#with no way to communicate with anyone she knows

[amphibianauthor]

This! I was also very very lucky to have similar parenting circumstances. I was raised with parents who treated me as a mini-adult that could be explained choices. I will say one of the requirements for this type of parenting style is to understand that your child might be smarter than you in some areas or ask questions you feel like you should know and you don't. And you should be okay telling your child that you don't know something. That your own ego will be okay if you feel stupid.

Let me explain.

As a child, it was an established rule in my house that no questions are bad questions and my parents would ALWAYS answer questions as accurately (but age appropriate) as possible.* Questions were encouraged. If my parents couldn't answer a question right away they'd say something like "I'll answer once we finish x."

Questions were never a thing to be demonized in my house. Whenever I had questions/feelings, I always felt like I could go to my parents for advice or feedback without judgement. No matter the feelings we were allowed to question everything--from the rules they made, the reasoning behind said rules, why my parents were feeling a certain way, why grandparents might act specific ways, why I was being treated a certain way, I could question it and get an honest, truthful answer back. No passive aggressiveness ever either, No question was ever stupid in their eyes, genuinely. (There are too many teachers who say that exact quote and then give kids judgmental looks for asking things or being like 'well if you were paying attention to xyz')

Now, eventually your kid will ask you questions that might get under your skin or make you feel inferior because you feel like you don't know the answers. The trick is to be excited for them. That they are questioning the world and knowing things that interest them. (We don't get mad at a scientist for being smart in their expertise, those scientists were kids once!)

Like the other responses in this thread, by encouraging questions, I never felt like I was being interrogated when I made a bad choice (I personally didn't make many) because I could explain the reasoning behind it and talk about the reasoning why I chose that action, and what natural consequences might be waiting for me.

Another technique my parents employed was the voluntary 5 minute timeout. Anyone in my family at any moment when they felt upset or angry could announce that they needed a 5 minute break and then go get space to cool down.** (Yes even my parents did this at times, taking a 5 minute break) It was a respected thing, if you asked for space you got it. Sometimes the person would rejoin before the 5 minutes were up having cooled down, but after the 5 minutes people were allowed to check up on you and talk things through if things were wrong.

I can't tell you how useful it is to have an instant timeout button. It allows both parties the ability to recenter back to logic/reasoning if emotions run too high, and feel like you are never backed into a corner emotionally. You always have an out. You are praised/respected for understanding that your emotions might run high. Even with my anxiety I am not scared to ask for a break if I need it because it was modeled for me as a child.

Another one of my parents tricks: Using "I feel" statements. My mom pushed this especially, but the difference between 'you never do x!' (accusing, assuming things about the other person) and 'I feel like you never do x!' (communicating while showing your POV, gives the other person a chance to respond, overall less harsh) is a game changer. It focuses on empathizing with the person (letting them know your feelings and hopefully getting them to understand how you are seeing the world.)

*yes, all questions. I once asked my mom if 5 y/o me would have asked where baby's came from what she would tell me and she said she would literally did the 👉 👌 gesture with explanation of which sex had what body parts. I apparently never asked at that young though

**When I was really young, my parents would do the timeout thing as a 'hey, we see the rollercoaster of emotions is high, why don't you take a 5 minute break for space' and they would keep me in the same room but give me more space/or separate room with many checkups on me.

I am exceptionally lucky in that my parents never hit me, grounded me, confiscated my things, banned me from my hobbies or threatened any of these actions to make me behave as a kid. as an adult it has made me realise how very very long a road most people have to traverse before they can take a statement like 'no rule that must be enforced by threat is legitimate' seriously.

[genderisareligion]

The elusive "TERF" is actually just a mirror

All its devotees know is projection. When I started this blog in late 2020 I more frequently used the tag #DARVO in action to start keeping track of the blatant lies TRAs spew that are really just a tell about their crowd (DARVO = Deny Attack Reverse Victim Offend, a strategy used often by DV abusers) and I just have to start making this cumulative post because:

They're now saying John Money was a radical feminist. Lmfao 💀 The male cracker extraordinaire (we don't even think males can be feminists let alone human most of the time) most responsible for the word gender's mistranslation as something that describes human behavior rather than the behavior of languages (most of which aren't even English), the idiot torturer who's a major reason the intersex community has to guard itself so fiercely against "normative" surgeries, who once claimed that anyone skeptical of his "girl = pink, boy = blue, I must fix anyone else" theories actually just believed that "masculinity and femininity are baked into the genes and women should get back to the kitchen" (sound familiar? What are "TERFs" always being accused of?) Like bro that's you

"TERFs are fascists who need everyone to fit into the male or the female box" actually gender abolition would mean no more boxes besides the purely categorical chromosomal ones we can't help from birth, and actually trying to force everyone to fall somewhere on a scale of femininity and masculinity and positing intersex conditions as the "middle" creates an unnecessary dichotomy amongst particularly females, where a woman born with PCOS is considered "less female" than one without regardless of how she "identifies," and the more "masculine" you are (whatever that even means) the more your body requires meds and surgery.

"TERFs align with fascists" but y'all are the ones with the Big Pharma billions paving your way so lol sorry not sorry but as a Negro it's giving the way they used to experiment on us for profit, refine their methods for research and leave us for dead or permanently disabled. And y'all think it's empowering? You think they actually care that you're personally fulfilled? You think they won't pull another Henrietta Lacks? You think all these detrans people are just flukes? They'll take your thousands of dollars until you're in debt and pump you full of more dubious "treatment" as long as it means they get to keep quietly going home to their white picket fences where all their loved ones are fine pretending they're heroes rather than profiting off others' pain. What is fascism if not allowing the medical establishment to "correct undesirables"?

"TERFs are Nazis" but the "first ever transgender surgery" on "trans woman" Lillie Ebe was performed by literal fucking Nazi Erwin Gohrbrandt who believed "mentally ill people were considered 'feeble-minded' (this was an actual, formal term) and homosexuals were considered to also be 'feeble-minded' and have inferior genes." Fun fact, Lillie was also a fucking Nazi.

"TERFs are all white supremacists" but everyone I just mentioned up there is a fucking white supremacist and not even Google agrees with you there, searches for the word TERF are done almost entirely in Western nations like the US and UK, whereas searches for radfem are balanced worldwide and in fact an African country is #1 on one of those lists, and you can't argue that those searches are by TERFs themselves because "try Googling TERF right now and seeing how many if any positive references show up"

I have more after 4 years lol but lemme cook

[dreamwreaver]

ngl it's surprising to see how many parallels from canon ships Charlastor has with. lucilith, stolitz, Millie x Moxxie (have no clue what their ship name is) and Huskerdust(not canon yet but there's definitely a few similar traits charlastor shares with it)

For a non-canon ship, it sure is similar to a lot of canon relationships

If hazbin was made by literally any other person charlastor would be endgame canon. Viv has made a couple of comparisons about what chaggie is "allegedly" like that I simply don't see. They're like Jack and Sally, no because Sally never told Jack stop being the person you are to please others she actually told him to stop being something your not to try and fill an emotional void.

Oh, they made chaggie canon because the boarders were working on scenes where Charlie is talking to her partner and they just kept drawing vaggie in there because there was so much chemistry. Like, can we see this fucking amazeballs script that had the boarders sticking vaggie in all those moments because from where I'm standing show vaggie doesn't even pass the sexy lamp test. We already know chaggie wasn't originally supposed to be canon because Proto Vaggie was paired with angel dust! So what exactly is so captivating about Charlie and Vaggie's dynamic that they're established canon and yet don't feel like it? And before anyone says "well they've been together a while so it's dumb to expect them to be as passionate as the beginning"

Fizzmodeus. I don't care that Ozzie's the embodiment of lust. Half the time we saw those two together the point of their dynamic was demonstrating how stupidly in love they were while trying to disguise it as simple sexual attraction. And just based off simple math; fizz met Ozzie after becoming mammon's heir right? That clown competition has been held every year since fizz first won it right? And by the time he quits he's been doing it for nearly 10 years. Even being generous and figuring fizz and Ozzie didn't immediately get together I would still wager based on Ozzie's protectiveness, the detailed portrait in his office, the fact that he has a first aid kit with ready to go robotic limb placements it's been at least 5 years they've been together. So in that 5-10 year range they are still so in love it's sickening and obvious enough to everyone that the general reaction to the public finding out was "I knew it!"

And before we say that it was constrained for time, fizzmodeus before season 2 had a song, and Ozzie comforting fizz after he'd been knocked out. And the entire fandom clocked them as a ship. Even if they weren't originally intended to be, like chaggie, like huskerdust too, we can see them as a pre-established couple that STILL has chemistry despite having their own lives and having been together for a while.

Ozzie flat out refused to give stolas a crystal because fizz hated blitz, was trusted enough to be given the details of the worst day of fizz's life, could clock immediately once fizz and blitz had reconciled that this was the person who had his most important person's back and could be counted on. And even though Ozzie didn't like that fizz felt obligated to continue on with the clown thing for mammon, communicated that he didn't like how so many people saw fizz as a product to be bought and enjoyed, didn't like having to be the one in charge of MAKING that product, he never stopped fizz from making his own choices, he supported his partner in MEANINGFUL ways that do not change the essence of who fizz is. He listens and offers support if not solutions, encouragement that their partner can handle themselves and they will be there if needed.

Who does that for Charlie? Who refuses to leave her alone while she falls into a pit of self loathing? Really look Charlie and alastor's screen time in hello Rosie. Alastor is very calculating, and when he chooses to speak is exactly as important as what he chooses to say.

1. He doesn't like seeing Charlie wallow in self pity, as condescending as it likely comes across we already know he loves seeing Vox with his tail between his legs and doesn't believe in Charlie's goals so why wouldn't he take the opportunity to gloat about being right?

2. While he may like to prey on overconfidence in his victims we already know Charlie would have been more than willing to sell her soul for a chance at protecting her people. She was at her lowest point and rather than striking when she was in her darkest most defeated place he chose to wait until she was good and pissed and STILL didn't ask for her soul.

I fully believe he intended to make her mad because being mad means you're more than likely to do something about it. He antagonizes her on purpose so her fire comes back. When they go to Rosie's (which, again, we know he chose because cannibal town caters to Charlie's natural communication style) he only does enough to make sure Charlie's needs are clearly communicated to the overlord and provides a tangible benefit catered to their sensibilities. And when she's fully ready to be herself he does the equivalent of putting his actual heart in her hands. He had every confidence she could convince the other cannibals to join her cause. And then again the night before they could all die; he gives her his mic AGAIN. Charlie and Alastor might as well be pre-established canon because he does all the emotional work of a partner and they work together so seamlessly even when he's doing things she doesn't particularly like she knows why he does business the way he does.

[puttersmile]

HeartnSol community!

Heart & Sol Month Days 1, 10 & 26

Prompts are "First Meeting", "Sleep" and "Facing Fears".

Short Story Below!

I Can't Sleep

Bobby didn’t want to be here.

Glowshade Lodge was too isolated, too creaky, too empty. The walls groaned with every gust of wind, the floorboards sighed under the weight of footsteps that didn’t belong to her, and the lights flickered—even though there was no storm. It didn’t feel like a place people were supposed to live.

She would have much rather been at home. Instead, she was stuck here for the weekend, trapped with a bunch of kids she barely knew, all of them sent here as part of a “wilderness experience”—a program meant to teach independence, teamwork, and survival skills. The rangers running the trip had called it an adventure. Bobby called it a waste of time.

Most of the kids seemed to agree. Some tried to make the best of it, but Bobby could already tell no one wanted to be here. The lodge was old, the air always carried the scent of damp wood, and the only thing to do was hike, gather firewood, and listen to the rangers tell campfire stories that were probably meant to scare them.

She wasn’t impressed.

And she wasn’t in the mood to bond with anyone.

Including them.

Dogday and Catnap—brothers. One loud, one quiet. Opposites in nearly every way.

Dogday acted like he owned the place, chatting up everyone like he had lived here for years. He was full of easy grins and self-proclaimed “pro-tips” about how to handle the wild. Meanwhile, Catnap barely spoke. He just watched, his heavy-lidded gaze drifting over people like he wasn’t fully awake. Or maybe, Bobby thought, like he was seeing something the rest of them weren’t.

She wasn’t sure what to make of them yet. And she certainly hadn’t expected to end up hiding under the same bunk bed as them just hours after meeting them.

Bobby woke up to a sound.

A creak. Slow. Deliberate.

At first, she thought it was just the wind rattling the lodge, the way it had been doing since sundown. But as she lay there, she heard it again—closer this time.

Her ears twitched.

That wasn’t the wind.

Someone—something—was moving in the hallway.

Bobby’s breath caught in her throat. She stayed still, every instinct screaming at her not to move.

Across the room, Dogday shifted.

She hadn’t even realized he was awake.

He met her gaze, his floppy ears twitching, his whole body tensed. He had heard it too. And Bobby could tell, just by the way his jaw was set, that he was fighting the urge to growl.

Dogday had this low, buzzing growl that kicked in whenever he sensed danger—something quiet, but tense, like he was a frayed wire just waiting to snap. The first time Bobby heard it earlier that day, she had thought it sounded like a tiny electric toothbrush. She almost told him that. Decided against it.

But now, that sound was starting up in his throat.

And Bobby realized, with a sinking feeling, that he didn’t even know he was doing it.

The wind howled against the lodge.

The creaking in the hallway stopped.

Then, a whisper.

“Go back to sleep.”

Bobby’s breath hitched.

It wasn’t coming from the hallway.

It was coming from inside the room.

Her head snapped up just in time to see Catnap’s bed was empty.

She barely had time to process that before Dogday grabbed her wrist, yanking her off the bed without a sound and pulling her under the lower bunk with him.

Bobby landed face to face with Catnap, who was already curled up under there, tail flicking anxiously. Waiting.

He pressed a finger to his lips.

Stay quiet.

Bobby barely had time to nod before the door creaked open.

Something entered the room.

She couldn’t see it.

But she could hear it.

A slow, dragging sound—like something heavy being pulled across the wooden floor.

The air grew colder.

Bobby’s fingers dug into the blanket.

Dogday went rigid beside her. His growl started to rise again—

Then Catnap moved fast.

Before Bobby even knew what was happening, Catnap clamped a hand over Dogday’s mouth, pressing down firmly.

Dogday’s eyes went wide. He struggled for a second, that electric-buzz growl still vibrating in his throat, but Catnap didn’t let go.

He just shook his head once—sharp, firm.

Not now. Not here.

And then—

Sniff.

The creature breathed in, slow and heavy.

Bobby swallowed down a whimper, pressing both hands over her own mouth to stifle it.

It knew they were there.

But it didn’t know where.

The floorboards creaked as it bent down.

Bobby felt it before she saw it—the weight of something peering into the bunk.

Then—

A breath. Right next to her ear.

“Go back to sleep.”

Her heart stopped.

She clenched her eyes shut, willing herself not to move.

If they moved—if they so much as twitched—

It would. Find. Them.

The night stretched on.

Bobby swore, at one point, she could feel it waiting.

Testing them.

She lost track of time listening to its slow, dragging movements.

And then—

Click.

The faintest sound.

Like a door shutting.

And then—

Silence.

Morning light crept in through the cracks in the old wooden lodge.

None of them moved.

They just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Bobby was the first to break.

“…That was real, right?” she whispered.

Dogday swallowed. “Yeah.”

Next to them, Catnap finally blinked.

“…It talked to me first,” he muttered, his voice groggy. “Tried to get me to run.”

Bobby shuddered. “But you didn’t.”

Catnap’s tail flicked. “Didn’t feel right.”

Dogday ran a hand over his face. “Yeah, well. We’re alive, so I’d say that was a good call.”

Bobby frowned. “We should tell someone.”

Dogday hesitated. Then—

“No one’ll believe us.”

She frowned. “You don’t know that!"

“You wanna explain how a big, creepy, sniffin’ monster got into a ranger’s lodge without breaking a single door?”

Bobby opened her mouth—then closed it.

He had a point.

“…So what do we do?” she muttered.

Dogday sighed.

“…Guess we just pretend we slept fine.”

Bobby exhaled.

She hated that answer.

But she hated the idea of being brushed off even more.

So, with a deep breath, she nodded. “Fine.”

Then, after a long pause—

“…Thanks.”

Dogday blinked. “For what?”

“…For not making me deal with that alone.”

Dogday snorted. “Yeah, well. If it had gotten you, I’d have to explain to the rangers why we suddenly had one less critter in this lodge. Sounds like a hassle.”

Bobby rolled her eyes. “You’re so compassionate.”

Dogday chuckled. “I try.”

Above them, Catnap stretched. He'd returned to his favorite top bunk, tail flicking lazily. Dogday peeped up at his brother and smiled. We should really be thanking my buddy Catnap! He was the real quick thinker last night."

Catnap grinned lopsidedly. "Just doing my brotherly duties. Next time, try not to sound like a broken toothbrush when there’s a monster in the room."

Dogday gasped, ears and tail spiking. "Sound like a what?!"

Bobby laughed loudly. Nearly doubled over. She couldn't help it.

Maybe she hadn’t been the only one scared tonight.

For the first time since she arrived, she felt safer. And happier.

End.

Author Note: Bobby isn't a reliable narrator. The lodge is old but it isn't a bad place to stay. Thought it could use some renovations.

Also a lot of kids love to play there. Hoppy especially.

[kirrryash]

While making this drawing (and also the sketches) I was thinking about this universe and I had two options for the backstory of this moment.

In the first one the reincarnation of Kikyo had happened way sooner and Kagome had become a dark miko, meeting Inuyasha she had immediately granted his wish to become a full demon and here they are, happily wreaking havoc in the area and being a menace to anyone entering their territory.

The other one, well something weird happened: I found THE FIC. Someone wrote the exact scenario I had in mind, different details and premise, yes, but the feeling is exactly what I had in mind and was trying to communicate: battered Kagome finds peace and reassurance in the arms of a monster less monstrous than the men in that period, someone naturally dangerous but not someone evil, and yes, this may twist her, make her look less human to other people but in the end she is still way more kind than most and this is what made her able to see the kindness in Inuyasha. I don't know the author and the fic came out in the days this image was posted, so I can't even say I read it and forgot about it, but it was such a pleasure to see this idea put into words, in such a beautiful prose, and I want to share it with you all! Warnings for really dark themes and sexual assault (not inukag, they are good babies!) I hope this breaks you and puts you back together like it did for me 🧡

Valuable - by anonymous

"You hear that Inuyasha? They say I should step away from you... For my safety! How cute."

[evilbookworm]

“Mike loves El”— At this point I’ve seen so many people in your asks give very good detailed reasonings disproving that. If Milkvan’s still want to go on and on about Mike’s love for El than so be it. Bet on a losing horse. What I want to get to the bottom of is: Why does El love Mike? What has Mike done for El to make her love him?

With a couple like Jonathan and Nancy we can clearly see the love and understanding and support from both sides They are a pair. A team. They communicate well and they apologize and own up to their mistakes when they are wrong. They were so good together in season 1 that it made people root for them really hard to get together in season 2.

El tells Mike she loves him after a season where their relationship was at its absolute worst. I can’t see why she could possibly love him. All they do is awkwardly make out and have cute/silly surface level moments together. They don’t have deep meaningful conversations like every other canon couple. They don’t see eye-to-eye. They don’t share in each others interests. I definitely don’t see a viable reason for her to like him (in season 3) let alone love him. Where is the love? When did it happen? What did El see that I missed? Did she love him when, right after their break up, he comfortably lounged on the couch and shoved handfuls of chips in his mouth? Or was it when he called her a “species” and complained to Lucas about her? Is it when he got super paranoid and was convinced that El and Max were conspiring against him? Or maybe it was when instead of actually apologizing and resolving their issues he just made a silly little quip about M&M’s to her? Maybe that did it.

On the other side of things it’s very easy to see why Will loves Mike. Mike is attentive to Will like no other. He treats him like an equal. They have very meaningful conversations. They have shared interests. Mike makes Will feel supported and comforted and makes sure his thoughts and feelings are validated. Anyone who has watched season 2 can clearly see that. They have a very good relationship. They trust each other on a different level. They see each other as a team. They are a pair.

“If we’re both going crazy maybe we can go crazy together?”

Every season since season 2 Mike and Will have been together right by each others sides throughout everything. Whereas El has been removed from Mike and the group for huge chunks of time season after season, sometimes the entire season, to go on some self discovery journey that allows her to come into her own and grow more as a person—away from Mike. Each season they grow farther and farther apart.

Do Mike and El care about each other deeply? Yes! Of course! El was a traumatized kid who knew nothing but negativity. She was seen as a weapon; not a child. No one showed her love or safety. Then she found Mike and he cared for her like no one else had. He was the first to show her kindness and friendship. Mike was a bullied kid with a lot of insecurities who went through a traumatizing situation.

Both of them want to be loved. To be accepted for who they are. They both fell for what they thought was love without knowing what it should look like. It’s not love—not in that way.

Yes. Literally yes. I have so many bylers coming into my ask box making detailed, correct analyses of Mike and Will’s relationship, then I have the milkvans come in with one sentence answers like, “he remembered here bennys burgers t shirt!!”…do they even hear how stupid they sound?

And you’re soooo right. El doesn’t love Mike romantically either. She also has sort of idolized him, (the shrine in her bedroom in season 4) and it seems both of them don’t see each other as equals, but above each other. I see this stated all the time with Mike, but never with El. I think it’s a really important detail that contributes to why mileven doesn’t work.

Jancy is a perfectly healthy couple, supportive and open with each other. Even in season 4, we see their conflict resolved at the end with their talk. We don’t have that with El and Mike. Why? If Mike and El are such a good couple, why wouldn’t they parallel jancy? There is a pair of “friends” who do parallel them though, aren’t there? Mike and Will.

Yup, yup, yup. El doesn’t have many reasons to love Mike romantically either. They just don’t work. All of season 3 is a complete, awkward mess like you said. Mike is a bit of an asshole the middle half of the season. And, (please don’t kill me for this) El also doesn’t respect Mike’s boundaries. She spys on him and doesn’t apologize either. They’re both in the wrong. They both don’t love each other like that. Season 3 is really a complete mess of their unhealthy relationship.

Accurate. Will’s Mike is easy for Will to love, because Mike isn’t pretending anymore. He’s being his true self. When they fight, Mike apologizes immediately. They’ve probably had the most heart to hearts out of any other couple. Certainly more than mileven. The entirety of season 2 was Mike loving and helping Will through everything, even when he was possessed. That’s why it’s so easy for Will to love Mike. His Mike is a different one than El has.

You’re so right, anon. El has been shown to grow more independent through out the seasons. Season 2 has her fighting alongside Kali and realizing the full extent of her powers, season 3 has her discovering herself as a person, and season 4 has her discovering her past. And eventually saving Max. Meanwhile Mike and Will have been by each others sides since always. Because they’re Mike and Will.

And yes, Mike and El do love each other! I believe it is completely platonic though, because neither of them have the capability of loving each other the way they want to be loved. But I believe they will stay good friends after their break up, and perhaps even become closer because of it. They are kind of bonded, in a platonic way, but I don’t think it was ever meant to go beyond that.

And yes, both of them loved because they were almost, well, pressured to. Nancy and Lucas with Mike, and El’s complete unawareness of dating lead them both straight into a fake love. They fell in love with the idea of each other, I think. Even idolization, like I said earlier. They don’t love each other how they want to be loved.

[smashorpassgilf]

yeah no from what I know alison bechdel is an ally. there are even comics abt trans butch lesbians going around that she made way back when that are clearly supportive so I think this is just a matter of her using the lingo she is used to

Ok so everything I'm finding about this was in before 2017 - a very transphobic time in a lot of third wave feminism. Everything I looked into in Allison's past is at least 8-10 years old.

My decision is this: I am not your moral compass, and you do not have to forgive Allison for her transphobia in her past. You can hold it against her if that is your prerogative. I am not saying she has interrogated her transphobic beliefs. However, Allison has publicly supported and defended the transgender community in the last decade.

I am OK with keeping her on the blog due to TERFs more recently than 2017 directly targeting her credibility due to her support of the transgender community.

Again. You do not have to forgive her for her actions over the years. But as with other candidates who have retracted their former beliefs and have worked to negate their past actions, I am allowing her to stay on.

I will not be posting the link to the accusations as I do not want to have anyone send hate.

[thechildofshadows]

A DAY FOR LOVE

Avery Grambs/Jameson Hawthorne - 2k

Alright!!! This is my sad, sad attempt at fluff, and I also haven't written since like June, so I've had about half a year to lose my writing skills to the mess that is social media. This fic happens between The Hawthorne Legacy and the Final Gambit. When we first see our OTP, they've just told the world that they're dating, and they're preparing for a charity gala. (anyone can read- I rated this General Audiences on Ao3) have fun!

T-MINUS FOUR HOURS (BEFORE THE GALA)

“You’re nervous.” The statement came from Jameson, who saw right through her rapid finger-tapping as more than just an outlet for boredom.

Out of all of the things Avery needed to do that day, filling out forms seemed like the least stressful- and yet, it didn’t seem to curb her anxiety.

She looked up from her desk, and watched Jameson lean his back against the doorframe, putting her in the center of his field of vision.

“Of course I’m nervous! The Hawthorne Foundation Gala is today, and for some reason I’m doing taxes-“

“-and for your pain and suffering, you deserve at least a year’s worth of chocolate donuts!” Xander burst into the room, bearing said chocolate donuts and nearly knocking over Jameson. He tossed his brother a donut before taking a better look at Avery. “I fear you may require a stronger source of sugar with the amount of stress coming from you.” he placed the donuts on her desk.

When Avery didn’t take a donut, he raised an eyebrow. “Does this have nothing to do with taxes and everything to do with an upcoming press release involving the two of you?”

Avery looked at him, seeming close to panic, and both of Xander’s eyebrows went up. “I will take that as a yes, leave this room, and strongly recommend you lovebirds speak to each other.”

Jameson left the door and stood against her desk, facing away. “Do you regret this, Heiress?”

Avery stood and braced herself on the desk. “Of course not. You know that, I know that, but does everyone else know?”

Jameson looked at her. “We’re doing this so that everyone knows. I don’t know if they’ll believe us, but they’ll be informed.”

Avery turned around, and leaned against Jameson. “They’re never going to believe or accept it. This community is weird, Jameson. They hate me enough as is, they’re never going to accept us together.”

Jameson raised an amused eyebrow. “Is that what you think?”

“What?”

“Look, you gave Alisa the picture and the caption yesterday. She posted it about two minutes ago-“

“-when the donuts came?” Avery’s shock was mixed with anger and relief and it caused Jameson to give her a small smirk.

“-yes, when the donuts came. I think you’re prepared for the worst, Heiress, but maybe not as prepared for the reception we’re truly receiving.” He handed her her phone.

Avery rapidly opened up Instagram and found her phone filled with notifications. She checked her latest post and found a picture of herself and Jameson covered in paint, from the day the two had built and painted her desk. In the photo, she gave Jameson a kiss on the cheek and it was captioned ‘first love ❤️❤️’.

It had over a million likes.

“Wait, a million?” Jameson leaned over her shoulder to look at her phone. It felt oddly domestic and she embraced the feeling. “Alisa said it had 10,000. It’s been less than five minutes, how is the app still running?”

Avery shrugged, a smile finding its way onto her lips. She opened up the comment section.

angel_face222 THEYRE SO CUTE

SONICSCREAMS people date this guy?

reply from lia-eliza dude imagine the kids 😍😍

HOT_TO_GO OPPOSITES ATTRACT CONFIRMED?????

      reply from SONICSCREAMS didn't she date his brother 😭 like that one interview

laffytaffyhappy does this mean he’ll stop being all law-breaky or will she start doing illegal shit.

my-name-is-slim-shaky wait, I lwk never imagined this, but they work so well together, it's my new OTP

theCALENDARRR oh to be young and in love.

      reply from I_is_calculator you're like 16

      reply from theCALENDARR shut up Jessica

      reply from I_is_calculator my name is Elena 😭

Jameson stopped her from scrolling further. "Look, the reception isn't all going to be puppies and chocolate donuts. But I think you're doing pretty good if Instagram thinks it’s not propaganda.”

"Jameson, that was five people out of-" she checked the phone again. "nine thousand comments."

Jameson shrugged. "I highly doubt they're the only five positive ones, Heiress, you would've had a harder time finding it otherwise."

Alisa, who Avery hadn't seen since that morning, walked into the room holding a large garment bag, followed by a makeup artist. "Congratulations, Avery. That's one of the most positively recieved posts I've ever seen on your account."

Jameson raised an eyebrow at Avery, giving her a look that said I told you so, and Avery let go of a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. "You're not joking?"

"Have you ever known Alisa to joke?" Alisa glared at Jameson, who punctuated the statement with a smirk.

Alisa turned to Avery. "About 95% of the general public reacted well, and out of that 5% that didn't, most were teenage girls."

Avery sighed. "As expected."

With the problem mostly settled, Alisa clapped her hands. "Okay, then, onto the rest of our duties. Avery, you have a gala in about four hours. Jameson, get out."

Jameson opened his mouth to protest and then decided against it, for he closed his mouth and dropped a kiss on the top of Avery's head before leaving.

Avery turned to Alisa. "You didn't have to kick him out."

Alisa closed the door behind Jameson, before ushering Avery to the bathroom. "Once you figure out how to get your makeup on while holding a conversation with him, he'll be allowed to stay. We need you both there on time, and you take significantly longer to get ready than he does."

T-MINUS ONE HOUR (Before the gala)

Jameson wasn’t exactly one to panic, but neither was Avery. He began tapping his foot and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

Alisa had left him a selection of four ties and matching pocket squares, and Jameson assumed he was supposed to wear them with a tuxedo. He pulled out the garment bag containing the black one, and began slowly buttoning his shirt.

The sounds of Hakuna Matata filled the room while he tucked his shirt in, and Jameson sighed before picking up his phone. Xander had set his ringtone over two weeks ago; Jameson hadn't gotten around to hacking it yet.

"How are ya doin', Jamie?"

"You live three doors down, why don't you tell me?" he hung up the call.

Not two seconds later, Nash strolled into his room, wearing flannel over jeans and a band t-shirt.

"You look like a waiter. Didn’t Grayson ever teach you to dress yourself?” he took a look toward the rest of the clothing Jameson had set out to wear.

Jameson ran a hand through his hair. “I look the same. I wore this last week.” 

“And then someone asked you for champagne. And you socked them in the face.”

He then proceeded to walk into Jameson's closet -"There’s nothing wrong with what I'm wearing!" "People are gonna ask you for more caviar; Grayson told me to not let you leave the house like that."- and after rummaging for two minutes, found a waistcoat that he didn't even know existed. It was the exact color of the tie Jameson wanted to pick, but Nash procured a black tie and pocket square.

"I think this is the same color as her dress, but honestly, it's gonna be dark, who's gonna see?" Nash held up the waistcoat, as if the nonexistant light would help him see better. 

Jameson took it from him. "Have I ever worn this?"

"Maybe. You were also drinking a lot, so I doubt you or the news remembers." Nash sniffed the cloth. "You would never even know. It doesn't even smell like bourbon."

Jameson raised an unimpressed eyebrow as he began to put his tie on.. “Don’t tell me you’re being serious.”

Nash crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “I couldn’t tell you whether it was true or not, Jamie, you wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said.”

Jameson buttoned up his waistcoat. “A wise man takes all truths with a grain of salt.” 

“Bullshit.” Nash drew out the first syllable.

Jameson gave his brother a smirk. “Don’t you know it.” He grabbed the suit jacket and left.

1.5 HOURS IN

“Oh hello dear!” The sound of posh over-confidence crept up behind Avery, who quickly turned.

“Mrs. Anderson!” The woman was one of the slightly pushy heads of a charity created to support budding culinary minds. While incredibly specific, the charity had sent over a thousand students to culinary school, who went on to open restaurants that were all doing pretty well. Avery didn’t mind the woman; she was a lot nicer than most of the attendees, and used her reach to benefit the people who needed it. “How are you, ma’am?”

“I’m doing great, darling, but we need to talk about that dress. You look stunning!”

Avery was draped in dark red silk, covering one arm, and hugging her body until it hit her hips, where it flowed in waves, just shy of reaching the ground. The asymmetrical neckline and bottom of the skirt were covered in minimal silver embroidery-visible when the light hit just so. Alisa had shoved her in a pair of black stilettos, and curled her hair, painting her lips with the same red as her dress. A silver choker was clasped around her throat, matching her earrings and the bracelets on her left hand.

She thanked the woman, handing her a glass of champagne, and asked, “Have you heard about the charity we’re sponsoring today?”

Avery and the woman chatted for a couple of minutes as Avery convinced her to donate thousands of dollars out of pocket.

“Cancer truly is a scary thing.” Mrs. Anderson smiled softly. “I lost my husband to lung cancer. I doubt the majority of these people consider the research worth funding.”

“They think they’re untouchable.” Avery said.

“Precisely, my dear.” The woman grabbed another glass of champagne before looking behind Avery. “Oh, I must add, you and Jameson Hawthorne are a beautiful couple.”

Avery felt her cheeks heat and she looked down, but Mrs. Anderson hadn’t finished. “The amount of love you two have for each other is simply incredible. Just being in the same room as you two makes me feel like an outsider; your bond is so sweet.”

Avery paused. Same room? She turned and saw an incredibly familiar face.

Jameson Hawthorne had finally showed up. He wore a dark grey suit-so dark it was nearly black, with a waistcoat the color of wine and silver chains. His tie matched his suit jacket and his hair was artfully arranged, neat with enough personality such that he still looked like himself.

Mrs. Anderson gave Avery a soft smile. “You two look at each other like a man seeing the stars for the first time in years. If this isn’t true love, I don’t know what is!”

Avery’s lips parted. “Really?”

“Oh trust me darling, you and Jameson are something that happens once in a lifetime.” The woman winked and walked away, exchanging greetings with Jameson, who was headed Avery’s way.

She motioned towards the side of the room, and he showed up a minute later with two wineglasses.

She leaned on a pillar and he stood her to her. “You look beautiful, Heiress.” Jameson handed her the wineglass as he said the statement.

Avery smiled. “And yet, you still upstage me by millions. How has this gala gone so far?”

Jameson grimaced and drained the wineglass like a shot. “All people want to talk about is the fact that I’m ‘off the market and it’s such a shame and won’t I please put in a good word for Grayson’ - if I hear another woman tell me any of that, I’m going through the old man’s whiskey stash.”

Avery suppressed a smile and switched their glasses. She doubted she would drink the wine, and Jameson seemed like he needed it more than she did. Jameson wasn’t usually this open, and she wondered if the wine wasn’t his first drink of the night. “You seem like you’ve had fun.”

Jameson shot her a smirk. “And you should be prepared for more, Heiress,” he clinked his glass against hers, “because I believe the slow dances just started.”

For the few hours, Jameson and Avery alternated between spinning around the dance floor and resting at the bar. Their routine was occasionally interrupted by a speech, a person or both, but by the end of the night, they had raised over a million dollars to charity. The venue closed, but they stayed for an additional thirty minutes to supervise cleanup.

  It took about forty minutes to get back to Hawthorne House and once they made it to Avery’s room, she tossed her heels into her closet and sat on the nearest chair.

Avery sighed. “I am never doing this again.” She stood up and began removing her jewelry, shedding her media persona for the sake of comfort.

Jameson unzipped her dress. “I highly doubt that.”

Avery shot him a look and she had to stifle a laugh when he mirrored it.

Once they were both changed and under the covers, Avery turned to Jameson and propped her head on a hand. “Do you know what day it is?”

Jameson’s eyes glittered and Avery knew he knew the answer. “The fourteenth?”

Avery rolled her eyes. “Valentine’s Day.”

Jameson smirked. “An astute observation, Heiress. And while one AM is a perfectly reasonable time to exchange gifts and other things, I don’t think you want to leave this bed right now.”

Avery nodded. “Definitely not.”

“Then Happy Valentine’s Day, Heiress, and I’ll see you when we inevitably wake up in six hours.”

Avery laughed and pulled him in for a kiss. When they broke apart, she whispered, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Jameson.”

And if she woke up the next day with several news articles focusing on the gala (or rather its hosts), well, she was going to ignore it all and spend the entire day with her amazing boyfriend.

fin.

Alright- 2.5 thousand words later, I wish you a happy Valentine’s Day!

(or just a happy Friday if you don’t have plans like me 😄)

(dividers are from @/cafekitsune)

please like, reblog and leave feedback in the comments. Or just throw tomatoes at me. Anything works.

I also realize now that im going to keep writing even if the reception is negative, so if you want to be added to the taglist, let me know!

expect another fic in 1-2 weeks, more likely 2 than one.

[flowerhashira-kanae]

She nods to acknowledge them and smiles softly. She was glad that they didn’t fear her. She giggles softly at the little tug of war in the corner and continues her conversation with Tsuki. “Yes that is very convenient since no one would worry too much about a spider and the communication won’t take too long or get misconstrued.” She thought about it more. That would be a really good way to talk between slayers without getting noticed by anyone too. She frowns at the thought of scaring the younger slayers. She hated to say it because it made her sound like her meaner counterpart but the slayers had become quite weak and wimpy recently. Even with her more demon like features Tsuki was no scarier than Muichiro. “I understand. I don’t think many of the slayers would see you. They are all usually pretty busy with jobs when they’re that fresh and anyone at my estate is usually too injured to pay attention. Unless it’s Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, or Zenitsu. Though I doubt they’d mind you and all of them would know that you’re not a demon…or dangerous at least. (Sorry I don’t remember if she’s a demon or not).” She thinks about a way for her and Rui to see each other without it being an issue for anyone else when an idea popped into her head. “I have a cabin that I used to have Rui living in and no one goes there besides myself and other hashira so you two could hang out there.”

*A red fox with a camellia flower red collar and a messenger bag scampers up to you before barking softly to get your attention, perhaps the little creature has something for you?*

She looks down at the smaller creature with a gentle smile. “Hello there little one how can I help you today?” She reaches her hand down slowly to let the little fox sniff her and get her scent.

[tedbecca]

sunflowers was not my favourite TL episode. it had some really good moments and other moments i was like eeehhhhh about. but overall i did enjoy it and i look forward to seeing where the characters go from here

[puppppppppy]

Was nobody gonna warn me that I would fall a little bit in love with every character in Stardew

[marimbles]

i miss carpisuns sometimes </3

[eywaseclipse]

Happy birthday to the man that made it all possible! I highly recommend enjoying his other films if you haven’t already. He’s a trailblazer and pioneer to the industry and changed filmmaking as a whole. Happy birthday James 💙💙💙

[my-animeandmanga-journey]

He really should have said something before he let his worry turn to anger.

Yes, she should have said something, both about her nightmares and about Arata. Especially given that Arata secretly invited her to take him up on some offer. ('Course, tbh, I don't know if I would have said anything about it, either. It was a very awkward moment.)

Hmm... I get what he means, and he's not entirely wrong, but I don't think he was right in saying it this way. Miyo was thinking of him. She simply can't fathom the concept that someone might want her to trust them so completely. She didn't grow up knowing what trust even is, so she can't understand why Kudo would think she doesn't trust him.

Also, I think it may be that Miyo actually doesn't trust him, but not in a sense of, "I can't trust you not to hurt me," but "I can't trust you to be strong enough to handle this." Trust issues are complicated. Take the old trust fall: there's a big difference between looking at a strong, young man and saying, "I don't trust you to even attempt to catch me," and looking at a 75-year-old woman in a wheelchair and saying, "I don't trust you to not get hurt." Kudo may be thinking Miyo's thinking the first; Miyo is definitely thinking the second.

It's just one of those scenarios where everyone involved did everything wrong. Kudo should have said something, but he wants to respect Miyo's privacy and independence by letting her say something on her own. Which Miyo would probably never do- she's using "oh, he's so tired" as an excuse, she would probably never say anything because she's so used to bearing it all on her own.

Meanwhile, Kudo clearly IS tired, he's so exhausted that Godo had to practically YELL at him to get the heck outta the office and get some sleep at home. Half the reason Kudo's so tired is because he's worried sick about Miyo. But because Miyo's closed herself off and Kudo's pretty much written her off as "yeah, fine, do whatever you want, then," he's stopped noticing and just started sleeping in his office. And in the process, Miyo's getting worse and worse because Kudo's not there to protect her from her nightmares. Kudo wasn't even getting proper sleep at home because he had to stay up half the night watching Miyo.

Just a situation that kept spiraling out of control because nobody would open their mouth.

[outlying-hyppocrate]

i have officially returned. ask me anything.

[brazenautomaton]

Despair as a weapon, understanding the value of hope and removing it from your enemies you, seems WB.

And removing hope from your subordinates and never appearing to remove it from your enemies is monoB. Almost everything we see of Orzhov is about how they deal with their own members, not other guilds, and what we see is cruel and exploitative and monoB.

I don't think this is correct at all. I don't know much about FR's version of Asmodeus, I find FR exhausting, but he seems to be much heavier on the 'Prince of Lies' thing than other versions and not particularly Lawful at all; he's still probably whiteBlack the same way he's lawfulEvil, if I was to make a card for him it would probably cost NWBB.

You linked a description of him that says he is extremely Lawful. He is devoted to absolute authority and law because he finds law useful as a tool of oppression and getting what he wants, which is monoB.

The Cabal was definitely cult rather than church, not very structured; it was gangs of powerful people, their followers and summons, and cultists of the Patriarch, kept from infighting solely by the threat of the Patriarch's hug.

The Cabal organized and ruled the biggest city on Otaria and was extremely structured. The Patriarch had everyone's secret names to ensure their loyalty. Within that hierarchal structure the people jockeyed for power and to usurp one another, which is also how it works in Orzhov.

Slavery is among the oldest of White's traditions; caste systems are among the most White of social orders. Athens was White, but so were Sparta and Xerxes. White is not Good.

White is not good! But it is selfless and puts the community first. Elesh Norn is monowhite evil because she wants what's best for everyone regardless of their opinion on it and will force the world and everyone in it into her perfect orderly design.

Black loves slavery. White might not oppose it depending on how society is structured (and Green and Blue might not have an opinion either) but Black fucking loves slavery so much. To enslave someone is to have absolute power over them. Sheoldred's goal is explicitly to enslave everyone. Every slaver that has appeared in Magic and the card named "Enslave" are all black (and then there's Mindslaver, an artifact).

Also, the whole extended family/clan thing is White.

Actually, loyalty to your family is about as Green as it gets.

And the only time I can think of that someone betrays that is Baronness Teysa Karlov breaking with her Great-Uncle because it's going to destroy the world and she's too moral/White to let that happen.

Lilliana Vess also saves the world regularly despite being monoB, because the world is where all her stuff is.

The idea that any organization whatsoever is White is silly. It's like saying any character who can think is Blue, anyone who had an emotion is Red, anyone who ever did anything for themselves is Black, and anyone who was ever content is Green.

Black is willing to do anything and use anything in order to get power. If Orzhov uses structure to get power because all it cares about is power, guess what, that's monoblack. If they do nothing but take and take and are never satisfied, that's also monoblack.

you know what I said it in reddit and I'll say it here: there is nothing white about the Orzhov Syndicate and they're a monoblack organization. there is exactly one card that shows them tossing alms to the poor, and every other card goes out of its way to remind us the Orzhov have no white ideology or goals or methods and do not ever do the jobs they are supposed to do.

the only thing they do is extract infinite debt, and the only thing their religion preaches is to be in infinite debt. there is no sense of community or common good even among its elite toward each other. they're callously cruel, with absolutely no sense of morals or values, and each of them is completely self-interested; there is no trust between any of them. their religion provides absolutely no solace or inspiration and is explicitly stated on multiple cards to be about crushing and removing hope.

they supposedly "use white methods to pursue black goals" when A: every other guild incorporates both of its colors into its worldview and B: no they don't because everything about them is monoblack in every other circumstance. evil crushing religions are monoblack. hierarchal oppression is monoblack. fucking people over with contracts that have a horrible price could not possibly be more monoblack.

the Dusk Legion are a white/black group, you can see both colors in their worldview: "We are inherently better than and feed upon you, which binds us to a sacred moral duty to look out for you." "We should conquer this land so that its people can be given the truth and join us." "Ixalan's wealth will let us share the gift of vampirism without feeding on anyone, and also make us super rich." and conquistadors are the least sympathetic people you're allowed to write about, but they managed to give them an internally consistent worldview wherein they genuinely believe themselves to be doing the right and moral thing. Orzhov has all of their black traits and none of their white traits. There is nothing about Orzhov that isn't monoblack!