#SHE DOES ART!!!! SHE DOES ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eelclaw]

hi guys.... happy month

[midaskey]

Finished portrait for my noble RT playthrough, but I can't not post the sketch phase and another unfinished/abandoned commissar portrait as well (in the read more)

[salingley]

My grandma does not appreciate my autistic tendencies and behaviour. She says I am socially unprepared and oblivious to the real world.

I am aware of that fact, but saying hi to strangers or complimenting their look is something I’ve always done to try to make people feel good with a compliment.

Like, a few days ago, I saw a lady in a nice art deco dress, and said “that is an awesome dress”. And my grandma was like “goddamn it, child…”

& you know what it actually IS lifechanging to smile at strangers & say please & thank you & goodmorning & compliment someones outfit & help someone in need & be more accepting of loving other people just because they are other people!!!

[mizuno-marmalade]

it's that time of the year 🏝️💄

[fantastic-nonsense]

Charting out Shiva's "backstories" (or rather, vaguely implied backstories) throughout the years and how Tate Brombal's new History of Shiva in Batgirl 2024 impacts Shiva, Cass, and their relationship moving forward:

After Batgirl #8's publication today, I thought I'd take a look at what pieces of Shiva's history were previously depicted before now and how Tate Brombal has changed things (or kept them the same)...just to see what he did and didn't do in context of Shiva and Cassandra's history. I have a lot of thoughts on how he's approached this given what little we actually knew about Shiva going in and how messed up Cassandra's own history still is, so let's dive right in!

1975: Denny O'Neil writes Shiva in Richard Dragon as someone who has no backstory. She's here to kick ass, take names, and avenge her sister; her backstory, where and how long she trained for, etc. is irrelevant. Sandra's sister Carolyn is killed by the Swiss in a getaway chase between Richard Dragon and the Swiss, and Shiva comes after Richard because the guy who hired the Swiss convinced her Richard was responsible for it.

The two shreds of Woosan Sisters backstory we do get: 1) Carolyn has an uncle named 'Shiruto', a weapons developer who kills himself rather than reveal his secrets to the Swiss within two pages of his first appearance, and 2) Carolyn goes to school in New York City and is O-Sensei's goddaughter:

"I am Carolyn Woosan...the O-Sensei is my godfather!" -Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter (1975) #2

This is never elaborated on at any point after this comment and Shiva seemingly does not know who O-Sensei is when she and Richard track him down later in the series. Shiva has several adventures with Richard and Ben Turner within this book but is not mentioned again in the pre-Crisis universe after it ends. Within the actual source material, this is all we get of Shiva.

Then we start getting into the additional information and various changes that occurred post-Crisis:

1987: In the Who's Who in the DC Universe 1987 Update, after Denny O'Neil reintroduced Shiva in The Question, we get a Shiva write-up seemingly indicating that the entirety of Richard Dragon is still canon while also providing a few new shreds of Shiva backstory:

"After being convinced by criminal industrialist Guano Cravat that her sister Carolyn had been slain by Richard Dragon, Sandra Woosan swore to slay her sister's killer. She studied and prepared, taking the name Lady Shiva." ".....before transforming herself into Lady Shiva, Sandra had a basic knowledge of the martial arts. These skills were then honed to near perfection and she is now one of the deadliest fighters in the world." -Who's Who: Update '87

1991: the next Who's Who write-up of Shiva further implies that Richard Dragon is still canon and somewhat explicitly says that Shiva did not start studying martial arts until Carolyn was killed:

"Life presents many different paths and opportunities to a person. Sandra Woosan's life took a destructive path when Guano Cravat, a criminal industrialist, convinced her that martial artist/spy Richard Dragon killed her sister Carolyn. Motivated by revenge, Sandra dedicated her life to mastering the martial arts, hoping one day she could beat Dragon at his own game. Sandra became a master of many forms of combat and confronted Dragon." -Who's Who in the DC Universe (1990) #10

Both the 1987 and 1991 write-ups are extra-canonical material that are not, to my knowledge, mentioned anywhere in-text, and neither were written or directed to be written by Denny O'Neil. But like. They're there and ambiguously canon.

2004: Chuck Dixon writes Richard Dragon, a maxiseries that de-canonizes all previous information in favor of saying that Shiva met Richard at a fighting tournament in Japan while scouting for students. Richard, Ben, and Shiva's histories are all massively fucked up as a result of this maxi. While nothing is explicitly stated about Shiva's history, she mentions offhand near the beginning of the book that she has "unfinished business in Detroit," which leads us to...

2006: Andersen Gabrych writes Shiva in Batgirl as a girl who grew up with her sister Carolyn in Detroit. This is first mentioned in Batgirl #65 and then slightly elaborated on in Batgirl #73, in the process of retconning Shiva to be Cassandra's mother:

"We all knew each other. But there was one time...[Cain and Shiva walk away from a fight. He seems to be telling or asking her something. She shoves him and walks off]...never asked her about it. Me and Sandy weren't tight like that." "Wait. Sandy?" "Oh. Haha! Well, before she annointed herself Lady Shiva, she was just plain old Sandra Wu-San from Detroit." -Batgirl (2000) #65

Sandra and Carolyn are now both martial arts prodigies who trained constantly, fought together, and either a) trounced people on the competition circuit or b) put on fighting exhibitions that everyone came to see, depending on how you read and extrapolate from the two pages of story we get, which is how Cain found her:

"Long ago and far away...in the land of Detroit, lived two sisters. Though as different as night and day, they loved each other deeply. And more than that—they loved to dance. Every moment of the day was spent in lessons. They danced all through the night. They danced so much it became the secret language of sisters. The world had never seen anything like it. People would come from near and far to watch the sisters perform. People like the lonely hunter, Cain." -Batgirl (2000) #73

Cain kills Carolyn to "unleash Sandra's potential." Sandra goes after him in revenge and fails to kill him. Explicit sexual coercion happens (Cain gave her a 'give me a child or die' proposition with a gun to her head), Sandra trains with Cain until she has Cass, and then she goes off to "be reborn" as Shiva.

Batgirl is the first time we get any actual substantive Shiva background in-text post-Crisis. Her time working with Richard and Ben as part of the Kung-Fu Fighter Crew is now extra definitively non-canon, as even beyond Dixon's book there is no way to reconcile Cain killing Carolyn in Detroit with the events of KFF. O-Sensei is similarly not mentioned in any capacity. Carolyn has been slightly revamped from helpless damsel to someone who was theoretically capable but "got in the way." We still see none of it beyond a 7 page fairy tale-esque sequence that does a lot of victim-blaming of Sandra for taking Cain's deal to save her life. Moving on.

2007: Gail Simone writes Shiva in Birds of Prey as someone who may or may not have grown up in an unidentified, purposefully hidden "Southeast Asian village." Regardless of whether she grew up there, that's certainly where she "became Shiva," training under the brutal woman known only as "Mother." Carolyn is not mentioned. Simone implies that the Detroit backstory established in Batgirl is also somewhat true:

"This is the agreement we made. To trade life experiences." ... "Why here, Shiva? I'd heard you grew up in Detroit." "That is only part of the story." -Birds of Prey (1999) #93

However, Simone's new backstory (if taken as true, which is not necessarily the case, because nothing is definitively stated at any point) completely contradicts Gabrych's backstory, as Mother implies that Shiva was raised in the village on multiple occasions:

"Just so you are aware, Tag...at four years of age, she cried out less than you did just now." -Birds of Prey #92

There is also an implied "there must always be a Shiva" element to this backstory, as Sin Lance was being groomed to become Shiva's successor before Dinah dropped in.

Generally, I think a reasonable explanation, given the sequence of canon events, is that you can fit this village into Shiva's post-Crisis backstory if you assume it's where Sandra at least partially trained to become Shiva after leaving Cain and Baby!Cass. So Mother credits herself as Shiva's "mother" because it is where Sandra died and Shiva was born. But that's an assumption and not anything definitively backed up by canon.

Fast forward to...

2015-2018: Cassandra is reintroduced into post-Flashpoint continuity during the events of Batman and Robin Eternal. Shiva is not mentioned. When Shiva does finally appear in Tynion's Detective Comics Rebirth run, her backstory and relationship with Cain is not elaborated on beyond the fact that she "had no idea what David Cain did with her daughter" and wanted to see if Cass was "worth her time." We get one tiny tidbit from Ra's taunting Shiva that hints that the Batgirl-era Detroit backstory is possibly canon, but that's it:

"Sandra Wu-San. Searching so hard to find what she lost back in Detroit. But instead losing more and more of herself until there was nothing left. Nothing but Shiva." -Detective Comics (2016) #956

2019: Bryan Hill writes Shiva in Batman and the Outsiders as someone who now vaguely grew up in a village in China. Apparently this village used to be full of assassins but is now a village of farmers:

"As I recall, you were born in a small Chinese village. Once a place of assassins. Now a land of farmers." -Batman and the Outsiders (2019) #12

There is no elaboration on whether it was still an assassin training ground when Shiva lived there or if it was already a farming village by the time she was born. This is a brand new backstory that completely contradicts Gabrych's Detroit backstory (which had been previously hinted at in Tynion's Tec run) and largely contradicts Simone's possible village backstory...and only Detroit is even remotely reconcilable with Cassandra's New 52 backstory. Shiva also does a complete about-face from Tynion's portrayal of her; she now thinks of Bruce as someone who "took" Cassandra from her and seemingly desperately wants to be a mother to her. This portrayal continues into Batgirls and more recent books.

2022-2023: Che Grayson explicitly names this Chinese village as 'Duoyishu Village' in Batman: Urban Legends #3:

[Location stamp stating 'Duoyishu Village, China'] -Batman: Urban Legends (2021) #3

We have no idea how long the girls lived there with their parents, what their life in the village was like, and no clue what happened in between then and now other than the tidbit that Shiva has very few memories of her childhood and loved her mother's pork belly:

"Memories...you know, I don't remember much from when I was a child." -Urban Legends #3

Grayson also continues the throughline established by Hill in Outsiders and Cloonan/Conrad in Batgirls of Shiva seeing Bruce as someone who "took Cassandra from her" in both this story and the "Memory Lane" Birds of Prey story in Urban Legends #14-16.

Then Kelly Thompson reintroduced Sin Lance in Birds of Prey (2023), largely wholesale; this means that Dinah and Shiva's "life experience swap" arc from Simone's BOP run is canon again...and implicitly, Simone's potential Shiva backstory. We also have Alyssa Wong, who wrote Spirit World (2023) and effectively re-canonized the entirety of Batgirl (2000) in the process. So both Detroit and "Asia" are both actively on the Shiva multiple choice backstory menu; any pre-2004 conceptulization of Sandra as a "normal girl" who never really knew martial arts before Carolyn died? Seemingly off the table.

By this point, the events of Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter have not been canon since (generously) at least 2004. Shiva now has four largely contradictory origin story hints, three of which are ambiguously canon and none of which have been expanded upon enough to actually say anything useful about Sandra, Carolyn, Cassandra, their relationships with each other, or their collective past. Cass's own backstory is also still a royal mess with all of the nonsense that happened with her between 2006 and 2023.

Cue Batgirl 2024 and Tate Brombal, who for the first time sat down and told Shiva's story in her own words. In this new interpretation, we get a solid mixture of old and new that's been put into a blender:

Ming-Yue and Mei-Xing's parents were a forbidden romance from rival sects, the Blood and the Unburied. They lived as nomads in China, including in Duoyishu Village, until they were killed by Wu Feng (leader of The Blood and the father's brother) in the Tibetan Himalayas. They were then raised and trained by Akhu and a group of monks, hidden away in "a small village in the Himalayas" until the Blood attacked.

After leaving the village post-Blood attack, Mei and Yue traveled the world for a few years, mastering various combat forms and martial arts, and finally landed in in Detroit, where they took the American names Carolyn and Sandra and started putting on exhibition fights. We then get the Batgirl-era backstory of them continuing to dance, fight, and perform for crowds as a travelling act and being seen by Cain.

Brombal then does some timeline shenanigans, making Sandra and Carolyn crimefighters once they meet Richard Dragon and Ben Turner, adding Carolyn to the Kung-Fu fighter team and fully re-canonizing everything from the 1975 Richard Dragon series post-Shiva's introduction (for the first time in 20 years+) so they can all work and chill together before everything goes to shit.

Cain, who has been stalking Sandra for some time, makes a creepy af proposition to her in a dark alley. She refuses. He states that he knew she would, which is why he's already removed Carolyn from the equation. She rushes home, and together with Richard and Ben finds Carolyn dead and left for her to find. And this is where we've left off, with the final part of the story (Shiva and Cain) seemingly left for the final part of this three-part arc.

So. Where does this leave us with Shiva? Well, let's start with a look at what Brombal seemingly took from Shiva's various other canon lore drops:

Shiva was born and at least partially raised in a Chinese village as a young girl before their parents' deaths (Batman and the Outsiders, Urban Legends),

Sandra and Carolyn were raised and taught by Akhu, implied to be the O-Sensei (the man who trained Richard and Ben in Kyoto, Japan), in an unidentified southeast Asian village located somewhere in the Himalayas (possibly calling back to Simone's potential backstory in Birds of Prey). They call him "practically a godfather," calling back to Carolyn's lore drop in RDKFF #2

Sandra and Carolyn lived in Detroit for some time (re: Batgirl #73),

Sandra and Carolyn danced and fought together for years, to the point of being able to work together seamlessly (Batgirl #73)

Cain finding Shiva through Sandra and Carolyn's exhibition matches in Detroit, seeing potential in Sandra and thinking Carolyn holds her back, and killing Carolyn and leaving her body for Sandra to find (Batgirl #73)

The entirety of the events of Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter (1975) post-Shiva's introduction, excepting the specifics of Carolyn's death (which he takes largely wholesale from Batgirl #73 while changing the timeline so it occurs during the time Sandra was working with Richard and Ben rather than before),

Richard Dragon's name, look, and general pre-O-Sensei backstory from Dixon's Richard Dragon run, with the caveat that all of the nonsense about Ben training Richard got thrown out the window in favor of the OG Richard Dragon interpretation of both Richard and Ben being trained by O-Sensei

……also the Richard/Shiva implications from both the 1975 Richard Dragon run (where it was mostly a couple of jokes Ben makes at Richard's expense) and Dixon's 2004 Richard Dragon maxi (which makes Richard kind of obsessed with her)

And now a look at what's new: Sandra and Carolyn Wu-San not being the girls' birth names, the family history with the Unburied and the Blood, the defined adolesence in the Himalayas, the nomadic life post-China and pre-Detroit, Carolyn being part of the Kung-Fu Fighter crew (+her relationship with Ben), and the timeline shenanigans to re-canonize RDKFF while also keeping Shiva's Batgirl-era backstory intact. Also new: Carolyn having a personality, Sandra and Carolyn's rather complex familial relationship, and Sandra's hunger for vengeance pre-dating Carolyn's murder.

So. What are my thoughts on all of this?

First off, I really love the reinvention of the Kung Fu Fighter crew. It solves a lot of timeline issues, leaves the door open for someone to truly update those stories for the modern day, and fixes 3.5 characters in one go (giving Richard and Ben their proper histories and personalities back, giving Carolyn something to do outside of die in Richard's arms, and giving Shiva her crimefighting era back, inserting the moral ambiguity back into her history rather than making her a flat villain like she has been so often for the past 25 years), so I'm not mad about it at all.

I'm happy Brombal is giving Shiva a life, voice, and perspective outside of 'Shiva The Mother' and 'Shiva the Villain.' Shiva the daughter and Shiva the sister are not things that have ever been explored before! I also genuinely love the work being put in to make Carolyn an actual character, especially the page-time dedicated to showcasing Sandra and Carolyn as two women who have a complex relationship and long history outside of Carolyn's fridging and Sandra becoming Shiva in response. It gives us a real look into why Carolyn's murder was the catalyst for Sandra becoming Shiva, and I think it's a very effective one.

Mei has opinions that put her in conflict with Yue; she's more peace-loving and disciplined in general than Yue, but less willing to keep her head down and look the other way when injustice is happening. She doesn't like combat as much as Yue even though she's better at it. She clearly feels parentified by her mother's last charge to look after her younger sister. She likes boys more and wants to proactively help people and move on from her past in a way that Yue is simply incapable of thinking about. It's a really fascinating glimpse into Carolyn as a person and her relationship with Sandra.

I'm also a huge fan of Brombal seemingly doubling down on unpacking the implications of Cain's "proposition" to Sandra in Batgirl #73 when she tracks him down for revenge and fails to kill him:

"I want what you want. Perfection. To help you meet your target. The power and ability to put the world in its place...vengeance against the man who killed your parents. All I ask for is one thing. For years, I have been developing the perfect weapon, the perfect...killer. But failure after failure has only proven [he touches Sandra's stomach] the importance of good stock." -Batgirl (2024) #8)

He previously implied that Shiva hated Cain and the entire situation surrounding Cass's birth, but that one was a lot more ambiguous:

"I know what I am, and I know you hate it. But that old woman, Ba Bao, she said that there is soft and there is hard. Well, somewhere along the way, I lost my soft, and I now realize it was when I had you. You took all my soft, daughter. I held you in my arms, and I saw it. I saw my sister, too. And perhaps I hated you for it. Perhaps I wanted to hate you for it. To make it easier to leave you with that—that man." -Batgirl (2024) #4

Personally, this is a fantastic and very welcome change in my book. The only time we've ever gotten the story of Shiva and Cain was a victim-blamey 7 page sequence in the last issue of Batgirl (2000), where Shiva implies that she appreciated him "unlocking her potential" as a fighter and "setting her free" from Carolyn despite also explicitly stating that she still missed Carolyn every day. While I don't AGREE with the interpretation that Shiva actually genuinely loved Cain at all and think it's an incredible simplification of what Shiva actually told Cass, it's very easy to walk away with that vibe if you don't dig into it much, so I'm super happy to see a writer willing to actually unpack all that.

We've also never gotten any attempt to deal with the implications of Cass knowing that history, as Cass spent most of that issue fighting Shiva and leaving her for dead dangling over the Lazarus Pit and then the Evil Cass arc happened...so absolutely nothing in that last arc about Cass finding out Shiva was her mom and the origins of how she came to be got unpacked or dealt with. And then her backstory was fucked over during the New 52 (something that still hasn't actually been fixed and dealt with), so she didn't know about it all over again!

Overall I'm mixed on the various childhood stuff, specifically the inclusions of the Unburied and the Blood. It's always fun to see new cool secret warrior groups, especially ones unconnected to the League of Assassins (which modern DC loves to use as an umbrella assassin group instead of 'one among many'), and their inclusion in Shiva's backstory is very obviously a set-up for one of the things that Brombal wants to have Cass deal with moving forward. This is his way of expanding Cass's world beyond Gotham and beyond Nyssa's League of Assassins sect. I think I'm withholding full judgement until I see where he goes with it, and whether my theories that a) the groups will be used to explain Shiva's odd capacity for healing and b) Wu Lin (the Bloodmaster introduced in Batgirl #4) will be revealed to be Shiva's cousin—and Cass's second cousin—actually pan out.

What I'm not a fan of: Sandra having a hunger for vengeance prior to Carolyn's murder, having dream premonitions of Carolyn's death and becoming Shiva, and brazenly dictating all of this history to Cass via a post-mortem diary and saying she trusts her with her life and her vengeance. I do think it defeats the purpose of "Shiva" for it to be an inevitable conclusion for Sandra instead of an avoidable tragedy, and I dislike the concept of Shiva being anything other than in love with danger and in love with living life on the edge during the Kung-Fu Fighter era. While the rest of it certainly has its place in Shiva's life, the jaded perspective and Batgirl-era death wish should have come later, after Cain. I also think she trusts Cass far too much considering their history up to that point, but I'm willing to give some grace on that front since it's a plot device.

Generally speaking, I find that Brombal's Lady Shiva is a Sandra that generally follows from what we've seen of her since 2006, a Lady Shiva that's clearly couched in an attempt to deal with 50 years and three universes worth of history, and a Shiva-and-Cass relationship that encompasses basically the totality of everything that's been done with them since they first met in Batgirl (2000) #7, including the work done since the 2019 Outsiders run.

While that's not necessarily my preferred interpretation of Shiva or her relationship with Cass, it's also not one that Brombal is inventing out of thin air for the sake of a story. He's obviously very well-read on both Shiva and Cass and is trying to reconcile all of the various contradictory aspects of what's been handed to us in canon regarding Shiva's history and her behavior towards Cassandra. This is very difficult considering that 50 years and three continuities have happened since Richard Dragon #5 and Brombal clearly has his own story that he wants to tell with both Shiva and Cass.

I think just like all other previous attempts to tell both Shiva's story and Cass's story....some of it worked, some of it didn't. But overall I generally loved the issue and think it was pretty well done considering what Brombal had to work with. I'm super interested to see how he tackles Cass's reactions to all of this and what impact it has on her perspective of her mother moving forward. The whole 'Mother' arc, after all, was ultimately about Cass trying to reconcile who she thought Shiva was with who Shiva actually is in the context of her own life and history with her, and then setting up a new emotional status quo for both women. And we're finally past the set-up, so I'm really looking forward to the payoff.

[zombbunn]

"It would mean the happiness I've grown and nurtured was ... wrong"

[cadere4]

1- a healthy intermediate weight with a clear start to gain lean mass. With curly hair that is full but not messy, in a cut that enhances volume. A clean face and well-hydrated skin.

2 - dress comfortably and elegant, with some eccentric accessories, but without attracting attention. The clothes contrast in soft tones with dark colors, sometimes in dresses or long skirts.

3 - she likes to laugh and entertain others. Moments alone with herself are necessary, and they also help her make the most of her time with others. She likes to learn new things and be free to explore the subject in her own way. In fact, she values ​​freedom and authenticity.

4 - feel trapped or limited. Tight deadlines can also be frustrating, but she knows how to deal with it. She hates injustice, rudeness and victimization.

5 - it happens like a flow, between moments of solitude and social activities. When faced with difficulties, she manages to be logical and give advice (or herself) to move forward. In general, she is very calm, appearing to be lazy, but she is always ready for any activity with relative agility.

6 - in general, she has a measured, firm and fluid speech that everyone can hear. Her posture is enviable, silent in general. Responsible, but independent. For example, she can take a trip seemingly out of nowhere, but that she has planned for months. A mix of authenticity and elegance. A diplomat who knows how to negotiate what she wants.

7 - people like her in general. They respect her freedom and help her when she needs it. They don't judge her authenticity and sometimes they even find her inspiring. People who understand that she won't always be available are essential and who aren't easily scared by her fluidity. They are authentic and intelligent people, those who are around her, preferably those who have similar hobbies. These people are especially trustworthy to her.

8 - Always kind, welcoming and helpful as much as possible. She values ​​justice immensely. For her friends, she is someone who, despite being funny and seeming ironic, is always there when needed. Her interventions make others laugh or consider her opinion relevant. She likes to talk to her family members (older people in general) patiently considering their opinions. Despite this openness, she is introverted, but knows how to deal well between social and private spaces, giving her an air of independence and freedom.

9 - start the day relatively early, wake up feeling refreshed and prepare for physical activity. When you get home, make some coffee. Study. Quickly organize the house and go to college.

10 - 10 p.m

11 - 5 a.m

12 - loves reading, listening to music, playing instruments and painting. He also enjoys cooking and working directly with the land (vegetable garden, garden, etc.). Swimming and cycling also help to relieve stress.

13 - public servant, regardless of what it is haha ​​(but maybe a judge).

14 - pass a public exam, do a master's degree, help my family, develop my spirituality, be healthy.

15 - spending some time alone, perhaps doing a hobby, or traveling. Also consider asking someone you trust for advice. Writing in a journal or turning that problem into a story/art.

16 - she has a special fondness for national books, books that inspire and demonstrate points of view that are considered minority by the majority. Fantasy and suspense are also interesting to her, especially as a relief. She reads books on history, sociology, and philosophy, which go beyond her work; they are also a personal interest (as well as books with spiritual themes, from which she learns important lessons for herself).

17 - she does physical activities regularly, such as: fighting, swimming, gym, cycling and running. Not necessarily always these options, but she can alternate them: gym, fighting and swimming, for example, and after a while gym, cycling and swimming. She may not like some exercises (like running and gym), but she does others as a hobby. Every week she moisturizes her hair and skin, as well as exfoliates her skin. She always tries to keep her nails well-groomed, but not necessarily chic. Although she exercises with discipline, this does not put pressure on her.

18 - she tries to eat well, especially organic and natural products. In general, she always prefers local diets. She doesn't eat a lot of sugar or carbohydrates, but once a month she allows herself to commit a food crime (eating half a savoury snack or a sandwich, fries and large milkshake combo). Socially, she doesn't have any restrictions on eating due to diet, but of course she always does so in moderation. If she needs to, she politely refuses.

19 - trustworthy, authentic friendships that respect each other. I believe I have already explained this.

20 - she listens to what people have to say, especially if she is wrong. She is not afraid to defend points that she thinks are right. She rarely raises her voice, even though she speaks firmly and clearly, and she does not lower her posture. When she realizes that the other party is not willing to listen to a polite counterpoint, she patiently remains silent. In general, she has no enemies, and does not mind enmity and intrigue, which means that she will not hold a grudge and will move on. In case of anger, she tries to calm down and explain it to the other person later. To relax, she tries to be alone, perhaps with a hobby.

21 - considers consequences patiently. Works with truth, justice and patience. Seeks to mitigate harm to others as much as possible, but without neglecting oneself. Not all of one's decisions need to be communicated, but this does not mean that one will be reckless with others.

22 - resting, studying, talking to people close to you, playing games. Sometimes doing some gardening. Cooking. Traveling. Going out with friends. Doing necessary household chores. But as a rule? Things that calm you down from the chaos of the week.

Who is SHE?

→ journal out who you want to be in 2025:

1. What does she look like? (Physical appearance, style)

2. How does she dress on a typical day?

3. What does she like ?

4. What doesn't she like?

5. What is her behavior like in different situations?

6. (Social interactions, demeanor)

7. How does she prefer to be treated by others? (Expectations from relationships)

8. How does she treat people around her? (Interpersonal relationships, kindness)

9. What does her daily routine entail? (Activities, schedule)

10. At what time does she usually go to bed? (Sleeping habits)

11. When does she wake up in the morning? (Morning routine)

12. What are her hobbies and interests? (Leisure activities)

13. What is her profession or occupation? (Career, job responsibilities)

14. What are her long-term goals and aspirations? (Career ambitions, personal achievements)

15. How does she handle stress or challenges? (Coping mechanisms, problem-solving approach)

16. What type of books does she enjoy? (Cultural preferences)

17. How does she maintain her physical and mental well-being? (Health and self-care routines)

18. Does she have any specific dietary preferences or restrictions? (Food choices)

19. Who are her closest friends, and what are her relationships like with them?(Friendship dynamics)

20. How does she navigate conflicts or disagreements? (Communication style, conflict resolution)

21. What values and principles guide her decision-making? (Personal ethics)

22. How does she spend her leisure time on weekends? (Weekend activities, relaxation methods)

[thistle-wrote]

Tattoo Artist

CW: oral sex, small descriptors used for reader when I felt it necessary i.e. the tattoo artist having tattoos. reader is referred to by a nickname.  Authors note: And before you ask, no I do not condone the tattoos price has on the homecoming skin, as an American traditional tattoo GIRLY those are simply an insult to tattoos.

The song I was listing to whilst writing this

Despite what most think, John has tattoos. Mostly hidden in places you can’t easily see. Truthfully, he probably would have had far fewer had it not been for Little Petal.

It’s just when John’s dad died he wanted a tattoo to commemorate his life, you know how middle age men get when their fathers pass. So he booked a session with a local artist, the shop had great reviews; it was clean and busy, and he figured now was as good a time as any.

Never in the entirety of John’s life has he been so instantly captivated by a woman. Covered in tattoos and piercings, she was gorgeous and immediately incredibly friendly. He learned she owned the shop and had gone to art school. For what it was worth she absolutely knew what she was doing.

All in all, it took her barely an hour to draw his tattoo, make his stencil, and have it permanently etched into his muscular thigh. I mean how long could two dates possibly take anyway? And that’s really how it started. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was booking another appointment a few months out, with the promise of allowing her to actually draw him something this time. He could have taken her right there, just seeing the way her face lit up at the prospect of mild creative freedom.

When he returned for his next appointment, this time with a brand new scar and an embarrassing amount of excitement for a grown man, he settled in her chair. She flipped through drawings she’d made for him, drawings she thought would “fit your vibe” all traditional style but not the kind that bored; a street lamp with moths circling it was the one he ultimately decided on. 

John was a very tough man. Hell, the man gets shot at for a living, but he didn’t expect the little petal to be able to inflict so much pain. Of course, he was tough about it, barely flinching.

“Does it hurt, then?” She asked him amidst her stabbing color into his side. 

“Not bad.” He remembered murmuring to her as her needles dragged across his skin.

“Doesn’t hurt me one bit.” He chuckled at her cheesy joke, but the little smile on her face was enough to make his thoughts go awry. 

It wasn’t long before he wasn’t just tattooed, but was one of her regulars. After a few years, his entire left leg was mostly covered. Apparently, when you become good enough friends with your tattoo artist, she starts to tell you things like, “I’m not doing that, John, that’s ugly.” And “No, that fits better over here.” 

At some point, he also started receiving unexpected and sporadic text messages from her. Texts like, “I saw this cute cigar shop in London, made me think of you.” Or “I drew you this, thought it would fit perfectly on your knee.” 

John has had his fair share of women in his life, he wasn’t exactly sure just why he was so into her. Maybe it’s the sweet, soft way she spoke. Maybe it was how she was so passionate about her work. Maybe the way she joked and teased him, or possibly it was just simply how incredibly herself she was. 

John made his way into her shop one Saturday afternoon, the door chiming as he stepped through the threshold. The scent of patchouli filled his nose. She was an eccentric little woman, from the black walls to the leopard print furniture. 

He stepped up to the front desk, eyeing the little trinkets she had sat atop it, listening for the soft patter of her platforms against the hardwood. When she poked her head from the back room, she offered a sweet smile. 

“Hi, hon.” 

“Hi, petal.”

They’d done this dance time and time again, proper etiquette and professionalism were long gone. He watched as she turned back into the room, a wordless request for him to follow. He did, his boots clattering on the floor as he made his way through the shop. He immediately sat in the corner chair, watching the bird flit through her stack of drawings.

“Okay listen,” She began, holding out a hand to silence him as if he’d been about to interrupt, which he hadn’t. 

“You don’t have to get it if you hate it but, I drew this pinup.” She pulled out a white sheet of paper and held it out to him. John reached for the sheet, looking it over. He wondered for a brief moment if she’d done it on purpose, if she’d even realized exactly how much the cartoon woman on the page looked like her. 

“It’s great, love,” He hums, still looking it over but letting his eyes meet hers for a moment. No, there was no way she’d done it intentionally, she wasn’t the egotistical type to brand someone with a picture of herself.

“Cool,” she mused, already planning. “thinking on your inner thigh. We can do it high enough that people won’t see her when you’re in shorts.” That girl was always thinking ahead. She has a real knack for this, not just the drawing or design process but the placement too. 

“Yeah, okay, pretty,” John said simply, leaning back further into the chair. He let her run around the shop, scanning her drawing, then printing and cutting out the stencil. When she returned, stencil in hand, she looked at him with that cute little frown she sometimes got.

“Take your pants off, John.” 

God, she didn’t have to tell him twice. 

“Right to the point, huh?” He chuckled. She'd always taken his jokes well, so he felt no need to apologize for the comment.

She gave him an eye roll, one more of amusement than anything. He unbuckled his belt, pulled off his boots followed by his jeans, setting them on the chair. He plopped himself onto the table, and she, completely comfortable by this point, started pulling him into the position she wanted, moving his leg to her desired spot. 

John liked his tattoos, he really did. But in that moment, he was instantly reminded why he kept coming back. It was the way she pushed the leg of his underwear farther up his thigh, making marks on his skin to correctly line up his stencil, or her casually commenting “You’re so hairy,” as she ran the pink disposable razor over his inner thigh. 

“I’m a grown man, petal,” he responded, with a small chuckle.

This tattoo, the one she seemingly didn’t realize she’d drawn of herself, the one he was allowing her to permanently mark on his skin. This might be the worst decision of his life, he suddenly realized, not because it looked like her, or because he’d regret it; he’d learned over his almost forty years of life that regrets were worthless. 

No, it might be the worst decision simply because he hadn’t thought about how high up it was, how close her hands and her face would be to his crotch, and how he was absolutely going to get hard whether he meant to or not.

After she’d shaved his thigh, applied the stencil, and properly sanitized his skin,  she began to tattoo. She chattered away as she always did, John nodded along, trying to listen. But the man might as well have been fighting demons, not because it hurt, either.

John just hoped she wouldn’t mention the bulge in his underwear, or better yet, maybe she was too busy to notice. After she’d finished the outline, she stopped her machine, moving to change needles and pour her caps of color when she spoke.

“Got a pain kink, John?”

He was momentarily stunned by the way her eyes gestured to his cock. He would never have expected a joke like that from her; sure she teased him but this was a first. He laughed. 

John had half a mind to tell her to go screw herself, or sarcastically agree. But he figured if she could say something that should be considered inappropriate for a professional, he could say something incredibly inappropriate for a client.

“No, bird, got a pretty girl's face inches from my dick kink.” 

She smiled. No way she thought that was genuinely flattering. She had to trust him more than he’d realized not to immediately get upset. So, like the civilized adult man he wasn’t, he kept going.

“Got a thing for their mouths round it too.” 

At that, she didn’t squirm, flinch. Or even make a grossed out face. She laughed, the kind of laugh a girl gives when she knows she’s about to get some.

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

John thinks he must have, at some point, been some kind of saint in a past life, because that is the only way he could possibly imagine something so great happening to him: his tattoo artist stopping mid tattoo to wrap her lips around his cock.

The entire afternoon was a haze. When his tattoo was done, her breath now smelling faintly like cum, he let out a satisfied sigh, admiring his fresh ink in the mirror.

“Looks like you, ya know.” He mused, meeting her gaze. She looked momentarily shocked, as if she seriously had not intended that. 

“Good,” she replied with a smirk finding its way to her lips. “Marking my territory.” Oh, she had no idea how right she was. 

CoD Masterlist

[yugsly]

Hiii! If your able could you give us random king facts? King is cool

King is obviously very cool and collected, elegant, eloquent, mature etc. But is also a bit of a nerd. Gets a little geeked out that people see her as a hero, because she's very humble and sees herself as very normal. It surprised her. She just does what she feels is right, advocates for her peers and the people of the world, etc. In this way, she's become a bit of a folk hero. Politically involved in the world- Hector was too, obviously. You can see whispers of this in posters and newspapers in the game. Razzma was her best friend, hype man too. Most of Razzma's art was depicting King, King's acts, her and King's journeys across Earth, the Drain, the Grove, etc. It would have been fun to get into that history a bit more. Thinking about the politics of Great God Grove's world is interesting.

She doesn't let the geekiness show too much lol. Couldn't show this off in game as much as I wanted, but you can see this in some of her unused God animations. One of her poses is literally the Kamen Rider henshin pose. It's why I gave her god form a funny scarf like that, too.

I really love King.

[rebeccabobecca]

There are a lot of assumptions happening there. You say specifically that Musk's 35 unapproved methane generators are being addressed, but I have not seen any evidence of that. He was forced to get permits for 15 of his 35 generators, but they all exist in a legal loophole, and none of them have been shut down. Whether that will happen after his and Trump's public breakup is yet to be seen.

Yes new forms of energy are being worked on but crucially they are not ready yet, and local power grids are under strain. This article talks about how meta, microsoft, and google's measurable greenhouse gas production have increased 30-50% over 4 years due to ai, and how meta is using coal power plants to power it. This article talks about how the high and uneven load is stressing the entire local grid to data centers, increasing the entire community's energy bill, and damaging their appliances. (Yes, this article puts forward bloom energy as a solution, Here's a Forbes article talking about how bloom energy is both dirty and inefficient, x). Regardless of the validity of their proposed solution, the description of the problem is still relevant). Here's an academic paper from the University of Alberta talking about the damage the high and uneven power draw does to energy grids. Here's an article from MIT talking about how the AI data centers are the 11th highest global power user, using power than the nation of Saudi Arabia, and that is projected to increase. Here's a quote from that article:

“The demand for new data centers cannot be met in a sustainable way. The pace at which companies are building new data centers means the bulk of the electricity to power them must come from fossil fuel-based power plants,” says Noman Bashir, lead author of the impact paper, who is a Computing and Climate Impact Fellow at MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC) and a postdoc in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).

There are lots of solutions for green energy in the works, but they are only in the works, not in production, currently mitigating existing harm. Being "on the verge of the solarpunk revolution" does not help the people in Memphis breathing in methane fumes, or the people's who's appliances are breaking down, or the communities whose water resources are being depleted because a chatgpt query uses 4 times more water than a google search. More than making fossil fuels unprofitable, generative AI is making fossils fuels necessary for their function.

People call generative AI a plagiarism machine because users consistently feed books, papers, and stories into the AI without the consent of the authors, and then get the AI to write in that authors style, or finish an existing story, and the actual authors get no credit or compensation. There has been more than a few scandals in publishing of authors using chatgpt to replicate other authors tone or writing style, instead of writing their own novels. If AI companies can not pay to license the material they use for training, what gives them the right to use it? In any other case, if a company used the images of an artist's entire catalogue, in an advertisement, or a campaign, they would be legally required to pay the artist and license their work, so what makes chatgpt scalping that artist's website and training the AI on their art any different? Artist's and writers are rightfully angry when you can type "write a story in Diane Duane's style" and it does, because someone fed her entire oeuvre into the machine, and now the user has a story using DD's voice, something that she spent her entire career developing, and is what distinguishes her from other authors.

And none of this argument about environmental impact addresses the ethics of the tool itself. While there is plenty of evidence of analytic ais for medical and scientific use, what I have seen from generative ai is lawyers getting sanctioned for using to make arguments, doctors entering personal medical information into AI without regard for HIPAA, entertainment studios using it to get out of paying voice actors, students using it to get out of writing their papers. Also, AI is as biased as the systems that built it, meaning that they have been proven to yield biases that greatly impact their uses in most fields. Police using ai to "identify" suspects have arrested the wrong man on several occasions due to the AI not being able to discern black men, and the department of corrections has used AI to determine whether someone will reoffend, and the AI they use consistently outputs that black people reoffend 45% more than they actually do, and white people 25% less than they actually do. Medical centers that use AI have found that the AI consistently underestimates the amount of treatment that black people need, continuing a long-standing trend of not giving black people the treatment they need. Not to mention all of the various biases of ais used in recruitment and hiring, such as racism, sexism, and ageism.

There's a saying that a system's purpose is what it does, and what AI has done is produce plagiarized, often mediocre or inaccurate content at the expense of creatives, vulnerable people, and the environment.

"what did students do before chatgpt?" well one time i forgot i had a history essay due at my 10am class the morning of so over the course of my 30 minute bus ride to school i awkwardly used by backpack as a desk, sped wrote the essay, and got an A on it.

six months later i re-read the essay prior to the final exam, went 'ohhhh yeah i remember this', got a question on that topic, and aced it.

point being that actually doing the work is how you learn the material and internalize it. ChatGPT can give you a short cut but it won't build you the the muscles.

[bradleysass]

sloth - @into-the-jeggyverse - wc: 953

James was lying on the couch with his legs sprawled dramatically over the armrest, one sock halfway off, his curls messier than usual, and a philosophy book half-open on his stomach. Regulus was on the floor with a mug of tea and a judgmental brow arched toward James’ current posture.

“You’re going to herniate your spine trying to be Socrates,” Regulus muttered, flipping a page in The Symposium.

“I’m already herniating,” James said with a grin, “but for art.” He squinted down at the book as if it would suddenly grant him divine enlightenment. “Question.”

“Unfortunately, I’m listening.”

James beamed. “Seven deadly sins. Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, sloth. Let’s assign them to our friends.”

Regulus didn't even hesitate to look up. “You want me to do that?”

“Yeah, I trust you to be honest.”

“That’s because you’re reckless.”

“And you’re pretty when you’re cruel.”

Regulus rolled his eyes so hard it was practically audible. Still, he leaned back against the base of the couch and took a thoughtful sip of his tea. “Fine. But if they find out, I’m blaming you.”

“Deal.” James grinned. “Start anywhere.”

Regulus tapped his lip. “Alright. Pride. Sirius. Obviously.”

James laughed immediately. “You’re not wrong.”

“He’s brilliant, beautiful, and he knows it. That’s the thing with pride, it’s not just thinking you’re great—it’s believing everyone else should acknowledge it too. Sirius doesn’t walk into a room so much as make an entrance and then wait for applause.”

James nodded thoughtfully. “He would start a cult if Remus didn’t roll his eyes at him all the time.”

“That’s the only thing keeping him humble. Remus' disapproval.”

Regulus smirked. “Next: Greed. I’m giving it to Marlene.”

James raised his eyebrows. “Marlene? Really? She always shares her fries.”

“She does, but greed isn’t just about hoarding things, James. It’s wanting more. Constantly. Marlene wants all the attention, all the chaos, all the spark and spectacle. She’s greedy for life. She burns through people and parties like she’s terrified of running out.”

James paused. “Okay. Yeah. That’s actually... scarily accurate.”

“I know,” Regulus said with a hint of smugness. “Now. Wrath. Barty.”

James made a face. “Yeah. He has resting murder face.”

Regulus chuckled darkly. “He doesn’t get angry often. But when he does? It's explosive. Wrath is about that simmering edge. The kind of anger that waits for an excuse.”

“Ticking time bomb.”

“Exactly.”

James twirled a loose thread on his shirt. “So who's envy?”

Regulus hesitated. “Lily.”

“What? Lily? She’s a walking inspirational quote.”

“She’s kind,” Regulus agreed. “But she compares herself to others constantly. Wants to be the best at everything she does, even if she doesn’t say it out loud. Envy isn’t always obvious. Sometimes it comes wrapped in good intentions.”

James mulled that over. “That’s kind of sad.”

“She works hard. She’s brilliant. But she’s always looking sideways. That kind of hunger has a cost.”

James sighed. “Okay. That brings us to... lust.”

Regulus grinned slowly. “Dorcas.”

“Absolutely. No hesitation. That woman could seduce a rock.”

“She probably has.”

“I think she flirted with a traffic cone once,” James said, half-laughing.

Regulus snorted. “And the cone said thank you.”

James pointed at him. “You’re enjoying this too much.”

“I warned you.”

“Alright, alright. What about gluttony?”

Regulus smirked. “Peter.”

James blinked. “Because of food?”

“Not just food,” Regulus said. “Peter consumes. He doesn’t know how to pace himself. Be it food, gossip, attention—he always takes too much. It's not malicious. It's just... excessive.”

James nodded slowly. “He does kind of hoard snacks and secrets.”

“Exactly.”

James shifted on the couch, stretching until his book slid off him and thudded to the floor. “So that leaves... sloth.”

Regulus didn’t answer immediately.

James frowned. “Reg?”

Regulus tilted his head back against the couch to look at him. “That one’s me.”

James blinked. “You?”

Regulus nodded once. “It’s not laziness in the typical sense. It’s a soul-deep exhaustion. The kind that makes you freeze. Makes you do nothing when you know you should. Sloth is spiritual apathy. Not because you don’t care—but because you’re too afraid to start. Too tired to fight.”

James was quiet. The room felt heavier suddenly, like gravity had intensified.

He slid down from the couch until he was next to Regulus on the floor, thigh to thigh.

“That’s not a sin,” James said softly. “That’s surviving.”

Regulus didn’t respond for a long moment. His fingers were tight around his mug.

“But it feels like one,” he finally whispered. “When everyone else is running and I’m... still trying to stand.”

James reached over and carefully took the mug from his hands, setting it aside.

He pulled Regulus into a loose, grounding hug, arms warm around his waist.

“You’re not stuck,” he said into Regulus’ hair. “You’re still moving. Maybe slower. Maybe quieter. But you’re not still.”

Regulus leaned into him with a sigh that sounded like something uncoiling inside his chest.

They sat like that for a while. Books forgotten.

Eventually, James whispered, “So where do I fall in all that?”

Regulus leaned back just enough to look at him.

“You’re all of them,” he said, and when James’s eyes widened in mock horror, Regulus smirked. “In the best possible way. Pride in your friends. Gluttony for joy. Wrath for justice. Lust for life. Envy only of the stars because you think you can burn brighter. Greed for love. Sloth, maybe, on Sundays. But you don’t sit in it—you just nap through it.”

James was quiet for a long beat. Then he grinned. “You think I burn brighter than stars?”

Regulus rolled his eyes. “Don’t make me regret being poetic.”

James leaned in. “Too late.”

And then he kissed him.

[juliettejwnewinesa]

Hiii I recently found your page and it’s so good I had an idea for seongje x shy reader: seongje is crazy and the reader strangely finds that attractive, after he gets into a fight the reader is in his lap completely flustered while teasing her and praising her while he smokes and it leads to eventual smut. (Request) have a good night <3💜

Title: “Like You Like This” Pairing: Kim Seongje x shy!Reader Word Count: ~6,500 Tags: post-fight tension, lap-sitting, smoking, possessive Seongje, teasing, praise kink, shy reader, slow build to smut, soft dom vibes, public-to-private tension, established feelings (barely admitted)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

💥 PART I – Blood on His Hands, Stars in His Eyes

The first time Y/N sees Seongje fight, really fight, it’s horrifying. She shouldn’t be this calm watching someone get pummeled into the concrete, but something about the way he moves—fluid and brutal, like a beautiful disaster—makes her freeze.

The fight’s over before anyone can step in. One guy’s groaning on the floor, another is crawling back toward the alley exit.

Seongje just wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, spitting blood onto the ground like it’s nothing. His knuckles are red and split, and he doesn't even look tired.

Then he turns around, eyes wild, and finds her.

“You stayed,” he says, walking toward her. She blinks.

“I—yeah.”

His lip twitches. “Didn’t think you would.”

“I shouldn’t have,” she murmurs, voice so small he almost misses it.

But she doesn’t leave.

And that tells him more than any confession.

🚬 PART II – In His Lap, In His Grip

Later, it’s just the two of them behind an abandoned gym, sitting on a rusted-out bench. She’s perched beside him, cheeks burning.

“Come here,” Seongje says lowly, tugging her closer with two bloodied fingers curling into her waistband. “Sit.”

She obeys before her brain catches up.

One second she’s beside him, the next she’s in his lap, thighs over his, her heart racing like it might give out. He lights a cigarette lazily, eyes never leaving her face.

"You always blush like that?" he asks with a crooked grin, voice thick with amusement.

She hides her face in his chest. It smells like smoke, sweat, and something uniquely Seongje—danger wrapped in warmth.

“I-I didn’t think you’d want me close right now…”

“Why not?”

“You just fought two guys. You should rest.”

“I feel fine.” He exhales a thick plume of smoke, fingers tapping ash off the end. “Actually, I feel great.”

He leans forward, mouth brushing her ear. “You like it when I get like that, don’t you?”

She jerks back instinctively. “What?! N-No—”

“Liar.” His hand finds her waist, sliding slowly down her back until his palm is resting just above her ass. “You were shaking while you watched. Not scared. Excited.”

"I w-was just—worried about you."

"Mmhm." His other hand slips under her jaw, tilting her face up. “But your thighs are clenched. You know how I know?”

She makes a strangled sound.

He smirks. “Because I can feel it. You’re sitting right on me, baby.”

🔥 PART III – Fire Under Skin

“Still shy?” he murmurs.

Y/N can’t answer. Her body is frozen, burning. She’s never sat like this before, never this close, never with anyone like him. Her face is buried in his shoulder, but Seongje's grip on her hips holds her steady. There's no escape.

And she doesn’t really want to run, not from him.

“Look at me.”

She finally does—and the look on his face nearly ruins her.

He’s studying her like she’s art. Like she’s something worth wrecking gently.

“You don’t have to hide it,” he whispers, voice dark and sweet. “I know what you want. And I like that you like me like this.”

He takes a slow drag, exhales through his nose. The smoke curls between them. Then he stubs the cigarette out and tosses it away like it’s served its purpose.

"Don’t look away now. You wanted this, right?"

“I d-didn’t say that,” she stammers.

“You didn’t have to.”

His hand trails up her thigh, slow and teasing.

“Seongje…”

“You watched me lose my mind and then climbed into my lap like a good girl. What am I supposed to think, huh?”

She gasps when he pushes her hips forward—right into the hard bulge in his jeans. “Oh my god—”

He grins, teeth gleaming. “Nah. Not God. Just me.”

🛏️ PART IV – In the Dark, All Her Walls Come Down

They don’t make it to her house.

He pulls her into a nearby apartment he crashes at sometimes—bare mattress, busted lights, clothes on the floor. His mouth is on hers before the door’s even shut, fast and deep and possessive. Her breath hitches as he lifts her by the thighs, carrying her like she weighs nothing, tossing her onto the bed.

"You're so cute when you’re flustered," he whispers, crawling over her. “All shy and polite, but look at you now. Spreading those legs for me like you need it.”

She covers her face with both hands.

He chuckles, gently pulling them away. “Don’t hide. I want to see what I do to you.”

He kisses down her neck, her collarbone, her stomach. Every touch sends sparks up her spine. His fingers slip beneath her waistband, toying with the edge of her panties.

“You’re soaked already,” he says, voice husky. “Told you, didn’t I? You like me like this. Bloody hands, sharp mouth, all of it.”

“S-Shut up—”

“Make me,” he growls—and slides two fingers into her, slow and deep.

She gasps, thighs tightening around his wrist. He pumps them gently, curling them just right.

“You gonna come on my fingers just from this?” he teases. “So desperate for me you can’t even talk?”

“Seongje—!”

“Say my name again,” he whispers. “Say it like that.”

🔞 PART V – Raw, Rough, Real

Her clothes are gone before she realizes. His too. His body is warm, strong, scarred. He settles between her legs and just stares for a moment, drinking her in.

"You sure?" he asks, voice suddenly softer.

She nods quickly. "Please."

That’s all he needs.

He pushes in slowly, watching every twitch of her expression, every whimper. He goes slow at first—almost too slow—but once he’s fully inside her, all bets are off.

He fucks like he fights—relentless, all-consuming. But he worships her too, kissing her between thrusts, murmuring filthy praise against her skin.

“Such a tight pussy for such a shy girl.”

“Fuck, you feel perfect.”

“I could stay inside you forever.”

Her fingers dig into his back. Her breath stutters as he pounds into her, hips snapping, deeper and deeper.

"You like this? Being fucked by the guy you just watched beat the shit out of two assholes?"

She moans.

"Yeah. You do. I can feel how much you like it. You’re clenching around me."

She whimpers something incoherent.

He bites down on her shoulder. “I’m not stopping ‘til you come again. And maybe not even then.”

💞 PART VI – Afterglow

They lie tangled afterward, her head on his chest, their bodies still humming.

He lights another cigarette, breathes it in, then offers her the unlit end. “Want a taste?”

She takes it shyly, lips brushing where his just were.

“Next time,” he says after a while, “I’ll try not to fight. But if I do—”

She looks up at him.

“Will you still want me after?”

She nods.

He grins, triumphant. “Then I’ll bleed for you anytime, baby.”

[burningcheese-merchant]

I like the fact that the devs agreed and added the parallel that the ancients are all very kind to themselves, even at their worst, how vulnerable they can be. In chapter 10, HB accepts Lily's wrongdoings, and despite the fact that it took her a while to process her trauma, she tries to make peace with her.

Now with the beasts, it's so different because, if you notice, despite having a problem, they don't try to change their ways. That's why most of them don't understand each other; their philosophy clashes greatly. Despite one of them claiming to be very close, in reality, each and every one of them feels so alone. It's undeniable how many people still believe they're close.

It's fascinating to see their parallels. It's good to know they're not close; it's complex and interesting. I want to add about episode 10 i feel outraged by the fact that no one talks about how complex ES's character was the last part of the episode made me cry because i know she only had one purpose when she was created and the fact that HB proposed to her to leave their garden and go with her was the most painful and touched me so much. (seriously my friends asked me if i was okay because i cried a lot LOL) everyone thinks it's an unrequited love, if it wasn't reciprocated HB wouldn't take the time to understand ES and explain to her that the world doesn't have to be perfect like she describes it. it's an episode with a queer tragedy explained in the hardest but sweetest way possible... And the game is from a country that litteraly is a sin to be like this or not good received as well.

All of the BxA r Indeed were pure art but with different narratives as well

Yeah definitely!! I've always loved the parallels between the Beasts and Ancients - not just individually, but as groups. While they both endured equally great suffering, in the end, the Beasts chose the easy way out. They chose darkness and despair. They chose to inflict their suffering onto others instead of properly addressing themselves and their shortcomings. And what's fascinating is that, for a time, the Ancients chose similarly: Golden Cheese succumbed to delusion and hid herself in a fantasy world in order to assuage her grief, Hollyberry abdicated and ran away from her family and her people and her life, drinking and fighting and partying her woes away, Dark Cacao built literal and figurative walls around himself and shut everyone out, Pure Vanilla was an amnesiac for a while, thus technically foregoing truth (albeit not necessarily by choice), then he allowed himself to be a Cookie of Deceit for a while, White Lily... we know what happened to her lol. But they managed to save themselves because they had each other. For each and every one of them, their salvation and enlightenment came when they remembered their bonds with each other and with others they care for. It was that sense of connection and community, which never ever broke despite everything that happened to them. And then opposite to them are the Beasts, who broke apart and descended into villainy because they themselves did not have those connections; not just in reference to them never having had the chance to live as normal people, but in reference to their bonds with each other specifically. I believe now more than ever that they never REALLY cared for each other. That they were never REALLY friends. If they were, why didn't they help each other when they started corrupting? Example, Burning Spice: I believe that what he needed the most was assurance that the cycle of change is not and does not need to be inherently painful or bleak. That there is good and meaning in that endless repetition. What would've helped was him having a constant in his life; someone or something that was always there with him even while everything and everyone else slipped away, as the cycle of change mandates. For all intents and purposes, the other Beasts should have been that constant; they're immortal too. They're gods too. They're his friends. They WERE his friends. Or... were they not? I don't really think so anymore. What the Ancients have together, the Beasts either had a very weak and fragile copy, or never really had at all. IF they were ever friends, they were pretty shitty ones lol. And that's a big part of why they corrupted, and why they're all so bitter and lonely: they each feel as though no one ever understood them or their struggles, not even their supposed "friends". Then these 5 thieves come along and inadvertently give them that lifeline, to which they all react differently (in how they express their attachment, I mean. They're all obsessed but they let it show differently and to different levels), but underneath those differences lies a shared feeling: "oh God, someone finally understands me, someone finally feels what I feel, I can't ever let them go, I need them". It's so horrendously sad and disturbing and darkly fascinating. I love it. I love these pairs, I love talking about them, I can do it forever

And I agree with you that Eternal Sugar is a complex and very interesting character, and I'm disappointed in the people that think otherwise (I hate saying this, but a lot of the complaints kind of sound like they're just butthurt that Eternalberry was canonized and they're looking for any excuse to tear the update down because of it). She seems to be a step above Mystic Flour in that she really, truly thinks she's doing something GOOD (MF behaves this way as well, but ES is legitimately delusional). She actually thinks she's helping people. Deep down, she DOES understand that she's a bad person and she's only hurting those she claims to care for, Hollyberry included, and this dialogue demonstrates such:

She seems to have succumbed to a form of insanity above that of other Beasts; she is still clinging to her old desires to carry out her godly duties and make people happy, but her perception of such has become so warped that she actually thinks things like keeping people in jars forever is making them happy. Furthermore, she purposefully orchestrates situations that "prove" her mindset and ideals correct (allowing people to leave the garden if they wish ("see? I'm not controlling! I'm not desperate! I'm not a dictator! You can leave, it's ok!"), but having them leave while smelling like the perfume that permeates the whole area so Beast-Yeast monsters are drawn to and attack them, thus forcing them back into the garden and further convincing them that it's a safe haven and they belong there). So much confirmation bias with Sugar, it's crazy. SHE is crazy. She is LEGITIMATELY crazy, a sort of crazy that the others aren't, not even Shadow Milk. It is delightfully awful. She is delightfully awful

And oh... Holly... Holly and Sugar... Passion and Sloth... Them...

One begs the other to stay... The other begs them to wake up and leave. Holly is now the second Ancient to fully, directly express understanding and sympathy towards their Beast. She's now the second to fully, directly state that she wants to be with their Beast.

She's HAPPY at the prospect of them being together. Of being two halves of a soul. She would GLADLY complete Sugar and let Sugar complete her... but Sugar has to wake up first. She has to see the error of her ways. She has to leave her garden. And Sugar agrees to this. She probably didn't really mean it, she was probably just swept up in the Yuri Wave and saying what she thought Holly wanted her to say, but even so. I think it's meaningful. Out of all the Beasts, I think Sugar has the best shot of being redeemed. And she has just the right Ancient to help her with such a thing. (Tbh I think they can all be fixed. Not easily, not right away, absolutely not. It would take time and effort and a lot of very painful conversations and realizations on everyone's part. But I think it can be done. Each of them has shown that one little seed of doubt, of regret, of disillusionment. Each one of them has faltered, if only for a moment. Because of that, I think somewhere deep down inside of them is someone worth saving. But that's just me haha) Beast x Ancient is 5 different, delicious flavors of a beautiful and compelling tragedy and they kill and resurrect me several times a day

[crustyfloor]

The True Face - Translation (free on Patreon)

This comic, "The True Face" did such a beautiful and (scary) job of fleshing out Mizi's character even more. It surprised me - it's interesting that while it was mostly assumed that Mizi was as naturally oblivious to her environment the whole time as she appeared to be, in truth, her demeanor was a conscious choice- a facade and a defense mechanism in the face of the world they lived in.

The pacing alongside the time Vivinos took to reveal this information is also so significant, as we're following the current timeline, we're obviously beginning to delve into the complexity of Mizi's perspective and story- though, I will say, this comic is a byproduct of Mizi's grieving and trauma, much like Ivan's post-mortem comic, it's not all the "truth", and it's not all unreliable, it's her perspective. And with that, I'm trying to nitpick what may be exaggerations as a result the sheer force of her emotions in the moment and what might have a string of truth to it, now that she's truly reached a breaking point and can't avoid reality to protect herself anymore, can't feign hope when the reality is right in front of her, she's genuinely going crazy in self doubt and guilt, and this distorted self image she has of herself. I believe that's what is trying to be conveyed in two important scenes. First, the one where Sua appears, the cold image of Sua that Mizi has in her head comes and cruelly emotionally peels her open with the first line, "feel like a waste?" What exactly does that mean?

I think in these recollections, Sua delivers this line because she is one of Mizi's first self-perceived "victims,"- the people she regrets having been led to such fates because of her "willingness" to prioritize her own survival over them, and so, she caused their deaths. Especially Sua, the only person closest to her that, in Mizi's perspective, she used and disposed of, the ignorance and hope she played into that led to Sua’s death. What had Mizi been thinking during round 1? (That's what I'll choose to interpret these sequences as, because especially in this official art it gives off the impression that Mizi's the last one standing, sitting on their corpses because she believes she used everyone to her own advantage

So when Sua says "feel like a waste?" that's a reflection of how Mizi feels about herself (Sua's presence in this comic in and of itself in a reflection of Mizi's grief and feelings), if this is survivor's guilt and self-hatred, she hates that this is where doing anything she could to survive got her ("Do you feel like you've failed them? your efforts were for naught?"). Mizi personally villainizes herself for it; that's why it continues with her past speaking directly to her, mocking and reminding her of her own actions that led up to this point. Framing herself as a manipulative and selfish person and convincing her that it's true, I've always correlated Mizi's story to a type of cycle, because her initial naive hopefulness and ambition have always led her to her worst moments, witnessing the death of the people she cared about, even in the past it's put her in danger, she did all of this for herself, to survive, is she proud of herself for achieving it? She's genuinely so full of regret. This is her conscience and her own guilt coming back to bite her; it's a self-deprecating moment of survivor's guilt and grief, and it's such a fascinating moment for her as a character to finally confront

Even the way she (from the past) looks at herself with such distaste and resentment because she knows what Mizi's true nature is like, and then she leaves Mizi right where she is... it is just indescribable and a visceral way of showing Mizi's self-hatred for everything

[dazeylily]

Doctors don't know shit is the problem. I had to ask for prog at The Mayo Clinic. You know, the incredibly prestigious hospital? The endo shrugged and said sure. later, during my breast exam, she said "as you know there's very little research on [prog], so it will be interesting to see what changes happen" on the one hand, it was nice that she was so candid with me about the state of the art. I was shocked at how quickly she accepted that I was well-informed about my care, normally that's a whole struggle. on the other hand, I'm jaded enough to be certain that the reason she didn't do the usual I'm the Authority Figure and You Need to Listen routine is she knows there are no authorities on our care. The only reason her candid admission gets her points is that the bare minimum is abnormal. and on the final hand, she's seen what prog does. I'm not her first transfem patient, she has absolutely seen the exact changes that prog causes before. and she still talked about me like I was an experiment to my face.

I'll say one thing for prog, it certainly makes em.... fill out. You know how tgirls get kinda like, cone boobs? Don't quite fill the space all the way? Even I still kinda had that. But not anymore. Cone boobs these are not. They are bolbous and heavy and they feel "full" in a way they didn't before. Meaty. Any doctor worth his shit would probably look at this and come to the realization that all trans women who want tits should be on prog, as like, standard. But what do I know, I guess.

[ghostgirl-22]

i can't get the idea of patrick and art dry humping and getting off like that out of my head help

*Tashi voice* Does this help you anon??

CW: MDNI, NSFW

Summary: This is about when Patrick comes out as bisexual and Art, just so excited for him, becomes the most annoying “fake” gay friend ever. 

—-

He’s finally certain after he sees Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time. Then the second time. Then he buys the dvd just to be really, really sure. Sitting in the dorm while Art’s away, jerking off imagining himself as Orlando Bloom, imagining himself as Kiera Knightly. 

He’s so nervous about what Art will think but it turns out to be no big deal. Art brushes it off like “haha okay cool man, just don’t fall in love with me.” 

Patrick is already in love with him…he probably always has been… but doesn’t want to freak Art out, so he just says, “shut up dude, you’re not even my type.”

They both laugh. Things deflate and mostly go back to normal. 

Except for the fact that Art gets so, well… gay… for lack of a better phrase. He gets really flirty over the next few months. Suddenly he’s got his arms over Patrick’s shoulder all the time, hanging off of him, playing with his hair, making little stupid jokes amongst their teammates. “Don’t be mad at his serve guys, it’s actually good and I’m not just saying that because he kisses me tenderly before we go to sleep every night.” Art says, their teammates snickering as Patrick tosses a tennis ball at him.  

After practice Art comes to him in their dorm room. “Hey man you looked a little stiff out there, you want a massage? Lemme give you a massage,” and he’s rubbing Patrick’s shoulders. It feels nice until Art says “You can get naked and I’ll bring out the baby oil for you,” he grins before Patrick laughs and tells him to fuck off. 

One Saturday they’re at a match. It's still early spring. Patrick gets chilly easily but his sweatshirt is in the wash. Art’s kind of an ice queen so he’s not phased by it. “Come on dude, you can borrow my sweater,” he says as Patrick shivers. So Patrick’s walking around all day with Donaldson on the back of his sweatshirt. 

“It’s funny, like I gave you my last name or something,” Art teases. Which doesn’t make Patrick feel anyway at all. 

Art likes to point out “hot dudes” to Patrick, in the guise of trying to help him find a boyfriend. “Come on you gotta rip the band aid off. If you don’t get a boyfriend soon… you’re gonna have to take me.” 

“Yeah?  You wanna be my boyfriend?” Patrick smirks. 

“Sure, I'll break your hymen,” Art snorts. 

Again Patrick feels completely fine and normal.

They play fight a lot more too. Well, they start up again. They used to do it a lot when they were kids and there’s a sudden resurgence of childish wrestling matches. Art usually starts it, he’ll dumbly jump on top of Patrick and try to get him to smell his armpit before he gets in the shower or something stupid like that which usually leads to the two of them breathless on the floor or in one of their twin beds. One of them pinning the other. Patrick usually has to adjust himself so he doesn’t give anything away. 

Except Art acts like it’s what he wants. “Bet you wanna kiss me so bad right now, dude,” he smirks. 

“Yeah I do, come here,” Patrick says and Art will laugh like he’s not serious. 

Or even worse he’ll whisper in Patrick’s ear, “god I’m so fucking hard right now.” And then fall over in a fit of giggles. Asshole.

Patrick’s learned none of it’s serious. He knows Art isn’t doing it to be malicious, even if it kinda sucks sometimes. He knows Art loves him (as a friend) and maybe this is Art’s way of acting like nothing is different. Or maybe it’s his radical acceptance of Patrick’s sexuality. Or maybe… or maybe…  

Whenever Patrick has a girlfriend Art will joke around like, “Okay she’s your girlfriend but like…I’m still your boyfriend, right?” He says it when they're in the middle of the last round of Mario Kart, just before Patrick’s about to leave for his date. 

“Yeah always, loser,” Patrick adds the last part, as he zooms past Art in the game.  

“Okay so gimme a kiss before you go,” Art taps his cheek. He’s so stupid. And Patrick is too, because he does it. 

It comes to a head one night when Patrick’s in a bad mood. He didn’t do well on an exam and there's a possibility he might be at risk for academic probation. Usually when he’s in a bad mood he gets kinda horny and right now he’s not really in the mood for teasing.

They’re studying and Art sighs before asking Patrick for another homoerotic favor. “Fuck… dude please, please i need your help… can you stretch me? My legs are so fucking sore from those lunges. I can’t even focus.”

Patrick does it, only to stop Art from making those soft, extremely distracting, moans of discomfort. He stretches Art out on the solid surface of their bedroom floor. It’s a special kind of hell listening to him grunt his satisfaction.

Patrick’s pressing down one of Art’s legs, while leaning over his face. He’s shirtless, blond curls fanned out, blue eyes shining with amusement. He starts pouting those soft pink lips making stupid kissy faces. Patrick is so horny and irritated that he just does it. A little peck on his lips. 

“Seriously like the best fucking kiss I’ve ever had in my life.” Art grins. 

“Stop testing me,” Patrick snaps.

“Testing you how, man?” Art grunts out, nonchalant as Patrick stretches him deeper.

”You know I’m bisexual.” If Art keeps this up— today of all days Patricks gonna lose it and show him exactly what bisexual means. 

“Yeah of course I do. Remember you’re my boyfriend, you buy me dinner and stuff,” he laughs and when Patrick doesn’t join him Art reaches out and pats his arm. “Don’t worry dude I got your back, always.” 

Patrick narrows his eyes. “Boyfriend Art, really?”

”what? You don’t want me?” Art teases. 

“Yeah, I want you.” Patrick says plainly, backing off of the stretch. 

Art laughs, dropping his leg to the floor.

“I’m so fucking serious.” Patrick says, keeping eye contact. 

Art’s smile starts to settle and he shrugs. “Well of course you do. I’m too hot to resist.” 

Patrick rolls his eyes and then crawls over him.  Kissing him again but this time he means it. Mouth pressed against soft smiling lips, he slides his tongue along Art’s teeth. Art breathes in and makes the mistake of opening up, which lets Patrick slip his tongue inside, finding Art’s tongue and massaging it with his own. 

Art has mostly stilled but as soon as Patrick starts to pull back ready with the excuses he feels Art’s tongue move, and suddenly he’s licking, tasting, sliding into Patrick’s mouth. He hums as he actively starts to kiss Patrick back. He moves his leg so both of his feet are flat on the floor and his knees are drawn up, Patrick slotting himself naturally between his thighs. Never breaking the kiss. 

He’s not sure how long they kiss, but he does feel it when Art starts to grind, pressing his hips up, using Patrick’s thigh for friction. Letting Patrick to rut against his thigh. Patrick can feel him, he’s legitimately aroused and it makes Patrick dizzy.  Both of them, moaning and breathing heavy into each other’s mouths, the kiss getting sloppy and wet. 

They’re rubbing off on each other clothed, Art in basketball shorts Patrick in his sweatpants, grinding like horny little preteens on the floor of their dorm room. Art comes first, loudly… no longer kissing, just moaning and gasping against Patricks mouth. The hottest thing Patricks ever experienced, his first time doing it with a boy. He already knows he’s gonna jerk off to this memory for years to come.  Patrick blows his load in his boxers like he's 14 or something, while Art’s still coming down, breathlessly against him. 

”Oh fuck,” Art breathes, after they both manage to catch their breath. “I thought I wasn’t your type?”  

Patrick huffs a laugh and rolls over to lie on his back next to Art on the floor. “I thought you were straight.” 

Art rolls on his side and grins at him. “So did I. Guess we were both lying.”