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one-flower-one-sword · 10 months

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so aside from 2x02, 2x05 is so far my favorite ep from season 2, simply for the fact that we get to see Hua Cheng fight. in previous posts, I've already analysed scenes from the novel in regards to Hua Cheng fighting while blind on one side and the logistics of his disability in general, so now I want to try it with the donghua as well. caveat and disclaimer that while I am disabled myself, I am not so in regards to my vision, so everything I know comes from research I've done rather than personal experience. if anyone reads my analysis and feels like it's wrong or offensive, please do let me know and I will correct it.

I mentioned in previous posts (like this one) that there are several instances where Hua Cheng seems to deliberatley turn his blind side towards people and that the reasons for this vary depending on context. in 2x05, Hua Cheng starts off facing Xie Lian and the others directly after he stood up from where he'd been pushed to the floor by Xie Lian:

while he's talking to them about "Ming Yi" though, he starts walking off to the side while having his blind side facing them completely. here, it comes off as a power move - a way to convey "I don't feel the need to keep you in my line of sight at all since I don't consider you serious threats worthy of my attention", without having to say any of that out loud at all:

while the action is the same, the reasoning behind it as well as the way it comes across seems very different to when he has his blind side facing Xie Lian while he's with him in Paradise Manor's main hall in the previous eps:

Xie Lian sat down first, and then Hua Cheng chose to sit with his blind side facing him. like I've argued in previous posts, Hua Cheng seems to do this when he wants to hide his expression and thereby his emotions from others. in this case, I assume it's for the same reason he withdrew from Xie Lian's touch in the ox cart - he's afraid of getting too excited and making Xie Lian uncomfortable with it. of course, he does turn his head and look at Xie Lian several times during their conversation here, but the point is that this positioning gives him the option of hiding when he feels it necessary - like when he offered the dice for Xie Lian to keep and got adorably shy about it. because while on the one hand this was a strategic move to make the whole rescue "Ming Yi" thing work, it was also a genuine gift he was offering to his god:

back to 2x05 now with a brief word from our sponsors, Hua Cheng's beautiful fingers carressing that sword hilt:

ahem. moving right along

Hua Cheng has drawn E'ming now and this is where I get less coherent because ooohh oh wow look at this. first of I love how casually threatening this comes off. most importantly though please look at the way he's holding E'ming and how it's mirroring and accentuating the angle he's standing at, the positioning of his arms, and the direction his gaze is pointed at. beautiful and deadly, no notes

then Xie Lian starts talking to him again about how he understands now that the fault lies with them but to please make an exception and show mercy, to which Hua Cheng replies in this regretful but resolute tone that there are some things one shouldn't get overly involved in. he's stopped pointing E'ming at them and switched it from his right to his left hand. but his stance has been made clear, underlined by the fact that he's now switched to facing them with his seeing side - he won't just let them leave. since Xie Lian is there, he seems wary about being the one to attack first though. this is speculation, but I assume He Xuan understands why Hua Cheng would rather be on the defensive than the offensive in this situation, hence why he twitches his hand here to remind Shi Qingxuan of his presence and his injured state and spur him into action:

now we've arrived at the parts that really got my heart racing. I'm sorry I'm just like Xie Lian in that regard - I love Hua Cheng and Iove swords and sword fighting. or in this case, fan fighting:

the way he effortlessly snatches that fan out of the air is so smooth and badass. also the way he's holding E'ming behind his back and the scimitar again mirroring the line of his body... *dreamy sigh*

his fighting here gives a nice glimpse into that "arrogant, rebellious confidence" that Xie Lian is going to feel so weak-kneed over in the future. it's also proof of Hua Cheng's skill - he had to make this look real and convincing while also making sure his attacks were of a nature that the others could defend against without too much trouble. while I assume that in the name of authenticity, it would have been okay if Shi Qingxuan and "Ming Yi" got hurt, the same does not go for Xie Lian - hence how broken up and angry at himself Hua Cheng is when that does happen in the end. I could also see him choosing that fan in particular because he knows Lang Qianqiu is on the way and knows his sword can neutralize that fan - and if he's facing off against Lang Qianqiu, that means Xie Lian will be out of the line of fire.

I've hit image limit on this post, so we'll continue in part 2!

#tgcf #tgcf donghua #hua cheng #this post took me like 5 hours to make T_T #just as i was done writing it and hit save draft my tablet lost internet connection #which has never happened before and only seems to happen if i try to safe a draft on my tablet #i rewrote all of it on my phone with 0 issues #begrudgingly i have to admit that this second version is much better worded and more concise and to the point

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velvetvexations · 3 months

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I also should have looked up the statistics to double check before sending my original ask, but I was referring to a specific news story I followed about a black men attempting to gain custody of his child, only for the mother to get it despite her history not severe neglect, and the child ended up dying in her care. I didn't want to spell that all out bcs it's an incredibly painful thing to think about, but I should have specified what I was referring to. That is also def not just a result of misogyny, but of racism, since black men are often seen to be absent or even dangerous parents. I am sure there are cases where men have an easier time getting custody, especially rich white men, but as will all situations the story is more complicated when you bring in intersectionality and especially race. I just think it's important to remember that a black man wasn't just being denied his child because he was black, the specific way society views black *men* was part of the problem.

As for the working in more dangerous jobs point, I brought that up because yes, men do tend to work those jobs more than women do, but where MRAs get it twisted is that that's only true *because* of misogyny. Women WANT to be firefighters and loggers and soilders and do hard labor, it's just that the fields are male dominated and riddled with misogyny so women often can't get an in or leave after being treated like shit. Additionally, it is also an issue with workplace regulation and capitalism devaluing ALL life in favor of profits. MRAs are right that more men work these jobs and thus die more and I can see how they would feel that their lives are devalued, the issue is that they blame that on women when the real culprit is misogyny and capitalist deregulation of workplace safety. They also bring up the draft, which again I can get how some men feel that their lives are only of value if they are willing to die, but that isn't bcs women are valued above them, it's because the draft is inhumane and NO ONE should be forced to go to war at all, and certainly not against their will. Like genuinely the fact that men have to sign up for the draft just to vote is insane to me and I can't blame any man for being upset about that, it's just a lot of them have a deep seated hatred of women and thus blame them for it rather than seeing that the real issue is forcing *anyone* to go to war.

(I also recall them using the Titanic disaster to show that society doesn't value men's lives but uh...yeah no the Titanic is one of the only instances where women and children were prioritized. Historically in shipwrecks women and children were left to die while the men escaped, but I can kinda get the irritation a little given Titanic was such a big deal it's overshadowed the true history of protocall in maritime disasters.)

I also meant to add in that in the RBG case the man wasn't being denied the tax credit just for being a man, it was because he was unwed and that tax credit was intended for families where the wife was absent, dead, or for whatever reason was incapable of providing care for an ill family member. I suppose you could even argue that it was less a case of him being punished for being a man and more him being punished for being unwed, thus a manifestation of amatanormativity and heteronormativity, but it is true from what I read they fought the ruling on the grounds that he was facing sex based discrimination, and the case went on to provide legal president to fight types of sex based discrimination that primarily harmed women.

I just also think it's important to fully understand what hate movements believe and how they can make their ideas seem rational and appealing, because it's the only way to counter them effectively. Hell the modern queer movement deciding that TERFs *only* hate trans women and have no other targets is why radical feminism is so prevalent in queer spaces. They can't recognize TERFs if they aren't screaming about trans women, and the TERFs know that. If you don't understand what your enemy believes and who they are against and how they doctor their arguments for recruitment you stand no chance of eradicating them. MRAs did successfully recruit women, very feminist women in fact, with some of these very talking points, because they held off on the blatant misogyny until they knew they had you on their side, just like TERFs will pretend to not hate trans people until they've already got you. It's important imo to not boil their entire belief system down to "incels who want sex" even if that is a major part of it because then we can't teach people to watch out for the less obvious dogwhistles and understand what the actual issue behind these points are and thus how to fight them and not get drawn in with seemingly reasonable arguments AND how to recognize the difference between someone drawing attention to real issues men face and someone who just wants to spew hatred.

I honestly kinda wonder if the current pushback against transandrophobia is born of the backlash to the MRA movement, but from people who didn't pay attention and learn the rhetoric and how to counter it and now think anyone who talks about any men suffering for being men in any context is a closet MRA who must be shown the door immediately, but idk that's just speculation on my part.

But anyway, I should have been more clear and checked my sources better, but tbh I just felt like the ask was getting too long and it was late and I had a headache so I just ranted about what I remembered of the movement. I'll be sure to be more clear next time I send something in, I don't want to spread misinformation or get any ire drawn your way.

However I do want to say comparing trans men and trans masculine people in general to MRAs is ridiculous because even when you break down the few few slightly valid points MRAs bring up before laying on the Horrifically Agrressive Misogyny that's clearly NOT what trans men and mascs are taking about, the two movements imo have so little in common it's legit ridiculous to compare them, and it's also ridiculous to act like some jackasses using the concept of misandry as a way to shut down women means the entire concept of the patriarchy harming men at all is so throughly tainted we can't even let trans men talk about it or coin language to describe anti-masc bias especially in queer spaces. Imo anyone comparing discussions of transandrophobia with MRAs is missing the point and has no idea what they're talking about re: trans mascs *and* MRAs.

Thank you for the clarification anon, though I'm still not totally sure about the custody thing because I've heard different things since your first ask. It's good to have a dialogue.

#transandro phobia #cw child death

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sirdust · 8 months

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here's my "'loser, baby' is bad and here's why" breakdown lol. telling you upfront that it is not for the reason a lot of people are saying it is, at least imo.

first i gotta mention keith david's own words on the matter.

conceptually this is fine. in execution it's flawed. the main reason for this is because "who angel is", in this context, is identified by husk with his drug use and negative coping mechanisms.

husk says angel is correct that he cannot "face the world sober and dopeless" at the very beginning of the song. this isn't a matter of not judging angel for his addictions. instead, it's affirmation that angel's addictions are an acceptable coping mechanism for his current situation. they are not! angel needs to change. and if you want to argue that husk will be the one to stop these coping mechanisms from veering into self-harm, that is a recipe for codependency. husk alone cannot be responsible for curbing angel's worst tendencies.

unfortunately the lyrics of the song suggest that husk does, in fact, believe he and angel are the only ones capable of dealing with each other.

aside from the melodramatic use of "gruesome", this is an absurd mindset. husk contradicts himself several times in the song by stating that angel's problems are not unique, and yet he implies here that the two of them are special cases. if i read this as charitably as possible and assume he's not referring to angel, but is saying instead that he learned this at some point in the past, it is poorly conveyed in the extreme. in the pilot, he was one of the most emotionally closed-off characters in the cast, and in the show, it has not established that this trait has been changed or removed. it's a drastic, almost nonsensical shift.

so the song goes on and angel internalizes this idea that his negative coping mechanisms are a part of his identity. strangely, his addiction to drugs is equated to his hypersexuality in this lyric. neither of these are morally objectionable, of course, but the former is not at all the same as the latter. especially when the lyric specifies sex toys instead of, say, sleeping with potentially malicious strangers on the regular.

this is earlier in the song, but it's another instance where angel's hypersexuality is equated with his addiction. husk saying outright that this is fine by him is silly.

all of this is very easy to fix. the only thing you need to change would be the tone. make it clear that husk is in the wrong, or, at least, is responding selfishly out of his perception that angel is someone he can finally be miserable with. everything about the delivery instead suggests that husk is in the right, and that this is exactly what angel needs to hear. but this sort of dynamic, in reality, often leads to emotionally intense and unstable relationships that are formed around the core idea that the participants share unique damage. fictional stories (particularly those for adults) shouldn't have to hold anyone's hand when it comes to themes, but its presentation of angel and husk's relationship is genuinely very naive, and potentially harmful.

the divorce is going to be Messy.

(i'm also mad that they autotuned keith david's voice.)

#criticism tag

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teaandcrowns · 1 year

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I don't ship kataang, nor any ship in atla, so when I say this I'm talking from more of a platonic perspective, but I really don't think Aang was trying to push his beliefs onto Katara as much as people think in TSR, just like Zuko didn't push her to violence. Aang shouldn't have said it how he did, but when he and Sokka said what they said, they didn't say it because they thought it was necessarily wrong, but because they knew killing someone would not help katara (although Sokka and Aang are very different here considering, especially considering Katara is Sokkas sister), and we find out later in the episode that revenge wasn't the suitable option for her. Yes, Katara wanted more than to just confront Yon Rha, but I don't think Aang was demonising Katara when he said she was like Jet. This part is really all up for interpretation, but Jet died a noble death and Katara mourned him personally, he was a child taken over by revenge after the grief of his parents and village, and Katara, Sokka and Aang all saw how it ended for him. And in the end, they don't stop Katara. They let her go, even if they're scared she might end up killing him, but even if she had, they wouldn't have shut her out. Aang himself had several instances in which he would have taken several lives (sandbenders) if katara hadn’t stopped him. That’s why he says, “I’m proud of you,”, not because shes proud she went by what he said, because katara arrived at that moral decision on her own, without the influence of external sources. That was all her- it wasn't Aang, it wasn't Zuko, or anyone else. Neither Aang, nor even Zuko, are forcing her to do anything as much as people say, or trying to force their opinions and wants on her. I definitely think that the point other anon said about the fact Aang physically can't get revenge is a good point- it means that even if he wanted to, he couldn't understand Katara fully because its impossible for him to be put in that position since everyone who attacked the air temples is dead by time. But that's the thing, everyone in the group has experienced different things, and that doesn't make it that they're supporting someone less or more because of it. Sorry if this was long, I just have a lot of thoughts on this

I think one can read TSR's interactions both in a friendship and in a relationship lead-up light, but it can 100% be read just in a platonic light. While I don't agree with all your interpretation, I do agree with some of it, which is part of the joy of fandom. As I'm sure you can tell, I also have a lot of thoughts on that episode (all the show, really), so having a lot of thoughts yourself is always welcome.

I do read Aang as trying to at least get Katara to see his point of view on the idea of confronting Yon Rha, but by reading that, I have to ask myself, Why? Why is he trying to get her to see things from his point of view? The most logical answer I can come to is because he wants her to agree with him. I don't even know if Katara doesn't see it from his point of view, because she never explicitly says—what she does say is that she knows he "wouldn't understand," which indicates to me that she, at least, very much feels that he isn't trying to see things from her perspective. I think that's where the bigger conflict comes in, and why she gets so mad, especially when he compares her to Jet. This is where I have to somewhat disagree with what I'm reading as you trying to argue: Katara knows Aang isn't referring to how Jet died in Ba Sing Se, he's referring to Jet's quest for vengeance against a (colonized) town of Fire Nation people. Coupled with that is the fact that Jet manipulated both her and Aang into helping him get things set up to destroy the town, with the intention of killing all its inhabitants.

Just like it's not a 1:1 comparison for Aang to compare losing a very much alive Appa to Katara essentially witnesses her mother's murder (which is a script-writing question I have: why in the world would Aang be written to say that when he could easily have said, "My entire culture was wiped out by the Fire Nation, I know how it feels to lose everyone you love," instead. That boggles my mind), it's certainly not a 1:1 comparison for Aang to make about Katara, wanting to confront a specific person who did her direct harm, to Jet, whose rage was directed at anyone of Fire Nation origin or descent.

I do agree that Aang says, "I'm proud of you," because he thinks she chose not to kill Yon Rha and instead forgive him because of what he said, but he's wrong. Katara chose not to kill Yon Rha because of herself, and she certainly did not choose to forgive him, which she explicitly tells Aang. Like I said, she ultimately is swayed by neither Aang or Zuko, and that also includes her final decisions about Yon Rha (both to not kill and not forgive him). Saying things like, "[Aang] and Sokka said what they said . . . because they knew killing someone would not help katara," is exactly the issue here as well. They're assuming they know what's best for Katara and what she needs, instead of allowing her to make that decision for herself. (Also, Aang does absolutely think killing someone is wrong, which we see is his very big conflict with the entire group regarding how to deal with Ozai, but you are right in that Sokka doesn't view it as wrong.) But again, that's likely why she gets mad at Sokka, too—because he's assuming he knows better than Katara what she needs and what's "best" for her.

And, having those different opinions and perspectives and conflicts isn't inherently a bad thing itself, but it is bad when Katara is seen by the audience as being in the wrong somehow and Aang in the right because the narrative never addressed it and/or the creators tried to push their own agenda of the scenario in commentary when that isn't reflected in canon. (I'm not trying to imply you're doing that here, but I mention it because I've seen many people cite that as a reason in their argument.)

#anon ask #ask #atla analysis #atla meta

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daydadahlias · 4 months

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hey <3 what do you think of dead dove fics?

don’t eat <3

nah I’m just kidding. rip in advance if you wanted a concise answer to this bc u def came to the wrong person for that 💙

Anyway, I have a lot of Thoughts on dd fics (unsurprisingly so bc I have a lot of thoughts about everything) but I will preface by saying if anyone who followed me in 2021 is reading this and going “well that’s definitely not what you said back then you little minx 🤨” just know that sometimes it takes time for people to mature and better understand concepts to form articulate, educated opinions on them. And also, I was evil back then.

That being said, I think the concept of dd fics is more layered than some allow it to be. And, largely, this comes down the dispute of 1) what is safe sane consensual kink and 2) does fiction exist inside a vacuum?

Personally, I don’t think fiction does and I don’t really have a lot of patience for people who say “it’s just fiction it doesn’t mean anything or affect anyone stfu 🙄” bc that’s just showing a lack of understanding for how art and life interplay.

I think that if you read enough fucked up material (or material about anything) - especially when you’re younger and developing and don’t have appropriate models to contrast it to - you end up having your perceptions of life warped around nonexistent ideals.

So, I do worry greatly about young people reading dead dove fics and potentially not understanding that’s what they are. I’ll just go right out and say that happened to me! I read a lot of really fucked up material when I was super young bc hello unlimited internet access and it severely affected my brain and my perspectives on the world and it has taken me a very long time to reconcile that and understand myself. And I wonder a lot about what I would be like if I HADNT been up at 2 am reading torture porn when I was 12 lol!!

And of course someone could argue with me on this point and say “well but Jess that’s not the creator’s responsibility to protect readers from themselves; it’s the consumer’s responsibility to know whether they’re mature enough or not to read something” but my problem is that it is and will always be the writer’s job to at least say in the A/N “hey, this is not ok irl, and is not an accurate reflection of sex. Please do not practice this irl” or something to that effect.

If people want to write “fucked up” fics, far be it from me to tell them not to!! Especially when I myself have plenty of concerning kinks! Like, I’m literally into kidnapping?? That does not scream stable! But writers have an obligation to tag their material correctly and update tags when asked. And that’s something I’ll always believe no matter what!! And something I will always pride myself on in my own writing/relationship with my audience.

Anyway, in terms of kink itself, here’s where things get a bit tricky for me to explain. I do, to some extent, believe that all kinks are “valid” in the sense that I genuinely know kinks and fetish aren’t controllable for an individual. You don’t just have full choice to decide to be into something (what an easy life it would be if you could). But, what you can control, is the way that you choose to interact with content related to your fetish.

If you have a potentially “damaging kink” — say, for instance, a cnc kink or an outright rape kink (which are often the subject of dd fics) — it is your responsibility to interact with that content in the safest way possible to keep people irl — and also yourself! — safe.

This means, if you write rape fiction, you need to have warnings in place to say this is NOT okay to recreate irl and it is NOT okay if you treat someone like this or someone treats you like this.

And I know you’re thinking “Jess?? Readers aren’t stupid?? They know rape is bad?? They don’t need to be told that??” But, here’s the thing, children do need to be told that. And if you’re posting on the internet, there is a STRONG chance a child/adolescent with unrestricted access to an iPad will read that content you’ve made and not understand what it is and it will affect their view of sex. And if you’re a writer who isn’t considering that potentiality, you don’t need to be posting fic or writing publicly and that’s my ~opinion~

Moving forward from that, I think there’s different types of dead dove fics (rape is an example but we also have stuff like beastiality, murder, gore, necro, scat, etc) and I’m not saying some are more “valid” than others but I think some are, in my personal opinion, more defendable than others in my own view. And there are some that I think are not defendable at all.

For instance, pedophilia fics (ie. fics that actively portray sex scenes between adults and minors for the gratuitous, erotic nature of it) are, to me, completely unredeemable.

If I were to find out a person I knew actively read pedophilia fic, I would forcibly remove them from my life. Because I do genuinely believe that people who read those stories are bordering on being as criminal as those who watch pedophilic videos. I think they need clinical psychological help. I do not think there is any reason whatsoever even remotely that a person should ever be reading or writing such material for personal pleasure.

So, for dd fics like that, my opinion stands as “this is concerning on a larger scale than just fiction as this could very well perpetuate pedophilic ideologies among readers and the writer and could lead to the harm of actual real life children.”

Now, for dd fics that are about, say, murder or gore… I think the line gets a bit fuzzy there for me because I personally love a torture moment. I’m not a murder stan and it kind of gives me the Ick when people romanticize murder but, like, I sure did write a ton of incredibly graphic fucked up gore when I was a kid and I still search “torture” willy nilly on ao3 in my fave fandoms. Certainly not for 5sos though bc it being rpf provides a few ethical concerns for me personally that I wouldn’t feel comfortable with. Which brings up the topic of, is dd different for rpf than it is for fictional fandoms? Personally, I believe so, but I think that’s very up to the individual.

I think that, really with dd fics, people just need to be aware of how to tag appropriately and protect readers from inaccurately perceiving something as normal that could be harmful.

But, I also understand that dd fics can be used to help people process trauma and heal from internalized shame. So, I would be hypocritical and kind of a dick to say I denounce them entirely. But i do also think there should be some consideration of Why certain things are being written/read and what the larger implications of them are on our society :)

#oh you shouldn’t have asked #you know my little ass is gonna monologue #pigeon #anon #thanks for asking!!!!#no one’s going to read this 😌#oh wait let me just add !!!!!#I’ve also WRITTEN dd fics #so like I genuinely can’t say I hate them #I’d be a liar and a hypocrite

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goddamnwebcomics · 7 months

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To bring back this old conversation, I’m fully aware of the longevity and rigid yet inconsistent update schedule of a lot of webcomics. The problem I mainly have is that most webcomics, usually the ones with an overarching plot or narrative, tend to stretch their mysteries out for too long, or worse, spend time on mysteries that are the least important or interesting part of a story. An ongoing mystery that may have been going on for over a decade or two and yet drags out and drip feeds so little information that it becomes both frustrating and utterly pointless to the overall themes, interpersonal character writing, and plot of a webcomic. I’m not faulting an author for how they enjoy the pieces of their story being picked up by their readers, but I am if they have a mystery that’s only filled with questions and rarely, if not never, feels like they’re ever close to a clear answer or good-sounding implication for the next several years. There’s only so much that can be stretched for that.

For something easier and more current, see Peter and Company’s ongoing mystery about the Guardians. Since day one, these guys have just had an ongoing mystery written around them about what the specifics of their jobs are, how their power apparently works, where they came from, and what they are exactly. Somehow close to 20 years, the author still seems to drip feed information at a constant snail pace whenever he just feels like being a cheeky fucker about it, and most range from pretty basic (their general roles for helping troubled children) to just being plain insipid (they’re immortal and they’re sort of multilingual). The lore around the Guardians is far too vague and frustrating to really care about. The information can only be seen as neat to someone like me, but it is not worth spending so much time thinking about, regardless of how many seeds Jon drops around them. It’s the least important thing in the comic compared to what anyone really comes here for. You know, like the interactions and relationship of a guardian with the child they’re watching over and guiding in life and how it might affect one or the other before and after a job is done, something Jon is good at showing when he needs to. The lore is barely even a window dressing worthy of acknowledgement.

Come to think about it, worldbuilding is almost the same to me, really. Sure, it’s important enough for some growing investment in a story, but it’s mainly just there to set up the setting and location. It’s not something to be invested completely in when there are character arcs and storylines with said characters to care more about. It gets even dumber if a webcomic is a slice-of-life or even sitcom that may or may not be placed in a fantasy world, like Las Lindas. It never should’ve gotten so up in its own ass about wanting to be about something, yet refusing to go in any straight direction like all of the Knighthood crap it decided to shove in later on. It most likely would’ve been fine if the people writing it just played to its strengths of being an interpersonal slice-of-life story about people on a farm needing to work through their pasts and issues on a farm, if I’m allowed to be so crude about it. Just something that definitely sucks the more you look back on it.

You are right about guardian lore and it is extremely annoying. I really hope that after the current arc we FINALLY get SOMETHING close to a revelation. And if the revelation is disappointing, I don’t blame anyone but Jon for taking so long with it. But also you’re right that it technically doesn’t matter that much, like the Guardian Lore isn’t that important all things considered aside from few vague gestures, like Seth’s letter or Persephoni’s grandkids. I don’t think outside of those instances, it’s not blatantly robbing away from character interactions.

I do agree with you on how Las Lindas got way up its own ass, but also I would argue, since Las Lindas is infamous for never having any conflict, that the Knighthood stuff should make things a little bit less monotonous, but I think at the end of the day it should have been kept to its own comic. All the other Las Lindas comics are not necessary in any way shape or form, Knighthood would have helped us to get to know about the history of this world without taking away from the character arcs of the main comic.

Stephen King’s statement about worldbuilding however, it is hypocritical for him to say it because dude’s writing is fucking filled with worldbuilding, his stories constantly drop easter eggs that only hardcore readers get, and he has many times gotten up his own ass about how his world is this “grand connected universe” and as a result has sometimes downright destroyed elements of dozens of stories at once, like the ending of Dark Tower. I know that it’s Twitter, and Twitter’s character limits have destroyed people’s sense of communication and created multiple previously unknown to science learning and behaviour disabilities, but Stephen should have actually elaborated his statement, because now he looks like a fucking idiot, much like 99% of Twitter whenever they say ANYTHING about ANYTHING, no exceptions.

Well-written world is like good eyesight, you can see everything that is necessary to see, but the best focus is on the main story. A comic with bad worldbuilding is like tunnel vision, you have no idea what the world is like and there are too many unnecessary mysteries the creator will never get into, or if they do, they’re only explained in a 50,000 word LiveJournal page that nobody will read. A comic with distracting worldbuilding like Las Lindas is visual snow syndrome, there’s too much going on and it is difficult to really focus on the main story.

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rt2051hwu · 8 months

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RFID in Detail Across Sport

There are 3 certainties in life: Death, Taxes, and me making this second blog post on RFIDs. As my last blog largely covered what RFIDs are I saw fit that the next logical step would be to actually give some quickfire real-world examples across a couple of widely known sports.

If you haven't read my previous post, please do. It has a brilliant video about Sage and the metrics their balls show which I will be referencing heavily in this (especially in the first section) so it will make your life a lot easier. Done it? Magic.

Rugby

As I briefly touched on in my last post it only felt right to start with the only sport I currently play, rugby. In my last post, I discussed Sage and highlighted their product of a ball with RFIDs inside it, allowing connection to a satellite and receptor to display the metrics and statistics associated with the ball and its movement.

Sage balls charging pre-game

As mentioned in my last post these balls by Sage are most prominently used in the 6 Nations where they can be seen pre-game charging up at the pitchside before they gather data. The main relevant data these balls help to capture are Pass/Kick speed, Pass/Kick distance, and Hangtime. This data is relayed on the screen in several instances throughout a game to help gain a deeper understanding as a viewer and highlight the power struggle or lack thereof in play.

Golf

Unlike the competitive levels RFIDs are well known for in rugby, we find them in a much more recreational instance, the interactive game TopGolf. TopGolf is a worldwide company set all over the world (Including here in Scotland) where you and a group of friends can place your golfing abilities to the test in a fun game all about aim and points. The way RFIDs come into play here is with the balls, with each ball at every location having a unique MONZA RAIN RFID which is scanned upon dispensation and tracked as it is hit, this allows the players to see exactly how far and fast their balls have gone, with the aim of landing in the games lit-up divots- much like darts.

The usage of RFIDs here in a recreational setting not only shows that this technology is not only reserved for the upper echelon of sport but rather a widely accessible technology that anyone can experience at least once in their lives.

Football

Now to end with the beautiful game, football. And what better stage to refer to than the pinnace of the sport with the World Cup. It can be argued that the 2022 Qatar World Cup was possibly the largest-scale usage of RFID technology in sports ever seen. Not only were there RFID scanners embedded in the ball to help with the correction of referee errors and delivery of statistics, but there were also RFID tags placed on every one of the players to relay crucial positional and activity-based data to teams and coaches to try and gain any advantage in this pinnacle of sport, and to add the icing on the cake the literal tickets for the event took advantage of RFID technology.

The utilization of RFIDs in tickets immediately jumped out to me as this is the most unique and possibly innovative way this technology has been used in the wide world of sports. However, the actual way these work is confusing if I'm being honest, but from what I can deduce after multiple readings this is warranted, as its main purpose is encryption. By utilizing RFID data, tickets do not need to be scanned via barcodes but rather by radio waves transmitting a unique ticket and ticketholder identity, thus making it increasingly more challenging for counterfeit sales to flag up than barcode sales and ultimately protecting the integrity of the event, and on the whole improve it as a side-bonus to this technology being used in tickets being that sits much faster than traditional ticketing- which I'm sure was highly appreciated in the scorching Qatari sun.

I'm well aware this is a whistle-stop tour of the use of RFIDs in sports but I wanted to cover a wide web of examples in a variety of formats, not just your peak level sports for purely stat-based information. I hope to continue this series further and look into more instances of tech wheedling its way into sport, but unfortunately, this is all I have to show at this moment. Catch you next time!

Bibliography

Centillon, M. (2023). From NASA to Murrayfield: Rugby’s Smart Ball its next revolutionary step into technology, with new data at 2023 Six Nations. https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12321/12790952/from-nasa-to-murrayfield-rugbys-smart-ball-its-next-revolutionary-step-into-technology-with-new-data-at-2023-six-nations.

www.impinj.com. (2011). TopGolf Transforms Golf Driving Ranges with RAIN RFID. https://www.impinj.com/library/customer-stories/topgolf-transforms-golf-driving-ranges-with-r.

www.yanzeorfid.com. (2022). RFID Technology Added to FIFA World Cup 2022 - Yanzeo Pro RFID & BarCode Solutions. https://www.yanzeorfid.com/n1880433/RFID-Technology-Added-to-FIFA-World-Cup-2022.htm

Paciello, C. (2023). How Ticketing Technology Securely Streamlined the World Cup Fan Experience. https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2023/february/How-Ticketing-Technology-Securely-Streamlined-the-World-Cup-Fan-Experience/

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thehollowprince · 3 years

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Queerbaiting vs. Fan Service

For whatever reason, I decided to take a stroll through The Falcon and The Winter Soldier tags after the second episode, and I was slightly distressed (and mostly annoyed) with how many people were labeling the interactions between Sam and Bucky as queerbaiting. You can imagine my confusion.

Now, as a gay man, nothing would please me more to see a relationship between two men in a big budget action franchise, even if it is just the MCU. Ignoring the reality that this is Disney and that they'll probably never have a gay or bisexual main character in anything, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is not the place to draw that line in the sand.

I've been on this app for about eight years now, and I can't tell you the number of times I've seen people make and reblog posts about the desire to see more men be friends with one another, to not fall victim to the toxic masculinity. How many times have you opened opened this app and seen posts about "let men cry" or "let men be intimate with each other without making it weird"? And yet, every time, almost as if on a timer, the moment two guys (either in a show or actual people) look at each other for longer than .05 seconds, a ship is born.

Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with shipping. Especially when you factor in the fact that same sex romances are severely lacking in modern media. I myself am attracted to the idea of SamBucky, because they have foundation there that if the producers decided, could be used to build a relationship off of. I did the same with Steve and Bucky in the MCU. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with shipping, but some people take it too far. In this instance, I've been seeing too many people claim "queerbaiting" because Sam rescued Bucky from falling to his death under a moving truck or because of the therapy scene where they had to face each other and get real close.

That is not queerbaiting.

For starters, it's been two episodes. The show isn't even halfway over. Not that I expect Disney to actually do something like that, but it's precisely this need to jump the gun and declare something that makes the problem worse within the fandom. And more to the point, I'm not entirely sure many of you know what the term queerbaiting actually means.

Queerbaiting is when a show or movie or whatever, sets up a relationship between two people of the same sex, has everything point in the direction of them becoming a romantic pairing, only to, at the last second, have one or both of them enter into a heterosexual relationship or be killed off.

A great example of this, and the first that pops into my mind, is The Magicians, specifically Queliot. Now, anyone who followed me, especially when the show as airing, knows I'm not the biggest fan of that ship, but in the fourth season of the show, they spent a great deal of time setting up Quentin and Eliot finding their way to each other, only for the production to kill off Quentin in the finale of the season. One could even argue that having Quentin chose Alice for a reconciliatory relationship after they did everything to set up Quentin and Eliot is another form of queerbaiting, eschewing the same-sex romance in favor of a heterosexual one.

Now, circling back to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, what we have here is not a case of queerbaiting. Production of the show, and the MCU in general, more than likely scour Twitter and Instagram and whatever else and see the fandom reaction to certain ships/pairings, and specifically make scenes or scenarios where those two characters have to interact. That is called fan service, an entirely different animal.

A great example of fan service would be Teen Wolf. As anyone who has been following me knows, I've been talking about this topic a lot recently, thanks to one particularly persistent anon. If you've ever interacted with the Teen Wolf fandom, you know that the big ship that dominated it was Sterek, despite it being something that wasn't based at all in canon. Jeff Davis, after seeing how fans reacted to the few interactions of Derek and Stiles in season one, gave the fandom a more in season two, such as the pool scene, or when they were both paralyzed by Kanima venom in the sheriff's station, the dream sequence at the end of season three, or the ride to Mexico in season four. Hell, even the comedic sequence in the final season of Stiles "rescuing" Derek from the FBI to make it back to Beacon Hills for the final showdown was fan service. What it wasn't, was queerbaiting, because Sterek wasn't something that the show set up. It was something that the fandom set up, which more power to them, but with that being established, people still got mad because the show didn't go the way they (the fandom) decided it should have gone.

This same thing happened with Stucky. The idea of Bucky and Steve was appealing. If either one of them had been a woman in the MCU then their relationship would have very easily been interpreted in canon as romantic, but as it stands, that's not the case. They were just two very close friends.

Brining it back to my original point, we have Sambucky, and no matter how much fandom kicks and screams and demands, it won't happen in the show. It's alright to ship them, because I do see the appeal, but at the end of the day, too many people are getting upset about something that fandom made up and that canon doesn't deliver on, despite the two being unaffiliated. You want to ship Sam and Bucky, I fully support you in that endeavor. I myself like the idea of it, and often tag posts as such, but calling it queerbaiting in an attempt to shame people for not supporting it is misleading.

Bottom line: queerbaiting is a very specific thing and there are actual shows out there that are perpetrators of it. Please try and actually understand what queerbaiting is before you simply throw the term out at every inconvenience.

#queerbaiting #fan service #sambucky #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier

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vrisrezis · 3 years

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how do you think hunter and reader's enemies to lovers arc would be?

Obviously being enemies with hunter could be for multiple reasons, could be just fighting to be Belos’s number one right hand man, but I’m gonna go with the latter and say you’re just close with Luz since that makes this easier.

Constantly fighting with him, for the key, to protect luz and get her back, to even get king back all the way back when you two met. Constant arguing, a similar relationship to what luz and amity have with hunter but there’s more tension for some reason. Conflicted emotions that you’re both aware of but don’t want to say, don’t want to admit to ANYONE. You constantly talked about how he annoyed you, more than Amity or Luz had. And he had talked about you constantly and how much he hated you, mainly to his new palisman.

I can imagine you two becoming lovers through a multitude of ways though, after realizing your feelings.

I am under the assumption hunter will have some redemption arc, and there’s plenty of ways this can happen.

For instance, you grow a soft spot. Similar to hunter and Luz, you two are forced to work together and truly bond with one another. Maybe it’s what made you realize your feelings to begin with.

He’d betray you the first time, but who’s to say it couldn’t happen a second time? Who’s to say you can’t convince him to stay with you that time?

Even better if you say how betrayed you felt, it would make him feel so guilty.

But let’s say it’s a zuko situation where he decides to side with Luz because he realizes his worth and betrays Belos, and you say how betrayed you are and he tries to make up for it.

This is another way, Belos hurts him. Severely, and it nearly ends in him dying and you end up saving him. Or perhaps, he’s being controlled somehow and has to fight you, but you are able to beat him, and save him. Another way, is an azula or even Catra route. But maybe ends up helping towards the end.

I could see you two bonding again and becoming lovers like that, the possibilities are endless especially since we don’t know where the show will be going with his character.

#toh x reader #toh hunter x reader #hunter x reader #the owl house hunter x reader #the owl house x reader

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thequiver · 3 years

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I've never read batman but bc it's. Batman it's so unavoidable that inevitably I get some info and context from everyone else being a fan. So there's some things I know and meta I've read bc bman fans create it, but Bruce being abusive is not something I've seen discussed whatsoever. Like I'd love YOU to discuss it more bc I had no idea abt it but it's weird how despite the piles of meta I've read it rarely if ever comes up. Not even to bitch about it

Okay so a few things to preface this. 1. The comics never write the narrative in a way that shows that Bruce's actions are wrong or bad. 2. I am saying this as someone who has received 3 years of training in identifying abuse in adult interpersonal relationships, and as an educator who has received training in the identification of child abuse. I am also an abuse survivor myself but when analyzing Bruce I work very hard to focus only on the characteristics of abuse that I've been trained to identify. Again these are things that I use for my actual real life job, I do know what I'm talking about.

3. The writers who write Bruce as being abusive almost certainly are not thinking "ah yes this abuse"- that does NOT mean that the story and the interpersonal relationships they write aren't rife with it anyway.

4. This is about the COMICS, idgaf about Batman: the Animated Series, if anyone tries to use it to refute what I'm saying, I am going to laugh at you and I will not be sorry.

Okay, so, all that being said here we go.

I'm going to start with the way he treats his children as this is what most people who reference Bruce being abusive will be talking about. And the simple truth of the matter, is that he is. I'm not even going to touch on the fact that he recruits questionably young sidekicks, like having child sidekicks is really bad and is child endangerment but this is comic books so I'm ignoring that. Some examples of this behavior just off the top of my head include: physically assaulting Dick and banning him from the manor because he tried to offer emotional support after Jason's death, he consistently argues that Cass doesn't need a normal life because she's a soldier, FORCING DICK TO FAKE HIS DEATH AND JOIN SPYRAL BY BEATING HIM TO A PULP UNTIL HE AGREES, telling Robin!Jason that he's "invested a lot of time into [him]" instead of actually acknowledging the parent-child relationship, insulted Stephanie and kicked her out of the "family", told Damian that it was Damian's fault that Alfred died, insulting all of his children to their faces, he physically assaults all of them, he's willing to forgo everything to benefit the mission at the expense of his family, he took Jason back to where he died just to use him. And there's so much more, again that was just off the top of my head, that's just a handful of instances from 80 years of canon. For at least the past 20 years or so you've had characters actively criticizing Bruce's actions in regards to his children, and nothing ever comes of it because the narrative DC pushes just supports Bruce's authoritarian rule of fear over Gotham- that's literally his whole thing, fear and ruling with an iron fist. Furthermore, there are several Bruce stans on this webbed site that will say "Bruce is only abusive if you look at it from the kids' perspective and not his" and frankly that says a LOT. I'm not saying that Bruce doesn't love his kids- but loving your kids don't exclude you from the possibility of being abusive to them. It also doesn't mean that there aren't good moments too, but abuse is a pattern of behavior, it isn't isolated instances of controlling, manipulative, physically violent behavior, it's a pattern of those behaviors, and it can't be argued that in canon Bruce doesn't exhibit a pattern.

But something that isn't as talked about in regard to Bruce's abusive personality is his treatment of other adults, and especially those that he'd consider friends. Like make as many jokes about it as you want, but making contingency plans to kill your friends/coworkers by obsessively studying their weaknesses? Is a bad thing. When Dinah is in charge of the league he's incredibly dismissive of her and her leadership. He considers the others beneath him. I've mentioned this before, but he knocked out someone he considered a friend and would have cut them open if he knew he wouldn't kill them in the process and then forced that person to watch a video of him killing his best friend is not the kind of behavior one partakes in when they believe that others have a right to bodily autonomy (especially when at this point in the narrative there was absolutely nothing to suggest that Ollie was being followed by demons). He constantly belittles the others, and he feels threatened by the fact that Hal is "the man without fear" and that threatens him because as has been said in the comics, "What is Batman to a man without fear? Just a man." Bruce relies on fear, he wants the league to be afraid of him because people who are afraid are easier to control. Going back to how he prioritizes the mission over his own family, he expects other League Members to do the same.

There's so many examples of this that frankly it would take me WEEKS to list them all. But yeah, he's a piece of shit. I can pull some panels for this later, I'm currently on my planning period at work and that's about to end, so I have to go collect my class, but I hope this helps!

#bruce wayne hate club #anyway I've designed patches for this little club and will be selling completed ones on my etsy once I get the chance to embroider them lol #cw child abuse #cw abuse #abuse #child abuse

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saurexhas · 3 years

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Love is Blind - Part 4

Time for couple drama! Nightmare doesn’t want anything to hurt his precious little moon, but how does said moon feel about the special treatment?

PS: Make sure you go to the end to find a special surprise that I’ll be doing for this series!

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Adjusting to blindness is never something you thought that you’d have to do, but it was the unfortunate reality you found yourself in. There certainly wasn’t a manual to it either, but you were managing thanks to everyone’s help. There were several days first spent on bedrest while you recovered from the initial incident, and it gave you a chance to come to terms with your fate and what your actions had brought. You still didn’t regret them though, because your sight was truly a small price to pay for Nightmare’s life.

That didn’t mean that the adjustment period was easy, and you probably would’ve succumbed to despair more than once if Nightmare hadn’t been by your bedside almost the entire time. Your bedroom was quickly turned into his temporary office, allowing him to continue his work and further his plans while offering you the reassuring touch of a tentacle that always lingered on your arm as proof of his presence.

When your partner was finally comfortable with the idea of you leaving your bed, it was… well, difficult would be putting it mildly. You never once realized just how much you relied on sight for almost everything. It took a day and a bit of you simply wandering around your room to not bump into everything, and even longer to actually be able to navigate by touch. Thankfully, nobody in the castle really cared about your appearance, so you weren’t judged by what clothes you were able to find and put on by yourself.

Your room was about the only place where you could safely be allowed to wander on your own at first. The castle was a confusing labyrinth of pathways and corridors that were already difficult to navigate. Attempts to explore the castle in the past had led to you almost getting lost in some abandoned part of the castle, so there was no way you were even going to try such now. But even the areas that were once familiar to you were now alien as you relied on sound and touch to guide you instead of the sense you so heavily relied on.

For the first while, Nightmare personally escorted you on any walks outside of your room. This was mostly to and from meals, a time where you could practically feel everyone’s eyes on the two of you. Your seat had also been moved towards the head of the table, just to the right of Nightmare. The dark god claimed that it was so that he could assist you should you need help with your meals. Killer was quick to point out how any of them could help you though, teasing that the real reason was simply to stick next to you like “an overprotective boyfriend”. According to Cross, the look on Nightmare’s face had been one of pure murder… even if everyone at the table knew that the idiot was right.

One thing that Killer also nailed was how protective your boyfriend suddenly was. Gone were the days of you having free reign over the castle. Instead, in the instances where he couldn’t personally escort you, one of the others was chosen to be your guide instead. Even as you grew more comfortable heading to the areas you often frequented, the rule didn’t let up. He’d also put a stop to any training or sparring plans you might’ve had, insisting that it was too dangerous to continue when you couldn’t see an attack coming.

While you understood that he did it out of love, that didn’t change how frustrating it was. You already couldn’t read, play cards, or even really cook, the last of the three likely being on the dark god’s ban list had there not been enough obvious difficulty to deter you. Sparring with the guys, while rough, was one of the only hobbies you had left, and you trusted that none of them would seriously hurt you. But Nightmare refused to listen to any arguments you put forward, and none of the others would entertain the idea for fear of their lord’s wrath.

So on top of learning to navigate a world of utter darkness, adapting daily chores to your new limitations, and being treated like you were fragile, you were utterly bored. And as days turned to weeks, your frustrations grew. You were used to everyone simply treating you as one of the crew, albeit one that Nightmare favoured. When you first arrived here, you had to fight for your right to remain and not be turned into dinner. The others had respected you for the most part, and if you wanted to engage in any of their usual antics, they didn’t hesitate to include you. Now though, everyone seemed intent on treating you as if you were some doll, one to be sat on a shelf and never touched. Everyone was suddenly afraid of hurting you, and you were no longer one of the crew. You were something else, above the others now that your relationship with the god of negativity had gotten out. Pyre had even stated that if Nightmare was their king, then that made you their ‘queen’ in a sense. Suddenly, you were set to be a ruler over the dark god’s future empire, and everyone’s views of you shifted because of it.

One choice, one that seemed so infallible before, had turned your whole life upside down. You expected to be injured in place of Nightmare, but not blinded. And while trying to deal with such a severe change of lifestyle, you were now being placed on a pedestal and nobody would treat you the same. Part of you wanted to take your frustrations out on the nearby wall, but that would likely only bring someone running to tend to your hand as if it were broken. No, you needed to go to the source of the problem.

While navigating the halls by yourself was more difficult than you could’ve ever guessed, it was made easier by your forethought to create a mental map through touch whenever you were being escorted about. The subtle change in the sound of your footfall let you know when you’d left the solid foundation of the hall your bedroom was on in favour of the landing for the grand staircase. Following the railing with your hand, you found where the hallway changed directions. To go downstairs would take you to the common room and the kitchens, while upstairs led to the library and Nightmare’s office. With your goal upstairs, you carefully shuffled along the steps, shoving your foot forward until it came in contact with the next. When your feet slid freely along the floor and the railing straightened out, you knew that you’d made it to the third floor where you’d find your partner.

After a bit of difficulty gathering your bearings and navigating the third floor of the castle, you came to Nightmare’s office. The door was open only a crack, enough to give others the hint to leave him be while allowing him to hear if any chaos should erupt from the lower levels. Ever so slowly, you pushed the door open, only to cringe as a painfully loud squeak of the hinges alerted your boyfriend to your presence. “MC? What are you doing up here? Whoever brought you here should know that I didn’t wish to be disturbed.”

“Oh, nobody brought me here, I came up here myself. Wasn’t that hard,” you shrugged, lying a bit at the ease of which you got here but determined to make the dark god see that you weren’t helpless. “We need to talk.”

A sigh emanated from Nightmare’s direction, and you could imagine how he was pinching the bridge of his nose as he often did when annoyed or frustrated with something. “First off, I thought I made it clear that you are to have someone escort you around the castle to minimize accidents. And secondly, can whatever conversation you want wait? I have plenty of-”

“No actually, it can’t,” you cut him off, mustering your confidence as you stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind you. “I need to talk to you now, not later.”

Being unable to read his body language was frustrating, leaving everything to your imagination with no way to know if you were interpreting things correctly. You knew that he didn’t like taking orders from anyone, not even you, leaving you to wonder if the silence was due to your demanding tone. Perhaps you should’ve worded things better, but before you could worry too much, Nightmare responded to your demanding request. “Very well, for you little moon, I will make time. Please, take a seat and share what’s on your mind.”

It took every ounce of focus you had to find one of the plush chairs on the other side of his desk, sinking down into it once you found it and being thankful that you didn’t have to fumble around too much. It wouldn’t do your argument for more independence any good if your actions showed a need for more support. “Alright…” You’d thought long and hard about how to get your point across to someone as stubborn as your partner, but now that you were here, it was almost a struggle to get your thoughts out cohesively. “I… I’m tired of everyone treating me differently ever since the incident, including you.”

“My dear, I’ve done nothing of the sort.”

“Yes you have!” Forcing a breath through your nose, your efforts to calm your temper are marginally successful as your unintentional fists relax and grip the arms of the chair. “Everyone is treating me like I’m suddenly delicate, like I’m unable to take a punch or take care of myself. True, it’s been hard to adjust to being blind, but I’ll never get better at accepting things if you all keep coddling me!”

“No one is coddling you!” Nightmare growled in return, his voice growing more agitated as he tried to argue against you. “The others are simply doing their part to ensure that you can rest and heal in comfort!”

A growl built up in your throat as well as your partner continued to deny your claims, your fingers digging into the chair to keep them in place. “That comment brings up another thing. Ever since our relationship got out, everyone’s been treating me as if they’re serving me, like I’m something special that needs to be protected.”

“That’s because you are, little moon. You are my chosen partner, and you knew from the beginning that the title would carry some weight. I am a god my dear, and the ruler of any mortal within this castle. But you’re no longer some random mortal. Now you stand beside me, equal to me in power and authority. They have merely been instructed to show you the same respect and care that they show me.”

To hear it spelled out like that, like it should’ve been obvious to you from the beginning, left a lump in your throat. Was this always what would happen to you? Were you doomed to be lonely up at the top with nobody but the god of negativity himself to be your supposed equal? “I… I-I don’t want that…” Your words came out mumbled, eyes burning as your damaged tear ducts tried and failed to produce any tears. When prompted to speak up, you were practically screaming. “I don’t want that! I don’t want to be so… so alone! You might be fine with being above them, but for the longest time, they treated me as a friend! Now, it’s as if our friendships meant nothing, whenever I reach out all I get is coldness. I want to be able to joke and play around with Killer, I want Butcher to call me names and tease me! I want Pyre to rattle on about how great he is, or to spend time reading with Dust! I want to be able to go up to Cross, hug the stupid fluffy marshmallow, and not have him feel like a freaking statue!”

Your yelling left you short of breath, your chest heaving as you calmed down from your emotional tirade. For a while, your heavy breathing was the only sound echoing in the room, shoulders eventually shuddering as tearless sobs broke from your throat. Your own arms wrapped around yourself, as if trying to keep yourself from truly falling apart. What you weren’t quite expecting though was for a pair of cool, slimy arms to join them as Nightmare hugged you as well, the god having moved around the desk while you were distracted with your own emotional turmoil.

“I’m sorry little moon,” he started, one hand gently petting your hair while a tentacle took to stroking up and down your back in a soothing manner. “I grew so used to my underlings being just that, and I never considered what your views on the matter would be. Let me make this clear though, they treat you special because you are special. No other entity in the entirety of the multiverse has made me feel an emotion as positive as love since my childhood five hundred years ago. While many of the worlds out there fear me, and even those that serve me do well to avoid angering me, you had no such hesitation my dear. As we grew closer, you grew bolder. You would speak your mind freely, even if to criticize my actions or leadership. While it was downright infuriating at first, I grew to respect your courage and tenacity, but also the fact that you accepted me for who I am and not what I once was several lifetimes ago.”

As he spoke in such a calm and soothing voice, you felt your breathing settle as you snuggled into his chest. After he paused for a bit, Nightmare’s tentacles quickly scooped you up into the air, allowing him to settle in your chair and place you on his lap. The comforting gestures continued, serving to keep you calm without the use of his abilities. “You are special MC, never forget that. But also remember that you are my partner, and I will see you treated with the same respect as I receive, nothing less.”

You couldn’t help but tense at his words, about to go off again about how that flew in the face of your wishes. But before you could reiterate the entirety of your emotional rant from before, he shushed you with a gentle finger against your lips, and you could practically hear him smiling through his voice. “Your voice is as powerful in this castle as my own, and if things are not to your liking, then let your voice be heard. They are so used to hearing my voice that those idiots assume your voice will speak the same requests… even I made that poor assumption, and for that I am sorry. If you wish for them to treat you as they always have, then you need only tell them and I can promise you that you will receive what you ask for.”

“You… you mean it?” It seemed too good to be true, but Nightmare was often true to his word with you and the other residents of the castle. Still, it felt like it was too easy to simply ask for them to treat you as if you weren’t any different.

“Little moon, I swear it upon my name that you will be treated as you wish to be in this castle.” The dark god nuzzled you a bit as he made his promise, pulling a soft giggle from you despite the dry feeling in the back of your throat. It wasn’t often that you shouted so much, and you were definitely glad that you closed the door on your way in.

Deciding to push your luck a bit, another request found its way onto your tongue. “Then… if I asked you to stop forcing me to have an escort everywhere, would you respect my wishes?”

“MC, you know that I am just doing that to protect you-”

“Night, we’re in your domain, aren’t we? You know everyone who enters and leaves, making this castle literally the safest place for me. I’m getting better at navigating without my eyes, and I really think that I’d be fine!” When he still didn’t sound convinced, muttering about potential accidents that could happen, you merely threw more options at him. “Look, I’m far from the first blind human. If you’re that worried about me bumping into something or falling down the stairs, then get me a… blind person stick? Cane? Or a seeing-eye dog! One that Butcher would definitely not eat!”

“Is… this your way of asking for a dog?”

“Not my intention, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if you did actually get me one that can help me.” Reaching up, you cupped his cheek with your hand, thumb rubbing just under his good eye. “I’ll never have the same freedom as I did Night, but I know that I can learn to live with the consequences of my actions. And don’t you dare blame yourself for what I decided was a good idea in the spur of the moment.” Even now knowing the consequences of your choice, you’d still make the same call a hundred times over again, enduring the pain each time, if it meant that you didn’t have to see the one you loved suffer.

The god of negativity must have felt your conviction, because he didn’t try to talk you out of it or turn the blame around to be on himself. Instead, he merely sighed as one hand came to hold the one on his face, pulling it away to place a skeletal ‘kiss’ against your palm. “Very well, it seems that you’ve convinced me. I seem to have chosen quite the precocious human as my mate, you seem to be naturally born for commanding and convincing others. From now on, you are free to roam the castle by yourself, on two conditions. The first is that we give you a means of contacting me directly, should you find yourself lost or injured alone. The second is that you will still accept an escort for any trips outside of the castle, no matter your past familiarity with whatever world. Do we have a deal?”

Honestly, Nightmare’s requests were completely fair and reasonable. While you did have your phone, it was still extremely difficult to navigate it, and you likely wouldn’t be able to use it reliably in an emergency. If your boyfriend had an alternative method, then it would be good to have the freedom to go wherever, but with the safety net of knowing that someone will come if you need them to. And as embarrassing as an escort might be outside of the castle, it was still smart. It took you quite a bit of time and practice to navigate the castle on your own, despite your past familiarity with it, and a new space would require such with the aid of someone who could see. There was also the fact that, now that your relationship was public, it was only a matter of time before one of the idiots that you called your friends would let word get out. Then, you’d have a target on your back, a weak spot to be used against Nightmare. It was honestly for the best if you didn’t leave the castle alone anymore, not with several capable fighters that could protect you. “Those requests both seem quite reasonable to me, so I accept.”

“Good, I am glad that you can see I only want what is best for you, my dear. Keeping you safe is just as important to me as my goals.” After a moment more of cuddles, he eventually set you back into your chair alone, his footfalls indicating that he was going back to his own behind his desk. “I’ll see to the creation of a totem of sorts, one made of my own magic. It will allow you to contact me and call me to your side, no matter where you are. Between this, and my assurance that you will be treated as you wish to be, have I dealt with the issue you came to speak to me about?”

“Mhm, I honestly feel a lot better too, so thanks. I can’t see it, but I’m sure you’ve got plenty of work to get done. I’ll leave you be so that you can get it finished.” When he didn’t try to stop you, you got up from your seat and wandered back towards the door. Just as you opened it though to step back outside, you turned back and sent him a wide smile. “Thank you for being so understanding and accepting Night, I really appreciate it.”

“I can tell,” he chuckled as the sound of pen scribbling on paper echoed through the otherwise quiet room. “You go enjoy yourself my dear, I shall speak with you again at dinner.” With his dismissal, you left the door in the same barely open position that you originally found it in before heading back to the stairs. It was about time for you to do what Nightmare told you to do and make your voice be heard. Then maybe your friends would go back to how they used to be and stop treating you differently.

******************************************************************************

Alright, so if you didn’t read my post earlier this week about getting you readers involved, you can read it here because I’m not repeating myself. (aka I’m lazy XD)

And since nobody commented on that post, it made it pretty clear to me that relying on Tumblr comments isn’t a good idea and that I should go with a poll website. So... here ya go!

https://strawpoll.com/634w9bq42

In the next part, Nightmare will be away running important errands, so MC will have to find some way to entertain themselves! Where they go is up to you, as are the result benefits from your choices. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you all choose!

First | < Prev | Part 4 (Here) | Next >

#mc #x reader #nightmare sans #established relationship #tw blindness #mc doesn't like being treated like they're fragile #mc is honestly just trying to hold themselves together #depression not making an appearance this time but likely soon #is mc gonna get a puppy?#nightmare would totally get them a puppy #you better vote or I'll steal your kneecaps /j #seriously though please vote #you guys need to participate for this idea to work and be fun #it'll be worth it promise #saurex works

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fuwushiguro · 3 years

Text

@dabitdabi Welcome to playmate life gorgeous! Hawks is one of my favourites to write so thank you so much for sending him my way, I hope this is worth the wait!!

This is part of my Playboy Mansion event, feel free to participate!!

Hawks x f!reader

Genre: smut, (idk if this might be a bit fluffy too??)

Warnings: 18+, virginity loss, consensual sex, mentions of alcohol, oral (female receiving), fingering, mentions of cum, vaginal sex, unprotected sex.

Words: 3.5k

This wasn’t your first Playboy party, and you were sure it wouldn’t be your last. You’d been working as a bunny for around three months now, the first party was a little overwhelming, but the other girls were more than happy to hold your hand through the whole experience. The more parties you attended, the more comfortable you became. You never worried about guests being inappropriate, you weren’t just employees to your boss. You were bunnies, and you deserved to be treated with respect like everyone else attending the parties, you were the stars and made these extravagant events what they were.

You knew being a bunny came with the connotation of being hypersexualised, but becoming a bunny was too good of an opportunity to pass up. You weren’t one of the most popular bunnies since you were a little shy, but you were known by all of the guests who regularly attended these parties. You were often tagged in photos where you’d posed with guests. They’d always leave little comments that made you smile. You had the best job in the world.

Your first instance of trouble came at this particular party. You’d never experienced any guests acting unseemly, but this evening was different. You leaned over the bar to collect a tray of shots to walk around with, when you felt somebody tug on the tail attached to your corset. You ignored it at first, understanding that guests enjoyed playing with the bunnies. However when the assailant delivered a stinging spank to your ass cheek, your attention snapped in their direction. You recognised the man, he was a gruff looking entrepreneur who’s name you couldn’t place right now. It was apparent that he was drunk, you hoped it was just a little bit of teasing. He became a little more aggressive with you, begging you to kiss him and spend the night with him. There were no members of security nearby, but a few of your fellow bunnies did their best to help you get away from him, to no avail.

“Hey, get away from her.” You heard someone speak. You turned to face the soft voice, and struggled to see the man who had came to your defence through your bleary eyes. The drunk man tried to argue. Quickly you rubbed the droplets out of your vision so you could see who was helping you. Before the drunkard could state his case, your rescuer had grabbed him and pulled him towards a member of security to deal with. Some of your friends crowded you and coddled you, making sure you were okay after what happened. The blonde-haired hero came to check on you once he’d dealt with the situation. Before you could think, you rose to your feet with tears flowing from your eyes and ran to the nearest bathroom. You locked yourself in a stall while you broke down, feeling bad that your makeup would be ruined. You hoped that you wouldn’t get in too much trouble for taking the rest of the night off, but you’re sure that the other girls would defend you and explain the situation. You wouldn’t be surprised if the man who groped you got banned from attending these parties. There is a strict policy against any fornication at work, it was a fireable offence. But guests also had a one strike and you’re out rule, they mostly knew better than to try anything as brash as that man had, but he’d regret it now that he wouldn’t be invited to return ever again.

While you continued to cry, you heard the door squeak open, and footsteps approach your stall. You sniffed slightly, but mostly tried to calm yourself down. You couldn’t cry all evening after all, you didn’t want to give yourself a headache. You waited for the person to reveal themselves, assuming it was one of your friends. It would have been hard to tell who was who from the crack under the stall door. You were all in the same uniforms after all. But the shoes were nothing like your uniforms. It was a man, clearly, wearing a pair of bulky black boots and tan trousers.

“Um,” You sniffed, “Sir this is the ladies bathroom.” You alerted him, sure he already knew.

“Yeah, I know, I just wanted to check on you birdie.” He spoke back to you.

“I’m a bunny not a bird.” You corrected him, completely glossing over the pet name he’d decided to give you.

“Yeah I was just, never mind… You’re okay right? Can you come out here?” He queried. Obvious concern in his voice. You declined, you didn’t want him to see you like this. Your eyes were clouded with unshed tears. Your mascara had ran down your cheeks and you were sure your foundation underneath had probably ran too. But he wouldn’t take no for an answer, he asked you again… and again… and again…

“Fine.” You responded.

You flushed your crumpled up pieces of tear-stained toilet roll away and unlocked the door. His expression flickered from concern to sympathy as he saw how upset you were. You walked by him so that you could wash your hands, and you noticed in the mirror that he walked into the cubicle you’d just left. You weren’t sure what he was doing, but he returned to your side with several layers of toilet roll. When you washed and dried your hands, he ran the toilet roll under the tap. He cupped your face in one of his hands and lightly dabbed the damp tissue into your cheeks and under eyes. He was trying to help you; he was trying to tidy up your appearance. Why was he being so sweet?

“I think that just might make it worse.” You announced, knowing you were right.

“Okay then. Show me what I need to do.” He requested, “Please let me help you, I don’t want to see you upset like this over that scumbag.” He explained. Your heart clenched a little he was so caring and considerate; you could almost feel your heart melting. You took him by the hand and led him out of the bathrooms. You knew there were a lot of areas off limits and you’d risk losing your job, but you wanted to spend more time with your saviour and give him the chance to help you out again.

☆ ☆ ☆

You brought him to the bunny dressing room. You barged in with him assuming your co-workers wouldn’t be here, but one of them was sitting in a dressing chair topping up her makeup.

“You know you can’t bring people in here to hook up!” She reminded you.

“We aren’t here for that!” You protested, feeling extremely embarrassed. You felt the heat rise to your face and you tried to change the subject, “He just saved me from some trouble, please don’t tell anyone, he’s just checking on me.” You stated, hoping she’d take pity on you.

“Oh I don’t care, you know I won’t tell. I’m just about finished here so I’ll let you love birds do what you need to do.” She teased as she exited the glamorous pink dressing room.

You tried to protest once again before she left but it was too late. The honey-haired man smiled but decided not to join in the teasing. He simply requested that you show him what he needed to do to help you fix your makeup. But instead, you gave him your removal kit. You were done for the evening, there was no way you could go back to work when you felt the way you did. You both smiled and giggled sweetly as he did his best to remove your makeup for you. You chatted a little and got to know each other better, you found out his name was Keigo and he was a friend of the hosts. Once your makeup was off, you gave him a grateful, “thanks” and stood to your feet. The least you could do was escort him back downstairs before you turned in for the night.

“You know angel, you look just as cute without makeup as you do with.” He told you. You were stopped in your tracks as you couldn’t help but blush at the compliment. “Don’t you wanna hang out a little while before I have to leave?” He wondered, hoping you’d stick around. You knew that you shouldn’t, but you were too drawn to the handsome stranger that you couldn’t resist. You sat back down on the comfortable carpet with him and couldn’t help but coyly shy as he stared deeply into your eyes.

“Thanks again for saving me Keigo.” You repeated, you were so grateful for his help. You were sure that security would have helped you sooner or later, but you were truly fortunate that Keigo had been there to rescue you from his clutches.

“It really shook you up, didn’t it baby?” He sweetly questioned, “Have you never had to deal with something like that before?” He added. You shook your head.

“It was scary, obviously, but it wasn’t just that.” You expressed, not sure why you felt so comfortable sharing your personal life with this man.

“What do you mean?” He asked you, placing a hand on your leg. He stroked over your pantyhose with his thumb as he held onto you.

“Oh… I’m not sure I should say,” You started, “It’s a little embarrassing.” You followed. He didn’t speak, instead he just stared intensely into your sweet eyes, willing you to continue if you felt like it. You kept stuttering, starting and stopping your sentence as you tried to get the confidence to confide in him.

“Birdie, I promise I won’t judge you if you want to tell me.” He soothed, hoping to help you get your words out.

“It’s just… I’ve never…” You began. You screwed your eyes shut as you couldn’t bare to look at him when you finished your sentence, “I’m a virgin.” You blurted out. Your eyes were already closed but you felt so exposed you decided to cover your face with your hands too. You were so embarrassed; you were sitting with a guy who seemed too cool for school and probably had a wild sex life. You wouldn’t have been surprised if you opened your eyes and he was gone. But instead, you felt him grab your wrists and remove your hands from your face. Instinctively you opened your eyes, and right at that moment Keigo planted a delicate kiss onto your lips.

“I’m sorry if that was a little forward, I just wanted to show you it doesn’t bother me.” He smiled as he parted from your lips slightly. It was your first kiss, you weren’t upset. If anyone had to steal your first kiss, you weren’t mad about it being this beautiful stranger.

“Can we, um, do that again?” You asked, the words left your mouth and you instantly began to cringe. You hated how awkward you were, but he just had this effect on you. But before you could overthink your graceless comment, his lips were on yours once again.

You got lost in the feeling of his soft lips on yours. He tasted so heavenly; you couldn’t get enough. He got more adventurous and slipped a tongue into your mouth. You weren’t sure what to do so he did his best to guide you. Once you eased into it a little more, your kissing became more frenzied. You couldn’t get enough of each other. What started off soft and sweet became hot and passionate, but you knew you had to hold back. You couldn’t risk getting caught with him or you’d risk losing your job. He lightly groped your breast as his kissing traversed from your lips down to your neck. You couldn’t stop the moan that huffed from your lips, and you bucked against his thigh trying to gain some friction against your clothed cunt.

“You look fucking hot in that outfit.” He mumbled between kisses.

“Stop!” You raised your voice as you pushed yourself away from him.

“Did I do something wrong?” He wondered, confused by your sudden outburst.

“No, you’re great I’m sorry. It’s against the rules for Playmates to hook up with guests, I will lose my job if we’re caught.” You explained. Keigo nodded as if he understood, giving you an innocent smile as he planted a kiss on your lips once more.

“I get it. Sorry I got carried away.” He told you, picking himself off the ground. He held a hand out to you to help you to your feet, “I think I’ll get going. I’ll see you at the next party though, right?” He explained. You didn’t want to see him at the next party. You didn’t want him to leave. But you didn’t want to risk losing your job for the sake of keeping Keigo around. And you really didn’t want to throw your virginity at him just to prevent him from leaving.

“I, um…”

“I’ll have no reason to come to these things anymore if I don’t get to hang out with the prettiest bunny in the whole mansion.” He smiled, lightly brushing his thumb over your cheek.

You weren’t usually one for compliments. You knew guys would say anything to get in your pants. But there was something so sincere about Keigo. The way everything seemed so genuinely sweet and affectionate when he spoke to you. The way he made you feel like you were the only other person in the whole world with him. You loved being a bunny. You loved living with the girls and you loved all of the fun you had at the mansion. But you were in a role in which you were hypersexualised to everyone around you. How could they expect guests to not want to fuck you? How could you be expected to resist someone as sexy as Keigo? You didn’t think you’d lose your virginity like this, but who were you saving it for anyway?

☆ ☆ ☆

You pressed your lips against Keigo’s once again, and he was more than happy to respond. You began tugging at his clothes, indicating that you wanted them off. You didn’t break your kissing for more than a second. He took his jacket off while still deeply kissing you but removed himself quickly whilst he took off his t-shirt. You didn’t break the kiss either while you removed your high heels. You shrunk a few inches but Keigo didn’t mind leaning down a little further to keep smothering you in affection. He began to travel down to your neck once again but settled on the flesh of your breasts that were being hoisted up by your corset. You let out soft sighs as he continued. He crouched down slightly as he began fondling the bottom of your corset that resided between your thighs. He managed to unbutton it as he pulled down your sheer tights and panties. You were about to remove your corset when he asked you not to.

“You look too fucking good in that outfit to take it off.” He alerted you.

You felt slightly embarrassed by the praise, but it didn’t last long when he pulled you down to kiss him again, you were looming over him a little as you did. “Lie down.” He commanded. You did as you were told, eagerly awaiting whatever he had planned. He parted your legs a little, he repeatedly kissed your leg as he travelled up towards your pussy. He spread your legs wider when he reached your sopping sex, and instantly got to work licking your clit. You moaned almost instantly at the contact as your body softened into his touch. He slowly plunged a finger in, carefully working your innocent interior.

“Tell me if it hurts or if you want me to stop, okay birdie?” He instructed.

“Y-yeah…” You moaned. You’d be crazy to want this feeling to end.

He latched back onto your clit. His licking started off slow, but he eventually picked up the pace. He alternated between licking and sucking at your sensitive bundle of nerves all while still pumping his digit in and out of your tight cunt. The euphoric feeling caused you to writhe around on the ground. You were compelled to close your legs and clamp them around your lovers head, but he used his free hand to pin one of your legs to the ground while he continued working at your desperate cunt. He slipped another finger inside of you and continued his motions. He frantically began scissoring you open so he could prepare you for his cock. The sensations were too much, you hadn’t felt like this before. You felt a rising knot in your stomach and you were sure it was going to unfurl at any moment.

“P-please, Keigo I… I think I’m gonna.” You panted, your chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.

“No.” He spoke. Halting all actions. You were crushed. Why did he stop? You whimpered at the loss of contact and Keigo admired your little virgin hole clenching around nothing. You sat up a little, wondering what was going on. “Lie back down for me angel.” He commanded. You did as you were told, anticipating what he was doing. You knew instantly when you heard the unzipping of his pants. He was going to fuck you.

“Keigo… N-need it. Need it s’bad.” You whined. Your bratty voice earned a smirk from Keigo.

“Yeah? My mouth and fingers made you a little needy huh? I wanted to feel you cum around my cock.” He told you as he made contact with your dripping pussy. The feeling of him sliding his cock up and down your slit alone was heavenly. You were desperate for him to fill out your hole.

“Please, please fuck me now.” You requested.

He lined himself up with your entrance. He slowly sunk himself into you, making continuous eye contact with you as he did so. He was paying attention to every facial expression you made, he didn’t want to hurt you. He was impressed that you took him like champ, he completely bottomed out inside of you and he was more than ready to fuck your brains out.

He set a harsh pace almost instantly, he was aching with such a desperate need to cum. As soon as he saw you he knew that he had to have you tonight. He could see there was something untouched and innocent about you, but he didn’t expect you to be a fully fledged virgin. You were his now. No matter what you’d remember him as your first sexual encounter and no one would ever be able to compare.

He continued drilling into you, thoughts of owning you bringing him closer to his climax. Your arousal was rebuilding too. He began kissing you once again, although it was hard for each of you to focus. The building pleasure in the pair of you caused you both to occasionally moan into each other’s mouths. The sounds being devoured by each other arousing you more, bringing you closer and closer to your highs. He bent both of your legs up to your chest so he could continue pounding you at a deeper angle.

“K-Keigo,” You whimpered, “It hurts.” You expressed, not used to the feeling of him nudging your cervix.

“I’m sorry birdie, I’ll make it better I promise, I just-“ He stopped as he moaned through his speech. Making no attempt to change what he was doing to alleviate the pain you were feeling, “Cum for me baby you’ll feel better, I wanna feel you cum around me.” He huffed into your face. He reached down and began toying with your clit as he encouraged you to let yourself go. The contact was more than enough to send you over the edge. You were forced to keep constant eye contact with Keigo as he fucked you through your release. Your cunt clamped down on him, milking his cock for all it was worth. He rested his forehead on yours as you both came together, looking lovingly into each other’s eyes.

You’d always heard mixed reviews about losing your virginity. You would either hear that it was a beautiful and romantic moment you should give to someone meaningful, or that it’s a terrible time and it has no meaning on your life. You didn’t know Keigo very well at all, but you felt grateful that he was the one you got to share your first time with. For someone who was a stranger, he truly did care about your enjoyment and keeping you safe. He was still between your legs, letting you warm his cock as he laid on top of you. He gently peppered kisses on your forehead and cheeks while stroking your hair.

You were lucky you hadn’t been caught, you were lucky that for now you still had a job. But if he comes back to the next mansion party, you knew that you wanted to do this with him again.

Thank you so much again for participating, it was a pleasure to write this and have you be a bunny for the night! I hope you enjoyed your experience at the party!!

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tea-and-la · 3 years

Text

“Katara is Hot-Headed”

.... okay, so i’ve seen this ICE cold take enough time to warrant a formal post. i’ve seen and strongly agree with the posts i’ve seen that refute this, like @shewhotellsstories post here. but unfortunately, this sentiment is still something that’s widely accepted in the atla fandom. it’s no surprise that “katara is hotheaded” is the common argument for “why zutara doesn't work.” and while it’s more than irritating that zutara antis love to align them in ways that are only negative in nature, i’m not going to get into that. i’m going to focus on katara.

one of the key defining aspects of katara’s personality is her patience. she is unwavering in her faith of aang (through their numerous supportive talks), as well as her encouragement of her friends when they need it (ex. toph in the runaway and sokka in sokka’s master.) but most notably? let’s talk about the desert episode because this is where katara’s patience really shines.

there are a lot of things going on in that episode. aang is dealing with grief from the loss of appa and lashes out at both toph and katara while also intermittently flying away from the group. what would a “hot headed” or quick-tempered person do in this situation? let’s look at some of the dialogue:

aang: [Enraged.] How could you let them take Appa?! ‌ Why didn't you stop them‌?!

toph: [Defensively.] I couldn't! The library was sinking! You guys were still inside and-

aang: [Snaps at Toph in a harsh way.] You just didn't care! You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!

aang looks extremely furious at Toph as Katara walks over to him. She puts her hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down.

katara: We're all concerned, but we can't afford to be fighting now.

in that dialogue, katara inserts herself in to mediate. she recognizes that he’s in a dark place, and she sees past the harshness of his words to see that they come from a place of hurt, not malice. she reacts with empathy and understanding.

a quick-tempered person would not have responded in this way.

the majority of this episode, katara is essentially the leader of the group. it’s swelteringly hot, which is enough for any hot headed person to get irritated, but she doesn’t.

toph: Katara, can I have some more water?

katara: Okay, but we've got to try to conserve it.

sokka: [As he points to his mouth.] We're drinking your bending water. [He tries to define the taste of the water, smacking his lips. Disgustedly he exclaims.] You used this on the swamp guy! Urch!

toph: It does taste swampy.

katara: [Sad tone.] I'm sorry, it's all we have.

in this scene, even momo complains about the taste of the water, the only water they have. and katara’s response was to apologize for something she can’t control.

after this point, she has to lead toph through the sand, while sokka is high on cactus juice and aang is upset. instead of getting frustrated, she tries to inspire hope into them all:

aang: [Hopelessly.] What's the difference? We won't survive without Appa. We all know it.

katara: [Encouraging.] Come on, Aang. We can do this if we work together. Right Toph?

toph: As far as I can feel, we're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding. I got nothin'.

katara: [Hopeful.] Sokka? Any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?

Sokka and Momo lie side by side on their backs, arms and legs stretched out. Sokka smiles blissfully.

she does get annoyed, but she doesn’t direct that frustration at any of them, unlike a quick tempered person would do.

katara: [Grabs her head in annoyance.] Ugh ... We're getting out of this desert, and we're going to do it together! Aang, get up. Everybody, hold hands. We can do this. We have to.

the point of these excerpts isn’t to say that anyone else in the gaang is horrible. i just wanted to point out the moments when she could’ve gotten frustrated and lashed out, but didn’t. not once.

patience and quick temperedness are antonyms of each other. and imo, the fact that so much of katara’s character is defined by her patience (even outside of this specific episode) and nurturing (for over 80% of the show) is enough to refute her “hotheadedness.” especially, when the other members of the gaang are allowed to be upset and/or angry on occasion and their dispositions/temperaments are not immediately associated with hotheadedness. maybe unpack why that is.

let’s take the instance when she and toph argue in the chase. first of all, this episode is characterized by all of the members of the gaang being sleep deprived (i.e. not in their normal states), so their attitudes should be taken with a grain of salt. (what humans do you know that are happy-go-lucky when they haven’t slept enough?)

anyway, the episode starts with katara attempting to lightly hint to toph about group dynamics.

katara: So Toph, usually when setting up camp, we try to divide up the work.

toph: [Shrugging casually.] Hey, don't worry about me. I'm good to go.

katara: Well, actually what I'm trying to say is, [Holds arms out in gesture.] some of us might fetch water, while someone else might set up the fire pit, or put up the tent. [Momo flies over to her, dropping several berries he had collected into her hands.] Even Momo does his fair share.

toph: [Breezily.] Katara, I'm fine. I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire, [Pats bag.] I've already collected my own food and look, [Earthbends a rock tent over her.] my tent's all set up.

katara: [Slightly irritated.] Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish

toph: [Angered.] I don't understand what's the problem here!

katara: Waves her hand dismissively and walks away.] Never mind.

from the above excerpt, she drops the issue and doesn’t lash out. later, she even goes back and tries to make amends with toph. she even tries smiling before she heads over there.

Cuts to Katara, who sets down a jug of water. She looks over at Toph, sitting comfortably beneath her earth tent. Her dull expression changes to one of slight happiness. She approaches Toph who is eating some sort of food item.

katara: [Rubs back of head sheepishly.] Hey Toph, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each other's nerves.

toph: [Casually.] Yeah, you do seem pretty tired.

katara: [Growing disgusted.] I meant all of us.

Cuts to shot of inside Toph's earth tent as she lazily tosses the food item onto the ground and lays her head down to rest.

toph: Well, good night.

katara: [Slightly irked.] Good night.

none of her mannerisms and word choices are characteristic of someone with a temper. despite toph’s slight unintentional antagonistic remarks, katara doesn’t react.

later, after they managed to evade the azula’s tank train for the night, they land appa. and katara tries, again:

toph: [Leaping off Appa and lying on the ground, relieved.] Ah, land sweet land! [Rises and says cheerfully.] See you guys in the morning!

katara: Actually, can you help us unload?

toph: [Points a finger at Katara in irritation.] Look! I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff! [Turns and begins walking away.] I'm carrying my own weight.

katara: [Angrily.] That's not the point. [Approaches Toph.] Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!

toph: [Enraged.] What? Look here, sugar queen, [Points finger at Katara.] I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending. So don't you talk to me about being selfish!

the only times when katara reacts in anger that could be perceived as impulsive, is when she is insulted by Pakku and when Sokka suggests that she leave the Fire Nation town without helping. Both of these are hardly instances of hotheadedness, and moreso a reflection of who she is as a character: someone who doesn’t turn her back on people who needs her and someone who fights injustice.

why would we call katara hotheaded for not settling for being antagonized by a misogynistic asshole? she was a trailblazer in that scene and it meant so much to the little girls of the Northern Water Tribe. similarly, why would we call her hotheaded for not being able to turn away from people who are in need? after all, that’s a core part of her character’s trauma: feeling of survivor’s guilt that there was something she could’ve done to save her mom. it’s part of why she has to act to help others. her passion isn’t synonymous with hotheadedness.

#pro katara #atla #i'm tired of seeing this take #like i truly don't care of you hate zutara or not #but please stop saying that katara is hotheaded #it isn't really consistent with the show #the only times i can think of are when she attacks jet when he comes back #and when she does the same to zuko when he tries to join the group #i mean they both betrayed her so she was right to feel angry #none of her anger was irrational #and implying it as such kinda has uncomfy vibes

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mimisempai · 3 years

Text

You may be out of my sight, but never out of my mind

Summary:

During his journey with Sylvie, Loki realizes that Mobius occupies his mind much more than he thinks.

5 times where Loki thinks about Mobius and 1 time where he realizes that he misses him.

Notes:

Loki along the episode 3, in the episode Mobius is not present... physically, but in Loki's head... it's another story...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32141530

1992 words - rating G

As he tried to keep up with her, Sylvie wryly asked him, "What exactly makes a Loki a Loki?"

Seriously, why were they all asking him the same thing? Loki remembered their first discussion with Mobius.

"All I seek is a deeper understanding of the fearsome God of Mischief. What makes Loki tick?"

Mobius... who seemed to know him before Loki even answered him. Who seemed to know before him what made him tick. Mobius who had made him tick, who had helped him see his flaws, but who hadn't used them against him.

He wouldn't reveal anything to Sylvie, he didn't know her well enough to trust her yet. Though a little voice in his head whispered to him, "You didn't know Mobius for much longer when you made yourself vulnerable to him."

Yes, but Mobius was Mobius as Loki was Loki.

He sighed before replying, with his usual verve, "Independence, authority, style."

Some would say three words weren't enough to describe him, but it was enough for now.

Sylvie sneered and retorted, "So, naturally you went to work for the boring, oppressive time police."

What a cheeky woman, she didn't know anything.

He protested, "I don't work for them. I'm a consultant."

Even though several people at the TVA had repeatedly reminded him of his place in the short time he'd been there, Loki liked to think that Mobius considered him as such.

If Loki was honest, he had enjoyed "working" with Mobius. Not to mention the way they had "grown closer."

But now... he didn't even know if they would get reunited and if they did... he didn't even want to think about it. He couldn't. He didn't have time for that.

Sylvie replied, "You don't know what you want."

Loki answered with a deflection, even though deep down he knew exactly what he wanted, or rather who he wanted.

Mobius...

"I can't sleep in a place like this."

Loki, surprised, asked Sylvie, "You can't sleep on a train?"

She replied, annoyed, "No. I can't sleep around untrustworthy people."

That he could understand.

Of course, he couldn't help but think of the last time he had slept like that.

In the TVA archives, while he and Mobius were doing research, Loki had fallen asleep. He hadn't just dozed off, he had fallen deeply asleep.

One could argue that it was because since New York he hadn't really been able to sleep, so exhaustion outweighed caution, or that he was bored with the research, but Loki knew it wasn't either of those reasons.

No matter how exhausted he was, no matter how tired he was, he had never slept in the presence of anyone else without his subconscious being in a state of minimal awareness.

It was ingrained in him. Few people had given him reason to trust.

In a place like the TVA, filled with hostile people, the presence of one person had been enough for him to let his guard down and sleep soundly.

He couldn't help but wonder why.

What was it about Mobius that was breaking down Loki's defenses one by one? Worse, what did Mobius have that made Loki's defenses fall one by one without making him want to run away?

Mobius...

Sylvie was a little more open and asked, "Hang on a second. So, tell... Tell me about your mother."

Sylvie was different in a way, kind of like Mobius, she made him want to confide... a little. Or was it because she was a variant of himself? In any case, he didn't mind answering, even if the news of his mother's death was still tough to accept.

"I barely remember her. Just blips of a dream at this point. You know, when I was young, she'd do these little bits of magic for me. Like turn a flower into a frog or cast fireworks over the water. It all seemed impossible. She told me that I'd be able to do it too because... Because I could do anything. You wanna see?"

He twirled his hand and mini fireworks erupted from it. He smiled, proud of himself.

Sylvie snorted and said, "Not bad.

Then Loki added, "She was the kinda person you'd want to believe in you."

Knowing the truth about his mother's death now, his sadness was all the greater. He could never again give her reason to believe in him.

The same little voice came again, "But there is someone else..."

There was someone else he would want him to believe in him.

Someone else who had believed in him enough to ask him for help, even if it was to fulfill his own agenda.

Mobius who had put his head on the line so that Loki wouldn't be reset, because he had seen something in Loki the same way his mother had always seen something in him.

Mobius had told him something that had resonated with him, like an echo of his mother's words.

"I guess I'm wondering why does someone with so much range just wanna rule?

But then things happened and Loki had to make this choice in a hurry.

He wondered if Mobius still believed in him now.

He could still hear him shouting just before he went through the portal.

"Loki wait!"

He couldn't help but hope that the man would listen to him before judging him.

That Loki would still have time to show him that yes, he could be believed in.

Mobius...

"How about you? You're a prince. Must've been would-be-princesses or perhaps, another prince." Sylvie punctuated her sentence with a little wink, as if she was daring him to prove her wrong.

But Loki was proud of who he was, and he wouldn't hide, he answered her with a little smile, "A bit of both. I suspect the same as you."

She nodded and Loki continued, "But, nothing ever..." he paused because what he was about to say was not completely true anymore.

However, Sylvie finished his sentence for him, "Real."

As he heard Sylvie say this word out loud, he realized it was no longer true. He took a sip.

This sort of relationship they had started with Mobius before they left for Alabama, Loki didn't want to believe it wasn't real.

He, the master of illusion, didn't want to believe that the emotions Mobius stirred in him weren't real.

He couldn't believe that the caress of his fingers, the taste of his lips that he could still feel were not real.

The very idea that the understanding and compassion he had read in Mobius' eyes was not real, it was terrifying to Loki.

Because for once he'd caught a glimpse of something that could only be his, not a throne, not a title, not glory. Just something real.

Mobius...

Sylvie had fallen asleep and Loki found himself alone with his thoughts, his thoughts that were only directed towards one person.

So he continued to drink and as the musicians played a melody that reminded him of Asgard, uninhibited by alcohol, he felt like singing and dancing.

With a snap of his fingers, he changed his borrowed uniform into that of the TVA.

It wasn't the leathers of Asgard, nor his god-like outfits, but he felt better right away.

Because it was the same as Mobius and it made him feel like he belonged. That the bond was not broken.

The jacket, even though it had the horrible name of Variant on the back, it was Mobius who had given it to him, who had told Loki that he looked smart in it.

Okay, drunkenness made him particularly sappy, but after all, for a short while, he felt like letting go.

He began to sing and dance in the middle of the dance floor, with some of the other passengers joining in.

When she sings, she sings “Come home”,

When she sings, she sings “Come home”

He almost burst out laughing when Sylvie woke up and saw him on the dance floor. She asked him where his uniform was. He just shrugged his shoulders and continued to sing and dance happily.

Suddenly the music became slower and more nostalgic, similar to a song his mother used to sing to him, and he leaned against the bar and couldn't help but sing along,

I stormsvarte fjell, jeg vandrer alene

Over isbreen tar jeg meg frem

I eplehagen står møyen den vene

og synger “når kommer du hjem?”

Men traner danser og fossene stanser

når hun synger, hun synger “kom hjem”

And before the emotion took over, he began to dance and sing happily again in an attempt to keep the nostalgia from overwhelming him.

When the music stopped, he returned to Sylvie and took his place in front of her.

She asked him with a raised eyebrow, "What did you just sing to look so troubled?"

Loki with a slightly tight throat, but trying not to let it show, answered, "It's Asgardian, it says :

In storm-black mountains, I wander alone

Over the glacier I make my way

In the apple garden stands the maiden fair and sings,

"When will you come home?"

Loki had to stop, overwhelmed by emotion.

Sylvie, her eyes devoid of all mockery, said softly, "So there is a would-be-princess somewhere..."

Loki chuckled sadly before replying, "I like metaphors you know, in this instance, it's not a princess, it's a prince, and I don't know if he's waiting for me or hoping to see me again, it's not even really my home, but..."

"...but you'd like to believe it, right?"

Loki could only nod.

Mobius...

Sylvie was explaining to him how her power worked as they made their way to where they could escape.

"That young soldier from the TVA, her mind was messed up. Everything clouded. I had to pull a memory from hundreds of years prior, before she even fought for them."

Loki stopped, shocked, not wanting to realize what Sylvie's words implied.

He asked her, urgently, "What? What'd you just say? Before she joined the TVA?"

She answered as if it were the most normal thing, "Yeah. She was just a regular person on Earth."

"A regular person?"

"Loved margaritas."

Loki continued as he began to understand, "I was told that everyone who works for the TVA was created by the Time-Keepers."

Sylvie laughed, "That's ridiculous. They're all Variants, just like us."

Loki appalled, "They don't know that!"

Mobius doesn't know that. The way he talks about the TVA, the jetski, Casey not knowing what fish are. They don't know that!

As they ran toward their destination, Loki couldn't stop the stream of thoughts that swirled in his head.

Mobius...

He thought back to their discussion.

"I think a TVA agent showing up on a jet ski on the Sacred Timeline, that would create a branch for sure."

"It'd be fun, though."

"Yeah, it'd be really fun."

"So, why read about them?"

"Just helps remind me of what we're fighting for."

How would he react if he learned that his whole life was a lie?

Loki knew it. Loki had lived it. He had been devastated when he learned that his parents were not his parents.

Loki's heart bled for Mobius, even though the man didn't know yet.

Mobius who had that kind of candor that Loki had lost for so long.

At that moment he realized how much he missed the man and how much he had become an important presence in his life. For the first time since they met, he didn't want his comforting and protective presence. He didn't want Mobius to be there for him, he, Loki, wanted to be there for Mobius.

He felt like protecting and comforting.

He felt like fighting for something other than himself.

At that moment, it wasn't the time keepers, or the tempad or anything else that mattered to him.

He had only one thought, only one word in his mind.

Mobius...

__________

The whole serie here : The story of Loki and Mobius

🌈 Happy Pride month ! 🌈

To celebrate, 1 day, 1 story.

Be ready for smiles, laugh, fluff, tooth rotthing fluff, positive vibes and a lot of love!

Not beta'd

#developing relationship #lokius #lokius fics #loki #mobius m mobius #sylvie laufeydottir #moki #wowki #loki x mobius #5+1 fic

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