#Visual Calmers

[mcquenotmcquay]

[medkitting]

its me again. experimenting with style. yeah. yeah

[angeltism]

oh shit maybe I should actually talk about star a little instead of leaving his entire existence vague as hell to uu guys . maybe ? idk I don't owe anybun an explanation of who he is or anything but also . idk ?

[withluvkay]

Be here a lil more <3

Visualizing "future me" can feel overwhelming at times. We've all heard someone say, "do it for future you" as motivation, but when that inner self-sabotaging voice kicks in, it can feel like too much.

Instead, try focusing on how an action makes you feel right now. Study to feel proud in this very moment. Read that book to feel calmer. Shower to feel refreshed afterward. Shifting your attention to today’s version of you can feel more manageable—and before you know it, you’ll have created that dream version of yourself without even realizing it.

I'm not saying to never imagine your future—those visions can be an incredible push. But overthinking it might make you feel the need to rush and make appreciating the present difficult. So take a breath, step back and focus on being here a little more. Tomorrow’s you will thank you.

Sending a big virtual hug your way! xo, Kay 🩷

[so-i-did-this-thing]

Hello, I would like to ask you a question that has been interesting to me for a long time, but I am afraid that it may somehow offend you, so I apologize. I understand if you do not want to discuss such things.

May you please tell me a little about the side effects of the transition?

So, the downsides of medical transition? Sure, I can name a few things. But a lot of "side effects" people warn you about are really just "be sure you're prepared to be more physiologically like a cis man -- you can't pick and choose what effects you get, but you can predict some of them based on genetics."

(Transphobes like to make this sound scary, like you're damaging your body. But it's like... OK, a receding hairline? Yeah, no shit that's gonna happen. Happens to most dudes. Jokes on you, a lot of people are into that. And I can take some finesteride to slow it down, so stop using visual shorthand for masculinity to scare me away from masculinity.)

That said, be sure you're prepared for changes to:

How you gain muscle & fat

Your libido

Your hair growth patterns

How you express (and possibly even feel) emotions

Your voice

Your genitals

Your risk factors for certain health conditions. Some will improve, some will get worse. Me, I have to keep an eye on my congenital heart issue.

That said, the only real "side effects" that I feel are unique to being trans and/or me are:

Vaginal dryness. There's creams for that, so, completely manageable.

You of course need to be aware of your liver health, since you're on a major medication. But it's your doc's job to check your levels and adjust accordingly. I have had no issues.

My ADHD and memory maybe got a bit worse? But they are both stable now.

If I miss a shot, I get irritable (T makes me a much calmer person)

That's really it for me.

I've had top surgery and the only side effect there was that I rejected some sutures (first time that has happened) and thus got a gnarly scar, but that can happen with any surgery.

Other folks are welcome to chime in. Again, I think it's important to distinguish between "side effect" and "this is a new-to-you thing to deal with that is common for cis men."

[your-astro-mami]

Solar Eclipse 2024 and how it will affect YOU

Aries Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 1st house which could show major shifts in your approach to life. This is the time to take a new direction and start something you have wanted to do for a while. Main character energy - you are ready to gain more confidence in the things you do. This is a wonderful period to make changes connected to your personal presentation, self-image, how you appear.

Taurus Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 12th house so there could be drastic changes connected to your mental health and inner wellbeing. You may feel ready to overcome past struggles and focus on your healing journey. This is a good time to do activities that are more spiritual, meditate, visualize as it could be an intense and transformative time and help you find the inner strength needed to bring the change.

Gemini Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 11th house which will bring big changes connected to your friend circle, friendships, social life as well as your personal goals. If you want to receive support and attention for something you do, this is the time to put yourself out there and work towards your goals. There is an increase in opportunities so make sure to catch them.

Cancer Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 10th house so this time could bring big changes connected to your career and professional life. You may be more motivated to turns plans into action and pursue any future goals. This is the time to cultivate your image and make any changes in your image as they will be helpful in improving your reputation and other people's perception of you.

Leo Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 9th house so you are entering a more adventurous period of your life. You are ready to do activities that will push you to go out of your comfort zone and do something new and different. This is a good time to focus on education, personal development and gain more knowledge. Travel is highly recommended.

Virgo Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 8th house so this period could be deeply transformative and help you gain more inner strength, courage. Financially it could show a period of growth and bigger opportunities for a financial change. You may have deep motivation to do things that will help you gain recognition.

Libra Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 7th house so this could be a transformative time for your relationships. The people in your life could have a large impact on your approach to life. You could experience a positive shift in your personal and professional relationships. Networking is recommended.

Scorpio Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 6th house so this is a good time to make any bigger changes in your lifestyle and start your health journey. You are more productive so this is a good time to focus on any important tasks and responsibilities. You may feel more motivated at work.

Sagittarius Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 5th house which could be positive for your inspiration and pursuing any creative projects. It could be a good time for socializing, expanding your circle and meeting more people. In your dating life it could be favorable for starting a new chapter.

Capricorn Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 4th house which could be a good time to make changes connected to your home, living location and environment. Take care of your emotional wellbeing and do activities that make you feel emotionally calmer. There could be big changes in your family and close relationships.

Aquarius Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 3rd house which could make this a wonderful time to make any major decisions and focus on plans. You may receive valuable information that will help you know what to do next. This is a good time for writing, journaling and sharing your thoughts with others.

Pisces Rising

The Solar eclipse will be in your 2nd house which could impact you financially and show a good time to seek new financial opportunities and sources of income. You may gain more confidence and security. You are likely to reevaluate your life and focus on what is important.

[rileysluvr]

super short price nsfw because i am his girlie til the day i die. he’s a bit of a meanie in this one tho so read with caution!!

“Again,” he orders.

You take a deep, shaky breath in an attempt to somewhat ground yourself, but it’s a difficult feat when you're being held down on your surperior’s hard lap by his big arm splayed over your hips. A thick, dusty book on the desk in front of you, flipped to the page that entirely covers the military-workplace regulations he was scolding you for until tears began to bead at your waterline. You don’t think you’ve ever been this humiliated.

Your vision is blurry, and it’s at that point where your memory serves you better than what you’ve been ordered to do, which is to read until you can’t. He’s broken you down to a writhing mess atop his thigh as both of yours can only drape over one of his huge ones. Back flush against his chest with his palm rubbing your pussy in all the right ways; you swallow thickly, wondering if you can even go on any longer in this state.

“Fifty-nine, oh-one: ‘Service personnel are to wear-” you pause to breathe, fighting back a stutter, ��…appropriate regulation uniform on duty—”

A bashful whimper cuts you off mid-recitement as he somehow manages to shove his two fingers even deeper into your cunt, nudging against your nerves rather harshly. Your legs squeeze around his thigh and your hands twitch in their place wrapped around to your sides. All the willpower in your body being used to keep yourself from bucking your hips forward and earning another half-hour of degrading names and treatment.

“Did you hear me tellin’ you to stop?” he barks, but it’s in that calmer manner that spins your mind around until you can’t decipher the difference between anger and sympathy. You shake your head, and you don’t need to have a visual on his face to feel the disapproval teetering off his bitten tongue and firm expression. “Then why don’t I hear you reading, eh?”

Your voice trembles, almost enough for him to take pity on you; “Sir, please- I’m trying.”

You weren’t even on duty today, for fuck’s sake. You had stopped by to pick up a personal belonging, only to be reminded how your captain views you as his own the second you step foot through the base’s front gate. And you were never good at avoiding his stalking gaze, especially when he’s got access to eyes stationed at every nook and corner.

“Christ, y’need me to spell it out for you? Is that it?” he scoffs. “How many times’ve we been over this?”

The way he berates and babies you has your cheeks stained and glistening with tears, and your mind all jumbled considering how easily he switches back and forth from mean to soft. Soft like how his fingers pull out and away from your cunt and hold themselves just far enough to make you shift your hips forward in search of them, only to be held back by his arm’s weight. Mean like his spat words and the grip with which he grabs your jaw, squeezing tight and puffing your cheeks out a bit in an attempt to get you to focus; to knock some sense into that strained, precious little brain of yours.

“Pretty fuckin’ simple task for a soldier, if y’ask me.”

Because deep down, he truly cares about your well-being. He only wants the best for his girl, and the dynamic between you.

And you wouldn’t want to disappoint your superior even more than you already have, now, would you?

He lets go of your face to allow you to finish, a nervous and newfound quietness croaking in your throat in addition to your already shy voice after his display of aggression; “—except when otherwise ordered by a Commanding Officer…’”

“Good girl,” he drags upon your completion, along with his hand that sneaks back into your panties. You jump from the coldness of his skin but he barely pays any mind to it. “Keep going for me, now, pretty. Go ‘head and skip some.”

It’s a repeated process; you recite what you know, mess up due to his cruel ways of sadistic teasing, and watch on from the outside as your self-respect crumbles so easily. You acknowledge it, you feel it, and you willingly ignore it because you know that whatever he plans on giving you afterwards will far surpass any other means to pleasure.

His time, his teachings and guidance, his own pleasure. They’re better than gifts, really.

“‘No item of uniform which has not been authorized is to be worn.’” You mumble for the entirety of the final sentence, now expecting him to get on you for not speaking clearly enough.

Instead, his middle finger delves between your folds and dips into your cunt at last, ripping a hiss and another whine from high in your throat from his rough treatment.

“And who authorizes your uniform?” he finally asks.

He adds his ring finger and the fullness in your cunt would be uncomfortable if the heel of his palm wasn’t digging into your clit at the particular angle. It numbs the stretch and your worries, so much so you nearly forget what he had asked you.

You gasp, eyes shooting open to meet cold, empty office in stark contrast to the warm, staggering frame pressed up against your back. Every muscle and every flex beneath the cotton material of his shirt being embedded into your mind.

“You do, Sir—mph!—it’s only you.”

An approving rumble from his chest vibrates against your back, and you lean into him with a soft moan when he curls his fingers upward in that way he knows you respond to the best. Head leant back on his shoulder, you hold onto his arm to stabilize your spinning mind once he begins slipping his rough fingers in and out of your sensitive pussy more firmly.

“So you show up to base in this pretty, little dress on your off-day, and expect to leave here without any punishment?”

His words exceed intimidating to a great extent, but the way he coos them so gently right by your ear leads directly to you scrambling them into nothing more than sweet blurbs and mumbles. He continues his short scolding as if he doesn’t know how dumb he’s got you already, ready to make you bite the consequences for your inability to respond to him later.

“Distractin’ me ‘nd all the other men here while we work, like you don’t know what your body does to them. What you’re worth around here, to the lot of bastards falling asleep with their dicks in their hands to the pretty image of you dressed like this,” he emphasizes with the tug of your dress’s ending hem.

“Sir,” you whine, not paying a single nod to his language because your numbed mind can simply no longer compute it. Muffled and unclear, though the mean and deep drawl that bleeds through pushes you all the much closer to bliss.

“Feels good, I—please… ’m so, so close, Sir—!”

You whine and clasp your hand down on his arm for some sort of spiritual stabilization, and he only picks up the pace. He works you up so quickly after edging you for what felt like hours, as this time he gives absolutely no notion to relenting.

“That right?” Of course, you can’t respond with much more than a whimper as you rock your hips back and forth on his hard thigh, his skilled fingers working you up to ecstasy.

“Yes, yes ‘m gonna—it’s too much, Sir, ‘m gonna come—!”

He chuckles, his arm around your waist pulling you impossibly closer into him. You convulse around his fingers and moan through your high as he militantly, yet somehow so expertly, turns your vision to stars and your limbs into a limp mess atop him. It’s like he knows your body better than you do yourself, making you come harder with his fingers alone than anyone has ever. You thank him profusely, soft words of mantra like music to his ears as he decides what to do with you next.

He gives you no time to recover before he’s wrapping both his hefty arms around you and hauling you up in front of him, big palm instantly meeting with your shoulder blade to shove you down on the wooden desk and ripping a gasp from high in your lungs. He leans over you, caging you in as he soothes his hand across your forehead; his version of intimacy, and whatnot.

You’re panting, utterly exasperated, but simply can’t help the way you wiggle your hips back against his to chase that good friction. He laughs at your display of neediness for his cock, knowing it’ll be a much longer while before he’ll let you have it.

“My stupid fuckin’ toy,” he mutters softly against your skin, and it sounds just as good as any flattering compliment would.

He takes the hem of your dress and hikes it up to reveal your ass, humming at the sight before leaning back in to kiss your temple. Facial hair tickling and invading your senses, nearly feeling like a sweet treat to shush the way you whine out with his hard bulge pressed up against where you’re most sensitive.

Thoughts of what he could do to you right now running rampant through both of your minds, none differing from each other nor unwanted from either party.

“You’re gonna let me use this body however I like, until you learn to behave yourself ‘round your coworkers. Till you learn a fuckin’ lesson for once. Sound quite alright, sweetheart?”

[terriblepersongreatseamonster]

Something that comes up in the light novels is Maomao acknowledging that she feels safe with Jinshi. It even comes up after volume 5. Some spoilers for the light novels ahead.

Maomao isn't like Jinshi when it comes to experiencing love. For Jinshi love is this overpowering, overwhelming, fiery thing. Maomao doesn't seem to be given to those types of feelings about another person (rare medicine ingredients are a different story 😅). And I think this is a part of why Jinshi's attempts to use his seductive charms on her don't work.

Maomao's life before Jinshi was not very safe. Yes, she had people who loved her & did their best to protect her, that's very clear. However, she lived with the constant threat of abduction &/or rape. Years after it happened, she still has nightmares about her mother cutting her finger. She also grew up believing Lakan had abandoned her & her mother for the first few years of her life (and he freaked her out once he did come back).

Safety is one of those things that you don't really think about, unless you've experienced feeling unsafe. While my childhood wasn't the same as Maomao's, there was a tremendous amount of food & financial insecurity. My mom's mental health was not the best, and while the abuse was never physical, there was abuse. I was not safe with her. When I was in my mid-30s, a few years after I got married, I had a startling realization that for the first time in my life I felt safe. My husband & our home made me feel safe. I looked back at when we got together & it dawned on me that the thing that drew me to him was how safe he made me feel. Even now, 5 years later, being able to feel safe is overwhelming & something I'm grateful for.

I experience feelings very similarly to the way Maomao seems to. I think that's part of why this story has really caught my attention. I do think Maomao loves Jinshi, but it's a softer, slower, calmer version of love, & certainly not the kind of romantic love we typically see depicted in visual & written media. He makes her feel safe.

Personally, I don't fully understand her being able to feel safe, because of things like the choking scene. That scene made me sick to my stomach, tbh. Both Jinshi & Maomao are masochistic. They didn't grow up seeing many, if any, healthy representations of attraction & romantic love. Maomao saw love being a transactional thing that people bought & sold. Jinshi saw his dad/brother take what they wanted, whenever they wanted from their concubines & consorts. They also live in a setting & culture that is fairly different from the kind I live in. By no means am I excusing or condoning things that, as far I'm concerned, qualify as sexual violence. However, I can look at the factors that have made both Jinshi & Maomao the people they are & the way they behave/interact with each other.

This is a work of fiction. These aren't real people. This is not a story for everyone, I can see it being very upsetting for people depending on their own life experiences. If characters always did the good thing, made the right choices, it would pretty boring. A story should have things that make you think. Characters should have depth & growth/development. This story does all of that.

[aossimusings]

Claire from the Bear, and why she's not badly written, she's just not occupying the character role people expect of her and they don't know what to do with that

Alright. I'm bringing some film student analysis to The Bear, and subsequently, Claire, because I'm tired of people saying crazy things like, "she's a manic pixie dream girl" or that her character is underdeveloped or badly written or that she's pure male fantasy or any other crazy, extremist reaction to her character, when really, I think she's occupying a different character role than we're used to seeing from characters like hers, and in typical The Bear fashion, we as an audience are not being told how to interpret her character with words, but with visual and narrative structure.

Be warned, this is a very, very long post.

Lets take a minute to understand narrative structure in film:

There's an A plot and a B plot. The A plot is what is referred to as "the promise of the premise." It's why you come to watch what you watch. The B plot is all the emotional character development/growth that undergirds the A plot and makes it emotional and impactful. So in the Bear, The A plot is the whole thread of, let's fix the Beef -> let's make a new restaurant -> let's get a star, etc etc, that evolves with each season. The B plot is mostly centered on Carmy (although other characters also have their own smaller B-plots) and on him healing from his grief and family and kitchen trauma and finding himself as a person, etc etc.

Claire as a character is a B-plot character. Her role as a character is to be a part of Carmy's emotional B-plot development, whereas the rest of the characters in the show occupy roles in both the A plot and the B plot. In a show centered

The thing that I think is causing a lot of the discourse around her character is the fact that she's not occupying a typical character role for her sort of character, and then people don't know what to do with her. They're either trying to slot her into a a bad female character role (like a manic pixie dream girl) and are then angry that that type of character would be included in the show, or they think she's a badly written attempt at a more developed character and are then angry because they think her character was fumbled, when in fact, she's neither.

Let's take a minute to examine these two roles:

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl

A manic pixie dream girl as defined by the Oxford language dictionary is:

"(especially in film) a type of female character depicted as vivacious and appealingly quirky, whose main purpose within the narrative is to inspire a greater appreciation for life in a male protagonist."

On paper, I can see why people would say that she's a MPDG. She's a little quirky, and she appears to "inspire a greater appreciation for life" in Carmy. She's a doctor, but she's a bad driver, she loves Mondays, she shoplifted in high school for the adrenaline rush, etc, etc. But I would argue that she's not actually a MPDG because her role in the narrative is fundamentally different than that of a MPDG.

In terms of narrative, MPDGs are a catalyst. They are crucial to the movement of the plot and the development of the main character. Specifically, they're supposed to be a catalyst for main male character growth. This is part of why MPDGs are a sort of problematic character -- the idea that they don't get dimension as a character, yet their entire role is to catalyze the main male character's positive growth and evolution is sexist. They aid the MMC at the cost of their personhood.

However, notably, Claire doesn't actually inspire positive growth in Carmy. He is not made better for knowing her. He doesn't grow as a person, learn from his mistakes. He isn't calmer or nicer in the kitchen, he doesn't resolve any of his trauma, I would argue that he doesn't even have a "greater appreciation for life" as is critical to the relationship between the MMC and the MPDG; he is just as depressed and anxious for knowing her as he was when he didn't know her.

So Claire: not a manic pixie dream girl, despite being quirky and trying to "inspire a greater appreciation for life."

The Badly Written Main Female Character

I think for a lot of viewers, if Claire isn't a MPDG to them, she's viewed as a badly written, badly developed main female character, who isn't afforded a lot of screen time, and as such, is one dimensional because she doesn't get much character development.

Wait, what? She's a badly written main character without a lot of screen time to develop? But part of being a main character is to have significant screen time to develop! But Claire doesn't have a lot of screen time... Tina has more screen time. Sugar has more screen time. Marcus has more screen time. It's almost like...Claire isn't a main character, even though, as a love interest, she occupies a role typically only allowed to main characters.

So then...what is she? To understand her narrative role, we need to take a minute to understand what Carmy's B-plot has established thus far. My apologies for the following, very drawn out explanation of Carmy's mental health. I promise I'll return to Claire, but this is important.

Carmy's B-plot (aka, the emotional stuff)

Seasons 1 through 3 are essentially following Carmy having a slow, drawn out breakdown. Or rather, it's not slow. It's a pretty realistic depiction of someone who is pretty mentally/emotionally unwell continuing to not get the help that he needs, and trying to fix things unsuccessfully on his own. But admitting that he's unwell feels like admitting defeat, so he's trying to fix things while never actually admitting that he needs help, and as such, is in a self-destructive spiral of trying to fix things unsuccessfully, feeling out of control because of it, trying to fix different things unsuccessfully, feeling even more out of control, etc etc.

By S3, we have a better understanding of the Berzatto family structure: an unnamed father who walked out leaving them in debt, Donna who is/was an alcoholic and otherwise emotional black hole, Mikey who died at age 43 (born 1979, died 2022 as seen on his prayer card), Sugar who's 36 a year after his death (born 1988, confirmed by her hospital intake in Ice Chips), and Carmy who is 26 a year after Mikey's death (confirmed by the original script.) So when Carmy was born, Sugar was 10 and Mikey was 18. This is important because in light of Fishes and Ice Chips, Donna was an alcoholic for as long as they were children, was incredibly unpredictable with mood swings, poor emotional regulation and maybe even emotional abuse (see how Carmy and Sugar essentially are trying to regulate their mother's emotions in Fishes), and probably some physical altercations if Donna's behavior in Fishes is anything to go by. Sugar explicitly says that she frightened all of her children. Mikey was probably the de facto parent in a lot of instances, being the only other adult in the household. The fact that he was also an addict, and as seen in Fishes, also violent or unpredictable at times, complicates this. S3E1's scene with Sugar and Carmy at the airport implies that after Mikey started cutting Carmy out (and struggling with addiction) Sugar started to assume that parental role. So that's a whole fucked up childhood right there, with very little room to healthily develop emotions or coping mechanisms or an understanding of healthy relationships. In ice-chips, Sugar demonstrates that she's aware of this. "I ask people if they're okay way too much," and "I'd make myself sick to make you feel better." Everything with Carmy's character demonstrates that he does not have this self awareness.

Carmy explains in his al-anon monologue that the rhythm of the kitchen became soothing to him, because it was so rigid and so predictable (a direct contrast to his home life.) But while it was soothing, he also cut contact with people in his life, because the self-isolation made things "quiet" (and probably gave him a feeling of control, like most self-destructive impulses do) which led to him being incredibly isolated and incredibly dependent on work as a coping mechanism by the time he ends up working with the abusive NYC chef. Important thing to note about that: now his only coping mechanism has been polluted by abuse as well, and the trauma of that will haunt him increasingly throughout the seasons (coupled with the fact that he's probably never learned how to healthily process his own emotions, in part because he ended up having to set them aside to emotionally regulate his own mother.)

Then Mikey kills himself. (which again, is the fucked-up family figure of brother and parent and addict and idol all rolled into one suddenly dying on you after abruptly cutting your out of their life)

I say all this because I want to make very clear that mentally, Carmy is not well. Across his various al-anon monologues, the fridge conversation, his flashbacks, etc. it becomes really clear that he's never really had any sense of safety or security in his life except for maybe when he was 18-24 when he did the French Laundry, Ever, Noma, and Daniel. The amount of anxiety that he experiences in his day to day life is not normal, it's not healthy. It's exhausting and damaging. He's also probably pretty depressed, and probably had been even before Mikey and NYC chef. He talked about in al-anon that when he was a kid, he could never feel happy or excited about anything because he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop (arguably because of his mother, because if she was upset, she made everyone else upset to deal with it, and if she was happy, he was waiting for her mood to shift.) We very rarely actually see him happy or joyful in any of the seasons. So basically, as evidenced by that and what we see in the seasons, he's got this really damaging spiral of anxiety and depression, where he's so anxious he can't feel happy.

Pursuit of happiness is actually what brings us to Claire as a character. He meets her almost right after he talks in al-anon about the fact that he should "provide amusement and enjoyment" for himself. Then he meets her in a grocery store, and promptly, and deliberately, gives her the wrong phone number. Personally, I read this as Carmy knowing that he's not ready for a relationship. He pursues it anyways, for likely 2 reasons:

Pursuit of happiness. Sugar always wanted him to get away from the Beef in S1, now he's trying to get some space and do something to "provide amusement and enjoyment"

Mikey! In Fishes, Mikey was really excited about the prospect of Carmy dating Claire. At the time, Carmy was like WTF, but in the wake of Mikey's death, this is probably a way of connecting with him. See, I can do it! I can date a girl! I can do this thing that you thought would make me happy. I can be normal. I can be what you wanted.

Now a little film student analysis:

One thing that I love about the Bear is that they're really good at the whole concept of "show don't tell". You'll hear about this a lot in writing advice, but it's actually even more relevant in film. Here's a good example from the bear:

The Bear never, ever says that Carmy has anxiety. I'm not even sure if the word "anxiety" is even said onscreen. Instead, The Bear shows:

Carmy drinking bottles of Pepto Bismal and chewing fistfuls of Tums, yet rarely eating anything

Carmy sleep walking and almost setting his apartment on fire

the sheer amount of nervous energy he has (tapping spoons, sharpies, cigarettes, etc. , never standing still, being generally twitchy)

some really great tricks with filming and lens that make the world around him shift focus, shift perspective, blur, and otherwise visually simulate the effects of an anxiety/panic attack.

In film, you have to be incredibly intentional about what you keep in and out. In my first film class, when we were doing film analysis, a lot of people would start "I'm not sure if this was intentional, but..." and the film teachers immediately shut that down with this statement:

"assume everything is intentional. even if it wasn't, someone still chose to leave it in" meaning that, in film, what you see on screen is actually a fraction of the material that filmmakers had to work with; if something makes it through to the final cut, it was important.

I mentioned before that despite Claire occupying a main character role as a love interest, she does not get main character screen time. Like I said above, I think a lot of people perceive this as her character being done a disservice, that she's badly written, that she's meant to be this perfect male fantasy, etc, etc.

Firstly, I present to you the fact that characters such as Sugar, Sydney, Tina, Donna, all have absolutely beautiful storylines and arcs. They're complex, well-written characters. I don't believe that Claire's lack of screen time is because the show-runners secretly idolize manic pixie dream girls and women of "male fantasy" and thus Claire is supposed to be this perfect person who doesn't need any screen time to be developed (which feels like a thread I've seen a lot.). I really don't think the show runners are secret misogynists. Sorry.

What I do believe is that Claire as a character is not meant to be central to the story. The show very intentionally spends more time developing Carmy's relationships with Sydney, Tina, Sugar, Richie than it does with Claire. Why? A host of reasons.

1. Because Claire is a new form of escapism for him, not that the kitchen is no longer is sanctuary.

I talked before about how after the NYC chef, and I would argue, now that he's trying to start his own restaurant, his one safe space of the kitchen has become polluted with the same chaos and/or abuse from the rest of his life which he spent years running away from. But because he's so isolated, he has no where else to go. So he creates somewhere to go, by creating a relationship with Claire. That relationship is his new form of escapism.

The show communicates that to us in one very specific way: 90% of the time, if Carmy is with Claire, we don't see him. This is not 100% true 100% of the time, but there was a clear pattern that developed in S2 that time spent with Claire is time spent off screen. I think a lot of people see this as "not developing Claire's character" and not giving her screen time, when in fact it's more so about Carmy's absence.

When he ditches Sydney to move boxes with Claire, we never see that scene. We just assume that he was doing it.

When Sydney is trying to figure shit out in the restaurant by herself, it's implied that Carmy is with Claire, but we don't cut to them.

When Carmy talks to Sydney about all the menu things he talked about with Claire, we never see those scenes.

Why? Because he is escaping The Bear by being with her. It would be a very different narrative if we actually did see these scenes, because it would demonstrate that they have an emotional weight and importance in the show. Instead, they're defined by their absence.

Carmy and Claire's relationship is defined by its absence in the show.

2. Claire is not the right type of partner for Carmy, and we're not supposed to believe that she is.

I think it's interesting to look at Carmy's relationship with Claire through Sugar's relationship with Pete. I was talking with some people and they observed that in a lot of ways, it makes sense that Sugar would be with Pete because he is completely non-threatening. In many ways, he's the opposite to most of the men in the Berzatto family (note: I'm not saying Berzatto men are threatening.) But Berzatto men are loud, and opinionated. Some of them engage in behaviors such as: screaming in their kitchen, and throwing spoons and sharpies; throwing forks like darts at their relatives and also shouting; telling their nephews that there nothing and worthless and will never be anything; walking out on their families and leaving them in debt; lording their financial success over various family members. You also have Donna as a parental figure who also throws things violently, yells and screams, is an emotional black hole, and has aggressively grabbed Sugar at least once. Pete is about as far away from all of this as you can be.

I think that Claire is Carmy's Pete in a lot of ways. She's quiet, and calm, she's non-threatening, etc. She's not emotionally manipulative, she doesn't ask much of him (so when she does ask things of him, it's a welcome escape), she is a doctor, which is meant to help people. However, and part of why I don't think their relationship would work in the long run, is that Carmy doesn't need a Pete. Sugar has an emotional intelligence that Carmy doesn't, for one thing. For another, as alluded to by Ice Chips with Sugar listening to the podcast about Adult Children of Alcoholics, each of them were affected differently by their traumatic childhood. And quite frankly, I think that Carmy needs someone who can be gentle and empathic and quiet with him, but also someone who won't take his shit and can stand up to him. (because unlike Sugar, who tends to internalize everything, Carmy has a tendency to externalize everything.) He tends to take it out on the people around him, and I think he needs someone who can simultaneously shut that down and hear him out. And I don't think Claire is that.

3. The chemistry just isn't there.

I don't want to get into an argument about shipping. I can't predict if Carmy is going to get back with Claire after some emotional development, or if he's meant to be with Sydney, or whatever. Personally, I think that any discussion of a relationship is premature (and I think that Carmy knew that subconsciously when he gave Claire a wrong number and was very hesitant on the phone when she called him the first time.)

What I have observed is this: the few scenes that we do see of Carmy and Claire feel a lot less emotionally charged than other scenes in the show. Forgetting romantic relationships, there is so much more emotion and connection in the following scene than in the scenes we see with Carmy and Claire:

Richie and Carmy's conversation about purpose in S2.

Carmy and Sydney's conversation under the table in S2.

Carmy and Mikey's conversation in the pantry in Fishes.

The snippet in the fridge when Carmy's talking to Tina.

The scene with Claire that really sticks out to me having emotional weight is the scene in S3 where they talk about the days of the week, Carmy's hand scar, and Claire accidentally almost killing that girl in the ER. It hurt so much you couldn't feel it. Firstly, it's telling that that scene happened in flashback, not during their relationship, and secondly, the main thesis of that scene was more of a commentary on trauma than it was about their chemistry (ie, Carmy is so traumatized atm, he doesn't realize that he is because of how much it hurts.)

This demonstrates to me that a) the show writers can write emotionally powerful scenes, and scenes with chemistry, and b) the lack thereof in scenes with Claire was an intentional choice because it demonstrates that other relationships are more important for Carmy's character than the one with Claire.

For all that Carmy said that he loved Claire, we never see any evidence of it. It's told, not shown. Whereas his affection for other people in his life isn't mentioned, but it is shown: "I have time for this" and sitting down to talk to Richie about purpose. Buying Sydney a monogrammed chef's coat because she liked his.

His relationship with Claire is important for what it helps demonstrate: his desire for escapism, his self-destruction, his emotional immaturity, the fact that he has other very important relationships and that he needs to deepen those bonds, the fact that he needs to get his priorities in order. It's not so much about Claire. And maybe that will read as sexist to some, because it's more about him than it is about her, but I don't think she's really meant to be a main character either.

[bachelorisland]

Mickey’s veeery complicated opinion on Jose Carioca

I talked about this headcanon on twitter but I wanted to talk about it on tumblr too bc u guys are goated 🙏🤣❤️ ANYYWAYYSSS (Sorry I’m very bad at explaining things and my grammar is awful this is more of a ramble, AND IM SORRY IF THIS IS OOC)

I feel like Mickey, despite not wanting to not like him, does NOTTTT LIKE Jose because of how similar they are. I mean when you think about it, Jose is basically everything Mickey is and more ? (Maybe that’s a stretch, I dunno) He’s more humble, probably a lot more charming, and I feel like Mickey would feel threatened by that. Here’s a rlly crappy drawing to visualize 😎

I don’t think Mickey would ever admit to feeling that way about him because he doesn’t WANT to, he feels really really guilty about it, and he thinks it’s silly, but I guess he has some deep rooted issues with being replaced to be reacting in such a way.

AND ALSO because Jose is completely oblivious to how Mickey feels about him and thinks they’re very good friends!! So mickey wouldn’t wanna mess that up either and make himself look bad

A TWITTER USER SAID THIS AND I AGREE WITH IT SO HARD THOUGH!!!

AND DONALD!!! Donald is Mickeys bestest friend!! Iconic Disney Duo!! But I always found it funny that despite Jose and Mickey being similar, to me Donald seems to fuck with Jose a LOT more than Mickey 😭 I think Mickey would be incredibly insecure about that especially, i mean if ur best friend likes this guy more than he likes you he’s definitely better than you!!! I think Mickey would end up believing that because Donald seems calmer and happier around Jose, than that means Donald’s temper wasn’t the problem, Mickey not being a good enough friend for him was. :( LIKE HES A BIRD TOO!! THEYRE BOTH BIRDS AND MICKEYS JUST A STUPIF MOUSE!!!💔💔💔 yeah

(I like to imagine a montage of mickey from the shorts trying to “win back” donald from jose lololol maybe ill make a little comic)

BUT ANYWAYS yeah that’s it . thx for reading. please…lemme know what u think….goofbye

[mcquenotmcquay]

If you a Native, throw it up.

[mosaickiwi]

(sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language) Hello, I hope you are doing well! Can I ask you for a drabble about the wedding day of an emotional MC who burst into tears because she thought that this day would never come and REDACTED, but without the “lavish ceremony” (lots of guests, wedding suits, huge celebration, etc.) (please forgive me, I hope I was able to express myself clearly, thank you very much and have a nice day!) ฅ'ω'ฅ

!!!

By law I must post wedding fic on Valentine's Day!!!

14 Days With You is an 18+ Yandere Visual Novel. MINORS DNI

~Wedding Day~

You nervously toyed with the ring in your palm, heart racing so hard it hurt. It was still difficult to believe what was happening. This was happening.

It was the same golden ring your partner had worn since you first met him. There wasn't a moment you ever saw them without it as he changed from a shy, stuttering mess in a cardigan to the clingy, dark-haired brat of a man you fell in love with more and more each day. Although the amount of rings they wore had grown.

That fateful day on the playground was something you couldn't even remember, and from what your companion told, you didn't want to. The second try was a far better memory for the both of you anyway. You were the one who proposed that time, catching them by complete surprise with the confidence you never usually had to ask anything of him. But you managed to do it.

And now you were the one who would put a ring on their finger.

“We haven't even started the vows,” [REDACTED] quietly said, pulling you from your thoughts. “Y'can’t be cryin’ just yet, Angel.”

“Am I crying?” The words came out hoarse from your already tightening throat. You hadn't realized. Sure enough, hot tears were streaming down your face as he gently wiped at them with his thumb. 

You tried to calm down, gazing up at him to distract yourself. Their voice had the same familiarly teasing tone it always did, but you could tell from the soft quiver to his lower lip that he was holding back his own tears.

“Yeah, it’s—” He let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, then hurriedly pushed his dark hair out of his reddening eyes. You wanted to tease him back about it, but you knew if you tried to speak again the tears would come flooding even worse. Another few moments passed as you both tried to collect yourselves.

Surprisingly, it took him a little longer. The tears on your cheeks had long fell and dried while he stood in front of you, eyes shrouded behind their bangs.

But after one more unsteady breath, he seemed to find his way again and look at you. “Are you ready?” they asked, a shakiness to their hands as he reached for the dangling chain around your neck—the necklace he’d given to you months ago once he’d found the courage to say yes to your proposal.

With your anxious nod of approval, he continued. Cool fingertips brushed at your collarbone, finding the silver clasp at the back of your neck and releasing it with a faint clicking of metal. The necklace fell loosely in his hands as he pulled it away. The golden ring easily slid from the chain and he rolled it in his fingers for a long moment, staring at it silently.

They were noticeably calmer this time, with a trembling smile that reached their eyes as he took your left hand and repeated himself. 

“Ready?”

[star-nett]

──⃝─⃝⃝⃝⃝─

˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦˚ . ★⋆.

☆ Prioritize and Learn your DR-self ☆

˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦˚ . ★⋆.

{Where focus goes, energy flows. Take what resonates, leave what does not 🖤}

- note: I use Harry Potter and the MCU realities as examples through this! A majority of us know basics of those places— it makes it easier for me to make examples in this b word.

Summary: Going over the importance of your DR-self and how to truly connect to yourself. Includes deep questions to think about <3

Key Terms: DR (Desired Reality), CR (Current Reality)

˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦˚ . ★⋆.

Nothing is more important than you <3

*I say with a smirk, twirling my hair.*

Focus on yourself/DR SELF more than ANYTHING ELSE!! I STAND ON THIS ONE!! TEN TOES DOWN RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOWWWW.

Your DR Isn’t Your DR Without Who?? YOU!

This is your time to have main character syndrome—hell, you ARE the most important character in your story! Why focus on you? It’s way easier to connect with yourself than trying to visualize every detail of your DR. You know yourself better than anyone. Use that to your advantage! Raw dog yourself dude

But lemme clock something ‼️ Truly connecting to your DR self is a lot more than just reading over a script and answering brain-dead questions like "What's my name? My age?" Like wowww, we get it.. we know. Wowwwwww— Instead, the goal is to embody and align. To close the gap. To truly become your DR self through thought, emotion, and perspective.

Deep Dive: Exploring Your DR Self ☆

Traits:

What are your core personality traits in your DR?

Are you brave, compassionate, witty, analytical?

Example: If you’re brave, is it “I can kill a spider with a shoe” brave, or “I’ll face down a Death Eater/alien army” brave? How Brave are you really? Can people rely on your bravery?

Thoughts and Reactions:

How do you react in your DR? What Level do you operate at?

Example: You're making Amortentia (love potion) in class, everyone wants to know what it smells like. They are bothering you. Pestering you. How do you react? Are you Calmer in your DR? Hot-headed? Do you laugh it off?

Growth:

Who are you in your DR, and how have you grown?

What challenges have shaped you? How do you handle conflict differently in your DR?

Your DR Self is an Extension of You

If your DR self feels a lot like "you" (CR self) with subtle difference that fit the narrative of your DR, that's okay! Think of your DR self not as someone new, but as you in a different context. It’s still you—just shaped by the events, experiences, and circumstances of your DR. So for the sake of example, some Marvel context. {Focus on Emotional immersion, shifting isn't just about forcing yourself to think differently-- its about feeling differently. Immerse in the emotions of your DR life.}

Example time:

What does it feel like to walking into the Avengers compound and know you belong?

Feel the Pride after using abilities to save someone, or the adrenaline of a mission. Speaking of abilities, if you use magic.. Do your hands move like Wanda? Agatha?

How does being an Avenger or Hero challenge or inspire you? How does your comfort character help you grow? Or do they help show a new side of yourself?

˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦˚ . ★⋆.

Don’t Overthink—Seriously.

I know, i just told you not to overthink, and then dumped LIKE A BILLION THINGS to OVERTHINK about— BUT BABY WAIT— here’s the thing: you don’t have to focus on everything I mentioned.

All of these points are just different tastes—little prompts to help you connect with your DR self. You don’t need to answer every question or dive into every example. Even picking just one of these ideas can lead you down the right path. That’s the whole point.

The goal is to delve deep and feel your DR self. Get into their mindset, match their energy, and align with their frequency. One thought, one emotion, or one detail is enough to bridge that gap. Keep it simple, and let it flow naturally.

☆ I’ll Leave You With This ☆

If you were to sit down with your CR self (my worst nightmare), you could probably talk for hours about the things that make you, you. Maybe you eat yogurt with forks (I do), your favorite color is pink, you can’t stand loud noises, you’re afraid of the ocean, or you secretly love pop music but hate certain smells. And let’s be real—your quirks, your traumas, your little joys? Those are what make you human.

You’re doing the exact same thing with your DR self. You’re getting to know their quirks, fears, loves, and unique traits. Because at the end of the day, you’re not just creating some untouchable fantasy version of yourself—you’re real. Your DR self is real. They’ve had real experiences, just like you’ve had in your CR.

So, when you’re exploring who they are, think about their humanly unique quirks. What makes them smile? What challenges them? What weird little habits or traits do they have that make them you?

You’re not creating a stranger or a perfect ideal. You’re reconnecting with a version of yourself who’s already out there living in the DR. They’re not some far-off, unreachable dream. They’re you.

Ho did you just focus on yourself? Yk what? Hell yeah

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦˚ . ★⋆.

{Another post down!! I hope this was somewhat helpful?? I struggle to organize my thoughts sometimes! I’m all over the place when I write 😭}

Next post teaser: Making shifting easier to understand 🫶🏻

[frut1ger-aero]

medieval inspired purecacao au

had a brainwave while listening to cocteau twins and golden brown (someone ban me from writing aus)

In synchrony with the natural orchestra of the woods, were the pants of a man upon his steed, cantering through the undergrowth. He longed to strip off his steel and chainmail armour and bask in the dappled sunlight, but on the orders of the Vanillian King, he was to remain in the attire of a man his status—a knight. A higher ranking knight, as displayed by his sleek black horse, but a knight nevertheless, who had to bend to the orders of the king.

As of now, he was barely a few yards from his station, so he gently reined his horse in and they slowed to a trot. His sheathed sword clunked uncomfortably, and the urge to discard it amongst the leaves was profound. However, he stayed loyal to his orders and continued on through the woods, where spring was primitive and native creatures bounded out of the way. Insects clicked and clacked, and with the ever-present hum of bees, the area seemed to be pulsing with nature.

Though he preferred the harsh bitter of winter, with its swirling snowstorms and biting winds, watching summer unfold was undeniably beautiful.

He was beginning to sweat, however, and the distressed whinnies of the animal beneath him told him that she too, was suffering.

They had both hailed from lands where the cold was consistent, never divided into seasons like the Vanilla Kingdom was. The Dark Cacao Kingdom endured blizzards and high amounts of snow regularly. In fact, if it was warm, that would become an issue discussed at the Citadel.

It was foolish, but he found himself missing his home. He rarely gave himself time to pine, yet he could not stop himself from reminiscing. Four years ago, due to a political disagreement, he and four other of the best Cacaoian warriors were sent over to the Vanilla Kingdom to compensate for whatever the Vanilla King was angry about. A lowly knight like him would never be versed in political affairs, only a pawn to be traded.

He had seen and endured many gruelling summers, and revelled in winters that almost felt like home, but nothing could ever top the feeling of satisfaction that returning home would bring.

“Dark Cacao!” an anonymous voice rang out. He nearly jumped off his horse when he heard it.

Who had followed him into the woods? A messenger, probably. As was the custom, he bowed his head and waited for the person to catch up to him.

“Dark Cacao, it’s me,” the voice called, even louder this time.

Yielding, Dark Cacao turned around, and through the slits of his helmet, saw who was approaching him.

Instantly, he felt calmer as he watched the Vanilla prince, Pure Vanilla hurry over to him, casting wary glances around.

“What are you doing here? Where is your attendant?”

It was No secret that the prince was visually impaired, and due to this, he always had an assistant by his side. For some reason, he always found a way to escape them and tail Dark Cacao.

“I wanted to see you,” Pure Vanilla said, like it was perfectly acceptable to evade the person who was employed to assist his every move. “I overheard Crunchy Chip at the gate discussing where you were put to guard.”

“You have to get back,” he replied, looking around in a paranoid manner. It was only them in the woods, but he shuddered at the thought of the consequences if they were caught.

“I don’t want to. I missed you. Can’t you take your armour off for once?” Pure Vanilla muttered, in the petulant manner only a pampered prince could master.

“Absolutely not,” he refused.

“Why,” Pure Vanilla whined.

“Just because you’re a prince, that doesn’t mean you always get what you want. How am I supposed to explain you being here?” From atop his horse, Dark Cacao could see the way Pure Vanilla shifted at that.

“I’ll tell them the truth—that I ran off.”

“You’ll get into trouble and your father will monitor you even more closely.”

“I don’t care. Will you take your armour off now?” Pure Vanilla pleaded.

In truth, Dark Cacao deeply wanted to. It had been so long since he had embraced his lover without the weight of his armour. But he still held fear of the authorities.

“I promise you can put it back on when I’m done.”

“That sounds lewd.”

Pure Vanilla snorted in a very unprince-like manner. “It does, but you know you want to.”

He was right, actually. Somehow, an aristocrat like him managed to see past the layers of metal and muteness and understood the being that lay beneath awfully well. Pure Vanilla knew of his most raw, vulnerable feelings, and never once treated him as less or mocked him, though technically he was. So, to satiate Pure Vanilla and take advantage of moment of solitude they had, Dark Cacao swung himself off his mount, where he was still taller than Pure Vanilla.

“Fine,” he conceded.

The armour was silent as it hit the woodland floor, and he stripped, piece by piece until he could actually feel a soft breeze washing between the folds of his thin clothing.

“Finally,” cried Pure Vanilla, bouncing on the balls of his feet and landing a kiss to Dark Cacao’s lips.

As he was pulling away, Dark Cacao caught his face in his hands and pressed their lips together in a longer, more urgent kiss. He slipped his arm around Pure Vanilla’s waist, pulling him closer.

“I bet you’re grateful I ran off,” Pure Vanilla murmured into his lips, pushing Dark Cacao’s hair back and sliding a hand onto his cheek.

He pulled back, stroking the area beneath his bi-coloured eyes.

“I’m always happy to see your demanding little face.”

Pure Vanilla hummed, searching Dark Cacao’s face. He lifted a hand, and gently prodded a cut on his jaw.

“Is that new?”

“Probably. It’ll heal.”

“Well of course it will—“

“It might get infected.”

Pure Vanilla fought the urge to smile. “I know, but how do you even get one,” he wondered aloud, pursing his lips in concern.

Dark Cacao uttered something unintelligible in return, and continued to thumb the space underneath his eyes. He was focused, and though it seemed as though he was focused on Pure Vanilla, yet he didn’t register his words.

“Dark Cacao?”

His heavily-lashed eyes fluttered a little, and he sighed, leaning his forehead against Pure Vanilla’s. “I’m sorry my love. Your eyes are simply captivating.”

“Even though they can barely see,” he said bitterly. His voice took on a softer tone. “At least I can see you.”

“Half the time I’m wearing my armour,” Dark Cacao said.

“I can still distinguish you. Something about your demeanour and the way you hold yourself, the way you walk, makes you so much more distinctive. Everyone else fades away into a blur of colours. You really are the only one I have eyes for.”

It was times like these, when Dark Cacao wanted to unravel completely before him.

“I live for you only; I serve you only,” Dark Cacao whispered.

Pure Vanilla ran yet another hand through Dark Cacao’s hair, and pressed down on his broad shoulders, guiding him down towards the floor. He kissed his bare neck, his collarbone, his jaw, littering Dark Cacao with kisses as he gently pushed him to lie on the floor, and moved to lie atop him, sliding his hands beneath Dark Cacao’s head, lifting it to kiss him even more. He responded by wrapping his arms around Pure Vanilla’s back.

“I hate my stupid royale clothing,” he breathed, reaching around to loosen his sash and dispose of it somewhere in the foliage.

“Is there any kind of clothing you actually like,” Dark Cacao teased.

“Probably not. But armour hardly counts as clothing,” Pure Vanilla said, before he dove back into the kiss. This time, Dark Cacao felt his smile when their lips reconnected.

Pure Vanilla was warm, but it was a warmth he tolerated. No, more than tolerated. A warmth he craved, one he would forsake the cold of his homeland for. Strangely, he found it much more comforting than the conditions he normally loved, when it came from Pure Vanilla.

The prince sat back, disentangling himself from his lover, who also sat up, crossing his legs, Pure Vanilla leaned against his shoulder, resting his hand on Dark Cacao’s knee.

Behind them, Dark Cacao’s horse whinnied, flicking her tail.

That was a painful reminder to Dark Cacao: kissing the prince’s sun-soaked lips would not make his duties go away.

As if he could read his mind, Pure Vanilla spoke softly: “I wish I wasn’t a prince, and I wish you weren’t a knight.”

Often, Pure Vanilla would begin to talk of his inner wishes, fanciful dreams of a life they could lead where expectations wore neither of them down, and they could love as freely and as openly as they desired.

Dark Cacao understood those feelings. As a matter of fact, he shared in them a great deal, the desperate wishing that things were different. But he also knew, once he began to dwell on them, they would begin to grow, larger and larger until they consumed him and he would feel nothing else. So he less than encouraged it when Pure Vanilla got like this.

“Pure Vanilla,” Dark Cacao said gently.

“I know. Believe me, I know. But I can’t help wanting a quiet life with you.”

“This is all we have, you know that.”

“But I love you,” he burst out. “I love you so much and I hate that we’re so far apart all the time. I want to sit in sunlit fields with you for as long as I want, kiss you and hold you without a care in the world. Why is it that I have to bend to these ridiculous norms?”

Pure Vanilla turned to Dark Cacao, looking on the verge of tears. His eyes were glossy and he drove his teeth into his bottom lip with all the strength he could muster.

“I can’t even dream in peace. You’re everything to me, yet I can’t even have you, not fully,” he said, his voice cracking and his bottom lip trembling.

“I am always yours, my prince. All of me,” Dark Cacao said quietly. And he lifted Pure Vanilla’s hand from his knee, and kissed it.

A sob escaped him.

Dark Cacao lifted him, setting him down into his lap, whereupon he lay down, curling up and began to weep freely.

Twirling golden hair between his fingers, Dark Cacao stroked Pure Vanilla’s back. If his face was in view, he would have wiped the tears away.

“I wish it were different.”

As he looked down at the sobbing prince, Dark Cacao felt an ache begin to dull his senses, a fog born of love and desire and sorrow descending over him.

Distantly, calls and cries sounded. They were far, but seemed to be getting closer. Dark Cacao came to the realisation that they must be searching for the prince, and were on their way to the post—one he hadn’t even reached—where Dark Cacao should have been stationed, presumably to ask him if he had seen the prince.

“Pure Vanilla,” Dark Cacao urged. He shook his leg gently until Pure Vanilla lifted his head.

“I know it is ironic, but people are coming.”

He sniffed, wiping a hand over his eyes. “It’s not your fault. I’ll tell them you were taking me back, if you let me get on your horse.”

Dark Cacao wasted No time and immediately started pulling his armour back on, not fumbling once in his haste. He was accustomed to this, scrambling in and out of armour, going from a loving, affectionate man to a stoic, silent knight.

Right before he pulled his helmet on, Pure Vanilla stood on his tiptoes and clumsily planted a kiss on Dark Cacao’s lips.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replied. He meant it.

Then, he donned the last part of his armour, and his walls were back up. He mounted his horse, holding out a hand to help Pure Vanilla’s swing up and sit in front of him.

Having had its reins snapped, the horse sped into a gallop, carrying them through the forest.

Pure Vanilla leaned against Dark Cacao’s firm, armoured frame. To him, he was still the beautiful man he had kissed not even two minutes before.

He held onto that thought. The thought that, though he was forced to hide behind welded steel and metal all the time, Pure Vanilla knew what lay within.

And oh, how he cherished it.

[pretty-little-mind33]

Hi girlie I have a request for pietro Maximoff

Ok so hear me out I would love to hear your head cannons on pietro as a big brother or father

doing this for Wanda & Pietro <3

Brother!Pietro who spent years arguing with Wanda on who was the oldest twin (it's him) but she never wanted to accept it.

Would play pranks on Wanda until she asked to join him and then they would play pranks on their parents.

Brother!Pietro who has a special bond with his father and so they play boys vs girls game nights at their house on Fridays.

The most protective older brother there is. Even before his powers, he would low-key beat up anyone who hurts Wanda or tries anything.

Brother!Pietro who bottled up all his emotions in the beginning when their parents died and promised himself he would only take care of Wanda and her emotions :(

He had the worst years in Hydra, mostly because he had to be away from Wanda in the beginning. During the harder days, he would simply visualize her happy face and feel better.

Brother!Pietro who does everything for Wanda and only her.

Brother!Pietro who (lived:)) and is wary of Vision in the beginning. Who is he and what exactly does he want with Wanda? Pietro can't imagine losing her.

They are trauma bonded :( so imagining her leaving him is hard.

But once he sees how happy Wanda is with Vision, he immediately softens and becomes much calmer and he fully accepts Vision. That's his brother now.

doing this for Pietro x fem!reader

Pietro is 100% a family man. Family comes first, always.

When he meets you, he's head over heels in love. He does everything in his power to make you his wife.

You become pregnant four years into dating and you aren't married yet. Pietro had a ring but he didn't propose yet.

You do a fun little baby announcement and included Wanda and Pietro is over the moon happy.

When your baby is born, he holds them like they're the most precious thing on the planet. He's so still it's almost scary.

Dad!Pietro's favorite thing is playing peek-a-boo with his baby and hearing them laugh.

Dad!Pietro whose only goal since the baby's brith is to become a stay at home dad lol.

Dad!Pietro who makes such a big deal of birthdays. Especially the first birthday. He puts a little tiny birthday hat on his child and sings happy birthday in Sokovian.

Dad!Pietro who makes sure that his child is bilingual and can speak Sokovian. He'll tell them bedtime stories in Sokovian to help them learn.

If he has a baby girl, he'll learn to braid hair and he'll go shopping with you to buy loads of barrettes and bows of different colors to put in her hair.

When the child starts school, he'll help with homework. He sucks at math but he tries anyways...

Dad!Pietro if he has a child with powers like him or Wanda he will dedicate so much time in teaching his kid not to be scared of them and how to control them.

If the baby has Wanda's powers, she is around a lot and helping. You don't mind because you love Wanda.

Dad!Pietro who attends EVERY talent show and every school event for his kid. He will always show up.

Basically, Dad!Pietro is the most attentive dad ever :)

[im-not-a-ghost]

Situationship : what the heck is going on?

If you need clarity about a situationship, this reading is meant for you. We'll try to look at the energies on each person's side as well as spirit's advice.

Group 1 - Spirited away

Your energy | "I'm ready to go big, rise up and step into my power." / The Revolutionary, The Pillar rx, Drama free, 2 of swords, The Fool

You may have struggled with letting go within this connection quite a lot but now, you've reached a point where you are detached about the outcome. You could be feeling tired of running after this person only for things to remain the same. You may have decided to turn your back on them but a part of you may be hesitating. You're wanting to start anew and rid yourself of all the trouble and drama that's happened into your life ever since this person came in. You wish to go back to a calmer and brighter energy. You may even consider finding someone else because you feel like this situation isn't going anywhere. If not, you at least feel like you should move on and reclaim your energy to focus on yourself. If this energetic description matches the state you are currently in, this is a good indicator that you picked the right group. If not, you may consider choosing another group.

Their energy | "I honor my self worth by asking for what I want." / Say it out loud, Inhale exhale, The Universe, Get wild, The Sun, 9 of pentacles

I get two different vibes with this spread but this doesn't mean that both cannot be compatible. Firstly, this person is in a very good mindset in general. They are feeling very confident and motivated, especially when it comes to relationships. They are likely single and ready to mingle. However, I feel like right now they enjoy their own company and do not consider committing any time soon. Secondly, they seem to be in a playful energy, looking for more casual connections. They are currently feeling in a position of power. They know that they are attractive, they're aware of your interest and they feel pretty good about it. I feel like this person mostly cares about their own satisfaction and pleasure. They could be attracted to you, yes, but that attraction is mainly physical and serving their own interests. For some of you, this person could even be relieved that you are no longer giving them attention because it allows them to focus on themselves and others things and people that they find interest in.

Spirit's advice | Power, The Fool, Better alone than in bad company, "I communicate with ease and grace, people are willing to embrace what I have to say".

Spirit is encouraging you to follow your intuition by moving on from this person. It is clear that you don't seem to be happy with what is going on and endure the consequences alone. Their advice is to start anew without them in your life because their presence causes more harm than good. They invite you to be clear about your intentions moving on, should you meet someone else you are interested in. Very early on, your needs and expectations should be voiced out to this person so that your boundaries are clear and there is no misunderstanding. Also, this will ensure that you find someone that matches your expectations. Should a person not meet those, it is important that you love yourself enough to move on. They also encourage you to communicate with the person you were thinking of to express how you feel within this situation, as this can help you heal. You don't have to directly speak to them to be able to do so. You can write a letter to their higher self that you will dispose of later on or talk to them through visualization. Of course, directly confronting them can also be an option if you feel like it.

Group 2 - Kiki's delivery service

Your energy | Abuse of power, Self love, Knight of cups, I welcome healthy loving relationships

I feel like you've cut ties with this person and are currently focusing on yourself. You have felt like this person disrespected you and overstepped your boundaries by being unfair towards you, possibly leaving you in the dark or being intrusive or mean. You decided that you deserved better than that and stopped communicating with them. You are currently working hard to heal yourself and get back on track. I don't feel like you are dating anyone currently. You are busy giving yourself the love that this person wasn't willing to give you. You may be re evaluating relationships in your life because of your experience with this person. I don't feel like you have any regrets cutting ties with them. If this sounds like the state you are in right now, this is a good indicator that you picked the right group. If not, you can choose another.

Their energy | Surprise, 5 of wands, Underworld, I celebrate greatness in my life (rx)

This person clearly did not see that coming. Right now, they are going through a very difficult phase because they do not understand why you are gone. Maybe you cut ties without giving them an explanation or, if you did, they are still in denial of what happened. They regret that things didn't work out in their favor. This person is feeling pessimistic right now, if not depressed. Your loss has impacted them greatly. They feel like all the positivity in their life has been ripped away from them. Your decision was an utter shock to them. They may be trying to persuade you to change your decision. If not, I feel like they'll keep their distances but you won't leave their mind before quite some time. I get the message that they replay in their head what happened, thinking "what could have I done differently".

Spirit's advice | Share wisdom, White Numen, Party in your heart, "My friendships support me, nourish me and inspire me"

There could be a possibility for you to remain friends with this person but that is only up to you. I feel like many of you may not want to remain in contact with this person. Other than that, spirit encourages you to meet up with friends and family to clear your mind and raise your vibration. It is now time that you focus on your goals and aspirations, that you celebrate and have fun doing things that you love and make you feel good about yourself. You are also encouraged to ask for advice to your ancestors. If you're interested in dating again, spirit invites you to make new connections. There could be in your friend group one or several people that would be a better match for you.

Group 3 - Princess Mononoke

Your energy | 5 of swords, Get Creative, Spread the love, Compassion is my compass. I am willing to hold space for the experience of others.

You are confused about this person's motives and actions, you feel lost as to what to do but a part of you wants to have faith in the future when it comes to your connection with them. You are trying to remain optimistic and understanding of whatever this person is going through. You may have decided to give them a little space by being less present in their life but you don't want them to think that you don't care anymore. So you may be coming in and out of their life or having very casual interactions with them by being friendly, asking about how they're doing once in a while, sending them encouraging messages if they post something on their socials. You fear that if you don't show up, this person may forget about you. You feel the need to fight for their attention but a part of you also understands that they may not be in a state where they can embrace your love and compassion for them. If this resonates with you, then this is a good sign that you chose the right group. If not, you may want to pick another.

Their energy | Please leave a voicemail, 7 of wands, Transmute, All is well everything is working out for my highest good. (rx)

This person is going through a lot right now. They are really stressed and worried about various things that may or may not have a link with your connection. They are indeed not in an energy that can allow them to fully enjoy your connection and be present, give you the attention you hope for. I don't feel like they do not care about you or that they don't have feelings, it's just that there is too much on their mind right now. They don't have the time and energy to sit down and bask in their feelings for you, to fully understand what you mean to them. They may be feeling very vulnerable right now and not wanting you to see that aspect of them. Which could explain why they are being distant. It could be that when you try to reach out to them, they leave you on read or give you very short replies. Sometimes, they may appear as aggressive or cold towards you for no apparent reason.

Spirit's advice | Relieve the pressure, The Explorer, Queen of cups, My productivity stems from inspiration. When I focus on what brings me joy my tasks become effortless.

You are encouraged to take this time of no contact to look within and ask yourself what you want out of this connection but also to focus on other areas of your life. Spirit invites you to see things from a higher perspective by taking a breather. In your situation, forcing things will not help you. There are other elements that need your attention, possibly passions that you may have left aside. You are encouraged to explore other relationships if that is something you feel called to do. Or just generally give your mind something to focus on other than this person. A period of separation would be beneficial to your connection. Not only will this help you regain your confidence and energy but this will also give the other person the time and space they need to heal and solve whatever issue they are facing.