make abstraction of the whole illusion created by the clothing design:

is successfully going to be able to make me see this:

Hence why I tend to forget about it, and need a moment to re-calibrate almost every single time Jaskier winds up getting shirtless!

Seriously, just look at the bottom gif of him shirtless, then at the top where he's got his clothes on a few times, one after the other, and try to tell me that you're able to visualize where all of that body at the bottom is managing to fit in there at the top!

It's like part of it literally went missing!

So, even if Radovid had managed to guess that Jaskier was a lot buffer than his choice of clothing was letting on, and vice versa, I'm thinking they'd still have been in for quite a bit of a surprise when they actually got each other's clothes removed!

Therefore, that headcanon would still work, regardless of Jaskier and Radovid having guessed that each of them used their clothes to make themselves appear less threatening, or more imposing than they really are.

[kakiastro]

Mars-Uranus-Algol Conj Transit: Off with their Heads!

Guysss!! We are near one of the biggest and nerve racking transits in our lifetime!! Mark your calendars July 15-16th

Mars= motivation, war, sex, aggression , the head and your physical body

Uranus= innovation, unpredictability and urgent changes

Algol= known as “demon star” or the “Medusa star” it rules over misfortune, electrocution, decapitation, mob violence. In other words Algol is the damn boogeyman. However, she does bring fame, a strong presence, being well known in a infamous way,

Algol is in the Perseus constellation sitting in Perseus hand that’s holding Medusa head.

This triple transit conj is definitely one to look out for because it wont happen again for another 500 years!!

The last time this transit occurred was in 1522 and 1942!

Taurus rules financials, physical home, resources, values + morals, economy, throat, food

It’s happening at the 26°(Taurus degree) so it’s full on Taurus energy

2 + 6= 8

8 is a scorpio number which is ruled by Pluto , Pluto is in Aquarius . It’s also an 8 year in numerology which is ruled by Saturn, which is in Pisces

Since this is a big Taurus transit, we have to look at its ruler Venus. Venus will be in Leo at this time.

Leo rules over fame, dating, creative spark, passion, children, ego, soul missions

This conjunction only last for a few days but the energy will last the rest of this year until 2026.

The Moon will be in Scorpio during this and it will oppose this conjunction.

Those with Taurus placements especially those with 20°-29°, I personally see this as end of an era for you! Perseus beheaded Medusa. I see this as a cycle that’s being beheaded and you’re about to be legendary. Now I’ll be honest , change won’t be easy at all, especially for you all because Taurus not fond of change but yall It’s time!!

My predictions: these are just my own personal ones. This is also globally and doesn’t pertain to a specific area! It’s everybody

-more protest against government leaders and system

-money matters, maybe a new system? Or lots of talking of the future of the economy.

-housing market , rent cost, and homelessness will be hot topics of discussion.

-mental health discussions, serious talks about it

-more celebrity downfalls. I actually think the Entertainment industry is about to split. Think Drake vs Kendrick, that was a prequel

- bizzare natural disasters happening more than usual

- more dark and hidden secrets coming out about people(especially famous ones)

-people are really going to be asking about our food supply. What are we really putting in our food?

-the Kids! We are really going to be discussing is the type of world we want for the next generation. I predict we’re going to see extraordinary stories of kids doing extraordinary things that we didn’t even think about at their age.

-so many people are going to be moving overseas to foreign lands

-medical breakthroughs.

-unsung heroes such as creatives, teachers, regular people becoming huge in the spotlight!

I know this doesn’t look or sound good but please don’t freak out! This post isn’t suppose to put fear in your head but make you more aware on what the hell is going on. So when things hit the fan, you’ll at least know why it’s happening. Think of it like this, we are in the era of change and new beginning. When has that ever been easy?

It’ll be okay y’all! We gone be alright! Say it with me “we gone be alright!”

[lucky-clover-gazette]

kings rising highlights & annotations

chapter 14

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

Because he couldn't put Jokaste in a sack and carry her bodily across the border into Kastor’s territory, the journey presented certain logistical challenges.

In order to justify two wagons and an entourage, they would be pretending to be cloth merchants. This disguise was not going to stand up to any serious scrutiny.

well, actually...

Laurent wandered in and outlined a plan so outrageous that Damen had said yes with the feeling that his mind was splitting apart.

i’ve said the thing about laurent and tabletop rpgs before but UGH. he’d be living his best life

Jord who had won short sword, Lydos of the trident, Aktis the spear thrower, the young, triple-crowned Pallas, Lazar, who had whistled at him,

i like how everyone has qualifications except for lazar, whose identifying quality is that he is gay

Laurent’s addition to the expedition was Paschal, and Damen tried not to think too deeply about the reasons why Laurent thought it necessary to bring a physician.

LMAOOOOO

And if the worst happened, Guion’s testimony had the potential to bring down the Regency. Laurent had said all of this succinctly, and told Guion, in a pleasant voice, ‘Your wife can chaperone Jokaste on the journey.’

wait does damen not even know what the testimony is? iirc guion told it to laurent off the page, after the chair scene. is it the thing about the regent killing the former king, or was that paschal’s piece of the trial? do both of them say it? whatever, the trial stuff is fun but i’m not that determined to work it all out ahead of time. it was a lot more rewarding to that with laurent’s perspective, especially earlier on, but ehhhh here i’m going to take it easy

Guion had understood more quickly than Damen.

shocking (sorry damen)

‘I see. My wife is the leverage for my good behaviour?’ ‘That’s right,’ said Laurent.

when does loyse talk to laurent? does she ever, or does she just speak at the trial uncalled for? guess we’ll see and i’ll trace back what i think probably led to it

Damen watched from a second-storey window as they gathered in the courtyard: two wagons, two noblewomen, and twelve soldiers of whom ten were soldiers and two were Guion and Paschal in metal hats.

He was waiting for Laurent to arrive in order to discuss the finer points of his ridiculous plan.

Laurent was standing in the doorway wearing a chiton of unadorned white cotton. Damen dropped the pitcher. It shattered, shards flying outward as it slipped from his fingers and hit the stone floor. Laurent’s arms were bare. His throat was bare. His collarbone was bare, and most of his thighs, his long legs, and all of his left shoulder. Damen stared at him. ‘You’re wearing Akielon clothing,’ said Damen. ‘Everyone’s wearing Akielon clothing,’ said Laurent. Damen thought that the pitcher had shattered and he could not now take a deep draught of the wine. Laurent came forward, navigating the broken ceramic in his short cotton and sandalled feet, until he reached the seat beside Damen, where the map was laid out on the wooden table. ‘Once we know the rotation of the patrols, we’ll know when to approach,’ said Laurent. Laurent sat down. ‘We need to approach at the beginning of their rotation in order to give us the most time before they report back to the fort.’ It was even shorter sitting down. ‘Damen.’ ‘Yes. Sorry,’ said Damen. And then: ‘What were you saying?’ ‘The patrols,’ said Laurent.

damen can you PLEASE focus.

(this is part of why the baby thing doesn’t work for me. if this is a lighter comedy interlude, why is the baby meant to be understood as a dire, war-altering problem? and if it is a serious dire situation, why are we getting this moment straight out of a fanfic? i know damen is horny despite the horrors and it’s a treat for the reader, but i guess i’m just built different because this moment really does not do anything for me. although to be fair i think that’s partially just because i’m apparently sensitive to instances of laurent being reduced to his body and sexuality, or at least in a way that he is not aware of—see my chapter 12 analysis for the most blatant example. reminds me of the time last week that my mom said on the phone “you only want people to like you on your own terms,” which is a very accurate and damning statement tbh)

They had only twelve soldiers. Twelve-ish, amended Damen, thinking of Paschal and Guion.

AGAIN?? brutal. also i like the “ish,” it’s a little anachronistic and very charming

Vannes could handle Makedon, Laurent said.

i want more laurent and vannes interaction…

The soldiers only needed to know their own roles in the enterprise, and Damen’s briefing to them was short. But Nikandros was his friend, and he deserved to know how they would get across the border. So he told him Laurent’s plan.

honestly damen i think it would be a mercy not to tell him

‘It’s dishonourable,’ said Nikandros.

nikandros private twitter complaint #13. also akielions don't know what "honor" means

‘I wish to restate my strong objection,’ said Nikandros. ‘It’s noted,’ said Damen.

and there's #14

the awkward mien of his own soldiers, who had had to be schooled multiple times not to call him ‘Exalted’

clearly they did not attend the lamen school of committing to the bit

‘Your reports are wrong. The Lady Jokaste is in that wagon.’ There was a pause. ‘In that wagon.’ ‘That’s right.’ Another pause. Damen, who was telling the truth, looked back at the Captain with the steady gaze he had learned from Laurent. It didn’t work. ‘I’m sure the Lady Jokaste won’t mind answering a few questions.’

he rolled like a 9 for persuasion

He was red-faced and sweating slightly. ‘At the Lady’s request, I will ride with you personally through the last of the checkpoints, to ensure that you are not stopped again.’ ‘Thank you, Captain,’ said Damen, with great dignity.

i love that pacat didn’t tell us what the plan was, so we could worry for a second that they'd already failed. and then, this

‘The stories of Lady Jokaste’s beauty are not exaggerated,’ said the Captain, man-to-man, as they wound their way across the countryside. ‘I expect you to speak of the Lady Jokaste with the greatest respect, Captain,’ said Damen. ‘Yes, of course, my apologies,’ said the Captain.

“that’s my fucking DIVORCE HUSBAND”

He said, ‘How did you convince Jokaste to play along with the guards?’ ‘I didn’t,’ said Laurent. He tossed the wad of blue silk in his hands to one of the soldiers to dispose of, then shrugged into his jacket in a rather mannish gesture. Nikandros was staring at him. ‘Don’t think about it too much,’ said Damen.

i love the way “mannish gesture” is specified. like he can do both. good for him.

(this is sooooo botw/totk link. anyway)

Laurent held out his hand to escort her back from the supply wagon into the main wagon, a bored Veretian gesture. Her eyes had the same bored look as she took his hand. ‘You’re lucky we’re alike,’ she said, stepping down. They looked at one another like two reptiles.

they should be best friends

‘Keep the wagons on course,’ Damen said to Nikandros. ‘I’ll be swift, and I’ll take our best rider with me.’ ‘That’s me,’ said Laurent, wheeling his horse.

“and our horses are canonically in love. just in case you’ve forgotten”

Sweeping a branch out of his face, Damen said, ‘I thought when I was King I wouldn’t be doing this kind of thing again.’ ‘You underestimated the demands of Akielon kingship,’ said Laurent.

i love prince's gambit

‘The undergrowth was thinner when I was a boy.’ ‘Or you were.’

did laurent just call him thicc

‘Stop,’ said Laurent. Damen stopped. Following Laurent’s gaze, he saw a dog lounging on its chain near a small penned field full of horses on the west side of the estate.

me when i want to pet a dog

‘I’ll take care of the sentries,’ said Laurent. ‘You left the dress in the wagon,’ said Damen. ‘Thank you, I do have other ways of getting past a sentry.’

The light through the trees dappled Laurent’s hair, which was longer now than it had been in the palace, and showing signs of minor disarray. It had a twig in it.

how dare that twig mess with laurent’s gorgeous hair!!!

There was no sign of a blond head, but somehow the dog got loose and went streaking through the yard to where the unfamiliar horses were penned.

dog = pet

The spasming excitement of the dog egged them on. As did the sylph-like actions of a ghost, untying ropes, slipping open rails.

laurent is an animal whisperer. that’s a personal headcanon of mine

They probably felt they had the most to lose, but in fact everyone would lose the same thing: their lives. Everyone but Jokaste. She only said, mildly, ‘Trouble at Heston’s?’

i love jokaste. spinoff please

And then he saw the pale head, and the paler white shirt, a lithe figure palming his way from tree trunk to tree trunk. ‘You’re late,’ said Damen. ‘I brought you a souvenir.’ Laurent tossed Damen an apricot. Damen could feel the quiet exultation of Laurent’s men, while the Akielons looked a little dazed. Nikandros passed Laurent his reins. ‘Is this how you do things in Vere?’ ‘You mean effectively?’ said Laurent. And swung up onto his horse.

i’m sad that this series is best known for being horny because i am infinitely more interested in laurent being a snarky action hero than i am in him having sex. and i think lots of other people would be too

Risk of laming was high

i read that as “lamen-ing” at first

Earlier, Laurent had tossed Damen his bedroll and said, ‘Unpack this,’ and Pallas had almost challenged him to a duel for the insult.

Sitting down and eating cheese casually with their King was not something that they knew how to do.

i cannot believe people in the fandom would apparently rather live in akielos than in vere. in akielos, you’re not allowed to acknowledge the humanity of people beneath your class, which as far as i can tell is determined by birth. in vere, people like jord and laurent are homies who mutually respect each other, and you can social climb your way to the high court by giving good head

Laurent strolled up to the impasse, threw himself down on the log next to Damen, and in an expressionless voice launched into the story of the brothel adventure that had earned him the blue dress, which was so unabashedly filthy it made Lazar blush, and so funny it had Pallas wiping his eyes.

i love laurent of vere

‘You smell of horse,’ said Damen. ‘It’s how I got past the dog.’ He felt a throb of happiness, and said nothing, just lay on his back and looked up at the stars. ‘It’s like old times,’ said Damen, though the truth was, he had never really had times like this.

damen are you forgetting prince’s gambit again

‘My first trip to Akielos,’ said Laurent. ‘Do you like it?’ ‘It’s like Vere, with fewer places to have a bath,’ said Laurent.

yeah i’m sure that’s not the sum of his thoughts, but he’s trying to take it easy

‘You want me wandering around the Akielon countryside naked at night?’ And then, ‘You smell just as much of horse as I do.’ ‘More,’ said Damen. He was smiling.

laurent: if you want me to get naked you’re going to have to do it too damen: bet

‘They’re Artesian. Aren’t they? From the old empire, Artes. They say it used to span both our countries.’ ‘Like the ruins at Acquitart,’ said Laurent. He didn’t say, And at Marlas. ‘My brother and I used to play there as boys. Kill all the Akielons and restore the old empire.’ ‘My father had the same idea.’ And look what happened to him. Laurent didn’t say that either.

you just know child laurent used history books and his imagination to construct a sophisticated and complex narrative for him and auguste to play-act

His pulse beat with uncharacteristic nerves, so that he felt almost shy. ‘When all this is over . . . we could take horses and stay a week in the palace.’ Since their night together in Karthas, he hadn’t dared to speak about the future. He felt Laurent holding himself carefully, and there was a strange pause. After a moment, Laurent said, softly, ‘I’d like that.’ Damen rolled onto his back again, and felt the words like happiness as he let himself look up again at the wide sweep of stars.

i think it’s sweet how nervous and awkward they are about admitting the desire to do something this simple, when they’ve had the most complicated and intensely intimate relationship i’ve ever read in fiction

[jade-of-mourning]

Tenzin stares down at the scowling, scrawny kid. He's dressed in a patched grey shirt bound hastily at the forearms, equally-patched trousers hanging off his frame despite the long length of his skinny legs, and his feet are currently bare aside from some more dirty wrappings around the arch and heel. A shockingly red scarf loops around his neck, several times too-big and frayed at the ends. He's maybe fourteen or fifteen despite the heavy grey lines underscoring his features, because there's a familiar despair written in the recurring story — prominent cheekbones sticking out of his thin, pointy face, lips chapped and pale from the freezing winter nights of Republic City, gold-flecked brown eyes glaring back at him defiantly. 

And he's in a pair of handcuffs.

"So this is the one, you say," he addresses to the woman standing next to him. Her arms are crossed against her chest, a glare plastered across her face — precisely mirroring that of the scrappy boy handcuffed to the table in front of them. They're having an intense stare-down.

If he didn't know any better, he'd almost think this was her kid.

(But he knows all too well that he's not.)

Lin Beifong scowls. "Fucker tried to hit Jian with lightning after spotting her during a stakeout on a Triple Threats warehouse. He then managed to single-handedly fight off three officers while the rest of the gang bailed, looking like a feral, lightning-happy pyromaniac while at it —" The feral, lightning-happy pyromaniac looks pleased for a moment, before promptly dropping back into a glower "— and when I sent a cable at him from the back, he shot a pillar out of the concrete ground to block it."

"How do you know it was him?" Tenzin asks. 

"I know the motions. I am an earthbender, in case you forgot."

"Perhaps there was another man waiting behind to assist his escape, who earthbent the ground upon seeing his comrade in danger."

Lin grunts. "The team split when the cowards scrammed, and managed to capture a few of the accomplices. None of those fleeing were in the vicinity by the time the incident occurred."

"There could have been more of them involved than just the ones you saw fleeing the scene," Tenzin suggests.

"We were in the middle of a stakeout, Tenzin. If you need a definition, a stakeout is a period of time where the police conduct surveillance on —"

Tenzin cuts her off, conceding before she can keep going on at him. "Understood. But how can you know for certain that there weren't other members coincidentally passing through who elected to lend a hand?"

Lin acknowledges the point; the outside world doesn't come to a standstill when there's a fight inside. "One of the captured men said that the kid is Zolt's protege, which adds up with the frequency of which I see him in the aftermath of incursions. They're shamelessly bitter about him being the boss' favorite, and they clearly don't hold any well-regards towards him, so they don't have reason to offer assistance, aside from attempting to curry favor from a fourteen year old — and no faces were shown to that point, so that's out of question. Besides, they're gangsters. What sense of loyalty to each other do you really think they have?"

"More than you've got to the city." Both Tenzin and Lin whip their heads around in surprise at the low, raspy voice, having forgotten of the boy's presence during their back-and-forth. He looks almost like he wants to curl inwards on himself, but instead raises his chin higher up and manages to glare at them with even more force, if possible. "You police ain't done shit for us. You're all the same purposefully ignorant bastards. That's how we get here, but you knew that." The subject of we goes unsaid; all three of them in the closed metal room know precisely what he's talking about.

"So are you saying that one of your loyal friends stayed behind and bent that earth for you?" Lin demands, ignoring the jab at her dignity. Tenzin knows she's retracted the heel of her uniform, searching for a heartbeat.

The boy leans back in the chair flippantly. "Nah," he says curtly. "They're smart enough. None of 'em would stick 'round for me." It's contrary to the earlier claim of mutual loyalty, but unsurprising.

"So it was you," Tenzin concludes.

"I never said it was."

"Then who else could it have been?" The frustration is bubbling up in him, the way it always has since he was a kid; Dad had always laughed and said that he must've gotten it from his mother, quick to anger and full in force, but Tenzin has never been able to quell the feeling down despite his best efforts to be more like his father.

"Bet it was one of your cop cronies." There's something intense and unhinged and wild in the kid's half-pyrite eyes, almost glowing in the gleeful challenge. "Pro'ly got bored of the metal rod permanently stuck up your ass n' thought it'd be funny if —"

"Young man! You will not speak of —"

"I'm jus' sayin' —"

"Enough." Lin slams her fist down on the table, and the light in the boy's eyes dims in an instant. "I've had enough of your hog-monkey shit. Either you be straight with me and we can settle this quickly, or I'm holding you here as long as I deem necessary."

Which can be a very long time, goes unsaid.

Tenzin inspects the kid carefully, sees the minute way his shoulders slump down, and suddenly, all he can see in front of him is Jinora, hunching in on herself as her parents lecture her about not feeding her dinner to the sky bison. He doesn't know why — after all, this is a lightning-bending gangster, almost certainly raised by the streets in poverty and desperation; he couldn't be further from Tenzin's family.

But.

He's still just a kid.

Beneath all that bravado, those bitter, biting words, the degenerate behaviour that brought him here in the first place, the skin stretched too-thin over bones jutting out of his face — the harsh exterior is made to protect a kid who's seen too much. Tenzin knows that for certain.

And Tenzin is suddenly tired, because the boy is right. There's a reason that kids like him run with gangs, learn to fight dirty and low and vicious, and he's not naive enough to believe that it's not in-part due to their own failure as adults in power. He places a hand on Lin's shoulder — a silent request for her to step back and trust him. She looks over at him, green eyes meeting blue, and he's struck by how beaten down she looks by this conversation despite her infallible presence. Despite their time away from each other, despite the inevitable fallout that halved their world together like a splintering ravine and left no chance of reprieve, she knows him. 

She steps back.

Tenzin seats himself at the table as Lin moves to the corner of the room. Takes a deep breath to steady himself, tries to channel the way his father always made people feel like everything would be alright. "Young man," he says in a reasonable tone, "please, let's try again. Would you be willing to tell me your name?"

"It's —"

"Mako," the boy interjects before Lin can finish for him, take his autonomy, eyes dropping to the table. There's an unmistakable air of defeat around him, one at total odds of the snapping, feral boy described and seen from before. "My… My name's Mako. Why's it matter to you?"

Tenzin nods resolutely, ignoring the question. "Well, Mako. I have a proposal for you — one that should keep you out of the police station." 

A raised eyebrow.

Once it's out of his mouth, he can't retract it. He knows that there will be consequences for speaking without consulting Pema, Lin, his kids.

But his heart is telling him that this is right. Not just that it's the right thing to do, but also that the kid sitting handcuffed to the table in front of him is the Avatar. He can see it in his eyes, hard and resentful and gold-brown and so different from his father's, yet still the same in some inexplicable way. Reconciling the idea of this lightning-bending gangster of a street kid with the man who co-founded this city is… overwhelming, and Tenzin would almost rather blow this situation off and let himself live in remembering his father for who he is, not for whoever Mako turns out to be. But Tenzin has a duty to the world, and a duty to his father, and so he will ensure that he does the new Avatar right.

"I would like to invite you to stay on Air Temple Island for the time being. We can discuss the objective after I am able to gather the resources necessary to run an evaluating test. Do you accept?"

Mako glances over at Lin; Tenzin resists the urge to do the same. He doesn't need her approval for this — it's his home, and he knows what he's doing. He can't read the thoughts behind the boy's eyes as they flick between the two adults who hold an infinite amount of power over him, can't follow what internal strife might be occurring in his head.

Then Mako shrugs, an abrupt, jerky motion. "Sure."

Lin Beifong throws her hands up in the air, and leaves the interrogation room. She can't be bothered to deal with this; it's five in the morning. She needs some fucking sleep.

my ao3 (but it's not posted there)

sorry this was a crack idea i had while practicing piano and i had to crank it out. i Might write a series of oneshots on this if i get too inspired lol (similar to what empty shores was supposed to be)

yes bolin is alive in this au, yes i have an unfortunate amount of ideas, yes i'm still writing my normal conceivable-to-complete fics.

if tenzin thought korra was hard to work with, he is going to have a blast with mako, who comes pre-packaged with fifty times more trauma that korra had when she pulled up to air temple island. (and is also prone to stealing, and running away, and murder as necessary, probably.) (this is going to be so terrible on all sides until it gets better!)

[seafoamreadings]

week of december 10th, 2023

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: you're in for a week that's a bit chaotic, but mostly in a good way. i've often said that although aries is represented by a ram it's got more of a baby goat energy, which definitely involves a lot of chaos. it's you, so go forth and thrive in it!

taurus: this is a great time for philosophical pursuits. the big key will be remaining receptive. if you're not open to receiving new knowledge, you'll doom yourself to remain in ignorance, which is not auspicious these days. so whatever piques your intellectual interest, approach it with an open beginner's mind.

gemini: upheaval in your closest relationships is on the menu this week, especially ones in which you share resources, split rent, or get tax benefits. upheaval isn't always bad but it isn't always fun either.

cancerians: the new moon in sagittarius is a good time to set intentions around health and wellness, routines and rituals, and your daily life and work. so if you're the type who sets new year's resolutions, consider doing that a smidge early and starting at least to plan it out with this moon! plus a mercury retrograde beginning this week affects your committed partnerships for the next month or so.

leo: sagittarian activity all week including a new moon zests up your fun and romantic life. be creative and glamorous. meanwhile mercury retrograde can throw your routines for a loop, so try to be flexible about such things.

virgo: this is a great week for you to make changes around your home, welcome a new roommate or pet, decorate, etc. meanwhile for you, this IS the type of mercury retrograde that 'brings exes back,' so be prepared for that. you ARE allowed to talk to them but make sure that's something you actually would WANT before the 'opportunity' arises... or slaps you in the face, as the case may be. plan before acting! stick to your boundaries!

libra: while many don't think of librans as particularly intellectual beings, you know otherwise and it shows during a week like this one. you consume information voraciously and store it away for critical analysis and beneficial applications at a later time. a mild chaos in the home may occur but fortunately, you know just how to handle it and prevent a crisis.

scorpio: money goals are blessed from this new moon. but you will need to consciously avoid debt, forgive others what they might owe you, and strive for financial independence. meanwhile communication errors are likely in writing, so double check texts and emails before sending. maybe triple check them. maybe don't send them at all if possible. avoid signing contracts if you can.

sagittarius: new moons in your sign are glow up vibes, but also come with some shaking up in your relationships with others. try to let that be novelty rather than disagreements. your mercury retrograde warning this time around is to watch your money, be prepared to call your bank to resolve errors, and maybe wait until february or so for major purchases or serious accounting that isn't strictly necessary.

capricorn: although you can get through and over anything, it's not always fun to have to. but this is not an easy week for capricorns, as a mercury retrograde occurs in your sign immediately after a 12th house new moon. set spiritual intentions from the beginning of the week, knuckle down and strive onward but don't expect perfection or swiftness. be proud of yourself just for carrying on!

aquarius: this week's new moon and broader sagittarian vibes are great for your social life and any networking you need or want to do. you're friendly and people want to be around you! at the same time, though, mercury retrograde in your 12th house can tend to at least partially cancel out this vibe, making things seem a bit gloomy, maybe fixating you on surmounting an obstacle of some kind.

pisces: old friends, new friends, fictional friends, friends you only know from the dream realm all have the potential to resurface or disappear under this week's influences. you transcend time of course, so this need not be a huge worry for you, although small comings and goings can be emotional in the moment. feel it and let it pass through you, then continue. be on the lookout for helpful people who don't seem real. they may not be, but the help they provide is.

[thisisnotthenerd]

a taxonomic definition of olympic onomatopoeia

spent a half hour with my sister categorizing olympic sports into onomatopoeia categories in order to distill them down to their simplest essence.

they are as follows: nyoom, yeet, boing, sproing, splash, smack, whack, swish, zoom, hup, pew, and heave.*

before i get into the categories, a quick clarification: any event that fits into multiple categories will be in both--i didn't want to do a combined category as multi-discipline events span too many. also, athletics is split up because it has subcategories, but most everything else is just the general sport category.

the categories:

nyoom: speed events only utilizing the body.

sprints

distance run

race walking

hurdles

swimming

triathlon

pentathlon

heptathlon

decathlon

yeet: throwing. self-explanatory.

shot put

discus throw

hammer throw

javelin

heptathlon

decathlon

boing: jumping, straight. no flips or tricks, just jumping.

long jump

high jump

triple jump

pole vault

heptathlon

decathlon

sproing: the fancy jumping. the artistic sports. anything with presentation points. combines jumping with spin elements.

artistic gymnastics (all disciplines)

rhythmic gymnastics (all disciplines)

trampoline

breaking

artistic swimming

diving (all disciplines)

skateboarding

equestrian (dressage)

cycling (bmx freestyle)

splash: aquatic sports. like yeet, self-explanatory

swimming

artistic swimming

marathon swimming

diving

surfing

sailing (all disciplines)

canoe (all disciplines)

rowing (all disciplines)

water polo

triathlon

pentathlon

smack: hit somebody. as in you score points by doing so. rugby is not a smack sport. primarily martial arts.

boxing

fencing

judo

karate

taekwondo

wrestling

pentathlon

whack: hit ball with stick. self-explanatory.

tennis

table tennis

badminton

(field) hockey

golf

swish: move the ball somewhere with your hands/feet/other appendages. often to a net. combine throwing/kicking with running.

basketball (all disciplines)

volleyball (all disciplines)

football (soccer for americans)

handball

rugby (sevens)

water polo

zoom: going fast with equipment. the non-nyoom races.

cycling (road race, track race, bmx race, mountain biking)

canoe (sprint)

rowing

sailing

triathlon

hup: obstacle courses. this originally was called clop for the horses, but i decided there were more events that fit with it.

hurdles

steeplechase

equestrian (jumping & eventing)

canoe (slalom)

cycling (mountain biking, bmx race)

skateboarding

sport climbing (all disciplines)

pew: target sports. point and shoot. if you prefer, pew-pew. given the air pistols/rifles, it seems a better fit than bang.

archery

shooting (all disciplines)

pentathlon

heave: lifting. self-explanatory. technically has overlap with yeet, but only for the heavier projectiles. it would be heave-ho but i'm trying to stick to monosyllabic words.

weightlifting

shot put

hammer throw

and that's all the categories.

as for how you use them:

noah lyles goes nyoom / nyooms

valarie allman goes yeet / yeets

jasmine moore goes boing / boings

simone biles goes sproing / sproings

tom daley goes splash / splashes

lee kiefer goes smack / smacks

novak djokovic goes whack / whacks

ilona maher goes swish / swishes

kristen faulkner goes zoom / zooms

sydney mclaughlin-levrone goes hup / hups

brady ellison goes pew / pew-pews

jourdan delacruz goes heave / heaves

have fun!

*yes i'm aware not all of these are precisely onomatopoeia. if you can come up with better names then by all means suggest them. also if i’ve missed anything, let me know.