#with no nuance or even thought it seems to me to it

[mapis-putellas]

𝑰𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉/𝑨.𝑷𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒔

The moment Alexia steps off the set, you can tell she’s in a mood.

Her shoulders are tight, her jaw is clenched, and the slight crease between her brows is a dead giveaway. She walks straight past you without a word, not even sparing a glance in your direction.

You bite back a smile.

“Baby,” you call, jogging a few steps to catch up with her.

She doesn’t stop walking. “No me hables.”

That only makes you grin wider.

You fall into step beside her, watching as she all but rips the lanyard from around her neck and shoves it into her pocket.

“What happened?” you ask, even though you already know.

She mutters something under her breath that you don’t quite catch.

“Alexia.”

She sighs sharply through her nose. “Me hicieron hacer una entrevista en inglés.”

-

Alexia sits stiffly in the chair, hands clasped together in her lap, her knee bouncing ever so slightly. The bright studio lights make her blink more than usual, and she shifts uncomfortably as the camera operator counts down from three.

She wishes she’d had more time to prepare.

She’d known today was media day. That part was fine. What she hadn’t known was that they were going to throw an English interview at her, completely unplanned, with no script, no warning -nothing.

“Alexia, thank you for being here,” the interviewer, a young British woman, says with a warm smile.

Alexia nods, pressing her lips together. “Yes. Thank you.”

She winces internally. Too robotic. Too forced. She can already feel the heat creeping up the back of her neck.

The interviewer doesn’t seem to notice, though. She just keeps going.

“So, first of all, congratulations on such a great season. How are you feeling?”

Alexia inhales, nodding as she searches for the right words. “I feel…good. Um. Happy with…the team, the, uh…” She gestures vaguely with her hands, trying to recall the word.

“Performances?” the interviewer offers gently.

Alexia nods quickly. “Yes. Performances.” It’s clunky, and she knows it, but she pushes forward.

“We…work very hard, uh, every day. It’s not…easy, but we-” She pauses, trying to structure the sentence in her head. “We, uh, fight for… win? Winning?”

The interviewer nods encouragingly. “Yes, for the win.”

Alexia exhales through her nose. “Yes. We fight for the win.”

She glances off-camera briefly, looking for an escape. There isn’t one.

The interviewer moves on. “You’ve been captain for quite some time now. What does leadership mean to you?”

Alexia hesitates. It’s not that she doesn’t know the answer -she does- but trying to articulate it in English is an entirely different challenge. She frowns slightly, her mind racing.

“Um… it is…” She clears her throat, frustrated with herself. “Not just… talking, or… or yelling. It is… to show with, um…” She taps a finger against her knee. “How you are?”

“By example?”

She exhales in relief. “Yes. By example.”

She shakes her head, feeling the frustration building. She knows she’s not saying things the way she wants to. In Spanish, she could give a perfect answer -nuanced, thoughtful, meaningful. But here? She feels like she sounds like a child.

She pushes through the rest of the interview, nodding and forcing out short, simple answers. By the time it’s finally over, she’s barely holding back her annoyance.

The interviewer smiles, seemingly oblivious to Alexia’s internal agony. “Thank you so much for your time, Alexia.”

Alexia nods stiffly. “Yes. Thank you.”

As soon as the cameras cut, she exhales sharply, raking a hand through her hair.

She hates this feeling. She stands quickly, muttering something to herself as she storms off set.

-

You nod slowly. “And?”

She waves a hand in the air, exasperated. “And nada.”

“But you’re grumpy.”

“Porque no lo esperaba.”

You hum in understanding. Alexia likes her routines. She thrives on knowing exactly what to expect, and when something disrupts that -well. You’re witnessing the aftermath.

“I bet you did great,” you say.

Alexia gives you a flat look.

You laugh, bumping your shoulder against hers. “I’m serious.”

She exhales heavily, raking a hand through her hair. “Me trabé dos veces.”

You reach out, gently tugging on the sleeve of her jersey. “That’s not so bad.”

She scoffs. “Para ti, no.”

You squeeze her arm. “For everyone. No one expects you to be perfect, baby.”

Alexia doesn’t respond, but you can tell she’s still stewing over it.

You glance around, noting that most of the team is still tied up with their own media obligations. It’s the perfect opportunity to steal her away for a little bit.

“Come on,” you say, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the exit.

She resists at first. “¿A dónde vamos?”

“To fix your mood.”

She huffs, but she lets you drag her along anyway.

You find an empty corner outside, away from the cameras, away from the noise. The late afternoon sun is warm against your skin, and there’s a slight breeze that carries the scent of freshly cut grass.

Alexia leans against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, watching you warily. “¿Qué quieres hacer?”

You step closer, reaching up to brush your fingers along her jaw. “I want you to stop being mean to yourself.

Her lips press into a thin line.

You tilt your head, studying her. “You know what I think?”

She sighs. “¿Qué?”

“I think you’re the most incredible person I know. I think you’re brilliant at everything you do, including speaking English. And I think it’s really cute when you get flustered over small things.”

Her ears turn pink.

You smile, shifting your hand to the back of her neck. “Baby, it’s okay to mess up sometimes.”

She looks away. “No me gusta.”

“I know. But you have to be kinder to yourself.”

She’s quiet for a long moment, then finally, she exhales, some of the tension in her shoulders easing. “Lo intento.”

You grin, pulling her into a hug. She lets out a soft sound as you tuck her against you, her arms immediately wrapping around your waist, hands looped at the small of your back.

“There she is,” you murmur, pressing a kiss to her neck as you cup the back of her head.

She buries her face in your shoulder. “Eres molesta.”

“You love me.”

She sighs dramatically. “Sí.”

You chuckle, swaying with her slightly.

After a beat, she pulls back just enough to look at you. “Me llevas a casa después de esto?”

You nod. “Of course.”

She kisses you, soft and slow, and just like that -her bad mood is forgotten.

**

Tags:

@ceesimz @marysfics @girlgenius1111 @codiemarin @simp4panos @silentwolfsstuff @goldenempyrean @xxnaiaxx @liloandstitchstan @ktgoodmorning @chelseacult

[frotees-corner]

Todays random Veilguard thought: I actually really like that we got to see Tevinter through the lens of Dock Town instead of one of the fancier districts, *because* we had really only ever interacted with the "evil blood mage magisters" side of Tevinter before (with the exception of Dorian, and even his arc largely deals with the depravities altus mages & magisters like to get up to).

It's not erasure; there is still plenty of environmental storytelling about how powerhungry Tevinter mages are bad and slavery exists and is horrible. Plus, you know, all of the Minrathous sidequests and Neve's personal quests and most of Lucanis' quests and some main quests are still about Venatori (Tevinter!)=BAD. It is a deliberate look at how there are, in fact, poor people just trying to get by everywhere, even in Evil Magicks Capital.

Neve even has banter with Taash about it.

(Just like the Crows are not completely sanitized for plot reasons just because we see their organisation through a different lens this time around, but that's a bucket for another time.) Repeat after me: Just because I see a different facet of something this time doesn't mean the facet I saw in the last game(s) are suddenly gone or overwritten. Because these things are always multifaceted, plus 10-20 years do tend to change some stuff. Then again, nuance does seem to be a dying art in online discourse.

[bakawomans]

And I'm finally here with a lot of translated facts about Helga ( wow, there are 16 facts ) and along with her Dorms Room design ^w^ Please enjoy reading and feel free to ask questions <3

Despite the fact that her age is listed as 18 in the documents, Helga is actually 211 years old. This is due to the influence of her special magic on her. (And she still remains human, with her own quirky traits, which confuses many representatives of magical races.) In the Diasomnia, everyone (except Lilia) completely missed this information; almost all the students, even her classmates, are absolutely unaware of this nuance in her biography.

The Night Raven College sent her an invitation several times, and each time Helga couldn't understand what was going on and why she was receiving an invitation to Night Raven College. Eventually, she reached the stage of "fine, you convinced me, I'll go and laugh at their system's screw-up," and yes, she stayed in college to continue joking about the situation. No one was able to explain to her why this happened.

Helga does not use sarcasm and irony - she speaks in them, and even she is not always able to understand whether she just made a joke or not. Naive freshmen are slightly intimidated by this.

For the reasons mentioned above, Helga wears a uniform with male side of fastenings because, in her opinion, "well, this school thinks I will fit in here, and who am I to argue?". Yes, she finds it amusing, she enjoys it, and she gets a lot of "hee-hee" from the whole situation.

Unlike many, she did not avoid Malleus but consciously thought about meeting him to ask a couple of questions about the complex magic related to her family. A little later, she asked him if she needed to pretend to be afraid of him, as she got the impression that she was not in some local trend.

She hardly feels fear about anything, as she lost all her particularly close people long ago, became enlightened, and life became extremely clear to her (well, it seemed that way to her), and to scare her, one would really have to try hard, and even then, it’s not a fact that it would help.

She does not give up trying to teach Malleus how to use social media. She considers Vil the best head of the dormitories among all the current ones. She is quite good at alchemy and preparing various substances.

On the door of her dorm room in Pomefiore, there is a curse placed by Vil. After her enrollment, Vil himself offered to place a curse on her door. Helga believed there was no great need for this, as she was quite capable of taking care of herself and deterring unwanted guests if necessary; however, she accepted the help with friendliness and gratitude. Later, Vil became one of her few close friends in college, a role he maintained for many years after graduation.

Helga claims that she does not particularly enjoy the company of those of royal blood. When Lilia asked her if Malleus was an exception in this case, Helga replied that she does not perceive Malleus as a "realistic" representative of the ruling dynasty (meaning the absence of tantrums, whims, etc., as she has had close experience). Soon, Lilia changed the subject with a mysterious smirk but asked her to definitely message him in the chat if Helga decided to voice this thought to Malleus.

Helga really dislikes braiding her long hair and especially hates unsolicited advice about how it would suit her better that way. She claims that her dislike for braids began in early childhood. "Have you ever thought about the fact that hair does not possess consciousness and cannot understand how to unravel itself from a braid or a complicated hairstyle into its natural state?" Given that her hair is indestructible, poor Helga has to untangle all those knots by herself every time, as she couldn't even get angry enough to cut a lock or a tangle. Since then, she rarely wears braids or does not use the strands of hair involved in braids when casting her special magic.

Helga collects earrings; however, she does not particularly like earrings with a bunch of small gemstones due to the often used settings in such jewelry that easily catch hair. Considering the traditions of jewelry gifts, giving her something she would like is quite a quest. She will wear almost anything that at least matches her aesthetic taste, but to truly love…

Helga's hair feels warm to the touch due to the energy of the sun from the golden lily. However, at certain intervals, she needs to spend a long time in the sun to "charge her hair with energy" (as the golden lily, even after its rebirth, is still essentially a flower).

Helga's primary emotion most of the time is calm, but it can easily transform into a sarcastic 'I don't care about whatever in the world' meme. It is difficult to get her out of this state, and at some point, people start to catch themselves thinking that they are curious to see other expressions on her face.

In college, Helga joins the equestrian club, and she generally handles horses quite well (she also doesn't understand the concept of a lady's saddle, despite the reasons for its creation and everything else. As soon as the discussion about horse equipment starts, she will definitely comment on how, thank goodness, that ugly contraption has gone out of fashion).

It sounds quite funny, but before enrolling in the Night Raven College, Helga already had her own small job (something like a sole proprietorship), as everyone needs to make a living. To say "by profession" would be too grand, but in fact, Helga is a relatively well-known lace maker in narrow circles, having become a very skilled artisan over the years. Even after entering college, she continued to quietly fulfill orders in her free time, as, unlike the kids with parents, money didn't just fall into her pocket, unfortunately.

In Helga's life, there were three people she could call her mothers to some extent (she learned about the existence of the third one much later). Despite spending a completely different amount of time with each of them, she is grateful to all of them for the help they provided her as she grew up (although in one case, there turned out to be much more bitterness than positive emotions). Her attitude towards them changed throughout her own growth, and eventually, she was able to look at the situation from different angles, having cooled down and accepted everything that happened to her as an unchangeable fact. History does not tolerate the subjunctive mood.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s6 episode 19 thoughts

well. no need to dwell on the last episode any longer than we have to.

i want something cozy tonight. 

so, arthur dales has a brother? very interesting! and his brother knows about aliens, huh? i look forward to hearing the tale of an alien who plays baseball.

post-episode thoughts: while i have some concerns over the ethics of making a Very Real and Horrifying racist terrorist organization have a little green alien as a member- and i still am unpacking that as a choice- this episode was a gem. it was at once an excellent standalone episode that introduced us to characters we will likely never meet again, made us their friends, and left us with that emotional impact, AND brought us closer to the characters we have known and loved for many seasons now. and i think that is the ultimate goal this kind of episode can aim to accomplish. especially when you compare it with how it felt to watch fellow travelers, an earlier attempt at exploring this sort of thing- to me, that one just fell flat, where as this one was sparkling. the tale of ex and dales will probably haunt me for a very long time. which is an incredibly positive endorsement.

it ALSO introduced us to layers of nuance for our series Big Bad Evil Villains, which is extraordinary, AND gave us the giggliest scully we have ever seen. and there is something SO wonderful about scully giggling as she teases and is teased by mulder.

i will have more to say on this later, in greater detail, down below. but yeah. good episode! very good episode!

we open in roswell, an ancestral homeland to alien nerds. baseball is going on. how did this fellow named moose manage to land a baseball into a cactus? honestly quite impressive. the others are being told to back up- a fellow named exley is up.

oh, he’s cuteeee. and he hits a foul, but it seems the ball just sort of…. bounced back. from the darkness. an outfielder grabs it with a baffled expression. 

again, moose throws a ball into the cactus. i’m getting worried about the cactus population in this town.

LMAO, the guys on the team are trying to tell him how to throw the ball. “leave the cactus alone, son!”

the yankees have been calling ex, according to the catcher, but he says he’s happy out here in the cactus leagues. he doesn’t want to be famous, even if he’d be the first black man in the american leagues.

woohoo, moose FINALLY throws a good ball, and ex hits a homer!!! it’s his 61st home run this year!!

his teammates lift him up on their shoulders to celebrate. but he sees something in the distance���.

IS THAT THE KKK? oh my god, it seems to be. and they are fully saying slurs. which is you know, what they do, but it is jarring coming from a TV screen.

the other team tries to get in their way, but they say they only want ex- no one else.

moose starts tossing balls at them, knocking ‘em off of their horses, and then when they fall off, the other guys grab the guns. get them!

OH! the other team’s captain rips one of the klan member’s hoods off… and it’s a baby alien??!!!??!!

i mean, maybe he is fully grown, but he LOOKS like a baby.

aliens in the KKK…….. this has wild implications.

so what are they going to do with this alien?!?! the good baseball guys, i mean??

intro time…. t’was shortened.

AHAHA!! they changed the intro text “in the big inning” <- haha! baseball pun! okay!!! so this will probably also have lore importance. we haven't had a changed intro text in a while!!

mulder has the dodgers game on in the corner of the office (does he like the dodgers and the yankees? are the dodgers playing the yankees?) while scully lugs in a big old box. why does she have a big box!! where did she get more archival material this time?!

it’s not a box, it’s a book! a huge book!!

oh, scully wants to go outside!! she steps up on his shelf to peek out the window that i honestly never noticed they had before. “mulder, it is such a gorgeous day outside. have you ever entertained the idea of trying to find life on this planet?” “i have seen the life on this planet, scully, and that is exactly why i am looking elsewhere” <-BAHAHAHAHA

that is so funny, lmao. he says this as he flips through a massive book. is it full of newspapers??

let’s see what is in the office, beyond scully standing on the counter with a paper bag. i see a basketball, a mug shaped like an alien head, a bunch of books, some photos. still no actual x files! i would have thought they’d find the secret backup stash THAT DEFINITELY exists by now.

LMAO, SHE WHIPS OUT AN ICE CREAM CONE FROM HER PAPER BAG!! and he asks if she has enough to share with the class- lmao- BUT IT’S *NOT* AN ICE CREAM CONE, it’s some no fat rice-based abomination!!! which causes mulder to tell her she knows how to live it up.

bold move, though- he has walked right into her trap as she says, well, YOU are spending this BEAUTIFUL saturday stealing books from the FBI library to look for new mexican obituaries.

“looking for anomalies, scully” <- NERD!!! nerd. nerd. and she’s a nerd for joining him. but i guess that’s what having a friend and also a crush makes you do. you spend your beautiful saturdays with your beautiful partner. in the basement. pining.

and they’re flirting as they throw cliches at each other, but he GETS UP AND STEALS HER FAKE ICE CREAM!!!! SO EVIL!!!!!! but i’m giggling. giggling SO bad.

it smears all over the FBI library book (he’s going to have to PAY for that!! where do you even GET another book of roswell, new mexico newspapers from decades ago?!)

OH! SHE’S LAUGHING!!!! SHE’S LAUGHING AT HIM!!!! “mulder!!! you cheat!! i can’t believe that you’ve been reading about baseball this whole time” <- OH MY GOSH…. HER SMILE??? 

“i’m reading the box scores, scully. you’d like it, it’s like the Pythagorean theorem for jocks.” 

OHHHH, he’s such a nerd, as he talks about how the numbers distill the action, how they bring him peace:

“it’s like the numbers talk to me. they comfort me, they tell me that even though lots of things can change, some things do remain the same. it’s-“ “boring” (she says, with a brilliant smile)

bahaha, oh, he looks so taken aback with her saying that, but it’s all part of a scully scheme, i’m sure. because she follows it up with “can i ask you a personal question?” which is always a wild thing to say. “did your mother ever tell you to go outside and play?” she says, biting back a smile.

WHY IS SHE ASKING ABOUT HIS CHILDHOOD OH MY GOD....... SHE LOVES HIIIIIM!!!

but he does not answer this question!! because he spots arthur dales in the newspaper??? so he fakes a sneeze and RIPS THE PAGE OUT WHILE SHE GASPS, LMAOOOO

“you just defaced property of the US government… you rebel” she says as he walks away, and some guy named vin scully is narrating the baseball scores. 

oh, she is down bad. we’re so used to seeing him down bad, but she’s the one with that honor today.

i’m smiling stupidly right now, bahaha. my cheeks hurt.

mulder takes the paper to arthur dales. he knocks on the door, and when someone answers, he says he is very sorry sir, but he’s looking for arthur dales. but this man says that HE is arthur dales. 

“arthur dales is my brother. my name also happens to be arthur dales” <- OH!!! LMAO, BAHAHA the most confusing explanation possible. right, right, of course. 

WE HAD A SISTER NAMED ARTHUR TOO, BAHAHAAAAA. AND a goldfish. consistency is key.

but he knows his name is “agent mulder” somehow… hmm. i wonder if they talked about him.

so the other arthur that we met before moved down to florida. yes, this i do recall. i guess i thought that maybe he moved back after the hurricane, but must be this didn't happen.

“my brother told me all about you. he said you were the biggest jackass in the bureau since he retired. yeah, we’re big fans. sometimes we’d stay awake hours at night, just talking about you” <- BAHAHAHHAAAAA, oh this guy's trouble

and then he slams the door in mulder's face. so mulder shouts from outside that he has a photo of his brother- or maybe him- in roswell. and this arthur (arthur 2) says it is him; he was a cop there. and in the photo, he is standing next to negro league legend josh exley, who disappeared after hitting 60 home runs. (baseball stats nerd and fanboy mulder is very endearing to me) “61!”, arthur corrects from inside. 

(author's note: after having seen the episode, that little correction is making me emo... 💔)

but mulder wants to know who is standing with them in the old photo- he believes that person to be an alien bounty hunter!

BAHAHA, he says of course mulder doesn’t care about baseball. well, i do, he says! quiz time with arthur 2: how many home runs did mickey mantle hit? he pauses to think.

163, he says, which is the wrong answer, and arthur slams the door again on him. BUT BEFORE HE CAN, mulder clarifies! 163 righty, 373 lefty, 536 total. yeah. he knows his stuff!!!!!

(i'm imagining him as a kid with his baseball card collection... i KNOW his ass was NOT playing around when it came to opening up those packs. bro for SURE had them in a little organized binder)

arthur 2 offers some wisdom: “what you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life- the rosetta stone, if you will. if you just understood baseball better, all your other questions, your-you- the, uh, the aliens, the conspiracies- they would all, in their way, be answered by the baseball gods” <- i see. i’m taking notes here. 

mulder says that yes sir, that may be true, but this alien bounty hunter may connect to a current alien conspiracy going on in our government! arthur 2 thinks this is silly.

“do you believe that love can make a man shape-shift?” “i guess… women change men all the time” “i’m not talking about women” <-LMAOOOO, HE TOLD ON HIMSELF, I’M HOWLINGGGG 

(tell us how loving scully has changed you, mulder. go on, i'm listening!)

“i’m talking about love; passion. like the passion you have for proving extraterrestrial life”

mulder wants to talk aliens. why wouldn’t either arthur tell anyone about colonization, if they'd known it was going to happen for 50 YEARS?!? no one would have believed him, he says. mulder insists he would have, but arthur 2 says he wasn’t… ripe.

BAHAHAHA, he’s RIPE, okay? he’s so ripe he’s ROTTEN! and he will defend his claim to ripeness, damn it!

maybe you ought to spend more time focusing on the mystery of the heart, says dales. which is what i’m ALWAYS saying. and if you give his bank a dime, he will tell you a story about baseball and aliens and bounty hunters. mulder says this makes him feel like a child, which arthur 2 says is perfect, because baseball keeps you forever young. but he obliges, and places a dime in the bank.

OH! let us journey back in time. young arthur 2 is holding a bounty sign, not of the alien variety… but rather, it offers $500 for killing josh exley. “keep baseball white”, it says. that is very jarring to see.

arthur approaches exley, who asks if he has broken any laws. and his friend says yes, he stole- 50 bases this year! hahahaha, baseball jokes

dales explains that he cannot stand to see someone from his town targeted for murder. “and i really don’t have an opinion on negroes, or jews, or communists, or even canadians and vegetarians, for that matter”

<- wow… arthur 2 was most open-minded white man in the 40’s ❤️

ex chooses to have arthur come along with him on the bus instead of staying there with him- there is baseball to be played. and dales is mumbling in french. the teammates are teasing him, and he teases back. it seems like a nice little road trip, if you ignore the reason why their paths crossed in the first place.

they are sleeping during a storm, but some thunder wakes up dales. however, when he looks back at ex, he sees that his reflection in the window is that of an alien?? he wakes him up. “what’s the matter, arthur?", ex asks; "you look like you ain’t never seen a black man before”

back to present times, mulder and arthur 2 share hot dogs. and mulder thinks that his story is funny. “you seriously want me to believe that josh exley, maybe one of the greatest ballplayers of all times, was an alien?” “they’re all aliens, agent mulder- all the great ones” <- oh! that’s a plot twist.

mulder lists off famous baseball players, and arthur 2 confirms that yes, they all are.

a knock at the door. i thought it would be scully, but it’s a child bringing dales “his medicine”, and he makes mulder tip him. 

mulder thinks that maybe he’s speaking in metaphors about the alien thing, but dales says he doesn’t have time for that. metaphors are for the youth. i am learning so much from him.

LMAOOOO, MULDER HANDS THE CHILD A CRISP DOLLAR BILL AS A TIP, AND HE SAYS “you’re a regular rockefeller, ain’t you?” <-BAHAHAAAA

jump back in time to 1947. some kids are watching ex play, arguing over if his record is better than babe's or not since ex is not technically in the major leagues. it's a heated discussion. all the team players grab some chew tobacco, and when ex hands some to dales, he places a big wad in his mouth... and throws up, BAHAHA

but dales is quickly back on his feet, watching as two men in the crowd pull out a gun when ex comes up to bat!!! he tackles him to keep him safe…

but the men are squirting water guns!!! so they did that whole meet cute close proximity thing for nothing. ex still thanks him. 

ex comes up to bat for real now, and he gets beaned right in the head!! his teammates gather around and ask if he knows where he is, and he starts speaking in a very strange language!! will he revert to alien form??

eventually, he can speak in english again, and he answers that he is from a town in georgia. his teammates pull him back up. but dales noticed that when his head landed on the baseball glove, his green blood burnt a hole in the leather!!!!

dales calls the town in georgia that ex says he is from to do a background check. and someone from that town says that he knows who josh exley is- he was a 6 year old boy who vanished 5 years ago!! so he would be 11. and that’s all they have. 

AHHHH!!! when the other policeman from georgia sets down the phone, it’s the alien bounty hunter!!! the one we know from our times!!!! he asks where dales is calling from!! and dales tells him!!

back at the game, one of the little boys tells ex that the yankee scouts are here, and then all of a sudden his performance tanks. he must want to remain undetected. the scouts get fed up and leave. and the minute they do, he lands a beautiful homerun.

after, dales asks why he tanked the game today. and he says he knows he isn’t actually josh exley, because that name belongs to a missing small child. he knows he’s hiding something.

“while you’re out chasing secrets, make sure you’re chasing the right ones”, ex warns him... ominous……

dales wakes up in a motel to a clatter, pulling out his pistol. he sees ex practicing his swing and he sneaks into his room. where he catches him in alien mode!!! and they both scream!!!

dales promptly faints. and comes to to see ex still in alien mode- then faints again. and again. he says that he is ex. and that is what he really looks like. he is trying to not be insulted by the reaction he is getting to his natural face.

he shapeshifts into a white woman and asks if that would be easier for dales to handle. AND THEN CRAWLS INTO HIS LAP???

when one of his teammates opens the door, he only sees dales with a woman in his lap <- LMFAOOO.

back on the bus, they’re talking in code. “so why did you leave your family in, uh… georgia?” “my people guard their privacy zealously. they don’t like for us to intermingle with your people; their philosophy is, we stick to ourselves; you stick to yourselves- everybody’s happy”

“so what happened?” “well, you know what happened” “you fell in love with an earth woman” (ex laughs, and bumps dales on the shoulder) “no. i saw a baseball game”

he says that his race doesn’t laugh. they don't even smile. but when he saw the game being played, the laughter rose out of him. he says it was the first unnecessary thing he’d done in his life, and it meant everything to him. and he couldn’t go home. 

his friends call him up to sing along with him. 

cutscene back to mulder and dales, who have plenty of chinese takeout containers between them. as well as a pizza. mulder’s still finding the whole thing hard to believe. 

back to 1947. we see the alien bounty hunter waiting for the roswell grays bus!!! no!!

dales gets a call from the guy he asked to test out the chemical on the glove- he thinks it must be a joke, because it’s from a life-form that doesn’t seem to be carbon-based! so he called the FBI and washington, which dales says he was not supposed to do!!! 

exley comes down to explain what happened to the glove (and the lab guy recognizes him as the best player this side of the bronx!) 

he tells him he got it from mars- actually, just to the left of mars- and then starts attacking him. he kills the guy!!!

oh!!! but it was the alien bounty hunter!!! and not really ex. okay. i was going to say... that speech dales just gave about him being a man of great character seems incompatible with him being a murderer.

dales rushes to the real ex, saying that a man down at the precinct swears on his life that he saw him kill a man. but he knows he’s no murderer. so he says he has to leave town. 

ex gestures for him to pick up a glove, and they engage in some deep talk while playing catch. he says his relative told him he should come home. dales is surprised he still thinks of them as family. but that’s not how aliens are. 

“you know the big thing that separates us from you? we got rhythm” 

they both laugh, but sirens approach. ex says he had better go. he asks dales to tell his kids how he played the game. and he says dales has a pretty good arm on him. and then he runs away. 

dales is being interrogated by some cowboy cops in hats, who are asking him where ex is. he says ex told him he was going home. which brings us back to the game we began with. 

OHHH, the line about "them all looking alike" is diabolical. the cowboy cop is trying to tell dales he could be an accomplice to murder if he doesn't fess up to knowing where ex is. and if he hands him over, he can be a cop as long as he wants. dales refuses. so the cops say he’s finished. 

back to the game we started the episode with, where the KKK showed up and then the alien fell off the horse. everyone flees from the alien on the ground. it’s the alien bounty hunter!!! approaching ex with his goop needle.

he says it’s the right thing to do. what would he know about the right thing to do, asks the alien bounty hunter. he risked the project for a game!!!

the shapeshifting from alien to human and back is very funny. sorry. 

bounty hunter says to show his true face. and ex says this is his true face!!!

but as dales arrives, he puts the needle into his neck. and the bounty hunter rides off.

he’s dying, and ex tells him to get away, our blood is like acid to your people! but dales says it’s just blood. it’s just blood. and he laughs before dying- look at that. just blood. dales holds him close. 

back in the present day, dales is crying, recalling holding him, and the song he sang with ex and his teammates.

bro. i’m sad. they had a deep connection...

we have a jump in time.

mulder is wearing a gray’s jersey, hitting some balls around, even though it appears to be late at night.

OH! scully is here. “so, uh, i get this message marked 'urgent' on my answering service from one fox mantle, telling me to come down to the park for a very special, very early or very late birthday present. and, mulder… i don’t see any nicely wrapped presents laying around. so, what gives?” 

BAHAHA, does he STILL not remember her birthday?!? or is he simply incredibly committed to the bit at this point!!

LMAOOOOOO, HE PAID THE KID FROM BEFORE TO PUT THE BALLS IN THE MACHINE, I’M CRYING!!!

he asks if she has ever hit a baseball- and she says no; she supposes she's had more important things to do. so he is going to show her.

he puts his arms around her, grabbing the bat. i don't think their faces could be any closer if they tried.

his hands on her hips……………. my brain is short-circuiting. the silly way he's talking to the bat. 

HER PUTTING HER HANDS IN THE MIDDLE?????

“all right, what you may find is: you concentrate on hitting that little ball, the rest of the world just fades away- all your everyday, nagging concerns.” 

OH MY GOD, HER FUCKING GIGGLE. i’m going to SCREAM.

“the ticking of your biological clock. how you probably couldn’t afford that nice new suede coat on a g-woman’s salary. how you threw away a promising career in medicine to hunt aliens with a crack pot- albeit brilliant- partner. getting into the heart of a global conspiracy. your obscenely overdue triple-x bill. (she looks at him after that last one) oh, i-i’m sorry, scully, those last two problems are mine, not yours”

“shut up, mulder. i’m playing baseball”

okay. hold on. i reached the end. but i have to watch that again.

her laughing at him talking on behalf of the bat… he's pressed right up against her, and says “not a bad piece of ash, huh? the bat. i’m talking about the bat” (CRINGING!!!!)…. the hand rearranging…… her SMILE. AND SHE KEEPS SMILING.

and we end with the song ex and his team were singing.

hey….. hi. 

(collapses my head into my hands)

yeah…. yeah <3

wow….

he noticed her new coat...

i’ve seen the baseball scene in gifs before, but it was WAY better than any gifs could have shown. no offense to gif makers. i just couldn't hear the dialogue or her giggling. little did i know.

oh, so they’re in the stage of both knowing they have feelings for each other, and so they’re just gonna be open with it now. that’s fascinating. much to analyze……..

much to ponder…

the story with dales and ex made me so sad. they had such great chemistry. him sitting there in the present day, crying as he recalled holding his body… man. it broke my heart. it was a real love story. and so often those do end in tears. but clearly dales held his memory close throughout all of those years. and he did what he said he would- told others about how he could play ball.

and this episode managed to do a very good thing: make you sympathize with the big bad villain species. clearly, they are not all the colonists. and i think that is very important world building for our overarching plot, especially when we tend to speak of these species in broad strokes and have mostly only seen them commit heinous acts. with very few exceptions. there was the one shape-shifting alien that healed those people, and then the other one who tried his best to protect their human mothers. all the others we have seen have been... less savory.

now, not sure if utilizing the KKK for your fantasy alien plot is… what we would describe as being in good taste. i’d be interested to hear other people’s thoughts on that decision, but every time i look up an episode on wikipedia and read the reactions section, i manage to get spoiled. without fail. so i must once again rely on asking the people, humbly, what they thought.

man… ex just wanted to play baseball. 

okay, and for the record, i was definitely not imagining the tension between ex and dales. there was no real reason for ex to shapeshift into a woman and crawl into his lap like that. none. 

i rarely find myself caring about the plot exposition episodes- i was very staunchly a hater of the roy cohn turns people into spiders episode that even brought us arthur 1 in the first place- so i am incredibly pleased at how well this episode stood alone. and while it could have been its own thing- just a short film about an alien and a negro league team- we got it interspersed with great character development for our agents. while of course i would have preferred to have even more agent time, what we did receive was splendid. it was saccharine. my tooth is practically aching. i can’t believe that ice cream stealing and baseball instructing didn’t come out of a fanfiction. 

now, the overarching message. is this a turning point of hope- one for a world of unity between all races, human and alien?��will any of this well-developed lore actually be continued in future mytharc episodes? or will we go right back to only dealing with the evil shapeshifters and lose all nuance slash hope? or is this perhaps introducing us gently to the idea of the resistance being assisted BY the shape-shifting aliens? will the plan for colonization be thwarted by a ragtag alliance of humans, shapeshifters, and whatever sort of species the ones who blinded themselves are?

we could wonder about it all day. but right now, i want to live in that dreamy land of msr baseball time.

i really do love to see mulder nerd tf out. just see him be a silly little guy. and scully thinks it's funny. and she was HAVING FUN playing with him in the park like kids!! they love each other so much!! they're so close to admitting it!! i can tell!

how it must feel for things to change between them despite knowing each other for so long... and now that sneaking suspicion "of is he just teasing, or does he really like me like that?" is answered... the giddiness and innocence associated with that, even though they have been through so much together in the past; now it's recast in a different light...

man. so much to think about. a very, very good episode.

[littlesparklight]

There's something potentially really interesting in Kassandra, Paris, and their relationship (or lack of one, depending on how one wants to characterize them both).

To start with the beginning, which would be how Kassandra reacts when Paris has (presumably) not actually done anything yet:

-In Euripides' Andromache, she was apparently old enough when he was newborn to have visions and called on the whole city to have the infant Paris killed. This doesn't necessarily need to come with her being old enough to have been cursed already, if she's not very detailed as to why. (Otherwise, she would be a lot older than most of the rest of Priam and Hekuba's children, even if Paris is made one of the younger ones.) -In Euripides' Alexandros, we don't actually know exactly what Kassandra's prophetic scene(s) amount to; I've seen some speculation that this play involved references to Kassandra newly having become "mad", so her curse would be recent, if so. Paris' foster father is assured to have had some part in the revelation/establishing of Paris' natal identity, whatever Kassandra's involvement.

-Sophokles also had an Alexandros, but we know even less here, so let's turn to Hyginus, who might be helpful for both of these plays.

-Hyginus' Fabula #91 doesn't mention the foster father like Euripides' Alexandros; instead Kassandra declares Paris to be her brother and Priam acknowledges him. If Hyginus hasn't left something out of the plot (of whichever play this is probably summarizing, maybe Sophocles, since Euripides didn't use the bull device to get Paris to Troy), Kassandra is here not actually used to call for her newly discovered/born brother's death, but instead facilitates his recognition by his birth family.

-In Ennius' Alexandros, one of the few fragments we have assures for us Kassandra calling on the populace to "quench the brand"; that is, Paris. Of course, with so little to go on we don't know when this is supposed to have taken place (since one can, no matter how little that might make sense if Kassandra is the one to deliver it, put such a scene at Paris' birth, like in the Andromache).

What we've got, then, is at the very least a couple incidents where Kassandra is calling for an innocent to be killed, and one incident where she might instead have facilitated recognition without any obvious call for murder.

And the thing is, of course she's technically "right" to do this. Paris is the "problem" and removing him would save Troy (well, from Paris as the spark that lights the fire, anyway, given that Zeus could have chosen/could choose to destroy the heroic race with natural disasters). One could probably not really blame her, especially when she doesn't even know him yet.

But after this - what then?

There would be some amount of time, if not between recognition and the Judgement, then between Paris coming home with Helen and the Achaeans turning up. She will get to have a chance to know him, perhaps whether she wants to or no. Does she keep to her insistence that he should be/should have been killed, without guilt or conflict? Keep to it, because it would be/would have been best, yet feel conflicted about it, because this is yet one of her brothers?

It'd certainly be one way to take to insist she simply hates him, whether he's inherently actually hateable and unpleasant or not. Maybe she'd even be in her right to! But if this is her position, even when Paris has not yet done anything to warrant it, how does she deal with that? To and for herself, and when it comes to her family? Is this yet another thing that separates her from the rest? (Maybe not Deiphobos, though ;P)

And if she finds herself liking him, yet knowing with utter certainty that Troy will suffer because Paris is alive with them - how does she deal with that?

It must in some way be easier to think someone should die for the good of all the rest when you don't know them, even if they don't deserve it because they have done nothing to cause any troubles yet, than after you've begun to know them, have begun to form a connection with them, liking them.

[kindred-spirit-93]

cassandra & clytemnestra

class doodles <3

cassandra: super proud of how she turned out!! i love noses so much and ive managed to give her a really glorious one today. she got a few compliments too hehe

clytemnestra: idk how well ive managed to depict it lol but cly is both mourning iphigenia and planning out her vengeance. its going to be a long 10 years but she will have her killers blood.

--

i still have a long way to go till i finish the iliad so i dont know everyones story yet, i do know however that cly like many before and after her arent often portrayed with the complexities that make them them, that make them human, but instead as paragons or pariahs. and i think theres lots to be said on the matter, but i dont want to get ahead of myself lol. anyway enjoy :D

[courtillyy]

god im so pissed at how they are having the focus be on bela and this new guy instead of bela and her actions and mental heath and internalised misogyny !!! jesus christtt

[martianbugsbunny]

"Can you wipe out that much red?" and "You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code. Something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away!" that kind of gives Loki talking about himself. In Dark World it seems like he feels there's no way he can possibly repair the relationships he's broken, so there's no point in trying or even showing that he's remorseful and willing to work to amend things. Maybe in Avengers he's already starting to realize that he's gone too far, starting to think there's no coming back from what he's done and he might as well just live in it because there's no chance of making things right. In the Battle of New York, when he's fighting close-quarters with Thor, he seems genuinely frightened of what's happening around him for a moment, but he says "It's too late" and then stabs Thor. It's too late to stop the fight, it's too late for him to switch sides, it's too late to make up for what he's done, it's too late to have a better relationship with his family.

[designernishiki]

hot take but. oda is honestly one of the most interesting prominent side characters in y0 to me. like. don’t get me wrong obviously i don’t condone his actions, but speaking as a character design guy, i think he’s got a whole lot of complexity to think about in his story and identity that people tend to ignore/overlook because he’s not a black and white “good” person. like no shit he’s morally fucked, that doesn’t mean his intense pining and crazed level of dedication to tachibana and the lengths all his guilt and repressed love for the man he saw as the best thing to ever grace his life drove him to aren’t interesting to think about– if anything it makes him more interesting. he was. really something

[anomiidae]

listen I could make this a literal essay but I won't. tl;dr: I don't get why people get so angry about the concepts of demons or monsters being nice. for starters, if you read mythology, demons are pretty fucking chill; it's not all about fucking with humans. plus it's so boring to see the same plot regurgitated in movies and whatnot about evil demons wanting to ruin humans lives or some crap like that.

[administer-distractions]

.

[cherrybr4t]

ex for a reason — choi seungcheol (+18)

cheol feels a wave of possessiveness when he sees your ex-boyfriend!

warnings: unprotected sex, fingering (f rec), sl*t, degradation (f rec), daddy cheol!, spanking, tit playing, jealousy! est. relationship, a little possessiveness haha, creampie, that’s all i think! ok enjoy <3

if seungcheol could pinpoint exactly why he, too, is a creature bound to the notion of possessiveness — he would. except, at this point of time, all he feels is rage.

not at you — no, no not at all. how could he ever be angry at his princess? the poor guy falling victim to his fiery glares would be your ex-boyfriend. said ex-boyfriend — mingyu, was definitely too buzzed to notice the hard daggers thrown at him.

you however, are quick to notice the switch in tension after mingyu came over to give you a hug, gushing over how it’s been forever since you’ve last met. you return the kind smile. after all you and him did end on cordial terms.

that ticks something off in seungcheol’s head. the way mingyu’s arms seemed too familiar — too comfortable snaking around you. all while he was standing there right beside you.

he shakes hands with mingyu, squeezing a little too tight until he notices the wince on that pretty boy’s face. head’s too busy thinking about the fact that he’s held you close under his covers before.

“baby, you all right?” you squeeze the hands that are tightly wrapped around your waist.

seungcheol hums, “yeah baby, just a little tired is all,” he reassures, leaving a peck on your temple. you narrow your eyes, knowing he’s withholding words from you.

“y’sure? we can leave early — anytime you wanna,” raising your brows at him, offering an exit.

“no baby, i’m fine. it’s your friend’s birthday after all, let’s stay a while more — enjoy this bottle of whiskey she has,” he lifts up the $3000 bottle off the table top, waving it slightly.

seungcheol self soothes. he thinks he’s got it all under control, it’s not like you’ve got residual feelings attached to mingyu — its been almost two years. but with the way mingyu keeps gazing over towards you, with that fucking smirk, seungcheol thinks he’s about to lose it.

the party is in full swing — party hits back to back, loud chatting over the speakers, with people dancing around. he sees mingyu start to make his way across the room towards the both of you.

without much thought, seungcheol pulls you in closer — if even possible, grabs your hand and leads you to a room. a guest room which you recognise due to the nights spent in your friend’s house.

“cheol, baby? what’s wrong?” you catch your breath, looking up at him and furrowing your eyebrows.

cheol tucks a piece of hair behind your ear. he looks at you tenderly, before deciding to come clean. it’s not the first time he’s informed you of how jealousy tends to cloud his mind.

“i…just couldn’t stand your ex being there. standing there looking at you, as if i’m not there right beside you — was fucking pissing me off,” he sighs out, leaning his forehead against yours, body to body.

you let out a small chuckle, “baby, you know how he is… plus the only man i’ve ever looked at the whole night — is standing right in front of me right now. he’s all i wanna look at.” you nibble on your bottom lip, hoping seungcheol catches every nuance of sincerity you’re projecting.

“yeah? i know baby.. sorry it’s just, i can’t help it. want him to back off. want him to know who you belong to now,” his voice barely above a whisper.

you gaze up, giving his plump lips a kiss. a simple peck which turned into sucking, biting and licking — which was the case all of the time because who could resist and pull away from those lips?

he kisses you back with even more urgency, even more passion and love — and you feel him take charge, grabbing your nape to pull you in closer. he wants to taste all of you, every inch and spot — he wants it all. wants the reassurance that you’re now his and only his to hold, to touch, to pleasure.

“you’re all mine aren’t you,” he growls out mid kiss, grabbing you by your chin, staring so deep into your eyes you feel the need seeping into you from his gaze alone.

“always have been, cheol.”

his heart settles at your voice. knows you’re his. but hearing it makes him feel a whole ‘nother level of complete. loves when you play to his possessive selfish desires.

“fuck,” he mutters to himself before sitting himself down on the edge of the bed, pulling you down to straddle above him.

he pushes and combs your hair to the back, hands rubbing up and down your body, hands claiming what’s his. he takes in your silhouette in front of him — sitting so prettily, just waiting to be devoured by him.

“you’re too beautiful baby, hate the thought of someone else getting to see you the way i do,” he removes the strap of your top, teasing slowly as he starts to pull your top above your stomach.

you raise your hands, letting him remove your top. he hisses, sucks in a sharp breath, noticing you went braless for the night.

“braless tonight baby? thank god it was warm out there. imagine if these,” he tugs on both nipples harshly, “were to stand if it were cold,” he releases them, rubbing over your hard nipples softly in circles with his thumb. “then that ex boyfriend of yours would’ve been able to see what’s mine, wouldn’t he.”

you whimper at the hard and soft sensation on your nipples, knowing he’s going gentle on you now.

“you’d like that baby? want him to see you like that?” he slaps across your tits, tainting the soft flesh with his print. you let out a whine, “n-no…don’t want him to,”

“yeah? it’s for my eyes only, right baby?” his hand inches towards your core, completely exposed under your mini skirt by the way you’re sitting.

he rubs his fingers over your panties, smirking at the wet patch he feels on your center.

“so wet baby, thinking about me or thinking about him?”

you frown and gasped at him indignantly, “you. baby — i don’t understa—” he slaps your cunt, soothing it immediately afterwards with a few gentle rubs across your core.

he knows it’s him, knows only he can get you so dippy — likes a confirmation of it anyways.

he pulls you in for another heated kiss while his fingers continue to stay busy toying with your clothed cunt. your warm cunt that he wants to drown in all the time.

“remove your panties and go on all fours for me baby,” he grabs your hips, lifting you off him. you silently think of ways to apologise to your friend before getting comfortable on the bed, just clad in your mini skirt.

seungcheol groans at the supple flesh of your ass spilling out of the short fabric. pulling you closer to the edge, he grips onto the flesh. fingers tense, possessiveness dripping down his fingertips. needs to feel you on every active nerve to remind himself that you’re solely his.

he dives in to give one long lick up your soaked cunt. you moan out his name, and he groans out how fucking wet you are.

“fuck baby, i think if i were to fuck you right now my cock would slide right in,” he settles for his fingers for now, feeling the way your walls immediately tighten around his finger.

“cheol…daddy, want more..” you push your hips back, wiggling your ass in his face. he slaps a harsh one down your cheeks, and you wince, whimpering slightly.

“greedy slut. think you deserve more? letting your ex boyfriend hug you like that,” he says that but inserts two fingers in this time. bottoming out to his knuckles, curling his fingers.

“d-don’t be angry daddy, you know i only want daddy… want you only…” you beg, breath hitching every time he hits the spot all the way inside.

“show me baby, tell daddy how much you want him.” he sees you look over your shoulders, eyes wide and sweat starting to form on the edge of your hairline.

the cocky look on his face has you tightening around his fingers. him fully clothed, fingers deep inside you while you lay so pliantly for him. you would do anything for this man. and so would he.

“please daddy, want you to make me cum. need your cock.” gripping onto the bedsheets tighter as you feel him sneakily insert a third finger.

“yeah baby? doesn’t seem like you want it that bad. i’ve heard you beg better.” he coos. he knows you could go louder — loud enough for him and the other guests to possibly hear. needs to set him straight.

you whine. god. frustration starting to boil and mix with the immense pleasure in your core. you know how cheol is. how he can get mean in bed.

“want—want you to fuck me daddy. please. need you so bad. please please cheol,” your voice breaks. you feel his other hand reach from behind to tug on your nipples, before reaching down to leave teasing touches to your puffy clit begging for attention.

he’s a master a multi-tasking. thinks when it comes to you, he’ll be a master at anything. anything that makes his princess feel good.

“fuck baby, making such a fucking mess. so desperate to cum aren’t you.” at this point, he’s more desperate than you to make you cum. he feels his cock growing so hard it hurts, and if he doesn’t cum inside you soon he’s going to lose it.

“fuck baby. show me why you’re my good girl yeah? cum on my fingers and i’ll think about letting you cum on my cock.” he rams his fingers so hard inside you, other hand rubbing tight and fast circles around your clit.

“cum for me baby, moan out my name nice and loud while you do yeah? let everyone know who’s making you feel good right now,”

with his urging, you snap and unravel, gushing out while cumming around his fingers. you scream out his name as you cum, hands turning white by how hard you’re holding on to the sheets.

“fuck daddy, so good… so good…” you puff out as you come down from your high. no time to register as you hear his pants drop to the floor.

“turn around baby, come sit on me.” you push yourself up, only to see him already leaning against the headboard, hand stroking his hard on. grunting. hints of pre-cum glistening in the dim room light. his gaze hard on you as he strokes himself.

you bite your lip, crawling slowly towards him before settling in front of him. he tilts his head, letting his pre-cum coat his length.

“think he heard you cumming all over my fingers?” cheol prompts. you flush, nod a little, think anyone within a few metre radius distance from the room would’ve heard you begging cheol to make you cum.

“wait til he hears how good my cock makes you feel baby,” he guides you towards him, letting you hover over his cock for a moment.

“you okay baby?” he whispers and gets a confirmation from you. “just want your cock in me,”

the tip presses against your entrance, and like what he predicted earlier, you sunk down his cock with ease, soaking wet cunt welcoming him eagerly. he groans, voice croaky. head so clouded by how snug and warm you feel.

“you feel so good princess, you feel fucking perfect around me,” he husks. his eyes unable to tear away from you — the way your mouth opens, gasps leaving you as you take him in all the way. the way your brows furrow with sweat down the middle. the blush spread on your cheeks and the moan you let out as you feel him completely.

he holds on to your hips, guiding you up and down his cock. switching between bouncing you and letting you grind on him.

“so fucking pretty, you always take me so well,” his brows stay furrowed, unable to fully process how fucking good you feel around him. feels like he could cum any moment.

“cheol.. daddy..so good daddy,” you moan out, you see and feel nothing but him and him only at this moment. and you want him to know how good he makes you feel.

“yeah baby? daddy’s cock making you feel good?” he raises his eyebrows, head hitting the back of the bed so hard yet he can’t feel the impact of it. so lost in the moment — wants you to cum around him, wants to cum inside of you.

“so so so good daddy,” you cry out, hands playing with your tits, giving him a little show as he continues to work your hips on him. his strong hands doing most of the work for you, while you focus on the feeling of his tip hitting and grinding against your gummy spot. the way he keeps creating waves of butterflies in your lower stomach.

“that’s it, let him hear how good i make you feel baby,”

“show him how you’re my needy little slut, bet he’s never gotten you like this,”

“no one can make you feel like i do right baby, no one compares to daddy right?” cheol utters out, cursing out every time he feels your walls tighten around him.

“n-no one daddy. only you can make me feel this way,” you cry out. “only you daddy, only you,” and it’s true. cheol works around your body like no other, like magic. knowing every spot of your body and how to take you there — faster than anyone ever.

his fingers make their way to your clit once again, and you jerk forward the moment he starts to rub messily on your slippery bud again.

“that’s it baby. only daddy can ever make you feel this way,” he snaps his hips up faster, feeling his incoming orgasm the more he hears you cry out.

“you’re doing so good baby, taking me so well. you belong on daddy’s cock don’t you,” he moans out. holding back on his thrusts, focusing on your clit to make you cum again. knows he won’t be able to hold back any longer if he continues fucking up into you.

“cum for daddy again? wanna see you cum around daddy’s cock. i know you can baby,” his pace quickens and he groans — knowing how it goes, knowing when you’re about to cum. needs to hear you fall apart on his cock.

“almost there baby, cum for daddy — that’s it that’s it… feels so fucking good doesn’t it baby, look at you.” his words alone bring you to a new high, cumming so hard around his cock, screaming his name so loud you think the upstairs neighbour knows who cheol is.

“fuck baby. gonna cum. gonna cum so fucking hard inside of you baby.” his hands find their way back on your hips, gripping onto dear life as he snaps his hips up into your dripping cunt.

“ah fuck, fuck i’m cumming baby, daddy’s gonna cum inside of you,” and you clench around him, watching the final string break as he whines out, and you feel his hot cum shooting inside you, painting your walls.

thick hot cum continues to spurt inside of you as he slowly fucks it in you, pushing his cum deep inside every crevice of your cunt. his moans come in sections, breaking more and more.

he lifts you up slowly before you decide to lay beside him, feeling beat. he extends an arm for you to lay on as a pillow and you smile, facing him as you use his arm comfortably.

“you were so good princess, did so well for me. as always,” cheol caresses your cheek softly.

“sorry baby, i shouldn’t have let mingyu hug me all over like that… i would’ve been upset if i were you too,” quietly, you place a kiss on his jawline. hoping he isn’t too affected by mingyu anymore.

“no baby, i’m not mad at you. just hate it when guys look at you that way…especially if it’s an ex-boyfriend.” he rubs his nose with yours.

“i know baby…let’s get out of here? i’ll find another day to bring minji out for a birthday dinner..”

giggling, cheol agrees — but not til you guys catch your breaths for a few minutes.

perm taglist 🖤: @gyuguys @black-swan-blog27 @do-you-remember-summer-127 @mrsjohnnysuh

a/n: hi luvs! sorry, i’ve been a lil caught up w life and etc so :(( missed being here n writing so here i am! managed to find some time to write a lil smth <3 hope u guys liked it, if u did — like, rb or comment ⭐️ love you, muahh 🍒

[anniedreamwilldo]

I fear that anyone who says stuff like “ugh atyd is awful because Remus is so ooc and Sirius is a misogynist and wolfstar are so toxic in it” not only a) has terrible fandom etiquette but b) MISSED THE WHOLE POINT

Atyd is not a story about Remus Lupin

Atyd is not a story about Wolfstar

Atyd is not a story about the First Wizarding War

Atyd is a story about class and privilege. Atyd is a story about queerness and comphet. Atyd is a story about disability. Atyd is a story about the intersectionality of class, privilege, queerness and disability. Atyd is a story about growing up and learning how to be a person. Atyd is a story about morality, sometimes being a ‘bad person’ and what this even means. Atyd is about war and grief and societal circumstances forcing your hand. Atyd is a story about emotionally driven decisions and how they affect the people we love. On that note, Atyd is a story about love, but in all its beautifully complex and messy shades, not fairytale romance.

All The Young Dudes is one of the most layered and nuanced works of fiction to ever exist and 99.9999% of criticisms I see of it can be boiled down to “tell me you lack media literacy without telling me you lack media literacy”

Also again, for the love of Remus Lupin, please please PLEASE stop publicly slating fanfictions. Everyone has personal taste and you won’t enjoy everything you read, but fics aren’t published works that have invited critique. They’ve been provided to you for FREE by a fellow nerd in the community so keep any negative thoughts you have on fics to your self.

I’m not saying everyone has to enjoy Atyd or that people can’t think that Remus is OOC etc. BUT the fic is not bad because it’s not to your personal taste and like I said, the overwhelming justifications I see for why people think it’s bad seem to entirely miss the point/ the fact that some of these choices are absolutely intentional from the author. Like, of course Sirius makes objectifying comments about Mary… he’s a teenage boy in the 1970s who is massively overcompensating to cover his queerness. A huge part of his character arc is comphet???

“We want complicated characters!” people scream until they see a seventeen year old kid on the precipice of fighting in a war for a society that has shunned him for his disability be moody and mean to his boyfriend

Anyway enough of me rambling. Long story short, I’m an ATYD defender until I die

Muchos love n wolfstar xo

[dksfml]

what would you do if I went to touch you now? - riki

pairing: younger!nishimura riki x older!reader genre: office romance, flirty niki, workplace tension, niki teaches you japanese. summary: despite your best efforts to maintain professionalism, the undeniable tension between you and riki makes it impossible to resist the connection growing between you. it doesn't help that he calls you "noona" at work. warnings: suggestive, kissing, implied smut word count: 2.7k

your professional relationship with riki had been straightforward when he first started. quiet and shy, he took careful notes during meetings, absorbing the work culture like a sponge. as his mentor, you were tasked with guiding him through the ropes, ensuring he understood the nuances of the company.

“make sure he knows what he’s doing,” your boss had instructed, handing you the responsibility like a personal mission. and you took it seriously. riki was younger by a few years, in need of your guidance. at first, he seemed timid, his questions asked in soft tones, his posture always slightly defensive, as if afraid of stepping out of line. you naturally fell into a nurturing role, steering him whenever he seemed unsure, offering advice when necessary. but as time passed, riki's confidence grew, along with a noticeable shift in your dynamic.

it started subtly—small changes in his attitude. his work improved dramatically, and soon he was strutting around with a smirk, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place. his newfound cockiness was relentless, even though you reminded him to stay focused.

“riki,” you sighed, standing by his desk, flipping through his presentation slides. “i told you to cross-reference these with last quarter’s data. this is incomplete.”

he leaned back, arms crossed over his chest, the corner of his mouth twitching into a grin. “i was going to fix it, but i thought i’d leave some for you to correct, noona. keeps me humble.”

you narrowed your eyes, unamused. “this isn’t a game. you can’t slack off just because you’re comfortable. these clients are important, and if we don’t get this right, it’s on both of us.”

his grin faltered, but just as quickly, he masked it with a wink. “got it. i’ll fix it. but only if you promise to let me take you out for dinner when we nail this project.”

you shook your head, suppressing a smile. “this is serious. you missed an email i asked you to forward last week. and calling me ‘noona’ here at work? we need to keep this professional.”

riki straightened, the playful glint in his eyes dimming. “right,” he said, his voice softer. “i’ll keep it professional. but you can’t blame me for trying.”

you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, but deep down, you felt a rush of excitement at his boldness. “i want those revisions by the end of the day, riki. and no more flirting until this is done.”

“yes, ma’am,” he replied, a mock salute on his part, and for the first time in weeks, there was no teasing in his tone.

now, the two of you were working on a critical project, preparing a proposal for a japanese client your company was eager to sign. it wasn’t just a regular pitch; this deal was huge—a make-or-break moment that could lead to long-term collaboration. you had thrown yourself into the task, familiarizing yourself with every detail of the project. but there was one problem: the language barrier. the client preferred to communicate in japanese, and while you had learned some phrases, you were nowhere near fluent.

that’s when it struck you—riki was fluent in japanese. you recalled him casually mentioning it one afternoon, and now that you needed the skill, you struck a deal with him: he’d tutor you in japanese after work, and in return, you’d ensure his involvement in the project didn’t go unnoticed by the higher-ups. a fair exchange, strictly professional, you told yourself.

later that night, during one of your lessons, the atmosphere crackled with unspoken tension. riki sat across from you, leaning forward as you practiced reading a passage. you stumbled over a phrase, and his sharp gaze caught your mistake.

“no,” he corrected, his voice low and firm, sending shivers down your spine. “it’s nihon, not nee-hon. you’re stressing the first syllable too much.”

his tone was both authoritative and teasing, igniting a spark of mischief that made your heart race. “let’s go over that phrase again,” he said, his voice soft yet commanding. you nodded, struggling to focus, but the heat radiating from his body made it impossible to think clearly.

“try it one more time, noona,” he urged, leaning in closer, his breath brushing against your ear. the closeness sent a jolt of electricity coursing through you, and you instinctively shifted, seeking a little more space.

“um, okay,” you stammered, trying to keep your composure, but the way he looked at you—a mix of amusement and something deeper—made your cheeks flush. “i’m trying.”

riki leaned in even closer, his shoulder pressing against yours. “you’re not trying hard enough,” he teased, a smirk playing on his lips. “what’s the matter? feeling a little shy?”

“shy? no,” you protested, your voice barely above a whisper. “i just—”

“just what?” he interrupted, his gaze piercing into yours, his confidence unwavering. “can’t handle a little pressure?”

your heart raced at the challenge in his voice. “at work, i’m your superior, riki. you need to respect that.”

“respect?” he echoed, leaning back just enough to gauge your reaction. “or maybe you need to realize that i’m not the junior anymore. you’re the one who seems to struggle with that.” his eyes danced with mischief, and you felt a thrill race through you.

“riki,” you warned, but your voice faltered, unable to hide the quiver of excitement that danced beneath your words.

“tell me you’re not interested,” he challenged, leaning closer, their faces mere inches apart. the air thickened with tension, and you could feel his warmth enveloping you. “because i know you feel it too.”

before you could respond, the sudden power cut plunged the office into darkness, leaving only the dim emergency lights flickering above. your heart pounded, and the adrenaline heightened every sensation.

“well, i guess that’s the end of tonight’s lesson,” you attempted to joke, but your voice trembled, revealing your unease.

riki’s eyes glinted in the low light, a devilish grin spreading across his face. “no, we’re not done.” he leaned closer again, his hand brushing against yours, sending a wave of heat up your arm.

you pulled back slightly, heart racing. “riki, this isn’t—”

“isn’t what?” he whispered, his voice a low murmur that sent a thrill down your spine. “we both know there’s something between us.”

you opened your mouth to protest, but the urgency in his gaze silenced you. your breath hitched at the finality in his tone. the professional barrier you had carefully constructed was crumbling.

“we should go,” you muttered, fumbling to gather your things. but riki reached out, his hand brushing against yours, halting your movements.

“we could go to your place,” he suggested, his voice dangerously low. “finish the lesson there.”

the implications hung heavily between you. you met his gaze, searching for any trace of the playful riki you’d trained, the one who’d always danced around the line but never crossed it. but there was nothing playful in his expression now—only a raw intensity that made your skin prickle.

you nodded, unable to trust your voice, and within moments, you were heading out of the office together. the ride to your apartment was silent, the weight of what was about to happen sitting thick between you.

the door to your apartment clicked shut behind you, and the familiar surroundings only heightened the surreal nature of what was happening. you barely had time to turn on a light before riki was in front of you, his presence magnetic. the silence between you was thick with everything left unsaid, but his gaze—intense, burning—spoke volumes.

for a moment, neither of you moved, both caught in the tension that had been building for weeks. his eyes swept over your face, lingering on your lips as if contemplating his next move. you stood your ground, refusing to back away even as your pulse raced in anticipation.

“you’re still thinking about work, aren’t you?” his voice was low, teasing. he stepped closer, just close enough that the warmth of his body radiated through the space between you. “always so professional, noona.”

you swallowed, feeling the flutter of nerves in your stomach. “someone has to keep things in check,” you replied, though your voice faltered just slightly, betraying the tug of desire that made your skin prickle with anticipation.

he chuckled, soft and deep. “maybe it’s time you stopped thinking for once.”

before you could react, his hand slid up your arm, fingers curling gently around the nape of your neck as he pulled you toward him. his lips met yours in a kiss that was far from the playful teasing you were used to. it was hungry, intense, like he had been waiting for this moment as long as you had. the taste of him was intoxicating, and before you realized it, you were kissing him back with just as much need.

your back hit the wall softly as his body pressed into yours, every inch of him enveloping you, filling the space around you. his hands trailed down your sides, fingers ghosting over the fabric of your blouse before dipping under the hem, finding bare skin.

“riki,” you whispered, breaking the kiss for a breath, but your voice was breathless, needy. his name left your lips like a confession.

his lips barely left yours as he responded, his voice a raspy whisper. “you keep acting like you’re in control, noona,” he murmured against your skin, his hands now slipping around your waist, pulling you even closer. “but i don’t think you are anymore.”

the challenge in his voice made something inside you snap. you wanted to respond, to assert yourself as you always had, but the heat between you was overwhelming, and before you could muster a reply, his lips were on your neck, pressing soft, hot kisses along your skin that left you trembling.

“i’m not the kid you used to boss around,” he murmured between kisses, his breath warm against your ear. “you can’t keep treating me like i don’t know what i’m doing.”

his hands slid lower, and you gasped as his touch became more insistent, his fingers deftly working to unbutton your blouse. his lips returned to yours, and this time, the kiss was slower, deeper, as if he wanted to savor every second. there was nothing hurried about the way his hands roamed your body, exploring with a confidence that made your head spin.

you tugged at his shirt, pulling it over his head in one swift motion, your fingertips brushing over the smooth lines of his chest. he was handsome, undeniably so, but up close like this—underneath the layers of work clothes and the carefully constructed professionalism—he was breathtaking. your hands trailed over his skin, feeling the tautness of his muscles, the way his breath hitched slightly as you touched him.

he grinned against your lips as you pressed your body into his, feeling the hardness of his form against you. “see?” he whispered, his voice rough with desire. “you can’t even resist me now, noona.”

you wanted to argue, to assert your authority as you always had, but the way he looked at you—like he knew exactly how to unravel you—left you powerless.

his hands made quick work of the rest of your clothes, every movement deliberate, controlled. he was no longer the shy, uncertain junior you had once guided. here, in the dim light of your apartment, riki was commanding, confident, and he knew exactly what he was doing.

he lifted you effortlessly, carrying you to the bedroom, laying you down with a gentleness that contrasted with the heat of the moment. and then he was over you, his hands exploring, his lips trailing over your skin in ways that made your breath hitch. you responded in kind, your fingers digging into his back, pulling him closer, needing him closer.

when his mouth found yours again, it was softer this time, but no less intense. his touch was slow, deliberate, as if he wanted to memorize every inch of your body, every gasp and shiver he elicited. you couldn’t help the sounds that escaped you, soft whimpers that only seemed to spur him on.

“don’t think just because i’m calling you ‘noona’ that i’ll let you keep this up,” he teased, his lips brushing against your ear, sending shivers down your spine. “you’re not the only one who can take charge.”

the air between you was charged with desire, thick with the tension that had been simmering for so long. every touch, every breath shared between you was electric, sending waves of pleasure rippling through your body. you had never imagined this—being here, with him, in this way—but now that you were, there was no going back.

and when he finally claimed you, when the last barriers between you fell away, it was like everything else disappeared. there was no work, no professionalism, no rules—just you and him, bodies moving together in perfect sync, lost in the heat of the moment.

the world outside faded into oblivion, and all that remained was the sound of your mingled breaths, the feeling of his skin against yours, the way he made you feel as though you were the only two people who mattered.

and in that moment, nothing else did.

“i still do want to take you on a dinner date though," riki said, breaking the silence with a light-hearted lilt that hung in the air like a sweet melody.

you pulled back slightly, your eyes searching his, as if seeking confirmation that this wasn’t just a fleeting fantasy. “really?” the question slipped out before you could hold it back, a mix of surprise and delight dancing in your voice.

“yeah, really,” he replied, his smile growing wider. “just you and me. somewhere nice. maybe italian? i hear they have the best pasta in town.”

his words wrapped around you like a warm embrace, grounding you in the moment. you could feel your heart quicken, the anticipation stirring something deep within you. “that sounds perfect. when do you want to go?”

“how about friday?” he suggested, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “i’ll even let you choose the place.”

a laugh escaped your lips, the sound light and airy. “i hope you’re ready for my pick then. i might take you to the best italian place in town, and you’ll be regretting it the next day.”

riki chuckled, the warmth of his laughter making your heart flutter. “i’ll take that risk. besides, i have a feeling it’ll be worth it.”

in that moment, as the soft glow of the streetlights seeped through the window, you felt the weight of the week lift, replaced by the promise of something beautiful on the horizon. but just as the excitement began to settle in, you were pulled back to reality by the sound of your phone vibrating against the table, a harsh reminder of the world outside this blissful bubble.

you glanced at the screen, and the moment slipped slightly, the glow of notifications flickering like an unwelcome reminder. it was a message from a friend, checking in about the weekend plans.

“sorry, i should probably—” you started, but riki gently took your hand, grounding you again.

“hey,” he said softly, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. “you can always reply later. right now, let’s focus on us.”

you looked back at him, the connection reigniting. the moment stretched out like an unbroken thread between you, the world beyond the walls of this room fading once more into insignificance. you nodded, your heart soaring as you settled back into the warmth of his gaze, the future bright and inviting.

“so, friday it is?” you confirmed, your voice steady and full of excitement.

“definitely,” riki replied, a grin breaking across his face, as if he had just won a victory.

and just like that, the evening unfolded around you, a delicate balance of playful teasing and soft confessions, a new chapter beginning to write itself in the quiet spaces between your laughter.

[technoturian]

Regardless of my feelings about the BoS as a whole in the Fallout series, Maximus as a character exceeded all my expectations.

Maximus, honestly, to me, was the most nuanced and best acted character in the series. His situations were fantastical and yet the way he reacted to it all was so grounded. He was like a prestige drama character in a series full of cartoons. Don't get me wrong, I like the cartoons. Fallout leans heavily into parody and it's totally on brand. But Maximus' entire emotional arc was so understated and I really appreciated it.

He isn't a very vocal OR excessively emotive character because he knows being vulnerable hurts him. He shapes himself to that idealized memory of the knight in the armor even as he doesn't seem to really understand or care for the beliefs behind the armor. He's failing his classes as an aspirant. When talking of the BoS beliefs, he throws in a "or whatever". That part of it doesn't matter to him. The armor IS his belief system.

His whole story is about the cycle of violence and toxicity. The bullies who beat him. The abuse he endures. He wants power so that he can escape it but once he gets that chance he's doomed to perpetuate it, because that power is coming from the system. It's tainted. Deep down he doesn't want revenge, he doesn't even want power for power's sake, he wants safety. And he wants to be the hero from his memory, he wants the strength to save himself from this cycle.

And yet, he just keeps making he wrong choices. Over and over and over. He can't get out of it.

And then Lucy throws him a lifeline. And it takes someone from outside of the cycle to break through. And then he makes the choice to do the right thing even though it means making himself weaker, making himself less safe. He chooses to do the right thing for the first time in the show. And it means finally letting go of his dream, the armor.

And he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. He thinks his reward is going to be Vault 33, he's going to be safe and happy with someone who cares about him and makes him feel like a real, good person.

And by the end of the series, he's trapped in the cycle again.

There is just something so delicious about someone getting everything they wanted at the start and being miserable about it. There's something so REAL about wanting to be something but every instinct makes you sabotage yourself every step of the way.

And the thing is, he had all of these little moments of genuineness, selfishness, pettiness, virtue, I genuinely didn't know what he was going to do for most of the show. I thought he might turn on Lucy at some point. I honestly, truly thought he had sabotaged Dane even though Dane was his only friend. He is so morally hard to pin down because he's so full of life's little hypocrisies. His ideals and his feelings are in conflict so much and he doesn't have to look anguished for you to understand that. You just see it in his resigned stares, in his hesitance and his ultimate actions.

I just... I really loved Maximus. Bravo to Aaron Moten.

[linkcharacter]

Really like the recent analysis. I know I speak of curly in a more defensive way than most but I generally try to get the point you made across at the end of the day with my analyses on him and his behaviors.

People love to lock analyses around Curly solely based on what he could’ve done as a physical action and have this avoidance to acknowledging the realistic barriers at play when it comes to those solutions. It’s. The game tries to treat the pre-crash section as if they are grounded in social and organizational realities. So the what if he did this questions about the situation always fall short when the real answer is he either couldn’t or it wasn’t an actual viable option. But then when they talk about what he actually did do it’s surrounded by such bad faith interpretations that his actions were completely intentional or still not affected by outside sources. He’s a very much “road to hell is paved with good intentions” character. He cared too much and that’s a big part of his problem.

There’s such a “perfect victim or nothing” mindset in the fandom where people can’t admit that there are no such things as perfect victims but that also shouldn’t mean that even if there were it would absolve them of the mistakes they made. People want to moralize every action of every character that they don’t realize that some actions are done without any specific morale factor. People just do things, like you said. People assumed failed intentions immediately flip the thought process behind them “he meant to do good but bad happened, he must be bad” and that just is not how people work. It’s how perceptions work but only of the observer.

It’s such a sensitive topic because, yes, you are supposed to be frustrated, even mad, at what Curly didn’t do, but you have to acknowledge the fact these were good intentioned acts even if that good intent did jack squat in the end. That his responses are human and it’s supposed to be uncomfortable and hurt that they were realistic faults of his.

He enabled his friend and it ended bad for everyone including him. No one really tries to argue this fact but everyone seems to think it has to be tied to the morale dilemma and not certain human natures and social factors.

This is all to ask, why do you personally lean towards thinking Curly wouldn’t turn Jimmy in? Are you speaking in the short term of realizing how bad he got or long-term/overall? I feel like he could but it would not be easy and no matter the necessity he’d always have this guilt at feeling bad for doing it.

Ah yes Curly the most imperfect human man character.

Yep yep yep absolutely, people love to assign morality onto characters and call them good or bad and diminishing the depth and nuance of Mouthwashing, filling discussions with bad-faith interpretations or speculating on inconcrete understandings of the incomplete, intentionally vague, context. I adore Mouthwashing to no end for having this oppressive suffocating and constant atmosphere surrounding everything in the game. Really shows off that the environment festers, no one well-meaning guy could create a happy ending with individual actions alone because it's all systematic.

To elaborate from your question tho, at the point Curly was in (if Anya wasn't pregnant scenario), definitely no don't think so (would depend on Anya a too on whether or not she would go to the authorities outside). Curly knew Jimmy was a danger, and I do believe that subconsciously Anya's report to him on Jimmy gnaws at him, but not vividly enough. I want to point out a moment where Anya tells him about the pregnancy, he begins asking "Who would you-", then he's nudged by Anya that she told him and he should know who it is, and he does, instantly saying he's known him a long time and will talk to him. That moment of, for a second not connecting that Jimmy is the assaulter responsible just makes me drag my palm across my face for how much of a man (derogatory) Curly acted like for one dialogue line. Like he just 'forgot' for a brief moment that Jimmy harassed Anya prior? Granted, he instantly believes and takes Anya seriously, immediately dropping the search for the gun he was on in that scene, realizing the severity of the situation and of Jimmy. We also don't know what Anya has told him specifically, how long ago it happened, etc. but the 'implications' of the scene make me believe Jimmy's known sexual harassment on the ship slipped Curly's mind due to him being more invested in "the bigger picture" of Jimmy, not latching onto a harmful and a very serious fucking trivia fact about Jimmy because of his perception of who his friend is as a whole (and with his foggy sleep-deprived mind at the moment), 'losing a needle in a haystack' with how much unknown history Curly and Jimmy shared, so to say.

Maaaybe in some other circumstances, like if Jimmy didn't crash the ship or smth long term I could see him doing it, it would take a lot effort like you said, no matter the necessity. We will never know. If we're going into speculation and imaginary scenarios though, if Anya HERSELF were to try and get justice, Curly would be backing her up undoubtedly (still not disconnecting himself from Jimmy though and feeling guilt on his behalf). But that's all suppositions from my reading of the characters.