#and they just... have never even done... xyz...

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

Another reason why the whole "forced marriages" concept (that Rhea haters ate up like pie) is bullshit.

Speaking for Faerghus, since this seems to be an issue players point the finger at Faerghus for, it's just... not true? This NPC does understand there are political implications to his marriage, but he wasn't forced into it and neither was his wife. They married for love.

The only known case of an arranged marriage prospect within Faerghus' known cast is Ingrid, and that's something Ingrid has taken on for herself as well. She knows her lands struggle with crops and that her people go hungry. She's choosing to deal with a non-romantic marriage for her people.

But what about Glenn, you ask? There are two aspects to that:

The marriage was arranged when Ingrid was born, but it's worth noting the marriage was arranged between Gunnar and a childhood friend's son. She wasn't just being married off to just anyone. It was both a childhood friend (who Gunnar clearly had deep trust in)'s son, but also a family member of the royal family's right hand family. But what about the Houses paralogue, you ask? Gunnar wasn't aware of the man's crimes, but as soon as he found out he rejected the proposal. Gunnar cares about his daughter's happiness and wellbeing. The only reason they're searching for a marriage candidate is because Galatea lands desperately need the financial support.

Ingrid is the only case we know of where she's being "married off" (her endings rebuke this entirely anyway because she does end up marrying for love if paired with someone). Nobody else in Faerghus had a marriage forced or politically forced on them (and frankly I still fail to understand how the Church is supposedly at fault for concept of this being the case period anyway). Dimitri, the literal prince and at the time of birth immediate heir to the throne, was never forced to marry. Felix has never been pushed to marry. Sylvain has never been pushed to marry (despite how important it is that they continue that bloodline). Annette, a female, has never been pushed to marry.

In other words, the major political players have never put their kids into arranged marriage with a single exception of necessity for one family (Galatea), and in Rodrigue's case with Glenn, it was done with a childhood friend's lands' welfare in mind. Gunnar could have married Ingrid to anyone at any point, but the most important aspect of it is that when it was arranged without her say so (i.e. at her birth), it was done with the son of a man who Gunnar trusted implicitly.

After Glenn died, Ingrid was plenty old enough to have a say so in who she might be married to. Presumably the issue wasn't pushed on her for a while after Glenn died for emotional reasons, but once they tried again, Ingrid had a say in things. Her father sent her letters specifically for her input. No, she doesn't want to marry for political reasons, but she understands how much her lands need it. Still though, her father won't force her to marry some scumbag. If she tells him she won't marry someone, he accepts that.

In other words, the only argument that can be used for "forced marriages" falls flat on its face. It's not a regular practice in Faerghus. None of the heirs to specific territories are being married against their will. The only instance we know about isn't so extreme that Gunnar is just going for it and picking the best dowry without considering his daughter's happiness and health.

The one time it was decided before she was old enough to give her input, Gunnar didn't need to "consider" marriage prospects and be unsure who to pick, because it was planned between two old friends who trusted each other and presumably felt that their child would be safe with the other family in question.

My biggest problem with people saying this claim is supported is that for the most part, people just take Claude's words in GW at pure face value and assume it's absolute, definite truth when he gives nor has any evidence to back it up (mainly because he blames it on the Church, which still doesn't make sense because such things are out the Church's jurisdiction. No amount of "seeing what the world is like without Rhea" is going to change Faerghus' politics, so even if his claims were true, Claude would have to go talk to every single individual territory within Faerghus to realize the truth if he's that dead set on his view of this, as each territory does its own thing politically).

He brings it up like it's a fact in Faerghus, which as I've said before, he has literally no knowledge whatsoever about Faerghus, and it shows. He doesn't even know extremely basic things, such as the previous king literally dying in the middle of making friends with a foreign land. He knows that Lambert died in Duscur during the Tragedy, and that's... basically the extent of his knowledge and understanding about it. For some reason though in Hopes, he thinks he understands Faerghus as well as he understands Almyra.

It's also annoying because in Fodlan games, a character can just say something - literally anything at all - and it's eaten up immediately and taken at pure face value with no thoughts actually put into questioning its validity. And before anyone says "but Dimitri didn't argue this in Zaharas!" yeah, I'm aware, and I feel that was a huge reason why that chapter, trying to be the "we fight as allies this once" chapter, was a total flop, aside from other things (particularly in the SB/GW department with Dimitri and magically wanting to "talk things over" with someone who had just murdered one of his dearest friends mere hours ago tops in SB, or in GW where politics would demand more from him).

The games have a problem with trying to introduce false concepts through characters who don't know better (i.e. introducing incorrect perspectives that we're meant to understand are just perspectives and not the truth nor fact) but then not refuting those claims, despite the game itself as the story progresses outright denying those things, whether outright or passively (in the latter's case, again, other important political figures having no talks of marriage on the table at all).

In the screenshots, the NPC is aware that politics have to get involved with his marriage, but he wasn't forced to marry and neither was she. Not only does he mention it, but he wants people to know they married for love. He's basically saying he doesn't want people to misinterpret their reasons for marriage (wanting land, wealth, etc).

In Ingrid's case, it was started with that goal in mind, but it started out in safe hands. After that she always had a say in who she might marry, and ultimately didn't marry for political reasons. The one person who was possibly going to marry for political reasons in Faerghus and not out of love ends up not even doing that.

Honestly, in Claude's case, I feel like he was just written with no purpose in mind except to rock the boat unnecessarily, because everything he claims in regard to Faerghus is purely speculation on his part. He knows absolutely nothing about Faerghus (in both games, but his ignorance in Houses isn't malicious, whereas you could argue in Hopes he's attempting to overthrow what he believes are their systems when even if they were, it would still be none of his business) but talks like he's lived there or spoken to its people who make the decisions he claims are happening.

Also, the concept of Dimitri being forced to do this that and the other thing are just... not true? Dimitri is happy to be able to help others and make reforms for his lands. He likes that he's able to have the power to make good change and help people. He knows that you need a certain degree of power to be able to push things in a better direction and to have a voice. By having the most important voice, he can make other voices known that otherwise would not be. When people have no choice but to listen to the king, he can demand that other voices are heard.

Even in his A support with Shez, he believes his happiest moment will be when he dies after dedicating his life to "a peaceful kingdom full of joyous citizens". I get the whole "but he isn't living for himself!" side of things, but this part of this post is specifically about how Dimitri is supposedly "forced" into doing things because he's king; but plain and simple, he wants to be king because by having the highest power in his land, he can make positive change happen

"This bad thing is happening in the Kingdom!" Well now he can change that. He wants to change things in his land for the better, and he understands that his position is a necessity for that. That's why he's so upset when he's "rendered powerless by age" in Houses, i.e. can't ascend the throne yet. He wanted to make change and couldn't. He wanted to do right for the Kingdom, but he couldn't yet.

Basically what I'm saying is that people keep using Claude's Hopes rhetoric as "fact", but literally none of it is. It's all based on the most severe amount of ignorance in both games and him for some reason believing that he knows jack shit about Faerghus. That includes the marriage "issue", which while I'd say it may exist in Adrestia (ex. Bernadetta being planned to marry Ferdinand), does not exist in Faerghus as any sort of "issue".

I don't recall if it's really even present in Leicester? So either... Claude just pulled that argument out of his absolute ass, or he's seeing an issue in Leicester and for some reason assuming his country's politics are every country's politics, which is, again, total ignorance (and he makes no effort to ever found out if any of that is true).

[phagodyke]

officially now have enough overtime to take an entire day off im gonna ask for this friday and if they don't give it to me I'm refusing to do any more overtime until they pay me the equivalent for it. WITH overtime pay. and I'll call in sick friday anyway lmao 👍

[n3ongold3n]

I feel like adhd is a bit like an very beautiful wool garment - intricate and finely made. But it has moth holes. Some are visible and some are hidden, only to present themselves when that part of the fabric is strained.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

billions also comedy gold presenting winston as a scapegoat for abuse culture fans when it's like but hey it can't be actual scapegoating if you Enjoy It or consider it Justified or experience Reassurance from Its Opportunity For A Group Cohesion Substitute For A Cohesion Based On An Inherent Equal Degree Of Belonging, The Absence Of Which Allows For, Encourages, Reinforces, & Rewards Scapegoating

it can't be Bullying if someone's Weird or you Just Don't Personally Like Them or Nobody's Actually Stopping You, Maybe At Least If They Don't See Too Much Of It, Maybe Others Are Supporting It

it can't be Abuse if you're just doing things Normally or are Following Rules or Aren't Feeling Malicious And Aren't Getting Divine Revelations Otherwise and probably it's just that a lot of abnormal people are being whiny &/or unfair &/or the Real malicious ones. kinda just like how that scapegoat is the real person ruining everything and really just forcing you to treat them like this

[drdemonprince]

The conversations about accountability & apologies that we've been having in social justice circles these last few years have basically trained everybody to fawn.

We've been telling people that if they are accused of any wrongdoing or of hurting anybody's feelings, it is their obligation to apologize immediately, and never to hedge, disagree, or to explain their rationale what they've done.

In their apology, we expect them to articulate every single thing that they have done that was damaging in the strongest language possible and to declare outright that they have harmed someone, often multiple groups of people, even if they are not sure of the impact (or could not even possibly be sure).

If a person's apology is anything but immediate and entirely self-excoriating, we accuse the person of downplaying the damage they have done, failing to be accountable, and manipulating others.

In this way, we've made it impossible for a person to ever take their own side lest that be taken itself as a form of wrongdoing. We have trained our fellow social-justice-minded people to believe that if they do anything but worsen the case against themselves, they are being irresponsible.

I say we, in all of this, because I have partaken in all of this rhetoric, made these kinds of criticism, given accused people this type of advice.

And I have followed it myself, often to a damaging effect.

I have taken responsibility for problems in which I truly did not believe I played a part, I've overstated the damage that I've done so as not to risk understating it, I've ascribed malice to my intentions when I knew it wasn't there, I've agreed with people's most negative, bad-faith narratives about conflicts involving me that they were not even present for, offered up information about myself that was not a third party's business in the name of transparency, apologized for things I haven't done -- and in doing all of this, I have denied my loved ones the opportunity to really hear me about what I was going through and my motivations when I was in conflict with them, things that any true friend or close associate would obviously want to hear about if they cared about me.

This aim of giving the perfect apology and taking perfect accountability has been nothing but an isolating force in my life, because it has barred me from openly entering into necessary conflict with people when our needs were incompatible or they had hurt me just as much as I'd hurt them. The fear of being a manipulative, unaccountable DARVO-er has led me to roll onto my back and expose my belly, falling over myself with panicked apologies and the most unflattering information possible cast in the least explicable light, almost outright begging for others to become angrier at me and believing that it was only way I could ever possibly be accepted back.

We've drilled into people that the way to be good and responsible is to allow people to view us as negatively as possible, to even arm others with information that will confirm that point of view, and to never insert our own perspective or needs on the matter at all.

And yeah, there are a lot of shitty people out there who dodge accountability easily because their power ensconces them from any consequences. but the primary problem with that was never that they wrote a shitty notesapp apology that used the unforgivable phrase "I am sorry if you felt XYZ." The real problem was that there was no community that held enough influence to hold them to account, and for their victims there weren't ever adequate supports or protections.

instead of addressing any of that in a remotely systematic way, we have taken to picking apart every accused person's every word and deed for evidence of inner moral failure and created a culture in which we think we can determine a person's safety by how artfully they put words together when they are under threat. and what do you know, plenty of bad faith actors and conflict avoidant cowards and people who just dont understand what they are even being accused of can do that just fine.

[manicdragondreamgirl]

Work is destroying my sanity and I’ve barely been here 30 minutes

[interstellarrisa]

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ Quotes to keep in mind 𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

a/n: these are just some sayings that I like to keep in mind while manifesting, you don't have to keep these in mind but I like to and think they help me somewhat, btw if you recognize your quote or someone else's pls dm or comment it so I can give credits :)

# Mind over matter

I believe that this one is pretty straightforward. 4D over the 3D, imagination over the physical, the inner over the outer. You can pretty much say that this is the basis of LOA and shifting.

# Persist because you know it's done not cause you're waiting to see it done

THIS, you already have it so why are you persisting to see it? It's already there. It's like you affirm "I have xyz, xyz is right in front of me." and then in the same breath go "Now because I've persisted a bit let's wait till it appears." meanwhile your xyz is staring at you irritated. I'm not saying that you should actively persist and affirm 24/7 cause you'd get burnt out but just continue your day not stressing cause you know it's done.

# Stop trying, Start being

Be the one who has it even though it's not in front of your 3D eyes you still have it in your 4D eyes. Be the one who's the prettiest in school, the smartest, the strongest, the most famous and so on. There's no "Let's affirm that I'm beautiful and see what happens." There's only "I'm the most beautiful, period." Walk like it, talk like it and act like it. Me personally I don't like forcing it or doing anything in the 3D because it can get tiring so instead I just walk like it, talk like it and act like it in imagination cause it's all you need.

# Be too lazy to doubt

This is something I came up with and it's also pretty straightforward. Whenever I want something I just think about it for a second then instead of worrying about if it'll work and then trying to force a positive mindset I'll just quickly move on cause I'm to lazy for all of that overthinking hehe.. Two times I manifested my teachers being sick and keep in mind these teachers are never sick and I've always "failed" to manifest it but this time I just thought "They're not here and idc or know why." and continued my day being too lazy to doubt and BAAM both of them weren't at school. I was kind of surprised at first but calmed down cause obviously it worked, I'm a master manifester duh. Also this week I had to take school photos and I listened to a photogenic/dreamy sub together with a look cute one and everyone even girls I don't really talk with called me pretty. Heck my teacher said that I was one of those photogenic type of people. Anyways never could have thought being lazy was a blessing in disguise huh..

That's all, have fun with manifesting and shifting y'all and bye!!!!

[lymtw]

Feels

You've always done your best to drill into Toji's head that if he ever needs to have a heart to heart with you, you're there. He pushes his more vulnerable emotions down for you because he fears that if you ever see him break down, you'll be scared. Scared of possibly not being able to console him, scared that he'll break things, just scared in the worst ways possible.

Toji keeping it in works out for him anyway, because the man lives to protect your feelings. Your feelings are more than enough for him, even if he teases you for how emotional you are sometimes. He knows you're delicate, and you crumble at things that would be brushed off so easily by him, but that's not to say that he is asking you to modify yourself to make things easier on him. He's a big boy, he can handle hurricanes.

Toji invited you to spend the night at his apartment, bribing you with words that jumped out at you in his messages.

Movie night? My place?

You read the message over and over again for a good minute or so. Your heart started its usual routine of overworking itself, and you cursed yourself mentally for being such a lovesick fool for Toji. You loved the feeling that came with receiving a text from him first. He was looking for you, he was thinking about you, and from what you understood, he wanted to see you.

What's in it for me?

He chuckles behind his screen. You're an unintentional flirt, and it's amusing to him because it's the recurring reason for why you often find yourself wondering how you ended up with just his sheets wrapped around your body. You lack awareness in terms of how you phrase things, and Toji eats it up like a five course meal.

Time with your man. What else could you want?

Snacks, blankets, cuddles, xyz.

You bringing all that stuff with you?

Joking babe. I'll have that all here for you. Just come already.

Fine i'll be there in 10 <3

—

Toji could hear your car as you pulled up outside. He had everything set up on his coffee table. He would never tell you that he paid attention to the minor details of this setup. Maybe it would turn you off to hear that he unwrinkled a corner on a bag of chips, or that he squished the pillows so that they had more shape to them.

You knock, not having enough time to look around the area before the door opens. You're greeted by those devestatingly green eyes, a soft grin on his face when you smile at him. You throw your arms around his neck, causing him to stumble back at the force of your body in your momentum. He chuckles, sneaking a hand behind you to shut the door as you bombard him with kisses all over his face.

"Doll... do-..." you cut him off with your intoxicatingly sweet kisses. He can't help but smile at the feeling. "Doll," he calls, finally snapping you out of your romantic assault.

"Whoops." You laugh, a bright hue forming on your cheeks. "Just... happy to be here, I guess."

"I can tell. You almost ran us into the coffee table."

You take a step back to look at what he laid out for your movie night. It's precious, absolutely treasurable. He remembered your favorite chip brand and flavor, he remembered that you like juice more than soda. Up until now, you didn't know if behind those hunter eyes he actually made an effort to remember you.

"I'm choosing the movie," you say, putting your hand on his bicep.

"Ha, you thought I was gonna fight you on that?"

A smile creeps onto your lips again. "Your house, your rules, no?"

He sighs, remembering the time he said that to you when you proposed that he should get a dog. You insisted and insisted but he didn't want a dog, so as a last resort, he said it. You deflated towards him for a little, but eventually he made you laugh and the hard feelings were blown away.

"Just choose the movie, brat." He flicks your forehead before settling on the couch. Your brows furrow as you rub the stinging area, your expression quickly lifting again when you go to join him.

The snacks were opened before you even decided on a movie. They were looking irresistible, and they are your favorites for a reason.

"Mm... does this one look good?" You turn over to Toji, chewing on a mouthful of crunchy chips.

"Swallow your damn food before you speak." He cracks when you stick your tongue out, chunky and pureed chips sticking to it. "You're so gross."

"We've established that, already," you say, giggling. You turn back to the TV, leaving Toji to ponder your response.

"I'm just gonna scroll through all of these for three seconds and whatever it lands on, we watch. Cool?"

"Whatever you want, babe."

You nod, and do a countdown.

3... scroll... 2... scroll... 1... scroll

"This is it. Get comfortable," you say as if he's not in his own home. "Do you have to pee?"

"Nah, princess." He grins at your question.

"Alriiight," you say, excitedly, before playing the movie.

—

It was a pretty good movie. It was funny, there was romance, and it had a really good cast. You got to a good part in the movie, where the main characters, who are in love, reach dramatic turmoil. The conflict was a choice that the woman had to make. It was between the woman leaving the country for the next three years to make a life for herself, or staying behind with the love of her life, unable to give him everything he wants and more. She was fiercely independent, which was heavily weighing her decision.

You teared up at the dialogue. Both characters were reaching for each other, waiting for the other to say 'I can't be without you' or 'i'll follow you wherever you go'. The result was heartbreaking. The woman left the country, not even stopping by the man's house to say goodbye. She blocked his number and cut off all contact with him, leaving him a total mess.

"What the fuck..." you hear from beside you. You turn to Toji, and when you notice his sparkling eyes, you pause the movie.

"Oh, baby," you coo. His eyes mirror yours, glossy and full of emotional damage. He doesn't give you this rare sight for long. He uses his knuckles to dry his eyes before looking at you again. "You okay?" You brush his cheek.

He takes your hand and puts it to his lips, before using it to pull you closer to him. "Tell me you would never consider pulling something like that," he murmurs between you and him. His face is nose distance away from yours, so you try to pull back. He keeps a firm grip on your hand, holding you there with him.

You use your other hand to hold his face. "I'm not her. I wouldn't do that, Toji. I'm always within your reach." You give him a soft smile, pressing your forehead to his. "Just call and text me all day, or you know, when you miss me. You know, I'll be waiting for it, anyway." You chuckle, gently kissing his face all over again.

He catches your lips with his and pushes you down onto the couch. You don't mind that he's crushing you. Nothing is more important than making him believe that you're not going anywhere, and if that means he has to hold you down with his weight, so be it.

You realized that that movie scene must have resonated somewhere deep within Toji if it managed to bring tears to his eyes. And for that to be followed by a question that didn't sound like him at all... it just made your heart even softer for him.

His hands touch the warm skin beneath your shirt, while keeping the slow steady synchronization of his lips with yours. His hands don't wander to your erogenous zones. Instead, he keeps them on your stomach where he can feel the rise and fall of your breathing. He breaks the kiss, looking at you for a mere two seconds before burying his face into your chest, another area where he can feel you breathing. If he focuses hard enough, your heartbeat will reach his ears, inevitably forcing his to sync with it.

You decide not to say anything else. There's nothing else you could say to the man finding comfort in just being attached to you. You play with his hair, and focus on how fast your heart is beating in your ears, and he sighs because deep down he's hoping you'll stay true to your word. He can't see this happening with anyone else after you.

[mt-oe]

mizu dating a reader who NEEDS to be close to mizu during intimacy? like, no kneeling down and doing xyz to eachother, reader just absolutely needs to be stomach to stomach, chest to chest, arms wrapped around mizu during any type of sexual and romantic intimacy with her, and mizu just baby talks the reader sweetly instead of being rough 🥹

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Hey dear!

Thank you so so much for the request! I love this request so much. I'm such a big fan of being skin-to-skin while doing the act, like yes please ma'am //// make me feel loved and wanted www

Although, I do have to apologize if this kinda sucks and it took so long. Trying to make people horny when you can't get yourself horny is hard ;; also, I'm pretty bad at gauging whether someone is being sweet or rough during sex ;;

I still love writing for you all, regardless if its smut or not, so please keep requesting the ideas you'd like <3

Hope you enjoy! Mwa mwa :*

warning/s: not proofread, smut (mdni!), sex toy, mention of impregnation, she/her for mizu, implied afab reader

Her breath hitched slightly at the sight below her. The image of your naked body, laid down on the futon never failed to amaze her. She's seen you naked many times and in many different positions too. Head down, ass up; thighs around her head, pussy drowning her; even standing up, clit rubbing against the corner of table. No matter how many times you've done it together, she swore you only got prettier and prettier.

Moans and small incoherent whines reverberating in your throat as her index finger ran through your folds slowly, pushing the pad of finger against the sensitive area as if you were a flower she was pushing the petals open to bloom. She savored the way your body twitched when her finger trailed over your clit before moving down again. Slick gathered on the digit, making each movement smoother than the last.

"L-Love..you're going to drive me insane," you whispered breathily, one hand spreading yourself like a good girl for her, the other covering your mouth with the back of your hand out of shyness.

She looked up at you, an unreadable expression on her face. It was as if her self-restraint was dancing in between her own arousal and her desire to fulfill your wishes. Slowly, she ran her finger up your folds before flicking it upwards, brushing against the sensitive nub, making your body jolt.

"Didn't you say you wanted it slow today?" she asked, playing with the slick that coated her finger, rubbing it against her thumb before watching a thin line of your wetness connect her fingers as she separated them. "Or did you change your mind?"

You pouted at her, giving her a light-hearted glare. Your cheeks were still dusted with a bit of pink, breath still shallow from the slow teasing pleasure she just put you through. "I..I did..but I was hoping you'd do a bit more because I..umm.." She watched as your eyes darted off to the side, looking a bit nervous. "What is it?" she asked, bending down slightly, clean hand now resting on your cheek.

A soft nervous exhale passed through your nose as you slowly sat up. Blue eyes watched as you rummaged through your pile of recently discarded clothes, one hand resting at the dip of your hip as if assisting your trembling body.

"I..want to try something new," you declared to her, sitting up straight, a pouch made of opaque fabric in your hand. Mizu slowly took the pouch from your hands, squeezing it curiously, trying to guess what was inside just from the feel. "The madame gifted it to me when you left, but I never had the courage to use it."

Your words sparked the curiosity in her further. Opening the pouch, her eyes widened in surprise at what was inside.

A harigata?

She blinked, looked at you, then back at the contents of the pouch. You groaned at her actions, squeezing your legs shut in embarrassment. "Don't look at me like that.." you mumbled bashfully, watching as her hand pulled the sex toy out of its packaging. Another surprised grunt reverberated from her throat as she realized that the base of the dildo had some sort of strap attached on it. She inspected it curiously, eyes narrowing. It was the first time she's ever seen one of these.

"Look. If you don't want to, it's fine let's just—" She cut you off with a finger to your lips, eyes still inspecting the object. "Patience, love. I'm trying to figure out how to put it on," she said in low voice, removing her finger from your lips and tugging on the straps.

Once she felt like she got the gist of how to put it on, she stood up and pulled her hakama down, unraveling her fundoshi. As her hands went on to remove the binding on her chest, she turned to look at you, raising an eyebrow at how intensely you were staring. Red marks over her skin where the wraps covered her chest. You know they were a pain, but some how, seeing her like this made you appreciate how strong she was. "What?"

You shook your head with a soft smile, pulling your knees close to yourself. "Am I not allowed to look?" you asked jokingly, eyes wandering and tracing every curve of her body. A body that usually looked so masculine, revealing its true femininity to you only. She huffed lightheartedly, a smile ghosting her lips. "As if you haven't seen me naked before."

The smile on her lips grew as she heard you laugh, eyes and hands focused on strapping the sex toy on herself. Once she was done, she raised an eyebrow at it, the feeling of something between her legs felt odd. Her hand wrapped around the toy, stroking it languidly in an experimental manner.

She could feel you staring, eyes taking in the sight so hungrily. Her breath grew deeper as she heard the soft gulp from your throat. You couldn't help it. The sight was so sensual and she wasn't even touching you yet. You could feel the arousal running hot through your veins, wetness dripping onto the sheets. Although the more you stared, the more you realized..

'Isn't that..kind of big?,' you thought, a bit of nervousness mixing in with your anticipation. Your eyes taking in the curve, gauging the girth and length.

With an audible exhale, she turned towards you, hand holding the toy by the base. Her eyes half-lidded as she stared down at you. "Lay down," she commanded, voice gruff.

Your eyes widened as she sat in front of you, slowly crawling on top, pushing you onto the plush softness of the futon. "Wait, wait, wait..right now?" you laughed nervously, your hands on her shoulders to halt her actions.

Upon feeling your hands on her shoulders, she immediately paused and raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is there something wrong?" she asked, concerned laced in the low mumbling. Biting your bottom lip, you looked at the toy, breath hitching as you realized how close it was to your clit, almost ghosting over the sensitive nub.

Looking up at her, a blush dusted over your cheeks, both from embarrassment and desire. This was your idea damn it! Why are you getting so nervous now?

"Love?" she called out softly, hand going over to your cheek to caress it softly. Oh, how were you going to admit this now? Especially when she's being so soft with you? You took a deep breath, exhaling deeply through your nose.

"I'm getting nervous," you admitted in a whisper, legs squeezing slightly as the embarrassment intensified at your confession. "I-It's kind of big, okay?" You huffed at her puzzled expression, glaring a bit as her lips twitched up in amusement and a bit of fondness.

She chuckled and continued to push you down onto the futon. "Oh love," she laughed softly, filled with endearment. "Do you want to continue?" You could feel breath against your skin, chest almost touching each other. The sheer affection in her voice was enough to calm your nerves down, like some hidden form of reassurance. "You can take it, right?"

Swallowing thickly, you nodded, body sinking into the futon. Unable to speak, like the words were getting caught in your throat, feeling the want radiating from your lover. The desire so thick it was drawing you in. Indeed, it was drawing you in.

With your nod, slowly, she leaned down and planted a soft kiss against your lips. Her hand grasped the toy once again, pushing the tip against your clit, rubbing against and lightly tapping it on the nub. You could feel her breathing deepen as she savored the sweet gasps and mewls coming from you. She'd press her lips harder against yours whenever your body twitched, as if she didn't want to let go even for a second.

Her sharp blue eyes remained glued to your figure, drinking in the sight. Your curves hypnotizing her with its beauty. "Can I put it in?" she whispered as her lips pulled away, lining the tip up against your entrance, spreading your wetness around.

You wrapped your arms around her neck, pulling her closer to you. Chests touching. Breaths mixing. Eyes looking at each other's, so lovingly you'd wonder if she even had a hint of lust for you or did she just love you so much to the point where she desired you. Even with how little the distance between your bodies was, it still wasn't enough.

You needed her.

You wanted to be so close to her, to the point where your bodies would melt together. You wanted her to swallow you whole, take in your being. You wanted to feel her weight on you, to push onto your body and knock the breath out of you.

"Hold me.." you breathed out against her lips, pulling her in for a kiss. She immediately obliged, lips pressing against yours. Her warmth enveloped you in a gentle embrace. The feeling of her tongue lacing with yours muffled the choked gasp you let out as she slowly pushed the tip in.

She could feel your nails along her back, raking it down her skin. It stung, but you were taking her in so well she couldn't stop, not even for a moment. The sound of your moan as she pushed the toy in further fueling the desire inside her.

A thin string of saliva connected your lips upon pulling away. Without her lips to muffle it, your moans and gasps filled the room. "Fuck..it's so fucking big, Mizu," you moaned out, looking up at her so enticingly. Shit you looked so pretty with your bedroom eyes and swollen lips.

It amused her how shameless you sounded. As if you didn't care whether these walls were quite literally made of paper.

"Halfway in, love..." she groaned out softly, voice slightly strained as if she could feel you through the smooth wooden object. Her hips pushing it in deeper until her cock was completely sheathed inside you. "You're doing so well," she whispered, body pressing closer. Nose against your neck, tits touching. "So good to me.."

The feeling of her body against yours sent shivers down your spine. Like her warmth, the pressure of her weight against yours, intoxicated you. The way her nipples hardened against your own making your mind go hazy.

Slowly, she pulled out, her eyes observing the way your eyes rolled back before squeezing shut as she thrusted back in slowly. "Does it feel good?" she asked. Shivers went down your spine as she nuzzled her nose against the crevice of your neck, hips pistoning the toy in and out slowly.

"M-Mhm..it feels so good.." you half-whined, half-moaned. Tilting your head as you arched your back, moving your bodies closer. "Hurry..love.." she heard you whisper wantonly onto her ear. Your legs locked behind her back, pushing her closer, wordlessly begging her to push it deeper.

Desire rushed in her system further. Her thoughts were clouded with how much she wanted to please you with her cock. Wet squelching noises and the sound of skin slapping against skin as she moved faster mixed in with your cries and moans. Hips bucking against hers, eyes rolling back, and mouth agape as she pleasured you.

Each thrust sent waves of pleasure up your spine. Her arms wrapped around you tighter, almost possessively. She felt so warm around you, and even if you didn't know how it was possible, it felt like her cock was warm inside you too. It was exhilarating. You could feel your mind going static. She was fucking you so sweetly, and at the same time, fucking you so stupid.

You could feel her gaze on you, eyes roaming around your bodies together, watching your bodies melting together. "God..look at you," she whispered, lifting her head up to place a soft sweet kiss on your lips. Her pace becoming more and more erratic as your moans turned into incoherent sobbing and pleading. The familiar coil of climax tightened in your body from the pleasure she was giving. "You're so fucking pretty.."

Fuck. You couldn't take this anymore.

How could she dick you down so good while looking at you so lovingly? Your mind was already so scattered, tears from the overwhelming sensation streaming down your cheeks, and it felt like your cunt was melting. Mizu probably had no idea how good she was making you feel.

It didn't matter if her cock was fake and made of wood. She was going to get you goddamn pregnant.

"..'m gonna cum..I'm going to fucking cum," you sobbed out against her lips over and over in a desperate chant. A smirk graced her lips as she chuckled breathily at the cute display. "Go on..cum for me, love," she cooed, whispering sweet silent phrases about how good you were being and how much she loves you while her hips maintained its pace, driving you over the edge.

She continued to thrust in you as you orgasmed, her arms keeping your body trapped under hers as you arched your back. She'd keep you there, sex out the high from your climax. A loud moan ripping from your throat followed by sweet babbling about how hard you were cumming, even thanking her for fucking you so well.

Coming down from the euphoria, you slowly sank back into the sheets. Her hands traveled to the dip of your hips, holding you in place before slowly pulling out until only the tip was in. "How are you, love?" she asked softly, lips trailing kisses on your shoulder.

You closed your eyes shut, panting heavily. "..It felt really go—Oooh fuck!" Your reply was cut off by her slamming the toy back in, causing you to squeal. You immediately opened your eyes to glare at the mischievous look on your lover's face before she pulled out and slammed back in again, enjoying the overstimulated squeals coming from you with every thrust in.

It wasn't until you nudged her off from overstimulation did she stop, pulling out completely. Her eyes remained glued to your cunt, sopping wet, slick running down to your ass. She smiled sheepishly at you as she took the strap off, laid down next to you and wrapped her arms around your trembling body.

"You're horrible.." you mumbled, voice holding no real anger. She laughed softly and pulled you closer, humming in content as you wrapped your arms around her in return. "Don't laugh. We're returning that thing tomorrow," you huffed playfully.

Mizu shook her head and kissed the top of yours. "We're not doing that, love," she replied, closing her eyes with an exhausted smile.

"Yeah, we aren't."

[callsign-rogueone]

study season

fourth wing characters (Aaric, Bodhi, Brennan, Dain, Garrick, Imogen, Liam, Mira, Rhiannon, Ridoc, Sawyer, Sloane, Violet, and Xaden) x reader the ways our faves help you study for exams. words: ~900 🏷: no book spoilers, no triggers. gender neutral. and I included the girls this time!! some of these can be read as platonic and others mention kisses / cuddles, implying you’re a couple. idk, I just work here. I’m really liking this format lately, and it’s (fairly) quick and easy so you can expect more of these in the future while I procrastinate all the girlfriendverse chapters and smut I have to write lol

First, the more studious of the bunch:

Brennan is all-in, no hesitation, pulling up a chair next to you and learning this with you for moral support, but also for fun (can you believe this guy?) though you suppose it’s easier to enjoy this if it doesn’t count for a grade. Either way, he’s a very nice study partner, and he encourages you to take breaks every hour / chapter / etc. Brings snacks, too.

Violet somehow already knows all of the material, and explains it better than the textbook or the professor. Walks things back if you don’t get it and gets into the why and how, which so many teachers skip over, even though it helps explain the what (pet peeve of mine showing here lol). 

Aaric’s study skills are unmatched -- years of the best private tutors money can buy really paid off. Teaches you new strategies that you’ve never heard of in your life, and when you ask, he admits a bit shyly that he came up with it himself, but it works, and you get it done in half the time you would have before. (work smarter, not harder, baby)

Rhiannon gives you the pep talk of your life (we all need a Rhiannon in our lives) and convinces you that you’ve got this. Packs you a little snack for the day of your exam with a little note reminding you that you know this, just breathe and think. 

Xaden sees you struggling and forces you to take a break. During said break, he’s reading the book himself and figuring out what exactly has you so stressed and exhausted. Breaks down the tasks into smaller, more manageable steps and guides you through it -- “find three reasons why XYZ happened.” done with that? “Now make them into paragraphs.” etc etc, and an hour later, you have a passable essay. 

Dain is taking this more seriously than you are, and his discipline is like no other; you’re not stopping until the work is done, or until midnight, whichever comes first (because sleep is important for the brain, or whatever. Definitely not just because he misses you and wants to cuddle). 

Garrick may have no idea what you’re talking about, but he suffers through it with you, offering to let you explain things to him, because teaching is a good way to test if you understand something. Though you get what you pay for -- he’s a total smartass about it, asking questions about the littlest details even if they’re common knowledge -- he’s gotta be thorough, right? 

Ridoc may be the class clown type, but he’s smarter than a lot of people think. He comes up with a bunch of jokes that actually help you remember things. Somehow manages to relate the most complex topic in your book to a sandwich, and it actually works. He’s incredibly smug about this for the rest of the week, especially when you get the highest score in the class (he’ll take payment in kisses, thank you.)

Bodhi makes flashcards with you, quizzing you and giving you a kiss if you get it right (this definitely is not a distraction, and things definitely don’t escalate from here, nope.) He’s also really good at proofreading essays, and gives excellent feedback regarding the structure and the order of the information.

Liam sits there with you all the while, completely silent, working on one of his wood carvings at the other end of the table, but you know he’s there and he’s watching -- and that provides a healthy amount of peer pressure and keeps you on task. He’s an incredibly observant person, and he can see the stress building; he knows when to intervene and suggest that you take a break.

Sloane is the best person to commiserate with. She doesn’t want to be doing this either, but she’s also incredibly stubborn, and she doesn’t give up; after a healthy amount of complaining, she’s forcing you both to keep trying until it works / until it’s done, and then you’re treating yourselves to something for getting it over with, because you deserve it.

Sawyer is gentle and supportive, having a heart-to-heart conversation with you and reminding you that yes, this is important, but the world will not stop turning if you fail one exam. He knows how it feels to be compared to his peers, especially in how long it takes you to accomplish something (poor bb) and doesn’t want you stressing yourself out about that, either. 

Imogen is the opposite, all tough love, giving you gentle but firm reminders: “you didn’t make it this far just to give up,”, “I know you can do this, so do it,” but she balances it out with tender affirmation when you’re done. She’ll even let you skip out on training for the day since you’ve been studying so hard (and she takes training seriously, so this is more of a reward than it seems). 

Mira’s default approach is similar to Imogen’s, but she can see that you’re reaching your limit and dials it back, being more gentle with you and doing whatever you need -- encouragement? someone to just sit there? help / explanation / etc? she’s got you covered. herds you into bed at a reasonable hour so you’ll be well rested for the classes and exams.

And all of them are incredibly proud of you for working so hard and getting good grades 🤍

[aihoshiino]

i've said this before but for all the problems i have with the movie arc specifically and how OnK more broadly sort of loses focus on/interest in Ai's story from then onwards, i'll never be grateful enough for how well rounded of a character the additions we get to her in that arc make her. obviously prior to that she was already fantastic, but the movie arc really doubles down on humanizing her in a frankly quite risky way for a character OnK needs you to sympathize with as much as ai: it allows her to be weak, selfish and flawed, and capable of hurting other people.

pre-movie arc ai's one real major transgression is her keeping the existence of the twins a secret, but this is in defiance of the entertainment industry's particular taboos and double standards, taboos and double standards that OnK posits as being plainly immoral - as such, it's not really anything ai is doing wrong.

even when the story starts digging into her dirty laundry as per the needs of aqua's investigations, the information we as readers get never paints ai as anything worse than having been a bit standoffish once upon a time. the stories continues to reinforce our understanding of ai as a victim who has been either harmed, neglected or both by pretty much everyone in her life and how this treatment has affected her. imo, the story does a very good job of painting a picture of a life basically defined by consistent, down to earth miseries without it feeling excessive or like overwrought pitybait but the fact of the matter is still that the ai we get to know is someone whose worst traits only seem to harm herself rather than causing her to behave in hostile or antisocial ways that direct harm outwards.

then comes the movie arc and we see how those flaws can twist into things that do, in fact, point outwards - ai's learned fear of vulnerability and her terror in the face of rejection and hostility can become cowardice when placed in the context of her outright refusal to have emotionally difficult conversations with people who are trying to reach her. her self-isolation makes her push away and reject when people offer her vulnerability and she is so used to having to make decisions for and protect herself, in having no other people in her corner that she can consult and have reciprocal dynamics of care with, that it leads her to be selfish and self-centered, making decisions for herself and other people and acting on them because she's decided it's what's best without consulting the other party or really taking into account their feelings.

and it all makes perfect sense! i remember being sooooo nervous going into the production phase of the movie arc because we got that bit with gotanda purposely riling up ruby where it seemed like they were setting up ai to have been a secretly deeply angry and bitter person and that just didn't make sense to me - ai to me had always been characterized not by bitterness but by self-hate, contradictory resignation and hope and a terrible loneliness. to my relief, this is also the route the movie arc takes with her - when ruby has her breakthrough, this is in a moment where ruby finally comes to understand ai as a "fragile girl" who was "always crying". and these flaws as properly fleshed out by the movie arc make perfect sense for a girl like that - a fragile person who's had to learn imperfect methods of protecting herself because nobody else will do it for her.

i'm not kidding when i called this risky, too! there really were a surprising amount of people who saw the nino/ai conflict and the hikaai breakup and lost sympathy for ai, especially in the latter case. i saw a lot of people assigning her blame, saying that she should have or shouldn't have done XYZ thing and that it was her own fault for how things turned out. but that's the risk you run when you allow a character to make a real, honest to god mistake that hurts other characters in turn.

for everything else the movie arc does wrong, this was the thing it had to do right. the ultimate conclusion of Ai's posthumous arc is a complete breaking down of the "perfect" Ai, both as an in-universe public figure and as a fictional character - in other words, humanizing her. but that can't be done without an acknowledgement of ai as a flawed human who has just as much power to cause pain as the people who hurt her in turn do.

[bugsbenefit]

forever annoyed by the wannabe activism that got so much worse during the pandemic that so many younger people seem to primarily abide by now. where almost all their "action" is online-based and heavily focused on media consumption and "problematic people". it drives me so crazy. i don't know how to tell you that going after a musician or actor or comedian because of their views or statements is the least productive form of activism and i honestly wouldn't even count it as such. if you want to call yourself an activist you actually need to ACT. not just talk online about how person xyz is evil and be done for the day, or say book/movie xyz is problematic and then log off, that's not enough, that doesn't actually DO anything

call local officials, go to protests, talk to people at your uni/school, boycott brands. hell, even talk to your parents about what's going on in Palestine, or other current events, many older people have conservative views, not because of inherent bigotry, but because they don't have enough information and grew up in a media propaganda bubble. or just talk about ongoing events online, keep the pressure on the public and don't let people lean back and forget. all that are actual forms of activism

i'll never stop being mad at the new wave social media wannabe activism that lets people think they're done with their Activism Activity of the day if they called timothee chalamet or noah schnapp a bad person. girl, yeah they are, but actually do Anything else too, that's not the activism you apparently think it is😭

[biancasaidstfu]

I know we want to move past all this craziness. And I agree we should. But I’ve seen comments regarding A and what damage she could possibly do that would warrant things like NDAs and appeasing responses from L and N. People thinking she has no power. And I happen to know of a situation that contradicts that idea.

In another fandom (I won’t name the fandom or the actor), a young actor was accused of… let’s say bad behavior of the criminal kind… by a woman he never even met. The story made its way around the internet. People caught onto it and jumped on the hate bandwagon. He lost his job on a popular show. His career is in the toilet. And his friends/costars abandoned him.

A lie travels around the world twice before the truth even gets up in the morning. Damage can be done. Can be irreversible. And when you love someone, you’ll do all you can to protect them. A (and other side characters) can threaten and be taken seriously. It’s not a leap.

I’m not saying for sure that’s what is happening here. I’m saying that people shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possible trouble one can cause.

This is a possibility that is very easily swept aside because people think it's too much effort or that this would never be a thing because XYZ.

Also, this is not saying for sure that's what's happening here, so before you get your thongs in a twist make sure you understand this is discussion on the idea surrounding an NDA being in place.

Let's get realistic here. People claiming Luke wouldn't be high profile enough to warrant an NDA for anything is just stupid. Non-disclosure agreements are commonplace - between civilians, businesses and clients, between celebrities and the list goes on.

If there was sensitive information, and it could ANYTHING, then a non-disclosure agreement could be handed out to protect said sensitive information.

You don't need to be Brad fucking Pitt to have an NDA.

What I believe we have seen over the summer when it comes to Luke is very much a contractual agreement of some sort. Nothing about what we saw screams hot boy summer 2.0.

You're also not going to tell me that he just said peace out to Nicola or vice versa after what we watched in Ireland and essentially the entire tour leading up to that.

Sorry. I will never believe that Luke has been with Antonia over a year or that Nicola is dating her friend Jake.

If there's proof of either of these things one day (and I'm talking actual romantic interactions in clear view of a camera, kissing, cuddling etc.) I will gladly go back and eat my words and admit I was wrong.

But I just don't think I am 🤷‍♀️

[arisuworld]

| CLEARING DOUBTS |

I'll be clearing some doubts but If there's still anything you wanna ask, then send me an ask!!

"YOUR DESIRE SHOULD NEVER TAKE MORE THAN 3 DAYS"

MANIFESTATION IS INSTANT. Manifestation is not a process, it does not take time. The second you change your inner thoughts, everything changes around you. And it's there when you say it. You're NOT waiting for it, you're NOT affirming to get it, IT IS DONE THE MOMENT YOU SAY SO.

"YOU MUST VISUALISE IN FIRST PERSON"

No!! Do whatever you're comfortable with. It doesn't have to be in first person or very vivid.

"YOU MUST FEEL THE EMOTION OF YOUR DESIRE, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IT"

That's so wrong!! When it comes to manifesation, emotions do not matter. Only your thoughts do!

"SELF CONCEPT ISN'T IMPORTANT. THERE IS NO NEED TO WORK ON IT"

I'm sorry, what? When it comes to manifesation, SELF CONCEPT IS LITERALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO WORK ON!! For fuck's sake work on it.

"NO/NOT WORD IN AFFIRMATIONS MAKES RESULTS NEGATIVE"

No!! I've manifested using those words and been successful at it!! Ugh Y'all come up with the most stupidest shit.

"CAN I MANIFEST...?"

Yes, YES YOU CAN. You can manifest literally anything, ANYTHING. You're limitless. There is nothing out of your reach. There is nothing you cannot do. You're the GOD and everything is possible for the god.

"BUT I CAN'T MANIFEST IT BECAUSE OF XYZ..."

No, stop right there. CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT MATTER. They literally change in seconds. They do not matter at all.

"YOU NEED TO IGNORE THE 3D"

Well it is true to some extent. Just know that, the point is not to ignore or deny the 3D, rather accept that it's merely a projection of your past thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions. It is not the end, it will change! Once you change your assumptions/thoughts, everything will change around you!!

"YOU CAN'T USE FUTURE TENSE AFFIRMATIONS"

Whatever you think or say is literally an affirmation. And please 🖐️ I have manifested countless times by using future tense Affirmations. So, just phrase your affirmations however you like!!

"YOU MUST AFFIRM THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO ACHIEVE RESULTS"

No!!! Just affirm for some time and fucking believe you have it. That's it. That's fucking it. I've manifested things easily just like this my whole life, so stop overcomplicating stuff for yourself.

"YOU NEED TO BE HAPPY/ HAVE HIGH VIBRATIONS TO MANIFEST SUCCESSFULLY"

Where do you guys even get this kind of info lmao?!? Like bitch, you can be depressed as fuck but still manifest your dream life. Because like I said before, EMOTIONS DON'T MATTER when it comes to manifesting!!

"MANIFESTING IS HARD!!!"

Omg please!!! It IS THE MOST EASIEST THING EVER!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASSUME AND BELIEVE AND THERE YOU FUCKING GO- YOU HAVE IT! WHAT'S SO HARD IN THIS? FUCKING PERSIST FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE AND I PROMISE YOU, IT WILL NOT GO IN VAIN!

[everythingisamazing]

Season 2 thoughts

I have been reading a lot of #arcanecritical posts and really enjoying them. There are so many great points to be made, especially about the political struggle that gets set up in S1, making it seem like the show is trying to go with an anti-establishment narrative, which it does not follow up on in S2. Irl I'd describe myself as very far left on the political spectrum - having said that, I still prefer S2. Why? I think S1 has great writing. The thing is, at least to me, it felt too clean, almost technical in execution and like it was biting off more than it could actually chew. What do I mean by this? I'd never expect a Netflix show, that was made to promote an online game, to produce truly radical art. In all honesty, it would be naive to think it could. Arcane explored aspects of political struggle, within the constraints it is given, but if you are aware of what those constraints are, you can see them EVERYWHERE. So what makes Arcane great to me, is not its perspective on politics, but its character writing - the way it shows how each character has their own agenda, born from a personal struggle, operating within the system they were born into and how that creates conflict. That's why discussions about "is Character XY in the wrong for XYZ" are interesting, but do not prove any point about the quality of the show itself. So what do I like about S2? I like that it does not really attempt to solve any of those conflicts, but focuses on showing the consequences of them - and yes, those consequences are often not satisfying. And the fact that they are not satisfying, actually makes it better, than what a lot of other shows do, which is create a magical nonmaterialistic solution. Don't get me wrong - it's really sad, for example, that Viktor gets his autonomy taken away, zero recognition for how it was not his fault for wanting to fix his disease, but the systems for him getting sick in the first place and then ends up dying as a villian. I also think it is pretty realistically what would happen in our world, aswell as the world established in the show. I believe what gets misunderstood, because politics are part of the narrative, is that Arcane never set out to tell a story about people rising above oppression or ways to overcome class struggle. I feel like that it is, a (at times well done) backdrop to the interlocking character arcs they wanted to explore. You can pretty much summarize it in that one, very popular image on tumblr. You know the one with the astronauts, where it says "Arcane was about love?" "Always was". S2 really delivers on that. Jinx and Ekko. Vi and Caitlyn. Viktor and Jayce. Mel and Ambessa. Singed and Orianna. And even Silco and Vander, where it shows how both of them chose their wildly different paths to protect their daughters. I also think that they took what the show most excels at - its art style - to the next level in S2. So to summarize: I think critiques of how and why Arcane failed in terms of politics, are valid. But to say Season 2 was bad for not delivering what it could never deliver (and I would argue never promised it would - thinking that they wanted to and then somehow fumbled it in S2 is just wishful projection) is not fair to everything it does exceptionally well. But feel free to roast and disagree with me :)

[consolecadet]

Tips for freshly diagnosed celiac-havers

Someone I knew asked me for advice after getting diagnosed with celiac. I gave her some. I might as well share them with you as well!

I am not a doctor, and not your doctor, I'm just some guy with celiac disease. Ask an actual doctor for help with medical decisions. I'm in the northeastern United States, so you might have to go hunting for equivalent resources if you live elsewhere.

Are you done with testing?

If you had a tTG-IgA blood test with an elevated result, or a doctor just told you you have celiac, but you have not gotten a biopsy via endoscopy to confirm your diagnosis, WAIT! You may not want to stop eating gluten quite yet. You have to be eating gluten for the biopsy test to work.

It is not fun to stop eating gluten, start feeling better, and then have to start eating it again just to prove that you really have celiac disease.

Your choice in this area is personal. If you know you're going to have to wait years to get an endoscopy, it would probably be healthier and more pleasant to stop eating gluten now and then do a "gluten challenge" for a few weeks before your endoscopy.

If it's unlikely you will ever get an endoscopy (too expensive, inaccessible, phobia, etc), there's no point in waiting for something that may never come -- just stop eating gluten now.

But if you can schedule an endoscopy for a month or two from now, it's probably best to keep eating gluten until the endoscopy. Sorry.

Please eat food. Like, enough food.

The most important tip I got early in my diagnosis is that if you stop eating gluten and you start feeling crummy -- dizzy, cranky, tired, etc -- it's not because you're going through "gluten detox" or some shit. It's because you're hungry!

It's easy to accidentally start eating way less when you start eating gluten free. A celiac diagnosis can make you want to avoid eating because food feels scary and stressful. Cutting a major ingredient from your diet without knowing what to replace it with can also leave you undernourished.

You really need nourishment when you are recovering from celiac! Your body need energy from food to use on healing your intestines. If you've lived with celiac for a long time, you probably have vitamin deficiencies you're trying to bounce back from. The emotional difficulty of adjusting to a new diagnosis is also much easier to face if you're not starving.

All of this advice applies equally regardless of body size. Yes, even if you are very fat. If you're hungry, eat.

Where to find information about gluten-free food

The gold standard for basic celiac info is celiac nonprofits. There's a ton of info about celiac disease and the gluten free diet on their websites. I recommend:

Celiac Disease Foundation

Beyond Celiac

You know what's not a legitimate celiac nonprofit? Gluten Free Society. Do not listen to anything GFS or its founder Peter Osborne have to say. Osborne is not an actual doctor, nor is he doing actual nutrition science. He is a chiropractor (i.e. quack) so bad that his state's board of chiropractors threatened to revoke his license. Don't let anyone tell you celiac means you can't have corn!!! Truly, wtf @ this guy.

Google's AI summaries for searches like "Is XYZ food gluten free" are often inaccurate (because they pick up sites like GFS). I always click through to the source to be sure. "Is XYZ food celiac safe" sometimes gives more useful search results.

I also like this presentation "I Have Celiac" for a super in-depth guide to having and living with celiac. The OP made it to show to loved ones to explain their deal, but it's so thorough that I found it helpful for myself when I got my diagnosis.

I want to buy food that's safe for celiac...how do I do that?

You should be able to find gf food at any supermarket. The selection of baked goods and processed foods may be lacking, depending on where you live, but produce, raw unmarinated cuts of meat, and other whole foods like milk and eggs are generally safe even if not labeled gf.

A lot of supermarkets have an indicator on the price labels to help you -- for example, at Stop and Shop, the labels on the shelf have an orange circle that says "gf" in it under foods that are gluten free. It's best to check the packaging too, since Stop and Shop sometimes gets it wrong!

Something that says "gluten free" or "certified gluten free" on it is safe for celiac*. Something that doesn't say "gluten free" on the packaging may also be safe, so long as it also doesn't contain wheat, barley, or rye, or have a wheat allergy warning under the ingredient list. Here are some tips for what to look for on ingredient labels.

Labels can get real complicated real fast, so just use your best judgment. It's okay if you don't get it right 100% of the time. The goal when living with celiac is to reduce gluten exposure as much as possible, not to hermetically seal yourself in a deep well where a single molecule of gluten can never possibly reach your tongue. You, and only you, get to decide how much exposure risk you're comfortable with.

My favorite grocery store post-diagnosis is Wegmans. My nearest one is a bit of a hike, so I don't go that often, but it's such a treat when I do. Wegmans has a huge gluten free aisle with gf staples and fun snacks, plus lots of food items that can be harder to find gf, like fresh pasta and baked goods.

I also like the online health food store iHerb for finding new gf snacks and ingredients. You can filter the whole store by dietary needs, so you can also find gf skincare/makeup items and supplements if you want. I have a discount link for 20% off: https://secure.iherb.com/rewards/rewards-program?rcode=DRO2876

The best way to find restaurants that can accommodate celiac is Find Me Gluten Free. It's essentially a gluten-free Yelp. People use the site/app to review of restaurants for 1) what cross-contact precautions the restaurant takes and 2) crucially, if the food was good!

Gf food can be expensive, ngl. The National Celiac Association has advice for how to save money on gf food, including a database of food pantries that set aside gf food for people who need it.

GF ~influencers~

If you want to follow some people who Get It, I like:

Phil Hates Gluten (on IG, TT, and YT) has EoE (another gluten-related autoimmune condition). He reviews gf food and restaurants and makes silly videos about the gf experience.

Robyn's Gluten-free Living on YouTube has gf baking videos and advice about traveling, eating at restaurants, saving money on gf food, and more.

Here on Tumblr, @gluttonysansgluten and @certifiedceliac (and I would love more recommendations for celiac related Tumblr accounts!)

Having celiac is really hard. But it does get easier.

I felt overwhelmed and honestly kind of doomed when I got my celiac diagnosis. For the first few months I felt like I couldn't trust any food and I was going to be totally excluded at all social events forever. It sucked. But then I got a lot of practice figuring out which foods were safe for me, advocating for myself at restaurants and when my friends were planning get-togethers involving food, and now things are really not that bad. And I feel way, way less sick.

If you feel overwhelmed or don't know how to interpret the 1 million sources online telling you what's gluten free, I really recommend seeing a dietician. Your best bet is a weight-neutral or HAES dietician who mentions celiac somewhere on their website or online profile. You can generally count on those folks to give you practical information about how to live with celiac, as well as emotional support as you adjust to what is probably a pretty big and stressful change in your life and how you view yourself!

You got this!

*Please do not talk about Cheerios on my post. Make your own.