#why is such a simple courtesy so hard to understand

[dirtytransmasc]

hey, challenge for Team Black, stop posting intentionally antagonizing posts airing your hatred of team green supporters, that have 0 substance and are only meant to be antagonistic on team green tags, level impossible.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Fighting junk fees is "woke"

“Populism” isn’t intrinsically left or right. The distinction between the two is often obscured by jargon, but there’s a simple litmus test (courtesy of Steven Brust): “ask what’s more important: human rights, or property rights. If they say ‘property rights are human rights,’ they’re on the right.”

Which is to say, both the left and the right can be populist, but the populist left seeks to improve peoples’ lives, no matter what that takes, while the populist right is only willing to make the world better when that doesn’t interfere with the interests of property owners.

This is how you get the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire equating publicly produced, free insulin with forcing enslaved Black people to pick cotton in the fields:

https://newrepublic.com/post/174485/libertarian-party-suggests-former-black-lawmaker-pick-crops-free

For right populists, the property rights of pharma giants are human rights, so anything that interferes with those rights is equivalent to any other human rights violation.

This is not only wrong, but it’s also a huge vulnerability in the right populist mindset. It’s a button that, when pushed, produces a reliable and reflexive outrage.

This is essential for the creation, maintenance and expansion of plutocracy. In a plutocracy, a small minority owns most of the property (we live in a plutocracy). By definition, plutocracy isn’t popular, since it’s a system that benefits a small minority at everyone else’s expense. In its natural state, plutocracy is only popular with its winners, and not the vast majority of losers it creates.

So plutocrats need to find ways to get turkeys to vote for Christmas. One important trick is to convince us all that the system is fair, guided by an invisible hand that performs mystic passes over our heads at birth and locates the very best of us and elevates us to the apex of the social pyramid.

But there’s a problem with this: plutocracy is self-sustaining. The story that we’re all just “temporarily embarrassed millionaires” who can rise to the top with hard work and smarts falls flat in the face of the reality that nearly everyone at the top was born there. If the system selects rulers based on merit, and if everyone the system selects was born rich, then the rich must have some genetic trait that makes them destined to rule.

This is why plutocracy always turns into aristocracy: the idea that some people are suited to rule because they have “good blood.” Eugenics is, above all, a way to excuse inequality. Fitness to rule is determined primarily by whose orifice you emerge from, and only secondarily by any obvious competence or skill.

So right wing footsoldiers are mired in a terrible and shameful swamp of self-loathing. By definition, their lack of wealth and power is their own fault, and not merely their fault, but the fault of their genes. Being on the bottom is proof that you deserve to be there. Your failure to rise proves that you don’t deserve to rise.

No wonder the right is so irony-poisoned. Remember 2020, when gun-nuts got “revenge” on gun safety scolds by photographing themselves pointing loaded guns at their own penises? The participants insisted that they were just trolling, and they were…by pointing loaded guns at their dicks:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/05/28/holographic-nano-layer-catalyser/#musketfuckers

Plutocrats understand that there are limits to irony, and that at a certain point, irony poisoning becomes so acute that your rank-and-file literally start blowing their balls off. To relieve the pressure, plutes scapegoat other people based on their gender, sexual orientation, race, or nationality.

This provides an important resolution to the cognitive dissonance of meritocracy. The reason you’re doing so badly isn’t that you lack merit, it’s that affirmative action has elevated unworthy people to the positions that you deserve. You are a temporarily embarrassed millionaire — but the riches you deserve have been snaffled up by welfare queens and DEI consultants.

Cruelty isn’t the point of culture war bullshit: the point is power. Cruelty is merely the tactic:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/09/turkeys-voting-for-christmas/#culture-wars

Culture war bullshit is a very reliable way to get turkeys to vote for Christmas. Take the campaign against junk fees, which have ticketmastered every part of your life with “fees” for things like “paying your rent by check” and “not paying your rent by check”:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/30/military-industrial-park-service/#booz-allen

There is no broad constituency for junk fees. Scam artists (including scam artists in the C-suites of Fortune 100 companies) love them, sure, but junk fees make everyone else furious.

What’s a plutocrat to do? Well, it turns out that culture war bullshit can make right wingers point (metaphorical) guns at their own junk — all plutocrats need to do is put the word out that getting rid of junk fees is “woke” and low-information right-wing thumbsuckers will demand the right to be charged junk fees.

Here’s an example: one especially pernicious form of junk fee is the “swipe fees” that credit-card companies charge merchants. In an increasingly cashless age, these companies — dominated by the Visa/Mastercard duopoly — have figured out how to scrape 3–5% out of every single retail transaction in the entire fucking economy.

Every merchant you patronize has to charge more — or reduce quality, or both — in order to pay this Danegeld to two of the largest, most profitable companies in the world. Visa/Mastercard have hiked their fees by 40 percent since the pandemic’s start. Forty. Fucking. Percent. Tell me again how greedflation isn’t real?

A bipartisan legislative coalition, led by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) have proposed the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), which will force competition into credit-card routing, putting pressure on the Visa/Mastercard duopoly:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1838/text?s=1&r=3

This should be a no-brainer, but plute spin-doctors have plenty of no-brains to fill up with culture war bullshit. Writing in The American Prospect, Luke Goldstein unpacks an astroturf campaign to save the endangered swipe fee from woke competition advocates:

https://prospect.org/power/2023-08-04-wall-street-culture-war-swipe-fee-reform/

Now, this campaign isn’t particularly sophisticated. It goes like this: Target is a big business that runs a lot of transactions through Visa/Mastercard, so it stands to benefit from competition in payment routing. And Target did a mean woke by selling Pride merch, which makes them groomers. So by fighting swipe fees, Congress is giving woke groomers a government bailout!

It’s literally that stupid. It’s being pushed by a dark money group based in Kansas, which is targeting Senator Marshall’s constituents with mailers that warns voters they’ll “lose their credit card points” because he’s thrown his lot in with “liberal politicians”:

https://punchbowl.news/caf-marshall-mailer-kansas/

The fliers also warn that competition could result in “your financial data could be processed by partners of the Chinese Communist Party” (the bill bans foreign companies from routing transactions, and bans China UnionPay by name).

The fliers are anonymous. The only ghoul shameless enough to put his name on the campaign is Grover Norquist, whose Americans for Tax Reform tells its Christmas-voting-turkeys to “side with consumers, not woke retailers.”

The dark money org pushing this line have placed op-eds in newspapers across red states, comparing transaction routing competition to your kids’ data being snaffled up by Tiktok:

https://www.theflstandard.com/senators-rubio-and-scott-must-protect-the-personal-financial-data-of-floridians/

This nonsense was peddled by League of Southeastern Credit Unions president Samantha Beeler, whose org has spent $20,000 fighting the CCCA, claiming that a “cheaper” system would be “less secure”:

https://disclosurespreview.house.gov/ld/ldxmlrelease/2023/Q2/301493985.xml

But that’s small potatoes. Millions are being spent, right now, lobbying against CCCA — $5m from the American Bankers’ Association, $2m from the Credit Union National Association, another $400k from Mastercard.

For these rentiers, corrupting our government with millions is a stellar bargain if it lets them continue to collect rent every time we spend money. And millions of people who’ll end up paying that will demand the right to do so, provided they’re told that they’re fighting “woke capitalism” and China.

I'm kickstarting the audiobook for "The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation," a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and bring back the old, good internet. It's a DRM-free book, which means Audible won't carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/04/owning-the-libs/#swiper-no-swiping

[Image ID: A mechanical credit card imprinter (AKA 'zipzap') emblazoned with a US flag Punisher logo. It is imprinting a blank credit-card slip with a red Visa card bearing the GOP logo. It sits on a weathered wooden plank table, stained a dark brown.]

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS More,Blood Stellaworth Complete Set Tokuten Short Stories ☽ Ayato ver.

Original title: DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE,BLOOD ステラワース全巻連動購入特典ショートストーリ English translation by @otomehonyaku Scans can be found here (courtesy of @karleksmumskladdkaka!)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SUMMARY | This short story provides a slice of Ayato and Yui's daily life after the events of More,Blood. Yui tells off Ayato when he asks her to prepare takoyaki for him, so he resolves to make it himself out of spite. Chaos ensues...

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Please do not reuse or repost my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Tch… this is harder than I thought…”

As soon as I’d spat out the words, smoke started rising from the searing hot teppan (1) in front of me.

“It’s burning…?! Shit! How’d that happen?!”

I went over to the sink, getting increasingly irritated, and turned on the tap to fill a nearby cup with water. By that point, smoke was billowing up from the steel plate. It was then, when I reached over to throw the water onto the pan, that…

“Ayato! Stop, you shouldn’t do that!”

“The fuck?!”

“S-sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

“You’re the one who told me to make it myself, right?! Right?” I threatened, looming over her. Her lip quivered while she apologised, her voice small.  

It had all started a mere ten minutes ago.

I’d just been craving takoyaki before bed. I woke up Pancake, who’d already been fast asleep, and pestered her to make it for me. However, of all the things she could’ve done, she flat-out told me I should be able to make such a simple dish myself.

Well, she ain’t wrong, I’d briefly thought—and yet her blunt statement had really pissed me off. It made me want to put her in her place. 

Then, another thought suddenly occurred to me. I wanted to prove to her that I could, in fact, make takoyaki myself.

And so, in a petty attempt at retaliation, I’d decided to actually prepare the takoyaki on my own. But to think the same person who told me to do so would still be poking her nose into my business…

“I’m sorry, I think I should make the takoyaki after all.” 

“What?!”

Pancake sounded exasperated when she reached over to take the metal skewers from my hands and stood in front of the takoyaki machine.

“The fuck’re you doin’? Then why’d you tell me to make it myself?! Besides, they’re almost done already, so…” I grumbled while Pancake narrowed her eyes at me from over her shoulder.

“...I thought you would repetitively refuse to make it yourself, so…”

“What?”

“So I’d figured you’d go to great lengths to make me do it!” she said, somehow quite angrily.

“So what, huh? I tried to make you do it but you didn’t in the end. Why’re you yappin’ like it’s not in your favour?”

“...Come on! It’s… because… I wanted you to ask me, Ayato…”

“Huh?”

“Well… I felt a bit irritated because you woke me up out of the blue, but… you know, I actually find it… kind of… cute when you come to me asking to prepare takoyaki for you, Ayato…” Pancake’s face turned bright red—all the way to her ears—when she said it.

“W-what’s… cute…? The fuck?! Are you out of your mind?” My voice almost betrayed me.

“I’m not! Come on, Ayato…! Why did you choose to actually make it yourself this time…?” Pancake mumbled, skillfully turning over the takoyaki. 

I’d thought the takoyaki had been burning, but it turned out not to be so bad after all.

What she said made me feel like I had been a bit unreasonable. I swallowed hard. 

“Uh… anyway! I’m always fine with making takoyaki for you, okay…?!”

“Ugh… I-I don’t understand you, woman!” I retorted. 

In all honesty, I just didn’t know how to deal with being thrown off-balance this way. 

The takoyaki turned out to be… so bad that they were inedible. I must’ve messed up the ingredients somehow. In the end, it seemed like there was no other way than to let Pancake make takoyaki for me from now on, no matter how much she got on my nerves.

Well, I guessed it couldn’t be helped.

Still, though… the next time she calls me cute, I’ll drain her to the last drop!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

(1) 鉄板（てっぱん）: A teppan is a steel plate, usually in the middle of a table, on which dishes are either prepared by a chef (in a teppanyaki restaurant) or by yourself (in good company!)

[covid-safer-hotties]

Reference saved on our archive

By Amanda Blum

PCR tests are far superior to rapid antigen tests—and now you can get them for home use.

Last week, I was about to go on a date, and because I'm severely immunocompromised, we agreed he would take a COVID test using one of my rapid home PCR tests. It was a courtesy—he felt perfectly fine— but he tested positive. By the next day, he was sick as a dog. And, by the way, the rapid antigen test he took when he got home that night was negative.

Regardless of how you much of a health risk you see in COVID, it is still, at best, an inconvenience that costs you days off work. A simple home PCR test saved me from that inconvenience (and worse), and if I'd relied on the common rapid antigen test or done nothing at all, I would probably be sick right now.

While the world has desperately attempted to move on from COVID, this summer saw the highest case loads since 2022, with a winter surge just around the corner. Almost 300,000 people died from COVID in the US over the last three months alone, so while the pandemic has transitioned into endemic, according to the CDC, there are still risks to be aware of. Around 400 million people worldwide have long COVID, where symptoms can range from annoying to absolutely debilitating, regardless of your age, pre-COVID health, or fitness levels. Cases of long COVID are crushing our medical system, too. The two best tools to avoid getting COVID continue to be masking and testing. Unfortunately, the PCR testing centers that used to be available in each city have long closed, and obtaining a PCR has become expensive and hard to locate. This is why home testing kits are so important.

While you may be used to thinking of COVID tests as interchangeable, there’s a big difference between the standard at-home antigen test and a PCR (molecular) test. Almost five years in, it’s important to understand why PCR tests are the ones you want when accurate testing is important.

The difference between a PCR and a Rapid Antigen Test What you normally think of as a home COVID test—like the kind you can order for free from the government—is a rapid antigen test. When these at-home COVID tests became available, they were a powerful tool to help people know they were positive so they could isolate themselves from others. Almost all at-home tests were lateral flow tests, also known as rapid antigen tests (RATs). They measure for proteins on the outside of SARS-C0V-2, but they have a major flaw: They can only detect active virus. If you’re asymptomatic or don’t have a high viral load yet, the RAT may show negative results while you have an active and contagious infection.

This is why, if you already have symptoms, a negative antigen test isn't conclusive. You may need to test a number of times to confirm you have COVID. When you first get sick, you may go a number of days (as many as five) without enough virus to set off a positive RAT test. RATs were designed to be taken multiple times in sequence.

A PCR, also known as a NAAT or molecular test, measures RNA and can detect even small amounts of the virus. This is why it has always been considered the “gold standard” of COVID testing. These tests are generally considered accurate starting one to three days before you experience symptoms. Until last year, you needed to get a PCR from a testing center, but home tests have evolved and there are now four rapid, at-home molecular COVID tests, meaning you test and get a result within 30 minutes.

Why we still need COVID testing The world is now divided into people who view COVID as part of regular life and those who, due to chronic illness, immune issues, previous infections, or age, cannot afford to get infected. For a long time, we viewed COVID testing as something you do for your own health, but home PCR testing represents a way you can easily protect those vulnerable people in your life without cutting them off from society.

But even if you're not concerned about others, you should still care about protecting yourself from multiple infections. While the likelihood you will die of COVID has gone down dramatically due to vaccines, medical interventions, and natural immunity from infection, the news has not done a great job talking about long COVID. As people get infected two, three, four, and more times, they are playing against the odds. It’s estimated that one in 10—or even as many as one in five—infections leads to long COVID, and to explain how much it’s not “just the flu,” COVID is now considered to be a vascular illness. That means it affects the blood vessels in your body, which go everywhere. Thinking of COVID as a vascular illness helps explain why long COVID is everything from extreme fatigue to migraines to numbness in your extremities, loss of smell and taste, extreme fatigue, and neurological and cardiovascular conditions.

While lots of people no longer even test to see if they have COVID, there are a few reasons to get a definitive answer. First, you can only get the intervention Paxlovid within the first five days of symptoms. Anti-virals like Paxlovid knock down your viral load, one of the things we think helps prevent long COVID. Second, no one knows who will get long COVID, and you might need proof of that positive test in the future for insurance or benefits or even to justify sick days.

Lastly, you need to get tested because it is hard to know when you have COVID. Symptoms of COVID include headache, body ache, fever, sniffles, congestion, fatigue, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of smell or taste. In other words, absolutely anything out of the ordinary. While a RAT is unreliable for safe socializing with people for the reasons explained above, a molecular test can pretty reliably clear someone to come in your house that day, or be in close proximity. In that way, these molecular tests can be a tool to help immunocompromised people back into the world and make multigenerational celebrations safer.

How to get a molecular/PCR test Outside of your home, your main options now are urgent care clinics and places that do testing for travel. In both cases, they’ll be expensive. In the case of urgent care, they’ll put you in the same space as all the sick people, who are now no longer required to mask in healthcare settings, so if you don't already have COVID, you might pick it up there. Fortunately, there are molecular (PCR quality) tests you can take at home.

Rapid molecular tests require a similar effort on your part as a RAT test. You’ll swab yourself and then insert that swab into a machine that gives you a result. There are currently just four brands of these tests available: Lucira, Metrix, 3EO, and PlusLife. Unlike RAT tests, you have to order them, although Metrix and Lucira tests are available on Amazon, and Walgreens stocks Lucira tests in select stores. For a long time, they were just too expensive for most people, so they were relegated to the likes of movie sets, law firms, and Google employees. Prices have gone down, so now they’re more accessible—as low as $10 a test. Here are your options.

Follow the link to see the full review with relevant links!

[whateversawesome]

Chapter 93: Stellas, Tonitrus and Another Desmond

First of all, congratulations to our girl for getting another stella (her first academic achievement stella too!) Good for you, Anya!!

Anya also got a tonitrus bolt, but who cares about that 😆 Oh yeah, I know who does...

Congratulations also to Twilight for not losing it. Good for you, Twilight...you're learning how to be a good dad. Hey, did you notice he didn't even try to look at the results before time?

Look at that baby's face 💕 Positive reinforcement and encouragement work wonders! Still, I hope one day, Anya realizes her papa loves her no matter what.

It was one hell of a chapter, don't you think?

Let me get this out of the way: the more I know the people around Donovan Desmond, the less I like him. Even though we know very little about this man, it looks like his relationship with his family has destabilized his wife and son's mental health and general wellbeing.

So, here are my thoughts:

Demetrius

He looks like a kid who was pushed too hard to study and was taught nothing else. Yeah, he may be a stella-earning machine, but he lacks a balance, like the ability to communicate and understand other people. If anything, he seemed overwhelmed by a simple interaction with a some kids.

I'm guessing his classmates see him like an unapproachable person and he is probably a loner. He doesn't seem close to his brother either and I'm going to guess he's not close to Melinda. I suspect his dad "took him under his wing" since he was very young and made him that way.

Why couldn't Anya read his thoughts?

At the moment, I don't think he was experimented on. In my opinion, this boy's only thoughts are about studying, earning stellas, and not being able to understand people. All courtesy of...

Donovan Desmond

It looks like Donovan did spend a lot of time with Demetrius when he was young. The purpose is still not very clear to me, but this looks fishy. Either he sincerely wanted his son to do well in school or there was a reason Donovan Desmond wanted to be inside those imperial scholar social gatherings.

My gut tells me it's the second option. Why?...

I believe Donovan was Prime Minister or close to being Prime Minister back then. Why would a busy politician like him spend his time making sure his son did well in school? Something doesn't add up.

In the present, Donovan is basically a recluse and the only events he attends are those imperial scholar gatherings. If Desmond was a good dad, it would be understandable for him to support his son, even if he didn't participate in politics anymore. But that's the thing; Donovan Desmond is not a good, supportive dad. Demetrius said it himself: his dad is not in contact with him. Meaning, there must be an ulterior motive for him to attend to those social gatherings.

My guess is that he used his son. And since he already has access to those meetings, he doesn't need to communicate with his eldest son anymore or to have a relationship with his youngest either.

Talking about the youngest Desmond...

Damian

Damian and Anya had a rocky start, but as the story advances, it's obvious Damian is a sweet boy, who seems so...abandoned.

Damian is the kind of kid who thinks he has to earn his parents' love (especially his dad's). That's horrible. That love should be unconditional.

However, after meeting Melinda and now Demetrius, I can confidently say he's better off at school. Because of this, I'm thinking that it was Melinda the one who insisted on Damian staying at Eden.

Damian probably thought that in order for his dad to spend time with him, he needed to be like his brother, meaning a stella-earning machine. That's why those stellas are so important to him. And let me say that it's remarkable that Damian is earning stellas without any help from his parents or anyone else (like Demetrius in the past and Anya in the present.)

Now I see that part of his character arc could be for him to realize he doesn't have to be like his brother and he doesn't need his father's approval either.

Can you see the difference his friends make in Damian's life? His friends, including Anya, are helping become a different person than his brother. They're helping him realize he doesn't have to behave "like a Desmond" only, that it's okay to behave like a kid too.

Maybe that's why his mom wants him to be friends with Anya. She's a good influence on him.

It will be interesting to see if Damian's relationship with Demetrius changes over time. I would like to see that because Damian craves a relationship with his family. In my opinion, Melinda does love his youngest son (we don't know how she feels about Demetrius), but there's a reason why she won't go near him. At some point, we'll find out that reason.

Twilight and Anya

Just like Desmond, Twilight needs to get into those imperial scholar gatherings. That's why Anya needs to get those stellas. We could argue he's also using Anya like Donovan used Demetrius, but there are a few key differences:

1.Anya knows and is helping him willingly, because she knows her papa's purpose: to keep peace (and make a world where children don't have to cry).

2.The way Twilight encourages Anya earn those stellas. Yes, he makes her study (helps her too), like any parent would, but he also lets Anya be herself! Twilight wants Anya to have a balanced life, to have friends, to have fun, to play, to watch TV, to go on outings and even travel as a family.

He's not forcing her to study 24/7 so she turns into a stella-earning machine, because he knows there's more to life than stellas and good grades and because he wants the best for his child, over his mission (even when he's not ready to admit that).

3.This whole thing is transforming him. Unlike Desmond, Twilight is becoming more human. He no longer serves his own purpose (even if that purpose is for peace). Now, he's a father and has to put his daughter's wellbeing first.

Do you need proof?

Here, Twilight asked the question we've all been dying to ask.

As a spy, he would have pushed his daughter to remember her past so she would answer the question. But instead...

He realized those memories could be painful and didn't want his daughter to think about that, so he just tells her to forget about it...Why? Because Anya's past doesn't matter. Even when it could be advantageous for his mission, he chooses to let it go for his daughter's sake and because she already has a family with Yor, Bond, and him.

Donovan and Damian

I wonder if at some point Donovan Desmond will try to use Damian for his own purpose. If that happens, I'm sure Damian won't turn his dad down, he'll be happy his father finally acknowledges him and will be happy to spend time with him.

My gut has been screaming that Damian and Donovan are a foil of [Redacted] and his dad. And not only that...Remember when that awful man made Anya cry during the Eden Interview and Twilight lost it? I suspect the relationship between Damian and Donovan Desmond could be a big trigger for Mr. Spy.

Since most of the characters in SxF are morally gray, I suspect Donovan Desmond will be the same. Maybe he'll turn out to be a good leader who wants the best for his country and wants to prevent the war, but at the same time is an abusive husband and father.

Would Twilight be okay with that now that he is a father and a husband himself?

At some point, Twilight will probably have to choose between his family and his mission and Donovan Desmond is his mission...🤔

[saerins]

Ooo maybe for Bianca and Sae, can you explain a moment when they were alone? And maybe Bianca realizing that she wants something more with him?

extra chapter: more than this

꒰ঌꨄ︎໒꒱ — part of priceless. sae has never thought of the possibility of being with bianca—until he’s forced to when a kiss proves that this friendship is more than he thought it was.

content: angst. some nsfw references; mentions of penetration. mentions of alcohol. word count: 2.9k

���༚༝༚ sooo here have some bianca/sae lore hehehe <3 might be useful context for what’s coming up soon so :) just a bit, mwah <3

it’s almost masochistic to have a crush on someone like itoshi sae.

even being just friends with sae isn’t particularly easy for her—not when he’s about as proactive as a rock and as clueless as a baby when it comes to people’s feelings. still, he’s always there for her whenever she needs him, even if she has to explicitly tell him. then again, everyone knows he’s oblivious to anything other than soccer.

tonight is one of those nights; the japan soccer team is in town, and they’re apparently celebrating oliver’s birthday. bianca got an invite, mostly borne out of sae’s pity. probably. she’d called him earlier about feeling like shit; having a career as a model is fun—the glamour, the attention—it’s something she enjoys. being in front of the camera, having someone on the other end try to bring their vision to life by using her, and in turn she can participate in creating something beautiful. 

at least, most of the time.

it’s being in the public limelight that’s hard. hundreds and thousands of people all privy to your every move, especially with the presence of the paparazzi. it’s hard, and it’s not something that normal people can ever understand, even if they try. it’s always much worse than they expect. especially when there’s negative comments about you pouring in on the internet, most of them untrue, or even when the internet loves to pit her against other people as if it’s a damn competition. 

that’s why she’s here in the first place, with them in the club while all of them try to get oliver to drink himself silly. they probably won’t let him go until he’s wasted, which is why his manager’s right there to make sure he doesn’t do anything too out of line. (bianca thinks she looks a little too annoyed by him, relegating to the side and texting away at her phone, but bianca’s sure she would be too, in her shoes.)

being in a club with the base flooding her ears and being surrounded by people she barely knows isn’t the worst thing here. the worst thing is that there’s another model flirting with sae since before bianca got here. and she is flirting; with a finger twirling a lock of her hair and her occasionally leaning in towards sae as she laughs, even though sae probably didn’t even sae anything funny. bianca recognises her from a few of her covers.

she’s the one that’s constantly being pit against bianca, so of course she knows.

bianca wonders how sae knew her. did sae invite her?

“oh shit, sorry,” a guy—ryusei shidou, she realises, once she turns to look his way—mutters, accidentally bumping into her side. she’d met him a few times before this, whenever sae would let her tag along during their drinking sessions. “what’re you pouting for?”

“fuck off, shidou,” bianca sighs, completely not in the mood to try and play nice. not when miss rival is whispering something into sae’s ears.

taking the chance when sae is pulled aside by karasu, bianca approaches the girl, a condescending sneer on her face. if there’s anything she knows, it’s how to drive people away. it’s easy—scare them. people scare easy, even if they don’t look like it. the girl only greets her out of courtesy, and just with a simple threat to annul her biggest brand’s sponsorship if she ever dares to touch what belongs to bianca and she knows she’s won.

the girl scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief. “careful, bianca, just because you’re a nepo baby doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it forever,” is all she says before walking off.

her words mean nothing to bianca. her parents are more than influential in this industry, with lots of connections. it’s not like she’s a fucking murderer. small threats like these are easy to cast aside—all anyone really needs is money, and bianca has plenty.

“oh, hey, did you see mia?” sae asks when he’s back a few minutes later, an extra drink in his hand. “she asked me to help get her a drink.”

of course she did, probably looking to get lucky enough with him tonight. bianca puts on an innocent face, “yeah actually, she said she wasn’t feeling too good and wanted to get some fresh air.”

“oh, okay.” sae accepts it without question, and bianca internally sighs in relief as she takes it as a sign that he probably isn’t even the least bit interested in her.

with a smirk, she takes one of the drinks from his hand, sipping lightly as she looks at him. “guess you’ll just have to drink with me.”

sae ruffles her hair, something that never fails to make her heart flutter. it’s a sign of affection that he only gives her, she’s realised as of late, and she accepts it proudly. she clinks her glass against his, and he begrudgingly takes a sip. he’s not too fond of alcohol, which is why she’s surprised that he even came with them in the first place.

“wanna just go outside and take a walk?” bianca suggests, raising her voice over the music, aching for some alone time with him. it’s been a long day and she’s in dire need of relief.

thankfully, sae doesn’t disagree, silently letting her tug on the sleeves of his cashmere sweater, bianca selectively ignoring shidou’s disagreeable comments. nothing will get in the way of her intended romantic stroll with sae.

and that proves to be right, because sae ignores the calls he’s getting from his friends, settling it with just a quick message—bianca can only imagine he’s typing a curt brb busy before he’s shoving the device back in his pocket.

“feeling better?” he asks, tone low and even, looking at her with eyes that seem deceptively harsh but bianca can see the kindness in them.

she grins, stars in her eyes whenever she looks at him. “mhm, just a little,” she tells him, wondering if he knows he’s the reason behind it. he could do nothing, just be right next to her, and it would make her feel impeccably better.

her fingers slip down from his sweater to his rough, big hands, tugging him towards her as she moves to take a picture of the two of them together. it’s a normal occurrence; bianca loves to take pictures with him—her phone is filled with them. though, in none of them are sae smiling. he’s always stoic and stone-faced and ignorant, just like the candid pictures the media takes of him.

after snapping two pictures, bianca pouts up at him, batting her extended eyelashes at him. “would it kill you to smile, sae?” she’s just trying her luck. really. she fully expects him to agree that it would, like he always does.

he doesn’t.

instead, he sighs, an arm around her shoulder as he smiles, a subtle one, a bare curve of the edge of his lips upwards, other free hand coming up to press on the shutter as he snaps one picture for her. then it’s back to his usual stoic face.

“there, happy?”

the way he says it holds no malice. purely, he just expected it to make her happier.

it does.

bianca has to swallow the lump in her throat, her gut already telling her that sae is treating her like that because he’s her friend, because he’s just being a good friend like he always has been. her wishful thinking likes to think otherwise.

what if it’s possible he likes her? what if she misses this chance and never gets another one?

sae is right there, next to her, his arm still around hers and his face so, so close. he’s just frozen there because he’s waiting for her to actually respond to him. although now he’s just placidly staring back at her, perfectly comfortable in the silence.

this could ruin everything, but bianca can’t help but think of how she constantly has to watch as other girls try to shoot their shot with him. she can’t stop thinking of how miserable she’d feel if sae smiled for someone else.

that’s why she stands on her tiptoes, tilting her head up as she presses her lips against his, eyes closed because she doesn’t want to risk seeing this moment as anything but perfect. her hands timidly grab at his waist, keeping herself close, and she can feel his hands on her hips, although the lack of feedback she receives tells her everything she needs to know.

sae’s arms only glues her in place as he pulls away, confusion clouding his expression as he silently considers what to say in order not to hurt her.

as if bianca’s going to let herself seem even more pathetic than she already is.

she takes a hurried step back, avoiding his gaze. she can’t tell whether he’s mortified or just puzzled. “sorry about that, i was just being emotional over everything.” bianca laughs nervously, hoping it passes off as just a joke, though she’s not sure if even sae is that dense.

sae walks back to the club alone later that night, after seeing bianca off in the cab, minutes after she planted a surprise kiss on him.

“she finally got the guts to do that, huh?” karasu mutters after hearing what sae had been up to.

for the other guys, it seems, it isn’t much of a surprise at all. oliver’s only tipsy, a lazy smirk on his face as he listens, body slumped back against the leather seats. beside sae, shidou scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“bitch even scared mia off for flirting with him,” he spits, finding it incredulous that the friend he brought got so easily intimidated off by her. it’s news to sae, though. “maybe keep her in check, will ya?” shidou huffs, downing the shot in front of him.

for the most part, sae remains silent as the others weigh in on the situation, ranging from passing comments to affirmations that they knew all along how bianca felt about him. it’s not something he even stopped to consider until tonight, when all of them are asking if he feels the same. he can’t even give them an answer, shrugging at the thought.

“i’m curious though, at any point, did you ever wanna fuck her?” karasu asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“huh?”

oliver sighs, leaning forward from across the table, elbows resting on the surface. “just imagine,” he drawls, exhaustion being lifted off his shoulders. “both of you in a hotel room after drinking, her hands all over you, bouncing on top of you with her tits in the air—you want that with her?”

it’s a vivid imagery that he never really even thought of before tonight.

“c’mon, don’t even wanna feel how her pussy clenches around your dick when you fuck her?” oliver teases, not even needing sae’s answer to know how he feels.

sae only sits there, taking all of this in without a single change in the beat of his heart. anything he’s ever done or felt for bianca has been within the realms of friendship. nothing more—at least, on his end. he tells them all the same thing, though most of them seem to doubt it. 

shidou’s not particularly interested, muttering on about how she needs to learn her place and stop with her antics.

even if the answer is clear to him, the topic sticks with him all through the night until he falls asleep. she’s his friend, an important one, considering how she’s one of the only people he doesn’t find exhausting to be around.

that thought settles itself into the crevices of his mind even the next day, when bianca asks to meet.

sae knows he isn’t any good with feelings, but what he does know is that there is nothing worse than burying the topic and leaving it for dead. even if he has to lose a friend, he has to talk to her about it.

inside the cafe where bianca had proposed to meet up, she sits in the far corner, away from the windows and from prying eyes. her feet taps nervously against the floor, biting on her inner cheek as she wonders if she potentially ruined anything between them. it was her fault for getting carried away.

bianca finds she’s right; she might’ve potentially ruined it all because the moment sae walks in and takes a seat across from her, he asks whether she has feelings for him. if lying was an option, she would, because she feels her grip on him slipping as more of the truth spills out. but she can’t lie to him somehow. not about this.

“and if i say i do?” her voice is weak, timid. she hates sounding like that, but what else is she supposed to sound like when she’s so afraid of losing the one man who’s been treating her right in every single way?

sae takes a deep breath, his will quivering slightly as he looks at her hurt expression. “did i…” he trails off, thinking of how to phrase it properly. “i didn’t mean to lead you on.”

it’s laughable how completely sure he is of his feelings. bianca feels like this is all some nightmare that she has to wake up from.

“do i even have a chance?” she ponders, out loud.

“i don’t wanna say anything i can’t promise,” sae says, trying to shut it down but bianca has other things in mind.

she smiles, softly, slowly lifting her head up to meet his gaze. “then… could you at least let me try? at least consider me for a while?” there’s nearly tears in her eyes, a vulnerability she will ever only let sae see. the rest of the world can burn if they ever want to see her this way.

sae furrows his brows, knowing that logically it isn’t such a good idea. but bianca’s insistent, and he thinks does he have any right to stop her?

“if i decide to try, it’s my decision,” bianca tells him, unwilling to give up just like this. “could you just… leave me be?”

she’ll do anything. anything, to not let her efforts stop here in vain. one day, surely, he’ll reciprocate, because she doesn’t think there’s anyone else that can come close to her position in his life. one day he’ll come to his senses, and until then, she’ll have to keep trying, and she needs to try to get him to keep his mind open to her. to the possibility of them.

sae averts his gaze, looking to the ground at his side, another subject lingering on his tongue. “if i let you be, could you answer my question?”

bianca feels the hope bubbling inside her again. her eyes light up, nodding. “what is it?”

“did you try to scare off every girl who tried to be friends with me?”

because after some thinking last night, sae realised why most girls he ever met for a second time, mostly on set (because there’s none he knows personally), have made comments about how they hope they didn’t make things awkward between him and bianca. of course, he never bothered asking, thinking they were just part of things he didn’t want to understand.

now, the pregnant silence that falls in the air seems to tell him her answer. in front of him, bianca looks like a child that got caught and is about to try and wriggle their way out of it.

“can you promise me one thing, then?” he asks, and she meekly stares back at him, urging him to continue. “could you try and stop doing that? if you ever feel bad or whatever about it then just talk to me. we’re at least friends, right?”

bianca bites on her lower lip, her emotions flying all over the place. “but what if… i don’t want to see you with anyone else?”

it’s a difficult topic to be talking about all of a sudden, but sae knows it has to be done. he can’t ignore this and continue on like nothing’s changed. “you know… it might happen though, right?” he tells her, as gently as he possibly can. “if i still don’t see you that way then… it could be someone else in the future.”

bianca keeps her lips shut, then, still trying to process a future where that could happen.

sae leans forward slightly, keeping his voice down. “if i do happen to meet that certain someone… i’ll tell you, okay?” 

it’s probably a cruel thing to do, he feels, but going by bianca’s personality, if they’re still friends by then, it’ll be worse if she has to find out through the tabloids or word of mouth. in a way, he still thinks of her as one of his best friends. even if things are a little complicated between them now, he thinks he owes her at least that, after all he’s asking of her.

bianca nods slowly. she lets herself submit to whatever he says for now, and she’s sure he probably thinks she’ll give up after a while—but she knows she won’t. the day he tells her about that certain someone probably won’t come, and the reason’s pretty simple.

she’ll have to be that certain someone. and she will be. she has to be.

[antvmnos]

headcanons wedding day (kuai liang ver.)

(kuai liang x reader)

you and kuai finally marriage each other.

afab, sfw, fluff, established relationship, reader is gender neutral.

You still don't believe that you are fulfilling an old desire, sometimes you think that everything is a distant dream. Something temporary. You pinch yourself to make sure you're not dreaming. You really aren't.

You opted for the traditionality of the clan and culture, even in the costumes. His and Kuai's clothes were beautiful and boasted the pomp of the clan, - courtesy of the Grandmaster - they were custom made with the Lin Kuei emblem adorning his and yours as well. You wanted something simple, but this was a gift. You can't refuse.

Both decided to hold the ceremony in the fire gardens. Not all guests would be able to withstand Artika's biting cold. Even you have problems with the harsh climate of that place, but you try hard for your brother-in-law. In fact, you and he have differences - including the fact that you are not only marrying Kuai, but also their clan - but Bi-Han was apparently satisfied with the marriage. Tomas, who you always considered important, also rooted for you, that's why he was the best man.

The ceremony was planned to be low-key, low-key, with only the most important people present who you knew and cared about.

Everything that was planned and organized for months went smoothly. The setting sun illuminated the fire gardens. Lord Liu Kang was the host, wishing you congratulations and blessings on this day, a request from Kuai Liang out of respect for what he stood for, that you may have good luck and health until the end of your days. It was exciting. You cried.

Kuai couldn't take his eyes off you all day as he chatted with guests and received congratulations. You were as beautiful as cherry blossoms in spring. From afar, whenever your eyes meet he smiles at you and you feel like a clumsy idiot blushing, as if it was the first time you were seeing him.

You acted perfectly throughout the event and made sure not to leave anyone unattended, always paying attention to everyone equally to ensure they were enjoying this special moment. You are very lucky to have him.

bonus scene

"So...what should I call you now? Hot girl? Hot, icy girl? Tell me you understand it's a game of ice and fire!" Johnny asks.

"Johnny, shut your damn mouth or we'll be expelled!" Kenshi whispered, leaning on his shoulder.

"No! Wait a minute, I have a better idea! So... How about girl on fire like the Alicia Keys song?"

You've gotten used to his way. You just laugh, without understanding who this woman from the earthrealm is.

"I appreciate your efforts on the names, Johnny. Thank you."

"You know I'm the best, don't you?"

Kenshi sighs. 

[imalicu]

Armin stood in front of the mirror, telling himself that today had to be different. The blond boy decided to follow Mikasa's advice on a beautiful day like this…

Of course, with the simple goal: confessing to his crush.

“Armin, what color do you think about Annie's eyes are?”

She looked at him, suddenly asking about his crush. Surprised by his friend's question, Armin could only answer honestly.

"Ocean blue?"

"So, what do you think about the blue in her eyes?"

“Uh… what?”

He was so shocked that he felt embarrassed, staring at the Eastern girl in disbelief.

Could it be that dating her own crush made Ackerman bolder? Or maybe she wanted to play matchmaker? Who could ever figure out what Mikasa was thinking, especially since her Eren wasn’t at school today due to being sick?

Ugh. And there could be many other reasons…

Even so, as longtime friends, Armin Arlert could only share everything about the beauty in Annie’s cold, blue eyes. He spoke with a strangely bright look in his own blue eyes.

"Alright... Her ocean-blue eyes look like two clear gems, shimmering as light reflects through them. The blue is gentle, deep like a peaceful sea, but sometimes it stirs with emotion like powerful waves. When she looks straight at me, those blue eyes seem to hold the vast ocean, both immense and mysterious, and I can’t help but get lost in them..."

“Really? That’s quite poetic of you, mister.” Mikasa nodded as if understanding, which made the blond boy even more embarrassed.

"But why did you suddenly ask that?"

“Well, I’ve come up with a plan, a plan for you to confess Annie.”

"Wait...What?"

Armin's cheeks flushed red, feeling even more flustered at Mikasa’s suggestion. Ever since his failed confession the last time, he had lost all his courage to confess. His lack of confidence was growing day by day.

“Hey, I can’t do it. You know, I already tried confessing to her. But…”

Before he could continue, Mikasa interrupted.

"Don't worry, I know. Since you can't directly tell her ‘I like you’ (because you’re too chicken), I’ve come up with this plan. All you need to do is follow my lead and execute it well."

“Really? What plan?”

Armin looked at the Eastern girl with curiosity. With a captain’s smile, Mikasa shared her plan. And it was met with Arlert the bookworm’s nod of approval.

“Got it, I understand now.”

“If you understand, then go execute it. Your beloved Annie is waiting for you, your dummy.”

…

He took a deep breath, fixed his hair once more, and started walking toward Annie, who was sitting by the window listening to music. That was always her favorite spot.

From afar, Mikasa watched with her gray eyes lighting up with a satisfied smile, like a proud mother. She was certain that today, Armin, her “son,” would succeed.

According to her plan, Armin had decided to give Annie a genuine compliment: "You have a beautiful eyes."

“Annie…”

“Hm?”

Annie looked up, pulling out her earphones to hear him better.

"I wanted to talk to you… do you have a moment?"

“Uh, sure.” Annie hesitated for a bit before nodding. “Go ahead.”

“Well... the thing is…”

Come on, just say it, Armin. God, heart, please stop pounding so hard. Stomach, don’t twist up on me now. Brain, intelligence, where are you guys... I need confidence. Right, just take a deep breath. It’s just an honest confession disguised as a compliment, courtesy of Mikasa. Right? Right? Right?

Even though he tried to be natural, as Armin got closer, he grew so flustered and panicked that he couldn’t remember Mikasa’s exact advice. He mumbled, and finally blurted out something that even surprised himself.

“I have a beautiful eyes.”

“???”

Annie’s eyes widened in surprise, unsure how to react to such a strange compliment. She raised an eyebrow, trying to understand what Armin had just said.

From afar, Mikasa sensed Armin’s failure. She chuckled and shook her head in exasperation. “Oh my god, this bitch. I want to kill him right now."

[beanghostprincess]

i think it's very important to know that koala is 160cm(5'3") and nami is 170cm(5'7")

koala needing to stand on her toes to kiss nami..... not only does sabosan have height difference but so does koanami (namoala???? koanami sounds a lot better though)

I think it's very important to know that you have a huge brain and I love all of your ideas 🫶🏻🧡🍊 I vote Koanami! I think it sounds a bit nicer <3

And,, This is making me go insane. Okay. Okay. Lesbian thoughts, I mean- Pretty girls- I mean- Coherent thoughts.

Thinking about Koala and Sabo staying for a few days with them just because they can. Because I think revolutionaries also need their free days. They don't pay them but let them enjoy them at least. Nami and Koala grow really close during these days, and they know it's the last night they're gonna be in the ship because they have responsibilities. Koala is feeling odd because, after leaving everything behind to focus on her ideals, now she has something she wants to treasure and keep with her but she can't do it. And she's starting to understand Sabo way better now and why he always has a hard time leaving Luffy (and Sanji) behind. Nami and her have something going on. A connection. A bond. Fate? She doesn't believe in such. Or the universe. They shouldn't believe in that. But there's just something different about her... And in such a short time, Nami has made her way to Koala's heart.

So Nami is on night watch, right? Courtesy of our dear Sabo moving a few lil threads and saying that Sanji can't possibly do it because he's just sooo exhausted of cooking and he needs somebody to cover for him, and Nami is a good friend. A "good friend" meaning: "I am so charging you for this but enjoy your secret fucking". And of course, Sabo tells Koala to make a move already. She says it's too soon. Or maybe just too risky, keeping in mind they won't be seeing each other for a long time probably. Sabo insists, Koala refuses. But then, she can't sleep. She can't do it!!! She needs to see Nami right away. She might not do anything, but at least she can spend one night with her.

She finds Nami taking care of her tangerines and walking around the ship because she doesn't like sitting still sometimes when watching the ship. She looks around at the sea. Talks to her and Usopp's plants. The usual. Their conversation starts shy and slow and somehow there's so much depth in simple words like "I just thought it'd be nice seeing you" and "I'm glad you did". And so they talk for a little while about everything and nothing until the sun is basically shining over them, barely, and they know the crew's going to wake up soon. Nami seems calm but oddly shy. Like she's expecting something but doesn't have high hopes for it. And Koala thinks that if somebody like Nami, who is used to take what she wants because she's a pirate, doesn't do anything, then somebody so tied to her responsibilities like her should be able to go against her persona too and do something. Or else she will lose this chance. She hates that the last thing she hears before kissing Nami is Sabo's voice telling her to do it, but, well, they've always been each other's inner voices.

So she has to stand on her tiptoes to kiss her, holding her gently by the shoulders and pressing their lips together right behind Nami's tangerine trees while the sun is rising. Nami smiles into the kiss oh so softly and she laughs as if she had been waiting for this for a long time, while Koala doesn't exactly know why she's laughing but laughs too anyway.

When they move away, Nami looks at her fondly and says "You know? I was starting to think I'd have to be the one doing this". And Koala knows, that no matter how far away she goes, they'll be alright.

[go-river-flows]

Welcome back to the Avatar Programme

Summary: I was part of the Avatar programme. Simple as that. Then that changed after the schoolhouse incident.

Part 2 of ?

Nearly two years had passed since Anuk’s death. The school shut down then as well. I decided to walk around Hell’s Gate for a quick work break, turning the corner I collided into Norm and Tom, in a wheelchair?

“Woah my god! Wait! (Y/N)!!!” Norm yelled.

“Norm,” I jaw fell as he gave me a bone crushing hug, pulling away he looked me up and down checking me over, as I turned to look down at Tom.

“Tommy? Wha–?”

“Oh no, this is Jake,” Norm rambled.

The man looked up at me, nervous as to why and how I knew Tom. Our confused expression signally to Norm that it was awkward. The man in the wheelchair in front of me reached his hand out toward me.

“I'm Jake. Tom’s twin brother,” I shook his hand.

“This is (Y/N). We were training for the Avatar programme together with Tom. (Y/N) started earlier than we did, and she finished sooner too, but (Y/N) was close with Tom.”

“You don't know?” Jake questioned, making me more confused. “You’re friend’s with Tom and you don't know?”

“Know…what, exactly?” I questioned back.

“Tom is dead. He was killed by a scumbag thief who was only interested in his wallet,” Jake spat. I could only breathe a ‘no’ as I felt dizzy.

“Jake is taking over his Avatar,” Norm whispered into my ear as he stopped me from falling. Squeezing my eyes shut, as if Eywa herself was playing some sort of sick joke.

“I quit the programme,” I said out loud, opening my eyes.

“What?” Norm started, “But you trained so hard. What happened?” He helped steady me as I gently pushed away from him. I walked away from them, in the direction of the cradle room, knowing Grace would be there. They followed behind closely as I picked up my pace.

“Grace?! Grace?!” I got to the centre console as Ruth was pulling Grace out of the cradle. Taking a shortcut down the steps, I reached her first.

“Grace? Did you know?” she looked up at me, “Did you know Tom was dead?” Her eyes fell, avoiding mine just as Jake rolled up next to the cradle. Grace silently cursed before standing.

“Yes,” she said, barely a whisper, “Yes, I did. And I don't need you,” she turned to Jake, “I need your brother. You know, the PhD who trained three years for this mission?”

“I know it's a big inconvenience for everyone,” says Jake.

“How much lab training have you had?”

“I dissected a frog once.”

“You see? You see? I mean, they're just pissing on us without the courtesy of calling it rain,” Grace said, already walking away, “I'm going to Selfridge.”

“No, Grace,” Max calls out to her.

“No, man, this is such bullshit! I'm gonna kick his corporate butt. (Y/N), walk with me.” Grace yells back to me. I sigh as I chase after her.

“(Y/N) I know you quit the Avatar Programme, and I understand why you did it. But now we need all hands on deck, that includes you too,” Grace explained.

“Why? You know the reason why I left the programme. Hell, you know the reason why I avoid you,” I say knowing full well that Grace was also grieving.

“Sweetheart, I know it's hard to go back,” she sighed, “We are running out of samples. Crucial samples that can help the human race, and you were one of the best in the field. When you left the programme it hurt everyone,” she rested her arm on my shoulder before continuing, “I know Tom died. And I know that you two were close. But that man, the man right here is not Tom. Right now Jake is not an asset, he knows nothing. Guide him, teach him, he doesn't have to know everything, but at least be a friend to him. But most importantly, just be here.”

She removed her hand from my shoulder, walking ahead to the gate tower, ready to scowl at Selfridge. I sighed, leaning up against the wall wondering what the hell I was doing.

Part 3

[crystalelemental]

My wife asked a really fun question the other day while playing Scarlet.  "What is the point of having five different neutral natures?"  And the answer is pretty obvious when you really think about it.  It's a relic from when that was a decent idea.

The answer is fairly simple.  There are five neutral natures because neutral doesn't hurt you.

Okay, let's rewind a bit to the beforetimes.  In Gen 3, they introduced natures.  Back then, moves were still determined as physical or special based on type.  When you have this distinction, it is generally sub-optimal to be locked into one offensive stat, especially in the era of HMs as mandatory move slots somewhere on the team.  When you had a high stat, it was usually your off-stat.  Think Kingler or Absol; massive Atk, but their STAB is special, so nothing ever hits quite that hard.  You have some oddballs like Alakazam, but even then, its movepool was fairly shallow (barring Emerald move tutors via BP), so having Atk unhindered for Shadow Ball coverage was not a bad decision.  In such a scenario, neutral can, in some cases, be considered an ideal.  Nothing is boosted, but nothing is hindered either, and you get full range of ability.

When Gen 4 introduced the physical/special split, this started to falter a bit, because now offensive Pokemon could specialize.  Adamant, Modest, Timid, and Jolly stocks soared, as pairs that used to rely on both offenses could suddenly rely on just one to maximum effect.  Neutral became less valuable.  By Gen 5, stats started to more severely min-max, and the idea of a neutral nature became significantly less enticing than getting the "right" pick.  By Gen 7, we removed HMs, and the last holdout for neutral vanished.

So what the hell is it still doing here?  And why do we have five of them?

Well, when you have heavily min-maxed Pokemon, you have obvious correct answers, but you also have wrong answers.  Back in the day, you could roll Adamant or Modest on Swampert and be fine.  Nowadays, if you roll something like a Jolly Primarina, it is purely detrimental.  There are good outcomes, but there are objectively bad ones too.  Which has always sort of existed.  Even in Gen 3, playing FRLG and getting a Modest Hitmonlee is horrid.  But you at least had an argument for something like Naive Hitmonchan back when the elemental punches were special.  In absence of that, there is no reason to celebrate Naive.

Neutral natures exist in abundance to ease that.  Having 5 out of 25 options be unable to hurt you means a decent 20% chance for a safe outcome, in addition to the four potential outcomes that decrease your dump stat, settling in at 9/25 (36%) natures being pretty alright.  Which, for those keeping track, is better than 5/21 (23.8%) if we had only one neutral nature.  It is a courtesy to simplify the player's life, in a way that allows for some ease catching something new, without its nature hindering it.

The modern players among you may be wondering, why does it matter?  Just use a mint.  And that's kinda the issue!  This used to matter, but mints remove this as a long-term problem.  The main reason to continue bothering with it at this point is access.  Mints are generally post-game exclusive, and suffering through a detrimental nature is not ideal (Yes, the games are easy enough you can be fine, but it's the principle of the thing).  But if that's the concern, then the solution should be obvious: make mints available earlier.  The only reason not to is...well, nostalgia.  It's always been done this way, so we're not changing it because...no reason.

This problem escalates in modern times, with BDSP and the ScarVio DLC, where endgame trainers are packing max IVs, EVs, and positive natures.  Unless you're willing to power level (and even then in some cases, given how high the opposing levels go), you need to not only understand these mechanics that are never actually explained in the games, you also need to be able to manipulate them.  You need to understand what the Power items do, what the hell IVs even are and how to adjust them, and to adjust your nature.  And then, once you've figured out how to do all that, you need to have the money to afford it.  Power items are expensive early game, so you just play through.  But then you need to reset your EVs, which means either mochi from Ogre Oustin, or finding a billion of the right EV reducing berries on the ground.  You then need to use the Power items for like an hour with a team of six all training the same two stats, because your alternative is 53,000 pokedollars per Pokemon to cap EVs with, and that's unsustainable.  You then need to afford bottlecaps - 10k a pop, five per Pokemon - to cap IVs.  And then you need the mints, which are 20k a pop.  And you need to do all of this, where the only money-making battles you redo, are the Academy Ace Tournament.  It's better that there's some kind of solution, anyone who did the old Battle Frontier can tell you how badly this stuff used to suck without it, but that's just further evidence of the problem.

Why is any of this here?  If there are correct and incorrect natures, why do we still pretend like neutral is legitimate?  Why push for the mint system as an expensive solution to an outdated problem?  Just get rid of natures.  Who wants to deal with a system of right and wrong outcomes that are completely randomized and unfixable until after the main campaign anyway?  IVs and EVs used to be fun, as a means of fine-tuning difficulty of an opponent via increased IVs (think DPPt Cynthia, who is max IVs across the board), while EVs were a fun hidden mechanic to offer players a stat boost while being lower level so you can play the underdog.  But nowadays they're becoming a requirement to understand without proper explanation.  I don't dislike the idea of variance in Pokemon so it's not always the exact same experience, so I don't want to just remove these things, but there's gotta be an easier way to handle EVs at least.  Maybe something that can just naturally boost all your stats regardless of what you fight, instead of this hyper-specific form of tedious training by battling the same Pokemon 70 times for the right stat.  And maybe IVs could just have fewer values so there's not as significant a distinction, and it's less obnoxious when you get to the endgame stuff that maxes everything out.  You know, like...like.........

Oh god, I'm becoming an early-genner.  Okay listen, I need a trusted friend to take up a serious task.  I need you to put me down if this becomes terminal.  I may seem fine, like everything is normal, but I'm suffering inside.

[arshipweek]

AR Ship Week 2023 Round Up

AR Ship Week 2023 is finished and what a fantastic offering of fics we have! Thank you everyone for participating and I hope you all had fun!

The AO3 collection will remain open if anyone is inspired to add a late entry.

Enjoy the fanworks!

💂 BODYGUARD AU 💂

lights, camera, behind the action by starvalisedham Tom is a famous film director whose latest film unknowingly gets caught up in trafficking illegal weapons, so Alex gets assigned as an undercover bodyguard. Through morning coffees and shared proximity, Tom finds that this new ‘Friend’ of his might just have the potential to be something more. Tom/Alex

🧛 VAMPIRE AU 🧛

Blood Lines by Suzie_Shooter Sequel to There Will Be Blood, in which John Rider is not as dead as he should be and Yassen is the opposite. And quite cross about it. Yassen/Alex

⛓️ HANDCUFFS ⛓️

they’re just like bracelets, right? by starvalisedham Tom asks Alex to teach him how to break free from various restraints – duct tape, zip ties, rope, you name it. It’s all very straightforward until Alex starts playing with the handcuffs. Tom/Alex

🏠 “I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO GO.” 🏠

Hard-Knock Life by polarnacht Every time a mission leaves Alex battered and bruised, he goes to Yassen, seeking relief in rough sex - until an incident forces Alex to think about what he really wants. Yassen/Alex

🛏️ “PROMISE ME YOU’LL STILL BE HERE WHEN I WAKE UP.” 🛏️

Echoes of the future past by kelkblr They saved the world in the future but now, stranded in the past, Alex and Yassen have to build a new future for themselves. But since when were their lives ever simple? Yassen/Alex

💢 FORCED TO WORK TOGETHER 💢

Tailwind by Polarnacht After Alex betrayed Yassen to MI6, they are forced to work together on another mission. It goes as well as expected. Yassen/Alex

We must stop meeting like this by kelkblr Ian is on a simple information-gathering mission when he finds himself in an unexpected hostile situation. He soon finds out he isn't the only prisoner and now he and Yassen must work together to escape. Yassen/Ian

Greetings & Salutations by galimau & Valaks It took Yassen years to understand what his soulmate mark said, and many more after that before he heard the ill fated words. The simplicity of a bullet would have been far easier than years with his mentee nee bonded rooting him back to the humanity that SCORPIA had stripped from him. Yassen/Nile

😍 LONGING 😍

One-man Army by RavenJames When Yassen appears again in Alex’s life after “dying” on Air Force One, Alex suddenly finds himself in the middle of a strange game, where he isn’t the one who has to fight, but the one to be fought for. Is Yassen participating in that game or trying to protect Alex? Or is it a bit of both? Yassen/Alex

😵‍💫 OBSESSION 😵‍💫

My Doctors Can’t Explain by countessrivers Yassen Gregorovich.Alex has a name now, for the man from the hallway, the man with the scar.He has a name, one he can’t stop thinking about, and he’s not entirely sure why. --- Between seasons, Alex dreams, grieves, hallucinates, and obsesses. Yassen/Alex

Within a gilded cage by kelkblr Yassen just wants Alex to be safe. This way, no one can take Alex away from him again. Yassen/Alex

Free Until They Cut Me Down by galimau & Valaks Yassen Gregorovich never wanted to be owned again. Yassen/Nile

🙇 DOM/SUB 🙇

Giving In by Polarnacht During a passionate sparring session with Alex, long buried desires surface in a way that makes them impossible for Yassen to ignore. Yassen/Alex

🩹 WOUND TENDING 🩹

Devotion by countessrivers As he rides out the last of the agonising coughing fit, spitting out the mouthful of blood courtesy of his dry and ragged throat, Yassen wonders, for maybe the sixth, or tenth, or dozenth time, what exactly could have gone wrong.

He’ll need to explain it to the board, after all. When he gets out of here.

When. Not if. Yassen/Alex

Seller’s Remorse by Rirren & icebluecyanide In a brief respite between torture sessions, Alex gambles on the nature of Yassen’s affections for him in a desperate ploy to save himself. Yassen/Alex

🕑 A SLEEPLESS NIGHT 🕑

sleepless nights and flavoured crisps by starvalisedham Tom can't sleep so he texts Alex, who sneaks in bearing snacks and drinks and company. He stays the night and Mrs Harris finds them the next day, sleeping on Tom's bed. Tom/Alex

[burnwater13]

Illustration of Luke Skywalker entering the access way to the bridge of Moff Gideon's ship. The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 8, The Rescue.

Grogu didn’t like to brag, but he knew Luke was going to find them and help them. How could he not? Grogu had told Luke that he needed his help and why. On that basis Luke agreed to come and help. It was really as simple as that. 

Now, that’s not to say that Grogu knew that Moff Gideon would be kidnapping him and that his dad would have to do everything within his power to find and rescue him. He hadn’t expected anything like that to happen. Nope. 

He had simply needed another Jedi to join him at Ossus and explain to Din Djarin in nice simple words that there wasn’t a Jedi Order anymore. Ahsoka had left that door open when she told Din Djarin about the seeing stone on Ossus and all that. Grogu needed someone else to tell the Mandalorian that Grogu couldn’t be returned to his ‘kind’ because his ‘kind’ didn’t have a place to be returned to.

Grogu guessed that was why, when the rest of them noticed the X-Wing, they were worried. Even frightened. They didn’t know about Luke and they couldn’t understand how just one person could make enough of a difference. Which was pretty silly because each of them, in their own ways, had made a big difference as an individual. 

He would have been happy to tell them not to worry and put their weapons down because, come on, they were watching the same monitors as he was watching. If the ‘mysterious’ caped figure could cut down all those dark troopers, then they didn’t actually have much of a chance fighting against them. But Grogu knew it was Luke. He could sense the strength of the Force within the younger man. He wasn’t worried.

Grogu had turned to his dad and explained that Luke was okay. That he was the person Grogu had contacted on Ossus and everything would be okay. He was actually pretty surprised that Din Djarin had listened so well and understood him. After all, the Mandalorian was the one who told the rest of them to put their weapons down when Luke was literally at the door. Grogu had been very happy about that. Din Djarin was doing better at connecting with him and that was very gratifying.

Of course, that being happy with his dad understanding him only lasted about thirty more seconds. Why? Because that’s how long it took for his dad, the fink, to hand him over to Luke! 

“Are you a Jedi?” 

Come on Dad! Of course he’s a Jedi. And he’s going to tell you…

“Come, little one.”

What? No! 

First, enough with the ‘little one’ thing. He has a name. He told Luke his name when he first contacted him. What the heck? Did he forget it already? It’s not like Grogu is some sort of hard name to say.

And instead of his dad saying something like, “Thanks for helping us. Much appreciated. We have friends to visit on Tatooine”, Din Djarin said, “He doesn’t want to go with you.”

Well of course he didn’t. He, being Grogu. He appreciated the fancy work with the lightsaber and using the Force to crush the energy sources of the dark troopers. Who wouldn’t? It was professional courtesy to be impressed by that. But none of that meant he wanted to go with him. Why would he? He was perfectly happy with his assignment with the Mandalorian.

“He wants your permission.”

Luke! No! You were supposed to talk Din Djarin out of that! 

Just another thing Luke had forgotten. Sheesh! Grogu sighed at both of them. He hadn’t even finished training the Mandalorian. How could he take on a student like Luke? There was so much to teach him. 

Starting with, when someone instructs you to say ‘Sorry, pal, I can’t take time out of my busy schedule right now. Maybe you should finish your course of learning first and when he’s ready for a new student, he’ll contact me and we’ll set something up? Okay? Good’, that’s what you are actually supposed to say. You are not supposed to give a Mandalorian a lecture about the importance of training being the key to skills development and control. 

Mandalorians already know that. And they love it. They thrive on it. Along with that whole pledging your life for the other person’s safety thing. They love that too. It’s cost them no end of pain and suffering, but it’s who they are, so they can be sucked right in with that. Grogu was overwhelmed by how much he’d have to teach Luke if this was really their starting point. Basic listening and doing what I tell you. Uff.

He thought his dad understood that. Just a little bit. After all, he promised that they’d see each other again and then took his helmet off and all that. But no! Even after the teary eyes, Din Djarin still handed him off to Luke. 

‘Don’t be afraid’

Afraid? Of what? The boredom? The tedious schedule? The repetition? Training a Jedi wasn’t for the faint hearted or the impatient. Grogu had spent half of his lifetime being trained by them. He knew all about it. 

Training Luke wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened to him. But what about the Mandalorian? How could he just walk away from his training? He had the Darksaber now! How was he ever going to learn how to use it without Grogu teaching him? Was this really the best way to serve his friends? They hadn’t even gotten to the part about choosing your path and the light and the dark. That was just asking for trouble.

Then R2-D2 had rolled over to him and told him that it would okay. Grogu had plenty of time to teach them both the lessons they needed to learn. One by sharing his presence and one though his absence. That seemed to be the way humans learned and R2 had trained a lot of them. R2 also promised Grogu that whenever he wanted to take up teaching the Mandalorian again, R2 would be happy to take him to his padawan. 

Grogu saw the wisdom in that. The Force obviously wanted Grogu to spend time training Luke and that’s what he needed to do. He just hoped that it would keep a sharp eye on the Mandalorian, in the mean time. Grogu didn’t want to have to rush back just to save him from giant critter. He should have learned that lesson already. 

Luke Skywalker entering the bridge of Moff Gideon's ship. The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 8, The Rescue.

[theoldmixer]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks @scurator for the tag!!

How many works do you have on ao3?

21. I have been and always will be a slow writer. There are more on LJ and ff.net before ao3 days that don't need to be seen.

What's your total ao3 word count? 222,086

What fandoms do you write for?

Beatles now, but all my hyperfixations have produced fic of some kind. Hamilton was my other biggie of the ao3 years so there's a lot of fics for that as well.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Burr Worked Next Door (Hamilton/Burr)

Elementary, my dear Jim (Kirk/Bones)

In the Living Room Stressing (Hamilton/Burr)

well, how did I get here (John/Paul)

Is this a legal matter? (Hamilton/Washington

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes because I think it's common courtesy. I didn't always but I've changed my way of thinking lately! A simple thank you is all that is needed too!

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

As someone who loves angst I'm sad to say, they all have happy endings! Though I love those too. The only fic I can think of that's vaguely angsty is a Brokeback Mountain fic on ff.net.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably my modern JP fic nobody can deny that there's something there. That's the most fluffy happy ending I ever remember writing.

Do you get hate on fics?

The only thing I can think of is a comment someone put on a rec list that included my fic. I was happy to see my fic included but then they said the sex was a "clear no." It kept me from writing sex scenes for years.

Do you write smut?

See above. Occasionally but a lot of fade to black.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No, but I did start a hamilton/star wars one that's somewhere in my google docs

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don't think so.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! My friend and I wrote a few together. I liked that we both got to use our strengths to work together.

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Ooooof hard. I have so many! I do feel like I always come back to Han/Leia (though I've never published a fic of it!) or Kirk/Bones. John/Paul will probably end up as an all time fav too.

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

A Hamilton fic that I never published or finished but I think about often. Maybe if I ever get back to a Hamilton phase again.

What are your writing strengths?

I'm not really sure but my friend has told me I do better writing funny fics or parts and writing kid speak (though I haven't done much of either of those lately 🤷🏻‍♀️)

What are your writing weaknesses?

A lot. But if I had to pick one, I'd say writing in clear detail and using creative word choice (I always use the same words for everything!)

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I don't think it's really necessary because most people reading it won't understand. I can think of a few fics where I could tell they just used google translate and while google translate it fine in some cases, you're better off just leaving it out because people are just going to gloss over it anyways. If the author speaks the other language that would be better.

First fandom you wrote for?

Ever? Harry Potter in high school. I wrote the fic on sheets of notebook paper and passed it to my friend. I'm pretty sure I still have it and I would be so mortified to read it again 😳

Favorite fic you've written?

I think my modern JP fic? It's one I can re-read with minimal embarrassment lol.

tagging: @notgrungybitchin @aquarianshift @backbenttulips @paisanas

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

nothing wrong with crit posting, but there's a reason why basic common courtesy dictates that you keep it to its own tag. you wouldn't take in good faith if someone not interested in spop crit came into the spop crit tag with a long post about how toxic the community is, now would you?

first off, i honestly wouldn't mind if someone did that. i'd just ignore the post and go about my day. as much as i have criticism about this show, i'm not one to react to every single post i disagree with.

secondly, i would hardly call tagging "catra" or "spop catra" as crosstagging. i'm talking about catra so i tag her name. it's as simple as that. if someone wrote a criticism about my favourite character and tagged their name in it, i can assure you i wouldn't get so upset.

if i tagged "catradora" i get that it would be crosstagging because i don't make posts supporting that ship. also, if you've read my other posts, you would know that my problem does not lie with catra as a character, it lies with the way her arc was handled. tagging criticism about a show with the show's name should not be considered crosstagging, since it is still relevant to the topic. i can stop putting in those tags, if you like, but i really do not understand why it's so hard for people to ignore one post.

[giraffefeather]

Hi, I'm drunk on wine and too deep in astrology, read more included as a courtesy.

Everything makes so much sense. Like I was one of the "Ooh astrology is so cool but totally not real" girlies, but uh...

Quick reference: I am pisces sun, gemini moon, aquarius rising. And right off the bat, I always notice before anyone else when I start talking too much (gemini stereotype) and always question if I'm being manipulative or not (hi again, bad side of gemini) but try so so hard not to (oh hey, there you are pisces). I can never pick a goddamn side in an argument (ahem, pisces? gemini? both known to see both or all sides). Meanwhile, I attract the "outcasts," for lack of better word - the people that don't always fit in (hello aquarius, ya weird little noodle).

Okay but then we have the VENUS. God, the amount of times I questioned if I was asexual, but then dated friends and thought no... thats not right... must be demi. And then I'll enjoy sex for a while, get really obsessed for like a week. but get bored of it and move on to something else. And I'm thinking... huh, is this autism? Adhd? Perhaps. But ALSO have you read up on venus in aquarius? That bastard is 100% on my love life.

Hi, quick disclaimer. I absolutely believe neurodivergency is something not assigned by the stars. It is a separate matter entirely. I am NOT diagnosed with anything, and although I have tendencies that align with both autism and adhd, it does not affect my daily life enough to seek diagnosis. I just think it's interesting that it may not be a true neurodivergency in my case, but just aligning with my signs.

I skipped mercury, hold up, that's aquarius too. It fits, but it's boring. Except the bit I read where they dislike schedules, especially if paired with a Pisces sun (hello, called me out).

And I was so mad that my Mars was in leo, thinking no no no, I can't have a Leo anywhere in my chart, that's not right! Bitch, it fits. All of it. 100% turn into a Leo when I'm angry. Other parts of Mars (motivation, sex, etc) seem to be muted by the rest of my signs, but anger? Aggression? Yikes, hello Leo loud intensity.

And I just think it's interesting that my least favorite sign (Capricorn... sorry, I just have met too many manipulative Caps) is also my Uranus and Neptune.

But back to my favorite sign (Aquarius!), I have 3 of those fuckers and I wonder if it's why I always love other Aquas. Or of it's just because my dad is an Aqua sun. But my mom is a Taurus sun and while I never thought I had attachment to the sign (I love my mom, I just see her flaws too), my best friend growing up was a Taurus, and that's the sign I can spot a mile away. Hell, I worked with someone who reminded me so much of my mom, that it didn't even surprise me when I found they shared a birthday. I wa just like oh... yeah that makes sense, you're basically the same person.

And following true Pisces comparability, I've been dating a Virgo for 7 years. Since day 1, I've been saying we're opposites but it works. And then find out that's one of the most recommended pairings for a Pisces sun for that exact reason. To balance each other out. And as Virgo is literally the only sign not to be found on my chart, i need that energy in my life. Funny, I always used to love libras before him. But isn't that just typical of libras - their allure? And I would kill for an Aqua friend, please someone come talk to me about conspiracies and cryptic!

I still need to delve into Jupiter and beyond, see if those actually fit. I'm starting to suspect they will.

But what if that's just my pisces dreaming, understanding every sign so that of course whatever I have fits? Then... do we question that I fit the pisces personality too? Or am I just a wishy-washy person, and believe everything?

Interesting that a simple Google search reveals so much about the signs too... and not even with the info available. I've found that there's so many hits if you search pisces, possibly more than any other sign. Gemini has plenty, too. But Leo? Sagittarius? A huge decline in results. And if looking at images on Google, its even more pronounced. Pisces and Gemini have so many artistic interpretations. Leo? I found like... 1 cool lion. Compared to the millions of fish and mermaid art with pisces.