#also i dont think i understand the politics of that part well enough to say much abt it

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

the doctor isnt neurodivergent or autistic or adhd or nonbinary or genderqueer or asexual. what the doctor is, is Not From Here

[knightsickness]

general q: how much do you think people factor in race to the way they view Criston on the show? i hope i dont sound ignorant but when i see him i perceive him as a (conventionally attractive) white man, and so sometimes i have to remind myself of asoiaf racial connotations. obviously real life race and ethnicity is much more complicated then this, but in the show it seems like his race is only brought up for gwayne to macro-aggress him. also for context i am brown and very visibly so, so that might affect my viewing of this

superr interesting question thank you. i think part of why it comes up infrequently is bc everyone in the main cast has known him for twenty years and is used to him it would be weird if aemond suddenly mentioned criston being dornish having known him for literally his entire life. much has been made by other people about how rhaenyra assuming he’d be fine with an extra-marital affair reflects in-universe stereotypes about dornishmen i think that was pretty unintentional on the writers’ part but that doesn’t mean it isnt there. i also think criston doesnt consider himself dornish/would like people to forget he is. combination of him not self-identifying as dornish ever, the emphasis he places on him fighting against the dornish incursions, and the decision to have a) lord dondarrion who criston’s family serves be one of rhaenyras suitors b) his main argument for why hed be a good match be about how well-situated blackhaven is to fight against the dornish and c) criston not acknowledge him at all i feel like blackhaven was a not-great place to look dornish. i understand your point about him being white-passing though considering they’ve had several characters see him and immediately identify him as dornish without being told i do think in-universe he is meant to be visibly dornish

given westerosi racial politics in the main series + the rest of targaryen history (racism against dornish people at court a non-insignificant cause of the later blackfyre rebellions, motivation enough for lords to back the previous king’s bastard over a king who had a half-dornish heir) ⬇️

it feels like if anything the greens’ kingmaker and aegon’s hand being dornish when dorne is still considered a dangerous foreign power immediately next to the six kingdoms (+ an enemy of house targaryen specifically) should come up more especially after the propaganda war starts in earnest. though im aware the doylist reason they dont do this is having anyone affiliated w team black saying ‘you’re going to support the greens when one of their leaders is a dornishman? you want the martells to take over westeros?’ to sway racist lords to their cause would make rhaenyra look bad

[secondhand-snow]

I have a request on mencken: what do you think of reader being his questionably young wife? (This is probably going to end in pwp but i dont mind lol) he likes to show her off and buy her expensive things from the money he pocketed 😂 she's practically his sugar baby but she has a side hustle of being the first lady too

your mind... im obsessed this is such a good dynamic

nsfw | jeryd mencken x f!reader (succession)

The sugar baby comments don’t really get to you anymore. They’re pretty accurate, truth be told. But people don’t need to know that. 

Your relationship with Jeryd Mencken began in your late 20’s, back when you still had a bad dye job, student loans, and a shitty studio apartment. You were employed at a jewelry store, barely making minimum wage, working 9 hour shifts every day just to pay your rent. The first time he came into the store, you treated him like any other customer. Any other incredibly attractive, extremely charismatic, and undoubtedly rich customer. But all the same, when he made his purchase and you parted ways, you never expected to see him again. Until he came back to the store a second time. And a third time. And a fourth, fifth, and sixth time. When he finally asked you on a date his image had already been clouding your sexual fantasies for weeks.

And so started your incredibly complicated romance. Jeryd expected you to be submissive and compliant when you first started going out, basing his speculations on how you’d acted at your job. Let’s just say he was more than surprised when you talked back to him, not afraid to be a brat in public to get what you wanted. This revelation was more of a thrill than a shock. Not only did he get to fuck you so hard the neighbors complained on the noise, he also got to punish you when you acted out. And you acted out a lot. But more than the sex was the attention the pair of you got in public. He’d bring you to his business events, dressing you in expensive silks, showing you off to his colleagues. He loved how amazed his peers got when he arrived with a pretty little doll on his arm, how the women would envy you and the men would crave to be him. 

The gifts started as a reward of sorts. Everytime you accompanied Jeryd to one of these work benefits, everytime you made him look good in public, everytime you were especially well behaved in the open, a present would arrive at your door. Wrapped in gold wrapping paper, with a handwritten note on the top expressing his appreciation, and usually sporting a designer logo of some sort. It began as just a few times a month, but you reacted so happily each time you opened one that he started delivering them almost daily. Oh and he loved when you wore his presents out in public. Most outings with you wearing his gifts would end with him pulling you into a bathroom, car, or empty room, making you thank him for the present while he bent you over and fucked some gratitude into you. He started paying your rent when he convinced you to quit your job, saying that you're too pretty to have to work so hard. And when he sees your apartment for the first time, he immediately insists on finding you a new space. When you can’t find anything you like enough, Jeryd just moves you in with him.

When you finally get married, it’s more a formality than anything else. Your love goes beyond metal bands and a piece of paper. The 5 carat diamond ring does help, though. The wedding happens when Jeryd’s career starts really taking off, when his name starts to seriously come up in political discussions. You both knew he needed a loyal wife to further his traditionalist image, and you were more than capable to play the part. So what if your age gap was controversial, you would make sure every other aspect of your public personas was absolutely perfect. And you did! You wore the business casual skirt suits and attended the charity events. Shit, you even learned about government systems to understand his campaign better. But you can’t tame the perversion away, not completely, not forever. So when Jeryd finally wins the presidency and your lives become semi-private again, it’s a massive relief.

It’s only his first week in the White House when you can’t hold back anymore, sauntering into the Oval Office and kneeling underneath his desk as he works. 

“You missed me this much? Had to come in here while I’m working, couldn’t wait a few hours?” Jeryd’s hand is tangled in your air, slacks around his ankles as you sit on your knees in front of him. You kitten lick at his tip, already red and leaking from your touch as you stroke his shaft languidly. “Such a little slut, so desperate for my cock.”

Your only response is a little smile as you press a teasing kiss to his public bone. Then, you swallow his dick to the base in one movement. His hand tightens in your hair, his head falling back as soft sighs of pleasure leave his plump lips. You’ve done this more times than you can count, having his likes memorized to the point of instinct. You know to cup his balls as you suck his cock, to trace your tongue along that one vein on the underside of his shaft, to hum around his length as he’s fully sheathed in your throat. If you wanted to, you could bring him to release in a matter of minutes. But where’s the fun in that? 

You release him from your mouth with a pop, taking a few seconds to deviously lick the pre-cum on his tip before addressing your husband. 

“You haven’t given me attention in so long…” You lean forwards on your knees, face moving into a pout as you look up at Jeryd with the eyes of a sad puppy. “I’m starting to think you don’t like me anymore.”

He scoffs at that, but takes the bait enough to pull you into his lap, hand coming to your chin to force eye contact. “Don’t be a brat. Just say you want me to fuck you- without making bullshit excuses.”

“I want you to fuck me.”

“Good girl.” He captures your mouth in a kiss. 

It's all teeth and tongue, messy and sloppy and charged with passion. Before long he has you bouncing on his cock, face pushed into his shoulder to muffle your moans. You cum once as he presses a kiss to the crown of your head, then again when he bends you over his desk to fuck you from behind at a brutal pace. You're glad the building is less busy this time of day, since the sounds of wet skin and hushed groans would be unmistakable to anyone passing by. Jeryd finishes inside of you, like always. When he pulls out, he kneels behind you, your ass swaying temptingly side to side in front of him. He spends several minutes collecting any liquid that leaks out of you onto his fingers and fucking it back inside of you, making comments that his cum is too important to waste.

The next morning you wake up to a golden wrapped present on your night stand. Inside, a remote controlled vibrator, and a note with a promise to film next time.

© secondhand-snow 2024

[sassykinzonline]

what’s your opinion on people who say sns is platonic? like i’ll see well done essays about sns and how they changed each other for the better and their love. then… theyll say its platonic.

is it just blissful ignorance or? 😭

oh wow this is a really good question, thank you.

um hm, i never really want to totally shit on anyone's interpretation of anything so long as its accurate to the information thats presented so im not really against any interpretation thats well-defended. i havent read the kind of opinion youre talking about so i cant really say anything more specific than that.

what i will say though is that i think sometimes some snsers get caught up in "fighting homophobia" that they kind of miss the essence of naruto and i's specific relationship: that we are every type of attraction and every kind of love. its obvious in the manga's arts, the different parallels, the words we use to describe each other, the progression of our relationship, the intimacy we share with each other, i could go on and on.

so, do i think our relationship is presented in a way thats exclusively platonic? nope and the only way you could come to that conclusion is either a) homophobia or b) genuinely not being able to grasp the storytelling elements in the manga (ie. you dont necessarily need to be able to understand or feel romantic/sexual attraction to see that the manga shows you it exists between us explicitly). the anime is a bit...worse but i still feel like most people have seen the anime ONLY and still feel discomfort because they cant figure out if we're gay or not, and ive never heard of another shonen anime with a problem that big.

however, the platonic element is a huge and important part of our relationship. there was no one among our "friends" that could truly understand, sympathize, or care for us. but at the same time, that wasnt enough. there's the familial element too, in the sense that we wanted the safety that we knew a family should make you feel. we knew the "family" we had (iruka and itachi) were broken. there's a professional side to it too, where our profession is so intimately tied to our sense of self that thats how we communicate our feelings to each other. there's a romantic element yes, the feeling of completion and feeling that someone is "for you". there's even a sexual/aesthetic element, where just the appearance of someone overwhelms your senses and consumes your body. i would also look at the relationships you have with other people and ask if they dont include different kinds of love/attraction despite mainly being one thing.

ultimately though, i think that the way the narrative is presented (and the way i feel), the point is meant to be that we have all those different types of love except because of our context (familial, political, social, whatever) its difficult to realize the romance that we both desperately wanted from the other. the manga presents the double suicide proposal as romantic, and thats the climax of the story. so the relationship should be looked at as a romantic one. at the same time though, if people feel like "well just because the manga says its a romantic relationship doesnt mean this is inherently romantic, theyre exclusive queer platonic soulmates that kiss and bone" or something then i think thats fine too. so long as they understand that naruto and i will always come before anyone else to each other, and that whatever we feel for the other is not only mutual but mutually desired and all encompassing.

[definitelynotshouting]

(scared) What... what happens if Grian explains right off the bat when he's found out? (shaking)

in reference to the tags of this ask

So like. A really huge part of what Scar's plan entails in canon-- and yes, it's Scar doing this partially on purpose-- is the inherent kindness of the hermits. You bring a starving, dying man back into the fold, and you can absolutely bet that the VAST majority of hermits will at LEAST let him stay until he's healthier again. This is a deliberate move on Scar's part!!! The urgency of the situation (plus the familiarity) creates more of an incentive to let Grian in and then let him linger, which gives him a chance to grow his roots again and make up with the hermits. Scar wants him home again, permanently, and in this game its basically ALL about buying time.

So what happens when you take away that sense of "he's gonna die if we dont keep him here" urgency?? Well...

Well, in an au where Grian fessed up instantly abt the starving and making games when confronted, there's a lot more room to think about it. In some ways, hunger!Grian's canonical reaction to shut down and just let them furiously throw them out was a lot kinder and ultimately worked to his advantage-- nobody got any answers, so they started looking. People are more willing to talk to him if only to understand why. There's a clear element of "i was just doing this to survive and i feel fucking horrible about it" that is,,, pretty undeniable when you've got the person in question self-harming pretty severely about it. And yes, there's pity. Not always a bad thing, and in this case thats the element Scar is deliberately tugging on to make Grian's stay a bit more palatable until he can reintegrate himself

But when you have time to think about it, without that immediate evidence, without that sense of raw urgency sorta blanketing everything so people dont question as much-- what you get is a more measured, and ultimately more negative outlook. The hermits OF COURSE take the time to help Grian figure out how to feed without using people's emotions. They're kind like that. They do care. But theres now more time to think about this, more time to decide yeah, thats valid, sure, but he still used us and hurt a lot of us and also we didnt consent.

Essentially, what im getting at here is that in a hunger au variant where Grian fesses up immediately, the hermits do help him figure out a way to feed without relying on others... and then when thats all sorted out, a vote is called, and Grian is politely but firmly requested to leave. So he loses them anyway, and without the benefit of a mystery to help bring him back.

Thats not to say the vote wasnt awfully divided, there were plenty of people who were at the very least okay with him staying. But with more time and less distance to think things out, a lot of the folks who fall into the "wary but willing to hear him out" category in canon (i have a whole chart fiejfjdj) ended up moving to the "we dont want him here" side of things because they found themselves understandably uncomfortable with the situation and the harm caused by it to others. To their friends.

Basically, its enough of a majority vote to get Grian kicked anyway and without an opening to return. And in this au, i dont think he would return. The au as i have it outlined is that Grian ends up spending years alone on a singleplayer world, falling into his grief and into the rote cycle of surviving but not thriving, until Iskall (one of the people who wanted him to stay) meets him in a market hub and eagerly gets back in touch with him.

Its very much one of those aus that really SQUEEZES your heart, bc its about the loneliness, and the emptiness of losing your entire community, and knowing it is your fault. Its about what happens when you fully isolate because of guilt and forget what its like to be happy because you wont LET yourself be happy. And its about relearning what its like to be a person instead of personified misery. The recovery in that au is SO much harder, so much of a more difficult road (which is saying smth considering canon's is already super difficult), and takes a lot more time and effort on Grian's part. Its a good au, one im really sinking my teeth into and chattering about in dms, but my gods is it significantly worse in many ways to canon hunger au

[pearl484-blog]

My issue with Senti-Adrien

One of the reasons I don't like the senti-adrien theory is because I feel it takes away an important element of the environment he's grown up in: that pervasive feeling that it's wrong to not be okay with something, that it's wrong to disobey.

In the culture I've grown up in, Doublespeak is used A LOT. You are NEVER supposed to insult someone or have an impolite conversation with them. You can't express discomfort, and I always seem to find myself in disgreements where if I leave to cool down, that's not the right option.

Everyone -especially the women who face more social stigma- is likely going to get into a situation that they CAN'T leave. They don't know how, and they may not even have the tools to recognize that they WANT TO. That it's not healthy. After all, if someone hasn't done something OBVIOUSLY WRONG, you can't be impolite. Even if you're uncomfortable.

Of course, then it becomes a slow boil, the things you have to not react to (and sometimes even pretend you enjoy) become worse and worse, but never so much worse than the last time you didn't react.

In the end, a lot of people don't understand why you would be near people who make you feel uncomfortable. Why you can't stand up for yourself. Why you treat people who treat you like shit kindly.

Adrien could've been a girl and depicted this. A high class girl constantly under the spotlight for her father's fame could easily be pressured to be a sweetheart, a good girl, and everyone could see "oh, well, she's a girl. Of course she'd be taken advantage of eventually. An abusive father? Well, I'm not surprised."

But Adrien’s a guy who is under the same social pressures as a girl in a believable way. He's not expected to be abused in that way. He's a guy. Guys "can't be emotionally abused/not know this is wrong". Except, yes, they can. Anyone of any gender can be abused by anyone of any other gender, and a guy may show traditionally female signs of abuse and grooming as abused to the traditionally masculine agression and acting out.

First off, Adrien is a model. He's used to being constantly objectified. His body is literally posed for everyone to stare at as his job. He's also a teen model, and almost certainly has had to release private details of his life for strangers to obsess over in an environment that says this is normal. This is good.

He can't complain because much like girls here, it would ruin his reputation as a nice guy, so he's defaulted to a very normal coping skill in these parts. Rationalization. See, it's easier to keep your temper if you can excuse others behavoirs as perfectly reasonable to yourself. And with enough practice, ANYTHING can be reasonable. Combine that with the classic downplay, a classic of everyone in these parts -for the sake of politeness of course, and your reality is normal, bearable, not worth complaining about.

But it obfuscates mistreatment to outsiders. Outsiders who haven't internalized "this is okay. This is normal. This is expected". As Adrien interacts more and more with these outsiders, and they realize what Adrien does not, what he cannot, they become concerned.

And Chat? Chat Noir offers hope. Chat is proof that Adrien, without those social pressures, CAN stand up for himself, and he can do it while still being kind and empathetic and considerate. Chat is proof that deep down, Adrien would thrive outside of those pressures.

Yet, without Plagg, without his ring or an escape, he cant. He can't think of a way to do that since his reputation is on the line. It's enormous, that desire to make people think you're good, that you're not a trouble maker, that you're useful to them. Adrien, I feel, portrays that well.

It is a completely invisible, omnipresent force that outsiders cannot understand. You dont even understand how much of an effect it has on you until you're away from it.

The senti-monster theory makes that force one you LITERALLY cannot disobey. Now, some may argue that makes it work as a metaphor, but no. I think the fact that you CLEARLY have no choice, as seen by an outsider is to its detriment. Yes, being in that situation makes you feel like you have no choice, but to an outsider?

It looks like you do, you're just not taking it. It looks like you're too weak, or indecisive, or stupid to do the obvious thing and realize you're in an abusive situation and leave. There’s nothing an outsider can blame your "flaws" on, no excuse, and under the amount of pressure, nothing that you can say that would justify you be so weak/stupid/indecisive. Because unless you've been outside that culture in a way that let you realize what it did to you, all you can think is that it was just you.

[sidesteppostinghours]

2, 11, and B for steps of your choice?

afternoon! thank you for the ask :D

2. How easy is it for your character to laugh?

Cyrus- how easy is it to get him to find something funny? easy. he falls for a lot of jokes and its part of the reason ortega got to him so quickly. same thing for daniel, except this time it started off as a way crueler, "this man is terrible at what he does and i get to watch him fail" sort of amusement before it cooled down to something softer. how easy it is to get him to laugh is another matter entirely. cyrus is very good at schooling his own expressions, and if he thinks its inappropriate to laugh at any given situation (or he doesnt want to give away how much hes enjoying himself), good luck trying. youd have to catch him completely off guard with something to get anything to slip out, and honestly even then hed disguise it with a cough.

Cynthia- its easy to get her to laugh, but a lot of the times it out of politeness rather than genuine amusement. honestly, she really doesnt know why some people laugh at some things, it doesnt compute for her. but she knows when to laugh and nobody knows that shes faking it so thats good enough to get a conversation going! ortega and themmy were the only ones able to get her genuinely laughing at something, and its harder for ortega to do so now because every time she tries, it always seems tinged with some slight sadness she cant place. shes sure its nothing to investigate though, heartbreak was hard on all of them. theres no other reason why cynthia would be acting like this...right?

11. How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

Caine- questions! lots of them. they dont care how they come across, and theyre already a very curious step, so its not unusual for him to rapid-fire ask a barrage of questions to whatever poor sod managed to catch his attention this time. it also helps with information gathering. the only downside to asking questions is that the type of questions someone asks can sometimes say a lot about them, and theyre not interested in letting people find out.

Cecilia- she is staring at them blankly until they explain. if they dont elaborate, then itll depend on how much the clarification matters to her. if not: oh well, were moving on ig! she doesnt have any problem admitting she doesnt know everything, and it doesnt bother her. if she does, the other person is Not Getting Out of that conversation until they give in. she will pester them for answers with the single-mindedness of a bloodhound. the Only exception to this is argent, because shed kill her if she asked too many questions and she respects that.

B) What inspired you to create them?

answered here!

questions from here!

[pineappleciders]

This mostly isn't a request but your works are so good I'm just reading every post you do it's beautiful

HEY. TW FOR DEATH. AND FASCINATION WITH IT.

(here's the actual request

(also take your time I like your posts enough to read them all

One of the main four(dream or real world doesn't matter) with somebody who has like an almost morbid fascination with death(they aren't weird I swear)

-glass anon

A/N: i decided to do the realworld main four, hope you dont mind!! also thank you it means a lot <3

TRIGGER WARNING: lots of death mentions and mentions of violence, reference to MARI incident

SUNNY, AUBREY, KEL, and HERO with a reader who has a morbid fascination with death

SUNNY

he understands tbh. like i dont think he necessarily is fixated on it but i think BASIL would be and BASIL is his best friend so he hears a lot about death,, specifically the decomposition process

he doesn't think you're weird for it, but he's a little scared of death and what it means so maybe it helps if you talk about it with him casually

i think SUNNY is the type of fella to want to just. be in the frozen meat section at the grocery store because he had a weird obsession with raw meat and butchery n knives and stuff. so he understands the fixation

if you tell him little facts and things about death and decomposition he's probably a little unsettled but he'll listen nonetheless. he likes listening to people even if it's about rotting corpses

honestly since the incident he's kind of scared of death, and hates thinking about dead bodies

AUBREY

she's definitely thinks ur a lil weirdo but you're her lil weirdo

doesn't really get some aspects of it but she has her own weird little interests,, like violence. and stealing. she's weird herself so she has no place to talk

if ur ranting or freaking out about your fixation she'll listen intently and kinda nod her head and wait for u to finish before she says anything. honestly she thinks anything ur interested in is cool

she appreciates it if you come with her to MARI's grave. even if it has nothing to do with death, she knows you won't be unsettled or weirded out being in a graveyard and u two leave flowers for her

i'm imagining her like coming to your house and saying "i saw a dead animal on the way here" and when u take her to go see it she complies but she looks away from it and goes blegh

she thinks ur funky but that's one of your best traits :3

KEL

idk i feel like he'd just go oh okay :D like he doesn't mind

he's kind of worried that ur like mentally unstable or something but he's used to being around unwell people atp,, look at his friends

he doesn't really like to think about death. thinking about what happens afterwards and all that just gets him anxious so he tries to avoid thinking about it. he'll probably appreciate if you tell him not to worry about that kinda stuff or something

if you like. idk want to visit a graveyard or a morgue or something like that or if your eyes spark when you hear about someone dying on the news he'll be again a little confused but he knows you mean well and always tags along wherever you go

he's kinda worried about u but he doesn't say anything. everyone has their own little interests and sometimes weird aspects! it's what he likes about you, how you go along so casually as if you didn't just say the most horrific fact he's ever heard

HERO

like KEL he's a lil worried but he calms down if it's just a weird interest and not like. mental illness

he likes seeing your eyes light up whenever your interest is mentioned, even if it's strange,, and he'll politely listen and talk to you about death even if it's not his favorite thing to chat about

HERO prefers id you don't talk about decomposition or any body stuff around him,, he has a weak stomach but he's up for chatting about the afterlife and psychological things about death

he's kinda scared of what comes after death but he just ignores it,, no need to worry about that anytime soon! hopefully

he's great at accepting flaws and weird parts of people, so while he does think it's a little weird to be fascinated with death he doesn't mind :D

[kaitlin-kate]

Another fun thing here. I have this feeling Rhys is worried one day Feyre can look back and see what damage Rhys done to her or her family. Lol, I am a big believer that Rhys is paranoid Nesta hasnt bow and kiss his ass because Nesta is in a huge position to slap reality to Feyre and pull Feyre from this IC bubble.

Lets be real, I doubt Feyre even understand how society work. She dont even understand why Tamlin threw party and introduce her FORMALLY with respect to his court member. As opposed of Rhys introducing Feyre as his whore. Yeah, i acknowlegde Tamlin has done bad thing abd ignoring feyre feeling and freedom but this man wanted Feyre to be respected in his court. Introducing her formally.does that, it give her access to see who is the team player in Spring Court.

Whereas Rhys, totally stripping Feyre chances of being respected in the curt where they held tight to their classis and aristocracy practice. Velaris seem like exception but what does this 1/3 court have compare to 2/3 of the Night court?

And I see nesta, someone who has help her father with the business and managing parties, manor and part of society might have at least an insight of how it work. Really,Elain and Nesta have chances of pulling Feyre out of this IC bubble. Feyre dont even have friends outside IC. She don't even seem bothered by it.

So i was thinking the death pact also make it impossible for Feyre to leaves NC , especially Rhys. In term of law right, Feyre is still Spring Court bride. What has Rhys does to annul this engagement? And this engagement is well known across Prythian. Their mating bond? Last I check, their mating ceremony were private and not announce. Out of nowhere Rhys announce Feyre as High Lady but their marital status is not convincing to me.

Why I am concern over marital status legally? Because marital status can help a lot when it come succession, wife and husband right and the children right. Can feyre have claim on rhys treasure in case Rhys die without the death pact? Yes, her name is put on the account but what about the inheritance traditon/law in Prythian? To whom this treasure will go first? Their son? The wife?

If Feyre is not legally and declared wife, can she claim it? Can she manage the court and send in command if she has not legal status in Nigh Court? Will the NC take her command? Then if they have children? Is he consider a bastard or legal child? I really curious what Rhys does to annul the engagement between Tamlin and Feyre. Even Cresseida of Summer Curt acknowledge this you know. And Rhys is irked by it.

Hence why I think he pushed the death lact along with submission of Nesta into IC. Molded into a good docile wife of the NC general

Rhysand doesn't seem like a fool. The fact, for me at least, seems to be his way of making sure she stands by his side. And your theory about Nesta is amazing. I haven't really thought about Nesta showing Feyre the truth, but that makes so much sense.

I don't really know about Prytian politics, but I know that, as their marriage was done in secret, there should have been at least a witness. Also, if they don't have a witness, and Rhysand dies, others might claim the right to the throne, saying Nyx is a bastard, especially if the magic doesn't chose him (like, I bearly know what that means).

Also, the Court of Nightmares and the Ilyrians might not want him as High Lord, claiming he is a bastard. And if that happens, the Night Court will be in civil war.

The thing is, I can't really answer your questions because Sjm doesn't give us enough information about the Night Court's laws. For example, if those laws would be like during Anglo-Saxon England (before all the kingdoms were united), Nyx could be High Lord (in Anglo-Saxon England, the Witan decided who would be king ( and there is even a similar situation with King Aethelstan who was allegedly a bastard, but he became the first King of England). But if the laws are like in the Middle Age, Nyx could be simply considered a bastard and not allowed to take the throne.

Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing. The thing with "the magic chooses the High Lord" is weird, and Sjm doesn't give us enough details. How does the magic makes a choice? And how does the chosen know they have been chosen?

It would be great if Feyre would look back and see what Rhysand actually did to her, but Sjm seems to love him...

[destinyc1020]

Obviously fame changes you and can have a negative effect to some people. But we also have to remind ourselves we dont know these people. These are actors when they are doing promo or doing interviews they are also creating a persona, a character, the perception that timmy is this ultra sensitive deep thinker is a part of persona he partially created. I think what people are realizing is that celebs care more about protecting their wealth and reputation, than about having a political stance or to have the political consciousness to educate themsleves. I think people are starting to break out from these long held perceptions and pedestals they have given to celebs.

Obviously fame changes you and can have a negative effect to some people. But we also have to remind ourselves we dont know these people. These are actors when they are doing promo or doing interviews they are also creating a persona, a character, the perception that timmy is this ultra sensitive deep thinker is a part of persona he partially created.

Exactly. 💯 We don't know these people personally, and I think sometimes fans forget that.

I think what people are realizing is that celebs care more about protecting their wealth and reputation, than about having a political stance or to have the political consciousness to educate themsleves. I think people are starting to break out from these long held perceptions and pedestals they have given to celebs.

Well, I'll just be honest... I'd rather a celebrity actually remain SILENT on political/controversial topics if they don't feel educated enough about posting about it. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I'm probably in the minority in feeling this way, but I'd rather my fave not say ANYTHING about it, than to speak up and say something that's totally FALSE, demeaning, or offensive to a wide group of people. 👀

There's a famous saying that goes something like this: "Better to keep quiet and have people think you're a fool, than to open your mouth and prove them right" 😅

If celebrities don't speak publicly on their social media about certain topics, it honestly doesn't bother me too much.

I think it's also important to keep in mind too that just because someone is silent on an issue publicly, it does NOT mean that they don't have an opinion, or don't feel hurt by what it is going on in the world. Social media is NOT EVERYTHING! And personally? People don't need their favorite celebrities posting about every news/political event in order to be educated about the topic. You can go and read the news online and research articles on the topic yourself. You don't need celebrities to speak or preach about it on their social media. IF people want to do so and they're promoting peace and are educated on the matter, then I don't mind. But I'm not out here BEGGING my faves to speak up on political topics cuz to me that's not my place, and imo nobody should be FORCED to speak out about anything if they don't want to.🤷🏾‍♀️

I totally understand your point about Timmy though. The joke was just in bad taste (for several reasons) point blank, period. But humor has ALWAYS danced a fine line btwn funny/tongue-in-cheek/and just downright offensive to groups of people. It's always been that way, and sometimes, comedians/skits go too far. I still think it would be good for him (AND NBC/SNL) to apologize, simply because people sometimes don't realize how offensive something might come across until they watch it back for themselves or even when they see the reactions of other people. There's nothing wrong with that imo. While I personally would have steered clear away from any jokes regarding that conflict going on right now, at the same time, I don't think it's "useless" if he states an apology, and I don't think it would be just to "do damage control". I think at some point in life we ALL have said and/or done something that was offensive to another person, and didn't really realize just how offensive it was until it was brought to our attention. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[honesty-my-policy]

mate, you say that the government and the media lies yet you support israel. both of those things have historically supported israel, no? just saying, you have contradicting beliefs. also, have you taken a look at what soldiers for israel have posted—hell, what the isreali government themselves has posted?

side note: hamas wasnt even a thing when the occupation of palestine began. the nakba began in 1948. hamas was founded in 1987.

if you dont believe me, then dont. im not your mom. all i ask of you is to examine israel and its history more closely.

i'm really gonna try here to spell things out for you cause i think you probably didn't have a system around you growing up like me. which i am very grateful for now as an adult.

you say that the government and the media lies - they do. this has been proven again and again. however, both entities lie based on different factors with some overlap and me saying this has a point. depending on which factors a person releases information and how much proof or evidence they provide, you can make a logical decision to parse through it to decide if they are lying or not.

media/journalism is as biased as ever, whereas it used to be just them reading what has happened instead of giving opinions, because humans are naturally biased. which is why i don't trust right-wing media or left-wing media outlets or even self-proclaimed "neutral/unbiased" outlets.

yet you support israel. - i look through both for their versions on stories, find multiple sources, try to find the most credible from all sides and after that is done, i try to find as much actual evidence.

video footage is not hard to find in this day and age, for instance...

all of the body-cam, phone videos and security footage from Oct. 7ths of HAMAS killing Israelis -

https://www.hamasvideo.com/

https://www.hamasvideo.com/

https://theworldwatch.com/tags/hamas/

https://www.hamas-massacre.net/

that footage alone is enough to warrant self-defense, they took hostages, elderly, men, women and children. yet the international community stayed silent until Israel decided they weren't going to wait around for HAMAS to give them back. especially when they refused to give a list of the living or proof of life.

so instead, HAMAS and Palestine decided to become the victims when Israel decided no more. after STARTING this entire thing. you may say that it wasn't enough to cause what Israel is doing but what would have been? if someone walks into your home, massacres, rapes, mutilates and then kidnaps people you love, what would you do? Especially when the "government" (UN) is twiddling their thumbs, humming and hawing as they refuse to give any indication of remorse or that this wasn't a well thought out or planned thing or even any evidence that the hostages are ALIVE.

both of those things have historically supported israel, no? to be honest, i don't pay attention to what the actual news like FOX or CNN have been in support of, i only ever use them as resources for specific things as a last resort because of how biased they are. most young people in america also don't like mainstream news because it is overly biased.

sadly, they get their news from social media. which is full of misinformation, lies and just bullshit in general. so actually, social media is more pro-palestine in general.

America, as in the government, for the most part has always been pro-israel. even democrats, however, i'm unsure if they wouldn't stuck on this if they weren't shown uncensored and uncut footage of Oct. 7th.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/dozens-senators-view-harrowing-video-hamas-attack-israel-rcna127010

i've been surprised at how firm even many hardcore democrat's like Elizabeth Warren have been on supporting Israel. personally, i think they should put it in theaters for those who are willing to stomach it. all pro-palestine should see it.

just saying, you have contradicting beliefs - no, you just don't understand that you can believe two negative or opposing things at the same time and both be true.

for instance, most people see any act of violence or wrong done by Israel and immediately jump to them being the bad guy. however, Israel can be the one in the right but not be the PERFECT country or entity.

in the same way Palestine can be a country filled with civilians who may or may not want to participate in the war HAMAS started but that does not mean Israel has to stop invading just because of them.

if we used that logic, the Allies during WWII, once they reached Germany, would have stopped invading because civilians.

also, have you taken a look at what soldiers for israel have posted—hell, what the isreali government themselves has posted? - Yes, i have, AGAIN, they should be held accountable for it after the war is over. but can i ask you, have you bothered to watch the oct. 7th videos? have you ever even read anything said by the HAMAS government? Here, have some.

Ismail Haniyeh in 2020: He explained that Hamas rejects ceasefire agreements by which, “Gaza would become Singapore,” preferring to remain at war with Israel until a Palestinian state is established from the River to the Sea: “We cannot, in exchange for money or projects, give up Palestine and our weapons. We will not give up the resistance... We will not recognize Israel, Palestine must stretch from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea.” 

Hamas official, Hamad Al-Regeb in an April 2023 sermon: He prayed for “annihilation” and “paralysis” of the Jews whom he described as filthy animals: “[Allah] transformed them into filthy, ugly animals like apes and pigs because of the injustice and evil they had brought about.” Al-Regeb also prayed for the ability to “get to the necks of the Jews.” 

Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Saleh Al-Arouri in an August 2023 interview:  He expressed Hamas’ desire for “total war” with Israel: “Therefore, we are convinced that if a total conflict begins, the airspace and seaports of this entity will be shut down, and they will not be able to live without electricity, water, and communications.” 

Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi (Hamas representative in Lebanon) in an October 12, 2023 TV show laid out Hamas’ expectation that it would be Israel that would sue for peace and indicated that a ceasefire is part of Hamas’ overall strategy, but said that he was not at liberty to say what exactly Hamas has planned for the next step after a ceasefire. He also stated that October 7 had achieved its intended purpose of landing “a blow to the normalization (of relations between Israel and Arab countries).” 

Hamas member, Ghazi Hamad on October 24, 2023: “Israel is a country that has no place on our land […] because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation.” (October 24, 2023, LBC TV (Lebanon)). He also vowed to repeat the October 7 attacks “time and again until Israel is annihilated,” and expressing a desire to “sacrifice martyrs” (referring to Gazan civilians) for Hamas’ ideological aim of destroying Israel. 

In a speech before the International Union of Muslim Scholars in Doha on January 9, 2024, Ismaeel Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas's political bureau, called the October 7 massacre the “advanced [battle] front of the Ummah.” Calling for “financial jihad” (donations to Hamas) and “jihad of the teeth” (physical jihad), he asked the international audience, “Who wishes to invest in building the jihadist generation to liberate Jerusalem and to unite the blood of the Ummah with the blood of the people of Gaza, Jerusalem, and Palestine on the land of Palestine for its liberation and the liberation of Jerusalem?” 

Hamas senior leader Khaled Mashal stated on October 19, 2023 that he views the current loss of civilian life in Gaza – brought about by Hamas' strategy of using human shields – as essential: “No nation is liberated without sacrifices... In all wars, there are some civilian victims. We are not responsible for them.” 

Hamas senior leader Ismail Haniyeh, commenting on the loss of civilian life in Gaza on October 26, 2023: “The blood of the women, children and elderly […] we are the ones who need this blood, so it awakens within us the revolutionary spirit.” 

The HAMAS charter itself “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" (Preamble to Hamas Charter). 

side note: hamas wasnt even a thing when the occupation of palestine began. the nakba began in 1948. hamas was founded in 1987.

You sweet sweet summer child. Yes, that is true. The Nakba wasn't the Jews, it was the UN/British. It was a two-state solution that all of you so desperately want to enforce now.

In 1947 the UN began a Partition Plan that recommended Palestine be divided into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. The Jewish leadership agreed, the Arab League and Palestinian leadership did not and so the conflict started.

HAMAS wasn't even the active government until 2006, they were instead, just a terrorist group run b y the founder Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin who used his original work of founding a charity called Mujama' al-Islami to give covers to his operatives and create a logistical support network.

The secondary government in power at the time (2007) - Fatah, even raided the Islamic University in Gaza to find and confiscate weapons and ammunition stored there. Not long after, despite having played nice with Fatah until then, they kicked Fatah out and began their regime.

Ironically, Fatah had also been working with Israel on peace talks and a two-state solution before being kicked out. Wonder why HAMAS would want to kick them out so bad and also prevent them from ever being re-elected by just never holding elections again.

to be honest, i don't know why you even put this in here. as though it was some gotcha moment. it isn't.

if you dont believe me, then dont. im not your mom. all i ask of you is to examine israel and its history more closely. - I have done my research, I am firm and confident in where I stand. I am not ever going to try to say that Israel is perfect. No country or people is perfect. But you have not done nearly enough searching.

I genuinely hope you THINK, genuinely, ponder what I've said.

[a-court-of-moonlight-and-ire]

auggggggh ive been wanting to make this post for an eternity but i havent been able to because I keep trying to explain myself WELL guess what. Im giving up, heres the song Wenn ich tanzen will from Elisabeth: das Musical with english translations, does it not make you think of what if Feysand was interesting

If you dont wanna watch the whole thing for some reason, I'd like to highlight this part

Fly!

I'll fly alone!

I alone want to accompany you through night and storm

I don't want to be accompanied anymore

Not even by you — I won't let myself be led

You're free only through me

Only through me

Only for me

For me!

For you shall make the way for me

I'm going my own way now

I've seperated myself from you — Leave me alone!

You've fallen in love with me

Because there's no freedom without me

And no one can understand you except for me!

Oh and also this part (theyre kinda singing over each other at this point)

I'm strong enough on my own!

You were only strong as long as you still thought that you were weak

I'm not calling for you!

You will call for me!

I'm not seeking you out!

You will seek me out!

I'm beginning to love my life!

Soon you will hate it!

Okay, I actually lied at the start of this post, I am gonna try to explain myself. My ideal not-boring version of Feysand that I think of when I listen to this song is like. Okay so, the structure of the story is fundamentally the same (except it takes place over a wayyyy longer timespan) with Feyre initially just kinda going about her new life as a traumatized fae and Rhysand coming to pick her up once a month, which ends up helping her because the SC manorhouse is kind of just covered in a bunch of depressing ooze rn (figuratively) and she cant really leave and Rhysand is basically giving her an excuse to hang out in a place without ooze, so its easier for her to have a good time. Rhysand is kinda awkward around her initially because hes basically like "ohhhhhh shit oh fuck, the woman that I tortured UTM as a fucked up way of coping with what Amarantha was doing to is my soulmate!!" because i really hate the fact that Rhysand apparently already knew about her and dreamt about her before she was even fae, it shouldve snapped in place for both of them during that little scene at the end of ACOTAR but Feyre has no concept of how a mating bond is supposed to feel like so shes just kinda like "huh, that felt kinda weird. anyway"

(this inexplicably got very long. like, 6 more paragraphs long. so much for me not explaining myself)

So yeah, Rhysand is hardcore struggling trying to figure out how to win her over despite all of the torture, but fortunately for him all she wants is to be left alone, so he does that, no putting her in unecessary danger and no asking insane favors of her even though theyve only been hanging out for like two weeks. Idrk how, but at some point they would start to get closer, this all happens very slowly, its a true slow-burn. And then one day Tamlin is like "I cant stand it, I need to find a way to break this bargain" so he collects a bunch of guys and he tells Feyre that theyre gonna go out and travel through all of Prythian and maybe even beyond in order to find a way to do it and itll probably take them atleast a few months. And then when Feyre says she wants to come along because this is about her after all, hes like "no, its dangerous and also, if Im gone then the Spring Court is gonna needs its Lady" and then he puts the shield around the manor because yeah, Im keeping Tamlin shitty in this one, sorry. This is about me trying to make Feysand good but trying to figure that out with Tamlin being in-character is too complicated for me rn so Im just gonna stick to the character assassination (thats something SJM probably also said while writing ACOMAF)

So yeah, like in canon, Mor gets her outta there and then Feyre starts permanently staying the night court except shes not going out on political errands because of the war with Hybern because honestly, this whole war plot is so stupid and it feels so unecessary like cmon Sarah girlie, I can tell youre not actually interested in writing politics, just stick to the romance and the healing journey. Anyway, during her stay she inadvertantly starts spending more time with Rhysand and realizing that he suffered too and that hes only human or fae or something like that, which helps her deal with her UTM trauma because she kinda thought of him as the embodiment of all her new trauma, so seeing that hes really not that and that hes just a person that she can make peace with helps her

Rhys is falling head over heels for Feyre because she just reminds him SO much of Cassian while Feyre is kinda conflicted but starting to develop some affection for him, and again, this happens over the course of many many months instead of just two. And after all that time, Feyre is starting feel pretty good and she doesnt really wanna go back to the spring court if shes totally honest with herself and then oops, Tamlin's back! He finds her and hes super worried like "oh my cauldron, feyre, my servants told me he just kidnapped you and they couldnt find a way to free you!! but Im here now and Im taking you back home dont worry" and Feyre feels guilty and shes basically like "yeahhhhh this was totally necessary, I definitely wanna go back... home, its just that he exploited this loophole in the bargain so had to stay here. Totally against my will, oh no it was so bad" and Tamlin tells her not to worry, theyve found a way to break they just need to get back to the spring court so they do that

At the Spring Court, Feyre gets to thinking. She thinks shes basically completely defeated her trauma by hanging out with Rhysand and shes like "well, my trauma was pretty much the main thing that made mine and Tamlins relationship not work, so now that my trauma is gone its gonna be all smooth sailing from here" and she just willfully ignores the fact that his way of coping with his UTM trauma was suffocating her and making it impossible to deal with her own issues and when she pointed it out to him he had a panic attack about it. Also, at this point it kinda hits her that shes been spending all this time with Tamlins enemy and feeling this affection for him that she hasnt really felt for Tamlin ever since theyve been back from UTM and their relationship started getting really bad, so now she feels very guilty and wants to rush into a marriage with him after all. Also, maybe by this point shes revovered enough to take a step back and start focusing on her surroundings again instead of just herself, and she realises that the people of the Spring Court would really need this kind of big celebration after this long time of turmoil and suffering, so maybe that plays into her decision to marry Tamlin as well idk

Meanwhile, Rhysand is back at the night court absolutely CONVINCED that Feyre is gonna come back to him even without the bargain or atleast send him a message or something, because of the mating bond and because by this point he thinks that Feyre loves him back, she just hasnt said it because Tamlin interrupted them or whatever. Yknow, because Feyre stopped throwing shoes at him and started to tolerate his presence somewhat, which are obviously the surefire signs that someone is in love with you. But anyway, Feyre never does get back to him because shes busy with her wedding and also trying very hard not think about either Rhysand or Tamlin too much so she doesnt simply run out into the forest to avoid dealing with all this bullshit

So yeah, Rhysand finds out about Feyre marrying Tamlin and he gets very upset and so he winnows to the Spring Court on the day of the wedding. Feyre has just been dressed up in this gorgeous pastel pink and green pantssuit (thats very important for the story) and now Ianthe is leaving her alone for a bit before the grand wedding ceremony. At this point Rhysand comes in and they have a confrontation thats basically just the song except in dialogue-form, remember when this post was about a song I really like, yeah me neither. During this confrontation I really want Rhysand to bring up the mating bond and kinda throw it in her face and I want Feyre to basically respond "oh, so now the guy who always preached about giving me choices and not letting others decide for me is gonna get on my case for not doing what some god wants from me, gtfo" and thats basically how it ends. Then the next book is the book where Feyre hay to make the choice between Tamlin and Rhysand because its a romance series at the end of the day, so even though I would like the last book to just be Feyre ending up single and going on her own adventures, I recognize that thats not a great ending for a romance series so

I wanna end this off by saying that I was trying to only focus on the romance for this because its easier, if I were to write my ideal acotar sequel it would look different than this even if I used the original acomaf as a base. So yeah, thats it hope you enjoyed my 7am ramblings, I have been awake for three hours already writing this

[coldvampire]

on nines' wiki for fic stuff, have some copy-paste of me going Feral about him and kat in discord

crying thinking abt how genuinely kat will compliment her man & how inadvertantly Serious she gets bc she really does sincerely mean it & it would be easier to process if she was actually doing it to fluster him but no sometimes she just gets into a certain mood

also the idea of her like hgjhkj absolutely backing him 100% when other barons push back on shit like this, knowing that her reputation is in a very strange place where too much will be seen as in poor form but not really caring bc she knows how to exude enough bad vibes to get people to shut up lmao. his coterie might feel the same as she does but they dont have the same effect on audiences, the ventrue aura of 'listen to me or Else' comes in handy and he gfhjk doesnt quite know how to feel abt it being used for him lmao

she does love how much he cares tho,,, its a very sexy quality its not smth shes used to. she might not completely Agree with him all the time but the way she completely trusts him overrides that so it doesnt actually Matter. & i think she also sort of uses that as a better moral compass than the one thats been trained into her, like inherently she sees herself as a semi-bad person bc of how shes able to detach from certain decisions and thats just not how he operates & she has a lot of respect for that (& probably also misses the fact that if we're comparing traumas hers are a lot more. uh. Direct lmfao.)

also god love her but she is Not a Car Girl TM. she will sit there in the garage trying her hardest to follow along & ask questions but rly truly, she has no idea wtf he is saying to her. she recognizes that he is talking about parts and seems Excited & shes just glad it requires minimal thought on her end beyond very basic open ended questions. im pretty sure he thinks she understands a Lot more about mechanical stuff than she actually does bc shes very good at picking out important words and repeating them gfhjjfdgfhg shes not TRYING to bullshit interest she just doesnt have the heart to tell him she have 0 comprehension of anything he said just now. he is so stressed so much she wants him to be happy & relaxed whenever theres an opportunity for it :(

also he listens to her interests gfhgjh even if theyre significantly less technical lmao. she likes dissecting the manufactured drama & relationships of reality tv and stuff like that bc it reminds her of a Much lower stakes version of kindred politics & the pettiness is entertaining to her. he also gets to hold her while they watch on the couch or in bed while she goes & picks apart all of the 'fighting' and production tampering & he loves hearing her talk in general but its kind of fascinating to him how she can take something so shallow & dissect it, loves how Perceptive she is when it comes to people in particular. i think sometimes if she's maybe squirming a bit much or maybe if he just feels like it he'll offer to paint her nails. she's really on top of keeping up a manicure but doesnt always do acrylics & i think he would actually get fairly into the fact that 1. its essentially just Hand Holding for a reason and 2. it requires a decently steady hand & attention to detail so it doesnt get messed up and as someone who restores bikes with tiny intricate mechanical parts, hes surprisingly well suited to this. i bet he would do little designs too if he had the tools for it. it just feels good to do something for her :')

she knows jewellery even if she doesnt know fuck all about mechanics. firmly believe she just buys him stuff all the time & shes stupidly good at nailing what someone's preferred style is. like i dont think hes ever had someone who just casually gets so many things bc 'i saw this and thought of you' and again acts like its nbd??? because it is?? shes like yeah ofc why Wouldnt i? & tbh i dont even think that the gifts stop with him either once the rest of his coterie realizes shes cool and not a camarilla mole lmao they also start getting little things. jewellery keychains shirts Whatever, all usually just dropped into their hands mid-conversation with very little acknowledgment from her. if you mention youve had your eye on a bracelet or smth she'll just grab it without thinking. if Really pressed she'll probably brush it off as 'i wasnt spending my money anyway' (girl likes to take cash when she feeds from the wealthier Reverse Orphans TM especially if theyre also cheating gfhjhj) but rly. she just enjoys making people happy, which is also something her adores about her. its the casual way its just ingrained into her personality & how she doesnt make a huge deal about it, its just how she is.

ofc he always makes sure to take care of her back, she clearly expresses affection in gift giving and acts of service but she likes quality time & physical touch for herself. which is absolutely okay by his book, he was never even close to being as touch starved as she was at any point whereas she went literal Years without being touched in some way that wasnt negative or hurtful in some form. its overwhelming for her initially & she doesnt really know how to Ask for contact but by god she gets it through him. he's always loved holding her; she just seems to tuck in Perfectly into his arms. if she's maybe getting too overwhelmed with that then he's also good to switch gears to maybe just having a hand on her back or leg or holding her hand bc there's a period right when they first officially get together where she's still trying to level herself out after so much isolation. & he's such a constant reassuring presence, it almost doesn't feel real.

tbh if he wasn't as stable as he was im not sure she would have been able to heal properly after killing her sire, she had spent so long tethered to that man and shaping her life around running from him that she didnt quite know what to Do with herself when he was gone. nines didnt explicitly provide a 'purpose' for her life, he just gave her a place to rest and recuperate while she figured herself out and started to understand the fact that she was finally safe. & that's another thing, her sire might have been a genuine threat to the point she didnt want to risk his safety, but everything else? i doubt there would be any stopping his protection instincts. sometimes thats a concern to her, but again, she needed to be with someone who would be able to be that type of support & strength while she finally released literal decades of repressed trauma & a constant fight or flight state. he cant protect her from her own mind, but he can put a stop to any outside threats. she's never had that. he might have been abandoned by a ton of people in his life, but she would have taken that over the active harm/passive allowance of harm. understanding that, to him, she is someone worth protecting? its a wild learning curve.

im also sure theres some angst to be found in his history of being abandoned + her former commitment fear that evolved into the constant need to Be Around Him but also consider: the amount of comfort he would finally have knowing theres a 99% chance if theyre at home he just has to walk into the next room to see her (assuming she isnt already closer) & how she openly admits to wanting him on all levels, like shes not just gonna be someone else who walks out of his life. absolutely her favourite spot in the world is curls up beside him, like thats where she considers Home to be and ohh man. i think that just stirs smth up in him internally. ofc he cares about a lot of people and a lot of people care about him back but this is Different. in retrospect, knowing what she went through just to be able to sit here with him? even though there was a chance she would be rejected for not being transparent with her situation prior & never fully committing (even if she otherwise would have)? knowing he might be Too Hurt to let her back in and trying it anyway & letting him take the lead on the pacing and decide what it was He needed, that's insane. but she wanted to be with him so badly it was a risk she was willing to take on, which is telling bc her whole thing was caution to the point of being detrimental to herself.

it's like,,, he knows how it feels to have followers. but just like he did with her, she was able to peel back layers and layers of public-facing personality traits & see who he was in the privacy of his own home, and Still wanted him. imo even though he knows how to command a room, he's still not 100% positive what it is about Him Specifically that makes him so special to everyone else aside form being the guy who was in the right place at the right time to make a reputation for himself. but she's like. the one person where he actually feels like he maybe understand why she looks at him that way, & its still a nebulous feeling, but its more Concrete than what he gets from starry-eyed fledglings. kat is not and has never been someone who gives people more credit than they deserve or who blindly follows people. she's harsh and she has to have a Reason to do that.

if theres ever a situation where she has to drink blood outside of her restriction, you know he's gonna be the one to take care of her. she's not a fan of it, she's in pain and she feels gross and doesn't want him to Watch the whole episode, but why would he be put off by it? they both came from big families with plenty of kids, the threshold for being grossed out by that stuff is really goddamn high for them both lmao. also she looks completely Miserable curled up on the floor like that, if she needs someone to hold her hair and rub her back a bit then okay! she will have that its what she deserves! she's gonna resist a little at first bc she was always the one doing that for her sisters being the oldest with no mother/mother figure for most of their lives but like with a lot of stuff he does, she will relax and melt into the touch after a bit and start to physically decompress. if she's up for up she will also be carried to whichever soft surface she desires, no questions asked.

theyre so domestic it Hurts. fully believe the only actual regret she has about the relationship is missing the boat on them both being human & getting to live that normal suburban family life bc she know she would have completely abandoned her Rich Husband goals & it would have been fine in the end + her dad would have loved him. theres a very deep part of her psyche with a list of names that would have sounded fantastic for theoretical children like fdgfhgjh god. she is so far gone for him, 'vampires dont love' my ASS. not to be cheesy but he's It for her, even when theyre in a rough spot she literally cannot imagine being around anyone else or giving herself to someone so fully like that and trusting that they won't use that against her or shatter her heart in the process.

i just gfsfdhgfrwhgqsahxgfghgfejgwdshhjgrf theyre so in love. SO in love.

[leefi]

The Flower that Bloomed Nowhere Read-through | Part 7: 90-100

Part 1: 1-14 | Part 2: 14-22 | Part 3: 22-34 | Part 4: 34-64 | Part 5: 64-80 | Part 6: 81-90 | Part 7: 90-100 | Part 8: 100-127 (caught up here)

Bal is soooo funny for choosing to simply sit out and wait the loop. If that were me I’d be acting out. I’d be skipping around the sanctuary acting mischevious and committing hooliganry. Hey does Fang have loop memories

SU NAME REVEAL!!! KUROKA!

raises hand. I have another question. did samium also fuck that old man

Shiko is so sweet oh my goddddd 😭 I wonder if Kuroka fell in love with her...

I hadn't even realized how much of a fan I was. That another me had been growing on those lonely nights, only waiting for someone to draw it out.

Even though it was such a small thing, for the first time, I felt like I was able to be someone other than myself. Someone who shined brightly.

Just like her. AWWWUWYYYYYYUUUUWUWUUUUUUUU!!!!! AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

"Fang, Su, have you still got enough eris for barriers?"

Fang looked at their scepter, making a thoughtful hum. "Yeah, for a few minutes."

I thought Fang didn’t have their scepter?

Another thing I'd failed to understand at the time was that this was largely by design. Replicating high-quality food was impossibly cheap, and a low-hanging fruit in terms of helping people's quality of life. It was the politics of spite, or 'tough love' if you wanted to be charitable; choosing not to help others for no reason other than them having not earned it, or at least treating it as not worth the infinitesimally minor inconvenience to their betters.

oh i dont like this worldbuilding that much anymore

“Nowadays you can get your nutrition managed with pills anyway. It's not like when we were kids, when it actually mattered what you ate."

"There's still no long-term research into the subject," [Shiko]’s mother replied, frowning. "And besides, it's not simply a matter of health. There are social consequences to having a limited palate."

“social consequences”? lets kill her

"I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt to be a little more conscientious," Shiko's mother insisted, holding up a hand. "And I know I've only been here for a couple of years now, but I really don't think it's that bad. Some parts in town seem a little deprived, but the theater is nice, and I've never had any trouble finding anything from the shops. It's hardly Altaia or Old Yru, but it's not as though we're eking out a living on the Lower Planes."

KUROKA BABY IM GONNA GET YOU OUT OF THERE. IM GONNA GET YOU OUT

Shiko’s granddad and Samium were conspiring to use her???? “Get the drop on her”???????? I mean this isn’t anything we didn’t already know but hearing them speak so plainly and shamelessly about it IN HER HOUSE is repulsive

I'd done a lot of stuff for a person my age, especially if you counted the stuff from-- Well, you know. I'd traveled by carriage, bus, tram, vacuum tram, boat and airship. I'd been to seven different countries and lived in four. I'd played in an amateur sport team (assuming chess counts as a sport).

it does not

Ophelia had been unspokenly left out as well; she apparently produced such an aura of eternal femininity that our minds had just silently registered it as the correct call after we'd only been able to find three shovels in the greenhouse.

also me if im being completely honest. *the gorillas get released* sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry

Hey while they’re digging I’ve been thinking. using the dying gods as their proxy has me wondering if this really is an integrated pneuma in some person enacting its long thought out (hehe) revenge. But that doesn’t explain multiple culprits especially considering they’ve been referring to death with different gendered pronouns

She looked between us. "Questions?"

Linos looked to the side. "Uh, do you see any problems with the plan, Zeno?"

There was a pause, then an approving thump from the luggage pile.

funniest character

a possible explanation for many of these contradictions was that there wasn't just one 'mastermind', but competing groups.

One calls it 'master'. The other calls it 'Her'...

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES. It's almost like...a battle of wills? A battle of competing ideologies?

"I think I-- I think I have a hernia," I said weakly.

"What you have is a case of the weeny-whinies.” THE WEENY WHINIES!!!!

KAMRANSU SWEEP!!! im doing yuri multiplication in my head rn

hum. "Indeed, you've stumbled upon the fundamental issue. After all, if what we inhabit is not the true reality, but merely the product of a physical process within another, it seems very improbable for our 'creators' to be playing with tools akin to our own. Our very conception of inter-dimensional spacetime - and the associated concepts of entropy, movement, and finite energy - could be nothing more than an amusing fabrication, with no bearing on actual physics."

Kind of like how a two-dimensional creature can only interpret a 3-dimensional world from a 2-dimensional perspective, and a 3-dimensional creature can only interpret a 5th-dimensional world from a 3rd and simplified 4th dimensional perspective…but what defines “actual?“ is any of your universe “actual”, for that matter? You have no confidence that your reality is real beyond the myths you’ve heard of the ironworkers. I don't mean to explicitly suggest this is a simulation by any means, but rather...I'm thinking back to Zeno's question. "Why turn back the self when you can turn back the world?". Well, if you're conflicted on what a "self" constitutes, it only follows to reason that the nature of the world around you too would also fall into question...

Well, that depends, Utsushikome. Do you believe a pawn is destined only to look across at its rival pieces for eternity, by its very nature?" She stabbed her fork into a tomato, spilling its red fluid. "Or, perchance, might it learn to crane its neck towards heaven?"

My eyes drifted from the tower towards the ceiling of the bioenclosure proper. The blackness.

Slowly, I clicked my tongue. OHHHHOHOHOHOGOGOGOGOGOOGOGOGOHOHHOHHOOHHOOHOGOGOGOGOYOYO RHHEEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHE

She nodded several times, like I'd said something profound. "Yes. That's it exactly." She exhaled. "It's cowardice. People are afraid of death, so they try to turn it into something it isn't. Something beautiful and cathartic, something symbiotic with humanity, just like Grandmaster Melanthos was talking about. So they don't have to face the truth that it was all for fucking nothing. That being mortal is an accident of material circumstance, just as much as hunger or, or-- I don't know, going *bald*.” 🦍

"When people think of truly eternal lives, of sticking not just a few more centuries on the pile but outlasting the lifespan of stars, the scope of the proposition is harrowing. What would we become, in trying to achieve true stability as creatures of chaos and change? Could we?" Her voice grew a little quieter; solemn, almost. "What would we do, without that option to simply fade away?" She looked towards me. "What do you think, Su?"

I went for a third round of blinking, just to emphasize the point.

Why does [Kam] always single me out in these conversations?

big ass crush on you

Ohhh Kam is a 60 year old minor! Cool!

Even though she'd dismissed questions on the subject with an affect of far-sightedness back in the transpositioning chamber, the fact of the matter was that people our age getting stressed out about their own mortality was freakishly rare; I'd literally never met another person quite like [Kam].

This trait she and I share. I was having existential breakdowns at the tender age of 5

Ohhh Su is in her early-mid thirties! Okay yeah that checks out with her mental illness

You're only 32, Su," she said, frowning. "It's a little early to making world-weary statements like that, don't you think?

*looks at su* *looks at orv*

*looks back at su*

Of all the years I could live, could thrive, until all those regrets are nothing more than a single drop in a vast lake. I'm sure the same is true for you, too."

This really was out of character for her. I felt a complicated feeling in my chest. "That's, uh... Kam..."

"Is this really the right time for this?" Ran asked flatly. "The philosophy was one thing, but this is getting weirdly romantic."

Kam scoffed, making a gesture of distaste. "Don't be peculiar, Ran."

KAMSU SWEEP WE HAVE LITEREALLY NEVER BEEN MORE BACK THAN WE ARE RIGHT NOW

"Perfect," Kam said, stepping towards it immediately.

"Feels a little weird to be looting the dead," I said, glancing around.

"This is no time for sentiment, Su," Kam replied. She walked up to the cabinet in question and, after unsuccessfully trying the lock, took the butt of her refractor rifle and shattered it, before casting it aside and sliding the larger weapon out.

this actually became a COD lobby im crying

saw Samium lying down in the bed, eyes half-open, staring at the ceiling. Other than the fact that there was a book by the side that seemed to be gone now - fiction, probably, the cover depicting a ship - that felt a little confusing. So he could read a novel, after all? Or maybe someone had left it here?

Ship of Theoseus chan?

Why did the playwright just look at me

"Okay, so. Here's the thing," they said. "The monster might be, uh, real."

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP

WE HAVE LITERALLY NEVER BEEN MORE BACK THAN THIS MOMENT FOLKS THIS IS IT. THIS IS REAL. IT'S HAPPENING

Okay for all my excitement about the beast is there any way to check if that’s actually the phantasm conjuring arcana they talked about earlier? Could explain the grim reaper but I don’t remember if it could produce sound or not…or how big it could get. Could also just be a really advanced golem since the power was active while this was happening? (And that was the negating factor when they were debating COBD (cause of Bardiyas death before))

I’m pretty sure the beak thing is actually real though, so many people have corroborated it. The beast only showed up while people were panicking

Man I wouldn’t be surprised if this conversation with Samium we’re seeing over the logic thing concluded with Su pushing him out the window. my rationale towards this is would that be fucking crazy or what

So, this sounds like it's coming from way off in the distance-- Like really far down the hall, or behind a wall, or something. Now, I'm getting a really bad vibe at this point,

Have i mentioned yet how much I love fang

Ann says we should just gun it." Anna's eyes narrowed slightly at her name being shortened, but didn't interject.

Have i mentioned yet how much i LOVE fang

I said something stupid about hiding up in the armory, maybe grabbing some of the grenades, so we went all the way up

they are addicted to those grenades

If Ptolema thinks the beast is fake then I believe that it's fake. She’s consistently proven to have the best observational skills of the entire group, picking things up that other people don’t see. As she says, she's got the mind of a surgeon. She knows how a body is meant to be built and interact with its environment. Believe women!!!! Ema sweep!!!!

Can I be honest. Creepy children’s stories scare me so much and I could barely get through that one barn quest in Cyberpunk 2077 and this children's slideshow with the piglet is reminding me of that. I literally couldn’t sleep for a few days after playing that. Anyway. Animal Farm? because there is a farm with animals

no i'm being deadass was that an animal farm redux. it felt like an animal farm redux

It would be so funny if Fang acted the way they do because something was wrong with them. But it would be even funnier if they're just like this

[layzeal]

hey, as a mature person of the right age (not a minor), how do you feel about teenagers reading books like mdzs? i was surprised to know an acquaintance who have watched cql then read the novel and manhua. She was the one who introduced me into cql, which i didn't watch since i dont like watching in general, i prefer reading. i have recently found the manhua then read the novel and briefly watched the show, i was surprised since she recc it to me a few years ago. thats when i realized that she must have been 12?? 13? if i guess right at that time. she even asked me if i read about Incense Burner, which i did skim since I'm still not comfy enough to read it, it feels like violating the couple i adore so much by witnessing such affectionate acts. I was just surprised, it didn't really sinked into me that people that young read sensitive topics as their introduction to various issues reflected in books. A lot of people, who are certainly old enough to read such material is still not mature and somehow manage to contract the whole story to their dialogue. She does know I like JC, he is so pathetic ( affectionate and condescending). And i really aint stopping her, i just wanna vent so pls feel free to ignore.

oof, so my initial reaction is definitely that... 12/13 is way too young to be reading mdzs :/ not even just because of the explicit sex scenes, but the story overall is not something i'd reccomend to to someone who is essentially a child

however, as someone who was also a 13 year old who interacted with content that was not suitable for me (in my case, horror and staged/drawn gore) i can understand the appeal. that's an age where pretty much everyone starts wanting to get away from the more kiddies stuff and interacting with more adult content, which they're likely not prepared to see. there's a whole generation of internet kids born in the 90s who can tell all sort of stories about that

so while it is not something she should have been reading, saying "hey you shouldn't read that" is likely to have the opposite effect you know? teenages will lie and search for content they're not supposed to see whether we like it or not, so... i guess, the only thing to do is talk to her and be like "hey, i know these stories sound really good and interesting. they are! but maybe it's best to wait a few more years, just so you can truly appreciate its content beyond the romance, since most of it might be too boring for you just now"

and... well, it wouldn't be a lie. i can't imagine a 13 year old having a good time reading through nie mingjue's empathy arc, or the guanyin temple. for as good as wangxian's romantic scenes are, they are also a very small part of the novel, and i think it's a disservice to the story if you skim the more political aspects and side-stories just to read the romance. it's not a good habit to develop when interacting with media yk? and best to not start doing so when young

you can try introducing her to more age-appropriate compelling material too. for as much as we clown on YA books, they ARE an important step for teenagers to start interacting with longer and more complex stories, even if they're not "good". you can start by reccomending the really good ones like The Hunger Games, and then asking what sort of thing interests her. there are also lots of asian media like mangas and webtoons to choose from too, and are more fitting for her age!

that age is... complicated, and you truly can't control what sort of thing they'll interact with. sometimes, they will end up seeing something upsetting and having to understand by themselves where their boundaries are. as long as they're not interacting with material that's too heavy and MOST IMPORTANTLY not being close to adults online who are aware she's a minor and still talk to her about these materials, it should be fine. 13 year olds will be 13 year olds, ya know

[di--es---can-ic-ul-ar--es]

Avatar 2 is a sight to behold. Under no circumstances should you watch it in theaters, and you should just-weakly consider putting it on with your friends to heckle and roast it and be a hater.

The minstrelsy toward indigenous folks is unhinged. If it didnt have the "...in space" part lazily tacked on at the last minute, it couldnt have gotten made because someone in the room would've been educated enough to know what blackface is.

The closest thing to a character arc in the whole movie is a teenager feeling like he's disappointing his father, then the father telling him he's proud of him.

I think it's a severe downgrade from avatar 1, because the basic treason against colonizers is actually a really compelling story and character arc any way you slice it! Yeah I know "white guy picks up skills in a few days that take locals generations to figure out" isnt ideal, and there's surely nontrivial minstrelsy in avatar 1 as well, but at least characters are struggling and changing.

In avatar 2, the movie begins with the main character saying "fathers have to protect, it's what gives them meaning" and also ends with the same line. I've never seen so much brazen acknowledgement of a writer's own lack of stakes as beginning and ending with the same line, when the character speaking it doesnt change his relationship to the sentence throughout.

Kids and wives are not agents! Its bizarre seeing a movie like that in 2022, when people so often are trying to rethink 1950s western nuclear family stuff, or at least being polite and subtle about the fact that they're not rethinking it.

I dont think you guys know something about me that makes this movie's badness significant: I'm not a hater. Movies I can barely remember left me really happy during and immediately after, and I snapped at people telling me they were mid, because I'm really bad at distinguishing between what's vaguely enjoyable and what'll be remembered a week later. I think I can count on one hand movies I've actively disliked. Literally. I cam get really sucked into just about anything.

So when I say a movie was a challenge, that I almost walked out, that I turned on my phone in the theater to text the people I was with, you have to understand how serious I am.