#aboveboard

[foldingfittedsheets]

-.- I’ve got a well worn copy of Photoshop that has been serving me for nigh on a decade but literally every time I need to install it on a computer it’s an hours long debacle and then it never gives me any issues. Today is the day I try to get it functioning on my laptop.

[oliveroctavius]

Given (waves hands) current cultural discussion, I wanted to drop a link to I Saw It: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, a 1972 single-issue autobiographical comic by Keiji Nakazawa. It's about growing up during WWII, narrowly surviving the bombing, and coming into his own as a comic artist in order to communicate his experience more widely.

Very graphic in places due to subject matter but a well-made comic and notable firsthand historical read.

[unopenablebox]

hm. i am bonkers now unfortunately

[kiralamouse]

Question to fellow labor solidarity folk: what is the correct percentage of the bill to slip under the table in cash to a cleaner when you discover that the company proudly pays cleaners for each cleaning in part directly based on customer reviews? Am almost ready to try to tip 100% on the DL. Grr.

[echthr0s]

the fact that my fixation on Wyll is largely based upon his visual similarity to Can Calah (they also have at least one narrative concept in common, but it is mainly the appearance that's triggering it for me, I think). the fact that Ioannu is a self-insert. the fact that Wyll's attraction to Ioannu feels uncontrollable and predetermined. none of these things have anything to do with each other <3

[betweenlands]

god i wish i had polls rn. anyway which character on dominion is the closest to "the ends justify the means" and why is it legundo

[professorrivertam]

A plea to teens, because it seems like some of you aren’t getting this message anywhere else:

If you are a teen, and you develop a crush on an adult in your life (a teacher or other educator, a coach, etc.), please know that this is a completely normal - maybe even common - experience! But I cannot emphasize enough:

Do not inform that adult of your feelings. Do not confess your love, or flirt with them, even if you just graduated school and turned 18, whether they are single or not.

There are two possibilities in a situation like this:

that they are a good and kind person and your actions may put them in real danger of losing their job and/or ruining their reputation and/or facing legal trouble regardless of your intentions, and at best you put them in the position of having to ask you to stop and potentially lose a positive adult figure in your life; or

(The much less likely, but still possible scenario) that they *were* actually grooming you and you are putting yourself at tremendous risk of harm.

I don’t pretend to anticipate every possible situation. I know at least one happy couple that met when one of them was a student and the other was a teacher, who now have a lovely family together. But - and this is key - they did not get together immediately after the younger party left school!

Again, your crush is normal and fine. But instead of treating it like a viable potential relationship, use it to better understand what kind of person you want to date. If you put a few years behind you, gain some life experience as an adult and try some dating in between, and the adult you crushed on is still single, then what you do is in your own hands. But don’t put yourself or them in a potentially terrible situation by approaching them now.

[mysticallystilinski]

Anakin but with the shower scene from life is a house?😈😈

𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐲

(𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - anakin just wanted a nice, hot shower to himself, but then you decided to make your way in. how would he relieve himself then?

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 0.9k

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 - modern!au, whiny anakin, (life as a house) but more explicit, oral male!receiving, whimpering (shh tons of it).

『 masterlist + nav + taglist 』 𝜗𝜚

anakin’s shower was running hot, and very steamy. it had been a long day of training physically and he needed to relieve some stress. the water pounded down onto his back, and dropped down ever so slightly. he groaned as the water turned hotter, and began to make him quiver.

he had been showering at your house for a couple of days, as his shower was based outside at his dads house. per usual, it was friday, which meant your hair washing day. you knocked on the bathroom door in urgency as you wanted to get in the shower as quick as possible. “anakin.. ANAKIN, are you in there”, quickly followed with no response by him.

music was slightly playing, but the undertones sounded almost like a whimper. you contorted your head in confusion as the groans got louder. you decided to unlock the door using the key aboveboard, and try to get him out yourself. barging through the door, you saw anakin in the shower, completely nude.

“anakin, are you almost done”, you spoke while walking towards the curtain. he jumped at the sound of your voice, and immediately tried to cover himself. “don’t worry, you can really see through all this steam”, you giggled. your fingers interlocked with the curtain, and slowly pulled it back making his eyes lock with yours.

“you know, do you just barge in all the time”, he finally responded. giggling, you slowly walked up the the mirror and caught him checking you out in the reflection. “i mean sometimes, especially if i like the view”. anakin’s demeanor changed completely at the sound of your flirting. you slowly pulled down your pants, with your underwear entangled into them.

staring into the reflection, you stripped yourself of your t-shirt and bra. making your way over to the curtain, you caught anakin trying to look away from you. “i need to wash my hair”, you said. he just nodded in reply, and turned the other way. you stepped into the direct path of water, and felt a chill go down your spine.

“do you always leave the water this cold ani?”, you asked questionably. “are you joking? it’s almost boiling point”, he replied. despite his argues, you turned the heat to an even hotter point. “oops..”, you laughed. he gazed in the direction of the mirror before completely shutting the curtain. “are you sure you like boys?”, you asked while turning to face him.

his face contorted into a confused look. “i don’t”. at this time, you were now confused. “like obviously i don’t”, he said while pointing down to his obvious boner. he slightly bit his lip as your eyes made their way down to his bulge. quickly, your eyes met his again as you turned around for the water to hit your chest.

at once, you felt his hands grip your waist, and pull your body against his. “an- ani, what are you doing?”. he didn’t reply, but placed sloppy kisses down your neck. you gasped as he went lower, and eventually hit your sensitive collarbone. you took a step forward, and reversed your body so it would face him.

“if you wanted me to suck you off, you could’ve just said that”, you commented at his actions. his eyes widened slightly, but then he turned his head in a devilish glance. “you’d want to?”. you nodded in reply at his words. as soon as you have consent, he placed his lips onto yours.

lips, the most magnificent thing in the world, especially ani’s. his kiss tasted sweet with a hint of mint. you delved deeper into the kiss as he grabbed your ass. the kiss was soft, and passionate. god, you wanted him so badly. quickly, you pushed him away. enough foreplay was in line for you to get down on your knees, and make him finish.

the tiles were cold, which made you slightly uncomfortable. before you could even start, anakin locked his hands into your hair and pushed your head to his load. starting off, you slightly jerked him off, messing with the pre-cum on his tip. looking up through your eyes, anakin groaned at the position you were in. “please baby, do something”, he whimpered.

with your head so close, ani was almost tempted to shove himself down your throat. but before he could do that, you slowly sucked on the sides of his cock. your tongue trailed up and down his veins, twirling around every corner. in the midst of you sucking, you shoved some of his bulge into your mouth. obviously, you couldn’t fit it all, but you were determined to try.

anakin began to slide in and out of your mouth, almost throat fucking you. he whimpered as your mouth began to move a little faster and he became more sensitive. “you got this baby”, he moaned out. that gave you the confidence to put a little more effort into the moment. denying that he was big would be a huge lie, because lord knows he was nowhere near small.

his cock began to twitch, and you felt him start to slow down on his thrusts. you became faster, and more persistent as his whimpers became louder and more potent. anakin pulled onto your hair, and released himself into your mouth. you pulled back while looking upon him, and slowly swallowed his load. “good girl, you look so pretty”, he smirked.

you slowly stood back up onto your feet. kissing anakin on the cheek, he grabbed your ass once again. “not this time anakin, save fucking me for another time”, you announced. grabbing your towel, you headed out of the shower before writing on the steamed windows. a heart, and a kiss mark.

𝐥𝐚𝐯 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 i only watched a good hour of life as a house today, so this obviously isn’t quoted! i hope this is a little bit how you expected:)

୭ ✧

taglist - @spencerreidxx @bellereadstories @rafescokenostril @ena-enola @grandmasterswife @zoomerkins @ribbonprincess @tenaciousathleteoperatorgarden @ggabivs @lvser02 @dwntwn-strnlo @starlitblair @worldsgreatestarcher @chiaraanatra @wrongframeofmind23 @sarahmichelle1624 @jediavengers @rafeinterlude @ilovebookmen @mwdhwtter @nin356 @sarahirmiz @rafesbabygirll @idek1214 @st4rkeysw1f3y @dollsay @littlefirefly08 @littlemissborntolose @zizuras @spideysimpossiblegirl

[jymwahuwu]

Completed all the storylines of March’s sword training event! Jiaoqiu really exceeded my expectations. He is a bit dark and pessimistic, and will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. However, he often fails when facing children (because he won't be mean when facing children😹).

And Jiaoqiu also works very well with Moze! This combination is great, isn't it? The two of them will have a good rapport and be loyal. Compared to General Feixiao who stood in the light, they felt that they were more suitable to support from behind, and complained a little childishly that Feixiao sent them to directly interact with the people of Luofu.

Think about it, you are Yaoqing's enemy, and you have always insisted on defeating Xianzhou in an aboveboard way…but Jiaoqiu comes up with the strategy, and Moze is the one who executes the action. Moze drugged your drink. The itchy and unbearable pleasure squeezes you and spreads like a raging fire. Moze only had to touch your private parts a little through your panties, and your eyes were misty and you were crying in shock. Then they spit roast you one after the other. Your mouth is filled with the fox cock, leaving you whining speechless, while your butt is spread open and thrusted…

[astroa3h]

Asteroid (128) Nemesis Through The Houses ✨

Asteroid Nemesis, also known as 128 Nemesis, holds significant importance in astrology for indicating hidden enemies, revenge, and karmic justice. Named after the Greek goddess of retribution, Nemesis can reveal where someone might encounter opposition or betrayal through out their life.

For example, Laci Peterson, who was tragically murdered by her husband Scott Peterson, had Nemesis in her 7th house. This placement suggests hidden dangers within her marriage. Instead of a supportive relationship, she faced betrayal and harm from the one person who should have been her safe space.

Where does Nemesis live in your Natal Chart?

Find out via astro-seek.com ✨

1st House (Self-Image and Personal Identity): If Nemesis is chilling in your 1st house, darling, the enemy might be yourself. This placement can point to self-sabotage and identity crises. You might be your own worst critic, constantly battling inner demons about who you are or how you present yourself to the world.

2nd House (Values and Finances): In the 2nd house, Nemesis could indicate hidden foes related to money and possessions. Be wary of those who might envy your material wealth or values. There could also be an inner struggle with self-worth and value systems.

3rd House (Communication and Siblings): Nemesis here can mean frenemies in your immediate environment. Watch out for backstabbing siblings or neighbors. Communication could be a battlefield, so stay sharp in your interactions and don’t let gossip undermine you.

4th House (Home and Family): In the 4th house, the enemy is likely to be within your own family or household. There could be underlying tensions or unresolved issues from your past that haunt you. Family dynamics might need some serious attention and healing.

5th House (Creativity and Romance): Nemesis in the 5th house can bring hidden competition in creative projects or romantic endeavors. You might face jealousy or betrayal from those who should be cheering you on. Keep your eyes peeled for secret rivals in the love department.

6th House (Work and Health): When Nemesis lands in the 6th house, it’s all about those hidden foes at work or sneaky health issues. Coworkers might not have your best interests at heart, or there could be underlying health problems that need addressing. Stay vigilant about your daily routines.

7th House (Partnerships and Marriage): In the 7th house, Nemesis points to hidden enemies within close relationships. This could be a spouse, business partner, or even open enemies you can identify. Relationship dynamics might harbor resentment or unspoken conflicts, so keep communication clear.

8th House (Transformation and Shared Resources): With Nemesis in the 8th house, watch out for treachery related to shared finances, inheritances, or deep emotional bonds. There might be power struggles or deceit in intimate relationships. Transformative experiences could be tainted with hidden agendas.

9th House (Philosophy and Long-Distance Travel): Nemesis here can mean challenges related to your beliefs, education, or foreign connections. There might be hidden enemies in academic circles or during travels. Your philosophical outlook might be tested by those who oppose your views.

10th House (Career and Public Image): In the 10th house, Nemesis can bring hidden enemies in your professional life. Rivals might undermine your career or public image. It’s essential to stay aboveboard and keep an eye on those who might want to see you fall.

11th House (Friendships and Social Networks): Nemesis in the 11th house signals frenemies within your social circle or network. Be cautious of those who pretend to be allies but have ulterior motives. Group dynamics might conceal jealousies or hidden competition.

12th House (Subconscious and Secrets): Finally, Nemesis in the 12th house is like having a ghost in your subconscious closet. This placement suggests hidden enemies from past lives or deep-seated psychological issues. It’s a call to delve into your inner world and uncover any self-destructive patterns.

xoxo Astro Ash 🤍✨ Get your own reading: astroash.net

[beguilingcorpse]

i think the funniest possible romantic endgame for the locked tomb is that alecto dies/hibernates/fades into universe essence/becomes the earth again/blows up and takes john with her/[insert scenario here] but gideon and harrow and ianthe all live somehow and start a throuple. and everything is aboveboard and communicative and no one is like cheating on anybody or anything. but they’re all deeply, deeply unhappy about it. none of them leave the throuple anyways because then it would just be a couple between any two of them and you can’t have that. it’s sort of like that old riddle with the fox, the chicken, and the bag of seed where if any pair of them are left alone it might end in murder and/or economic ruin

[seafoamreadings]

week of march 31st, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: let's not beat around the bush; these are not easy times for aries people. self care is critical. finding joy in the small things is critical. allowing joy and despair or any other blend of emotions to coexist is critical.

taurus: the focus upon your 12th house of hidden things intensifies like a magnifying glass catching something on fire. do not be an ant under that beam. you won't be able to see it necessarily, it's hidden after all. but you can feel that fire and act accordingly.

gemini: the eclipse is no small thing but for you, mercury retrograde is bigger. you will feel an urge to blurt things out, but do not. probably not even to your most trusted circle, unless it is a very serious matter. everything else can wait a few weeks, no?

cancerians: eclipses are always major for you. cardinal eclipses even more so. it isn't until the weekend - actually technically monday! - but you feel it already, i'm sure. mercury retrograde nearby to the eclipse point happens first. it is intense. stay home if you can. if not, keep to yourself a bit anyway. everyone will be blurting things out; let that inform you, don't be the informant.

leo: aries vibes build and build all week which ultimately is good for you in a really transcendent, perhaps also cerebral way. but you also feel the first hints of the coming eclipse which is not meant to be a comfortable time for you. still, comfort can be overrated.

virgo: so much is going on it can be overwhelming to your constitution so take it easy physically AND mentally. avoid debts or loans, other people's money, stay in your lane, etc, but also i suspect a good relationship development occurs IF everything in your partnerships has been aboveboard and authentic.

libra: relationships are always a focus for you of course, but with everything going on in aries there's no way to ignore them or let anything else take center stage for most librans. you have to maintain balance of course, but attend to what needs your attention.

scorpio: no matter how tired of pressure you become, you have more ability to thrive under it than probably any other sign. it intensifies all week, it transmutes us all and you emerge the most beautiful phoenix. doing hard things, surviving hard things, is worth it.

sagittarius: fifth house activity is fun, at minimum in a dramatic soap operatic way. fine, the eclipse is hardcore, mercury is retrograde, and chiron is still over there doing his thing. but see if you can't get a bit of a thrill out of the chaos. start over if you want.

capricorn: these cardinal times are hard on you, but the antidote is to beautify your home and make it a peaceful sanctuary. yes you might want to be out there making status and legacy for yourself, or finding a suitable partnership of one kind or another. for everything a season. but this season is for the peaceful lair you make for yourself, from which you spring forward later in full bloom.

aquarius: your local community or people close to you emotionally are probably in some chaos. your money though? your resources? all good there. avoid delusional spending, just stay a bit frugal and it all plays out very nicely for you.

pisces: something or someone you thought you could depend on - thought you HAD to depend on, maybe - it turns out is not so reliable. it may or may not be their fault. but you have to become independent. if you already are, you are called to rely upon that independence this week, fortify it, and appreciate it. there are still others to lean on. not all is lost.

[bestworstcase]

Do you have thoughts you’d like to air on the Raven is actually Ruby’s dad theory? No prob if you’ve answered this before but could you link?

my general feeling on secret-biological-relation theories is that they’re usually something that arises from a misreading of narrative foiling (in that a bona fide narrative connection between two characters is taken to be foreshadowing for a literal material connection between the characters in-universe, rather than parsed as a narrative device that services theme; this also plays a role in why shipping narrative foils is so popular, because it follows from the textual thematic relationship) and in the case of secret parentage in particular, it is also often motivated at least in part by shipping (this is absolutely the case with summer/raven – and summer/qrow for that matter).

with rwby and the question of ruby’s parentage, such as it is, the fundamental issue i find in theories that taiyang isn’t ruby’s biological father, irrespective of Who the proposed alternative is, is that in practice each one boils down to two options:

#1, summer had an extramarital affair with raven that nobody else but the two of them knows about (in which case the only person who could reasonably reveal the truth is summer, because ruby is so much the spitting image of summer but for the fluffier hair she could’ve just as easily gotten from tai as from raven or qrow that no one would question she’s tai’s – especially given that we know now summer is a skilled liar!)

or

#2, everything was aboveboard (whether poly triad or open relationship or summer and tai actually having a platonic partnership or what-have-you), ruby’s true parentage is known to TRQ (and their friends/colleagues may have some general awareness of whatever the real situation was) and… nobody ever told ruby for Some Reason.

now personally i think – if we’re doing a theory in this vein – option #1 is both more interesting and more narratively plausible (because again: 9.10 flashback establishes that summer is a good liar and puts that trait squarely in focus), but the preference among the rosebird conspiracy crowd seems to overwhelmingly be for option #2, so we’ll focus on that one.

ON ITS FACE, i don’t think it’s crazy to speculate that the keeping secrets family might be keeping this secret, given e.g. yang wasn’t told about raven until summer’s disappearance (and may not really have been told so much as discovered, depending upon what “found out” means). why not hide effectively the same information from ruby?well.

for one thing, it then becomes narratively awkward to explain “yang knows raven is her mom, ruby knows raven is yang’s mom, and raven expressly claims yang as her daughter (and has a bond to her); but neither ruby nor yang know that raven is also ruby’s mom*, raven has evinced exactly zero of her i-don’t-care-she-said-caringly behavior toward ruby, nor used “bet your daddy and uncle didn’t tell you that ruby is also my daughter, did they?” as the mother of all trump cards in her “here’s why you shouldn’t blindly trust whatever you’re told QUESTION EVERYTHING” gambit, and when qrow called raven out for being a deadbeat mom to yang he said sweet fuck all to her about ruby.”

[*we do not do the insistently referring to the non-carrying parent as The Dad thing in this household, thank you.]

if the presumption is that raven being ruby’s parent is not secret-secret—as in, this is known information to TRQ—then it becomes untenable as a surprise twist once you reach v4 and have qrow and raven, in a private conversation, discussing her abandonment of only one of her two daughters. even if raven felt (for some reason) that ruby didn’t really ‘count’ as her daughter, qrow has zero. reason. to let that fly, and no reason at all to uphold a charade when it’s just himself and raven.

rwby is better than butchering his characterization in this one scene for the sake of a dramatic reveal down the line; there are ways you could write qrow’s dialogue there to include both girls while being vague about the specific biological relationship, and then it becomes punchy foreshadowing instead of a retroactive “…why does qrow not give a damn about raven abandoning ruby too?” moment.

and foreshadowing like that is one of rwby’s greatest strengths! they do this sort of dialogue sleight of hand all the time!

but say they did fumble that one moment—it happens, it’s not impossible—well… as a narrative secret this becomes really untenable after v5. even if raven flat out did not consider ruby to be her daughter whatsoever for her own labyrinthine raven branwen reasons, if she is aware of a direct biological relation between herself and yang’s sister of which yang has clearly been kept in the dark, and her goal is to shock yang with information that will break her trust in taiyang and qrow—which it is, that’s exactly why she does the whole shapeshifting song and dance—then why wouldn’t she drop that bomb?

you could not possibly design a more flawless QUESTION EVERYTHING ALSO NEVER TRUST DAD OR UNCLE ABOUT ANYTHING EVER AGAIN kick in the face for yang than “oh by the way, your sister? i’m her mother too. the only reason you know about me is because you went looking; if you hadn’t… well, they would have happily kept you in the dark your whole life, too.”

and if raven didn’t drop that bomb because she has her signature Complicated Feelings about ruby, then shouldn’t we expect to see a glimmer of that in her response to ruby, as opposed to what we plainly get—which is “hm. you sure are summer’s daughter. fireball in the face for you for one thousand years!!!”

in the reverse direction, we have the question of whether such a reveal really serves the narrative, and i don’t think it does.

the general thrust of the “for” argument here is that the revelation of such a frankly pointless lie about something that is only a big deal because the adults conspired to hide it would tie off all the existing threads about team strq being generally dysfunctional in a tidy little bow and highlight it by virtue of that dysfunction being emphatically Not Salem’s Fault. to an extent this is a line of thinking that i find not unreasonable because it is quite clear that team strq’s dysfunction was indeed Not Salem’s Fault – the shadow war was a significant stressor of course, but there is an awful lot of small interpersonal messiness simmering inside that pressure cooker.

HOWEVER,

rwby has spent Nine Whole Volumes meticulously slow-boiling “what happened the night summer rose met salem?” as THE central mystery – that is the question haunting this entire narrative, the missing piece of the puzzle, the answer that must be found and resolved before the story can end. and i promise. I PROMISE. that the answer to this question will not, in any configuration, principally concern the intra-team romantic fuck ups of team strq. LOWER THE FILTER SETTING ON YOUR SHIPPER GOGGLES THAT IS A SIDE DISH OR PERHAPS A GARNISH.

the problem for rosebird parents (and other ruby parentage theories) is that it’s very difficult to fit a reveal like that into the margins of The Most Important Narrative Reveal. (which is: summer joined salem.) narratively you put yourself into a corner where you have to balance exploding ruby and yang’s relationships with all of team strq at once against… resolving the actual central conflict of the story and dealing with the fallout of “OUR MOM JOINED YOU?!” and the end result is going to be either:

the parentage reveal just kind of falls flat and gets skimmed over quickly in a not very satisfying way because everyone has a bigger, unfortunately immortal fish to fry

the parentage reveal turns into a narrative black hole that eats up way too much runtime proportionate to its actual narrative importance and salem is like “…so should i come back when you kids are done yelling at your parents or…?”

neither one is a great idea. again, the optimal time for a ruby parentage reveal was v4/5, with raven’s entry proper into the story. doing this in v10, with everything else that is going to be going on in vacuo as the story enters its final arc, would not go well.

a secondary issue is the impact such a reveal would have on 1. the nascent dad’s chickens come home to roost arc, and 2. resolving matters between raven and yang in vacuo, however that shakes out.

for the first, any kind of “actually tai isn’t the dad” reveal inherently moves the focus of his character arc, from “tai neglected his kids and favored ruby, also why is he still in vale” to, you know, the lying. it dilutes the payoff for all the development with regard to neglect/favoritism by veering off at a wild angle right before the punch. there is a time and a place for narrative velociraptors in the bushes, but swerving like that isn’t it.

and for the second… there is no way to do a reveal that raven is secretly also ruby’s mom, at the point in the narrative where yang is meeting raven again after their confrontation now that raven is committed to trying, without drop-kicking yang and yang’s finding-her-mother storyline off the stage. sorry. you can’t do this without making it all about ruby and how ruby feels and how raven feels about ruby and summer and how yang feels about ruby having the same moms. like lol they are not going to do that, in the same way they’re not going to suddenly drop ruby’s summer rose identity disturbance storyline in favor of going “aaaaactually yang is raven’s and summer’s baby so let’s focus on how yang feels about learning summer is her biological mother for real.”

tertiary problem with the rosebird parents theory, and this isn’t a narrative issue but rather to do with the “explaining how two women made a baby” exercises, wearily taps the sign. Intersex Conditions Do Not Work That Way.

[kieran-granola]

Sometimes I like to think about BruJay, feat Jason opening a food bank in Crime Alley.

He charges a 50¢ flat fare per week, because he can afford to cover the weeks when donations aren't enough, and lets people pay more if they'd like because he knows how important pride is when you're broke.

The donations are slow at first, because he doesn't really have the time to do both community outreach and walk into grocery stores to ask for their end-of-stock. He doesn't mind, and usually just buys stuff himself to distribute it.

And then one week, he gets a big "anonymous" donation. Including new shelves and fridges for the space he's repurposed as the bank.

Jason's like, Huh. Okay. Whatever. It's probably just a power move from Bruce to show that he knows what Jason is doing.

Except the donations keep coming. Quietly, on time, without any requests or cards. It's nothing extravagant—just practical items and staple foods—but it's what Jason's people need. And so eventually, Jason steels himself and pays Bruce a visit.

He's not sure what to expect, but he figures the mature thing to do is to approach Bruce like a businessman. He's a big donor, Jason is going to thank him for his contributions, ask if he needs any paperwork for his tax deductions and be on his way.

Their meeting starts off that way. Bruce lets him set the tone, and thanks him for his work for Gotham. They talk about Jason's goals for the food bank, and about how they could make it more efficient and accessible for the people Jason serves—neighbors help each other in Crime Alley, but Jason knows a few elderly and disabled people who would benefit from deliveries. The Wayne Foundation couldnsubsidize and organize that so he can give aboveboard work to people in need.

Just as he's leaving though, Bruce can't help but stand up and call out for him. "Wait, Jason. How have you been?"

Jason tenses and looks at him. "I'm doing just fine, Bruce."

"Good. That's... Good." Bruce smiles a small, awkward smile that looks nothing like the practiced grin he conjures up for the press. "I just want to say, the food bank is a fantastic initiative and I am grateful that you're letting me contribute."

"I'm not petty enough to fuck my people over just because you piss me off on a regular basis."

"I know. And I know you can handle yourself but... is there anything I could do for you?"

"I don't need anything." Jason glares at Bruce in warning. It should be enough, but he can't help running his mouth. "Unless you wanna find me a date, I'm all set."

"I see." Bruce gives him a long look. "Are you free on Thursday?"

Jason blinks. "What?"

"There's a new Italian place in the Diamond district. I've been invited to their opening night. I could use a partner."

"What the fuck. Are you seriously offering to take me on a date yourself?"

Bruce doesn't flinch. "I am."

"I was kidding."

"And I wasn't. Is that a no?"

"It's—" Jason swallows. "I'm not interested in spending a night with Brucie."

"All I'm asking is for you to spend an evening with me."

Jason bites his lip. He never expected Bruce to see him as a man and not as a child. Not in a way that would make Jason's pitiful crush seem attainable, at least. Saying yes is tempting, if only to see if Bruce is truly capable of treating him like an equal.

"I'll see if I can make it," he answers cautiously.

Tension seeps out of Bruce's shoulders. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I haven't decided not to stand you up yet."

"I look forward to the surprise. And I'm happy you came to see me today either way."

"Right." Jason gets to the door. "What happens on Thursday... It won't affect the food bank, will it?"

"It won't." Bruce smiles wryly. "I'm not petty enough to fuck our people over just because you piss me off on a regular basis."

Jason lets out a bark of surprised laughter. "That sounds wrong coming out of your mouth."

"I know. Don't tell Alfred."

┈━ ◇ ━┈

When Thursday comes, Jason heads to the vicinity of the restaurant. He doesn't show himself immediately. Instead, he watches as Bruce waits for him patiently, even though he goes way over reasonable lateness.

Eventually Jason understands that Bruce won't be going in without him. He comes out of hiding, flustered because Bruce looks gorgeous in his evening clothes, and because fuck, he didn't expect him to give him more than just the benefit of the doubt. Except apparently his company was the only thing that made the prospect of this evening worth Bruce's time.

They end up ditching the fancy opening night and grabbing chili dogs and ice cream in the park.

When Bruce kisses him goodnight, he tastes like all of Jason's favorite things, and Jason is pretty sure his heart is going to beat out of his chest.

[bbcphile]

It’s interesting that Di Feisheng has a reputation in fandom for being incredibly straightforward, aboveboard, and against lying/manipulating others/acting out a role (unlike Li Lianhua) when he actually spends more time withholding information, keeping his agenda hidden, and playing a role to get what he wants than he does being straightforward and direct. 

Here’s a list of things Di Feisheng has lied about/misrepresented:

Pretending to care about the jinyuan alliance (he says the only people who know he set it up to reach the top of the jianghu are the 3 kings)

Disguising his identity for the Yipin tomb (by pretending to be a child)

Disguising his identity to Fang Duobing when traveling with Li Lianhua (he pretends to be a-Fei the former nanhai sect disciple because Li Lianhua tells him to)

Threatening to kill Qiao Wanmian (as part of a threat to make Li Xiangyi agree to fight him; we know he doesn’t kill women, so this is absolutely an empty threat)

Claiming to heal Qiao Wanmian (Li Lianhua did it and he is covering for him)

Pretending to not be mad at Jiao Liqiao for poisoning Qiao Wanmian

Pretending to forget the time between his seclusion ending and waking up after wuxin huai is cured

Pretending to reciprocate Jiao Liqiao’s affections (once his wuxin huai is cured)

Pretending to support Shan Gudao (he was always planning on betraying him once he got rid of the mind control bugs)

And here are lies by omission/information he withholds from people (especially Li Lianhua):

That “Shan Gudao” was dead before the 3 kings met him for their battle 

That he ordered his body be taken away to be examined by a coroner because he thought it was suspicious

That someone had framed the jinyuan alliance for Shan Gudao’s death (he keeps these first 3 a secret from Li Lianhua until the spiritual snake cave, and even then, Li Lianhua doesn’t believe him until after the opal skull case a few episodes later)

That Fang Duobing was Shan Gudao’s son (he only tells Li Lianhua this after all his other attempts to convince Li Lianhua to want to live have failed)

That he wanted to break into the 188 prison to rescue his subordinate who was framed for killing Shan Gudao to provide Li Lianhua with evidence that the jinyuan alliance wasn’t responsible 

That he’s working with Shan Gudao to get the mind control bug (and then the wangchuan flower) to free himself and the other Di prisoners

There are also plenty of times he does less-than-aboveboard things:

He spies/eavesdrops on people by hiding his qi all the time

Even though he promised to keep Li Lianhua’s identity a secret, he still tries to manipulate things behind the scenes to unmask him (eg. Shoving him into the fight to hold his old sword and then flicking a coin at the sword once it’s unsheathed, either to shatter it because he knows it’s fake or to trick Li Lianhua into wielding the blade and giving away his identity)

So, basically, he has a habit of hiding his true motivations from people, of letting Li Lianhua/Xiangyi think the worst of him and his motivations because he wants to gather evidence/solve the problem before sharing intel, of saying whatever threat he thinks will motivate Li Lianhua to live and not give up (especially after the truth fails), of embracing his reputation as a villain to protect Li Lianhua (even if the “protection” is from Li Lianhua’s own people who want to know he is alive), and of scheming to gather the info he needs to protect himself and Li Lianhua.

(Given these patterns, I think it’s also likely that Di Feisheng was lying about planning to force Li Lianhua to eat the yin leaves of the Wangchuan flower that would give him strength for a fight and then kill him, but that’s a meta for another day; I’m sticking to facts here rather than theories.)

Di Feisheng obviously doesn’t like lying or withholding information—just look at his face at the manor with all the lotuses when Fang Duobing is asking him how he knows so much about the Jinyuan alliance to see how viscerally uncomfortable it makes him! But he will absolutely do it, especially if he knows someone is lying to him and it is a way to level the playing field, and most of the time, his poker face is so flawless that you probably won’t even realize he was lying until later when you have more facts to put together. (Which means that his visible discomfort at Fang Duobing’s questions was a choice! Was it to try to convince Li Lianhua to tell the truth? To encourage Fang Duobing to think about it more and arrive at the truth on his own? So many options!)

So, yes, Di Feisheng believes strongly in having fair fights (as opposed to the abusive fights from his childhood), in not poisoning people, in not killing women, in not betraying people, and in being honest and direct when possible. But if his safety or Li Lianhua’s well-being is at risk (even if the latter is because of Li Lianhua’s own actions), he will absolutely lie, manipulate, and withhold info, or lean into the role of villain to ensure a better outcome. And he does it with a skill and commitment to the deception that Li Lianhua usually doesn't muster.

[emleighbee]

I’m rewatching episode 3x14 (Watchdogs) and realizing how much I do not like this episode?? They really fumbled their hate group analogue so badly by comparing it to just…being anti-government? Also Mack being so high and mighty about Daisy threatening a Watchdog to get information does not land for me when SHIELD has very much threatened people before? They’re an underground agency, by definition nothing they do is aboveboard. I didn’t remember this episode so negatively, so I’m just annoyed now lol.