#I had to make sure my comprehension skills were good…

[qqueenofhades]

I think its genuinely fascinating how Biden has somehow become the bad vibes sin eater for the party. I'm seeing people who were doing the whole "voting doesn't matter both old men are the same" pivot hard into voting as harm reduction. The anti voting rhetoric has COMPLETELY lost The Youths on tiktok. People suddenly remember the good things the Biden administration has done but don't associate Harris with any of the things they didn't like. In my swing state volunteers are signing up in droves. People feel ENERGIZED, the vibe shift pre and post Biden dropping from the race has just been insane

Y'know, that is a... good way of putting it. It's also why I'm quite sure that Biden has probably been planning it for a while. I don't think he was intending to step down, and didn't want to be forced out at the drop of a hat, but after he realized that the circus was never going to stop until he did, he did the honorable fall-on-his-own-sword thing and definitely, DEFINITELY spent some time choreographing this behind the scenes. Because while the roll-out has been very smooth, it could just as easily (as many of us were expecting) have been a total disaster, and that doesn't happen without SOME planning. It's also entirely possible that the campaign staff flipped from Biden to Harris are superhuman, to come up with a massive online roll-out, new branding, new signs (they had plenty of 'em in Wisconsin yesterday), new everything, but I'm guessing it's a combination of both. Biden has spent his entire political career being underestimated, and after we literally made a meme out of Dark Brandon juking the Republicans out of their shoes, we should definitely give credit where credit is due in how masterfully he pulled it off.

Because we have had eight years defined by the central question of Whether The President Is a God King Who Should Serve For Life (the MAGAts obviously think yes), the sheer idea of a president willingly giving up his power BEFORE he had to is also novel and admirable. It's sad that this is the case, but so be it. The Republicans also got a heaping helping of Be Careful What You Wish For that was undoubtedly brilliant; they've been yelling for years that Biden is old and frail and can't serve and should step down. Biden went "lol okay" and gave it to them, and now they're fucked.

Aside from that, on the most basic level, it's far, far easier to see the actual difference in the parties with Harris as the nominee, just because it shows that one party is willing to make progress and reflect the new demographic reality and social mores of America, and the other one is not. Now to be clear, Biden deserves an incredible amount of credit for coming out of retirement (he was ALREADY 77 years old when he became president and had had decades of a long and respected career in public service behind him) to fight, beat Trump, and deliver an incredibly successful presidency. He held the line against authoritarianism at home and abroad, he rescued the trashed American economy and managed a world-leading recovery from Covid, he stood up for democracy, he spent four years filling the benches with liberal judges to reverse even some of the Trump/McConnell hack job, he finally passed comprehensive infrastructure investment and the Green New Deal under the name of the Inflation Reduction Act -- and so on. Many of these priorities had been languishing for decades or were completely trashed under Trump, and he could not have done so much in just 4 years without all that age, skill, and experience. Hence why all the Ageism!!! was (aside from being a Republican/media smear job) dumb. He's able to do the job because he has had decades to study. Turns out that makes you actually pretty damn good at it.

Yes, Biden could not do as much as he wanted or originally planned, had to deal with MAGA Republicans and Joe Manchin/Kyrsten Sinema sabotaging him the whole time (lololol Manchin, possible possessor of the World's Biggest Ego and with Trump around that's saying something, popping out of obscurity to self-righteously announce he would not be willing to be Kamala's VP. YEAH ASSHOLE. LITERALLY NOBODY ASKED YOU. NOBODY WHATSOEVER. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AT LEAST WE WILL SOON NO LONGER HAVE MANCHIN IN THE SENATE). And yes, Biden made some serious mistakes of his own, because he IS from an older generation and a different style of doing politics/different beliefs that no longer resonate with the younger segments of the electorate. But this old white Catholic guy at the age of almost 80 still managed to be the most progressive president ever, coming in at a moment of incredible domestic and international crisis and getting us safely to the other side, and all cynicism, criticizing, and caveating aside, he deserves an incredible amount of credit for that. I mean that absolutely, and I am very grateful.

As I said, willingly relinquishing that power takes guts, and when Biden saw the writing on the wall that he had to sacrifice himself, he took his time, he didn't jump too early, and he didn't jump too late. On the most basic level, it becomes a hell of a lot easier to make the "both parties are not the same" argument when one is running a (comparatively) young brown woman and the other is still running their loathed felonious old demented orange traitor. Most Americans are not plugged into policy minutiae and details. They look at Biden-Trump, they see two old white guys. When you take one of those old white guys away (who goes in a self-sacrificially heroic manner and in sharp contrast with the coup-happy fascist) and put Kamala Harris in there instead, it generates an obvious jolt. People can see for themselves that there is a real difference that doesn't rely on closely reading news and tracking complex policy, because as noted, most Americans simply don't. The brown first-generation American daughter of brown immigrants is a quantifiably different story from "old white guy career politician," which for better or worse is how Biden was seen, especially the old part. We needed that establishment expertise to beat Trump in 2020; I still think Biden is the only one who could have done it, and as noted, we owe him a great debt for doing so.

However.... 2024 is not 2020, and it is not 2016. There has been this HUGE and unbelievable swing to Kamala because she represents the antithesis of what the last eight years of Trump-induced anger, fear, panic, chaos, and hatred has stirred up. That's why people are so ready to rally around her, just as they were (I daresay) around Obama in 2008, after the exhaustion, chaos, war, and mounting economic misery of Bush. Trump has been out of office for the last four years, but his shadow over the American political landscape has been omnipresent. Now people know that we finally have a real chance at getting rid of him forever, and just as Biden was uniquely positioned to capitalize on that in 2020, so Harris is now. Which is why, however tough it will be, she has a real shot at winning. I can guarantee the Republicans know that, and are shit scared. Because the Black Lady Army of Democracy has indeed arrived in force to Get This Shit Done and I don't know about you, but I found that incalculably comforting:

Yikes! All lined up for Kamala pic.twitter.com/Dt4OCDp7WX

— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) July 24, 2024

This, at the most basic level, is what scares fascists the most, it's exactly what we need now, and what Harris is uniquely positioned to mobilize, along with her gangbusters appeal to young voters:

This is the energy we need. This is what Biden saw and planned for and which he launched us into, and where all that experience and age paid off. This is why people, even people otherwise disengaged, disillusioned, or checked out of the tedious and mind-numbering drudgery and depression of American politics, are responding to it. Because it's easy to understand, it offers hope, and it tells a very simple story that is nonetheless long overdue:

Thanks so much, Joe. Go absolutely waste that orange fucker, Kamala. We got your back.

[hoshifighting]

Ways to Have a Man in the Palm of Your Hand.

— Synopsis: In the flow of uncertainty that defined your situationship with Mingyu, you decide to take action, making Mingyu start chasing after you like a loyal puppy. — WC: 3.9k — WARNINGS: Smut, unprotected sex, overstimulation, degradation, begging on knees, oral (f. receiving), fingering– he watches reader fingering herself, handjob, dick riding, penetrative sex, humiliating, manipulation and etc.

Your life connected with Mingyu's since you both first met through your groups of friends, and a situationship had emerged between you two. It was just sex, with no strings attached and no promises made.

Yet, as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, it became challenging to keep your heart safe from the unpredictable tides of emotion.

Mingyu had a way of making you feel special. He'd surprise you with homemade dinners, he was attentive, considerate, and made sure to put your self-esteem on the highest with his skillful photography.

The tall and good-looking guy wasn't just amazing during sex; he was an enigma that both fascinated and frustrated you. Mingyu could vanish for days, leaving you on blue. But just as you were about to write him off, he'd resurface, as if nothing had happened. It was a maddening cycle, and yet, you found yourself caught in its web.

Mingyu: Hey! Been swamped asf with work lately. Let's grab coffee or something stronger soon? Let me know when you're free!

You couldn't help but scoff as you read Mingyu's message. His casual tone and nonchalant invitation stirred a mix of irritation and amusement within you. Swiftly typing a response, you questioned his unpredictable appearances.

You: Are you planning on always popping up out of nowhere like this?

Mingyu: I always come back, don't I? So, when are we catching up darling?

Despite the inner conflict and your ego's warning signals, there was an undeniable allure to Mingyu's charm. His words, laced with playfulness, had a magnetic effect that bypassed rational thoughts. With a sigh, you found yourself succumbing to the familiar pull.

The room was filled with the echoes of skin slapping as you both lay on Mingyu's bed, your eyes locked as you two moaned out loud, the crescendo of pleasure punctuated by the rhythmic thud of the bed against the wall.

Mingyu lays beside you, the heat of the moment still lingering between your bodies. You rose from the tangled sheets, picking up your scattered clothes. Mingyu's gaze remained fixed on you, an intensity that betrayed a deeper connection than the situationship allowed. 

"I really like spending time with you Y/N" 

"Me too Gyu." 

[...]

Seungkwan leaned in "Okay, spill. What's the latest drama with Mingyu?"

You sighed, running a hand through your hair. "Honestly, I can't figure him out. It's like a cycle. We talk every day for a month, hang out, fuck, and then poof! He disappears for a week or more. I don't get it."

Seungkwan chuckled knowingly. "You know, maybe you should try something. Do the same to him, but take it up a notch. Make him miss you even more."

You furrowed your eyebrows, slightly taken aback. "Seungkwan, I'm not into playing games or being spiteful. It's not my style."

He waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, hear me out. It's not about being spiteful. It's about making him realize what he's missing. Mingyu knows you'll always be there, right? So, he takes it for granted. Maybe he needs a taste of his own medicine."

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued but cautious. "And how exactly do I do that?"

Your mouth hung open as Seungkwan delivered his comprehensive lesson in the art of emotional tactics. The confidence in his advice left you both amazed and slightly apprehensive. Unable to contain your curiosity any longer, you finally asked the burning question.

"How on earth do you know all of this, Seungkwan?" you inquired, eyes wide with disbelief.

Seungkwan leaned back, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, my dear friend, when you've been in the game as long as I have and witnessed enough romantic dramas unfold, you start picking up on patterns. It's like a survival guide for the heart."

You raised an eyebrow, still processing the information. "Survival guide, huh? And all this contempt, playing hard to get, and hurting egos – that's your secret weapon?"

Seungkwan chuckled, "Not a secret weapon, sometimes, a little strategic move can make all the difference. Trust me, I've seen it all."

With Seungkwan's advice resonating in your mind like a strategic playbook, you approached the next phase of your relationship with Mingyu, with a newfound determination. It felt like diving into a complex homework assignment, each step carefully calculated to shift the dynamics in your favor.

As you decided to implement the first step, a newfound sense of liberation washed over you. You stopped responding to Mingyu's messages immediately and resisted the urge to initiate contact. It felt strange at first, but there was a sense of power in reclaiming your time and not being at his beck and call. Mingyu's messages awaited your attention. 

The challenge of making Mingyu realize he could lose you sparked a newfound determination. Your calendar filled up with plans that didn't involve Mingyu. Mingyu, accustomed to your constant availability, seemed to sense the change, though he couldn't quite pinpoint it. He might have been the object of desire for many hoes, but your indifference challenged his accustomed narrative. 

After all, a man is not more important than your personal goals, right?

All while allowing Mingyu to observe your life unfolding without him. The realization that you were not waiting by the phone for him sparked a large curiosity.

Throughout the process, a mix of emotions surfaced. Doubt, at times, whispered in the back of your mind – was this the right approach? Seungkwan's advice, unconventional as it was, had brought a shift in Mingyu's behavior. Now, you wondered how Mingyu would respond to the transformed version of you – a person who refused to be taken for granted.

Mingyu's relentless messages flooded your phone. The janitor, a silent witness to the unfolding drama, discreetly shared the news of Mingyu's visits to your condominium entrance. Three times he had appeared, seeking a glimpse of you, only to be met with the absence of your presence, the deliberate distance, and the air of indifference were beginning to provoke a reaction from him.

You were determined to see this journey through, to understand whether Mingyu's renewed interest was genuine or a fleeting reaction to the perceived loss of control.

The persistent pings of Mingyu's messages had become a constant background noise in your life, infiltrating your workdays and even interrupting the serene moments of your brunches.

"Free today, Ms. Busy?"

"Pls respond to me. :(("

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Wtf…"

"Omggg, when are you going to answer me properly?"

"I'll invade your house."

"Y/N-ieeee, pleaseee!"

"I really want to see you right now."

"You make me so confused :("

The encounter at the pedestrian crossing unfolded in a scene of unexpected tension. Mingyu, spotting you in the midst of your Sunday morning run with Seungkwan, seized the opportunity to bridge the gap that had grown between you. As you halted, waiting for the light to change, Mingyu approached, a mixture of eagerness and confusion etched across his face.

"Hey there! Fancy meeting you here," Mingyu greeted, attempting to strike up a conversation.

Seungkwan, standing beside you, looked on with a side-eyed glance, a smirk playing on his lips as he sipped casually from his water bottle. As the pedestrian light shifted to green, you seized the moment to extricate yourself from the short encounter. "Sorry, Mingyu, I really need to finish my morning walk. Catch you later," you excused yourself, leaving Mingyu standing there, perplexed and surrounded by the bustling activity of the street.

He couldn't shake off the confusion – Why weren't you responding as before? Why weren't you as available as you used to be? Did you at least still like him? It dawned on Mingyu that the game had changed, and he wasn't sure if he understood the rules anymore. The pursuit, once fueled by the expectation of your constant availability, now seemed to slip through his fingers like grains of sand. The reality of being just one among the many who sought your attention was a bitter pill to swallow.

[...]

The doorbell's unexpected chime disrupted the tranquility of your self-care routine, with moisturized skin and a mind ready for a cozy movie night, you approached the door, curiosity dancing in your eyes.

As you swung the door open, the sulky face of Mingyu greeted you. A momentary pause hung in the air, your eyes meeting his in silent expectation. Before you could utter a word, Mingyu stepped inside, dropping to his knees and hugging your legs as if seeking solace.

Surprised by his sudden display of vulnerability, you widen your eyes, caught off guard by the intensity of his reaction. The door lingered ajar, and you managed to close it, arms crossed, a mixture of confusion and caution etched on your face.

Mingyu, still hugging your legs, looked up at you with pleading eyes, his voice laden with remorse. "What did I do, Y/N? Why are you treating me like this? I'm sorry."

"Hm?"

He looked up at you, his eyes brimming with a mix of confusion and regret. "I just… I don' understand. I miss you," he admitted, his voice trailing off.

Your initial surprise transformed into a mix of emotions – disbelief, a hint of empathy, and the need to assert your newfound boundaries. Crossed arms and a measured gaze met Mingyu's desperate expression. The sudden intrusion into your personal space prompted a silent assessment of the situation.

"What did you expect, Mingyu?" you countered, your voice steady but laced with the weight of unspoken questions. "You disappear, then reappear, and now you're kneeling in my living room. What's going on?"

"I messed up, okay? I thought I could keep things casual, but I didn't expect to feel like this. I miss the way things used to be between us." he confessed, his voice carrying a raw honesty.

"You ask me to come to your house, and then after you get what you wanted, you let me go. Do I look like a food delivery or something?" you confronted Mingyu, your words cutting through the charged silence that hung in the room.

Mingyu's eyes widened at your accusation, shock and a hint of hurt registering on his face. "No, no, no, Y/N, it wasn't like that."

You raised an eyebrow, a mix of skepticism and frustration evident in your expression. "It feels like you only want me around when it's convenient for you."

Mingyu, still on his knees, looked up at you, his eyes pleading for understanding. "It's not like that. I just... I didn't want to push you. I thought you preferred it this way."

You sighed, the weight of the unresolved tension palpable. "Mingyu, I can't read your mind. If you want me to stay, you have to say it. Communication goes both ways."

"Y/N, I'm truly sorry. I'll do whatever you want. I didn't see you as just a fleeting thing, and I want to be present."

Mingyu's earnest apology hung in the air, a plea for understanding and a promise to change. As he laid his face on your bare thighs, expressing his sincere regret, you cut through the moment with a tsk sound, a dismissive gesture that left him wide-eyed and caught off guard.

"Poor boy, begging on his knees for attention. What a shame," you remarked, a hint of teasing in your voice as you observed his reaction.

Mingyu, his hands now gripping each side of your thighs, sat back on his feet, his expression a mix of surprise and a subtle flush coloring his cheeks. He hadn't anticipated this response, your playful teasing catching him off guard.

"You didn't see me as a fleeting thing?" you continued, your tone mockingly contemplative. "Well, Mingyu, this is quite a sight – you, on your knees, practically begging for my attention. I'd never do something like this."

His widened eyes met yours, uncertainty and a trace of embarrassment flickering in them. Mingyu's bit his lip, cheeks flushing deeper.

"I'll do whatever you want, Y/N. Just tell me," Mingyu replied, his hands still holding your thighs.

You let out a soft chuckle, running a hand through his hair as you continued your teasing. "Oh, Mingyu-ah, the mighty one on his knees. Maybe you'll learn to appreciate what you have when it's not handed to you on a silver platter. Now, let's see if you can keep up with your promises."

As you spoke, Mingyu's cheeks continued to flush, a complex dance of emotions playing out on his face.  "How can you forgive me?" 

Mingyu's question hung in the air, a genuine plea for forgiveness. You paused, considering the weight of his words, before adopting a more serious tone.

"Get up," you instructed him, your voice carrying a command that seemed to catch him off guard.

Mingyu, without hesitation, rose to his feet from his submissive position. His eyes fixed on you. An arched eyebrow and a smirk played on your face, savoring the moment of dominance as you instructed him to follow you.

The atmosphere grew charged with anticipation as Mingyu attentively trailed behind you, his eyes inevitably drawn to your body covered only by a shirt. The click of your bedroom door signaled a shift in the dynamics, and when you turned to face him, his eagerness manifested in an attempted kiss.

Your finger halted his advance, a calculated pause preceding your question, "Do you think you deserve to kiss me?"

Mingyu, his eyes reflecting a mix of longing and remorse, shook his head no. Your smirk deepened as you delivered a verdict that left him whimpering.

"Then you won't kiss me today."

A whimper escaped Mingyu's lips, a sound that echoed the frustration and desire that simmered beneath the surface. The unexpected turn of events had left him yearning for a connection, yet you, in your assertive control, denied him that solace.

As the tension hung in the air, Mingyu's eyes glistened with unshed tears. The dynamics between you had taken a surprising turn, a power play that left both of you navigating the intricate threads of desire, forgiveness, and the consequences of a maybe – ex-complicated situationship.

With a commanding tone, you instructed Mingyu to kneel once again, a subtle smirk playing on your lips. He obeyed, sinking down to his knees with a mix of anticipation and eagerness. The air in the room crackled with a palpable tension as you laid down the terms.

"If you act like a good boy, maybe I'll forgive you," you declared, your voice carrying a hint of authority.

Mingyu nodded earnestly, a silent pledge to abide by your terms. As you proceeded to remove your shirt, next your pantie, allowing it to fall to the floor, the atmosphere became charged with a new layer of intensity. 

"How much do you want this pussy Mingyu?" you inquired, the question hanging in the air as you observed Mingyu's reaction. His shoulders slumped, a subtle expression of desire and longing evident on his face.

"A lot," he moaned, the words escaping his lips with a mixture of need and surrender. Your legs spread open, an invitation too tempting, as he feels his mouth waters at the view. 

"Open your mouth," you commanded Mingyu, your voice carrying an air of authority. He complied without hesitation, anticipation flickering in his eyes.

As he held his mouth open, you slid two fingers inside, the intimate contact a subtle exploration of boundaries and desire. Mingyu's tongue teased your fingers, a provocative dance that elicited a hiss from you.

"No teasing," you admonished, a note of warning in your voice. With a swift motion, you delivered a little slap to his chin as you withdrew your fingers from his mouth. The air crackled with a newfound tension, a moment that blurred the lines between control and submission.

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows, as he watched your fingers slowly disappearing inside of your cunt, your fingers and your slick gushes out of you, and all he can do is watch. He sits patiently on his feet, watching your fingers leaving and entering your pussy in a too provocative rhythm. His bottom lip quivering to the desire of eating you out.

"Please Y/N…"

"What?''

"Please, let me eat you out, it looks so good…"

To tease him even more, you fastened your fingers, moaning while your cunt sounded like Mingyu's favorite song, wet, luscious, mouthwatering, appetizing, tempting. He cries out, his hands together on his lap. "Please, I beg you, I missed you so bad." 

The room was charged with a blend of anticipation and surrender as you stopped, taking a moment to look at Mingyu's mournful face. The desire in his eyes was palpable, and the silent plea for what he had begged for lingered in the air.

With a subtle nod, you allowed him to fulfill his request. Mingyu, starved and eager, approached the task with a concentration that hinted at a deep desire to please you. As he held you with a gentle yet fervent touch, mouthing your pussy, licking you clean, his focus on your pleasure was unwavering. The way he clung to you conveyed a fear of losing you, made you mewl as he sucked your clit, you held onto the sheets, a silent anchor in the sea of sensations. Mingyu's devotion and the way he concentrated on your pleasure only intensified the building release within you. Like a wave, you're cumming all over his mouth and chin, he hums in response flickering your clit with his tongue.

"Enough." You breathe out, closing your legs. "Strip, and lay for me." 

Mingyu rose from the floor, a determined look on his face, seemingly oblivious to any discomfort his knees might be feeling. The sounds of his clothing being discarded echoed in the room, punctuated by the soft thud as he settled onto the bed. The mattress shifted as he moved closer, his warm touch caressing your arm.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, his voice a low murmur, a hint of curiosity and desire lingering in the air.

"Don't touch me," you instructed Mingyu, your tone carrying a note of command as you climbed onto his lap. Leaving him momentarily frozen, his hands hovering in the air, uncertain of where to go.

The close proximity of his cock intensified the wetness between your thighs. Mingyu, eager and responsive, looked at you with a mix of desire and restraint, his hands now cautiously placed together on his chest.

The atmosphere crackled with a blend of dominance and submission as you straddled Mingyu, humping your wet pussy against his cock, your movements deliberate and provocative. His moans in response to your degrading words only heightened the intensity of the moment.

"Oh my god, look at you," you cooed, your voice a mix of mockery and desire. "I just stopped paying attention to you, and you came fucking begging me to talk with you. You're humiliating, Mingyu."

His moans, a symphony of pleasure and submission, filled the room. Mingyu's response to your degrading words conveyed a complex dance of desire and self-awareness. The acknowledgment that he deserved the degradation.

The room filled with a momentary hush as you sank your hips, Mingyu's length now fully inside. He shut his eyes, a silent surrender to the sensations that enveloped him. 

The unspoken admission hung in the air—though you wouldn't openly admit it, there was a trace of longing, a subtle acknowledgment that, despite the complexities, you had missed him a little. The air became charged with a mix of desire and restraint as your hips rode him, his length fully fulfilling the connection between you.

His angry tip brushed against that special spot, sending a surge of pleasure through both of you, cause now, you were so tight around him. "I'm going to cum, f-fuck"

"You better not." 

The charged atmosphere intensified as you edged Mingyu, denying him release, while simultaneously relishing in the control you held over his pleasure. He gasped for air, his eyes clenched shut, a desperate attempt to hold back as your dominating presence and the sensations of your movements threatened to overwhelm him.

Your hips moved with a purposeful intensity, driving him to the edge, and his body contorted in a desperate attempt to maintain control. The struggle was evident in the way his breath hitched and his eyes rolled back, succumbing to the overwhelming pleasure that surged through him.

"I-I can't hold it anymore," he stuttered, his voice strained with the effort of restraint.

"If you cum, I will-"

The moment of release was inevitable. Mingyu's hot cum filled you, triggering your own orgasm, he cried out your name, making your wall clench harder around him.

As Mingyu managed a string of apologies, you allowed him to slide out of you, leaving his lap coated with both of your arousal, your legs damp with his seed. 

The scoff echoed in the room, a mix of amusement and assertion. However, your actions spoke a different language. As you tighten your legs around the sides of Mingyu's legs, restraining his movement, your hands take control, pumping his cock fast. The focus on his red tip elicited a loud cry from Mingyu, his back lifting off the mattress in response to the overstimulation.

The wet sounds filled the bedroom as the intensity of your touch drove him to the edge. Mingyu's hands gripped the pillow beneath his head, a desperate attempt to anchor himself in the whirlwind of sensations that consumed him.

As Mingyu's body trembled under the heightened sensations, he felt a knot tightening in his abdomen, a sensation he hadn't anticipated. The overwhelming intensity built up to a point where he couldn't contain it anymore. A primal scream tore from his lips, his body convulsing in the throes of another orgasm.

His cum pooled on his abdomen, a physical manifestation of the powerful release that coursed through him. You observed his trembling body, struck by the raw intensity of his response. Mingyu's reaction seemed to surpass any previous experiences, his vulnerability and ecstasy on display in a way you hadn't witnessed before.

"Sorry, I came without your permission…"

"Enough with the sorry's, Mingyu," you said with a soft smile. "Let's just take a bath."

As the warm water cascaded around you, cleansing away the external worries, you both found solace in the simplicity of the moment. Emerging from the bath, you lay on the bed alone, the silence speaking volumes. Mingyu, holding his shirt, stood in contemplation. His gaze met yours, and he released a breath he seemed to have been holding.

The room felt charged with unspoken emotions when Mingyu finally gathered the courage to ask, "Can we sleep together tonight? Can I stay here with you?"

His eyes held a lot of shyness, and for a moment, you felt a genuine change in the air. You bit your lip, a subtle smile playing on your lips. In response, you patted the bed twice, a silent invitation for him to join you.

Mingyu threw his shirt away with a smile, a blend of shyness and excitement. He settled on the bed, maintaining a cautious distance, uncertain about what the night held. Your gaze met his, and you turned to face him. His eyes sparkled, and with a newfound boldness, he closed the gap and hugged you tightly.

"Don't be away from me again," he whispered, his voice tinged with vulnerability. And for the first time in those weeks, you let yourself savor the sweet taste of his pink soft lips, making him melt in response.

You smiled, your palms sliding gently along his back. The walls that once stood between you seemed to crumble as Mingyu embraced you, his actions speaking louder than any words. In that moment, it felt like a page turned, and a new chapter began.

Well, Seungkwan, you knew a lot. The five ways to have a man in the palm of your hand indeed. 

[olderthannetfic]

Getting this off my chest:

Back from a small fanfic hiatus, and I am absolutely flabbergasted by all of the fic authors now practically begging their readers to READ THE TAGS.

I’ve been seeing this warning written in summaries, in author’s notes, highlighted in all caps in the actual tags. I’ve read so many apologies written by authors in the comments in response to people chastising the author for writing what they wanted to write, for what they tagged correctly — for what essentially comes down to nothing more than having had other people actively ignore their tags or read despite them.

And there seems to be this bizarre, somehow largely accepted idea that it is the creators job and responsibility to beseech their readers to ‘use caution’ and to ‘stay safe’, to ‘be mindful of their health’…

I am beyond confused here.

Since when??? did exercising the most basic form of common sense and acknowledging one’s personal yeas and nays, likes and limitations, become some other random stranger’s burden rather than one’s own? And especially a random person who tagged their work correctly??? Does no one remember how to harness their own powers of discernment and self-regulation???

This little jaunt back onto ao3 has been unlike any that I’ve ever experienced before. What. Happened?????? Who is this new, apparently severely emotionally unstable and obstinately tags-reading resistant audience everyone has come to focus on?

It all feels so out of touch. The basic concept of ao3 is for the reader to seek out what they want, not what they don’t want. And to actually read. But there seems to have been an extremely strong shift away from reading. On ao3. A site built specifically for reading and writing. (And other fandom artistic pursuits, but not my focus, atm; though I’m sure whatever this is has crept steadily into all spaces there.)

Plummeting reading comprehension must be somewhat to blame; the popularity of fanfic amongst younger and wider audiences, as well. But… young people have always been there, as far as my own experiences go, and it was never like this. It’s as if too many readers don’t know how to make good or even practical decisions for themselves anymore, that they’ve lost the skill of choosing, and now believe that they must consume everything that passes before them; — that they have, for some reason, adopted the belief that any turmoil or dislike or discomfort felt within themselves is harm purposely being done to them by the author.

Idk. Idk, idk, idk. It’s just such a bummer to see how much nervousness and distress has entered the community. Authors notes and comments used to be hilarious fun, or a peek into someone else’s real-life world, used to be casual and full of personality, whereas nowadays, there seems to be an underlying hesitancy and distrust, a sort of growing divide between writers and readers, groups which, until recently, very much were not mutually exclusive.

--

Idiots have been around forever. The more you cater to them, the more entitled they get. It's best to shut that shit down fast and use no warnings that indicate a willingness to entertain stupid complaints.

[knight-says-rollout]

Would you mind telling us about more disabled Cybertronians?

Oh boy would I

For this list let’s focus on physical disabilities, both because they’re the most commonly dismissed by the fandom and bc if we try to cover everything we’d be here all day (that can be another list, maybe, if y’all want)

This isn’t going to be comprehensive bc I’m tired but!! I will aim for a broad variety of examples nonetheless

Bumblebee - You all know him, you all love him. He’s the most obvious and most well known example of a disabled Cybertronian character.

In many iterations he is mute

Not by choice but because he lacks a voice box. Bee physically isn’t capable of speech and depending on the version has different tools to work around that. Sometimes he uses his radio to repurpose song and radio dialogue into speech, in cyberverse he also makes use of the internet for clips. In the aligned continuity (tfp and connected media) he speaks in binary, a very simplified form of language using beeps and buzzes, but still lacks a real voice and can’t form words.

In IDW he has a cane

At one point in the comics Bumblebee was shot by a human protester and as a result used a cane for a good bit of time. I haven’t had the chance to read that far into IDW yet so I’m not sure how long he had the cane for but it was enough time that it’s a solidified part of the charcaters history. I’ve seen little models of the cane for sale, to be paired with bee figures.

TFP Ultra Magnus - everyone’s favorite awkward commander, despite his popularity he’s surprisingly overlooked when it comes to this discussion

An amputee, he lost his hand

During an energon raid with wheeljack, magnus’ hand was crushed. Ratchet couldn’t save it and had to amputate, replacing it with a hooked prosthetic. I call it a prosthetic rather than replacement part because despite him being able to move it, it’s not a hand. Not in the way he had previously, and he has to relearn how to use it at all.

I think that’s an important distinction to make when discussing disability and transformers. Some bots might have only ever had one hand, or no legs, or etc but that’s always been their level of ability and since they Are robotic. Yeah they might not have the same capabilities as another bot but that’s a hard metric to go by. Seekers can fly but a grounder isn’t disabled because they can’t fly too, it’s a different standard.

WFC Shamble - far lesser known than Magnus, and reasonably so, this background character is Also missing a limb

Amputee, leg edition

His prosthetic is a lot less fancy than magnus’s, it’s a simple peg leg. Put em together and you get a pirate. Not much to say about him since i don’t know how he lost the leg, just that he did.

Shadow Striker - Most awesome lady in cyberverse. Unlike the above two, she Was able to get actual replacement parts rather than prosthetics. Despite this, she is both shown throughout the show and implied to have

Impaired mobility

Chronic pain

She was able to get replacement parts yes but they were needed because she was blown up. The limbs she was given were kinda just what the others could Find and as such are mismatched and don’t fit her very well. Her motor skills took a blow especially when it comes to combat, something she used to excel in. Her new limbs are described as unstable and prone to malfunction. The loss of mobility and implied chronic pain that come along with her situation are rough, but she makes do.

SG Soundwave - my favorite little guy, he’s in a bit of a different situation than the previous.

Bad Joints ™

His body was entirely overhauled multiple times, successfully, but the latest frame change was done with conflicting metals. Earth and Cybertronian materials clash in his joints, making them prone to getting stopped up. The most affected hinge being the one on the door to his tape deck. It is so prone to getting stuck that his cassettes refuse to dock with him at risk of getting trapped. To work around this, Soundwave has the aid of a personalized case he carries around that they dock in instead.

IDW Sunstreaker - speaking of assistive devices, this guy was (for a time) a wheelchair user! Or,, hoverchair.

Temporary,,, paraplegic? Correct me if another term fits better

Taking this moment for an aside to say hey!! Lookit that, both canes and hoverchairs are things that canonically and casually exist on cybertron!! It’s not too wild to assume there are bots out there who use them long term!! Yes both characters on this list were repaired eventually but they’re also both very popular old characters from an action based franchise and hasbro doesn’t have the balls to make something like that permanent yet. We the fandom are not hasbro. We can do whatever we damn want with our OCs. It’s canon that ur little guy can use mobility aids.

Ok, PSA over, anyway yeah Sunny’s body was basically wrecked and alpha trion was able to repair all of him except his legs. This put him in a hoverchair for a good amount of time.

Finback - he’s a con, a pirate, who developed a “metal wasting disease”

He’s on permanent life support

The disease is going to kill him eventually, and it’s explicitly stated that he’s come to terms with the idea of his death. In the meantime he’s using pretender tech, kinda like fancy armor, to reinforce himself and boost his immune system

Perceptor - for a microscope, the fact he’s got vision issues in multiple continuities is kinda ironic

He’s fully blind in cyberverse

He lost an eye in IDW

Between the two we get to see both routes taken to work with this. Adaption and technological aid. In cyberverse he uses his scope to compensate for the loss of vision Toph-style. In IDW he built himself a monocle that basically replaces the pieces that are missing.

Now we get into the uniquely Cybertronian disabilities, one’s that don’t quite translate to human conditions

Transmutate - is a beloved bot from beast wars

They can’t transform, they don’t have an alt mode

I’m hazy on the details of their character but afaik they came from a damaged stasis pod. Described as deformed and handicapped for their both their lack of an alt mode and general appearance, they are probably the oldest explicitly disabled Cybertronian character

Xaaron - from G1 is in a similar situation

He can’t transform, it would kill him

Unlike transmutate he does have an alt mode, a tank, but after thousands of years without transforming he is no longer able to. The new stress it would cause on his body would kill him.

Broadside - continuing with the subject of alt modes, this clumsy boy is a boat! That’s not a good thing.

He’s very prone to motion sickness

As you can imagine, chronic sea sickness isn’t the most helpful thing when you are the boat. This brings in the entirely new element of mobility issues that are inherent to alt modes. A bot that functions fine in root form might not in alt mode and vice versa.

Trailbreaker - is another instance of this. He’s not a fast car by any means but that doesn’t stop the fact

His frame has a very high energon cost

Possibly the least fuel efficient autobot, he’s got an outlier ability on top of it all that only further increases his required energon intake. He needs to pay more attention to his energon levels and refuel more often overall.

G1 Knockout - yes that’s right the shiny medic himself is on this list, though not for the same reason as his tfp version, g1 knockout still lives up to his name

He’s prone to fainting

A knockout in the more literal sense, he faints when he gets too excited. Fully collapses and everything. Since he’s a fall risk, his teammates take care to keep an eye on him.

Annnnd Yknow he probably should’ve been earlier in the list along with the “human-ish” issues but I’m tired, it’s late, and I’m bringing this list to a close

Im sure there are more characters that I didn’t mention but I hope this helped! Thank you for the ask

[writer-komaru]

* ੈ✩‧₊˚ Aura of Temptations ᙏ̤̫’’ .(‘♡°༘,*)

✧Rating: Smut + Fluff + Comfort

✧Characters: Asmodeus

✧Word Count: 5’4k

✧Summary: You find yourself suddenly pulled into Asmo’s room for an all intensive pampering session after days of not sleeping or taking care of yourself. At first you blissfully believe he’s just trying to help, but you begin to pick up on some more sexual undertones. He uses the mask of pampering to cleverly hide his true intentions of getting to third base before his brothers using some of the tactics he’s all too good at. Can you resist his seductive nature or will you tangle yourself in his velvety spider web of pleasure and have his way with you?~ ♡

“Ughhh… finally, I’m done,” You groan in relief as you close the last heavy book and place it onto a tall pile of other books, “After three fucking hours… I’ve finally done it! I’m freeee!!”

You threw your arms into the air with a tired cheer, arching your back while you’re at it to ease the aching feeling in your back. You’ve been hunched over these dusty books for what felt like a century; reading them over, writing down notes, rereading them, writing more notes, and rereading once again just in case. This so-called “academic training” Lucifer is putting you through is really testing your mental and physical capabilities. If it wasn’t for Mammon sweet talking you into a “fun family study session” just to run off, leaving it to you to pick up his slack, you would probably be out enjoying the fresh, hellish air, living your best life. But it didn’t matter to you anymore! After pulling a few all nighters and stealing a few caffeine patches from Lucifer while he was busy yelling at Satan’s cat for scratching the curtains, you completed two essays on the history of magic in Devildom, a data sheet comparing the changes in climate to the local impact of the town, and a cross word filled with all kinds of buzz words related to human culture. Lucifer explained to you how these exercises would not only strengthen important studying, reading comprehension, memory, and information gathering skills needed in everyday life, but would also help you learn more about the unfamiliar place you’ve found yourself in. And no matter how hard you begged on your knees to get out of it, he only doubled down, stating clearly that if you couldn't complete a basic essay, there was no way you were fit to be their assistant. You had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from mentioning that the only tasks you have been given so far are either simple errands that require little to no brain power or basic chores you’ve already done religiously back in the human world. But once again, none of it matters now that you’re free! You quickly carry your finished work into his office and set it in the designated basket. After peeling off the caffeine patches and taking a nice, big, well deserved stretch, instead of being filled with joy once again, you’re filled with a sense of overwhelming discomfort.

“I feel I aged twenty years… guess I should just go to my room and hibernate for the next few years,” you laugh to yourself as you try to hobble back to your room. But suddenly, something stops you. You tilt your head in confusion at the strange aura coming from the stairs. After rubbing your delirious eyes, you stealthily hone in on the target, hiding strategically behind the various tables and pillars in the hallway. As you take a peek up the stairs you notice the aura seems to be coming from upstairs, trickling down the steps like an ominous cloud of smoke. What in the world could be going on up there? Isn’t everybody out taking a stroll around Devildom? At least that’s what Lucifer told you before ditching you… grrr, you’ll get him back one day. Him and Mammon, too! Anyways, back to the problem at hand. If the house should pretty much be left just to you, then what’s with all this strange aura stuff you’re seeing? You rub your eyes again, just to make sure your exhausted brain isn’t playing tricks with you, yet the aura is still there. Summoning all the courage you can muster, you carefully tip toe up the stairs. If it couldn’t get any stranger, after reaching the fifth step, the aura suddenly dissipates.

“What the…? It’s… gone?” You scratch the back of your head and shrug, “Guess it was nothing. I really need some damn sleep before I seriously start to hallucinate.”

Turning around, you begin to make your way back to your room. As soon as your hand wraps around the doorknob, you feel a sudden, light grasp on your shoulder.

“Ohh MC~ ♡” A voice draws out your name with a pleasing tone.

“GAAHHHHH!!!!” If it wasn’t for physics, you would have probably jumped 12 feet into the air. Your body spasms in surprise as you almost fall limply to the ground if it wasn’t for this mysterious intruder catching you.

“Oops! I guessed I scared you. I’m sorry, MC, hehe~♡ How did your studies go- AGHH!!!” Your tired eyes open just enough to watch Asmodeus’s face twist into a look of absolute horror, “Oh my God!! MC, You look like you haven’t slept or been outside in years!”

“I feel just as bad as I look right now…” You chuckle miserably.

“Oh my poor dear, don’t you worry! Asmo’s got you now. I’ll nurture you back to your sweet, adorable self in no time!~” He giggles to himself before sweeping you up in his arms and carrying you up stairs and to his room. The gentle yet firm hold is almost enough to make you fall asleep already. When your eyes blink open yet again, you’re greeted by the comforting atmosphere of Asmo’s gorgeous room. Such a welcoming sight… you feel your body carefully placed on a plush chair.

“Now, what to do, what to do… hmmm… ah! I have just the idea!” He exclaims and smooths a hand over your head, “I was actually planning on giving myself a pampering session today, but I think you might need it a bit more than me right now. Would you like that, MC?~ ♡” He smiled down at you and rubbed the side of your head.

“God, That would literally be so perfect… thank you so so much, Asmo,” You nod enthusiastically like a kid who’s offered a mountain high pile of toys.

“That’s great to hear~ ♡” his thumb brushes over your cheek for a few seconds before he leans even closer.

“The bath will take a few more minutes to fill up. Is there anything specifically you want me to do to pamper you?” You feel his body hover over yours, whether it’s intentional or not is beyond your mental capacity.

“I’m up for anything, really. Just something that will help me relax,” you sighed, looking up into his eyes to catch the faint glint in his eyes.

“That can certainly be arranged, no worries. I’ll do everything I can to make you feel nice today after working on all those assignments for Lucifer. Mmm, maybe you even deserve a small kiss? Hehehe, I’m just kidding~ unless you want one?” He inches his face closer to yours, laughing softly at the blush it’s beginning to develop.

“Blushing already?~ ♡” he teases.

“You’re… really close, is all,” you murmur and look away. You gasp slightly as he grabs your chin and turns you to look at him again.

“Is that really all…?~” his warm breath brushes against your skin. What was he up to… before you could get even more overwhelmed, you gently pushed him back by the shoulders.

“A little too close. Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of me, not doing… whatever this is,” you try to laugh it off but in reality your mind is racing a mile a minute.

“You’re right, my bad~ The bath should probably be ready now. There’s just one more thing left to do…” Your sleepy eyes snap open as his hands rest on your waist. He notices your reaction and softly shushes you.

“Shhh~ You’ll let me take care of you, right? In your state, I doubt you could do this on your own without falling over. May I do the honors?~ ♡” he asks with a sickeningly sweet voice that has your body strangely getting hotter. Well… he was kinda right. You wouldn’t be surprised if you toppled over just trying to stand up. He just wanted to do you a favor, and yeah, being undressed would probably be really embarrassing, but if it meant you got your needs taken care of, maybe I will be a worthy sacrifice.

You once again gathered your courage and nodded as a sigh of consent, “Yeah… just don’t get frisky or I’m telling Lucifer.”

“You have my word, even if it will be a bit hard to resist~ ♡” he chuckles softly as his fingers dip under the waistband of your shorts. There’s a certain look in his eyes, one that seems to read ‘Sit back and relax, I’ll pamper you to your heart’s content~’ but that might be what he wants you to know… either way, you couldn’t help but let out small whimpers as he slides your shorts off your ankles.

“Mmmm… these are quite pretty~♡ I’ll keep on for now,” his hungry eyes fixate on your exposed panties. Just as you’re about to swat and push him away, you sense something. That aura from before, you can feel it again, clear as day. Was that aura… coming from him all along? There’s no doubt in your mind he’s the source of it. But why? What could it be? While you’re busy deciphering the strange aura, you fail to realize your shirt is already off and folded off to the side. You come back to reality as he whispers in your ear.

“You look absolutely gorgeous like this, it’s getting a lot more difficult to restrain myself… but I can tell you’re slowly feeling the same way too, am I correct?~ ♡” he giggles devilishly.

“What do…” you don’t even have to finish that question as you feel his touch return to your sides, ever so lightly sliding up and down. The touch causes you to shiver.

“Mmm? Are you a bit sensitive, hon?” He asks in an innocent voice as his fingertips trail down to a much less innocent area. You have no idea what he’s up to but it could be sleep deprivation or the building needs pooling inside of you, whatever it is, you feel your self restraint easing away. Your face felt progressively hotter, your breathing becoming more shallow, the obvious hint begging the poor spot between your gets growing needier by the second.

‘Come on, brain! I know you’re almost dead, but please let me use a few more brain cells!’ You pleaded to yourself, ‘Think, MC, Think! Use Lucifer’s teachings as an example. What does it have in common? The aura is caused by Asmo… these symptoms happened after his touch… and… he’s the Avatar of…? That’s it!’

“Asmo, are you trying to sedu-“ before you could even admit your findings, he suddenly lifts you up into his arms once again.

“We better hurry before the bath overflows!~ ♡” Such a beautifully innocent expression… he’s hiding something, that’s for sure. You just have to stay conscious a little longer and… your breath is completely taken away as you enter his oasis of a bathroom. It looked like something you’d only see in magazines. Magnificently smooth marble pillars, cascading, translucent curtains tied back with pink roses, intricate patterned tiles all surrounding the main centerpiece of the bathroom. The bath. And it was nothing short of luxurious. It was decked out with foamy bubbles and scattered with pink rose petals. You pause for a few seconds to take in the senses around you. There’s faint, jazzy music playing from a small speaker on a vanity, the unique scent of what you could only describe as hints of strawberry and vanilla, and the soft gurgling of steamy water filling the tub. He glances over at your fascinated expression and chuckles in amusement. He steps closer to the bath and sits you down at the edge.

“Does that cute expression mean you like it?” He reaches over and turns off the tap. All you can manage is a nod, which is enough to satisfy him.

“One moment, let me prepare everything I’ll need to make you feel like your refreshed self again,” he walks over to the vanity and begins taking some things out of the draws. The moment apart gives you the chase to finally breathe. There’s something about him right now that’s both overwhelming and exciting, it’s honestly rather intiscing, but you’d never admit that. You begin to regain your ability to have rational thought. He’s definitely up to something and using his aura and physical advances to accomplish it. You gulped nervously. If his aura really is what you think it is, you don’t know how much longer you’ll be able to resist it. And if the rest of the guys even just find out about the fact he undressed you, you’d never hear the end of it. You jump as Asmo happily strunts back to you, laying a tray of numerous goodies on the edge of the bath. You whine internally as all your rational thoughts seem to go back out on vacation, right when you needed them most.

“Hon, can you look into my eyes for a second?~” His alluring voice causes your dilated eyes to meet his equally, if not even more, dilated eyes. Everything about this felt like a fever dream…

“I know it’s all going pretty quickly for you, but I want to pause for a moment to ask for your permission to take the rest off. I’ll only do it if you want me to,” his voice has a new sense of worry in it that has your heart skipping a beat. This is your chance, you can finally confront him on his sneaky actions! You can remind him how upset everyone would be with him for seeing you in nothing but your bra and panties. But instead… you say, “Yeah… I want that.”

His gaze is unwavering, searching for any major signs of appreciation. After a few seconds, he relents and returns to his cheeky smiling self.

“Thank you for this opportunity… I definitely won’t take it for granted~ ♡” He leans over you and runs his hands in circles over your hips. This tease, it’s like he could read you like a fucking picture book. How did he know your hips were sensitive? How did he know you always shiver when he whispers into your ears? How did he know the effect his prolonged gaze on your body has on your heart? Oh, he wasn’t just a tease, he was the Avatar of Lust. He knew how to get people worked up and he was clearly exploiting his knowledge to use it against you.

“Mmph!” You bit your lip to hold back your noises as he began to pull down your panties. Was this really happening? Was this even okay? You felt like you were at a boiling point. If he caught even a glimpse at the absolute mess you were down there, you’re absolutely sure his little teasing game would only get worse. And worse it did.

“Wooowww~ ♡ look at that…” He licked his lips at the strings of liquid desire that clung from your aching cunt to the wet spot left in your panties. If humiliation was a grain of samd, you were a fucking desert right now. You whined in embarrassment but couldn't hold back how your pussy twitched.

“You’re even wetter than I could have ever hoped you’d be… mmmm… and how you keep twitching, I think you like this too. What a naughty girl you are… ♡” he kisses your cheek and traces a finger down your lower stomach, “but, I like that about you~ ♡”

Just as his finger gets mere inches away from your swollen clit, he feels your hips twitch away. He smirks and takes his hand away.

“Your gorgeous body almost made me forget why I brought you here~ Silly me, can’t have this getting wet, either~ ♡” you gasp as he lips your bra and sets it to the side. When he looks back over at you, he sees your hands desperately trying to cover your breasts. He finds it both amusing and adorable.

“Go ahead and slide into the bath. Tell me if it’s too warm or cold for you and I’ll adjust the temperature if needed,” he gives you a playful wink as you turn your back to him and hop in the bath. As soon as the warm, soapy water envelops your skin, you’re unable to suppress your moan in time. How could you not, this water felt incredible to your poor, sore muscles and aching body. You let your body rest against the edge as the intoxicating smell made you dizzy.

“Ahhh… hah….” You panted.

“Does it feel good?~ You definitely look like you’re enjoying yourself. Mind if… I join?~ ♡” You heard his sultry voice whisper in your ear as he joins you in the bath. You glance over at him. He’s… he’s n-naked too? As if this situation couldn’t get any more lewd, he sits down in front of your spread legs.

He strokes your cheek softly, “Your mind looks like it’s not quite here… how cute. ♡ I think you’ve waited long enough for your promised pampering. Just sit back and relax~ You’re in capable hands~ ♡”

That’s the last thing you remember hearing from him as your exhausted brain finally takes a well needed break, just for a while. You have just enough consciousness left to feel the numerous amounts of face masks, creams, rollers, and much more he uses on you. Compared to his touch from before that was practically quaking with desire, his touch now was a lot more gentle and loving. He fussed over each and every detail of your face mask, adjusting them to fit your face perfectly. Sooner or later, he began to soak some rich soap into your messy hair and gently scratch at your scalp. It felt so nice to be taken care of, to be loved after putting yourself through hell and back. You weren’t surprised in the slightest when you opened your eyes to see him presenting you a cup of tea. Did you just… fall asleep?

“Good morning, darling. You fell asleep while I was washing your hair so I decided to give you a break while I made you some tea. It should give you back some of your missing entertainment,” he set the teacup in your heads and rubbed a hand over your shoulder, “I know this has been a lot for you, so please take it easy. I wouldn’t wanna push you past your comfort zone,” he cooed sweetly.

You didn’t even realize how thirsty you were until the tea slipped down your throat. It tasted wonderful, like a flurry of peaches and mint. It wasn’t long until you finished the whole cup and sat it down on the tray with the leftover supplies.

“Heheh, good. How do you feel? A little less tired, I hope?” He soothed.

“Mhm… yeah, I’m feeling a lot better, actually,” you rub the sleep from your eyes.

“That’s wonderful, I’m glad~ now that you’re awake, it might be time to move to the main event~ ♡” he chucked.

“Main event…? What d-does… that mean?” You shivered, fainting innocence.

“Well, how can I call this a true pampering session until I give you… a little bit of a massage, hm? Would that feel nice on all your aches and pains?” His tantalizing touch drifted all the way from your shoulders to down on your thighs, “I’m assuming your body has been aching for some touch for quite a while, hasn’t it?”

Your breathing grew more and more uneven as his aura filled your mind with a desire… a desire for him. For his touch, “yeah… I… I feel strange...”

“Oh? Strange how? Does it hurt?” He hum’s curiously as his thumbs massage the muscles of your thighs.

“N-no, it... Aghh…you… you know what it is…” You look away out of embarrassment from his blatant teasing.

“Mmm? Could it be… a need, of sorts? ♡” His thumbs circle over your inner thigh.

“Hahh… agh… yeah… like… a need… a strong need,” you felt your pussy fluttering around nothing as his touch only got closer, “why… are you… doing this…?”

“It’s simple… It's because I love you, hon. More than anything I can name… more than I can even understand. I have this urge inside of me whenever I see you. It wants you, all of you. And now…” a strange pink smoke begins to swirl around him as his eyes glow brightly, “I get you all to myself~ ♡” You watch helplessly as he sprouts wings and horns, grinning sinisterly at you. Your breather quickens as he more roughly squeezes your thighs just to hear you whine. He leans in, so close you might just lose your mind, “I know how badly you need me too. I can practically smell it~ want me to help you? Relieve that desire that’s burning under your skin?~ ♡”

His dirty words made you whine. There’s no way you could resist him, not in this form. You’ll just have to deal with the problems later because right now you just want this demon in front of you to do whatever he wants with you.

“I think I know a certain spot that’s been begging for my attention ever since I saw those cute panties~ ♡ let’s see if I can fix that…” his wild eyes look below the crystal clear water as his delicate fingers spread your pussy wide open. Your shift around uncomfortably at being so open to the water swirling around you. As soon as you feel the sinful press of his pointer finger and middle finger against your clit, you stifle a moan and twitch your hips eagerly.

“Oh, someone’s excited, hm? Is it because of me… or maybe the spell I’ve cast on you? ♡ Maybe both~” he giggles to himself.

Spell? Is that what all the aura was- Your train of thought vanishes completely as his fingers rub small circles against your swollen bud.

“Nghh… ahh.. oh fuck….” You whine as you pussy clenches even more. It already feels like so much, but you so desperately wanted to beg for some stimulation to your cunt too. Your wish would soon be granted as you feel his two fingers slide down to your cunt and rub it up and down, making sure to continue rubbing circles on your clit with his thumb.

“Is that better?~ Even in the water I can feel how slick you are. You must like this a lot, hm? Hehe, I don’t think I even need to ask~ ♡” his fingers slowly and carefully pushed inside your twitching hole.

“Aaghhh… f-fuck… oh god, Asmo.. agh…” you’re reduced to a whining, shivering mess as his fingers explore the insides of your pussy. And they were so talented too. They immediately knew the exact gummy spot inside of you to rub to make your eyes roll back. It just felt too good, you couldn’t do anything but moan and twitch. You wanted more but you were also scared of what more would feel like. His wrist started to quickly flick his fingers in and out of your trembling pussy, jabbing right against your g-spot and pressing harder on your clit. You felt like your body wasn’t even your wit control anymore, you were totally at his mercy.

“Mmmphhh… you’re clenching on me so tightly, and it’s so warm~ ♡ I could just do this forever…” he sighed dreamily as his motions sped up. How could he keep such a relaxed face while you were fucking fighting for your life? It felt like your senses were on fire, like your cunt was ready to cum at any second.

“Ready to cum so early? Hehe, I don’t blame you, I’m quite good at this. After all, I’m the Avatar of Lust. I can make you feel things no other demon can ever dream of making you feel. Hehehe~ ♡ How about I make a deal… I’ll let you cum as many times as you want if you chose me and only me instead of my brothers. How about that? Doesn’t that sound fantastic~ ♡♡”

It does sound rather tempting, but you could care less about deals right now. The only thing you want is to cum, cum around his skilled fingers. If that meant being his forever, then that’s just a plus.

“Aaghh p-please… I’m yours, only yours. Please Asmo, I need to cum so badly… I can’t hold it much longer..” you cried out.

He smiles devilishly, “Perfect answer, my love… go on, let go of everything and release all that cum for me…♡ cum for your demon~ ♡”

The final thread of restraint snaps as you moan desperately, squeezing on his fingers so good he feels his dick twitch in anticipation.

“Aghh… hahhh… oh god… that… that was amazing… felt amazing….” You heaved in between each word as you lay limp against the edge of the bath. The post orgasm bliss felt like heaven but it was quickly ripped away from you as Asmo’s fingers contributed to thrust you open.

“Gah, w-what, n-no hurts please, please no more… Aghh…” it didn’t take long for the pain to melt into mouth watering pleasure as he stimulated your poor little clit over and over again.

“Mmm I think you’re pretty much ready to take me now… that is if you wanna. I can keep fingering you if that’d make you feel best, cutie~” he playfully licked the outer shell of your ear.

Even though his fingers felt like heaven, you could only imagine how good his dick would feel. Would it feel even better? Oh you just had to give it a try~ You lean back and wrap your legs around his waist.

“Hehehe someone’s eager, huh? Aghh… I’ll try to be gentle… just don’t squeeze too hard or else I might break that promise~ ♡” He snickered as he lifted your hips up and angled his throbbing dick to your overstimulated cunt. You mind raced with ideas of how big he could be but as soon as you felt his head rub against your entrance you could already feel your legs beginning to give out. He’s… pretty big…

He smirked at the worry in your eyes, “Are worried I’ll hurt your tight little cunt or I’ll make you feel so good you won’t be able to get off without my dick?~ ♡ just i’ll have to figure it out as me go~ ♡” without very much of a warning, you felt the head slip in past your entrance to right against that sweet spot of yours. And holy fuck we’re you enjoying it. Even though he warned you, he was too big, you had no choice but to squeeze him like your life depended on it.

“Aaghhh… p-please sweetie, loosen up or else I can’t go deeper… damn it I wanna fuck you so bad… ♡” he grit is teeth in agony and pleasure. He brought a quick finger to your clit and gave it some deep rubs, thankfully coaxing a moan out and letting you loosen up for him a little. His hips snapped forward again and again and again, each time he made sure to hit your g-spot straight on.

“Aaaagghhh Asmo I can’t I can’t it’s too much!!!~” you wailed as you felt another orgasm approaching.

“My dear please… you’re squeezing so fucking hard you’re going to… drive me crazy!~ ♡♡” he dug his nails deep into your plush hips and thrusted into you at such a fast rhythm it left you right at the edge.

“Aghhhh I’m going to break… s-slow down, my pussy is going to die!!!~” you cling onto the mable for dear life as the demon drilled into you from behind. It felt so lewd but it also felt like heaven~ yet you still needed more, “pleaseeee Asmo I’m begging you I need more!~”

“Still need more?~ ♡ can’t wait to get to that edge?” He teased in your ear with a chuckle.

“Pleaseeee I’d do anything please make me cum again~” You cried out, unable to even process the words fully before they left you mouth.

“I.. agh… think I got just the idea.. brace yourself… for the might of the avatar of lust~ ♡” He stayed thrusting into you even faster but that wasn’t the main focus. No, because when you began to feel a strange vibration sensation emerge from his dick, tremouring right against your cervix you were just wailing, you were screaming.

“Oh gods, oh gods this can’t be real… asagghhhhhhh!!~ why is it vibrating so hard?!!~ how.. how is it even doing that?!!” You didn’t know if you were more scared or excited by this new discovery. All you knew is your pussy was twitching like crazy against the sinful vibrations wracking through his clock and right against your sensitive walls and clit.

“The avatar of lust has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to make just about anyone come undone on my dick~ ♡ you’ll find out soon enough if you’d like, hon~ ♡ Ahh… just… let me fuck that tight pussy nice and hard~ ♡” your back arched on command as he growled in your ear. Moans and grunts left your lips like a constant prayer, it’s just too fucking good, way more than a human like her should be able to handle. That was until Asmo finally snapped and flipped her around so ass was in full display for him. She didn’t even bother asking what was going on, just moaning and begging for more of his vibrating dick. He mounted her and quickly remained fucking her pussy into oblivion. The change of position allowed him to directly assault her poor, poor absurd cervix. Each snap of his hips against her ass sent electricity straight to her pussy which was dying to cum from all the extreme vibrations.

“Aaghhh Ahh Ahh AGHHH AGHHH!!~” Her moans grew louder and louder as she got closer to cumming, “I’m close so fucking close please just ruin me-“ suddenly, there was a series of stomping footsteps and opening and slamming of doors. They were all home already?! Shit, why now!? Right when you’re on the brink of one of the best orgasms in your life!! As you turned around to give Asmo a sad look, you were greeted with a smirk. Don’t tell me. His thrusts went faster and faster and faster until the water started to splash out of the bath and onto the floor.

“Waaaittttt we're gunna get caught aaghhhh!!!~” your eyes roll into the back of your head.

“Don’t matter to me… I’ve been aching for sex with you for way to damn long to stop now~ ♡ Come on, give them a nice loud moan~ let them know who you belong to~ tell them who fucks you’re beautiful, tight pussy the best!~ ♡” He bends your back into a perfect arch, only applied by the intense lust magic he forces into you.

“Aaaagghhh!~~ AAAAGGHHHHHH ASMOOOOOOO DOESSSS!!!~” You released a loud scream as you came yet again, shivering pathetically. Your eyes screwed together as his passion fucking didn’t even hesitate. You were losing your damn mind and basking in it.

“Let’s keep going… until we finally get caught~♡” he laughed wildly, clearly getting drunk off your pussy. But you were just as drunk off of his dick too.~ You nodded in agreement and continued moaning like he’s rearranging your guts. It felt so good, so, so deliciously good. You never wanted this to stop.

Sure enough, the door creaked open, revealing the first unlucky person to witness the lust-filled display that the two of them were putting on. Their jaw dropped open at the sight of a wildly out of control Asmo practically bending you in half and slamming into you at such a furious pace you just couldn't stop cumming. His erotic magic surged through your veins as you kept shouting, moan after moan, dirtying the water with your combined cum. Your face was permanently twisted into a lewd expression as you felt your whole body alight in a constant explosion of pleasure from his none stop fucking and overwhelming magic.

“Agaghhhhhhhhh~” You sobbed out in bliss.

“If… you want us to stop… you’re going to have to kill me~ ♡” Asmodeus flashed the intruder a spine chilling death stare and groaned in pleasure as he plunged in deeper.

Reblog + Like + Comment if you wanna see even more obey me or Asmo in specific posts (hehehehe I had a lotta fun writing this I’m such a simp for asmo I hope I did him justice <3)

(I’ve been writing for like 8 hours with no hours of sleep I think I might take a break tomorrow. I’ll make a poll for my next post in a few days or so, I need to recharge)

[annabelle--cane]

my current stupid problem is that there's a fic that has been recommended to me directly several times as being particularly well written and specifically relevant to my interests in a pretty unique way, and I'm sure it's as good as everyone says it is, but unfortunately the author and I had indirect minor beef three years ago over something that doesn't really. make me feel inclined to trust their analysis and comprehension skills, as it were. and like, again, I'm sure the fic is fine if so many people like it so much, but unfortunately it is nonetheless covered in gunk for me. sad!

[bestworstcase]

I can't remember whether you've answered this before, but. You postulate that everything Salem does in 8.9 after learning Yang's identity is a ruse to justify letting Yang and the others go free; that threatening Emerald is a deliberate attempt to provoke Hazel into attacking her so she has an excuse to turn her attention away from the prisoners.

My question is: Why does she need an excuse? Salem doesn't answer to anyone, and I can't see any particular risk in just saying "I've decided you're free to go, goodbye" and leaving the kids baffled. So what does she have to gain from... making herself seem more dangerous and unreasonable than she is? Not that I think she feels any hope she could convince the heroes she's reasonable -- as you've stated, Oz has done a very good job de-personing her for a very long time -- but I'm not sure why she would go to the effort of constructing an artificial scenario solely to make her enemies think she's more monstrous. What's her motivation here?

in the course of answering the question of her motivation i'm actually going to lay out my argumentation for reading the salem vs hazel fight this way, 'cause i don't think i've ever done so comprehensively before. (on tumblr, anyway.)

the foundational theory isn’t "salem did all this as a ruse to let her hostages go" but rather that this duel with hazel is a performative means to an end. and the reason i think that is the way the fight itself, along with the duel in the lost fable and the brief altercation with the kids preceding the fight, are choreographed.

to preface this discussion, rwby's fight choreography is subordinate to characterization. (this is less true in v1, wherein centerpiece fight scenes put a greater emphasis on style and spectacle, but from v2 onward there’s been an increasing focus on using combat to develop character.) team rwby vs ace-ops is a good example of this: ruby struggles in her matchup with harriet not only because she’s a grimm-fighting specialist whose main advantage (agility) is negated by her opponent being able to match her speed, but also because her heart isn’t in it; she pauses to plead with harriet to stop and think about what she’s doing and never really recovers her footing.

so my first presupposition is that salem isn’t an exception to this principle and her fight with hazel is not meant to just be a dramatic spectacle that Looks Cool but has nothing substantive to say about the characters involved. the writing and fight choreography are reliably cogent and i trust that the same amount of thought was put into this scene. i say this because i think "empty spectacle" is the only other way to parse what happens here.

now on to the most salient piece of context: we know that salem can fight well. because, as ruby puts it, we’ve seen what she’s capable of. the lamp showed us.

in the lost fable, we see:

salem and ozma fighting together, back-to-back, as they escaped her father’s fortress together.

salem stopping a nevermore the size of a commercial plane cold, and then crumpling it up like tissue paper.

salem matching ozma, a skilled, highly-experienced warrior who at the time had the combined might of the four maidens put together at his disposal, exactly blow-for-blow in their last duel.

nevermore crunch gives us a sense of not just the force but also the sheer precision of control that salem has over her magical power. the first fight tells us that even with no formal training, salem had the raw talent (and desperation) to keep up with ozma and hold her own against professional soldiers; the second fight tells us that by the time the ozlem kingdom fell, salem and ozma were equally matched in terms of skill.

the fanon idea that salem can't fight but won their duel by virtue of her invulnerability—whittling ozma down one lucky hit at a time—is a) contradicted by the swift and even back-and-forth volleys shown, and b) plainly at odds with the fanon nonsense that ozma spent most of the duel desperately and futilely on the defensive fighting to shield the girls from her onslaught.

from the tableaux in the second fight, it's hard to determine whether salem bothers with self-defense under normal circumstances (she doesn't, in the tableaux, but nor does ozma). but that in itself isn't a reason to presume a lack of skill in combat because salem has no incentive—other than pain avoidance, which given her extreme tolerance for pain isn't much—to fight defensively.

with all this in mind: we begin with her altercation with the kids.

salem enters the scene by exploding her way out of the whale. notice the kids knocked over like bowling pins on the left: oscar was standing approx. fifty-three feet away from the epicenter of the blast, measured based on salem being six feet tall. (<- with perspective taken into account. from wall to edge, the dock is 48ft wide)

emerald keeps her feet, perhaps because she knows better what to brace for; she's about the same distance away. in any case, salem's next move is to launch herself to the edge of the dock (again, a distance of 48ft—measured based on a different screenshot) and stretch to grab emerald in a fraction of a second.

ok. the women's world record 60m sprint is 6.92 seconds; this works out, rounded, to about 28.4ft/s. at that speed, you can cover forty-eight feet in about 1.7s; salem closes the distance in about half a second, which works out to 96ft/s. from a dead stop.

salem is could-probably-keep-up-with-ruby-rose fast.

next point. these two frames:

are a split second apart. the blast is aimed at ren and when jaune leaps in front of him, hits his shield right in the middle:

had jaune not gotten there in time, this would've hit ren squarely in the chest. in any case it hits with enough force to blast both boys off their feet and slams them into the flesh wall (roughly, eyeballing it based on several shots) 20-30 feet behind them hard enough to visibly strain jaune's aura. keep this timing in your mind for later. salem can fire these things off literally faster than you can blink.

the distance between her and ren at this point is approx. forty-five feet, again using the wide shot from earlier to measure. precise accuracy isn't impressive at this range necessarily but it's worth noting in relation to ren, who fires on her from the same distance, kneeling, with his fully automatics. every bullet goes wide:

& then salem whips around and noscopes him.

similarly, she sticky-hands yang in the face (catching her gauntlets only because yang throws up her arms to shield herself) while upside down with her eyes closed and paste for bones. she's a GOOD shot.

another detail to note here is the difference in salem's reaction to ren's attack versus yang's; ren fires on her, misses, she retaliates with her magical equivalent to his guns, but when yang punches bombs into her chest a second later, salem literally just stands there, even lowering her arm to let yang do it...

...and then after being blown up, rather than firing back with magic, snags yang and pulls her over to look intently at her:

we know that the reason salem grabbed emerald is with the intent to question her about what happened to the lamp, because salem concludes from the available facts that em must have stolen it. we also know that when ren shot at her, salem returned fire immediately, within a fraction of a second—this woman is inhumanly fast, and the time between these two frames:

is exactly equal to the time between these two:

what this tells is that salem did have time to blast yang in the gut with magic. through the whole sequence with yang punching her, salem is looking at yang's face, her gaze tracks down to follow her movement. she sees this coming and she's reacting to it, just making a deliberate choice not to retaliate.

and then she grabs yang.

this is the first weird thing salem does in this scene—every move she makes prior unambiguously follows from salem's belief that emerald stole the lamp and her desire to recapture oscar and take the relic back—and i don't think it's a coincidental that the weirdness begins with salem noticing yang...

...whom she saw like, two days ago rushing forward to comfort ruby after salem your mother-ed her to the ground. i've made this point before but prior to her arrival in atlas salem might at most have seen toddler pictures of these kids; ruby takes after her mother enough to be impossible to mistake for anyone but summer's daughter, but yang isn't even biologically related to summer. so salem wouldn't know her on sight. but this interaction a couple days ago would've given her enough circumstantial context to at least guess that this girl is summer's eldest.

so here, when salem sees yang and instantly flips from slinging bolts of magic around with enough force to break or at least visibly strain jaune's aura to sticky-handing yang to drag her over and grab her, the question is okay, why? why does that shift happen? what is it about this moment that alters salem's motivation? and because the situation hasn't changed whatsoever and there's no other reason for yang to have any significance to salem, the simplest and really only cogent explanation is her relation to summer rose.

onwards. salem isn't expecting oscar to zap her. you can tell because every time salem takes a hit on purpose in this scene, she either tracks her opponent's movements or visibly braces herself and neither of those things happens in the split second between oscar starting to fire and his blast hitting her; and also, she grunts in pain both when it hits her and when she doubles over afterward. given that oscar shouts at her first (so he has her attention) and what oscar and ozma say when they discuss the state of the merge in 7.13 and earlier in 8.9, i think it's pretty likely that salem didn't realize oscar could tap into ozma's magic and thus he caught her off guard.

also i'm not sure oscar realized he could do that until he did it. look at this boy. he's so busy going "wait what?" at himself that he doesn't even notice salem yeeting yang at him until a split second before yang hits him ->

that, or oscar's use of magic jostled oz to the front and neither of them were expecting that to happen.

at this point salem stops fucking around and pins everyone to the floor. and again this is something i want to emphasize because it is effortless for her. when she does this to hazel in 6.4 she makes a gesture with her hands, but here she just decides it's going to happen and it does. (which tells us that the gesturing in 6.4 is for show, just like flipping the table and raising her voice. she's exaggerating her irritation into this over-the-top anger for the sake of intimidating everyone else in the room. it's performative.)

anyway, she hangs emerald on the wall, conjures a ball of magic, and:

SALEM: What did you do with the lamp? EMERALD: ...N-nothing! [Salem leans in to hold the magic close to her face.] SALEM: It's missing. Where is it? EMERALD: I didn't do anything with it! SALEM: Where—[she lowers her hand, turning away]–is it?

ok. salem can tell when people lie. she's also grimm—she can probably sense or perceive emotion the way all other grimm do.

emerald isn't lying to her and salem knows she's telling the truth. the pseudo-repetition of the questions obfuscates this a little, because they're almost but not quite the same, but salem believes both of the truthful answers emerald gives her.

her initial assumption is that emerald stole the lamp and must have done something to hide it ("what did you do with it?"). emerald is startled, confused, and answers "nothing." salem explains why she's asking ("it's missing") and then asks if emerald knows where it is or who took it ("where is it?") because her next guess is that emerald conspired with somebody else who stole the lamp while emerald snuck oscar out.

when the lamp went missing, there were eight people on the whale: salem herself, hazel, emerald, neopolitan, oscar, yang, and these other two children whose names salem probably doesn't know. right before the seers sounded the alarm about intruders, salem encountered emerald and someone she thought was hazel in the corridor. at that point in time, salem expected hazel to still be interrogating oscar, as she's mildly surprised to see him: "ah, hazel. have you gotten what we need yet?"—and 'hazel' behaved oddly enough that salem was side-eyeing him before the alarm distracted her. her reaction to emerald a few minutes later ("you really have been honing that semblance of yours") confirms that she's figured out that 'hazel' was really oscar.

hazel assumes there is an alarm that will go off if they move the lamp, but he's wrong: neo swipes it seconds after they leave the chamber, and salem doesn't know anything is wrong until a) the seers alert her to the presence of intruders, several minutes layer, and b) she goes to personally secure the lamp and finds it already missing.

so salem does not know exactly when the lamp was taken, only that it happened before the seers sounded the alarm. that her suspicion falls first on emerald suggests that salem has—for whatever reason—already considered and ruled out the possibility that the intruders are the thieves (most likely, because the seer alarm calls convey more information than just "stranger danger!" and salem knows the intruders didn't get that far into the whale before being caught). plus by the time she's questioning emerald, salem has a) terrified emerald well past being able to maintain her semblance, which requires active focus, and b) visually confirmed that none of the intruders nor oscar are carrying the lamp with them.

ruling out emerald as the thief therefore leaves her with just two suspects: neopolitan, or hazel. now, salem does not have any reason to trust another of cinder's little pet illusionists, so on the face of it neo might seem to be the obvious suspect.

BUT.

salem expected hazel to be in oscar's cell at the time she unwittingly caught emerald in the act of helping oscar escape. and she knows that hazel is attached to emerald—that's why she punishes him for lying to her in 6.4 by forcing emerald to answer the question hazel tried to dodge, she knows hazel lied to protect emerald.

and emerald could not have freed oscar from his cell without hazel knowing about it.

based on the facts of the situation as salem understands them at the point when she turns away from emerald to ask, rhetorically, where the lamp is, there are only two possible explanations:

hazel stole the lamp while emerald helped oscar escape.

neo stole the lamp while emerald tried to sneak oscar out, either with hazel's assistance or while hazel was somewhere other than where salem expected him to be, doing something he shouldn't.

there is no way—no way—that salem does not realize, at this juncture, that hazel has most likely betrayed her. this woman is a clever strategist who has been running circles around ozpin and his inner circle since the show began and, while she lacks the charisma and social dexterity to be a truly masterful manipulator, she understands human nature and her manipulative tactics are always very shrewd. unless you're willing to assume that the writers just idiot balled her for the sake of the plot—which i'm not; rwby is too well-written—salem's assumption now is that hazel stole the lamp.

(which, she's wrong, but the underlying reasoning in how she handles the situation on the docks up to this point is an application of occam's razor; she begins with the simplest explanation and works upward in complexity from there, so she'd land on hazel stealing the lamp before she got to "neo stole the lamp, emerald freed oscar, hazel was doing something else.")

the shift in her tone as she turns away from emerald and the things she then says to oscar evince this also: her second "where is it?" is rhetorical. she knows that either hazel or neo has it, and hazel is the more likely suspect. since neither of them are here at the moment, but neither of them can leave the whale except through the dock, the question is no longer urgent. she has the situation fully under control. all she needs to do is wait.

so her attention shifts to oscar or ozma. (whether oz is fronting or salem thinks he’s fronting because oscar used ozma's magic is somewhat unclear, but given that she correctly identifies them in both 8.4 and 8.6 i'm inclined to think she’s right this time too, and oz got pulled forward by oscar’s use of his magic)

SALEM: Look how you've diminished. How you've lessened yourself—and for what? These children? This ruined world...? Why—do—you—keep—coming—back? YANG: Why do you?! [Salem glances at her, startled.] YANG: All of this endless death, just because something bad happened to you once upon a time? Nobody gets a fairytale ending! Everything I've lost—every person I've lost!—is because of you! SALEM: And who is it I've taken from you, girl? YANG: Summer Rose. My mom. SALEM: Hm. [amused] Her again?

as i said, salem already has reasonable confidence that this girl is summer rose's eldest daughter, but if she had any doubt or uncertainty prior she now knows for sure. "and who is it i've taken from you, girl?" is salem both engaging with what yang said to her and also fishing for a confirmation that she is who salem thinks she is, which yang obligingly gives to her.

so at this juncture salem now has three goals:

don't severely hurt or kill summer's daughter.

determine who stole the lamp and get it back.

recapture oz/oscar.

with the third being a means to the end of finding out how to access the lamp. this makes #3 the lowest priority, because there are at least six people who know the "password" (ozma, oscar, ruby, yang, and their two teammates) and if salem loses oz/oscar now she can still try to capture one of the other children later.

of the first two, which is more important doesn't really matter yet, because right now they aren't in opposition. she can accomplish the first by not doing anything to harm yang and the second by staying put until the thief—either neo or hazel—tries to get past her.

of course, then hazel IMMEDIATELY shows up. he is, remember, salem's primary suspect at this point and she knows that he, at a minimum, wasn't where she thought he was when emerald snuck oscar out of his cell. even if hazel doesn't have the lamp, salem has to consider him a possible traitor until proven otherwise because there is also this unspoken question of how emerald got oscar out. either hazel was incompetent or he was an accomplice.

salem wants to know which it is.

he walks onto the docks, greets her. salem glances over at him and sees that he does not have the lamp, so either he stashed it somewhere on the whale with the intent to sneak it out later or he isn't the thief. the question of how emerald got oscar past him remains. there is a possibility that hazel wasn't involved in the jailbreak or the theft—he's been in and out of that cell all day—and if salem makes this accusation and she's wrong, she risks losing his loyalty. right. like hazel is already terrified of her and she knows ozma has been feeding him bullshit all day about how she's bent on destroying the world, she walked in on that.

if she takes an aggressive posture here on the basis of an incorrect suspicion that's going to play right into ozma's hands by making her look unreasonable, untrustworthy, dangerous. even if he remains loyal in the moment, he'll have all of this in the back of his mind and he might turn against her at a more crucial juncture in the future.

salem is very risk-averse. she's not going to do that. so now she has a fourth goal: test hazel in a way that will strengthen his commitment to her if he remains loyal, or else force him to definitively prove himself a traitor.

when salem meets emerald and 'hazel' in the corridor earlier in this episode she says "ah, hazel. have you gotten what we need yet?" and then, after the seer alarm, "it seems we have guests [...] find them!"

when hazel arrives at the docks, salem says "ah, hazel. i found our guests." the intonation of "ah, hazel" is the same but exaggerated, and salem's taking "we have guests: find them" and flipping it around; "i found our guests." now, she's aware that the 'hazel' she spoke to in the corridor a few minutes ago was really oscar, so hazel doesn't have context for why this is funny. but she's making a sarcastic little joke at his expense about how she doesn't trust him now.

"ah, hazel" is how she greeted the false 'hazel' whom she did trust and told to find their "guests." she suspects that the real hazel was an accomplice to this scheme so she parodies that greeting and then makes a sardonic jab at him as if the false 'hazel' in the corridor were real and just failed so abysmally at finding the intruders that salem had to do it herself. and then she specifically draws his attention to emerald and goes "this one was helping them."

and this is the test, right.

before she asks emerald "what did you do with the lamp?" salem conjures up a ball of magic and holds it up where emerald can see. very unsubtle threat. she does the exact same thing here.

"this one was helping them," she says, magic crackling in her hand where hazel can see it. there is, again, a very unsubtle threat that she'll hurt emerald. and then she pauses for a solid three seconds, which doesn't sound like a lot but it's the similar in length to her other dramatic pauses like "find the girl that did this to cinder... and bring her to me" (~3.5s) and "before you go, inform tyrian... that i wish to have a word with him" (~2s)

in 6.4, salem asks hazel to give her a specific piece of information about cinder, and he tries to evade by saying "i take full responsibility," so she flips the table, pins him to the ground, and intimidates emerald into telling her instead, because she knows hazel is lying to shield emerald from the imaginary threat of salem's wrathful retribution.

in this scene, salem has emerald pinned to the wall and makes an implicit but extremely clear threat to hurt emerald because, she tells hazel pointedly, this one was helping the intruders sneak oscar, the boy hazel was supposed to be interrogating at the time, off the whale: SIGNIFICANT LOOK. DRAMATIC PAUSE.

this is the test. this is the test. the last time salem put hazel into a situation where he anticipated a punishment falling on emerald's head, he lied to try to redirect that punishment onto himself. if he tries to do the same thing now, he's either going to implicate himself as an accomplice, attack her, or exonerate himself by lying (because salem will know that he's lying if he falsely claims to have been in on it a la "i take full responsibility").

she's not making any accusations but she is giving him the chance to come clean. the last time this happened and he lied to her, she bullied emerald to punish him. the implicit promise she's making this time is that if he was also "helping them" and he tells her the truth now, she won't hurt emerald. if he gives her what she wants, she'll reward him with what he wants.

as. usual. she does not communicate this clearly enough for it to be effective (⭐️ SHE TRIED) and hazel doesn't give her anything to work with, just stands there silently, so... she escalates. "take the boy back to his chamber; i have work to do with this one."

if hazel's silence is because he's upset but still remains loyal, he'll obey and she'll know that she has a much firmer hold on him than she thought. if... he was involved, then his silence is because he's trying to figure out a way to salvage this situation. she still does not have absolute certainty. so she provokes him by raising the stakes and turning her back on him.

um, another noteworthy detail that i think supports reading "i have work to do with this one" as a performative threat salem's making to force hazel to make his loyalties clear:

salem touches emerald's face with this very ominous-looking magic crackling around her hands and nothing happens. the specific threat she's been making in this scene of "answer me or i'll burn your face with this nasty dark magic" is quite literally bluffing. it doesn't hurt emerald upon contact with her skin. emerald just experiences the untold horrors of salem grabbing her face.

HOWEVER. escalating in this manner a) takes the risk of hazel choosing to betray her for emerald’s sake right now even if he wasn’t an accomplice before, and b) insures that if hazel is already a traitor, there will be a violent altercation.

the former is a much less dangerous risk than alienating hazel if he's truly loyal by making open accusations (an immediate betrayal that she provoked and is prepared to handle vs a possible betrayal an unknown amount of time in the future which might catch her with her guard down). the latter is a problem, because there are children glued to the floor who will be in the crossfires of any fight, and one of those children is her general's eldest.

and this is where that second goal of "don't severely harm or kill summer's daughter" comes into play and comes into conflict with salem's need to recapture oscar & oz and recover the stolen relic. it's at this point salem has to make a decision about what to prioritize, and her choice is to—if hazel does what she expects him to do and attacks her—let the children go while she "fights" hazel, then pry information out of hazel once they're gone. so she reveals that her priorities are:

summer's daughter.

the lamp.

hazel's loyalty.

the lamp's "password."

also notice that salem does keep her implicit promise not to harm emerald if hazel gives her what she wants—she releases emerald, too, after hazel punches her. she's thinking ahead to what she'll do once the children are gone and she has hazel alone on the docks. by letting emerald and the rest of the children escape, she removes his motivation for betraying her: he no longer has anyone around whom he could possibly sacrifice himself to protect from salem, because all of them have made it to safety. now salem can pin him to the wall and start asking questions.

either hazel took the lamp and stashed it somewhere on the whale once he realized she'd caught the children, or neopolitan stole it and—if she's still aboard—will need to pass the docks sooner or later. so salem stays put, with hazel, until she has the lamp in hand again or knows where hazel hid it. summer's daughter is safe, hazel has no one to sacrifice himself for (and she has some leverage to counter ozma's lies; letting the children go is her proof that she isn't unreasonable), and salem has everything she needs to get the lamp back. she might have to capture someone again in the future to extract the lamp's password, but there's a chance hazel learnt it from oscar before the jailbreak and theft.

worst case scenario, neo stole it and escaped before salem intercepted the jailbreak on the docks, but at least by questioning hazel she'll be able to determine whether that's the case.

a partial victory is preferable to a loss, and knowing what to sacrifice in pursuit of one's priorities is important. this is salem's basic strategic philosophy and it shows through in her actions throughout this scene; she's making choices about what matters to her most and what she can afford to let go, always with the intent to achieve as many of her goals as possible, in descending order of importance.

with salem it's important to keep in mind that she thinks like this. strategic acumen is her greatest strength and being able to evaluate all of one's objectives in terms of priority, feasibility, and tactical means at once is a critical strategic skill. strategy is about the long term, big picture thinking, where salem excels. so she almost never does anything for just one reason; every decision she makes is a balancing act taking into account all of her important short- and long-term goals.

speaking of which, i've so far limited this discussion to her immediate objectives in this scene, but it's worth remembering that salem has long-term plans that she is working toward and her actions and choices in any given scene are mediated by the big picture; her inner conflict regarding cinder aside, salem is never going to do anything that achieves a short-term goal by harming her strategic ends (and her erratic behavior toward cinder arises from a conflict between her strategic ends and her increasing reluctance to treat cinder like a pawn, i.e. her big-picture wants and needs can no longer be easily reconciled.)

it's much harder to discern salem's long-term objectives because we don't really know what her plan is, except in the broadest strokes. but we can hazard a few guesses:

salem is very circumspect about what happened to summer rose; it may be necessary for her plans to preserve the heroically-martyred idea of summer rose—the most obvious reason would be that "summer was the best, and even she failed" is a very exploitable weakness in her opponents' morale.

if salem intends to confront the brothers face-to-face, using the final judgment as bait, and she fails, the only thing she can do that might prevent the gods from annihilating remnant is ensuring that everyone is rallied against her. forcing the truth of her existence into the open while performing to "monstrous evil witch bent on destruction of all things" expectations is the surest way to do that.

likewise, winnowing her own inner circle such that she is truly and completely alone by the time she has all four relics in hand may be part of the plan.

also worth taking into consideration are the ways salem's trauma circumscribes her decision-making. she is:

terrified of rejection.

terrified to care or admit to caring because the divine mandate is a justification and a threat of genocide strictly to punish her, and she knows it.

convinced that no one will ever truly care about her, hear her, or want to help her without getting something in return.

resigned to being seen as a monster no matter what she does, solely on the basis of her inhuman appearance.

all of these things predispose her to retreat behind her emotional walls and just reflect the expectations of others back to them. she's been viciously, brutally punished every single time she's tried to be authentic and vulnerable with others and it hurts less to shut down and be what she's "supposed" to be than to try and be cut down over and over again. this is a defensive learned response and it informs both her strategic planning and her tactical decisions; even in situations where breaking expectations and being emotionally honest might benefit her if people were to give her a chance, she's not going to do it unless she is really, really certain that she won't be punished for trying again.

now, to wrap this up, let's go over the fight with hazel.

i actually debate with myself a lot as to whether salem did or didn't anticipate hazel punching her, because she a) doesn't brace and b) cries out when his fist makes contact with her face, but i am certain that by this juncture salem did expect and was counting on him to do SOMETHING to stop her. the sequence of events is this:

salem approaches emerald while telling hazel, "take the boy back to his chamber; i have work to do with this one." after a brief pause, hazel answers "yes. of course," and begins to walk over to oscar. at this point, salem puts both of her hands on emerald's face and leans in to emphasize the threat, but still doesn't hurt her.

keep in mind that there is a significant distance between salem and oscar. relative to her position when she entered the scene, salem has moved (roughly, eyeballing) about thirty feet to the left and knocked oscar about the same distance from where he fell when she burst through the side of the whale. so they're still about fifty feet apart.

an able-bodied human walks about 4.2ft/s at a normal pace on average; hazel is quite tall—i believe word of god is eight feet, but he is NOT two feet taller than salem, the top of her head is level with his shoulder line, which if salem is six feet tall exactly would make him about 7'2"—which gives him a much longer than average stride, so we'll presume his normal walking pace is about 4.5ft/s.

when salem walks from emerald over to oscar, it takes her about twelve seconds. if we assume that her pace is the average 4.2ft/s, that would make this distance just about exactly fifty feet. 50ft 5in, to be precise. the consistency here between the visible spatial distance and the temporal distance suggests close attention to detail on the part of the creative team.

(salem returns from oscar to emerald, off screen, in about two seconds, but this is not problematic given her super-fast gliding pace—we can assume that salem slingshot herself across most of the distance and then walked the last couple steps.)

so at a normal pace of 4.5ft/s, it should take hazel about eleven seconds to walk from salem's side to where oscar is... and in fact it takes him exactly that: he begins to walk at 14:35 and stops in front of oscar at 14:46. again, the consistency is telling—particularly because there is no dialogue at all in this span, so how long it took wasn't dictated by the length of a spoken line.

hazel picks oscar up, murmurs "no more gretchens, boy," into his ear, pushes the long memory into his hands, and then drops him again. this takes another ten seconds. hazel turns away from oscar and begins to walk back toward salem at 14:56, punching her at 15:04, so his return is faster but within the range of a brisk walking pace (eight seconds, fifty feet, approx. 6.3ft/s).

the reason i'm belaboring this point is that salem says "i have work to do with this one," and then... stands there without doing anything except holding emerald's face menacingly for a genuinely awkward amount of time. thirty-one seconds, counting the beat before hazel began to move. it's not even clear that salem said anything to emerald—when hazel turns away from oscar and the camera cuts back to emerald and salem, em blurts out "i really don't know!" but whether this is in response to another question salem asked off-screen or just responding to what she assumes salem wants from her is ambiguous.

compare the way salem questioned emerald earlier in this scene: she asked two questions, one after the other, confirming that emerald didn't take or hide the lamp and doesn't know where it is. as soon as it became clear to her that she wouldn't get useful information from emerald—because em truly did not know anything—salem dropped it and moved on to Plan B. she doesn't LIKE emerald and she's ANGRY that em tricked her and helped oscar escape, but what salem CARES about is finding out what happened to the lamp. she's not going to waste her time trying to get blood from a stone.

and compare the way salem conducts herself when she interrogates oscar in 8.4. again, her questioning is guided by practicality, but the more salient point of comparison for this discussion is what salem does when she shifts gears to punishment and torture. namely, she just tortures him. no hesitating, no warnings, no threats, no grandstanding, she just turns around and does it. practical, again.

if what salem intended to do at this point in the scene was torture emerald, either to punish her or for information, she would do so.

instead, salem just...clutches emerald's face. evilly.

for thirty-one seconds.

now, i will remind you that salem has excellent spatial awareness; she sticky-hands yang from at least ten or fifteen feet away while upside-down with her eyes closed. hazel's footsteps are clearly audible. when hazel enters, salem hears him speak and answers him across this fifty-foot span. oscar cries out when hazel picks him up and grunts in pain when hazel drops him, which also makes a quite loud thud. hazel's footsteps would also be audible to her when he returned, although they aren't to the audience.

so she'd be able to sense hazel approaching her again, and if she paid attention—which she must have, because salem's just spent half a minute doing the bare minimum to sell that she's toootally going to start torturing emerald, any second now, and the only reason for her to do that is if this is about intimidating or provoking hazel—then she would have at least heard him dropping oscar, so she knows he isn't "taking the boy back to his chamber" as ordered.

ok.

when the focus shifts back to them, salem's got emerald like this:

this shot is at 15:01.167. hazel will punch her at 15:04 exactly, which at his brisk pace of 6.3ft/s means he's about eighteen feet away. around 15:02.750, when hazel is less than eight feet away from her, salem begins to pull back, lifting her arm as if preparing to strike:

she holds this pose without moving for almost a whole second. remember just how fast salem can be. her release when she fires back at ren, from the moment she begins her 180° spin to the moment the opalescent bolt leaves her hand, is sixteen frames. from the appearance of the black/violet magic bubbles to the release of the opalescent bolt is one frame. ONE.

when she reaches this position, hazel is quite literally right next to her. he cannot be more than three or four feet away, and we can see in both the initial shot and the replay from the opposite angle that he comes at salem directly from the side, not from behind her.

the point is that salem can see him. unless you have vision problems impacting your peripheral sight, even if you're looking straight ahead, as salem is here, you can visually detect motion directly to the left or right within a close radius. and indeed:

salem's gaze flicks to the side before his fist makes contact, and the wider shot from behind shows just how close he is to her before throwing the punch.

and the last detail i want to note regarding the punch is that salem lets go of emerald when hazel hits her, which is something that she does NOT do when yang blows her up:

if salem can remain standing and keep her death grip on this girl's arm while her ENTIRE TORSO IS EXPLODED WITH BOMBS, it... does not matter how strong hazel is or to what degree salem may have been caught off-guard. she had at least a split second recognition before his fist hit her face; that alone is enough to reflexively clamp down on emerald's jaw if she didn't want to let go.

so whether or not salem anticipated that hazel would punch her in the face specifically—and it doesn't seem like she did, given that she yelps—she must have had at least a vague awareness of his presence/approach (because he marched right up to her), and she made the choice to just ragdoll with the hit. the simplest explanation is that once she heard him drop oscar and start power-walking back toward her, salem knew he was going to try something to save emerald and committed to the bit.

she also isn't actually ragdolling; she lets the force of hazel's punch throw her off her feet, but then instead of falling she soars away in this high arc, flips herself around in midair, drops down in a perfectly-controlled landing at the far end of the dock, and rises again:

ok? ok. this sequence, from the end of the slo-mo reaction shot to when salem reaches altitude, runs 15:08 to 15:11—three seconds.

and then she just, erm...hangs out there, not doing anything, until hazel finishes cramming dust into his body and turning his back on salem to give his heartfelt last goodbye to emerald and everything, and faces salem again at 15:41. at which point she says "so, you've decided against vengeance for your sister, after all this time?"

thirty. seconds.

during which the ONLY ACTION salem takes is this... this:

<- make a particular note of how jaune reacts. the tactics guy. while the other kids gasp in shock/relief, jaune is like "wait what?" as he pushes himself up to look at salem—he's confused, because he knows intuitively that Something Weird just happened.

why did she do that?

she didn't need to. it wasn't an accident. salem manifested these sigils with a mere thought, and later in this same scene we'll see her do that again right after hazel smashes her head like an egg. summoning these things also clearly doesn't inhibit any of her other powers, so this is effortless for her and costs her nothing to maintain.

either happened by narrative fiat, because the kids had to escape and the writers just couldn't be bothered to figure out how. the... problem with this explanation, aside from the obvious that rwby is a well-written story that doesn't pull this sort of bullshit, is that the prelude to the big fight makes a HUGE POINT of,

this! oscar is already free and has long memory. if the intention is for the kids to escape while hazel keeps salem distracted, you don't need a narrative contrivance like this; you just slip in a shot or two of oscar snapping these grimm hands or disarming the sigils with his own magic to release his friends instead.

orrr... salem let them go on purpose.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

wheeze. ok. we're almost done.

remember how salem can go from empty fist to black magic bubble to releasing an opalescent blast in just three frames?

this first shot is at 15:49. the second is at 15:51. in between, salem just kind of sways side-to-side and then waves her arms around for forty-five frames. even if we count only from her conjuring of the Big Bubble at 15:50, it's twenty-two frames—longer than it took her to snap around and fire off a blast that hit her target dead-on and slammed two teenage boys into a wall some 20-30 feet back.

woman's telegraphing harder than a dark souls boss here.

and speaking of aiming...

these are the three bolts salem fires in the wide shot. top row on the left is her first shot in the instant before hazel begins to run up the slope—i've marked the trajectory and the eventual point of impact in green to make it easier to see that this would not have hit him even if he hadn't moved. top row on the right is the real impact, with hazel now running. on the bottom row are her next two shots. one strikes the edge of the dock nowhere even close to him, the other hits the ground about 8-9 feet in front of him (measuring based on hazel being 7'2" tall). and in the next shot:

it's not that she never hits him. hazel is quite a bit farther away from her than ren was and he's also running at a dead sprint while dodging blasts. tricky target. it wouldn't be strange at all if she missed.

but look at where she is aiming.

top row: both bolts strike the ground 1-2ft directly ahead of him—in the shot on the left, he's veering closer to the wall to avoid stepping on the point of impact. bottom left: this is a second bolt aimed just a little bit forward and 1-2ft out from the wall relative to the top right; these two bolts strike eight frames apart and hazel lunges sideways toward the dock's edge as the second one comes into frame, so when salem fired the second one, hazel was still where he is in the top right. and (the clincher) bottom right: this bolt strikes six frames after the one preceding, 1-2ft directly in front of him, and hazel swerves toward the wall to avoid stepping on the point of impact; notice the correction from #3 to #4 when hazel swerved more toward the ledge than salem anticipated.

not a single one of these bolts is actually aimed at hazel. salem is aiming to hit the ground directly in front of hazel, close enough to convince him that she means to hit him but also low enough that if she misjudges his speed she's going to strike his ankles... and when one blast nearly hits him in the head or chest because he jumped further sideways than salem guessed he would, she instantly corrects her aim to ankle-height again.

she is herding him.

up the docks, closer to her, away from the children, all while taking care NOT to hit him without being obvious about it.

this is the same kind of behavior we see from her in 6.4, where she's at worst a little vexed but flips a table and shouts and throws him to the ground as if she's in a terrible fury—and then a minute later hazel tells her something that genuinely infuriates her and we see her freeze while the windows start to crack, before she sends them all out of the room and struggles to press this rage back down.

because there is a huge difference between the loud, explosive "anger" salem performs to intimidate her associates and her real anger, which she tries very hard to contain.

in a similar vein, we get this fleeting glimpse of salem's actual skill in combat when she spins around and blasts the boys into a wall in the time it takes to blink... and then she sees yang, and the key changes. instantly. for the rest of the scene.

onward. hazel vaults over salem's final bolt and launches three fireballs at her. as these spiral up toward her, salem threads herself between them like they're not even there—it's really fast, the whole sequence from when the fireballs form in front of his fist to when she slings past the third one is forty frames and if you count from when the first fireball enters the frame, her evasive maneuver is over within twelve frames. as she continues past the last fireball, salem swings her arms to finish her movement, as if she's going to lash forward and fire off a riposte:

but then instead, she re-centers, pauses, and does... this:

which i'm sure looks very impressive and terrifying for everyone on the ground, but she is... literally just tossing magic around in random directions. this is not an attack. this is a light show. a firework. her big swarm of magic bubbles spits out of of the opalescent bolts and only one hits anywhere close to hazel. she is just fucking around.

from here, hazel sprints to the edge of the dock and launches himself into the air above her, where he dust-conjures a biiiiig spiky boulder to smash her with... and, uh. three things. first:

this shot occurs in slo-mo to really underscore what happens here. note that salem is looking up at him and has a firing bubble ready to go. hazel is approx. twenty-eight feet directly in front of her (measured in salems); a few minutes ago we've seen her be dead accurate at just a bit more than half again that distance, and we know a blast from her has plenty enough force to knock hazel out of the sky. from the beginning to end of this shot her head moves as she tracks his motion.

she has a clear shot lined up here. she chooses not to take it. then:

hazel conjures The Boulder, and we get this shot of salem's reaction—from waiting indifferently to see what he'll do to wry amusement. and then she physically braces herself to take the hit:

after which point salem just Lies There letting him pummel her for a few seconds before evidently deciding that she's done enough fucking around for those children she let out of gay baby jail about sixty seconds ago to have gotten away so she'll just flick her fingers (while her skull is caved in and her brains are splashed all over the floor, mind you) to pull some more grabby hands out of the air and wrap this one up except—

—NO WHOOPS THEY'RE ALL STILL HERE. lol.

like the fight is over, when the camera cuts back to the kids. salem has hazel completely immobilized. jaune is at the other end of the docks, shouting for everyone to hurry. "she'll just come after us," oscar says, but if salem cared to recapture any of them she would've left hazel restrained and dropped down off the dock to scoop them up as they hit the ground.

she's visibly irritated after regrowing her face, yes. but we have seen over and over—there are multiple examples in this scene alone—that salem can and will set irritation aside to focus on what doing what is necessary to advance her practical goals. she's poisonous with emerald but asks her two questions and then turns away as soon as she's confirmed that emerald doesn't know anything. she takes a deep breath and shelves her fury at ozma to listen calmly while yang yells at her. salem just isn't a character ruled by her anger.

so the fact that she a) continues to focus all of her attention on hazel after restraining him, and b) actually hurls him out of the restraints, in the opposite direction from her escaping prisoners, and turns away from them to just bash hazel's face repeatedly into the floor, suggests to me that her annoyance is perhaps more because these children are STILL FUCKING HERE and she needs them to be gone before she can start to properly wring the truth out of hazel.

she pays zero attention to the children until she hears long memory activate, which seems to startle her; after that she straightens up and stares him down for about four seconds.

they're about ninety feet apart here. salem covers a just over half that distance in two seconds... meaning she is gliding at what is for her a downright leisurely 24.5ft/s. that's a little bit more than a QUARTER of her top speed which is, in case you've forgotten whilst reading this very long post, 96ft/s. or 65mph.

(and here i will remind you that the walking speed distance math earlier checks out perfectly with the measurable spatial distance between emerald and oscar. this scene was choreographed and animated with very close attention to time and distance and i think that's because the speed at which salem does certain things at different points is doing a lot of narrative work. it's seldom necessary to be this precise but in this scene it matters.)

the point is that while salem does slingshot herself at oscar pretty fast here, relative to how much faster she CAN go, salem isn't trying especially hard to Get Him. this is like a brisk jog for her.

now granted, if hazel hadn't scraped up the wherewithal to, i assume, yeet himself after salem with all the dust cooking his body from the inside out, oscar would have been toast whether salem zipped along at a normal human sprinting pace or clotheslined him at car-on-a-highway speeds. but it does speak to the intensity of salem's interest in getting oscar in this moment versus when she went for emerald at the top of the scene.

salem had, by this point, already given up recapturing oz/oscar as a loss, accepted sacrificing the opportunity to do that as a price she was willing to pay for the sake of 1. getting summer's daughter safely off the whale and 2. after clarifying hazel's loyalties, removing the children from the equation so she can squeeze him for information about what happened to the lamp. i think the possibility that oz/oscar might have shared the "password" with hazel when hazel decided to help them escape would've at least crossed her mind as soon as she narrowed her list of suspects down to hazel and neo, too.

there's also the factor that with hazel now compromised, the only person around to interrogate oz/oscar is salem herself, and because that would involve being in the same room with and talking to ozma for an indeterminate amount of time, i don't think salem's all that keen anymore.

thennnn hazel sets her on fire and she screams and thrashes because she's having traumatic flashbacks to the moonfall and then oz blows her and her whale the fuck up.

thank you for coming to my tedtalk.

[f4iry-bell]

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 [part 1]

a/n: hii, this this is a multi part series i THINK. I'm not sure if there'll be a part two. if you guys have any ideas let me know. no use of y/n.

pairing: jameson hawthorne x childhood best friend reader.

taglist: @clarissaweasley-10 (let me know if you want to be in it)

Gathered with people who aren't just her is not an ideal scene for Jameson Hawthorne. He has had an amazing best friend since he was seven and has never once made him want another friend. Sure, he gave other acquaintances other than her but no one he would label as a friend. She's the only one outside his brothers whom he would share a deep secret with. She practically grew up with the Hawthornes, she didn't take part in their Saturday morning games but Jameson made sure to tell her everything without missing a single detail.

He never saw her as more than a friend who has always been there for him. Not even when she had her summer glow up when she turned sixteen, he always found her extremely beautiful but that kind of thought never crossed his mind according to him, maybe because even the slightest thought of her like that would be pushed away by him because—like she'd like to throw the word all the time—she’s his friend. Yes, like she said she is his friend but she doesn't have to remind him every now and then. She has been doing that since they were fifteen. It always annoyed him, it annoyed him to the point he almost admitted to Xander that he was in denial about his subconscious urges to kiss her and confess his feelings for her, which doesn't exist according to Jameson.

Right now he's even debating whether or not to reconsider how exactly he feels about her. He tried his best to not show his annoyance in his face while she spoke to the irrelevant people she wanted to get along with because they're in ‘college now’ and ‘have to get out of their bubble’.

“An absolute no. Like me and Jamie? I don't even know why you guys would think that.” She chuckled while sipping her drink that had made her slightly intoxicated.

“It's just the way you two act, you know? And you guys have good chemistry.”

“Not at all. We're strictly platonic. It would be chaos if we dated. Horrible” She rectified it. People have always told them that they look and act like a couple. And she has always made sure to correct them. All the time. But today she was making sure to let people know that she is just his friend. Is she trying to get a boyfriend from this crowd?

After their ‘getting along with people outside their bubble’ time Jameson drove them back to their shared apartment outside campus. Yes, they share an apartment together, separate rooms, shared bathroom though.

“Would it be that bad?” Jameson asked as she was removing her footwear while sitting on the couch. She stood up after removing them and throwing them aside.

“What would?” She asked nonchalantly. She's still a bit tipsy.

He regretted asking her that, even though she's a bit tipsy right now she's not the type to let things go easily, and she looks like she will get whatever he has in mind out. “Us. Together. Dating.” He finally managed to let the words out.

She went on quiet mode for exactly thirty seconds. Either her comprehension skills are very low right now or she is too stunned to speak.

Shaking her head once, she said “Why are you asking that?”

“Just answer my question.” He was growing a tad bit frustrated because he knew she's purposely trying to not answer his question. He knows her too well.

“You answer mine.” She demanded.

“I asked first.”

“Mine is more relevant.”

“Don't care, first comes first. You made that rule.” He reminded her.

Groaning, she let her body fall down on the couch and sat. “Yeah, obviously. It'll be terrible.” She said while rolling her eyes, clearly not taking this seriously. Jameson scoffed frustratedly and sat next to her, a bit too close.

“I'm serious. Tell me.”

She finally let go of the not-serious face and sighed loudly. “No…I guess. I mean um we're compatible. We don't fight, like a real fight at least. We've only had like 3 or so serious fights, others are just silly arguments where you are wrong. You get me well and I get you as well. You know me too well for my own good and yeah you're not half bad looking. So, yes. It wouldn't be bad.”

Jameson listened to her the way a pretentious straight A student would listen to a lecture. To let them know you're listening and taking in everything. His lips somehow were pulled by invisible people from each side.

“Why are you smiling?” She asked.

“Looks like you have thought about what it would be like dating me.” He said.

“No! I thought all of that like right now.” She sounded so defensive.

“Really?” He smirked, leaning his face closer to hers while she looked annoyed.

“Hundred percent.”

“Have you ever had feelings for me?” He asked.

“No.” It was quick, too quick.

His hands tucked a strand of hair behind her ears that was hanging on her face. “Ever?”

“No” he heard her whisper after she gasped.

“Not even right now?”

“No.”

“What about now?” She didn't have any time to answer because Jameson’s lips captured hers for a slow yet passionate kiss. She did not kiss back but let him kiss her for a minute until he pulled back. “Hm?”

“Nope.”

“Are you sure?”

“No actually. Do it again so I can be sure.”

Jameson smiled in satisfaction and kissed her again, this time getting kissed back.

[alciedoodles]

hi!! i saw your other post about how you simplify details and it was really helpful - was wondering if you had any tips abt drawing expressions/poses to express a story/emotions. like i saw your recent sumeru char doodles on twt and the way you draw alhaitham and hungover kaveh is so!!! ahh!! all of the lines feel really intentional, from the expressions to the fabric of the clothing and omg i love it so much. anyways sorry for rambling HAHA thank you sm for sharing your art! gl w art school 💪

Hello!

Thank you so much for the lovely words <3 it's really such a honor to hear that so many people consider my art to be very expressive, which I think is an essential skill to have for storytelling in comics!

First of all, I'd like to say this isn't something I can easily answer... you must already know there's no easy step-by-step guide on how to be "good" at art or expressions or whichever aspect you're trying to improve, the answer will always be observation and practice. However, I can tell you some of my methods I use to make sure emotions are conveyed as efficiently as possible(?). Here are the key points I always try to apply (note that these aren't rules, these are just my guiding points):

Understanding the character(s), the context, and how the two work together

Laying down a foundation

Not letting dialogue be the main driving force behind storytelling

Paneling conveys emotion too, actually

The absence of something can also convey emotion

You didn't specifically ask about comics, but since it's my favorite subject and it ties into your question, I'll be using a lot of examples from the comics I made! And it might interest other people who were curious?

VERY long post ahead :)

1. Understanding the character(s), the context, and how the two work together

This is what I think is the most fundamental part of storytelling! I mean, makes sense, right? Obviously you don't need a PhD in The Character to make stories based off them. I literally cannot tell you every detail about my favorite characters despite loving them very much, but I think understanding them and their relationships on a big-picture level is primordial. What drives them, what are their principles, what are their biggest fears, who do they make exceptions for, etc. Also, to me, understanding their relationships is sometimes more important than understanding the character at a molecular level. We can tell so much about someone just from the way they interact with specific people vs how they interact with strangers. The person I am online isn't the same I am with friends nor even with family-- like one of the reasons some characters can feel one-dimensional is because they don't show variation in their character throughout their relationships (and since you mentioned Kaveh and Alhaitham, I don't need to tell you the way both of them interact with each other is far removed from the way they interact with friends, strangers, etc... I think a lot of people forget who they are outside of their relationship, which a huge point of contention behind mischaracterization in fan works). I don't have much to say about this other than this is something I keep in mind every step of the way through.

2. Laying down a foundation

This is what the majority of my comics look like on second draft:

I said second because the first drafts usually look like this, which are barely comprehensible to anyone but myself:

The purpose of these are not only to give me a better guide for posing than whatever i did on the first draft (storyboard), but also have a first pass at motion and emotion. The expressions and gestures are legible enough that you can probably glean the emotions of each character based off the little sketches. Ultimately, some of the things I'll draft will end up adjusted, changed, expanded on or even removed.

This particular panel of Reigen is a favorite of mine, because the first pass already shows his confusion, but the final one is even more distorted because it felt like it needed to be even more accentuated.

This panel where he mansplains is also a good example, because the first pass gave him too much of an arrogant/uninterested look (notable with his upturned face), whereas Reigen is more likely to take pride in explaining something he knows to make himself look like a wise and mature figure (notable with his slight smirk and downturned face, as if nodding to himself; the hand is also slightly more forward as if inviting rather than dismissing). And since I basically made an example of it above: body language is super important! This applies for everyone. It doesn't stop at characters who make grand gestures and exaggerated poses every waking moment of their life, but also characters who are socially awkward, private, reclusive...

The posing here is intentionally stiff but not entirely closed off, giving the sense that he's earnest, tries his best to make connections , but also doesn't want to take too much space, thinking the smallest wrong move could cause trouble. Also, give room for the body to do its thing. Avoid cropping out things that shouldn't be cropped out. Leave enough room between the edges of the panel and the point of focus to emphasize what you want to emphasize. Close-up shots shouldn't be too frequent (in fact, personally I don't like doing close-up shots but it doesn't mean they're bad or shouldn't be done, again, my word isn't gospel!), especially if what you're conveying isn't too emotionally charged. Lastly, I have terrible news for people who hate drawing hands. Hands are possibly the second most expressive part of our body (if we don't count the body as a whole), so especially for your charismatic characters, you will very often want to use hands as a tool of expression.

(Think how much emotion and personality would be lost if the hands weren't there!)

3. Not letting dialogue be the main driving force behind storytelling

With my comics, I play an incredibly dangerous game called "I'll think of dialogue as I make the storyboard and then when I'm done drawing every page I'll write the dialogue over it guided solely by memory and whatever I drew". Don't do this. Have a script in hand or write it at the same time as you draft your storyboard. The reason I do this is because I'm lazy and I don't want to open a simple writing software to type down a script. Genuinely I have no other reasons. Anyway, the only advantage this gives to my comics is that they will generally be able to stand on their own without much dialogue; obviously dialogue is essential, but what I mean is that we don't need it to have a pretty accurate read on the room.

For example, if I remove all the dialogue from this page, you probably can't guess exactly what's being discussed. However, you can identify through their emotions alone that there is disbelief, bargaining, and finally a pretty devastating info was dropped. Alternatively, cutting down dialogue from your page and leaving room to expressions/body language alone can be entirely more beneficial than having any dialogue to begin with.

AKA Readers aren't stupid (some may be, but the majority can extrapolate just fine). You'll realize how much you don't need words and how your stories can be even more funny/impactful by pushing forward visual storytelling.

4. Paneling conveys emotion too, actually

Being a "good" artist isn't enough to make good comics. The way you panel things is extremely important, because it sets the tone, mood, pace, you name it. Some of the best works out there are the ones with the most care put into the flow of the comic. You need to understand how people will read it, and it starts with what order you deliver the information and how. This is paneling 101, but a page with irregularly shaped panels, multiple changing camera angles and such will be exponentially more dynamic than a page where each panel is the same size, have similar compositions and/or repetitions with little to no diagonal or curved lines of action.

The two examples above are WIPs from 2 different stories so unfortunately you'll have to make do with the rough sketches. That being said, you don't need to know the context of either pages to know the kind of emotion that should be felt through the paneling alone. Give time for the important emotions to be processed by the reader (unless it's intentionally fast-paced). Every emotion that needs to be emphasized should have its own panel.

In this example, I could easily have condensed these two panels into one by transferring the dialogue from the second into the first and jumping on to the next action. However, it would undeniably give much less impact to Kaveh's disbelief. On an inverse situation, sometimes you will want to condense two panels you made into one, because whatever those two panels are doing are perhaps not important enough to deserve separate panels! Lastly, you can notice that the space on the page is not always filled. Leaving space between each panel and/or between the edges of the page gives room for the reader to breathe and slows down the flow; and inversely, if you want to make the situation more frantic, make everything look more tight and constricted.

5. Not showing facial expressions sometimes conveys more emotion than doing so

This ties nicely to the point I made about body language. You don't need to see a character's face to know what they're going through, necessarily. Sometimes, their posture or their dialogue is enough. In my opinion, a story is more compelling when this equilibrium of facial expressions / body language / paneling / dialogue is correctly adjusted-- you will not need to have all the elements to convey the message or it could be a little overbearing. I don't have many examples for this one because they tend to be more relevant in dramatic scenarios, which I haven't done that many of.

(The first one is once again from a WIP)

And that's about it for my insane guide on comic-ing. I hope ANY of it made sense.

***

Here's a round up of extra tips, focused entirely on the drawing part which might be more of what you asked to begin with :'D

- That little line/wrinkle that adds so much character

Yall know what I'm talking about. In my opinion, too many artists are afraid of giving laugh lines/wrinkles because it makes their characters look older, except when it's to add those sexy sexy eyebags. I'm encouraging everyone to add them to their art little by little and see how much it can improve the expressiveness! Obviously, I don't use it everywhere, but it's a very effective way to make your expressions feel even more... well. expressive.

- Line of action

You've probably seen this picture going around before, from Preston Blair:

Although it's called line of action which implies action, this line is important even when the character isn't really in action.

You can gain a lot in expressiveness when you think of the body as one whole fluid instead of a sum of multiple disjointed parts. This is why drawing a very rough base comprised of only lines and circles can help figure out if the posing works before you start refining it.

On a different note, animation principles work very much in comics as well! I recommend looking up animation guides especially those that show how to make key poses.

- Shadows and/or color fill

This is one I will use quite often for different situations.

Shadows can immediately set a tone when they're used dramatically. For example, a shadow over a character's face can convey unease and/or evil intent.

On the other hand, I will use color fills for different purposes:

Differentiating ground layers

This can help with readability.

2. Conveying a certain mood

It can separate the character from the color of their background to give a sense of isolation, reflection, realization, being disconnected from their surroundings, etc...

- Don't be scared of using codes / tropes / archetypes

...As long as it benefits the narrative, of course. By codes / tropes / archetypes, I mean posing or expressions or visual effects that are universally understood and used for specific expressions. The semicircle sweatdrops and blush made with slashes are incredibly typical of manga/anime, but it doesn't mean they're bad! Visual effects are there to help remove the ambiguity of an expression considering a single expression without visual codes could convey multiple emotions!

- Find what inspires you and take notes!!!

In my case, what greatly shaped my art style to what it currently is: One Piece, the Ace Attorney series and Mob Psycho 100 (yes, I only watched the latter last year but it still managed to become a source of improvement/inspiration for my art even at my current level, because you'll never stop improving :) )

I hope this wasn't too long or too off-topic, and I hope it can also help other people who might be interested! Thank you for reading!

[chvoswxtch]

Could I request something for Frank with a s/o who is having mental health struggles? I’m not doing to well as of late and I would love nothing more then Frank taking care of me 💕

Take you’re time, no rush :)

Ps. I love your writing

hi my darling! so sorry this is coming to you so late. I myself have been struggling a bit mentally lately. I hope that you're doing well, and that today is a good day for you angel. ❤️

thank you so much for the request. it was actually super therapeutic for me and kinda helped get me out of the funk I was in, so thank you!!

there's not really any warnings for this except swearing & lots of fluff. also i'm not sure if the glitch with dark mode has been fixed or not but if you're on dark mode, you may have trouble viewing this. I apologize for any inconvenience reading in advance! word count: 2.3k

let me help.

Frank Castle had always been good at reading people. During his time in the marines, he perfected this skill and learned to pick up on certain cues and read body language to anticipate what someone might be thinking or feeling, which gave him a huge advantage when it came to combat. It also helped him out quite a bit when he became a father since he was usually able to figure out what kind of shenanigans his kids were about to get into before they had a chance to actually get into trouble. But lately, it helped him out the most when it came to you. 

You and Frank were total opposites when it came to emotions. While he hid everything until you could coax it out of him, you were a lot more open about yours, even if you weren’t trying to be. Your face gave you away, every single time. Not only that, but Frank knew you like the back of his hand. He could always read you, even when you were trying to hide and put on a brave face. A few months into your relationship, Frank had finally gotten you to confess about your mental health struggles to him. He had been picking up on little things; small changes in your demeanor, subtle shifts in your moods, and even the tone of your voice when it was off. He didn’t want to push you if you weren’t comfortable, but it also killed him to know something was bothering you and you were afraid to let him help. 

Ever since then, Frank was extra vigilant when it came to you. He had learned what helped when you got into a bad headspace, and what he could do to make it better. He figured out what you needed from him, even if you were having trouble communicating it. He discovered that sometimes you wanted a distraction, and sometimes you just wanted to be held and comforted. Sometimes you tried to put the noise in your head into comprehensible sentences, and sometimes you preferred the soothing timber of his voice as he read to you or told you a story from his previous life. Sometimes Frank could convince you to go for a walk on a pretty trail he’d found, and you’d walk side by side silently as he held your hand gently.

“Somethin’ about sunshine “curin” the blues. Some shit Curt told me, I don’t know. Said it might help.”

Frank had actually reached out to Curt on several occasions about you, since his experience with his group made him the closest thing to a professional he could find. Through learning how to care for you, Frank actually started to figure out how to care for himself. He started to figure out what worked for him when things got heavy, and how to process his own struggles. After a while, Frank even got comfortable letting you care for him like he did for you when things got bad. It was a learning curve the two of you were navigating together, with the occasional help from Curtis, and it only made your relationship that much stronger. There was an immense comfort in the peace you two found in each other. Anytime that peace was disrupted, Frank picked up on it immediately, sometimes before you even did.

He knew today was an off day the second he walked through the door. Your voice was quieter as you greeted him, sounding almost exhausted, and you hugged onto his large frame tighter than you normally did. Frank let you linger in his embrace, cradling the back of your head as he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. He studied you quietly when you took a step back, trying to figure out what it was you needed from him right now. He could tell by the tight smile on your lips you weren’t going to bring it up. Maybe you hadn’t even noticed it yet. Or maybe you were trying to avoid it. Whatever the reason, he didn’t want to push you if you didn’t feel like talking.

“Think I need a hot shower. Wanna join me?”

The eager nod of your head caused a tiny smile to spread on Frank’s mouth as he held his hand out for yours.

“Alright then, pretty girl. C’mon.”

Steam filled the bathroom as Frank turned the knob as far to the side as it would go. Your reflections were indiscernible as the mirrors fogged up, only able to catch the briefest glimpse of your own silhouettes. Frank was quiet as he undressed you, keeping his touch gentle and soft. A flush had already started to spread over your face from the heat. Frank carefully helped you into the shower, giving your hand a light squeeze and offering a smile when he noticed the confusion on your features.

“Go ahead, sweetheart. Be there in a minute.”

Once Frank had rid himself of his own clothes, he stepped in behind you silently. Your eyes were closed as you tipped your head back underneath the showerhead, allowing the warmth of the water to wash over you completely. It echoed off the tiles like a steady summer rain, and even he found the sound soothing. Frank gave you a moment to try and let the water wash away whatever it was you were trying to rid yourself of, only joining you under the stream when you opened your eyes and reached for him.

An aroma of lavender and vanilla filled his senses as he poured your body wash into his hands, beginning to massage it over your shoulders first and then down each of your arms. He took his time as he cleansed you, kneeling down as the suds traveled down your thighs and over your feet. He made sure every inch of your skin had been caressed by his fingertips before rinsing you off. Frank gently grabbed your wrist to halt your movements when you reached for his body wash, giving a light shake of his head and a timid smile.

“Don’t worry ‘bout me.”

“Frank-”

“Just let me help, baby.”

Frank silenced any further protest as his lips descended on yours. He wrapped one arm around your waist to hold you against his chest as his free hand lightly massaged your green apple scented shampoo into your hair. He gently scratched at your scalp with his blunt nails, smiling as your eyes fell shut and a satisfied hum vibrated from your lips against his skin. The longer he worked his fingers in your hair, the more you melted into his embrace. Frank carefully grasped your chin between his thumb and index finger to tip your head back, turning your head to the sides ever so slightly to make sure all the shampoo got washed out fully. After repeating the same process with your conditioner, he reached behind you to shut the water off and wrapped you up in a fluffy towel.

“Let’s get you comfy, shortcake. You want shorts or somethin’? Or just a shirt?”

“Just a shirt, please. Can I wear one of yours?”

Frank chuckled lightly as he wrapped a towel around his waist, holding onto your hand as he helped you out of the shower and led you back to the bedroom.

“Course you can. Don’t gotta ask, baby.”

Frank grabbed your favorite lavender scented body lotion from the cabinet, knowing how much it bothered you that your skin felt too dry after a scalding hot shower. He helped you dry off and slipped on a pair of briefs before motioning towards the bed and pouring some lotion into his hands.

“Lay back for me.”

Your eyes followed Frank’s hands as he moved them over every part of your body while he massaged the lotion deep into your skin. There was a slight furrow of his brows, as there always was when he was concentrating on something. But everytime he caught your gaze, his permanent broody features morphed into a tender smile, and it made you weak. After slipping one of his large shirts over your head and your favorite pair of fuzzy socks onto your feet, Frank scooped you up into his arms and sat back against the headboard with you in his lap. He rested his chin on top of your head as you snuggled into his chest, running his fingers through your wet hair slowly.

The two of you stayed like that silently for a few minutes before Frank heard your deep exhale.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t gotta thank me. You know that.”

“And you know that I’m going to.”

Frank couldn’t help but grin, shaking his head slowly as he held you even tighter to his chest.

“How you feelin’? Better?”

“Much.”

“This one hit fast, huh? Seemed like you were in higher spirits when I left earlier.”

“Yeah, it did.”

Frank glanced down at you, cupping your face in his large hand to get you to look at him. He studied you for a moment, brushing his thumb along your cheekbone softly.

“Somethin’ happen?”

“No…nothing happened. I-I don’t know. I felt okay this morning and then I just…didn’t.”

“S’alright, honey. Just checkin’.”

Another defeated exhale caused your shoulders to shrink. Frank leaned in to brush his nose against yours, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

“Hey, it ain’t your fault. You know that.”

“I know-”

“And there’s nothin’ wrong with you. So don’t go thinkin’ that shit. It happens to everyone, baby.”

“Not like this. Not everyone deals with this.”

“I know, but it’s outta your control.”

“And that’s what I hate. I hate not feeling in control of my own body, my own head. I know what’s happening, and I can’t do anything about it. I just…have to wait for it to pass.”

“You don’t gotta do it alone.”

Frank sighed quietly as he sat up a little straighter, turning your body so that you were straddling his waist as he held your face in both of his large hands.

“Baby, I love you. Alright? I’m here. I ain’t goin’ nowhere, no matter what. When this happens, we get through it together, yeah? We always get through it, don’t we?”

You leaned into Frank’s touch, wrapping your hands delicately around his wrists as you stared deeply into his eyes and nodded. 

“Yeah, we do.”

“I’d say we’re doin’ pretty fuckin’ good, all things considered.”

A small giggle escaped your lips, and you couldn’t help but mirror the smile that spread over Frank’s mouth.

“Who knew Frank Castle would make such a good therapist?”

“Easy now, don’t go broadcastin’. I ain’t acceptin’ any new patients. I got my hands full.”

“Oh, do you?”

Frank’s lips split even further as a toothy grin took over his mouth, reaching behind you to grab your ass with both of his large hands, giving it a tight squeeze.

“Yeah, see?”

Your eyes widened as your mouth fell open, lightly slapping at his chest as you burst into a fit of giggles at his actions.

“Frank!”

“What? Made ya laugh, didn’t it?”

“Is this what Curtis is teaching you?”

“Nah, I decided to improvise on that one.”

All you could do was shake your head as you giggled loudly. It was nearly impossible not to smile when you were around Frank, but it was even harder when he was smiling. Frank had such a beautiful smile, and it always caused one to appear on your lips. It could light up the midnight sky, and oftentimes it chased the darkness away within you. His laughter bellowed from deep within his chest, and it spread a warmth throughout you as it enveloped you like a security blanket. Frank tilted his head to the side slightly as he gazed at you lovingly, bringing one of your hands up to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of your hand.

“Hey, you and me. Yeah?”

You couldn’t help but smile as you nodded, leaning in to press your forehead against his.

“Yeah. You and me.”

“Atta girl. Now, how ‘bout I order some Lombardi’s and you pick us a movie.”

“You’re letting me pick? Anything I want? Like…anything?”

Frank’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the excitement in your eyes and the grin on your mouth.

“Do I need to reiterate that I’m gettin’ you the best goddamn pizza in all of New York so you don’t torture me?”

“Now Frank, when have I ever tortured you?”

Frank arched one of his dark brows in question as a smirk curled at the side of your mouth.

“You want me to answer that honestly?”

“If anyone tortures anyone around here, it’s you.”

“Me? What the hell-”

You giggled as you pressed a finger to Frank’s mouth, leaning in to kiss his nose gently.

“Relax. I won’t torture you, I promise.”

Frank glared at you insincerely as your grin spread across your cheeks, letting out a deep exhale as he let his head fall back against the headboard.

“It’s gonna be a fuckin’ musical, ain’t it.”

“It’s not…technically a musical.”

“For fucks sake.”

“You promised you’d watch Moana with me months ago!”

“Alright, alright. Fine. Go put the damn thing on.”

As you queued up the movie and waited for Frank on the couch, you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling when you heard him grumbling to himself in the kitchen. His fingers aggressively tapped on his phone’s screen as he dialed the number to Lombardi’s, muttering a few swears and an exasperated fuckin’ Disney before placing your order. As he took his seat beside you on the couch, you grabbed his face and kissed him deeply, pulling away slowly with a soft smile.

“Thank you, Frankie. I love you.”

“I love you, shortcake. Always.”

[nerd4music]

I think overall there’s one of two „big“ problems happening for people who have a problem with TOWL (racists and the likes aside… 🙄).

1- The misunderstanding that this was truly much more a Rick and Michonne story than a TWD one. This was not TWD S12. It was about telling the story of these 2 characters and being able to put a dot at the end (or a dot dot dot). And you’ve laid all of that out perfectly. Like yes, in TWD, Beale (& the CRM) would have been draaaaagged out. But this was much more of a Terminus approach than a Saviors one if we will…

2- TWD was never the most ..subtle show. They tended to hit the audience over the head with stuff. And I’m not sure I would go as far as calling TOWL subtle outright either (idk, didn’t think about this until right this moment lol -obviously elements of it are, sure -just as elements on TWD could be on the subtler side) but compared to TWD, it certainly is lol. And there has been a very big „media literacy“ and „basic comprehension skills“ problem happening for a minute now. And I really don’t say this to be mean or make fun of people or anything but these are just facts. Some people really struggle with getting the information when they are not being hit over the head with it, over and over and over again. After the finale I saw several posts on my tl of people wondering why this, that or the other was not addressed or how/why this, that or the other did happen… and I was utterly confused because those things they claimed were missing were very much shown? I was like, there was literally a scene dealing with all of this? And it didn’t require any reading between the lines to be honest, no subtext, it was very much the text of the scene?! So it seems like some people just didn’t get a lot of things that were happening 🫤

(BTW I don’t mean that even if someone didn’t have these specific problems with the show, they MUST love it then. Likes and dislikes etc etc. As much as I really loved the show as a whole, if I decided to put down the Richonne-colored glasses I wanted to and did watch to the show with.. I’d definitely have a few complaints lol, though still very much enjoyed the show even then)

That's definitely what happened. And to some extent, I get why, considering Rick and Michonne are 2/3 of the main show's Big Three. But when the press and promos started, and people were still talking about some Marvel-style meet-up, I was like...oh they're definitely not listening to what's being said, because it's six damn episodes, and also The Richonne story, not the Team Family jamboree. And then acting as if it's somehow 'insulting' to the rest of the characters if Rick and Michonne didn't talk about them. The man had PTSD so bad, he couldn't remember his own son's face. Why would you think it would be good time for him to pause in the middle of his wife telling him about a traumatic moment during her pregnancy to ask about anyone else? Please be fr.

I feel you on the comprehension thing, which is nothing new for this fandom. The fact that so many people legit thought Rick didn't know how to drive stick and questioned the 'realism' of it but never stopped to think that it was because he only has one damn hand. Y'all were fine with every silly ass moment that happened in the main show, that was either sheer dumb luck or handwaved away, but now we need a complete breakdown from experts on how Rick managed to fight off walkers one-handed. Now y'all want the realism, when you've been so giddy for weeks because you need one of them to die for the show to be 'interesting'.

I'm really not listening to people who need the narrative to hold their hand through everything, or need to see every piece of the plot onscreen for it to be considered 'legitimate'. (I'm officially banning the phrase 'plot armor' for the foreseeable future).

People didn't get things, because they don't take a minute to sit with the damn material anymore. From live reactions videos to live tweeting/blogging, people are just watching TV to make content and have an online moment, not for what's actually being shown. And yeah, TOWL isn't perfect, but the minor criticisms I have for it doesn't take away from the fact that it is very enjoyable and easily the best material from the TWD landscape in a long time.

(sidenote: I will say one of my favorite things from these past six weeks is everyone struggling to figure out the overall TWD timeline, lmao.)

[uselessmicrowave]

kinktober day eleven

tfa sentinel prime x optimus prime x reader

tws/content- skinny dipping, masturbation, mutual masturbation, handjobs, no penetration, cybertronian reader, reader doesn’t have a spike, ftm reader, dysphoric reader, crying, comfort, porn with feelings, pre-canon, praise kink, self esteem issues (?), sex pollen/sex water (?)

“What, you don’t think I did my research?” Sentinel crosses his arms over his chassis.

“Well, Sentinel, it’s you-”

“C’mon, it’ll be one night! The planet has hot springs and practically no organic life on it- It’s just harmless, gross plants, that’s the good part!”

“Optimus, I’m sure that it wouldn’t be that bad if we went.” you rest your servo on his shoulder, stepping closer to the bots. “It’s a good chance to relax.”

“Alright, fine. If we get in trouble it’s Sentinel’s fault then.”

“I’ll take that chance!” Sentinel rushes off to gather some overnight essentials.

“We should pack too, Optimus.” you kiss the side of his faceplates, walking off to join Sentinel.

Sneaking out of the academy would be the hardest part. The three of you wait til curfew, sneaking out with ease in between the security shifts.

Getting a rental ship was even easier. You were quiet in the academy, so usually Sentinel and Optimus would stay back until you rented the vehicle. This one was a crappy two seater, so Optimus would have to sit on your lap.

No big deal, you think, until Sentinel’s piloting skills are brought into the equation. It’s a bumpy ride and Optimus’ aft was rubbing against your should’ve-been spike paneling, if you were created with one, it would’ve been inside the red bot already.

But you don’t have a spike, your mind jarringly reminds you, knocking yourself away from those good thoughts. Your mind begins to wallow into the sad, spark sinking feelings. A dramatic change in altitude makes Optimus yelp.

“Hold on to your afts!” Sentinel laughs, Optimus’ servos fly to your thighs in an effort to keep upright. Sentinel brings the ship recklessly closer to the ground, landing with a couple bumps before completely stopping.

The blue bot jumps out of the ship to explore with a celebratory ‘woo’, Optimus, even though you can’t see his faceplates, he looks rattled beyond comprehension.

“Oppy?” you gently rub his side. “You alright, babe?”

“I am not relaxed.” Optimus shakily growls, relaxing his servos from the steel grip he had on your legs. “I’m driving on the way back.”

“Hey! Am I exploring alone or not?” Sentinel yells. Optimus sighs, getting off of your lap and out of the ship. You hop out, gazing out onto the new planet. It’s sunset, you think, and there are three moons that decorate the sky. There are trees in a far away place, and you can hear liquid bubbling. Weird.

“Ooh! Found one!” Sentinel’s voice comes from somewhere off in the distance.

“Sentinel where are you?” Optimus yells angrily, waving his servos up in the air. Sentinel peeks out from behind a relatively young tree with a big smile.

“C’mon!” he ushers, so you walk that way. Soon enough, all three of you are standing at the edge of a steaming pool of clear liquid.

“Is it safe to go in?” Optimus worries, Sentinel brushes him off with a wave.

“Of course it is! I did my research, remember?” he laughs, sticking a pede in the water to test the temperature. Without warning, he jumps in, managing to completely cover you and Optimus with the splash. The flooring of the odd pool made it so that Sentinel didn’t hurt himself jumping in.

“Y/n,” the blue bot says in a sing song voice, swimming up to the pool wall. He hooks a digit on your stabilizer vents as Optimus lowers himself into the water. “come in with us.”

“I dunno, it looks-” you’re cut off by Sentinel lunging out of the water and pulling you in, pulling you on top of him. He kisses your faceplates, laughing. You smile, kissing him back. “Dammit Sentinel.”

“Oppy, get your lonely aft over here.” Sentinel smiles at him, he’s still wading into the water. He grabs the red bot’s servo, pulling him down on top of both of you. You giggle, hugging onto them.

Optimus tries to sit upright, but falls backwards, back into the water because of the weird slippery flooring. You and Sentinel laugh, you try to sit him upright and Optimus sighs, glad to finally be vertical again.

“So… I was thinkin’ that we could try something.” Sentinel smirks, quickly adding, “If you both are up to it, of course.”

“What kind of trouble did you find, Sentinel?” it’s more of a statement than a question from Optimus.

“When the liquid is exposed to cybertronian mesh, it acts as an aphrodisiac. So if you open your panels and relax, you’ll be charged up way faster.”

“I’m fine with that, Y/n?” Optimus reaches for your servo, you clench your servos, pulling them closer to your core.

“Oh- um. Interfacing? Sure! Yes.” you’ll just have to explain why you don’t have the same ‘equipment’ as they do. Not as easy as it sounds though, every stupid time you reveal that little part about yourself you begin to cry.

“Hey if you don’t want to, we can go back home.” All you have to do is not cry.

“No, I want to. I’m just worried, I don’t want any of us to be sparked.” that’s believable.

“Who said anything about spiking?” thank Primus. The water seemed just opaque enough to conceal your secret, you try to convince yourself. “But, seriously, if you don’t want to, we shouldn’t.”

“I want to.” you lean in to kiss Sentinel, trying to further convince him. And yourself. You do want to, there’s no one else who you’d rather experience this with, you just wish so badly that you could experience this in a different way. The not-wrong feeling way.

Sentinel’s servo travels up your stabilizer, more and more dread fills your chassis the higher he goes. Higher and higher until your knee strut jerks up, throwing his servo away from your panels.

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” you cry, coolant already streaming down your faceplates. “Frag I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Sentinel.”

“Y/n it’s alright,” Sentinel throws his servos up, showing that he’s not going to touch you anymore.

“Are you okay?”

“Is it the… issue we talked about when we started dating?” Optimus asks, gently resting his servo on your shoulder. You nod and sniffle. “Do you want me to tell Sentinel for you?”

This time you shake your head no. He needs to know this and he needs to hear it from you.

“Whatever it is, tell me when you’re ready.”

You try and calm yourself down, blinking away the spilt tears and gaining control over the quiver of your bottom derma.

Sentinel seems to shrink, his shoulders slump and he hunches a but. His mind flips through all the possibilities, worried that he’d triggered a horrible memory or created one for you. Did you actually want to interface? Are you disgusted by Sentin-

“I don’t have a spike.” you snap Sentinel out of the thoughts. “I was forged a femme without a spike and the medics at the academy tell me it’s a cosmetic thing, so not something that they’ll deal with.” you sniff again, this time wiping a tear off of your faceplates. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“Y/n,” a gentle servo cups the side of your helm. It doesn’t force you to look up at him, but you do so anyways. His other servo is entwined with the red bot’s. “I love you n’ Optimus more then anything in the universe. And there is nothing that’s gonna stop me from loving either of you.”

You give him a weak smile, tilting your helm into his servo. You shift your frame to wrap your arms around his neck cables. “Thank you, Sentinel. Optimus, c’mere. You’re part of this too.” Optimus chuckles, wrapping an arm around you and the other around Sentinel.

“Do you two still want to, or did I screw the mood completely?” you blush, awkwardly smiling.

“We still want to.” Optimus says, rubbing your back strut.

“Okay, good.” you sigh, bringing a servo closer to your interface panel. You lean over Sentinel’s chassis to give Optimus a kiss. Sentinel’s servo grazes along your stabilizer again, this time without the dread, while he kisses the other bot. His servo doesn’t shy away. Despite being solely attracted to mechs, despite your frame not matching up with his needs, he isn’t disgusted. And neither is Optimus. You smile, running a servo down Optimus’s chassis and squeezing the blue bot’s thigh, digging your digits into the plating seams. Sentinel whines and the red bot chuckles pulling away from the kiss.

“So good for us.” Optimus says, teasing you, tilting your chin up with a gentle digit.

“Oh no, don’t do that,” you blush and hide your faceplates with both servos, not meaning it.

“Do what?” he plays dumb, smiling and locking digits with you.

“T- that thing! With- with the-”

“Oh, you can take it.” Sentinel rubs your thigh, giving you a devilish grin. Optimus must have commed him and clued him in on what he should say.

“I know you can,” Optimus privately comms you, /Is this still okay?/ You quickly respond with a yes, the red bot smiles a bit more. “You’re gonna be such a good bot for us, right Y/n?” you whimper at the praise, blushing and squirming where you sit. “Open your panel up for us, hm?” you do exactly that, your own digits on your exterior node right away. “Oh what a good bot.”

It’s Optimus’ turn to blush as you reach for his spike, leaning over to kiss the blue bot. Sentinel’s servo bumps yours, hooking on your digits to pull it away from your array. You clumsily grope around Sentinel’s hips, making him whine again and reach for your array. Arousal grows hotter and hotter in your core, making you squirm where you sit, blushing. Sentinel kisses the red bot as soon as you pull away, making his faceplates warm up. You chuckle at the blue bot’s shyness, he looks almost starstruck when Sentinel pulls away from him.

“Good bot…” Sentinel chimes, smiling and kissing you. You rub the tip of Optimus’ spike, making him shake and moan. You hum, pulling yourself back before your ventilation system could start straining. You notice Sentinel’s servo on Optimus’ array, the red bot whines and squirms as you trail your digits down to his valve. You smile giddily, bringing Optimus into another kiss when he tenses, whining and shaking. His back strut arches and overloading into Sentinel’s servo with a dark blush on his faceplates. The red bot gasps against your derma, letting his frame slowly relax.

“So handsome,” the blue bot leans in to kiss Optimus once again. Optimus hums, eventually pulling away from the other and resting his helm on your shoulder, turning his attention and servos to you. His servo gently rub at your array, he kisses at your collar guard while putting an arm around your waist.

“Optimus…” you sigh, touching his thigh with one servo and stroking Sentinel’s spike gently. The blue bot groans, scooting closer to you and kissing you, a servo on your faceplates and the other on your array, bumping into Optimus’. You shudder at the feeling, unconsciously squeezing Sentinel’s spike and making him tremble, too.

“Y/n,” Optimus mimics your tone, venting against your neck cables. It makes you tremble and groan, bucking your hips up into their servos. The blue bot moans, licking your derma and pushing his spike into your servo. Sentinel gasps, erratically thrusting and shaking in his place on his knee struts, halfway over your frame. He finishes with oral lubricant dripping down his chin. You lick some of the lubricant off of his face, sliding your glossa over his faceplates and to just below his optic. When you pull away, Optimus is staring with blush still on his faceplates, pressing on your outer node and making pleasure curl in your tanks. The red bot mumbles a quiet, “Primus, that’s hot.”

You let out a half whine, half laugh and grind up into their servos. Sentinel puts his helm on your shoulder, licking his dermas and kissing at your collar guard. More insistent touches to your valve mesh make you overload, clenching your jaw and squeezing Optimus’ thigh, making him whine, too. You gasp and shake, coming down from your high with kisses on the edge of your faceplates and gentle touches to your midsection.

“So,” Optimus says quietly, smiling and rubbing your side carefully, “do we want to go back?”

“We should stay here, just for a bit longer…”

[incognita-soul]

hey, i saw in your bio that you work on tall ships and i was wondering if u had any advice.

i’ve been on 2 tall ship sailing trips before (+some dinghy sailing) and got my competent crew recently so i’m pretty inexperienced. on those sailing trips i’ve met young adults who were working on the boats as volunteers. i’d like to be able to volunteer on tall ships one day.

do you have any advice for the best way to gain experience and learn stuff? (if possible on a budget). i’m taking a gap year next year and i’d really like to take the chance to go sailing and get better at it. (i’m in the uk if that’s relevant.)

absolutely no pressure to answer and i’m sorry this is so vague and clueless! anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this. your blog is cool :))

Heya! Thank you, and I'd be happy to give you my two cents! All of my boat experience has been in the US so take my advice with a transatlantic grain of salt, but here goes!

Firstly, two trips and some dinghy sailing and a competent crew cert is actually quite a bit in comparison to your average person starting out in the world of boats, so don't worry about feeling too inexperienced! You're already on a good track. I've been working on tall ships in some capacity for over 10 years and I still don't have any specific certifications (I've got a lot of experience and sea time, I just haven't had time to take any of my courses and exams for actual licensing).

Facebook is (unfortunately) still the best place to network, especially for international opportunities. There are a variety of groups that you can join. I'm personally in Schooner Bums, Tall Ship Opportunities, Women Who Sail, Crew Finder, and a few other private groups specific to the organizations I've worked for. A lot of organizations will post to these groups with job opportunities with specific requirements, so it's fairly easy to get the info you need. I'm sure there are a few groups specific to sailing in the UK. In the US, we have Tall Ships America, which is an organization that provides networking, training, and job opportunities for mostly US based sailors and boats. I'm not sure if the UK has an equivalent organization, but I do recommend even though you are UK based you should peruse their website, especially the Billet Bank, which is where job links are posted:

You're in the UK, so there are a shit ton of boats there but as far as I know most of them are museum boats that don't do a lot of sailing. I will say from personal experience that museum boats with a good volunteer maintenance program are great places to start for establishing a strong set of foundational skills (knots, understanding and maintenance of the rig, carpentry, etc.). You might not get much actual sea time with a museum boat, but you will learn the things that will make you a better sailor. I got into tall ships by working as a historical interpreter and then as part of the sailing/maintenance crew here:

https://www.jyfmuseums.org/visit/jamestown-settlement/living-history/ships#ad-image-0

Most tall ship organizations are based around education, both for the public and for the crew, so it's easy to find a boat with some sort of introductory training program relatively near wherever you live. These range from expensive pay-to-play working vacation type experiences, to paying a fee to participate in a structured comprehensive training curriculum after which you can become long-term crew, to volunteering weekends sanding and oiling blocks in exchange for the opportunity to sail.

Since you said you are taking a gap year, my advice is look for a short-term comprehensive live-aboard program that gets your foot in the door for staying on as regular crew, potentially even paid crew. Idk any specific ones in the UK, but here's the one that the last boat I worked on offers as an example of what i mean:

If you've got time before your gap year starts, try to find something local, like volunteering for a mueseum like I mentioned earlier, so that you get used to the vocabulary and foundational knowledge of boats. That way you can really get the most out of a more immersive program later on and you won't feel too much like an oversaturated sponge trying desperately to sop up more information even though your brain is leaking out of your ears.

I'm not sure if you're wanting to do tall ships longer term or just something one-off for the gap year, but if you're in it for the long haul just be prepared that it's a lot of hard work for not much financial return. I don't mean to discourage you, it's just good to know that upfront. On Lady Washington we have a saying that "we work on an 18th century boat for 18th century wages."

Unfortunately the tall ship industry is kind of hard budget wise. Most training programs cost quite a bit of money, most jobs are either volunteer or don't pay very well (industry standard deckhand pay in the US is about $1000/month), and most higher level positions require various levels of certifications (for which course and exam fees can run pretty high). You can do it on a budget, especially since most long term positions are live aboard so you don't have to pay for rent or groceries, but if you want to make a career out or it, it takes a lot of years of working for less money than you're worth before you start earning real money back.

Despite all that, working on tall ships is still an incredible and fulfilling experience that I recommend to anyone with a love of the sea and learning practical skills!

Sorry I couldn't give you more specific information, as I have yet to work on any UK boats. Good luck, and please tell me when you find a program that works for you!

[vrmxlho]

Hi can you write some fluff headcanons of gokurakugai characters ? Maybe their S/O taking care of them when they come home from work? Especially with Yoru, Alma, Tao,

👉👈

There's like no content of gokurakugai 😭

you are so right we 100% need more content cuz every fanfic or scenario abt them is all in my head and i think i’m going insane 😭😭 ALSO ALMA MY LOVE MY WHOLE BLOG IS DEDICATED TO HIM, PRETTY BABY, if anyone is seeing this go read gokurakugai rn, this isn’t a request it’s an order 👿 +++ is this even what you meant by the request??? i have 0 reading comprehension skills

cw: not proofread + swearing + bad english because i'm sleepy >:(

YORU 夜

this man oh my lord

he could have literally had the most peaceful night of his life but when he gets home he makes a huge deal about it just to get kisses and hugs

he loves when you baby him

could come home with a single scratch on his hand but he will milk the shit out of

he always asks for kisses wherever he's hurt

he tells you that they're the only antidote to the pain he feels

you actually have no idea what he does since he's so mysterious but you're always worried because of the ungodly hours he comes back at

one day you just started inspecting his body in the shower and you were surprised by how many scratches and strange bruises there were and from then on you never left his side

you always have ice packs and heating pads at home to throw at him whenever he's complaining

though you do love hugging him and cuddling

most of the time to 'take care' of him all you do is give him back rubs which ends with you on his lap making out with him

although he always comes home in middle of the night and leaves early in the morning he always falls asleep after you because he wants to make sure you're not stressing too much

his personal philosophy is "holding hands saves lives" and he lives by it

always holding your hands because he had a "long day"

technically, length-wise, he did...

but he was really just walking around strangling people so

acts like he's dying so he can get your attention

actually pathetic (affectionate)

"y/n, i can feel myself slipping away." he was lying on the sofa dramatically. eyes closed, legs slightly falling off the edge and his hand on his head. he didn't notice you watching him and when he opened his eyes to check if you were paying attention, your gazes locked. he quickly turned away of course, and let out a theatrical sigh. "y/n please." you had diverted your attention for about one second because the soup you were making was making gross bubbly noises and you wanted to turn the gas off, but yoru needed you all to himself. he looked cute here. his face a bit flushed because he really did have a fever. his hair was a mess and his long body was flopped in an uncomfortable position in order to leave some space for you. you poured the soup into a small bowl and walked up to him. "my arms hurt." "i'm not going to feed you." he pouted. "i guess i won't eat then." rolling your eyes, you placed yourself on the sofa, took a spoonful of soup, blew a bit on it and motioned it his open mouth. it felt good being next to him. at least you could make sure he was safe. he could be calm with you. he could finally rest.

ALMA アルマ

he’s always late from work cuz he's a hard working baby

but even if he does come back at ungodly hours he always manages to bring food with him

and it's always your favs

somehow he has food from your favourite restaurant that closed down two years ago and who's chef was imprisoned for arson?????

what does this man do...

anyway

the second he gets home you're checking to see if he's fine and if he's going to need emergency iron tablets from blood loss

he hates when you do that because he feels like it's his duty to take care of you and that if you're the one doing the caring he's failed in some way

so he always brushes you off and tells you to go to sleep because its 03:41!!

it takes a bit, nay, a lot of insisting for him to finally let you take care of him

so the first thing you do is have a shower, washing his back and giving him head massages while he tells you about his day

checking over his chest because you're worried he's hurt and telling him to shut up when he laughs at how much you care

he tells you he would do blood tests everyday if you were the one examining him

if he ever comes back even slightly hurt you'll scold him for being careless and then give him kisses, telling him you'd die if anything happens to him

that made him want to try even harder and make sure you were never sad or scared

kindest baby, my actual husband

if for some reason he's come home without food and you're hungry he will cook for you, he's been helping out at auntie's just to be able to please you

what a man

"alma dear, there's no need to cook we can just go to the convenience store!" "convenience store? i'm not letting you eat that..." "babe about 1/2 of your meals are from the convenience store. you must be tired, i know how much you work..." "you take care of me every night, let me do something for you for once." he had stopped dicing the onions. both of your eyes were stinging but alma could be very stubborn when he wanted to be. he set down the knife, slightly patted his hands on his apron and pulling you in by the waist. "i really appreciate everything you do for me, you know. but i feel bad for making you worry so much." "don't feel bad alma, i love you." to this he pulled you into a tight hug and all you could do was put your arms around his neck. he smelled like a mixture of blood and soap. he felt warm but you could feel the tiredness in the hug. you wanted to sedate him so he would actually take a fucking break. "alma i swear to god, if you do let me take care of you i'm going to shove this knife into you." "it wouldn't be so bad if you did it." you hate how he made you blush even when he was a blink from deep sleep. i guess it can't be helped. he would never allow you to be the caregiver, so you might as well accept all the love he was giving right?

TAO タオ

mommy

there i said it

not even a potential mother, she is THE mother

barely gets hurt because she's so cool and hot like that

you're always worried though, because you know she's the type to get into dangerous situations and misjudge or underestimate them

however, she never allows you to take care of her, she's gruff and reserved most of the time, even if she loves you very dearly

but after whining about how much you wanted to baby her she'll stop resisting as much

she'll allow you to make her meals

mostly because she can't be bothered but also because she loves tasting the love in your food

she'll reward you with kisses and massages

even when she's the one who's sore and in need of massages

she sort of projects her needs onto you because she's like a mum

(please come home tao, the kids miss you)

though she is very obedient when you order her to eat, or to sleep on time

she lets you fix her wounds up and undress her when she's really tired (not always in a sexual way)

if she ever thinks you're paying her too much attention though she will straight up tell you to calm down and assure you that she's fine

she feels really bad for making you worry

but deep down she really enjoys the attention

not that she'd ever admit it

"you're back tao! what do you want for dinner?" "nothing honestly, alma and i already ate." "oh." you hated when she did this. yes this was so you could rest with her. and yes, it meant more cuddles and warm hugs. but you really wanted to take care of her. be motherly. so you gave her a pout and pleading puppy dog eyes. to this she raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "this won't work. let's just go to bed." "you will sit here and you will have dinner with me." she did as you said. she sat down with a huff and rested her head in her hand as you cooked away in front of her. it was nice and silent, the quietness was comforting. but you also wanted to hear about her day. listen to her rants and such. "so...tell me about your day." "it's really late dear, let's just sleep. i'll tell you tomorrow." "oh come on you always say that." "promise." you set down your plate, turning back to her. "i'm in middle of cooking, stop being rude." "fine..." the night passed slowly. somehow she ended up putting on some music and while you waited for the food to be done cooking you danced. you held her in your arms for she was exhausted. you loved it like this. in the arms of the one you loved. where you both would be safe, and cared for.

[highladyelenna]

Feyre Antis

This is a post I came across. I won’t be including names because I want no hate to them, I just want to put my opinion.

1. Calling Feyre a selfish bitch just proves you don’t read the books throughly.

Feyre grew up being neglected by every single person in her life. Parents. Sisters. I’m assuming whatever help they had in the house considering she didn’t know how to read, write, or swim. Her mother thought she was so unimportant that she refused to acknowledge her. Her father was so caught up in making money and his job he never noticed she was being neglected in basic necessities of life. Her sisters never acknowledged her and when they were older they took advantage of her willingness to provide for her family. They emotionally abused her and treated her like a slave and then stole her money that she risked her life for.

And sure you can say it wasn’t their job to parent her. You are correct. It wasn’t their job to do anything. BUT, loving sisters would see that their sister is working her ASS off to keep them all alive and make and effort to help her. And if they didn’t want to help, then they shouldn’t expect Feyre to do everything and demand her to do things around the house on top of the hunting. They shouldn’t have stolen her money to buy a new cloak or new boots when they objectively didn’t need them as they weren’t doing any hunting or work. Just walking through town.

So if Feyre choosing herself. Choosing her happiness. Choosing to find a family that actually gives a shit about her makes her a selfish bitch then good for Feyre. She deserves to be selfish after everyhting she’s given up for the people around her. And I guess choosing herself for once makes her worse than Nesta ever was. Nesta who would break people down just because she knew how to. Nesta who’s blood sang as she hurt her sisters feelings. Nesta who threatened Feyre on multiple occasions, one being to rip her throat out. But yeah..Feyre doesn’t defend every action Nesta made, makes her apparently a bad person.

2. Calling Feyre and Rhys idiots because they couldn’t stop the cauldron.

You’re telling me that you read ACOWAR and you read how Nesta was the ONLY one who could feel when the caldron was being used, and you read the scene where she warned Cassian JUST in time to save him..and yet you still think to type these words out? To call Feyre and Rhsy idiots because..they What? Didn’t jump in front of the cauldrons power? They didn’t..stop the embodiment of magic mid fucking blast? Please. Use your reading comprehension skills and re read the book.

2. You saying that Rhys shouldn’t have threatened Nesta because she’s a woman and it’s okay Nesta threatens everyone else because she’s a woman and since Rhys is a man he should be the bigger person.

This is an absolutely wild take. So you’re really saying that Nesta is a woman so she can say whatever she wants and that it doesn’t matter that Nesta threatened to kill Feyre, her own flesh and blood as you stated about Nesta being Feyres blood. TO HER FACE. But, Rhys saying he’s going to kill Nesta, while she’s not even in the same room, is the end of the world?

And the cherry on top??

YOU DIDNT EVEN READ SILVER FLAMES.

Yet you are talking about it as if you know what actually happened but you don’t? Because you haven’t read it?

THIS is why misconception and false narratives get spread around this fandom and it’s absolutely ridiculous.

[99corentine]

How To Write Good by Corentine

THE DRAFTING PROCESS, PART 1/2

Hello, people were interested in some writing tips by me so I, uh, sort of kind of cranked out a writing guide in a few hours. I’m not sure if this will be a very comprehensive or helpful guide but let’s give it a try!

⭐ Starting disclaimers: Please remember as with all things that my method is not necessarily the best method, everyone is different and over time you’ll find your own process.

I write romance, so my advice is skewed towards writing that and I’m not sure how helpful it will be for gen fic. I publish fanfic chapter by chapter to AO3 so it’s also skewed to someone doing the same, not someone writing a full novel they want to get published. 

I’m going to be using GOL HAH DOV (GHD) for writing examples because, well, it’s a finished longfic so it’s as good a reference as any, but obviously GHD is not everyone’s cup of tea. I’ll also occasionally reference Tooth for a Tooth (T4T) which apologies is very far from finished, but the Baldur’s Gate 3 fandom is vastly different to the Skyrim one, so it’s useful to cross-compare them.

Also worth bearing in mind: I have been writing fanfiction since I was about 13, and I’m now 33. That’s 20 years of experience. Do you know what I wrote when I was 13? Hot garbage. Writing is a learned skill that, much like playing a musical instrument or learning literally any other craft, you must put time and effort into to improve.

However although ‘practice makes perfect’ is fundamentally true, that’s also kind of lame advice. So here is what I personally do, which may be helpful in figuring out what you want to do. 

STEP ONE: YOU NEED AN IDEA FIRST DUMMY

Think of a fic idea. Probably you have lots of vague ideas. As I’m trying to turn something from a daydream into an actual writing project, I tend to ask myself these questions:

⭐Who is it about?⭐

Pick your pairing, romantic or otherwise. Think about what you like about the character and what traits you want to emphasise in your writing. If you’re writing about fan character x fan character, what makes them go well together? What causes tension between them?

If you’re writing fan character x original character, do remember that your readers are here for the fan character, not for your OC. There is no getting around this, your OC is not what brings people to the fic. GHD’s Chrysanthe was largely intended as a blank slate, quite literally, I made him an amnesiac because the point of the story was Miraak not Chrysanthe. 

Over time I was able to shape him into something more distinctive (softly-spoken, stoic, paladin-like, secret tricksy side only Miraak brings out, gets more dragon-like as the story progresses) but that was a gradual thing. Your readers will hopefully come to love your OC as you do, but it takes time for them to get invested. I’m very grateful that people did come to root for Chrysanthe – but make no mistake, if the story had no Miraak in it, people wouldn’t be reading it. Your OC is always a vehicle for the fan character.

⭐What are the overarching themes of the story?⭐

A cohesive story has a theme that repeats throughout, and picking one early on will let you write with that theme in mind. As an example, the themes of GHD are:

Soulmates / we were destined to meet each other

There’s no-one else like me / you and I are the only real ones here

One’s a hero one’s a villain

Zero to hero / hero becomes progressively more badass

Redemption arc but the villain is never fully redeemed – for GHD this turned into the repetition of Miraak’s theme he’ll never be pure but for you he’ll try and later Chrysanthe’s I love you exactly as you are

Your own themes might be something like best friends who don’t realise they’ve been in love this whole time or can’t live with you can’t live without you. Tropes count towards this too, so something like soulmates, Modern Coffee Shop AU, hanahaki, all of that stuff is a story theme.

⭐What does this fic do that other fics like it don’t?⭐

GOL HAH DOV was sort of easy mode in this regard because there aren’t many fics featuring Miraak at all, so writing anything was already doing something different. Of those existing fics, I wanted to see more where Miraak was evil and scary, and you should be the change you want to see in the world (of fanfic), so I decided to write it myself. I get a lot of comments on Miraak’s personality, so I assume this is mostly what makes GHD stand out!

I’ll use T4T as a contrasting example, because Skyrim is old and Miraak is niche, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is new/popular and Astarion is a fan favourite. That means there’s a veritable sea of fic about him, so what can you write that will stand out from the many, many other fics out there? It doesn’t have to be the only one of its kind or anything, but it does need to have something special about it.

You’ll want to either go for a strong theme or trope (i.e. soulmates, magical spell curse, we’re both monsters), or change the setting (canon divergence, ‘what if X happened instead?’, or even outright alternate universe and a brand new plot). Personally, I choose to follow the source material but go off-script. I gotta say, nothing makes me sadder than seeing plot and dialogue lifted straight from a game with zero changes made to it. That’s a personal preference obviously, but I think if you write a fic it should strive to do something different to the rest.

⭐Do I have enough enthusiasm to finish it?⭐

This is more applicable to longfic, but you really need to be in love with a story to see it through to the end. Be realistic with yourself, how much free time and energy you have – if you start it, do you think you can finish it?

I have a whole planning process (detailed later) and sometimes I start planning out an idea just to realise I don’t really have the enthusiasm to actually write the whole thing. This is fine! Even just planning is still a writing exercise, and it might spark some different ideas.

Once you have your idea, and you’re confident you’re going to actually write it… then for the love of all that is holy, do not share it in detail with anyone. You can pitch an idea to see if people will be interested but if you go into specifics about story events or certain scenes? You basically get the endorphins from having ‘created’ it, only you haven’t actually created it, and now you’ve had the chemical pay-off you probably never will. Keep your ideas to yourself until you’ve actually written them.

STEP TWO: WRITE THAT DOWN

In terms of writing software, I use Scrivener, which is a paid-for software but is not subscription based (I wouldn’t pay continually for software unless I was reliably writing every day, and sometimes I go ages without being in the mood to write). Scriv’s word processor isn’t the most intuitive thing, but I like its organisation features. This is what a work in progress looks like for me:

That’s essentially a folder (the story) containing a bunch of word documents (the chapters). You could break it down even further and have a chapter folder with each document being individual scenes, then stitch it together later - if writing is a daunting process for you, it’s useful to break it down into small, manageable chunks. You can do this in other software obviously, I just find Scrivener the most visually pleasing.

Set up your writing document, and let’s get to planning what we’re actually going to write!

...Apparently tumblr has a word limit I've exceeded, so I'll write the next bit separately. Here's PART TWO.