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eluxcastar · 5 months

Note

Number 13 and 14 with Arlecchino

Arlecchino being comforted by her s/o

── ୨୧：arlecchino x reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: arlecchino comfort drabbles yesyes

୨୧﹑genre :: sort of fluff

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, possibly ooc because it was written pre fontaine quest, not very proofread, arlecchino is implied to have issues with self-image/perception

୨୧﹑words :: 2.2k

"I could see the worst parts of you and still think you are the most beautiful person I've met." "I'm going to ask you how you are and I would like you to answer me honestly."

IT'S HERE you guys always spoil me 13 is my favourite prompt and you are the first of two to request it. completely unrelated but this is so familiar to what Kae said a few days ago (months now omg 😭) when we were talking about One of Repetition and it fits those two so well 😭❤️

to the anon who requested furina it'll take me a minute to figure out how to write her because I haven't played the archon quest but I'll watch some cutscenes and do my best for you

I'll also be using this because I got it in the middle of writing this and thought it fit the idea I had going super well 🙏 that makes three Arlecchino requests with prompt 13 😭 also second anon you're fine dw you guys are free to do with your requests with these prompts as you like, mix them together, add extra descriptions and rambles it makes it more fun 👍 thank you btw 😭❤ feel free to give yourself a name for future requests if you want ❤️ I love having new anons

prompt list

It is not often that Arlecchino shows her doubt, maintaining that half-pleasant façade to hide it all. If all people see is a ruthless woman with no regard for loyalty, then the details don't matter. There's no need to question, no need to dwell. She is one thing and nothing more, and she much prefers for nobody to notice the hesitancy in her drastic decisions, the thin-veiled regret as she watches the children she witnessed grow up go on to become valiant children of the Tsaritsa.

If there is anything more, it is disregarded as her unpredictability. She is a roach in the eyes of others, and perhaps she's ok with that…mostly.

To hear someone say "I love you" is strange to her, though it shouldn't be by now.

It shouldn't be unusual to wake up tangled in the sheets with you by her side or the struggle it ends up being to leave that mess as you try to convince her to spend five more minutes with you. It shouldn't be odd to discover that you've gone ahead and made her tea in anticipation of the time she will wake up or to have you remind her every morning that you hung her coat up to dry after she dumped it over the back of a chair the night before or to see you wandering around going about your own job.

But those events all feel surreal to her, even though she has watched you walk your patrol path a thousand times now, and she has seen you slack off where she sits by the window of Zapolyarny when you think nobody is looking.

You are very real, there's no doubt about that.

The things you do never click with her, however.

Perhaps you are real, but she made up these fantasies after watching you loiter by that one spot in the garden a little too long.

Yet every evening, you meet her in her office after you're officially let off for the day, and you usually bring snacks. You are most definitely there, then, as she watches you struggle to get through the door without damaging whatever you found for her to try, usually only small, a pastry you managed to get that you absolutely mustn't knock from your hands.

"I tried to get something that wouldn't make a big mess all over your stuff," you usually say, sometimes hacking on a 6guilty little "But~ these just looked so good…" to try and excuse you for bringing something that would cover her desk in crumbs.

Arlecchino doesn't mind because you went to the trouble of getting her something.

She got you a special chair to pull up and everything, and anyone else who uses it can deal with the death glare they get or find a different one.

But perhaps she made that up too, conjuring the image of someone fumbling their way through her office door to greet her with a smile, sometimes with jam on your mouth from taste-testing the gifts that she'll point out to you that you hurriedly wipe on your sleeve and pretend it was never there.

Maybe she put that chair there for nothing, and it never really moves, and each time she thinks this, she is sure this fantasy will all disappear.

However, every evening, without fail, as the sun begins to set out the window and the room is dyed an orange hue, the door opens, and there you are again. Delusions can't possibly be that persistent, and you would've scowled at her when she approached you in the hallways if you weren't aware of this relationship.

So it must be real, which she's well and truly aware of. There must be a person out there who sees what she cannot, someone who, by some miracle, manages to see past the things that block out all of the good. How can a person see anything but someone unworthy of their love?

What else is there to see?

The idea of a person who deserves to be loved beneath bloodshed has become unthinkable.

For a person who has been exposed to Arlecchino's worst sins, who has seen everything, and whose worst offence in life is a little laziness on the job, how is it possible to look at her and smile?

Arlecchino often wonders as she watches you. She how you go through your routine of placing your things down, whether on the desk or beside them, then all too happily mosey on off to get your chair and drag it over to sit across from her. She doesn't know why it's this particular day that she asks. Perhaps the fact it was weighing on her mind after a recent mission had her list of redeeming qualities shrinking further and further. It is in her job description, and there are plenty of worse people in this world.

But do you deserve to be stuck with one of them?

"Did you ever feel pressured into accepting my feelings for you?" Arlecchino asks the question so suddenly as you're halfway through walking back with your chair that she sees the exact point you register what she said, freezing in place from the shock. "Whether through status or power," she adds.

You blink a few times before all the motion in your world resumes to greet you with the image of her staring you down from the other side of her desk, patient and waiting for your response. "Sorry?" You let the chair go to return alone to her, standing in the place where you always put it. "I don't, uh…follow? I'm sorry, I just— I'm not sure what you mean?"

She hesitates, momentarily glancing down before her age returns to you and your uncharacteristic expression riddled with worry. She must've made you upset again.

"You want to be in this relationship? With me, that is…" Arlecchino struggles to think of the words, saying them as soon as they appear in her mind. "Even though you know the kind of person I am, you still want that?"

She studies your face as carefully as she can, watching the way you react as you absorb everything you just heard and assumedly try to put a response together in your head. Arlecchino has noticed before how you take longer to speak than her sometimes, but it tends to make everything you say more thought out, though you may end it like you're unsure.

"Well, I mean…if I didn't, wouldn't I just—" you pause for only a second— "break up with you?" There's silence after you finish. She doesn't say or do anything. To Arlecchino, that strangely almost makes sense, but you must be far too bold to admit that to a Harbinger. "It's not that I want to! I'm a little--…well, I think I'm just a little bit confused where that's coming from."

"I was thinking about it." You frown when she admits that. "Some of the things you have seen of me are…" Is there even a word to encompass that? "unbecoming of a lover."

Is that the right way to phrase it?

Again, you pause, and the telltale signs of consideration cross your face. An intense focus that barely lasts, and Arlecchino waits through it all to allow you your chance to answer, intent on allowing you that much. A few seconds more, and your features relax, looking back at Arlecchino with a tender gaze. "There's not really one 'right way', is there?" Your question, though rhetorical, strikes a chord with the many impulsive responses that flood her mind, all of which she keeps to herself. "You just kind of...try your best. Things might work out, or maybe they don't— the point is that you mean well and put in the work."

"That's not enough," she argues, "you deserve better."

"I deserve what I want." Your rebuttal makes sense in theory, but what do you want? She struggles to make sense of that part, the answer muddled by all of her thoughts and lost in her doubts.

You could ask anything of her, and she would do it. Any material possession, every feeling, more love than you know what to do with in any form you desire—physical, emotional, intimate—and yet you never do. You accept her awkward hugs, that it takes her time to relax when you lay your head on her chest, the fact she sometimes snores, that her clothes may very well be covered in bloodstains when she comes home depending on uncontrollable circumstances.

You never ask for the things she has plenty of power to give you in return for those flaws.

She shakes her head, "but surely you want more."

"I don't."

"There is a lot wrong that you deserve compensation for."

Arlecchino clenches the pen in her hand tightly, feeling the slight distress of pressure around it. She can't articulate what, not in the way she understands it; flaws is too broad of a term to use. You would instantly know and understand what she meant in a perfect world, but the world is not so generous.

"Like what?" you question. You feel that it’s obvious that nothing Arlecchino will struggle to say will shake you. She opens her mouth, prepared to refute it, headstrong and frankly stubborn as ever, but nothing comes out.

There is silence for a moment, and no one rebuts what you say. Nobody can. The only other person in the room fights with herself to yield and give in to your unwavering loyalty. In your mind, she is everything you want. There is nothing else you can ask of her than to simply accept that you wish to remain with her if only she will allow you to through her own emotional turmoil.

"Are you listening to what I’m saying?" you ask, frown creeping back onto your face as it tugs the corner of your lips down, seemingly against your will, "I could see the worst parts of you and still think you are the most beautiful person I’ve met."

Another chord is struck, her heart beating so loud it thrums in her ears like suddenly becoming aware it’s been threatening to beat out of her chest the entire conversation. She breathes, shaky and caught up in her own surprise. Somehow, she didn’t expect you to be so sweet in your words or throw her off guard so abruptly. She finds it hard to believe them. Arlecchino’s worries haven’t disappeared, only dwindled. It helps, if not completely. There is a reprieve in listening to you.

You have seen the worst of her, every crease she hasn’t ironed out, her sometimes rotten personality, her stained clothes, the weapons she cleans in your home. You have seen her walk to greet you covered in blood and gore from a savage fight, kneel before you and hold your hand with the same hands she uses to kill vagrants and petty criminals, kiss your skin with those lips that spill the vilest of curses against her enemies.

Before she realises what she’s saying, she blurts out a question, "Do you really believe that?"

It is quiet, reminiscent of how gently you looked at her earlier as her voice barely breaks a whisper, and she can’t bring herself to break eye contact with you once she finds the courage to make it.

"I do."

You smile at her, hoping she will smile back. A faint smile graces Arlecchino’s lips, ever the handsome picture. Her sincerity is comforting after such a scare. You still worry, and perhaps you will never stop with the way her mind likes to trick her. How long had she thought you secretly looked at her with disgust this time? You fear you won’t have an answer again, though you desperately wish for one. As much as you notice her awkwardness, dismissing some of it and observing other parts with more scrutiny, it is hard to make her talk to you at times.

"Thank you." It is all Arlecchino can think to say in response as she forgets what else she was going to challenge you on. It will return eventually, and she will face it again, but for now, it settles. Arlecchino can reasonably bury her doubt for a time.

"Can we keep talking?" you ask.

"About anything," she confirms with a nod.

You turn away, walking across the room in pursuit of retrieving your chair from its designated spot by the wall. You pull it along, dragging it over the floor, and set it down across from her on the other side of the desk you’ve been talking across. Your seat welcomes you as it always does as you settle into place, now comfortably at eye level with her.

"In that case," you begin, taking the pen she holds and wriggling it from her hands. She relinquishes it without much of a fight, allowing you to place it off to the side out of the way. "I’m going to ask you how you are, and I would like you to answer me honestly."

"Anything for you, my love."

#♡ — anon visit.#✦ — scenarios.#✦ — fluff.#arlecchino #arlecchino x reader #genshin impact #genshin #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader

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cryptidghostgirl · 2 months

Text

The Line (Port Mafia!Dazai x Port Mafia!Reader)

Pairing: Dazai Osamu x Reader

Description: Something is there, but if they both pretend it isn't, then everything is okay.

Warnings: Angsty but also more fluff than angst I think, mafia stuff, bomb talk, its Dazai so double suicide mentioned once. Sex also mentioned in passing like once. I think that is it, please correct me if I am wrong.

Word Count: 1,262

Master Lists:

All Master Lists

Bungou Stray Dogs Master List

Hazbin Hotel Master List

A/N so i found a screenshot of this tumblr post of this quote on pinterest and besties,, I am running with it. I will add the quote in at the end.

Was it his hand on the small of her back? Was it the feeling of his whispered breaths against the shell of her ear? When had the line been crossed, if it had been crossed at all? Neither really seemed to know where it had even been drawn in the first place. Perhaps that was the trouble with it all.

Danger was a part of life for those unlucky enough to call themselves members of Yokohama's notorious Port Mafia. It was the only constant, in Y/n's eyes. Well, danger and Dazai, but they were kind of one in the same, weren't they?

"Belladonna."

The same low, constant hum. She looked up from her desk.

Dazai stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with an aloof air. He'd grown quite a bit in the two years since she had met him. She supposed she must have grown as well but, somehow, he still seemed to be exactly the same. It was the calculating quality of his gaze. It was the smirk, the way the light glinted off his hair.

"That's new."

Y/n gestured towards the man with the end of the pen she grasped in her hand. Almost without thought, he raised a hand of his own to the bandage on his left cheek.

"I suppose it is."

They were never supposed to have even met one another in the first place. Their jobs were ones that should have pulled them far apart from each other's graces. He was an executive, after all, and she was just a lowly clerk. She dealt with numbers, paying off people who needed paying off, covering up the footprints of great men like him. He was supposed to send his subordinates to deal with her. That was what everyone else always did. Dazai wasn't like everyone else though, was he.

"I've got something for you." he stated, straightening up and taking a few steps into the room, his hands firmly in the pockets of his coat.

Y/n raised her eyebrows.

"What is it, another job?"

"A present."

Dazai pulled a box from his pocket, snapping it down on top of the work Y/n had splayed out over the desk's surface before her. It was large and flat. She eyed it suspiciously.

"It wont bite."

"You do."

"I said it, didn't I?"

"What is it, a bomb? Think it would be funny to watch me struggle to deal with something like that?"

"Don't give me any ideas." Dazai playfully replied.

"Is it full of anthrax? I have already told you, I have no interest in committing a double suicide."

"Just open it."

The Mafia was a dangerous place, those who worked there lead dangerous lives. There was no denying the living, breathing thing between Y/n and Dazai but... there was no place for such a creature here. Besides, neither of them would know what to do about it if there was. They had both forgotten how to be gentle long ago, were unsure if it had ever been in their nature in the first place. All that was left was the sharpness.

Hesitantly, Y/n picked the dark red box up and opened the lid. Nestled in the black velvet of the interior was a necklace. It was old, an antique locket of sorts with a few flowers engraved on its oval front.

"Nightshade." she commented.

"Made me think of you, Belladonna."

That was one of the things that helped tow the line, the invisible and complex line. Y/n never called Dazai anything other than his last name and Dazai only referred to her as 'Belladonna.' At first, the name had irritated her. It had felt like a denial of her personhood, her individuality. That was before she had known there had been a line to cross at all. She was older now, wiser. She looked back up at him.

"How sweet." she bitterly replied.

Dazai smiled his lazy smile in response. A girl could give up everything for a smile like that, even her life. Y/n wouldn't though. If she was willing to, that was mean it was all lost. They would have crossed the line long ago, if that were true. They couldn't have that. The line was what kept them safe, kept hem sheltered, kept them. He closed the distance, stepping up beside her in the space behind her desk.

"Here."

Long, slender fingers snaked around the locket's delicate chain, pulling it from its bed. Y/n's breath caught in her throat as his fingers brushed against the back of her neck, securing the necklace. It felt heavy against her chest, a foriegn weight that seemed to cut right through her skin to her bones below. Gently, he slipped a hand under her chin, tilting her face up to him.

"Perfect." he hummed.

Had they already crossed it? Was it too late? If so, what had been the deciding factor? Was it the late nights up on the roof, talking till the sun rose? Was it the knocks at her door at odd hours? Had it been their legs tangled together beneath the covers night after night, no sex required?

"Thank you."

What needed to happen, what change had to occur for them to be able to say the words that echoed in the backs of their minds?

Dazai's hand lingered on her face for a moment longer. Y/n mourned the warmth of his touch as he dragged his fingers from her.

"I have to go."

Y/n sighed, turning back to her messy desk.

"The work of a Mafioso is never complete, is it."

A statement, not a question. Dazai let out a light laugh in agreement. Y/n picked her pen back up, listening intently to his footsteps as he crossed back over to the door. At the sound of a pause, a hesitation in the pattern, she looked back up.

"Same time same place?"

She smiled. Tonight, the kitchens. Stolen food, stolen time. Stolen kisses too most likley.

"Yeah."

Belladonna. Something poisonous, something detrimental. Something completely and entirely his, if he was brave enough to take her. Dazai wasn't so sure he was, not right now at any rate. Dazai was a man who didn't like uncertainties. In fact, he avoided them at all nearly costs. He didn't know if the day would ever come when the bravery or the assurance would arrive. With things as they were now, it felt inevitable. A ticking bomb, a precariously placed glass. One wrong move, and everything would shatter.

With a curt nod, he disappeared back out into the hallway. Y/n listened to his footsteps against the carpet of the hall as he retreated, picturing the way he must look in the moment, wondering where he was off to.

The line was there, the brick wall between them. They both knew it. How far was too far? Was it holding hands as they walked down the street, checking to make sure no one could see? They already did that. They already did a lot of things. Maybe... maybe the line would dissolve when the fear left or, maybe, when it felt more manageable, they would be able to cross it, if they hadn't already.

How far was too far?

Y/n reached her hand up to her chest, fingering the cool silver of the locket where it hung at her collar. Maybe, just maybe, they had gone to far already. Maybe the world was already falling down around them, they just hadn't noticed it yet.

----

Here is the quote that inspired this:

#dazai bsd #dazai x reader #bsd dazai #bungou stray dogs dazai #dazai x reader angst #dazai osamu #dazai osamu x reader #dazai osamu x you #dazai osamu x y/n #mafia!dazai x mafia!reader #mafia dazai #mafia reader #port mafia #bungo stray dogs x you #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #x reader #mild angst

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 7 months

Note

WIBTA for kicking someone out of my D&D campaign for reasons not entirely related to the game?

This is long but the context is important I swear.

About a year ago, I (30X) tried to assemble a D&D group with my coworkers. After a whole lot of fucking around, the guy who was going to DM moving across the country, and a bunch of people quitting or getting fired, it ended up being me as the DM, my brother, a few other people who I met through a different campaign, and one guy who used to work with me.

This guy, J (23M), had a lot of personal problems when he worked for us, most of which contributed to him being let go. He had a lot of family issues that led to him missing a lot of work (and I mean A Lot. We have a Very good PTO system for the US that basically amounts to accruing one day off for every 50 hours you work, earning more the longer you stay with the company, and more allowance for attendance infractions than any company I've ever heard of in the states). He also had a lot of interpersonal issues with some of the employees, one in particular, K (21F), with whom he had some kind of situationship. I try not to get involved in work drama, so I don't know all the details.

J also has issues with money, transportation, and depression/suicidal tendencies. I'm not judging him for any of those, as I have experience with them as well, but he has been leaning on me pretty heavily around every time we hang out to play D&D. I would cover his 120$+ Uber rides home, which he would sometimes pay me back but sometimes not (if I couldn't afford it once a month, I wouldn't do it, but he insists he's going to pay me back; since he has lost yet another job I am not expecting it at all and don't hold it against him really, but I do think it's kind of shitty to insist you're going to when you clearly won't be able to), pay for his food, work with my family members to get him home, and let him crash at my house to avoid ordering an Uber. He also messaged me when he was feeling suicidal - bad enough to be institutionalized after I sent him the number for the suicide hotline. Again, no judgement, but it made me uncomfortable because I struggle with the same things. He seemed bothered that I told him I wasn't able to talk him through it, but that may have just been the crisis talking.

After all that, we come to a game session that involves more than just navigating dangerous spaces and fighting off wild animals. The rest of the party does fine, but J really botches the social interaction part, despite everyone telling him what he's doing is a bad idea and me doing my best as a DM to communicate that he should change tactics. He does not change tactics and instead doubles down and goes full murderhobo, which is not the kind of player I'm interested in playing with, something I thought J understood from previous conversations.

My original plan was to say something to the table at our next session about removing themselves from the game if the themes weren't something they were interested in engaging with, but then I get some additional info today about J and K.

Apparently J has been incredibly possessive towards K - someone who, again, he was not dating in any meaningful capacity - for weeks or months, to the point that she has blocked him on social media off and on. And then this past week, J has sent her screenshots of her location, contacted her ex who she still lives with for logistical reasons, made him upset to the point that K thought he was going to kick her out of his apartment, and harassed K's brother to try to get her to talk to him again. K is seriously considering taking out a restraining order against him at this point. J has also been updating his social media to imply that he is going to kill himself.

To say this behavior raises some red flags is an understatement. Clearly J needs help, but as a regular guy, that's really not something I'm able to provide beyond sending mental health hotlines, and I don't feel comfortable being his support system in the way he obviously needs.

All that said, I feel like I might be an asshole for kicking him out of the campaign full stop, because he's been really excited to play this whole time. But the combination of all this really worrisome, potentially dangerous behavior and the mundane reality of him just being a really annoying player kind of has me at my wits end, so, WIBTA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole #suicide cw

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gotasenseivebeenbetrayed · 14 days

Text

I know some of us, me included, have some-what struggled heavily with all the Matty talk/speculation.

While I love just listening to Taylor and appreciating the songs for what they are and how I can relate to them. I also love the idea of trying to guess who each song is about and as I'm open-minded I've done my fair share of digging into Gaylor/Kaylor/Swiftgron as well as now, Maylor. And honestly up until Maylor, I thought it was always pretty easy to see how many holes were in the Gaylor theories and while there are holes still in Maylor, there are also - unfortunately, a lot of things that do add up to Matty being the "big muse" over Harry.

And yet, while I do see those things and sometimes have a hard time being 100% that Harry is still the big muse - I'm still here trying to convince myself. Lol

So if you also need it - buckle up & follow along, this will be long

Just to get it out of the way, it is impossible for anything from Red or 1989 to be about Matty. I know I've seen a lot of people trying to connect him into it and it's just not possible as both came out before the two ever met.

The first public interaction of either of this was on Nov 8th 2014 when Taylor liked this tumblr post of Matty wearing a 1989 shirt.

For reference 1989 originally came out Oct 27 2018 and Red Oct 22 2012. Both of those are before Nov 2018. And while Matty did say they met some time in October of 2018 (British Matt, 25, who wore a Taylor Swift 1989 shirt on stage earlier this month, told how he and the Grammy award winner had met in October - This was in this article by DailyMail posted on Nov 2018), she did not meet him and write songs about him for 1989 the same month it was being released. So according to Matty's own word, they met Oct 2018 and exchanged numbers.

Then their first official meeting in public was Nov 19 2018 when Taylor, Selena and co went to a 1975 concert. This is the concert where Harry was rumored to also be at according to US Weekly & earlier that day US Weekly posted another article claiming Taylor & Harry were talking again/friends. And I'd also like to note that I'd wager a guess that Harry introduced Taylor to The 1975 because back in 2013, Harry tweeted quite a few times about The 1975. Then back in March 2014 Harry was prank called by Matty so Matty had Harry's number.

Taylor was apparently super excited about her & Harry talking again, they apparently went to the concert together. So it'd be super unlikely after just having exchanged numbers with Matty & meeting him two or three times she'd already be obsessed with him to write songs about.

On Dec 2nd 2014 Taylor & Harry were both in London during the VS Fashion Show. So they were still friendly at that point & DailyMail posted an article saying they had drinks at a bar after.

Our third official meeting between the two was another The 1975 concert Dec. 4th 2014 in NY - yes this the same concert Kissgate happened. From there articles were being posted about them rumored to be dating. But during that same time on Dec 8th 2014, there was a blind item that Ali Lohan and Matty were hooking up. Then officially started circulating Dec 24th 2014. And both of them were supposedly at that Dec 4th show in the VIP Section.

Now if we're going to add into the fact because of Taylor stupidly mouthing the whole "This song is for you, you know who you are. I love you." last year before Cardigan and Matty having done that same thing a few days earlier at one of his concerts. People believe Cardigan and therefor August and Betty are all about Matty & Taylor and I'm assuming Ali but, I don't know for sure. If we're going based on the lyrics and idea of it being Matty & Taylor, this was the only time they would've been "dating" back then and Ali was the only one he was accused of cheating with so August would have to be Ali. And based on the lyrics, if they're to be believed. August did NOT know about Betty, Ali would've known about Taylor because not only was there rumors circulating then about T&M dating, Ali was supposedly at the same show as T, in the same section as her. August also implies the affair happened in summer but, once again T&M didn't even meet until late fall and A&M rumors and T&M rumors didn't start til Dec which is winter. Also want to add there was a blind item that said Ali & Matty sent Taylor a photo of them in bed together which is wild, obviously doesn't mean it's true but, if it were true it would indicate that Ali most def. did know about Taylor.

So based on what we know they knew each other from an unknown date in Oct and exchanged numbers then Taylor appeared at 2 of his shows between Nov and Dec. Dec. 4th is when rumors started they were dating and by Dec. 8th Matty was hooking up with Ali Lohan and him and Taylor were apparently already over. Then around Feb 24th 2015 Ellie Goulding introduced Tay & Calvin and they started dating very quickly after.

Now Maylors are trying to say that this night below which is from Feb 25th 2015 is probably the night that Taylor wrote "Exile" about saying that Matty seeing Taylor with Calvin was the whole "I can see you standing honey with his arms around your body". And Matty being jealous over Calvin. Firstly, T&C weren't even fully dating yet, they had just met and were flirting. And if they (M&T) were truly dating in Dec. 2014 and then Matty cheated on her with Ali and Taylor was "head over heels" for Matty enough to write all these songs about him - why would they be within the same area as the other? Taylor is generally not nice to her exes, especially if they screw her over and Matty would've screwed her over heavily if everything was true.

However, funnily enough there were also blind items around Dec that came out before the rumors did that suggested Taylor was going to be in a PR Relationship with Matty as a way of "roughing" up her image a bit. Normally, I do not take too much stock in blind items as anyone can submit one but, sometimes there are real ones and this one seems to be legit as they called out what would happen (T&M wouldn't ever be seen holding hands, kissing etc. but they'd be spotted supporting each other at shows and event photos of them near each other would be taken just to get people talking and as long as Matty didn't screw it up, they'd write a contract for 2015 then a week later articles were being published of them "dating" & Taylor was shown at his 2nd concert, then Matty did end up screwing things up by sleeping with Ali & that ended their possible contract).

Blind 1 & Blind 2

On her birthday in 2014 she tweeted about how she'd like the media to stop claiming she was dating her friends which was obviously a hint at both Matty and Karlie since rumors were going on about both.

By late Feb Taylor was with Calvin which lasted a year (until June 2016) and we can conclude from Taylor's own lyrics (Getaway Car and High Infidelity) she probably cheated on him. There was also a blind item that suggested she was cheating on him and when she wrote This is What We Came For with him it was about the man she was cheating on him with and he had no idea at the time. After they broke up, he wrote Ole and the entire MV was taking jabs at Harry which why would he do unless Harry was the one she cheated with.

I couldn't find an exact date but, sometime in 2015 Matty started dating an 18 year old model named Gabriella Brooks and they dated until 2019. Obviously, cheating could happen so them both having partners doesn't mean they weren't together in secret but, yeah it's leaves very little room for Cardigan, August & Betty considering the "chase two girls, lose the one" if Matty was in a relationship after Taylor started dating another man and then she got with Joe before Matty & Gabriella even broke up.

Also on Jan 20th Matty did a radio interview with Australia's 2DayFM and said

"It's all bloody fake. It's a farce." "We met each other, we exchanged numbers in the same way that a lot of people in this kind of world do, and we spoke occasionally," he said. "She's the biggest pop star in the world and I'm in Australia. There's no relationship or anything happening. It's just funny how people really, really buy into that."

In an interview with Q magazine in March 2016 Matty said he never dated Taylor. He called it a flirtation, said she wasn't a big impact on his life, and this was also the interview where he said it would have been emasculating to only be known as Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

He also said this later on when he was correcting the narrative about that interview and how people said he was being misogynistic.

I had fears of being 'somebody's boyfriend' (remember this is all speculation as we never dated!)

Feb 20 2020 they saw each other at the NME Awards and Matty said

"She was just stood behind me. I mean, I haven't seen Taylor in years so it was actually a really nice room."

So in 2020 he said they hadn't seen each other in years and he wanted to collab with her. And going off the other interviews he did, they never dated and only talked occasionally - so I'd bet money those blind items were correct and Matty fucked up any possibility of an official PR contract back in 2015 by sleeping with Ali and that they never actually hung out outside of her going to those few concert shows and then backstage at certain events. Even if they were wanting to keep their relationship secret, he did not talk about her in a light that even remotely hints at anything. And if she was writing all these songs about having a secret relationship with him why would he lie and say they hadn't even seen each other in years? He didn't need to mention that and why would he publicly talk about being nervous to talk to her again and ask her to collab if they had been having a secret affair?

Now another thing Maylors claim is that Taylor/Matty wrote songs about each other over the years and that there were songs from Midnights and Being Funny in a Foreign Language about one another but, Matty said in an interview in Nov 2022 that Taylor had only heard "bits and pieces" of their album thanks to Jack. So it does not sound like they wrote songs about each other.

Then Jan 2023 is when Taylor surprise performed for The 1975 in London which again, remember, originally Harry was who Matty wanted.

Also want to add that by Dec 2022 it seems like Taylor might've already had an idea in her mind for The Tortured Poet's Department because Matty posted this photo kissing Pheobe where he said "Gay Poets Society" referencing the 1989 classic film "Dead Poets Society." which Taylor also referenced in the Fortnight video. And they were on speaking terms at this point because Matty claims they worked together for Midnights but it was scrapped. She told us herself she started working on TTPD directly after Midnights and if Matty/Pheobe were possibly already hinting the name of it in Dec of 2022 then it's safe to say she probably already had the title track written at that point as well as Fortnight and already had the idea for the Fortnight video in her head and therefore it makes no sense for those to be about Matty when both are talking about a relationship that's already ended and this would've been before they "dated" last year.

Also, I don't think Matty and Pheobe would jokingly kiss if he was secretly with Taylor, especially since when Matty was "dating" Taylor last year he stopped kissing random fans/bandmates on stage as a show of respect to her.

Then we have Matty taking shots at Harry over the years.

In Jan 2019 he tweeted he wanted to produce Harry's new album but, that he needed Harry's new number because was "definitely blocked".

In Jan 2023 Matty said he asked Harry to be an opener for The 1975 and got told no. Apparently this was the concert that Taylor ended up doing instead. Which again, if they were having a secret affair all this time and pining for each other why the hell would invite her ex to perform as an opening instead of her?

Then in Feb 2023 he accused Harry of queerbaiting..by doing the same shit he himself does.

#haylor #anti maylor

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tgmsunmontue · 4 days

Text

What to write weekend...?

Friday afternoon, start of my weekend. I've got some chunky AF aims for the weekend. Also adult responsibilities...

Starting with a clean slate for this weekend due to already having some certain writing goals in mind, also trying to keep track between weekly posts takes time away from writing.

NUMBERS:

Online and Anonymous - 5/16 Hangster who are anonymous Grindr buddies for YEARS. (Tumblr post)

Sagas of Solitude 4/? - IceMav with side Hangster AU - angsty Nepo!Baby

CURRENT LETTERS:

A, C, D, E, H, I, K... Bingo #1, Bingo #2

A) Where do I know you from? There are too many Jakes and Bradleys for Jake and Bradley to be dealing with. (Tumblr idea unspooling here...)

C) To wake, perchance to dream - Jake wakes up in the future, gets a glimpse of what their life could be and then wakes up back right before being called back to Top Gun for the special detachment (e.g. TGM). (Tumblr post and the beginning of the fic)

D) Together or not at all... (SEQUEL) - Hangster - years after Javy/Nat get together they think their best friends (Hangman and Rooster) could maybe try dating each other. It'll either end in disaster or not.

E) Cyclone/Maverick - Cyclone is struggling to deal with being attracted to the most annoying person he's ever met. Why does he like him so much?

H) Getting to know you from the beginning - an Ice/Mav epistolary fic where Jake and Bradley matchmake them, not realising exactly who it is they've matched together.

I) Life is too short to waste time matching socks... 2/? The peach and eggplant socks as an anonymous gift as an incredibly unsubtle hint that someone would like to fuck them. (tumblr idea unspooling here...)

K) Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide - Transformers cross-over for help me @yeagrave is 110% to blame for me adding this... (related to this post) (Prologue)

BINGO #1 - Hangster Ranch AU

BINGO #2 - IceMav Florist/Undercover Agent AU

You pick 1-3 of the above and either:

Message

Send an ask (Anon is on)

with the letters/Numbers of the fic/s you wish would hurry up and get finished/posted already. (Yes, you can pick the same one three times - some of these fics are that close to getting finished that would be enough to tip them over, you also don't have to pick more than one).

Numbers indicate fics I am consciously working on updating/completing, and likely have a completion date in mind.

Letters indicate fics that are often getting completed because people ask for me to work on them through things like this. (I usually do this every weekend).

Asterisks represent fics that are most likely soon to become numbered fics.

Doing this keeps me on task and makes me accountable. It stops me from procrastinating and I really appreciate people providing their numbers.

THANK YOU!

If you've read this far, then I'll let you in on a secret - I am hoping to update ALL OF THESE this weekend, with four stories updating every evening my time... FINGERS CROSSED FOR ALL OF US!

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annymation · 2 months

Note

What things annoyed and infuriated you the most in Wish 2023 (or Canon!Wish)?

OOOOH BOY! You just gave me permission to open a whole can of worms! Let's gooo!

Okay so here's a list:

I don't like how weak the reveal of what Magnifico actually does is. Asha finds out that he doesn't grant all the wishes, awesome, that would be a cool reveal, except, it's not a reveal, she freakin KNEW THIS! Asha herself said to a kid "It could be you someday" COULD! Asha, you said COULD, as in, there's the POSSIBILITY he'll grant that kid's wish, not a certainty! Not to mention if he only grants ONE wish per month then OF FREAKING COURSE not all wishes are granted. Okay, case in point, there's no grand reveal that the king is doing something no one knew, Asha apparently just forgot how their kingdom works.

Now hear me out, I am NOT one of those people that says Magnifico is a hero and Asha is a villain, I wanna make this clear, because although I find people who legit think like that kinda funny and I reblog their takes from time to time, I also find it frustrating that Disney managed to make a STRAIGHT, WHITE, MAN, IN A POSITION OF POWER, MORE LIKABLE THAN THEIR SECOND BLACK PROTAGONIST! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? IT'S SO EASY TO MAKE US HATE HIM!!!-ahem- But, although Magnifico is the most likable character in the movie, I do not see him as a hero, no no no, keeping the wishes away from the people of Rosas is bad, pretending that he'd grant Sabino's wish only to say SIKE was bad, saying he'd never grant Asha family's wishes was bad. So, am I saying Magnifico is a villain?... No. That's topic number 2, Magnifico wasn't a villain, he was a jerk. A jerk does not a villain make. I didn't feel threatened by that man for not a single minute, and that's including when he was possessed by the evil book, speaking of which.

That dang book both ruined and saved the movie honestly, because yeah, although it's a stupid way to make Magnifico an actual villain, but in a way that makes us sympathize with him since he's not in his right mind, and the last thing you want is for the audience to feel bad for your villain... Well, there's exceptions of course, but that's a whole other subject. But even though the book caused all this damage, it also gave us King unhinged, campy, straight up evil, fruity, voiced by Chris Pine having the time of his life Magnifico, and I loved every second of it, I ate possessed Magnifico up, I was living for every cringe cliche evil dialogue that came out of him, like hell yeah, that's what I've been waiting for, that's what it's all about WOOOOOO!!! I loved him so much I just copy pasted his personality into the Magnifico in my rewrite, although, my version is actually willing to kill teens, while Canon Mag seemed more hesitant for some reason, my headcanon is that Magnifico was fighting the curse deep down, and that's why his magic actually didn't hurt anyone, so... That's sad, hope he breaks out of the mirror and kills them all Idk

We're on topic 4 and this is not even half of my problems oh my... Anyway, Asha is boring. And I mean like, in a way that feels intentional, how did they do it? It's fascinating how she has nothing going for her, she doesn't stand out, doesn't have any internal conflicts at the start of the movie, something ALL Disney princesses have: Belle doesn't fit in with her village, Mulan struggles to make her family proud, Mirabel struggles to make her family proud x10.000, Moana wants to explore the sea but can't, Ariel wants to explore the land but can't, Jasmine wants to get out of the castle but can't, Cinderella is a victim of domestic abuse, ya'll get the idea, all these girls get their struggles that make them compelling, what's Asha's struggle that has been with her for most of her life?... Uh... Her grandpa, this dude we just met and seems pretty happy... Doesn't have his wish granted yet... Ok, what else? Oh yeah everyone in town seems to love her and dance along with her to show tourists how cool the kingdom is... Uhum... So yeah she has no compelling struggles that hook us with her from the start, and the conflict she DOES get, as I explained before, feels underwhelming.

The setting, oh the setting. Like, don't get me wrong, the architecture is pretty, but nothing about it screams SPAIN to me, where is the cultural food? Where are the bulls? Where's the stuff we associate with the Iberian Peninsula? They did such a good job in Encanto, what the heck happened? Oh and did I mention that most of the animals that appear in the forest are not even native to the Iberian Peninsula, there would be no racoons in a medieval setting there, considering they're an invasive species that was brought there from North America, something that, I assume, wouldn't be possible back then, as I don't think the americas were even discovered yet, but anyway, there they are, racoons hanging upside down from their tails, something they can't even do. Sorry for expecting biology accuracy from my disney movie guys, but you can't just make Encanto, that was freaking amazing with it's inclusion of so many gorgeous latin American animals, and then do whatever Wish is, like bruh where were the Lynxes??? They're an endangered species there, Disney could've raised awareness!!!

The music...

Valentino was absurdly annoying, and it would be SO EASY to make a baby goat cute! Baby. Goats. Are. Cute. SO WHY DID YOU MAKE HIM UNFUNNY GOAT THAT MAKES BUTT JOKES???

Characters were unmemorable, Asha's mom didn't do anything, Sabino, whose supposed to be the backbone of the story, is barely a character, and again, it's not like Disney hasn't made likable elderly people before, Moana's grandma, Mama Coco, but my guy Sabino was just... There.

Aaaand I probably could go on and on but I can't think of anything else, feel free to share your own problems with the movie yall.

#wish star #wish disney #wish movie #wish #disney #wish 2023 #disney wish

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sluttylittlewaste · 1 month

Text

One super fascinating thing about Kristen's current arc in JY is how much it reflects real-world conversations I've been following about effort and consistency and reliability in relationships. Specifically, I've been reading about the resentment in (primarily het) relationships caused by uneven distribution of mental load and repetivite, constant labor between partners.

Follow me now-

I've seen a few posts on here from people who have ADHD highlighting how realistic it is to their experience that Kristen is SO GOOD for doing grand acts and big miracles, but struggles so deeply with "the boring stuff". Upkeeping social media for Cassandra/YES!, consistently holding meetings to maintain whatever following she does develop for her gods, even just bi-weekly essays. I can't speak to the ADHD experience myself. However, from my relationships with people who have it and a decent amount of the posts I see on this website, that is a consistent manifestation of the disorder.

Dovetailing from that is the very real conversation I've heard time and time again about people whose family/friends/partners refuse to help with the little tasks of keeping a home in order or a project on track, but will pull through for big events under the assumption that it balances things out. It's a conversation that occurs a lot in spaces of studying gender dynamics in relationships - i.e. In a dynamic where the wife is responsible for doing all of the cooking/cleaning/grocery shopping/organizing, the husband will do a singular, high-effort task or grand gesture, "I built you an armoire!", "I took the kids out for a full day so you could relax!" and reference that singular event or task as a counterbalance for smaller tasks they do not aid in (daily dishes, laundry, running errands). This can also take the form of one partner doing grand gestures on occasion, but not showing up in smaller ways throughout the relationship on a day-to-day level.

-Ex. Partner A indicates that would appreciate more frequent affection in the relationship, such as date nights, flowers, non-sexual physical contact, etc. Partner B responds by planning a fancy dinner, gratuitous non-sexual contact/complements, and buying a lavish gift - but they do not increase displays of affection in their daily lives. Partner A mentions that though they appreciate the gesture, it didn't solve the initial problem, and Partner B doesn't understand why all of the obvious effort they put in isn't enough. The cycle continues and resentment grows as both people feel like their needs aren't being met/their efforts aren't being appreciated.

(Sorry if that's an over-explanation, I'm trying to be clear lol)

I think a lot about two things Cassandra said to Kristen:

"You're unreliable." and "It's not fair." in the context of these dynamics.

I've seen a decent number of people talk about how mutually unfair bringing Cassandra back was for both her and Kristen. I have also seen a lot of very valid arguments about Kristen being a LITERAL CHILD who makes a lot of impulsive (re: bad) decisions because she cares so deeply about specific things. We've also seen that Kristen CAN be so good in the little ways (Giving Lydia Barkrock the Help action, supporting Tracker through her bullshit, trying to do okay in school to help Riz). For all intents and purposes, there is no actual lack of effort on Kristen's part - she very obviously cares deeply. However, those efforts are more occasional and case-by-case than something constant, like going out every day to spread the word of Cassandra or doing something boring like homework.

Cassandra, whose entire thing is that she's always there to offer support -"I'm there holding your hand in the dark"- knows these things as well. She knows what Kristen is capable of. The hurt, then, doesn't come from the fact that Kristen can't but because, for some reason, she won't.

In conversations about how certain partners... underperform in relationships, one theme that often arises is that of, "I know he can do it, he simply doesn't." Whether that be daily chores or consistent acts of affection, Partner A has seen Partner B be helpful or put effort into things that they find interesting. There is no question of capability - Partner B can do whatever it is Partner A requests. Partner A thus concludes that Partner B doesn't because they don't want to. -Ex. "He refuses to help me because he doesn't care about me/He doesn't think I'm worth the effort."

While I obviously cannot make a true 1-to-1 comparison between this particular manifestation of Executive Dysfunction in people with ADHD and lackluster partners in relationships (I am aware that it is deeply harmful to imply that being a "bad" partner is in any way correlated to any singular disability), this is a degree of parallelism to be found in the Kristen/Cassandra dynamic and the type of dysfunction I reference in above examples. There is the caveat that if you have ADHD and know you struggle with doing things that are smaller or more tedious/repetitive, you can work with the people in your life to accommodate that. Additionally, men (at least in the US) are traditionally socialized to undervalue the traditional female labor that is caretaking.

That said, in universe, Kristen doesn't seem to know she has ADHD and thus could not articulate her limitations to Cassandra - and even if she could, it might not have solved the problem ( though it could have kept Cassandra from getting so upset).

The entire reason I wrote all of this is that I've seen several responses to the most recent preview for FHJY wherein Kipperlily Copperkettle accuses Kristen of not caring (and, to be clear, Kristen fully does not care about the Presidency. That is very likely what KLCK was referring to, and she is not wrong in being upset if Kristen wins this thing she hasn't even bothered to campaign AT THE SCHOOL for). The trend in the responses has been people listing Kristen's miracles more than anything, and while those do prove that she does CARE about SOME THINGS, it doesn't address the fact that for most people care is displayed through active, consistent, reliable effort rather than big dramatic displays: While the shrimp jump was cool, it does nothing to prove that Kristen gives a shit about student government.

#this is barely coherent #there's just this wild juxtaposition that I feel like comes up a lot on Tumblr #it seems to happen specifically with ND characters that people see a lot of themselves in #where even if the flaws and complications of that Neurodivergence are being assessed and deconstructed #people will plant their feet on “she can do no wrong!”#and sometimes it's whatever because it's just a fictional character #but other times #like with Kristen Applebees #where the defensiveness has the flavor or being deeply honest #which concerns me #like I truly hope y'all are putting more effort into handling real world criticism than you do with fictional shit #the instantaneous demonization of anyone who isn't tooth grindingly supportive of the Bad Kids (namely Kristen) is worrying #kipperlily is allowed to be mad at Kristen for winning! She may have done some shifty shit #but you can't say she didn't try really hard to win #and Kristen didn't even do her own shrimp jump. she only ran because she immediately disliked kipperlily #and ever Kristen's reason for disliking Kipperlily isn't fair???#Like it started before they realized the whole rat grinder conspiracy #she just didn't like that Kipperlily was a Type A overachiever #which has nothing to do with Copperkettle #and everything to do with Kristen's own insecurities #as for the relationship aspect #i have a lot of concerns about how people on Tumblr talk about relationships #let me die #if i die #d20 fhjy #fhjy #dimension 20 #rant #kristen applebees #i guess

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helvonasche · 4 months

Text

i quit?

Update: Privated all my fics, deleted everything from AO3. If you want a copy of anything, let me know, but I'm gonna be real picky about who I give copies of anything to.

Now that I've got your attention: I'm quitting fanfic, not writing.

Not deleting my blog or AO3, either, and I'll still be here.

Most of my stories will be staying right where they currently are. I've deleted any posts that are too personal, and this includes a couple fics. If you notice something is missing or a link has broken, please let me know so I can fix it. I still have copies of everything.

So don't be a cuck and ruin this for everyone else. I want to leave this up because I've had my heart broken by writers deleting everything, but I also understand that impulse.

If not writing fics then what? Books.

The reason I started writing fics in the first place was to practice writing and hopefully get better. But at some point I do have to walk away. I'm still gonna be on Tumblr though. And if you wanna ask about book stuff.. do it?

Emotions and reasons below the cut, but that's it. I'm done posting fics, but still vaguely here.

Ugh. Feelings. Fine.

Basically, I've spent most of a year trying to finish the fics I had left and I can't do it. I've sat at the computer for hours, made and remade plans, tried everything I could find for writer's block, drove my friends fucking nuts, had panic attacks... fuck, dude, I've talked to a fucking therapist about it.. and I barely finished Of The Abyss.

I also just had a fucking shitty year. It nearly killed me, not being melodramatic or using hyperbole. I thought I'd lost everything on three separate occasions in only 8 months. It's changed my perspective on a lot of things, but mostly on how I spend my time.

As terrifying as it is to walk away from the vague comfort that is posting fics on Tumblr, the reason I write has also changed.

But the reason I struggled with quitting fics and have tried to keep posting is because I love this stupid place. Don't get me wrong, the bots and staff suck and some people too, but there's so much good here and I will miss that more than.. fuck. There really aren't words for this. Um.. I'm devastated and crying while writing this? It fucking sucks.

I've made friends here. Real ones. Not going to tag, but you know who you are. You have my address. You know my real name. You've probably spoken on the phone to me. And a very very few have met me. Even the people I don't talk to for any number of reasons (mostly because I can be a shitty friend), you're all wonderful and gave me hope that life isn't as awful as it seemed.

You saved me.

Thank you for giving a creep a chance.

And before anyone can ask or point out that I've been struggling with writing... I have been writing. Just not fanfic.

There's more I want to say, but I'm calling it. Going to stop crying and eat something, then write a book.

<3 hel.

#last update for a while #hopefully not too long

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edenfenixblogs · 3 months

Text

Love you all (personal)

Leaving my phone in another room for awhile. I'm not ignoring any of you, and I have seen and will respond to all your EXTREMELY KIND messages, even if it takes awhile.

I was attempting to take a break from all this over the course of the week, because I felt myself growing weary and needed a recharge. Then my ceiling collapsed in heavy rain and I had to turn off my "Work Hours Focus" setting on my phone. It was supposed to silence all notifications and alerts from non-work and non-family phone numbers and block all non-work apps.

LOL...not really possible to have that setting on when coordinating with a bunch HVAC/Roofer dudes I've never met before.

But still. Jewish law commands us to find joy somewhere even when we're miserable. And while I know that is a sentiment that does not work for a lot of people, it has always been helpful to me.

So, despite all this, I am grateful for the shift in my plans this week for several reasons.

I'm grateful we were able to band together to help @rabid-catboy with an actual urgent issue. It feels very good to do something that you know helps someone. If my phone was in work mode I never would have seen this message in time to do anything about it. I had a similar experience in high school and I still think about it often. I get upset at how much was being asked of me and how much I was expected to know so that I could educate my peers and educators to do better. I didn't have the words to describe why something was so upsetting to me and why I know that it was wrong. Years later, I found the words and was so angry that I was expected to have them even when I was a child. It's an unfair burden, and I'll always be grateful that, even though I didn't find the words in time, I could help someone else find their words.

I am glad to have seen how active allies have been over the past week. I'm pretty emotionally drained by this all the time, so I may not say it as clearly or as often as I should, butt you give me hope. I am not used to relying on other or sharing my grief. It's actually a big problem. I don't tell people when I'm upset, because I'm afraid to inconvenience people or seem dramatic. that's part of the reason I struggled through undiagnosed PTSD for 13 years before reaching out for help. With the help of my BFF and my therapist, I chose to start being more open about my emotions with people. It's been a mixed bag. The people I knew would be here for me have continued to be here for me, thank goodness! But all (except 1) of the people I THOUGHT I could trust have simply stopped interacting with me at all. And I'm a lot less pushy/aggressive/vocal about all his suff IRL than I am when I have time to compose my thoughts and answer questions on here. It's been cataclysmic and devastating. To see so many people I've never met IRL not only lend emotional support to me personally but also provide emotional and temporal labor into fighting antisemitism and supporting Jews more broadly has gone a long way to restoring the faith in humanity that this conflict is trying to erode within me. I know I'm not he only Jew who feels this way right now. Please never underestimate the impact you have just by visibly existing in this space with us.

It's been nice being able to channel my anxiety about my ceiling into something productive.

Reminder: I love you all. Sorry for delayed replies. I'll be back. <3

#an eden original

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amethystfairy1 · 5 months

Note

You like worldbuildy questions? I have worldbuildy questions! TTSBC Glamour Edition!

We know that hybrids and mutants (all the ones that we’ve met, at least) have glamour, that it’s a genetic dice roll that’s somewhat affected by species, and that some species (butterfly hybrids, voidwalkers) rely on it pretty hard. We also know that glamour is almost unheard of on the surface - even their labs don’t know it exists, if Zed is to be believed

But, do humans have any latent potential for glamour? Or are they the only species with no ability for it whatsoever? Could one of our humans learn to use glamour now that they have contact with undergrounders who could teach them?

Actually, followup question - how does one learn to use glamour? Is it an instinctive skill that they figure out, like walking, or is it something that their brains are primed for but needs refining, like language? Is it something that needs to be learned from a young age to develop correctly, or could someone learn to use/control it later in life and be perfectly fine?

We know some species are supposed to be especially good at glamour. Are there any species known to be particularly bad at it?

Also, is it possible for a non-human individual to be born without any glamour at all, or does everyone have at least a little? What can the average person do with glamour, and what do they use it for?

(I was thinking about Everything and More and suddenly got the thought of “the only way Tango’s self esteem could get worse is if his human bf is somehow better at glamour than he is”. And then I started wondering if that was even possible, and then I had questions, and here we are. Sorry not sorry lol, thanks for taking the time to read all this)

I ADORE WORLDBUILDY QUESTIONS! GIVE ME ALL THE WORLDBUILDY QUESTIONS! GIVE ME AN EXCUSE TO RAMBLE ABOUT ALL THE DETAILS KNOCKING AROUND INSIDE MY BRAIN!

Ok ok ok ok ok...

Answer number 1: No. Humans do not have any potential for glamor. We could possible play with the idea of someone who has mixed human/under-city ancestry having a capability for glamor in the future but...honestly, I doubt I will. I like the idea of keeping it to the under-city.

And yeah, as far as Zed and most of the over-city community is concerned, glamor doesn't exist, it's not a thing. That's why Zed is so confused/fascinated by it because to him it's basically magic. Which, to be fair to my dearest Zeddie, it kinda is but like...also not. Anyway.

Glamor is an instinctive skill, yes! Like walking and breathing!

I like to think of it kinda like athleticism in a way...if you take a group of relatively able/healthy people and tell them to run a sprint, they all could do that, right?

But then let's say one of them is an Olympic track athlete, another ran track in college, another works out on the weekends, and another hasn't run since they were forced to do so in gym class back in high school...would we be expecting all of them to run the same speed?

Absolutely not.

So yeah...if you train and practice and work on it, you can learn to do neat tricks with your glamor and possibly get more skilled/stronger, but there's also always just the ceiling of your own natural ability with it. Just like someone who is taller is gonna have a better chance while playing basketball...I dunno, I'm struggling to come up with a better metaphor than that, but that's what I've got for now.

If you're from the under-city, you'll be born with a certain aptitude for glamor, and while you could improve it somewhat by practicing and working hard, there's always gonna be a ceiling you won't be able to break through.

Tango is one example of that ceiling just being unfortunately very very low. There are some species that are known to be particularly bad with glamor, yes! A few we've met? Creeper and zombie mutants! Doc and Cleo, both of them already probably weren't great with glamor, and the augmentations definitely didn't help, since, as we've learned, glamor can't pass through inorganic material.

Everyone has at least a little glamor! No one is ever born entirely without it! A good example of someone with an average skill set with glamor would be Jimmy! He can fire little bullets. and use it to conceal himself or parts of himself! He can also manage to conceal others, like he did with Scott, but only for very brief amounts of time, and only if he maintains physical contact with them the entire time. And that's exactly what he uses it for!

Also, glamor is oftentimes used as a signal/code into doors or locks, because while glamor can't pass through inorganic material, it can make impacts against it. Like a bouncy ball. So like when Jimmy uses glamor to unlock the door to the rail cart station, or Tango mentions he can barely manage to unlock the doors at the labs because his glamor is so weak, stuff like that is day-to-day use. From there it's more species-specific, or even job-specific, what you might use glamor for. Some people use it for their careers, like we've learned about Shelby the witch! Others need it for mobility, like Joel used to before he tore his wing...and others need it even just to breathe, like Xisuma. There's a whole bunch of other little tiny things it might be useful for, but I think those are the biggest ones.

No no no, we're not tanking Tango's self-esteem any further by making Zed the magical glamor-using human 😆 poor sweet little Tango has already suffered enough, and he's got so many more issues to sort out than just the self-esteem with glamor stuff, so I hope you'll look forward to that!

I was more than happy to read it! I did a little happy dance when I saw such a detailed and exciting ask! I promise, I absolutely love the excuse to go off on tangents like this about my AUs, all you gotta do is point me in a direction and I'll write posts like this no problem! 💖

Thank you for all your lovely thoughts!

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respectthepetty · 1 year

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Bed Friend Ep. 6 - Asks & Answers

I got a good number of asks about this episode AFTER I said last week that I was going to stop writing about the colors in it, so thank you gentle people for making me a LIAR! @negrowhat, @slayerkitty, @sliceduplife, @akkrosu, @wen-kexing-apologist. You already know it's going to be long, so skim for your tag in the post.

Thoughts Before I Begin:

Not only did Uea move his head like a cat, he kept his hands in a paw position (didn't open them), so someone on that set did their homework about pet play.

King is still the best boy BUT a flaw is beginning to surface.

King doesn't push the conversation with Uea in the stairway because he respects the boundaries Uea has put in place. King might toe the line occasionally, but during that conversation, he never retorts. He keeps making different suggestions (a beach trip this weekend, spending the night at his house, staying late for Uea), but he never forces the conversation. He reads that Uea is putting in place hard no's, so, as much as I wanted him to argue back, King wouldn't because he is the BEST BOY.

But his flaw, which continues to show up, is jealously. He has shown it with Gun and el gringo at the beach, and admitted to it in the past, but last week, he accused Uea of being around Krit intentionally, and next week, we see him do it again. I doubt this would happen if Uea and King were in an actual relationship. King knows Uea is attractive and he likes that, but not being able to publicly claim Uea as is (not possession nor ownership, but an understanding of their commitment to each other) is making King lash out in ways I don't think he normally would since these outbursts are becoming more heated.

Now to the COLORS:

*I'm not writing about Krit wearing pops of blue because he is the nastiest skank bitch I've ever met. Do not trust him. He is a fugly slut.

Group Assignment

I've mentioned that group color coding is purposeful. This show has told us the office does this to align to the day's color, and I've noted that we should also focus on the person who doesn't cooperate with the color coding, which has been King, and he has been called out for it.

The group's colors this episode were black and white. On the first day, King is wearing black, the color he is known for (and that drives me crazy). The second day, he wears blue, which is odd since previously he was called out for wearing black when he should have worn blue. Black is his default color, so why not wear it like any other day? He is out of alignment, while Uea aligns both day. *put a pin in it*

Uea

@sparklyeyedhimbo posted Uea's outfits from episode six, and mentioned Uea becoming more muted in his color (red) as the episode progressed. Let me add to this - Most of Uea's outfits have pearl accessories. Pearls symbolize enlightenment and protection because the precious gem is enclosed by a hard shell that has to be pried open and it's unknown if the shell has a gem inside until it's opened. *This has not happened before in the show. I did my research.

Episode six starts where episode five ended, with Uea in red and King in blue.

They have amazing pet play-themed sex, which pushes King to almost put a ring on it the next day, but he hesitates instead offering a beach trip since Uea mentioned loving the beach on the office trip. And just like that, @slayerkitty, Uea is in King's blue, trying to make Purple Pair happen (the lines on the sweater).

But after King dashes Uea's hopes, Uea attempts to get back to his color, yet is struggling and lands on a pink-ish sweater.

However, he ends the episode in blue. Jade is wearing tan. King is wearing black (don't worry, I'm getting to him). Gun seems to be wearing gray. This is a choose-your-own-adventure day, yet Uea decided blue was his adventure, and it's King.

Uea is planning to resign. Remember, King told him this was something he could do before they spoke about the beach trip. Uea is taking King's advice as he is realizing his feelings for King. Next week, we see him in a muted red shirt arguing with King. Then, he shows up in black, white, and yellow (that fake happiness!) to his childhood home.

Uea is struggling to get back to his red because his feelings and color now belong to someone else...

King

To my great annoyance, King wears black, often, yet this episode, he Missy Elliot-ed his wardrobe and flipped it and reversed it. He began the episode in the blue, and (unknowingly) participated in a group color day in black, but got right back to the blue. King is trying to prove that he can be the loyal and stable Blue Boy that Uea needs and his choice in color reinforces that. But he fucks up, @negrowhat.

As I mentioned in my stray thoughts, King doesn't push Uea because he is cautious and respects Uea, but Uea will place barriers and boundaries any time he feels out of control. King has been working hard to get Uea to open up so he can see the pearl inside, but Uea is always ready to clam back up. *pun intended*

King, in his blue, wants to be loyal to Uea, but Uea can't bring himself to breach this topic. King tried talking to Uea directly in the restaurant and indirectly in the office about the date his mom arranged, but Uea, both times, avoided the conversation. Uea continues to lose his color the more he gets lost in his feelings, but a barrier comes up between them (the window's mullion seen above).

And although the door is still open (literally and figuratively), the barrier gets bigger as a wall now separates them. @wen-kexing-apologist mentioned that glass is usually seen surrounding Uea when he struggles to hide his emotions, which is why Uea needs solid barriers between them to hide his feelings.

I've written about reflections showing truth because mirrors (and glass) represent transparency of emotions which causes, as Ron Burgundy would scream, Uea to be in "a glass case of emotions" when he can't hide behind a wall (literally and figuratively).

But King doesn't want Uea to hide, so he tries to make it right with Uea, to the point that he video calls Uea while his mom is still in his house! (This man is wild!) King has only worn Uea's red once before on the office beach trip, but here, red has a grip on King's throat with a red pillow standing in for where he wishes Uea was - right by his side.

Yet Uea is having none of it, and shuts King down as soon as he hears King's mom leaving King strangled by the red with his blue showing through the curtain (as mentioned by @akkrosu). King is trying to shine his blue light for Uea, but is being shut out. So he tries again.

The next day at work, it's a black-and-white group color day, which King would normally unknowingly ace, but King being on his say-no-to-group-projects-because-King-is-a-free-elf agenda wears BLUE.

He tries again to talk to Uea to prove his loyalty and to get Uea to notice his blue shirt made out of the finest boyfriend material, but as my nice bread crumbs throughout this post have outlined, Uea is throwing barriers, clamming up, and trying to get off the glass (case of emotions). Uea won't even look at King.

When he does, the window barrier is back in place separating their spaces.

A barrier of light pops up. Uea stays in the light (remember, he is afraid of the dark), and King, normally in black is dark. King doesn't cross any of the boundaries, because HE NEVER DOES. That's the downfall of this Best Boy.

Uea is the one to walk past the boundaries he has placed during the discussion, so he can go back to work, but he lingers giving time for King to reach out, but once again, King would never cross a line that Uea has drawn, mostly when Uea has stated in black-and-white (figuratively and literally; he is wearing black and white as pointed out by @sliceduplife because he doesn't want to stick out from the group) the consequences of such a transgression.

Blue Boy Bullshit

I wrote I wouldn't mention Krit, but y'all have already proven I'm a liar when it comes to not writing about the colors. But I only have one observation to scream, and it's more about King -

King better pick up that blue a lot more after next week, because he cannot be in the same black boat as these two bastards.

#Bed Friend #episode 6 #asks and answers #the colors mean things #color coded boys in love #KING IS A BLUE BOY #He better get out of that black

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eric-the-bmo · 9 months

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Now I’m curious to hear about your VtM character! Impulse Embraces are always really fun (and I’m noticing very Malk-like)

[barrels into the room] MAN OH MAN I HOPE YOU'RE READY TO HEAR ABOUT LEO WEST, THE NUMBER ONE MALKAVIAN OF MY HEART

[tiny pixel leo was made by @ slimejunior btw]

(It's so cool you wanna hear about him- this is my first time in a vtm chronicle, and while i'm not the best at roleplaying, i've been having a blast with the story. I'm sorry btw, this turned into a very long post- I jumped at the chance to ramble about almost everything I can about him- however, since my fellow players follow me here, I'm keeping quiet about certain parts of his character and past.)

Anyway! Leo West is an amnesiac(?) conspiracy theorist and Anarch Malkavian, and is for an on-going chronicle taking place in San Jose- us players have decided to name it Blood and Silicon (there's actually a blog dedicated to it that's run by one of the players).

Leo's a quiet and inquisitive man who's earnest and stubborn, and refuses to talk to the coterie about his issues (but really, none of the other members do that either). He knows very little about vampire society, as his sire refused to tell him anything before sending him away, and has been repeatedly described as a blank slate and full of potential- mostly due to his "newness" to Kindred unlife. He's probably being manipulated by at least 2 people at this point.

He's got Auspex and Obfuscate, and is (unintentionally) built as a stealth character. He also has the Sandman predator type- it's how his sire hunts, and he would prefer victims who wouldn't struggle, anyway.

With his occasional visions, it seems he's got connections to the Cobweb- additionally, since no one's explained to him what the Beast is (and his takes on the guise of his sire's voice), Leo is currently convinced his Beast is actually his sire just talking to him.

While I described him as an amnesiac earlier, he hasn't completely forgotten everything.

However, my main form of communication is infodumping (/hj), so allow me to ramble below, even though I can't fit everything about him in here:

Leo was a hopeless romantic born on May 26, 1994, raised in Chicago and brought up as a Christian. He stopped believing in that faith sometime in high school; something Definitely happened during that time in his life, since it was also when he broke his nose and started smoking (but hey, if I don't know what happened, then he doesn't either /lh). He did eventually quit cigarettes in college, where he graduated and was a librarian for a while; he helped run the DnD sessions the library would hold every month :-)

In 2019, he met a man named Jeremiah: his future sire. J is a man I could make an entire post about- but tbh this isn't about him, so I'll give only the bare amount of information needed.

Jeremiah is a bartender who moved to Chicago from San Jose, and at some point in the first year of knowing Leo, he ended up blood-bonding him for reasons unknown. Leo, who was completely unaware that he was now Jeremiah's ghoul, experienced the symptoms of the bond and assumed he was in love- which surely was a whole thing for him, because at this point in Leo's life he had just come to the conclusion he would never fall in love, since he's never had the best luck in that part of his life. The two of them entered a relationship (or at least it seemed that way to Leo), and of course given the dynamic/power imbalance here- as well as Jeremiah in general- it wasn't a very good one.

(Amy, Leo's sister, kinda picked up some bad vibes from her brother's partner, and very much dislikes him.)

During their almost-three years together while Leo served as his ghoul, Jeremiah used Dominate a lot on him, erasing his memories of anything that could be seen as Masquerade-breaching- meaning that Leo has no idea what he did for him.

Mr. West noticed his gaps in memory, of course, and with the help(?) of one of his more common library patrons, Chris, he fell down into a bit of a conspiracy rabbit hole to try and figure out what was happening to him. Sometime around this point he picked up his smoking habit again.

[As a result of J's actions, Leo no longer trusts his memory and carries around a notebook; It's also one of the reasons he avoids eye contact a lot, since that's necessary for Dominate.]

Eventually he must've figured things out, or perhaps his curiosity got the better of him- but somehow, on September 16, 2021, Leo stumbled upon something that resulted in his untimely death at 27 years old.

Jeremiah Embraced him that night, although it's unknown whether he did it because he still needed Leo's servitude, or if he genuinely cared about his ghoul (and I am unsure which one is worse).

The rest of the events of his Embrace are a bit tricky to talk about- I can't go into much detail without giving much away- but with all the stress and trauma of what happened, his clan bane manifested as Dissociation; in tandem/addition to this, Leo's brain blocked off parts of itself, resulting in even more memory loss.

In fact, after Sept 16, there's about an entire month and a half of missing time for Leo, and he doesn't remember any of it (this was originally due to a misunderstanding of the game's timeline, but is now a part of the Lore).

Anyway, even though I can't go into specifics of what happened to Leo during this moment of his unlife, I can offer you this sort-of-meme about it:

[At some point during this time J informed him of blood bonds, which was kind of a jerk move, considering his childe was having a bad mental moment already.]

It's been stated by Leo that Jeremiah sent him away to San Jose, and the fledgling currently has his coat- which implies J gave it to him as a gift, or at least let him take it with. His relationship with his sire right now is... complicated.

Anyway, Leo spent about a week in San Jose before meeting [aka getting kidnapped by] a Kindred named Harrison, who introduced him to the rest of the coterie. Currently, they're all a bit secretive, and Leo occasionally leads them into trouble (like lowkey breaching the Masquerade, and almost getting caught by a gang).

Throughout Blood and Silicon, Leo's been learning about Kindred unlife, and has additionally requested an informant to look into Jeremiah. (He's got a bit of a fixation on his sire- in his eyes, his investigation to figure out what's going has not ended, and it seems Jeremiah has many secrets..)

In the most recent session, the coterie has been gifted territory as a reward for doing a quest for Harrison. Meanwhile, something's going on with Leo, because vampires can't get headaches, can they?

I'm very excited to see where this leads...

[thank you for asking, this was fun to ramble about him <3]

#but yeah leo is FUCKED UP if u wanna know whats going on with him i can maybe tell u somehow idk #sorry for so much i get really overenthusiastic about my OCs at times #If J gets his own post i'll elaborate on their relationship as well as other stuff about him and Additional Lore #aka i need signs ppl are interested so someone send an ask and ill do that /lh #eric finally speaks #leo vibes #blood and silicon #no beta we die like Leo #vtm oc #vtm #vampire the masquerade #vampire oc #malkavian #vtm malkavian #malkavian oc #ask answered #tw smoking

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frodothefair · 6 months

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When I first started simping Eomer

During my most recent reread of The Two Towers, I once again "met" Eomer when he encountered the Three Hunters, and his reaction was, if you put it in our language, "what the fuck, what the fuck, what the actual fuck, who are these weird people, and more importantly what the HELL am I supposed to do with them now?" Part of his job was to enforce an edict that required all foreigners in Rohan to be arrested and brought to the king, and he struggled with whether to carry this order out, or help the Hunters in their quest. Ultimately, he bent the rules, even within sight of a number of other men under his leadership, and let them go, and even lent them horses.

And by the time I was done reading this, I was sobbing in my mind and thinking "you too, Eomer, man, you too??!!! Let me buy you a pint of mead and we can commiserate all about it..."

I face situations the like the one described every day. I get paid to solve problems for people, just as Eomer kills orcs to keep his people safe, and over the course of my job I run into outlandish situations I only thought existed in books ("legends that spring up from the earth.") I am also part of a system and have to enforce rules I may or may not agree with from time to time, and have to make difficult decisions about what the most logical and humane course of action is in any given case.

As Mr. Nisile was quick to point out, of course, I do not run the risk of being imprisoned or exiled if I make the wrong choice, but in every other respect, the parallels are there, and quite meaningful to one who has both power and responsibility, but often still cannot do enough, and yet they must function within a system and answer to many different masters, from their own respected superiors, to the people they serve, to their very own conscience.

The bad news? My car refuses to answer to "Firefoot." The old name, even though it's that of an actor I've cooled toward, has stuck and does not want to unstick. Ah, well.

@sotwk @konartiste

#lotr #eomer #eomer eadig #lord of the rings

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 8 months

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Spoiler for Jujutsu Kaisen

I'm sorry it's so long and looks like a vent post. I'm sorry for those of you who had great luck in avoiding Jujutsu Kaisen until now. With that, let me give some context before the assholery.

Jujutsu Kaisen has a breakout character, Gojo, he is unique, flawed, well written, well loved, overpowered, and the most misunderstood character in this series. He recently met his end in the most infuriating way possible. It was an unceremonious death, off screened, after the biggest most violent battle in the series. Before he was brutally offed with just meaningless exposition detailing how he was killed and him uncharacteristically justifying the death in an afterlife scene that's written to appease a large part of the fandom (shippers- he's gay coded, no waifu here). His death completely destroyed his legacy and the future of this manga.

Problem: This is a popular series with disproportionate numbers of haters, casual fans, fans who get their information from tiktok or fanworks instead of the manga, fans who did a surface level reading of it, opinionated fans who didn't read after a certain point but discuss every new chapter like they're experts, people who hate it because they compared it to their favorite series and Jujutsu Kaisen didn't go that way, people who harass the readers and wish bodily harm on the author for not conforming to FANON, the works.

Gojo was MIA for almost 3 years which made fanon takeover the fandom, when he came back the author was accused of mischaracterization and bad writing because he didn't match 3 years of fanon. Reiterating, I mean fanon not headcanon, the headcanons here are almost all fanon based too and you will get nasty anons if you say you dislike FANON or praise CANON but I believe in people's right to headcanon.

My relationship with this: I've been a fan since 2019, this character of Gojo resonated with me like no one did in my 20+ years in fandom, he is my specialest blorbo, his relationship with his best friend has moved me etc. I'm autistic and this is my special interest as well. Needless to say depression has hit me like a freight train.

MY problem: My friend of 7 years who's currently deeply into yuri and danmei, who shared many fandoms with me, has been through the thick and thins with me, has decided to make me an enemy. When the chapter came out he chatted with me sent his condolences. Then he in his own social medias started talking about how he knew it was going to be a bad series, how he's glad he quit after struggling through 50 chapters, made all the jokes in the world about this death, discussed every little thing he hated and mocked this with his other weeb friends who are like the people I mentioned in the Problem section, validated all their complaints based on their reading of the FANON. He has had many discussions with me about this manga and very rarely did he express any of this negativity.

My assholery: I got frustrated, it was like he wanted me to see how much he could hurt me. I messaged him saying, "Hey what are you saying here, that's not how this character is written. The chapter is bad but this criticism is baseless and in bad faith" He laughed it off, "It's not that deep, this is fiction." I argued that's a shallow thing to say, he said it should have been like FANON since that makes more sense. I said that's conventional writing I thought we wanted different things than the same old nice characters in found family and such.

Then I said something about his favorites and hypocrisy, he said he's not so into it that he couldn't take criticism. I said that was a lie he's always writing essays about those characters. I also said criticize it for the right reasons damn it. He kept denying his own love for his fave so he could keep criticizing mine, because he at least had the sense to not fall for a shounen series. I asked if he was enjoying hurting me. He said are you for real, get a grip and stop justifying your behavior for fiction, they won't giving you cookies for defending them, if you can't bear to see negativity then feel free to mute or block. I snapped and said this is why no one likes casual fans, you can't keep your mouth shut about things you don't know. Have fun with being a two faced friend to everyone. Then I blocked him everywhere.

Some of my friends said I should have muted him long ago, I said this was inevitable if he was just going to validate everyone in vicinity, he had to pick a side. Others said I was right to tell him off. I regret some of the comments I made now.

AITA for the way I handled it? He is right, I could have muted him, I could have not spent my time doomscrolling and seeing all the bad takes he agreed with. I could have waited it out and not dropped an old friend over fiction. I could have done many things.

Please don't comment about touching grass, that's the least helpful thing anyone can say on blorbo the website. It's not a real advice we all know that. Therapy is also there for the depression and it will take years for me to get over the death, you don't need to remind me.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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