#i actually almost forgot about it

[cherrynika]

They’re watching The Great British Bake Off when Charles finally asks. Here we go, he thinks, there’s no turning back. 

“You’ve been masturbating in the shower. You did it just now.”

Sebastian narrows his eyes and looks at him, no longer in his happy state of enchantment watching granny number 2 bake her ‘famous Victoria sponge’. He puts down his little moleskine, where he had been jotting down her tips. Things are getting serious. Charles should be afraid. He feels his heart speed up, this is the good part.

“And how do you know this?” His German accent has almost been washed away by life in the paddock, but the arch tone keeps things interesting.

“You didn’t wash all the cum away and I felt it under my feet. It doesn’t feel like water.” He stops for a moment, he wants to see Sebastian’s reaction. 

“Well, I’ll be more thorough next time.” Sebastian loves awkwardness and embarrassment even if he insists he doesn’t so naturally he continues. “Is that all?” The notebook has been abandoned. Charles grabs the pen and caps it, the couch is upholstered in beautiful white linen, the old lady who rented the apartment to him had a long story about how her daughter had sewn the cushion covers herself. 

“I don’t want you to do that. I want to satisfy you. How can I satisfy you whenever I’m around?” 

The little wrinkle between Sebastian’s eyes wiggles around. He’s obviously trying to turn this oddly shaped idea around in his head. “Well you can’t. You’re not up for it when I want it. No, let me finish,” he says as Charles opens his mouth, “I can tell. You’re playing with the computer or the sim, and sometimes you pretend to sleep.” 

“I don’t pretend to sleep.”

“No you do, sometimes you’re lying in bed with your phone and when I come close you close your eyes and do this.” He rests his head on the back of the couch in a very fake impression of Charles sleeping, eyes closed and uneven deliberate breathing. Indeed it is obvious when someone is pretending to sleep. He used to do that when he wasn’t in the mood to play with Arthur on Sunday mornings. To his surprise Sebastian is smarter than Arthur was. “Just let me jerk off when I need to. We have sex twice a week if it’s a race weekend… I think that’s normal.” 

And on the off weeks--nothing. Hangs in the air. Charles considers. He’s perfectly happy on those weeks, using the sim, shopping at Le Metropole with Lorenzo, making up for lost time with all the pants and sneakers he could only admire as a boy, encouraging his friends to hit on strangers at the clubs. 

“What do you do when it’s not race week?” He’s not sure if he wants to know the answer. Sebastian had never asked him not to find other partners, in turn he felt like he couldn’t ask either. 

“Jerk off.” He’s turning red which is strange and new. They’ve seen each other in every stage of undress. Perhaps there are still parts of Sebastian on the inside that he’s never touched. “I’m going to jerk off anyway. Why does it bother you so much whether it’s because we’re not together or because you’re not in the mood?”

“But is it enough?” 

“Charles, I don’t know what you want to hear. Do I sit with my dildo beside me,” he waves in his Charles’ direction,  “and watch TV for an hour before asking it to go to bed, and put it inside me, and then prop it up on the pillow for a chat before I fall asleep? I don’t. And if you must know I prefer you. But it’s what it is. You’re in Monaco, I’m in Bern.”

“Doesn’t it bother you that we’re in Austria for the whole two weeks and we hardly…”

“No. Yes. It would be nice if we could… more. But I know you’re tired. Please just let me watch this. I’ll be fine.” He picks up the pen and notebook again. On TV they’ve moved on to the system administrator whose matcha chiffon is stubbornly failing to rise. 

Sebastian tries to take notes as the judges discuss the failings of the cake but he’s doing it half-heartedly as though he were thinking about something else. Charles knows this because he’s writing verbatim, as though his ear were connected to his hand, the way he did in briefings when he was upset, none of Mattia’s feedback actually connecting in his head, silent and wishing it were over. 

Tired isn’t how he’d describe himself. He strokes the space between them, the rough weave of the linen is just slightly unpleasant but he can’t touch Sebastian’s hand. He’s upset his balance and needs to let his internal gyroscope settle. 

The light and noise of the TV washes over them like a numbing balm. 

When they slide into bed he waits for Sebastian to touch his waist or the back of his neck but he doesn’t. It feels disappointing, like a play when the gun gets waved around but doesn’t go off. Something’s wrong. 

[tcustodisart]

Whenever I drew Connie with a single dandelion behind his ear this scene was playing in my head like wii channel music.

[heartorbit]

CONGRATS EMUKASA ON THE MARRIAGE

[slavhew]

01/11/2023 struggler(s)

[reds-skull]

Price plays poker properly only when Ghost is involved

(I don't remember how to play poker so they're also playing wrong now)

[shynetyme06]

Woah is that main character paperj am as a human ????

Loll I decided that I didn’t want them to just be a younger version of my usual human pj, and made some changess (pretty much made him resemble error a bit more than ink)

Og pj by 7goodangel ofc :3

[magnus-rhymes-with-swagness]

OKAY who wants to hear about why i think nimona challenges amatonormativity? you do! 🫵

one of the main ways this is accomplished is through ballister and ambrosius’s relationship. it’s arguable that it doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional model of romance - not only are they a queer interracial couple, and not only is their relationship ambiguous in the book, but there are certain instances, especially in the movie, that subvert traditional ideas of romance and friendship.

one instance that really stands out to me is when the director asks ambrosius what’s on his mind and he goes on his imagined rant about how arm-chopping isn’t a love language - you know the one. when he mentions ballister, he refers to him as “the man i love, my best friend.” and not just one or the other, but both! the man i love, and my best friend. he places equal emphasis on both the romantic and platonic aspects of the relationship, valuing ballister in both a romantic context and a platonic context without treating either one as more important than the other.

and even moments such as the first “i love you” and the kiss manage to subvert tradition. both of these things are generally seen as a pretty big deal, especially in fiction - if the characters are kissing or saying “i love you,” it’s usually a moment in which everything changes. a line is drawn, dividing the story into after and now. sometimes it’s dramatic and climactic, with fireworks and a swell of music, but even when it isn’t it’s still seen as a turning point of sorts. now it’s official, now it’s real. but this isn’t the case in nimona. both moments are certainly significant - they do a good job of showcasing the character development and where ballister and ambrosius are on their respective journeys, and are certainly important in terms of representation - but neither one follows the path that most fictional romance does.

another way in which nimona challenges amatonormativity would be the emphasis on friendship! in the tavern scene (in the movie) when ambrosius suggests killing nimona, ballister disagrees and says “she’s my friend.” ambrosius replies with “aren’t i more than that?”, implying he’s more important than a friend - thus upholding amatonormative ideas. ballister becomes angry at that and leaves - challenging this idea and prioritizing his platonic relationship with nimona over his romantic one with ambrosius, as nimona is the one he wants to defend.

additionally, a big part of this scene is the way ballister deliberately rejects institute values while ambrosius unintentionally upholds them. and because the story challenges homophobia and transphobia (and other forms of bigotry) through the lens of the institute, it would make sense for it to challenge amatonormativity too! it’s something that’s become incredibly normalized, to the point that lots of people don’t even know it exists, and this is reminiscent of the institute brainwashing, especially when it comes to ambrosius - he’s been manipulated his whole life and probably genuinely doesn’t understand the level to which he’s internalized institute beliefs.

ballister prioritizes nimona many times, actually. when he tells ambrosius she’s “smart, kind, and quite sophisticated,” when he’s overjoyed to see her again at the end, when he refuses to kill her and saves her instead. over and over, he proves how much he cares about her, even when this involves directly going against what ambrosius wants - which, of course, is really what the institute wants. a core tenant of amatonormativity is the false notion that romantic relationships are more important or valuable than other types of relationships, but ballister actively goes against this!

to conclude, as a story that at its core is about identity and challenging societal beliefs, nimona defies expectations and traditional ideas of what it should or shouldn’t be. it’s possible that amatonormativity wasn’t what the creators had in mind, but the story still manages to challenge it with grace and elegance. just like its main character, nimona refuses to conform to what others want it to be.

[crechurechaos]

i am so normal about themg 👍👍

bonus (helfp i keep laughing at thism, i need sleep so bad)

[radiocity]

The L Word | S2E01

[mishy-mashy]

Imagine we get to the Paranormal Orphans chapter (410) in the anime, and instead of a normal narrator like Midoriya or AFO, it's just- Present Mic.

*Present Mic*

DAMN MAMA-RAKI! YOU REALLY GAVE BIRTH TO THAT?!

If only he was swept away by the river at birth and drowned- COUGH!!!

[jestroer]

HERMITS IN DRESSES BACK WITH STRESSKALL!!

Inspired by wonderful, awesome, fantastic fic by @mawofthemagnetar The Sky Weighs Heavy Tonight!!! Couldn't stop thinking about their wedding dresses!!! :DDDDD

[akkivee]

1️⃣: it’s just— i think maybe i was coming on a bit too strong—

📿: fcking hell ichiro

———————————

I MADE ICHIKUU MAID DAY FAN ART FINALLY 🥳🥳🥳🥳

[crossbackpoke-check]

Why I Am Not Coming In To Work Today [abridged], Jess Zimmerman

part one | part two

[black-and-yellow]

[meownotgood]

also while I'm on the topic of being off topic. this is my beloved durge tav moon. her wizard boyfriend sprays her with water when she tries to bite people

[autumnleafdraws]

Day 3 of Kirbtober - Food!