#and instead has a very good read of and control over a conversation/situation

[ji-bit]

contains: smut [d/s dynamic. brat tamer changbin. manhandling. thigh fucking. teasing in public]

changbin bringing you closer to him like this video.. maybe you were being bratty towards him… whispering things in his ear that he’s never heard you say before out loud. like you? his perfectly good and compliant baby?? acting out in public while you’re eating dinner with the members??? it’s not like you at all, so he tilts his head at you trying to read your expression; but you’re just looking at him innocently with big eyes. he lets you off once more, but the third time he whispers in your ear with the urge to grab your face to look at him. he holds back however, knowing to have some decorum in front of his friends. he just needs to teach you that.

“why are you being so bratty today baby… do i not treat you well enough hm?” you turn to look at him with a slightly startled expression— quickly looking away, which he notices and smirks (i need him so bad) before going on, “did i not give you what you wanted earlier today?”

earlier today, when he needed to leave for the studio, you practically begged him to fuck you which caused him to reason with you and he ate you out instead. he knew if he did end up attempting a quickie he would get too carried away and he couldn’t have that when he had chan messaging asking about his whereabouts. he left hard and horny, even sending you messages during breaks saying how much he missed and needed you.

later on, he came home to pick you up to eat dinner with the members like you’d all planned the day before, unable to resist making out with you before telling you that it’ll only be a couple hours more and he’d be able to fuck you.

so here you are, very frustrated and turned on. changbin has alot of self control so it takes more to get him riled up with others around, yet because of the earlier situation, his erection is already getting painful against his jeans. he’s still looking at you, waiting for a response but you don’t give him one, scooting over a small bit to hyunjin to join the conversation he’s having with jisung. you keep your legs crossed, feeling your wetness seep through your underwear, clenching and unclenching your legs for some form of relief, and you can practically feel changbin’s eyes burn a hole into you.

the dinner goes on, having fun speaking to the members to the point where you almost forget to tease changbin. almost. this time you decide to place a hand on his thigh, only for a short few seconds when laughing at a joke he made but making sure it lingers until he notices. and he does, knowing the intent behind your move which makes him even more frustrated than earlier. that’s when he places a hand on the side of both of your thighs, pulling you towards him and leaning in to whisper in your ear, “don’t be a brat.”

immediately he knows he has you right where he wants you, watching you pout at his words for being very lightly scolded by him. he doesn’t want to punish you, always giving his baby whatever they ask for and feeling :( himself when he has to tame his brat. he would give you everything if he could, but you know the rules, and you’re breaking them on purpose.

when you both get home, he decides to punish you before fucking you, his patience running very thin. he has his dick out and you have your legs bent at the knee while he holds them together and away from him. “aww, poor baby is so wet,” he comments before rubbing your wetness around with the tip, making you gasp at the feeling of him against your clit, “too bad you can’t cum today. i would’ve loved to fuck you hard like you told me you wanted at the table…”

you whimper at his words, silently pleading for him to just fuck you but you’re quickly cut off by your own moan— he used the juncture between your thighs to push his dick through, deliciously rubbing your clit with the movement he makes. “gonna fuck you like this,” he says groaning at the relief,

“and you’re gonna take it, yeah?”

[patito-oward]

Little things

WC: 720

Summary: Ways Pato shows you he loves you

-Watching your favorite show

Pato had never been big on watching TV, before he met you he’d just occasionally watched what was on. This was something that shocked you when you got together, as you’re an avid binge watcher. Being with Pato actually made you give up a lot of watching TV. Instead of using it as background for every situation, you often have a record playing, you’ll spend your free time together reading or just talking.

The one time you can not give up watching TV is when you’re sleeping. You always have something on while you’re trying to sleep, and Pato gets surprisingly interested. You’ll be half asleep and he’ll start asking you questions about the show which you have no clue the answer of so you’ll usually just mumble incoherently into his chest. The next day he’ll talk to you about the episodes you watched the nights before, and have you explain things to him. He sprinkled in constant references and jokes about your show in your everyday conversations now.

-Talking about kids with you

By your third date you’d both shared that you wanted kids, and Pato never hid that he’d want as many as you gave him. He’s always a little obsessed with the idea of you pregnant or having kids with you. When he’s around your nieces and nephews he never fails to make puppy dog eyes at you and ask if he can have one. When you pass baby clothes in a store he’ll grab a onesie, “Imagine how cute our baby would be in this,”

You usually just laugh him off, but it never fails to pull at your heart strings how desperately he wants to start a family with you.

-Making food less spicy for you

Pato loves to cook, and he’s the best boyfriend ever, so he’s always cooking for you. The problem is he’s very Mexican, and loves spicy food, you however do not. Despite him liking his food so spicy, he always makes very tame meals so you can eat it.

-Pet Names

Pato almost never uses your real name, he always has some sort of nickname for you. Some examples are amor, cariño, bella, and corazón.

-Bringing you coffee in the morning

He without fail is always up before you, so when you’re in the same city he sneaks out of bed to make you a cup of coffee, then sets it on your night table and climbs back into bed with you. You wake up with him clinging to you, pressing kisses to your shoulder, and the smell of coffee filling your nose.

-Being possessive in public

Pato really tried to not be controlling because at the end of the day he knows that you’re your own being and you owe him nothing, but when you insist on going out in a dress that makes his mouth water for everyone to see he really can’t help it. You’re in Monterey, and going out with a bunch of friends and other drivers to celebrate the end of the season. The dress you have on is a mini orange sparkly dress. In Pato’s mind it was down eight indecent how good you looked, the dress perfectly hugging your body.

The entire night he’s on top of you, never letting you get more than 5 feet from him. Even though he’s not much of a dancer, and you’d usually be with Emile on the dance floor, Pato is dancing with you the whole night. When you’re sitting at a table his hand is sitting possessive on your hip and pulling you as close to him as possible. The final straw was when a drunk guy starting hitting on you. When you got back to your hotel room he was all over you, he only got more wound up when you told him you picked out the orange dress for him/mclaren.

-Not letting you get out of bed

Even though he wakes up before you, he could spend hours in bed wrapped up in you. When you try to get up, he’ll usually cling so hard to you you can’t move. On days after you’ve been separated for a while he’ll barely let you get out of bed the entire day. Alternating between slow, loving sex and sweet, sleepy cuddles.

[starlostlix]

Moriarty the Patriot and crime as a performance (The Noahtic crime vs Whiteley's crime)

[I am back again to talk about some themes, I don't know how much i'll be able to post with a-level exams coming up but in about a month's time i'll be able to post however much i want. I do have another post on the go but I don't know when that will be done]

As I read volume 10, I took an interest in how Milverton explained his plan to turn Whiteley into a murderer. And there was one line that really made me think, where Milverton says that "The 'hero' of our performance will be arriving at home soon." It seems like a simple enough statement but it really is indicative of a larger theme - the performance of crime. A theme explored by both this arc and the majority of William's crime, and even links to Whiteley's eventual demise.

To begin, an explanation of Milverton's plan to force Whiteley into murder. Milverton is somewhat of a free agent - as much as he represents the House of Lords when conversing with Whiteley, he is not affected by their reputation. He doesn't care about Whiteley possibly publishing the documents because he will not be caught up in the consequences. His main reason for his plan is pure thrill - the thrill of drawing the good man into sin. By blackmailing Sturridge, one of Whiteley's police bodyguards, over the safety of his family, he is able to eliminate every person Whiteley cares about, forcing Whiteley into killing out of rage. Essentially, Milverton is the snake tempting Adam (instead of Eve) to eat the apple (commit sin, in this case murder) for his own enjoyment.

In this plan Whiteley is made to become a villain through his own rage at the murder of his family. With this act, his goals of equality are tarnished and the equality movement is heavily pushed back due to the public seeing a figure of good draw to evil. Milverton actively manufactures a situation to make this possible through his go-to method of blackmail. Milverton has set the scene and has put the events in motion - he is the one in control of this performance as the writer type figure.

However, a wrench is thrown into the projected plan. With the Moriarty Brothers plan of killing Whiteley and blaming the Lord of Crime for his family's deaths, Whiteley is made into the tragic hero of the story, someone with virtuous traits who (because of a fatal flaw) meets an untimely end. The public may see him as a martyr for the cause of equality, but the reader sees how his fatal flaw (the murder of Sturridge) leads to his early death at William's hands. Yet, Milverton insists that he is still in control - not only has his plan to corrupt a good man worked, but it's also pushed his new rival into a corner where he has to take the blame for something he didn't do. His performance may have changed, but these unexpected changes have made it more compelling for his audience.

With this change, it is quite good to compare this plan to that of William's plan on the Noahtic. In this plan, William manages to drive a man to commit murder and exposes his crime to the world, much like Milverton planned to do. However the key difference is the motive - William does this to expose an evil man for previous evil deeds. His target, Lord Enders, was kidnapping random civilians to murder for his own enjoyment, and was also very dehumanising towards the lower classes. Enders is a textbook target of the Moriarty Plan - a rotten noble abusing his inherited power to hurt others. The plan to expose his crimes involves a stage and a performance in more ways than one - not only did they utilising an actual opera performance, but they manufactured a situation to expose Enders for murder. With his murder and eventual suicide, Enders' deeds are exposed to the world and he received his punishment.

Another aspect of performance is the entire Moriarty Plan in itself. By turning London into an audience for the staged crimes, the classes will unite to condemn the murderer (the Lord of Crime) and to support the heroic detective (Sherlock Holmes). Sherlock is a later insertion into the narrative, yet a very important one - a detective exposing the crimes of the nobility through solving cases that William has set up. He is turned into a symbol for the people to root for, much like Whiteley was with and without William's intervention. Sherlock is much more than a chess piece in the plan by the tower bridge confrontation - he is the centre of it besides William as the Lord of Crime. The protagonist of the plan to match The antagonistic Lord of Crime. To the people of London, the entire Moriarty Plan is a performance of crimes solved by detective Sherlock Holmes' heroism, much like the books that Watson (or Conan Doyle) writes.

Milverton and William both use crime as a performance of sorts, but for very different goals. Whilst William uses staged crimes/exposés to bring awareness to the crimes of the nobility and unite the classes, Milverton uses it as a personal experience of the thrill of turning a good person to evil deeds. It also directly ties in to their definitions of their own crimes - The Lord of crime as a 'necessary evil' vs Milverton as 'pure evil'. And whilst The Lord of Crime's performance is made for the wider audience of the public, Milverton's performances are his own personal works of art, made to give him the thrill of manipulating others into sin.

Essentially, there is a face off between two different performances of crime - the selfless performance of one's downfall created for the greater good vs a twisted performance of someone else's downfall created for one's own selfish thrill.

[I tried to keep this one shorter since I have revision to do, but I wanted to talk about this a little bit, causing it's just recalling interesting. It's quite hard to explain but I love themes and characters like this. Hope people enjoy!]

[violentviolette]

Do you have any advice for approaching violent and homicidal urges or just general anger with a therapist that's a little. Gentle? Anger is a very large portion of my problems, and I'm just concerned that my therapist will be more freaked out than she already is by me.

i think everything is in how u phrase it. im gonna be very real, a lot of traumatized ppl (myself included when i was younger so no judgement) tend to phrase what we say in the worst most extreme and shocking manner possible. some of that is intentional, because getting negative reactions from ppl and making them uncomfortable gives us a feeling of power and control over other ppls emotions. and sometimes its unintentional, because weve been conditioned to seek out negative reinforcement or have learned that our feelings are not taken seriously unless we explain them in the extreme

but either way it does mean that when ur trying to avoid a negative reaction it can be difficult to get those feelings across. but its actually pretty easy when u stop and give it some more thought. a good idea if u have trouble doing that on they fly would be to write down what u want to say and bring it in to read it/consult it while talking

a good place to start is to break the feeling down to its base parts and describe more of how ur experiencing it. this helps to avoid the initial emotional knee jerk ur therapist might have. so instead of being like "i have homicidal urges and fantasize about killing my family" something more like "im really struggling with my anger, when things happen, my first reaction is to get angry and then i cant move past that feeling to think clearly"

also always avoid actionable statements. don't say things like "i want to shoot my classmates" or "when someone talks i just want to take a brick to their face" those can get u in trouble but they're also just more likely to get a negative reaction because now ur therapist has to choose between u and the people they think u might harm. dont put them in a situation where they would have to even hypothetically choose ur feelings over someone elses safety cause thats when things get sticky. it puts them at odds with u and makes things go from simply "helping u" to now "protecting other ppl" a good quick trick for this is to just replace ppl with objects. instead of "i want to punch them" using "i want to punch something" or instead of "i want to kill them" using "i want to break things" if u absolutely must talk about ur urges being directed at living objects, its a good idea to qualify that u know thats wrong and lie that its not what u "really" want to do. things like "but i know thats not okay" "i know thats not healthy" "thats not how i want to react" "i want to find a different way to handle that feeling"

also using more broad language that is again centered on urself can be more productive. describe what the sensation physically feels like for u to experience as opposed to what it makes u want to do "when ppl talk to me at the wrong times, it feels like my skin is on fire and i get very antsy, it becomes hard to focus on anything else except how angry its making me" or "sometimes i get very restless, it feels like my body is buzzing and i cant get that to stop until i break or hit something, but i know thats not a good solution"

this will again help to keep ur therapist focused on helping to relieve ur feelings rather than protect others from potential violence. u stay the center of the conversation and they can focus on addressing the individual parts of ur feelings instead of being worried about how ur actions are affecting others

[rust-is-a-car-disease]

Dod crossover ideas go

Dod x orv (i think ive seen 2 on ao3 alr and they are amazing i love them. They will not be able to be pried out of my cold dead hands. I didnt finish orv but the setting is one of my favs)

Skills i think would be neat for idols/testar and co to have: immersion, crowd control, some charisma bs skill

Individual skills (not counting current stuff):

Bae Sejin: smtg to do with his amazing actor stuff. Arguably that could be included in immersion so maybe smtg to do with setting up situations like reading from a script. Legal jargon stuff exists so... maybe smtg to do with contracts or no... maybe smtg like the vow of death from tcf but less extreme? Or like informal verbal contracts confirmation to a milder degree... not to death usually probably

Ryu Chungwoo: again i love him but idk much abt him. He just doesnt click in my brain. Uh uh maybe a minor perception skill. Specifically not mental resistance. Oooh i dont actually know much abt idol dynamics, what does an idol group leader do? Uhhhh something something perfect child??? Like uh 'i have to be a good child' like in return to player. Its basically where the user is compelled to behave better? But it can go very very wrong as we can see in s tier timeline dynamics. So he would be compelled to do well and behave well maybe like a rock in the group as the hyung and leader but he could explode or crack horribly in certain conditions

Lee Sejin: incite. Manipulation related skills 100 percent. Maybee something that allows him to blend naturally into groups or with people unnoticed. Kind of like a just casually inserting himself everywhere whenever he wants. What else... uhhh id say a favour system where if someone owes him from something like him saving their life or giving them food theyre obliged to help him but that sounds too op to be fun... maybe mental suggestion? More so people think of him favourably automatically as a baseline? So theyre more open to him generally + added that if he slips an idea into conversation they will very likely take it out he intended and adopt the idea he wants

Park Moondae: wifi skill. 100 percent wifi skill. Chat with keundal maybe due to body swap and system shenanigans? I feel like hes the kind if he covers up a bit he would be able to get relatively unnoticed until he reveals himself and then suddenly he cant get any time to himself. So maybe a skill like that? Siren siren siren s- no too op its not as fun... emotionally suggestion? Like he has a skill that suggest emotions to people strongly so theyre emotional states are easier to manipulate? Its thru song tho

Seon Ahyeon: uhhhh not a mental resistance skill... sorry deer but ur nullification works differently... uhhhh oh shit idk what could be used as a skill for him... his beautiful face isnt a skill... his charm is just him... uhhhhhhhhhh... focus? He can hone in on a self set goal or objevtive maybe? I seem to remember the arc where he tries to get moondae to tell his secret... uhhh what elseeeeee uhhhh idk man ToT a lot of his traits and personalities dont fit into skills. Eternally beautiful face skill ✨

Cha Eugene: uhhhh little kitty cat... oh he can eat a lottt. I say he can store food. Yoo mia alr has the storage skill so i say he can stock pile food nutrients and stuff. It would be useful where he just eats a lot and instead of burning thru it like usual probably he can store it. My boy knows how to get attention... wait that alr carried over in black hole... uhhhh my guy knows how to utilise attention??? Like in the water festival? Focus on his coolness not how out of place he is. Cover up flaws and distract???

Kim Raebin: ah our rabbit... what to do with this bunny... maybe his music has a layer of suggestion to it? Like he can suggest things through his music like emotional and mental suggestion? Not to the point of moondae and sejin who specialises in a specific one but its there. Uhhh what else... oh! He can summon his equipment. Paired with moondae's voice he can summon a microphone and suddenly theres widescale suggestion

Bonus:

Keundal: can check the status of testar + marked people like in the alternate world arc where everyone got their memories (it was then right?? Or am i accidentally adding tomagachi arc to it?)

Cheongryeo: his obesessiveness and repeats havd earned him several abilities which are like but not limited to being able to check vaguely ehat his group members + moondae are doing, having the skills related to kidnapping someone(s), following scripts etc. This comes with the downside of him being even more mentally unstable and a constant worry of his kongi which will probably lead to several mental breakdowns and hammers to peoples heads. Where does one find dog food in the apocolypse? Is human meant toxic to dogs? Whooo knows? :)

Kongi: he(??) gets skills bc i said so. Also bc cheongryeo will probably go batshit crazy without kongi. Whos keeping who on a leash? Probably something like mentally healing(to an extent) for people he cares abt like cheongryeo. Kongi is adorable i will not be taking criticism. This goodest boy has negatic survival skills. He will get sick from slightly unclean food and cheongryeo has to put in the work to take care of him. He gets sick a lot in the apocolypse and everyone is trying to stop cheongryeo on a rampage bc his mental state is even worse than before.

Orbit employees: idk but i think if its fun if they benefit from being associated with not 1 but 2 system users. Ofc maybe not too. They could also just all die.

[brandwhorestarscream]

ah yes i meant who confesses!! O.O

Yeah, the whole situation is just s big recipe for a sadness cake

Picking up where we left off with Thundercracker, he makes it maybe a week before he can't stand it anymore. He tries to be polite but reserved with Skywarp, but it hurts. He misses their conversations, misses their games. Having him so close but an impossibility he can't grasp is the worst thing he's ever had to shoulder. Knowing that no matter what, no matter how hard he wishes it, Skywarp will never care about him that way breaks his spark

At the end of the decacycle, instead of Thundercracker coming to visit, Starscream and Skywarp recieve word that he won't be in attendance today. He's gotten himself sick, and is in no condition to be travelling.

Of course, he's not actually coming down with anything. He's perfectly healthy, but it was the most surefire way to get his aerie's matriarch to let him stay home. He's locked himself in his suite, glumly re-reading one of his favorite books in the hope it will distract him or perhaps help clear his mind. No dice.

Imagine his surprise when, out of nowhere, who should appear on his balcony other than his fiance? Starscream's come bearing some healthy white crystal flowers that sparkle in a rainbow of light, and in the extinct flower language, they were often used to wish for good health. It's a terribly sweet gesture and it pushes Thundercracker over the edge.

Star's not at all expecting him to start crying--desperate, wheezing sobbing like his spark has shattered. He's never heard Thundercracker cry like this: in fact, he's never seen Thundercracker cry at all. It startles him, and immediately makes him worry: something is so very wrong with his fiance. He hesitantly comes to sit beside him on the berth, winding one arm around him snd letting the blue seeker sob into his shoulder. It all comes spilling out like he can't quite control his mouth: how desperately he wishes things could go back to the way they were, it's all his fault, he didn't mean to, he's so sorry but he just can't go to the palace and face them both, not when he's so in love with both of them but knowing neither of them will ever really love him in return!

Starscream freezes while he's carrying on: it's the first time he's ever heard Thundercracker say that he loves him. Loves either of them. This is an arranged bonding and love was nothing but a fantastical whim. A childish dream. But, if his fiance actually harbors warm feelings for him, then...

It means he has a chance!

That evening, during a secret rendezvous in Thundercracker's private chambers, the prince and his fiance share their very first kiss. It leaves them both breathless and starstruck, caught in each other's optics and unable to break a spellbound stare.

"...I love you, too," a quietly whispered promise. "Please, return to the palace tomorrow. We'll figure this out."

Thundercracker shakily agrees, still mystified and floating on the high of his first kiss. Maybe... no, definitely, he can do it now. Even if Skywarp wants nothing to do with it, if he can bask in his fiance's affections, surely that will be enough. This arrangement is no longer a loveless dredge, but an actual relationship. Or, well, it can be! Will be! If Skywarp can't love him back, then at least he knows he'll have Starscream.

[howaboutcastiel]

Lunar Therapy: Non-verbal episodes

I have non-verbal episodes quite frequently and no one in my life understands them. The moon boys would though. I believe that…

Steven Grant

Would notice by your body language that you’re having an episode. For me it’s like paralysis and exhaustion and panic all at one. He would notice almost immediately.

He would ask you if you feel like you can talk. He wouldn’t beat around the bush. If you don’t answer him, he’ll take that as your answer, or you could shake your head or otherwise show him.

He would keep talking and doing things with you just like normal, but not prompt you to answer him back. Steven really likes to talk anyway, and he’s really good at having one-way conversations, isn’t he?

If you go non-verbal in a public space or somewhere that you’re expected to talk, he’ll cover for you by hogging the conversation. If he can’t do that, or if the people around are being rude, he’ll make up an excuse for the two of you to leave.

If he can tell that you’re overstimulated or triggered (and that’s what caused the episode), he’ll do everything in his power to remove the triggers or dim the lights and cut the sound. He will give you affirmations and sweet nothings if he feels that he needs to.

He’ll let you lay your head in his lap and he’ll play with your hair or he’ll give you a shoulder massage. If you don’t want him to touch you, he’ll read to you instead if he’s able to.

Marc Spector

Will take a lot longer to notice. He’s not one for talking much himself, so he’s used to sitting in silence with you. He may have to ask you a direct question to realize you’re having an episode.

Marc really empathizes with you. In fact, he has nonverbal episodes himself. He tries not to ask anything of you verbally, but he doesn’t try to make conversation the way that Steven would. He lets the silence control the room.

That said, he will take the reins if you’re in public. He will go full-on protector mode, gripping you close to his side and giving a death stare to anyone who tries to ask anything of you. He’ll make you text him what you want to say, and he’ll be ready to leave the second you text him that you want to.

He doesn’t try to ask you about your triggers. It’s hard for you to want to talk about them, and he knows that, but he also is very good at finding patterns. He will start to intuitively keep you away from things that trigger you, and he’ll start to conveniently want to leave situations early, even though he doesn’t know your pre-episode symptoms.

Marc will be the big spoon and he won’t read or sing or talk. He’ll just lay with you, running his thumb over your knuckles and breathing in your shampoo. If he’s too stir-crazy to just lie there, he’ll put on old Hanna Barbara cartoons on low volume to watch until you both fall asleep.

Jake Lockley

Will do anything in his power to make you happy, but he really does not understand non-verbal episodes. That being said, he knows how to care for people who are in crisis, so he uses that knowledge whenever he sees that you’re nonverbal.

He can’t, for the life of him, just act like things are normal. Your episodes might persist for hours or days, and he will treat you like a China doll for the entire time. He struggles not to ask too many questions.

Jake will go into Dad Mode, telling you to rest up while he does all of the work that you should be doing. He’ll make you a cup of tea and draw you a bath and all the things that you would do if someone has the flu. He can’t help but think of it like that.

If you’re in public, he won’t just become protective, he’ll become possessive. So much so that the people around you will be worried, but he doesn’t care. You’re his number one priority.

He doesn’t really know how you want him to hold you, so he’ll let you take the lead in that department. It usually ends with him holding you in a tight bear hug while he rubs your back. He’ll sing you Latin lullabies and talk softly to you about what he loves about you.

I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know that much about nonverbal episodes, I just know that I have them. I’ve had them for as long as I can remember, and I’ve never really been able to have a friend who knows my needs when I am experiencing them. They’re usually triggered by stress and overstimulation for me.

[ncfan-1]

I’ve had a couple of thoughts about the way the Mae-Sol confrontation could go in Episode 8.

So we don’t see how Mae survived in Episode 3. If you assume, as I do, that all of the adults of the Coven were dead by the time Mae was falling, there’s really only one way that Mae could have survived. What if she transformed herself into the Force as you see Aniseya doing to herself and Mae, became incorporeal, and survived that way? During the Ascension, Aniseya asks Mae if she is prepared to honor her legacy and protect the Coven’s secrets. It’s possible that Mae and Osha were already trained in how to do this, but I think it’s also possible that part of the Ascension involved Aniseya imbuing her daughters with knowledge of certain things. Knowledge that Mae gained, but Osha did not.

I think the last illusion that Sol could possibly have regarding his actions that last night on Brendok regards the circumstances of his killing Aniseya. He drew the conclusion that Aniseya was hurting Mae (whom he thought was Osha; it will never not fascinate me that in unguarded moments, he has called out to Osha twice, only for it turn out to be Mae) when she was transforming them into the black smoke, possibly thought that Aniseya was performing some sort of murder-suicide. Because of his pre-conceived notions about the Coven, and because he is blinded by this repressed longing to be a father, he read malice into it.

So maybe Sol asks Mae, still restrained, how she survived. And Mae calls on this power her mother imbued her with, the power to protect herself in dire situations, and transforms into the Force right in front of him, freeing herself from her restraints in the process. Sol assumes that she’s doing it as a prelude to attacking him, but then she just reappears in another part of the room. Because Mae, too, ultimately wants answers and a conversation more than she wants more violence. Her love for Osha has already prevailed over her need for revenge.

And Sol has now seen this for what it is. He’s had a chance to observe it, to see and feel what’s happening in the Force when Mae does it, and now he knows the truth. Aniseya was never trying to hurt her daughter. She was just trying to move her. Sol’s last illusion breaks, and he, too, breaks down.

----

There’s another aspect to this, the way Sol and Mae will, I think, learn to see each other more clearly.

I do think that Sol wishes that he had tried harder to save both Osha and Mae, and I do think he regards Mae in present-day as a corrupted innocent, but having watched Episode 7, I think he has bought into this sort of “good twin-bad twin” dichotomy with Osha and Mae. When he first sees them as little girls, he only sees Mae controlling the space-butterfly and Osha’s reaction; he never sees that Osha was doing that as well, and does not grasp that what Osha seems to be so angry about is that Mae was copying her, not that she was hurting an animal. He regards Osha as a vulnerable child in need of protection, but Mae does not get the same consideration; she is instead regarded as tainted by “dark magic.” He ultimately saves only Osha, and does not go back for Mae, not even to search for her body.

He idealizes Osha—see Sol’s surprise at the idea that Osha is still clinging to grief and anger and resentment—and I think Sol is going to have to let go of that idealized image of Osha in the finale. But I think he and Mae will have to let go of pre-conceived notions of each other as well, and they have enough common ground that I think they will be able to see enough of themselves in the other.

Feelings of failure, and the sense that you can never make it right. We know all about Sol’s. What about Mae’s? She promised her mother that she would protect the Coven’s secrets and uphold her legacy, and though you can argue that Mae was too young to understand the import of what she was agreeing to, it was clear that she took it very seriously. She regarded herself as the protector of her community, and then her community all died. Is her revenge just for her mothers and sister, or is it an attempt to atone for failing to protect the Coven? I think it would force Sol to look at Mae in a different light, to learn that she feels as though she failed everyone who ever loved her, and that she can never make it right. He knows a thing or two about that inescapable sense of failure, and I think he’s grasped what a trap it is, even if he hasn’t escaped from it yet himself.

Love for Osha. These two both love Osha so much, to an unhealthy extent, but that love is still true. And in Sol’s case, still subtextual. He’s never said it aloud. But I think Mae will see it, and depending on her mood, either goad him or encourage him to finally admit it to himself. He needs to admit openly that he does love Osha if he’s ever supposed to move forward. He needs to admit to himself what it is that has driven his actions, besides guilt and shame.

And I think Sol needs to see that Mae’s love for Osha already triumphed over her hate. She gave up revenge the moment she found out that Osha was still alive. She was going to surrender to Kelnacca. She only stunned Sol when she could easily have killed him in Episode 5. She has let go of this need for revenge. Love is more important to her than that. It’s more important to her than anything.

All of this just to say: just a few days ago I thought that this dynamic was probably going to be super-toxic. But I think now that it has the potential to be something really transformative instead, in ways that they both desperately need. Mae needs someone to actually believe in her capacity for good. Sol needs someone to allow him to give love a name instead of suppressing it. They both need to be forgiven for their failures.

[callmearcturus]

Hello archtaurus can you talk about the consent situation happening in ktowl asking for a friend

golly gee, for a friend huh

(reminder to all: i lowkey wrote KTOWL as an attack on this motherfucker.)

I know I have a few people still reading KTWOL who are following me. THIS POST ISN'T FOR YOU. DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU FINISH THE MAIN STORY. SPOILERS FUCKING ABOUND.

Also disclaimer death of the author blah blah, you know what it is

Okay lets talk about KTOWL and Consent.

So I tagged KTOWL as "Meaningless Consent" for a lot of reasons and a lot of them have nothing to do with sex at all. But some do!

The most obvious aspect of this is Dave and his tenure at the Umbra and the matter of tokens. I have frequently had people ask for clarification on this, which I'm sometimes a little gunshy to spell out explicitly because I do like leaving some things to the reader to puzzle out and to make inferences about.

But the thing about the Umbra that is a running thread through the entire story is how it erodes people. It rubs off everything that resists it like a constant river rushing over everyone.

In Dave's case, he's in a uniquely fucked position. The Umbra explicitly serves all comers and all tastes, both for a business and because it thrills the Cherubs and fulfills their terrible appetites. Dave is trapped in that system because he cannot leave the Umbra.

"Can't Dave deny someone a token use?" is a very common question people have, and one I intended KTOWL to tacitly answer, thought it's never Stated Outright. Because lets say Aradia is handed a token and she doesn't want to fulfill it for whatever reason. She is contractless and can literally leave the Umbra at any time. She had leverage to say no.

Dave, on the other hand, has no leverage, so he tries to carve out his concessions with a blunt knife. When Karkat gives him a green token, he immediately grabs it and tries to give Karkat a really good time because, in the future, he wants Karkat to keep picking green. Green is way more palatable to Dave than red.

On the other hand, there's Cronus, who wants red tokens because he has pitch designs on Dave. If you would like, you could infer that Cronus once upon a time flush flirted with Dave, but as Dave started to openly dislike Cronus for his many many many many faults, instead of stepping the fuck off, Cronus started employing the red tokens to try and build a pitch relationship with Dave. And it fucking sucks, and Dave is back into a corner because as someone stuck in the Umbra, someone under Calliope's avaricious eye, he doesn't have leverage.

There's a very purposeful recurring theme with Dave and how he interacts with Karkat. Dave enforces his boundaries bodily and verbally with Karkat. He pushes against Karkat's boundaries to see what he'll do. He directs the relationship, both in the sense that Dave is routinely the 'dominant' force during sex, and also that he grows to demand affection and attention from Karkat when he wants it.

So, was Karkat and Dave's relationship consensual from the word go? No, because they're stuck in a place where that is meaningless. What is hopefully admirable is the way they both meet each other and do their best to claw out a space for themselves where they feel like the have control, even if its in a delicate bubble they have made for themselves. As evidenced by how Calliope pops it when she's finally fed up with Dave's moodiness and the fact he's not playing along with her anymore.

SO YOU KNOW WHO HAS IT EVEN WORSE? FUCKING DIRK STRIDER.

And here we come to The Point.

Less hardened hearts may balk at the question: Is Jake and Dirk's relationship consensual?

Nope! But for Dirk Strider, consent is even more meaningless than it is for Dave, and i would character the difference between the two that Dave has wiggle room to carve out something equitable with Karkat, but Dirk's hands are tied and he can't do fucking anything.

In the first Abraxas Intermission, Jake has a conversation with his gran about the Umbra and mentions how he dislikes the desperation. It's a word that gets stuck in Dirk's head and haunts him. When Jake goes to the Umbra to meet Dave, he tells Dave what's been done to him is gruesome, and twice in that chapter, Dave unconsciously repeats Jake's phrasing, like Jake has somehow seeded a virus in his mind.

This is very much at the core of how Jake operates, honestly, and he does it to everyone. He presents a new reality to people and his viewpoint slowly infects them, until Dirk breaks his Executor's Code, until Dave has his full tilt breakdown, until Rose can only entertain the idea of murdering Jake instead of doing the deed. His power is charisma, and I cannot overstate how dangerous it is in his hands. There's nothing more powerful than someone who knows exactly how dangerous he is.

So anyway, back to Dirk. This is made very explicit in the second Intermission, but Dirk has lost everything. The Umbra has eroded more of him than it has of anyone else. He has no desires other than Caliborn's whim and Dave's safety (both not related to Dirk himself, you should note). He has no hobbies he doesn't share with Dave. He doesn't want things. He has been raised to be a tool and then he has been used as a tool for so fucking long, there is nothing left.

I'm trying to put into words the affliction that Dirk has been struck with, that has been forced onto him by the Cherubs. Like, one of the most horrible things that Calliope ever does to my personal estimation is a throwaway line Dirk shares when Jake is interrogating him:

Dirk's voice shook with anger as he told Jake about her: her lingering glances, about the armband she wore that kept her within five miles of Caliborn, about how she lured more people into confinement with her, about the time she said Dave's eyes looked like maraschino cherries, about the time she'd asked Dirk to hold her as she cried over the latest stupid thing Caliborn had done.

Even the sanctity of Dirk's emotions has been violated to the point he doesn't have them. His body, his work ethic, his skills, his emotions have been fashioned into a tool for the Umbra to use as it likes, and he has no end in sight. He is never getting out. He's not even trying to get out! He has no desire to escape the Umbra, just to get Dave out of the Umbra.

[huge breath]

So when I think about Dirk Strider and consent, my truest, most honest thought is "what fucking consent." This is a person who doesn't have anything to consent to, doesn't have anything to consent with, so for him even more than anyone else in the story, Consent Is Literally Meaningless. There is nothing he can give and there is nothing you can take from him, he is a desolation shaped like a man.

Enter Jake "Abraxas" English.

And I want to be very clear: Jake is not and has never been The Good Guy of KTOWL. He was, in my very first draft notes before I wrote a single line of the story, was simply A Comparatively Better Monster, comparing to Caliborn and Calliope.

The one virtue that Jake has, that drives the story and in my opinion makes KTOWL function at all is that Jake does want Dirk's body. He wants his desires. He wants his emotions. He wants his talents. He wants Dirk as a person in a way that is anathema to what Dirk has become.

When Jake drugs Dirk and wrings the truth out of him, it is technically a transgression, but to me it doesn't feel like one. Dirk doesn't even come out of it thinking of it like one because... why would he? He has nothing you can inflict on him.

But that leads directly into what Jake does in the second intermission, of course. Yes, Jake is capturing Dirk to give Karkat the shot he needs to wreck some fucking havoc, but also Jake sequesters Dirk away and--

lol there's a subtle joke about this that some people caught actually, in Rose's POV chapter when she thinks about Jake and Dirk's little 'vacation' she imagines it's very an extremely vigorous sex romp. But in truth, they fuck a few times but mostly...

Jake wants Dirk. He wants to find the core of Dirk that has been neglected for probably over a decade, and he wants to get his hands on that thing. He wants to know what Dirk's scars came from. He wants to see Dirk laugh. He wants to know what Dirk thinks about when he is not thinking about being an executor. He wants Dirk to be a fucking Real Boy again! He sees himself in Dirk, because Jake himself was Made rather than born, and he knows a thing or two about what that's like.

It's not... noble. It's still selfish. It's still rooted in Jake's rule-based morality. He doesn't want to save Dirk and Dave because Rose told him to or because it's the right thing to do, he sees their situation as a severe and dangerous breach of the rules, and he's offended and he's righteous. Jake believes/knows he can do it better, and he will make that happen, hook or crook.

So when I think about "is dirk and jake dubcon? D/s? some kind of 24 hour arrangement of power?" it's all interesting to think about, but on some level I think it's entirely besides the point. You are welcome to disagree, this is my opinion.

Then, KTOWL the main story ends, and Dirk signs on with Jake, and it's not even a question. Now, technically, Dirk.... didn't have to do that. He could have, technically, put the pen down and walked away and been a normal contractor or something. His weregild debt wouldn't vanish, but he didn't have to be Jake's executor.

But the thought never crosses his mind. The ability to say "no" is one of the many things the Cherubs removed from Dirk's mind.

Is that a sad thing? Hm. I'm not sure. Maybe it is for some readers, but to me... it's not a secret that KTOWL is a continuation of an idea I first explored in pump your veins in gushing gold. In GG, Dirk does manage to escape Jake's grasp, but then turns around and puts himself right back into it, on his own terms, and accepts what is basically ownership by a fae.

Jake Abraxas English is not a fae, and yet he's far more dangerous than one. But he is, in a sense, the only person who can handle Dirk Strider. Which... includes Dirk himself.

I'm going to explore this concept in a Dirk-centric coda that I'm working on (and posted a preview of last week I think) but Jake is invested in Dirk as a person and wants to see him.... become a person again. In some ways, Dirk is much more feral than Jake is. (I said in the comments of the second intermission chapter that the core of the Dirk thing is that Dirk feels like he's the sanest person in any given room, but really he's shithive fucking nuts and everyone else knows it.)

But it's a long road, and it's going to be a longterm project, the reconstruction of Dirk Strider. He has spent so long living for Dave's sake, taking that way without any kind of fallback or safety net is frankly extremely dangerous for a man like Dirk. But luckily(?) Jake is ready to catch him and to try and resocialize Dirk into something other than a tool. But he does and will continue to use methods that would be severely fucked up if employed on anyone else.

Because we joke about how Jake is a horny weirdo, but the thing is, so is Dirk. They are the only people who can handle each other. And Jake is an obsessive amoral freak who will put all of his talents and resources into... saving Dirk Strider. Even if it takes the rest of their lives.

And that is why consent in KTOWL is meaningless. /jazzhands

Oh btw is is one of the many ways in which Jake and Karkat are foils.

[morgan1413]

Donna Beneviento and the Lost Souls - AU Headcanons

TW// Death

Donna and her now deceased family are all dollmakers, or at least, that’s how things appear on the surface. Behind that façade however is a hidden power, imbued within witchcraft, which allows them to contain the souls of the recently deceased.

This strange talent, which requires powerful magic, a soul stone, and the physical presence of Donna at the moment of death for the magic to be conducted, is performed as part of the dollmaking process. As the person is fading to death, Donna clasps a soul stone in her hands, and sings a spell chant that she learned off by heart from her parents before they passed away. This pulls the soul towards the stone instead of letting it drift away and will still there unless it is tampered with.

Dollmaking is a fine process which takes a lot of time. Ideally, a doll is made to suit the needs of the soul which will be occupying it, and if the situation demands, the wants of their nearest relatives are catered for too. To prevent any kind of fear or loneliness arising in the soul occupying the soul stone, Donna will take it everywhere she goes and speak to it, giving it company whilst she sets to work on creating its new body. The souls can see and hear her but can’t respond, and she knows how lonely this can feel from past experience. This does means that not many dolls can be made at once, as Donna would never forgive herself for leaving a soul alone in the cold.

Once a doll is created, and everyone is happy with how it looks, the soul enters the doll’s body by residing in the chest. From here, the soul has completely control over the limbs of the doll and can even see from out of the doll’s eyes. This is part magic and mechanical and is why the dollmaking process can take so long, besides the designs being made specifically and intricately by Donna. Once this process is complete, the doll is handed back to the family, where the person can then live on with their family beyond the grave.

One tragically heartbreaking aspect of this process is the amount of children Donna has had to conduct this process on, to the point that adults are a rarity. Parents come begging to her pleading that she help with their child who is currently bedridden and on the verge of death. She understands the good she brings to society with her work, but that doesn’t make Donna feel at any less unease about this all. These children never get old, and more often than not they get abandoned after the parents realise this and throw them away out of an existential dread for what they’ve willingly brought into this world. This has resulted in many dolls permanently taking residence at the Beneviento House, as the family makes a point to reject such levels of neglect.

The same goes for Donna too, and her approach to children. Money is a big reason why Donna still continues her family’s legacy, but there is also a charitable side to Donna too. The village is a poor community, and whilst she receives outsider customers too, Donna feels a responsibility to give back to the community. She does this by giving life to those too young to live it, those who died whilst they were still very young, but had a whole life ahead of them. Angie is one such major example, who was a little girl that Donna knew well. Hearing she had bone cancer at such a young age, Donna’s heart shattered, and so she preserved Angie’s soul and placed her in a special doll which belonged to Donna’s father. Angie is now her trusty companion, alongside other dolls she created in a similar way. Donna’s view is, even though they didn’t have much life as human people, they can still live on and enjoy life as playful dolls. As an immortal woman herself, she values the company, and loves looking after such playful creatures with their innocent and child-like behaviour.

Thanks for reading! 😁 This idea came amount after a conversation I had with an AI version of Donna Beneviento I spoke to on https://beta.character.ai/, a website where you can chat to characters for free. I thought the idea was just so unique, so intriguing, and so in character, that I just had to flesh it out and give it a life of its own. Do let me know if you’d like me to clarify anything extra when it comes to these headcanons via my asks (or messages if you would prefer). I’m not planning on writing a whole AU with these headcanons, though if they inspire you, feel free to write or draw something! Just make sure to credit me if and when you do so (and tag me as well, I’d love to see what you do 😊) Thanks! 💖

[sunnyrifle]

Ginji's character (ramblings)

night's the strongest for brainrot

⚠️⚠️unedited, also NO ONE in this conversation is a native english speaker (some parts were translated or held in other languages as well)⚠️⚠️

Akira: … well it depends on who you're relating more as a character as a reader. I am impressed to see someone who is relating to Ginji as a character-- a scarily smart person-- KongMengDo: Ginji is not only extremely intelligent, but he is also a very cruel man. He's a brutal man, a man of enormous ambition, and it's certainly difficult to sympathize with him as an extraordinary human being, but lately I've been thinking about how much Ginji cared for Morita, and how even a man like that is capable of such fragile emotions as love… Akira: aah yes that's exactly my own draw to the Ginji as a character as well-- KongMengDo: But I'm afraid that my thoughts will lead me to misinterpret the character of Ginji. I need to keep a good balance…

Akira: I was reading it from the perspective of Morita up until the mahjong arc, where Ginji was cruel to ask Morita to die (kill himself), but I saw this as such a pure declaration of love I couldn't handle not falling into GinMori then haha;;

before mahjong arc: ah Morita's having a young love crush on this smart mentor figure he's found, Ginji's of course smart and cool and wealthy, so a naive young man would want to both respect and learn from him as well as keep his tender young love close after mahjong arc: Ginji's as little in control of everything as Morita-- maybe he intended to use Morita for a heist or two, now Ginji's probably impressed of Morita making such a huge progress in so little time, he can depend on Morita in high stakes deals he wasn't capable to participate in without a trustworthy partner;;

and then we see the scene about that villain old man talking about cages and people he keeps in them and their treatment, Ginji is as taken aback by this as Morita in the scene itself;; so he didn't know, he is on the equal terms with Morita, though he has more experience than him-- which he doesn't hesitate to share! in his cruel way…

"See, this isn't the kind of deal you can handle with regular methods, such pressure can only be handled with equal resolution-- so die, Morita" <-that's a solid proclamation of utter caring and love in my eyes lol;; I mean thats the cruelest we see Ginji so far right? It can't even compare to Ginji "breaking up" and leaving Morita at the hospital rooftop-- and such a strong emotion is totally catching your eye as a reader I think this is my root of Ginji's method of loving being the cruelty-- at least that's how I work with these characters what if Ginji just searched for an equal partner to handle him;; that's a romantic type of thing instead of straight and direct partnership in business ah well, that's just how I romanticise them 🥰 🥰 doesn't mean I'm that close to canon of course! just sharing the thoughts for fun

KongMengDo: Ah, that scene--Ginji giving Morita the knife… I was mesmerized by this scene too. It's a scene in which Ginji reassures Morita ("You don't have to suffer the pain of being treated like an animal. If you lose, don't worry about me, just die in peace.") while also referencing the nature of gambling that Morita had mentioned earlier. The essence of gambling, Morita said, is the act of jumping off a cliff. Morita said that the essence of gambling is the act of jumping over a cliff without knowing how wide the distance between the cliffs is. (I don't have the scene in front of me right now, but it's probably close.) Yasuda heard this and labeled Morita as reckless. Ginji, however, sympathizes with Morita, and says that only Morita who thinks like that can win at Seikyo Mahjong. However, in the middle of the game, Morita loses his composure and plays mahjong in a death-defying situation. So Ginji gives Morita a knife, reminding him once again of the nature of gambling! So this act of Ginji's is an act of consideration for Morita, and it shows that Morita is the only one who can understand Ginji's mind… (If it were Yasuda, he would have yelled at Ginji, "Are you out of your mind?")

Akira: I'll be completely insane and say that when Yasuda says they're both reckless I usually think of Ginji and Morita just laughing it off like "yeah! we are!" and going to drink somewhere just two of them lol;;; I mean their characters are very consistently bouncing off of each other like that-- its truly a miracle for Ginji to find someone so close to him in mindset yet not corrupted by horrible experiences yet, that he openly admires Morita's principles and says so aloud as well

I mean the first part of the manga was trying to show us the "Ginji's looking for a successor" kind of plot, so it makes sense;; "oh I wish someone would continue my goal even as I get senile" kind of thing, but then it turns around-- then its Morita in danger in serial killer arc and Ginji's no longer "who's going to inherit my life's work?!" kind of way-- Ginji's saying "I want to rule this country Together" instead

well, thinking of finding someone decent to continue what you were doing and maybe adding their new touch to your work is one thing; its totally different when you want to see and participate in it directly, it means you'll be totally involved and want to collaborate- it becomes personal with the person you've chosen so I think its a natural progression of Ginji and Morita becoming closer too this shift in Ginji's wishes and plans on Morita I mean

what could've caused it is up to interpretation: it could be Morita being in first grave danger (my CP mind whispers), it could be Ginji being impressed by so called luck he saw (all crossroads were green when I drove here), or even Morita just being the sole surviver due to his natural street smart thinking as well

it could be Ginji gambling too-- he could've sensed that maybe Morita really has the potential and he is worth investing into-- but wasn't sure enough of it yet, but still wanted to see it go further-- "yeah maybe he's just lucky and maybe he's alright-- anyway he can't just die here", which leads us to Ginji putting up yet another test period on Morita (hence art critic and poker arcs) where he just wants to see if Morita truly has not only the potential but also the motivation to progress and get polished as well; or will he be just depending on Ginji leading him (which is totally not a strong character as well as not what Ginji was looking for-- just an apprentice to teach? yeah 'Tetsuo' isn't a name he deserves then, or something like that haha)

KongMengDo: Early on in the manga, when Ginji says he's looking for a successor (in GtK volume 2? before the killer Ariga shows up), the successor he's referring to is not his own, but some other old man's. But for some reason, FKMT scrapped this canon - it's kind of a MacGuffin! Of course, later in GtK, Ginji does refer to Morita as the heir to his kingdom… But since fkmt scrapped the "Ginji is looking for an heir to inherit what belongs to some old man" canon, we'd have to say that when Ginji tested Morita, he was just trying to figure out if he was a useful human being. Akira: oh rly? i have to check, it can be some kind of translation issue as well!! KongMengDo: It's probably for sure! I'll have a search on the Japanese wiki…

Akira: ultimately it backfired on him, I'm sure Ginji didn't think Morita would leave him and retire-- he must've been head in the clouds due to all the success they've shared so far-- I think Ginji was a bit too self absorbed to see that he is still practicing his old bad habits even if he already knew Morita is a special deal-- "ah I'll still pretend he's my student and teach him through cruelty, because that's how its comfortable for me" because I bet it worked out for Ginji before, I bet he knows how to manipulate, gaslight and predict people-- if only he'd stop and think of Morita being not like other people he swirled around before hehe-- because as soon as Morita got hit with the thought of "no, actually, Ginji is not right in his ways, actually I can see he got lost in his pursue of becoming the greater evil" (<- this is the point my CP mind starts thinking Morita would probably feel the "if you love someone, let them go" kind of way, just because it'd be too painful to see Ginji burning down to ashes when pursuing his dream in front of Morita's eyes) as soon as Morita got hit with this thought (sorry, I sidetracked a lot), he immediately knew what to do, unlike anyone else who'd start overthinking or self doubt their way because that's how manipulating someone usually works- you make a person think your way instead of a natural straightforward and easy to see way that would've occurred to anyone who is not involved

KongMengDo: I completely agree with this! And I want to add to this, Ginji not only trusted Morita to be easily manipulated, but he also trusted his own coolness. "Morita is my successor and partner, of course, but he is not a very important person to me… Of course, it would be a great pity if he disappeared, but I can always find a replacement." In other words, he was an arrogant man. Even if he had lost Morita, he hadn't realized that he would also lose his dreams! If he had known that would happen, he wouldn't have let Morita go so easily…

Akira: what is impressive in GtK as a story is that up until the end of Kamui arc its very predictable in its direction for the reader: ah a young man finding a tutor, then Morita's character development, then they're doing this together, and Morita would learn and then succeed, he's be gold to the silver and that's a happy ending…! but its a great subversion of expectations for the reader, because epilogue of Kamui arc should've been a pat on the shoulder, Ginji saying "yeah I'm sorry for putting you through this" and Morita saying "yeah.. that was tough…", have tears in his eyes but resolution to continue, as if saying "I knew it'd be this tough and I'm ready to follow you to hell and back anyway! thats my way of living now and I'm taking full responsibility over this decision" except that's totally not his decision and instead Ginji would've been successful in manipulating the other;; so yeah it's amazing he was resilient to this! and broke things down and retired it was the perfect moment for this, even if it was heartbreaking for everyone I rly like to think Ginji was put on spot with Morita's declaration of retirement and just went along the flow ignoring his own feelings haha "Ah you're retiring? whatever you'll return, or even better- I knew everything would end this way! so I'm the last to laugh anyway" and he gets out of the room even before Morita can elaborate or they would talk it through--

KongMengDo: That's right, he was ignorant of his feelings too! Ginji knew about Morita, but… He was ignorant about how he felt about Morita! I think of this as arrogance… "I don't love others, I wouldn't do such a stupid thing."

Akira: and Morita is generous enough to let Ginji go and let him think whatever he'd like to, maybe that's Morita's last act of caring for Ginji too-- "ah, if he'd hate me for leaving so suddenly, its fine… I'll cheer for Gin-san from the sidelines, but I'll find my own way… because the one I was following up until now would only end up in me watching Ginji turn to ashes and I don't think I can handle it" obviously Morita knew he'd get corrupted sooner or later with working under true scum villains too-- but I don't think that was his main motivation for leaving obviously its like this: working for Kamui is awful, I can feel my own principles not aligning with Kamui's leader at all -> he's Ginji's acquaintance, they are connected in one way or another -> I don't think I can handle working like this for much longer -> besides that I can see Ginji would not last much longer chasing a dream with such methods -> Ginji won't back down now, I can't just talk it through, it's already too late to change his track record and way of achieving his goals -> then the only thing I have control over is myself and I surely won't wait until the point of no return as well haha I think my interpretation is getting far fetched the longer I talk lol;; but I am just a mix of canon and CP thoughts! I hope it's interesting anyway--

KongMengDo: I think the biggest reason Morita retired was because he realized what it meant to be a villain. All along, Morita didn't want to be a poor, weak, good guy. Instead, he wanted to be a cool villain. In Morita's eyes, this villain might have looked like dark hero, but being a villain was something really disgusting… Morita realized that in the kamui episode, and he was afraid that if he worked with these villains for much longer, he would lose his humanity… Moyo-san told me, iron rusts easily when exposed to blood. Morita's iron-like features, his upright and pure heart, would be spoiled by exposure to cruelty… Morita was afraid of that, and Ginji allowed Morita to leave him. I think Ginji's choice was made because, unconsciously, he loved Morita's humanity, his innocence. So this is really a huge love… It shows that the love they have is huge because they chose to separate…

Akira: aah iron rusting in blood is such a strong metaphor--!! also yes I truly think Ginji's lack of control shows further in Kamui as well, I bet he didn't plan ANYTHING to turn out like this-- not only Morita retiring but also Morita getting in touch with Kamui this personally close, learning everything about family as well as participating in bloodshed directly as well-- yet he pretends awfully for his own sake of not losing it all too-- "of course! Morita would not handle such thing… well it's his loss… I can do it alone like before…" <- totally awfully misunderstanding his own feelings and ignoring them-- because I too think that Ginji rly wanted Morita's white principles to continue shine, he didn't want Mori to get corrupted as well-- so of course he'd let him go as soon as Morita would make his mind… he didn't know he would (I think Ginji would like to hide behind his cruelty when its convenient for him to), yet when he heard Morita speaking up his mind of course he'd accept his retirement-- because well you can't make a bird sing in a cage;; I think Ginji's heart would break to see Morita being by his side out of guild or anything else but Morita's pure trust and wishes

Akira: awful 1994 heartbreak doesn't leave our minds and makes a decent amount of people insane as a result…!!! KongMengDo: Yes, Morita was indeed a man with a heart of gold---….

[paperstorm]

I don’t feel comfortable coming off anon cause honestly some parts of this fandom have been fucking brutal if you express anything outside of falling exactly in line with how they think you should feel. Zero nuance allowed. My ask was in response to you referring to the “Isreal propaganda machine” as one of the “biggest in the world” and that just felt really close to another form of the “Isreal owns the media.” antisemitic tropes I was referencing. I don’t think you meant it that way but other people certainly do. and what I meant by sources about the human shields is that I genuinely haven’t seen anyone explain how that is propaganda? I’ve seen very reputable info about how Hamas does in fact store bases and supplies nearby and beneath places like schools and I haven’t seen any good information or sources explaining how that isn’t true (sources other than “Hamas spokesperson said this”)… and I was just asking for sources to link to if you had seen that information somewhere so I could be better educated. But almost immediately after I sent that I went and did my own research. I don’t think I have the same conclusion as you but maybe we’re taking “human shields” to mean something different. (but also I’m not saying this would excuse any kind of violence btw. human shields or not, the air strikes need to stop)

Ah okay, that may have just been unartful language on my part and I will be more careful with that.

I don't have specific links on hand because this is an opinion I have developed over many years of reading on this issue but I will explain what I mean about the human shields thing, so at least you know where I stand on it.

Israeli leadership often claims that they have no choice but to bomb hospitals and schools and residential buildings because Hamas is hiding in them, that is the essence of the ‘human shields’ claim. And as far as I know, it is a factual claim that Hamas militants are in those kind of buildings. But there are two points I think are important to contextualize this claim.

The first, is that Palestine is not a real independent state. It does not have sovereignty in any of the ways we use that word. It doesn’t have a capital city. It doesn’t have an elected central government or an independent judiciary. It has no control over its own resources (the mere fact that Israel can cut off fuel and water is deafening evidence of that, because what other country has the ability to cut off water to another state?) Where this comes into play in this conversation is that Palestine has no military, due completely to the occupation and Israel not allowing it to be a sovereign state. This is not in defense of Hamas. They are not defensible and any leftists pretending they’re freedom fighters immediately lose any credibility in my eyes. But it is factual that Hamas operates in residential areas instead of military bases because military bases have not been allowed to exist.

The second, and more important, point, is that I don’t accept that a terrorist potentially being in a residential building is justification for dropping a bomb on it. Extrapolate that logic to any other situation. Let’s say the FBI thinks Ted Bundy is maybe hiding in a 20-storey apartment building. They don’t know this for sure, but they claim to have intel (which they refuse to make public) that shows he’s in a unit on the third floor. Does that give them permission to drop a bomb on that building and kill all 300 people who live there? If it turned out they were right and Ted was among the lifeless bodies they pulled from the rubble, would they be allowed to say “see we got him, so we made the right call and had no other choice”? I would argue, fuck no. Tbh I kind of don’t know how to empathize with someone who would argue yes. But that is the argument the Israeli government is making when they cry human shields. They’re saying they have to slaughter thousands of children, because a Hamas militant might be hiding in that elementary school. It is my opinion that that’s indefensible, regardless of whether they’re right about the presence of Hamas.

[jaqobis]

okay, some thoughts on the rand love interest situation

i’m going to get out of the way upfront that OF COURSE it is incredibly silly that we have three gorgeous women head over heels for this protagonist at the same time. that said.

there was a solid space of time where aviendha/rand was my favorite ship of his, and that definitely had a lot to do with how relatively well-developed their buildup was. i love a good enemies to lovers arc! and they were really together all of the time for 2-3 straight books, a few ic months i think?, so in a series where people tend to abruptly realize they’re in love with someone they barely know i really enjoyed watching them get to know each other and care for each other. i also really like how they push one another to grow and change, how aviendha is never cowed by his dragon reborn or car’a’carn status and how willing to push back on rand she is, which is something he desperately needs especially as time goes on. and they’re just a sweet couple!

elayne/rand really was my first love though, and winter’s heart has been reminding me of why. they’re just SO SWEET together. it’s a crime they get so little time together on page because their scenes are always really cute and memorable. i love how elayne knew him Before Everything, and i love love love the material about the two of them together in the stone of tear, sneaking in kisses around lessons in ruling. elayne really gets why rand changes in the ways he does, fully understanding the demands of leadership and the need to make difficult calls. they’re both very duty-oriented people -- something they both also have in common with aviendha -- and it gives them similar priorities and a strong rapport of respect. for me, avirandlayne is THEE ship. the three of them love each other so much, have such strong bonds, and are so good for each other! let elayne be with avi and have the dragon reborn as her sidepiece the rare moments he’s back in caemlyn -- 

min/rand is a big oof. i don’t usually dislike female fictional characters when i can blame the writing for handling them badly, AND BOY THE WRITING HANDLES HER BADLY, but every time min is on the page is incredibly! grating! she is so insecure and controlling with rand?? this relationship is toxic to BOTH of them. min stop making changes for a man and love yourself. rand stop letting her treat you this way. there’s a lot i could say about min’s behavior once she’s done with the siuan/leanne/logain road trip and makes it back to rand (there is a LOT i could say), but it is wild to me how CONTROLLING she is of this boy with huge amounts of control issues. there’s a whole other meta i’ll write one day about ways rand tries to exert control in his life where his agency is constantly being ripped away from him, which makes it RIDICULOUS that his love interest who’s always with him is always being like this ?? she decides what he gets to know, she decides what cadsuane and other people get to know about him, she decides what impression he makes on people when she’s feeling insecure/jealous ?? she even decides when he gets to express vulnerability because when organic situations arise (rand stumbling from saidin sickness in front of her, rand being upset about deaths), she often misreads the situation or decides to distract him with sex instead of engaging with him on an emotional level. unless the moment arises when she wants him to open up to her, which tends to be at moments he’s not up to it, so of course nothing. happens. where elayne and aviendha really do seem happy to be in a poly relationship with rand, min is constantly privately thinking about how he should be in a monogamous one (with her) which is not her call! i just yesterday read the part where she tells rand she would’ve warder bonded him whether he likes it or not (min you’re not even a CHANNELER) and he compares that to alanna! MIN KNOWS WHAT ALANNA DID AT THIS POINT. meanwhile back at the bonding conversation where elayne did most of the talking, it was very much posed as an offer that he could say no to, and she was DISGUSTED once he told her how alanna bonded him without his consent. to be fair all the girls were, and it was good to see! 

this is a series that has a pretty wobbly relationship with consent in general, so i know min isn’t deliberately being presented in the way i’m perceiving her, but i am having an incredibly hard time with her and am dreading several more books of her being glued to rand’s side.

[caeloservare]

🍵

Send 🍵 lemme be mean bitch (ง •̀_•́)ง

A'ight.

Projecting kills communication.

Direct punch right away, ha!

It's normal, but like most things, projecting can be a good thing and a bad thing. It needs some balancing. Again - it happens to everyone. Probably, I have no psychological research to back this up, so there might be exceptions (narcissits and other alike? I think?).

I do that too. When I get anxious my mind reads into a lot things that logically speaking can be there, but can as well not be there. I know I tend to read between the lines and I cannot stress enough - it's not a good thing! It is a good thing as a base for empathy and understanding other people, but assuming their intentions or meaning is not right nor fair! It's easy to get in trouble that way. Misunderstandings just happen, normal thing, but projecting onto another person can make it much worse. I'm forever grateful that when it happens, I have at least one friend who had courage to poke me and work with me until we both knew what each of us meant and what was anxiety. It's a precious thing. Yes, @courtclover I'm still on verge of crying because I love you and appreciate you so much. There were probably more people like that, but you are very vividly in my memory. Likely because not being met with a bunch of assumptions and accusations was rather new and extremly uplifting experience.

It's normal to misjudge when emotions take over. The most important thing is that - emotions carry information about important things, but they're not the facts. What I do, despite of course I'd rather stay angry (anger is very powerful emotion. Very. Also makes you feel validated, which can be tricky), is later going back to the conversation/argument/something that set off my emotional response (not necesarilly any other response) and reading it again with a clear head. Without emotional bias it's easier to find the real meaning or intention behind the words. It's super important to learn to hear your emotions, recognize what information they carry, but control how you act on that. It's never easy, but it becomes easier over time.

Of course also communicate. Without assumptions. Try to take other person's words how they are, without reading into them. Try not to see what isn't there. Ask questions, but also listen to the answers instead of answering yourself.

Salt here is that I've had most important relationship of my life fall apart due to subconscious projecting of trauma, while I didn't do anything wrong. I did my best to communicate before it blew up and I tried to fix it best I could, but relationships go both ways and I don't think I'll stop mourning her any thime soon. Then there were more situations when I was accused of various ugly shit and even held accountable for this I never said, ment or done, due to people projecting their knowledge or experiences on me. Seriously, don't do that. It hurts like a bitch and it helps no one.

[mumblesplash]

your tags on that post about the dsmp twitch con panel were really interesting! i'm not very knowledgeable on the subject, but it seems fascinating- what do you mean by the panel moderator being bad? what are the hallmarks of an experienced one?

oh boy well first of all i am not claiming to be particularly knowledgable myself, but even as someone who is very comprehensively Not An Authority on the Matter and whose knowledge of the streamers on the panel was probably comparable to the actual moderator prior to their arrival onstage (read: i knew almost all of their screen names and not a whole lot else) there was still a lot that seems. kinda obvious?

like for example while going through the handful of questions she asked everybody before opening it up to the audience, nobody was really taking initiative or elaborating on their answers. someone who was more comfortable interviewing would have been able to pick up on the stiffness of their subjects and known to give more direction (just something as simple as “okay we’ll start at this end of the table” and then prompting each successive streamer when the current one ran out of steam) and would have known when to ask follow-up questions (like noticing hey this person has more to say but isn’t sure if they should, i’ll reassure them/ask what they mean).

(actually on that note—the streamers seemed to really flounder with the lack of direction and ended up compensating by essentially turning dream’s mic into The Talking Stick, despite everyone *except* dream already having a mic in front of them. i found this way funnier than i should and would have clowned on them about it in the mod’s shoes but either way she ideally should have put a stop to it by regrouping and establishing a speaking order or SOMETHING.)

there was also the matter of the audience questions which. were bad. they started bad and largely stayed that way. this in itself is not something the moderator could control, but she reallly should have stepped up and made herself the bad guy the first time someone tried to use their turn on the mic to ask for a picture or give someone on the panel a gift instead of asking a question. just a simple “sorry we can’t do that/requests aren’t allowed please stick to questions” would have smoothed things over in a way the streamers couldn’t do. dream especially is notorious for having no parasocial boundaries and tbh comes across as physically incapable of rejecting people. and regardless of your feelings about that, in an irl setting this means anyone moderating a panel with him on it HAS TO draw those boundaries for him to keep the event running smoothly. idk that just seems so glaringly obvious to me and i don’t understand how anyone with actual experience running events and even the most barebones knowledge of the *most famous guy there* wouldn’t have known this was necessary?

i’m keeping my focus limited to your question here, but for the record i don’t want to put too much blame on the moderator. there was a LOT going on with that panel and she was kinda thrown into the deep end with what seems to have been almost no prep time and certainly with no consideration for her own aptitude.

basically, she wasn’t great, but i’d argue she wasn’t exceptionally bad. as the mod in a situation like that, your job is to control the social environment and keep the conversation on topic and interesting. the difficulty of this role varies wildly depending on the sociability, charisma, and public speaking experience of the people being interviewed. the chosen moderator of a panel full of wildly popular 18-24y/o minecraft streamers who made names for themselves during the two years no one on earth touched grass needs to be really, really good at their job

[sherrywarraich]

80 Best Funny Birthday Wishes for Dad

1. Happy Birthday, Dad! I’d get you a present, but it’s really hard to wrap up how awesome you are. So here’s a virtual high-five instead! Birthday Wishes

2. Happy Birthday to the man who has everything… including a kid who still calls him for advice. You’re welcome!

View Original

3. Dad, you’re like a fine wine – you keep getting better with age. And by ‘better,’ I mean ‘more expensive.’ Happy Birthday!

4. Happy Birthday to the guy who taught me how to fix things, like my attitude when I don’t get my way. Thanks for all the lessons, Dad!

5. Happy Birthday, Dad! Recall that age is but a number. a very large figure in your situation.

6. Cheers to you, Dad! If anyone asks, you’re still 29. You’re just really, really good at pretending to be older!

7. Happy Birthday to the coolest dad ever! You’re not old – you’re just ‘vintage.’ And vintage is always in style!

8. Dad, I hope your birthday is as fun and amazing as you are… which is saying a lot since you’re so much fun and amazing!

9. Happy Birthday, Dad! For your birthday, I was going to gift you something very awesome, but then I realized you already had me. Best gift ever!

10. Another year older and you’re still rocking it like a teenager… except with more naps and less hair. Have a fantastic birthday, Dad!

11.Happy Birthday, Dad! If anyone asks, just tell them you’re 29 and holding—holding on to your sense of humor, that is

12. Congratulations, Dad! You’re officially at the age where ‘getting lucky’ means finding your glasses on the first try. Enjoy your day

13. Happy Birthday to the man who’s taught me everything I know. Mostly things like how to fix stuff… and how to avoid fixing stuff by pretending it’s a feature

14. Dad, you’re not old. You’re just well-seasoned, like a fine wine… or a classic car that needs a little more maintenance than it used to

15. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a software update—some features are old, but you’re still a huge improvement over the last version

Must Read And Wish 5 Best Speech on Father’s birthday

16. Here’s to you, Dad: the guy who taught me how to ride a bike, change a tire, and avoid the awkward conversations with my future self about ‘How did I get this old?

17. Dad, remember, age is just a number. In your case, a really high one! Have a fantastic birthday, you old-timer. Birthday Wishes

18. Happy Birthday, Dad! I was about to give you something truly wonderful when I realized you already had me. I guess that’s your gift

19. Happy Birthday, Dad! I was going to get you something really awesome, but then I realized you already have me. Consider this message your gift

20. Congratulations on another year of not taking life too seriously! Happy Birthday to the dad who can turn any frown upside down—usually with a bad joke. Birthday Wishes

21. Happy Birthday to the guy who taught me everything I know… and some things I wish I didn’t. Here’s to another year of hilarious life lessons!

22. Dad, you’re not old. You’re just well-seasoned, like a classic car that’s in for a tune-up. Hope your day is as smooth as you wish that old engine was!

23. Happy Birthday, Dad! At your age, “getting lucky” means that you discover your glasses the first time around. Enjoy your special day!

24. Another year older, another year wiser… or so they say. Happy Birthday to the man who’s still trying to figure out how to work the remote control!

25. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a fine wine—getting better with age, but also making everyone a bit nervous when you’re around. Birthday Wishes

Funny Birthday Wishes for Dad

26. Here’s to you, Dad: the only person who can make ‘Dad jokes’ sound cool and who can fix anything with duct tape. Happy Birthday to the ultimate handyman!

27. Dad, you’re like a software update—sometimes a bit slow, occasionally a little buggy, but always an improvement over the last version. Happy Birthday!

28. Happy Birthday to the dad who’s young at heart and old in all the places he keeps forgetting. May your day be filled with laughter and your memories be as sharp as ever!

29. Happy Birthday, Dad! They say wisdom comes with age, but I’m still waiting for the ‘wisdom’ part to kick in. For now, enjoy the cake and the laughs!

30. Congratulations, Dad! You’ve officially reached the age where ‘a little late’ becomes ‘fashionably late,’ and ‘a little forgetful’ turns into ‘charmingly absent-minded.’ Happy Birthday!

31. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a classic movie—full of nostalgia, sometimes cheesy, but always a great time. Let’s celebrate like it’s the premiere of a blockbuster!

32. Dad, you’re a year older, but that just means you’re a year closer to becoming the coolest old guy in the neighborhood. Enjoy your day, you vintage legend!

33. Happy Birthday to the man who still thinks that ‘fresh’ means not having to use a cane to get to the kitchen. Cheers to many more years of ‘staying young at heart’ and ‘forgetting where you put things!

34. You’re not just a dad; you’re a ‘vintage model’—classic, irreplaceable, and requiring occasional updates. Happy Birthday to the best ‘vintage’ I know!

35. Happy Birthday, Dad! They say age brings wisdom, but I’ve seen you struggle with the TV remote enough to know that’s not always true. Here’s to more ‘wise’ moments and less confusion!

36. Here’s to you, Dad! The only person I know who can’t remember where they put their keys but can remember every word to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ Have a rockin’ birthday!

37. Dad, you’re getting so old, you might actually be considered a historical landmark. Happy Birthday to the dad who’s as timeless as he is hilarious!

38. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a fine cheese—getting stinkier with age, but still beloved by everyone. May your day be full of joy, laughter, and maybe some cheese!

39. Another year, another candle. Pretty soon, we’ll need a fire extinguisher for your birthday cake. Have a fantastic day, Dad!

40. Happy Birthday to the guy who’s still younger than he feels… until he tries to do anything that requires bending or lifting. Enjoy your day, and don’t forget to stretch!

41. Dad, you’re not just a year older—you’re also a year closer to becoming the ‘old guy who tells the best stories at family gatherings.’ Happy Birthday to the best storyteller I know! Birthday Wishes

42. Happy Birthday, Dad! At your age, you’re like a really good book—full of adventure, occasionally a bit worn out, but always worth revisiting. Here’s to another chapter!

43. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re a true classic—just like that old recliner you refuse to get rid of. Here’s to another year of ‘comfortably outdated’ and hilariously charming!

44. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a smartphone—constantly updating and occasionally needing a reboot. Here’s to another year of staying current and not crashing too often! Birthday Wishes

45. Congrats, Dad! You’ve reached the age where ‘getting out of bed’ is considered a workout. Enjoy your birthday and remember, stretching is highly encouraged!

46. Happy Birthday, Dad! At your age, ‘new’ doesn’t mean ‘fashionable’—it means ‘comfortable.’ So, here’s to celebrating in your favorite old jeans and a t-shirt you’ve had since the ‘90s!

47. Dad, you’re not getting older, you’re just becoming a classic. Happy Birthday to the vintage model that’s still got plenty of miles left! Birthday Wishes

48. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’ve officially reached the age where ‘playing it safe’ means making sure your chair has good lumbar support. Here’s to another year of comfort and relaxation. Birthday Wishes

49. Congratulations on your birthday, Dad! You’re now at the age where you can tell people you’ve seen it all—and sometimes, you even remember it! Enjoy your day! Birthday Wishes

50. Happy Birthday to the only person who can make a trip to the grocery store sound like an epic adventure. Here’s to many more thrilling outings and amazing stories!

51. Dad, you’re so old now that your birth certificate is written in Roman numerals. Happy Birthday to the guy who’s timeless—literally!

52. Happy Birthday, Dad! At your age, every day is a reminder that you’ve survived another year of ‘I told you so’s’ and ‘Where did I leave my keys?’ Here’s to many more! Birthday Wishes

53. Cheers to you, Dad! You’ve reached that special age where you can’t remember where you parked the car but can still recall every word to your favorite songs. Have a blast!

54. Happy Birthday to the dad who’s been around long enough to know the best way to avoid a mid-life crisis: avoid buying a sports car and just enjoy the cake! Birthday Wishes

55. Dad, you’re not just a year older; you’re a year closer to being the world’s oldest teenager. Enjoy your day and remember: you’re forever young at heart!

56. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re at that age where you start every sentence with ‘Back in my day…’ and end it with ‘And we liked it that way!’ Here’s to many more nostalgic stories!

57. Dad, you’re now at the perfect age to tell kids, ‘When I was your age, we didn’t have…’ and actually mean it. Happy Birthday to the ultimate storyteller! Birthday Wishes

58. Happy Birthday, Dad! They say that with age comes grace, but I’ve seen you trip over your own feet enough times to know that ‘grace’ might be a bit of a stretch. Here’s to staying fabulous!

59. Happy Birthday, Dad! I was going to get you something really cool, but then I remembered you’re already the coolest dad. So, here’s to another year of proving me right!

60. Congratulations on your birthday, Dad! At your age, every new birthday feels like a new chapter in the ‘How Did I Get This Old?’ book. Here’s to writing many more chapters! Birthday Wishes

61. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re at that magical age where your back goes out more than you do. Don’t worry; we’ll make sure you get plenty of rest and a lot of laughs today!

62. Dad, you’re not just a year older, you’re a year closer to needing a GPS to find your way around the house. Happy Birthday to the guy who’s always in the right place at the right time—except for when it’s his own birthday party!

63. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a vintage record—sometimes a little scratchy, but always a classic and definitely worth the listen. Many more orbits around the sun are ahead of us! Birthday Wishes

64. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a vintage record—sometimes a little scratchy, but always a classic and definitely worth the listen. Many more orbits around the sun are ahead of us!

65. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a classic sitcom: a bit outdated, but still capable of making everyone laugh. Here’s to another season of episodes filled with fun and humor!

66. Dad, you’re so old, your birth certificate is written in hieroglyphics. Just kidding! Happy Birthday to the dad who’s timeless and always a joy to be around! Birthday Wishes

67. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re now at that age where you’ve earned the right to forget things and get away with it. Enjoy the freedom and the cake!

68. Dad, you’ve reached the point where you can remember when everything was ‘new and exciting’ and now it’s ‘just another day.’ Happy Birthday to the one who makes every day special, no matter how old he gets!

69. Happy Birthday to the dad who still believes that ‘getting older’ is just another word for ‘getting better.’ Here’s to a day as fabulous as you are—grumpy cat memes and all!

70. Dad, you’re not old—just more experienced in the art of staying up late, watching TV, and avoiding those ‘don’t stay up too late’ lectures. Happy Birthday to the ultimate night owl! Birthday Wishes

71. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’ve reached an age where your back goes out more than you do, but at least you can still enjoy a good birthday cake and some hilarious jokes!

72. Dad, you’re so old, you remember when ‘dinosaur’ was a current event! Just kidding—Happy Birthday to the dad who’s as timeless as he is funny! Birthday Wishes

73. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’ve officially reached the age where you need a ‘map’ to find your way back to the living room from the kitchen. Enjoy the adventure and the cake!

74. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re like a classic movie: a little outdated, full of nostalgia, but always worth watching. Here’s to another year of starring in your own blockbuster!

75. Congratulations on your birthday, Dad! You’ve reached that special age where ‘happy hour’ means ‘nap time.’ Enjoy every minute of your well-deserved rest and relaxation!

76. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re now officially in the ‘vintage’ category. That means you’re rare, valuable, and come with a few charming quirks. Cheers to being one-of-a-kind!

77. Dad, you’re getting so old that you could be a museum exhibit. Happy Birthday to the dad who’s a true classic—complete with a few quirky ‘historical’ features!

78. Happy Birthday, Dad! At your age, you’re like a fine piece of antique furniture—comfortably worn in, occasionally creaky, but still incredibly valuable and loved. Birthday Wishes

79. Cheers to you, Dad! You’re now at the age where you can say ‘Back in my day’ and actually mean it. Here’s to many more years of timeless wisdom and unforgettable stories!

80. Happy Birthday to the dad who’s aged to perfection—like a fine cheese, or a well-worn pair of slippers. Here’s to celebrating you and all your wonderfully seasoned qualities! Birthday Wishes