#trying to explain to this woman that I cannot in fact put him down because he WILL start a fight with your dog

[rileys-battlecats]

PSA, keep your dog on a leash when you're in a public, unfenced area. dedicated to the lady that just tried to reassure me, "no she's nice! put your dog down! she's nice!" babe i believe you when you say your dog is nice. what you have not considered is that the dog I am holding is NOT nice and WILL attempt to attack your dog if I put him down. also we are RIGHT next to a busy road and there is Nothing stopping your dog from running into traffic. pls put her on a leash im literally begging you it is SO dangerous for her to not be on a leash here

[disneyprincemuke]

midnights, 9 * mv1

max finds out you'd gone to the club with alexandra, making him wonder if it’s really over when pictures of you and another man leak

pairings: max verstappen x fem!reader

warnings:

notes: nah when i finish this, i WILL be milking the whole series because this is my only breakup outlet left like damN

(series masterlist)

(prev) // (next)

max could not stop thinking of you all day - all week, in fact. ever since a rumour had started going around that he's moving on with another woman, he could only have imagined what it's like for you to see that.

it sucks because he'd just been doing nelson piquet a favour - bringing kelly into the paddocks for a race under his pass. but nothing more ever went down between them.

he could only think of how your hands go cold at the rumour and heart absolutely shattering. he admits that he thought of sending you a text that night, but cowered away at the fear of your rejection for his explanation. maybe you no longer cared about what he's doing with his life.

he knows that because you unfollowed him on instagram and every other social media platform alike. you have even taken it upon yourself to unfollow his private account, his profile riddled with pictures and memories of the two of you together that he has not had the courage to delete just yet.

the only reason that he is aware of your sudden decision to distance yourself from him after the breakup is when he was confused about the notable lack of you on his timeline. when he checked, you were just another account he is now a stranger to.

he believes it was brought about by the dating rumours. because he used to stalk you all the time.

all. the. time.

"max, mate," daniel's voice makes him lift his head, eyebrows raising as a response. daniel's lips carve into a smile before it quickly disappears without anyone else noticing. "i said do you wanna grab some drinks at the bar? charles is already there."

max hesitates. the urge to be alone in his hotel room is real; curling up in bed while he listened to his mellow playlist while he debates once more if he should reach out. but against his better judgement, he nods with a small smile on his face as he starts to follow behind the older man.

"so, how are you feeling?" daniel asks, turning to him with a polite smile as they walk. "better, hopefully?"

with a halfhearted smile, max shrugs. "a little."

"progress is still progress," daniel reassures him with a pat on his shoulder, "it will still get better from here. you know that."

max nods. but there's still a yearning for you that he can't explain or get over. while he can understand that time is needed apart from you, things are not seemingly going towards his favour, or at least the way he wants it to go.

his chances of getting back together with you are slim. he really wants to, but he cannot bear the thought you having to say goodbye to you a second time.

but if he had the chance to do it all over again with you, he’d try to change the course of time if it meant having you back in his arms.

he tries to get you off his mind by moving on to other topics of conversation. but all he can think about is how you could have been here, arm around his waist as you leaned into his body while giggling over something daniel said to you.

you should have been at parc ferme following every race finish with your arms opened wide, welcoming him in for a wide smile and a tight hug.

but you never are.

and it doesn't help that now he's at the bar, there's charles and alexandra exchanging loud conversation about an event she attended back home.

"oh yeah," alexandra laughs unknowingly as they approach, "she was wild that night! she took body tequila shots from this guy! and we'd just met him that night. it was insane."

daniel pops his head between the couple with a lazy smile on his face. "who took body shots from a random guy they met at the bar?"

alexandra whips her head around, locking eyes with max. she laughs nervously as charles puts his hand over her knee. "just my friend back home."

max looks at her knowingly, taking his seat in the opposite booth. "it's (y/n), isn't it?" he asks, looking at the menu. everyone falls silent as he scans the menu for something to drink, prompting him to look up, slightly annoyed. "else, why wouldn't you elaborate to daniel when he asked?"

"hey," charles says, exchanging a glance with alexandra next to him. he squeezes her hand and sits up, leaning towards max. "what's your problem?"

"nothing," max answers in the calmest tone he can find within himself, "it's just odd that she tried to cover it up when it's so obvious." he turns to daniel. "wasn't it?"

daniel stares at him, visibly gulping and then glancing at the couple that sits across them.

"i didn't know you were already here," alexandra explains, dropping her head low. "i would have stopped way earlier."

"why would you?" max smiles, albeit halfheartedly, then looks down at the menu again. "we've broken up, right? she can do what she wants - i'm not her problem anymore."

"right," alexandra nods, pressing her lips together and sinking into her seat. she gives daniel a small smile before taking a sip of her cocktail. "sorry."

"hey," charles says again, putting both hands on the table. "you fucked up. don't take it out on alex that you're upset (y/n) is no longer with you. weren't you the one who let her walk out?"

max looks up immediately, mouth agape as he tries to process the words that charles just spoke. it's true that max let you walk out, which is what hurt the most. and it's, in fact, unfair that he is being like this.

max just sighs. "you're right." he turns to alexandra. "i'm sorry, alex. i shouldn't have taken it out on you."

alexandra just smiles, nodding understandingly. "it's okay. breakups are hard, max. i shouldn't have been talking about it knowing you'd be here any second, anyway."

"okay," daniel finally speaks, hands held up between the three of them. "let's just have a peaceful dinner, alright? no more breakup talks - this is an enjoyable evening."

they murmur in agreement with a nod. but the tension is the air never lightens up, and neither does the churning in max's stomach which is increasingly getting harder to ignore.

there's something about the phone in max's pocket that's making him itch to check it.

so after they send their orders in, his friends immediately fall into a conversation and he fishes for his phone in his back pocket. there's only one notification.

one that told him he's justified for feeling sick.

don't react

they're just pictures

it's from victoria. he opens the message, received about 10 minutes ago when he left the paddocks with the older alpha tauri driver. he can almost imagine the pictures, even if victoria hadn't taken the liberty to curse him with the pleasure of seeing them.

so he opens instagram.

just as fate would have it, you're at the top of his timeline from some f1 gossip page that he had no idea he followed. in the first one, your face can be barely made out, crouched down as you step out of the backseat of a car with alexandra still in the car. but he recognises the dress - it's one that he got you a couple of years ago, after winning his first race with you as his girlfriend.

the sheer will you've got to be on a night out in a dress that he got you is something he has to give to you. that's absolutely one way to get back at him after the pictures of him and kelly.

something tells him it's about to get worse. and it does, because when he swipes to the next picture, it's you visibly looking intoxicated, he assumes from all the body shots you took. and his heart skips a beat in his chest as his mouth runs dry.

there it is, some guy holding the car door open for you. in the next, he's seen scooching in with you in that backseat.

"are you alright, mate?" charles' voice makes him look up as he drops his phone into his lap.

max takes a deep breath, unable to force a smile to his face. he just nods, swallowing the lump in his throat.

charles' stare on him lingers before he nods hesitantly and resumes the conversation with daniel. max's eyes shift to alexandra, now staring at her phone with parted lips.

she looks up, meeting his eyes with a worried stare.

max just shakes his head before she can say anything. he just leans back into the seat and folds his arms over his chest.

guess it's really over now between you.

taglist: @merchelsea @leclercdream @labelledejourr @laneyspaulding19 @lpab @graciewrote @hollie911 @thatsojasminesworld @mycenterfold @princessria127 @ironmaiden1313 @dl-yum @crlsummer @brekkers-whore @minkyungseokie @honethatty12 @barelytolerabled @vellicora @lokigoeschoki @avg-golden-retriever @lokigoeschoki @cherry-piee @telengraph

[bloodycassian]

Ice Planet Freaks - Ice Planet Barbarians fic.

NSFW, MDNI -

Reader x OC Sa-Kuhi (alien man)

The floor is freezing, your head spinning with confusion and wooziness. There’s a foul smell in the air but your senses are returning to you slowly. Your mind as fogged as it is though, knows that something is wrong. And not just because there’s several enormous, blue-gray men standing across from you.

+

“He’s the leader, he’s the one insisting on us taking this parasite.” One of the girls growls. You can’t bother to remember any of their names, not when the reality of aliens had just been dropped on you. Worse, the fact that you’d been abducted by a completely different race of aliens than the ones who were now trying to help you.

You were still hoping to wake up from this nightmare.

The beast fell with a massive, not-earth shaking rumble and the others bring you with them, surrounding the thing while the alien leader and his woman go about pulling parts out of the beast. 

You feel your face pale when the return from the depths of the thing with a long, writhing rope-like thing. It would resemble a snake, if it weren’t for it’s lack of face and the thinness of it.

Words are exchanged, and the woman - Georgie, you remember just as the leader slices into her neck - is visibly uneasy, but when she looks to the leader, she seems put at ease.

The worm-thing slides into her neck, burrowing down and in until she collapses, the big leader catching her before she can fall.

Your legs quiver, vision going hazy for a moment, your mouth going dry and stomach churning - then you’re gone.

+

“Drink this.” A voice murmurs, but you can’t see who it is. It’s one of the women from the group, you can tell that much from her soft tone and the fact you can understand her.

Something presses to your lips, warm and utterly delicious. You drink the entirety of it in only a few short moments.

“More-” You pant, suddenly ravenous. Your head is much clearer than it was when you were freezing outside before, like a fog has been lifted and you’ve finally been granted access to your own mind again.

Something is said in a guttural, uneven accent and for a moment you almost think you can make out the words of it.

“She can’t-” the woman’s voice protests.

“Make her.” The voice- undoubtedly male and annoyed states.

Your eyes crack open, and there’s only the dim glow of torchlight keeping the woman’s face lit. She’s one of the others, the ones who’d broken you out of the tube you’d been stored in, but she’s different somehow.

“Welcome to your new home.” She says, with an uneasy, apologetic smile. 

Your eyes flash over the room, and land on the giant blue man leaning on the wall opposite you. 

Your mind spins, the whole room going with it, and you have to lean back down on the warm bed to regain your ability to think.

It hadn’t been a dream. It was real - is real and you’re currently on a world that isn’t earth but also inhabited by aliens… 

You want to scream but all if it seems just like your kind of luck.

“Can I at least know if there’s alcohol here?”

The girl laughs, and the man stiffens, pushing away from the wall.

“She’s asking about ahh… Kolcharr-” She makes a motion with her hands like drinking.

“If that’s what she wants I will gladly provide-”

“Who are you, anyway?” You spit the words like an accusation. He’s trying to be nice but something about his presence in your seemingly private quarters annoys you.

“Your Resonance, human.” 

“Tarvir, give us a few moments for me to explain.” The woman requests, holding out a hand to him as he approaches. 

He takes a long, slow look at you in the bed before nodding, and walking out the hide-door.

+

She’s human. I’ve waited a century for my mate to be a human woman with no horns or tail or-

No, I cannot be ungrateful when there’s other males who would kill for an opportunity to have a mate. Even if she is angry and withdrawn and unnerving.

“Tarvir!” Vektal calls, motioning me over to the wide landing where we share feasts when a hunter returns with a large prize. 

I fear what he may say to me, as strange as it is. On top of it, leaving my Resonance behind feels worse than any physical pain I’ve had in a long time. I touch the scarred flesh at my ribs from my encounter with the snowcats. 

Perhaps she is more dangerous than a snowcat, and my body is telling me to avoid her. Yet still, my resonance hums deep inside me. 

“The humans have rules. You must give her time to gain her strength back before-” Vektal’s voice is low, his eyes scanning the small crowd that is our tribe below. They’ve taken to showing the humans our cave, pride shining in every word.

“Her Kuhi resonates as well. She is mine, Vektal…” The words sound strange coming out, choked and tearful when I should be happy. Something deep inside me wells with despair and a fear that I do not understand though. 

Vektal puts a muscled hand on my shoulder and squeezes, a reassuring gesture. My tail can’t help but rise with renewed hope in his confidence. “The Humans are weak,I know your fears. But with the Kuhi now a  part of them, they will be alright. You will live a long, happy life with your mate, Tarvir.” He says, and i can see the knowledge of the words in his face. His mate, his Georgie has changed him, and I can only hope my own mate greets me with such enthusiasm as Georgie did for him.

His words feel reassuring, and I cannot explain the leaping in my chest when his eyes go over my shoulder. It’s fear and excitement together, a strange mix of emotion I’ve never felt aside from when my mate is near. 

And of course, when I turn around she is squinting with her strange flat face into the cave, down at the glowing pools and my people and hers below. I watch her and watch, my chest thrumming with anticipation of what her reaction will be.

Her eyes dart about, from the open roof of the cave that gives us light from our sky, to the carved walls and hide doors. Her eyes are strange, filled with white still even after accepting the Kuhi, but I can learn to love them. I can learn to love all of her, should she let me. Vektal is right, they need to be given the choice, but if her Kuhi does respond.. How is that anything but acceptance?

My chest thrumming, I begin walking towards my mate and the other human female. Her head snaps in my direction, as wild and untamed as a snowcat as she eyes me.

Then, she pushes off the half-wall overlooking my people below, and vomits on the floor.

I rush to her, already calling for our healer. Has she eaten something poisonous? Surely the Kuhi had healed her of any of her human sicknesses by now. It made no sense, she should be as strong and capable as any of us with the Kuhi in her.

“Tarvir?” She pants when I’m lifting her from the ground. She is light as a Kit in my arms, and her soft skin makes my cock harden. I put away the impulsive thought, she is cleaelry sick and needs tending to. 

“I am here my Resonance.” I reassure her, hope filling my chest. She’s able to speak, that is good. If only she would stop being so confused about things. I stop my ungrateful thinking. Vektal had said they are unknowledgeable and as helpless as even the youngest Kits, I must keep that in mind when caring for my mate.

It will be a challenge, especially for one as impatient as I can be. I will learn, and make myself a better mate for her, though.

+

His skin is supple, the corded muscle beneath the silken skin a delectable contrast to what one would expect. A rumbling in your ears nearly drowns out his cooing words as he chatters to you. He’s huge, and carries you like a child’s stuffed animal, but with utmost care. 

He’s tall and built like a house, not lithe like Vektal, a bit thicker in the chest and his face was less angular. He was what you’d think a lumberjack version of these guys probably was, a huntsman of sorts. 

Great, you’d scored the burly version of their people. You couldn’t have gotten the supermodel one, like Georgie had? 

“This is real.” You’d been repeating it, over and over again since Tarvir had guided you inside the room, one you now recognized was likely his. You were his mate, after all. That’s what one of the girls had told you, and though you wanted to deny it, there was no other reason you could think of to explain the humming in your chest. 

“It’s to make the best offspring, I’d guess.” She supplied with an uneasy smile.

So, you were expected to make an alien-baby with the guy who’d brought you here, who’d insisted upon being your mate… But you couldn’t exactly blame him. You doubted he had much of a say in the matter either. And looking at him, you were glad that he was at least in one piece, unlike the one that had stolen Liz away. 

And Tarvir hadn’t stolen you away, that was also a good point to be made towards his character.

Names and information were slowly coming back to you now, like your dream-state had still absorbed all the information around you while you were in the tube. 

“So what do you want from  me?” You ask the blue man, crossing your arms over your chest. Your head is still dizzy but at least while sitting you can catch your breath somewhat. 

His large brow scrunches together, his head cocking to one side like a dog. It’s charming on him, and it makes the corner of your lip curl in an almost smile. 

“Want?” He repeats, leaning in towards you. He’s close enough that you can feel the heat radiating from him, and the furs suddenly feel much to warm on you, but it’s a comfort you’d been lacking for the time you’d been in the ship. You clutch them tighter around yourself. 

You try again, the language barrier clearly at play in this conversation. “Why.. why me?” The words are barely a whisper when you say them, and you can feel your cheeks heat with the way the question sounded so juvenile. 

His hands frame your face, forcing you to look into his magnificently blue eyes. Your heart thunders, the blood rushing in your ears almost too loud for you to hear him. Only, it’s not just blood, its the Cootie that’s also humming now. The throbbing of it reaching from your chest to your groin in a drumbeat of horniness.

His breath is sweet as he speaks, entrancing you further. “I want you. Only you. I want whatever you will allow me to have, whatever your own wants are will become mine, and we will live happily together. Whatever it is I want, it is only because you wish for it as well.”

Your heart soars, the rumbling in your chest spiking. Your breath is shallow and uneven as you fight the urge to grab on to his horns and pull him in for a demanding kiss. It’s just the cootie, that’s all that’s making you feel this way. 

But his words… You groan and lean back in the bed, freezing in place when he slides in beside you. It’s not like you can kick him out after he’d just said something sweeter than any human had ever said. 

“My Resonance, whatever your wants are will be mine, I promise. So if you wish to lay here, I will do the same. Until you ask me to leave, I will always be here.” He places a hand on your chest, and it’s a weight you can’t describe as anything but needed. 

His presence alone is already so comforting, is it because of this thing inside you now or because you truly are already falling for him? How couldn’t a girl, when their man spoke like a freaking shakespeare play? 

“This is real.” You breathe, and look over to him. 

He’s staring at you, eyes full of wonder and admiration. You turn on your side to face him, but his hand on your chest doesn’t move from it’s spot, as if waiting for you to do something with it. He’s waiting for your permission, you realize. 

You take his hand and bring it to your cheek, then kiss the soft skinned blue man for the first time. In his cave. On a different planet. After you’ve been freshly given a parasite. 

Yup, totally real and not a dream.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

My human’s skin is soft, and so very different from my own. It’s not a bad thing, but strangely intoxicating as I breathe in her scent and her lips press against my own. This is a strange sensation, but I’ve seen Vektal and Georgie do this, and know that it must be some kind of acceptance of our bond together.

My heart soars. She’s accepted me, at least on this physical level. If she is willing to press her lips to my own, it may be similar to humans as mating is to us. Will I need to show her what mating truly means to us? Surely the lip-pressing doesn’t create human kits on their world, does it? 

I am silently cursing Vektal for not giving us more information when my human rolls on top of me, straddling my waist. My cock is achingly hard and I feel shame for it, she may not be ready for such kinds of mating ritual-

She grinds her hips down onto me and I suck in a breath, my eyes going wide in surprise at the heat I can feel from her with even two layers between us. I growl and bear my teeth, my fingers digging in to her soft hips as she sways atop me. My Kuhi is humming violently, filling my space with the sounds of our shared pleasure, fueling my drive as I arch into her.

She wouldn’t be doing this if she did not accept our bond. I sit up and take her small face in my hand, bringing our lips together again. This is a strange talent that I must learn, and what a better time than now? It sends shocks of pleasure through my body at her taste, the way she touches me back is delicious and more precious than the twin-suns. 

“Need your cock-” She pants against my skin. She’s already left love-bites on my shoulder and I am ecstatic at this. Many of the mated pairs in the tribe share love-bite ink marks to signify their love for each other. I hope my human will want the same for us. 

I’m off the bed the instant she rolls off of me, stripping off her own clothes. Mine are much faster to remove, so I take the pleasure in removing her tunic ties as she undoes the laces at her borrowed trousers. They look ridiculous on her, tied in different places and cuffed at the bottoms to stay up, but they are mine and I am proud to share any part of myself with her. 

She moves to take my cock in her hand and as much as I’d love to feel her soft grip upon me, I catch her wrist in my hand and move her to lie back on my bed. I pull her hips forward, off the edge and wrap her legs around my shoulders. I’ve never had a lover of my own people, but I’ve heard enough. 

I lap at her slowly, and her taste is like seeing new colors, scenting new spices. I groan, my kuhi responding with desperation as I gorge myself on her wetness. My cock is rock solid and dripping with lubricant, but as much as I want to bury myself inside her, I resist. I’ve heard enough stories from the mated males about this that I know they like it slow at first, a building thing. 

But my human seems to not want this. She grips my horns and pulls me close, like she wants me elsewhere, and I worry for a moment that I’m hurting her. I relent my lapping at her entrance, and look up at her. Her maine is tangled and I make a note to help her wash it later, but the delicious flush of her cheeks has me dripping to the floor of the cave. 

She pulls me, and I place my lips every inch of the way up her body, but she stops me, moaning in a particular spot. She pushes me back down, and I cock my head to the side. Does she want me or not? 

She removes a hand from one of my horns and reaches for her sex. I nearly protest her touching herself when I am right here, but she rubs a small circle over the very top of her opening, and I see it then. Ahh- This is what Vektal had mentioned, the nipple. 

I nudge her fingers out of the way and lap at it slowly. It is a strange bud, less similar to how I imagined nipples and feeling much more like sucking the meat from the river-creatures that live in the streams in the summer time. I dare not bite my Resonance, though. I know this is working for my mate, because she writhes below me, her hips arching off my bed and her cries growing louder as I increase the speed of my tongue. 

Her hands are gripping my horns, holding me in place with her desperate pleading. I do not relent my tongue upon her, even when she’s panting “Please, please–” because she hasn’t pushed me away. I do not know if this part is the human custom, but she isn’t pushing away, so I continue. 

Her slickness is better than any catch, even the rarest. She’s warm and balanced and I can’t imagine how I’ve lived before having this. She’s saying something about moving or going somewhere when her thighs suddenly crash against my head, deafening me. I keep my mouth open as she rocks and shudders upon my tongue. I use a hand to ease the aching in my cock, relieving some of the pressure she’s caused me to build. 

I cannot tell if she’s like the other humans, or if this mating is strange for them. After her thighs ease from my head I go to lick her more, but she pushes me away with a strange, small foot. She waves me toward her, wrapping her legs around my waist and pulling me down atop her.

Her hand goes to grip my cock once I am holding myself above her, and I cannot deny my own need for any longer.

The moment her small hand wraps around me, my mind goes blank aside from the pleasure of it.

+

He’s huge. Okay, he’s massive, thick and veiny and with the built in ridges it has you seeing stars before he’s even entered you. 

But he’d just made you come so hard that you need more, and your clit is much too overstimulated. You guide the crown of him to your entrance, and he sucks in a sharp breath. Yeah, you doubt he’ll last long, which is a good thing considering his size. He’s thick and muscled and holy shit, the ridges feel amazing. 

The first inch of him is a stretch already, and he pulls out to spread your wetness and his own along his shaft. His re entry is smoother, drawing moans from both of you. He’s shuddering within the first few minutes, and with those kinds of muscles you know its not because he’s getting tired. 

You adjust your hips, angling upwards more and your mind goes blank. He’s brushing your g-spot already, and he’s only making shallow thrusts. Your legs squeeze him, pulling him in harder and your eyes roll back. God, he’s perfect for you- your nails bite into his soft skin and you think he likes it, because he leans down and places a bite mark on your shoulder, the elongated canine teeth leaving gentle pock marks where they intended your skin. He looks there proudly, and slams into you. The slapping sound of his thighs meeting yours echoes through his home, and your moans join it.

You’re wet, dribbling wet and it’s about halfway through fucking that you notice his hands aren’t what keeps brushing over your clit, but a second, smaller and softer dick that has been nudging you the whole time. Your legs quiver at the idea of it alone, all the things that it could do-

He stiffens when your insides clench around him, his thrusting faltering for a moment. Then, he’s gripping your hips and lifting you, pulling you forward with every one of his thrusts into you. His pace is demanding and with the g-spot stimulation and his second dick… You’re a mess. You're spilling profanities and cursing him to the worst places imaginable. Thankfully, he doesn’t understand what half the shit you’re saying means. Doubly thankful, he doesn’t stop his relentless assault on that tender spot inside of you. 

The ridges on his dick are fucking incredible as he pulls out and slams back in, and it heightens the experience even more. There’s no chance you’re not going to cum from this. It’s hard to hold back, and with the new positioning you’re nearly drooling with the immense pleasure of it all. The second he palms your breasts, your eyes squeeze shut and you’re trying to hold back your climax, but it washes over you anyway. you’re squirming, cumming on him with an intense sense of need and belonging. You’re sent through the peaks of it relentlessly, his second dick rubbing away at your clit as you ride through it. It’s intense and demanding and possibly the most mind-shattering fuck you’ve ever had. Even without the whole giant-blue-alien-mate thing.

He doesn’t stop thrusting, and as you pant and groan he’s bringing you into another orgasm with the way his other member rubs against you. His strokes are becoming frantic, feral and completely brutal as he fucks deep inside you. Your pussy clenches, milking him and he snarls something in his language that you don’t yet know. He stiffens, providing only shallow thrusts that have you seeing stars. Your body is jelly as he pumps into you, then he’s tightening his hold, his blunt nails digging into your skin. His eyes flare, and you can tell he’s wishing he had the restraint to keep fucking you.

He’s groaning, a guttural feral sound that is like a sweet song in your ears. He spills inside you, pulsing and twitching and god he’s gorgeous and so sweet as he fills you. He licks at your neck and flicks his bumpy tongue over your nipples, his hands going to cradle you in his arms. 

His tail is wrapped around your ankle like some kind of anchor point as you lose yourself in the pleasure of it all. 

You’re brushing his hair back and nuzzling into his neck the moment he lies down beside you, pulling you into his embrace. Like you’ve been lovers for your entire lives. 

His plan is likely to be just that.

[murkysweetleaf]

So I was looking at the reviews on Amazon for book one,

I am feeling a little bit enraged guys. I might need to be put down y'all.

What. The. Fuck. Is. This BULLSHIT? That is not at all what it's about. We all know that. Losing his humanity??? Excuse me??????? It just proves that people wouldn't understand dragons if they existed in our world, and the fact that the person says that Laurence loses his humanity while he becomes a arguably better person just because he sleeps with Jane and becomes a more open minded person is just so... I cannot explain how angry this review makes me feel. He loses his humanity by bonding with an intelligent creature, and sleeping with another female captain, wow, just fucking wow. And in the year of our lord, 2024! This review is so closed minded and stupid, I can only explain in the most simple of ways because I am so sooo SOOOOO disssapointed at the lack of media literacy in this age. The point that he makes is that the woman he has been devoted to for years and suddenly nothing to him is because Laurence realizes that they cannot be together, Edith has denied him that, and he hasn't fully moved on, but he's trying his damn best to. And the "breeding" for the dragons? It comes out of care for the dragons, dumbass. And the emotional intimacy that he mentions is because dragons are, for the most part, intelligent creatures, and if they aren't so much, they are still loved and cared for by their captains and crews.

You can clearly see that I think the person who left this review is just as bright as a broken lamp, but I should at least acknowledge that Laurence changes with his circumstances, but that does not mean he is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, he is actually the exact opposite. Yes, he changes from a prude to someone slightly less so, and he values Temeraire above himself, but that does not mean he has lost his humanity. He has kindled a very caring relationship with Temeraire, and think the person doesn't like that. A man calling a dragon "my dear", I have noticed, a lot of people don't like, which makes no sense, have you ever heard of a healthy parent-child relationship?

I just find this to be one of the dumbest things I have ever read, and I cannot fathom how sorry I feel for the man who made this post, I hope he lets go of the stupid traditional ways that he has clung on to, he is truly like book one Laurence, and he does not at all like that.

[more-than-tender-curiosity]

I know Jay has a history withDan Cody but I cannot for the life of me remember much about that man other than the fact that he died at see. If that is true, would Jay, after acquiring wealth, make a tombstone for him? Place flowers and such? Or would he bury that part of him. The past of him and Dan Cody?

Putting this under readmore because it's gonna be a doozy. Spoilers for Gatsby as well

Okay so. One thing I will remind you of is that Jay never really intended for anyone to know about Dan. His only remnant of the man is that one photograph and he hung it up on the wall in his bedroom, where I'm sure he never expected anyone to see it, at least not to a point where he'd have to explain. I don't think Jay was exactly bringing home anybody to his bedroom (until he got back with Daisy, of course)

Remember when Jay had Nick and Daisy over, and they noticed the photo of Dan (and the one of Jay from the same time), he brushed over it pretty fast. Told Nick that Dan used to be 'his best friend' and that he was dead now, and the moment Daisy latched on to that, he instantly distracted her with his weird ass scrapbooks. It wasn't until after everything blew up in his face that Jay told Nick, and only Nick, about everything.

Obviously for Gatsby I explore their relationship much further. I personally believe (through my years of research into Jay's characterization through the various drafts of this book and the original version of Absolution where it becomes clear that men of a certain persuasion think very much of Jay's good looks, even when he was too young to be viewed as attractive to any healthy person.

Dan was of course an unhealthy man. We know for a fact that he was an alcoholic, and that he was violent but Jay had put it past him/possibly forgiven him if not simply tucked the trauma away so he didn't have to inspect it (chapter nine, "...only the picture of Dan Cody, a token of forgotten violence, staring down from the wall.") That particular quote could simply refer to the violence of the Old West that Dan brought with him, but given again Absolution and Jay's constant involvement with powerful, violent older men, and his desperate pursuit of a woman like Daisy who he presumed to be soft and sweet and totally unable to hurt him, (thus making the irony of the situation that much worse when she contributes however unintentionally to his death) I believe it also refers to the violence Dan inflicted upon Jay during those five years aboard the Tuolomee.

Obviously I have my own opinions about things like Jay's sexuality and why he was so twisted up and obsessive and desperate. Much of what I believe is taken directly from fact and stretched out through interpolation of those facts, looked through a modern lens to an image of masculinity in the years Fitzgerald wrote the books. I think Jay was gay, slipped himself into a sexuality of convenience to further his ideal of a Perfect American Man, and had his wires crossed by his father's behavior so that he searched out a father that loved him—only to be met with another monster who only saw value in him when he gave up his own humanity.

Dan was, of course, that monster. In Gatsby, once we get to 1922, Jay will be wholeheartedly unable to confront the true nature of his relationship with that man. He spent so long believing it was purely romantic and that he had 'cured' Dan of his alcoholism by being good and loving someone who needed to be loved just like he did (with that notion of reciprocating saviorship following him through every other failed relationship not just through Daisy—trying to save her from having to be married off to someone she doesn't love but really just trying to undo the fact that that had, in a way, been done to him—but even to Nick, who is so unable to face himself until, possibly, when it's too late and Jay is dead) that by then, after so many years of his notion of love being clouded by want of Daisy, he's constantly on the cusp of admitting to himself that Dan abused him and he'd 'submitted to it' but he cannot fully accept that fact because if Dan didn't love him, and Daisy doesn't love him, and Nick never will—why the fuck is he even bothering?

Dan has a monument. A beautiful one, actually. A big marble tomb on the grounds of the home he used to share with Ella Kaye, bounded on each side by young willows and seasonal flowers and a plaque written by the woman who would have been his wife. The woman who killed him. Jay got to visit it just once, and spoke with Ella about what happened and why she took Dan from him, and he doesn't want to understand her reasoning because then he has to admit that he had it infinitely worse than her and never had the guts to admit it to himself. Never did anything about it. That tomb—it's a monument to his cowardice, to every opportunity he passed up in his desperation to find someone who loved him.

The photo is enough. Dan still shares a room with him just like he's still there in every 'old sport' and he's always there with his hands on Jay's shoulders any time he goes out on the hydroplane. Some things never change. Jay never stops being 17 and desperate. Nothing went wrong.

The photo is enough.

...

Also, Dan didn't die at sea. He died in Boston, likely either onboard the Tuolomee in the Harbor or, as I assumed, in the city, and Jay wasn't informed because no one knew Dan had left anyone but Ella behind.

[blossom-works]

Love Always Comes With Pain

"Hunnigan, patch me to Anastasia." The computer guru asks you why, but you tell her that there is no time to explain. Your eyes are frantic and your breathing is heavy. Hunnigan nods and types away at her keyboard. You quickly take an earpiece and put it into your left ear.

"Anastasia?" You tell the woman who you are and that you work for the federal government (without specifying which one).

"What do you want? Do you want to tell me how crazy I am for doing this to avenge my husband?" The woman spits with venom.

You shake your head "No" even though she cannot see you. "I'm here to tell you that I understand. I'm married and I can't imagine losing my husband."

Anastasia who was about to pour the virus down her gullot stops.

"Listen to me Anastasia, I can't imagine what you've gone through. I can't imagine the pain you felt when you found out your husband died, but I do know that he doesn't want this for you. He doesn't want you to take the path of hatred."

"What do you know? Your husband is alive! You get to hear him say that he loves you! I didn't get that! The last conversation we had was an argument about him not quitting his stupid job!"

"But he loved you! He loved you so much, Anastasia. In fact, before he went on that mission he left you a letter."

"What letter? I never got one."

You take the stack of two papers and hold it out in front of you. You take a nearby sticky note and write something down real quick and show it to Claire.

"That's because you disappeared before the authorities could give it to you." And then, you start reading the letter.

"My dear lily," Hearing the nickname only her husband called her broke Anasatsia's heart.

"If you're reading this, then that means that I am no longer part of this earth. I don't want you thinking too much about my death. I want to let you know that I love my job and I would do it all over again even if it meant my death. If I were to go back in time though, I would've taken the time to listen to you and to tell you that I love you. I regret how we left things off.

Don't cry too much okay, Lily? And don't hate the agency too. If we don't do our jobs then the whole world is doomed. As much as I loved my job and my title, they mean nothing compared to you. My greatest honor in life was being able to call myself your husband, and my greatest accomplishment was calling you my wife.

I left some money in a separate account. I'm sorry that I kept that from you, but I created it for this exact case. Why don't you use that money and go on that trip we always talked about. The one in Australia? Seeing so many damn kangaroos that we end up becoming them. You should go, for the both of us.

It's time that I say goodbye Lily. It doesn't matter where you go, or if you fall in love with someone else and have that family you've always wanted, I'll always be with you. You will never be alone. I love you, Lily."

It took you everything in your power not to break down while reading the letter. Your heart truly breaks for Anastasia. The woman had nothing before meeting Jared. No living relative or children. When Jared died, Anastasia had nothing to keep her grounded.

In the background, you can hear some shouting and the sound of a door being broken down. Heavy boots hitting metal and guns cocking. With a broken voice, Anastasia asks you, "Did he really write that?"

"Yes...He wrote this letter for you Anastasia." You do not know what happens in the next two minutes because Anastasia tossed her phone aside, but then Claire came running in.

"You guys! They have Anastasia Boyette in custody and the vile of the virus."

Hunnigan cheers but it falls dead in your ears. You clasp the edge of the desk and take in a series of deep breaths. You try your best to blink the tears away but one water droplet manages to escape. Your two friends ask if you are okay and you just nod your head. You hand the letter to Claire and ask if she can personally hand the letter to Anastasia when time permits.

Later in the day, you hear the front door open and boots being taken off.

"Babe?"

Huddled on the couch you tell Leon where you are. When they successfully captured Anastasia, you immediately went home. You did not feel like celebrating this win. Leon comes around the corner and makes his way to you, but you beat him to it.

Seeing your husband brings a wave of emotions to you. Your arms wrap themselves around his torso and you bury your face in his chest. Leon thinks that you just miss him a lot and jokes that he should leave more often if this is the greeting he gets. You say nothing. You do not even laugh. Instead, you cry. Feeling his shirt getting wet, Leon asks you what is wrong.

"What's wrong sunshine? Why are you crying? Are you hurt? Did something happen?" Leon cups your cheeks and tilts your head up. His heart clenches at how defeated you look. Again, he asks if anything happened but you cut him off.

"I don't care." Your statement stumps Leon a bit. "I don't care where you go in this world to do God knows what because you have to. I don't care about that. I don't care how long it takes. I just...I just want you home." Your voice cracks.

Hysterically, you continue spilling everything you feel. "I don't care how you do it. Just come home. Do whatever you have to do. Shit, I don't care if you have to lose a limb or two. An eye. I don't care if your body is scorched or if you end up paralyzed for the rest of your life." By now your face is wet with tears. "I don't care Leon...I don't care about any of that. I just want you to come home to me. I want you home."

When you finish, you are completely overwhelmed with emotions. Leon shushes you and kisses your head. He wraps one arm around your back and cups the back of your head. Leon tenses the muscles in his arms to hold you even tighter. Soothingly, Leon rocks your bodies while carding his fingers in your hair.

Leon always believed that he would not survive this world without you. That if he ever lost you he would go insane and might even become the very people he is tasked to stop. Leon still believes this, but he realizes that this way of thinking is selfish. He forgot about you. He forgot about the scenarios when you lose him, not the other way around. Leon realizes that it is not just you who needs to live for him, but that he needs to live for you. The both of you would be empty shells if you lost the other. Your hearts just cannot work if they lose their reason to pump.

---

This idea randomly came to me and I couldn't let the opportunity pass, so please excuse the sloppy work.

FYI, I teared up thinking about this and again when I wrote it.

[princealberich]

Transphobia is almost always rooted in misogyny.

Be it toward trans women or trans men, the talking points always come back down to the same argument: Women are defenseless, and cannot make decisions about themselves.

Let's break that down!

Obviously, transphobes (and TERFs) focus primarily on Transfem people. In media, it's trans women that are the butt of the joke, and if you spend even a second in Transphobia-related spaces you'll notice the overwhelming difference between discussion of transfem and transmasc individuals.

The discussion boils down to the same point: Trans women are men, and therefore, they are predators. To cis men, it is because they are "tricking" them. To cis women, it is because they're, simply put, 'still men'. This is indicative of two things:

On the side of cis men, women are an object. Misogyny.

On the side of cis women, women are victims of men. Misogyny.

To explain that last point further- It's true that women face massive oppression in the patriarchy, but by simply assuming that a woman is inherently a victim, it reinforces a misogynistic standard that women will always be victims, and that this gap in power is not a symptom of a misogynistic society, but simply a fact of life. Hence... Internalized misogyny.

So... Why aren't trans men talked about as much in these spaces?

It's because the existence of transgender men directly opposes the transphobic rhetoric. If transfem are secretly predators trying to prey on women, what are trans men? Are they women trying to prey on men? No, that can't be right- Because in a transphobe's view, these are still women, and women are inherently the victim.

Thus, the next argument is born: Trans men are delusional women that are victims of a patriarchal society, and need rescuing.

Think about that for a second. If you're a transphobic person reading this, or even someone just questioning it, I just want you to think about the implications of that sentence.

Do you believe that women are incapable of making decisions for themselves? Do you believe that a woman who goes against the greater society's idea of a woman is delusional and must be fixed?

See, we're quickly slipping into extremely dangerous territory here. It leads into lesbophobia, and the idea that a woman must also be with a man, and if she's not? She just needs to be protected and shown the truth.

Even disregarding sexuality and identity entirely, we come into the topical snare of abortion rights. Are women who want abortions delusional? After all, bringing this back to the original point- If women aren't capable of making decisions about their own bodies, about transitioning (a "life-altering, permanent decision"), then... Surely they also can't choose to have an abortion, or tattoos, or piercings, or any other permanent decisions.

This is misogyny.

A lack of bodily autonomy is a problem of the patriarchy. Dismantling the patriarchy is to embrace bodily autonomy, and yes, that includes for transgender people.

I've talked about the TERF persppective here a fair bit, so for fairness sake I want to quickly go into the viewpoints of a transphobic man to further the point that transphobia is rooted in misogyny.

The talking points of cis men on trans men are mostly physical objectification. Some believe that trans men are forsaking a woman's duty, and boil him down to his intimate parts- This is misogyny, in believing that a woman's only purpose is to please men.

Others are emasculated, clearly upset by the transformation that makes them feel inferior, and pulls into question their own masculinity. This is, surprisingly... Also misogyny. It is a direct influence of the patriarchy- That women must be small and meek, and men must be big and strong. A dismantling of that ideology would make a man, who believes in it, lash out. Thus, this is misogyny.

Misogyny is at the root of almost every transphobic talking point. Misogyny, misinformation, and religious extremism.

TERF ideology is not about protecting women, it is about hating men, even if that means trampling over their own in the process. It is not feminism, it's just transphobia.

To address transphobia, we must address misogyny, and to depower misogyny, we must embrace transgender people.

[howlingday]

Dark au

If the interview was podcasted how many actually believe it's a legitimate interview cause the fact that the location it was taken at was raided by police and huntsmen almost immediately after with white fang present could Beacan not just say Jaune was told to say those thing under threat of death and Lisa was in on it for the most part clearing Jaune's name a little bit at least

"As it stands now, the validity of the interview is..." General Ironwood held the thought for a moment, searching for the right words before continuing. "...not confirmable."

"Not confirmable?!" Professor Goodwitch balked. "Jaune Arc was being held hostage by the White Fang and Lisa Lavender was interviewing with him in the same building!"

"Through a pirate network that hacked the airwaves and was difficult to pinpoint." Ozpin said, hands folded in front of him. "Whoever was working with Miss Lavender has been doing their homework, and unfortunately, she's too busy speaking on talk shows across Remnant to be available for comment. Unless, of course, someone in the audience cares to shed light on the dubious subject."

"Which they won't." The general said, turning to look at the devastated young man seated with his partner. "Because she's only the second most talked about in Remnant right now."

Jaune didn't respond. His eyes were glued to the floor, and although he heard every word they said, his mind was too focused on the words Miss Lavender herself said that day. Jaune Arc was a coward. Jaune Arc was a spineless, gutless, worthless coward who only cared about himself.

Penny sat beside him, trying to get his attention. However, he was too far gone for her to reach him. She tried every method she could think of, and she could think of a lot, but all of them failed to get his attention. Her focus on him then became distracted when a shadow loomed over her, and looking up she saw piercing blue eyes glaring back down at her.

"You were supposed to protect him." He nearly snarled.

"I was... distracted-"

"That's not good enough, Polendina!" He shouted, trying to keep himself from roaring. "Your mission was to assist and provide support for Jaune Arc and you abandoned him to be abducted by the White Fang! What was so important that you would abandon your partner?!"

"I was distracted," she repeated, "by betta fish."

"You would put your partner's life below that of measly betta fish!" He said, more accusing than asking.

"No, I would never!" Penny defended.

"James-" Professor Ozpin spoke.

"And yet you did!" The general continued. "You would choose fish over your assignment!"

"No!"

"James!"

"YOU DID!"

"General Ironwood, sir!" The moment diffused, the group, sans Jaune, looked to the dark-skinned young woman standing at the door. A hand to her head, just below her blue beret, she sounded off. "Student Ciel Soleil, reporting as instructed, sir!"

"At ease, Soleil." Ironwood composed himself, realizing he'd let his semblance get the better of him. In front and towards a student no less. "Are you aware of why you are here?"

"Sir, I was informed that my assignment was to be transferred to Beacon within one week, sir."

"It's only been two days, Soleil."

"Yes, sir. My apologies, sir. The assignment came so suddenly that I spared some time to say good-bye to my loved ones, sir."

"Ja- General Ironwood, what is this?" Professor Goodwitch asked, surprised by the sudden appearance of the new student. "Who is this girl?"

"This is Ciel Soleil, a first-year student at Atlas." The general explained. "I spoke about her enrollment at Beacon with Ozpin shortly after learning about the interview. We cannot afford any further mistakes."

Penny flinched at the accusing tone. She'd failed in her mission, and for the most miniscule reason, too. Looking to Jaune, she saw he still didn't look away from the floor. She clenched her skirt in anger at herself for letting things get this bad.

A hand covered hers, one that was all too familiar to her. Her hand loosened it's grip as she felt the warm embrace of Jaune's hand.

"Soleil, starting today, you will be enrolled at Beacon Academy until graduation to ensure that Polendina does not fail in her assignment."

"Now wait just a minute!" Professor Goodwitch argued. "These students are not soldiers under your command!"

"No, but they are children under your tutelage." General Ironwood argued. "Under your protection."

"General Ironwood, if I may?" The headmaster of Beacon spoke. "While I agree that the current standing is not ideal, I don't believe forcing the issue will best resolve it. Especially when you are assigning a team that is only one-third enrolled. If Mr. Arc and Ms. Polendina wish to enroll, then they are free to do so at any time within the next year. However, the sole-enrollment of Miss Soleil without other students to join her at Beacon in her first year is concerning, to say the least."

"Then perhaps Mr. Arc and Ms. Polendina should consider enrolling." General Ironwood countered. "The tragedy on that day is one thing, but the violation of Mr. Arc's privacy and security in an entirely different beast."

"And acting like a beast solves nothing, General Ironwood." Professor Goodwitch argued. "You cannot simply enter Beacon Academy and force Mr. Arc to-"

"I can speak for myself."

The room was silent. All eyes looked to the young man who spoke, tears threatening but never falling from his eyes. His voice was heard for the first time, both publicly for everyone in Remnant and privately for those in this room to hear. Jaune Arc stood up, leaving Penny in her seat behind him, and walked past Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood, not giving either a passing glance as he kept his eyes on the headmaster of the academy.

"I want to enroll at Beacon Academy." Jaune said with a voice that was only slightly shaking. "I... want to prove everyone wrong about me. I want to be a huntsman."

Ozpin smiled. "Professor Goodwitch, please bring me Mr. Ar- I mean, Jaune's enrollment papers."

[shut-up-danny-kun]

today I bring you a chunk of a Spirk WIP that will probably never be finished. I thought someone might still enjoy it.

(Bones and Spock talking and both being extremely stubborn. Teen and up.)

* * *

It was strange, sitting at a table with Dr. McCoy and watching him sip from his cup of (frankly, disgusting) earl grey tea. Spock himself had opted for a traditional Vulcan blend of medicinal plants - his only source of vitamins for the past five days. The tea warmed his empty stomach, reducing the pain slightly.

“Well?” McCoy suddenly asked.

“Excuse me?”

“I've sat down and had your damn tea. Are you going to explain what's going on in that magnificent brain of yours?”

Spock put his half-empty mug on the table.

“You will, obviously, not disclose any of this information to anyone.”

“Of course, not unless it's required for your treatment.”

“Including the captain.”

The doctor sighed quietly and looked at Spock with a pained expression.

“No. I can't guarantee you that and I can't lie. But I can guarantee that I will try my best to make sure he doesn't have to know. Deal?”

A terrible predicament. The captain finding out lead either to the worst or the best outcome, and the odds leaned heavily towards the former. Still, Spock was going to have to trust the CMO's word.

“Deal.”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself, very aware of McCoy's gaze on him.

“You are correct in your assertion that I have not been eating for the past five days. I have also been unable to meditate or enter deep sleep for twelve days.”

McCoy sighed sadly.

“You know, Spock, I have to hand to you - for a man who hasn't slept in almost two weeks, you do a great job of pretending you're fine,” he remarked.

Indeed, Spock felt a surge of pride.

“Why, thank you, Doctor.”

“Any ideas on what's causing this?”

This was the delicate part: he needed to find a way to explain the problem while skirting around the root cause, and McCoy had just proved that his reasoning skills were above average.

“Extended mental strain.”

McCoy's eyebrows rose.

“Oh. Alright, that's something. See, now I'm going to have to talk to Jim so he'd reduce your workload...”

“No.”

“No?”

“The strain is not work-related. In fact, my research is one of the few things that distract me from it.”

Spock picked his cup back up and drained the rest of the tea in one big gulp. McCoy leaned towards him in his chair.

“As you are aware, Vulcans were once a deeply impulsive species. Though we have learned to retain control over our minds, some impulses still remain that must be...supressed.”

McCoy took a second to process before making an induction.

“So, you're supressing something powerful.”

Spock hated to be obvious, but somehow, he was relieved that McCoy said it for him. He nodded silently.

“What is it, then?”

“I'm afraid I cannot disclose that information.”

“It may be crucial!”

“If you can indeed treat me, you do not need to know. There are urges which cannot be acted upon.”

The doctor leaned back in his chair, thinking.

“Hmm... Give me a moment.”

A minute ticked by in silence as he finished his tea. Spock listened to the calming thrum of the warp engines, imperceptible to the human ear. Then, McCoy spoke again:

“Can you tell me this: does your condition possibly have anything to do with your recently broken bond to that woman, T'Pring? I know it happened months ago, but it's possible you're only feeling the effects now.“

Spock was once again astonished by the doctor's intuition, and found that his respect for the man was growing by the minute. Not that he'd ever admit that. He had not even considered the impact of a broken bond.

“That may be a contributing factor.”

A satisfied smile spread across McCoy's face.

“Well, Mister Spock, the good news is you don't have to tell me anything, because I think I know exactly what's going on here.”

Spock's heartbeat sped up. Surely, he couldn't...

“Three words: James Tiberius Kirk.”

His stomach dropped at the mention of his name, and all hope was lost. He knew, and Spock was nothing but an open book. Far away, a galaxy exploded.

He jumped to his legs to do something, stop this somehow, but what could he do? Erase McCoy's memory? It would be unacceptable even in such dire circumstances. So he stood there uselessly and stared at him, somewhere between enraged and scared.

The doctor, meanwhile, looked amused.

“You've given me all the puzzle pieces! “Please don't tell the captain”, said you're supressing an emotion - and wouldn't you know it, your marriage bond happens to be broken and unoccupied. Wouldn't you like Jim to move in?”

He chuckled.

“Look at you! A pointy-eared machine of a man, dying of lovesickness. Never thought I'd see the day.”

“You dissapoint me, doctor,” Spock said, his voice low and dark, “I had hoped you were performing your duties as a healer. I see now you are here merely to humiliate me.”

McCoy stood up also, and his smile faded.

“No! This is all to help you. I said I'd heal you and I will, one way or another.”

“Allow me to make a prediction. You suggest reporting to the captain himself.”

“Yes! Don't you think Jim deserves to know?”

“Quite the opposite. Informing him would put him in an extremely disadvantageous position. If he were to reject me, he might reason that he is to blame for my suffering.”

The doctor looked at him. There was something melancholic in his blue eyes, as if he was remembering some other story similar to Spock's.

“Did it ever occur to you that he might reciprocate?”

Spock's heart began to hammer, his mind soared. It was a beautiful thought.

“Unlikely.”

McCoy smirked and sat down again. He shook his head, more to himself than to Spock.

“You think you're so clever, and yet you know nothing.”

Spock stood there quietly, wrestling with his mental defenses.

“I'm no expert either, but you'd have to be blind to not notice that Jim's crazy about you! The whole damn ship knows already! He looks at you like you're some kind of supernova. All I hear from him in sickbay is “where's Spock?” and “how's Spock?”, and when he's singing the blues over a glass of whiskey, what does he tell me? Spock again. The doctor's orders are to go to his quarters right now and tell him exactly what you're feeling. Jim will provide you with all the treatment you need.”

How naïve, Spock thought.

“All is not as simple as you suggest.”

McCoy was obviously dead set on his answer.

“Well, do it your way. I don't know your courting rituals.”

“That is not the issue. For humans, relationships are a far more trivial concern. If I were to take Jim as a...partner,” Spock explained, struggling to form words, “It would have to be forever.”

McCoy's expression was incomprehensible. He thought for a beat, and then sighed.

“Because of the mental bond?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I agree, that's a big commitment. But that's even more reason to talk to him about it.”

Spock trembled, struggling to keep his emotions leashed.

“I prefer to live in ignorance, Doctor.”

At least this way, the glimmer of hope kept his heart beating. He imagined Jim saying he couldn't agree to spend his whole life with one partner, saying he preffered a human, a woman, that he simply didn't love Spock. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth painfully. He doubted he would survive the rejection.

“Spock, are you alright?”

Do not let go. Do not let go. If he were to slip up, then...yes, now he knew what would happen. He would break down crying. He would be unworthy of calling himself a Vulcan. Blood drainined from his limbs, his body quaking, his head feeling like it was being crushed in a hydraulic press.

“Spock. Listen to me. Take a breath.”

He opened his mouth. The air filled his burning lungs.

“Good. Breathe out.”

He obeyed.

“Let's do that again. Breathe in slowly...breathe out. In, out, in, out...”

For a moment, he could let his brain rest and numbly listen to Dr. McCoy's voice. He breathed until his heartbeat slowed slightly, and opened his eyes.

McCoy was bent over Spock where he had collapsed on the chair, close, but not touching him. He could feel the doctor's compassion simply from the way he spoke.

“You've made your point. You need medical interference. Can you stand?”

Spock put his hands down on the chair and slowly pushed himself up.

“Good. In ten minutes, I want you down in medbay for infrasound therapy. We will also discuss medications and give you some hypos with nutrients.”

“You will not tell the captain,” Spock whispered weakly.

“No, I won't. Swear on my badge.”

They stood in silence for a while, the weight of what had just transpired heavy on their shoulders.

“Thank you, doctor.”

“It's my job.”

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

I feel like maybe someone needs to say it and I figure it's probably best coming from the guy with the Calico Jack pfp who has been very open about not being the biggest Stede fan (he reminds me of my shitty ex hope this helps), because then this comes off less like unhinged blorbo apologia. I just. I'm gonna walk through a minefield with this meta, but I want to talk about the whole Stede abandoning his kids thing. I understand that many people feel all types of things about this and it's valid I get it, but I think we need a bit of perspective.

So basically, recap from discomfort in a married state, which is where we get 90% of Stede's tragic backstory from. I know a lot of stuff with this show is anachronistic, but Stede's marriage really does not seem like one of those things. I say that because in the modern day in the US, which is the audience that OFMD is geared towards and the culture which all the other historical anachronisms seem to favor, it's an American show, arranged marriage is basically unheard of. But it was relatively common among the aristocracy of 1717. Based on this I think we can assume a few things about Stede's marriage. 1) Divorce is not an option, and 2) You have to have kids to carry on the family name and have somebody to pass your money down to. Sure nobody's forcing you at gunpoint to have kids, but culturally back then the expectation is that you get married in order to have legitimate children. If they didn't have kids Mary would have been socially ostracized and seen as a failure of a woman, there would have been social consequences for Stede as well though less harsh. It's informative that Stede and Mary have the classic heir and a spare, i.e. one child to inherit the fortune and one child just in case something happens to that first kid, it's also informative that the younger child is male, since at the time the fortune would either go to the son or the daughter's husband if there was no son to pass it onto.

This is the context we have to understand Stede in. He's a gay man who was forced to be a husband to a woman and who was forced to be a father. The being Mary's husband and being a father are inextricably linked for Stede, because remember the whole point of getting married was to have an heir and you cannot get divorced it's illegal and pretty much unheard of. Stede is so miserable in this state that he literally fucks off to sea to become an outlaw where he'll probably die tomorrow. He's so fucking desperate that instead of going on a rich people cruise like a normal rich guy trying to get away from the family he's doing fucking crimes that could get him hanged to death if he gets caught and could get him killed while he carries them out. This is Stede's last ditch effort to leave his old life behind before he kills himself. This is a borderline suicide attempt from our boy. He's too chicken to do it for real but he can't live like this anymore and he needs to do something.

So like, yeah. Stede's abandonment was probably traumatic for his kids. He was put in a situation where he didn't have many other options, and most of those options are in fact more traumatic for Alma and Louis than Stede just disappearing one day. Because like, staying miserable like that for another... decade minimum I'm gonna guess based on how old Louis looks and acts, is an incredible fucking ask, and having two miserable parents will probably fuck those kids up in a whole host of ways. I know people who have parents who didn't love each other but stayed together for the kids and those people do have issues. Alma herself says that it's probably best he leave because Mary was happier when he was gone. He could just kill himself like normal, which is also pretty goddamn traumatic for his kids I shouldn't have to explain that one. Or he could fuck off in the middle of the night leaving them with Mary and the nanny that almost certainly exists, this isn't child neglect it's child abandonment, Stede can be sure Alma and Louis will be taken care of if he leaves. Even if Mary falls into the worst tropes about widowdom and becomes unable to care for them herself, they're very rich they have people who will care for them. That will fuck them up to, but not significantly more than him sticking around would and at a certain point you have to take care of yourself. The best options are not having the kids in the first place or getting a no fault divorce and being a weekends and holidays dad, but oops, he was forced into having the kids in the first place and he can't get divorced. There's no good options left, those kids are getting traumatized one way or another. The option that hurts himself the least is hitting the bricks.

So like, yeah, dunk on him for being an absent father. I love dunking on him for being an absent father it's very funny. I'll take any opportunity to dunk on Stede. But treating Stede's abandonment with the same lens you would examine modern child abandonment or acting like it's akin to child abuse (I have seen both takes on this wretched website, I'm far more sympathetic to the first than I am to the second) seems kinda unfair. Just like, idk remember the context of him never having asked to be a father and him not having any good options left. Walking out wasn't the right move because there was no right move. I think Stede probably should have had a conversation with Mary about how the only way for him to be happy was for him to leave and made sure that his leaving wasn't a surprise to his kids, but sometimes I think the way that people take it so damn serious is a little unfair

[darklinaforever]

I have no idea what show you are watching at all

I am not on any side I am an impartial viewer and merely stating what the plotline are. I am not rewriting it to suit my agenda like you and so many other people are doing. I am talking strictly about the show without the book being brought into it

Otto Hightower is an ambitious man who reaches too high. Alicent is his beautiful young daughter who is meek and biddable. Otto hold power as the Kings Hand and his daughter is a high value pawn for him to play by marrying her off to the highest bidder. When Aemma dies, Otto sees his opening and takes it. He forced Alicent forwards in a revealing gown to visit the king alone where she will probably lose her virginity or be manhandled and be compromised by the king who will be duty bound to marry her. Otto is playing on Viserys lust for beautiful women despite his grief. Alicent is visibly reluctant and frightened and is so when she is to be married to Viserys. Later she shuts down and does her duty. She wants to be the lady Alicent again.

Rhaenyra knows she is not the son Viserys wanted and she wants the freedom accorded to a son. She starts taking that freedom for herself, doing as she pleases. She speaks to Daemon as equals, she speaks informally to Criston and seems to have a good friendship with him. After Daemon rejects her she comes home drunk, hurt and horny basically. Criston is there. He is good-looking dashing knight. Liters the maidens dream. I'm pretty sure Criston is attracted to Rhaenyra but he wasn't going to act on it. It seems like he's living his romantic chaste fantasy protecting the woman he loves from afar. The issue is Rhaenyra holds power in a technical sense as the kings daughter. There is a power imbalance. When Rhaenyra puts moves on him, Criston is thinking of his vows etc. She puts him in a very difficult position professionally and also risking his life if he rejects her Rhaenyra could turn nasty and go to her father telling lies or if he doesnt reject her he could be killed for breaking his vows if found out. It's Criston who is in unfair position and then there's just the temptation he feels personally. There is many layers to this. Is Rhaenyra abusing her position. Is Criston being abused. Is Rhaenyra just acting on impulse and pushing Criston into surrendering to what they both feel. I don't know. Criston cannot confide in anyone or seek help as it is treason to question the princess virtue. The fact is her rejection of his proposal and the guilt over his vows being broken lead Criston to suicide. He has feelings for Rhaenyra being rejected and then all his personal dreams of being a king guard is ruined. My end opinion Rhaenyra was thoughtless and drunk and confused by Daemon she came home and saw Criston and acted on impulse/old attraction, but then abused her power by pushing herself onto him after he initially rejected her. Criston is put in a terrible position that has consequences for him. If Rhaenyra had been a man the narrative would be different. If Criston was a woman calling msn Rhaenyra a cunt she would be a girlboss.

There is shifting scale of power in the show, Alicent has no poeer, Otto has power, but through Otto Alicent gains power. Criston has no power but Alicent elevates him.

I do think Criston is a hypocrite by sleeping with Alicent because he made vows and could try to regain his honour by acting virtuously but he isn't. I don't feel sorry for him now. I felt sorry for him during that point in time with Rhaenyra.

And Alicent, a queen who sleeps with Criston Cole isn't likely power imbalance maybe ? 😂

Wouldn't Criston Cole rather want to kill himself more because he literally massacred a man for free ?

Rhaenyra did not abuse Criston Cole. He was more than happy and willing. You have to stop the bullshit after a while.

And no, many including me have already explained that gender reversal does not work. Rhaenyra could never have the position that Criston Cole had at that time as Kingsguard.

And sorry, but being neutral to me is just as ridiculous as being TG.

[eloise175]

Domestic Headcanon

The multiple languages of love:

Callisto at one point sat down and learned on a whim how to say ‘I love you’ in 20+ languages to express his undying love for Penelope better, because simply put, one language isn’t enough to explain what he feels for her. He’s also aware of the fact that his wife is able to understand what he’s saying most of the times because she speaks a handful of languages, and the adorable blush that dusts her cheeks never fails to make him smile.

Penelope will never get used to Callisto’s incessant love-bombing, and the actual lengths he’d go to express how much he loves her, it tugs at her heart strings in the best way possible. It’s an indescribable sensation, but if she were to word it out, Penelope would say that it’s like a bunch of butterflies swarmed her stomach, alike the feeling when he first kissed her.

Callisto also took it upon himself to learn about flower-language, and what each color and flower represents.

First and foremost, the red roses are never missing, he likes to think that Penelope will always associate their color with his eyes.

This stems from one time when she left him a neatly written note in his office for their anniversary, where at the end there was the mark of her lips in red lipstick, with a rose of the same shade attached to the paper; Callisto kissed the mark left by her lips without hesitation.

Carnations of deep color are also very present, because while it is true that love is the sentiment that burns the brightest of them all, Callisto cannot help but feel a deep sense of admiration every time his wife takes the lead as Empress.

She has the final say in things, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He couldn’t care less about what other people think of him, but Penelope’s opinion is the one that truly matters. He knows she’ll always tell him the truth, no matter what.

Orchids bring back memories of the earlier stages of their relationship, when Callisto would shower Penelope with an endless pile of expensive gifts after learning that she had a penchant for jewelry and such.

The fine silks of the dresses he’d gift her were imported from different countries and manufactured with the outmost care, befitting the woman of his heart. In the box, on top of the silks, there would be two orchids of a color similar to the one of her hair, their stems tied together by a white ribbon with golden threads sewn in.

Their presence standing for luxury and refinement as well as a beauty unlike any other.

Even after their union as a married couple, when Callisto commissions new garbs for his wife, two orchids that are meant to symbolize the two of them are left on top of the garments as a callback to those days.

Later on, the number of the flowers growing with every addition to their family, increasing by one for each little miracle that blesses their lives, bringing them into parenthood and its joys.

After a while, Penelope taught Callisto how to make flower-crowns, and now every occasion is good to make them for her. Penelope is somewhat jealous because he shouldn’t be allowed to be this good at making flower-crowns, not better than her that’s for sure.

However she cannot stay irked for too long because the way he places the carefully made crown on top of her head with that specific gaze, where it looks like he just fell in love all over again, melts away all the previously built up irritation.

Later on Callisto will start making flower-crowns for their children as well, and Penelope can feel her heart swell the longer she watches them, especially when their kids try to replicate said flower-crowns.

[phoenixeclipse-lmkau]

Phoenixeclipse JTTW/LMK Fanfic

Chapter 11 - Travel

Phoenix felt her annoyance grow as Wukong just wouldn’t stop talking. How on earth does anyone deal with this guy! He was going on and on about his havoc in heaven not noticing how disturbed it made Tripitaka or how it annoyed Phoenix. Macaque just laughed along with his husband’s antics.

“And then I challenged the Jade Emperor! He ran away with his tail between his legs! Figuratively of course,” Sun Wukong boasted his face twisted into a snarl like grin, proudly showing off his teeth.

“That’s why you were put under that mountain?” Tripitaka asked slowly nervously shaking a little huddling ever closer to Phoenix.

Due to the their previous stunts she had decided to leave the shield active. The downside was that it could attract a bit of unwanted attention which luckily hasn’t happened so far in the half a day that they’d been traveling. Doing her best not to look at the monkey demons who were right behind them she decided to focus on the map and guiding them through the forest.

“Nah. That was because I challenged The Buddha, I almost won too,” He laughed, at this point Phoenix was sure he was just trying to get a rise and a scare out of the monk.

“Awe yes, I remember hearing about that. You were challenged to jump out of his hand but when you failed you fled with your own tail between your legs,” She added to the conversation a playful smirk covering her face.

Immediately his proud smile twisted to a scowl as he growled. Macaque’s cheerful expression also soured as he walked up to the shield. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” She responded barely paying attention as she focused on the map as she began to whisper to herself, “now which way are we going.”

“Listen here woman!�� Sun Wukong growled as he punched the shield, Phoenix looked up and then over at him with a frown.

“Be quiet, you’re distracting,” Turning her head back to the map she looked up and nodded when she figured out which way she was going. Hopefully she was going in the right direction, oh well they’d know when they either got there or failed to get there. Sun Wukong was fuming but Tripitaka spoke before he could retort.

“Now now, let’s not fight. We are all together in this,” He said calmly.

Phoenix huffed; he could speak for himself but shouldn’t speak for her. Of course, she didn’t correct him because she wasn’t in the mood to explain herself. She was here because she felt bad for him and that’s the only reason she remained. The fact that he was the only person that she knew off the mountain had nothing to do with it, and she didn’t even know him THAT well.

“I’ll fight if I want to monk! I AM KING!!” Wukong shouted his eyes glowing as he stomped his feet causing the ground to shake and crack around his feet.

The two within the shield stumbled a little at the shockwaves but were able to remain standing. Pheonix turned to the Monkey Demon in front of her and glared at him. Not that he was able to see it, but he could definitely feel the angered aura around her. The roses on her mask turned glowed a very faint red before she let out a breath to calm down.

“You need to calm down Monkey,” Phoenix growled the shield being the only thing stopping Sun Wukong from full on punching her.

“Shut your mouth woman,” Macaque growled as he walked up beside his husband.

“Excuse me? All I have heard from the two of you is boasting about killing people, trying to get those circlets off and full on attacking us! AFTER WE SAVED YOU! I cannot believe I agreed to travel with you two!” Albeit indirectly. Phoenix was seething, she was angry about the fighting and the arguing and all the annoyances that kept stacking on top of each other.

Macaque winced at her loud voice but didn’t back down rather he scowled harshly at the woman in front of him. He glanced at his husband who was snarling in anger.

“Saved? You saved us? You chained us. You are trying to treat us like slaves to protect this defenseless monk who we have no connection to,” Macaque spoke in a calm voice, a voice so calm and collected that it made Phoenix flinch back in surprise.

She gritted her teeth wanting to snap back. She didn’t do this, she had nothing to do with any of this. She was dragged into a situation she was never meant to be in, she was supposed to visit her cousin not the Buddha. She didn’t give them the circlets, she didn’t call them on a journey, she didn’t do any of that. Instead of speaking all of her furious thoughts she merely let out a scoff and turned around. This wasn’t a fight she was interested in starting.

“Be grateful I’m allowing you use of MY map,” She growled before whipping her head around and began to walk away, she thanked her lucky stars that the shield didn’t falter when Sun Wukong threw another punch at it.

Tripitaka had only been watching silently, his eyes wide and slightly fearful as he looked at the two monkey demons who glared at him. Phoenix noticed this and patted his shoulder gently guiding him forward. This was the worst idea that they had gone through with… Then again it’s not like she’d seen many of his other ideas. She was ready to finish her own mission.

“Where are we even going?” Macaque questioned his eyes on the rolled up map in Phoenix’s hand.

“We are heading to get the staff first,” was all she muttered not giving any more information than she needed to.

“MY STAFF!” Sun Wukong’s eyes suddenly lit up in excitement, his tail wagging excitedly.

Oh boy. That was probably what she shouldn’t have said. This was going to be a pain in the neck.  There was no turning back now though. At least he didn’t look pissed off now instead bouncing on his feet as he whipped his head around as if looking for his staff.

Glancing away from him she looked forward and frowned. Opening the map again while ignoring the slight sting in her wrist she sighed. They were almost there. Just a little bit longer and then they would be… at a fucking mountain!? Phoenix stopped in front of the large cave entrance at the very bottom of a mountain. Her eye twitched looking back down at the staff and let out a groan.

“So they buried his staff?” Tripitaka asked slowly but was cut off at the end when Sun Wukong ran into the cave without thinking twice.

“NO! DAMNIT WUKONG!” His husband shouted as he chased after him.

They left Phoenix and Tripitaka out in the open by themselves. Phoenix felt her eye twitch again, these were the worst bodyguards that she had ever met. They didn’t even make a plan before running off.

“Ready to go in?” She asked cautiously, she didn’t want to go in.

She wanted to stay out here or better yet get going on her own. There was nothing stopping her, she could have just left him for those ogres, or left him when he got his ‘bodyguards.’ But turning her head to look at him she frowns and sighed, she couldn’t do that. Not to him, not to anyone. Why did she care in the first place, what was so special about him?

“The mountain is a mass of cave systems and we have to get here,” Phoenix pointed at the map her finger touching the mountain causing the image to shift into a map of the cave systems that spanned under the mountain.

“Alright… Should we leave it to them?” Tripitaka responded nervously.

“No, they’ll probably make a complete mess of things. Besides we need the map in order to locate the staff without Wukong being reckless and destroying everything. If his reactions so far are any indication,” Phoenix muttered as she began walking into the cave, the monk hot on her heel to stay within the shield.

Notes:

P! Wukong : I’m getting my staff! P! Macaque : We need a plan! P! Wukong : FUCK THE PLAN LET’S GO!! P! Macaque : NO! Phoenix : What the fuck have I gotten myself into? Author : A lot. Just A lot, that’s all I can say. Phoenix : Oh, fuck you. Author : Hehe, not thanks you’re not my type Phoenix : THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!!

[calethelettuce]

The Sides As ABBA Songs, Because ABBA Slays

I'm on an ABBA kick guys, bear with me- I thought this would be a cool thing to do, plus you get reasons why :3 If you disagree, lmk!

✨Roman✨

Honey, Honey

- Look, it’s as cheesy as ABBA can get. It’s totally up Roman’s alley

- Probably daydreams about Thomas’ crushes to this song specifically

- Knows almost all of the Mamma Mia! lore (Context: A lot of ABBA music was used in Mamma Mia!, a concert-style musical made specifically with ABBA in mind)

- Puts him in the mood to write some kind of romance novel

- Bro is probably obsessed with ABBA an unhealthy amount, to the point C!Thomas starts having dreams about the group members

⭐Logan⭐

The Name Of The Game

- I was originally going to put S.O.S for Lo-gay, but I feel like this one fits better

- Totally jams out to some of ABBA’s chiller songs while reading or while working

- ‘And you make me feel, and you make me show, what I’m trying to conceal’ sounds like somebody is having some funny lil issues hiding something HMMMM???? MAYBE SOME EMOTIONS?????

- Likes to research the members, just to familiarize himself with the artists to better understand

- Probably analyzes every little lyric, but likes this song just a tad more than the others because.. well, he relates in a way.

🌩️Virgil🌩️

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

- The purp man, listening to something OTHER THAN ROCK????!?? Holy shit it’s a miracle

- The most emo song made by ABBA by far

- ‘Won’t somebody help me chase the shadows away?’ C’MON NOW

- Really likes the instrumentals, that’s for sure

- Listens to it kinda often, although it’s kinda just shoved in his 12 hour playlist

- For some reason it calms him down a little when he’s really anxious

- Probably makes up scenarios in his head based on the lyrics

- Not a huge ABBA fan, but tolerates their music a good amount

- Would totally go to a concert tho

💙Patton💙

Slipping Through My Fingers

- I ACTUALLY ALMOST CRIED THINKING ABOUT THIS ONE :(

- It’s just- *sniff* PARENT OVERLOOKING THEIR KID WHO’S FINALLY ALL GROWN UP :((((

- ‘Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture, And save it from the funny tricks of time’ I CHOKED AND DIED :(

- Pat probably listens to this song sparingly, because he might relate just a lil too much

- He does like it, it’s just he’s a very emotional guy

- Honestly, he probably listens to ABBA just because it’s ABBA

- Jams to Dancing Queen tho

⚜️Janus⚜️

Voulez-Vous

- Come on now. The phrase ‘Nothing promised, no regrets’? Literally Janus in a nutshell.

- Not really his taste, but sometimes puts it on as a boost of some sort (Probably in the morning)

- I mean, this song is just a bop

- DEFINITELY plays the Just Dance version with Remus or one of the other sides

- I lied he likes playing all the ABBA songs on JD okay he just does

- Probably quotes the french in this song (Only Roman gets it, and 85% of the time he just doesn’t remember what it means)

🟩Remus⬛

Does Your Mother Know?

- Do I need to explain? 

- This song is just- yes

- Would definitely tease someone interested in him exactly like this song does

- He’s just so silly

- Probably headbangs to ABBA’s more “explicit” songs

- This one though, he likes because of its funny lil’ indications

- Likes Mamma Mia! like Roman, but only because of the dirty jokes and the “funny” content

- Is pissed it’s not on Just Dance

- Most likely changes the lyrics sometimes to whatever weird things pop into his head that works

- Blasts ABBA music in the background when smashing things with his morningstar (need I explain? we all know he smashes things outta nowhere)

BONUS!!!

💤Sleep💤

Money, Money, Money

- You know this dude is about to spend all his money on starbucks

- It’s just- his aesthetic

- Would definitely marry a wealthy man/woman just for the money

- Hardcore ABBA fan, shut up you cannot change my freaking mind

- Knows all the words

- (Begrudgingly) Geeks out with Roman about it every once in a while

- Causes C!Thomas to lose sleep over this fact (Sleep literally just disappears)

- His personal playlist is half ABBA

- Scored Megastar on Just Dance on every ABBA song (Janus and Remus r jealous of his talent)

💗Emile💗

Chiquitita

- The song reminds me of the therapist friend, so ofc the boi himself deserves it

- Prefers to listen to cartoon soundtracks, though will make an exception every once and a while

- He’s such a sweetheart omg

- If C!Thomas and Emile met in some multiverse I feel like this song describes how a later interaction would go

- I forget that Sleep and Emile aren’t sides lolol

- Also really enjoys Super Trouper for some reason even he can’t explain, he just likes it lol

🌈C!Thomas🌈

Angeleyes

- Nico where u at bby gurl :0

- It’s one of those correlations you can’t explain in a simple way

- ‘Sometimes, when I’m lonely, I sit and think about him’ LIKE AWH ik the song is actually about a breakup BUT SHHHH LET ME BE DELUSIONAL

- Probably enjoys ABBA a moderate amount, he doesn’t really have a cohesive opinion

- Is tired of Roman’s bs tho lol

- There is a breakup mentioned in SaSi somewhere, so this song does kinda make sense in a way

- Vibes with Patton to Dancing Queen 100%

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Helen Joyce: Something that you may not have thought of is that there's a lot of people who can't move on on this. And because that's the people who've transitioned their own children.

So those people are going to be like you know the Japanese soldiers who were on Pacific Islands and didn't know the war was over. They've got to fight forever.

This is why, this is another reason why this is the worst, worst, worst social contagion that we ever have experienced. A lot of people have done the worst thing that you could do. Which is to harm their children irrevocably because of it. Those people will have to believe that they did the right thing for the rest of their lives, for their own sanity, and for their own self-respect. So they'll still be fighting.

And each one of those people destroys entire organizations and entire friendship groups. Like, I've lost count the number of times that somebody has said to me of a specific organization that has got turned upside down on this, oh the deputy director has a trans child, or you know, oh the journalist on that paper who does special investigations has a trans child, or whatever. The entire organization gets paralyzed by that one person, and it may not even be widely known at the organization that they've a trans child. But it will come out. Like people will have sort of said it quietly.

And now you can't talk truth in front of that person, and you know you can't. Because what you're saying is, you as a parent have done a truly, like a human rights abuse level of awful thing to your child. That cannot be fixed.

There are specific individuals who are really actively against women's rights here, and it's not known why they are, but I happen to know through the back channels that it's because they've transed their child.

And so those people will do anything for the entire rest of their lives to destroy me and people like me. Because people like me are a standing reproach to them. I don't want to be. I'm not talking directly to them, I don't spend my time bitching about them. But the fact is that just simply by saying, we will never accept natal males in women's spaces, well it's their son that we're talking about, and they've told their son that he can get himself sterilized and destroy his sexual function, and women will accept him as a woman. And if we don't, there's no way back for them and their child.

They've sold their child a bill of goods that they can't deliver on. And I'm the one who has to be bullied, to try to force me to deliver on it. So those people are going to be the people who will keep this bloody movement going, I'm sorry to say. Because they've everything to lose. And it's a fight to the death as far as they're concerned.

--

Full conversation:

==

Completely explains Susie Green, former CEO of the discredited organization Mermaids, who drugged her own son, leading eventually to taking him out of country to get illegally butchered in Thailand because her husband was afraid he was gay.

https://unherd.com/2022/11/mermaids-useful-idiots/

“As a toddler, Jackie always headed for the dolls in toy shops.” And if a four-year-old looking at dolls weren’t evidence enough that this child should be committed to a lifetime of medicalisation, Green added, “[Jackie] loathed having her hair cut.” Green put Jack — as he was then known — on puberty-blockers and flew him to Thailand for a sex change operation when he was 16, making him the youngest person in the world to undergo that surgery. [..] In her Tedx talk, Green says that as soon as her baby boy “got mobile” — ie, learned to crawl — “he was gravitating to things that you would think are stereotypically female”. Like what, tampons? Was her one-year-old trying to book an appointment for a cervical smear test? Nope, “the Polly Pocket and My Little Pony”, she says, and then quickly adds “that was fine – but not for Dad”. Green’s then husband disapproved of his son playing with My Little Pony toys and therefore banned them from the house. [..] As Green recounts in her talk, “What I had come to the conclusion, up until she was about two, was that I had a very sensitive, quite effeminate little boy who was probably gay.” So when four-year-old Jack told her he should be a girl, Green felt “it explained so many things”.

A homophobic father is one thing - plenty of gay kids have survived that, and some have even had an anti-gay parent come around later.

But a mother who responds to this by mutilating her own child is already mentally ill and ultimately far more dangerous than the father ever was.

There is no coming back from this, for either Jack or Susie. The only way to not mentally self-destruct is to double, triple, quadruple-down, to deny the blatant atrocity you've committed and insist that it's good and righteous, and everyone else needs to play along with that delusion.

[hyperpocky28]

RANT ABOUT ONLINE CULTURE WOO!! The topic is: the normalization of the refusal to broaden your horizons through edgy comments and how that has greatly contributed to the media literacy crisis. Featuring Yves Klein!

I’m sure by now you’ve noticed that people online have gotten scarily dumber. Not to put myself on a pedestal- I am also lumped in with this category. The only difference is that I am aware of my flaw and am trying to amend it. The general online populous has widely adopted an unempathetic and

I just came across a WONDERFUL explanation of Klein Blue by milkisweird on tiktok. Klein’s work as recently been criticized by people online saying that they could easily replicate his pieces. In response, Milk posted a very helpful slideshow on the topic. They explain how Yves Klein spent years developing the shade of blue on the canvas and how it literally did not exist before him.

The large blue canvas isn’t meant to show off artistic technique, it’s presented to show the immense hard work and artistic/chemical abilities that art can bring out. This guy liked blue so much he made another blue. Like. Dude.

The facts are staring them in the face: they physically would not have been able to make that painting if not for the artist and it is in this museum as a relic of history. However, for whatever reason, people in the comments refuse to accept this!! Take a look:

You as the reader may think that this is just the internet being obnoxious. But these are just a few of the top comments with tens of thousands of likes. These comments may seem unassuming, but they are actually extremely harmful. They are, whether they know it or not, perpetuating the idea that history does not matter. I can paint a canvas blue. I don’t care about the paint. I don’t care about the years of labor and love it took to create this. I do not care about history. It’s stupid. It’s not art. It’s not a pretty picture of a scene or a portrait of a beautiful woman. It disregards everything groundbreaking about this piece as something anyone can do. And when this idea is agreed upon by thousands… I think you can see how bad things have truly gotten.

Poetically, this relates back to the hilarious haha saying that, “the curtains are just blue!” This is another comment frequently thrown around that directly discourages people from looking for a deeper meaning. Instead of looking for a potential significance in the work that may have even been unintended, those seeking more are shut down. There’s no need to look deeper! You’re being stupid. The curtains are just blue. It’s deeply concerning how it’s just expected to not do any further research into a topic, especially when most people get their information from social media. Please read the news, read articles, studies, anything. Avoid confirmation bias and LEARN. There is usually something more than what meets the eye. Education (not just from schools!) is one of the most important aspects of life! Learn!!

These edgy comments can go even further to diminish human suffering and empathy, no matter how minor. Someone posts about a breakup? Womp womp. Someone just lost their pet? The world keeps spinning. Sharing that you are sad about something that isn’t totally devastating? Damn I kinda don’t care. Share your art as a beginner? Make something that might be a little cringe? Post about something that isn’t completely the norm? Have a fucking personality for once? Oh..!

Bullying has become disgustingly normalized on the internet. You cannot post a TikTok without the looming fear of being bullied off the platform. Something needs to be done about it. Call it out next time you see it, I beg. Because not only is this putting down others for no real reason, but it reinforces a rather harmful norm of complacency and stupidity. Anything outside the norm needs to be eradicated. God forbid you learn something new.

TL;DR: The online sphere has greatly decreased media literacy by sheer lack of care and compassion for other people, and the refusal to learn/look for meaning.

With all that being said, do some research for me. Be loving to those who aren’t like you, and don’t shoot people down for doing things that are ultimately harmless. Speak up when you see injustice and help as much as you can.

Love ya,

A