#wish there was a way to control the lighting on the models themselves

[betweenujb]

acquainted

ceo!momo x supermodel!sana

warnings: smut, dom/sub, posessive momo, implied overstimulation

Momo had just finished closing one of the biggest deals of the year for her company when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She had silenced all her notifications except ones from Sana, and her wife knew that she was in a meeting so it must have been important. Excusing herself, she checked her phone only to see a text that sent her blood pressure through the roof.

sweet girl: i know you're busy with a meeting baby but one of the models is getting a little handsy with me

lover: no, sweetheart. it's not a problem at all. i'll be there in five minutes

The words that Momo typed out were loving and full of nothing but care for her wife, but inside she felt like she was going to explode. Every person who worked with Sana and every person who worked for Momo, all the way down to the cleaning people, knew that her wife was off limits.

Momo was beyond pissed and every single person at the photo shoot site knew it. The second the doors flung open and the people on the site turned their heads, it went silent. With every step Momo took, it felt like a dark cloud was descending on them, the woman's heels reverberating in through the room.

Momo's eyes scanned the male model's faces, jaw clenched. Usually, she had no issue with the male models. They knew to keep their hands to themselves, and they knew the consequences if they didn't. Usually, they didn't have a death wish.

Maybe I'm being too lenient, Momo thought as her sight homed in on the one who was harassing her precious Sana. The bastard who was touching Sana only moments ago still had a smirk on his face that Momo wanted to smack into next week. She pushed her way past the other models and stood centimeters away from him.

Being short didn't stop Momo. In fact, it made her feel even more powerful. Seeing six-foot-tall men cower under her look let her know she was the one calling the shots.

Momo grabbed the model's tie and pulled him down to her level aggressively enough that he stumbled. Her eyes were almost black with rage as she leaned in and whispered, voice barely audible. "If you aren't out of this building in the next 20 seconds, I will make your life a living hell. If you ever touch my wife again, I will make sure you go home in a fucking body bag."

This was all the warning the model needed. In 10 seconds, he bolted out of the building, barely grabbing the bag he brought with him. Momo took a deep breath, only turning around to face Sana once she saw the door slam behind him.

Like a switch had flipped, Momo's expression was gentle again. Her hands were gentle as she wrapped them around Sana's waist. She gave her a quick kiss before walking to one of the chairs behind the studio lights. With the snap of her fingers, the camera crew was back to work.

Fortunately, the rest of Momo's work for the day involved phone calls to other fashion CEOs and modeling agents. She'd be damned if she left Sana's photoshoot before she was done.

+

"Sweetheart do you know who that dumb fucker worked for?" Momo asked, monotone as she tapped her finger against the steering wheel.

Sana glanced up from her phone, looking up at the roof of their car as she wracked her brain for a company name. "I think he worked for some small sub-company under Dior or something like that."

Momo silently nodded and took Sana's free hand in hers. She intertwined their fingers and placed a gentle kiss on the back of Sana's hand. "I'll make sure to have a word with his agent."

The slightly aggravated tone in Momo's voice caused Sana to blush a bit. She had always been susceptible to Momo's controlling and protective nature. Whether it was firing someone because they forgot her sweet girl's coffee or practically wiping them off the face of the earth because they accidentally brushed against her ass, it caused Sana's nerves to go haywire.

Deciding to see how far she could push Momo before they got home, Sana leaned over the center console, her dress revealing enough that Sana's lacy bra was peeking out from underneath. She put on her pout that she knew had Momo wrapped around her finger and brought their hands up to her lips.

"I tried to tell everyone on the set what he was doing," a small kiss to the tips of Momo's fingers, "but they didn't seem to care. They were too busy telling me to pose better," the flat of her tongue pressing against Momo's index finger, "and they wouldn't do anything about him, so I just let him keep going."

Sana's words dug their way into Momo's brain. Her wife knew what she was doing and even if nothing she said was true, it still made her grip the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. She glanced at Sana, that oh so fake innocence written across her face making her fold fast.

Momo pulled her hand out of Sana's grasp and grabbed her face, fingers digging into her cheeks. "If I knew you wanted to be such a slut then maybe I should have just left you to deal with him alone."

Sana gulped. She knew that it was only an empty threat, but it was enough to make her desperate for more. It wasn't often that Momo would get rough with her, but when she did, it made her see stars every single time.

+

They barely made it through the doors of the penthouse before Momo picked Sana up in her arms, slamming her against the wall in the entryway. Momo's hands on Sana's hips were almost bruising, her grip was so tight. She leaned up to Sana's ear, breath hot and low as she muttered, "You're not going to be thinking of anything but me and my name once I'm done with you, sweetheart."

Sweetheart. Just with one simple name, Sana was putty in Momo's hands. Momo's to play with and fuck until she could barely walk in the morning. But that wasn't Momo's problem. Especially not when her wife decided to tease her like that in the car.

"Momo please..." Sana gasped out as Momo's hand bunched her wife's dress up, hand dipping into her panties. Momo didn't care that it was a $5,000 dress. She could just get Sana a brand new one with the wave of her hand.

Sana's breath hitched as the heel of Momo's hand pressed against her clit. It was providing her with just enough pressure to have her squirming in her wife's arms.

Not wanting to drop her to the ground, Momo set Sana down and immediately dragged her to their large bedroom. She aggressively picked her wife up, throwing her in the middle of their king-sized bed. Momo almost lost her composure seeing Sana's dress ride up, revealing the large wet spot on her wife's panties.

The lust in her eyes and the need to prove she was better than that bastard could ever be, Momo wasted no time in taking her clothes off. She threw her suit jacket, shirt, and tie behind her, leaving her in just her pants.

Sana's mouth watered at the sight as Momo stalked over to the edge of the bed and crawled up to where she was. Sana tried to reach her hand out to touch any part of Momo's bare skin she could. Her hands only had the chance to ghost over Momo's toned abs though as her wife grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head.

"You really want me that bad, sweetheart? You sure you don't want that bastard touching you earlier to keep going?" Momo's voice was thick with desire. She wanted Sana as much as her wife wanted her, but she couldn't let her movements falter.

Sana vigorously shook her head, doe eyes staring up into Momo's dark ones. "No, Momo. Only you. Need you inside of me!"

"What's the magic word, sweet girl?" Momo's fingers brushed over her panties, applying the lightest amount of pressure to her swollen clit.

"P-please! Please Momo!"

"Was that so bad, sweetheart?" Momo asked, not giving Sana even a second to answer before she plunged two fingers deep into her wife's tight, wet heat.

Sana's body jerked as her hips thrusted into Momo's hand. The slight sting of being stretched so suddenly was just what she needed. "Oh, fuck!"

The smirk on Momo's face barely hid the amount of pleasure she was getting just from having her fingers inside of Sana. The way her fingers were being squeezed and sucked in, Sana's body was desperate for more.

"Barely even touched you yet and you're already so loud, baby." Momo let Sana's hands go, but Sana knew better than to move them from the headboard. She bucked her hips up into Momo's hand, the sheer force of Momo's fingers plunging in and out of her enough to make her dizzy already.

Momo pulled the top of Sana's dress down further, the fabric ripping more and more with each harsh tug until Sana's breasts spilled out. "What a slut. Barely even wearing a bra." Momo shook her head and leaned down, gently biting and sucking the stiff nipples through the thin lace.

Sana's body was on fire, her moaning only growing louder as Momo pushed a third finger into her. It was taking everything in her to not reach down and claw at Momo's back to release some pressure, but she knew that if she did, Momo would never let her cum.

Momo's fingers were thrusting in and out at a furious pace, her thumb pressing against Sana's clit. "Whose pussy is this, baby? Is it that dumb motherfucker's?"

Momo and Sana both knew the answer to such an oh-so-obvious question, but Momo needed to hear Sana. Needed to hear the whines and moans she let out as she fucked into her sweet girl.

"Only yours, Momo! Your pussy!" Sana's face was a shade brighter as she barely got her words out in between Momo's thrusts. That little coil in the pit of her stomach was getting tighter and tighter and she knew she wasn't going to last much longer.

"That's right, sweetheart. My pussy. Mine to fuck and fill up." The lewd, wet noises of her fingers pumping in and out of Sana combined with Sana's ear-piercing moans were almost enough for Momo to go over the edge herself. But this wasn't about her. It was about making Sana cum over and over again until she learned her lesson.

"Momo! Gonna- so close!" Sana could barely keep her eyes open as the coil in her stomach got tighter and tighter.

"That's it, sweet girl. Cum for me." Momo's voice was much softer as pulled Sana’s excuse for a bra off to lick and suck on her breasts.

The combined sensations were too much and quickly, Momo's fingers were being squeezed to death, Sana's cum flooding out of her and covering her wife's fingers as she screamed her wife's name over and over again. "Momo! Momo! Momo!"

Sana's breathing was labored as she closed her eyes, her body shaking as Momo's fingers gently pumped in and out of her. She felt like she'd just been shot out of a cannon and when she felt Momo's fingers leave her, she thought that was it.

When Sana felt the flat of Momo's tongue against her sensitive clit, her breath caught in her throat, hands flying to tangle into Momo's hair. "F-fuck. Can't. No more."

Momo just shook her head, replacing her mouth with her thumb as she looked up to Sana, her eyes dark with greed and a sweet smile plastered to her face. "This is what you wanted so bad, baby. You're gonna cum for me as many times as I want like the little slut you are."

[alittlewordy]

Prompted Writing: What We Can Reclaim [Elim Garak x Julian Bashir (Garashir) Star Trek DS9 Fan Fiction]

Prompt: I wish things were different [x]

Word Count: 911

Warnings: None

Characters: Julian Bashir, Kira Nerys, Elim Garak

Summary: A decade after the events of What We Leave Behind, Julian receives a response from Garak that makes him nostalgic for what was and could have been. Despite the pangs of loss, he moves forward with day-by-day life on Deep Space Nine. Then, diplomacy outside his control gives him more than he could have imagined.

Read on AO3

---

In short: yes, my dear doctor, if matters were different, I do believe our relationship could have been more romantic. Perhaps, in time, we will have an attempt at something similar in our own ways.

Weeks passed since Julian received that response. It still hurt.

Julian tried to find solice in work, in reports that didn't matter and research that made his mind wander to the letter he tried to avoid. Unfortunately, Garak's words summoned shadows. Julian saw Garak in the infirmary, the replimat, the promenade, the habitat ring, his quarters, the dark of his bedroom, behind closed eyes, anywhere, everywhere. This led to an unruly beard, unkempt hair, late nights awake with sleep unreachable. Still, he kept his routine. He worked, he ate, he bathed, he went to bed. Each day bled into the next, a never-ending torment brought on by one question better left unasked. Julian needed something different.

Then, reprieve.

Kira called him in his quarters. She needed help. She asked him to wear his dress uniform and meet her in the upper pylon docking port as soon as possible.

Julian kept the beard peppered with white, but trimmed off the fly-aways. His hair was less forgiving, but he managed tame most of the wild strands by running his hands through his hair the full way to Kira's location.

She was alone at one of the docks. At his approach, she turned to face him, her own clothes professional, hair curled, smile present.

"Thank you for doing this," Kira said.

"Of course, but what am I doing here?"

"The Cardassians have a new council and they're sending someone as a liaison. They want this liaison to live on the station to help build a partnership between themselves and the Bajorans. I want you here to show them that members of the Federation are still present, just in case their intentions are less than civil."

"Starfleet didn't tell me anything about this."

"We didn't tell them."

Julian's eyes widened. "What?! Why?!"

"We didn't know how this meeting would go. We don't want the Federation to force us into a decision we're not comfortable with if the meeting goes poorly. I see them."

Julian peered out of the dock doors. Sure enough, a Cardassian model shuttle drove into the dock with precision Julian expected of military personnel. Julian swallowed and tucked his hands behind his back, below the hem of his white dress jacket. His eyes remained on the dock doors.

"I will do what I can to assist you, Colonel," he said.

"Glad to hear it."

The shuttle locked into place outside the closed dock doors. A hiss sounded as pressure in that connection balanced. Once it stopped, the shuttle shut off. The ambient lights left on outlined the shadow of a Cardassian inside.

Then, the doors opened.

Julian's breath caught. His shoulders tensed. The words of the letter ran in his mind as he stared at the Cardassian that stepped into the docking ring. Their hair was white, eyes circled with more wrinkles, but the blue eyes stayed sharp, the body poised.

"Garak," Julian whispered.

Those blue eyes flicked to him and the Cardassian smiled. It was soft, a reflection of those passed between them all those years ago. "Hello, my dear doctor."

Julian beamed, closed the gap betwen them, and wrapped his arms around Garak's shoulders. Garak's arms were quick to circle around him. Hands rested on Julian's lower back.

"What are you doing here?" Julian asked. He leaned back from their hug, but kept his hands on Garak's shoulders. His face already hurt from how much he smiled.

"I was invited by the Cardassian Council and Colonel Kira to be Cardassia's liaison."

"Invited?" Julian gave a puzzled frown and looked to Kira, who smiled at him in return.

"It was the council's idea," she said, "I had to agree because I couldn't stand to see you pouting."

"I wasn't pouting!"

Julian felt Garak's thumb rub against his back and he was sure he felt the Cardassian chuckle, even though the sound was non-existent. Kira looked to Garak then, Julian's protest ignored.

"Your old quarters are taken, so we prepared the room next to Julian's. We also freed up your old shop space, as requested."

"Thank you, Colonel."

Kira took her leave. Julian realized their embrace continued all that time and attempted to pull from Garak's arms to give the Cardassian space. Garak's arms remained. Julian peered and took in that polite smile once more.

"It has been far too long," Garak said, "Yet you haven't aged a day."

Julian smiled again. "I don't know about that. The gray-"

"It suits you."

"As it does you."

Garak tilted his head and the smile grew a fraction. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Still sticking with titles?" Julian asked, his voice carrying a teasing lilt.

"We are intended to be in a discussion regarding the future partnership with Bajor. Titles are a requirement during such conversations."

"As the neutral party overseeing this discussion, titles are not necessary with me. I insist you call me Julian."

"Julian." Garak paused as if to taste his name on his lips. Julian bit back the grin that wanted to spread across his face. "I suppose I can make an exception. Though, if we are to discard formalities between us, please call me Elim."

Julian couldn't help the grin. "Of course. It's wonderful to see you, Elim."

"As it is to see you, my dear Julian."

[dailycharacteroption]

Infinite Tech Witchwarper (Witchwarper Alternate Class Feature)

(art by Methiston on DeviantArt)

I do love a gadgeteer hero, someone who always has the right equipment for the job on hand, even when it doesn’t always make sense.

An interesting subtype of the gadgeteer hero, however, is the “arsenal” hero. Typically a “battle mage” of some kind, their whole gimmick is that they have a weapon and/or armor set for every situation, often conjuring them to their hands to replace whatever armament they previously held or wore.

And with the witchwarper, a spellcaster that literally calls upon objects and energies from alternate realities, it only makes sense that there would be some among them that utilize their talents in such a way!

I doubt that this specialization would manifest by accident, so I imagine that those that wield this power trained themselves to focus on weapons and armaments when they tap into the possibilities of other worlds and realities. Perhaps they are soldiers or mercenaries, or they desperately wished for a weapon to defend themselves when they were in danger, and their power awakened and answered.

Either way, their gifts have given them a way to answer any question that their foes and the hazards around them may ask.

With an expenditure of magical energy, these mages can conjure a suit of light armor (with upgrades if resolve is also spent), a basic melee weapon, or a sidearm. Though these armaments may resemble familiar models, they are extradimensional in nature and as such the skill of the mage and the amount of energy they expended determines their damage output and defensive capabilities, allowing them to tailor the armor with the upgrades they need, or the weapons with the damage type and special properties they need.

The greater the magical energy they expend, the more potent their creations become. Armor gains elemental resistances, additional upgrade slots, greater durability. Meanwhile, weapons gain critical hit effects, additional properties, and increases to their damage output.

With this specialization, this version of the witchwarper is less a battlefield control specialist and more a secondary combatant able to tailor their gear to the situation at hand, especially if you’re using the enhanced version of the class that gets a lot of extra uses of infinite worlds. I recommend combat feats to flesh out their ability to stand alongside more combat-focused classes, as well as spells that can hamper and damage foes to make hammering them hard with your conjured weapons as well as your more real mainstays easier. From there, make a list of useful armor upgrades so you can quickly pick them out when going on the defensive.

I said before that these weapons and armor may resemble familiar models  despite using a level-generated stat line, but they don’t have to if you do not wish. You might wield armor that resembles medieval designs, or weapons that function but are very different in terms of design aesthetic, such as an electrical pistol that is accompanied by deafening peals of thunder when fired, or a staff that bleeds flame along it’s length. Feel free to be creative with it!

Hoping to starve them out of advanced resources, the Jolin Corporation blockaded the planet in hopes of quelling the copaxi revolts at their facilities. However, they sorely underestimated the flexibility of the coral-folk. Not only have their biotechnicians begun replicating the advanced tech of the outsiders in biotech form, but more than a few copaxi guerillas have a knack for warping reality, conjuring living weapons from their imagination to fight the company’s occupation.

In order to learn about the mysterious weapon-conjuring mercenary the party has repeatedly encountered, they need to sneak into a server room owned by the corporation that he seems to be connected to. Doing so means braving the automated defenses, including a serpentine hybrid tech guardians, an arcane asp!

The recent string of killings that have occurred seem to have no connection at first, but as one looks into the details, one begins to realize that the murder weapons are all strange and unique devices, leading the investigators to conclude that the wielder must be a tinkering weaponsmith, have raided a warehouse of experimental designs, or perhaps strangest of all, is making them up as they go.

[kazeharuhime]

Taking a bit of a left turn on the usual formula since I'm running low on traditional plants in the compendium (theoretically still have enough to make it through, but motivation towards those remaining is low).

Haven't talked a whole lot about Buddys (tis the species name so funny spelling) here lately, so a lot of this info may come out of left-field or be hard to contextualize, but here goes.

Flower Buddy Lilypods

Also known by their more scientific name, Flowering Amicans, Flower Buddys are a unique species of Buddy that are born from Lilypods, as featured here. As they're an accessory to Flower Buddys themselves, Lilypods deviate from the traditional model of flora categorization quite a bit, and as such aren't typically listed in flora compendiums. Nevertheless, seeing as they are very much like flora, they could be counted in an annex of an extended compendium in theory.

Lilypods are found naturally in the Flower Buddy Dimension. The first Flower Buddys grew there inside their Lilypods and emerged into the world proper along the coast of Reline Ah, where the Flower Buddy Dimension is connected to. Flower Buddys used to be a lot more outgoing, sailing to many different places on their Lilypads and sleeping in their pods at night. However, after the first Shadow Buddy War, the Flower Buddys retreated back to Fuline Ah and hid there for many years. Some millennia later, brave new Flower Buddys emerged from their dimension and began to explore again. Though there are thought to be others still living on the continent in seclusion, brave explorers are still few. Though they emerge now and then from their dimension, Flower Buddys are still scarcely seen worldwide in JI proper.

As for the Lilypods themselves, Lilypods can be manipulated by the Flower Buddy born from them and have two forms: Pod and Pad Form. Pod Form is featured above as is the Lilypod's default state. When Flower Buddys wish to use their Lilypods to sail without their natural reeds getting in the way, they can will the reeds to recede back into the center of the Lilypad. They can will the reeds back up when they wish to sleep or hibernate within their Lilypods, and can control the internal environment of the pod depending on if they want to sleep for a night or much longer.

Being an extradimensional plant, Lilypods' needs are quite different from a traditional plant's. They are sustained primarily by the dimension itself, sometimes even while outside it, though they may change to a darker shade of green and act a bit more 'sluggish' when apart from their home dimension. When in an environment suited to their needs, they can also rely on it for nutrition in a similar way that they do in their home dimension. They prefer a medium temperature, rich sediment, dispersed light, and for their roots to always be submerged in water. When any of these conditions are not met, they can rely on their connection to their home dimension to provide for them, but as mentioned before, may change appearance and act 'sluggish' by comparison depending on how out of their element they are.

Lilypods can only spawn in their home dimension, and do so independently of Flower Buddys themselves. Flower Buddys themselves bear children the normal Buddy way via Heartegg (though there is scarce documentation about this due to Flower Buddys' reclusive nature and dubious success rate, especially with non-plant species partners) and may select an empty Lilypod for their child to mature in back at the dimension. For this reason, Flower Buddys developed this way may or may not know who their parents are as they emerge from the Lilypod fully mature. That said, not all Flower Buddy pairings choose this method, or may only make use of it for the duration of fetal development, so some Flower Buddy hybrids may indeed be raised by their parents in a more traditional manner.

The Flower Buddy dimension itself is an expanse of water and mist with no discernible sun, though it may still have a day-night cycle that corresponds with JI's day-night cycle. Anything else in the dimension is constructed by Flower Buddys or whoever else has found their way there, typically Flower Buddy partners. There are no other known flora that grow there aside from Lilypods, though there are likely microorganisms and perhaps fish, but there has not been much research in that area as of yet.

[soir-rouges-esprit]

xxviii.a: The Viper, I walk down the street, feeling more than just a pep in my step, I seem to notice the eyes that once watched in sorrow and empty empathy … now glared in envy, watching from a distance, wishing on takebacks and reversals, as to change my fate as of theirs … However … my greatest strength comes at the cost of others and their lack of foresight, their terrible planning and asset management, their mistakes in this dance of witty tango, leaves me the space to analyze them as if I were a grand torturer peeling them like a lemon, only to squeeze their juices into their eyes for added extra effect; slowly … they attend their own wake … slowly… I see them for who they are, what they want, and the dirty shitty little core at their center … slowly, yet eventually. Can't hide that soul from me, no one ever has … no one ever will, it is my one gift from birth, that stains the light in my eyes … my curse. I walked down The City streets, I put my hands in my hair and slick it back as to clear it from my vision, for I'll need that sight of mine soon, no obstruction. I meet at the end of the street, and at the entrance to the birthplace of a terrible being, one of legends told to children at night as to scare them off from wrongdoing … another told to up incoming monsters themselves as an example of what's possible … District: New Salem, also known as Salem's Lot, New Salem's Lot or just Salem. The geological stranglehold upon my childhood memories … and where The Viper's Den … Mrs.Van. and a host of bad memories and connections were located. She was an elderly Vietnamese woman, who ran The Vipers, the Vietnamese mafia, that controlled a large portion of pretty much any and all illegal activity you can really think of, importation and distribution of pretty much any and all drugs, hosts of illegal weapons, and even people through human trafficking … just to name a few of her many … “talents” … she was about as bad as it got, and Me and The Jester … just so happened to be her “Sons” (Unofficially adopted from the streets) which realistically meant … we were her damn property to use as she pleased to further her crime empire … of course with special permissions and access to her resources, especially information brokerage throughout The Rat Aways. (Black market/crime web) But by no means or way of understanding, was our situations/relations with Mrs.Van a benefit to us … well, unless you were an outsider looking in, greener than Mother natures happy trail and down right fuckin stupid. We couldn't rightly walk into certain places any longer in the past when we were hot on contracts/jobs, Me and The Jester made the lucrative work of drug/gun trafficking an art form … not to mention the petty theft turned grand larceny. We were … model citizens … of a City that threw out civil decency and any amount of at least reliable social safety nets. She to Me and The Jester, was without a doubt a heavenly savior when we were young, she had saved me and him both from poverty, giving us not only work and a way to earn a wage to eat not just for us but for example The Jester and The Knights father during those hard earlier days … but actively hosted Me many times, during my little runaways in my youth, or well more so … my straying, or open disregard of my general whereabout moments of which there were many of … during my youth … caused by too many to count let alone remember (Traumatic brain blockage most likely) vile reasons. So she was … special … and now, without necessarily explaining the rest of the very complicated history between me and her specifically … it was my turn once more to knock on the she-devils door. I walk into Salem, down the streets I still knew like the back of my hand, straight to The Vipers Den. I walk to the front door, knock three times … and wait in anticipation, and extreme fear/anxiety … It felt lightheaded almost from it all. Then … the door opens and it’s one of her cronies named Cadeo a younger Vitamnese kid who was newer to the whole organization, probably Trafficked straight ... [To Be Continued]

[isabellarosestudio5]

Week 5-6 BREAK Notes: List of oxymorons

Inspired by works of Hannah Wilke and Ken Lum. Upon studying Wilke's SOS Starification Series, I came back to the old contested idea of the beautiful female artist- that one 'cant have a body and a brain' (Wilke), at the same time.

Having been in both the classical ballet and fashion modelling industries, I have often wondered whether this would come back to haunt my career as an artist. Whether or not my work will be taken seriously in light of having a relatively conventionally moulded body/face. Also what is curious is the protest of acknowledging ones own 'beauty' (which personally I think takes many forms and pertains to each individual differently), but for a woman- to acknowledge your own beauty is perhaps vain? selfish? obnoxious? Perhaps less so in light of various recent body-positive social media movements. But still, society much prefers the woman who is beautiful yet is completely seemingly unaware of that very fact. Even despite perhaps, as a beautiful woman, society will go out of its way to compliment you on that. You still must remain unaware. If someone gives you a compliment, it would be absurd to reply "thanks, I know". Even perhaps dangerous in terms of the then expected backlash and judgement from the compliment giver themselves- who potentially wishes to remain some sort of discoverer, shedding light on something new and unseen, but now appears to be somewhat shocked that you did in fact already know.

Patriarchy/Capitalism loves a pretty woman, but not a pretty woman who is self-aware, because in that self-awareness lies an unfortunate power to potentially control and turn the tables on the patriarchy itself. Something I'm sure women have been using to their advantage for years in spite of being allowed access to any real seats of power. (of course less so in recent times). So, the response to the self-aware woman then becomes to shame, shun, belittle, make her anxious, doubtful, self-conscious, in the hope that she might give up that power once more with little effort, and if not- perhaps then they turn to violence.

Oxymorons:

bittersweet

awfully good

cruel kindness

pretty bad, pretty ugly

civil war

devout atheist

dull roar

found missing

friendly takeover

good grief

jumbo shrimp

living dead

old news

new classic

sweet sorrow

Experiment:

From the mouth of a vapid doll?

vapid doll?

My vapid doll?

Layout options:

Other thoughts:

[conniejonescoach]

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[5banus]

Unlocking Earnings and Empowerment: The World of Online Webcam Modeling

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[summerofthelaterose]

Ok, since this has attracted some attention, I'll put down some thoughts. I'd like to start with the Bite model (of authoritarian control.) This is kind of my go-to if we wish to be 'scientific' as to whether or not a group qualifies as a 'cult.' BITE is an acronym for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion control. Though not all of these must be present to constitute a cult. Right off the bat, the clones were 'raised' on Kamino (ie raised in test tubes) They have chips in their brains that literally control their actions sometimes (tbb/tcw spoiler alert I guess) Also Lama Su literally tells Obi Wan in Attack of the Clones that the clone's genes have been altered to make them "totally obedient, taking any order we give to them." They are "modified to be less independent than the original" But also that they are "superior to droids, they are able to think creatively." < (which is important to me because it implies free will) Behaviors are severely modified, punished or upheld at the Gar, and you can see the clones enforcing these things on each other as well, in order to escape punishment, so it's safe to tick Behavior control off our list. As for Information control, the clones are raised in a strict environment, and they get very limited information about the outside. What information they do receive is extremely edited and skewed to give them what their superiors deem the 'right' idea of it. Tick. (Also just living in such a cut off insular environment tends to do this as well, naturally) It's no wonder many regs struggle to adjust to deployment. (This is why it's fun to see them try things for the first time, name themselves, and try and find some individuality) Though some clones find solace in their identity of being a nameless clone, and I respect that as well, honestly that could be discussed more in a separate post. Thought control, honestly is really similar to Behavior control to me, but, thoughts beget actions. In my mind, once you have been so deeply indoctrinated into a way of thought that you start policing your own way of thinking, you are truly lost in the sauce. You begin to modify your own actions to fit that of the group. And Emotion control. Tbh my knee jerk reaction would be "they don't really exhibit this" but then I remember all the times they start a sentence with "we're clones, we don't...." and then insert some reductive nonsense of not being capable of properly feeling emotions. I love that the clones' relationships with the Jedi foster compassion for themselves, and a curiosity for the universe around them. I see how these ticks on the BITE model impact their thinking and functioning, long after leaving Kamino. It is almost the rigidity of thought within this system that characterizes a clone. After the war, you see clones struggling to find a purpose after the structure they were brought up in crumbles. Even outside of that, just the 'fish out of water' feeling the clones give off in early social interactions screams that they were brought up in an insular environment. The clones are an almost accidental, yet beautiful story in cult survivorship, because you can see so many different, but realistic ways, they struggle with their upbringing, and functioning in the wider universe after they have left that structure. There is so much tragedy in the clones' story, but it is offset by pockets of light, that they find in their friendships and relationships with others. The clones could not have survived or adjusted after this ordeal without the help of their friends, or their reliance on their brothers that shared their upbringing. The divergence of the clones' personalities truly shows what they are capable of, and that they are so much more than "just" clones, or the environment that they were brought up in. That there is hope for growth and change.

Idk something about the clones gives off 'cult survivor' vibes sometimes.

[drakepadreal]

hehe sassy gmod gampa

[huge-enthusiast]

Miraculous fic recomendations!!

This is just an excuse to show all my bookmarks? Yes. Yes, it is. I'm pretty sure most of this fics are really popular, but try see if you find something you didn't knew about!

All of the fics will be rated Teen and up audiences or lower. Also if I don't put the author's tumblr is because they didn't put it in the fic or/and I couldn't find it.

Pairing: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

knowing you by emsylcatac (they are not really the author of the fic but that's the account that says in the fic, the actual author doesn't have an account).

After dropping their transformations months ago, Marinette and Adrien see each other for the first time after being apart. They've both left too much unsaid and have to work to pick up the pieces of their confused hearts.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal but mostly ladynoir, light angst with happy ending.

the last day on earth by Reiaji

The first time Marinette sees Chat Blanc, she's fourteen years old. The second time, fifteen—the third time, seventeen.

The closer she grows to Adrien, the harder it is to save him.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal lovesquare, kinda heavy angst, hopeful ending.

tell me something i don't know by carpisuns (@carpisuns here on tumblr)

Do you think it still means something? To love someone, even if the universe said you had to?

The odds of having a soulmate are about negative one billion (or something like that). But somehow, like they always have, Marinette and Chat Noir find themselves together. They’re ready to finally tell each other everything, but it turns out that even soulmates have to keep secrets, and while their bond draws them together, duty forces them apart.

Chapters: currently 17/28 (WIPs can be exhausting but this one is 100% worth the wait!)

Mostly marichat but almost all of the lovesquare sides make an appearance, soulmates au, mostly fluff but it can get angsty if it wants to.

One Thing After Another by SKayLanphear

Marinette notices that, sometimes, Adrien acts a little out of the ordinary--like the time he stood in a cardboard box for no reason, or when he actually hissed at Nino. It's only when she starts to notice the similarities between Adrien and a certain feline that she begins to get suspicious.

Basically, Adrien acts like a cat when he probably shouldn't.

Chapters: 15/15

Mostly adrienette with one sided reveal by Marinette's side, miraculous side effects (by both sides wich is really cool!), it's fluff with a lil tiny angst for drama.

This would take some getting used to by Codango (@codango here on tumblr!)

Adrien peeked out from behind the chimney even as the magic of his own Chat Noir mask fell away.

She was still visible, her dark hair bobbing under the street lamps a couple blocks away.

“Marinette.”

Adrien blew out a confused breath. His fiery Ladybug… was the quiet little mouse who sat behind him in class?

“What. The.”

This… would take some getting used to.

Chapters: 8/8

Adrienette with one sided reveal by Adrien's part, awkward flirting, just fluff, nothing to worry about.

comfort food also by Reiaji!

In Marinette's house, cooking is a language of love, and Marinette loves Adrien more than most.

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette with a little of ladynoir, super super fluff, a lot of insight into Marinette's chinese heritage.

The right side of his face by walkingonthestars (@hamsternamedmarinette here on tumblr!)

Marinette and Adrien are able to remain in their new seats in the back of the room at the end of Chameleon.

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette, fluff with light angst.

it's a long way forward so trust in me by aloneintherain (@captainkirkk here on tumblr!)

“You’re not the only strong one around here, Chat,” Marinette said. She looked a little winded, but she wasn’t struggling to hold him up.

This close up, he could see the freckles on the bridge of her nose. He could see how that smug smile lit up her eyes. He could feel the strain of her arms—and wow, okay, he really wasn’t the only person around here with muscles.

Six times Marinette carried Adrien (plus one time he carried her).

Chapters: 1/1

All the sides of the lovesquare! Fluff with LOTS of mutual pining.

a fight that you were born to lose also by aloneintherain

When the prosecution starts throwing around the word victim in reference to Adrien, he has to stuff his hands under his thighs to keep himself from bolting out of the courtroom.

Adrien had felt unsafe during those last few weeks, but, until he had woken up and seen Father silhouetted in his bedroom doorway, that had only been paranoia. Father was controlling and cold, but he wasn’t hateful. Adrien was isolated. He was often hungry. And some weeks ago, when he had snuck out to visit Nino, sitting thigh-to-thigh on his bed while Adrien cried in that silent, crumbling way of his, he hadn’t argued when Nino put a hand on his shoulder and said, tentatively, That’s abuse.

But Adrien remembers being small and Father touching his hair after he’d aced another test; Father holding his scribbled drawings like they were something precious, and framing them around his office; Father, dressed as Hawkmoth, his eyes wild behind the mask, lashing his sword against Adrien’s baton; Father, collapsed against Mum, crying into her ashy hair.

Adrien finds out Gabriel is Hawkmoth, and Gabriel gets to bring his long-waited plan into action.

Chapters: 1/1

This one doesn't really focus in the ship that much as is an Adrien character study and an exploration of his relationship with his father, but they're still there so I put them here. Really heavy angst (this is one of this fics that haunt me in the middle of the night) with a happy ending. ❗TW: parental abuse, eating disorders❗

Supercut by LNC

Marinette loves her friends and Adrien can't deal.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal lovesquare, again light angst, an exploration of Adrien's insecurities, Marinette Dupain-Cheng deserves the world, happy ending.

Madame Snare by jettiebettie

“Sounds like a lot of work for nothing. She should take this as a sign to have a relaxing weekend with no responsibilities.”

“It's a lot of work she put her whole heart into. It wouldn't be right for it to go to waste,” Adrien whispers to him. The look on Marinette's face is enough to cause Adrien's own heart to ache. If anyone deserves the satisfaction and pride from a job well done, it's her.

“Too bad there isn't anyone else who can walk in those death traps,” Plagg says. Adrien hums in thought, tapping his chin.

“I could.”

Chapters: 1/1

Marichat, episode-based, Chat Noir in a dress!!!, light angst but it's mostly just idiots being idiots and a lot of fun.

in the same sun by peachcitt (@peachcitt here on tumblr!)

"It’s hard to believe that I saw you last at the peak of summer, when the sun was close and warm - and so were you. It should go without saying that I miss you. I miss you something terrible."

//

"It’s been seven months to the day since I’ve seen you. I wish you were here more than anything else."

Two letters, signed with initials instead of names, found in Paris, France.

Chapters: 1/1

Ladynoir, just angst, that's it, written like letters. No ending, just pain.

an uncurtain discovery by Missnoodles (@ladyofthenoodle here on tumblr!)

When he returns from school on Wednesday afternoon, Adrien discovers the darkness in his own home. He struggles to come to terms with it. To his utter mortification and delight, Ladybug is nearby to rescue him.

(He does not discover that his father is supervillain. That will happen on a different Wednesday.)

Chapters: 1/1

Ladrien, it says it's crack, and don't get me wrong, is super funny, but I also found it sad as fuck?

An Open Secret by Kasienda

Adrien whirled around toward Marinette. She smiled at him.

He couldn’t smile back. He stared at her like the dumb blond model that he was often accused of being.

Something shifted in her expression. And her warm open Marinette smile transformed into Ladybug’s grin. He was looking at Ladybug right now.

He knew Ladybug’s name!

Her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

And he couldn’t say anything! Not to Marinette! Not even to Plagg, who had confided two weeks prior that Master Fu was growing increasingly paranoid since the location of his home and hideout had been compromised. Their master had apparently decided that Chat Noir and Ladybug would have to give up their miraculouses if they ever discovered each other’s identities.

It wasn’t fair!

...

A fic where they both know, but can't openly talk about it.

Chapters: 4/4

Post-reveal... but is it? Mostly adrienette and ladynoir, fluff with light angst and them being absolute idiots at hiding their secret identity.

golden (like daylight) by okayanna (@anna-scribbles here on tumblr!)

Friendship, Adrien decided, shaking off the mental image of Marinette’s hurricane eyes and hesitant mouth, parted in a small, careful “o.” He had a very strong friendship with Marinette. That was all.

or

Adrien thinks a lot about words, love, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chapters: 1 + epilogue

Adrienette but has lots of ladynoir, another Adrien character study because I hate myself, it tries to not be angst but the writing will punch you in the guts and make you cry, it's so good.

Strangers in the Bright Lights by poodles (@ladybeug here on tumblr!)

Adrien is about two drinks in when he sees a girl at the end of the bar wearing black cat ears. It's kind of weird, so he watches her, and although it's crowded he can see her face when she turns around. She’s wearing a Chat Noir mask. He takes a quick look around- nobody else is wearing a mask. Just her.

Adrien finishes his gin martini and heads over to her. He could use some company tonight anyways, he hasn’t told anyone he’s back in Paris and Nathalie won’t arrive in town for another month. And it’s been a rough day, okay? A rough move! He’s not sure he wants to be back yet, and he spent most of the day in the Agreste mansion sorting through some photographs of his father he found in the study. Maybe he wants a drink and some stranger to tell him he’s pretty! That’s not a crime, is it?

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette but it's also ladrien??? I think??? It's super super angsty but they're both drunk the entirety of the fic so it's also really funny.

Pick-Up and Chase by also SKayLanphear

After she accidentally trips into Adrien and apologizes about "falling for him," Marinette learns that he's no match for cheesy pick-up lines--whether they were unintended or not. And while she finds it flattering that he turns into a flustered mess with only a few words, Marinette comes to regret making him uncomfortable. That is, until she learns he's Chat Noir. At which point the phrase "just deserts" becomes a permanent fixture in her everyday plans.

A story in which Adrien is flustered, Marinette is smooth as glass at dropping lines, and Chat Noir gets the romance he was always asking for--even if he doesn't quite know how to handle it.

Chapters: 10/10

Adrienette with one sided reveal by Marinette's side, it doesn't say it in the tags but I'm pretty sure the characters are much older than they actually are in the show, so much fluff and so much flirting.

Pairing: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe

Nino Has Done Nothing To Deserve This by GuardianKarenTerrier (@guardiankarenterrier here in tumblr)

It's nothing, really- just an innocent comment, a joke. But when they hear it, Nino and Alya come to a realisation.

There were, in retrospect, dozens upon dozens of hints. Now that they're suddenly aware of all their friend's flimsy excuses and rushed explanations, they're not only sure how they've missed it, they're not sure how anyone else has either. They realise that it had to be magic protecting their friends- and that same magic has ceased to work on the two of them.

Well, this means they'll just have to start watching over their friends themselves.

Chapters: 7/7

This is more a found family fic than anything else, Alya and Nino are the mom friend, has light angst but it's mostly identity shenanigans in the most bizarre way. ❗TW: eating disorders❗

christmas lights by demistories

Nino checks up and down the street, checking to make sure there’s no raging akuma headed his way before he crosses quickly and ducks inside the small café. He closes the door quickly before the icy air can blow inside and tugs his beanie down over his ears. He spots Alya sitting alone in the corner.

Chapters: 1/1

Just fluff!! Really short but really sweet.

hold on, i still want you also by Missnoodles!

Written for the @thedjwifizine ! Wich I also recommend if you wanna binge a lot of djwifi fics while also looking at amazing art!!!

Five times Alya ran into her ex, and the one time he stopped being her ex.

Chapters: 1/1

Light angst with a happy ending! I don't really like the ex-lovers to lovers trope but this one is the only exception.

I will continue to expand the list in the future! But by now I hope I was helpful in the search of new fics!

[andiappear]

Brahms/Reader Fluff

Title: Touch Rating: G Warnings: None Author's Notes: Pure fluff. Reader is incidentally gender/body neutral. This is also available on AO3, but tumblr hates links. I go by slxsher there, though.

"Good boys keep their hands to themselves," you remind Brahms gently, pausing in your reading aloud as you feel his hand rest on your thigh.

He makes a disappointed noise and keeps his hand where it is for a long moment, until he realizes you're not going to continue reading to him as long as it remains there. Once it is resettled in his own lap, you murmur a quiet "Thank you," and continue where you left off.

Brahms's head rests on your shoulder and has been the entire time you've been reading to him, and where his hand had been was only just high enough to no longer rightfully call it your knee, but you try to keep firm in your boundaries. To say that Brahms could be mercurial was an understatement, and you think that having hard lines on acceptable behavior helps keep control when his disposition sours.

Right now, though, he is sweet and calm, and if you didn't need your hand free to turn the pages of the book, you'd have half a mind to let him hold it, to give him a bit of extra contact on your own terms. "Touch-starved" is another term that does not near do Brahms justice, and while he has other obvious desires that you are reluctant to indulge yet, he seems to most desperately want simple contact and affection. It makes your heart shatter thinking about how long he went without it.

Eventually, you finish the chapter you are reading, and it is time to get a start on making dinner.

“One more chapter?” Brahms asks, his voice at the edge of a whine.

You shake your head as you place a bookmark and close the book, setting it aside. “Neither of us like it when dinner is late,” you say simply, “We’ll read more tomorrow. Why don’t you come help me cook?”

Brahms thinks for a moment, not usually eager to help with anything, but he’s especially clingy today, so he agrees with a nod, taking your offered hand as you stand from the sofa and accompanying you to the kitchen.

Part of you wishes that you’d thought to make a heartier lunch so you could suggest just a salad for dinner, but you had been busy in the morning and didn’t notice how needy Brahms was until you’d sat down with your sandwiches at noon. Brahms doesn’t care to be in the kitchen when the stove is in use, so to let him stay close for as long as you could, you take the time to prep everything you’d need before starting anything that would require flame. You give him the job of chopping vegetables, which he does without complaint. You’re sure to thank him and heap on the praise. Although you can’t see the smile beneath his mask, you can just see the crinkles at the edges of his eyes that tell you it is there.

Eventually, you do have to actually cook, and Brahms ushers himself out of the kitchen, but he doesn’t stray too far. Once tonight’s cottage pie is in the oven, you find him already in the dining room, hunched over a notebook. You think he sketches sometimes, and you’re pretty sure he tries his hand at musical composition, but you try not pry when Brahms is doing something by himself. It isn’t that you aren’t curious, but you can’t expect Brahms to respect boundaries when you don’t model the behavior yourself, and you figure that if he really wanted you to see his work, he would show it to you proudly. You do make your way over to him though, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Your back is going to hurt if you keep sitting like that,” you say, your tone light and teasing.

“I’ll be fine,” he insists, his defiance playful, although Brahms does straighten up at your comment, mostly to lean into your touch.

You keep your hand resting where it is as you let out a fond sigh. “Dinner won’t be too long. A few more moments and you should go and wash up,” you murmur, idly thumbing over a seam on Brahms’s shirt.

Brahms nods, assuring that he will, and you reluctantly take your hand away, returning to the kitchen to check on the meal.

The rest of the evening is quiet, you and Brahms sitting next to each other as you eat dinner, and him even offering to help you with dishes after. Granted, he does little to actually help, but he does dry a few things after you’ve washed them, and you can’t bring yourself to mind his presence at your side while you do the work. After, you draw Brahms’s bath and leave him to it. He’s mostly stopped asking you to join him or help, aware you’re not going to give him what he wants like that and that you know he is well capable of bathing himself, and that holds tonight. He does ask if he can use your shampoo, which you allow, pleased enough that he actually asked this time that you would have let him even if he hadn’t been so good today. You take your turn with a quick shower once Brahms is done with his bath, not wanting to leave him waiting for his goodnight kiss for too long, not tonight.

Once you’ve dried off and dressed in your pajamas, you make your way to Brahms’s room, knocking at the door frame and waiting for Brahms to invite you in, which he does quickly, before stepping inside. “Ready for bed?” you ask.

Brahms is already sitting on his bed with a book in his hands, but he quickly sets it on the nightstand and climbs beneath his covers, lying down and looking up at you. “Kiss?” he asks in turn, as usual.

“Of course,” you assure as you walk over to the bed, turning off the light and leaning over Brahms, “You were so good today, Brahms. Thank you.” You pull up the covers to tuck him in and lean down. Usually, you give your goodnight kiss the forehead of the mask, occasionally to the cheek, but tonight, you hesitate for a moment. Brahms had been so good all day, and so obviously needy. Instead of going for the mask, your lips press into Brahms’s hair at his temple.

The sound Brahms makes at getting a kiss he can feel startles you, but you don’t pull back immediately, letting the touch linger as you try not to think too hard about how little Brahms has experienced this sort of affection lest you find yourself tearing up.

When you do pull back, Brahms allows it, not trying to pull you close like he would some nights when he was being handsy, but he stares up at you with wide eyes. “Stay?” he asks, so quietly you almost don’t hear him.

You pause at the question. You know you should say no. You were the one who set rules about sleeping in your own bed and Brahms staying in his. “Is everything alright?” you ask, wanting to know why if there’s a reason he’s so desperate for touch today, as if there was one he could have that would make it easier for you to deny him.

Brahms shakes his head a little. “I’m fine. I just… would like it if you stayed… Please stay?”

Your resolve crumbles, overcome with the need to comfort Brahms, and you nod. “Just for a little while, until you fall asleep?”

“I’d like that,” Brahms says, watching you as you lay down next to him on top of the blanket to keep some barrier between you. It is obvious that he wants to touch you, but he’s holding back, afraid to scare you off or push you away now that he’s getting what he so desperately desires.

“Good night, Brahms,” you murmur, draping one arm across his chest, your hand resting in the middle of it. He echos you and brings a hand up to lay over yours, lacing your fingers together hesitantly. He relaxes when you allow it and it isn’t long before his eyes shut and his breathing slows as he drifts off to sleep.

You’d said you’d only stay until he fell asleep. You know you should pull away and go to your own room for bed, but with your hands linked and his comforting warmth beside you, you think maybe falling asleep next to Brahms like this wouldn’t be so bad.

[toointojoelmiller]

^Me trying to put my thoughts on this into words

Okay prepare for massive amounts of copium:

A lot of people struggle with the difference between Part 1 Ellie and Part 2 Ellie.. I don’t. I wish she was happier lol don’t get me wrong (if I had my way it would be J+E + moon ranch forever), but to me the contrast between Part 1 and Part 2 Ellie is unfortunately a pretty natural progression…

Part 1, despite the devastating ending, is a HOPEFUL story – it’s really about Joel finding his reason for living again, and loving Ellie. Ellie is the light – literally the hope – that leads him out of the darkness. She’s also fourteen, and we see her through Joel’s sort of lens and we are always being reminded of her youth. She’s got this “mission” (making a cure, making her immunity mean something other than she survived when her bet friend/girlfriend died) that is guiding her and keeping her steady despite all of the attachment trauma and grief she is struggling with that should really bog her down more than it does (and of course, it eventually does, once her mission comes crashing down). I think this is well represented in Part 1 and in the HBO series, even though the versions of Ellie are slightly different.

Part 2 is about what comes next, because love is never enough. It’s about how life is painful and messy, and how sometimes that is BECAUSE of what love does to us... and how you can’t love ever without it ending in grief… and in particular, just how destructive the pain of loss can be when your ONE PERSON is gone. Ellie’s different because she’s grown – her dream of a cure is dead – the world is just a lot darker, at 19 vs 14. Joel loving Ellie with all of his heart wasn’t enough to keep her from getting hurt by the world (just like in real life, no matter how much parents love their kids bad shit WILL happen to them, and life WILL punch them in the face like it does for all of us). Joel loving Ellie so unconditionally and giving her love was more than she knew how to handle, really, (orphan things), and she can’t understand his “betrayal” for what it is – an act of love. When he’s gone she is LOST, and ends up modelling exactly what she learned from him… fall apart. Take out your enemies. Make people suffer for what happened to the person you love.

So, to ME – the progression of Ellie’s relationship with violence feels pretty natural.

Here’s why I don’t personally take issue with the violent heart bit they added to the HBO show -

I feel like (pretend) Craig and Neil suck at explaining themselves LOL.

Ellie in Part 1, due to the world she has grown up in and her experiences, is at risk of engaging with violence as a coping/trauma sort of response thing. Gives her control in a fucked up world. Lets her protect her people. Just like Joel. They live in a world that basically requires violence from you – otherwise you and people you love will die. And Ellie knows that – she saw it first hand, killing Riley. And all of the violence and death that came after.

I know Craig made that comment saying “David’s right”. The way I take it is not, “David is right, she is a violent person” or “she loves to hurt people”… I take it as David recognized how Ellie has a fighters/survivors heart – and that means she is CAPABLE of great violence. Which not everyone is!! (Hence how Joel and Ellie are our bamf anti heroes). To David, violence is always a justified thing if it leads to you getting your goal, and he looks at people as either worthy of living in this world (fighters/leaders) or not (sheep). So he sees Ellie as “a violent person” with a “violent heart”. He’s a monster, and he isn’t capable of understanding the relationship Ellie (and Joel) have with violence, where it is born out of LOVE and suffering and loss. There’s a difference there that David totally misses. But his comment about her proclivity to “violence”, not too far off the mark imo.

Super curious to hear if any of y’all agree or disagree w me.

YES I AM COPING HARD WITH THIS. LIFE SINCE PART 2 IS NOTHING BUT A COPE.

massive TLOU 2 spoilers

I hate this “violent heart” shit. Apparently, Ellie seeing Joel brutally tortured and murdered while she is held down and forced to watch is not enough to explain her murderous rampage in TLOU 2. They have to tell us she’s also doing it because because she’s irrevocably, uniquely fucked up and violent. And who is the person to deliver this message? The pedophile that tried to rape and murder her. So will David be vindicated in season 2? It seems like he already kinda was. Yes, Ellie brutally killing him was supposed to show she’s fucked up and violent. Chop a pedophile up a bit more than necessary because you are traumatized, terrified, disassociating, and desperate for it all to stop? Sorry hun that’s really fucked up I guess you really do have a violent heart. I’m glad we had the illuminating words of a serial groomer rapist cannibal pedophile cult leader to tell us our protagonist is a bitch. In a story where we’re supposed to have empathy for the characters, one of them gets labeled as “violent” as if they’re demented. The creators said this “violent heart” stuff was meant to set up Ellie’s arc in s2/the 2nd game so wtf??? I hate to be pessimistic but it really seems like the writers are steering the show towards an “Ellie proved David right” moment.

[myrmeraki]

time for me to speak on OFMD ep 9 and the Act Of Grace bit! cause oh boy oh boy i love the golden age of piracy!!

so the Act of Grace was a real thing, an act passed by the king that any pirate wishing to give themselves up *within the year* would be forgiven and pressed into privateering instead. (i believe it was september 1717-1718?) and many pirates, including those like stede bonnet and jack rackham, took the pardons and then quickly said “fuck no” and turned back to piracy.

in real life both stede bonnet and blackbeard sought out pardons and later turned to piracy. as the story goes blackbeard sent stede out to receive his pardon and then left with his ship, marooning a lot of his crew on a nearby island (starting to sound familiar?). blackbeard went into privateering but by the end of the summer was fully back to pirating. i think stede did the same? anyway they don’t see each other again, but i have no doubt that will change in the show.

the idea however of time-based pardons and the mutability of ones role in opposed societies is one that a lot of pirate media plays with. and in OFMD i think its a very real allegory for self-acceptance and brings to light the ways stede and ed operate as characters and how they change.

for ed this is partially liberating and partially suffocating. this is a choice to follow the man he loves into change side by side, leaving behind quite literally the image of blackbeard. this is about “what ed wants”. at the same time he can’t be happy here, under control, and as soon as he thinks stede reciprocates his feelings he’s all right with leaving. assimilating into society was only ever a lesser of two evils in order to stay with stede.

for stede himself, it’s like being thrust back into a nightmare. it forces him to reconcile with who he is as a person, if he has both abandoned his family and life as a society man as well as his life as a pirate captain. he has hurt people as a society man, he has hurt people as a pirate, and so he sees any happiness as unjust. for stede this doesn’t open up his options so much as tell him exactly how he has to suffer given that he doesn’t fit in Anywhere.

the pardoning it is an opportunity to be fully accepted into society, with the price of fighting it’s war of course, along with written abandonment of your former self. you sign away our name and admit that you were wrong, everything about who you are is not as it should be, and you must change to be assimilated. you leave and deplore place where gay men can live lives in partnership and a nonbinary person can interact with their gender purposefully.

piracy exists as a very real and viable life-model that creates structure around gender and sexuality that directly opposes the cisgender and heterosexual form of life in society. taking those pardons even if they eventually abandon them means a real reckoning with existence in opposition to heterosexual norms. its about what happens when ed and stede are confronted with who they are, who they have been, and what they want. and when they both are on different paths and pass each other like speeding ships in the night, its about how that breaks them.

[mochikeiji]

Enough For Me

Request: "Congratulations on 1k!!! you deserve it, you’re a really good writer. Can i request prompt 12 “please don’t cry” angst to fluff with yuuta from jjk. thank you, congrats."

12. "please, don't cry."

↠ Pairing: Okkotsu Yuta x Reader

↠ Warning: angst to fluff

↬ Word Count: 1.5k

↳ from Go! Go! Gogatsu Event

When did every thing become so loud?

One minute you were similing. Laughing loud with a hint of the obvious enjoyment masked on your features. Then second you're staring to nowhere but silence greeting you. An expression so dim that the light in your eyes wasn't present as well. Left at the forest training grounds, the others had already gone back to their dorms. You told them you were staying for a bit for extra training when in reality, you were looking for an outlet without anyone witnessing your hour of vulnerability.

Stupid clan and their elders. As disrespectful as it may sound, you understood now why Gojo despises them. Loud it was to the point it deafens your ears; the murmurs of a child cast away from the bloodline because of the mockery it holds. A no good sorcerer was never welcome in families like yours. People would still chew on your head even when you have your backs turned on them. So frustrating it was to shoulder a burden of their devilish gossip and expectations.

At first it was alright. You handled it well. But to the extent where one of the higher ups brought it up during a meeting? How many people know of you and the disappointment you carry?

Gojo had his fist clenched that day. Maki understood you more than anyone, having to be someone who ran away from her clan as well. Inumaki and Panda did their best in comforting you, telling you that humans are weird to drag other humans down when they're the same race. That was just being so entitled, said Panda. You however, convinced your comrades you were fine. You were used to it. And it was fine.

It didn't matter what other's say as long as other's knew you for what you weren't, right?

That doesn't mean you couldn't help but become overwhelmed of the impact they had on you. Like knives forcefully shoved their ways through your heart. The pack of negative energy should've been enough to form a large curse that could take you.

Loud it was indeed. To have so many people shit their way into your life when you only wanted to live yours and not bother theirs.

You gulped down the heavy lump in your throat. Caught up in the fog of profanities from the world. Who were you kidding, you weren't Maki who can handle all this thrown at her. Tumbling and falling, that was all you knew about yourself in your whole life. The nails that grip in your palms pierced through the skin as blood trickles down, no amount of pain could level the amount of pent up emotions you buried in your heart.

Perhaps you've were born in the wrong time and place. If only you were a simple civilian, maybe life wouldn't be so bad. A loving family would be there, instead of the ones that were throwing their unfulfilled dreams to their children and controlling of their destiny.

The look in your mother's eyes will forever haunt you. Looking already as tired as you were, her eyes spoke more emotion than you could ever endure as loveless, empty ones met your teary gaze that very day.

"I only wanted a daughter who could've done so much for me as I've given her life after birth."

Your heart throbs, soon you were down on the dirt covered ground on your knees. The weight of her words colliding in the world you swore was a safe space for you. It shouldn't matter. Not when they've cast you away and yet, no matter what there is, she was still your mother.

And still the pain is as fresh as ever coming from the one you used to call, "family."

As loud as your world was, your cries were louder and clearer this very night. As if with all your might, you wanted to scream from above on how this was truly unfair. Wanting someone— anyone to hear you curse at the world you were forced to live in. It hurts your lungs, it was indeed hard to grasp small bits of oxygen when your insides felt like they were shrinking from the compact.

You wish you could scream at your mother that deep inside you still loved her. Even as a child who never received the motherly love they deserved, you loved her dearly. It was by instincts and the remains of your vision as a baby, being held in someone arms in hushing your cries.

The surface felt so firm unlike you remembered how it was when you were young. Yet the warm embrace felt nostalgic as it shielded you from the cold blistering wind of the night, you find yourself searching against the surface without a care of any danger or anything anymore. You wanted to be comforted for once. To not feel alone.

"Please don't cry."

Small hushes drowned out your sobs, an arm wrapped firmly around your waist while the other pets your head at the outmost caring matter. Curling closer, your hand held the one on top of your head. Taking in the rough texture, but reminding yourself that someone was now here in your time of need. Here after being away most of the times.

"Yeah, it's me." sensing your troubles as he averts his gaze away from you as if he was embarrassed. "I heard what happened. I managed to finish up much just to get here." next to him was the blade he carries around. Probably less hazardous as to why he place it down.

"Yuta.." sobbing as you clutched on the white material he wore. He immediately reverts back to soothing you in your distressed state. Something about the way he holds you only made you tear up more. It broke his heart in pieces to see you hold onto him as if he was the only person left to anchor yourself. And here he thought he had it worse back then, your body language brought this resemblance to the girl he used to hold just as he was doing now.

"Shh, I promise you that none of those words said about you is true."

Easier said, he knew that. It was easy to reassure someone of their thoughts, but it's not that easy to erase. The mind is a wondrous and torturous place to be in. Old memories can be dug out to the surface and you'd still feel the emotion like it just happened yesterday. Oh if you had Yuta's vision of you, you'd believe in his words.

A strong role model like you is exactly the reason why Yuta aims to be the strongest as well. To help people realize that strength isn't found in the words of other human beings, but within yourself. Yes, it's a harsh world we live in. Those who feel lowly amongst themselves would drag those above them. And those who feel the surge of entitlement snarls at those below them.

But no matter who it is that doubts you, and your potentials, there would always be someone behind you, with the glimmer in their eyes, you are their hope and inspiration in some ways.

That is what Yuta murmurs next to your ear, your cries now subsided to focus on his voice. "You're doing great. We've seen it. I've seen it." facing you with his boyish smiles, you wondered how'd this guy who came looking like a ragged mess become someone twinkling brighter than the stars above the night sky. It was contagious, it made you smile so minimal.

"There's that pretty smile." chuckling, he pats your head softly like treating a little kid. Yuta knows deep down that he can't fully resolve the thoughts inside of you— one of these days you'll have these moments again. And it saddens him because he's often away from you. Yet he's breathless at the fact that you're able to hold yourself off with all these tormenting you.

"You're amazing, darling." came out lower than a whisper before his lips closed in with yours. Last time he kissed you boy was he sweating buckets. He wasn't even as bold as now to be able to initiate first and pull you flush against his chest. But the erratic pace of his heart still was the same as ever. The loudness that had clouded you vanished. All you could hear now were pleasant chorus played by the crickets of the night and the wind lacing together throughout the atmosphere.

He promises to do much more with you for the time being. Help you mend the wounds no one can see and assist with the battles you two could only share and understand. One day as he stated before he would walk through the doors of your clan and prove to them that you were the diamond in the rough they've thrown but he's found.

You were his own butterfly. Beautiful to his eyes, you bestowed your wings; and to yours you cannot see but for people to admire.

"Give yourself more credit. You've done so much, my love."

© all content belongs to mochikeiji. Please do not repost or copy, ありがとうございました!! (=^･^=)

[animeomegas]

Hi!!!, first, congratulations on 1000 followers!I wanted to ask you something, could you make a list of omegas that would have worse self esteem during pregnancy.if you can't don't worry, have a nice day and again congratulations.

(Hey, thank you so much for your congratulations!! Hmm, I’m sure I can make a little list~)

Warnings: Insecurities of all sorts, mentions of sex.

Insecure over appearance:

· Itachi – Itachi is worried about how skinny and sickly he is. He’s always been on the small side but pregnancy has stopped him being able to keep much food down, and so he just kept getting smaller and smaller. It’s a small insecurity at first, but he does find himself staring at his reflection and wondering if his mate finds him attractive. Itachi goes a long while without sex because of how sick he gets during pregnancy and after birth, and that feeds the insecurity that his alpha doesn’t find him attractive.

· Tamaki – He’s completely fine until he gets lost in a rabbit hole on some parenting and omega focused forums. He finds all these posts from other omegas about how their alphas don’t find them attractive anymore, and about how they’ve stopped having sex. Now, Tamaki is extremely sexually needy during his pregnancy, so he’s suddenly paralysed with fear. Has his alpha been forcing themselves this whole time? Have they just been doing it to please him without enjoying it themselves? He cries about it quite a bit until his alpha finds out and knocks a little bit of sense into him.

· Asmo – Asmo puts so much effort into his physical appearance. He’s very proud of it and he’s very reliant on his appearance to carry his self-esteem. So, a drastic change of any sort would be extremely distressing. He buys every cream and treatment imaginable to stop stretch marks, and acne etc. but things still change with his body. And because Asmo views his worth through looks, he assumes that his alpha does also. He tries to hide, to turn down sex, but of course, this alerts his alpha immediately to the fact that something is wrong. He never really gets over the insecurities while he’s still pregnant, but his alpha can minimise the effects with copious love and praise.

· Julian – He’s extremely insecure as it is, constantly questioning why his alpha finds him attractive at all but being pregnant adds enough layer on to the pre-existing insecurities. He always tries to reassure his alpha that they don’t have to touch him if they don’t want, that they should leave the room before he gets changed or when he’s bathing because they probably don’t want to see him like that. His insecurities run very deeply, just like Asmo’s, so they can’t be fixed, but they can be helped with lots of comfort and reassurance.

Insecure over abilities (e.g., being weak physically etc.):

· Sasuke – The fact that he can’t go on missions or train pisses him off. And as the months go by, he’s gaining weight and losing muscle definition and it freaks him out because he feels like he’s losing who he is which drops his self-esteem. Training has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. Just design some softer workout routines for him with a mednin and remind him that he can still practice throwing kunai before he loses his goddamn mind.

· Bakugou – The physical condition of his body changing isn’t that big of a deal for him. He has a very small tummy, especially considering he’s pregnant with twins, and he knows he can bounce back after the birth because he’s super dedicated to his physical routine. What he’s not so confident about is the slipping control he has over his quirk. He has (had) an iron clad control, and the random explosions while pregnant are so embarrassing. Not to mention the disruption that his quirk causes in his nest. He has to replace so many cushions which makes his instincts go wild because significant changes to an omega’s nest while pregnant is distressing. If his friends tease him about the loss of control, he gets genuinely mad about because it’s something of a sore spot.

· Jumin – Jumin tries to keep his life while pregnant as close to his life before being pregnant as possible and in many ways, he nails it. He buys copies of his favourite suits and has them tailored every other week to fit his growing stomach. He buys non-alcoholic wine and drinks it with a grimace. He schedules lots of massages to keep the aches and pains away, so he feels normal. But there is one thing that isn’t so easy to keep normal: his emotions. Now, this fits into this category rather than the one below because Jumin gets insecure about how his emotional control impacts his ability to work. His emotions had never impacted his career before, but now he can’t help but tear up when he gets overstressed, he can’t work long hours without getting lonely and wanting to go home, he can’t take business trips because he doesn’t want to leave his nest for too long. It makes him feel a little like he’s lost himself because these things are things he’s been doing with ease for his entire life. He’s quite irritated by it and it damages his self esteem somewhat.

Insecure emotionally (e.g., unsure about being a good parent etc.):

· Tamaki –Tamaki also makes it onto this category. His insecurities are very specific, but he worries about being a bad role model socially for his pup. If his alpha is very socially adept, I’m not sure he would worry as much, because he knows that his pup can learn from their other parent, but if Tamaki’s alpha is also a little shy or prefers not being around people, then he gets really worried about it. Him being so shy and anxious has really impacted his life and he really doesn’t want it to impact his pup in the same way. He really worries that he’ll be a bad influence in that regard. (but the prospect of an extremely extroverted child is an equally terrifying concept in a different way haha.)

· Lucifer – He is very worried about being a good parent because all he can focus on is the past times when he wasn’t a good older brother. I mean, Satan hates him, and that’s as close to a father/child bond that Lucifer has, so surely that must mean he’s not cut out to be a father? He’s not good at emotions or reasonable punishments or showing affection or… well, point is he doesn’t think he has what it takes to be a good parent, when all he’s ever had is a shitty father himself, and all he’s ever been, is a shitty older brother that drove his family apart.

· Levi – Levi is insecure about most things that have to do with himself, so it’s not surprising that he gets very insecure about being a good parent which drops his self-esteem to an all time low. He can’t even watch any anime that focuses too much on parent/child relationships because he can’t help but compare himself every time, and he works himself up into a mini panic. It’s difficult to calm Levi’s insecurities but his partner can help him somewhat.

· Hawks – Keigo is very insecure about his abilities to protect his pup. His has this conspiracy theory that the hero commission will try to kidnap his child. They were furious when they found out he was pregnant during the peak of his career and they pushed him heavily towards abortion. Keigo leaked the pregnancy news to the public to force the commission’s hands, but he’s still so paranoid that they’ll stage a 'tragic accident' for his pup to force him back into hero work, or try and kidnap and raise his pup as they raised him. He doesn’t have any proof, per se, but he’s terrified that he can’t protect his pup so he really doesn’t like to leave his alpha’s presence. When he’s close to his due date, he’s too insecure with all his conspiracy theories clouding his mind to even let his alpha shower by themselves.

· V – Jihyun sort of convinces himself that he’s cursed when it comes to looking after people (Rika, Saeyoung, Saeran), so he’s very upset by the prospect that he’ll probably fail at raising his child too. He originally says that he wants to give the pup up for adoption to save them, but eventually you talk him around and start working through his problems. He just doesn’t thing he’ll be a good role model. The longer he waits to have children after the more traumatic events of his life, the less these issues crop up.

Miscellaneous:

· Aizawa – Shouta gets insecure when people pay too much attention to him being pregnant. He doesn’t like people giving up their seats for him on public transport, he doesn’t like his students and colleagues asking invasive questions, he doesn’t like those awful shop attendants that try to shoehorn him into buying baby supplies he doesn’t need. He wishes people would just treat him normally. (and he absolutely starts to activate his quirk every time someone tries to touch his tummy without asking first.) But yeah, all the eyes and attention makes him super uncomfortable and it makes him overanalyse everything he does which does impact his self esteem.

· Light – Light has a very specific insecurities while pregnant which revolve around the fear that he’s lowering himself by carrying a pup. All his life he’s had people tell him that because he’s an omega, he should give up on all his dreams and have pups and stay home instead. It really doesn’t sit well with him that he’s doing what all those awful people told him to do (at least it feels that way to him). He feels ashamed and he hates it. He avoids everything stereotypical while pregnant. He’ll kick you in the face if you try to rub his feet, he does everything in his power to avoid giving in to cravings, and he doesn’t make a nest. It all takes a serious toll on his health but it would take one hell of a stubborn alpha to get him to bend on any of that. It puts a strain on the relationship.