#understandable but i was also disappointed

[clairedaring]

Ahead of the Spare Me Your Mercy Finale premieres, here's an interview with screenwriter Lux on the portrayal of Euthanasia in the series

(source: mgronline; machine translated with minimal edits, my apologies for any inaccuracies)

The series "Spare Me Your Mercy" (Thai title: การุณยฆาต), airing on Channel One31, is approaching its conclusion. Starring Tor Thanapob Leeratanakajorn and JJ Krisanapoom Pibulsonggram, the series is based on a novel by Dr. Sam Isaree Siriwannakulkorn under the pen name Sammon. Known for works such as Manner of Death, Triage, Bite Me, and the recent 4MINUTES, Sammon's novels often intertwine themes of BL (Boys' Love) with medical narratives.

However, in this Channel One adaptation, the producers emphasized that the focus is not on the BL aspect but primarily on the medical themes. Lux Sirilux Srisukon, the creator and scriptwriter of Spare Me Your Mercy and a skilled member of the production house, explained the reasons behind adapting this story and delved into the nuances of the plot. Even though euthanasia is not yet legal in Thailand, the story explores how patients may make end-of-life decisions without violating medical ethics.

“Sammon's novels are mostly BL novels and include numerous love scenes. However, we deliberately chose not to present it as a BL story. While the characters are two men in love, we approached it with a dark drama style. The characters are gay, but we don’t offer [fan]service in every episode or include NC (explicit) scenes. This was our intention from the beginning when we started making this series.

We did this not because of censorship, airtime or actors. But because what we are trying to tell was heavy and serious. Having NC would steal the attention of the story because what we were going to talk about was dark drama and euthanasia. Some fans of the novel might be disappointed, but we think we have other fun things to offer, even if there’s no NC scenes. Our way of thinking is that this is not like a series that serves [the audience] (t/n: I understand Lux is trying to say that this isn't a feel-good, healing vibes serving drama).

For instance, in traditional male-female dramas, if the protagonists fall in love, they simply do. Similarly, this story is like any typical drama—it’s not about portraying same-sex or opposite-sex love, but it is just two people who love each other. We depict love scenes the same way we would in any regular drama. Viewers will see that these two characters love each other because we don’t see gay love as different from heterosexual love. It’s just two people finding each other, forming a bond, and falling in love.

When we spoke with the original author, she was also very supportive of this shift because she also wants to highlight the theme of euthanasia. Sammon's focus is also in line with the adaptation but since she is also a Sao Y and a BL novel writer, she understood her audience and enjoyed writing in that style.”

Lux says that she wants to clear up the misconceptions that many people may have that euthanasia must be caused by illness/ medical conditions, not because of life dissatisfaction or laziness and want to inject death.

“We wanted to portray what euthanasia really is because there are many misconceptions. People often misunderstand it in two extreme ways. First, they see it as equivalent to suicide. Second, they see it as an escape for those dissatisfied with life. For instance, some on X (re: Twitter) think, ‘I don’t need to think about the future; I’ll just live my life and then get an injection to die.’ That’s not possible anywhere in the world. That's a misconception.

Euthanasia doesn’t mean you can request an injection to die simply because you’re tired of life. Even in Europe, where euthanasia is legal, there are strict requirements. You must have a certified medical condition specified in the law, endorsed by at least two medical specialists, and the illness must be truly incurable and that you are waiting for death. The purpose of this law is to prevent these individuals from suffering. Instead of suffering for another year, they can die. It's not about being bored with life or lazy to live or not liking yourself when you're old, so you let them inject you with a lethal dose. They don't do that. Many people misunderstand that if you don't want to live, you can go for euthanasia.

But on the other side, some people say they wish the law would pass so they wouldn't have to take care of themselves when they're old. I'm bored, so I'll just go and get an injection. That's not how it works. Even in countries where it's legal, they won't do it. Or if a father has an illness that is still treatable, they won't allow it either. It’s only available for those truly nearing death, as certified by medical professionals. In cases where it is allowed, in countries where this law has been passed, as I explained earlier, and they only provide euthanasia to the relieve suffering of patients who are waiting for death.

And there are some countries that have already passed the law on euthanasia, and they have changed their minds and gone back to using the old law. The term 'euthanasia' itself is not beautiful. There can be many legal loopholes.

For example, a patient is very sick and old, but they don't want to die, but their relatives don't want to take care of them. They go and arrange for euthanasia. But if there aren't laws for it, there will be legal loopholes to allow murder. Some people may not be able to move or walk, but they still want to live. They don't want to die. The most important thing about euthanasia that doctors must discuss, which we will demonstrate in this case, is the patient's wishes. You must do it with awareness and a genuine desire to do it yourself, not pressured by relatives.

It's not like, "Mom, I can't take care of you. You're such a burden. Let's take you to get an injection." We understand that this is a sensitive issue. We don't want to cause arguments, but we want you to understand what we're trying to convey. Think seriously. Because if the day comes when the law needs to be changed and you don't understand it, when you ask yourself if you really want the law to be changed, we won't be able to answer because we don't really understand it.

Euthanasia in Thailand — Is It Suitable?

“Euthanasia is a thought-provoking topic. We interviewed doctors, and they said that euthanasia isn't suitable for wealthy people. If you ask a doctor in an expensive hospital, he will say that euthanasia is not suitable for Thailand because [the hospitals] already have everything that patients need to get through their final days well. But the condition is that you need money.

However, for poor people, just getting painkillers once a month is difficult. They have to endure the suffering. The doctor who wrote this article is the one who visits patients' homes. In small hospitals, when they encounter such cases, they think, 'Maybe there really needs to be something. Isn't euthanasia a necessity?'. Poor people with terminal cancer, in excruciating pain, but there is no one to take care of him, bring him medicine, or take them to see a doctor. Do they have to lie down and suffer like that? How are they supposed to live?' The accessibility to and public health welfare of our people are not equal. This is what we really wanted to convey.

I understand that BL fans might be disappointed, but if we focus on NC scenes to make people swoon, the core of the story will change. The weight of the story will go more towards that than the presentation of euthanasia.

The series will also feature other things to consider, one of them being a ‘living will,’ which has been legally recognized for decades. You can write a letter of intent stating that you are seriously ill, unresponsive, a vegetable, and do not need to be resuscitated. It is similar to a will, a 'patient's will', however, if you become unconscious and don't have full mental capacity, you won't be able to do this. And the doctor cannot not save our life because it is unethical. If doctors do not help, it will become a criminal offense, which is the same as letting us die.

This is legal and there's laws for it, but no one knows about it. It can be done without a lawyer, just with witnesses. We make one copy for ourselves and another for the hospital where we receive treatment. If we have the symptoms listed in the document, the doctor can let us go without providing treatment. We have to do it ourselves, relatives can't do it for us. This is not a legal loophole, there is a law for it, it's just not promoted. This is legal tool that can be used instead of euthanasia because it comes from the patient themselves. Everyone can become terminally ill. Cancer can happen to anyone. And when you're in those situations, how would you deal with it if euthanasia is not legal? You have to think ahead about what you will do."

tagging @recentadultburnout who can help vet for me if there are any inaccuracies from these machine translations

[halyasgirl]

Dead or not, Ambessa Medarda got her happy ending. She came to Piltover avenge her son, yes, to get what she needed to wreak bloody vengeance on those who would target her own. But in her mind, she also got the greatest confirmation she’d succeeded as a parent.

One of Ambessa’s fatal flaws is that she will only accept how she believes the world should work, but she does not believe in nepotism. She’s a fascinating cocktail of superiority and genuine meritocracy. She will burn the world for her family, but only if they (in her eyes) deserve it. “I will give you the world, child, if you prove you can take it.”

She made no secret that she views her children’s lack of militaristic ruthlessness as a disappointment. But one aspect of Ambessa I haven’t seen discussed as much is her guilt. She feels like she’s failed as a parent. By allowing her children to remain foxes in this world, she believes she’s thrown them to the wolves. And in her mind, Kino died for her failure.

She will do anything to save Mel from the same fate (or, in less charitable interpretations, to confirm her own worldview). And in that, she succeeded. She leaves this world knowing her daughter has become strong enough to stand against any threat the world turns her way. And, more than that, Mel understands Ambessa’s worldview, has taken (some of it) for her own, and she will carry it as her mother’s merciless protection for the rest of her life. You are the wolf. For a woman like Ambessa Medarda, with all her love and all her ego, her ruthlessness and her brilliance, this is the greatest legacy she could leave behind.

[sanjoongie]

ₛₙₒwₑd ᵤₙdₑᵣ

☃snowed under: be overwhelmed with a very large quantity of something, especially work.

☃Submission for the Anti Holiday Event from @lapydiaries, prompt chosen: too busy to go home

☃Rated: 18+, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

☃Genre: fluff, smut

☃Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x Reader (f)

☃Au: non-idol, office

☃Trope: co-workers to lovers

☃Word Count: 4,493

☃Warnings: Wooyoung is a persistent menace, he also flirts while cooking, kissing, slight body worship, biting, oral (f), hair tugging, hand holding during oral 🥺, kissing with your cum on his lips, penetrative sex with a condom, slight overstim, pain kink, scratching, wooyoung is a panty thief

☃Summary: when your work makes you too busy for the holidays, or gives you any time to visit home, you gain a temporary guest in Wooyoung who is looking to chase away the holiday blues with you. But will a sentimental, intimate setting make this into more than it was meant to be?

☃Soundtrack: Stray Kids' Christmas EveL album {Happy Holidays 🥰}

You cradled your phone between your shoulder and your ear, typing out a work email on your laptop. “I know I know Mom but it’s utterly too busy. I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Your mother let out a disappointed sigh and your heart hurt from the sound. “I know work comes first but I was hoping…”

“I was hoping too,” You said eagerly, trying to portray to your mother that you weren’t using work as an excuse. “But this holiday advertisement is just booming and we’ve gotten so many offers for work after Christmas. I can’t just jet off and leave my team to handle everything.”

“I know, dear,” Your mom sounded wearing but proud. “You’ll find time to call though?”

“I will, I promise.”

You said your goodbyes and hung up, rubbing your temples. What was it that you had to do next?

“Heyyyyyyy.” Wooyoung rapped his knuckles on the doorframe to your office and then upon a quick inspection that you weren’t on the phone or otherwise occupied, he collapsed onto the chair in front of you and your desk as well.

Quickly, you moved your open drink out of the way, in case Wooyoung decided to be even more dramatic, and spilled your drink. “Can I help you?” You mused.

“Why did we decide to launch a holiday campaign? I'M EXHAUSTED!” Wooyoung lamented into your desk.

“It’s extremely lucrative,” You brought up.

“Yes, but is the money worth my mental state?” Wooyoung wailed.

Project Manager was a title you held with honor while Wooyoung was your graphics designer. You tried your best to help him out by being the communication between the client and Wooyoung, but Wooyoung still had to bear most of the creative weight. He was pulling long hours at the office and you felt bad for pushing him so hard.

You tentatively patted his head and you froze when Wooyoung moaned loudly. “Uh, Wooyoung, that’s not exactly appropriate noise for being in my office.”

Wooyoung sat up, a pout pulling at his lips. “That’s the first comfort I’ve had in like 72 hours, come on!”

“At least the client has finally settled on what they would like color wise?” You offered optimistically.

Wooyoung blew a raspberry, sinking into the chair until his chin hit his chest. “For now.”

You made a noise of sympathy. “I’ll make it up to you,” You offered.

Wooyoung’s lips were lifted in a sign of dissatisfaction. “Unless you can give me extra time so I at least get to enjoy the holidays then I’m not sure how you can do that.”

You winced. “If it’s any consolation, I'm in the same camp, buddy.”

Wooyoung suddenly brightened up, sitting up in the chair. “Yeah?”

“You needn’t look so enthused,” You grumbled goodnaturedly.

Wooyoung laughed brightly and tipped his head back, covering his mouth. “No. I just mean! I’m all alone for the holidays too.”

It took you a few minutes to absorb that information and to understand why Wooyoung would be excited about you being alone too. “Oh no,” You said, putting your hands up. “Absolutely not.”

Wooyoung frowned and began to whine. “What do you mean no? It could be fun. Come on!”

As much as you were a very hands on person in your job life, it took a lot out of your social battery. So when you clocked out, you enjoyed the solitude and silence of your home. It gave you a headache even imagining Wooyoung in your home for even a 24 hour period. You began to rub your eyebrow in worry.

“I’ll be the best guest, the very very best,” Wooyoung promised. He took your hand into both of his and clasped it warmly. “Plus, I hear you’ve got a nice place. It’s probably nothing like the cramped bachelor I’ve got.”

“Wooyoung…” You tried to tug your hand back, but Wooyoung had a very firm grip on you.

“You said you’d make it up to me!” Wooyoung pouted with his eyes now, making them big and wet and pleading up at you.

You sighed heavily. “Fine. I am a woman of my word.”

Fast forward to the week of Christmas, specifically Christmas Eve. Wooyoung landed on your doorstep bright and early, much to your not-an-early-bird chagrin.

You invited him in and it was a whirlwind as Wooyoung typically emulated. His mouth fell open and his eyes went wide. He twirled around as he took in the second floor balcony and your eight foot tall Christmas tree. “Your place is gorgeous!” He yelled.

You grasped the back of his jacket, that was currently only being held up in the crook of his elbows, and pulled it off to hang up. “Thank you, Wooyoung. Now--”

Wooyoung was already in your state-of-the-art kitchen, rummaging through your cupboards. “Do we need to go to the grocery store? It doesn’t look like you have flour. You do have sugar, that’s a good sign. We’ll need coloring and sprinkles and--”

“Wooyoung!” You shouted.

Your graphic designer paused, eyes on you, mid-grab of a mixing bowl you didn’t even remember you had. “What?”

“Why are you tearing apart my kitchen?” You screeched.

“Uhhhhhhhhhh,” Wooyoung drew out the syllable like his tongue needed to catch up with his brain. “Because we’re going to make Christmas yummies?”

You groaned and rolled your eyes. “It’s the holidays!” you protested. “We should be resting. Ordering take out. Maybe watching some movies?”

Wooyoung frowned like you just told him Santa wasn’t real. “But I had this whole plan. Making homemade hot cocoa and dipping Frosty the Snowman cookies in them!”

You rubbed your face with your hand. “Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung rounded your island and grabbed your two hands between his again. “I promise it’ll be fun. Come on. Don’t you want some holiday cheer in here?”

Somehow you let Wooyoung talk you into going to the grocery store, even though it was chilly and you hated the cold. But Wooyoung’s enthusiasm drew you like a moth to a flame. So you let him tug you through the rows, as he grabbed ingredients for his grand master plan.

“What about Christmas dinner?” Wooyoung wondered.

“Wooyoung… there’s only the two of us. Surely you don’t want a turkey too?!” You said, flabbergasted.

Wooyoung laughed, high pitched and throwing his head back, just like in your office. People looked over at you and you felt your cheeks heat up. “We can do something smaller. Come on. It’s the least I can do for you, since you took me in. Otherwise, I might just be heating up a microwave dinner in my tiny bachelor.”

Your mouth opened and closed. “Okay.”

Wooyoung bit down on his lower lip, eagerly eyeballing you. “Yeah?”

You breathed in deeply and let it out with a gusty sigh. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Impulsively, Wooyoung brought your hands to his lips and he gave them a loud smacking kiss on the back of them. “You won’t regret it!”

Your mouth dropped as Wooyoung dashed down the aisle, his boots squeaking against the linoleum as he took the corner quickly. Did your coworker just kiss your hands?

“Woo-Wooyoung!” You shouted at him.

“We need peanuts!” Wooyoung shouted.

You pushed the cart full of baking supplies already and attempted to follow the lightning bolt that was named Wooyoung.

Back at your house, you sat on your couch, leaning over the back, watching as Wooyoung took over your kitchen. He prepared everything mise en place, carefully measuring and setting out various plates and bowls of ingredients. Once he was ready, and he turned on the oven, his eyes glittered as he looked at you.

“I’m missing something,” He announced.

“Oh no, did we forget something?” You worried, looking around, hoping it was still in a grocery bag.

Wooyoung grabbed an apron from a bag on a chair and walked steadily towards you. “I need a sous-chef.”

“Oh, Wooyoung, I don’t--”

Wooyoung ignored you. He was behind you, reaching around and tying an apron around your waist. You held in your breath as Wooyoung finished the knot at the small of your back. He put his hands on your shoulders and turned you around. “I’ll guide you through everything.”

A shiver slid down your spine. You mentally smacked yourself. There was no need to have any dirty throughts while Wooyoung simply meant you didn’t have to worry about fucking up his Christmas baking. Right?

Wrong.

Wooyoung had his arms around you the majority of the prepping. If anything needed to be cut up, his hands were around yours, showing the proper way to cut. If you had the rolling pin, he was leaning with you as pie dough was flattened. He made sure your hands were properly floured. He mixed cookie dough with you in your mysterious mixing bowl, feeding a piece of cookie dough and chocolate chunks into your mouth.

That was your last straw. “I need a break,” You said, breaking Wooyoung’s seemingly magic hold on you.

“Why why why, what’s wrong?” Wooyoung’s brown, wet eyes followed you as you put the island between him and you.

“Bathroom break,” You lied through your teeth and made a beeline for your upstairs bathroom, the one connected to your bedroom.

You pushed the door closed behind you and raised your hand to your lips. You swore you could still feel his fingers brushing against your lips as he--you slapped your cheeks with both hands, hoping to wake yourself from whatever dreamland you were in right now. What the actual fuck was going on right now?

You ran the water next and had splashed your face a few times before a loud knock on the door scared the shit out of you, making you jump in the air.

“Hey, are you okay?” Wooyoung’s voice filtered through the wood.

“Yeah!” You shouted back. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You seemed a little flushed down there. You aren’t coming down with anything, are you? I could pivot and make chicken soup if you need it.”

You sighed loudly. Wooyoung was simply a touchy-feely guy. He cared and he gave. You were looking way too fucking deep into everything. Whatever you were feeling, needed to be reeled back.

You opened the door and pasted a cheerful smile on your face. “No, I’m fine. Like I said, bathroom break. Why did you follow me up here anyways? Don’t you have cookies to check on?”

Wooyoung rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet, like he was holding himself back. “I’ve got a timer for that.”

You waited for Wooyoung to turn to the side so that you could leave your bathroom but he didn’t budge. “Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung’s eyes flitted across your face and you weren’t sure what he was trying to find there. This whole situation felt weird. You felt like Wooyoung was waiting for you to say or do something, but you didn’t know what that was. You let out a sigh and moved past Wooyoung.

“I’m going to go find a movie to put on. Are you more of a The Santa Clause guy or The Christmas Story?”

Your body brushed by Wooyoung’s and in that moment you learned exactly what Wooyoung had been waiting for. His arms circled behind your back and stopped you from moving past him completely. His eyes remained studying your face and his Adam’s apple bobbed in apprehension.

“Boss, do you know why I’m here today?” He asked, his tongue flickering over the freckle on his lip.

You froze. “Uh, because otherwise we’d both be alone on Christmas?”

“No,” Wooyoung murmured. “So that I could get closer to you.”

You laughed nervously. “Well, this is pretty close.”

“Not close enough,” Wooyoung whispered and then leaned forward to press his lips against yours.

His tongue followed the seam of your lips until you opened up for him. Then it tangled with your tongue, as if he was searching out of the taste of the sweet cookie dough you had just consumed minutes ago. It wasn’t until Wooyoung moaned softly into your mouth that you pushed at his shoulders and broke the kiss.

“What was that?” You whispered.

“That was a kiss, Boss,” Wooyoung teased.

“No, seriously!”

“You didn’t like it?”

You didn’t know how you felt. Your mind was reeling with your reality. Did you graphics designer just kiss you with tongue? And did you like it?

A loud buzzer sounded through your loft and then Wooyoung yelped in response. “The cookies!” He shouted and bounded out of your bedroom. And then ran back to the doorframe. “We’re not done with this conversation!” He shouted at you and then ran downstairs.

You were half tempted to lock your bedroom door until Wooyoung threatened to break down the door but you didn’t want to bother the entire building with your drama. So you slowly but surely moved out of your bedroom and down the stairs into the living room.

Wooyoung was moving his chocolate chunk cookies to a cooling rack. His eyes found yours and then he snatched a cookie. “They’re soft and gooey, you should have one.”

You stared at Wooyoung as he broke a cookie apart and then fed it to you. And when you didn’t open your mouth immediately, he said “ah!” loudly until you did. The cookies were perfect. Just like Wooyoung’s typical work.

Wooyoung smiled happily as you chewed and then zoomed back behind the island to decorate the Frosty cookies from earlier.

“So?” Wooyoung asked, without lifting his eyes from his work.

“The cookies are perfect,” You said cautiously.

Wooyoung sent you the most bald-face look, clearly expressing he knew you were avoiding his actual question.

“I’m still processing,” You said.

“I could kiss you again if you need more data,” Wooyoung grinned wickedly.

“I’m turning on a damn movie,” You grumbled.

Wooyoung blew a raspberry at your response but finished his job nonetheless. He made hot cocoa. He slowly heated up the milk, melted the dark chocolate with a double boiler, and whisked his own whip cream.

By the time the intro for The Santa Clause was done, Wooyoung was bringing over his festively decorated Frosty the Snowman cookies and two mugs of hot cocoa. You dug in and you couldn't help but moan out loud at how good the cookies were with the hot cocoa.

“See,” Wooyoung sent you a knowing look, “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” You couldn't help but say quietly.

Wooyoung froze mid dip of his cookie. “Are you a serial killer or something I don’t know about?”

Now it was your turn to send him a dirty look. “No but I don’t have any time to entertain a relationship, Wooyoung. You know better than anyone how much my work life consumes my time.”

“Yeah I do know,” Wooyoung agreed.

Wooyoung put his own cookie and mug down, prying the same items from your hands as well, and putting them on the coffee table. “Do you think that information changes how I feel?”

You couldn't help but gasp. “Wooyoung, shut up.”

Wooyoung shook his head. “No, I won’t. We work together, so that’ll make up for the time we don’t get at home. And don’t you know how healing it is to even sleep in the same bed as the one you--?”

You pressed a finger to Wooyoung’s lips. “Stop that.”

Wooyoung gently set his teeth into the tip of your finger playfully. “Don’t tempt me with a good time,” he said with a husky voice.

“Wooyoung!” You hadn't meant for his name to come out as a whine but it did. You could feel your resolve crumbling.

“I can take care of you,” Wooyoung said, his face completely open. “I can cook, I can fu--”

“No, No! Wooyoung, this is ludicrous. Work romances are notoriously messy. What happens if it doesn’t work out? We work too closely together. Plus, if we sleep together, you’ll always look at me like I’m a present to unwrap for you and I cannot handle that on the daily.”

Wooyoung broke out into giggles. “You’re the boss. Who’s going to yell at you if you’re the one that got caught doing it in your office?”

“We are not doing it in my office, Wooyoung!”

Wooyoung pushed you to your back on the couch. “Can we do it here?” He cocked his head cutely.

Goosebumps littered your skin. You could barely handle Wooyoung begging to go on constant coffee runs at work, how did you think you could deny him this?

“No, we cannot do it here,” You whispered, your throat tight with lust.

“I’ll make you a fresh cup of cocoa when we’re done,” Wooyoung promised, leaned down.

Wooyoung once again stole your breath and a kiss from your lips. His lips pressed against yours and then after a few smooches, his lips travelled along your jaw and then down your neck. You were craning your neck to give him room before you realized he was enjoying himself a little too much by sucking a mark there.

“Jung Wooyoung,” You growled, slapping a hand over the mark. “You did not!”

Wooyoung looked pleased with himself. “I did.”

“You must be stopped,” You said in exasperation.

Wooyoung’s eyes glittered with amusement. “I don’t want you to tell me to stop until you get overstimulated.”

“Excuse you?!” You squawked.

Wooyoung was dissolving into giggles again, all the while pushing your sweater up to reveal your stomach and bra. His lips kissed along the tops of your breasts, following the curve of your breast until he met your sternum. He gently but thoroughly kissed down your stomach before his eyes flicked back up to meet yours again.

“I’ve been a good boy. I let you taste my cookies. Let me taste you now.”

You sucked in a breath, only feeding Wooyoung’s ego even more. Still, he patiently waited until you nodded stiffly and then he hooked his fingers under your sweats and underwear, and pulled them off until you were bare from the waist down.

Your heart beat out of your chest as he settled between your legs and placed sweet kisses along your mound. You could feel yourself warming up for the graphics designer. He bit down into the flesh part of your thigh before soothing it with his tongue and kisses.

When Wooyoung ate you out, you felt like you were an ice cream sandwich. His tongue delicately licked your inner folds like he was truly gathering your wetness on his tongue to taste you. His eyes would shoot back to yours every once in a while, to gauge how you were but you were simply a whimpering mess, biting down on your finger to keep your moans from getting louder.

Wooyoung tugged on your arm until you let go of your finger. “Wanna hear how good I’m doing,” He mumbled and then went back to business.

“Oh fuck,” You cursed as Wooyoung began to kitten-lick your clit.

One hand dove into his hair to hold him in place and your other scratched against the cushion below you. Wooyoung immediately pressed his fingers in between yours, just as he flattened his tongue against your clit, knowing you’d need the support.

“Wooyoung, wait!” You whined. “I’m gonna--jesus!”

Your thighs shook as your orgasm ripped through you embarrassingly early. It had been a while since you had gotten such good head.

“Oh fuck that’s hot,” Wooyoung mumbled before he was climbing up your body to kiss you again.

You could taste yourself on his tongue and his lips and you shuddered at how dirty it was.

“See, told you I could take care of you,” Wooyoung whispered, lips pink and swollen from kissing you and eating you out.

You swallowed loudly. “You did.”

“Let me fuck you on the couch,” Wooyoung pleaded, pressing his head to your forehead charmingly.

“You better have a condom,” You scowled.

“Never leave home without them!” Wooyoung proclaimed.

He stood up and reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a condom package. He bit down on the packaging and then began to undo his pants.

“Wooyoung…oh god.” You went from scolding Wooyoung to moaning about the state of his lower half. He had barely pushed his pants down to his thighs when you saw his cock pressed up against his black boxer briefs. He was thick.

Wooyoung pressed his lips together as he smoothed the condom over his length. “I’m going to stuff you, lovely, just you wait.”

You pushed yourself up from the couch, sitting up the proper way, facing Wooyoung. “If you make some corny joke about me being a turkey, I swear to god,” You threatened.

Wooyoung threw back his head and laughed; the same laugh that had been entertaining you from the office to the grocery store and now in your living room. It never failed to make your heart skip a beat. Whether it was its charm or its owner, you weren’t quite sure, but it always made you react.

“Nah, I just wanna fuck you good,” Wooyoung admitted.

“Shut up,” You whispered, feeling your face heat up again.

“Gladly,” Wooyoung whispered huskily.

He slipped between your legs, rubbing up against your wet folds. His lips pressed against yours, sensually kissing you while he slicked up his condom-covered cock. It was a bit of a job working himself deeper inside of you. You were tighter once you’ve come, however, Wooyoung sounded like he was enjoying every moment of it.

“Sucking me in, jesus,” Wooyoung grunted.

“I am not,” You hissed.

Wooyoung grinned in response. He scooped a leg under one arm and bend pulled it up so he could get a better angle inside of you. “Your pussy is greedy for me.”

“Wooyoung!” You scolded him under your breath.

Wooyoung started to rock his hips against yours, groaning at the sensation. You squirmed a bit as your sensitive clit rubbed against his taut stomach.

“I got you,” Wooyoung cooed at you, cupping your face with his free hand.

“It's too much,” You whined.

Wooyoung’s grin couldn't get any wider. “Want me to stop?”

You couldn't help but pout. “No, I just--” You moaned as he grounded against you again.

“You like a little pain with your pleasure?” Wooyoung lifted an eyebrow at you. “That’s cool. Me too.”

“I--”

You dug your fingers into Wooyoung’s shoulders as his hips swiveled against yours again. Wooyoung hissed and then he chuckled. “There you go.”

You wrapped your legs around Wooyoung’s waist, bucking your hips and meeting his thrusts. You could feel your wetness smearing against Wooyoung’s pelvis but you couldn't give a crap because it felt so good.

You dug your teeth into the nape of his shoulder next and Wooyoung gasped. “Fuck yes.”

The both of you soon unraveled together. You sweet whines intermingled with Wooyoung’s loud, lusty moans. Wooyoung panted into the crook of your shoulder for a moment until his softening cock made him slip out of you and then you both groaned at the sensation. The condom remained and you watched in utter horror as his cum spilled out of the condom and onto your couch.

“Ah, shit,” Wooyoung laughed, eyes looking around for a cloth.

He pulled his pants and underwear up and as he jogged into the kitchen to wet a clean tea towel.

You winced as you pulled the condom out of you and tied it up. You left the couch to throw out the condom. You tugged your shirt back down and looked for where Wooyoung had tossed your--

“Here,” Wooyoung intercepted you with your pants.

You opened your mouth to address what exactly just happened but Wooyoung’s phone went off.

He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it without pause. “Hey, Mom.”

Oh god. If you two hadn't come any earlier, you would have been interrupted by his mom calling. That was--

Wooyoung cupped his mouth over his phone. “No, I told you--uh, what? My location is different?” Wooyoung chuckled nervously. “What are you talking about?”

Wooyoung held his phone away from his ear as his mother screeched through the speaker. “Why didn’t you just bring the girl home instead of telling me you were too busy with work? Don’t you think I’d want to meet her?”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened, shot anxiously to you, and then his lips pressed his cheeks back. “Mom. Seriously, we’re swamped with work, there’s no time.”

“Well, you make sure you make time to call your family tomorrow, okay? I don’t care how into this girl you are, your family--”

You didn’t hear the rest of the conversation because Wooyoung dashed into the downstairs half bath and closed the door with his foot.

You sympathized at least about the mother disappointed in her child not coming home for the holidays.

At least it gave you time to put your pants on. You frowned when you didn’t find your underwear, however.

Wooyoung must have finished up his call because he came out with an ‘aw shucks’ look on his face. “I’m sorry about that. My mom is--”

“Your mom,” You mused out loud.

“Yeah,” Wooyoung laughed and then his face dropped. “Listen, there’s no pressure, we can just enjoy this and--”

“Eat dinner? Finish the movie?” you offered.

Wooyoung’s eyes scanned your face except this time you knew what he was looking for: Wooyoung wanted to know that everything was okay. You had just been fed and thoroughly fucked. What wasn’t there to like? “Yeah?”

“Yes, Wooyoung, I’m not going to kick you out of my place,” You deadpanned. “Geez, what kind of person do you take me for?”

“A harsh task mistress who's hard to impress,” Wooyoung supplied.

You laughed under breath, that was part a sigh. “You’re still sleeping on the couch.”

“Wait--hey!” Wooyoung protested. “Surely I wasn’t that bad of a lay!”

“No, for making a cum stain on my couch,” You replied.

“I didn’t even get a chance and I’m already in the dog house?” Wooyoung muttered to himself.

It was your turn to throw your head back and laugh, clutching your stomach and tears streaming down your face.

“Okay, it’s not that funny,” Wooyoung pouted, cleaning up his mess.

“Let’s see after supper,” You relented.

You could practically see Wooyoung’s ears perk up. “I’ll blow your pants off a second time.”

“Wooyoung,” You said his name in warning.

Wooyoung looked pleased at your response. “Maybe the third time I can convince you to let me sleep in the bed with you.”

It looked like you weren’t going to be able to shake off this man and you felt a little bit better for it. You two could fill the void each other was feeling after working so hard. And maybe you’d get to finish the movie too.

“As soon as you tell me where my underwear are,” You raised an eyebrow at him.

Wooyoung grinned. “They’re mine now.”

“Wooyoung!”

[simpingforbots]

Hello and merry Christmas!

But I have had a really silly dumb thought

The human lies to climb surfaces or the other primes all the time and during one of these times they accidentally caused small bruises on their sma hands and then ended up having to bandage thejr hands

But then suddenly..their ear starts feeling itchy and wanna scratch so bad but can't and so the human kskme opening and closing their mouth while tilting the head to the side and brushing their heads rather against one of the primes shoulder or the wall in a dumb attempt to scratch it

Could you do one or two of the primes (your choice) reacting to that pls?

Also wish you a merry Christmas and new year!

thanks and Merry Christmas to you as well. It such a cute idea!

Broken Bones

Solus sighed heavily as she scanned though her pads, trying to find something that will catch her eye. There is so much to do, like new plance, new weapons to build and now she had something else to take care of, which was not as exhausting as every thing else. Hearing a shuffle to the side, Solus glanced to the side, focusing on a small humanoid form, wrapped in pink cloth and collar, that she created specifically to keep tabs on you. At first it was an attempt to translate your little gibberish, but it failed, yet worked perfectly to track you and it made it much easier not to loose you inside the palace. Far to frequent you ran around, hiding around and one time almost fell out if not for Alpha Triton, who managed to snag them before anything bad happened. It is surprising that something small and defenceless like you could get in so much trouble. Right now you were tinkering with nut and bolts and other scrap, trying to connect them, which made her smile at your little attempts of creating something. Returning to the pads, she moved them around, piking one with another attempt at creating a translator for you and some little armour to keep your fragile body safe. It was hard to do something this small but she was fully invested by now, getting up and heading towards the cabinet with all the unfinished projects, pulling the small armour out and returning to the table, focusing on it and time to time pulling you closer to check the measurements, which you protested a bit, but slumped soon enough as you learned long ago you were weaker then someone bigger and made out of metal.

It’s been months since you’ve been here and it become a rutine for the huge female robot to manhandle you while trying to build something you had no idea. Well sort of, time to time they would ask you to make some noise while new device was shoved on to your body, looking quite disappointed as they still did not understood you. You were grateful at attempts they did to understand you, yet still not to hapy to be treated as a handbag chihuahua, purely to keep this strange bot from loosing their mind from constant work. You sighed as you were finally let go and the bot was completely immersed in work again, small sparks flying around. You had to move quite far away as unlike the bot who’s face immideatly got covered by mask, you can still get hurt. Not to loose your mind you returned to tinkering with little metal parts you find lying around, trying to built something as well, even as small as a shiv. You set there quietly until the biggest one suddenly came in, getting your attention first. He looked down art you with his mask that you’ve seen off a few times, nodding slightly and walking forward toward female bot who “owned” you, placing a hand, no sorry, servo, on her shoulder getting the attention. They spoke in their click and whirs, chippering something before affectionally bonking each other on the helms, a sign of affection they used to showing each other. They chattered about something, completely forgetting you. You looked down and up again, thinking hard before you decided to act. Slowly moving to the side, you climbed down a small ladder that the female bot build and slowly backed up. Two lovers were to deep in to their chatter and checking pads to notise you slip out of room and you let your self to explore the huge castle you find your self in. The corridors were huge and empty, time to time filled with heavy foot steps of other robots, like the one who turned in to huge as tiger with horn. He was the most gentle, almost like a grandpa, yet you still were warry. Hearing footsteps you quickly dashed behind corner, poking out to see the bot with many arms, walking past the hallway you were in, not paying attention to anything but his pads, chattering something under his nose, letting you sigh with relief as you came out from your hiding and off to exploring again. Maybe you’ll find something to help you get out.

Solus let a heavy sigh as Megatronus bonked their helm again with soft affection, helping them ground as their helm cleared from all the worries of failed weapon tests and other stress, as well as fails at creating something to understand the little one. Looking down they noticed your little spot empty, looking around the room hoping to find you somewhere here, letting out a sigh.

“And they ran again” Solus shoulders slumped, moving the chair as they stood up, Megatronus moving out of the way. “I swear to Primus every time I look away they gone, worse then a sparkling.”

“They are smaller then one, though” Megatronus nodded, joining Solus on to walk to catch you again. “So they might act like one. Any luck on understanding them?” Solus only shook their head, continuing though corridors while following a small ping.

“NO, so far not, but it was a good idea of putting a ---

CRASH

Both of them froze, shocked by a sudden loud noise before dashing down the corridor, with Megatronus activating his weapons on case of spy, joining the others with chase towards the sudden loud noise. They ran in to the room and looked around, seeing a mess of books and a small figure trapped under. Triton was first to realise what it was and knelled down, gently pulling it out. Making painful noises was you and your arms looked horrible, it was bent in all wrong ways and red. It took a second before Solus rushed forward and gently cooped you up from Triton, with you still making those pained noises. Primus, why did you ran away. Sighing, she held you close to her chest, looking at Quintus for help, who only nodded, extending his many arms to hold you and fix you. When all was done you were returned to Solus with bandaged arms, which looked incredibly funny on you, making Solus snort as you tried to wiggle them. Yet at the same time it meant your movement was limited, another flaw in your little body, making you even more vulnerable. Letting a heavy grunt, Solus cradled you against the chest and thanked Quintus for the help, returning to her room. You quieted down a bit, just staying quite and trying not to move much. After few days you were back to your lively self, sort of. You still tried to tinkered around with what limbs you had, which was problbay best as you could not do much thanks to restrains on your limbs, but also she noticed a very strange behaviour. You would rub your head against things, as if trying to do something, and it was becoming more irritating to you. Just like any other day, Solus woke up from her recharge and checked on you, peacefully sleeping in fort of blankets and pillows, snuggling in to make your self comfortable, in your current position it is. Letting a little sigh, Solus leaned on the container you were in, looking at the your small body and reaching in, rubbing behind your small flashy round things on your head, like a flashy antennas you use to listen, scratching behind them. And to her surprise you reacted, leaning in to sudden affection, letting a pleased sighed as if some kind of itch was finally relived, slowly waking up. You did not made any chirps, instead just enjoying the soft affection of this peaceful moment.

[ropebunnykant]

i've said it before, but i truly feel like a lot of the hate towards kant really comes from a place of people not understanding him and why he's handling everything the way he is. like i feel like at this point, more people understand his motivations and the fact that he's doing all of this to be able to raise babe, but i feel like the disconnect is now coming from the way he's handling it all.

and like, i understand that everyone has different interpretations, but one thing i have never been able to understand and get behind is the idea that kant, at any point, didn't feel anything for bison. we see before kant gets blackmailed by christ, before he is told that bison is an assassin and he needs to get close, that kant clearly felt something real on his and bison's first night together. you can make the argument about it just being because they had really good sex, and i'm not saying that wasn't part of it, but the thing is that when kant is laying there, daydreaming about bison with that silly smile on his face, he's not thinking about just the sex. yes, we get a shot of that too in his little daydream, but we also just get bison at the bowling alley. and kant tells style that bison didn't stick around as if he's disappointed, and again, sure, you can make the argument that he just wanted to make a fuck buddy out of bison or something like that, but style is teasing him about it in the same way a friend teases you about a crush - and style knows kant and his fuck boy ways better than anyone, so it's obvious this isn't just the way kant acts when he has good sex with someone.

but then captain christ calls. and kant is given this job that he has to do. this isn't an option, he doesn't have a choice here. it's do this job for captain or he brings back his car theft charges and he looses custody of babe. you can argue about his tactic in getting close, sure, but the truth is i don't think kant trying to be bison's friend would have even worked, nor would it have likely made much sense because they had already slept together.

and again, i've said it before, but a lot of the reason that kant was able to be convincing with everything in the beginning is because while sure, he was definitely playing things up, he also did always have a real interest in bison. kant isn't a good liar. we've been shown this time and time again, not just with bison, but with fadel and even with style. if kant hadn't had any interest in bison to begin with, he wouldn't have been able to fake it so easily. there's just no way to me that he didn't have some amount of interest from the beginning.

his interest has always been real. the problem has always come in with the fact that kant knows it can't be.

and i think in the beginning, it was easy for him to justify it, to brush it off. to tell himself "it was just good sex" or "it's just a crush" because as much as it may be real, kant needs to to be a lie. he needs to be faking it, be lying through his teeth, because none of this is real! he can't approach bison in a way he otherwise may, he has to be over the top. he can't win bison's heart naturally, he has to wiggle his way in, he has to lie and cheat and manipulate, he has to pay off his friends to help him and drug him to get information. it can't be real because even if it is, he has to do these things anyways. even if it's real, he won't get to keep him in the end. it's either bison gets locked up or kant does, and if he's the one in the cell, then there's no one to take care of babe.

so of course kant pushes away and ignores every bit of feelings he has until he can't anymore. of course he ignores the way he redraws bison's cat tattoo for him when he doesn't have to. he ignores the fact that maybe he does actually like it when bison hits him, that maybe they are the perfect match. he ignores the little kiss he gives bison despite him being totally out of it. he ignores the note he has in his phone of all the things bison likes, the things he dislikes.

until he's sat in bison's room and he sees pictures of the northern lights and thinks "he has dreams, just like babe does."

until bison calls him his boyfriend and he giggles like a teenager with a crush.

until he's in the shower and can't stop thinking about bison giving him his heart and the way he doesn't deserve it.

until style calls him on it, tells him what he already knows but can't be true, that bison has him wrapped around his finger.

until bison is telling him he loves every story on his body. until bison is kissing his way up his skin like he's something beautiful and precious but he's not. because bison says he loves the parts of him he thinks are ugly. but would he still if he knew? would he still look at kant with all that love, all that vulnerability, if he knew it was built on a false start? would he still find those parts beautiful, too?

of course kant doesn't think so. of course he has no reason to believe bison would forgive him. how can he expect that when he can't even forgive himself?

so it's better, isn't it, to just get it all over with? to do what he needs to and try to live with himself once it's all over? to let himself love bison for just one night because he'll lose him either way after that, won't he?

that's what it is, for kant. he can't keep bison. no matter how much he wants to. no matter how real any of it is.

[lovely080222]

Arcane Season 2

Lately, I've seen a lot of content creators and people online reacting and talking about Arcane season 2 in a negative way, to the point where they say that the season was trash. And honestly it makes me mad. If the ending of the story, or the story itself wasn't your cup of tea, is okay. Media enjoyment and appreciation is subjective, however, we can all be objective when it comes to the actual content of said media...and that is what has me so disappointed on their takes, because their reviews (that I came across with) are flat out lacked on media literacy and did not entirely understand the source material they were reviewing.

Let's start with the character arcs...in my honest opinion. THEY WERE GOOD. ALL OF THEM. I feel like a lot of people are exaggerating when it came to the arcs (especially Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn's) saying that they were not developed enough like in the first season, but I disagree. Most of their arcs for season 2 were HEAVLY hinted and foreshadowed in season 1, mostly Jinx's and Cait's.

One of the arc that gets more hate is Vi's, and is because of the s3x scene of season 2 episode 8 and the finale of season 2 episode 9, and overall season 1. As well as her forgiveness towards Caitlyn and how she acted selfishly in that episode. However, they don't take into account 2 things: 1. Vi is heartbroken (for what it feels the 30th time in both seasons) because Jinx/Powder tears and rejects Vi's help and unconditional love (Vi's fatal flaw is not knowing when to drop the towel, and establishing boundaries for herself, believe me, I learned that THE HARD WAY ) .

2. Vi and Caitlyn might not have enough time to talk about their feelings as deeply as they would've liked (a literal WAR is coming) so, they did it in the most raw and truthful form of love language, touch and eyes. No words, they weren't needed either.

Don't blame her for doing what it felt right in the moment, also let's be real here. Jinx gave her consent, and decided to leave Vi (Vi doesn't know the context, we do), for her sibling's benefit and love for her, because it hurts to Jinx that Vi is not taking care of herself and not pursuing what she truly wants, which is Caitlyn.

Was it in the worst moment of Jinx deteriorating mind? Yes. Was it out of place?...Maybe. But, was it necessary for the plot? OBVIOUSLY.

The s3x scene holds and magnifies the arcs of the couple and their vulnerability (Vi taking the leap and show her feelings, and Caitlyn responding and being truthful of hers). There are videos that explain the importance and the weight that holds in the arcs of Caitlyn and Violet, way in depth and detailed. They all point out the symbols and meanings of their gestures, which are wonderful. And ties together their bond and their strengths. As a younger sibling, strangely enough, I connect with Vi more than Jinx. That is because of the parental and family expectations that they have on me. I had to take a role of being the caretaker since "I'm more mentally stable". So I understand why Vi is the way she is.

Therefore, I understand and relate to Vi wanting to be selfish for once, without feeling guilty about it later. Not having regrets.

I recently rewatched both seasons and I have to say, it all played out perfectly, including the finale. And it payed off to all the build up in season 1, because of the foreshadows and plot devices used in both seasons to tell the story. The plot points and story arcs were very good, especially since they all connected to the main theme, which is forgiveness. Where do you draw the line in where there is nothing left to forgive or how far are you willing to do so. The plots truly showcased what is Arcane (narratively and character) and how does storytelling (mostly subtext, non-verbal and visual ) actually work. The way the writers handled it was MAGNIFICENT and TRAGIC. Which serves right for the story they conveyed in the series.

I think, one of the reasons that this season was received poorly (compared to season 1) is due to the already constructed ending and story lines that we might have thought of. Which might have more things or less than the main series but it was something to cling on before the premiere of the last season. And because of it, they judge it extremely and harshly without actually taking into account what the story was actually about. Would it have benefited of more episodes? No. Would it have benefited of more runtime? in some things, yes but at the same time, i don't mind it and I believe that it is good. Would it have been better if there was another season to wrap up the story? Definitely not. That is due to the story being pretty much a solid story with a few strong undertones that have unfolded before its finale. I LOVE Arcane, and I would watch it again and again (both seasons). I think, it is one of the biggest series of all time and also the most compelling one in modern media). This final season brought me to tears and this hollow feeling in my chest yet satisfied by the way it ended the main journey of Runeterra, and opened to many more.

Also controversial opinion, but I like season 2 a lot more than season 1. And that is because, I love the development of it (the show of progression and how it embraces the themes showed on the series)

BTW, THE MUSIC SLAPS. BEST OST HANDS DOWN MIC DROP!!!!!!

(P.S. As an english literature major, I might have more insight on this but don't be afraid to disagree/agree in the comments)

I want to know how y'all felt and if you want to ask me something or debate this, you're free to do so. I hope I can create a save space for all types of convos about this show.

love,

~lovely References:

https://youtu.be/dRvgb_CB9Ss?si=rQGmpPAYL5XrDR1u https://youtu.be/LZ6szm2fmB4?si=k7l-OuE018PpctjM https://youtu.be/0nhTS9-P7eQ?si=MkMntcyQZTHPzgYZ https://youtu.be/l0-We7fyCaQ?si=aP-fhcWxSspphBT-https://youtu.be/sIJEQjMqiNA?si=xF8rt77LKAG0Kpp6 https://youtu.be/NtDGwZxQyio?si=ZTKq1E2VetcXkyis https://youtu.be/30zVFfziBuk?si=AQpE6cntutdQvBfz https://youtu.be/9Lro6HmaWiA?si=PxPq4U8s138nlHw4. https://youtu.be/W3cNewkYB8o?si=LsyGnzC3iaMpr7K1 https://youtu.be/nD9cNowdBQg?si=jxqwX1tmuunnZpHi

[girl4music]

Those last 2 episodes. Appropriately titled ‘Heart Part 1’ and ‘Heart Part 2’ because my heart is so full. I have so much to say and have no idea where to start with it.

So much happened. Every lead character’s individual arc was thoroughly concluded in a very satisfying way. Even some of the recurring ones got an endgame so there’s a lot to cover in this recap of a fantastic finale and I feel so fulfilled on great storytelling and great representation packed into a neatly tied up ending.

MAJOR SPOILERS: do not read this if you have not seen the finale of ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’.

I guess I’ll start with Shadow Weaver because she had an endgame that I had predicted. Well, sort of. I said that Shadow Weaver’s arc can only go in 1 of 2 ways. I said it was either personal attainment (villainy) or personal sacrifice (heroism). So I wasn’t surprised when it was the latter. But I wasn’t able to trust in her going that way sincerely until she started attacking that monster, told Catra that she was proud of her, took off her mask and then told them both ‘you’re welcome’. I couldn’t trust that she was sincerely helping them to achieve releasing and channelling the Heart of Etheria’s magic… which by the way, is what almost brought them to the brink of destruction the first time they tried to do it. However, I understood that because She-Ra was the conduit for that, that it could have a different outcome. Still destructive but destructive only to the opposition. I think anyway. I might have to rewatch that part again because I don’t think I fully understood what was going on there. But yes, Shadow Weaver went out in a heroes death rather than was the cause of her own demise out of hunger for power and a desire to attain the magic of the Heart Of Etheria for selfish aim. I was happy with it.

Glimmer and Bow: I decided to talk about these 2 lead characters together since part of their arc involves each other. It was no surprise to me that they would declare their love for each other. I mean Glimmer has always had a crush on Bow and they’ve been the very best of friends since they were children. I wasn’t sure about Bow at first but I knew intense romantic feelings would develop and I’m glad it was Glimmer who said it first. I am a bit disappointed that there wasn’t a kiss on the lips but I think I understand why that was. I’ll get there. Be patient. There’s way too much to talk about first and I really want to save Catradora until the very last section because I’ll have the most to say about them as a lot of their arc informs well… pretty much the whole TV show.

Glimmer individually had more of an arc in the TV show than Bow did so a significant amount of my meta goes to her. It was mainly how she was fairing as Queen but also how useful she could be to the team because of it. Then of course there was Micah. Reuniting with him but having to battle with him because he was an unwilling agent of Horde Prime. I laughed with pure joy when the influence on him ended and he said “Hi, I’m your dad.” I really felt for Glimmer when she was desperately trying to heal him and she said “I won’t lose another parent!” So it was so satisfying for me to realize she healed him and that she poured all the love she could into that heal and when she succeeded, the proud smile that he wore must have made her feel like Queen of the world, never mind just her little town of Brightmoon. She deserves it.

Likewise it was wonderful to see how proud Bow’s dads were of him when he gave that rousing battle speech to the reawakened masses of Etherians, telling them to be their own warriors and fight for their home. It was right that it was Bow to do that rather than Adora or Glimmer because that is what he had trained himself to do from the beginning. He wants to be an archer battling on the side of the greater good and not a historian. So to see his dads holding each other, proudly watching him… it brought a tear to my eye, I have to admit. So beautiful!

Hordak and Entrapta: I had no idea that I would get a closure for Entrapta, let alone Hordak. I did and I’m so happy about it because even though she was only a recurring character, Entrapta buried her way into my science, tech and engineering loving heart (with a spanner and a blowtorch? You will never know 🤣) but I am glad that she got over her obsession enough to focus on what really mattered. Saving her friends.

The fact that what stopped Horde Prime wasn’t Adora or Glimmer or who you would expect, but Hordak and Entrapta? That hit so hard with me. To give THEM the hero moment of defeating the villain. I was like “Oh my god! That’s brilliant!” Because it is. Think about it. Who do you think Horde Prime tortured the most? His Little Brother! I still don’t know if that was literally or not. 🤷‍♀️ Was he actually related or was he just another clone because he did call Catra his “Little Sister” too? That’s still so creepy to me. But yeah, for Hordak to get that moment of retribution was absolutely delicious for me and then for Entrapta to reach him when Horde Prime tried to take over through the Hive Mind? So, so, good! That made total sense and it was brilliantly executed!

Scorpia and Mermista: The only reason to lump these 2 characters together is because they were chipped and controlled the longest that they caused significant damage to Etherians. There’s not really much to say about them other than that they’re going to have huge headaches now that this is all over due to how far gone they were. I mean I’m glad that they were able to save them but I just don’t know what the aftermath will be for them or whether they will be the same ever again.

From the way I watched and interpreted the TV show, I understood that one of the main narrative themes of it was psychological conditioning and I’ve been in awe that this children’s show was brave enough to tell that very dark story,… let alone see it right through until the end because it’s an ambitious, elaborate and difficult narrative undertaking. Especially to do it properly,… which they definitely did. To tell the darkness of… well… basically radicalization and genocide but to do so in such a way that it could teach and motivate kids to develop on their innate judgement and discernment so if - god forbid - they ever end up in that situation, they’ll know exactly what to do about it. With team She-Ra being their idols, they’ll be able to fight conditioning. I can imagine that’s what the creators intended with this and I cannot acknowledge and commend them on it high enough. I think that ND Stevenson and the entire creative team are incredibly courageous and amazing to make this a main thematic narrative all throughout this TV show and handle it with skill and compassion that it does not once come across as too much for PG.

Catradora: (Yes, I’m using the ship name because the way they tie up their individual character storyline arcs seamlessly also ties in with their romantic arc and you do not know how hard it is to find this with WLW ships.)

First off, I want to point out something that may or may not have been pointed out before with Catradora but this is just how it came across to me in the narrative given I interpret psychological conditioning as a main theme within it. To me, a lot of the reason why Catra is the way she is as a villainous character when it comes to receiving love and affection has do with this factor. She’s so closed off and repressed to the point that she cannot even see that she’s corrupting and sabotaging herself. She is a lot like Xena in this way. But a major striking difference for Catra is that she physically loses the one person in the world that stops her from doing this, whereas Xena physically gains that one person. Trust issues, abandonment issues, parental issues all tie in together - but that was all tolerable when Adora was around her. As soon as Adora leaves her behind in the Fright Zone and, furthermore, begins to oppose her as the hero of Etheria, she spirals so hard and so fast that all of those issues - which were always issues caused by the abusive treatment from Lord Hordak and Shadow Weaver - come crashing down one by one on top of her because she no longer has the person who makes those issues just inconveniences for her. Not only that but … it feels like personal betrayal for her that Adora fights her. She genuinely does think that Adora hates her. I mean who wouldn’t if they were in her shoes (paws?) and had the “upbringing” and “nurturing” backstory she’s had? So Catra has this preconceived notion that Adora never cared about her and left her because she thought she was better than her and was chasing after heroic glory and believes that she was too weak to go with her. In a way it’s a personal vendetta out of misunderstandings Catra has against Adora and those feelings are intense not just because the Horde brainwashing is that deep and severe but also because her love is that deep too and she can’t differentiate which feelings are which. So she becomes She-Ra’s mortal enemy because in her mind, She-Ra is what has taken Adora away from her.

But obviously, from Adora’s side, She-Ra was sprung on her, Etheria was sprung on her. In fact her entire world upended once she recognized her life for what it was. A lie. That she was the villain brutalizing innocent people. She couldn’t go back to them even if she had wanted to because everything she had ever knew was fraudulent and she had been coerced and deceived into being a weapon. And what I really like about Adora’s individual arc is that eventually this was revealed to be true on both sides of the war. She was a weapon for evil and for the greater good. But all she wanted - as all heroes do - was just to protect and defend her loved ones. That’s it. Catra could never see it that way though and it makes sense that she couldn’t given her conditioning was even worse as it involved one-on-one attacks from Shadow Weaver as well as whatever the treatment was with the entire group. Catra’s psychological conditioning was much more personal, intimate and isolated so what was ingrained into her had much deeper and stronger layers added on to it. Hers was a solid brick wall built trauma complex. Those are always much harder to recognize and escape from but with the right therapy,… it can be done. Given her issues weren’t so bad when Adora was around her but got much worse when Adora left her… it is clear that Adora represented a sort of therapy for her. Adora helped her keep all the crippling thoughts of self-doubt and self-contempt at bay. But they were on full volume when Adora left and kept attempting to kill her.

Okay, so let’s finally get on to their romantic arc and how the finale not only concluded their individual character representation and development arcs but also ended their ship slow burn. It wasn’t until the fantastic episode of ‘Save The Cat’ did I realize they were going there. See,… to start with, I knew that they were going to become a canon WLW couple at some point otherwise I would have never started watching it. That was the draw for me. That they were both lead characters in a canon WLW ship in a children’s TV show. That floored me. But I was not prepared at all for what I got to see in the finale. It was groundbreaking. It was phenomenal. In fact I’m sure it was life changing for many queer kids to see that kiss happen the way it did. Or… just happen on-screen at all. Look, I am so used to the “implied” and “assumed” and “disguised” when it comes to WLW physical intimacy that I just do not ever expect blatant leaves-absolutely-no-doubt-whatsoever kisses. I certainly don’t expect WLW kisses written and portrayed as “the power of love” kind. It’s extremely rare. To see it in a children’s show nailed me to the floor. But furthermore - added on to that astonishing feat - is that both lead characters overcome all their issues and obstacles through that very act like… a fairytale story. It’s like… when the Princess kisses the Princess, all is well… there’s no stopping either from that point on. It seems corny but it all just depends on how it’s done. But the fact is you don’t see it done between WLW at all. So to see it done WELL alongside seeing it done at all… I mean Indy knew that he had an assignment with this but the phrase “he understood the assignment” doesn’t cover or justify what was accomplished with this and I can’t believe it’s took me this long to see it.

Every TV art/entertainment creator should watch this TV show and regard this finale as the perfect example of what queer representation can and should provide in TV because this was just the epitome of what true love is. But the fact it was between 2 female lead characters.

I can’t even begin to explain how much it meant to me but I will spend the rest of my life trying to express it because this really was a groundbreaking achievement and I will be adding this WLW ship to my very short list of WLW ships that shape and satisfy every piece of me.

I have had the best fucking time watching this TV show and I will be doing reruns of it for god knows how long because I am sure there is so much more there for me just like there is with Xena, Buffy, Charmed, Dragon Ball Z, Wynonna Earp and Arcane. All these beloved shows are timeless to me for a reason and She-Ra is the same.

I hope you all enjoyed reading my recaps of my very first watch of ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. 🎄

[loveydovey489]

Gang. Yea. It’s Christmas. BUT THE GRIND DONT STOP!!

So. Ofc! I was playing MW1 (best modern warfare game.)

And Alex Keller… *dreamy sigh* what a man!

You can tell he respects women. Like, we KNOW the 141 respect women, but they do things, even subconsciously (like assuming el Sen nombre was a man.) don’t get me wrong! They’re so respectful and they treat laswell and Farah as a complete equals and they respect the two, talk to them like they’d talk to men. (Price is softer with Farah. But I think he just has a soft spot for her. And he’s a gentleman.)

But Alex, IMMEDIATELY thinking Farah was the commander, (pretty sure untill they had the gender of commander Karim. He refers to her as ‘they’ rather than ‘he’) not a word, not a flicker of surprise. Because he knows women can kick ass!

And the way he looks at her? Pure love, admiration. For her person, the first complement he gives her is “you’re got catlike reflexes.” He compliments her skills. Not her looks!! (But the way his eyes NEVER leave her face, he’s obviously so inlove)

Hes such a feminist. He reads feminist literature, to understand how women are affected. Doesn’t brag. Just reads them lmao, (he only reads that. Because he actually doesn’t care for reading) I also think he’d get rlly upset when woman has period cramps. Like he’d deadass say

“I wish I could take that pain away, and take it myself🙁”

But it’s sweet when he dose it, because he means it,

side note. He’s definitely done those period cramps simulations thingys and like. Was quiet and said some shit like

“I didn’t know how hard it was for you..” (said to Farah.)

(corny ahh. Farah called him out on it, but he was being sweet <33)

Also I didn’t see him under my tree this Christmas? Disappointed. 😞

[nondelphic]

creatives, please use alt text

one of the first things i learned in journalism school was how to write alt image descriptions.

at first, it felt tedious. every single photo or graphic required a description, and if we skipped it—or wrote a lazy one—our professors didn’t hesitate to fail us. at the time, i didn’t fully understand why it mattered. but now, i’m so grateful they drilled it into us. if i’d never gone to journalism school, i might have never known how vital alt text is.

for those unfamiliar, alt text (short for “alternative text”) is a written description of an image. it allows people who use screen readers to know what’s in an image, making content accessible to those who are blind, visually impaired, or have other disabilities that prevent them from viewing images. you're basically translating visual content into words.

as creatives, whether we’re writers, artists, photographers, or meme page admins, we have a responsibility to make our work accessible. after all, what’s the point of creating something if a huge portion of your audience can’t engage with it?

why alt text matters

it ensures accessibility - a visually impaired person using a screen reader should be able to understand the context of an image just as easily as a sighted person.

it’s inclusive - adding alt text isn’t just for people with disabilities. sometimes, images don’t load due to bad internet, and alt text helps everyone understand what’s missing.

it’s good practice - if your work exists online, you want it to be as widely understood as possible. accessibility makes your content stronger.

okay, but how do i write alt text?

writing alt text isn’t as hard as it might seem! here are some tips:

be concise but descriptive - describe the essential elements of the image. what would someone need to know to get the gist of it?

include context - if the image is part of a larger story, explain its relevance. for example, “a black cat sitting on a pumpkin, used to illustrate a halloween-themed story.”

don’t overthink it - you don’t need to describe every pixel. just focus on the most important details.

alt text and ai tools

in the era of chatgpt and microsoft copilot, we’ve got a major advantage: ai tools can now generate alt text for you!

while these tools aren’t perfect and often need a bit of tweaking, they’re a great starting point. platforms like adobe, microsoft, and even some social media apps have built-in options for generating descriptions. if you’re overwhelmed by the idea of writing alt text from scratch, let ai do the heavy lifting, and then refine it.

a creative responsibility

alt text isn’t just for journalists or big companies, it’s for all of us.

as creatives, we have the power to make the internet a more inclusive place. whether you’re posting a masterpiece, a meme, or a picture of your cat, take a moment to add alt text.

adding alt image description is SO EASY and quick and we all need to get better at adding it to our posts. i, myself, am not perfect. on here, for example, i've been really bad about writing alt image descriptions, and it's something i'm very disappointed in myself for. (i hereby pledge to do better, and please call me out for lacking in the future!)

writing alt text is not only about respecting your audience, but it's also about recognizing disabled people's right to engage with your work.

accessibility isn’t optional !!

[iwillseeyouinanother-life]

People might eat me up for this but I think that the ending of Hero Academia was dumb as hell.

There was no resolution to the conflict in my opinion.

Now hear me out.

The main point of the story is how izuku became a hero blah blah blah we got there I’m aware.

The main conflict was why do villians exist right? (At least that’s what I took away)

Many characters— the most notorious being Stain stated that hero’s only protect the rich and villians will always exist so long as heroism is a for profit industry. Vulnerable people will always be left behind so long as money is a motivator for heroes.

WE SAW THIS POINT MORE THAN ONCE!!

We saw it from the origin stories from the league of villains but my favorite example is Rody Soul.

Rody lives in poverty and resides in a low income neighborhood. In his movie he states that not a lot of hero’s work in his neighborhood because there isn’t a lot of money for their work there. The absence of hero’s because there is not money to make in that area leaves that community vulnerable. It’s part of the reason why Rody has to keep his family afloat outside of the law. Heroism being a for profit industry leaves people like Rody Soul to fend for themselves. If money is a motivator for heros to find areas to work— heros are more likely to protect the rich over the poor.

Midoriya has empathized and reached out to understand Rody Soul, Shigaraki, and others who share those experiences. He doesn’t change the system that creates the issues that leaves people or communities vulnerable. Izuku is also from a vulnerable community as well— he is not wealthy and he is quirkless (which in this society makes him a minority). The only reason he was able to get in with the wealthy is because someone from the wealthy class (all might) opened the door for him and let him walk through. Could he have done it on his own? Maybe— but that’s not how the story went.

Izuku could have been a catalyst for change. He wasn’t. That’s what’s disappointing. Throughout the story he collected so many testimonies about how the profit based system of heroism created villians from the conditions of poverty to social rejection. Still Izuku did nothing with them. Nothing that we can see at least. The classism imbedded within the hero Industry is never addressed or resolved. Which begs the question what was the point? You got rid of Shigaraki and now you wait for the society’s next disgruntled reject to rise to power and take his place?

I know we are all thinking— why is this izuku’s responsibility? Simple. He is the main character. It was hella weird all the adults had a 16 year old child leading a literal civil war. But he is the main character so therefore he is at the front everything. So when everyone was and still is looking towards him— why did he change nothing?

The hero industry is still a for profit system which means heroes are still working in majority wealthier areas. The big conflict of why do villains exist was never resolved.

It’s nice that we got a happy ending but it sucks that the main conflict never actually got a resolution.

I honestly think that the summer camp/kidnapping Bakugo arc of season 3 was the peak of this show and they were never able to create a storyline that impactful again. The only thing that compares is the overhaul arc of season 4. Eri could have been another Shigaraki but she didn’t because heros stepped in to protect a vulnerable person. THE ANSWER WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM AND YET NOTHING CHANGES IN THE END. YOU JUST WENT BACK TO THE STATUS QUO.

[cz19y]

COOKIE ! [One Shot]

ITOSHI RIN × GN!Reader

THEME: Rin mad at your irresponsible care of your health.

Warnings — Fluff(ew), Reader likes to bake/cook, small argument(no against tho), reader has an attitude, living together, PLATONIC or ROMANTIC, friends/couple still learning, OOC Rin, curses[ofc].

NOTE: This writing is too cringe to my own good, stop reading while you can,, anyways, Happy late Christmas y'all. I'm trying to come back to (my rusty)writing and this dead ahh fandom(blue lock).

NOTE: Tired of reader having those bubbly personalities when they have a hobby in cooking/baking; so I made them have a little of an attitude hah

[ Starting . . . ]

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

It wasn't news to Itoshi that you obviously liked to cook and bake — to do something in the kitchen — in general.

Special occasion with special food? You got it. Special sweets just for fun? You already have a whole set of it. Need a hot drink on a winter afternoon? You're making the best hot beverage known to mankind with the simple ingredients that sat on the kitchen shelves.

It wasn't the first time, you didn't understand why he was so angry at you this morning — as you slowly halted your hand middle-way to feeding yourself a fresh out cookie. You blinked, not aware of what’s the big deal of skipping a night of sleep.

“... Want some?” You said, pointing down at the sweet. Turning around to fully face the sourned-mood Itoshi at 7:30 AM on the other side of the isle. “I just decided to bake some cookies, you know? No big deal.” Silence. His frown was more heated than the stove currently.

“Skipping a night just because you didn't feel like sleeping to bake some lukewarm cookies is not a big deal? Are you trying to mess up your sleep schedule again?” His frown only deepened when you rolled your eyes. “Lukewarm your ass, you're gonna enjoy these more than me anyways.” You huffed, filling the silence of the sweet air with your next set of words.

“You used to skip meals before, now if it wasn't for me..” Scoffing, you continued, “Huh, and you have the audacity to scold me when I skip one or two nights! You also spent the whole night out in the field practicing and pushing yourself.”

“...This was in the past. I don't do this anymore—” “—because of me—” “— I changed— “—because of me—” Rin stared at you in a deadpan face, you returned the look. rin made way into your personal space. you stared at him, a twitching eye as he sighted in disappointment, you could preview his next batch of words including the word ‘lukewarm’ and cut him short;

“Shut up, will you.” A cookie being shoved into his mouth made the trick as you had a taste of your own hard work too. Rin begrudgingly complied to eat, your eyes would still not meet his as your hands hovered around to sort the treats into a plate.

“You're being dramatic. Just take care of yourself, or are you too pathetic to do this too?” He leaned on the aisle beside you, annoyed, watching you set up your little stage to have the perfect picture for your series in your socials — which your followers flocked over your cooking skills.. Rin and some of his ‘friends’ included.

Though, making no sign of stopping your classification test for the better good-looking cookies for the picture or giving him a proper answer, you pondered in silence.

You knew of Rin’s soft spot for you, well aware of the privileges this had lent you, compared to the rest of his social group, you were the one of the few people that he would go out of his way to voice his worries. Even if he acted like an ass when doing so, you learned the hard way to be able to have the ability of knowing when he is just concerned.

While you continued, all in Itoshis’ mind was when would you answer. Was he being too much of a nuisance..? you called him out... Too loud maybe. But not only did he just intrude when he just had a treat offered to him, Rin ignored your proud words to make snarky comments. It was almost 8 AM, one thing he learned was that you didn't like to put up with bullshit in the mornings. He lowered his laches, thinking if he crossed something.

A sight made his eyes look at the figure in front of him.

“Alright, alright, I pledge to sleep early tonight. happy?” You gave him a side look, but an honest voice regardless of your small joking tone. Rin made no moves, only glancing at you, before looking away; nevertheless, bathing on his petty victory in his usual quiet tone.

A phone came in sight, ready to add into the collection of your camera roll full of dishes.

“What the-” you stilled, your reaction too slow to immediately react to watching Rin's hand snatch one of the cookies on the plate through the phone screen. “Bastard-” you could only graze his sleeve when he was already out of reach, disappearing to the hall of your shared apartment.

[alextydaisuda123]

«WARNING! Lots of text»

I've been wanting to talk about how everyone in Echo sees Pizzahead in their dreams. I think many have noticed that Pizzahead's appearance is different for everyone. This is an interesting detail for me that I want to clarify. Each appearance is connected to either their memories, their characteristics, or their general feelings. For example:

Pepperman sees him as a blurry and crooked sketch that can change its features as he wants (yes, in his dream PH was originally like this, but let's think that he can change in style too, from a crooked sketch to a real figure, I just want to justify how he sees him).

This is due to his creativity and simply the fact that for Phil, Pizzahead was an ambiguous person. From the very beginning, they were like good friends, because PH did not really show himself, worming his way into his trust, and PM was frivolous, trusted him and did not think about who he really was, and only with each year of life in the tower, he gradually began to see rotten sides in him, until he finally became who he sees him now.

Vigilante sees him as a corpse, covered in the remains of those cheese slugs that "died because of him."

He continues to blame himself for how he was trusting of someone who was truly his enemy, he just couldn't disobey someone who was higher in rank than him. He also blames himself for the deaths of those he couldn't save, because his position as sheriff weighed on him with responsibility for them all. His image of PH from the dream refers a little to an insignificant, but deeply rooted memory, which acquired its features and meaning precisely because of the feeling of guilt.

Noise sees him as a clot of blood, meat and intestines.

He initially had a not very good idea of ​​Pizzahead, to some extent, he saw him as a simple clown, but there was some hope for the future, since all Noise wanted was to earn a lot and film his own shows, as well as fulfill Noisette's dream with her cafe. Partly, everything happened like that, but Pizzahead eventually limited him and left him in the role of an ordinary mascot who does not like pizza. It would seem that he could object to him and change everything for himself, but ... then threats against him worked, which he did not expect at all. What was at stake was what he valued most: no, not money, it's Noisette. And now, his "role" has become a kind of curse and a fixed image to which he is accustomed, and without which no one would recognize him. And Noise also has an opinion that PH has a rotten inside, which is ironic, the same as Noise. Which played into the image of PH from the dream. And Noise is a pure horror lover, so here it is.

Bruno's situation is much more interesting, because the image of Pizzahead in his dream has hardly changed. The change affected only the face, namely his soulless look.

Bruno initially, when he was created, thought that PH was reliable and good, but this turned out to be a lie. Bruno was given the task of being like the original, according to which he was created, that is, to be like Peppino. But he could not cope with this and Pizzahead was unhappy with him. And when he began to better understand the emotions and feelings of others, all that Bruno remembered about Pizzahead was his look, full of disappointment and soullessness. And since for PH, Fake Peppino was nothing more than a toy and a soulless thing, he could mock him as he liked, watching the reaction. A vivid reaction turned out to be fear.

Peppino doesn't have any scary image of Pizzahead, it remained the way he remembered it.

No, not because I couldn't come up with it for him. Because he doesn't need it, their meeting was enough for him to remember his image and make him scary due to his simplicity. He is rather frightened by Pizzahead's abilities, which is why the image fades in comparison. In the end, he not only lured him out of the restaurant with a threat, but also prepared various tests for him that made him remember his old trauma after the war. And all for what? For the sake of fucking fun that ended in tragedy!

[diamondkat]

I have decided to contribute to the theories on what possibly canonically happened between Vox and Alastor that led to their relationship ending. For the sake of this theory creation, I will be taking everything said by the characters at face value. The things that I will be taking into consideration for this theory are the following: what was said in the interactions that we have seen between them so far; the creator describing what happened between them as sad and complicated; Alastor being under a contract and; Alastor being one of the main characters.

The first thing to consider will be that based on the creator saying that it is sad and complicated, they would have both been friends and the reason for their break up would not be a single person's fault. There would likely be issues outside and within the relationship that would lead to it ending. On the other hand, Alastor being a main character also means that the narrative will likely favour him in the reason for their break up. If you take all of that with the knowledge that Alastor doesn't own his soul, there is a chance that his owner was involved in why their relationship ended up falling apart.

We also have to consider Vox and Alastor's statements about each other. On Vox's side, he accuses Alastor of being in the past and of being a coward. Alastor, on the other hand, accuses Vox of being a fake whose power comes from using those around him to appear powerful and a person who can't take a "No". This should also give us a clue regarding how they see what went wrong in their relationship. Vox sees Alastor as someone who brave enough to do certain things/potentially make changes and Alastor sees Vox as someone who takes advantage of those around him and throws a fit when he doesn't get his way.

Regarding what happened during their potential last fight, we only have what is said by Vox and Valentino, which is Valentino asking, "You still pissed he almost beat you that time?," and Vox replying, "Uh, fuck you." This was followed by Vox declaring that things had changed in Alastor's absence and he was going to show who was really in charge of things now. Based on this, it can be said that Vox won their last fight, but not in a way that left him confident in his ability to take on Alastor directly at the time. Therefore, his hope was that the time that had passed had finally put him ahead of Alastor.

Taking all these points together, here is my theory. Alastor and Vox were genuinely friends. I don't know if Vox had a crush on Alastor or not but the friendship between them went both ways. Alastor's support of Vox enabled him to grow quickly in hell and allowed him to be considered a force to be reckoned with. Vox over time got used to Alastor granting him things. However, Alastor's owner wasn't quite as happy with their relationship. She decided to interfere in their relationship, probably trying to poison the relationship. She might have suggested a simple test where Alastor told Vox, "No" when next he asked him for something. After all, Alastor has a tendency to let his friends get away with asking whatever they want from him based on his relationships with Mimzy and Niffty. This coincided with Vox having big plans for them to work together to go to the next level. Alastor said no and Vox took it very poorly. He couldn't understand why Alastor would completely turn him down. Vox's reaction proved some of the things that Alastor's owner had said to him leaving him disappointed and betrayed. Vox likely also did not handle what he considered a rejection well, particularly if Valentino was involved in poisoning things on Vox's side. This would have led to an escalation that would end in a fight, in which Alastor almost seriously hurts Vox but Vox manages to gain the upper hand, likely with the help of Valentino. My headcanon is that it is this fight that damages Vox and Valentino's antennas.

The radiostatic headcanon part of this is that Rosie thought that they were romantically involved but it turned out that Vox was attracted to Alastor while Alastor thought everything they were doing was about friendship. This is part of how Rosie figured out that Alastor was asexual.

[2demondogs]

A Stone in Your Mouth | Arthur/Kieran

Tags: Mentioned Kieran/Mary-Beth & Mary/Arthur, ambiguous relationships, smoking, awkward flirting, Kieran has PTSD Words: 1.8k A/N: I got so burnt out on writing LOL. I will work on requests after I get a groove back cuz I still have quite a few to do. CW for mentions of malnutrition.

Arthur offers the cigarette wordlessly, so Kieran takes it wordlessly. The match is shared, held between the two of them the way he's seen Sean and Karen light theirs. He always confuses him this way.

Wind off the river threatens to stunt it. Flickering beneath the afternoon sun, the flame seems small, too small even for the pinched end of the handroll. He thinks they're from Javier. Did he ask him for a few? The tobacco burns, harsh and bitter down his throat.

He hasn't had a cigarette in months, likes that the first is shared with Arthur and sat on the shore of such a beautiful thing as the Dakota. He's always liked the land in this country, though he has been to no others upon which to rank it in beauty. Water runs easy, mostly still, yards in front of them. Behind them lays camp, but that is behind them and for once, Kieran doesn't feel the need to be hyper-aware of every living thing stalking a century past his back.

It might've been years since he's had a smoke, he realizes. Colm hadn't let him smoke, not after he'd taken his lucky, unknowing that it was. He'd liked to play those games: here is a peace offering, but you fool, it was a trick. He'd turned the empty carton to him mid-match strike and offered that slick, disappointed look. Arthur isn't talking, so he thinks more on it.

Those men had all seen him, more or less, as gullible and amusing for it. Insistences were made, always, that it was a test of his intelligence which he continuously failed. Therefore, it was Kieran's fault for believing even the smallest of things. If they said the sky was blue and he agreed, they'd call him a horse's ass at sunset when it ripened to gold.

He supposes at a certain point, it was his fault. Now and then, he wishes he had spat in eyes and stepped on toes more often than he had. Bruises and bones were — are — worth keeping more of his masculinity, more of whatever gunk makes him feel less like a dog. There's very little of it to scrape from the soles of his boots now, because it was very much his fault that he never put one of them down on Colm's needling fingers.

He breaks the silence first. "I wish Mary-Beth wouldn't call me an O'Driscoll." His voice sounds rougher, half-cracked, over the smoke.

It's easier to tell Arthur these things than it is anyone else. Because he listens, mostly, but also because he doesn't laugh. Whether he understands or not, Kieran isn't sure; he supposes it doesn't really matter, in the end, so long as he listens.

"Well, you was with 'em," Arthur says, a gray cloud falling out of his mouth. He looks at Kieran and his face must reflect how the words feel — bitter as the smoke, heavy — so he lays a hand on his shoulder, warm and softer than his voice. Thick fingers. "I mean, you's with us, now, o'course, so you're a Dutch boy."

For some reason, it does ease the sting. Kieran nods, turning to look at his own hands lain on his knees. His knuckles are roughly chapped with the breezes off the Dakota and he can still feel the ropes around his ribs when blinking takes too long, cutting and tightening and burning. Needling.

He's been with them for much longer than now. Everyone dances 'round it, but he knows they understand their treatment of him. They're killers and thieves, not fools. But at least some of them seem to regret, which makes him very uncomfortably aware of the fact that it was still cruel.

Arthur clears his throat, slicing the quiet. "I misspoke, man. S'rry."

"S'alright," Kieran says, studies a freckle freshly formed on the back of his finger.

Sniffing, he takes in some of the smoke off the smoldering cigarettes on accident. He has to sniff again after it irritates his sinuses, burning hot. Taking another drag only makes it worse, though it goes down much smoother than the last and he only feels the need to huff so he might get the catscratch-feeling out of his throat.

A sudden rush of nicotine rocks his skull, floats a little in the bloodwater soaking his brain. Sniffing left and right now, swiping the sleeve of his shirt beneath his nose and then on his pants leg.

Arthur gives a lingering squeeze to his shoulder that leaves him confused, too. Kieran has been wondering if he's an invert for the past week, and finding himself feeling guilty for considering it. He's simply a kind man, when he isn't being rather unkind, and Kieran is probably reading into lingering touches more than he should. Some men are just handsy, though he's rarely been palatable enough that they turn it on him.

That, too, perplexes him. Why is Arthur so openly and wholly cruel when Dutch says bite? Why does he heel when Dutch says nothing? Which of these extremes is Arthur's self?

On the other side of the river, two horses pass and Arthur's hand retreats to his own crisscrossed lap, as if they shouldn't be seen. As if it is bad to be seen touching another man in any capacity, even one so simple and thin with meaning. It leaves a stinging impression.

Red and crawling, the skin feels, and Kieran wants it again, so he decides he is the invert despite how gently he feels for Mary-Beth. He's thrown this conclusion around in his head many times, but the shit never sticks to any walls.

"I get it," Arthur starts, considering some rock in the distance, sounds like he is thinking of years just as far away as Colm. "My daddy weren't worth two cents. I don't really feel like a Morgan, neither."

"I wondered," Kieran admits. "About your family, I mean."

"He was hanged when I was twelve. Ma died a long time before that." He flicks ash towards the water, but it falls heavy to the ground before his shoe. His profile looks sharp against the sandiness of the riverbank, tanned skin harsh this time of day. "Ain't much to tell. He was a bad man 'n' she was his woman."

Removed, awfully, but Kieran can sense the thicker memories behind the words about his father. He does not ask, knows better than that after trying to inquire on what woman was sending Arthur letters — friendly conversation; he asked because he looked upset and Kieran knows the right thing to do, all things disregarded, is always to ask — and Arthur had snapped that it was none of his business.

He apologized later for being needlessly short, but didn't elaborate further. Kieran had forgotten, for the most part, about the whole thing by the time that he did.

"I don't remember much of mine," he says, and Arthur grunts his acknowledgment. "Old man was fine, I guess."

He does remember a few things: talk of a farm in California, which his father insisted still held gold for men who knew how to sniff it out and which his mother nagged was the most foolish thing she'd ever heard him say after come to America; holding her hand while she spat on the names of the friends they'd visited in the tenements the week before; burying her because the cholera was eating his father alive, too, and he was too weak to work the shovel.

"Fine?" Arthur repeats, and he realizes he's been staring past his face.

Kieran blinks. He feels like a pallbearer even now. "Sorry."

Arthur smiles, small. His eyes seem clearer out here, compared to the shade of the trees and his tent. Blue and green all mixed up, coiled around lax pupils. "Don't worry 'bout it."

And his hand is back, gentler, and Kieran's shoulders relax. Pain rings through them, unknowingly drawn tight before and feeling sore as they sink.

Arthur's hand is large, larger than his own malnutritioned ones. He still can't choke down a full bowl of stew a day without earning the runs, and it only brings back memories of being scared half to the grave by them after his parents died, so Kieran doesn't eat much despite the hunger returning to his gut now that food comes regular.

It's been bringing back memories in general, or maybe that's the fault of these past few months being so horrible. He barely remembers, he supposes for the best, much of his first weeks with this gang, but it shows in the veins roped along his forearms and the thinness of his fingers, knuckles seeming more knotted than before.

Arthur had touched his hand yesterday and it seemed deathly compared to his. He'd suffered stew for lunch and again in the evening.

He sniffs, loud, after another drag of smoke and wipes his nose on his sleeve once more. His eyes are stinging with how badly his nose is beginning to run, and he hates it, finds it more difficult to breathe. It reminds him too much of crying, which he hasn't been capable of for a very long time.

"Catchin' somethin'?" Arthur asks.

"Smoke," he says, shrugs as he looks to consider the auburn filter of the cigarette pinched between his fingers. "I ain't— been maybe a year since I smoked."

"Shit," he says, cracks a grin that Kieran returns without really knowing why they're smiling about it. "I woulda dressed better if I'd known it was a special occasion."

"You's dressed fine," Kieran says, not thinking.

He is dressed fine, looks— well, he looks nice, looks very strong with the material of button-up clinging to his broad back and shoulders. Arthur's smile doesn't falter but it shimmers with something besides the easiness it once held, unthreatening but unfamiliar all the same.

"Dressed fine for an old ugly bastard," he says.

Kieran snorts. The lightness in his voice goes over his head, sounds genuine enough he feels bad not countering it with the truth. "You may be a bastard," he says. "But you ain't ugly. Not that old, neither."

Arthur laughs at that. "You're sweet, Kieran." He shakes his head, shakes the shoulder he has still beneath his palm before his elbow is there, resting.

It reminds him of Mary-Beth, and he suddenly understands he's more or less flirted. But Arthur is not put-off, seems open as he readjusts a knee towards his chest and props the other elbow on it, cigarette to his lips again. Kieran licks his teeth and takes another drag on his own, considers and discards touching him back somehow.

Arthur ain't ugly, no. He's seen the ladies looking at him and giggling to themselves, much kinder with it than they are when they do it after Kieran; he's also got eyes of his own, and knows how a man should look, and Arthur is the spitting image of it. Sharp all over, good fat in other places, God, he's built like the paintings people pay to hang in their homes to make life a little brighter.

He opens his mouth to say it, then thinks better of it.

[korshrimpski]

Dahlin is such a fascinating person and such an intresting captain, he’s had a lot of good but with that good comes a lot of pressure or stress (e.g; being draft to the nhl, but he was first which is also cool but makes it have a lot of eyes on you, he was also the second ever Swedish player to be drafted since Mats Sundin back in 1989)

Like rasmus is so scared of failure and disappointment and looks back on his younger self (younger being his 17 year old self) and sees a sad kid. In his house tour he was asked which had more pressure: being a young talent or an established NHL player. He said being a young talent and talked about how the draft was so stressful, and how he was 17 and there was something in the paper about him everyday.

And that pressure hasn’t gone away, obviously because he is an athlete, but he is a sabres and has been in the team for six seasons (this being his seventh) and he is considered a vet even though if he didn’t play any nhl game and entered this year fresh, he could still be considered a rookie. And even though most of the players are 3/2/1 year younger than him there is such an experience gap, and he had to be so much more mature for his age compared to some guys even though they are mature, ras just had to do it quicker. Along with him not being from North America and having to learn a new language and all that.

With the whole vet thing. Zach Benson lives with Ramus. And Rasmus is hoping to provide Zach with the inside and help that he wished he had during his first few years.

“I lived with Casey and I kind of wish I lived with someone like a veteran because it took me a while to understand everything outside of hockey, like getting treatment, eating right and all that,” said Dahlin. “I’m just trying to be there for him and teach him as much as I can about life.”

[source] [archived link]

This obviously does not mean Rasmus regrets having Casey live with him. Of course not. They are best friends. And Casey was one of the main people to help Rasmus with his English and they both leaned on each other for support. And then they traded Casey (for bo byram, which yayy!! But also that was Rasmus friends, buddy, guy, bestie etc etc.) and Kevyn Adams’ called Rasmus during his pregame nap to tell him Casey was traded and, he could not fall back asleep because of pure devastation. And the cherry on top of Casey getting traded, is that ras couldn’t even get to say goodbye. [source] [archived link]

But you know it’s a new season a new coach, he wants to impress at training camp and the first thing he does at camp is get injured. Specifically he hurts his back which lead to back spasms. He missed train camp. He almost all preseason the games, only coming back for the Münich game, getting named captain while in Münich. Then the Sabres opened the regular season up with two loses to the New Jersey Devils. But back in North America the sabres get good and it looks like they are doing well you know, just swept cali, 3rd in the division. But this is sabres hockey we are talking about it cannot be happy. So the sabres proceed to go on a 13 game losing streak. And 4 games into that streak, Rasmus’s back starts acting up so he has to leave in the third period against Colorado.

He was out for 7 games, and during those 7 games the sabres were falling apart. The power play wasn’t working, the penalty kill wasn’t working, tage thompson couldn’t score, alex tuch couldn’t score, jack quinn was getting eternally scratched, owen power was getting benched, there were dylan cozens, owen power, jack quinn, bowen byram trade rumours. Like it was a mess (still is). But ras came but on Dec.20 a home game against the leafs, and it looks like there was energy injected into that roster for the first time in a while. But that game… let’s not talk about it just know it was bad. But since that was a back-to-back with the team travelling to boston, the teams doctors didn’t clear Rasmus to play against the bruins because they didn’t want to aggravate his back.

But now he is officially back and his first game being back was against the New York Islanders (isles fans turn away now). That game against the islanders was beautiful, sabres won 7-1 snapping their losing streak and ras got 4 points and played for 23 minutes (the most out of all skaters that night). Anyways what I’m trying to get at here is that Rasmus might not be the best player in the world but he is the heart of that team. He has been with that team the longest and loves that team, and would do anything for that team.

I don’t actually know how to end this rant/passion text, other than: Rasmus Dahlin is a neat guy who just so happens to have anxiety.

[theflagscene]

My Top 10 Fave QL Characters of 2024 🤩

More end of the years lists from me, because clearly I have nothing to do for the rest of the week... I wish I was joking. Much like my pervious lists, my only rule for this is that at least some of the series needed to air this year. It can have started in 2023 or will be ending in 2025, as long as some—or all—of the series aired this year, then it's fair game.

1 ) God - Monster Next Door

What can I say about God that hasn't already been screamed from the rooftops by literally everyone who watched the series? He was aptly nicknamed, because this gentle giant was a gift from heaven. The greenest green flag, even when mad or upset, he was still as green as a damn emerald! The sweetest golden retriever character to have graced my screen this year, I will always love this character and this series, it's become a comfort watch for me, that's for sure.

2 ) Yai - The Sign

There aren't enough sweet himbos in QLs imo, typically whilst cute but dumb, they're also mean or bigoted or just not very likable. Yai broke all of those stereotypes, he was cutest himbo around, a perfect brother, friend, bro and husband. I knew I would adore him from the very first episode and I was not wrong, he did not disappoint. Every scene Yai was in wasn't enough, I wanted so much more of Yai (and his scary beautiful wife, Sand).

3 ) Joker - Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart

Joker and his emotional support idiots might have fumbled the ball at damn near every turn, but he was absolutely adorable whilst doing it. I think it's physically impossible for me to dislike a character War plays, so me adoring Joke was not a surprise to me. A master thief who really wasn't that great at not getting caught, a hopeless romantic, mama bear and perfect grandson-in-law? What more could I have asked for?... Possibly better fake tattoos, but we can't have it all lol.

4 ) Jeff - Pit Babe

I admit with no shame whatsoever that I found Jeff to be one of the most interesting characters on the show. His powers were the ones with the farthest reaching consequences and the most difficult to live with, he was tragic in all the ways I love a character to be tragic. I really wished I could've watched a version of the series from his pov, because I feel like I would’ve fast forwarded way less lol!

5 ) Tae Myungha - Love For Love's Sake

His depressive aura bewitched me body and soul, what can I say? The fact that he tried so hard to make everyone around him feel loved, wanted and important whilst he spent his entire life feeling none of that just broke my damn heart. He was the perfectly example of: the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it's like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anybody to feel like that.

6 ) JJ - This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans

Poor JJ has an idiot for a bestie and a douchebag (affection) for a love interest, this dude did not have an easy time of it lol. His forever exasperated resting bitch face and constant annoyance at literally everything that came out of both Plawan and Methas's mouths made me laugh so much, JJ had absolutely no time for any of their shit and yet he was constantly dealing with their shit. The poor guy needed a vacation away from the people in his life even though he loved them, which I totally understand lol!

7 ) Aylin - 23.5

While this wasn't my favourite series, Aylin was definitely one of my favourite characters. Her autistic coded self just spoke to me, I too dislike humans to a level that I would easily take the first alien spaceship off the planet lol. Aylin was so sweet and funny, I loved the way she spoke and her lil hats! I just wanted to squish her!

8 ) Fadel - The Heart Killers

Was I expecting to go into this series loving Fadel? No. Should I have? Absolutely. I have always loved the shrew characters when it came to adaptations of The Taming of the Shrew, which is the point of the character so ya know, duh! Lol. Any series with FirstKhao in it I always assume one of them will end up being my fave because well, it's them! But Fadel is the realest of the real when it comes to the slog of daily life, his routines, his annoyance with the general population, his need to remind himself that killing people whilst working in customer service is not worth the clean up nor the prison time. Sure, he's an assassin on the weekends, but hell, who isn't working two jobs in our current economy?

9 ) Rock - Cherry Magic TH

Rock was the perfect sunshine dope of a sidekick and I loved him for it, completely oblivious yet extremely caring at the same time. A man smitten with the idea of a woman who wants to eat fatty foods, will kidnap his Phi for a super secret mission no questions asked and respects a woman's right to say no without becoming an incel about it, he really was a joy to watch. It also helped that Sing played him, because Sing is an adorable ball of sunshine and I luff him.

10 ) Tan - We Are

The first person to get his man, and so easily. It made perfect sense why Fang fell for Tan, his hyperactive sunshine energy was like an instant 'smile' button. He was so genuine with his emotions and interests, he was a simp and made no apologies for it. He loved Fang so completely and unconditionally, he did whatever he needed to make sure that Fang felt safe and cared for. Tan really raised the bar when it came to clingy boyfriends that aren’t cringy, which is a hard thing to do.