#why none of these people have last names???

[lilhawkeye3]

A Crash Course to Kendrick's Super Bowl Performance, from a Black Woman

Note: this does NOT go in depth into all of the song's lyrics. I don't have time to recount two decades of his discography. This is just a summary of the performance itself.

Let's start with the first visual we get:

UNCLE SAM - most notably recognized from WWII American wartime propaganda, Uncle Sam is the personification of American patriotism and freedom. The term "uncle" is also evocative of Uncle Tom from Uncle Tom's Cabin, an abolitionist book that aided in inciting the Civil War. Uncle is also a very common term (both endearment and derogatory) towards Black men (eg. "unc"). Samuel L Jackson was fantastic.

Uncle Sam also resembles a circus ringleader, notable for my next point:

THE GREAT AMERICAN GAME - no, not Super Bowl. The GAG is us the people being pitted against each other: through late-stage capitalism, through the culture war, through class warfare, through being built of the backs of slaves. We are all players in the GAG because none of us on this site were the oligarchs seated at the inauguration.

This is also seen as Kendrick's stage was a Play Station controller. Not only did it remind of circus rings visually, but it was a game battle stage. The Great American Game is a battle royale of the commoners for the amusement of the rich whites.

Remember the foods / Them color was tin and brown / But now they 100 and blue - For this I'll just say, look what the last election said about lowering the price of eggs... and look at the prices now.

The revolution about to be televised / You picked the right time / But the wrong guy - Election 2024 once more. *Edit to add, the first part of this lyric is in reference to the Black Liberation Song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. Thanks to everyone who mentioned that.

THE FLAG DANCERS - yes, the dancers formed the US flag... off of the backs of Black people. Not a single white person in sight, and that's true of the cotton pickers in the fields. Plantations are part of how the US came to economic prominence after being a "backwater" colony. Remember tobacco? Cotton? Our bloodlines do. *Edit to add: they also all piled out of a clown car. The US flag in a clown car? Brilliant.

The red and blue dancers are also notable for representing the Crips and Bloods, two infamous street gangs. The dance in Not Like Us is the Crip Walk. I recommend researching more on your own time about them, but just know they are a large part of the stereotype of Black people being "ghetto."

TOO LOUD, TOO RECKLESS, TOO GHETTO. Do you really know how to play the game? - This is exactly what Black people, especially Black men, get told all the time. It's why we change our names on resumes if they sound "too Black." It's why we codeswitch in non-Black company. This is especially rich considering how non-Black people love our culture and love to make money off of us, as the latter part of the quote points to. And it's even more profound during the Super Bowl-- the NFL is majority Black players.

STREET LIGHT A CAPELLA -- "thug" stereotype dancers to counteract the a capella connotations, with Uncle Sam then saying that Kendrick figured out "bringing other street guys around being a culture cheat code." Yes, this is a direct hit at Drake (listen to "Not Like Us") but also politically. Look up "model minority". Notably I would point to Candace Owens, or the Miami Venezuelan political group that's been in the news recently, especially as this directly led to Kendrick being surrounded by...

DANCERS IN WHITE -- it's white America. That's... that's the allegory.

NOT LIKE US TEASER -- Kendrick says "Not Like Us" is "their favorite song." -> he means white people specifically here. It comes after he's surrounded by all white dancers, the women around him who are his call and response are also in white (my opinion, they represent the industry). He's saying "Not Like Us" is the favorite of yts because it is about BLACK MEN FIGHTING. This again is reflected in the video game stage and ringleader Uncle Sam.

SZA -- instead of giving what they want, we see SZA. She's one of Drake's exes and Kendrick has always supported her.

ALL THE STARS -- This was in the first Black Panther movie, which I recommend you watch. Rest in Power Chadwick. Notably, this movie was incredibly mainstream as a major Marvel movie, and then we have Uncle Sam say...

"THAT'S WHAT AMERICA WANTS: NICE AND CALM. DON'T MESS THIS UP" -- translation: Marvel (the industry, America, etc.) wanted a safe, semi-pop song because white American likes safe pop songs, not Kendrick's usual heavy rap style about his life as a Black man! Don't mess up what you've got going mainstream for having this "Black rap feud" with Drake, who is an R&B model minority to white people because he's safe.

So what does Kendrick say?

IT'S A CULTURAL DIVIDE / IMMA GET IT ON THE FLOOR -- He was warned not to be political or apologetically Black for this Super Bowl performance, but he is using this big stage opportunity to speak out.

40 ACRES AND A MULE / THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE MUSIC -- 40 acres and a mule are what the freed slaves were promised. Instead, this land went to white sharecroppers. Research Jim Crow laws.

THEY TRIED TO RIG THE GAME / BUT YOU CAN'T FAKE INFLUENCE -- rig the election, rig the industry like with model minority Drake, rig the Great American Game with culture war to distract from active class warfare.

NOT LIKE US -- the only thing I'll mention because it made me holler is Serena Williams crip walking on Drake's metaphorical grave. She's another one of his exes.

TURN THE TV OFF -- exactly like he said! The TV is a distraction, the Super Bowl is a distraction, the mainstream news is often a distraction. Turn it off and get with your people!

GAME OVER — could not see this on my stream but at the end of the performance, the lights in the stadium spelled this out. The world is watching, America…

In conclusion, Kendrick Lamar is a visionary and thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[cherrycheolkat]

• random slutty thoughts - seungcheol •

seungcheol is a patient person - he knows you are trying to goad him into doing something and he doesn’t like it

the library is normally seungcheol’s sanctuary - it’s quiet - none of his roommates seem to know it exists - it’s his space

his only problem is you showing up and invading his space

there is literally every other place to sit, but do you sit in one of these other places? no. no, you sit directly across from him

even with a divider, he can hear every little sound you make

all the little sighs and random giggles are one thing, but when your foot bumps his repeatedly - he is sure he’s going to lose his fucking mind because why don’t you seem to know you’re annoying

in fact, he’s certain you’re the least self aware person to exist - personal space, what’s that for you anyway

but this is too much!

he’s had a rough day - back-to-back difficult classes - he’s gotten a snack and he just wants to stare at his computer and play games for like an hour without being bothered

but you are in his seat - you and your hair that smells really good (he had a class with you last semester, even sitting behind you was kind of annoying, but the impossible-to-name scent of your shampoo was something he did actually like)

he thinks of sitting elsewhere - but no, this is personal because you have to know what you’re doing

he approaches, huffy and pouty

he sees your screen and pauses - of course you’re playing the same game, but you still took his seat

when he taps your shoulder, you yelp and look back, face flushed

“what?!” your eyes are huge

he rolls his eyes, “you’re in my seat,” isn’t it obvious, he wants to add

you glance around and seem to realize, “oh - aren’t they all the same?”

he stares in disbelief, “no, they aren’t,” his voice is sharp

you sigh, “okay, princess, have your seat then,” you huff as you get up and collect your things

he doesn’t care for the remark, or the way it sticks in his brain like an earwig because really ‘princess’ was uncalled for

and when he happens to see you out the following night, you actually stop to talk to him

you smile cutely, “so princess, how’s the gameplay for you?”

he glares, he knows you just want to fluster him, “it’s fine,” he says coolly

but you’re not finished, you keep asking him questions - what kind of gameplay does he like - is he part of a guild

it’s only after you leave to get a drink that he realizes how long you’ve been talking to him - he wonders if you’ll come back or not

when you do reappear, you seem to be walking towards him, but you stop when another guy approaches

he decides he should go home anyway and starts to leave, tossing his cup in the bin as he heads for the door

he’s surprised when he feels someone pinch his ass and whips around

you’re standing there, staring, “who said you could leave? we haven’t even swapped game ids,” you pout

“did you just grab my ass?”

you nod, “yeah, it’s just so,” you sigh, “i just want to touch it, okay?”

he flushes slightly, “you have no understanding of personal space,” he tried to sound like he had some high ground to stand on

you laugh, “says the guy who played with my hair when he sat behind me!”

it was like he had been slapped, “that”— “i never!” he fumbled his reply

you are suddenly very close, “yes, you definitely did and i didn’t say anything because i thought it was kind of cute,” your lips brush his cheek

he swallows roughly, his mouth feeling dry

he feels your hand on his, the way you guide his hand between both of your bodies, then lower, he feels your hip, your low stomach - you keep pressing his hand lower, until his hand is between your legs, feeling the thin fabric of your shorts

he glances around quickly, sure that someone will see

“everyone is busy, princess, don’t look so worried,” he feels your hips press closer to his

he knows you absolutely don’t care that you’re surrounded by other people

he reflexively squeezes you, hearing your soft moan close to his ear, “play with me,” you whisper

“here?” he tries to sound confident, not insanely worried

“mhmm,” you hum as you kiss his neck, “make me come,” you whisper before softly nipping at his ear lobe

“can’t we go to the bathroom or something?” he tries again, hoping for a modicum of privacy

you sigh, “you’re such a worrier,” even as you pull away and head for the bathroom

once inside, you pull him close - the heat between you returning quickly

with a door between you and the rest of humanity, he was quick to unbutton your shorts and let them slide down her thighs, he marvels at your barely there panties and how wet they are

he pushes them to the side, working his fingers into you without a thought, and when you’re quiet, he’s almost disappointed

“this is when your quiet?” he needles

you smile and kiss him, “i can be quiet in the library too,” you quip

he’s surprised when you come quickly, he watches your cum dripping down to the bathroom floor - he’s amazed he got you off so well

he plays with your pussy idly, “that’s what i want to see you do in the library, leave a puddle under the desk,” he pushes his fingers back in - he’s sure your pussy basically sucks him in

you grin, “hmm, and here i was imagining sitting under the desk with your cock in my mouth,” you moan softly against his skin

he shrugs, working his fingers deeper, “it’s not like they’re mutually exclusive,” he reasons

you giggle, “fuck, stretch me more, princess - get me ready for your cock,” you mumble

he wonders if this has been your goal all along, but really who is he to question your motivation when you’re so wet and needy

[quinnysnursery]

regarding jake, carrington, johnnie and tara. [sorry, this is gonna be a long one]

for those unaware of the current situation regarding carrington, jake & idkraeven, i'm going to summarize it to the best of my understanding however i suggest that all of you go to @/idkraeven's account on tiktok to hear their full story !

basically, raeven was invited to johnnie's halloween party and they believe that at that party they were r00fied- and then taken from the party, and then sexually taken advantage of.

raeven is not claiming that carrington, jake, johnnie did these actions- but what they are stating is that since that night none of these people made any attempts to contact their, or help their gain access to the security footage. and when they sent their manager to go retrieve their phone from jake's house, jake acted incredibly rude and insinuated that their manager's son wanted a photo with him.

i've also heard that they placed a restraining order against raeven- which they won. and that people from their group have told raeven to not talk about that night anymore.

grace has claimed that this is their and johnnie's first time hearing about this- which i'm unsure if i fully believe, but raeven seems to have accepted this, so i will as well.

+ it should be noted tara's name has not been brought into this conversation as far as i am aware.

there is no excuse for this behavior. i understand that everyone is human and reacts differently, but to consistently be so unhelpful to a friend who had one of the most traumatic things ever happen at YOUR house at YOUR party is absolutely disgusting.

raeven has said they only want an explanation and an apology from carrington and jake and does not want them to be cancelled as they are against cancel culture, which i feel atones to raeven's forgiving character.

regardless of this, i refuse to write for people who can brush past these actions.

raeven also mentioned in their video that they've heard from multiple different people in LA to not go to jake's house parties because "those kinds of things happen"- which was honestly nauseating to hear.

that behavior should not be normalized. while jake himself hasn't personally assaulted someone, if people around you know these actions happen at your parties, you have to as well. meaning you should seriously check the kind of people you invite.

you are the company that you keep. which is why i also plan to stop writing for tara, grace, chase and johnnie.

as for the nursery,

what does this mean for my current works up? i've made the decision to keep the works posted- but to take down my masterlists at the end of the week. my jjtc taglist will also be shut down.

i know a lot of you have grown attached to my ao3 fic titled 'little moth', it's gained quite the cult following- but again, i refuse to write for people who can be so neglectful to their friends in times of serious need. especially when these actions happened at their own home.

little moth (jjtc version) will be discontinued. however, i am open to reusing the storyline again with different people- but as for now, chapter 14 will be the last chapter ever published. i'm sorry.

[some-girl-i-guess-1]

MANOR ERA CYN HCS YIPPEE

- was the last to be found and rescued by tessa, first being J followed by n and v shortly after

- voice/speech patterns were always funky in the way they are now but her limbs were mostly fine pre-solver, though they did lock up a bit

- her serial member started with ‘n’ so she gave herself the name cyn to differentiate herself from N

- it’s also why they’re siblings - their serial numbers are only two numbers apart!

- she’s the youngest of the group, but not like a toddler - id say she’s around 14 years old. for reference, n and v are 15, and j n tessa are 16 (Tess is 2 months older)

- very smart for her age, knows how to read people’s thoughts and emotions rly well - good at picking up small social cues

- despite this though she has a hard time comforting people at first. it’s not because she has low empathy, she just doesn’t know how to help. no matter how much she wants to help, she’s ultimately powerless

- got her solver about 2 years in, when james carelessly threw a bottle over/behind head and at her face, the life-or-death situation causing it to awaken. James didn’t notice, but tessa did.

- much like uzi there were brief flashes of the symbol on her eye a few weeks before it happened, but she didn’t really think anything of it until the incident

- cyn and Tess quickly told the others abt the solver, but with their lack of knowledge they didn’t really find anything out n just assumed cyn was magic

- slowly, she began to learn and master the solver’s power - using it to protect her family and make their lives easier, but despite this she still felt like she wasn’t doing enough with it. she couldn’t just protect them, no - she could reach higher, she could free them all!

- Tessa and J wouldn’t have to worry about a stupid, forced marriage getting between them, her big brother and V wouldn’t have to worry about dying for simple mistakes, and none of them would ever have to worry about mr and ms elliot ever again.

- slowly though the side effects of the solver would begin to take their toll on her. cyn valiantly refused the urge to kill and consume with everything she had to the point where it started consuming parts of cyn’s own body to stave off that gnawing hunger, causing her motor skills to get worse and her joints to lock up

- this forced cyn to rely even more heavily on the solver, which caused her to grow even hungrier - all of this taking a mental toll on cyn’s mind and sanity.

- by the time of the gala, she’s hanging on by a thread - consuming the other workers in the manor and food from the kitchen to keep herself somewhat stable, but at this point she’s long gone. her desire to protect and save her family has been twisted into a sick plan to make them all ‘just like her’, turning n v and j into disassemblers - and fusing herself with tessa’s body in a freakish macabre display, where albeit painfully, she’s still Alive. She would never discard her big sister Tessa, after all!

- cyn was not possessed by an entity, nor is she inherently malicious. rather, the pressure she put on herself and the eldritch power that wormed itself into her very soul caused her to lose any semblance of sanity, now being fueled by nothing but the sick desire to consume *everything*, with her family right by her side.

- she is the ultimate foil to uzi - as while cyn had nobody who truly understood the weight of the solver, and actively hid and pushed back against that side of herself until it swallowed her whole, uzi had multiple people (khan, n, and v) who were knowledgeable enough to help her through it all, and instead of hiding herself from the world, she chose to be herself and be free.

- cyn was but a child wanting to save their family. quite a classic story - a young child being given supernatural powers they don’t comprehend, and learns to become a hero. but it all went wrong, and now there is nothing left of her. nothing, but the solver of the absolute fabric, the void, and the exponential end.

[voidangxls]

ˋ°•*⁀➷ A Letter? ʚ♡ɞ

╰┈➤ a part of my valentines special!

pairings(s)- harry potter x reader

Summary- One late night an owl appears at your window with a letter, but the letter has no name?

category- fluff

warnings- kissing, 2 uses of y/n, not proofread

word count: 2646

masterlist; valentines special; harry potter masterlist

---------------------------

You couldn’t sleep. You had been lying awake in your bed for a while now and you simply just couldn’t sleep.

The time was only moving further and you have tried everything to help you fall asleep. You’ve tried counting sheep, reading, drinking warm milk, exercising to hopefully wear yourself out but none of it worked.

So here you were lying on your bed and looking up at the ceiling. While you were doing this you couldn’t help but think of a certain someone, Harry Potter.

Yes everyone in Hogwarts thought about him because he was the legend ‘the boy who lived’ but you weren’t thinking of him in vengeance or jealousy, you weren’t thinking of him in admiration. Not just the admiration you held for your favorite singer or your favorite writer but the kind of admiration you held for a friend or someone who was more than just a friend.

Although Harry wasn’t really what you would consider even a friend, the two of you have had plenty of conversations and shared smiles from across the great hall and you guys were even partners in Potions class this year. So the two of you were friendly and talked quite often but you guys never hung out outside of class aside from the silent smiles from across the room or the secret glances you would give him when you thought he wasn’t looking. Little did you know he was doing the same as you.

Breaking you out of your thoughts you hear a tap on your window. Jumping out of bed in fear you look over and relax when you come face to face with a white owl. With furrowed eyebrows you let out a breath and stand up from your bed, opening the window so you could read the owl. “what are you here?” you whisper to the animal as if it would respond, you reach your hand up and gently touch the top of its head and that was when you noticed a note clutched in its mouth.

Your nose scrunches slightly in confusion and the white owl drops the note onto the desk seated at your window then flies away. Your eyes follow the bird retreating form and once its out of eyesight you look down at the letter on your desk.

With a confused expression your hand reaches out and pulls the letter into your hands, tracing the seal of the closed letter with your finger. You didn’t understand why you would be getting letters at this hour and in your bedroom, all letters for students were given in the dining hall during school hours.

Taking one last glance out of the window and spotting nothing you look back down and begin to open the letter.

“ I know I am making it unknown of who I am but forgive me. I do not know why I have decided to do this tonight of all nights seeing as I have harbored these feelings towards you for a while now but here it is. You are the most beautiful, funny, smart and all around perfect person I have ever met and you bring a smile to my face anytime I see yours. I know that you are truly one of the best people I have ever had a pleasure in meeting even if we don’t know each other quite well though I do hope I can learn more someday. That is all for tonight but I surely hope I didn’t wake you, I know it is late and I deeply apologize. ”

sincerely :)

You didn’t know what to do, how to act, or what to think. Sure you have had people hit on your throughout your years of Hogwarts and sure nice things have been said about you but this felt different for some reason. This person seems to truly care for you, see the best in you and that shocks you to your core.

Clutching the letter into your hand you look back out the window one last time but once again come face to face with nothing but the night sky. You put the letter back into the envelope and stash it away in a drawer of your desk, away from the eyes of other people. You then head back to bed, hoping sleep would welcome you quickly.

---------------------------

It was now the next day and you were in the dining hall for breakfast. You hadn’t been able to stop thinking of the letter you received last night, you went to sleep thinking about it and awoke thinking about it, you had gotten ready for the school day while thinking about it and you were most likely going to think about it for the rest of day.

But just like any other day your thoughts also wondered to a certain brunette at the Gryffindor table. In your mind your thoughts started to wonder, ‘what if Harry was the boy who sent you that letter?’

No. That was simply ridiculous! Harry Potter would never write something like that about you, you thought to yourself. What you had on him was just a simple and silly little crush, it would go away soon and you wouldn’t have to deal with it any longer, giving him longing looks without his knowledge.

Later that day it was now time for Potions class. You had just sat down at your desk when Harry, Hermione, and Ron walk in together. Harry of course takes his assigned seat with you while Hermione and Ron go to their assigned seats with each other.

The two of you look over at each other and share smiles. “How are you?” the both of you ask each other at the same time.

Both of you then let out your own laughs at the incident that just happened “so, how are you?” Harry asks you, seemingly genuinely interested

“Im quite alright, just tired. And you?” you respond truthfully. You were tired, you hadn’t gotten much sleep last night.

“I am good, thank you for asking” he responds. Harry then seems to sit up straighter and look at you in what you could only chalk up as concern. “did something keep you awake?” he asks worryingly

You open your potions book then look back at him “Not necessarily, I hadn’t been able to sleep all night but then something strange happened and I stayed awake a little while longer” you respond with a smile. Every time you spoke to Harry you couldn’t help the smile on your face.

“What weird thing happened?” he asks still as straight as a wall

you lean into him and speak quietly “I received a letter”

Harry looks at you although he doesn’t seem quite surprised “oh, thats strange. Did the letter keep you awake?” he stresses slightly

“No, it wasn’t just the letter it was also just a me thing” you respond with a light laugh. Your conversation is then interrupted when Snape heads to the front of the class, announcing that class was starting. Harry gives you a smile that you reciprocate then you both face Professor Snape, listening to the lesson at hand.

Once the class was over before you or Harry could even say goodbyes to each other, Ron and Hermione was dragging him out of the class. As he was being whisker away he turned around to you and waved goodbye. Before he could completely make it out of the classroom you lifted your hand and gently waved back at him, a small smile adoring your face.

You turn around and put your stuff back into your bag but that was when you notice another book that wasn’t yours laying on your desk. Throwing your bag into your shoulder you pick it up and notice that it was Harrys so you speed walk out of the classroom, hoping you could catch him to give him his book that he left.

When you left the classroom you were met with a hallway with no Harry Potter, you sigh and push his book into your bag. You would give it to him during Potions tomorrow.

Later that day you were sat at your desk. Classes were over for today, students have had dinner so you were in your room trying to get some studying in. You reach into your book bag and bring your books out, organizing them just the way you like for studying. When you grab onto Harrys book that he left you suddenly see a movement and a tap on your window, looking up you see the same owl as last night with once again a letter in hand.

You open your window and reach both of your hands out gently, one to grab the letter and the other to pet the bird. Once you grabbed the latter it leaned its head into you then flew away, a smile graces your face when you look down the latter then you close your window back.

Sitting back down in your seat you open the letter to see the same parchment and the same handwriting as last night.

“ once again I apologize if I had kept you awake last night with this letter, it was a random act of thought. Well I’ve always thought of you in that way just never actually thought I would do something about it if you understand what I am saying. I would just like to say today you looked as beautiful as you always do, every time I look at you I cant fight the smile that appears on my face so thank you for that. You can truly be a light in my difficult life and there is no way I could ever repay you for that. “

sincerely :)

You truly didn’t think the mystery persons words could get even better but they did. This was truly the kindest thing anyone had ever said to you and you were undoubtedly honored even if you didn’t know the one behind the letters. The fact that you could act as if some sort of light in someone’s life truly touched you.

You set the letter in front of you with a smile, forcing yourself to focus on your studying at the moment instead of the very lovely letter.

Opening a book you begin to skim through but quickly notice that it wasn’t yours, that must have been the one Harry left in potions. You go to close the book but then you notice something, the handwriting.

Your eyebrows furrow and you lean forward, inspecting the cursive writing on the page. Then a light bulb goes off in your head. No…it couldn’t. Could it?

Your other hand reaches forward and grabs the letter you received from the owl tonight and set it side by side with Harrys handwriting in his book.

They look identical.

They were exactly the same

There was no way that Harry Potter reciprocated your feelings for him but you also couldn’t ignore the obvious signs literally in front of you.

You take a deep breath and close Harrys book, putting it back into your bag. Forgetting about your studying, you then stash away the letter, putting it with the other one inside of your drawer. Leaning your head into your hands you lean against your desk and wonder how you were going to bring up the letters to Harry.

Taking a deep breath you decide on what you were going to do, tomorrow night you would confront Harry on these lovely notes he had written you.

You reach forward and grab a piece of parchment then a pencil and begin writing. Once you had come to completion with your letter you fold it into an envelope and send your owl off. Taking a deep you reach into your closet and begin changing your clothes.

Harrys pov:

I was the only one awake. Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were all sleeping peacefully, some of them snoring.

I couldn’t sleep for some odd reason, I had just sent a second letter to y/n. If I had truly been the reason for her lack of sleep the night before I felt greatly bad, so I did make sure to apologize in the letter. I didn’t know when or if I was ever going to confess my feeling to her but doing this, writing letters to get the feelings out felt nice. Even though I was able to talk about her to Hermione and Ron it didn’t feel the same as the letters.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tapping on my window. I sit up out of bed and see an owl at my window, with a letter in its mouth. I look around at the guys, seeing then knocked out I get up out of bed and walk over to the window, opening it and greeting the owl. “Hello” I whisper, gently reaching up and grabbing the letter from its beak. Once the letter was in my hands the owl turns around and flies away.

I look down with a confused expression and begin opening the envelope. When I open it I am greeted by a letter with beautiful cursive writing.

“ your identity isn’t much of a secret anymore, I know who you are now. Thank you for the beautiful letters, meet me at the astronomy tower now. “

sincerely <3

I suddenly still once I have read the letter. She knows who I am, she knows it’s me and she wants to see me, she wants to see me right now at that. Was she going to tell me to leave her alone? was she going to tell me she feels the same? was this all some sick joke?

I carefully move around the room, changing my clothes and heading out of the room.

back to 3rd person pov:

You had been waiting in the Astronomy tower for around 5 minutes, while you waited for Harry to hopefully show up you stared out at the view. You then hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Turning around you back up as well, hoping that it was Harry coming up with stairs and no one else.

When you see Harrys form reach the top of the steps and enter the astronomy tower you step forward into the moonlight. “Harry” you speak aloud, greeting him

Harrys eyes snap towards you and his posture relaxes “y/n” he responds gently, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. The two of you walk closer to eachcother and you were about to speak but Harry starts before you. “I am so sorry about the letters, I apologize for my feelings I will leave you alone”

The boys rant is cut off when you let out a laugh. “Harry, what are you talking about?” you giggle, taking another step closer

“uh, wha- um” Harry stutters, looking at you with a perplexed expression and wide eyes.

“I wrote you back because I feel the same” you tell him. A smile on your face and your eyebrows raised. Harrys shocked face arises another giggle out of you

“you feel the same?” Harry speaks quietly, his tone shocked and hopeful

The smile on your face doesn’t differ, still very prominent on your face “I do” you whisper, nodding your head slightly at the same time.

“wow” Harry whispers, a smile appearing on his face as he looks at you. He takes a step closer to you, one hand reaching up to touch the side of your face “is this okay?” he whispers, leaning forward

“yes” you whisper, leaning in and kissing him. Your lips meet in a gentle kiss, exactly what you would expect from Harry. The kiss was gentle and attentive, it was sweet and kind. It wasn’t rushed or forceful, it was just as you expected and it was just as you liked. The kiss was so him and you loved it.

a/n: I acc really liked writing this one!!

[spookysshadow]

Going off of that super successful, breadwinner Izuna and his career academic husband/house husband Tobirama - but set in founders era.

Like: The village gets built without Izuna being killed in battle (hooray!) - don't ask me how - it shall simply be. They agree for the sake of a more permanent peace that they should throw a marriage treaty in there - just in case.

Madara sees no point, but Izuna operates on the "I must have Tobirama within my filed of vision at ALL TIMES to avoid catastrophe" and so he volunteers to wife up Tobirama. They make a contract with the following details:

Tobirama will be allowed to keep up his training, but will be barred from missions until the Uchiha are more comfortable with it;

Consequentially he can also train the younger Uchiha within the presence of a senior member of the Clan (other shinobi or an elder);

He is to prioritize maintaining the household, mainly including but not limited to: caring for Izuna's ward, one Kagami Uchiha (let's just say, since Izuna's the one with the wife/projected to have a wife, he was given guardianship over wee Kagami instead of his brother), dealing with the household finances, and tending the garden/koi pond. They have a maid/chef, etc for other typical household things and would have had a gardener, but Izuna figured Senju = Nature people, sure why not;

He is allowed to do research and even have a lab instead the house/next to the house - but his research should prioritize his husband's clan first, then the village;

He has to bottom, unless his husband states otherwise

Hashirama takes one look at the agreement and is ready to throw hands. How dare they cage his baby brother? How dare they!

Meanwhile Tobirama, who is running on two hours of sleep, his sister-in-law's breakfast blend tea and a prototype ration bar he made that tastes like shit, skims through the contract ONCE and signs it.

Hashirama is freaking out because: OTOUTO, PLEASE YOU MUSTN'T - and Tobirama is like: Bitch stfu this sounds like a vacation. You mean to tell me I get to relax near fishes, get my back blown out, be a sensei and do as much research as I want?? Sign me UP!

Seriously, Tobirama can't remember the last time he has had this much free time. Of course, after some sleep and a proper meal he realizes maaaaaybe he should have read the terms and conditions a little more closely, but overall none of it sounds bad. He's mostly worried about Izuna's attitude, but even that doesn't really put a damper on his day.

Izuna and Madara, of course, are genuinely surprised the Senju agreed to fast to the contract, but hey they won't complain.

Fast forward in a few years and Izuna is the primary breadwinner, working at the Hokage Tower, taking missions, even being a Sensei to the Academy at some point. Meanwhile Tobirama is at home, tending to their koi pond (yes, Izuna they all do have their own names and yes, he will address them as such), training Kagami, working on medical advancements for his new clan's eye issues and some jutsus he never thought he'd ever get the chance to, giving his husband massages when he returns home from working so looong at the office all day, occasionally (all the time, really) enticing him into bed so he can help relax even more.

(It's been years, Izuna's asked him if he wishes to return to shinobi work or work more hands-on in the Hokage Tower instead of looking over Izuna's documents and nitpicking. But he always knows the answer is no - if anything he only asks because his brother and his brother-in-law urge him to. After all, he's never seen Tobirama this relaxed until after they got married -- he remembers feeling smug in the beginning, in thinking he'd effectively clipped his enemies wings by chaining him to the Uchiha. Instead Tobirama floated into his house with a calm and relief that Izuna initially was annoyed about - after all he was trying to piss off the Senju - Hashirama understood the assignment, why was his Senju always doing the opposite?

And then he realized how nice it was to have Tobirama waiting at home for him, with Kagami in tow. How happy it made him when his husband would tell him about what they train the young Uchiha's, later on some other students, in and what they got into. It was especially fun knowing that Tobirama had no issues with the dynamics of their sex life and if Izuna wanted to change it up, he was always willing to try something once - with notes -- and sure working in the Hokage Tower was brutal and they could have most definitely used Tobirama's help (sentiments whined by his brother and brother-in-law) but coming home to a relaxed, content husband who was willing to help him with the Village anyway and then cuddle with him when he got a stress headache? 20x better. )

aaaand that's all I got folks

[cheshiresaf]

Phainons Identity (?) A theory and horribly yap session.

3.0 SPOILERS!

Hear me out. We all know Phainon is being VERY blatantly pushed into the notion of bearing Kephale's coreflame, the one of Worldbearing. But don't we think it's almost a little too obvious? There's probably going to be some sort of twist to it. And I think that Phainons connection to Kephale runs deeper than it seems.

What happened in a specific section of the 3.0 main story adds to my suspicion. The trailblazer goes back in time to Castrum Kremnos alongside Castorice, meeting a warrior unlike the rest named "Lord Gnaeus". In the end, he turned out to be a piece of Nikador, the Strife titan. Before the black tide had consumed them entirely, they'd split up fragments of themselves. Such as honour, courage, sacrfice, tenacity - and the Nikador we had met, reason.

In all honesty, this truly feels like foreshadowing to me. Amphoreus has a recurring theme so far of including some sort of identity theme into its storyline. Whether it be characters having multiple identities/forms, or past selves coming into play. Even with the new golden scapegoat mechanic in Amphoreus, the one where you play as a golden goat outrunning your corrupted past self? There's a reason why basically everybody thinks that flame reaveris Phainon.

"Stop yapping and get to the point". Evidence to support why I think Phainon was made from Kephale.

Phainons eyes having a symbol very similar to the one of Kephales coreflame is strangely suspicious to me. None of the other Chrysos Heirs have anything similar of that notion, such a blatant visual symbol tying them to their respective titan. "Eyes are the windows to the soul", right.

He is NOT human. The other Chrysos Heirs all have the flaws that make them human, or at least physically ties them down to their humanity (The demigods like Aglaea, Tribbie and Cipher). So why is Phainon considered a perfect vessel? Perfection is an inhuman trait, one that makes me think he isn't human and never was. And what if he's considered the "perfect vessel" because he was quite literally formed from a divine being?

"Chrysos Heirs believe Kephale is the symbol of deliverers and heroes. They are the father of all heroes and the form that all deliverers will eventually take." Deliverers? Where have I heard that before.... Oh right, Phainons title is literally "The Deliverer." The father of all heroes is an interesting statement too. "Stand with me and become heroes" is what he says at the very end of one of the teasers. Aglaea also mentions how he bears the weight of saving Amphoreus' destiny on his shoulders, because that's what fate has precedented for him. He believes he has to be everybody's hero, even if he subconsciously doesn't want to be.

Kephale goes by a multitude of titles, just like all of the other titans. And most of them connect right to Phainon.

"Worldbearer" -> He bears the weight of Amphoreus, aka the world on his shoulders.

"Sky Father". Phainon is named after a figure in greek mythology called "Phaenon". As it turns out, they were the sky god of Cronus.

The other two titles are "God of creation and omniscience", but I don't have much to say for those two. Though, the last title could be referring to how he might know the truth. I doubt current Phainon does. But I have 0 issues seeing his past self, flame weaver not relating to that title.

As it turns out, Kephale was the one given the task of creating life on Amphoreus'. The first humans were created in Kephales own image. The titan adored humans so much that their figure always remained in the mortal world just to accompany them, as they bore the world on their shoulders just for said humans. With how much Phainon clearly loves Amphoreus and it's people, come on you can't say these two aren't alike

Going back to the figure who Phainon is named after, Phaenon. Originally, when Prometheus (a titan) created humans, he made Phaenon the one exceeding past all others in beauty. THATS not the important part however. Asides from the similarities of a titan creating humans and "Phaenon/ Phainon", this titan in particular was one that was extremely fond of humanity. In mythology, the titan stole from and defied the gods in order to improve the lives of humans. He cared about them so much in fact that his punishment was to have his liver (where ancient Greeks believed human emotions to be) eaten, and then eaten again after it regrew over and over.

That scene in the first Amphoreus' trailer where he splashes golden liquid onto his chest may have been fan service (I enjoyed it) and an attention grab, but its also pretty funny when you consider that Kephales form in Okhema has the same golden liquid adorned over them

In the book "As I've Written", Phainon is said to be a soldier with divinity coursing through his veins. Not a chrysos heir with divinity in his blood, a soldier, of when he'd first arrived to Okhema. Why did he have divine blood if he wasnt even a Chrysos Heir, let a lone a demigod like Aglaea or Tribbie? Unless of course, he's a divine fragment of Kephale that is.

"eager to bring light to the hero's path."

"He was eager to bring light to the hero's path". This sentence honestly ties in to how it was said Kephale abandoned their throne ruling over worlds just so they could become a ray of light for the people of Okhema.

Also this conversation you can find in the description of Nameless Faces?

TLDR: Phainon isn't human and was possibly made FROM Kephale. Phainon = Phaenon and Kephale = Prometheus.

Also Amphoreus' might be a fucking simulation so there's that

[rosiecosy]

never yours୨ৎ

(vk!vernon x ak!reader) - descendants au

- part of the ways to be wicked series

vernon doesn’t look at you.

not when you step onto the docks. not when you call his name.

not even when you whisper, "you left."

but you still see the way his fingers twitch.

the way his jaw tightens.

the way, for just a second, he hesitates.

and then, without turning, he says, "should’ve known you’d come looking."

your chest burns. "because you never planned to?"

he huffs a laugh, but it’s empty. "why would i?"

your stomach twists.

because he’s right. you don’t have an answer.

not when he made his choice weeks ago.

not when he left you standing in auradon, still holding onto a future he never wanted.

—

you had trusted him.

even when everyone told you not to, even when they whispered about who his father was—dr. facilier, the man who dealt in debts and shadows, who smiled while he set people up for failure.

vernon wasn’t like him, you told yourself.

he had always seemed… different.

but maybe that’s what made him dangerous.

he had a way of making you believe in things that weren’t real.

—

the night before he left, you had found him in the library.

you should have known something was off. he never spent time there, hated how quiet it was, how artificial everything felt under auradon’s golden glow.

but that night, he was sitting alone, fingers idly shuffling his tarot cards.

you leaned against the table. "since when do you study?"

he smirked, slow and lazy, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "maybe i like books now."

"sure. and maybe i’m actually a villain."

his smirk faltered.

something heavy settled in your chest. "vernon, what’s wrong?"

he didn’t answer right away.

he just flipped a card.

the lovers.

you swallowed.

"what does it mean?" you asked, voice barely above a whisper.

his fingers lingered on the edge of the card. "nothing."

but he didn’t put it back in the deck.

and later that night, when he disappeared—

it was the only card he left behind.

—

now, standing on opposite sides of the docks, it’s like that night never happened.

his shoulders are looser, his smirk easy, but you know it’s fake.

and the worst part?

he’s acting like it’s easy to pretend.

like you didn’t spend months tangled in whispered conversations and stolen glances, like he didn’t once look at you like you were something more.

like he hadn’t cared at all.

your hands shake. "so that’s it?"

he finally looks at you then. his eyes are dark, unreadable.

you force yourself to keep going.

"you just—go back to the isle, pretend none of it mattered?"

vernon exhales, slow. measured.

"what do you want me to say?"

your throat tightens. "the truth."

he watches you for a long moment.

then he shrugs.

"fine." his voice is light, easy. "it didn’t matter."

you flinch.

because even though you knew it was coming—

it still hurts.

but the worst part isn’t what he says.

it’s that he says it so easily.

like it never meant anything to him in the first place.

like you were just another game he played.

just another deal he made.

just another fool who thought she could keep him.

you swallow back the lump in your throat. "was any of it real?"

he blinks, and for the first time—

his mask cracks.

not much. not enough for anyone else to notice.

but you do.

and maybe that’s enough.

because if he wanted to lie—if he really wanted to hurt you—he wouldn’t have hesitated at all.

but instead, he just exhales and looks away.

not an answer.

but not a denial, either.

and you know, then.

vernon was never yours to keep.

but maybe, for just a moment—

he wanted to be.

but moments don’t last.

so he steps back, slipping into the shadows, into the place he always belonged.

and this time, when he leaves—

he doesn’t look back.

[uri59]

Ok Mao fandom (me and 5 people) before the next chapter is up,

[wonder-worker]

"[Elizabeth Woodville] was the only member of [Crown Prince Edward of Westminster's] original 1471 council not already on the king’s council and her name headed the list of those appointed as administrators in Wales during Edward’s minority. [She remained on the council after it was expanded in 1473 and granted additional governing and judicial powers]."

"In 1478 Prince Richard married the Mowbray heiress. Like his elder brother he had a chancellor, seal, household and council to manage his estates. His council, like that of Prince Edward, comprised the queen [Elizabeth Woodville] and a group of magnates and bishops, few of whom were Woodville supporters. [...] It was Elizabeth who mattered, for Richard resided with her and Rivers treated his affairs as their own."

— J.L. Laynesmith, The Last Medieval Queens: English Queenship 1445-1503 / Michael Hicks, Richard III and his Rivals: Magnates and their Motives in the Wars of the Roses

[stargirlfeyre]

“Don’t get mad at us for Emerie not getting as much attention as Gwyn, get mad at Sjm for it because she’s the one who put more focus on Gwyn than Emerie”

Okay we can be mad at the both of you. Trust there is a lot to say about Sjm’s treatment of her poc characters and how Emerie being a woman of color who is also part of the Lgbtq + community is why she’s an afterthought for both this fandom and it’s author however that does not change that her self proclaimed fans do play a part in her erasure compared to her white counterparts.

I’m not going to deny that Sjm gave Gwyn more focus than Emerie because that literally proves our point. Though Emerie should be on equal standing as Gwyn, she is done a disservice by both “her” fandom and her author. I don’t know if Sarah fell into the “trio curse” when writing Acosf but each member of the Valkyries are not given the same level of importance even though they should be. Emerie should have as many important scenes with Nesta as Gwyn. Emerie should have paragraphs about her beauty the way Nesta or Gwyn do. Emerie should be given so much credit for how strong she’s had to be before she met the Valkyries and after. But for some reason she rarely is and it makes you wonder what is it about her that causes Sjm to do her such a disservice *cough cough*.

And onto the way her fandom treats her. You cannot deny that she is often pushed aside when it comes to the Valkyrie trio and trying to blame Sjm for all of it is crazy. Sarah isn’t the one forcing y’all to give an Illyrian plot that would fit Emerie to her white besties, Sarah isn’t the one forcing y’all to white wash her, Sarah isn’t the one forcing y’all to theorize that she’ll end up with a man simply because you don’t like the woman that she’s shown interest in, Sarah isn’t the one forcing y’all to treat Emerie as an after thought.

Compare how much Valkyrie fans talk about Nesta or Gwyn individually to how much they talk about Emerie individually…now I’m not going to sit here and tell you what to post on your account or that you have to like all the Valkyries equally but I’m also not going to sit here and let y’all play in people’s faces when they say “hmm it’s a little weird that the only woman of color in the group isn’t treated as important as her friends”.

You can sit here and call us “token fans” but all that does is tell everyone that you have no actual argument to justify the blatant Emerie erasure. If anything it’s us “token fans” that are actually concerned with how much she’s pushed aside when it should be you. But no you’re just too busy giving storylines that would fit her to the white women.

[anotherpapercut]

I know several people who like LOVE seasons 5-7 (11th doctors run) and think the storylines and moffats writing are brilliant and I don't get it!!! what am I missing??? why does literally every single episode have the exact same stakes: Rory/Amy/the doctor is dead. forever. so dead. but wait!!! what if they aren't!!! why do so many of the explanations for why they're not actually dead feel so rushed like they were added at the last minute!! why does every single queer character act kind of weird and awkward about being queer!! why does the doctor casually say that women are inferior when no one's around!!! what the fuck!! hello!!!

[trans-leek-cookie]

Thinking about geto because I want to pour milk on him and throw him against the wall. Imo his beliefs are inconsistent and self serving (which makes sense because he developed said beliefs at age 16/17 while his mental health was at an all time low). Because while he seems to have the primary motive of "only sorcerers = no curses" taking into account how he treats Maki, who has no cursed energy, it shows that the "no curses" thing isnt the main focus- bc while he decided on tbe "forced evolution" thing, theoretically he should not be Opposed to ppl w heavenly restriction bc. They still fuckin. Don't contribute to curses from what I can tell. Also heavenly restriction is pretty obviously something that is punished by uh. Is it just the Zenin's who have it. Anyway they hated Maki and they Hated Toji so he clearly isn't standing for "oppressed sorcerers" bc if so Maki should be like. The kind of person he wants to help more, as someone who would be oppressed by ppl who aren't sorcerers as well as the powerful clans.

Anyway. While getting rid of curses is for sure part of his motivation, as well as helping sorcerers (see Nanako and Mimiko) id honestly argue that his main problem that lead to him spiraling was. How do I put this. Being knocked off a pedestal

Because he was one of 3 people given the ranking of "Special Grade", and he and satoru are grouped as "the strongest". And consider that satoru comes from a powerful clan and literally has some weird omniscience and invincibility shit going on so that's a whole fucking. That's gotta be a wild ego boost, especially for someone who comes from a family of ppl who aren't sorcerers. Like you spend all this time being a fuckin weirdo and then someone finds you and it turns out you're actually incredibly special and strong, given the same rank as a fucking God Child? You're gonna have some wild self perceptions after that

Anyway then you get to watch your invincible friend get stabbed, watch the girl you became friends with and feel shitty about kinda ruining the life of get shot, and get your whole shit rocked by some guy who can't even use the magic power bullshit you have. (Though he's got a whole physical thing going on because of the trade off)

Also writing all of this out actually makes me understand the Cult Leader progression more, like besides the fact they killed ur friend and you want em dead. You're probably struggling with your ego (especially since your weird God like friend got a whole power boost from the situation) so you create a fucking eugenicist cult where you can consistently prove your superiority to yourself (surrounding yourself with people who will agree with everything you say).

Anyway in a similar vein I wholely believe in "a loving father is not inherently a good father" Suguru + Nanako & Mimiko dynamic

Final thought is roughly I feel like looking at Suguru thru the lense of "this character had a level of privilege that they felt they truly deserved, and after experiencing events that are genuinely traumatic and horrific for any person, they develop reactionary beliefs to try and regain a sense of superiority and control" rather than "oppressed minority who killed oppressors and wants to do eugenics"

[medicinemane]

I don't know... horrible things happen all around the world and it's not a competition

Atrocities are committed against multiple groups in multiple parts of the world at the exact same moment, and none of them erase each other. They all matter, all the people in this world who are being brutalized matter. There shouldn't be any line you draw where one group doesn't actually matter as much as another

You're welcome to prioritize your energy towards helping one group or another, but what's not ok is invalidating or dismissing people who are actively being harmed

Same goes for trying to figure out which social group has things worst (and lets be honest, always using a US lens)

Like... maybe the important thing is to prop each other up and help everyone get on their own feet rather than trying to... pick fights about if physical disabilities or mental illness are less respected (I'm trying to pick a more absurd example but sadly I've seen exactly that argument happen before). Maybe it doesn't really matter and what matters is helping who we can when we can

I'm tired of it, I'm just fucking tired of it. Support people, champion them when the world is just brutalizing them, but you don't need to throw a single other person under the bus to do that

Which seems to be an absolutely impossible lesson for people to learn

[snekdood]

lmao???

this quiz sorts through characters from like dozens of fandoms and finds the one you’re most like. I’m not even a little bit surprised by my result

[exeggcute]

none of this is new info, but you know I have the "loves to write lists and compile links" disposition, so I thought it might be helpful to share some of the tips I've seen about how to make sure you're sharing legitimate palestinian evacuation fundraisers and bundle all those tips into a single handy reference post.

this is a spreadsheet of legitimate ("vetted") fundraisers on tumblr.

this post explains how the people who maintain this spreadsheet confirm the legitimacy of each fundraiser they add.

this podcast episode ("yousef and the fourth move") explains why evacuation fundraisers are often organized by people who don't live in gaza and/or who may not be immediate relatives of the people trying to evacuate. it's part three of a series about a man named yousef and his family; parts one and two aren't required listening for part three to make sense, but if you have a few hours to spare then I wholeheartedly recommend listening to all of them.

this is the process that I personally have been using to check whether a particular fundraiser has been vetted:

spreadsheet method

open the vetted fundraisers spreadsheet.

inside this spreadsheet, open the "find..." menu. on a windows computer, this shortcut is ctrl+F. on a mac, this shortcut is cmd+F. on a mobile device, click the three dots menu in the upper right corner of your screen, then select Find and replace.

search for the last name of the person or family in the fundraiser. you may get several results because last names obviously aren't unique; keep hitting "next" until you've looked at all the results.

if you find an entry in the spreadsheet that has the exact same name and whose gofundme link leads to the same fundraiser associated with the blog, it's legitimate. if you don't find an entry in the spreadsheet that matches the blog's fundraiser, that does not mean it's a scam. try the next method below!

tumblr search method

copy the username of the tumblr who originally posted the fundraiser and/or sent you a message asking you to boost the fundraiser. (for example, username123)

paste this username into tumblr's search bar.

for best results, click the All types drop-down menu, then select Text. since the search page is often dominated by asks sent by username123 (which people then answer and tag with their username), this helps narrow things down a bit.

look to see if any people who are not username123 have made posts confirming that username123 is legitimate. this includes people who've reblogged fundraisers and added notes, people who've compiled masterlists, and people sharing hyperlinks to other posts confirming a fundraiser's legitimacy. if the message seems to be "yep, looks legit," then it's safe to assume it's legit.

this is not a comprehensive list, but here are some of the usernames I've seen associated with "yep, looks legit"-type posts and who I've come to trust by association. (disclaimers: I am not mutuals with any of the users, and not all of them do the vetting firsthand, but the ones who don't vet posts themselves still seem to be careful about what they share and therefore are a good lead to follow. also, don't bug these people to vet fundraisers for you unless they've specifically indicated that they're open to that.)

90-ghost

el-shab-hussein

nabulsi

appsa

northgazaupdates

retvolution

communistchilchuck

neptunerings

a-shade-of-blue

shimamitsu

neither of these methods yielded anything definitive; what now?

it may just be too early to tell. unless a trusted source has shared overwhelming evidence that a particular fundraiser is a scam (which seems to be a very very rare occurrence), the best thing you can do is ignore it. don't report their blog as spam, because there's a good chance it's a legitimate fundraiser who just hasn't been vetted yet.