#i don’t want to say too much though because i do admit i’m not educated enough on the topic

[pedriscroquettes]

what’s happening with barca and america?

lol nothing you just don’t see football on national headlines over here unless it’s something serious or about christian pulisic (lol). especially now that the government of catalunya asked real madrid to take down the video it’s a serious topic.

[sabertoothwalrus]

Hi!! I hope it's okay to ask, which university are you/were you attending? I want to study animation in university but i have no idea which one to choose, so can you please tell me about yours?👉👈

I go to CSUF! It’s definitely one of the cheapest places to get a degree in animation in California, if not the US.

Only a handful of the California State schools offer animation, and most of the ones that do are 3D only, and I wanted to learn 2D.

SJSU has a good 2D anim program, and they’re the only state school in the bay area that does, BUT last I checked you need something like a 3.9 GPA to get in?????? like HELLO these are animation students. who are you fooling

the other schools I considered were CSULB and CSUN.

CSULB has a strong animation program! They have the guy that literally created the worldwide 24 Hour Animation Challenge. However, they required ONE extra art history class that none of the other CSUs needed, and I didn’t have it, and I wasn’t about to prolong transferring a whole other semester just to take it. (It was prehistoric art history, I think, which I admit sounds cool as fuck)

The reason I chose CSUF, beyond liking their curriculum better than CSUN, was because I heard about the Pencil Mileage Club. It’s the largest student-run animation club in Southern California. I’d argue that networking is almost more important than your actual skill. I’ll admit, the faculty is probably not doing as much for the students as other schools, but PMC more than makes up for it. I’ve made all my friends (and girlfriend teehee) through this club. I was president of my Art Club at my community college, so it was important to me to be part of PMC’s council. I’m now an event coordinator and so I help organize and run events and studio tours and guest speakers! :)) Clubs and extracurriculars look fantastic on resumes, so wherever you go, look into what’s available.

Things I should note: when you start at CSUF, whether as a freshman or through transferring, you will not be an animation major yet. You have to do the portfolio review first, and you can’t have any of the prerequisite classes in-progress when you apply. The portfolio requirement is only a few years old, too, and therefore it’s not nearly as competitive as, say… calarts or sheridan. I often say, students make the program better, not the other way around. the higher the level of students that apply, the higher the overall education quality will need to be to match that. Though this does mean that the higher quality a program is, the more people will be excluded, unfortunately.

CSUF’s aniamtion program itself is…. a little silly. You take storyboarding and character design after doing your short film ? for some reason? The new department head started at the school the same semester I did, and she’s definitely trying to make it better. She held a screening of the production classes’ finished films, and she told me she plans to have the curriculum restructured by 2025 (after I graduate, lol).

I’ll also mention that the art buildings are in the process of getting demolished and rebuilt. The first wave of new buildings won’t be done until the end of this year, and once that’s finished, they’ll tear down the remaining two buildings and start remodeling those. For now, we do a lot of our classes in the modular buildings jdhshfjs 🫡

We also have a mated pair of gay ducks that come every spring. Their names are Pebble and Rock. They are beloved by the art students.

And really, you don’t NEED a degree in animation to get into the industry. There are SO many online resources out there, a lot that are free, that can give you just as good of an education (in fact, several of my professors’ lectures have just been playing youtube videos and pulling up articles). BUT your classmates WILL be your future coworkers. If you’re not establishing relationships with people in some way on your own, you definitely need to make that bigger priority. After all, you won’t be working by yourself when you’re in the industry.

edit: oh I forgot to say that all the california state schools are striking the first week of the semester. so uh. there’s that

[treedaddymcpuffpuff]

Excessive Force : Tom Ludlow x Fem Nurse Reader (COLLAB W/ THE INCREDIBLE @johnwickb1tsch) - Chapter One Two Three Four

TW: sexual harassment, no means yes, asshole doctors/doctor slander (sorry if you’re an actual good doctor), mentions of alcoholism/sickness, burns

You should probably decide to do whatever the opposite of man up is-pussy down?-and specifically request to not have Officer Ludlow ever be on your patient roster again. He’s bad for your health and, despite being the one always putting him back together, you’re bad for his, too. 

You’re trying not to morally question yourself about why you didn’t do something after the first, second, or hell, even third time he borderline sexually harassed you…  You’re trying not to think too much about why you don’t do it now: open the manager’s door with your shaking, clammy hand and say “hey, creepy patient, please keep him away from me”. It would be so easy. This stuff happens a lot to the other staff in the ED, and always gets solved without a problem. 

You don’t do it, though. You walk away without blacklisting Tom Ludlow. And doesn’t that just say mountains about you. But, anyway, you have your own job to do fighting disease and trauma from the mean streets of the City of Angels, so you don’t really have time for all this petty drama bullshit. 

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

You’re not really sure how it’s possible, after eight years of higher education plus residency training, but doctors really can be idiots sometimes. 

“Discharge, really?” You whisper to yourself, clicking on the order to see if it’s just a mistake-nope, legit. 

You grab the clipboard from your patient’s bedside and go hunt down Dr. Mercer, who is currently standing at the desk flipping through paperwork. 

“Hey, Julian, can I have a quick second?”

He gives you one of his signature, charming white smiles that can calm almost any belligerent patient down. “Of course. Anything for my favorite nurse.” He motions for you to sit in the swivel chair, and takes the one opposite from you. 

Julian makes it a point to give you his full attention, and that never fails to fluster you, but you can shoulder through it most of the time. The man is too handsome for his own good, and you haven’t found a female in this hospital immune to his charm-even Shelby, the housekeeper who is strictly attracted to women… and one man: Dr. Mercer. 

“You put in a discharge order for room 13?” 

“Hmm, one sec.” He leans over to click through the computer, then turns back. “Yes, is there a problem?”

“Well, I thought we would be admitting him?” 

“No, that won’t be necessary. He’s free to go home.” 

“Julian.” You’ve known this man for a whole year and should not be this hesitant about questioning a single order from him, but you take a big pause nonetheless. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem; any other doctor you could confront with ease, but Julian is so, so nice and he always gets your Starbucks order right and never lets you pay him back for it. You don’t want to be a dick to such a sweet person. “I don’t think he’s ready to be discharged. He’s a heavy drinker and his potassium is still low. Plus, he lives alone.” 

“His potassium is only one point off, y/n. And the rest of his labs look good. I can’t keep someone for alcoholism.”

Well, the good thing is that you’re not hesitant anymore, just really pissed, because obviously Dr. Mercer’s kindness and understanding doesn’t extend to his less fortunate patients. 

“Wow, that’s not okay, Julian.”

His smile fades a little bit, or just turns mean, you can’t really tell which, and he sighs. “I’m sorry, I’m very busy. If this conversation is about morals, I’m afraid I don’t have time for it.” 

“It’s not about morals.” You try to lasso your anger, but it seeps into the tone of your voice like a hiss. “I’m concerned about patient safety, and his potassium is just going to drop further if we send him back to drink himself to death. And then he’ll have a heart attack.” 

“I treat current conditions. I can’t focus on what-ifs.” He tries to put his hand atop yours, but you pull back. 

All doctors are the same? What a shocker. You haven’t met even one who didn’t eventually do this shit, and Julian is no different despite your burgeoning hope that he was. 

“I’m not giving him that paperwork,” you say. “I’m not discharging him.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m not doing it.”

“We need to free up the bed for patients who need it.” 

“Do it yourself, then.” 

His smile falls the whole way down, and you can’t find it in your bleeding heart to care.

You need to get away from him before you say something that will make him want to get you your usual coffee order and then spit in it, but he grabs your forearm gently before you can. 

“Y/n-“

“I told you I’m not discharging him.” He lets you pull back. “And I really don’t have time for this.” 

***

You should just let it go, but by the time your break comes around, you are still quietly seething over Dr. Mercer’s idiotic order, and the way he fucking talked to you. 

You’ve come a long way, but sometimes when a man talks down to you with that certain tone, you still see red. 

Maybe it’s a character flaw, but after the hell you’ve lived through, you can’t help but feel entitled to some righteous feminine rage.

You’re alone in the little side nook with its hard plastic chairs that almost hurt you more than standing. But your feet need a break, so while you massage your foot your tailbone suffers.

You need a massage. A real, full-body rub-down–why is it, that the thought calls up the memory of a certain large, strong, calloused pair of hands that may or may not belong to a certain inappropriate officer of the law?

It’s possible you are staring into space, fantasizing about burning dark eyes unabashedly boring into yours as those mitts for hands–

A soft knock on the doorjamb pulls you back to the present–and the last person you want to see is taking up the whole doorway. It takes every iota of self-control you have left not to snarl, What do you want?

“Doctor?” You even put extra sugar into your tone, which he seems to sense is utterly manufactured judging by his awkward smile.

“Y/n.”

You wait silently, allowing the lift of one eyebrow that you fear conveys all your disdain. “I believe I owe you an apology.”

You blink, certain you misheard. 

“I’m sorry?”

“You were right. The patient was not ready for discharge.”

You blink again. Has hell warmed over? “I know,” you finally answer, which for some reason makes him smile. He takes the liberty to cross the room to sit down next to you, with only one plastic chair between you. 

“It took some courage to stand up to me. Well done.”

Dr. Julian Mercer is TV doctor hot–tall, broad shouldered, handsome. His thin scrubs do very little to conceal his lithe, athletic body underneath, and everyone in the hospital loves to titter about him as he breezes by. You’re not exactly immune to his charms, but failing to advocate for a patient for fear of displeasing him wouldn’t have even occurred to you.

“I just want what's best for my patients.” That, at least, is the truth. 

The good doctor nods, his longish hair swinging into his eyes. Maybe you do feel the slightest urge to brush it away. 

“Truly commendable, y/n.” Then he points at your foot, and makes a come hither gesture with his fingers.

You don't understand what he wants, and your face shows it. 

“Is your foot hurting you?”

Perpetually, is the answer, but you just nod dumbly.

“Give it here.”

“Why?”

His smile is gentle as spring rain. “I’m offering you an apology foot rub.”

“How wildly inappropriate,” you comment while extending your foot. You’ve eyed Dr. Julian’s hands before. They may be soft, but they are big, so maybe he could be of some use to you. 

He laughs at that; a short huff of laughter that possibly softens you a little towards him. And once your foot is in his hands–ok, that feels good, maybe better than good, and maybe Dr. Julian does know something about making the human body feel better. A small noise escapes you, and you are breaking so many hospital policies right now, but god dammit they work you to the bone here.

He’s even kind enough to do your other foot too, and by the time he’s done with you you’re leaning back in your chair on your hand with your eyes closed. You open one eye with a sigh as he gives the ball of your foot a finishing squeeze.

“Ok. I’m mostly not mad anymore.”

He gives a short guffaw at that. “You were mad?” Like he’s surprised you’ve taken any of this personally.

“Of course I was.”

“Oh.”

Strangely he doesn’t seem offended by this. “You really do care about your patients.”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“I'm not surprised. but…”

“But what?”

“It's hard on us as medical professionals, to take every case personally. We do our best, of course, but at the end of the day you have to keep some sliver of your heart back for yourself, or you won’t survive to help anyone tomorrow.”

You raise your eyebrows at that. It never would have even occurred to you not to give your heart and soul to anyone who needed it during your shift. 

“I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one.”

You can’t help but notice he still hasn't released your foot, toying with the curve of your big toe through your sock. 

“Perhaps we will.”

He is looking at you searchingly, and it’s all you can do not to flinch from that intuitive gaze.

“Thank you, Dr. Mercer.” 

He opens his mouth as though to say more, but one of your colleagues walks in, and that’s the end of your little moment.

***

Surprise, surprise, when the next night, Guess Who finds his way onto your examination table.

For fuck’s sake.

“Officer Ludlow. What brings you in tonight?”

You know you sound tired, look like hell, and smell like straight up human waste, but Tom looks extra happy to see you. “You work too much.”

You don’t have the energy to argue, much less with the truth. “Yeah, and you get injured too much.” Great, solid comeback, you really got him there. Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

He whistles. “Bad mood. Damn.” 

“Just tell me what you’re fucking here for, Tom.” You plop down on the stool next to his bed, chin in your hand. 

He tugs his charred pant leg up, and beneath, so fresh it should be sizzling and smoking, is a nasty burn the size of your head. 

“How did you manage that?” You wince, leaning down to assess the damage. Luckily, it’s only second degree, shiny and bloody and wet and looking too painful to bear weight on. “How are you walking?” 

“Remember the sword?” 

“How could I forget?”

“Okay, well this time it was a flamethrower.”

“How are people getting their hands on this shit?” 

He shrugs, which makes you laugh for the first time all day. “Alright, I don’t think it’s third degree, but I need the doctor to-“

“Good evening Mr. Ludlow.” Julian has drawn back the curtain and stepped inside your little exam room with that branded, signature smile on his face.

“Hey, Julian-Doctor-can you take a look at this?”

While Julian looks at the burn, you sneak a peek at Tom, and see some type of look on his face-not confusion, not concern, more analyzing. Assessing. Thinking. 

“This your doctor boyfriend you were telling me about?”

You can almost hear the sizzle of heat making its way up your neck to your cheeks. This fucking bastard. Embarassing you at work, trying to catch you out in your lie. He levels that penetrating gaze with you, just the tiniest tick at the corner of his mouth betraying his amusement.

Yet he is not the only perceptive man in the room. Julian looks between the two of you, and you swear he reads the situation as clearly as a book. Without losing a beat, god bless, he goes into Full Authoritative Doctor Mode. “I am, not that my relationship with Miss y/n is any of your concern.”

Either of them could have pushed you over with a feather–you can hardly believe Julian is playing along.

“Sorry, doc. I’m a detective. Just curious by nature.” Ludlow levels Julian with a stony look, conveying that he didn’t believe the doctor–or he really didn’t like what he’d said.

“I’m sure you are,” answers Julian, throwing you a knowing look that only makes the fire under your collar ten times worse. “Can you go check on Mrs. Andersen in room 10, y/n? I can handle Officer Ludlow.”

Somehow, you kind of doubt that, and you find you’re reluctant to leave them alone in the room together. But, you’ve already been insubordinate once this week. They’re grown men. What’s the worst that could happen? 

Yet as you’re making your exit, you can’t help but feel like you’ve just left Dr. Mercer at the mercy of a wolf. 

You are glad you went to check on Mrs. Andersen, because she needed some warm assurance, on top of a slight adjustment of her IV. When you walk back out into the hall, headed for the nurses station, it’s almost as though the atmosphere has changed. No one else seems to sense it, but somehow you just know something is off. With dread in your heart you scurry back to where you’d left Ludlow and Mercer, bursting through the curtains.

They are standing toe to toe, nose to nose. It’s made a little more ridiculous by the bulky dressing on Tom’s calf, but you still don’t doubt his ability to wipe the floor with Dr. Julian. Which is a ridiculous fucking thing for you to have to worry about, but here you are.

You don’t raise your voice, not wanting to draw attention, but you do not hesitate to put yourself between them. You try not to notice how solid Tom’s chest is beneath your hand, compared to Julian’s. “That is enough.” You direct this at Tom, of course, because you have zero doubt as to who started it.

“Why are you yelling at me?” Tom complains childishly.

“Because I’m not stupid.”

“I know you’re not stupid. But this asshole seems to think he owns you.”

You do lift an eyebrow at that, but it’s so not the issue at hand. “Do you want to be escorted out by security?”

“I think I’m done here anyway.” Ludlow picks up his jacket, glaring at Julian. “Thanks for the dressing, Doc.” His tone, however, more conveys Eat shit and die. Then he looks at you, and those burning dark eyes send an uneasy thrill to your toes–by way of your treacherous pussy, who does not seem to understand that men like Tom Ludlow are very bad for you. She has gotten you into so much trouble before, and by god you are not letting her run the show this time.

“Be seeing you, sweetheart.”

“Not on these hospital grounds, you’re not,” asserts Dr. Julian, and Tom, damn him, just laughs.

There is just something about that man’s presence that leaves behind traces of him in a room, long after he has gone. You just stand there, maybe rather stupidly, struggling to process what just happened. What is it about you, that attracts these cocky assholes that just can’t take no for an answer?

“Are you alright?” asks Julian, and you actually believe that he cares about you, concern written in his achingly handsome features, his kind hand on your shoulder.

“Yeah, sure. Sorry about him.”

He gives you a gently amused look. “You are not responsible for that man’s bad behavior.

And you won’t be treating him anymore.” 

You would argue, assert yourself, do that thing where you’re strong and independent and take care of the own sore skin on your back, but you really don’t have the energy right now, and Julian-fuck him-he’s right, you should not be Ludlow’s nurse anymore for his sake and yours. 

You pinch the bridge of your nose and close your eyes, wishing it was the end of your shift. “Alright.” 

At least the rest of the night goes by fairly quickly, although that means you’re busy enough not to have another break, however, Julian-apologetic Julian, who brings you a turkey sandwich and makes you sit down and eat it and drink at least half a bottle of water-is making things a little better. 

The doctors don’t really get into the shit like you and your fellow nurses, although they are just as busy, and the fact that he takes time to be concerned about you after the emotional beginning of your shift really touches you. He knows he fucked up the other day, and he’s in full sweet cinnamon roll mode to try and rectify it. That’s why you can’t-and, if you’re being honest-don’t want to tell him no when he catches you in the parking lot before you get into your car. 

“Here, you left your stethoscope.” He loops it around your neck, then opens your driver’s door for you. 

“Julian, it really is okay.” You reach up to pat his lab coat shoulder in reassurance. “And I’m fine. Tom is just a big bully.” Why do you feel like you’re betraying him by talking shit to Julian in the parking lot? 

He looks down at you like he’s made up his mind about something, and grins. “Have coffee with me?”

You blink at him. “Like, right now?” 

“No, Saturday morning. Seven AM?” He grabs the spiral notebook and pen from his breast pocket and writes you his number. “Since I’m your boyfriend, I should take you out on a date, don’t you think?” 

Well, at least he’s asking nicely instead of being an asshole about it like some people… 

You chuckle, tuck the note and your hands into your scrub pockets, and hope the heat isn’t visible on your face. “Guess you’re right.” 

You might be playing a dangerous game, here, but hell, there’s a reason you work in the ED of a level one trauma center; you’re a sucker for cheap thrills

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I don’t know if you’ve been asked this but I wanted to ask your opinion on something regarding Fellow Honest and Gidel.

So, we know that at the end of the “Stage in Playful Land” event, Kalim pretty much offers Fellow a spot as a student in NRC, but Fellow declines citing that he doesn’t want to go to a school with a bunch of brats AND he wants to make his own school that admits low magic users and non magic users.

I think this fits him perfectly and I won’t say that it’s dissatisfying for Fellow and Gidel’s story to end this way, but do you think that - had the events been more intertwined with the main story - Fellow could’ve potentially started going to NRC at some point? Like do you think it would make sense for him to both want to create this school AND prepare himself via getting a proper education?

The ending was so fitting for the type of person Fellow is and what he dreams of accomplishing. He’s trying to carve out his own path in the world with Gidel at his side! There’s both a bittersweetness and hope in that kind of a finale.

Now, to the question. This may sound a little cynical (please stick with me for a moment!!) 💦 but I don’t think studying at Night Raven College would help Fellow in opening his own school. Of course, getting an education is important—however, I firmly believe that NRC is not the right place for Fellow to get that education. (This won’t stop TWST from probably making a playable Fellow card for Halloween 2024 though, I suspect that it’ll be a temporary or non-main story canon situation like Rollo.)

The first hurdle to overcome is actually convincing Fellow to enroll. I don’t believe him turning down Kalim’s invite was just for convenience or to keep event characters separate from the main story; it genuinely makes more sense for his character to not want to go right back into the system he despises, the system that tossed him out to begin with. He has not only distrust in the elite (and literally just came out of a hard situation where the elite controlled him), but too much pride in himself to allow for that. Another issue is that even if it is Kalim extending the offer, he actually has little say in whether or not Crowley will let Fellow in. (I’m not counting monetary bribes here yet because that’s an unfair advantage for Kalim to get literally anyone in.) If we’re being pragmatic, Kalim is oversimplifying the solution to Fellow’s issues, just the same as Kalim offering an overly simple solution for Jamil’s woes in book 4. We have no idea how realistic this enrollment would be for Fellow.

Assuming Fellow is convinced to give it a shot and does get into NRC courtesy of a large donation from the Asims… then what? Sure, Fellow does stand to gain from an affiliation with NRC but that's pretty much ONLY if he manages to earn that coveted diploma and formally graduates. Many of the classes beyond year 1 demand a substantial amount of magic in order to complete the coursework. Fellow canonically does not have a ton of magic to spare, so it's doubtful whether or not he would be able to pass those classes or make it to fourth year internships (which is when you can really take advantage of NRC's connections in various industries). It's a similar situation as Yuu, who has no magic at all and wouldn't be able to even participate in the higher level courses without Grim doing all the magical tasks for them. We know it's very possible to drop out of these magic schools (as Riddle references that no student has dropped out since he took on the role of dorm leader + a NPC in book 5 is stated to be a magic school dropout). Who's to say this wouldn't be Fellow's fate if he can't handle the magic curriculum? Yes, he can certainly give it a try if he wants to and his efforts shouldn't be insulted. However, the fact of the matter is that he most likely would not be able to physically keep up with his peers (through admittedly no fault of his own, it's not like he can control his genetic makeup).

Another thing is, what exactly does NRC have to offer Fellow that would actually help him with getting the knowledge to set up his own school? NRC is meant to specifically train mages (and mainly for jobs which demand magical capabilities). Fellow wants to establish his own school, which in of itself does not require a magic degree or any sort of magic education. Furthermore, he details that his school would admit non and low magic users, and will focus on teaching "true life lessons". None of this inherently requires any knowledge or training in magic, which, again, is NRC's specialty. The only practical skills classes that NRC offers seem to be electives like Culinary Crucibles/Master Chef (which, conveniently, do not require magic), and those can be learned anywhere, not exclusively at NRC. I guess my question would be... What is the point of Fellow studying at NRC if he 1) would have a hard time with the magic demands of several classes, 2) most of what NRC teaches is not applicable to his long-term goals, and 3) he could easily learn the practical skills he values so much elsewhere? It's a time sink that doesn't benefit him as much as he needs it to.

If Fellow wants to attend school or to get the knowledge he needs to set up his own learning institution, I think he should ideally pick a mixed public school that does not have a focus on magic. Plenty of those must exist to accommodate the 90% human population without magic. NRC is a restrictive environment mainly composed of the upper echelon and the gifted, and is thus the antithesis of what Fellow seeks to create. Public schools are overall more accessible and offer a more diverse population which Fellow can for sure learn from. It would also be useful as there may be low magic users (that aren't strong enough to qualify for magic schools) mixed in with non-magic users. Fellow could hit up his exact target demographic and mingle with them, get to familiarize himself with their wants and needs, etc. At the same time, he would be theoretically pursuing a specialized degree in education or whatever it is he would need to establish his own school and become an educator himself. That route makes a lot more sense to me than just lumping Fellow in at NRC because that happens to be where all the other major characters go.

Again, it's definitely possible for Fellow to get an education while having his dream. (That's also the case for lots of us fans that go to school while also having our own hobbies and personal goals on the side!) The issue is that I don't see Fellow "fitting in" or learning well at any magic school, especially not one as privatized as NRC is.

[curiousquirks]

helloo! it's me again

lately i've been thinking about overhaul a lot, so how about we get to see your take on his nsfw alphabet? 🤭

i'm tempted to write it myself but i'm out of ideas lately 😔 so yeah, have a nice day/night!

A/N: Hi hi <3 I'm happy to be able to do his first since I love him the most aha I hope you have a lovely day

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Listen, post nut clarity hits this man like a truck. He’s not going to prioritize anything other than getting himself clean. He feels like he needs to crawl out of his own skin because he just gets so uncomfortable. Once he deals with that however, he’ll make sure that his partner is okay (making sure they’re not in pain or getting them anything they need) but they will need to clean themselves as well. Immediately. He’ll help don’t worry.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

On himself: His eyes. They’re intense and he can command without a word. He also knows that it makes his partner melt when he forces strong eye contact.

His partner: Hips. He subconsciously will have his hands just laying on their hips outside of the bedroom. It adds to their silhouette which he admits to finding himself admiring far too often. 

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

Normally Kai would think it’s the most disgusting thing, something that just thinking about would set him off. However, in the heat of the moment Kai finds himself letting those disgusting thoughts flow through his mind unfiltered and perverting his senses. In those moments, Kai would want nothing more than to watch it drip out their hole or force it to paint their body, especially their face. 

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He will intentionally make his partner be loud as he can make them because he hopes someone hears them. He’d never say this, of course, because he refuses to admit that it’s a kink of some kind. What happens intimately between partners should be kept private afterall. 

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

If this man ever gets a partner, it’s the first for anything. He never would be looking for a partner, it’d be a slow burn type of romance but when he does fall in love it’d be hard. They’d be his first time, obviously, and he’d be nervous and awkward until he got the hang of it. He knows just about everything about sexual education but that knowledge only does so much in theory. He’s not someone who watches porn so he’d have to learn in a more hands-on way. His partner would definitely know that he loves them because of how vulnerable he is being.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying.)

Doggy-Style (usually either with their face shoved into the mattress or pulled up towards him) or Missionary (he’s a simple man, also because he push them into a matting press) 

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

Oh it’s very serious. He doesn’t like any humorous things happening when he’s having sex, and no he doesn’t find it amusing when his partner tries to do anything funny either. That being said, if something happens like someone falling off the bed, it wouldn’t ruin the moment. He can recover quickly and make them get back on track really easily.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

Well groomed and maintained. Exactly what he’d expect of his partner. 

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

If it was a heat of the moment, it’s not very romantic. It’s hot and heavy. Kai likes preplanning hours set aside for enjoying his time with his partner though. It’s an event. It’s incredibly intimate and romantic. That’s his preference. 

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

He doesn’t like masturbating. He doesn’t find it nearly as fulfilling as reaching climax with his partner. He’s done it a few times, but it’s mostly so it’ll be gone so he can focus because he can’t ignore his erection. Also he is someone who would prefer looking at pictures of his partner to get off too, not finding any aid in looking at someone else. He prefers audio recordings from his partner more than anything, as it makes him come faster than anything else.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

BREEDING KINK (but this is a man in denial about it)

Degradation

Mirrors

Edging

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

His bed. He’s not too big on doing it in risky places and prefers the comfort of his own bedroom. Only other place he’d pick is the bathroom.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Rile him up throughout the day with simple things like lingering touches, whispering in his ear, pressing your body against him. Begging can be an easy ticket, but they'd have to sound desperate. That’s his favorite.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Involving another person is completely off limits. He’s too selfish for that.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

He’s not someone too keen on giving oral to his partner, but there have been moments where he did. He’s not a god at it or anything but the best thing about Kai is that he won’t stop at something until he’s satisfied with his skill level in it. 

It does make him go feral watching his partner out of breath, saliva dripping down their face after they choked on his cock though. It’s one of those heat of the moment fantasies that nearly has him finishing on the spot.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

He’s usually pretty rough and the pace depends on if he's trying to drag it out or not at the time. He’s not someone who likes quickies, because he takes his time enjoying the feeling. He usually only goes slow on purpose to fuck with his partner and make them squirm under him.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

It would only happen if he ended up doing something hot and heavy and he really needed to be somewhere soon. His partner would pay for it later too. He doesn’t half-ass anything, it’s why he likes taking his time with his partner. They’ll be thoroughly fucked when he’s done with them.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

He doesn’t like disrupting anything he has set in place so experimenting takes a lot of work. His partner would honestly have to suggest things and work with convincing him. But I mean they are the ones who opened this world to him in the first place so maybe he should listen at least. 

As for risks? He’d rather not. Okay, well non-horny Kai would say this. Horny Kai takes quite a few risks during the moment.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Kai usually will edge himself for a while before coming. He can last for a long time, usually getting a few orgasms out of his partner before he’ll finish. He does this, not because he can’t go for multiple rounds but because he’ll probably be too uncomfortable to continue until he relaxes for a while. His quirk helps too lmao

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He’s not opposed to toys at all. In fact he has no issue using them on his partner at all. The fact that he can make them writhe and whimper without touching them himself, he enjoys it more than he admits.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

If his partner is being a brat and annoying him on purpose, he will go out of his way to tease the fuck out of them. It doesn’t matter if his partner is sitting there whining about how much they want him to touch them, should’ve behaved better. 

He also has his own streak of teasing his partner with subtle touches and whispers in their ear, relishing in how they squirm. 

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

He’s not that loud when it comes to noises, he’s more of a grunter. If he’s in control that is. Get that man submissive and he is whiny and whimpering like a bitch. 

When he does dirty talk it’s barely above a whisper though. He wants his partner loud, doesn’t mean he is going to be.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Kai has a high wall to climb to get him to do certain things that he’d consider more extreme (like pegging or being submissive for his partner for example) but once you get over that wall? He is a whore.  

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Bigger than average. Nothing too extreme but it’s pretty. Uncut and always clean. He takes pride in that he never had to use his quirk to alter it.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

I see it as more of a switch. It’s usually off but he can let himself get turned on. Sometimes his partner forces the switch to turn on without him noticing.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He’s too uncomfortable to fall asleep immediately, he’s got too much to do. Unless he was the one thoroughly fucked in the mattress that is. He’ll end up passing out and then wake up and be in the worst mood for the next 24 hours.

[dirtyvulture]

Natasha Romanoff x Beefy!Lawyer!Reader

18+ only, read at your own risk

Requested by @dinolandsworld: ok here i am!! i'm exposing myself a lot here but this is actually a fantasy of mine and the law jargin story added a lot to it ... basically having reader fucking natasha senseless in an actual courtroom.

maybe reader is prepping for a trial and yk how they get the courtroom to practice before it and nat shows up and once again gets turned on because of the words reader is using and because how hot she looks in a suit .. and yeah. just nat getting bended over the witness stand with reader fucking her from behind

that would be kind of it

Word count: 1337

AN: Looks like y’all couldn’t get enough of Part 1, so here’s a little more to keep the sinners fed. 😘

Repost because Tumblr is a hoe.

“The defense would like to bring Ms. Johnson to the stand at this time,” you say, trying your best not to look down at your notes. Your partner, Jennifer, sits behind the podium, playing the role of Ms. Johnson.

“Ms. Johnson, can you confirm that you were walking on the sidewalk of 7th Avenue on the night of July 30, 2022?” you ask.

“I was,” Jennifer says.

“Could you see the two defendants sitting on the front porch of the house?”

“Yes.”

“And were you present when the gunshots were fired?” you ask.

“Yes, because I heard them and saw the muzzle flash,” Jennifer answers.

“Could you see who fired the gun?”

“No, but I know a gun was fired from that porch.” Jennifer was going off the police report with Ms. Johnson’s witness statement. This cross-examination was the only way to extract information that wasn’t recorded in the official report–and also point out its flaws.

“But you don’t know who shot it?” You hadn’t intended for it to sound like a question, but you couldn’t take it back and Jennifer jumped on your mistake.

“Objection,” Jennifer says, now taking on the role of the opposing counsel and the judge. “Asked and answered, Y/N.”

“Right.” You’re grateful she doesn’t steamroll you and cause you to lose your rhythm, but you gracefully move into the next question without much pause. “After the gun was fired…”

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

Natasha strides through the courthouse, searching for Department 103. This is not her element, and she feels like a foreigner wandering the halls. People in full suits–whom she assumes must be attorneys–walk by, and she secretly hopes you’re wearing one, too, even though you were just here for court preparation.

After consulting a faded directory on the wall, she finds the correct courtroom. She pushes open the door slightly, hearing your voice and your partner’s.

“Objection, Your Honor,” Natasha hears you say and she feels a jolt go right down her core. “There is a lack of foundation for that evidence because the opposing counsel did not properly admit it.”

Natasha had spent the last few weeks watching all the law shows she could get her hands on, but she still doesn’t understand a word you say.

“Wait, really?” Jennifer breaks character to ask you.

“You didn’t ask the right questions,” you say.

“I didn’t?”

“No, remember you have to have the witness testify about the evidence. Then you have to ask the court to admit it. It’s a step-by-step process.”

Natasha wants to swoon when she hears you educating your partner about court rules.

“Ok, that makes sense, thank you.” Jennifer collects her notes into a briefcase. “You’ll be okay for tomorrow?”

“I’ll be out in a few minutes. Just need to go over some last-minute arguments,” you reply.

“Need any help?”

“No thanks, I’m good.”

“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Natasha backs away from the door and waits until your partner exits before popping up.

“Oh, hey, Natasha,” Jennifer says. “Y/N will be right out.”

“Thanks.” Natasha practically runs into the courtroom. “Hi, baby!” she calls out.

“Nat! What are you doing here?” You’re in the middle of clipping your briefcase closed when you turn around and see her. Today, you’re wearing a white button-shirt whose buttons look like they’re going to pop off if you flex too hard, paired with black suspenders. Natasha wipes her chin as she walks up to you.

“I thought we could grab dinner together,” she says, grabbing onto one of the suspenders and dragging you down to her level. She takes extra caution to kiss you lightly on the lips when all she wants is for you to take her right here in the courtroom. “I heard a little bit of what you and Jennifer were talking about. I still couldn’t understand any of it, but it was…” She bites her lip while looking up at you.

You chuckle, no longer surprised at how much work talk turns on your girlfriend. The last few times you were in bed with her, she had made you recite your entire thesis.

“You want me to put you on the stand?” you ask, your voice lowering.

Her eyes widen.

“And what if, instead of cross-examining you, I fuck you?”

Natasha looks at your crotch, where she suddenly notices how much it’s bulged out.

“Just in case.” You wink at her.

Natasha squeals as you pick her up easily and carry her to the podium to the right of the judge’s chair (maybe you could use that another time). You kick the chair out of the way, setting her on the desk and brushing her hair aside so you can kiss her neck. Natasha throws her head back and moans, her hands clinging onto your broad shoulders and raking down your back.

“The defense would like to call Ms. Natasha Romanoff to the stand,” you whisper into her ear, feeling her shudder against you. “Do you know why you’re here today, Ms. Romanoff?”

“Because…Because…” Natasha is already a mess and you haven’t even touched her yet.

“Because you were fucked by the defendant?” Your hand forces its way up Natasha’s shirt and gropes her breast. She pants against your neck, her nails digging harder into your back. “Answer the question, Ms. Romanoff.”

“Yes, yes, I was,” she begs.

You pick her up off the desk and turn her around, bending her forward until her stomach is flat against the wood surface. Her skirt rides up and you see she isn’t wearing panties. You lick your lips in anticipation.

“The defendant’s counsel would like to introduce Exhibit A to the jury,” you say, keeping one hand on Natasha’s butt and the other pulling down your pants so your strap has room to pop out.

Natasha keens when she feels the toy brush against her center and pushes back instinctively. You thrust your hips forward and bury the strap inside of her without warning. Natasha squirms underneath but you keep her pinned down, your muscular thighs pressed to the backs of hers and you don’t move so she can adjust to the size.

“Ms. Romanoff, is this the same strap the defendant fucked you with?” you ask, barely able to control your own breathing now.

Natasha feels so full, her walls massaging the strap and she clenches uncontrollably around it. “Yes, it is,” she answers, her voice strained.  

“And how exactly did the defendant fuck you?”

“Hard and rough,” Natasha says, hoping to get her point across.

“Like this?” Your fingers tighten around her hips and you start hammering your hips like an animal.

“Fuck, Y/N!” Natasha screams at a volume that makes you momentarily concerned someone outside will hear. She goes limp across the witness stand as you pound into her tightness, grunting and growling with each of your thrusts.

You never thought you would take your girlfriend like this, in an actual courtroom on an actual witness stand, and you won’t take the opportunity for granted. The strap is angled upwards to hit your own clit with every thrust, and the stimulation is enough to keep you in line with Natasha’s pending orgasm.

“Did the defendant let you cum?” you ask, keeping your rough pace, although your thrusts become more uneven and sloppy.

“Yes,” Natasha squeaks.

“Did you want to cum today?”

“Please let me,” she practically sobs.

“The court will allow it,” you respond, giving her one more deep thrust and feeling her walls tighten around your strap. Your body goes rigid as your own orgasm washes over you, and when your legs finally stop trembling you rest a little of your weight on Natasha’s back and stroke your fingers through her hair softly.

“You okay, baby?” you whisper, stroking the back of her head.

“Perfect,” she sighs.

“Good.” You gently pull her off the witness stand and push her down onto her knees, your slick strap bobbing in front of her flushed face. “How about we try introducing Exhibit B to the court now?”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: Hee hee. 😈

Please like, reblog, and comment! Follow for more content.

[nerves-nebula]

Re read Loose Stitches and it got me thinking about school experiences that made me realize something really weird my parents always said that stemmed into something that actively still a problem now that I’m in university, where I really struggle to admit when I’m struggling or don’t know something, even though that’s the point of school. My parents always used to say I shouldn’t ever say “I don’t know” and got mad at me for asking questions about stuff they asked me to do, and got reaaal snippy whenever I asked for clarification or for them to repeat what the told me to do. Stuff like that made me weird about getting help from teachers in any scenario, which I’m realizing is a whole avoidant behavior thing that fucks me up even when I do ask for help. Any way, I don’t know why I’m telling u any of this—I feel like my asks to u always get traumadump-y—but Loose Stitches captures a series of very vivid experiences which makes me think which is cool and I love it a lot, I guess.

sammeeee. well, sort of. they'd both get annoyed if i questioned them and my own self imposed anxiety + their bullying made me terrified to ask questions and look "stupid" but at least my dad is enamored enough by the concept of learning that he doesn't hate ALL questions. if you ask the right ones he'll even be delighted :D at least, that's what I remember. it's been a long time now.

I'm in my junior year of college and I've basically only just now realized that I should probably have emailed professors a lot more than I did. for help, advice, questions. i mean they're the greatest assets we have here, they have SO MUCH knowledge and I've just been too afraid of bothering them to ask.

y'know, loose stitches was never supposed to be about school or the education system or CPS or anything like that. in fact, while writing part 1 I was initially annoyed because I wanted to get to all the "cool" stuff that happens in part 2 and I needed to spend all this time in this setting i didn't care about (this weird hybrid CPS housing/college campus) in order to do it. but in having to flesh out that "boring" stuff in part 1, i've found that's not so boring or uninteresting after all, and it's gonna make part 2 way better as well when i dive into all the ways the system can and has failed people, not JUST our main two characters.

honestly, I still think the world of loose stitches is kind of underdeveloped, because the focus was never really on the world building for me so a lot of it is just life experiences and what I've learned from history with a slightly different nonhuman context.

ummmm that has nothing to do with what you've said here and i just realized im rambling. should get back to work now, thanks for the ask! I always love to hear what people think about my comic <3

[meowzfordayz]

telling tanjirou you self harm(ed)

Author’s Note: proceed w/ caution. Read CW (content warnings).

telling tanjirou you self harm(ed)

Kamado Tanjirou x Reader

Word Count: ~600

CW: self harm references, traumatic references

Emergency Request Fulfilled: ⚠️TW FOR SH⚠️

I started hurting myself a few years ago and now I didn‘t do it since Easter Holidays and the scars are still there and I‘m actually very close to relapsing so I thought you could eventually do a Tanjiro x Reader headcanon on how he‘d react to his gf doing that to herself and what he‘d do now that he knows

~faqs~

Ngl, first thing that comes to mind is: he’d be a lil clueless as to what to do/how to react

My pet peeve (which, I realize SH is a personal experience and don’t mean to assume/project onto anyone else’s experiences) when it comes to SH is ppl overreacting (yes I’m hurting; no don’t treat me ~too differently), but ofc, underreacting certainly doesn’t feel particularly supportive or loving either

And I think Tanjirou would be intuitively aware of this (the tentative balance between showing concern vs becoming overwhelming), and thus panic inwardly: Do I hug them? Should I ask questions? How can I help? Is it even my place to help?

All the while you’re staring at your palms (for the sake of imagery/setting: how about your bedroom? there’s something intimate and genuine about sitting crossed legged—facing each other—toward the edge of your bed, Tanjirou grappling w/ his words as you avoid eye contact), unsure whether you’d rather he say something or nothing

“Thank you for telling me,” he finally murmurs, eyes soft and glistening, voice strained yet steady — disappointed but adoring

“I just thought you’d want to know,” you mumble quietly, stare sharpening, attempting to drill holes through your trembling fingers, hyper aware of his searching, caring gaze

“I want to know everything about you,” he admits, fondness creeping onto the tip of his tongue

And you promised yourself you wouldn’t cry, but the trust and fragility in the hesitant way his fingertips dig into his thighs has your eyes glistening too

“You can touch me, you know?” you whisper, space between you wavering, his fingertips pausing, calloused thumb reaching for the damp splotches on your palms, smearing your fear with a practiced reassurance

Are we okay? Do you hate me? Can you love me as I am? tangled roots grown over days, months, years; of loathing, of proving yourself To whom?, of a sticky, familiar dread

“You don’t want to touch me?” you hadn’t intended to verbalize the worst case scenario etched in your skin, but confession brought as much relief as it brought a condescending urgency to lose yourself to the infinite noise of What if Tanjirou’s lying?

He frowns at that, harsh, “No!” puncturing your cushion of deprecation, “I want to touch you!” blushing despite himself, “I want to touch all of you,” scooting over until his knee bumps against yours, “I cherish you.”

Because even though he’s still figuring out how to perfectly communicate the scribbles—the insatiable desire, need to make you believe—clinging to the back of his throat, he wants you to know

Wants you to know how deeply, indisputably, he believes in you

He knows believing isn’t enough: knows pretty words and prettier gestures can’t replace uprooting, well, the root of the problem — knows he isn’t qualified to help you

But he can support you, encourage and listen to you, dispel the creases in your loneliness

TL;DR? I hate romanticizing SH, but I also strongly hc that Tanjirou would have comforting ~instincts

100% the type to overthink his immediate reaction, but you can just feel that he means well

Lets you take the lead, all the while offering his hand, his head, his heart

Physical proximity? Researching therapists/educating himself to better understand SH? Floating further than you could possibly return safely from; needing someone to remind you of what’s real?

He’s got you 

[moonjxsung]

Hello my precious twinkle, how have you been lately? I read about your promotion and congratulations!!! You deserve the best.

I have not been very active online lately because I’ll be leaving for college soon (don’t worry I’m 18 and not a minor😅😅) and have been feeling sooooo overwhelmed. I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to do in the future or where I’m going to go, nothing. I cry everyday thinking of everything and everyone I’m going to leave behind because I’ve never left home before. I rarely ever get to meet my friends outside school so I’ve just sort of isolated myself from everyone. My parents are so caring and I’m really grateful for everything that they have done for me and I don’t want to leave them at all. I know it’s a part of growing up but I feel I’m not ready to let go of my childhood. I don’t feel like I’ve grown up at all. The last two years of high school have been the best years of my life, I’m friendly with all my classmates and this is the first time it’s happened. I’m going to be all alone for the first time with no one by my side in a completely new environment and I’ve heard that people get swayed away with alcohol and smoking and I don’t want to be that person at all. I can’t bear the thought of disappointing my parents after all that they’ve done for me. Am I being childish?? I’m constantly told that I am…

Anyways, I’m sorry for dumping that all on you. I really hope you enjoy your stray kids concert😊😊😊

HI ANGEL I AM DOING SO GOOD !! THANK U BABYYYYYY 🫶🫶🫶🫶

Also TRUSTTTT when I tell you I have absolutely been there done that !! I don’t think I really truly knew what I wanted to do until a year into college and even then whenever I struggled in a class or didn’t feel passionate about a project I was constantly like…. “Is this what I want to be doing? Is this what I’m supposed to be doing??” Even in my current day-to-day tasks at my job there are a handful of things I just don’t enjoy doing and I have to really ask myself why I’m in this role and what I want out of it at the end of the day, and though I don’t love every single part of it, it’s still what makes sense to me right now. College wasn’t hard for me, per se, but it was very confusing learning to navigate life as a young adult and develop how to carry myself like a grown up when I didn’t feel like one at all. The best thing I can say is that you will learn as you go along! Push yourself out of your comfort zone and do your very best in all your classes, take your education seriously and invest in your future. And the rest will play out naturally. I didn’t secure an internship until my final year of college and only then did I really start to make a plan for myself, and ever since it’s just been a whirlwind of learning how to be an adult and interacting with senior leaders. Most days I’m still not 100% what I’m doing, but I just learn as I go! And don’t be afraid to admit to yourself or the people around you that this can be confusing or scary- honesty is what allows room for help. People will help you along the way, adulthood won’t just be throwing you to the wolves and expecting you to be great. You’re already halfway there- you got into college, you’ve made it to young adulthood, and people helped you get there! College and your life beyond that will be the same sort of thing. Be proud of how far you’ve come and keep pushing and learning from those around you until you get the hang of it. I promise you’re doing a much better job than you think (and I’d say your parents think so, too!)

Sending you all my love, I’m here for you every step of the way! 💖💕💓💞💘🩷

[humming-pokemon-helpers]

thismfagain.mov

[It's a video of a small conference room, probably being used as part of an educational space. Vanilla, face somewhere between bemused and straight-out annoyed, stands at the front of it, taking questions from four different students whose pencils fly faster than a Latios. Cheri stands to the side, a little nervous at the topics of conversation.]

“Yeah, you in the black shirt. Henry?”

“So, uh… what’s the difference between this and a werezor again?”

“How do you people get admitted to graduate schools… The difference is that I’m like this. Halfway. Permanently.”

“But you can make yourself look like a Zoroark.”

“Yes. Great point. Those are called illusions, I explained those fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh, oh, wait, what’s like… going on when that happens?”

“Hey, an actual question. So, illusions are something that took me more practice to develop than your typical Zorua would, probably because I developed at the same rate as a human. In order to perform them, I need a lot of focus, and I can’t pull them off well under stress, so—”

“No, like… are you bending light or something? That’s SO amazing.”

“I… that isn’t the focus of this panel. Ask one of the many scientists who have studied Zoroark illusions. I just use them. …Yes, Cordelia.”

“Right, so, what’s the proper term of address for human-Pokémon hybrids? I feel as though “hybrids” is pretty reductive, since that’s like just calling somebody by one of their traits, right?”

“FINALLY, a normal sensitivity question. That’s actually got a pretty nuanced answer, too! You see—”

[The door busts open, and a certain lab-coated, Internet-Explouder-haired fellow enters.]

“Oh, excuse me! I seem to have mistaken the room this meeting was in. Allow me to introduce myself, for the rest of you in this room. My name is—”

“Colress. What. A. Pleasure.”

“Vanilla!! You know this guy?? Ohh, wait, that’s THE guy, isn’t it??”

“Yes. He’s THE guy. What do you want this time?”

“Since my attention happens to be drawn to hybrids such as yourself, I was quite curious about respectful ways to go about including them in research! Much like what your partner here is doing.”

“Great. Can I just answer this question and move on, then.”

“But of course! Though, afterwards, if I could request to see the way you bring out your Pokémon’s power…”

“Hey, all I said was to set up a meeting. I never agreed to a second battle—”

[The accursed door. Again. Aspear, this time. Cheri is clearly uncomfortable at this point.]

“Hey. Cher. Need you for a—oh shit, the boss?”

“The who?”

“Would you be referring to me?”

“..H-hey, don’t tell Vanilla you call them that!!”

“…No?? Ok. Screw you both.”

[There’s an awkward beat where nobody knows what to say. Finally, Vanilla speaks up.]

“Okay, first off, wow, sorry Henry, Cordelia, Zavier with a Z, uhhh…”

“Astra.”

“Right. Anyways, sorry, I’m going to need you all to get somewhere that isn’t here. I have a lot of questions for your bosses.”

[The four students look at each other and shrug, taking their notebooks and walking out to the break room. As soon as the last student leaves, Vanilla slams his hand on the round table.]

“So, can I just ask for a simple, no-frills explanation of what the hell this is.”

“Well, if you would please show me your Pokémon’s strength…”

“Urrrgh, fine! We’ll battle! Good thing this university has a battle court, apparently.”

[e-end of film, pzzt! i’m a bit confused… and kind of worried…]

[marvelmaniac715]

Andy finally goes to therapy. His therapist suggests that he writes a letter to Chucky expressing his feelings about everything that’s happened to him, but the letter will never actually make it to Chucky, right?... This is that letter.

————————————————————-

Dear Chucky,

That doesn’t feel like the right way to start it. I’m not sure how else to start letters though, maybe I’d have more knowledge on the subject if I was able to attend school full time as a kid. I was bounced around so many foster homes and guardians that I never got a full education, I guess I owe that to you.

Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder if you know just how much you affected me growing up. You severely impacted my life, yet every time we meet you don’t acknowledge this. Do you pretend that you didn’t play a part in traumatising me because it makes you feel better? Or do you know and just not care? The tiny part of me that wants to believe that there’s good in everyone would choose the former, but in my heart I know it must be the latter.

I googled you, did you know that? I learnt about your childhood, it was strangely healing to learn about the events that shaped you in your formative years. I saw a picture of you when you were about six or seven (the age I was when we first met) and I gotta admit, you were pretty cute. But the headline that accompanies the image I found reminded me that you’re psychotic. I know you killed your mom and dad, you’re beaming with pride in that photo, despite it being taken hours after their deaths. In horror movies, the killers usually had abusive childhoods that warped their perception of reality, but not you, huh? You were just born like that.

You grew up in a Home as well, so you can relate. That fact unsettles me, because you know how it feels to suffer, to grow up without parents. Yet you willingly chose that life for yourself, and you passed it on to me because why the hell not I guess. You made something inside my brain snap. I can’t pursue romantic relationships, I can’t maintain friendships or hold a job because I have trust issues. You fucked me up, Charles, and you have to face that.

I kid myself that I’m an adult, but sometimes when I see you I’m that scared little boy again, hiding behind his mother and desperately trying to prove that he isn’t insane, that his life is really in danger. My mom was traumatised too, she tries to hide it for my sake, but she can’t even look at a doll without breaking down into tears. If you read this part, you’d probably laugh that spine-chilling cackle of yours that still makes me jump every time it comes out of your mouth.

I was six years old, I just wanted a Good Guy doll for my birthday. My mom was just trying to make me happy, we didn’t have much but we had each other, life wasn’t bad. If I could go back in time I’d stab that first doll with a kitchen knife, that would’ve ended everything once and for all. If I really had the guts, I would’ve walked into that toy store where you lay dying and ripped that cursed doll out of your human form’s hands before you could even utter the incantation. But the past can’t be altered, it can only be reflected upon with a vague disappointment.

Was there ever a point where you saw me as a son? Maybe the first time around? Even when you tried to kill me, it was almost as if there was a certain fondness for me. You were the only constant male figure in my life, you taught me some valuable life lessons as well. Not to trust authority figures, because they can betray you. Not to give in to moments of weakness, you have to think on your feet in order to live. But most importantly, you taught me how to survive. With these things in mind, the case could certainly be argued that you were a father figure to me. In my angsty teen years, I certainly thought of you like that sometimes.

I have so much left to say, but I’m going to run out of paper. Long story short, I don’t forgive you, but I think I can understand you. The two of us are like kindred spirits, there’s so many similarities between us. Dead parents, grew up in the foster system, had to learn survival skills had a young age, if you disregard the murders, we could almost be the same person. The part of me that still cries out for a parental figure to fill that void in my life misses you, life is certainly much less interesting without you around. But I hope that I don’t see you again, because I enjoy living. You’re never gonna read this, but I hope you got a kick out of this, Dr. Mixter, maybe you found some information in here that can be brought up and worked on in future therapy sessions?

‘Kindest’ regards,

Andy Barclay

[docholligay]

I like Albert so much I think because I relate to him so deeply. The way he doesn’t look at Michael when he says anything of this, that it has to come out while you’re drinking and looking at the stars. And the way that he’s saying something as a matter of fact,  not necessarily for the sympathy, and so his general response is, “I mean, I did fine, so.” which is truthfully how I often think of things.

“Makes for a good story” is often my response to anyone reacting ton stuff, though many of my stories are somewhat more fun than being brought up in an orphanage, such as “The time I was pinned under a log jam and nearly drowned” or perennial favorite “It Happened to Me: Bit By A Rattlesnake” or the popular “Oh, remember when i feel through the floor of an abandoned house?” or not quite as well-regarded, “I was booked for assault and I would ABSOLUTELY do it again” and anything a little more emotionally spicy than those ain’t bar talk, but for all of it, funny or not, I have the basically the same idea as Albert here. I’m fine.

I think this is such a classically blue-collar way of looking at the world, and this is, for me, personally and individually, why I feel like I don’t fit into a lot of LGBT+ spaces because they’re very focused on this middle-class-but-would-never-admit-to-being-so, seven sisters educated, city sort of experience that’s all about trauma dumping* and processing.

It’s a very “keep it movin” sort of way at looking at the world, and it comes a lot of of historical realities about the way blue-collar people were forced to look at the world, and engage with it. Farmers cannot afford to pine. It just doesn’t go. Merchant marines can’t sit and parse out their feelings on a communication difference. My family was farmers on one side and sheep people on the other, you think anyone in my family sat around and processed? We, were like Albert. I know my great grandparents lost family when Germany plowed through Ukraine, but they literally never spoke of it except in like, three sentences, maybe, over the course of my life. I said I wouldn’t mind seeing it someday, and my great grandmother said, “Why? Miserable country. And no one there left.” OKAY THEN that was all we said on the issue.

And I’m not going to say it’s BETTER, though, like, obviously that is very much what I’m alluding to here, please know I can also read my own writing, but it is very very different, and if it’s the framework you grown up with, understanding that the world does not CARE about your tragic anime backstory, you engage with it differently. Albert has a genuinely shitty life story, and he gives it enough color to make it seem neat. I like that. I respect that. I understand that.

And before anyone goes, “well Michael is stuffy and British and has to be all stiff upper lip” not incorrect, but he also sure has spent a lot of time looking for and thinking about a girl who stared at him for ten seconds in the woods and I don’t think that’s an option for everyone. Moping is a kind of decadence, too. And I like Michael, I feel for him, but I think he WANTS to be Albert more than he’s capable of.

*This is actually what a lot of y’all mean when you say “trauma bonding.” Trauma bonding is a specific abusive framework that is not y’all’s capacity to overshare with each other and bond over both being miserable.

[thelonesomequeen]

A lot of you have various opinions and comments on the cultural appropriation pictures and I’m going to post them below so others can see your point of view. I want to be clear that the comments below are not ours (mods) but are anons sent to our inbox.

———————————————-

✏️✏️✏️Anon 1

I saw this picture that some are complaining about. I don’t think it makes her racist. It makes her ignorant. People are just mad that she’s with Chris. Henry C GF was worse. Sometimes people don’t know better. And I saw this as a black woman. People need to chill. The word racist is so easily thrown out these days. Calm down people.

✏️✏️✏️Anon 2

I saw this picture that some are complaining about. I don’t think it makes her racist. It makes her ignorant. People are just mad that she’s with Chris. Henry C GF was worse. Sometimes people don’t know better. And I saw this as a black woman. People need to chill. The word racist is so easily thrown out these days. Calm down people.

✏️✏️✏️Anon 3

(I sent the same message to several Tumblrs) why are you all silent about the new pictures of miss racist girlfriend of CE?? because to talk about a « fake » yoga certificate or photo of paps on the beach there are people but for the photo and video of racism of miss nun and her band it is radio silence.why? Because that would be to admit that Crispy is racist too? hmm?

Asks like this make me think some people don’t actually care about cultural appropriation or racism and just want to a valid reason to cancel Alba for something other than dating Chris. Y’all clearly talked about it, but not in the correct way that just immediately calls her evil. God forbid a serious topic like this it’s approached with nuance and you don’t immediately just shun her from society for being problematic.

✏️✏️✏️Anon 4

I was checking about the photo discourse on Twitter and a lot of it is just people wanting to have a gotcha moment instead having an actual conversation. The same accounts posting about this were tweeting really nasty things like wanting Alba to d1e (I have screenshots). They were also really mad about your blog debunking the yoga thing.

✏️✏️✏️Anon 5

“ If Chris is dating someone that’s racist as everyone says wouldn’t that make him one too?” if that were true of people than Meghan Markle would be also considered racist for marrying Prince Harry (just a mere example at how just because 1 person is something doesn’t mean their partner is too). I don’t know if Alba is racist, could be just ignorant or not caring too much- she grew up in Portugal a fairly homogeneous country population wise, as opposed to the US.

✏️✏️✏️Anon 6

Obviously culture appropriation is not okay but my whole thing with finding old photos and tweets is that it says people can’t grow. A lot of people make stupid mistakes when they are younger and regret them. I know I’ve said some really dumb stuff that I absolutely do not agree with now because people change. If we’re gonna hold onto questionable things then even Chris has said done some awful stuff (Sandra/Selma quote, Botham Jean tweet, tone deaf middle eastern ASP doc) and never apologized publicly for it. But that doesn’t mean they don’t regret it and wish it didn’t happen. The intentions with bringing up old pictures isn’t purely about educating though in this scenario and it’s obvious.

✏️✏️✏️Anon 7

I’m not sure what pics are being talked about in regard to “culture appropriation”, but as a minority myself I find the general discussion a lot of times over the top: not every time someone dresses as a different culture, do their hair or adopts Buddhist teaching into their lives and son, is not always culture appropriation many times it is more accurate to say it is culture appreciation. People need to take a deep breath and learn the difference cause they alot of times end up looking ignorant

✏️✏️✏️Anon 8

But, we know about them now so hopefully this isn’t something she does regularly. 🧜🏻‍♀️ // Oh totally!! Even if those are just from the last few years that's a major red flag 🚩 🚩 especially with how big of a conversation it's been in recently. My mind immediately goes to Florence Pugh and how big that story was in 2020. We should care, and I do, but doubt many people outside of the CE fandom and maybe WN's will. I could see an article or two popping up about it, but not much more than that.

✏️✏️✏️Anon 8

You know we can criticize Jenny and Alba for being transphobic and racist respectively, but at the end of the day, Chris chose to be associated with them. And he isn't exactly perfectly either. He has said and done a lot of questionable things over the years. I just feel as though we're always too hard on the women while giving him a pass and babying him. I'm not referring specifically to you mods here, but the fandom in general. He made his choice, let him deal with it now. Nobody is villain or a victim in this equation.

[feralgodmothers]

I can’t bring myself to hate Christopher. I know it’s popular to hate him. But it’s the same deal as dean? What crime did he actually commit except be the woman’s first love? And a reminder of who she was before the most popular fandom choice? I prefer Luke for Lorelai. But I can’t hate Christopher. Sherry whatsherface and Anna Nardini on the other hand….let’s just say I don’t take well to people willingly abandoning their children. And the less said about April’s two faced, passive aggressive mother the better.

Ps. I remembered that Anna Nardini’s actress played Mariano’s defacto stepmother and I am CACKLING!!!!!

I feel exactly the same way, anon. Like… to a T.

People in this fandom hate on Chris as if being flaky is the most heinous thing a parent can ever be. (I mean, hey - I’m glad they’re all in such a fantastic place where their standards can be sky high, and that they all have the perfect parents or whatever, but good GOD. We have to stop babying Rory so much. Like aww, her life isn’t picture perfect?)

I hate to come across as the person in the anti-Chris debate who’s like ‘other people have it so much worse’, but… I mean-

Come on. IT IS NOT THAT SERIOUS.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would happily trade fathers with Rory in a heartbeat. (No take-backs though. I’d keep Christopher, and she can pass on my father to some unsuspecting sap like the demon from It Follows.)

He loves (and even likes) Rory and is glad she exists. That’s at least the first step in being a decent parent in my books. I’ll admit - my bar for fathers is probably a little lower than it should be, but even taking that into consideration - the amount of hate Christopher gets is ridiculous. I think if you took away the fact that he’s the main obstacle to a fan favorite ship, people wouldn’t be overly bothered by him. His only “crime” is that he wasn’t around in person regularly, but his situation is a little weird, tbh. He’s still in love with Lorelai, and she sort of loves him too, but she doesn’t want them to be a traditional family, etc. It would be kind of awkward to navigate that, but he still called Rory on the phone fairly regularly, helped pay for her education, and immediately rushed to SH and stayed up all night when Rory ended up in the hospital after the car crash (the first and only real injury she’s ever had if I remember right?). People who call him a “deadbeat dad” really need to look up what that term actually means. He was invested enough in his relationship with Rory that he actually got upset and was ready to fight with Lorelai when Rory stopped communicating with him and he believed that Lorelai was behind it. People argue that he only cares about Lorelai, and always shows up only because of her, but that’s clearly untrue. And you’re absolutely right - he gets the Dean Forester treatment. He’s the wrench in their preferred ship, so they exaggerate his negative qualities to rationalize their blind hatred. It’s insane (and more than a little annoying). To me, if you don’t like a character, that’s fine - but the least you can do is be honest about why you don’t like them. Don’t try to feed me your fan-made caricatures. This show gives us enough examples of actual bad parents without the fandom treating the middling ones like they’re the spawn of Satan. Why hate Liz and Chris when Jimmy, Sherry, Anna (and a lot of times, Emily and Richard) are RIGHT THERE? Plus, I think ASP felt the same way and tried to do some damage control with the fandom when she wrote Dean and Chris’ scenes in AYITL. I think Rory’s interactions with them (her monologue about Dean being a great boyfriend, and Chris asking not to be painted as “too much of a villain”) was a pointed hint on how she wanted the fandom to feel about those characters. Funny how people will respect her authority as the creator only when she conveniently aligns with their opinions. 😒

I think I hate Anna more as a person than as a parent. April may have received some collateral emotional damage (and I obviously don’t like that), but my main beef with Anna was her treatment of Luke. There was literally no reason for her to be so nasty to him or to be as possessive over April as she was.

Sherry was god-awful. It’s probably a good thing Chris chose to stay with her in S2, because if he hadn’t - Sherry might have left Gigi in a dumpster or something.

I think Sherry abandoning Gigi and leaving Chris to be a single dad served as a major highlight of Chris and Lorelai being the “timing was never right” sort of couple. They had an undeniable bond, and ended up leading parallel lives, 19 (?) years apart. If it wasn’t for Luke (and I say this as a hardcore Luke/Lorelai shipper), I think Chris and Lorelai would have been a no-brainer option for each other. Even though I love Luke/Lorelai more, I do love Chris/Lorelai - both together and separately (even though the writing in S7 made them a little weird). I think their relationship is very bittersweet and tragic, and they break my heart a little bit.

[grey-eyed-menace]

Byakuran: We have fun, don’t we, Enma?

Enma: I have never been more stressed out in my entire life.

---

Tsunayoshi, watching Byakuran and Enma fight: Are you sure they should be fighting? What if they get hurt?

Uni, not bothered by the chaos: It’s fine. They’re too evenly matched to hurt each other.

Tsunayoshi: Then... who’s the strongest out of you three?

Byakuran: Uni.

Enma: Uni.

Uni: Me.

---

Enma: Is there anyone here who’s actually straight?

Byakuran: *raises hand*

Uni: *puts his hand down*

---

Byakuran: Hey besties-

Gelaro: Die.

Byakuran: What did I do to you-

---

Demon: Hey, I took your soul last month and-

Uni: No returns.

Demon: *sobbing* But it's making me sad...

Uni: Good.

---

Akatsuki: I can't imagine what Uni is planning. But I can tell you two things. We won't like it and it won't be legal.

---

Byakuran: *slams books down in front of Akatsuki*

Byakuran: Boil up some Mountain Dew. It’s gonna be a long night.

Akatsuki: You could of said literally anything else.

Byakuran: Cauldron boil and cauldron bubble, Baja Blast to fuel my trouble.

Akatsuki: I’m going to just stop challenging you when you say random shit. I won’t win. I realize this now.

---

Gelaro : Uni, can you help me? All of my clothes keep disappearing for some reason.

Uni, wearing a hoodie that's 5 times bigger than her size: Spooky.

---

Byakuran: Do you love Enma?

Adelheid: Yeah, I do.

Byakuran: Uni! I told you I knew it! You owe me 100 bucks!

Uni: We all love Enma. You should've asked if she is IN love with him.

Adelheid: I thought that was implied.

Uni: ...

Byakuran: ...

Adelheid, looking straight at Uni: Congrats Byakuran, you just won 100 bucks.

---

Byakuran: If you took a shot for every time you made a bad decision, how drunk would you be?

Tsunayoshi: Maybe a bit tipsy?

Enma: Drunk.

Gelaro: Wasted.

Uni: Dead.

---

Byakuran, throwing his head into Uni's lap: Tell me I'm pretty!

Uni, lovingly stroking his hair: You're pretty fucking annoying, that's what you are.

---

Enma: I hate how you're just born out of nowhere, and you're forced to go to school and get education so you can get a job. What if I wanted to be a duck? No one ever asked me if I want to be a duck!

---

Tsunayoshi: ...This is one of those moments where it doesn't really matter what I have to say, isn't it?

---

Gelaro: I think my guardian angel drinks.

---

Byakuran: I’m sick and tired of being called 'mortal' like, you don’t know that. Neither do I. I have never died even ONCE. Nothing has been proven yet. Stop making assumptions. It’s rude.

---

Uni: Plants are basically the ideal friends. They are quiet, friendly, and easy to please. All they need is a little water and fresh earth, and they are perfectly happy to lie there all day in the sun. And they don’t make increasingly awful life choices, or hide their relationships. They have never, as far as I know, fucked a bee.

---

Akatsuki: I regret getting dragged into your heterosexual tomfoolery.

---

Rasiel: I love saying 'fuck me' because it can either be sexual or self-loathing and those are two things that describe me perfectly.

---

Ginger: I’m not a doctor I’m a medic.

Cecil: What’s the difference then?

Ginger: Well doctors actually save lives, medics just make you feel more comfortable as you die.

Rasiel: Note to self; never get shot.

---

Aeris: What's the signal when something goes wrong?

Ginger: We yell, 'oh shit.'

Albito: ...That'll work.

---

Ginger: Everyone synchronise your watches.

Aeris: I don't know how to do that.

Rasiel: I don't wear a watch.

Uni: Time is a construct

---

Uni: Did you just call me a shrimp, you asshole?! I'm still growing, dammit!

---

Rasiel: Though I admit I don’t know much about you, I am feeling pretty confident in my assessment that you are probably some sort of sick deadly fuck.

Uni: Who told you my secret?

[becthebooknerd]

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

"Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones that I did not."

Genre: Thriller Rating: 3 3/4 out of 5 Stars

I won’t lie, this book was a daunting one to even start to read. I’d seen it being worshipped on TikTok and was naturally a bit cautious about even buying the book (not saying TikTok has a bad track record of book recommendations - there have been some gems discovered - but some of the ones that get hype are questionable). However, the lovely bookseller who dealt with my many books transaction at the time assured me that it was an amazing book and one of her favourites ever. Her only warning was that it was a bit slow going at times but that I needed to stick with it. 

Months later, I finally got around to reading it. 

Set somewhere, I think, in the 90’s, although the year is never given and time seems ambiguous throughout, The Secret History is told from the perspective of Richard, a young adult from California, looking back on his time in college. He begins by describing his educational temperament and his many parental issues and both of those combined lead him to Hampden, a college, far, far, away from his least favourite place: home. Once at Hampden, he becomes obsessed with a small cult of classics scholars, led by an even more cultish professor. Naturally, he ends up joining them. Thus begins the descent into murder and the inevitable downfall of the group. 

I have to say, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book - not to sound too surprised at that, but I did. Every time I picked it up, I got sucked in. Although it takes an awfully long time for anything much to happen, I didn’t really find it all that slow. Except, perhaps, towards the end where I began to wonder how and where it would all end. In a similar fashion, I enjoyed the characters up until the end. They’re not supposed to be likeable, that was never the intention, even from the start. They are put on a pedestal by Richard and we watch as they all come tumbling down. That being said, I still became invested in them, I wanted to know more, I wanted to see more of them all. Thinking about it, this was probably Tartt’s intention, we are viewing this group through the eyes of Richard and he is the one who becomes fascinated with them. I found I came to start disliking them at about the same time Richard did too, so this solidifies my theory. In all honesty, this could all be incredibly obvious and I’m just an idiot. 

With most books there are, of course, downsides. The main downside of this one? The chapter length. Oh boy did I think some of them were never going to end! Genuinely I think the chapters in this book must be the longest chapters in existence. Don’t even attempt to think you can read a chapter at night. They didn’t help towards the end either, especially after the aftermath. It all felt a little too drawn out, as though she was filling a word count rather than saying anything at all. 

It might just have been because I was in a reading slump, which, to be fair, is on me for picking such a book to read while in one, but I have to admit that maybe this book didn’t quite live up to the hype on the internet. That being said, I did really enjoy it and I do think it’s good. But, like anything spoken about online, most of it is over-exaggerated. I do think this book is a bit like marmite: you either like it or you don’t. I think I fall into the category of ‘like it’ but you won’t know yourself until you read it.