#message me according to the rules

[immortalsins]

time to accept that I'm upset about the fact "its OK if you just want to be friends" is empty words. that's not going to happen!! & i can never go back to the society we met in because it'll just be awkward! without us EVER dating (unless we were and I wasn't aware of it). so sick of not understanding this stuff i wish it was simple and clear

[heich0e]

Touya's not usually one to check his text messages.

Never has been, ever since he got his first cellphone when he was 13. He finds it more of a nuisance than anything, the way people always want to get ahold of him. Always expect a response from him over the most mundane shit. He barely likes talking to anyone as is, let alone during his private time—therefore, as a general rule, he doesn't respond to texts.

Especially not ones that pop up on his phone on a lazy Saturday afternoon with the contact name 'Bird Brain' listed as the sender.

But when these particular message previews appear, rudely interrupting him in the middle of watching a cake decorating video while he lays sprawled across the couch, Touya can't help but click through to the conversation to give them the response that they deserve.

His response is about as succinct and unamused as he is.

Three telltale dots appear at the bottom of the conversation before Touya can click away, and he finds himself waiting to see what Keigo comes back with—for reasons not even he quite understands.

Touya pushes himself up off the couch in an instant, stomping into your bedroom.

He finds himself hesitating once he makes it to the doorway, his body having moved relatively of its own accord, realizing only once he's standing at the threshold that he's not even really sure what he's going to say.

You're laying across the bottom of your bed on your tummy with your sock-clad feet lifted in the air behind you. You have one headphone in your ear and your laptop propped in front of you with that stupid romantic drama you like so much playing—the one Touya pretends he hates but always gets a little pouty when you watch an episode without him. You turn when you spot him in your peripheral vision, popping your headphone out of your ear and hitting the spacebar to pause your show.

"I'm almost done," you tell him, glancing back to your screen where the male lead is paused mid-confession—his mouth still open in the middle of his ardent monologue. You peer back at him again over your shoulder with a slightly smug look. "If you hadn't watched ahead without me we could be watching it together, y'know."

"That was an accident," Touya grumbles, sniffing a little indignantly. "It started playin' automatically when I turned the TV on."

"Sure, sure," you chirp, turning back to your laptop. When you realize Touya's still lingering there, you face him again, this time pushing yourself up on your elbow so you can twist around to look at him more fully. Your brow furrows. "What's wrong?"

Touya sucks in a breath of air and holds it in his cheeks, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Can I see your phone for a sec?" he asks.

The pinch of your brow slackens as one of them lifts in surprise.

"Yeah," you say, though your tone is still a little wary. You nod towards your bedside table at the head of the bed. "It's plugged in."

Touya shuffles towards you, rounding the end of your bed frame and approaching the device in question. He sit down at the edge of the mattress, and it dips under his weight. Beside him, you shuffle a bit closer to him as you resume watching your show, one of your feet brushing gently against his back as you kick them idly back and forth.

Touya knows your passcode, just like you know his, so it's no effort to unlock the device once he has it in hand. Finding the app in question is another story entirely.

He turns to you.

"Which one of these is Instagram?" he asks, holding the device in front of your face with the home screen open.

You pause your show again.

"This one," you say, pointing to one particular app icon, but your voice is notably perplexed.

Touya's never had any interest in social media. He had a couple of accounts when he was a teenager but hasn't properly logged in for years. As new social networking sites have risen and fallen, he's never bothered to even sign up, seeing no need in signing away his personal data to a platform he'll never use anyway.

Touya taps his thumb against the icon that you pointed out, waiting for the application to launch. His leg jiggles impatiently while he waits for it to load.

Beside him, you don't unpause your show.

When the screen finally loads, Touya is immediately accosted by an unfamiliar interface. There's some photo of a girl he doesn't know taking up most of the screen, and a few bubbles in the upper right hand corner that he can only assume are notifications you haven't checked. Touya may not use social media, but he's not an idiot either, so after clicking around the screen for long enough he finally manages to pull up what he recognizes as your personal profile.

"Touya, what are you doing?" you ask, thoroughly bewildered now, having just watched your boyfriend visit just about every corner of the Instagram app.

He sucks in a sharp breath.

Slowly, he turns to look at you.

"Did you just post this?"

He doesn't really need to ask, considering the baggy t-shirt you're wearing in the photo—his t-shirt, he recognizes immediately—is the same one you currently have on as you lie stretched across your bed. It's all you have on, save for the frilly little socks on your feet and the edge of the panties he can see peeking out where your shirt's hem has ridden up.

The photo blessedly has left those out.

You clear your throat, almost like you're embarrassed, reaching out for your cellphone. "Yeah, a little while ago."

Touya holds the device out of your reach, and a little sound of indignation slips from your lips. He keeps scrolling.

Your profile is full of photos of you that are just as charming as the first one he'd seen. Some are of friends, or food, or places you've visited. Many are even of him, or the two of you together. The collection is like a series of little snapshots into your life—of all the moments you wanted to save or share. But every so often there will be a photo just of you.

You with your lips pursed coyly, or maybe quirked with the ghost of a smile. You wrapped in a skimpy little dress you bought for a special occasion that Touya is all too familiar with. You with your eyes bright, or maybe one where they're heavy lidded in a sultry expression that makes something possessive and primal scrape against Touya's ribs.

His face feels hot when he looks at those ones. Hotter still when he realizes other people have seen them too.

"I think you should delete your account," he says suddenly, turning to face you with a completely serious—and markedly insistent—expression.

"W-what? Touya!" You exclaim plaintively. You push yourself up onto your knees and scrabble for your phone. Touya doesn't fight back to any real degree. He lets you crawl into his lap and wrestle it out of his hands, though the two of you do go tumbling back across the bed in the process. Once you've safely tossed the phone down to the other end of the bed out of his reach, you turn back to him with an irritated pinch to your features.

Touya meets your gaze easily, like a man without guilt.

"What's gotten into you?" you ask him softly, still straddling his lap. Your hands rest over his sternum, fiddling idly with the strings of his hoodie.

Touya sighs, reaching up and tugging you down to his chest before snaking his arms around your waist to keep you pressed against him. You don't try and wiggle out of his grip like he thinks that you might, instead you let him hold you, nuzzling your face into the collar of his sweatshirt.

"You're being weird," you mumble.

"No, weird would be me asking you to throw your phone away and never leave the house again so I'm the only one who gets to look at you," Touya replies, his fingers dipping under the hem of your—his—shirt and creeping up along your spine. "I'm actually being pretty normal, all things considered."

You huff out a little laugh and Touya feels the warmth of it break against the skin of his throat. You lift your face so you can look at him, and Touya admires the view of you from so close up. The curve of your lips, the colour of your eyes, the tip of your nose. He could look at you all day, he realizes then. Every part of you. Every inch and dip and curve that makes you up. He could study them. Map them out with his eyes closed, long committed to memory.

You make him feel kind of insane, sometimes. More insane than usual, anyway. He worries that he likes you too much.

"What are you thinking about?" you ask him quietly.

You.

Touya purses his lips.

It wasn't his intended goal, but he's happy to accept the little kiss you press against them anyway, a laugh slipping out of his mouth and into yours before you pull away. He shuts his eyes, letting his head tip back against the bed again, letting out a long, exhausted breath.

"Wanna help me set up an instagram account?" he finally mutters after a long stretch of silence.

You push yourself up overtop of him, and when he cracks one eye open he finds you looking down at him excitedly.

"Really?" you ask him incredulously, but undeniably pleased by the prospect.

He nods a bit, pulling you back down against his chest. He lets his eyes shut once more.

If deleting your account is out of the question, he might as well have his own so at least he gets to admire it.

You wiggle comfortably in Touya's hold, your TV show long forgotten at the other end of the bed, content to just let your boyfriend trace lazy circles into your thigh as your legs tangle together with his.

Touya's eyes pop open again suddenly, an unpleasant and not-so distant memory rushing back to him.

Your gaze meets his own, a quiet concern swimming behind it.

He takes your face in his hand.

"How do you block someone on Instagram?"

[the1younevernoticed]

I work in the government. At the VA as a social worker. I want to document what I have seen so I’m not gaslit into thinking it isn’t as crazy as it clearly is right now.

I am editing some things down. I will be sharing non-political facts and personal concerns as they relate to me on a personal level through my job. My opinions and beliefs do not represent the VA, the government, or any political party. These posts are to encourage transparency for all.

This may be a long one.

It started with an email. And then continued with many more.

First email:

1/22/2025

MESSAGE FROM THE ACTING SECRETARY

We are taking steps to close all agency diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.

These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.

We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024, to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances to DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days.

There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.

In addition to the above, all personnel are directed to withdraw any final or pending documents, directives, orders, materials, and equity plans issued by the agency in response to now-repealed Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce (June 25, 2021). These actions must be taken immediately, but no later than January 31, 2025.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Todd B. Hunter

Acting Secretary

This is an OFFICIAL email to federal employees. The language was shocking to our whole team. We are social workers. We work in kindness and helpfulness and we have been told there would be consequences if we do not report our coworkers.

There were messages between coworkers in fear of what this meant. If this would mean we couldn’t do our jobs.

Our morning meeting was cryptic and fearful. As federal employees, there are rules in place that extend beyond “appropriate language” that the community has. We are not allowed to discuss politics, express opinions on any party or figure or ruling, or protest of any kind. It’s called the Hatch Act 1939.

So we all sat there. All 30 of us. Unsure what could be said. We could see the smiles on one or two of those on the team that had spewed hate in the past, but at large we were all in shock.

I moved to the VA from hospice. I saw veterans dying and wanted to be part of the system to help them pass peacefully. Even though I am not pro-military, I am pro-senior care. And the VA is one of the few free systems that can actually help. I feel like I can actually help.

But god is it hard to work here right now. There is no shame in being conservative or liberal in beliefs. It’s a valid point. But the system I personally work in is suffering with this administration change right now.

This VA system is a socialist system that veterans can come to make up for the gaps in services that those in the community can’t escape. I have veterans coming to me concerned for their services. I can only offer hope to them. I’m frustrated daily now with the emails coming through.

I moved to the VA because, as a social worker, the community was so limited on options that I would feel depressed daily on what I couldn’t help with. Now I feel like I losing my mind even more. I think of quitting daily, but I want to stay and help if I can.

Our government has so much power and capacity for good. I want to be a part of that.

I’ll post more emails as well.

Be safe everyone

Disclaimer: this post is for educational purposes and is in no way supporting any particular political party and is not meant to incite any political activity

[libraryraccoon]

Hi, I would like to request Alastor with a reader who is like the Trailblazer from Star rail please

I just like to think that their dynamic would drive everyone up the walls

- Alastor unleashing Trailblazer!Reader on the world

Gender : GN

Pronouns : None

Message of Raccoon : Alastor with a Caelus/Trailblazer!Reader but it's mostly crack.

Alastor

First of all, you look like a raccoon.

I'm not the one who makes the rules.

You were, in fact, an angel.

But you were fallen because you rummaged through people's trash…

So now you're in Hell.

Alastor met you shortly after you arrived, you were beating up demons with an angelic baseball bat when he found you.

He immediately found you interesting, because :

You had an angelic weapon, a baseball bat. It was the first time he had seen a baseball bat as an angelic weapon.

You were a raccoon demon and you were in a fight. Raccoon demons, according to popular belief, were people who flew unnoticed and fled from any type of battle; they didn't like to fight.

You were beautiful.

But, like, the kind of beauty that was misused.

With all these points taken into account, yes he find you interesting.

Alastor came to talk to you before taking you to the Hazbin Hotel.

Over time, he understood that you were the exception who confirmed the rule on raccoon demons.

Why ? Because you were a being of chaos.

Not a day went by without someone seeing you running through hell, angelic baseball bat in hand, creating chaos and destroying everything.

Carmilla brought him to her neighborhood one day at 3AM because you were creating chaos there.

He swears that it's you who create the principle of chaos.

And when you're not creating chaos, you're rummaging through trash…

How Alastor even began to love you is a mystery even he doesn't have the answer to.

When Alastor realized that he love you, he had two reactions :

“Holy shit I can be in love.” Coming off the aromantic 'can't feel romantic feelings at all' spectrum was NOT one of the things he wanted this year.

“HOLY SHIT I FALL FOR THE VIOLENT RACCOON FROM HELL”

Denial. Instantly.

It took him 3 months to come out of the first phase of the grief, the denial.

Not about being able to love, no, he accepted that.

But falling in love with you ?

Hell nah.

It took him 4 months to accept it, finally coming out of his grief.

He complained to Rosie about it, 100%.

“How could I fall for someone like that..” -Alastor, totally done with all this shit.

“Look on the bright side, Y/N is handsome.” -Rosie, not understanding the seriousness of the situation.

He didn't confess, praying that his feelings would go away.

It was you who confess.

He helped you heal some of your wounds, and you just said "Thank you, I love you." Before kissing his forehead and leaving, like if it was normal.

After that, you got the "you can touch me but not too much" pass, which allowed you to touch Alastor.

And you use it too often at Alastor's opinion.

Now, when you're not digging through trash, not doing what you were created for (chaos), you stay with Alastor.

People don't fuck with Alastor anymore, not because they're afraid to be in his radio show, oh no no ! They didn't want to meet the madman that he call his partner.

You two are the most feared duo/couple in Hell.

Even if in truth you are just two people who love each other and love chaos.

Alastor entertained himself by watching the chaos you created. It's canon, I don't make the rules.

The Hazbin Hotel crew judges you so LOUD.

Charlie is the only one to support you two with Niffty.

Angel Dust asks too many questions for his well-being about you and the history of your relationship.

Vaggie is, and always will be, shocked to see you touch Alastor without consequences, or even to see you kiss him.

Husk asked you how you can love Alastor...

You took 3 hours for explaining the why-

No one asked after that.

Sir Pentious was just like "🧍‍♂️ does that mean you're Alastor's weakness ?"

Lucifer give you a lot of side eyes.

No, I won't elaborate.

Vox tried to kidnap you…

…

There was a week without Vox on TV, and every time someone mentioned your name, he flinched.

Let's not even talk about when he sees you after that..

Alastor himself doesn't want to know what you did to him.

You are the more affectionate and touchy one in the relationship.

Alastor always knows what you are thinking by your expressions.

The day you told him you were an angel and why you were sent to Hell, he was shocked.

Because, how on the 7 circles of Hell, a being of chaos was an angel ??

He just asked "How can an angel be so chaotic ?"

And you just shrugged your shoulders.

You yourself didn't know how you got to Heaven in the first place-

I just know that you touch his ears and his deer tail as soon as you are in private, and that even before being a couple.

You're just a 'I need to touch everything' person.

Alastor tried to get you to stop digging through the trash, but he never succeeded.

Alastor loves you, yes, but sometimes (read : often) he wishes he didn't.

[asaedw]

I’m writing a pinklock series and I want to add YOU in my story. (No smut!) (all spots full)

I haven’t thought of plots yet. Or characters. Even my OC I haven’t written yet. But now I’m realizing I have to write atleast the first selection. I wanna say thank you to all the people who like my writing I didn’t expect so many notes and reblogs 😞😞🙁🙁

Now— all I ask of you is that you write me the name of your character in message or asks along with the below info (in the picture) plus the form for pinklock bible.

I’m gonna write it from my OC’s perspective but I want to include as many of you guys in as I possibly can. For the first selection, we need 11x5 (team V, W, X, Y, Z)= 55 characters. I will write the entry test eliminated characters and background characters myself. But I will take up to four OCs per team so that they can move onto next rounds. Which means you guys will be eighteen including two of mine.

(Make sure your character is under-20 so that they can play to be apart of U20 later on and over 15)

Rules:

-wlw is allowed. You are allowed to relate your characters with one another (dating, sibling, parent)

-only female characters, sorry!

-you can give me more than one character (up to 4)

-no oversexualozation of characters please! I refuse to write overly sexualized female characters especially since they’re all minors.

-all must have the required skill to play soccer. And atleast one weapon.

-no characters under 15 years of age, sorry! I want them to all be atleast grade 9-10-11.

-characters must be solely pinklock players and not already world famous (otherwise your story will be boring unless you write that you want things to go downhill for that character)

-also atleast one of your characters must be a player and the rest may be fans/family/friend/another player.

-your character MUST have flaws. (Atleast 3)

-please give me the details based off the following image.

- Animal-like traits are not allowed. Only human characters.

-characters of ALL races/ethnicity are allowed but must play in Japan according to blue lock location and story.

Keep in mind that whatever age you tell me will be the age of your character during first selection which takes place in that past (Nov 18, 2018) this is because both bl and pl exist in the same timeline.

Also do send pics from Pinterest if you really want me to see what you chara looks like. Also explain their dressing style if you want cus it adds personality.

I hope this post will reach some people who are interested. If I don’t get enough responses within a given time, I will fill in my own characters. Thanks for reading and as always thank you for being here🫡🫀

Also fill out this form for our PINKLOCK bible.

Checkout the slots available in my PINKLOCK CHARACTERS post.

I’m so excited and I hope this reaches the people who fantasize about PL daily.

All people who’s character used will be tagged.

[gottastim]

donate to people in need, receive a stimboard or gifsets

i'm opening requests! you can ask for either a stimboard of any aesthetic, sexuality/gender, theme, vibe, piece of media on my whitelist, etc.,

or,

you can send me a specific theme/type of stim/aesthetic/vibe/etc. and i will make a minimum of 5 posts containing new gifsets, matching as best i can. this is a good option if you'd like to make a board of your own, but are having trouble finding the right images for it.

rules:

in order to submit a request, please contact me with a screenshot of your receipt after donating to either of the families or organizations listed here:

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

ahmed alanqar: #264 on the verified fundraiser list & independently vetted by 90-ghost. as of writing, ahmed is 97% of the way to his goal. gofundme link here.

ola ahel: #205 on the verified fundraiser list & independently vetted by northgazaupdates. as of writing, ola is 72% of the way to her goal. gofundme link here.

palestine red crescent society: currently the leading provider of emergency services in gaza, according to the international red cross society. donate here.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

the receipt should be automatically emailed to you after making a donation.

once you have sent the screenshot of your receipt, you can either describe your request to me, OR you can ask for a form to fill out if that would be easier for you. i can be contacted via ask or private message on here.

i will not do requests that are overtly offensive, go against my DNI, or are of media that's not on my whitelist. i'm limiting my focus to these 3 specific fundraisers, but please continue to give aid wherever you can.

inspired by @sakurautism and @austim , who are doing something similar!

[marielle555]

Astarion's past as a magistrate and Astarion's scenes from EA.

“Who needs morals when you have good hair?” Astarion.

“Two hundred years ago, Astarion was a corrupt elite of Baldur’s Gate with a taste for power and a hunger for eternal life. It wasn’t long before these desires became a nightmarish reality. Transformed into the vampire spawn of a sadistic master, Astarion was kept as a slave to lure fresh noble blood to the palace of Cazador – all while subsisting on the putrid blood of rats. Astarion’s design is inspired by his story of indentured servitude and told through scar tissue and rogue garb. His leather armour still boasts the fine golden embroidery of high society, an aesthetic inspired by 18th-century libertines and European rock stars of the early ‘90s – two subcultures that echo Astarion’s desire to live a life without restraint. But beneath this costume is a constant reminder of the centuries spent enslaved, in the form of a poem carved into his flesh by his vampire lord.”

The first lines of the artbook tell us that our beloved vampire in the past belonged to the corrupt elite of Baldur and craved power and eternal life. And his desire for eternal life was fulfilled, but in a horrible, twisted form - in the form of his worst nightmare - Astarion became the spawn of the sadistic Kazador. In the final of Sun King (Astarion Origins), Astarion recalls how he judged the fates of others in the past. Now in the game we can learn very little about Astarion's past, although it is known that Astarion was a Magistrate. And references to his past are present in several scenes:

References to Astarion's Past as a Magistrate - BG3

The first mention of Astarion being a magistrate we can hear is if we ask Astarion to tell us about himself (“Tell me about yourself”), Astarion replies, “Oh, what's to tell? I'm a magistrate back in the city - it's all rather tedious.”

After a closer encounter (after the bite), we can also ask: “You must remember your life before that?” “I was a magistrate, working to keep the peace in Baldur's Gate. Imprisoning trouble makers, that kind of thing.” And he adds bitterly: “I can't remember much, truth be told. Centuries of torment will do that to you.”

And if you imagine what Astarion experienced during his years of slavery to Cazador, you can understand, why his past life became something distant for him, why many of his memories are lost. Also according to DnD lore, once a person is converted to a spawn, some of the memory of a person's past life is erased. That said, it's hard to say with that, how much Astarion even wants to tell Tav about his past. “Why do you insist on exhuming the past?” - Astarion sounds tense in this line, somewhat angry, he is distrustful and suspicious.

Three lines in the game in which Astarion talks about what happened to him on that fateful night when Cazador found him:

"I was attacked. A gang of vagrants, a tribe of wandering 'Gur', took issue with a ruling I'd made.”

“They beat me to death's door when Cazador appeared. He chased them off and offered to save me. To give me eternal life."

"Not him, no. A gang of thugs attacked me, angry about a ruling that I'd handed down as magistrate."

The reason the Gur gang attacked and nearly killed Astarion was because of his decision that Astarion made as a magistrate. The reason why the elf noble magistrate was in unsafe parts of the city, where he could be attacked by the Gur gang (this could hardly happen in the Upper City or in a safe neighborhood guarded by guards), and why Cazador happened to be around at the right time and place, is left out of the picture. Astarion also mentions that he had his own “history” with the Gur: “The point is I have history with these barbarians. Cazador's sending a message.” And most likely, this “story” with Gur had to do with the very decision that Astarion once made as a magistrate, and that caused Gur to hate him. Cazador may well have sent him such a “message” as well, and Astarion thinks so. (“My old master sent that vagabond after me.”) He is confident that more thugs will come after him, and we learn with him much later (when we meet Gur in Act 3) that the Gur are looking for their children.

“A Selunite necklace, if I'm any judge. And I am.” - Astarion's banter when finding the Selunite Necklace. Another reference to his past. Doing Wyll's quest (to find Ansur) you can get Astarion's opinion as a judge when we solve the “punishing the thief” puzzle.

In Astarion Origins, during his conversation with Wyll, Astarion also tells Wyll about his past as a magistrate (“I was a magistrate once, I could see if you missed any loopholes in your contract.”), offering to help Wyll find some loopholes in his contract with Mizora.

By the way, this shows that Astarion's legal experience did not disappear anywhere and remained with him. And Astarion had definitely studied the terms of the deal with Mephistopheles regarding the Ascension ritual, which was so important to him (Raphael's tale, the description of the ritual in The Necromancy of Thay, the Vellioth's scrolls - he had three sources of information during this time), and he knew exactly what he was doing. Those who claim that “Astarion found out about the ritual five minutes before it started”, or that Astarion is a silly scared kid, who just this second suddenly decided to do the ritual out of fear, simply don't know the game's plot well.

Final of the Sun King (Astarion Origins). Narrator's line:

“It’s been a long time since you’ve stood in judgement over others, holding their lives in your hands. But after everything you’ve done, doesn’t this feel right?”

In this finale, Astarion seems to reclaim his past self, only becoming much stronger, more powerful, and more majestic… His story began as a magistrate, he aspired to the top, fell, went through hell, broke free, took revenge, and rose again, only now to a much higher peak. This looks like the fulfillment of his wishes and the victorious conclusion of his story. And Ascended Astarion in the epilogue also says, “I'm who I always wanted to be. I have everything I ever wanted.”

In Astarion's Character Sheets, his backstory is told as follows:

“Astarion prowled the night as a vampire spawn for centuries, forced to follow the orders of his sadistic Master, Cazador: Seduce every fool with a pulse, and lure them back to my lair. Free for now, he will do anything to keep his life in the light. He can see but one way to ensure his liberty for good: become many times more powerful than his old abuser even could dream of being.

His body is forever tainted by the intricate, patterned scarring Cazador carved upon his back, and the elder vampire seems set on sending waves of hunters seeking to capture his lost spawn.”

Personal Traits:

“Astarion drips with charm before everyone he meets. How much of it is an act, even he himself isn’t sure of any more”.

Ideals:

“Freedom almost tastes finer than blood, and Astarion will do everything he can to secure it”.

Flaws:

“While he has hoiled seduction down to a fine art, and can quickly win over almost anyone, keeping and trusting a new-found ally is another challenge altogether”.

Sure, I would have liked to see more of Astarion's backstory revealed within the game, but that's not going to be realized. For me, as a fan of this game, the biggest regret was the Astarion scenes from EA, which were made and were in EA, but they were not included in the game after release, now you can only see some of Astarion's banters from those scenes. For example, Astarion's nightmare can now only be seen in his Origin, and in EA we could talk to him about it. In those scenes Astarion was revealing himself wonderfully, he was bright, expressive and very emotional. But, fortunately, the authors of youtube channels, who went through the game in EA, saved his scenes, and we can still admire Astarion in them and have a deeper look at his character.

Astarion about the "little death" (Early Access patch 4):

“Astarion often uttered the phrase "Little death" and I started looking for information about this expression and I came across a quote in which for me it is still the essence of the relationship with him.

The French expression for orgasm, la petite mort ("little death"), implies an orgasmic loss of oneself that destroys the pain of separateness — the lonely Self disappears into the resulting We." © AlexKhodja (channel Arts&Games).

Also, the “little death” scene complements Astarion's line at the Tiefling party: “Not at all! I was hoping for companionship and - well, maybe a little death. Figuratively speaking.”

“Who needs morals when you have good hair?” (Astarion and Gale monster hunter conversation):

Astarion's comment on Goblin Sazza:

Astarion doesn't suffer weak minded fools - (Patch 4) Fisherman Conversation:

"Sweetie, you can't murder 'vermin'":

Astarion wants to stay and party with the goblins! - Patch 4 Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access:

I managed to catch a shot of Astarion looking frustrated at having to search for some druid instead of having fun at the party:

And then those satisfied, sly eyes:

Astarion about slaves of myconids [Baldur's Gate 3] [Early Access] [Patch 5]:

Astarion Comments on Mayrina's Situation (Astarion just has an adorable laugh in this scene):

A collection of Astarion's heavy emotional reactions - when he's angry or scared, but it's so strong, it's just impossible to watch indifferently:

It's heart wrenching and makes me want to comfort him as soon as possible, but it's such a strong and impressive range of emotions that it just knocks you off your feet. It's hard to understand why most of these dialog lines were removed in the release version. Neil played incredibly well, Astarion is so alive that watching these scenes you feel fear, when you see his fear, and pain for him, when you see his pure rage. When Tav insults Astarion, he responds (2.51): “There has to be a way you know what, separates us from animals, - choice. I choose to travel with you, a dog would do it on instant to fulfill, a need. Disrespect me again and I won't choose to kill you. I'll do it on instinct to fulfill my need to hear you scream”. And what a huge contrast to that practically devastated, emotionally repressed Astarion, who on the “path of redemption” in the graveyard scene dutifully accepts insults from his “partner,” replying, “I will endeavor to please” or “If it has, it might be for the best” with his head down.

Astarion was a deeply traumatized person, but he was strong, and he knew how to snap back. And he could bite. He was not one to give up easily. And it was all the more valuable to earn his trust and the opportunity for Tav to become a close person to him. It's a pity, if Larian decided to “soften” such a magnificently evil character by not including his strong and vivid emotional reactions in the release version. It would have been much better, in my opinion, to reveal his softer side by enriching the roleplay and adding those lines and actions for Tav that would have helped Astarion feel better and start to trust Tav more, an emotional, multifaceted and complex character is a true diamond for any game, capable of making you fall in love and bond with him. Of course, they did a lot of good things in the release version too, in particular I really like Astarion's appearance in the game, all the little wrinkles on his face that make him even more alive and real.

I think Astarion's EA scenes are an important part of his story too, and thanks for having them. I'd certainly like to see a director's version or a gold edition that includes them, but it's unlikely to come true. These scenes added and deepened Astarion's character for me in many ways, and allowed me to understand him even better.

[yanderes-galore]

Marvel Rivals Magik awakened something in me, can I ask for a concept of her, please?

Yandere! MR! Magik HCs

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Violence, Blood, Implied murder, Kidnapping, Yandere aware of actions, Stalking, Oblivious darling, Biting/Marking, Tasting blood, Dubious turned forced relationship.

Illyana, at least the one you play as according to her lore, is Queen of Limbo.

She rules over demons and acts as a general, fighting against gods and deities.

She has a naturally commanding presence, some fear her, some respect her.

Due to this fearsome and intimidating version of herself... I imagine her yandere tendencies would make her ruthless.

That's not even mentioning Darkchylde/Darkchild, whom I imagine makes her quite possessive over you.

She's a queen, a ruler in this timeline.

Only fools would try to tempt what's hers.

Illyana is normally very stoic due to her title and role.

She's the Queen of Limbo, a master of demons.

She isn't really one who relies on others in this universe.

All she has are her demons and the constant war of Darkchild within her.

I feel Illyana mostly tries to keep herself controlled and reserved.

Although I imagine her yandere behavior manifests as something more... primal or feral due to Darkchild?

Illyana originally saw your partnerships as just that, partnerships.

You're both stuck fighting wars due to the timeline entanglement.

She already had a lot on her plate in Limbo, yet her fellow Mutants and even Wanda needed her aid.

She just saw you as an ally she could rely on to get things done.

Even during downtime where you two could talk, Illyana would keep things hidden about herself.

She isn't a person to give into mushy feelings.

Which may be another reason when she is obsessed that it comes off... animalistic.

Illyana is slow to obsess because she's used to being alone and hiding impulses.

Even when she has positive interactions with you, she still has that disinterested tone or... is trying to keep herself controlled.

Part of Illyana probably wants to be closer to you, to finally find some sort of comfort in someone...

Another part of her is no doubt aware of what will happen when she does.

For Illyana, her reason for her obsession is a combination of her being alone for a long time and her dark side.

Actually... Mostly her dark side.

She knows if she relaxes around you, Darkchild may have other plans.

So part of her stoic disinterest may actually be for your own safety.

It's a chance to quit while you're ahead.

However, if you continue to support her, to try and be close to her...

She begins to hesitate.

You've seen her dark side in battle... So part of her thinks you somehow just didn't get the message being friends is a poor decision?

One time during downtime, Illyana decides to try to use Darkchild to scare you off.

She knows she's a monster and for your safety needs you to see it.

She shows you the large horned beast, the glaring crimson eyes with purple scales.

She shows you a being truly known as the Queen of Limbo.

She has more control of this form due to Strange according to dialogue, but is still incredibly sadistic and feral in this form.

Yet what does she get for trying to intimidate you?

"You won't hurt me, it doesn't benefit you... You know we need each other."

You aren't scared... It's nearly frustrating.

Illyana's tail thrashes as Darkchild, the demonic queen huffing as she reverts.

"You're annoying." Illyana grumbles, cursing herself for being unable to push you away.

"I'm sure you've had worse company."

She snorts, yeah, you're right there...

But that's the problem... You're so damn pleasant.

You're like a forbidden treat to her.

She wants you... so bad...

She just wants to give into the thoughts she has around you... but remains controlled.

She tries, she really does try to push you away.

In her eyes, she's done her best to avoid temptation and keep you safe.

So, if you're going to keep pushing her... to get close to her... right after finding out what she is...

She doesn't feel responsible for what happens next.

Once you accept her and befriend her, Illyana starts letting some behavior slip.

Part of her feels guilty, yes, but...

It's not like you left when you could.

It starts small... Remember her intimidating behavior?

You could just be speaking with someone or trying to defend yourself in the back of your team...

Only for Illyana to just be close by, grip on her Soulsword tight.

She's possessive due to Darkchild.

The Queen of Limbo has just found someone who managed to get close to her...

You aren't leaving her now.

You just wanted to be friends, you naively thought she was misunderstood.

No, it's hard to misunderstand the Queen of Limbo.

You walked into this, so it shouldn't be a problem when she cuts down people over you.

She's used to the blood, she's used to demons.

She's completely fine with giving into primal instincts with Darkchild running free to maim.

She hides her guilt and focuses on her more intense instincts.

No, you seem fine with it...

You're hers.

Even as Darkchild, Illyana is oddly careful with you.

She's still animalistic, but even as a demon her tail sways, as though resisting the urge to wrap herself around you and mark you.

She has control, she remembers Strange's teachings with her portals and Darkchild....

But the need to give in still claws at her.

Eventually Illyana allows herself some physical contact with you.

She allows hugs to sate her desires, silently scolding herself for thinking of anything else.

No... she doesn't want to bite your neck... to taste your blood... to mark you....

Safe to say, she has to quickly end hugs to keep them friendly.

Darkchild makes things so difficult for her.

Honestly she's desperate to change your bond to romantic at some point.

Will that make the feelings better or worse...?

Illyana also refuses to speak with anyone about this.

No Strange, No Logan, No Wanda...

She's ashamed of being so possessive of you... but can't restrain it much longer.

Not with you caring so much... or others being so close....

Others seem to know something is up with the Queen of Limbo though... she has a certain crimson glint in her eye when it comes to you.

It's pretty much been game over since you accepted her... but there's really no going back the second you are engaged in a romantic relationship.

Darkchild in her is practically purring once Illyana breaks down and confesses or even worse... you do it.

You poor damned soul....

Poor girl has to hold herself back from lunging onto you, eye twitching before she forces a downright animalistic smile.

"Oh, dear... You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, huh?"

By the time you're 'dating', Illyana doesn't bother holding back.

She kisses and marks your neck to sate her craving, apologizing when she draws blood... sometimes.

Her beastly instincts shudder when she tastes you and feels your warmth.

She's bad enough in her normal form, pulling you to secluded areas to kiss you or remind you of what you got yourself into by coming too close.

But as Darkchild?

Darkchild is possessive, sadistic, and craves you.

As Darkchild Illyana drags you away, her long tail wrapping around your waist as she growls.

One would argue it's a purr... But you're the only one who hears it.

As this form, bites always draw blood and make you flinch, the Queen of Limbo lapping at the blood eagerly as she looks over the mark.

Her claws dig into your skin, tail squeezing tightly as she growls at anyone who even thinks of approaching. (A death wish, honestly....)

Illyana is terrifying to those she sees as trying to take you.

Her normal form practically glares daggers into others, no matter how strong.

Plus, having Darkchild behind you?

I think that's beyond scary dog privilege.

For the most part you can talk things out.

You understand her behavior is from Darkchild and try to help her contain it.

You want to love her... even if you shouldn't...

But you can't excuse her using a portal as Darkchild to drag you to Limbo.

When it comes to Darkchild, anything can set her off.

With this whole Timeline Entanglement issue, she may be worried about your safety.

Or maybe she just feels... this is the next step between you.

Illyana would kidnap you then blame you for it.

If you didn't get close to her and acted like you cared so much... You wouldn't be here.

The demons won't touch you, not when she announces you are the Queen of Limbo's partner/consort.

She's put her demons in line if she has to.

But they won't touch you... They, like you should have, fear her.

Illyana, even in Limbo, treats you as if you're precious... occasionally marking your skin to sate herself.

She loves you, she's simply... a demon queen.

Others may try to dissuade her, no doubt sensing the possessive demeanor in Illyana...

Yet she's adamant that you wanted this.

She warns others that whoever tries to take you will be at the mercy of Darkchild.

You don't need help.

No one has come so close to her, the Queen of Limbo...

You're the only one, you asked for it.

She's warned you she's dangerous... She's shown you Darkchild.

You were fine then... you aren't now?

A shame, sweetheart... but you don't dangle meat in front of a demon then tug it away last minute.

She's claimed you, fair and square.

Now you'll reside in Limbo with her... Forced to lie in the grave you made...

She was never going to let you go once you tempted her, honestly.

[hannahssimblr]

May. 

The sun’s hot on the window. It beams into the centre, onto the side of my face. The birds must be singing—making a racket in the trees, the leaves of which I can only see the impression of, blurred through patterned glass. I lift one side of my headset to hear them, but any sound of burgeoning summer is drowned out by the cacophony of voices and the clacking of a dozen keyboards.

The call connects with a soft chime, and I straighten up.

“Good afternoon. You’re through to support. My name is Jude. How can I help you?” 

“Okay, where the fuck is my iPhone?”

Feel a thin smile on my lips. I will have quit this job by next week. 

“I understand that’s really frustrating. Let me take a look for you.”

The man—surely all head and no neck by the sound of his voice—barks me through the sequence of digits that is his order number, while I stare at the Freundlichkeit ist oberstes Gebot im Kundenkontakt sign pinned to the cubicle above my computer. Friendliness is the top priority in customer interaction. Feel a bit indignant looking at it—the one-sidedness of it. Like a little peasant, I rattle obliging phrases down the phone at this man who, according to my personal rules outside this place, is not allowed to speak to me like this. 

On this phone, however, he can say whatever he wants. 

“So it’s lost then?” he snarls once I’ve pulled up his order. “Who lost it? Who the fuck lost my phone?”

Take a breath. “I completely understand your frustration. I will raise a ticket with our logistics team to investigate, and if it has been confirmed missing, we will send a replacement or issue a refund. Whichever you prefer.”

“I’d prefer to have my iPhone now, like I was supposed to.”

“Thanks. Your feedback helps us improve. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

He hangs up. 

I take my headset off and pinch the bridge of my nose between my fingers. I forgot to use his name on the call. The team lead flagged me for that last week, saying customers like to feel human, as though the entire system wasn’t designed to the contrary. 

Thirty seconds of reprieve before the next call hits. Just enough time to remember I’m a person.

Slide my phone from my pocket, and the home screen reveals one new message. 

Evie. 

Eagerly awaiting your lunch update, pls.  Trying a bubble tea atm. Tastes like nothing. 

A picture of her cup against the backdrop of South William Street. Red brick buildings. Cracking sun. It makes me feel depressed. Forty-three minutes until I’m allowed to access my sad sandwich in the company fridge. I’ll spare her a picture.

Start to type something back. 

Grim. Always thought those looked good, in a kind of freaky frogspawn way tbh. There’s a place–

Chime. A call connects. 

Phone back in the pocket. Headset back on. 

“Good afternoon. You’re through to support. My name is Jude. How can I help you?” 

In the evening, after escaping the call center, I sit with Astrid outside a bar in Mitte. Her long, bare legs are stretched out in the golden light. The garlic-slick remains of her prawn tapas sit in a dish on the table, and I, pencil to paper, sketch, for the hundredth time, a diagram of a clay sculpture. 

“You’re allowed to stop working,” she drawls, following several minutes of silence. “It is possible to enjoy a Friday evening if you put your mind to it.”

“Mm, I know,” paw for my glass of wine and drink some without looking up from the page. “Just with everything... the job’s killing me this week. Can’t wait for next week when I can finally… you know, quit.”

“Well, not everything you deliver has to be perfect. Your assignments don’t matter so much in second year.”

“I’d rather have something to show at the end of the semester. You see where I’m coming from?” I gesture to the page, the drawing of a head, my head maybe, though it will probably be a decision based on time once I get into the sculpture studio. 

She sighs, heavy and hassled, and adjusts her sunglasses on her nose. “If a genie granted me one wish, it would be that you could just relax and enjoy your life.”

“Thanks, that’s nice,” I say, not knowing whether she intended it to be or not. Too busy to care. 

A mask, I think. Yes, the head should have a mask on it. Kind of halfway off. Scrawl a note to find a book about that in the university library on Monday. 

“There she is,” Astrid says, no excitement in her voice, and I look up as Mia crosses the plaza. Jeans and a t-shirt, hair sticking out from her ponytail in a halo of frizz, and a blush from the vigour of her walk across her cheeks and nose. Same flat expression she wore at Christmas.

Astrid doesn’t stand to greet her, but cocks her head to the side, peering up at her sister through her shades. “Hello,” she says. “How are you?”

“Fine,” says Mia. “I like your top.” 

Astrid just smiles. Shows no teeth. 

To me, then: “Hello, Jude.”

I tuck my sketchbook onto my lap and gesture towards the empty seat. “Hey, good to see you again. Sit down. Do you want to look at the wine menu?”

“Ah,” she slumps into the chair, brushes bits of her hair away from her forehead. “No, I’m not drinking alcohol. Not before performing.” Takes the menu anyway, perusing it while Astrid swishes pinot noir around her glass. 

“And the rehearsals?” She says. “They were fine?”

“Yes, they went well,” Mia flips to the cocktail page. “I’ve been finding Rachmaninoff emotionally consuming. It’s probably the most demanding concerto I have had to perform, so I’m feeling tired.”

Astrid nods. 

“What about it is so demanding?” I say, and hope their perception of my intelligence isn’t hinging on my knowledge of Rachmaninoff and his concertos, or whatever. “Is it like, you know, long, or something?”

“Mm, thirty minutes, approximately. It’s more about the endurance needed.”

“Right, right.”

She peers at me. “You’re coming to the concert?”

“Tomorrow, yeah. With my mom and sister. They’re actually flying in tomorrow morning, so yeah. They’re excited. My sister mostly, but my mom too. She sort of has an idea of the kind of person who listens to classical music and likes to play the part. If you know what I mean.” 

Mia nods. “Yes, I do.”

Wipe my hands on the sides of my jeans. “Hey, did you mean it, what you said at Christmas? About letting Ivy backstage and stuff? No pressure if you can’t, but I did want to ask.”

She hesitates. “I–”

“Oh, Mia is too busy for that,” Astrid says quickly. “Already going through so many long rehearsals, and then bringing a child around? I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Mia looks at her but says nothing. Heat crawls up my cheeks and into my forehead. “Okay, well, Ivy is not just some random kid. She’s my sister.”

Astrid shrugs. “Yes, but it’s a professional concert, and she’s still a child.”

“She’s a really great person.”

She just sips her drink.

I adjust my chair. “Well, I’m meeting them tomorrow at their hotel. They got one near the concert hall. It’s their first time in Berlin, so… we’ll make a day of it. Ivy’s apparently been listening to the concert programme on YouTube non-stop. She’s like, obsessed with the music.”

Nobody says anything. 

“Glad we’re all excited,” I mutter. 

Mia glances up. “I’m glad she’s coming.”

I’m not sure if she means it, or if she’s just being polite. Regardless, the conversation moves on. Something about a person they both know, or knew, and I turn my sketchbook over in my lap. Stare at the unfinished face. Mine or not mine. The mask sits crookedly on his brow. 

I scribble over it and close the page.

Beginning // Prev // Next

[skulcrusherlulu]

Luffy’s Confusing Freedom

So when it comes to Luffy's concepts of freedom, I’d like to say I don’t disagree with all aspects of it. I think overall when we look at the world through Luffy's viewpoint, we see a world where he wants freedom and choice for all, unbound by destiny or fate or whatever providential hand that may rule over the One Piece world. Which again, I agree with. And I think Luffy’s concept of absolute freedom is inspiring, but it also has flaws and contradictions that raise serious concerns, at least for me

To start off, I'll explain what I believe Luffy's concept of freedom is, and I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I think Luffy's concept of freedom is the ability to live without constraints, to follow your desires, and to reject authority or imposed rules on oneself. He sees freedom as the ability to act according to your will, without concern for societal expectations, laws, or hierarchical control. To him, being the Pirate King is that. It means being the freest person on the seas, not one who rules over others, but one who answers to no one. He champions individual choice, fights against oppression, and refuses to be controlled, whether by governments, warlords, or fate itself.

My issue is that his version of freedom is deeply personal and individual and often enacted impulsively. He seeks immediate action without thinking of future consequences. His sense of adventure and self determination is inspiring, yes, but his philosophy sometimes disregards responsibility, strategy, and the impact his choices have on those around him. I think Luffy benefits from the fact that every rushed and impulsive choice he makes turns out positively (benefits of being the protag I suppose) but I can't help but think if I met someone like Luffy IRL, I would be deeply turned off from their personality. 

A few examples of where Luffy's concepts of freedom really seemed contradictory to me, is how he treats his allies. Luffy is a champion of not being bound by fate or destiny, and letting people make their own choices, but it seems like this concept does not apply to every person and every situation. For example, he was willing to let Usopp leave the crew, since that's the choice he made, but was risking his life and the lives of others to save Robin and Sanji when they left. One can say it's because Robin and Sanji were coerced to leave and did not make that choice truly of their own will. But we know Luffy to be a deeply insightful person, able to see what someone is truly feeling, when they mask their emotions, and what their true message and intent is. Could he not see that with Usopp? Could he not see that Usopp was not leaving because he WANTED to leave, but because of his inadequacies and his feeling of unimportance in the crew? 

It raises the question of whether Luffy's concepts of freedom, particularly the freedom of choice, is applied selectively. Does he truly respect individual choice, or does he only fight for freedom when it aligns with his own perspective? His ability to perceive when someone is suppressing their true emotions is evident in moments like when Sanji left, where he knew he didn’t truly want to leave, yet he seemingly failed to apply the same level of understanding to Usopp. If he were truly consistent in his philosophy, wouldn't he have fought just as hard to make Usopp stay, knowing his departure stemmed from insecurity rather than genuine desire? Or even have left Robin and Sanji to the choice they made, and not interfere despite if they were coerced or not? And we KNOW he can see someone's true feelings and intent, we see this in Water 7/Enies Lobby, because he KNEW Franky wanted to join and sail with the Strawhats, but he didn't leave Franky alone when he said no multiple times. He was consistent, determined to have him join. Why didn't he leave Franky alone after he made his choice?

This inconsistency means to me that Luffy's sense of freedom isn't entirely about allowing others to make their own choices, regardless of the conscience or coercion that person may be facing. It's about what he personally feels is the right course of action. His vision of freedom is not concrete or set in stone, but everchanging and entirely filtered through the lens of his emotions. Still, to this day, I don't know why he failed to uphold his own morals when he let Usopp leave, and I think it was in this moment where I started noticing his inconsistencies in his beliefs, and that it wasn't freedom that governed him, but something else (something that I believe fits him much more than freedom does).

Also, this freedom that he wants for everyone, would mean that people would have the freedom to impose authority and rules over people, which is kinda contradictory to the whole idea of freedom for one, but also, luffy has never been known to follow authority or rules anyways, even if the authority and rules benefits him! The chain reaction that punching the celestial dragon in Sabaody caused is a great example. He didn't respect the rules of respecting the celestial dragon (at the behest of his allies pleading), punched him (because of his anger and sense of justice), and because of that, marines hunted the strawhats down, nearly destroying the island, and for Luffy’s impulsiveness and sense of “i can do whatever i want, im free”, is utterly defeated and is separated from his crew for two whole years.

I think that moment is most emblematic of the contradiction at the heart of Luffy’s concept of freedom. On one hand, it’s incredibly admirable. He sees someone suffering, sees injustice, and acts. No hesitation, no calculation. But on the other hand, his freedom is whimsical and based solely on Luffy's viewpoints. What's good for Luffy, what benefits Luffy, and what Luffy thinks benefits others. Luffy’s moral compass isn’t guided by consistent logic or strategy, or true absolute freedom as we know it. It's driven by emotion, instinct, and personal bonds. And while that makes him a powerful and charismatic leader, it also makes his vision of freedom subjective and uneven. He doesn’t seem to believe in a freedom that’s universal and consistent for all, he believes in his freedom, and in the freedom of those he cares about, and sometimes even in spite of their choices. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not the pure, idealistic notion of freedom that many attribute to him either.

Going back to what I believe describes Luffy better than the beacon of freedom people portray him as. I think a better word to describe him is selfish. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. But Luffy is deeply, deeply selfish. 

His selfishness isn't rooted in greed or the need to lord over people, but it's about his emotions, his love, his fierce desire to protect the people and things he holds dear to him. To live life on his own terms. He doesn't want to rule others or control fates, but he does what to shape the world around him to fit his values, and that is a kind of selfishness. He chooses his battles based on what he feels is right, not on a universal code or a broader philosophical ideal of freedom. And that means his so-called “freedom” is often just an extension of his will.

When he saves someone, it's not because they wanted to be saved, or even if it was the right choice in that moment to save them, it's because he wanted to. Because he couldn't stand seeing them suffer. When he rebels against authority, it's not because he's fighting for a more just system (he doesn’t want to be a hero), but because he refuses to be restrained. When he honors someone's choice or ignores it, it's based on what he believes is right at that moment. That doesn’t make him a bad person, in fact, it’s what makes him such a compelling character. He’s raw and real, ruled by his heart, and unwavering in his pursuit of what he thinks is right. I also think, for my fellow Usopp fans, that this is an acceptable explanation for why he left Usopp but chased after Sanji and Robin. It's not because Sanji’s and Robins freedom of choice was being inhibited, but because he felt it right to chase after Sanji and Robin, and not for Usopp. That’s simply it. And maybe Zoro whispering in his ear helped influence his decision too (that damn Zoro … 😒)

So in the end, I admire Luffy not because he’s an inspiring beacon of freedom, but because he is flawed. He's selfish, inconsistent, impulsive, and yet still someone who manages to uplift and empowers others through sheer force of will. That’s not a freedom for everyone, nor a freedom that everyone would like. But it’s Luffy's freedom, and I think that's enough for me.

Well, what do you guys think? Did I completely miss the mark? Honestly when I first started watching One Piece, I could not STAND Luffy. I've also been a person that values rules and authority and all that(go marines!), so seeing Luffy and the way he acts…he took getting used to that's for sure lol. But I will say that I'm a bit shaky on this topic honestly. I feel like my mind can be changed! So please keep critiques respectful (I will cry if you are mean). But let me know what yall think!

[sadbicth]

see this? this is the shit that pisses me off. "you'd rather believe project 2025 is something that will actually happen". hey @evitavresnoc i'm calling you out for this dumbass post! you have a lot but this one irked me the most.

i'm hoping this finds its way to your feed because you're a coward and won't let anyone mention you, message you, dm you, reply to you, or reblog your posts!

and strap in, because it's a long one. i would've reblogged your original post or put this in your replies, but you turned off both!

instead of doing your research like a smart person would, you've decided that trump declaring "i dont intend to implement project 2025!!" is true, just because he said it. trump isn't exactly known as the most honest person, and believing anything he says is fooling yourself.

not only is trump mentioned over 300 times in the project 2025 document, he's implemented or attempted to implement countless aspects of it.

paul dans, who's one of the directors of project 2025, said himself that trump's actions so far are a testament to the initiative, calling them "home runs".

evitavresnoc, i don't expect you to actually read this, because you'd probably try to excuse or deny it. but i recommend you and everyone else do, because sometimes it's okay to be wrong.

below is a list of the things trump has done (as of february 3, 2025) that match up to project 2025:

redirecting federal aid under fema to the states: trump suggested we could "get rid" of fema, leaving it to the states. project 2025 calls for "reforming FEMA emergency spending to shift the majority of preparedness and response costs to states and localities instead of the federal government." project 2025 says that fema is "overtasked, overcompensates for the lack of state and local preparedness and response, and is regularly in deep debt."

ending diversity, equity, and inclusion practices: trump claimed in an executive order the day he arrived in the white house that dei policies violate federal civil rights laws, and shut out americans "who deserve a shot at the American dream" because of their race or sex. project 2025 calls for deletion of dei "from every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists." he also revoked is 60-year-old policy from 1965 that prohibited employment discrimination by government contractors and empowers the federal government to impose consequences for any discriminatory practices, which project 2025 explicitly called to revoke.

targeting pbs and npr: the fcc opened an investigation into pbs and npr because they're "concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials. In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements". according to project 2025, "stripping public funding would, of course, mean that NPR, PBS, Pacifica Radio, and the other leftist broadcasters would be shorn of the presumption that they act in the public interest and receive the privileges that often accompany so acting."

freezing federal assistance: trump established the department of government efficiency. it's headed by billionaire elon musk, who's been tasked with cutting regulations and spending, and to restructure federal agencies. this froze grants, loans, and federal assistance programs. russ vought, who's one of the directors of project 2025, and the new leader of the office of management and budget, is also overseeing this.

transgender military ban: trump prohibited trans people from serving in the military during his first term. biden reversed that. trump reversed it again, completely barring all trans people from military service. he claims that identifying as transgender "conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one's personal life." project 2025 calls for a reversal of policies "that allow transgender individuals to serve in the military. gender dysphoria is incompatible with the demands of military service."

restricting gender-affirming care for minors: trump issues an executive order barring the use of federal funds for any type of gender affirming care for anyone under the age of 19. it also instructs the the secretary of defense to take regulatory action to exclude gender-affirming care for minors from insurance coverage provided by tricare, the defense department's health care program, and federal employee health benefit programs. project 2025's calls for its office of civil rights to "remove all guidance issued under the biden administration concerning sexual orientation and gender identity." the book generally criticizes gender-affirming care as causing "irreversible physical and mental harm to those who receive them" and argues there is a lack of evidence surrounding it.

rescinding funding from schools with trans athletes: trump signed an order rescinding federal funding from school programs which allow trans women and girls to participate in women's sports. project 2025 claims that school districts are forcing schools to undermine cis women athletes to "satisfy transgender extremists".

federal recognition of only two sexes: trump passed a policy to only recognize male and female, ignore intersex people, and make them unchangeable. project 2025 calls for the government to define sex as biological sex recognized as birth.

stripping civil servants of employment protections: trump reinstated an executive order from his first term which created "schedule f in the excepted service". this creates a new employment category for career civil servants, and strips them from employment protections. it adds a section that states that while employees in these new "schedule policy/career positions" are not required to personally or politically support the current president or his policies, they are "required to faithfully implement administration policies to the best of their ability, consistent with their constitutional oath and the vesting of executive authority solely in the president." failure to do so is grounds for termination of employment. project 2025 repeatedly calls for trump's schedule f proposal to be reinstated.

closing the office of federal contract compliance programs: trump revoked the equal employment opportunity act (executive order 11246 of september 24, 1965), and the ofccp within the department of labor was immediately seized. project 2025 called for trump to "eliminate" the ofccp by rescinding eo 11246.

ending government efforts to fight mis/dis/malinformation: trump passed an executive order claiming that no federal government officer, employee, or agent may engage in abridging freedom of speech, even if that speech was spreading misinformation. project 2025 aims to prohibit the fbi from engaging in "activities related to combating the spread of so-called misinformation and disinformation by Americans who are not tied to any plausible criminal activity".

reinstating service members who refused the covid-19 vaccine: trump issues an order directing the secretaries of defense or homeland security to reinstate all service members who were discharged after refusing the covid-19 vaccine, as well as being restored their rank and full pay, benfits, bonus payments, or compensation. project 2025 calls for this, almost word for word.

withdrawing from the world health organization: one of trump's first actions was withdrawing the us from the world health organization. according to project 2025, "the manifest failure and corruption of the world health organization (WHO) during the covid-19 pandemic is an example of the danger that international organizations pose to u.s. citizens and interests". it says that when institutions act contrary to u.s. interests, the government "must be prepared to take appropriate steps in response, up to and including withdrawal."

withdrawing from the paris climate agreement: one of project 2025's most passionate arguments is that of withdrawing from the paris climate agreement, which trump did on his first day in office, as well as rolling back climate change policies and calling for climate change efforts to be removed from governmental efforts such as providing foreign aid and regulating agriculture.

sending active duty troops to the southern border: on trump's first day of his presidency, he signed an order that assigned troops "the mission to seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the united states." project 2025 suggests "using military personnel and hardware to prevent illegal crossings between ports of entry and channel all cross-border traffic to legal ports of entry."

restricting funding for public schools: trump has signed multiple executive orders restricting funding for k-12 schools that he believes "indoctrinates" students based on "gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology", which is language used in project 2025.

rescinding efforts towards renewable energy: trump declared a national energy emergency and stated that the us should increase oil and gas drilling. project 2025 claims that the us' “energy crisis is caused… by extreme ‘green’ policies” and said the next president “must be committed to unleashing all of america’s energy resources.”

forbidding words in nsf research papers: i saved this one for last because it's very long. because of the dei order, there is a list of words that are banned from the national science foundation research papers, and many health organizations, such as the cdc, are scrubbing their sites of these forbidden words. the words are as follows: "activism, activists, advocacy, advocate, advocates, barrier, barriers, biased, biased toward, biases, biases towards, bipoc, black and latinx, community diversity, community equity, cultural differences, cultural heritage, culturally responsive, disabilities, disability, discriminated, discrimination, discriminatory, diverse backgrounds, diverse communities, diverse community, diverse group, diverse groups, diversified, diversify, diversifying, diversity and inclusion, diversity equity, enhance the diversity, enhancing diversity, equal opportunity, equality, equitable, equity, ethnicity, excluded, female, females, fostering inclusivity, gender, gender diversity, genders, hate speech, excluded, female, females, fostering inclusivity, gender, gender diversity, genders, hate speech, hispanic minority, historically, implicit bias, implicit biases, inclusion, inclusive, inclusiveness, inclusivity, increase diversity, increase the diversity, indigenous community, inequalities, inequality, inequitable, inequities, institutional, Igbt, marginalize, marginalized, minorities, minority, multicultural, polarization, political, prejudice, privileges, promoting diversity, race and ethnicity, racial, racial diversity, racial inequality, racial justice, racially, racism, sense of belonging, sexual preferences, social justice, sociocultural, socioeconomic, status, stereotypes, systemic, trauma, under appreciated, under represented, under served, underrepresentation, underrepresented, underserved, undervalued, victim, women, women and underrepresented.

this isn't even everything. there's still tens of examples of executive orders and policies that donald trump has signed and passed that coincide with project 2025.

now, evitavresnoc, i'd be surprised if you read through all of this, as trumpers tend not to read anything that's critical of their o holy god. however, if you did make it to the end, i also don't expect you to criticize him whatsoever, y'all never do.

but to sit here and lie so confidently is shameful. he has done nothing but prove that he's a lying sociopath, who says what he says to get ahead.

and i can't wait for the "well this isn't that bad" or "hell yeah brother" replies i'm going to get to this, because it's inevitable. it just helps me weed out the losers who need to get the fuck off this site and go back to facebook.

fuck trump, fuck project 2025, and fuck you too if you voted for this shit.

[beardedmrbean]

A Colorado man allegedly tried to firebomb a US Embassy office in Israel — and threatened to kill President Trump and Elon Musk, federal prosecutors revealed on Sunday.

Joseph Neumeyer, 28, a US-German dual citizen, was charged with attempting to destroy the US Embassy branch in Tel Aviv during his appearance at the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Neumeyer was deported from Israel on Saturday and was detained pending trial, according to a press release of the complaint sent out on Sunday.

He made a series of social media posts threatening embassy staff and Americans more broadly before showing up at the US Embassy in Israel carrying homemade explosives, according to the complaint.

“Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America. Death to Americans and f—k the west,” Neumeyer wrote in one Facebook post dated May 19, the feds alleged. 

Neumeyer showed up at the embassy office later the same day but was stopped by a guard outside an employee entrance, prosecutors said.He replied, “f–k you” in English before spitting at the guard and trying to flee the scene, dropping his backpack in the process, prosecutors said

Three Molotov cocktails were found in his backpack, according to the complaint.

Neumeyer was tracked to a hotel five blocks away and arrested.

He admitted to assaulting the guard and said his backpack had “Molotov cocktail bottles” containing vodka, prosecutors said.

Neumeyer — who was born in Colorado and lived in the US until February, when he traveled to Canada — posted rambling conspiracy theories for months on his Facebook.

His politics appear to be an incomprehensible grab-bag, according to his social media. He posted “From the River to the Sea,” a popular anti-Israel rallying cry, along with “long live the Fourth Reich,” but also appeared to support Israel’s Eurovision candidate. 

He also posted pro-Russian and anti-Ukraine propaganda, along with overturning British rule of Northern Ireland. Other threats posted on social media included threats to Trump and Musk, conspiracy theories.”We are killing Trump and Musk now,” he wrote in one Facebook post, along with “The former President has several hours to resign or certain death,” according to feds.

“Neumeyer not only made threats against Americans and U.S. diplomatic missions, but also allegedly attempted to carry out those threats by bringing potentially deadly devices to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen said, as per the press release.

“Let his arrest carry an unmistakable message: The FBI and our partners will aggressively pursue those who attempt to harm U.S. citizens and interests abroad,” he added.

“This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump’s life,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement Sunday. “The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”

Neumeyer — who arrived in Israel on April 23 — has been charged with using fire or an explosive to destroy US property. He faces up to 20 years in prison. 

His case is being handled by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn because he landed at JFK Airport in the Eastern District of New York.

He was ordered to be held without bail by Brooklyn Federal Court Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.

[kira-okamoto]

A crazy theory about the traitor of Tokyo Debunker

°°°

I have a theory about who the traitor ghoul could be.

[This is all translated with the translator, I'm sorry for any possible lexical or spelling mistakes, I hope you enjoy my theory]

[Spoilers for everything up to chapter 7]

Okay, I think that they really told us the truth from the beginning.

No, don't go, listen to me--

I think that, in the preface, before the story itself, where they give you to choose a ghoul to supposedly save, that's where the truth lies. Who is the traitor. And that's why I've been studying each of the statements of the 19 ghouls (except for Ed and Lyca) and GUYS I HAVE FOUND SOMETHING.

Before I tell you who I think the traitor is, I'll give you a little introduction: I've studied each of the ways ghouls throw themselves off the terrace and I've found 5 different base drawings, because they are bases that are repeated within the ghouls when they throw themselves off.

For example, base 1 (that's how I called it) is used by Jiro, Alan, Jin, Luca, Leo and Ritsu. I've been looking for ways to relate them to each other, but I haven't found any. Neither between their statements, nor their names, nor their ways of acting in front of MC. I mean, these guys seem to apologize to MC (each in their own way) except for Leo... That said, Leo's statement seemed hopelessly interesting to me, but I'll talk about it in a few paragraphs later. I thought that maybe the Kanji of their initials in Japanese, or maybe the pronunciation of their names in another language give rise to a secret message of why they chose these characters for this pose, or maybe I'm just thinking too much.

Well, the next position, position 2 (according to me, again) is occupied by Yuri, Rui, Taiga and Towa. Here I think the position fits with the boys and their statements, because none of them seem to really want to let you go. That's why they are trying to reach out their hand towards the MC, although perhaps timidly, because they are really accepting their fate.

Position 3, occupied by Tohma, Haku, Haru and Zenji, in their posture they don't try to get close to you in the least. They know they are going to die and they have accepted it. Again, I don't know how to fit it or link them together, but I know that they haven't been chosen at random. In this game nothing is a coincidence.

Position 4, the last one shared between ghouls, is occupied by Kaito, Sho, Romeo and Subaru. Again I don't know how to link them together. Oh well Subaru's statement made me very intrigued, I'll also discuss it later.

Well, and there is ONE LAST POSITION THAT ONLY HAS ONE CHARACTER

That character is Ren. And I think he is the traitor.

WAIT DON'T GO, LET ME EXPLAIN

Now is when you will say "why do you think Ren is the traitor just because of his falling position?" well, WELL. To start with I don't think there are "coincidences" in this game, that is, if they have made an effort to make only one drawing for Ren, there must be a reason, right?

Well, let's analyze his line now step by step:

~~ "This is exactly the reason I didn't want to do this! I knew this was how it would end! What am I doing here? This is all your fault..."

'This is the reason I didn't want to do this'? What does he mean by 'this'? It could be anything, but what if he's talking about betraying MC? Because Taiga never said who the traitor works for. What if he works for Darkwick...?

We can't trust Darkwick, that's become clear throughout the chapters. Also, the ghouls are aware that they're trapped inside the academy, and that's not counting what he did to Lyca. So I don't rule out the possibility that Darkwick was the one who 'hired' our spy, so to speak. Also, from the beginning it's clear that Ren doesn't fit in at Jabberwock, where he was assigned... What is he doing there? What if the academy put him there by rigging the entrance ceremony? Because we all know that Jabberwock is home to a hundred anomalies... And if a student in charge of taking care of them deals with them, it won't look weird. That's why Darkwick brought Ren into Jabberwock and somehow bought him to work there. Because, do you remember the mermaid named by Hyde in chapter 7? The one that's not in Morktranken? The one under Haru's custody? Ren is from Jabberwock, he might know something about it... And have gotten hold of it to give to the patient... Although this deduction leads me to another question: why would the academy do this? Or is Ren working for someone inside the academy, like an independent body...? Like that janitor who appears four times throughout the story, that very suspicious one about whom we know nothing.

Guys, I repeat that in this game COINCIDENCES DO NOT EXIST

'I knew this was how it was going to end!' Ren knew there was something wrong from the beginning? Not even Taiga knew, in his statement he asked us what we had done wrong... And now Ren comes and tells us that he had a bad feeling from the beginning... This causes a lot of doubts. Because what is Ren doing telling us that if he lives always locked in his phone? That only means that he knows more than he says.

'What am I doing here? This is all your fault' To begin with, why does he blame us? Not even Leo (u, damnit bitch) talks to us like Ren does. Also, speaking of Leo, his statement tells us that "I will make those assholes pay for this" IN PLURAL which indicates that the traitor works for someone else and does not do it for his own ideals... With Leo's statement I completely rule out that he is the spy, to tell the truth. But I could be wrong.

Returning to the subject of Ren blaming us, I can only wonder what leads him to that. Why does he blame us? What leads us to the hell in which the game begins...? And why is Ren the only one who blames us while the rest of the ghouls either blame themselves or don't name it. I mean, not even Leo does! This just makes me think more and more that Ren isn't hiding anything good... And I also wonder why Subaru is the only one who blames himself directly. I know his personality is like that... But I can only think of Subaru and his misleading statement... Maybe the company wants us to think badly of him? After all, Professor Moby told us that the Hotarubi ghouls are hiding something. And we don't know if we've really discovered what they're hiding or if we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. And Haku seems pretty suspicious to me too, after telling the principal "have I ever hidden something from you?" BUT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT HAKU RIGHT NOW. I know he's hiding something, but I don't think he's the traitor.

Now let's talk about Ren's position.

He's the only one who, when he jumps off the balcony, really seems like he doesn't want to do it. He's the one who stretches his hand out more emphatically towards MC, as if he were regretting what he's doing, or as if he's doing this because he has no other choice or... I don't know. His very stiff posture towards you just seems suspicious to me.

But that's because I think he's the traitor, right? Maybe I'm thinking too much, right?

Remember guys that this here is JUST A THEORY because there are still many chapters and many tests left to be able to refute what we've seen so far. I'm also a follower of several theories that I will be publishing and outlining in the future.

And I'm not an expert in making theories so if you see holes in this one, DON'T HESITATE TO DEBATE WITH ME IN A RESPECTFUL WAY. I'll be reading you ^^

[a-d-nox]

tick tock goes the clock [ status: closed ]

the receipt

the review log

hello, my friends/followers! as i promised my generous friends that supported readings this year and thus helped me to buy a new deck - which arrived this week - i am hosting an ask game. thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting my blog this year from likes to follows to reblogs. i truly appreciate each and everyone of you! i also appreciate everyone who has purchased a reading from me and thus paid for my cerulean sequence deck!!

please follow the rules (listed below) to participate ->

i. you must be following me.

ii. reblog or like this post.

iii. only one ask per account! secondary asks regarding the game will be deleted.

iv. send the emoji that corresponds with the reading you want and your initials.

v. tell me a goal of yours for the upcoming new year is OR give me a post idea (it will not count if you give me a hyper specific astrology placement - as a reminder i no longer do free consultations on astrology placements).

vi. asks that are missing the above requirements will receive a response of "game request denied".

vii. please be patient! i'm working full time, so i don't have a lot of time to sit down and do back to back readings (you can dm me and ask if yours ask sent or where you are in my queue - but please don't spam me as it won't make the process go faster, it will actually slow me down because i am answering you instead of answering asks). i will leave the game open for the week or until i reach 50 asks!

viii. feedback is greatly appreciated, but not required - it's always good to know if my intuition and interpretation of the cards was accurate (especially since it is a new deck and i am not sure if it vibes with me yet).

game options ->

🕰️ CLOCK 🕰️

the number and message that you need to hear and remember as the year 2024 comes to a close - it will be relevant in the final days of this year.

✨ STARS ✨

what comes naturally to you and what will need attention as 2024 comes to an end.

🪩 DISCO BALL 🪩

tell me about something going on in your life this year - i will describe the beginning the middle, and how it will end according to the cards.

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

you and a song you must listen to. what is going to change for you in 2025. what i sense you want most. and what is something you won't be able to control in 2025.

🍾 POP 🍾

the start of 2025. the end of 2024. what will change for you in 2025. what work you will have to do. and the end result of your 2024 at this moment in time.

🥂 CHAMPAGNE 🥂

a love reading (please send their initials as well as yours). you. them. together. apart. your differences. and your desires.

[onceinablueberrymoon]

scavenger hunt | salesman (recruiter) x reporter!reader

next: intermission (mild nsfw) scenario: shortly after the korean version of the games ended, reporter!reader assigned to report on the american edition of the games in los angeles. since you would only be gone for a month, you and the recruiter decided to continue your relationship long-distance. unfortunately, that month happened to be february, so you wouldn’t be together for valentine’s day. at least, that’s what you thought. setting: set after the events of season 1; reader and recruiter are dating!; for added context, you can read the previous two parts: special report and (cheers) to the future. word count: 1.4k warnings: pretty suggestive, but no actual smut; fem!reader; salesman is called recruiter here since that’s his official title; second person POV; no use of y/n notes: happy valentine’s day!! ♡ this was a request to write something romantic for valentine’s day with recruiter x reporter!reader. i hope i delivered! also writing salesman/recruiter fanfics has made me learn so much about classical music lmao. please enjoy! border by @enchanthings-a!

“According to the results of the fourth game, 18 players remain. The fourth game, Obstacle Course, will commence tomorrow at 10 a.m. PST. Be sure to place your bets beforehand. Thank you for watching. Good night.”

You flashed a smile towards the camera, and waited until you were clear. You shuffled your papers and put them in your purse. Checking the time on your phone, you noted that it was 6 p.m. 

‘One hour to prepare,’ you thought as you gathered your belongings to leave.

You and the recruiter had been going steady for a couple months now. However, when you had been assigned to report on the American edition of the Games in Los Angeles, you knew you couldn’t pass on this opportunity. The Games were only for a month, you told yourself. So, you had been determined to make your relationship work long-distance, even if it meant losing sleep sometimes. You would call him in the morning before you went to the office, which was late at night for him in Korea. Despite the time difference, you had managed to make it work.

Now, you were racing to get home so you could call him for 7 p.m. your time, which was 12 p.m. the following day in Seoul. It was a special occasion: Valentine’s Day, and your first one together. You were disappointed you couldn’t be together physically, but you both planned to have a nice meal via video chat. You also bought candles with the intention of lighting some to make your background more romantic.

Hopping on the bus, you checked your phone for any messages from the recruiter. Nothing since last night, which wasn’t unusual for him. He wasn’t the most avid texter, but he would check in with you daily to make sure you were alright.

Once you got to your apartment, you unlocked the door and stepped inside. You didn’t have much furniture since you were only here for a month, but you tried to make it somewhat cozy with various knicknacks scattered throughout the apartment.

Dropping your bag on the dining table, something caught your eye. A wicker basket containing three items: a bun, a lottery scratcher, and a small black box with a pink ribbon. 

Your heart raced at the thought of someone breaking into your apartment. You curiously picked up the box and opened it, revealing a card inside.

Let’s play a game, my lovely reporter. There are five clues for you to find. Follow the rules. Clue 1: Bread or lottery? Only one.

You gasped, almost dropping the card. 

The recruiter had been here.

Your mind raced, wondering how he could have gotten in and more importantly, where he was. Reading the card again, a sigh escaped your lips. You had to play his game first.

Knowing the recruiter’s deep hatred for gambling, you picked the bun up from the basket. That didn’t stop you from eyeing the lottery scratcher in the basket though. You felt something behind the bun’s packaging, and found another card attached. 

Well done. Kitchen.

You walked over a few steps to the kitchen but didn’t see anything unusual at first glance. After opening a few cabinets, you found another box with a card inside.

Clue 2: Our soundtrack.

Confused, you wondered what that meant. Then, it clicked. You walked over to your record player, where a card was tucked under a vinyl record that had already been set.

Your favourite.

You placed the needle on the record and music started to play. The tune made you shiver instantly. Moonlight Sonata, a piece which the recruiter reserved solely for your sexual encounters, specifically the ones that involved Russian Roulette. While you wouldn’t say it was your favourite, you couldn’t deny that it triggered something deep within you.

As the song continued to play, you searched the card for any other hints and found another message on the back.

Clue 3: Go get dressed.

You blinked, confused. You were already dressed in your work outfit, and weren’t sure what clothes he wanted you to wear. Even so, you went into your bedroom and found a gorgeous silk dress spread out on the bed. You quickly put it on, marvelling at its smooth texture and how it felt against your skin. You slipped on the accompanying jacket so you weren’t cold. Inside one of the jacket pockets, you found another card.  

Beautiful, as always. Go put on your favourite necklace.

You blushed, moving towards your wooden chest to find your jewellery box. On top of your favourite necklace, you found yet another card. 

Clue 4: Go admire yourself in our favourite room.

‘Our favourite room?’ You wondered, racking your brain for ideas. You already searched the kitchen and main room, so you determined he must have meant the bathroom. It was only when you stepped in and noticed a briefcase on the shower floor that you realized why. You blushed, remembering the many, many times you had made love under the steamy fog of the showerhead in his apartment back in Seoul. You felt your face grow warm at the thought of his lips pressed against your neck.

Another card rested on top of the briefcase.

‘Won’derful. 01003. I trust you not to steal.

Using the code to open the briefcase, you found two ddakji tiles, a stack of won and a small note.

Blue or red? Only one.

You picked up the blue tile, knowing the recruiter’s preference for red. A note was stuck on the backside.

Clue 5: Remember, only one. Focus.

You were puzzled. ‘How is this a clue?’ You thought, checking all sides of the ddakji tile. This was the final clue. Finding nothing, you hesitated, your eyes locked on the red tile sitting in the briefcase. The temptation to take it was high.

‘But he said to only take one,’ you mused. Glancing back at the tile in your hand, you reread the message. 

“Remember, only one… Focus?” You mumbled under your breath as if that would help you understand better. Then, you tried focusing on the words individually. 

“Remember… Only… One… Focus…” 

As if you had a sudden epiphany, you took the first letter from each of the four words. 

“R, O, O, F… Roof?” Your eyes lit up. “Roof! He’s on the roof!”

You scrambled to stand up, the blue ddakji tile still in your hand as you went to get your keys and lock the front door behind you. As if on cue, the elevator doors opened and you pressed the button for the top floor of your apartment building.

Once you exited the elevator, you opened the door to the rooftop terrace. There you saw the recruiter, waiting patiently next to what looked like a picnic. You gasped at the candles surrounding the picnic blanket, as well as the assortment of foods he had prepared. He even got a bouquet of your favourite flowers. 

Just as you were about to start tearing up, he approached you and pulled you into a hug. You buried your face into his chest, trying your best not to cry. You could feel his chest vibrating as he laughed at your reaction.

You lifted your head to look into his eyes. “How did you..?”

“Recruitment is finished for now. The Frontman allowed me to take some time off.” He said casually. You hugged him tighter. He smirked, “Did you enjoy the game?” You nodded.

He whispered in your ear, “Did you follow the rules?” You nodded again. He tsked, nipping at your helix. 

“Then what’s that?” 

You looked down at your hand which still held the ddakji tile. You glanced back at him, confused.

He murmured, “I told you not to steal.” 

Your eyes widened in realization. You stammered, “I-I didn’t… I thought you meant the money!”

The recruiter didn’t listen. He took the ddakji tile from your hand and turned to gesture to the picnic spread in front of you. 

“I prepared all of this for you, and you couldn’t even play fair?” He pouted slightly. You furrowed your eyebrows and prepared to retort when his lips captured yours. 

“Perhaps you could redeem yourself somehow.” His eyes sparkled. 

“Oh, really?” You played along, smirking. “And how would I do that, exactly?”

He chuckled as he leaned in close to brush his lips once more against your ear.

“Let’s play a game.”

[lexkent]

clex fic rec part 2:

The Season by Lenore (2,741 words) summary: Clark runs into Lex at a charity event, and it’s the season of forgiveness.

words with friends by spqr (6,811 words) summary: Lex, the letter begins. I’m sorry, but if you’re reading this, it means I’m dead.

Day of the Crockpot by sabershadowkat (912 words) summary: A moment of surreal clarity.

Complicity by rivkat (4,815 words) summary: Who are you going to believe--me or your own eyes?

In Another Life by Bitsie38 (2,189 words) summary: Years ago, Clark Kent and Lex Luthor were best friends. Now, they are the bitterest of enemies. During yet another Justice League event involving parallel universes, Clark meets a very different Lex Luthor.

The Color of Accord by Lenore (1,499 words) summary: Clark loses his powers and finds Lex.

Golden Rule by rivkat (13,204 words) summary: Clark doesn't make the same mistake twice.

Red String by thehoyden (1,031 words) summary: Dish gloves, destiny, and weird answering machine messages: one of these is not like the others.

Making Things Right by Tallihensia (5,475 words) summary: After Lex comes back from Belle Reve, Clark can't forget. Lex has forgotten, but Clark remembers and it's tearing him apart.

The Plan by Lenore (1,368 words) summary: The rift isn’t exactly what it seems.

A Handful of Dust by seperis (47,059 words) summary: At the end of the world, Lex can't stop running.

Secrets, Lies, and Misunderstandings by mahaliem summary: "In the hall outside Clark's dorm room, Lex slowly backed away without knocking, his mind awhirl with what he'd just heard. Clark Kent was gay."

Red Tape by Lenore (16,262 words) summary: Clark’s illegal, and Lex makes him a green card proposal.

Kryptonite Suit by cecilylee (3,000 words) summary: Even when he's a lying son of a bitch, Clark is a hero.

The Journey Back by Tallihensia (15,555 words) summary: Lex wakes up to a future that is very different from the one he thought he would have. Why is he fighting Superman, and who is Lex Luthor?

Second Chances by Dolimir (4,958 words) summary: Written for the Harlequin Week Challenge. Prompt chosen: The Greek Tycoon's Unwilling Wife: Recuperating on his private Greek island after a car crash, Andreas Petrakos had no memory of the previous year. The last thing he remembered was his passionate affair with beautiful Rebecca Ainsworth...when, actually, she was his wife! 

Long Time Coming by BewareTheIdes15 (14,685 words) summary: “Yes, I’m in love with you,” Lex says, like he’s explaining that the Earth is round; like this is some baseline, inalienable fact that’s not irretrievably reorganizing Clark’s existence. “I’ve never seen any reason for that to be an impediment to our friendship.”

Red Sky at Night by Tallihensia (5,347 words) summary: Clark goes looking for Lex. He finds him in the heart of Kal's former territory, and old instincts rule for both of them.

Therefore I Am by PL Nunn summary: Lex Luthor wakes up with a few holes in his memory and a very disconcerting discovery.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter by laceymcbain (8,849 words) summary: "Lex, how exactly did you get your head stuck in the banister?"

Stranded by PL Nunn summary: Takes up where season 7 left off, with the sky falling down on Lex and Clark after the final confrontation at the Fortress of Solitude. (WIP. leaves off on a cliffhanger. worth it.)

You Can Call Me Al by Lenore (56,578 words) summary: Lex gets lost, and Clark claims him. An AU a la the movie “Overboard.”

Twilight's Secrets by Tallihensia (8,677 words) summary: Lex is getting divorced again. Superman stops by and the two have a long overdue conversation.

Smallville Throupleverse by CarpeDiemForLife (22,088 words) summary: A series of episode tags that weave a slowburn Clark/Lana/Lex relationship into the background of the show. 

While They Do Dream Things True by thirteenthmoon (6,610 words) summary: Lex falls under the effects of the Black Mercy plant, and dreams up a reality where he and Clark are married. Clark has to travel into his dreams to break him out of it.

May Day by Tallihensia (9,388 words) summary: For fifteen years, Lex has sent Clark flowers on May 1, even when they've been enemies. This year, though, was different. What happened to Lex, and why didn't Clark get any flowers this year?

Reciprocation, Give and Take, Quality Time, and Emergence by PL Nunn summary: When Lex inadvertently discovers Clark's powers a great deal of buried emotion bubbles to the surface on both their parts. Trust issues abound.

Switch: A Comedy of Terrors by rivkat (35,185 words) summary: Plot rocks lead Mind to forget where it put Brain. Wackiness ensues.

Unshatter by Lenore (5,856 words) summary: Rescue. Finally.

Eavesdropping by LadyRa (7,460 words) summary: Jonathan gets a wake-up call about Lex.

Once again, please feel welcome to message me if you’d like content warnings on any specific fic. There's some dark content here and not everything is tagged.

clex fic part 1